And here we go again: It's time for our annual Game of the Year Awards, in which we hand out lots of hardware for all sorts of deserving titles.
If you're wondering, yes, the decisions were difficult. In fact, more deliberation was probably put into these awards than in the last couple of years combined . In our view, recent years have been more cut-and-dry but 2012 gave us a little of everything, and the competition was stiff.
So you may not agree with everything but hey, that's inevitable. That being said, we'll try to briefly explain why each award was handed out.
Here we go…
Achievement Awards
Best Graphics
Nominees
Winner: Assassin's Creed III
We start with one of the more difficult categories, as no one game really stood out from the crowd this year. From a visual perspective, multiple titles achieved fantastic things, such as what Golden Abyss did for handheld gaming and just how far digital games have come ( Journey ). But in the end, despite the hiccups and minor gaffs, the sheer size, scope and ambition of Assassin's Creed III makes us side with Ubisoft's project. Far Cry 3 and Mass Effect 3 could be argued to be more technically sound, but neither attempted what ACIII attempted; the immersion provided by that massive and amazing environment was just incomparable.
Best Music
Nominees
Winner: Journey
There's a very good reason why composer Austin Wintory received a Grammy nomination for the music in Thatgamecompany's masterful Journey . The beautiful, haunting cello will remain with the player long after he or she has completed that memorable, surrealistic quest. The score fits so perfectly with both the concept and the style, and becomes a gigantic part of the overall experience. No game in 2012 exhibited the importance of a quality score more than Journey , which is why this category was a no-brainer in our eyes.
Best Sound Effects
Nominees
Winner: Far Cry 3
There's just something about exploring that amazing environment in Far Cry 3 , and much of that awe comes from the fantastic sound design. The continual ebb and flow of ambient effects that keep you riveted, the diversity of the weapon audio that encourages experimentation, and the overall chaos of action that makes you tense; it all contributes to this AAA production. You had best have a decent sound setup when playing this invigorating open-world shooter!
Best Acting
Nominees
Winner: Assassin's Creed III
This could very easily have gone to Mass Effect 3 or maybe Dishonored , but once again the sheer scope of Assassin's Creed III swayed us. There are just a huge number of voices that were recorded for that game, and the vast majority are not merely competent, they're excellent. Connor is actually one of the weakest performers; his surrounding cast of major and minor characters are all exquisitely performed. And don't forget that you're hearing different accents, dialects, and a ton of hugely distinct personalities. If you really think about it, this award could only go to one title.
Best Writing/Story
Nominees
Winner: Mass Effect 3
The haters can whine and complain all they want. There really wasn't another game this year that boasted a better script, better writing and dialogue, better acting, and overall, a better assembled storyline. There were holes and flaws, sure, but that doesn't stop it from being a superb achievement, regardless of personal preferences pertaining to the ending(s). You have always been able to turn to this franchise if you're looking for emotional, dramatic, top-quality plots and character development. That didn't change with Mass Effect 3 .
Best Artistry/Art Direction
Nominees
Winner: Journey
The subtlety and mesmerizing nature of the gorgeous artistry on display in Journey is quite astonishing. It's minimalism at its best, as it emphasizes the invisible yet powerful elements of the game; it helps awaken that inexplicable attachment within us. It's not about the shifting sands or the gusts of wind rippling your scarf, or the wonderfully designed landscape. It's about bringing art to life, so what other game could possibly win this category? Really?
Best Character
Nominees
Winner: Max Payne, Max Payne 3
One of the biggest bad-asses in video game history returned this year, and he returned with a vengeance. Max Payne 3 featured the tortured protagonist at his gritty best, with plenty of surprises and plot twists to keep Max (and us) guessing. His no-nonsense, down-and-out persona has been attracting gamers for years, but he definitely took that grizzled awesomeness to a new level in the latest series iteration. Max Payne for President! The dude rocks .
Best Trailer
Nominees
Winner: Dishonored, Debut Trailer
We do things a little differently than other sources in this category; we only nominate trailers for games that came out this year. That's partly so we can view the finished product and see how well the trailer in question represented that product. Of course, the majority of promotion trailers these days are designed to entice and titillate by any means possible, even if it isn't even remotely representative of the actual game. But anyway, this year's winner is the debut trailer for Dishonored , which got us hooked from the start. An intriguing story and a look at gameplay that featured elements of multiple genres made this preview totally astounding. We wanted more…and boy, did we ever get it.
Most Original/Innovative
Nominees
Winner: The Unfinished Swan
Although Journey is clearly a strong contender, one has to realize the amount of never-seen-before originality on display in Giant Sparrow's The Unfinished Swan . It featured a truly interesting and involving gameplay mechanic that was both accessible and incredibly inventive. It was pretty surprising seeing what they could do with such a concept, and one can't help but be impressed – and even enthralled – throughout this ingenious, artistic adventure.
