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BaconHound

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GOTY 2012

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I'm not the only person that has less time than they'd like for gaming. So keep that in mind when you see that numerous big and/or critically acclaimed games (or just games that I intend to play) are missing from my list. Although I'll certainly get to them eventually, I simply haven't had a chance to play XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Far Cry 3, Fez, Mass Effect 3, FTL, Asura's Wrath, Spec Ops: The Line, Halo 4, Hitman: Absolution, or Dishonored.

So here we go.

List items

  • I loved the first Borderlands. I thought that maybe I'd be burned out on the formula, especially after spending a good chunk of my summer with another loot-based game (Diablo III), but I couldn't have been more wrong. This was by far and away my favorite game of the year.

  • Although I disagree with the general sentiment of the GiantBomb staff that "stealth games suck", I still can't deny the genius of this game. From start to finish, I felt like I had the information I needed (and the capability, in terms of gameplay mechanics) to accomplish a given objective.

  • I've always been a big fan of the Forza games, but I skipped Forza Motorsport 4. After finally jumping into Burnout Paradise this year for some arcade style racing, it was nice to get back to the realistic physics (and real cars) in Forza Horizon. My biggest issue with any of the previous Forza games was their repetitive nature - racing the same tracks over and over. That's not an issue here, and I love it. As an added bonus, the open world is amazing to simply cruise around in when I just want to go for a drive.

  • Maybe this is cheating, but I grabbed the Xbox release of this game when it came out in the spring. After hearing so much about the PC version the previous year (but without having the PC horsepower to actually play it), I was eager to see what all the fuss was about. All the good things that were said about this game last year were true - I enjoyed the mature story and the complex gameplay. This game is still on my backlog though, as I haven't yet gone through it a second time to see all the content that I missed.

  • I only got around to playing the first Darksiders at the beginning of the year. I loved it, and I immediately started counting my lucky stars that I wouldn't have to wait years for a follow up. Although it wasn't as good as the first game, I had a blast with Darksiders II. The story was lackluster, but the gameplay, the environments, and an interesting "feed your weapon" mechanic made this one of my favorite games this year.

  • I'm a sucker for Call of Duty. Every year, I tell myself that I won't get the next one, but then November rolls around and I can't help myself. I love the fast, fluid gameplay, and the sometimes silly and over-the-top storylines. With Black Ops II, the notion of player choice was a welcome addition. Although I'm not expecting a ton of depth or any radically different outcomes, I'm still eagerly looking forward to my second run through the campaign. As always, the multiplayer is fantastic.

  • On countless occasions, this game literally had me on the edge of my seat with my muscles tense and/or cramping. Despite that, I had to give whatever ramp or obstacle that had been troubling me...."just one more try."

  • It would be easy to forget about SSX, as it came out early in the year and the "multiplayer" died out after only a few months. But man, what a fun game, and for me anyway, FUN is the number one reason that I play games.

  • Let me say up front that I am not a die-hard Diablo player. I actually never played Diablo I, and I spent more time with Diablo II than I probably should have, considering I was in college at the time. I wasn't even sure that I would be buying Diablo III because I had reservations about the "always online" aspect of the game. Ultimately, I caved and bought the game. It wasn't perfect, but I had a great time leveling up my characters and playing co-op with my brother. Despite the 100+ hours that I spent with Diablo III, I still consider myself only a casual player. The "endgame", the auction house, and many of the other controversial parts of the game really didn't affect me.

  • I had a good time with this. I went in to every episode excited to see what would happen, and I guess maybe that's my biggest issue with The Walking Dead - it felt more like I was watching events play out instead of actively participating in them. I felt that the "game" parts of the game were generally poorly done, and after the third episode, it became clear to me that my choices really didn't matter in the context of the larger story. That was disappointing, but I'll still concede that this was one of the best games that I played in 2012.

  • Honorable mention: I haven't finished this one yet, but I'm having a great time with it and I can definitely see it being one of my favorite games of the year.

  • Honorable mention: Another that I've only played for a short period of time. I love GTA and Saints Row, though, and Sleeping Dogs has definitely made some meaningful additions to that formula. I look forward to spending more time with it.

  • Honorable mention: I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this up, given the generally negative response that it received at release. I'm only a few hours in, but so far, I'm having a great time and I'm optimistic that I'll continue to enjoy the game.

  • Honorable mention: God, I love this soundtrack. Unfortunately, intermittent technical issues (and time) have prevented me from getting all the way through the game. I've also had some trouble adjusting to the controls, which is unfortunate.
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