Your personal top 3 games of the year? And please explain...

3. Dragon's Dogma - If there's one thing Capcom does well it's action combat. And battles in DD can feel like a choreographed fight in a Peter Jackson movie. Combine that with probably the most versatile character creator in any RPG and a batshit crazy ending and you have a recipe for quite a bit of fun.

2. Mark of the Ninja - I love stealth games, and growing up in the 16 bit era I have an affinity for 2d ninja games that has is nearly ingrained in my DNA. Combining the best parts of Tenchu and Shinobi has made for a fantastic experience...now where are my DLC levels?

1. The Walking Dead - Never before has a video game elicited such an emotional response from me. Rage, attachment, despair, more rage, and even betrayal. Masterful story telling and I can't wait to see how this will influence the way choices are made in games from here on out.

3. XCOM - Fun, addictive game; a bit overpraised but still plenty serviceable despite the myriad bugs in a turn based strategy game.

2. Tokyo Jungle/FTL - Yep I cheated, fuck your 3 game limit asshole

1. Double Dragon Neon - Fantastic music, entertaining gameplay and the best new character of the year

Honorable Mentions: Torchlight 2, Assassin's Creed 3

3. Tokyo Jungle - Quirky but refreshingly old school game.

2. The Walking Dead - Best story telling game I've ever played. It doesn't even feel right calling this an adventure game it feels like something new.

1. Dragon's Dogma - The game that comes as close to fusing role playing, action and fantasy into a dream package as I've ever played. It has all the right elements from eahc while eliminating most of the annoyances of each. The understated implied story actually helped with the immersive effect of the story imho. And the large monster fights were unlike anything I've ever played

Honorable mentions : Chivalry: Medieval Warfare , FarCry 3

I don't know the exact order yet, but it looks something like:

• Forza Horizon
• Mass Effect 3
• The Walking Dead

Forza is simply the most enjoyable racer I've played since Burnout Paradise. Mass Effect 3, in spite of its ending, did a lot of things really well, and I dumped an inexcusable amount of time into that multiplayer. The Walking Dead is just a fantastic narrative.

1. XCOM: Enemy Unknown, 2. Halo 4, 3. Diablo 3. These are the only games I've played from this year.

3. The Walking Dead- It's got that great storytelling down. It grabs you, kicks you in the heart, but makes you never want to put it down.

2. Dishonored - At first it was lower on my list, then I paid it another visit. For me this game had a real since of place and an interesting take on morality in games. Just try completing a ghost playthrough (no killing, only engaging necessary targets). Top it with a fine score, an interesting art design, and multiple outcomes. It's a franchise I'll be picking up day one.

1. Crusader Kings 2 - I mean, this game is just my wants met on every level. It has medieval history, political intrigue, completely randomized games for every new playthrough. I can make a character, rule as him or her for a few decades only to be stabbed in the back by my greedy hedonist son, who I raised and tutored, then as soon as that character is in the ground I become that ass hat of a son and continue playing. Then above everything else, put the giant bulbous cherry on top of this grand strategy by giving me one of the best A Song of Ice and Fire games ever made ever through a free mod, that is consistently updated by the modders and made compatible with the paradox Devs. No it isn't a game for everyone, but it's a game that at least deserves a look.

Also. Spec Ops the line gets an honorable mention here. The game itself was just a boring third person shoot em up on the gameplay front. However the ideas at play in that game are way above expectation, and since I'm sure that it's price will be dropping like a stone in water this coming year, you owe it to yourself to pick it up for a quick playthrough.

1. XCOM: Enemy Unknown - A thrilling and satisfying personalised journey to save the planet.
2. The Walking Dead - Some of the best characterisation I've seen in any game.
3. Dishonored - Beautiful visual design, fascinating whalepunk setting, immersive and rewarding gameplay.