Hailinel's Top 10 of 2012: Another GOTY List Post

The List of the Ten Games That I Enjoyed the Most This Year and is Sure to Get a Lot of Dislike Votes Like My Other GOTY Lists (Fuck You Guys)

This is my Game of the Year list for 2012. DEAL WITH IT.

OK, snark out of the way, these are the ten games that I got the most out of this year, for one reason or another. In putting this list together, I wasn't particularly thorough in my explanations, but this list was slowly cobbled together over the past year as it went along. A few games were on the list, and then got moved off as better games took their place, but after all was said and done, this is what it came down to. If you want to discuss these entries further or accuse me of being an unrepentant Japanophile (as happens without fail at least once every time I make a GOTY list), then we can chat about these further.

Because debates are fun.

	1. Xenoblade Chronicles It took far too long to reach North America, but the wait was worth it. It's easily the best game I've played all year and the best RPG I've played in a very long time.
	2. Kid Icarus: Uprising A fun game with an excellent story and wonderful characters that does the original NES game more justice than it could have possibly deserved.
	3. Persona 4 Arena Who would have thought that a fighting game sequel to an RPG would feature such an amazing story and such a fun fighting system?
	4. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy A Final Fantasy rhythm game with classic tracks and beautiful design.
	5. The Last Story The last major Wii release in North America turned out to be one of the console's best.
	6. Asura's Wrath While it may largely be a QTE-driven anime in video game form, that doesn't make Asura's Wrath any less entertaining in its own right. The game does what it sets out to do with aplomb.
	7. Pokémon Conquest Pokemon and Nobunaga's Ambition? Together? Who would have thought something so crazy could result in something so fun.
	8. Warriors Orochi 3 Specifically the Wii U version. Easily one of the best Warriors games to date.
	9. Double Dragon Neon A fun, hilarious revival of the series with great music and a terrific villain. What more could I want out of it?
	10. Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom Visual Novels don't come to North America in an official capacity very often, but Hakuoki is a quality entry in the genre.

The List of the Ten Games That I Enjoyed the Most This Year and is Sure to Get a Lot of Dislike Votes Like My Other GOTY Lists (Fuck You Guys)

This is my Game of the Year list for 2012. DEAL WITH IT.

OK, snark out of the way, these are the ten games that I got the most out of this year, for one reason or another. In putting this list together, I wasn't particularly thorough in my explanations, but this list was slowly cobbled together over the past year as it went along. A few games were on the list, and then got moved off as better games took their place, but after all was said and done, this is what it came down to. If you want to discuss these entries further or accuse me of being an unrepentant Japanophile (as happens without fail at least once every time I make a GOTY list), then we can chat about these further.

Because debates are fun.

	1. Xenoblade Chronicles It took far too long to reach North America, but the wait was worth it. It's easily the best game I've played all year and the best RPG I've played in a very long time.
	2. Kid Icarus: Uprising A fun game with an excellent story and wonderful characters that does the original NES game more justice than it could have possibly deserved.
	3. Persona 4 Arena Who would have thought that a fighting game sequel to an RPG would feature such an amazing story and such a fun fighting system?
	4. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy A Final Fantasy rhythm game with classic tracks and beautiful design.
	5. The Last Story The last major Wii release in North America turned out to be one of the console's best.
	6. Asura's Wrath While it may largely be a QTE-driven anime in video game form, that doesn't make Asura's Wrath any less entertaining in its own right. The game does what it sets out to do with aplomb.
	7. Pokémon Conquest Pokemon and Nobunaga's Ambition? Together? Who would have thought something so crazy could result in something so fun.
	8. Warriors Orochi 3 Specifically the Wii U version. Easily one of the best Warriors games to date.
	9. Double Dragon Neon A fun, hilarious revival of the series with great music and a terrific villain. What more could I want out of it?
	10. Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom Visual Novels don't come to North America in an official capacity very often, but Hakuoki is a quality entry in the genre.

I enjoyed this list, it's not a typical selecetion of games. I really need to get a 3DS. KI:U and Theatrythm are only two of the reasons. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll find one under the tree this year... I also really need to get back into Xenoblade. Travel (in real life) really killed my momentum in the game.

Nice! I can honestly say that I haven't played any of these games before, other than Asura's Wrath, which I really enjoyed. I'm not usually into the Japanese or visual novel games, but it's neat to take a look at them from someone who obviously loves them! I've also heard good things about Xenoblade, I may have to try it. Any other recommendations for someone who hasn't played much of any Japanese/visual novel games?

I always enjoy alternative lists, though you know damned well you're an unrepentant Japanophile in your tastes. ;)

I've spent time with the top six games, and the only one I'll never understand the appeal of is Kid Icarus: Uprising. Specifically its gameplay. But, to each his own. The other five are actually really neat, and I've not even watched a half hour of the bottom four.

As for Xenoblade Chronicles, I should hope that just about anybody who finishes it will list it as their Game of the Year, or at least something close to it!

I always heard the last story was just a resonance of fate inspired game that wasn't as good

@Little_Socrates said:

As for Xenoblade Chronicles, I should hope that just about anybody who finishes it will list it as their Game of the Year, or at least something close to it!

