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I simply had the most fun with this game over anything else this year. Yes, dominating Letho in the end sequence of The Witcher 2 was satisfying and building up my Castilian kingdom in Crusader Kings II is pure addiction, but punching dudes in the head is more compelling than either of those. It certainly helps that the story is interesting if generic, filled with characters that are in equal measures lovable and detestable, and a true sight to behold on the PC. Even with a mid-range rig the game looks astounding and pulls you into the world of the Hong Kong underground. Oh, and Dim Mak. That animation alone might have been enough to put Wei a head above the rest.
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Having me feel anything for characters is difficult. I'm a generally apathetic person, and for The Witcher 2 to make me feel like a part of the world and not just the world being a function of me as the player is worth every positive comment I could think of. After having played the original game, I grew to further feel attached to Dandelion, Triss, and Zoltan's characters especially. Conversely, I developed a specific disdain for certain characters so much so that, upon trying the other path on a second playthrough, I had to put the game down. It felt wrong not being beside Saskia and Iorveth, whom I had come to love over the first playthrough. The silver goes to you Witcher 2, for making me give a shit about piles of polygons, having entertaining combat, and an engrossing world that is unparalleled by any other game this year.
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I hadn't played this before late December. Even with only a few days of playing under my belt, I can say with great confidence that this game is one of the best strategy games I have played in a very, very long time. It's difficult to succinctly describe, but it is incredibly unusual for me to have a game constantly running in the background and jumping in for 30 minute intervals at a time. The soundtrack also deserves an honorable mention for having compositions that help define the feel of a "grand" experience. Crusader Kings II is worthy of the of the praise it receives and is my third favorite game of the year.
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Gruesome, adrenaline induced violence is the only way I can describe everything about this game. The soundtrack is top notch and the rapid-fire combat is only bettered by the calculating nature of each life. Hotline Miami is addicting to play and doesn't stop being great fun even after you start feeling horrible for your actions and after the ending revelations. It dug its bloodstained claws in me long enough to get a grip on number 4.
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There is little more to this game, in my opinion, than the combat. I still believe that the ending story rush is an undeserved, underdeveloped twist but the combat from the first few enemies all the way up to the drakes in post-game make it worthwhile. If there is something else of note, then it's the loot. The loot game probably helps Dragon's Dogma reach number 5.
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The final throes of my competitive fighting game streak starting in late 2008 were due to this game. That might sound like a negative, but I couldn't have asked for a better game to go out on. I went to a few tournaments with only online play and frame data under my belt, and ended up doing pretty well for myself with nothing more than knowledge. It takes an especially great fighting game to make that possible.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the story is actually pretty enjoyable and the majority of the single player content is varied enough to back up the incredible multiplayer component. All of those factors come together and we've got a number 6 on our hands.
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Cheating time! I finished this game in early 2012 after Jeff's half-hype and a general love for the color yellow and its myriad shades, cyberpunk, and trenchcoats. So DE:HR was an easy purchase and definitely one of my favorite games that I played this year. The ending was a big letdown, but everything before that was good enough (boss battles just took the realization that the stun gun is godlike) to justify it being on the list, and getting number 7.
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The Ys games rely on a very old concept of smashing into dudes to do damage to them. The Oath in Felghana improves on that by... uhh, just being a really good game. A remake of Ys III, it takes a mediocre game and puts a fantastic spin on it. Oh, and the music is crazy good and only rivaled by Hotline Miami. Great music and a fun combat system? Sounds like 8 to me!
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It's a clicky-clicky ARPG that gives you what you want in one of these games: a lot of stuff to click on, then pick up loot from, and a lot of customization options for said picked up loot. It's a ton of fun and, even though I haven't finished it, it's good enough for #9.
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Yes, there is a lot fucked about this game: the overheard "pick up junk" quests, the absurdities of the Readiness meter, and more. However, I just had a ton of fun with the moment-to-moment gameplay and that is, to me, enough to warrant my number 10 spot.
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