GOTY 2012

So here it is, my list of my favorite games of 2012. I missed out on quite a few big titles this year, so this list will just be games that I played. This list will be of the games that I personally had the most fun with, not necessarily the most impressive or technically sound.

For the first time in quite a few years now the annual Call of Duty game did not even make the list. While I did find the single player of Black Ops II better than previous games I come to Call of Duty for the multiplayer. The multiplayer in Black Ops II has so many technical problems with it that I decided to just completely leave it off my list.

List items

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  1. Mass Effect 3

  Mass Effect 3 is a game that has for some reason seemed to sour a lot of people on the franchise. Despite the ending (which I had no problem with) I had a ton of fun playing this game. I was just as sucked in and immersed as I was with the previous two games.

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  2. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

  This is a game that completely came out of nowhere for me. I had not read up or paid attention to this game before the demo was released. On a whim I just decided to download the demo when it was put up on Xbox Live. I completely fell in love with this game and ended up putting in a pre-order for the limited edition version. I played and loved pretty much everything in this game and it really is a shame what happened with 38 Studios.

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  3. Dishonored

  Dishonored was the last game I completed in 2012. I was anticipating this game quite a bit, but passed on it at release with the upcoming holiday season. Well thanks to my awesome wife I ended up getting this game on Christmas morning. I decided to play through the game the first time completely stealthy and without killing a single person, and I loved every single second of it. I usually don't play that way the first time through the game, but I am glad I did as the game felt more like a puzzle game than an action game.

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  4. Halo 4

  What can I say, it is another entry in the Halo franchise. I am incredibly happy with 343's first outing, even more so than Bungie's recent Halo games. This game also has the BEST looking graphics that I have seen on the Xbox 360 for sure. I also like the fact that the game feels just ever so slightly faster than Halo: Reach, but not to the hyperactive levels of Call of Duty.

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  5. Forza Horizon

  Out of all of the games this year this is the one that surprises me the most that it is included on my list. I don't typically like racing games enough to put them in a top list, but this game really hit a sweet spot. I am in no way someone who likes tweaking small things on a car, nor would I even know how to. I had no idea this game was even coming out until I saw the Giant Bomb Quick Look, which not only made me aware of this game, but made me purchase it.

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  6. Borderlands 2

  This is one of those games going in that I knew I would enjoy. Borderlands 2 does not seem to be for everyone, but I played it for quite a few hours and had a good amount of fun. However I ended up having way more fun once I had a friend pick up the game and we went through it on co-op, that is where the game really shines.

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  7. The Walking Dead

  The Walking Dead is a game that makes me incredibly happy. Is it because of the storytelling? Not quite, the biggest reason that I am happy about this game getting all of its attention is because one of my favorite genres (point and click adventure) is being represented in a package that is incredibly popular.

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  8. Rock Band Blitz

  Rock Band Blitz, the game I have essentially been waiting for since the first Guitar Hero came along and changed music games for quite some time. Frequency and Amplitude were two of my favorite games on the PlayStation 2, so I was quite excited for this game. Not only was my excitement met, I think it was exceeded. This will be a game that gets played on my 360 for a long time to come.

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  9. Dust: An Elysian Tail

  Yet another game that completely came out of nowhere for me. I didn't follow this game, nor even know anything about it before it was released. Even when it was first released I sort of didn't pay attention to it, but I kept hearing how great it was. Well during Xbox Live's holiday sales it went half off so I decided to just get it. Man am I glad I got this game, I am hooked on it and it certainly is an amazing game to be mostly developed by one guy.

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  10. Alan Wake's American Nightmare

  I am not sure if this game just wasn't for many people or if it just got forgotten because I really haven't seen it getting much love. I had bought this game months before I finally played it, and I kicked myself once I did for not having done so sooner. I had a blast going through this game, even with the levels being repeated a few times. The gameplay in the Alan Wake series still works well and I can't wait for something else in this series.

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  11. Trials Evolution

  Ah another Trials game. The Trials series is one that I have a love/hate relationship with (as I suspect a lot of people do). I am a sucker for these types of games that are super hard, but at the same time have great controls so that when I fail I only have myself to blame for it. It was quite a happy moment for me when I finally finished that last track.

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  12. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD

  THPS HD became one of my most anticipated games right from the moment it was announced. Not only was the Tony Hawk franchise one of my most played and favorite on the PlayStation (and the first couple games on the PlayStation 2), but it was also one that I was quite good at. I was actually close to the world record scores at the time on THPS 3, but ended up giving up on the franchise after THPS 4 since they seemed to be losing what made them fun. Now when I got this game I do have to admit to being somewhat let down, the controls just didn't seem as tight as the original games, which really hurt my scores. I did however still end up enjoying the game quite a bit and went through and got all the achievements.