Not gonna happen, at least on my end. Awesome game, but not going to appear in my GOTYs. It got crowded out. However, to steer this back to the current GOTY blog, I'll comment on the only games I've played here:

• Xenoblade: Awesome.
• The Last Story: Not awesome.
• Pokemon Conquest: Possibly awesome. I haven't gotten further than 10 minutes in, mainly because other games are crowding it out. Let's hope I get through it in time for next year's GOTY stuffs.

YOU UNREPENTANT JAPANOPHILE!!!!

On a more rational note, it seems our tastes are vastly different. I have played none of these games.

I'm still shocked Double Dragon got as much love as it did from people. I really like some of the 2-D art but that demo played really rough at least IMO. Either way refreshing not to see the same old Journey, TWD and X-Com answers that everyone else is putting on their lists this year.

I sensed a bunch of Japanese developed games on your list before even clicking on it. Do I have special powers? Interesting list all the same.

also let's be entirely fair your list is certainly japanophilic this year (one western game that is a remake of a japanese game). I mean I say this as someone who's list is 40% japanese games (though BD is certainly inspired by gears of war/blade runner)

@BoG said:

I enjoyed this list, it's not a typical selecetion of games. I really need to get a 3DS. KI:U and Theatrythm are only two of the reasons. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll find one under the tree this year... I also really need to get back into Xenoblade. Travel (in real life) really killed my momentum in the game.

Xenoblade is one of those games that can take a very long time to finish if you really get caught up in it. Hopefully you have the time to experience it fully.

@Empirepaintball said:

Nice! I can honestly say that I haven't played any of these games before, other than Asura's Wrath, which I really enjoyed. I'm not usually into the Japanese or visual novel games, but it's neat to take a look at them from someone who obviously loves them! I've also heard good things about Xenoblade, I may have to try it. Any other recommendations for someone who hasn't played much of any Japanese/visual novel games?

In all honesty, I haven't played too many visual novels; Hakuoki struck me as intriguing because it's actually an otome game. The content, concept, and localization just proved to be very well done and something I really enjoyed despite not being part of its target audience.

@Little_Socrates said:

I always enjoy alternative lists, though you know damned well you're an unrepentant Japanophile in your tastes. ;)

I've spent time with the top six games, and the only one I'll never understand the appeal of is Kid Icarus: Uprising. Specifically its gameplay. But, to each his own. The other five are actually really neat, and I've not even watched a half hour of the bottom four.

As for Xenoblade Chronicles, I should hope that just about anybody who finishes it will list it as their Game of the Year, or at least something close to it!

There we go! Japanophile Quotient achieved.

Not everyone is a fan of the ground controls in Uprising, and I actually had to use a Circle Pad Pro because I'm a lefty, but once I got the hang of the controls, they didn't bother me. The main appeal of the game, at least for me, is its story and writing, which is surprisingly deep

and evolves beyond constant joking references to the original Kid Icarus to become something truly touching. The characters are beautifully written and given a surprising amount of depth, though they're not the most complex characters you'll ever meet of course; Pit wears his heart on his sleeve, for example, but he's a lovable character, and the way that the story evolves, with some legitimately surprising twists and turns, really captured my attention.

@Animasta said:

I always heard the last story was just a resonance of fate inspired game that wasn't as good

I never played Resonance of Fate, so I can't say how inspired The Last Story is by it. All I know is that the combat in TLS is a lot of fun, and the Sakaguchi-style characters and romantic plot are very well done.

@Video_Game_King said:

@Little_Socrates said:

As for Xenoblade Chronicles, I should hope that just about anybody who finishes it will list it as their Game of the Year, or at least something close to it!

Not gonna happen, at least on my end. Awesome game, but not going to appear in my GOTYs. It got crowded out. However, to steer this back to the current GOTY blog, I'll comment on the only games I've played here:

• Xenoblade: Awesome.
• The Last Story: Not awesome.
• Pokemon Conquest: Possibly awesome. I haven't gotten further than 10 minutes in, mainly because other games are crowding it out. Let's hope I get through it in time for next year's GOTY stuffs.

Pokemon Conquest is awesome, as is The Last Story.

@Animasta said:

also let's be entirely fair your list is certainly japanophilic this year (one western game that is a remake of a japanese game). I mean I say this as someone who's list is 40% japanese games (though BD is certainly inspired by gears of war/blade runner)

Eh, my list is basically this ratio of east to west every year.

@laserbolts said:

I sensed a bunch of Japanese developed games on your list before even clicking on it. Do I have special powers? Interesting list all the same.

I wonder what your superhero name would be in that case, but thanks!

@Demoskinos said:

I'm still shocked Double Dragon got as much love as it did from people. I really like some of the 2-D art but that demo played really rough at least IMO. Either way refreshing not to see the same old Journey, TWD and X-Com answers that everyone else is putting on their lists this year.

I just had a lot of fun with it. It's a goofy beat'em up with an '80s cartoon vibe and one of the best villains of the year in Skullmageddon. (Seriously, he is amazing.) I also really enjoy the soundtrack and its '80s inspirations. Sometimes I'd play through stages just to listen to the music.

@believer258 said:

YOU UNREPENTANT JAPANOPHILE!!!!

On a more rational note, it seems our tastes are vastly different. I have played none of these games.

