Games of 2012
A list of games of note and nominees for my favourite games of 2012.
List items
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Fez isn't just my favourite game of the year, it just might be my favourite game ever.It is more than the platformer it may appear to be on the surface, with a stunning visual style and affecting awesome music Fez is an absolutely surreal experience. Add the mind-blowing meta-game puzzles that lie inside and Fez has much more to offer to those who want to sink their teeth into something great.
Personal award: Best game, possibly ever
Secondary award: Best music
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Crusader Kings 2 is a game that cannot be explained in a few words, but despite its complexity there is a brilliant novelty that comes from taking up the reigns of a medieval nation, building spy networks, arranging plots and assuring the continuation of a strong dynasty. Crusader Kings tells amazing stories that you can really become invested in. I spend hours in my own version of this wonderful history game and many more in the games fan-made Game of Thrones mod.
Personal award: Most engrossing
Secondary award: Most historically accurate
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Journey provided one of the biggest departures for videogame conventions this year. It was a beautiful looking game that sent players on an epic. Its use of multiplayer co-op, lack of dialogue and sand-surfing mechanic made for an enjoyable experience, all backed by one of the best videogame scores in a long time.
Journey deserves to be on everyones' top ten this year and should be well rewarded for pushing the boundary for what games should be.
Personal award: Most progressive game
Secondary award: Best use of multiplayer
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The Walking dead is Telltale game's newest and best attempt at their adventure game revival. This time, they manage to create an emotionally gripping story with twists and turns that never let you forget your mistakes and constantly have you wondering what challenges your group will be up against next.
Personal award: Most emotionally inventing
Secondary award: Best adventure game
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I had never played XCOM prior to Enemy Unknown, but after being hounded by friends to give it a shot I got hooked after just a few missions. XCOM does a fantastic job of not only making complex strategy simple but fun.I would say Enemy Unknown does for XCOM what Civ V did for its francise which is no surprise considering the Firaxis pedigree. XCOM gives players a lot to do and managing resources makes you feel stretched, while engineering new weapons gives you the joy of beating aliens at their own game. This game is a lot of fun, mixed with stress and the feeling of accomplishment.
Personal award: Best evolution of a genre
Secondary award: Saddest death
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FTL seemed to come out of nowhere and then seize my attention. It make simple tasks such as "keep flying" seem insurmountable at times and provides more than adequate challenge when it feels you are having it too good, but no matter the outcome it makes you want to jump right back in with a new crew and a sense of hope that this time will be better.
Personal award: Best roguelike
Secondary award: Best use of airlocks
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Spaceteam is great. There could not be a better, more ingeniously-inventive mulitplayer experience out there, and it's free. Spaceteam is an exhilarating mix of panic and communication that leaves everyone panting by the end of a the mission. It is more than anything I could have hoped for from the ios platform and shows everyone that there is a lot of great experiences to come from all kinds of games.
Personal award: Best party game
Secondary award: Most panic inducing
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Tokyo Jungle is weird. It takes everything I used to love about crazy Japanese games from their hay-day and makes a play for the spotlight. This is a game that sounds crazy, but makes perfect sense once you start playing. There is plenty of content and hours of zoologic adventure to be had, and while I cannot immagine this as a $60 retail release, its a perfect budget download to have in your collection.
Personal award: Most Japanese game
Secondary award: Most, "I can't believe they actually made this."
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Puzzlejuice is intriguing blend of Tetris, Boggle and match-3 games all wrapped up in a sexy bow. The game offers challenges, power-ups, leaderboards a a variety of modes to keep players satisfied and enguaged.
Personal award: Best puzzle/word game
Secondary award: Best game to play with a sweetheart
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Shattered Horizon is a game I did not know I wanted until the first second I saw it. It takes the standard team-based FPS and puts such a spin on it as to make the genre feel brand new. With breathtaking maps and awe-inspiring galactic gunfights zero-g combat is one of my favourite developments of the year.
Personal award: Most surprising
Secondary: Best use of three dimensions
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Mark of the Ninja is a great iteration on the stealth game genre. It packs a big stylish punch and its fluid control of motion and sharp design make it a killer game that anyone can sink their blade into.
Personal Award: Best stealth game
Secondary Award: Best Animation
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Binary Domain is interesting to say the least, what is at its core is a conventional third-person shooter, it tries to do interesting things with its voice commands to add a more personal flavour to the narrative that plays out outside its combat portions. Unfortunately, my squad either did not recognizing anything I said or took my silence to meant I wanted them to sprint into an onslaught of enemy fire.
Aside from its voice hitches however, Binary Domain has a great feel to it and peeling armour plates off of mechanical skeleton soldiers marching mercilessly forward was a extremely satisfying.
Personal award: Most satisfying damage
Secondary award: Best attempt at something new
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Borderlands 2 was a game I thought I would hate; just another shooter, filled with cartoon-gun violence and gore. As it turns out, this isn't always a bad thing, especially when its done right and you've got a couple friends sitting right along side you.
Borderlands is non-stop action with a great comedic story to push you through there are some great moments and all the guns you could ever want. In fact, Borderlands quenches loot lust in a a great way, something that Diablo just do not do for me, and with endless combinations at the slots, I could sink all my time into this game.
Personal award: Best loot
Secondary award: Best couch co-op
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Rhythm Heaven is a fun game with a great look. It combines cartoon hilarity with wacky beats and is one of the best mini-game collections out there. Though not the best choice for a party with the rythmly challenged it still adds an air or charm to a gathering of friends, with just the right amount of weird.
Personal award: Funkiest game
Secondary award: Cutest critters
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Super Hexagon is simplicity at its best; an endorphin powered blast of perception, reaction and funk. Its simple, pick-up and play design coupled with an amazing electric soundtrack make it perfect for a any 5-minute reprieve or a face-off against friends.
Personal award: Best less-is-more game
Secondary award:
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Dungeon Village is Kairosoft's exploration into the world behind RPGs, putting players in the shoes of a small town mayor trying to attract adventurers. Like the rest of the Kairosoft collection Dungeon Village is fun and addictive, giving players lots of choices on how to build their adventuring town, outfit its heroes and bring prosperity to the land.
Personal award: Best sim
Secondary award: Best Kairosoft game
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There is no end to the variety of word games out on ios, but Writer Rumble is a charming twist on the boggle-style word game. Its attractive art style combines storybook images and literary characters in a unique way and its head-to-head word battles are a lot of fun to play with friends.
Personal award: Best head-to-head
Secondary award: Best use of literary characters
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Quite frankly, Zombies, Run! is what got me into fitness this year. I have always had that nagging wish to get in shape, but with no motivation I had to turn to something go give me a little push. Zombies, Run! is a fantastic idea. It couples everyones favourite flesh-eaters with a lovely Sunday jog for your life. Its cleaver meta story is great for livening up a typically dull activity and the secondary base-building aspect gives players even more reason to lace up.
Personal award: Most inventive zombie game
Secondary award: Best health/fitness app
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