Jhonen Vasquez is a... guy. I think? I don't really know what else to say. I met him once, briefly, and he was super-nice in that way that you don't expect people who create really fucked-up, disturbing shit to be, but always are. Like, I bet H.R. Giger was a total sweetheart. Anyway, I made a Hot Topic joke at his expense and he sent me this self-portrait on the right. Pretty great, huh?
So here's what stood out for me in 2012 in no real particular order. I'm not easy with putting them in a best-to-worst way because they're just so different from one another. Mostly I just wanna say this is a list of shit that most distracted me from solving all of the world's troubles this year.
The Walking Dead
This did everything for me, made me laugh, curse at my TV, shout in horrified surprise. Someone should make a Walking Dead TV show, or at least a comic book.
Super Hexagon
The worst kind of addictive. I'd get texts from Penn Ward saying "I beat your score in Super Hexagon." and I'd play til I beat him back, not eating or using the restroom in the actual restroom.
Retro City Rampage
This game reminded me I had a Vita, and that's pretty impressive. Awesomely stupid game, great soundtrack.
Borderlands 2
More of the same, but the same was still me and my friends on headsets having a good time just shooting the shit while we shot shit. Much better writing this time around made the cold cold mechanics of grinding go down a lil' smoother.
The Room
Holy god I can play things like this forever. I swear I could hear the dopamine surging through my tubes with every latch I'd uncover and every gear I'd set moving with the right combination of OH GOD I WANT MORE.
Max Payne 3
Yeah, it's a different feel from the previous games I loved so much, but when Max's neighbor walks out and explodes himself after a few creepy words, I had no choice but to be cool with everything.
ZombiU
Surprised how much I got into this game. Can't even say I had "fun" playing it, but the stark, miserable stressful slog through garbage and undead horrors was addictive as hell for me. Reminded me of Condemned, only with less beating to death of homeless people.
Letterpress
I love winning, and even losing is fun when I play this--THAT's how much I love word games and this one in particular. Yeah, yeah, I cry when I lose, but in a fun way.
Sound Shapes
Pure charm this game, though it was barely a game in the usual sense. I'm a sucker for interactive music in games and this game was just growing smiles the whole way through.
FTL: Faster Than Light
Infuriating! I HATE you, FTL! What the hell is your merciless problem? My crew didn't deserve that shit! -plays FTL again-
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
More of the same same same yeah, but zombies has given me and my friends countless hours of awesome since World at War, and this is MORE zombies. Campaign was idiotic fun, and also vomit-inducing punch-glove.
Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit
Exactly the sort of thing me from the past would have imagined gaming on the Genesis of the future would be like.
Deadlight
Didn't trust the player to figure things out quite enough, but loved the art direction and the flashbacks to games like... well... Flashback.