Yeah, I haven't actually played many of the games that dominate a lot of the lists around here. Things like XCOM, The Walking Dead and Spec Ops just sort of passed me by.

@Hailinel: resonance of fate was the best JRPG (I don't count Nier as a JRPG really) that came out in 2010 and from what I heard of the premise it sounded very very similar (a dying world with a place of prosperity and other places that are not, mercenaries, etc. Though RoF is more based in reality and uses guns) and Resonance of Fate got fucked by releasing 1 week before (or after I forget) FF13.

@Hailinel:

Xenoblade is my second fav game period, and was my GOTY last year after I beat the EU version. Made sure to get the US release this year but it's probably not my GOTY even though I put another 180 hours into it. So good choice.

Also Resonance of Fate is cool as shit but pretty much nothing like TLS.

Also I really like DD Neon. Soundtrack is amazing.

If nothing else, reading this list of Japanese games that I've never played but that you think are the ten best games of the year has helped me realise that we, as forces in this universe, are pretty much diametrically opposed. I've struggled to come up with a proper top ten list this year, but NONE of the games I would consider putting in said top ten were Japanese; instead you several European games (Dishonored, Crusader Kings II) balancing out American games (Journey, XCOM, Torchlight 2).

I guess that's what happens when you become a PC gamer, because as a rule Japan don't give a fuck about the PC.

Edit: Holy shit, it goes WAY deeper than just this year. I happen to have on my computer a list that is a rough approximation of my 50 favourite games of this generation. It is still pretty accurate, and the highest rated Japanese game is Tales of Vesperia...at #19! Considering how influential Japanese games have been in my video game life (I was a Nintendo loyalist for much of my childhood), this is...startling to say the least. Especially considering that I have a game from Sweden at #11 (Crusader Kings II), Turkey at #12 (Mount&Blade: Warband), and Poland at #15 (The Witcher).

@Animasta said:

@Hailinel: resonance of fate was the best JRPG (I don't count Nier as a JRPG really) that came out in 2010 and from what I heard of the premise it sounded very very similar (a dying world with a place of prosperity and other places that are not, mercenaries, etc. Though RoF is more based in reality and uses guns) and Resonance of Fate got fucked by releasing 1 week before (or after I forget) FF13.

Those are pretty vague surface similarities, actually, but I don't know enough about how RoF plays or its story details to really compare.

@rubberluffy said:

@Hailinel:

Xenoblade is my second fav game period, and was my GOTY last year after I beat the EU version. Made sure to get the US release this year but it's probably not my GOTY even though I put another 180 hours into it. So good choice.

Also Resonance of Fate is cool as shit but pretty much nothing like TLS.

Also I really like DD Neon. Soundtrack is amazing.

In some ways, I'm glad that Europe got Xenoblade first. The British localization and voice acting is really well done (from my perspective as an American).

I just got Asura's Wrath today, I'm pretty stoked. Glad to see your top three were on my list too, I really gotta finish Xenoblade, there's just so much to that game. I need to get Double Dragon Neon too, if for nothing else than to satisfy my WayForward love.

I'd give it a chance if it was on Xbox 360 or PC

Other than Warriors Orochi 3 (which surprisingly enough even managed to score a spot on my own list /plug), I haven't played a single second of any of 'em, and I probably never will! But I guess that's the beauty of gaming these days, with all of the variety out there and all that, there's now more niches than ever. I almost feel somewhat guilty at the fact that my own GOTY lists are often populated by a lot of predictable choices and that I perhaps don't branch out enough. Part of why I loooove Valkyria Chronicles as much as I do is not only because it's so damn good, but because it's also a rather different sort of game for me to play. So I'm getting the satisfaction of knowing that I'm trying something new while also getting to play one of the best games on the PS3 at that.

Plus there's the Yakuza series, which I've continually been lead by a nagging compulsion to buy the latest one at full price ASAP starting with Yakuza 3, and shall continue whence Yakuza 5 is officially announced for Western audiences!

Anywhoo great list, even if I'm speaking out of complete ignorance since I of course haven't played any of them - minus one.

@Zippedbinders said:

I just got Asura's Wrath today, I'm pretty stoked. Glad to see your top three were on my list too, I really gotta finish Xenoblade, there's just so much to that game. I need to get Double Dragon Neon too, if for nothing else than to satisfy my WayForward love.

Hope you enjoy. Asura's Wrath is a wonderful ball of craziness. I just took a look at your own list, and I noticed Liberation Maiden is on it. It really sounds like a great game, but unfortunately it doesn't support the Circle Pad Pro, which makes it problematic for me. :(

Great pick with Double Dragon: Neon. From what I've seen that game it looks great. Plus the soundtrack is incredible. I'll have to pick it up at some point. Anywho, solid list that includes games that wouldn't be on most lists.

I also thoroughly enjoyed Hakuoki. I was thrilled to see such a high quality Otome visual novel localized by Aksys. I think I'm still surprised that they took the risk and did it. It's definitely one of my top games of 2012 as well.

@Hailinel said:

@Zippedbinders said:

I just got Asura's Wrath today, I'm pretty stoked. Glad to see your top three were on my list too, I really gotta finish Xenoblade, there's just so much to that game. I need to get Double Dragon Neon too, if for nothing else than to satisfy my WayForward love.

