# Game of the year?



## Ramses (Dec 8, 2012)

So, what's got your vote for video game of the year?

Choose one - or, why not, a few. Sometimes "there can be only one" does not apply.

For me, it's Dishonored, but Mass Effect 3 comes in 2nd (in spite of the ending).


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## veeno (Dec 8, 2012)

Dishonored.

Just because im a sucker for steam punk.


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## Percy (Dec 8, 2012)

Dishonored and Borderlands 2 are my top two.

Haven't played ME3 myself, so I don't know much about how good it is.


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## Heliophobic (Dec 9, 2012)

veeno said:


> Dishonored.
> 
> Just because im a sucker for steam punk.



Is it actual steampunk or more of that "lol glue some cogs on it and call it a day" bullshit?


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## Conker (Dec 9, 2012)

Orcs Must Die! 2. I guess Halo 4 winds up in second place.


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## Ranguvar (Dec 9, 2012)

Spec Ops: The Line


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## Zydala (Dec 9, 2012)

Saliva said:


> Is it actual steampunk or more of that "lol glue some cogs on it and call it a day" bullshit?



Yes, it's definitely real steampunk (though the art team resists calling it by that). It is a very very well crafted world.

Which is definitely why I think it's my GOTY, alongside Journey. Couldn't choose.


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## Alastair Snowpaw (Dec 9, 2012)

Soul calibur 5 since i'm pretty sure that came out this year.
also shout outs for skullgirls for bineg and indie fighting game on the same level as big budget production fighting games.


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## Judge Spear (Dec 9, 2012)

Sonic Transformed or DoDonPachi 5.
I was very VERY shocked at how much fun I had with Sonic Transformed. Thought it was better than Generations and I love that game.
And DoDonPachi...is DoDonPachi. As long as it doesn't fuck up like the second one or water itself down like Touhou or Vorpal, it always has my vote when there's a new installment.


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## Ikrit (Dec 9, 2012)

being an RPG fan, i'm going to say GW2

one of the best i played, more fun then skyrim personally...


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## Demensa (Dec 9, 2012)

I haven't had a chance to play a lot of the bigger releases, like Mass Effect 3, Borderlands 2, Dishonoured and Far Cry 3 so I can't really make a good judgement.
 Out of the games I have played from this year though (Which is an abysmal list. I'm still catching up on last year's games, while looking forward to next years.), I've gotten the most enjoyment out of Journey and Halo 4.


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## Captain Howdy (Dec 9, 2012)

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (because fuck it, why not?)
The Walking Dead (by TellTale Games) has a decent shot.

I have a feeling it's going to come down to Halo 4, Black Ops whatever, Dishonored, and Mass Effect 3 though. Not really happy with any of those, wasn't interested at all in any of them. I only bought like 1 game this year, and only played a handful of new games in general. Retro gaming is still kinda in for me, though if I can find a free copy of Dishonored or Halo 4, I might go for it.


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## CannonFodder (Dec 9, 2012)

Journey
Definitely Journey.


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## Unsilenced (Dec 9, 2012)

Either TWD or Dishonored. 

Might have to give it to The Walking Dead just because of the ending. Many manly tears were had. 



Saliva said:


> Is it actual steampunk or more of that "lol glue some cogs on it and call it a day" bullshit?



It has a very interesting aesthetic. Think "Combine invade old timey London." 

It (thank god) doesn't go the "SHINY BRASS ERRYTING!" route favored by steampunk cosplayers and many artists.



Green_Knight said:


> Spec Ops: The Line



The Line just seemed so... forced at times. I just couldn't feel bad for the things I did in the game (which is pretty much the entire point) because they were prima facie retarded things to begin with and the game didn't give me the option to point that out. 



Spoiler: The Line



Like the whole water thing. The moment they said anything about water, I knew we were going to spill it all. It was just fucking obvious. If you have a game where absolutely nothing ever goes right and is pretty much about things not going right, it's no longer dramatically impactful when, surprise surprise, things don't fucking go right. A few missions in I fully expected the game to end with Captain Walker punting a baby so hard it broke the world in two or something, so nothing after that really surprised me. It just seemed corny, like a movie that thinks it's much more dramatic than it is. After the infamous "white phosphorus" scene, there was a burned corpse of a mother holding her baby, perfectly posed and _in a fucking spotlight_ during a cutscene. If this had started playing, I would not have been at all surprised.


