Fakey's 2012 Games of the Year

I consider 2012 to be a very good year in gaming. It wasn't the best, but there were a lot of solid releases, and I had a great year playing lots of new games, as well as some backlogged games. If 2013 is half as good as 2012 on new releases, I will be happy...mostly because I have quite a few 2012 games yet to play...

Honorable Mentions to My Top 10

I am Alive

I played this game as part of my Extra Life marathon, and I really liked it. The setting and mood was perfect for a Post-Apocalyptic world. It had some problems, but the low cost and short length of the game made it easier for me to forgive the short-comings. I got immersed in the world, and that means a lot to me.

Journey

I played this game a month or so ago after finally buying a PS3 (I'm primarily a PC gamer). I played almost the entire game with one other player, and it was a touching experience. The length was perfect for one sitting, but more length would have made the game more substantial to me, even if I had to play with multiple people throughout several sittings.

Games I didn't get to this year that, based on reviews, could have possibly made it to my Top 10...

• The Darkness II
• Darksiders II
• Dust: An Elysian Tail
• Fez
• Hitman: Absolution
• The Last Story
• Primordia
• Resonance
• Tokyo Jungle
• Xenoblade Chronicles

List items

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  1. Dishonored

  I am a big stealth fan, and Dishonored captured the feeling I once got playing Thief and Deus Ex. The story in Dishonored isn't the greatest, but it was competent, and the world was an amazing pleasure to be in. I can't wait for a sequel!

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  2. Mass Effect 3

  I have quite a bit of issue with much of Mass Effect 3 such as the lazy side quests, the horrible ending, and the fact that the plot didn't feel nearly as momentous as the first two games did, in my opinion. However, I enjoyed playing through Mass Effect 3. The world is one that I will continue to be enthralled by and will continue reading all the Mass Effect novels and waiting for the next ME game.

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  3. The Walking Dead

  I am not in love with The Walking Dead as much as many people are. However, the characters and the story progression was top-notch, and I was always itching to see what would happen next due to my choices. I feel they can improve a lot with a sequel, but I'm definitely on board.

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  4. Far Cry 3

  Far Cry 3's story missions do not really do it for me. However, the graphics are superb (on PC with Ultra settings), the location is believable, and the open-world pieces are what really pulled me in, such as the radio towers, taking over enemy camps, and hunting quests. The mechanics were perfect for a first-person shooter, in my opinion - the gun play, running, sliding, and driving were all great.

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  5. Hotline Miami

  I didn't expect to like this game as much as I did, but I got totally sucked in. The difficult gameplay was rewarding, and I enjoyed the puzzle-like aspect of clearing out levels. The graphics, music, setting, and story really gave me a feeling no other game did (Max Payne 3 came closest). The second ending isn't great, and the secret ending is awful, but they still can't ruin what I like about this game.

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  6. Max Payne 3

  I love the first Max Payne game, and I think Max Payne 3 did a better job than the second game, personally. The setting was unusual for a Max Payne game, but it was believable. Max Payne's depression didn't get to me as much as others, and I didn't mind him soaking up some bullets, because it made the gameplay fun. The graphics and style pushed it over the edge for me, to make it this high on my top 10.

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  7. Mark of the Ninja

  I bought Mark of the Ninja as soon as it came out for PC. However, it took me many weeks to play it. The first half-hour didn't grab me the first time. I went back after hearing several podcasts rave about it (including Giant Bomb). I am a stealth fan (see my Dishonored comments above), so it just took an hour or so for me to find what I love about Mark of the Ninja - snappy, stealth mechanics in a sharp 2D world.

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  8. Borderlands 2

  I played hours of Borderlands 2, at its release. I have since put it down and picked it up a couple of times and still have a couple hours left. However, the personality and gameplay is better than the first, and I see myself coming back to this game for months to come, especially since I haven't played any of the DLC, yet...

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  9. Sleeping Dogs

  Sleeping Dogs came out at just the right time for me. I didn't buy it on release day, but I picked up about a week in, after reading some reviews. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed my vacation in Hong Kong. It definitely has a lot of flaws, especially the over-the-top characters and bad accents (at least, to my ears), but I will buy a sequel on day one, if they get to make one.

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  10. XCOM: Enemy Unknown

  I am going to go back to XCOM. I really like the first 6 hours or so that I put into it. However, the last two weren't as enjoyable, and I quit after getting wiped in two back-to-back missions. I feel this is a game I could really enjoy during a second play-through, now that I know the mechanics and some strategies. However, the sparse story did disappoint me. I was hoping for something to glue the missions together better.