Hope you enjoy. Asura's Wrath is a wonderful ball of craziness. I just took a look at your own list, and I noticed Liberation Maiden is on it. It really sounds like a great game, but unfortunately it doesn't support the Circle Pad Pro, which makes it problematic for me. :(

Liberation Maiden is a great little game, but I don't think its complicated enough that the circle pad pro is necessary, the movement isn't very complicated and aiming hasn't been all that intense. I wish there were some sort of demo for people to try out instead of dropping $8 for something they can't play at all.

Getting P4A on Christmas, pretty excited to play it. I've been watching some random episodes of the P4ER in anticipation. I'm glad there is a bunch of story in it too since I only have one PS3 controller.

@Yummylee said:

Other than Warriors Orochi 3 (which surprisingly enough even managed to score a spot on my own list /plug), I haven't played a single second of any of 'em, and I probably never will! But I guess that's the beauty of gaming these days, with all of the variety out there and all that, there's now more niches than ever. I almost feel somewhat guilty at the fact that my own GOTY lists are often populated by a lot of predictable choices and that I perhaps don't branch out enough. Part of why I loooove Valkyria Chronicles as much as I do is not only because it's so damn good, but because it's also a rather different sort of game for me to play. So I'm getting the satisfaction of knowing that I'm trying something new while also getting to play one of the best games on the PS3 at that.

Plus there's the Yakuza series, which I've continually been lead by a nagging compulsion to buy the latest one at full price ASAP starting with Yakuza 3, and shall continue whence Yakuza 5 is officially announced for Western audiences!

Anywhoo great list, even if I'm speaking out of complete ignorance since I of course haven't played any of them - minus one.

You don't seem like that big of a Warriors fan, but man, I've gotta say that if you only like one game in the series, that's a good one to like. Easily one of the top in the franchise.

The great thing about these GOTY lists is that, despite the predictability in some cases, a lot of people have really different tastes and perspectives. With so many games released in a year, no one can play all of them (or well, all of them to any meaningful extent), so even an otherwise predictable list can have some oddball choices. Valkyria Chronicles is one of those games that I really enjoy, but I never got around to finishing. I should go back and start over (and cry as I get obliterated in Mission 7 again and again). I really like its take on turn-based strategy.

And I really enjoy Yakuza as well. I'm hoping Sega will announce a western date for Yakuza 5 soon.

@Phatmac said:

Great pick with Double Dragon: Neon. From what I've seen that game it looks great. Plus the soundtrack is incredible. I'll have to pick it up at some point. Anywho, solid list that includes games that wouldn't be on most lists.

I'd easily put Double Dragon Neon up for soundtrack of the year. Absolute perfection from start to finish, and the ending credits song is well-worth beating the game to hear.

@Cathryn said:

I also thoroughly enjoyed Hakuoki. I was thrilled to see such a high quality Otome visual novel localized by Aksys. I think I'm still surprised that they took the risk and did it. It's definitely one of my top games of 2012 as well.

It was a surprise, and a pleasant one at that. It's not often that a western publisher, even a niche one, will take a risk on a game of that sort.

@Zippedbinders said:

@Hailinel said:

@Zippedbinders said:

I just got Asura's Wrath today, I'm pretty stoked. Glad to see your top three were on my list too, I really gotta finish Xenoblade, there's just so much to that game. I need to get Double Dragon Neon too, if for nothing else than to satisfy my WayForward love.

Hope you enjoy. Asura's Wrath is a wonderful ball of craziness. I just took a look at your own list, and I noticed Liberation Maiden is on it. It really sounds like a great game, but unfortunately it doesn't support the Circle Pad Pro, which makes it problematic for me. :(

Liberation Maiden is a great little game, but I don't think its complicated enough that the circle pad pro is necessary, the movement isn't very complicated and aiming hasn't been all that intense. I wish there were some sort of demo for people to try out instead of dropping $8 for something they can't play at all.

It's good to know. I'm just too left-handed to hold a stylus in my right hand effectively. Still, I'm glad that people that can play the game are enjoying it.

@Landon said:

Getting P4A on Christmas, pretty excited to play it. I've been watching some random episodes of the P4ER in anticipation. I'm glad there is a bunch of story in it too since I only have one PS3 controller.

The story mode in P4A really made the game for me. Easily the best fighting game story mode I've ever played/read.

This is such a @Hailinel list that the only way it could be moreso would be it having Other M at the top again, just to mess with people. And, much like your other lists, I haven't necessarily touched any of the games mentioned on it. I have a passing interest in Xenoblade and Pokemon Conquest, but other than that we're pretty much 0 and 10 here. Not that that's a bad thing. Different tastes and all that.

For my part, I think Dishonored is hella dope and I think The Walking Dead deserves a lot of the praise it gets. But those are statements I should be saving for my own list, and for me to be able to finish that list I'm going to have to play more Dragon's Dogma. So maybe I'll do that?

Nothing too disagreable here, I know of all the games except for # 10 and have enjoyed a few of them too.

Xenoblade is a really well put together rpg that will probably, unfortunately stay on my rpg-pile-of-shame forever. It's a good mix of complexity and modern design with just a tad bit much of a grind for me to stick with it, completionist that I am. In any case I'm at least interested to see what Monolith is working on next, Nintendo sure went out of their way to mention that they're hard at work on something.