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## Schwimmwagen (Dec 9, 2012)

Borderlands 2.

I can't think of a single other AAA title that gives a shit about its PC community and has good value for money.


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## Judge Spear (Dec 9, 2012)

Lastdirewolf said:


> Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (because fuck it, why not?)
> The Walking Dead (by TellTale Games) has a decent shot.
> 
> I have a feeling it's going to come down to Halo 4, Black Ops whatever, Dishonored, and Mass Effect 3 though. Not really happy with any of those, wasn't interested at all in any of them. I only bought like 1 game this year, and only played a handful of new games in general. Retro gaming is still kinda in for me, though if I can find a free copy of Dishonored or Halo 4, I might go for it.


Walking Dead did win Game of the Year on Spike. Halo 4 was close. Black Ops 2 didn't get anything. Dishonored got a few awards. I can't recall anything else except that Half Life 2 won game of the decade.


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## RedFoxTwo (Dec 9, 2012)

XoPachi said:


> Half Life 2 won game of the decade.


I still don't get why everyone loves the half life games so much. Sure they were doing something MILDLY original and generally more polished than the other games around at the time, but I certainly don't think they deserve anything close to the praise that they get. The combat is fun but repetitive, the story is more of an excuse plot and the acting is wooden. It does what it does well, but it doesn't really DO anything special. 

Seriously, why does everyone like it so much?


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## Tf'd Toucan (Dec 9, 2012)

1. Halo 4 
2. SSX


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## Judge Spear (Dec 9, 2012)

RedFoxTwo said:


> I still don't get why everyone loves the half life games so much. Sure they were doing something MILDLY original and generally more polished than the other games around at the time, but I certainly don't think they deserve anything close to the praise that they get. The combat is fun but repetitive, the story is more of an excuse plot and the acting is wooden. It does what it does well, but it doesn't really DO anything special.
> 
> Seriously, why does everyone like it so much?



Everything I could say will be explained in this episode of an old G4 series called Icons. Half Life essentially revolutionized the FPS genre in physics and SEAMLESS story telling. A first person experience is supposed to make the player feel like the character they play as. Valve set out to make Half Life do this in more ways than one. They succeeded for the most part. Not trying to make you like it, but this should explain in better detail what you want to know.

It's split up into four parts. It's actually really interesting to watch. :3

[video=youtube;HUmbVRuT4wo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUmbVRuT4wo[/video]


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## Sarcastic Coffeecup (Dec 9, 2012)

I'm gonna say Borderlands 2.
Great humor, great gameplay, gazillion of guns, great voice acting, well executed multiplayer and a lengthy campaign. What more can a man ask for?


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## Judge Spear (Dec 9, 2012)

Sarcastic Coffeecup said:


> I'm gonna say Borderlands 2.
> Great humor, great gameplay, gazillion of guns, great voice acting, well executed multiplayer and a lengthy campaign. What more can a man ask for?



I went in Borderlands 2 with the lowest expectations because I couldn't tolerate the first one. While it still had a lot of the issues that pervaded the first to me, so much else was improved. If it won GOTY, I wouldn't be mad.


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## Sutekh_the_Destroyer (Dec 9, 2012)

Kid Icarus : Uprising. One of the best game on the 3DS.


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## Sarcastic Coffeecup (Dec 9, 2012)

XoPachi said:


> I went in Borderlands 2 with the lowest expectations because I couldn't tolerate the first one. While it still had a lot of the issues that pervaded the first to me, so much else was improved. If it won GOTY, I wouldn't be mad.


Issues to some, joys for others. Imo Bl2 had everything I liked in Bl1, and way more


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## Imperial Impact (Dec 9, 2012)

Xenoblade


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## Judge Spear (Dec 9, 2012)

Imperial Impact said:


> Xenoblade



That was a KICKASS game and this coming from someone who despises JRPG's and game story. Did you play Pandora's Tower and Last Story?
Not a Wii fan, but damn...it was treated well the past year.


