Happy New Year, duders. It's time once again for a data dump based on achievements. Just like last year, this data is based upon Xbox 360 achievements earned in games released in 2012. It'd be easy to just tell you what the most played and least played games were. But, let's take it a step or two further. What if you wanted to know what the least played game that got a 5-star review? I can tell you that. What if you wanted to know the games that had the highest average number of achievements earned? I can tell you that too. Or what about the most played multiplayer games that never got treated to a TNT? Okay...we're getting a little obscure here, but I can still totally tell you that one.

By my count, there were about 250 Xbox 360 and XBLA games released this year. To create an accurate list of releases, I mainly used Xbox360Achievements.org and added a game to the list whenever they did. I would not be surprised if I missed a few stragglers, so let me know if I did. There's also a few games that never had their achievements integrated into the site here, so I took them out of the data for now.

After last year, some people asked about doing Steam and PSN achievements. I still haven't done it because it would basically triple the amount of work involved, and while I enjoy doing these, that's a little too crazy for one guy. I kind of wish I had though since the achievement tracker is going away with the new site. So, this may be the very last time you see achievement data like this at least for a long time.

Onto the numbers!

Top 20 Most Played Games (Overall)

No separation between retail, XBLA, or Kinect here. Mash all that green, orange, and purple together! This is just straight up the most played games on Xbox 360 in terms of unique users. This is also the only list with more than 10 entries, just because I though 11-20 were pretty interesting.

1. Mass Effect 3 -- 11,523
2. Halo 4 -- 10,038
3. Fez -- 7960
4. Borderlands 2 -- 7174
5. Trials Evolution -- 7144
6. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition -- 5430
7. Assassin's Creed III -- 5225
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops II -- 5069
9. Max Payne 3 -- 4923
10. The Walking Dead -- 4918
11. Dishonored -- 3582
12. SSX -- 3442
13. Mark of the Ninja -- 3434
14. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning -- 2982
15. Dust: An Elysian Tail -- 2858
16. Sleeping Dogs -- 2837
17. Spelunky -- 2836
18. Syndicate -- 2695
19. Forza Horizon -- 2686
20. XCOM: Enemy Unknown -- 2617

Top 10 Least Played Games (Overall)

This category is a little skewed because a few of these never came out in North America. But, hey, they're in the tracker and we've got a sizable amount of non-North Americans on the site anyway. Also, no separation between retail, XBLA, or Kinect here. These are simply the most neglected games of the year on Xbox 360 by the Giant Bomb community.

1. Root Double: Before Crime * After Days -- 0
2. Phantom of Inferno -- 0
3. Hunter's Trophy 2: Europa -- 0
4. Top Hand Rodeo Tour -- 1
5. Snipers -- 2
6. Phantom Breaker -- 2
7. Harley Pasternak's Hollywood Workout -- 4
8. Wipeout 3 -- 4
9. Crash Time 5: Undercover -- 4
10. Nickelodeon Dance 2 -- 4

Top 10 Most Played XBLA Games

Downloadable games are holding their own these days, but I still felt like it's a little unfair to not give them their own lists.

1. Fez -- 7960
2. Trials Evolution -- 7144
3. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition -- 5430
4. The Walking Dead -- 4918
5. Mark of the Ninja -- 3442
6. Dust: An Elysian Tail -- 2982
7. Spelunky -- 2837
8. Rock Band Blitz -- 2348
9. Happy Wars -- 2228
10. Alan Wake's American Nightmare -- 1880

Top 10 Least Played XBLA Games

I bet you didn't even know some of these existed.

1. Darts vs. Zombies -- 8
2. Planets Under Attack -- 10
3. Red Bull Crashed Ice -- 11
4. Home Run Stars -- 12
5. Ski Race -- 13
6. American Mensa Academy -- 13
7. Dogfight 1942 -- 18
8. Jam Live Music Arcade -- 19
9. 3 Point Contest -- 20
10. Bellator: MMA Onslaught -- 24

Top 10 Most Played Kinect Games

Did you realize there were more than ten Kinect games that came out this year?

1. Double Fine Happy Action Theater -- 1594
2. Wreckateer -- 1036
3. Kinect Party -- 910
4. Kinect Playfit -- 698
5. Kinect Fun Labs: Mars Rover Landing -- 636
6. Dance Central 3 -- 530
7. Haunt -- 462
8. Kinect Star Wars -- 453
9. Karaoke -- 383
10. Kinect Sesame Street TV -- 252

Top 10 Least Played Kinect Games

That's one lonely cowboy.