Most Overlooked
Nominees
Winner: The Darkness II
Of all the games that didn't get enough attention this year, we're going with the twisted, the gross, and the super cool guilty pleasure that was The Darkness II . In some ways, we wanted to give it to Twisted Metal and although it didn't sell anywhere near as many copies as it should've, it also had plenty of attention from journalists and gamers. It was the climax of Sony's E3 2011 show, remember? The Darkness II got next to nothing in the way of promotion, advertisement, or general attention, and that just wasn't fair. Singularity was overlooked some years back and this reminded us of that…gamers, rectify this and give Jackie Estacado and his crazy demon arms of death a try.
Most Underrated
Nominees
Winner: Resident Evil 6
Even though we never said Resident Evil 6 was a great game, we couldn't quite comprehend the extraordinarily low review scores and rampant hostility generated by annoyed gamers. We agree that the game suffers from an identity crisis and the production has its fair share of irritating issues. But scores of 4 and 5 simply weren't warranted. The good news is that such intensely negative reviews didn't seem to hurt sales too much; RE6 ended up shipping nearly 5 million copies.
Most Anticipated Game
Nominees
Winner: The Last Of Us
A year has passed and nothing has changed: The Last Of Us won Most Anticipated in our Game of the Year Awards 2011 and although we've now seen more of Grand Theft Auto V , Bioshock Infinite , and Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch , nothing can dissuade us from the fact that Naughty Dog might once again deliver a groundbreaking product. With what appears to be an extremely effective and emotional story, well-drawn and interesting characters, and an unbelievable blend of adventure, survival, stealth and action elements, The Last Of Us could very well end up being one of the best games of the generation…if not the best.
Platform and Genre Awards
Best PSN Game
Nominees
Winner: Journey
The Walking Dead has become quite the phenomenon and rightfully so. Fans of Heavy Rain and anyone who wants to become emotionally attached to a storyline should play it; that much, we've recently discovered. But nothing on the PSN quite tops Journey this year. It's a very personal game; we're not exploring a vast desert, we're exploring something within ourselves, and we can feel it from the moment we begin. The adventure is exquisitely crafted and beautifully designed, the pacing is perfect, the music is of the utmost quality, and the experience will stick with you for a very long time.
Best Vita Game
Nominees
Winner: LittleBigPlanet Vita
Gravity Rush and Uncharted: Golden Abyss make strong cases but Sackboy has stolen our hearts again. LittleBigPlanet Vita is an absolute must-have for owners of Sony's new portable device. It doesn't cut any corners; it's just as robust and complete as LBP has always been, and the visual display and touch mechanics are both extraordinary. Most everything works like a charm and there's a ton of longevity due to the ridiculous amount of content. Great for all ages and always a fantastic option for burgeoning designers or anybody with a highly creative mind, LBP on Vita needs to be in your handheld library.
Best PS3 Game
Nominees
Winner: Journey
These days, most multiplatform games are pretty similar across platforms, so it's important to look for exclusives; i.e., titles that define a particular console. In this case, there is no game that defined the PS3 more than Journey , which created an industry-wide love-fest (which is great) and showed us what the best imaginative and creative minds can do. You have to have access to the PlayStation Network to experience it and hence, it's our pick for PS3 Game of the Year. One big reason why: It isn't limiting or restricting; it's for everyone , including those who have rarely (if ever) picked up a controller. That's pretty impressive.
Best Multiplayer Game
Nominees
Winner: Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Say what you will about Call of Duty , but there's a reason so many millions enjoy playing the game online. It's also important to note that without the online multiplayer, these games really won't appeal to many people. And that's why the developers tend to put their hearts and souls into the online competitive play. Call of Duty: Black Ops II is different than Modern Warfare 3 (last year's winner in this category) but in some ways, BOII is even better. It's one of the most complete online experiences one can have, and it requires both strategy and skill. It essentially defines the term "multiplayer."
Best Music/Rhythm Game
Nominees
Winner: Sound Shapes
Something more needed to be done with the music/rhythm genre, and that's precisely what we got from Sound Shapes in 2012: A fresh spin on "playing" with music. This innovative approach to blending action and audio resonated with a great many, including us. There's just something so addicting and unique about it, and it goes well beyond the traditional elements of the genre. Rock Band Blitz and Michael Jackson: The Experience aren't anything new, as fun as they are, and not all that impressive. Only Sound Shapes made us go, "Woah…something new in the realm of interactive music!"
