GOTY 2012
Once again - I'm a bit biased, because I play almost exclusively on the 360, so anything great that only hit the PS3 this year (see: Journey) wasn't even under consideration. Sorry!
Onward!
List items
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Count me among the folks who had, no pun intended, left Telltale for dead after the total disaster that was Jurassic Park. For them to come back with something as good as their past successes would have been impressive. To knock one out of the park like this? Simply amazing. One of the most affecting stories I've ever experienced in a video game is wrapped around Telltale's classic adventure game formula - just dense enough to not be obvious, but logical enough that even I could piece it together without a FAQ. The Walking Dead left me thinking about it long after I was done playing it, and had me anxious to download the next episode to move the storyline further in a way I've never acted about a video game. Make no mistake - this is a truly special game experience, and everyone should experience it.
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Yes, it's incredibly similar to the first game, but I spent an ungodly amount of time with the first Borderlands. And what tweaks WERE made make me think that I'm due to be spending even more time with the sequel than I did the original. And considering I sunk something close to 120 hours into the first game (something I NEVER do), that's quite a feat.
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Maybe my favorite open-world game ever. If this was a more technically sound release, it's got a solid shot at being number one on my list. The fact that I have a game that's somewhat broken on consoles sitting at number two should show you just how much I love this game.
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True story: I started using a battery case on my iPhone because obsessive playing of Super Hexagon was killing my battery too quickly without it. This isn't a game - it's video game heroin, easily accessible on your phone for another hit whenever you want it. And if I spent the most time with Borderlands 2 this year, Super Hexagon is a close second. Seriously.
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I am utterly shocked that the racing game drawing comparisons to Burnout Paradise that ended up on this list is NOT the game made by the guys who made Burnout Paradise. Who knows? All I can tell you is that Horizon is a welcome departure from the usual Forza formula (especially for someone like me, who never got into the tuning or decals much), and makes me that much more excited to see what's next for the Forza brand.
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Greatest soundtrack ever assembled for a game? Greatest soundtrack ever assembled for a game. Oh yeah, the game is fun, too. Whatever. Greatest soundtrack ever assembled for a game.
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Look, I'll be honest: I have no fucking idea where the guys behind Hell Yeah! came up with half of the ideas for this game. But good on them - they managed to create one of the most shockingly original platformers in a long time. This is one of those games that you immediately want to show your friends, simply because of how absurd it is. But it's really tight controls in that absurd game universe that lands it this spot.
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I am one of the many people with far too much Rock Band DLC saved to their hard drive. Simply giving me an excuse to use the damn things again would be a reason to include Rock Band Blitz on this list. That the game is actually engaging, enjoyable and somewhat addictive is just a cherry on top.
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Bonus points are always rewarded for games that get me interested in genres I usually don't touch. XCOM:EU definitely helped me get over my aversion to turn-based strategy. More bonus points have to be awarded to Firaxis for actually getting a game like this to work well on a console. Seriously, when does THAT happen?
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What. The actual. Fuck.
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