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## Anubite (Dec 9, 2012)

Hard decisions... I would have to give game of the year to Spec Ops the Line, game is fantastic, the story is something I had never seen before in a game and I just sat down and played through it in one go. The game was spectacular in its presentation of a story.

Borderlands 2 is my second and after that probably Skyrim because of mods and flexability.


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## Zydrate Junkie (Dec 9, 2012)

I haven't really played any recent releases this year. All the games I'm looking forward to are coming out at the start of next year.


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## benignBiotic (Dec 9, 2012)

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas [Joke]

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition [Deadly serious] I didn't play a lot of new games this year, but I didn't really have to because Dark Soulssssssssss


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## Suezotiger (Dec 9, 2012)

Scribblenauts: Unlimited. I haven't played many games that came out this year, but honestly, what other game lets you ride around on a giant handsome nyancat.


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## Vaelarsa (Dec 9, 2012)

Super Metroid should be game of the year, every year.

But seriously,
based on what I've played that's new from this year (which isn't much) I guess Mass Effect 3.
Although my fiance just got Farcry 3 and it looks really good, too.


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## Judge Spear (Dec 9, 2012)

Vaelarsa said:


> Super Metroid should be game of the year, every year.
> 
> But seriously,
> based on what I've played that's new from this year (which isn't much) I guess Mass Effect 3.
> Although my fiance just got Farcry 3 and it looks really good, too.



Far Cry 3 is absolutely damn good.


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## Percy (Dec 9, 2012)

XoPachi said:


> Far Cry 3 is absolutely damn good.


Far Cry 3 is still pretty new. It still looks fantastic though.


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## Ramses (Dec 9, 2012)

Just started Far Cry 3 today. So far, it's amaaaaaazing.

Spec Ops the Line almost makes my top 5 - going to replay it again soon. 

Meanwhile, the trailer for Dark Souls 2 looks batshit awesome.


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## veeno (Dec 9, 2012)

RedFoxTwo said:


> I still don't get why everyone loves the half life games so much. Sure they were doing something MILDLY original and generally more polished than the other games around at the time, but I certainly don't think they deserve anything close to the praise that they get. The combat is fun but repetitive, the story is more of an excuse plot and the acting is wooden. It does what it does well, but it doesn't really DO anything special. Seriously, why does everyone like it so much?


Are...are you a communist?


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## Fernin (Dec 10, 2012)

veeno said:


> Are...are you a communist?



It's more an issue I think that Half Life is so over hyped it hurts. It's a great game sure, but it's not nearly the FPS messiah most of its fans claim it to be. Frankly I also think a big part of the reason we haven't seen HL3 yet is because Valve painted themselves in a corner with the plot and can't figure how to end the series without getting crucified by their fans who expect more than they could ever actually get.


As for game of the year?

Dark Souls Prepare to Die Edition
Far Cry 3
ME3
Dawnguard (yes it's an expac, deal with it.)
and Dishonored.

Those would be my nominees.


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## Alastair Snowpaw (Dec 10, 2012)

Fernin said:


> It's more an issue I think that Half Life is so over hyped it hurts.


any game with more than some hype is doomed to fail in a lot of poeples opinions. hype is never a good thing in regards to waiting for a game to come out.


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## FreedomXJustice (Dec 10, 2012)

Xenoblade Chronicles...or The Last Story. Xenoblade had more of an open world experience, but The Last Story definitely had better character development and story imo, so i'd go with Last Story. Xenoblade being a close second.


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## Ames (Dec 10, 2012)

>GOTY
>Not Farming Simulator 2012

shiggydig


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## Judge Spear (Dec 10, 2012)

Fernin said:


> It's more an issue I think that Half Life is so over hyped it hurts. It's a great game sure, but it's not nearly the FPS messiah most of its fans claim it to be. Frankly I also think a big part of the reason we haven't seen HL3 yet is because Valve painted themselves in a corner with the plot and can't figure how to end the series without getting crucified by their fans who expect more than they could ever actually get.
> 
> 
> As for game of the year?
> ...