Best Racing Game
Nominees
Winner: Need for Speed: Most Wanted
The racing genre was a little thin this year, but that doesn't mean fans were left out to dry. All they had to do was pick up Need for Speed: Most Wanted and be happy. Filled with nonstop action in an open-world environment reminiscent of Burnout Paradise , you could jump instantly between any of the cars you've collected, compete in individual events for each vehicle, and tackle the Top 10 Most Wanted racers in Fairhaven. The control was tight, the challenge was obvious, and the fun factor was through the roof. Loved it to pieces!
Best Sports Game
Nominees
Winner: NBA 2K13
In a year where the MLB: The Show franchise didn't wow us the way it usually does, and where Madden showed it still has some punching power, we have to go with NBA 2K13 . For b-ball aficionados, it really was like a dream come true- A realistic yet easily controlled and in-depth basketball simulation that was great for one or more players. It made some of the more complex hardwood maneuvers more accessible while not sacrificing any of that required authenticity, and that's no easy task. You just have to appreciate and applaud such effort.
Best Role-Playing Game
Nominees
Winner: Mass Effect 3
It was one of the easier categories to pick, unfortunately due to the less-than-stellar release of Final Fantasy XIII-2 . We loved FFXIII-2 for a few reasons, but it doesn't stand up to the overall quality of Mass Effect 3 . With an epic, nicely written storyline, great characters, a huge and involving universe to explore, and top-notch gameplay with plenty of depth and customization, this was 2012's superior role-playing experience. If you're a sci-fi fan, expect to be sucked into a richly detailed and wonderfully designed world that will leave you breathless.
Best Fighting Game
Nominees
Winner: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
In one of the tougher categories to call, we give it to the fighter that presented us with a combination of various attractive qualities. On the surface, this may appear to be another party brawler but beneath that pretty, fast-paced, apparently simplistic surface beats the heart of a fully developed fighter. Developer SuperBot Entertainment has said they'd like it to act as a "gateway" for those who haven't played much of the fighting genre, and it should do just that. Great production values and an immense amount of diversity cap off this PS3 exclusive, so give it a go.
Best Shooter
Nominees
Winner: Borderlands 2
It was a tough call. There's a lot to like about all the nominees. However, only one game seemed to strike a chord with shooter fans of all types; Borderlands 2 managed to make itself irresistible to those who loved lengthy campaigns, and to those who loved playing with others. Undoubtedly the co-op game of the year, this one offers countless hours of fun with several buddies, and you'll find yourself dreaming of loot in your sleep. A more complete and enjoyable production than its predecessor, Borderlands 2 and it's gazillion guns and 96.5% more Wub Wub demands your attention.
Best Action/Adventure Game
Nominees
Winner: Assassin's Creed III
When we think of the label "action/adventure," we think of the combination that the genre implies. We think of a game that headlines the category by offering the best in both action (via combat and other mechanics) and adventure (exploration, puzzles, story elements, etc.). Dishonored sort of defies labeling and in truth, doesn't best epitomize this genre in 2012. No, that honor goes to the vast and often astounding Assassin's Creed III , which is easily the most ambitious title of the year. Featuring some of the best variety and a historical setting that continually reinforces the "action" and the "adventure," ACIII is just a beast.
Best New IP
Nominees
Winner: Dishonored
It isn't often that we get amazing new IPs these days, but there is one that really stood out in 2012: The amazing action/adventure title from Arkane Studios and Bethesda, Dishonored . Journey is a landmark achievement in its own right but Dishonored felt like a fuller, more impact-ful product simply because it built upon previous foundations and somehow made familiar gameplay mechanics feel fresh. There was just so little wrong with the game, which encouraged freedom and choice while still providing us with a linear, engaging storyline. There's no doubt that Dishonored is a very special game.
Best Non-PlayStation Game
Nominees
Winner: Halo 4
It's probably the one game not available on the PlayStation platform that would've been in the running for multiple awards this year at PSXE. Featuring amazing graphics, the return of the iconic Master Chief, and that patented Halo gameplay that followers have come to know and love, the fourth installment has generated a ton of positive feedback and widespread critical acclaim. There's no doubt that it's one of 2012's most esteemed and popular games, and those who only stick to the PS3 ought to be just a little jealous. Admit it.
Special: The PSXE Favorites
This is just a list of the games that we played most during 2012; the titles that held our attention the longest, the ones that kept us coming back for more again and again. There are a number of reasons as to why but I won't get into specifics. And besides, it's difficult to pin down precisely why Darksiders II is just so damn absorbing, and why Rock Band Blitz is so addicting, and why it's hard to dislike the goofy, over-sexualized, totally cornball entertainment that is Lollipop Chainsaw . So no explanations. Just…we love(d) these games this year.
PSXE Community Choice for Game of the Year 2012
Nominees
Winner: Assassin's Creed III
You guys had the chance to vote for your Game of the Year and the results are in: It's Assassin's Creed III ! It was close; Far Cry 3 may have been the surprise runner-up while games like Journey , Borderlands 2 , The Walking Dead , and Mass Effect 3 were all very close to even. ACIII delivered in a lot of ways and obviously, the majority of our readers see fit to give Ubisoft's epic masterpiece this year's highest honor. Ah, but do we…?
