Game of the Year 2012: Jeff's Top 10

@Dtat said:

I actually got a little misty watching Jeff talk about Persona 4.

I know, right? I love that he still loves it.

Especially since if it weren't for the P4 Endurance run, I might not have ever found Giantbomb.

I'm happy that Jeff put P4 Golden in there and wish he had actually played it so it could be his real #1. Been disappointed so far that it hasn't been brought up by anyone else, but I guess that's what happens when it's a Vita game.

The fact that the Forza Horizon video was just a dude spinning brodies for most of it was so hilarious I wish I'd noticed it earlier.

And HELL YEAH Rhythm Heaven. I'd forgotten that existed, but it was AWESOME.

Oh shit, I completely forgot Rhythm Heaven Fever was this year. Man, that game was amazing.

n@Crolk said:

i cant believe borderlands 2 did no stick to jeff .. is just so awesome ... how can anyone no think handsome jack as NPC or bad guy of the year

have heard him on the podcast. he thought borderlands 2 is just more of borderlands 1.

@Dracomaster01 said:

Kind of surprised Borderlands 2 wasn't anywhere on the list. Since it was just BL1, but better in all ways. Oh well, still a really good list.

Jeff said he didn't like BL2 because it felt just like BL1 but he couldn't spec his guy to have infinite regenerating health and ammo which he liked from the first game.

it's ok jeff you aren't the only one who likes syndicate because i like it too!

far cry 3 is a top 3 game on my list to, not sure what wins yet, far cry, mark of a ninja or mass effect 3

Really interesting list Jeff. I don't agree with everything , but I REALLY like your top pics !

"Sorry, Europe!"

Oh man. Funny, but it hurts.

"Sorry Europe."

D: Man. Biggest bummer of my entire year. ARGGHGHHHHHHHHH!

I still have zero idea why anyone would even like a single part of Persona 4. I watched the ER and I've never been so certain that I hate a game so much in my life. Every part of it was a horrible, anime mess.

Can somebody please explain a single part of its appeal to me? Please?

Thats weird you had that advertisement for P4G before no1

Yay Jeff! Syndicate was probably my favorite single player game of the year followed by Far Cry 3. I'm glad there are still real first person gamers out there :)

Persona 4 Golden! Always great to hear Jeff rave about P4.

I was DYING to play Syndicate but I could never find it in a store, I asked a clerk at an Electronics Boutique & he told me that it never shipped to Australia.

Huge bummer!!

As someone who lives in Europe and is still eagerly awaiting P4:Arena, I laughed out loud when Jeff went "sorry Europe" xD.

So happy Rhythm Heaven got it's props1

Seems like the overall message from gb this year is OMG Xcom, Fez, Journey, Walking Dead, Far Cry 3 gooooooo!! And I haven't played any of them lol.

@MysteriousBob said:

I still have zero idea why anyone would even like a single part of Persona 4. I watched the ER and I've never been so certain that I hate a game so much in my life. Every part of it was a horrible, anime mess.

Can somebody please explain a single part of its appeal to me? Please?

If you don't like it, you don't like it. Just because Jeff does doesn't mean you have to.

01:44 - Fuck you, Jeff!

07:02 - Awh, Jeff, you're awesome! Redeemed.

Nice list. Getting a top 11 is one of the upsides of being the boss, I guess.

@MysteriousBob said:

I still have zero idea why anyone would even like a single part of Persona 4. I watched the ER and I've never been so certain that I hate a game so much in my life. Every part of it was a horrible, anime mess.

Can somebody please explain a single part of its appeal to me? Please?

If you don't like it, you don't like it. Just because Jeff does doesn't mean you have to.

@Pudge said:

@whatisdelicious said:

I'm pretty surprised I haven't heard anything about Need For Speed: Most Wanted. Not even in the best-looking category. Ouch, baby. Very ouch.

The fact that the entire single player portion of the game seems completely skippable speaks volumes. I hope Criteron gets to do a proper Burnout again after this, even if their stock goes down a bit in EA.

Yeah, but it's not, though. I'll take "seems" to imply that you've listened to Jeff talk about it but haven't played it yourself (not a criticism). I loved the single-player in Most Wanted. Was it as good as Paradise? No, of course not. That's a really fucking high bar though. I wouldn't call it disappointing at all just because it isn't as good as Paradise. I had more fun in the single-player than the multiplayer in both games. That style of single-player racing (getting billboards, smashing gates, etc.) just doesn't get old to me.