I posted a video explaining why the game is loved. What it did at the time was revolutionary to it's genre. I don't blame you for not seeing it's charm because being that it set an example, many other shooters, even humble CoD, pulls from Half Life in many ways. More the first game than the second, but since Half Life 2 is an improvement on the formula it gets more attention. This is a 2004 game we're talking about.


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## Schwimmwagen (Dec 10, 2012)

XoPachi said:


> I went in Borderlands 2 with the lowest expectations because I couldn't tolerate the first one. While it still had a lot of the issues that pervaded the first to me, so much else was improved. If it won GOTY, I wouldn't be mad.



IMO the only thing that's really wrong in Borderlands is that it's SHITE in solo play.


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## Judge Spear (Dec 10, 2012)

Gibby said:


> IMO the only thing that's really wrong in Borderlands is that it's SHITE in solo play.



I felt it had extremely poor character building, weapons that only looked different, and JRPG styled fetch quests. The second does have these, but there was a lot more added to the second one which made it feel a lot more fulfilling. I can't explain it too well.


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## CaptainCool (Dec 10, 2012)

Suezotiger said:


> Scribblenauts: Unlimited. I haven't played many games that came out this year, but honestly, what other game lets you ride around on a giant handsome nyancat.



1. Add a 'tiny delicious god'
2. Hand god to an NPC.
3. Add the adjective 'hungry' to that NPC.
4. ??????????
5. MASSIVE PROFIT!!

Also, it is extremely funny to add a 'fashionable hipster' into the game. Things that are fashionable scare hipsters in Scribblenauts Unlimited, the 'fashionable hipster' starts to run away from himself XD It's like the irony of his own existence scares him!


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## Takeo Wolf (Dec 10, 2012)

I would have to say Farcry 3


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 10, 2012)

CannonFodder said:


> Journey
> Definitely Journey.



...don't stop...
...Believin!


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## Judge Spear (Dec 11, 2012)

I wish I had a PS3. I forgot that was the last game I wanted for it.


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## Attaman (Dec 11, 2012)

Unsilenced said:


> The Line just seemed so... forced at times. I just couldn't feel bad for the things I did in the game (which is pretty much the entire point) because they were prima facie retarded things to begin with and the game didn't give me the option to point that out.


 No, the point of the game was to see how far you would go. Which, seemingly, the answer is "Pretty damn far" for a lot of people, who then suddenly proclaimed "This game sucks!" once all that spoilerific stuff came into play. _Spec Ops: The Line_ is a deconstruction of the modern shooter game, and it does its job _gloriously_. How do I know? Because the same people who were raving about _Bioshock_ being super-awesome with its reveal aren't raving about _Spec Ops_'s twist, but whinging that it isn't what they asked for. What's the difference between the two? _Bioshock_ tells you in the end "Oh, but don't worry, they were all bad guys and everything gets better". _Spec Ops_ *doesn't*.


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## Unsilenced (Dec 11, 2012)

Attaman said:


> No, the point of the game was to see how far you would go. Which, seemingly, the answer is "Pretty damn far" for a lot of people, who then suddenly proclaimed "This game sucks!" once all that spoilerific stuff came into play. _Spec Ops: The Line_ is a deconstruction of the modern shooter game, and it does its job _gloriously_. How do I know? Because the same people who were raving about _Bioshock_ being super-awesome with its reveal aren't raving about _Spec Ops_'s twist, but whinging that it isn't what they asked for. What's the difference between the two? _Bioshock_ tells you in the end "Oh, but don't worry, they were all bad guys and everything gets better". _Spec Ops_ *doesn't*.



My experience with Spec Ops may have been soured somewhat by the fact that I knew what it was going into it. When you're told a game is based on _The Heart of Darkness_ you don't really start out with high hopes for the protagonist.  When Captain Walker started kicking puppies a few levels in, it was less "moment of doubt in a character you're supposed to trust" and more "yeah I guess it's about that time." Ideally the game would have given you something to latch on to; some sort of hope that the next mission would be where things started going right, but for me it didn't. It was just a solid stream of "you just did something horrible, now do something horrible so you can get to the next horrible thing." I quit pretty much after the water part, because I was convinced at that point that Captain Walker couldn't so much as wipe his ass without causing a genocide. 