Let's find out…
No preamble or introduction. Here you go-
Game of the Year
Nominees
Winner: Dishonored
After quite a struggle, we have settled upon our choice for Game of the Year 2012. Maybe it isn't what you expected. Maybe you believe we gaffed on this one. Maybe more popular picks, like Journey and Assassin's Creed III , would've been more widely accepted. But we're not in the business of producing a "widely accepted" selection for the very best title of the year. Sorry about that.
ACIII was epic. Journey was a step in the right direction for the industry. The other nominees all have their obvious merits. But in retrospect, Dishonored is the most complete experience with the least number of flaws, in our opinion. It's the epitome of "greater than the sum of its parts," as the game doesn't sport the best graphics, the best sound design, or the best story. But you know, it does everything exceedingly well.
It's just so difficult to take anything away from Dishonored . On top of which, it really did defy labeling as it gave gamers a heady combination of genre elements that – wonder of wonders – gelled into one thrilling, absorbing, ultimately cohesive adventure. A solid story, great acting, and a fantastic setting tied it all together, while we couldn't help but marvel at the stability and fluidity of the gameplay. Freedom was involved but not to the extent of an Elder Scrolls , and all in all, this game was about balance in so many ways. Poetic variety and contrast.
It's just such an overwhelmingly wonderful production with so few in the way of shortcomings, and that's what put it over the top for us.
Obviously, you are all entitled to your own opinions and once again, I reiterate- Choosing this year's awards was no easy task. And putting them up is an extremely long and arduous chore, so please…a little respect for the amount of work involved. 😉 Oh, and I know we've ran down a list of our favorite contributors at PSXE in the past, but I'm exhausted and besides, there are now too many to list. To all our friends and frequent readers, you should know by now how much we appreciate you, and you know who you are. At least, you should. 🙂
Happy New Year and here's to another 365 days of amazing gaming!
The anticipation is over and might I say pretty good list here. Most I expected, nothing really surprised me but a couple I think could have easily gone to another game.
Well now I look forward to this years games and how things will turn out. Should be interesting with a new God of War, a new ip in The Last of Us, a DMC reboot and of course the long awaited new entry in the Bioshock series.
I will say that best mp probably should have gone go Borderlands 2. Yea CoD does it right for competitive stuff, but theres also another side to mp, and thats co-op and no other game does it more right and as well than Borderlands 2. Everything is perfect from questing, trading, looting to the perfect implementation of it all. Of course thats just me. I just enjoy the game to much not to give it another nod! 😉
Thanks PSXE for another great year and bringing all us readers not only interesting news but a place to come and comment on such topics! Look forward to this years awards!
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 1/2/2013 12:00:17 AM
I would've certainly thought that Starhawk and Twisted Metal would've at least gotten nominations for best multiplayer.
Nobody nominated those games for best multiplayer. They're good but there are simply better candidates out there.
Yeah, but seriously, Journey got nominated over them (for best multplayer)? Anyhow, interesting picks for the year. I'll be sure to try them all.
Yes, playing with another in Journey adds a huge amount to the experience. In fact, it's a very different experience when playing with someone else.
That would be my argument for Borderlands 2.
What I think, Bigrailer, is that it is about time coop gameplay is aknowledged with their separate category.
There are so many fundamental differences between competitive multiplayer and cooperative play that they can hardly be compared – something that is clear by the fact that there are plenty gamers who hate one but love the other. Coop games clearly deserve a category of their own – they are a different kind of game!
Last edited by Beamboom on 1/3/2013 3:45:34 AM
best fighter… what? lol. seriously? err.. ok.
Friendly piece of advice: Don't laugh at me after I've spent six and a half hours working on these awards. Very much not in the mood. At least try and be constructive with your comment.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 1/2/2013 12:23:26 AM
The demo didn't get me, nor really the style of it's play. I really like things martial arts based.
Though, as part of the fighter category it does seem to be the freshest offering of the lot and well executed too. I'm somewhat surprised by the amount of game play respect the game has received from various sites. With Tekken and DOA staying fairly rooted to their traditions (I'm not complaining. I like them just as they are) it's hard to expand the excitement of the genre's offering beyond the sphere they've already created for themselves.
Battle Royal seems to offer something fresh.
I haven't tried Persona though. GameTrailers thought highly of it. I'm not a big 2D style fighter, though. I will say KoF:XIII (trying it from PSN+) is uber cool. if there was one modern 2D fighter I'd like to get more versed in it would be that one.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/2/2013 12:30:26 AM
ok Ben, you know me.. I don't take the mick out of you and what you do. so take a step back and don't take this personally.