1. Top Hand Rodeo Tour -- 1
2. Harley Pasternak's Hollywood Workout -- 4
3. Wipeout 3 -- 4
4. Let's Dance -- 6
5. Country Dance All-Stars -- 7
6. The Hip Hop Dance Experience -- 7
7. Darts vs. Zombies -- 8
8. miCoach by adidas -- 10
9. Red Bull Crashed Ice -- 11
10. Home Run Stars -- 12

Top 10 Most Completed Retail Games

This one is based on the percentage of achievements unlocked in the game. Are they just easy achievements? Or really good games that people are dedicated to? You decide.

1. Nickelodeon Dance 2 -- 100%
2. Toy Story Mania! -- 73.4%
3. Ben 10: Omniverse -- 64.4%
4. The Testament of Sherlock Holmes -- 59.7%
5. Men in Black: Alien Crisis -- 57.5%
6. Battleship -- 57.0%
7. Prototype 2 -- 56.0%
8. Brave: The Video Game -- 54.7%
9. Spec Ops: The Line -- 54.4%
10. Rise of the Guardians -- 52.3%

Top 10 Least Completed Retail Games

And are these hard achievements to earn? Or just terrible games that no one spent time on?

1. Root Double: Before Crime * After Days -- 0.0%
2. Phantom of Inferno -- 0.0%
3. Hunter's Trophy 2: Europa -- 0.0%
4. Snipers -- 1.5%
5. Le Tour de France 2012 -- 2.0%
6. Kinect Nat Geo TV -- 2.2%
7. Top Hand Rodeo Tour -- 2.5%
8. Carrier Command: Gaea Mission -- 2.7%
9. Let's Dance -- 3.7%
10. miCoach by adidas -- 4.3%

Top 10 Most Completed XBLA Games

It's probably not fair to lump these games in with the retail games since they have fewer achievements.

1. Sonic the Fighters -- 90.9%
2. Virtua Fighter 2 -- 79.7%
3. Fighting Vipers -- 76.5%
4. Kinect Fun Labs: Junk Fu -- 75.8%
5. Kinect Fun Labs: Rush Snapshot -- 73.6%
6. Jeremy McGrath's Offroad -- 71.5%
7. Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown -- 67.8%
8. Zuma's Revenge -- 65.3%
9. Kinect Fun Labs: I Am Super! -- 63.5%
10. The Walking Dead -- 58.1%

Top 10 Least Completed XBLA Games

Seems that players didn't make it too far after entering The Lang Zone.

1. Wreckateer -- 4.1%
2. Black Knight Sword -- 4.8%
3. Sine Mora -- 5.4%
4. Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc HD -- 6.0%
5. Karaoke -- 6.4%
6. Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World -- 6.8%
7. Kinect PlayFit -- 7.1%
8. Red Bull Crashed Ice -- 7.8%
9. NFL Blitz -- 8.1%
10. Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Plus -- 9.8%

Highest Average Number of Achievements (Retail)

No percentages here. Just strictly how many achievements unlocked per game per user.

1. Mass Effect 3 -- 37.4
2. Toy Story Mania! -- 36.1
3. Ben 10: Omniverse -- 33.1
4. Spec Ops: The Line -- 30.4
5. Brave: The Video Game -- 27.7
6. Borderlands 2 -- 26.7
7. Prototype 2 -- 26.2
8. Rise of the Guardians -- 25.8
9. The Darkness II -- 25.5
10. Sleeping Dogs -- 24.0

Lowest Average Number of Achievements (Retail)

A frightening look at the bottom of the barrel.

1. Root Double: Before Crime * After Days -- 0.0
2. Phantom of Inferno -- 0.0
3. Hunter's Trophy 2: Europa -- 0.0
4. Snipers -- 1.0
5. Le Tour de France 2012 -- 1.3
6. Kinect Nat Geo TV -- 1.7
7. miCoach by adidas -- 2.5
8. Let's Dance -- 2.7
9. Country Dance All-Stars -- 3.1
10. Carrier Command: Gaea Mission -- 3.8

Highest Average Number of Achievements (XBLA)

The Walking Dead should be higher if it weren't for a database problem that didn't register players' achievements who played episode 4 within the first day it was out.