For what it's worth, a lot of bioshock fans think that the first game would have been better if it had ended with the "A man chooses a slave obeys" speech, and I've certainly never heard anyone praise the whole "little sisters come and save you" bit. Bioshock, in my opinion, just does a much better job of convincing you you're the big hero before taking it away. There's actually something there to lose in terms of how you feel about your character. 

Another good "you're no hero" game is, incidentally, that other game based (albeit more loosely) on _The Heart of Darkness_, Far Cry 2. For all it's flaws*, the game is still one of my favorites in terms of narrative experience. 


Spoiler: Far Cry



There are two basic endings to that game, both of which involve failing the objective you set out to do from the start (Kill the Jackal) and killing yourself along with every single friend/ally you've made in the game. The prologue screen informs you that you saved a couple of civilians, but that the civil war continued to rage on for years while absolutely no-one gave a fuck. Every choice you made, everyone you killed or spared, all end up being utterly and completely meaningless. If you took the time to help the journalist in the game collect all the recordings in the game so he could write about the conflict, the screen also mentions that no newspaper ran his story and that it ended up sitting around on a private blog where nobody of any importance read it. 

The game is pretty dark all the way through, but it still comes as something of a shock when, at the end, the game basically goes "Yeah great have a fucking cookie or something." There's an actual set up for the fall. Your character does bad things, but the game teaches you not to care. Nobody scolds you for the medical supplies you blow up or the crops you burn, and in fact most characters will act favorably towards you. I remember in one section I had to go warn a town's doctor that a ceasefire was about to be broken. What I didn't tell him was that I had been hired to intentionally break the ceasefire in order to increase weapons sales. The doctor thanked me and referred to me as "an altruist." That hit me harder than anything in Spec Ops. Instead of beating me over the head with a constant "YOU ARE A BAD PERSON AND SHOULD FEEL BAD!!!," Far Cry 2 patted me on the back for my misdeeds and let my own self doubt to the work. It was hard for much of the game to be sure if you were supposed to be a villain or just a really dark hero. It wasn't until the very end that it let the anvils drop.



*Fuck YOUUUUUUUU checkpoints!


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## RitsukaAo (Dec 11, 2012)

I, unfortunately, don't really play newer games. (Broke and have little patience for the price of newer games.)

My husband, however, praises Borderlands 2. He LOATHED Bioshock though.


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## Attaman (Dec 11, 2012)

Unsilenced said:


> My experience with Spec Ops may have been soured somewhat by the fact that I knew what it was going into it. When you're told a game is based on _The Heart of Darkness_ you don't really start out with high hopes for the protagonist.  When Captain Walker started kicking puppies a few levels in, it was less "moment of doubt in a character you're supposed to trust" and more "yeah I guess it's about that time."


Part of the deconstruction. After all, Hard!Men make Hard!Choices.



Unsilenced said:


> Ideally the game would have given you something to latch on to; some sort of hope that the next mission would be where things started going right, but for me it didn't. It was just a solid stream of "you just did something horrible, now do something horrible so you can get to the next horrible thing."


 Another part of the deconstruction. You don't do something bad, do another something bad, then suddenly "Oh, it's fine, you're cool and it's all justified" and become the Hero again. 



Unsilenced said:


> I quit pretty much after the water part, because I was convinced at that point that Captain Walker couldn't so much as wipe his ass without causing a genocide.


 And that's a perfectly valid response. Part of the game is seeing how far you're willing to go so long while believing Walker's "We're the heroes" schtiel. You did what Walker couldn't, and managed to walk away.



Unsilenced said:


> For what it's worth, a lot of bioshock fans think that the first game would have been better if it had ended with the "A man chooses a slave obeys" speech, and I've certainly never heard anyone praise the whole "little sisters come and save you" bit. Bioshock, in my opinion, just does a much better job of convincing you you're the big hero before taking it away. There's actually something there to lose in terms of how you feel about your character.


