Best of 2012

My real #1 game of 2012 is really To the Moon, but it technically came out in 2011 despite not arriving on Steam until 2012 (when I picked it up). From my recommendation on Steam:

To the Moon

Never has a video game evoked this kind of emotion in me. To The Moon tells what has to be the most touching story ever told in a video game, and certainly could rival those told in other mediums (books, movies). Anyone with a heart should play this game through to the end to experience its brilliant narrative.

List items

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  1. Borderlands 2

  With 104 hours on record currently with more DLC on the way, this is easily my GOTY. They really perfected the formula, polished up nearly every aspect of first game, and offered up some fresh new mechanics. To top it off, the game is genuinely funny, which is not something that's often achieved in video games.

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  2. The Walking Dead

  I haven't gotten into an adventure game since classic Sierra games of the 80s. The Walking Dead has sparked my re-interest in the genre by firing on all cylinders to make a truly engaging adventure experience.

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  3. Journey

  To contrast this with the 104 hours I put into Borderlands 2, I only played this once (for ~3 hours). However, the experience that Journey provided and my current memory of it 9 months later are enough to rank it high on my list. I remember just smiling non-stop for the last 45 minutes of the game as it inexplicably filled me with joy.

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  4. Final Fantasy XIII-2

  I thoroughly enjoyed XIII and while they perfected most of the formula from the first game, the monster in your party changes didn't really click with me. The story, the environments, and the way you traveled through time were all fantastic. I even recall getting a little choked up at the end.

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  5. Sleeping Dogs

  An open world game with a great story. This was an awesome late-summer game to fill the void between Saints Row 3 and GTA V. While the game play wasn't as tight as Saints Row 3, the story and side bits set a new bar for the open world/sandbox genre.

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  6. MotorStorm RC

  I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, and it didn't even cost me anything. Part of it was the challenge, part of it was the polished controls (once you get the hang of them), but mostly I appreciated the structure of the game and felt that it was a perfect perfect fit for the Vita. You could literally pick it up and play for 90 seconds and make considerable progress in the game. That led to a very satisfying experience.

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  7. The Unfinished Swan

  I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this game, because all I had seen was the tech demo (half of the first level), so I was really happy to see that there was more to it than just painting a white space with black ink. The game just felt really solid overall like a lot of care was given to each section of the game. It was a joy to play.

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  8. Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack

  A super fun and fluid platformer, a great complement to the Vita.

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  9. Legend of Grimrock

  This reminded me of a few RPGs from my childhood (specifically Shadowgate for NES and Sword of Hope for GB) but with a more action-oriented approach. The combat was super fun, and the puzzle solving (albeit a real bear at times) was satisfying.

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  10. Max Payne 3

  I'm luke warm on this game. It had a whole lot to live up to, but didn't. However, if you ignore the series' history and just look at the game by itself, it really was a fun ride.