The Games I've Played list for 2012. These are a list of games I've completed (typically meaning the end of the main story mission, or have put a significant amount of time into).
It's unfortunate -- in most other years, I can get a full 10 entries in, but it's been both a busy year for me personally and I've also played some games that I've sank a tonne of time into. So, here are my top 5 games of 2012:
Other games of mention that I feel my time was worthwhile playing are...
Games I can't recommend:
Showing 1-10 of 12 items
A ridiculously fun game. My only real complaint is that the sub-mission types are really shallow (something fun to do once in the main campaign, but no real reason to go back to them). Still, the main storyline was a blast.
This is, by far, my favourite game of all time. Enough so that I also bought the PC version and built a gaming rig just to play it with full graphic details turned up... if that says anything. :D (This is the reason Skyrim appears on both my 2011 and 2012 lists).
It's such a rare occurrence to play a game that you can easily spend 30-40 hours not following the main storyline. My game of the year for 2011 (for 360 and PC, I can't recommend the PS3 version considering the issues I've heard with freezing and frame rate stuttering after 30+ hours)
...And this is the conclusion to my favourite series. Great wrap-up to the series (even if the last 5 minutes aren't the best).
A great game, on par with Uncharted 2.
Unfortunately, enemies are still bullet sponges. I also think the set-piece moments in UC3 -- although amazing when they do work -- are a bit _too_ unforgiving if you can't anticipate what the designers had intended. Also, I found the first couple of hours to be a bit boring compared to the introduction in the two previous games.
That may sound like harsh criticism, but it's only because it does so many other things right. Unlike UC1/2, UC3 has a realistic enemy and goes into a bit of the backstory between Sully and Nate. The other thing I appreciated was that there isn't a cringe-worthy supernatural turn that seem completely out of place (UC1/UC2). And... the final boss battle is appropriate for the series... I'm looking at you, UC2.
Journey is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. The art direction is amazing (for some reason, it reminds me a bit of Flashback or Out of this World). The "partner" mechanic is seemless. The story stays out of the way, being vague enough so that you can form your own opinion on what has been presented to you. The downside? It's perhaps just a bit too short for the admission price. Regardless, this is one of my favourite PS3 games.
Which then takes us to Fez. No offence to the people that love Fez, but I didn't find it enjoyable, and even after five years feels unpolished.
The puzzles are intriguing, and there are some amazing moments when you figure out how to do things like decode the glyphs. Other puzzles are more vague, like deciphering numbers. Others, as far as I know, aren't even taught in the game and I don't know how crazy people were able to figure them out. It's this craziness that is too much for me. I work all day in front of a computer debugging code. Fez straddles the line too much between work and play for my tastes.
On top of being inaccessible for most gamers, there are some terrible performance issues and I don't think I've seen an Xbox game crash so many times. It feels half baked.
We'll see if I come back to this to finish off the true ending. I have a feeling I might not.
The first episode of the Walking Dead perfectly captures the essence of the tv show and comic books. The Walking Dead isn't about shooting zombies in the face, it's a series about what happens to normal people when put in extraordinary circumstances.
For anyone who loves this side of zombie lore, I _highly_ recommend this game.
Update Aug 3, 2012: Episode 2 was also awesome. A bit predictable, but very enjoyable.
Update Sept 2, 2012: Episode 3 was amazing. The only real issue I had was some minor pacing problems, but overall I don't think I could be more pleased.
Update Nov 4, 2012: Episode 4 was also very strong. Perhaps not as amazing as episode 3, but it's in a difficult spot setting things up for the finale for the first season.
Update Nov 22, 2012: Episode 5, a fitting conclusion to this first season. One of the best games I've played this year.
click click click... "Just five more minutes" turns into 3 more hours. Addictive gameplay and deceivingly difficult later on in the normal-level campaign. Nightmare is devilish already. So good.
click click click... into Hell difficult, and now I'm in the middle-end of Act 2. It's funny, I enjoyed it until about this point. Things are actually difficult now, but I'm not sure if it's difficult or cheap. Vampiric extra-health extra-speed elites? Really? Sometimes it seems easier to just restart the game. About this time, I think it'd be best to join up with friends rather going at it alone.
But with that said... considering I'm on play through 3 of the game, I'm very happy with the time I've gotten out of it.
I feel weird adding Minecraft onto this list. I've played for hours and hours in survival mode, created houses and splunked in caves, but I know I've only scratched the surface. I haven't found diamonds or killed a dragon. I haven't crafted a map/compass yet (or even found redstone). However, with the amount of time I put in, I feel like I'd be neglecting to mention it on this list.
It's unfortunate that Minecraft is so inaccessible, relying so heavily on internet wikis and forums to help guide people in the right direction. However, there's nothing quite like Minecraft when it comes to exploring a giant world with so many possibilities and things to be discovered.
Update Aug 3, 2012: With the real drought of releases, it seems that it was a good time to get into Minecraft. I've set up a server, bought a domain name, and have been playing almost daily. Still no further ahead, but it's nice to play a game that is either as casual or hardcore as you want it to be. In some ways it takes WoW's place for me.
Yes, I played through the main campaign of Borderlands a third time (this time on PC) in anticipation of Borderlands 2. Yes, apparently I am crazy.