I apologise for not being clearer, but then I didnt think I needed to be.
what I meant was I was very surprised that a (imo) a lack luster mish mash of a arcade game could win the fighting game category seeing as (imo) no real fight gamer would ever vote for it. The game is a joke to most gamers who take fight games seriously (imo).
Maybe I'm a fight game snob, quite possibly.. I'm happy to admit that, but its a category that I love dearly, so when I see that this super smash brothers update is iyo better than Street Fighter X Tekken, DOA5, Tekken Tag 2 or even MK or SFxTK on the Vita.. I'm just incredibly surprised. I have tried PSASBR and it was good for a few mins.. fighting games are all about connecting, honing, perfecting and wining not a 2 min distraction with what ever you like (imo).
so there you have it… I'm not laughing at you or what you do I am just amazed at PSASBR could even feature seriously in the fighting game category let alone win it.. imo.
You say that people who take fighting games seriously think is a joke then say it is your opinion, you lost your argument there dillon sorry. I take fighting games seriously and if you have actually played the game you could realize that the game has a good understanding of fighting mechanics. I mean actually dug into the game and not played for a few minutes. I have been playing this game more than mortal kombat and street fighter 4 put together. It has even taken time away from playing third strike online edition. This isn't your smash bros type of game. I have plate fighters for a living and you keep insisting that you are a fighting game enthusiast and yet have no idea what this game brings to the table.
It is a "party" fighter and it brings something new to the table. Something smash bros was seriously lacking. What have any of the fighters you mentioned brought to the table? They haven't changed anything, as much as I enjoy them, and are still the same. As for "bad" fighters, the community hates street fighter x tekken with a passion. Your opinion seems to be the same opinion Seth Killian is trying to stop and yet here we are still. Guess Seth still has an uphill battle it seems.
@Temjin
If you are a fan of Guilty Gear or BlazBlu I highly recommend Persona Arena. That game is amazing. Very technical and not for people who play fighters casually. You have to really earn your keep on that one.
Dillon, I don't disagree that the 'best-deepest-most technical' fighter of the lot probably belongs to a seasoned well play tested franchise like VF, Tekken or DOA, but I've found it important to remember that gaming sites that aren't rooted to a hardcore sect of gamer are not the place to look for serious competitive player values. Sites like shoryuken will more likely align themselves with your perspective. A site that will no doubt draw those who hold most dearly the hardened depth of play.
So take it easy on PSXe and more general gamer sites. They're here to help shine a spotlight on those more innovative games, especially new faces, and bring to light the significance of their offering to curious gamers.
sawao, hey, if you live on the western continental US maybe we can fight some time. My PSN ID is the same as my name here. I'm not very adept with most 2D fighters. I've always had this unknown preference for 3D fighters like VF, Tekken, and DOA. But as for 2D I can do pretty decent with SF4 Zangief. I also have lots of admiration for SF3:TS.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/2/2013 11:27:13 AM
Ahh sadly I don't anymore. Recently came to Canada to study but I will add you later on temjin. I'm constantly in and out of the library. I'm always available on the weekends and will gladly get online to play street fighter 4. If you ever do get third strike we should play that as well.
PS all stars is surprisingly great. I've played three of the nominated games, and I'd have picked PS all stars, too.
Hard to argue with fun that reaches people not traditionally into fighting games.
Yahoo for Dishonored. It really was an amazingly balanced mix of parts, all gears grinding away perfectly.
I started the Walking Dead, it's very compelling and TellTale is really coming into their own. That said I don't see it as GOTY material, but it does fall into what I said I wanted to see, more experiments with interactive entertainment.
I'll have to give it a go when I nab a deal on it.
Looks like good picks to me, Ben =)
I'll need to give Dishonored a shot. My brother also thought it was his personal goty.
I've played about an hour of Journey so far. I freed some towels and flying carpets from cages and we flew past "under water" beasts.
The game reminds me of Disney's Fantasia, but interactive. Mildly interactive but cool nonetheless.
That's no good, you have to play it start to finish in one sitting for it to beat you over the head with it's awesomeness.
Thanks for the recommendation but I haven't done a 4-5 hour gaming session in over 5 years. Most games I play happen on an hour to two hour block. But don't be concerned I still feel it. I'd question it's popularity if I thought it needed a start to finish sitting to be enjoyed well for what it is anyhow.
I beat Journey in 2 hours 10 minutes.
Serious? ………..That's it?
man, I'm beginning to regret dropping $30 of gift card on it. Especially seeing it was like $10 on PSN.
It's wonderful and all but that's like a bite-sized morsel.