 Again, I think there's something of a lost in translation-effect with your experience. You aren't supposed to be some big hero in _Spec Ops: The Line_. You're the "protagonist", but more important than "you're a good guy" is "how far are you willing to go while calling yourself the good guy".


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## Judge Spear (Dec 11, 2012)

RitsukaAo said:


> I, unfortunately, don't really play newer games. (Broke and have little patience for the price of newer games.).



Steeeeaaaammmm


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 11, 2012)

XoPachi said:


> Steeeeaaaammmm



Or GOG.com even...


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## Schwimmwagen (Dec 11, 2012)

Gamersgate is pretty cool too.

But I still recommend Steam.


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## Judge Spear (Dec 11, 2012)

And for consoles, check out Glyde.com for cheap deals.


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 11, 2012)

There's also this site if you like supporting the indie game scene

http://www.indiegamebundles.com/


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## Judge Spear (Dec 11, 2012)

Arshes Nei said:


> There's also this site if you like supporting the indie game scene
> 
> http://www.indiegamebundles.com/



Ever been to pixelprospector? It's not really for selling indies, but he showcases damn near all of the new ones. It's worth a look. http://www.pixelprospector.com/


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## Ranguvar (Dec 11, 2012)

Guise, GUISESSS!! What about EA Origin?


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## Judge Spear (Dec 11, 2012)

Green_Knight said:


> Guise, GUISESSS!! What about EA Origin?



Psych.


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## Percy (Dec 11, 2012)

Green_Knight said:


> Guise, GUISESSS!! What about EA Origin?


Lololol Origin lololol


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 11, 2012)

Super Hexagon


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## RitsukaAo (Dec 11, 2012)

XoPachi said:


> Steeeeaaaammmm



I prefer physical copies when possible. If I ever lack internet, I don't have to worry about not being able to play my games or redownloading them when I lose them. (I've got a crappy laptop that likes to randomly brick on me.) Though I use GOG.com for my Rollercoaster Tycoon games.


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 12, 2012)

RitsukaAo said:


> I prefer physical copies when possible. If I ever lack internet, I don't have to worry about not being able to play my games or redownloading them when I lose them. (I've got a crappy laptop that likes to randomly brick on me.) Though I use GOG.com for my Rollercoaster Tycoon games.



You could just play in offline mode - https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3160-agcb-2555


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## Judge Spear (Dec 12, 2012)

Arshes Nei said:


> Super Hexagon



Satazius! 8D


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## Armaetus (Dec 13, 2012)

Borderlands 2 and Torchlight 2.

I only accept them as GOTY if they've been out 4 or more months, not bullshit "Release in November and called GOTY" crap Craptavision does with Call of Repetition.


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## Sarcastic Coffeecup (Dec 13, 2012)

If another Call of Repetition gets a GOTY I will lose all my faith in humanity


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## Judge Spear (Dec 13, 2012)

Sarcastic Coffeecup said:


> If another Call of Repetition gets a GOTY I will lose all my faith in humanity



I don't see it happening unless it's changed dramatically. If it wins anything, best multiplayer (which I doubt it will on the sheer basis of Planetside 2). Has CoD ever won? I like the games, but they wouldn't seem like GoTY material.


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## Ramses (Dec 13, 2012)

Sarcastic Coffeecup said:


> If another Call of Repetition gets a GOTY I will lose all my faith in humanity



I lost my faith in humanity once.
Skyrim helped me get it back.

Then I took an arrow in the knee.

By the way, Far Cry 3 is keeping me up late at night, it's so good. Welcome to the jungle.


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## Lucy Bones (Dec 13, 2012)

Max Payne 3 is the best game to have come out this year.

Fuck Mass Effect 3. Fuck it in the ear.


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## Kosdu (Dec 13, 2012)

Ahkmill said:


> Max Payne 3 is the best game to have come out this year.
> 
> Fuck Mass Effect 3. Fuck it in the ear.




I'm a big Max Payne fan, from the first.
Same with Far Cry.




I say Max Payne 3 should get GOTY, with Far Cry 3 and Skyrim following up.