1. The Walking Dead -- 23.4
2. Deadlight -- 19.2
3. Rock Band Blitz -- 16.3
4. Dust: An Elysian Tail -- 15.3
5. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition -- 14.0
6. Fable Heroes -- 13.7
7. Zuma's Revenge -- 13.1
8. Mark of the Ninja -- 12.6
9. Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 -- 12.3
10. Guardians of Middle-earth -- 12.2

Lowest Average Number of Achievements (XBLA)

Were these games difficult or were you just disappointed and only played it once?

1. Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World -- 1.0
2. Skullgirls -- 1.1
3. Haunt -- 1.3
4. Puddle -- 1.4
5. Sine Mora -- 1.7
6. Black Knight Sword -- 1.7
7. Choplifter HD -- 1.7
8. Kinect PlayFit -- 1.7
9. Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc -- 1.8
10. Warp -- 1.9

Most Played Games Not Reviewed by Giant Bomb

I have to assume Vinny would've been the best person to review The Witcher 2. I miss Vinny's reviews...

1. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings -- 2617
2. Happy Wars -- 2228
3. Lollipop Chainsaw -- 1856
4. Soulcalibur V -- 1854
5. Double Fine Happy Action Theater -- 1594
6. Final Fantasy XIII-2 -- 1354
7. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City -- 1350
8. FIFA 13 -- 1293
9. Binary Domain -- 1286
10. The Amazing Spider-Man -- 1067

Least Played Games Reviewed by Giant Bomb

Presented by Alex Navarro.

1. The Expendables 2 -- 51
2. Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor -- 77
3. Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse -- 86
4. Fable: The Journey -- 117
5. Fire Pro Wrestling -- 136
6. Grand Slam Tennis 2 -- 147
7. 007 Legends -- 152
8. Bloodforge -- 156
9. The Splatters -- 194
10. Game of Thrones -- 227

Most Played Games That Did Not Get a Quick Look

Ever wonder if Quick Looks have an effect on sales numbers? Well, I can't really answer that, but see if you can decipher anything from this info.

1. Happy Wars -- 2228
2. Kinect PlayFit -- 698
3. Kinect Fun Labs: Mars Rover Landing -- 636
4. Devil May Cry HD Collection -- 632
5. Karaoke -- 383
6. FIFA Street -- 364
7. Sonic Adventure 2 -- 355
8. NeverDead -- 328
9. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations -- 294
10. Armored Core V -- 287

Least Played Games That Got a Quick Look

This speaks to how many Quick Looks the guys actually churn out.

1. Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 -- 12
2. Carrier Command: Gaea Mission -- 13
3. Of Orcs and Men -- 17
4. Harry Potter for Kinect -- 19
5. NBA Baller Beats -- 19
6. NASCAR The Game: Inside Line -- 22
7. Bellator: MMA Onslaught -- 24
8. Dragon Ball Z for Kinect -- 28
9. Kung-Fu Strike: The Warrior's Rise -- 45
10. Karateka -- 45

Most Played Multiplayer Games That Did Not Get a TNT

SSX is #1, but "real" multiplayer didn't get added into that game til much later after release.

1. SSX -- 3582
2. Happy Wars -- 2228
3. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier -- 2204
4. Resident Evil 6 -- 1948
5. Soulcalibur V -- 1854
6. Spec Ops: The Line -- 1722
7. Street Fighter X Tekken -- 1694
8. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City -- 1350
9. FIFA 13 -- 1293
10. Binary Domain -- 1286

Least Played Multiplayer Games That Did Get a TNT

Sad in a way, but the chances of you playing against the staff in these games were pretty high.

1. Ridge Racer Unbounded -- 314
2. Hybrid -- 423
3. Awesomenauts -- 472
4. Dead or Alive 5 -- 765
5. NFL Blitz -- 765
6. Persona 4 Arena -- 1001
7. Gotham City Impostors -- 1204
8. Need for Speed: Most Wanted -- 1384
9. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD -- 1730
10. The Darkness II -- 2406

Community All-Stars

While combing through achievement pages, I began to realize there's a ton of registered users that seemingly only registered to track their achievements. Many have no posts or wiki points. So, while looking at some the rarest achievements earned in 2012, I plucked out some active (or at least semi-active) users to highlight for their feats of greatness.