I got used to the controls of Kid Icarus but I never grew to like them, and there are weird ways that, that game is similar to Smash Bros and various Kirby games that I just didn't dig, like it failed to establish enough of its own identity. Yet were the game failed to deliver in the gameplay department (which was still alright, mind you, it just had one too many annoyances to make it genuinely enjoyable) it more than made up for with its weird self aware humor and wacky anime hijinks. Also the game kept going and going, with one dumb (the good kind) twist after another. If they make another one I hope they can expand on some of the gameplay concepts I really liked, like the adjustable risk/reward difficulty system.

Theatheet...eh, theatheryeh...egh! ...Theatrhythm is great! It mixes something that I love (tapping to the music) with something that I like (Final Fantasy music) and it's a good combination. Lost many, many hours to that game.

I'm playing Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper off and on right now and as my first Dynasty Warriors-esque game experience I've been enjoying it, mostly. It's got a nice mix of fun, mashy mashy mashy combat of the kind not wholly unlike what I've enjoyed in the Kingdom Hearts games. A little thin in places perhaps, but it makes up for it with some hard leveling, weapon upgrading and with the sheer number of characters you're able to unlock (my current favourite is Zhou Tai, guy likes drawing his sword). Also it's got anime stereotypes out the butt, but of the kind I still enjoy as a guilty pleasure. So much righteousness! So much manliness! So much brotherhood! So many manly men and womenly women! So much silly fun.

Oh and hey, you're the reason I finally took the plunge to try one of these out, so thanks I guess. I even got to the point where I checked old Quicklooks of other DW-esque games and considered getting that Gundam one. Yet with the genre in general seeming to be lacking complexity I have been a bit cautious to dig too far back and have instead steeled myself into perhaps just waiting for future installments of whatever could be interesting.

I personally liked more than 10, yet loved less than 10 games this year, so I felt like making any sort of Game of the Year top 10 was kinda pointless for me. I've made a list of the games I played this year and what I thought of them and I intend to start making one next year, I think that's enough for me.

I stopped playing The Last Story when I had to fight that black cloud of darkness that won't take hits most of the time and kills all my party members the rest of the time. Still want to check out Xenoblade.

@LordAndrew said:

I stopped playing The Last Story when I had to fight that black cloud of darkness that won't take hits most of the time and kills all my party members the rest of the time. Still want to check out Xenoblade.

If that's the boss I'm thinking of, you have to nail it with Mirania's magic to make it vulnerable.

@ArbitraryWater said:

This is such a @Hailinel list that the only way it could be moreso would be it having Other M at the top again, just to mess with people. And, much like your other lists, I haven't necessarily touched any of the games mentioned on it. I have a passing interest in Xenoblade and Pokemon Conquest, but other than that we're pretty much 0 and 10 here. Not that that's a bad thing. Different tastes and all that.

For my part, I think Dishonored is hella dope and I think The Walking Dead deserves a lot of the praise it gets. But those are statements I should be saving for my own list, and for me to be able to finish that list I'm going to have to play more Dragon's Dogma. So maybe I'll do that?

My reputation is intact. I can say that much, at least. I look forward to seeing your own list and find out how we really differ this year.

@JackSukeru said:

Nothing too disagreable here, I know of all the games except for # 10 and have enjoyed a few of them too.

Xenoblade is a really well put together rpg that will probably, unfortunately stay on my rpg-pile-of-shame forever. It's a good mix of complexity and modern design with just a tad bit much of a grind for me to stick with it, completionist that I am. In any case I'm at least interested to see what Monolith is working on next, Nintendo sure went out of their way to mention that they're hard at work on something.

I got used to the controls of Kid Icarus but I never grew to like them, and there are weird ways that, that game is similar to Smash Bros and various Kirby games that I just didn't dig, like it failed to establish enough of its own identity. Yet were the game failed to deliver in the gameplay department (which was still alright, mind you, it just had one too many annoyances to make it genuinely enjoyable) it more than made up for with its weird self aware humor and wacky anime hijinks. Also the game kept going and going, with one dumb (the good kind) twist after another. If they make another one I hope they can expand on some of the gameplay concepts I really liked, like the adjustable risk/reward difficulty system.

Theatheet...eh, theatheryeh...egh! ...Theatrhythm is great! It mixes something that I love (tapping to the music) with something that I like (Final Fantasy music) and it's a good combination. Lost many, many hours to that game.

I'm playing Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper off and on right now and as my first Dynasty Warriors-esque game experience I've been enjoying it, mostly. It's got a nice mix of fun, mashy mashy mashy combat of the kind not wholly unlike what I've enjoyed in the Kingdom Hearts games. A little thin in places perhaps, but it makes up for it with some hard leveling, weapon upgrading and with the sheer number of characters you're able to unlock (my current favourite is Zhou Tai, guy likes drawing his sword). Also it's got anime stereotypes out the butt, but of the kind I still enjoy as a guilty pleasure. So much righteousness! So much manliness! So much brotherhood! So many manly men and womenly women! So much silly fun.

Oh and hey, you're the reason I finally took the plunge to try one of these out, so thanks I guess. I even got to the point where I checked old Quicklooks of other DW-esque games and considered getting that Gundam one. Yet with the genre in general seeming to be lacking complexity I have been a bit cautious to dig too far back and have instead steeled myself into perhaps just waiting for future installments of whatever could be interesting.

