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I just played the original Deus Ex 2 years ago, but quickly built up a level of reverence that probably developed over 10 years for most people. As a result, hopes were high for Human Revolution though expectations were low.
Six months ago, the term "roguelike" meant nothing to me. Now, my ears perk up with its every mention, thanks to the potential of the genre realized in The Binding of Isaac. Its creator Edmund McMillen, who is also one half of Team Meat and creator of Super Meat Boy, once again shows his penchant for difficult but addictive and rewarding gameplay. Because the player only has one life in which to finish the game, it can be completed in about an hour. Because of its relatively short length, the difficulty ramps up quickly.
It's entirely fitting that people refer to the artistic merits of Bastion when praising it: the music, the clever use of narration and the narrative itself. However, in addition to those great story-telling devices, Bastion has some great mechanics. Each weapon is effective and gives the player unique ways to survive in the world. It's rare that I felt the desire to become proficient with each weapon in the game. I certainly stuck to my favorites eventually, but I enjoyed using every weapon, if only briefly, and felt I could complete each level deftly with just about any weapon combination. I've yet to mention what is one of the best innovations this year: stackable difficulty modifiers in the form of a Shrine at which the player can invoke different gods to alter the behavior of the world. For example, one god will cause grenades to drop with each enemy death, forcing the player to keep his distance or at least have an escape plan when surrounded by multiple enemies.
