GOTY 2012

Even though many felt that this year was lacking in major releases I still somehow managed to not play some really important games, namely Far Cry 3 and Sleeping Dogs. That being said, the lack of big budget releases this year left a lot of room for some incredible independent and smaller games to steal the spotlight. And steal it they did. A bunch of this year's games (many of which aren't even in my top ten) showed that there are plenty of creative people with fresh ideas who are making some amazing stuff.

List items

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  1. Journey

  In a year that was filled with hidden gems, Journey outshone them all for me. It's short, the gameplay is simplistic, and it's intentionally vague. But all of these things make the game better. Journey is the cyclical tale of a cloaked figure attempting to reach the top of a mysterious mountain, while simultaneously unlocking the secrets of an ancient civilization. Everything about Journey feels like it was created with great care and love. The art style and graphics are mesmerizing. The original score is as good as any of the great film scores. The gameplay is so fluid it's hard to explain in words. But the best part about this game is its multiplayer. The feelings I got when I first found another player, when my first companion died on me, when I found a companion again after having gotten lost were shockingly powerful. You can only communicate with those people through chirps, you recharge your vital jump ability through proximity, and the game doesn't tell you who they are until you reach the end. These are genius decisions by thatgamecompany that give you a pure interpersonal experience. Some might call this game pretentious, but it struck a very deep chord with me, and was the most profound gaming experience I had this year.

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  2. The Walking Dead

  There's been a lot of debate about how much of a "game" The Walking Dead really is, but I found myself so absorbed by this thing that I stopped wondering if I was playing a game or a visual novel, and just wanted to get me and my group of survivors through whatever horrible situation we were now in, so my hands could stop shaking. This game has an absolutely incredible story, one of the best a game has ever had. I won't say more about it because it needs to be played. Despite the game having some issues with some bugs, clunky gameplay at times, and the story getting slightly worse in the last two episodes, this game blew me away. I can't wait for season 2.

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  3. XCOM: Enemy Unknown

  This game is a motherfucker. There, I said it. The challenge of XCOM is what I both loved and hated about it. Every order you give your squad feels like a life and death decision, and the alien designs in this game are the perfect balance between "comic bad guys" and "fucked up deep space monster." It never feels like you've got the upper hand, and that these aliens mean business. Unfortunately, this sort of wore me out, and by the 30 hour mark I was almost burned out. I sort of stopped having fun because of the pressure this game puts on you, and that held it back from being higher on this list. Despite this, XCOM is one of the slickest and best strategy games I've played.

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  4. Rayman Origins

  I had never played a Rayman game before this, so I wasn't sure what to expect (from the game or the Vita I played it on). What I got was an impeccably crafted platformer, with style and charm shooting out its butthole, a quirky sense of humour, and some incredible art. This game shows how great a game can feel and look on the Vita. One of the best platformers I've ever played.

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  5. Alan Wake

  When Alan Wake was originally canned as a PC release I was, shall we say, crushed. But this year I finally got to play it, and it was every bit as good as I had hoped it would be back then. The story is a half-decent noir, but the setting, atmosphere, and graphics are all top-notch. Remedy really went for that twilight zone/twin peaks feel, and stuck to their guns, and I loved every minute of it.

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  6. FTL: Faster Than Light

  FTL takes the best things about strategy games and text adventures, and puts them together. Juggling your ship's systems, crew management, weapon loadouts, boarding pirates, enemy ships, and navigating the star systems is a tall task. But this a game built on learning from your mistakes. Before I knew it, I had spent a good 30 hours on this game, and there's still plenty left for me to figure out.

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  7. Hotline Miami

  Hotline Miami comes out of nowhere (left field I guess), and hits like a wrecking ball. Made my two guys, this thing is a top-down, synth-fueled nightmare of 80s style and break-neck gameplay. This game has it all. A fantastically curated soundtrack, adrenaline-pumping gameplay, a crazy pixellated art style, and talking animal heads. What more can you ask for? The only downside is that it's over as quickly as it begins. But maybe that's a good thing.

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  8. Mark of the Ninja

  When it came time to make this list I had to decide which of this year's marquee stealth games I liked more. Mark of the Ninja and Dishonored are about as different in style and mechanics as you can get, but ultimately I enjoyed this game more. Mark of the Ninja takes stealth and crosses it with 2D platforming with great success. It has a great hand-drawn art style and aesthetic. But it's the gameplay that really shines in this game. It controls like a dream; both tight and fluid at the same time. This is one of those games that you can point to as an example of how good controls can "feel."

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  9. Dishonored

  This year saw two great and innovative stealth games released, and they're both on this list. Dishonored looks and plays like a fusion of Bioshock, Deus Ex, and hell maybe even Mirror's Edge. It gives you a myriad of gameplay options that let you be as silent as a shadow or as chaotic as a hurricane. The game has a cool victorian/dystopian setting with a steam punk (except it's not steam it's whale oil) aesthetic. Unfortunately the story never goes anywhere amazing and the endgame is a bit of a let down, but other than that this is a great new IP.

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  10. Lumines: Electronic Symphony

  Despite the Vita's problematic release, I still ended up with two of its games in my top ten. This was my first Lumines game, and while it took me a while to figure out the mechanics, once I did I was in the groove and loving it. This game looks slick, has great (and straight up bizarre) music, and can be addictive as hell. Some of the features they included to try and add more depth (xp, avatar abilities) never really feel like they have any actual use or importance, but the core gameplay is solid and engrossing.