I personally liked more than 10, yet loved less than 10 games this year, so I felt like making any sort of Game of the Year top 10 was kinda pointless for me. I've made a list of the games I played this year and what I thought of them and I intend to start making one next year, I think that's enough for me.

Yeah, after Xenoblade, I really want to see what Monolith does next, as well. Hopefully NOA will be a bit more...proactive in releasing the game in the west, whatever it may be.

As for Kid Icarus, I was really surprised at how long the game was. It goes from being a quirky reprise of the original game to something far more grand at a startling pace. And in Theatrhythm, I haven't had as much fun with a rhythm game since my days of playing Ouendan 2. (Oh, iNiS, what has become of thee?)

One of the great parts of the Warriors games is that, no matter who you are, there's likely a character that's for you, whether you like gruff, manly dudes, pretty boys, feminine ladies, or tomboys. Warriors Orochi 3 is great because it manages to fill the roster with every single character from past games, and throws in a few more on top for good measure. I've already put a lot of time into Hyper and will continue to do so, but I'm really looking forward to Dynasty Warriors 8. DW7 was a major upgrade over the previous games, and DW8 looks like it's heading in a similarly evolved direction.

As much as I enjoyed Xenoblade, I had to disqualify it from my list due to this strange bug where all these weird Us started appearing everywhere and S would show up where a Z should have been. Really buggy. Also everyone talked in a funny accent, but it reminded me of the villains from some of my favorite hollywood movies, so I was okay with that artistic choice.*

*Sarcasm. Also I should finish Xenoblade but a grindy game is probably the worst thing I could get into right now, considering how much I've missed in the last couple months, my game pile is endlessly huge. And that game is really slow.

@MikkaQ said:

As much as I enjoyed Xenoblade, I had to disqualify it from my list due to this strange bug where all these weird Us started appearing everywhere and S would show up where a Z should have been.

What? I can't tell if you're trying to avoid spoilers or if letters actually started appearing all over the place.

I knew you were a fan of Kid Icarus and Theatrhythm is am excellent game that I have spent nearly 40 hours of my time with. I made my list in the same way as you, adding gradually over the year and replacing games as new ones came along. The one I was most saddened by kicking out of my top 10 was Double Dragon. What an incredibly fun, well crafted experience.

@Hailinel said:

Yeah, after Xenoblade, I really want to see what Monolith does next, as well. (1)Hopefully NOA will be a bit more...proactive in releasing the game in the west, whatever it may be.

(2)As for Kid Icarus, I was really surprised at how long the game was. It goes from being a quirky reprise of the original game to something far more grand at a startling pace. And in Theatrhythm, (3)I haven't had as much fun with a rhythm game since my days of playing Ouendan 2. (Oh, iNiS, what has become of thee?)

One of the great parts of the Warriors games is that, no matter who you are, there's likely a character that's for you, (4)whether you like gruff, manly dudes, pretty boys, feminine ladies, or tomboys. Warriors Orochi 3 is great because it manages to fill the roster with every single character from past games, and throws in a few more on top for good measure. I've already put a lot of time into Hyper and will continue to do so, (5)but I'm really looking forward to Dynasty Warriors 8. DW7 was a major upgrade over the previous games, and DW8 looks like it's heading in a similarly evolved direction.

1. I see no problem so long as they release it in Europe ;P
2. Yeah they really took that game some weird places, have to say I didn't see playing as a dog in a war torn city, and alien invasion coming. Fun though.
3. My only problem with thethryhrhmhm..........the final fantasy rhythm game, was the whole tapping the bottom screen deal when I prefered the style of Quendan, wasn't a dealbreaker though.
4. And luckily I like ALL of those things, to some extent.
5. I'll be sure to keep an eye on that one then. DW 7 looked kinda crazy, but I can wait.

@Video_Game_King said:

@MikkaQ said:

As much as I enjoyed Xenoblade, I had to disqualify it from my list due to this strange bug where all these weird Us started appearing everywhere and S would show up where a Z should have been.

What? I can't tell if you're trying to avoid spoilers or if letters actually started appearing all over the place.

Yeah man like every time the word "color" showed up just... a U right in the middle. Weird shit.

I'm just making a very obtuse, dumb joke at spelling across the pond. Ignore me.

I'm not that far into the game anyway, only like 8 hours. No time for JRPGs that aren't on a portable system these days.

Cool list. I only got it yesterday, so a bit soon to say, but Theatrhythm might be my GOTY. Hoping to check out Uprising soon, maybe after Sticker Star. Did you play Tales of the Abyss or the 999 sequel?

@Video_Game_King said:

@MikkaQ said:

As much as I enjoyed Xenoblade, I had to disqualify it from my list due to this strange bug where all these weird Us started appearing everywhere and S would show up where a Z should have been.

What? I can't tell if you're trying to avoid spoilers or if letters actually started appearing all over the place.

He's making a joke about the British localization.

@GunstarRed said:

I knew you were a fan of Kid Icarus and Theatrhythm is am excellent game that I have spent nearly 40 hours of my time with. I made my list in the same way as you, adding gradually over the year and replacing games as new ones came along. The one I was most saddened by kicking out of my top 10 was Double Dragon. What an incredibly fun, well crafted experience.