One of the first years we didn't really have a big music oriented game, too bad I love music games maybe this year. Thanks for the good year psx staff and members, love you guys
Most Anticipated Game for 2013, the Nominess on that list is going to be a tough one for my personal experience.
I agree with pretty much all the winners, but I really hope that Journey was at least included in the nominees for Game of the Year. It did accomplish a lot (going by what it won here in other categories) and was a very unique game. And the "love fest" for the game? I think it's well-deserved.
Anyway, this is a very solid list of nominees and awardees. Thanks!
Everything seems about right except for the under rated game of the year. Resident Evil 6 should have been most over rated game of the year.
I can agree with most of this but not that Dishonored deserves Game of the Year. Although the reasoning you give is sound and completely understandable, to me, the game was hollow. Not to take anything away from these awards; trust me, I know how difficult it is to put this kind of thing together. In any case, such is the beauty of opinion and freedom of speech.
Thanks Ben, John and the rest of the PSXE staffers behind the scenes for providing us with the news we crave and the editorials that give us a chance to voice our opinions over the last year, and here's to many more. To the readers and contributors: I love you guys. The discussions, the arguments. Logging on of an afternoon is often a highlight of my days. Yes, I am that boring 😀
While I disagree with you I know what you are talking about, there is a certain hollowness to the game but I found it is a necessary sacrifice in order to allow more freedom. Deus Ex had the exact same feeling about it.
Well, at least Resident Evil 6 had won an award. woohoo! I'll just wait for the gold edition.
I gotta say this was a very good list. Of course, there's always *something* to put a finger on in such a long list of awards, and I don't really think that "non-playstation award" has anything to do on this site (knowing how you don't even play PC games), but overall I gotta say this was a very good list.
And when I changed to the last page, fully expecting AC3 to win but saw Dishonoured there – man it literary sent chills down my spine. Needless to say, I am very much in agreement there (although I've not yet played AC3, that must be mentioned).
This was a job very well done, Ben. Thanks for a great year, I look forward to the next!
Last edited by Beamboom on 1/2/2013 4:17:55 AM
AC3 looked fantastic, but its not THAT good!
FC3 should of won, even on consoles it blows AC3 out of the water plainly on the look of the game, than you take into account the size of the world, the amount of crap going on screen, and all the particle effects its downright astonishing!
theres a reason AC3 does not have any guards or enemies in the wilderness where they have snow particles, simple fact of the matter is the engine would crash and burn if it had to deal with HALF the crap FC3 has to deal with!
sound deign agreed, it was funny i was playing it on my laptop so suffice to say there not the best speakers and i was not impressed.
than i decided to take it downstairs to the 7.1 setup and my god the punch of the weapons especially the shotguns and snipers, the crackling whip of burning trees, the roar of tigers and bears i literally shat my pants!
FC3 sounds AMAZING!
wait a moment, AC3 has best acting but in the next category you say no game had better acting, ect, ect, ect.
what the?
so AC3 has the best acting, but ME3 has the best acting?
art and character agreed.
journey as a painting, not a game, but as a awe factor is simply beautiful!
i love maxs character, the constant way he was chastising himself.
as he said say what you will about americans, but you get what you pay for.
these people paid for a angry gringo that would not know right from wrong if ect, ect, cant remember the rest.
point is he was the most lovable character and constantly made me laugh throughout the whole game!
probably should extend that to include clementine or lee as well, i did not like the story and its restrictiveness, but the game really does make you feel sorry for both of them.
originality, uniqueness yea, but innovation?
how is flicking paint across the canvas to reveal your path innovative?
yea it brought in a new sub genre i guess you could call it, but it was hardly innovative!
most overlooked should go to i am alive.
the darkness 2 was overlooked because 1 its a pretty mediocre game, and 2 because of its stupid cartoony graphics!
you dont go making a slasher film, than put in hand drawn cartoon characters its just stupid!
hurts the tone of the game, just really ruined it for me.
the original was so dark and creepy, especially those death cut scenes really creeped me out!
2 though made me feel like quinten tarrantino took over as producer for loony tunes!
it betrayed so many things that made the original so great!
as usual, thats become the holy bible of sequels lately!
thy must change thy series on thy head!
part of the 10 holly commandments of game development.
most underrated RE6!?
REALLY!?
im not even going to bother going into whats wrong with that.
how can one of THE WORST games in the HISTORY of the industry be underrated!?
hell even RE5 was better than RE6!
christ, cant believe im saying that!
most anticipated games really hard to choose, especially when allot of the games up there have not been given much of a showing.
come april next year ask the same question, and ill bet 5000 bucks the answer will be GTAV!
simple matter of the fact is not even jesus christ could make a game more anticipated than the Juggernaut that is GTA!
not even COD comes close!
best PSN game should of been the walking dead, that game just does oh so much NO game has even dared to do!
and wont ever!
best vita game should be uncharted golden abyss.
i was absolutely smacked to the floor when i started that!