But again, that's why I said "not even in the best-looking category." Even if Jeff didn't like the single-player as much as he thought he would have, it at least deserves a mention in best-looking. That game looks amazing.

@bvilleneuve: I think it sets the groundwork for something way, way better that will make TWD fans look back and say, "Yeah, I can totally see why people didn't like that." I just thought it was unimaginably boring. Then again, I don't like the show either, so that might have something to do with it. But it definitely does cool stuff with choice, consequence, and dialogue, so I'm happy it exists. But yeah, I can totally see XCOM taking it. Another game I have no stake in, but they definitely light up whenever they talk about it.

WOOOO! Fez :)

@MysteriousBob said:

I still have zero idea why anyone would even like a single part of Persona 4. I watched the ER and I've never been so certain that I hate a game so much in my life. Every part of it was a horrible, anime mess.

Can somebody please explain a single part of its appeal to me? Please?

I like the newer Persona entries because they condense the "friendship/dating/school/teenager" experience into something that's really rewarding and tangible. I can watch my friendships growing stronger, I can watch my intelligence and social skills building, etc. It's fun to hang out and converse with people the same way it is in Mass Effect, the difference being that you're talking about high school stuff (and occasionally fighting monsters) instead of saving the galaxy and stuff. That it's combined with decent JRPG Pokemon-style fighting as a change of pace is icing on the cake.

Haha, yay! Persona 4: Golden :D

The best 1a. winner of all time!

I'm so bummed that P4A and P4G are on separate platforms. I'd absolutely love to play them, but I'm not buying two systems for them.

Loved seeing Rhythm Heaven Fever and Syndicate on here. Many hours of fun were had! Shame Syndicate didn't do better...partially because I would love to see a patch to fix my multiplayer progress.

To imagine a world of comments if P4A/G were not mentioned in any form :P

@Draxyle said:

@Dtat said:

I actually got a little misty watching Jeff talk about Persona 4.

I know, right? I love that he still loves it.

Especially since if it weren't for the P4 Endurance run, I might not have ever found Giantbomb.

Real. Honest. Video Game Coverage.

Ugh. This really makes me thing the GOTY podcast could end up with Jeff cutting all into Walking Dead and then defending Far Cry 3. I still don't see how Far Cry is a top 3 game of the year. Feels like people are just cutting that game a bit too much slack for my liking. Still, interesting list by Jeff.

Man. Mass Effect 3, Halo 4, XCOM, and Far Cry 3. Such different number one spots for the crew.

I'm pretty suprised to see Persona 4 Golden on this list...but then again, I'm not.

@smitty86 said:

Ugh. This really makes me thing the GOTY podcast could end up with Jeff cutting all into Walking Dead and then defending Far Cry 3. I still don't see how Far Cry is a top 3 game of the year. Feels like people are just cutting that game a bit too much slack for my liking. Still, interesting list by Jeff.

XCOM is going to be common ground for everyone. Hard to not see it winning at this point.

Great pick Jeff! I agree about Far Cry 3, what an awesome game. Time to go back and play some more!

I find it absolutely astonishing that Jeff prefers Black Ops 2 to both Walking Dead and ME3.

Nice to see everyone having different #1's.

@DexterKid said:

I find it absolutely astonishing that Jeff prefers Black Ops 2 to both Walking Dead and ME3.

tbh Walking Dead isn't everyone's game and doesn't seem to be Jeff's either.

ME3 was largely colored by the ending/the base game w/o DLC I think.

@smitty86 said:

Ugh. This really makes me thing the GOTY podcast could end up with Jeff cutting all into Walking Dead and then defending Far Cry 3. I still don't see how Far Cry is a top 3 game of the year. Feels like people are just cutting that game a bit too much slack for my liking. Still, interesting list by Jeff.

I fail to see how a barely interactive movie is a top 3 game of the year.

@OneManX said:

@Draxyle said:

@Dtat said:

I actually got a little misty watching Jeff talk about Persona 4.

I know, right? I love that he still loves it.

Especially since if it weren't for the P4 Endurance run, I might not have ever found Giantbomb.

Real. Honest. Video Game Coverage.

Agreed =) I'm glad it is so personal, it's what makes me come back to this site every day.

Congrats P4G, btw - I've put in 50+ hours already and am so excited to play more + NG+

Hell of a list Jeff.

