Game of the Year 2012

I only counted games that are released on platforms that I played this year only, so things like Trine 2 or Witcher 2 doesn't count...

Best overall: XCom Enemy Unknown

Best story:...I dunno, most games I played this year doesn't have that memorable storyline...closest would be Gungnir I guess...or Alan Wake (PC version is released this year)

Best soundtrack: FTL Faster Than Light, Hotline Miami

Best graphics: Black Mesa (technically it isn't the best, but boy do they make the place alive), Dishonored (love the art style)

edited 3rd Dec '12 7:38:04 PM by onyhow

Give me cute or give me...something?

Well I haven't played very many games released this year (Mass Effect 3, Walking Dead, Skyrim, and... Human Revolution was released this year, right? And I sadly won't get to play Dishonored or X Com: Enemy Unknown until Christmas at earliest) but of those I have...

Best Gameplay: Mass Effect 3. I've had more fun playing this game than many others.

Best Soundtrack: Toss-up between Skyrim and Mass Effect 3. It's hard to call, because I don't like many of Skyrim's slower tracks, but when it's good it's amazing. And Mass Effect 3 is just fantastic, but with only one truly memorable track.

Best Story and Writing: The Walking Dead. I shouldn't have to explain this one, if you've played the game, you know. It is just so good.

Best Indie Game: iunno

Best DLC: If you don't count the episodes of Walking Dead, Human Revolution's The Missing Link It's really good, though it really should be integrated into the main game rather than as a seperate campaign, I can completely understand why it isn't.

Best Overall Game: Mass Effect 3. Say what you will about the ending, everything else was undisputably amazing in my books. Not everything in every category was the best ever, but when they come together... damn.

"It's so hard to be humble, knowing how great I am."

Best Loot-Driven Shooter: Borderlands 2

Best Fighting Game Based Off an RPG: Persona 4 Arena

Best Up-To-Four-Player Fighting Game: Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale

Best Spin-Off Racing Game: Forza Horizon

Best Racing Game That Comes Close To Being Burnout Paradise 2: Need For Speed: Most Wanted

Best Racing Game That Has Vyse, Gilius, And That Guy From Wreck-It Ralph In It: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Best Franchise Revival: XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Best Game With a Promising Start: Dishonored

Best Game That Came Out Of Left Field: Kid Icarus: Uprising

Best Game With Puzzles: Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask

Best Rhythm Game With Final Fantasy Music: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

Best Rhythm Game Without Final Fantasy Music: Rock Band Blitz

Best Fast-Paced Platformer: Dustforce

Best Exploratory Platformer: Fez

Best Emotional, Artsy Game: Journey

Best Death Course Simulator: Orcs Must Die! 2

Best Game That Actually Mixes Things Up: Call Of Duty: Black Ops II

Best Facebook Game: You Don't Know Jack

Holy Crap, They Didn't Forget About It Award: Alan Wake's American Nightmare

edited 4th Dec '12 10:16:38 AM by AzureSeas

No, it was released 2011.

People aren't as awful as the internet makes them out to be.

My game of the year for 2012 is Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne. What? I didn't buy any 2012 games this year.

I also have to agree that this year... not the best for games. It seems like video games had a really hard time this year...

I liked it better when Questionable Casting was called WTH Casting Agency

The only great game that ive played and came this years is Mass Effect 3, so this my peronsl game of the year

http://steamcommunity.com/id/Xan-Xan/

Didn't play a whole load of new games this year and the ones I did are almost exclusively from Nintendo, so I think I'll avoid giving my super biased opinion on this.

Though Kid Icarus Uprising should win at least 50% of all awards this year.

"Evii is right though" -Saturn "I didn't know you were a bitch Evii." -Lior Val

Didn't play enough to have an informed opinion. From this year, I recalled playing a few indie titles, Dota 2 (which I did not enjoy, but I hold nothing against the game itself), Torchlight II (which I enjoyed) and Borderlands 2 (which I've really been enjoying so far). Overall... eh, can't really make an informed opinion here

edited 5th Dec '12 5:16:24 PM by EarlOfSandvich

I now go by Graf von Tirol.

The things I've actually bought this year that were also released this year are limited to X-Com and Borderlands 2. Darksiders 2 as well, I guess, but I haven't played it yet.