Definitely. Double Dragon is a great update of a classic formula. And Theatrhythm is incredibly addicting. It's easy to start playing and hard to stop, just telling myself "one more song..." over and over.

@JackSukeru said:

@Hailinel said:

Yeah, after Xenoblade, I really want to see what Monolith does next, as well. (1)Hopefully NOA will be a bit more...proactive in releasing the game in the west, whatever it may be.

(2)As for Kid Icarus, I was really surprised at how long the game was. It goes from being a quirky reprise of the original game to something far more grand at a startling pace. And in Theatrhythm, (3)I haven't had as much fun with a rhythm game since my days of playing Ouendan 2. (Oh, iNiS, what has become of thee?)

One of the great parts of the Warriors games is that, no matter who you are, there's likely a character that's for you, (4)whether you like gruff, manly dudes, pretty boys, feminine ladies, or tomboys. Warriors Orochi 3 is great because it manages to fill the roster with every single character from past games, and throws in a few more on top for good measure. I've already put a lot of time into Hyper and will continue to do so, (5)but I'm really looking forward to Dynasty Warriors 8. DW7 was a major upgrade over the previous games, and DW8 looks like it's heading in a similarly evolved direction.

1. I see no problem so long as they release it in Europe ;P
2. Yeah they really took that game some weird places, have to say I didn't see playing as a dog in a war torn city, and alien invasion coming. Fun though.
3. My only problem with thethryhrhmhm..........the final fantasy rhythm game, was the whole tapping the bottom screen deal when I prefered the style of Quendan, wasn't a dealbreaker though.
4. And luckily I like ALL of those things, to some extent.
5. I'll be sure to keep an eye on that one then. DW 7 looked kinda crazy, but I can wait.

1. Hey, I liked the European localizations of Xenoblade and The Last Story. If Monolith's next game gets that sort of localization, I won't complain (so long as we get it in North America. :P).

2. The Chapter 18 mindfuck blew me away. When that happened, I couldn't put the game down and just kept playing through the evening all the way to the end, even when I had to plug my 3DS into the wall with the Circle Pad Pro attached.

3. As a fan of the Ouendan games, I don't mind how Theatrhythm plays. I thinkm the styles they came up with really work well for the presentation.

5. If you can't wait (or only have a 360, because DW8 is a PS3 exclusive), then DW7 is an awesome game to start with. It's easily my favorite DW game to date.

Theatrhythm! Nice to see that game getting some love around Giant Bomb.

@Hailinel said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@MikkaQ said:

As much as I enjoyed Xenoblade, I had to disqualify it from my list due to this strange bug where all these weird Us started appearing everywhere and S would show up where a Z should have been.

What? I can't tell if you're trying to avoid spoilers or if letters actually started appearing all over the place.

He's making a joke about the British localization.

That was pretty difficult to see. I thought it was something about fonts not loading properly or something.

@Video_Game_King said:

@Hailinel said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@MikkaQ said:

As much as I enjoyed Xenoblade, I had to disqualify it from my list due to this strange bug where all these weird Us started appearing everywhere and S would show up where a Z should have been.

What? I can't tell if you're trying to avoid spoilers or if letters actually started appearing all over the place.

He's making a joke about the British localization.

That was pretty difficult to see. I thought it was something about fonts not loading properly or something.

Actually, it was pretty obvious he was joking. At least to me.

@Pessh said:

Cool list. I only got it yesterday, so a bit soon to say, but Theatrhythm might be my GOTY. Hoping to check out Uprising soon, maybe after Sticker Star. Did you play Tales of the Abyss or the 999 sequel?

I never played Tales of the Abyss, but I have Virtue's Last Reward sitting on my shelf waiting its turn. I'm looking forward to giving it some time.

@Hailinel: It's so hard to stop when you're close to another 500 rhythmia/unlock.

@GunstarRed: So true.

Whoa people are mean to your lists. Lots of unnecessary downvotes. Anyways your game of the year list looks like a list of games I wanted to play this year but didn't have the time to. Japanese games represent.

@Hailinel:

(1) I wasn't a fan of the British-y voices so I set it to Japanese during my time with it, but changed back every so often during non-story parts where I just explored and fought. I prefered the English voice acting during the battles 'cause the Japanese battlecries were a bit too shrill, especially Shulks, for my tastes. Also I liked to occasionally know what they were saying during these parts. Had a bit of a problem with this in Resonance of Fate when I set it to Japanese (no subtitles for stuff said during battle), weird thing was you couldn't change the language on the fly either, you had to do it before you started the game. Once I set it back to English and got a little further there was a part where the characters had a story related conversation during the start of a few battles and I started to wonder if i would have just missed that had I not changed it back.

The best solution to this problem is of course to just learn Japanese, which I'm sorta working on...

(3) I don't really mind how it plays either and like you say it fits well with the presentation, I just...I just want Ouendan 3...

(5) I do in fact exclusively don't own a 360, or well I used to. Now I guess I also don't own a Vita, but I've got everything else. Waiting won't be a problem!

