GOTY 2012

So, here it is, folks. In a year that many are saying was a "disappointment", some awesome games really did came out. That's my problem with such a statement: if you're only looking at the high-profile AAA game space, then yes, it probably was a disappointment. 2012, however, was yet another year of small groups and indie developers crafting some exceptional experiences. I missed out on a lot of them (Walking Dead, Journey, FTL, Retro City Rampage, etc.). However, looking at the games I did play, two of them stood miles above the rest. Dust: An Elysian Tail, and Fez left a powerful, resonant, lasting impression on me that has me thinking about them almost every day, even months later. Sure, I played almost 60 hours of Torchlight 2, obsessively researched and discussed the universe of Mass Effect 3, and had my expectations shattered by Binary Domain, but those games absolutely pale in comparison to Dust and Fez. Unique, beautiful, powerful, and imaginative in their own ways, they both inspired emotions in me that games seldom do. Fez, with it's peaceful and mysterious world, and Dust with it's incredible artwork, characters, and dark story. Regardless of all that though, here's my list of my ten favorite games of 2012!

List items

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  1. Dust: An Elysian Tail

  Dean Dodrill came out swinging with his first game here. Amazing artwork and animation, great writing and characters (with some help from Alex Kain), killer music (from HyperDuck, and Funky Rustic's Alexander Brandon), incredibly fun and fast-paced combat, enticing exploration and secrets, and a final chapter so dark and powerful that I was moved to tears. Any game that has a story and characters that resonate with me like THAT...damn, son. Dust is my GOTY, hands down.

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  2. Fez

  Phil Fish's obsessive, nostalgic masterpiece. A peaceful, mysterious, haunting, wonderful world, Fez calls to the curious cat in all of us. A game so deep and layered that the collective brainpower of the entire internet had to come together to crack the codes and secrets hidden within. It's hard to explain without spoiling, so, buy this game and see for yourself.

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  3. Darksiders II

  A big, bold, ambitious sequel, with a great sense of style and personality. Kick-ass music as well. It's really great to see what is essentially a dark Zelda game, with some Diablo-style loot thrown in. Highly recommended, despite it's disappointing sales.

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  4. Torchlight II

  Runic Games' long anticipated sequel to the brilliant Torchlight finally hit this year, and instantly became one of my favorite experiences. Something about watching monsters exploding into chunks of meat, while I run across a vast, detailed world, picking up mountains of loot in the process, is just endlessly satisfying. Is it any surprise that I've already put almost 60 hours into it?

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  5. Borderlands 2

  This was a tough one to choose. I really, really liked it, but it feels so much like the first one, that it was literally just MORE-derlands. It's hard to argue with that, though, because hot DAMN this game is still a ton of fun.

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  6. Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings

  Take the accessible design decisions of Civ 5, and put in a ton of new units, balancing adjustments, civs, a religion system, and tons more. It made a really fun game deeper and more interesting, and brought it back into this year as one of the most-played of all.

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  7. Need for Speed: Most Wanted

  A beautiful looking, open world arcade racer, with killer engine sounds (they actually sound real!), and a really fun multiplayer system. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Felt great to play a good racing game again. Haven't played one as fun as this since Gran Turismo 3.

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  8. Mass Effect 3

  ME3's writing felt weaker when compared to ME2 (love interests, Kai Leng, that stupid kid in the dreams), the rushed production schedule was felt in a lot of the questionable design decisions (godawful quest log and inventory system), and the ending was downright awful, but the sheer power of this series' world and characters was able to carry it along to the end. The memorable Krogan and Geth missions are among my favorites from the entire series. Don't let the internet anger get you down. This game is still worth playing.

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  9. Binary Domain

  I never would have thought that a game that, at first glance, looked like a Gears of War clone would end up being so much more. It certainly has some silly moments, some clunky fights with bosses, and the introduction mission is way too long, but give this one a chance. There were so many really dark, thought-provoking moments, which culminated towards the end of the game with me questioning what it means to be human.

  Another amazing thing about this game is that it's a Japanese developer NAILING western game design elements, unlike the Frankenstein's monster that was RE6. WAY better than I expected, overall. Check this one out.

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  10. Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams

  A Green-lit, Kickstarted reboot of an ancient, cult-classic Mario ripoff on the Commodore 64 from 25 years ago. How the hell did this end up as one of my favorites? It's a deliciously old-school collect-a-thon side-scrolling platformer with great graphics, music, and level design. For me, it hits all the right buttons, and became one of my favorite experiences this year.