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## Lucy Bones (Dec 13, 2012)

Skyrim was really broken.

My pics for favorite games of 2012 are Max Payne 3, Far Cry 3, Dishonored, and Twisted Metal 2012.


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## Rheumatism (Dec 14, 2012)

Nothing but sequels.  I wouldn't nominate any of it.


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## Ames (Dec 14, 2012)

Overall, I quite enjoyed Spec Ops: The Line.

That delicious moral ambiguity is something you rarely see in games, especially big-budget creations.  Story was well-paced and enjoyable, I loved the ending(s).  I thought it was going to be a modern Apocalypse Now/Heart of Darkness clone at the start, but later it did well to distinguish itself.  I feel like they could have hit harder with such a message, presenting the player with more lose/lose decisions and putting more emphasis on showing the consequences.

That being said, holy shit the gameplay was pants-on-head retarded.  The cover system and overall controls made me want to punch kittens.  So frustratingly terrible when you actually want to move from cover to cover.  Combat was meh at best, unrealistic as shit, and the AI was autistic, but I did enjoy the scarcity of ammo.


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## Harbinger (Dec 14, 2012)

For me Halo 4 by a long shot. Graphics and overall art design are beautiful, the story is amazing, and the gameplay is massively improved on previous titles and in my opinion the best yet.


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## RitsukaAo (Dec 14, 2012)

Arshes Nei said:


> You could just play in offline mode - https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3160-agcb-2555



That sounds fascinating actually. I never knew Steam had an offline mode. I might look into that.


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## Taralack (Dec 14, 2012)

Mass Effect 3 for me. I cried the hardest over it. I still don't get why some people are so super mad about it. :T


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## RitsukaAo (Dec 14, 2012)

Toraneko said:


> Mass Effect 3 for me. I cried the hardest over it. I still don't get why some people are so super mad about it. :T



I never played Mass Effect 3 actually. My dick head friend got it when it first came out and ruined it for me.

*Possible SPOILER* When it was first released, NONE of your choices mattered. Everyone pretty much got the same ending, good or evil. It was a lazy cop out by the game maker which always carried itself as the creator of "YOU choose the ending by the choices you make" game genre. Sure there were others made before the Mass Effect series but most of those didn't nearly get the attention the Mass Effect series got.

My understanding is that BioWare released an "update" with the alternate endings for the choices you make so even THEY knew they dun goofed.


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## Percy (Dec 14, 2012)

Kosdu said:


> Skyrim following up.


Skyrim was released last year. 
...unless, you're referring to it being released later in the year, or the DLC.


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## Rheumatism (Dec 14, 2012)

Harbinger said:


> Graphics and overall art design are beautiful,


Yeah, it's a good looking game.  I wouldn't say the same for the art design.  Just a lot of Tron looking areas with one or two really good looking stages.



Harbinger said:


> the story is amazing,


Yeah the whole "you are the only one who can save the entire universe!" story is just so original.  The production values save it though and the voice acting is the absolute best in the series.  Even if some of the dialogue is down right silly.



Harbinger said:


> and the gameplay is massively improved on previous titles and in my opinion the best yet.


I cannot comprehend how you came to this conclusion...


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## benignBiotic (Dec 15, 2012)

I'm not seeing much Dark Souls: Prepare to Die on here and it's making me emotionally distrerssed so I'd like to reiterate that my love for this game transcends our universe. Seriously though best game of the year in my opinion.


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## Ramses (Dec 15, 2012)

benignBiotic said:


> I'm not seeing much Dark Souls: Prepare to Die on here and it's making me emotionally distrerssed so I'd like to reiterate that my love for this game transcends our universe. Seriously though best game of the year in my opinion.



I wasn't sure if I wanted to play Dark Souls when it came out, but a friend gave it to me and holy shit it blew me away. The gameplay, the atmosphere, the fact that I couldn't just casually jump in, I had to pay attention to what I was doing - such a great game - really helped me get through a rough time in my life.

The trailer for DS 2 looks awesome.


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## FenrirUlv (Dec 19, 2012)

Halo 4 because Halo 4 because Halo 4 because Halo 4.


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