@Hunter5024 said:

Whoa people are mean to your lists. Lots of unnecessary downvotes. Anyways your game of the year list looks like a list of games I wanted to play this year but didn't have the time to. Japanese games represent.

Yeah, I really don't know what's up with those downvotes. It's pretty ridiculous. That aside, hopefully you find the time to play some of these games. They're all really fun.

@JackSukeru said:

@Hailinel:

(1) I wasn't a fan of the British-y voices so I set it to Japanese during my time with it, but changed back every so often during non-story parts where I just explored and fought. I prefered the English voice acting during the battles 'cause the Japanese battlecries were a bit too shrill, especially Shulks, for my tastes. Also I liked to occasionally know what they were saying during these parts. Had a bit of a problem with this in Resonance of Fate when I set it to Japanese (no subtitles for stuff said during battle), weird thing was you couldn't change the language on the fly either, you had to do it before you started the game. Once I set it back to English and got a little further there was a part where the characters had a story related conversation during the start of a few battles and I started to wonder if i would have just missed that had I not changed it back.

The best solution to this problem is of course to just learn Japanese, which I'm sorta working on...

(3) I don't really mind how it plays either and like you say it fits well with the presentation, I just...I just want Ouendan 3...

(5) I do in fact exclusively don't own a 360, or well I used to. Now I guess I also don't own a Vita, but I've got everything else. Waiting won't be a problem!

I actually haven't tried the Japanese voices yet. It's just unusual to see a game localized with all British acting. Usually they do the Star Wars approach, where the majority of the characters speak with an American accent and save British/Australian/Whatever accents for odd characters or villains.

I want Ouendan 3 as well, but I doubt we'll ever get it, which is a major shame.

Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for Dynasty Warriors 8. I just hope that there's a disc release. Koei's track record on PS3 has been leaning more and more toward digital-only releases for the Warriors games, which is nuts with the file sizes they have.

As I suspected, we have at least three items in common (four if I felt comfortable including Xenoblade Chronicles, since it was a 2011 game from my perspective). It'll be interesting to see how well XC and The Last Story do on ThatFrood's collated community GOTY list, given how the Japanophile quotient around here is deceptively higher than the site's official coverage of such games would suggest. The Last Story especially, seeing how divisive it seems to be; us loving it and PixelPrinny and VGK hating it. Though it does have one thing over Resonance of Fate in that you can actually figure out how to play the damn thing without some form of internet help guide. Not since Knights in the Nightmare had I gotten so lost with a game.

I also wish I had given Virtue's Last Reward a shot, seeing it on the GameSpot list of nominees was kind of a surprise. I still need to play 999, alas.

For the time being, though, I'm wrapping up as many Indie games as possible before I start on my GOTY stuff. It's wearing on my sanity a little, I won't lie.

Yay Double Dragon Neon

@Mento said:

As I suspected, we have at least three items in common (four if I felt comfortable including Xenoblade Chronicles, since it was a 2011 game from my perspective). It'll be interesting to see how well XC and The Last Story do on ThatFrood's collated community GOTY list, given how the Japanophile quotient around here is deceptively higher than the site's official coverage of such games would suggest. The Last Story especially, seeing how divisive it seems to be; us loving it and PixelPrinny and VGK hating it. Though it does have one thing over Resonance of Fate in that you can actually figure out how to play the damn thing without some form of internet help guide. Not since Knights in the Nightmare had I gotten so lost with a game.

I also wish I had given Virtue's Last Reward a shot, seeing it on the GameSpot list of nominees was kind of a surprise. I still need to play 999, alas.

For the time being, though, I'm wrapping up as many Indie games as possible before I start on my GOTY stuff. It's wearing on my sanity a little, I won't lie.

I'm interested to see how the games appear on ThatFrood's list, as well. I guess now that I've played it, I should go back and check what others have said about The Last Story and see how our opinions differ.

But man, if if Resonance of Fate is as indecipherable as Knights in the Nightmare, that has to be freakin' crazy.

@Hailinel:

Wow, you've made a list of 10 games that I've not played at all. We enjoy a weird hobby.

@Hailinel said:

@Mento said:

As I suspected, we have at least three items in common (four if I felt comfortable including Xenoblade Chronicles, since it was a 2011 game from my perspective). It'll be interesting to see how well XC and The Last Story do on ThatFrood's collated community GOTY list, given how the Japanophile quotient around here is deceptively higher than the site's official coverage of such games would suggest. The Last Story especially, seeing how divisive it seems to be; us loving it and PixelPrinny and VGK hating it. Though it does have one thing over Resonance of Fate in that you can actually figure out how to play the damn thing without some form of internet help guide. Not since Knights in the Nightmare had I gotten so lost with a game.

I also wish I had given Virtue's Last Reward a shot, seeing it on the GameSpot list of nominees was kind of a surprise. I still need to play 999, alas.

For the time being, though, I'm wrapping up as many Indie games as possible before I start on my GOTY stuff. It's wearing on my sanity a little, I won't lie.

I'm interested to see how the games appear on ThatFrood's list, as well. I guess now that I've played it, I should go back and check what others have said about The Last Story and see how our opinions differ.

But man, if if Resonance of Fate is as indecipherable as Knights in the Nightmare, that has to be freakin' crazy.

What story wise? I can't speak entirely about the story because I never actually finished the game but from what I played I followed.