$ony has always been pulling that console game quality on the go molarky, and ive touted it up as usual typical PR BS!
but it actually was, its THE only game released for the vita that you would expect to come from the ps3!
bend blew my socks off and into the sun, in fact it was THE best uncharted game EVER made!
it actually made drake feel like a treasure hunter, something ND could not do through 3 freaking games!
BEND keep amazing me, almost as much as it amazes me how $ony keep limiting them to portable systems.
come on $ony, these guys gave us 3 of the PSPs best games, syphon filter logans shadow, syphon filter dark mirror, and last but not least resistance retribution.
and they gave us the vitas best game, and even one of playstations best games with uncharted golden abyss!
if that does not prove their ready for the big leagues than NOTHING does!
if $ony does not have bend working on a ps4 title, than its official $ony really are run by a bunch of apes!
ive always suspected it…….
best ps3 game should of gone to FC3.
2 reasons, 1 most games these days wow us technically but bore us GAME wise, FUN wise.
cough AC3.
FC3 did both, it blew our socks off technically, and game wise, fun wise, it was in a class of its own!
it truly gave you the keys to the city and said hack your brains out do whatever you want!
how many games do that?
and how many games do that, AND end up being one of the most technically advanced out there?
darksiders 2 should of won best action adventure game.
yes i really did not like it as much as the original, it was a true typical sequel IE it betrayed so much that made the original great!
but that said it was still by far THE best action adventure game released this year!
never thought id be saying that, had such, such, SUCH HIGH hopes for AC3!
oh how the great have fallen!
actually playing through the anthology now, 3 was such a disappointment ive had to go back to its predecessors to rekindle my love with the franchise.
up to AC2 now,by far the best!
not only of the series, but probably THE BEST game this generation has ever seen!
as a idea, dishonoured was the PERFECT concept idea!
it was so brilliant, the setting, the story, the powers, the freedom to kill, not kill, kill loudly, kill silently.
it was PERFECT!
but as usual it did about 13% of what it promised!
it let you kill, oh so loudly and in spectacular fashion!
as for killing silently, well……
or not killing?
well i hope you like strangling people because thats all you got!
even the powers are VERY focused to killing and loudly.
very few are geared to silently killing guards, or even just putting them to sleep.
best game of the year full stop is halo 4!
NO game has met my expectations, and its freaking halo so they were pretty high, this gen!
and not only did halo meet them but it blew them out of the water!
not only did 343 show the series is in safe hands and they are capable of continuing the franchise, they showed the master, bungie, how its done!
halo 4 is the only game that met my lofty expectations this year, and its also the only game that blew them into the stratosphere!
overall 2012s been one of the most disappointing years in the industries history!
1 we had ALLOT of studio closures, and allot of talented men left the industry, changed studios, or passed away. also had quite a few studios turn, insomniac and bungie for instance.
2 we had by far the least amount of games releasing!
normally the holiday season is flat chat, but this year it was pretty empty.
allot of games got delayed to next year sadly.
3 most of the games were either A VERY disappointing ie AC3, hitman absolution, dishonoured, or B never were going to be GOTY contenders such as all the racing and fighting games.
it has been a VERY sequel focused year and a VERY shooter focused year.
hell when you have nothing but karting games and 1 road racer on your list, you know the racing genres in trouble!
forza horizon would be the best racing game this year, now that was oh so much FUN!
its sad how the gaming industry has become like hollywood.
were obsessed with shooters and things that go BANG!
we really dont care about stories, characters, diversity.
we want a gun, we want explosions thats it.
been very sequel heavy too.
another thing with sequels, like hollywood this years sequels have been very disappointing!
sequels in gaming use to mean tweaking and improvements, not changing and turning on the head!
were becoming more and more like hollywood as each day goes by!
EXACTLY why im praying for next gen systems ASAP, in hope this will change and we will start seeing more ambitious titles, things very different, studios taking risks and doing things differently.
than when those new IPs get sequels, for the love of god dont do a EA or a ubisoft, or a $E, or a crapcom, or a 2K, or a $ony, and try to turn the sequel into a totally different franchise!
on a side note, yay its 2013 so that means our R18 system comes into effect!
woot, no more games getting banned and having to import them risking a thousands of dollars fine!
now all we have to work on is this price scalping, and month delays and were golden!
still pissed we have to wait literally 2 months longer for one of my favorite franchises of all time, sly cooper 4!
There is… no possible response to this.
I agree with a good bit of what you say.
Resident Evil 6 as one of the worst game in the history of the industry? Resident Evil 6 is not all about survival horror anymore just like they did in the first four games, they've done all the tricks in that past games, it's now an all out war against t-virus zombies, no more hope. There's no fun if they keep on doing the same scare trick on you. What if there's a jet plane in Resident Evil 6, it's fun. Killing zombies in style.