@smitty86 said:

Ugh. This really makes me thing the GOTY podcast could end up with Jeff cutting all into Walking Dead and then defending Far Cry 3. I still don't see how Far Cry is a top 3 game of the year. Feels like people are just cutting that game a bit too much slack for my liking. Still, interesting list by Jeff.

I feel the same way about The Walking Dead. It has a fantastic story but goddamn people are cutting it too much slack on the gameplay front. Give it a "Best Story" award and leave it at that, it really doesn't deserve to even be in the top 3 of the year.

@dragonzord said:

I fail to see how a barely interactive movie is a top 3 game of the year.

Seconded. Not trying to be hostile, just brutally honest.

@whatisdelicious said:

@MysteriousBob said:

I still have zero idea why anyone would even like a single part of Persona 4. I watched the ER and I've never been so certain that I hate a game so much in my life. Every part of it was a horrible, anime mess.

Can somebody please explain a single part of its appeal to me? Please?

I like the newer Persona entries because they condense the "friendship/dating/school/teenager" experience into something that's really rewarding and tangible. I can watch my friendships growing stronger, I can watch my intelligence and social skills building, etc. It's fun to hang out and converse with people the same way it is in Mass Effect, the difference being that you're talking about high school stuff (and occasionally fighting monsters) instead of saving the galaxy and stuff. That it's combined with decent JRPG Pokemon-style fighting as a change of pace is icing on the cake.

@MysteriousBob's I liked it because it provided a deep, engaging story with believable characters that I grew to care about. The 80 hours seems long but when you play through it the result is that by spending so much more time with the characters you feel like you know them a lot more and do become emotionally attached to them. It's slow pacing is something I feel we don't get anymore, especially from western games, which can usually be completed in 30 hours or (a lot) less. The social link stuff is interesting and really ties the story/social aspects into the RPG/dungeon aspects, which is something that RPGs don't often do either. The combat elements aren't new, but they are deep and well executed. The setting feels real and different from that which you find in most games.

But your whole "anime mess" comment makes me feel like you're part of the same crowd who dismissed dust because "lol fuck furries" or are into the whole "fuck anime" thing even though Jeff/Ryan aren't 100% serious when they say that, so whatever. If you're not going to look beyond a game's art style then I don't know what to say to you.

@Protome said:

@smitty86 said:

Ugh. This really makes me thing the GOTY podcast could end up with Jeff cutting all into Walking Dead and then defending Far Cry 3. I still don't see how Far Cry is a top 3 game of the year. Feels like people are just cutting that game a bit too much slack for my liking. Still, interesting list by Jeff.

I feel the same way about The Walking Dead. It has a fantastic story but goddamn people are cutting it too much slack on the gameplay front. Give it a "Best Story" award and leave it at that, it really doesn't deserve to even be in the top 3 of the year.

Same. I played through the first 2 and a half episodes and stopped because I didn't enjoy it at all. The story felt better than most other video game stories, but that's not saying much, and it certainly didn't cause me to feel any emotions. Nor did I feel like it was particularly strong when compared to stories from other mediums like some of the bomb crew (especially Patrick/Ryan) do. And ofc the gameplay is shitty when it's even there.

Moreover the "ugh I can't believe X will vote for this game when it clearly doesn't deserve it" whining bugs me. It's the opinions of the editors. I can understand if you have a problem with the way they were arguing things (god knows I hated Brad in the best DLC and GOTY discussions last year), but to say that one of the editor's is terrible for defending a game you happen to not think highly of is stupid.

Looks like Walking Dead is going to get the same treatment Red Dead Redemption did from Jeff.

The way P4 Golden has been streamlined means you can get thru it in only 60 hours if you play on Easy and skip sequences you clearly remember.

Jeff should reconsider in time to make it 2013's 2012 Game of the Year.

@DystopiaX said:

@DexterKid said:

I find it absolutely astonishing that Jeff prefers Black Ops 2 to both Walking Dead and ME3.

tbh Walking Dead isn't everyone's game and doesn't seem to be Jeff's either.

ME3 was largely colored by the ending/the base game w/o DLC I think.

The reasoning is irrelevant, the fact is that he's arrived at this conclusion and that blows my mind.

To be honest, seeing a BO2 on anyone's top 10 of the year would make me question what I thought I knew about them.

@DystopiaX: I want to just let this go as you just making a general statement and using my words as some representation of things that "bug you" but just like they (creators of these list) have opinions, so can I or any other people (visitors of giantbomb) . Like you. Also, who is calling people terrible?