by reckless_x
This is the absolute first list that I've ever written up for GOTY. I'm not sure why I've never done it before - it makes a lot of sense to help me reflect back on the previous year. I'm not a huge fan of ranking my favorites, but I did my best. In all honesty, I'd say after the top 5 or so, the rest of the games could almost be interchangeable. Please enjoy my reflections for 2012!
I think it's worth noting what I'm listening to as I write this up - the soundtracks to year's games were absolutely amazing. Here's just some of the best tracks I don't want to get out of my head from the past year (or so):
Showing 1-10 of 16 items
I LOVE BURSTING. There was just no other game this year for me that really enchanted me as much as Asura's Wrath. Maybe it was the enriching story, the stylized visuals, the bursting action sequences, or maybe it was the boobs. I've never quite had an experience like this before, and I welcome much more games of this breed. The true ending (DLC) had one of the most visually pleasant styles and hilarious button prompts, leading to an extremely satisfying final battle and ending. As I was making my way through it, I was worried that it might falter after each episode, but the charm and the gripping tale remained. If you have an open mind about what kinds of experiences shape our games today, PLAY THIS.
This game eluded me for about 11 months. Podcast after podcast, everyone kept saying how incredibly brilliant the game was and how it was already a contender for game of the year for them. I had to play it. I knew I had to play it. So I finally cracked. To me, Journey is more than a game, I consider it more like a mellow, orchestrated acid trip. My first and only play-through lasted all of 2 hours. I've never experienced anything quite like it. When my first buddy appeared, I couldn't let go of them. I felt so much attachment to this complete stranger. We were both stranded - together. It was magical, honestly. Little did I know I actually had multiple buddies somehow (I think 7 in total by the end of the run), but this shift was absolutely seamless. Did I mention the orchestral score? Holy eargasm, Batman. I can't tell you how satisfying and soothing those 2 hours were. So much so, that it's an experience that I want to return to in the very near future. And how about that ending sequence... happy man-tears. That's all the sentiment I can muster up without weeping on my keyboard.
Very rarely do I come across a game where I take my time, delving deep into the world. Bioshock comes to mind as one of the more recent examples of this for me. Dishonored presented me with a world I needed to explore, one where I actually got lost in. This was one of the rare games this year in which I didn't even feel myself getting drawn in, but hours after loading up my last save, I would snap back into reality and realize I forgot to eat. This game could have potentially been even higher on my list, but the narrative was truly its weakest part. I must admit that it ended rather limply, but the journey was rather incredible. I played this to its entirety without killing a single person. Yes, I felt like Mr. Sandman, putting all my enemies to sleep. Personally, as badass as stabbing a dude on stilts in the neck after teleporting on top of his head is (I'm talking about the tallboys here), I felt the conviction to kill all those who framed him for murder was a bit of a contradiction. Dishonored is a game that will live me with as an amazing experience in which I felt completely empowered, even if it didn't entail shooting people in the face. I honestly looked to ACIII this year for my stealth thirst, but Dishonored proved to be the better choice for those who really have a need for working on their creeper skills. I like being a creeper.
I didn't cry at the end of The Walking Dead. THERE I SAID IT... and yes, I have a heart! (I think) The narrative was absolutely beautiful and the character interaction was quite exceptional. I don't think I've ever felt so linked to a relationship between two characters before. I felt terrible when Clementine witnessed my brutality. I was ecstatic when I was able to make her smile. This game made touched me - I had a true emotional connection with Clem, and my actions were ultimately shaped by how she would view them. You'd think for a person so interested in story-telling that this would have to be a must-win, but I CAN tell you why it's not number one - I saw through it. Now, I'm not saying I'm smarter than the developers or that they didn't do an outstanding job with the game (they absolutely did!), but the overall design of the game was honestly too telling. I knew the story beats were just bottlenecks, where the player had to make a choice. It just didn't feel as organic to me as it could have been. Would I be able to make something that "felt better"? HELL NO - that's why I'm not a game designer. Aside from the game save glitches that I unfortunately ran into a few times, I did have an amazing and memorable time with this game. The steps that it takes are enormous and the potential for episodic content is definitively verified. I wouldn't be surprised to see more "AAA" titles attempt this kind of release in the years to come. And The Walking Dead IS a game. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. I know. I played it.
