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white_sox

I've owned a Wii since 2007, I just finished my first game on the console tonight - Donkey Kong Returns.

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Best of 2012

My favorite games of 2012

List items

  • There is not much I can say about The Walking Dead that has not already been said. The characters are real, the decisions are tough, and the intensity is at times surreal. It’s hard to forget some of the scenes and corresponding choices I had to make. The level of immersion that has been created is very hard to explain to someone who has not played it. At one point, I became so angered at one of the corresponding consequences that I had to literally stop playing and attempt to reload the save. Though the decision ended up being something I couldn’t reverse, the fact that it brought out that level of emotion is testament to how much I enjoyed what I was playing. Sharing screenshots of everyone’s choices on the forums (which was wisely implemented into the game) and seeing what others did differently also added to the overall experience. It’s a game that I continue to recommend and one that will stay with me for a long time.

    My favorite episode: Episode 2 - “Starved for Help”.

  • I don't know how a game like XCOM: Enemy Unknown ended up on my list of the best games of the year. I don't play a lot of turn based strategy games and having to restart a campaign (in any genre) is usually enough for me to toss a game to the side. In typical Firaxis fashion, something about XCOM just made me want to keep playing. Before it was all said and done, I had to restart the game approximately five times. But after every restart, I had an even stronger desire to try and make it to the end. With the help of my team (R.I.P. Majid, Mills, and Roberts) I was finally able to do just that. Having different enemies and maps on every run, almost anticipating players would need to restart, just adds to how well made this game is. The Second Wave replay options and a better than expected multiplayer mode make XCOM: Enemy Unknown a complete package and one of the best games of 2012.

  • Holy Lord is this game good. Purely speaking about gameplay mechanics, Mark of the Ninja would be far and away the best of 2012. It does stealth flawlessly and the game is just a blast to play. No matter what the designer and his team do next, consider me interested.

  • I would have never of guessed a game like Hotline Miami would have ever made my GotY list. I bought it after hearing some positive things, but I never expected to enjoy it as much as I did. This thinking would have been validated had I stopped after my initial impression. Then I figured out how to play it, or at least how to get the most out of it. HM is a puzzle game more than any type of finesse game. Sure the game features one hit kills and some frustrating moments, but at its core you will get way more out of HM if you play it as a puzzle/stealth game rather than a top down shooter/brawler. The game is a lot deeper than just its surface, has a story that you'll want to see through, intense boss battles, and an absolutely stellar soundtrack. Put on your headphones and take it slow, HM is one hell of a ride.

  • My first foray into the Hitman series proved to be a successful one. It's interesting to compare this game to Mark of the Ninja, another game on my top 10 list of 2012. Both released around the same time in 2012 and both use stealth as their core gameplay component. Despite this, the games could not be anymore different from one another. MotN relies on using darkness and shadows, while Absolution has a more indirect approach at stealth; in fact, missions are often times carried out in daylight. Overall, I enjoyed both games a lot and for different reasons. In particular, Hitman: Absolution excels at superb level design and allowing me a ridiculous amount of flexibility in how I approach every situation. The Chinese New Year level exemplifies just how awesome this game is.

  • Boy, it sure is fun going on the forums and reading about everyone's experience with Journey. Seeing people meeting and staying with the same person throughout the game without knowing who was on the other end sounds magical. Me? Well I like Journey because it told me I was a *u**. No, not literally. On my initial play through of the game, I met up with a couple different people. Though I was never told or instructed to stay with them, I always did my best to do so. It feels natural to stay with your partner in that game. On my way through a particular part of the game I was traveling with my partner through a dark cavern-esque landscape. A particular sequence happened and he got knocked so far away from me. The "enemy" was still in the area, but wasn't a direct threat to me...I knew that, but I continued. I thought about staying, I wanted to stay, and I felt awful when I knew what I was doing. I wanted to see what happened next; how the Journey ended. This came at the expense of my playing partner. At the end of the cave, I looked back and saw the aura of the person I was playing. It was such a deep experience, and I knew I should have gone back; even as I was leaving I knew I should still go get him/her. That is why I love Journey, because it makes me feel like an asshole. Oh, and it has an amazing soundtrack with some of the best visuals I have ever seen.

  • When they announced the Darkness II, I was like hell yeah. Then the details came: New developer. New voice actor. New artstyle. The demo was crummy and nothing that I saw of the game interested me in the slightest. I absolutely fell in love with the first game and it is one of my favorite shooters of this generation. So hearing about all the changes and playing through the demo made me stay away from this like the plague. My loss. The Darkness II is an excellent game and the core shooting is simply superb. The game tells a cool story, even if it was predictable and could have easily ended one scene earlier and perhaps could have been better. Boss battles, a smart upgrade system, and a great additional co-op mode make The Darkness II one of my most enjoyable games of the year.

  • Based on longevity alone I think Jurassic Park Builder has to be on my "Game of the Year" list. While concocting my Top 10 it certainly wasn't one that came flooding to my mind, which is odd considering I have played it almost every day for the past couple of months. I never thought I could get any enjoyment out of these types of games, but following the advertisement on another Ludia game proved to be one of the best decisions of 2012. The F2P model is such where I don't feel dirty going into the store, but at the same time I am completely happy with my free experience. Combine this with fun quests to strive for and my love of Jurassic Park and JP:B is one of my favorite games of 2012.

  • I felt Halo 4 was a bit uneven in some ways. When at its best though, the multiplayer was some of the best in the series. Adrift, Abandon, Haven, and Solace were all well created maps that helped promote Halo 4's specific brand of chaos. It's also one of the few MP co-op games that I can still get my brother to sit down and play with me. That alone makes it worthy of a spot on my list.

  • It took me awhile to come up with a game to fill the tenth spot on my list. Though I would consider 2012 a solid year in general, it was tough narrowing down a final game to fit here. I like Super Hexagon a lot. I think the design fits perfectly into what I want on a game designed for my phone. It's simple nature and score based gameplay make it feel just right on a portable device.