• @King_Bonzo is the only person to play 500 ranked matches in UFC Undisputed 3.
• @sizone is the only ranked General among us in Sine Mora.
• @MrBurninator saved all the teensies in Rayman 3.
• @fightincowboy is the only person to S-Rank Armored Core V.
• @dogmanstaruk is our only Rhythm Master in Rhythm Party.
• @BK-77-7 successfully defeated Darth Vader on Jedi Master difficulty in Kinect Star Wars.
• @ixnay is our only Legend in Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends.
• @Phototropic killed 2000 monsters on his way to S-Ranking Risen 2.
• @Dad_Is_A_Zombie owns several of rarest player awards in Madden NFL 13.
• @Guided_By_Tigers survived Nightmare difficulty in Doom 3 BFG Edition.
• @OppressiveStink thwarted dance crimes by earning "Nice" on over 10,000 moves.
• @jayc is Giant Bomb's Ken Jennings as he won over 50 games in Jeopardy!
• @Dairypop4000 crushed it by beating Skylanders Giants on Nightmare difficulty.
• The appropriately named @Fearbeard earned the marksman pin on every weapon in Medal of Honor: Warfighter.
• @TheMightySkullboy created some awesome Giant Bomb wrestlers in WWE '13, which earned him one of the rarest achievements in the game.
• @HyperionX3 is one of the 0.2% who completed all the challenges in Black Ops II.

Miscellaneous Other Nonsense

Random Observations Made While Tabulating Data

• Seven games got TWO Quick Looks: Borderlands 2, Mark of the Ninja, Pid, Sleeping Dogs, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Trials Evolution, and XCOM Enemy Unknown.
• Two games got two TNT's: Syndicate and Trials Evolution.
• One person bought all the items in Scarygirl.
• Two people earned all the medals in Puddle.
• 21.68% of those who played Soulcalibur V never cleared Episode 1 in the story mode.
• 414 people (3.6%) who started Mass Effect 3 never returned to active duty (the first achievement). Guess they can't complain about the ending.
• Over 1000 people (8.9%) have endured Mass Effect 3 on Insanity.
• Only 6 people have S-Ranked Street Fighter X Tekken.
• 3.4% of Shoot Many Robots players never killed 100 robots. Way to follow directions, guys.
• Armored Core V has eight different versions you could S-Rank.
• 1.3% of people are good at blowing up dogs.
• Somehow, three whole people S-Ranked the atrocity known as South Park: Tenorman's Revenge.
• 234 people never found a single cube shard in Fez.
• Trials Evolution is quite intimidating. But, did you know 137 people couldn't even pass their first license test.
• Based on achievements, less people completed Episode 4 than did Episode 5 of The Walking Dead. This was due to a Xbox Live database error that didn't register achievements earned by players within the first 24 hours or so of Episode 4's release.
• Roughly 20 people who played it S-Ranked Men in Black: Alien Crisis. What the hell…
• There are eleven achievements in Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor that no one has unlocked. Is the game so broken that you can't actually get them?
• Five masochistic individuals have completed Spelunky without collecting any treasures.
• Sixteen people started Quantum Conundrum but never actually picked up the IDS device. Puzzles are hard, duders.
• Over 1000 people entered The Lang Zone and nearly half of them never earned a medal to show for it.
• Wolfenstein has more players than this years' Madden.
• 144 people have played more than 300 different songs in Rock Band Blitz.
• We have 227 True Ninjas on Giant Bomb.
• CheapAssGamer's @shipwreck is the second best NBA Baller Beats player…in the world?
• No hockey this year means no one has the will to S-Rank NHL 13.
• Everyone that started Double Dragon Neon got cursed with a 1-point achievement, but only 87 were able to get the 19-point achievement to get back to some semblance of normalcy.
• 9.8% of Borderlands 2 players "Did It All" by completing every side mission in the game.
• No one has S-Ranked Kinect Sesame Street TV and it's all because of Smart Glass.
• Over 2000 people have played the free-to-play XBLA game known as Happy Wars. But only 32 of them completed every story mission. I wonder if Johnny V is still playing.
• Only nine people have scored 50,000 points while DJ'ing in Intel Discovered.
• The Super Turbo Turkey Puncher achievement is the most common in Doom 3 BFG Edition.
• 52 people never even made it to the festival in Forza Horizon. Another 20 never finished a race.
• 77.17% of Mass Effect 3 players finished the game, which is extremely high compared to other games.
• Barely a quarter of the people who played Assassin's Creed III got a double assassination with a musket.
• Over a third of Halo 4 players completed the campaign on Heroic or harder.
• There are no achievements involving sharks in Far Cry 3. What's even the point?

The Impossibilities Are Endless

Here are some of the hardest and/or rarest achievements from 2012. No one has earned any of these yet.