Oh, Mass Effect, I just want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the ridicule and adjustment you've had to go through over the last year. I wish it weren't the case. Maybe I was given ample time to prepare myself for an underwhelming ending, or maybe it just wasn't that bad. I DON'T KNOW. What I can say is that I truly took no issue in it. Would I have wanted the game to end with a bit more clarity? Maybe. But this doesn't detract from the wonderful time we spent together. I think a lot of the jadedness for the latest installment can be compared to the rise and fall of any romantic relationship. You begin with all this tinging possibility, share intimate moments with another, build this foundation, and then BAM, she's not who you thought she was, bro. Bitterness activated! I must say I certainly feel as though Mass Effect 2 was the pinnacle of the franchise, but by no means was Mass Effect 3 a bad game. I actually REALLY enjoyed it - hence why it's up here! I'm a sucker for the lore - I love the Mass Effect universe and I love being in it. Javik (though DLC content) added so much more to this story that I couldn't get enough of. So I was more than happy to skirt around the galaxy patching up rivalries and whatnot all to build this majestic Crucible. For what it's worth, I spent a lot more time on multiplayer than I thought I ever would. Realistically speaking, I think I sunk more time in this multiplayer than any other game on the 360. GOOD TIMES WERE HAD, and there's nothing you can do to take that away from me. I love you, Mordin.
I almost didn't play FTL. In fact, I was quite NOT interested in it until Finals week. It may have been the stress from cramming for exams or finishing papers at the very last minute, but FTL will always have a warm place in my heart as a palate cleanser of sorts. I hadn't even considered this game until it was $6 on Steam, but figured, why the hell not? It provided me an easy to pick-up, hard to master strategy game that I used to break from being knee deep in Freudian theories and penis envy. If there was one thing I learned this year about my gaming habits, it's that rouge-likes are the perfect beginning, middle, or ending to any stressful day. The accessibility of a deep game combined with the time commitment of a decent size mobile game is why FTL is a game I'll be returning to for years to come.
Another year, another run-of-the-mill Call of Duty game, RIGHT? Well, no, actually. Treyarch has definitely become my favorite developer of the two in the franchise - something I couldn't have ever predicted after intentionally skipping out on World at War. Black Ops II is solid. And I mean everything about it. The campaign doesn't feel like major set-pieces strung together like games in the past, the narrative actually makes sense and was honestly quite engaging. I was truly captivated by it all - probably because I knew that the decisions I was making throughout the campaign were going to affect what I saw in the end. This is not just a step, but a full-on leap into the right player-driven narrative. Raul Menendez is set up as a believable antagonist and his convictions were ACTUALLY understandable. This game made sense. The Black Ops sect of the franchise continues to grip me, and I can't say the same for the other half - even after loving both COD 2 and 4. Who knows if I'll pick up the inevitable Black Ops III, but for the time being, the developer still finds way to keep things interesting. Hopefully Veteran mode will be harder next time round.
WRATH OF THE LAMB? SHOOTING MY TEARS AT SMILEY POOPS? I need not say more, but I shall. Of course this was originally released in 2011, however, it took me some time to even warm up to it. I never knew I was into rouge-likes until I played this game, so I shall decree it to be the best first rougelike I ever liked.
If I had to pick one bipolar GOTY... it would be this game. On one hand, the US history fanatic inside of me leaps like a giddy little boy - NOT like the creepy beggar kids in this game, though. THOSE LAUGHS ARE TERRIFYING. On the polar opposite of this enjoyment came the frustration. The game itself was ambitious, and its variety was seriously refreshing, but in a few standout cases, the bugs really detracted from my experience. Riding horses is not fun. I absolutely adored the naval combat and the build-up into Connor's storyline was something I was genuinely surprised with. As you can see, how I feel about the game is rather challenging to put into words, but with all the technical issues aside, this still stood out to me like a bloody tomahawk. ALSO, the credits were awesome..ly long. I ate, shaved, took a shower, and brushed my teeth while waiting for the text to stop scrolling. IT. JUST. WOULDN'T. STOP. At least I like climbing trees.
Cyberpunk is very near and dear to my heart. When a game does it right, I just cannot say no. Syndicate presents this world and completely commits to it. Though the single-player is nothing to praise, it does some interesting things. "Breaching" presents such an enjoyable mechanic to my trigger finger, in addition to feeling insanely powerful with the DART system overlay activated. Truthfully, I have no played as much Syndicate as I would have liked at this point - becoming more invested into the cooperative campaign is still something I'd like to do. BUT, wish just a few matches under my belt, it's clear that this will be a game I return to in 2013 during the lulls (if any!). A majority of my interest for this came from Jeff, and I cannot say that I'm disappointed one bit. I just hope GiantBomb Heavy Industries has a spot open for me, 'cause this is one game that I'll be leaving installed on my harddrive for quite some time. TIME TO GET SYNDICATED.