And X-Com and Borderlands are both damn fine.

Overall goes to X-Com. Visuals and writing go to Borderlands 2.

x7

THIS IS A GOOD POST GUYS BE MORE LIKE THIS PERSON

Remember! Hyperbole is an exaggeration made for comedic effect, and shouldn't be taken literally!

Well, this year is a great year for games (even if most were sequels and prequels), so I'm not complaining.

On another note, I just finished Far Cry 3. So what does this mean to my original Game Of the Year list?

NOTE: For the original list, look up page 1 of the discussion.

Best Overall Game:

Journey: No change.

Best Story and Writing:

Spec Ops The Line: Spec Ops still takes the cake, but I think its safe to say that Far Cry 3 earned a spot as an honorable mention.

Best Gameplay:

Far Cry 3: Arkane Studios, take notes. THIS is how you do freedom of choice. It's annoying that developers talk about a game offering freedom for a player to do what ever he/she wants in the game's world, only for the game to come out and either encourage or flatout force the player to play in one specific style. That was my only issue with Deus Ex Human Revolution (thankfully mitigated by offering ways to make up for lost XP), as well as my biggest problem with Dishonored.

Far Cry 3, on the other hand, never punishes you for adapting to the situations you face and the choices you make. On the contrary! Rather than enforcing pacifism or stealth, it invites the player to adapt to the game's world and the situations that may occur. Get detected while invading an outpost? No need to restart; just disable the alarm and test your strength and accuracy against Vaas' pirates. Like one activity (say hunting and crafting goods) over the rest? There are challenges, currency, and XP to help you do just that. Want to just explore the world? Hiking, driving cars and boats, and hang-gliding all help you indulge into the island's beauty (and insanity). I can say, without any question whatsoever, that Far Cry 3 has officially toppled Hitman: Absolution as the winner of this category. Well done, Ubisoft.

Best Visuals (Aesthetics and Graphics):

Journey: No change, but I'll give honorable mentions to Far Cry 3, Hitman: Absolution, and Borderlands 2 in this category.

Best Soundtrack:

A 3-way tie between Journey, Darksiders II, and Asuras Wrath: No changes.

Best Voice Acting:

Mass Effect 3: No change, but I got to say Far Cry 3 came pretty damn close. The voice actors for Vaas and Buck in particular are nothing short of amazing and I will be shocked if neither of them get any individual voice acting awards for their work. Seriously, if voice-acting Vaas doesn't make Michael Mando a bigger name, I don't know what will.

edited 7th Dec '12 2:58:03 PM by sanfranman91

Together, we are one.

I thought Dishonored, even if it encouraged stealth, also didn't mind if you stabbed and shot and blasted your way out of the situation if detected. What made you believe that you were forced to go non-lethal?

^ The ending...

Give me cute or give me...something?

I heard that the "bad" ending is actually better than the "good" one (can't judge, since I have yet to see it).

I'm playing Far Cry 3 too now, but it has no effect on my list. It stays far away from my best voice acting, alone for the overuse of "fuck" (although that's not the fault of the voice actors). Sure it may be fitting to a character like Vaas, but it's still obnoxious as hell. Also, I don't think that pacifism is even an option in it. You only have the option to how many enemies you slaughter.

Honestly, I don't see a reason to compare Far Cry 3 to Dishonored. The one is an open-world game, the other is not. Of course, the former has more "freedom", that's kind of the point of an open-world game. Using the first Far Cry as comparison would make more sense, since it's not open-world. Although it still wouldn't make sense, since they are still completely different games.

Talking about the first Far Cry, it's islands are much more beautiful than the ones of the third game, despite the graphics being generally worse, due to the age, which may be due to a more subdued colors. It's as if they took some notes from Far Cry (which is why Far Cry 3 feels more like a Far Cry 2, than the actual Far Cry 2), but somehow missed why it's visuals are so great in the first place (which is odd, considering that it's obvious).

Also, I still wait for the story to become actually interesting.

People aren't as awful as the internet makes them out to be.

I see that there are two GOTY awards given out already:

• X-Play: Borderlands 2
• Spike TV: The Walking Dead

edited 8th Dec '12 7:45:13 AM by EarlOfSandvich

I now go by Graf von Tirol.