RE6 isnt underrated,it's just bad, pure and simple.
They've taken everything that is RE, and they've thrown it away for a more CoD type game, and that's just a shame.
But, Capcom isnt the only company to sell out this gen, they stand side by side with SE. We can only hope these devs will go back to thier roots sooner or later….. but then you see Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, and it makes you wanna cry.
its not fun though, there hell bent on turning RE into L4D, yet there also hell bent on keeping the slow sluggish controls, limited ammo, piss weak weapons, dumb zombies.
RE5 was half fun because of the boss battles and the different style of enemies, RE6 has become more of a mindless shooter yet become less as well because of the new type of zombies and the limited ammo and controls.
FUN is the LAST thing it is!
crapcom need to either say fine were turning it back to the way the series was, or stop trying to half a$$ mindless action and do it properly!
You do know that Sony bend have worked on all syphon filters? Such an idiot remark. They don't stick to portables at all.
Whatever.
I think Halo 4's campaign struggled to make new some of the common place tropes of the series.
First, it never approaches the wide open scale of some prior Halo campaigns. A whole lot of time is spent in the relatively bland confines of Promethean architecture. The outdoor super huge truck mission was my fav.
Second, Halo 4 is very much a solo mission. Earlier Halo games usually made it a point several times throughout the campaign to make you feel you were fighting with a squadron of mates in more warfare oriented design. The tunnel more confined feeling is stronger now than ever. The introductory mech level felt like an on-rails event stripped right out of CoD.
Third, I feel the relationship between Cortana and Chief has been manufactured to try and make Halo something more human than it was ever intended to be. I just don't like that. It already had it's identity. I liked the tone and feel of prior Halo's just fine, more military and mission based and less emotion. Now CHief is made out to be more human and empathetic for Cortana (who I don't think acts particularly well). It just has this pseudo romance vibe I don't want from a Halo game. It's a turn off.
Another gripe is the end boss sequence is just ABSOLUTELY pathetic. Oh, and the Prometheans were less fun to kill than Flood. I also miss the Brute, Covenant, Flood style conflicts
Other than that the game is absolutely gorgeous to look at.
I hear the multiplayer stuff though is the best of the series.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/2/2013 12:49:54 PM
oh, and one more thing. There was nothing in Halo 4 to match the epic Scarab battles of past games. I loved Halo 3's part where there's that massive sized Scarab while you and a dozen plus guys drove around on ATV's firing rockets at it. Also, the power-up drops still aren't as good as Halo 3's. I want my bubble shield back =)
OKAY, one more thing and I'm done.
Do they need help designing a heavy soldier that ISN'T a duo of Hunters? These days fighting that duo is just way too redundant and tired. Where's the innovation? Make some freak'n new heavies to kill!
scale part ill bet was simply down to the graphics of the game, the engines already struggling to keep a smooth consistent frame rate, opening it up even more to have other friendlies, or more open environments, or more epic set pieces would of brought everything to a smokey end.
would of been nice, sure, but its a trade off sadly we cant have everything.
maybe if shock of horrors M$ stopped being so anti PC and brought the series back, we could see halo 4 for what it truly wanted to be.
that is to say though its not exactly a corridor shooter.
i mean how many other games have flying ships sitting in the middle of the battlefield awaiting you to climb in, blow up fellow flyers and enlist in some kamikaze missions?
halo 4 is allot like uncharted 3 actually.
2 was such a michael bay film, 3 was allot more focused on the story and on creating a atmosphere with the characters.
yea it lost that spectacle 2 had, but i really did not care because the story more than made up for it.
it would of been nice to have more of the action, but i much prefer 3 to 2.
as for the chief and his relationships, i really enjoyed it.
343 needed to make their mark on the series, and they did that pretty bloody well!
yea it humanizes the chief, but if they were to give her the swansong she deserves with chiefs usual robotic nature it just would not of worked.
i really enjoyed it, their banter and relationship was what really made the game for me.
actually to say it was one of the few games that made me cry.
only thing i wanted to see done better was the prometheans, they really dont fight that much differently than the rest.
one thing we see so often in games these days, 10 enemy types and each enemy fights the same just with a different weapon.
i would of liked to see the prometheans really turn the battles on their head, be the complete polar opposite.
in short halo 4 is EXACTLY what the franchise needed!
bungie has taken the series FAR too far away from combat evolved, 343 took the franchise back to its noble roots but yet still keeping the modern changes fans have become accustomed to.
the series really needed to be reminded of its roots and this did it perfectly.
o, and ben thanks for adding such a compelling constructive argument to the conversation!
as usual…….
oh, I don't think we've seen the last of Cortana. I'm predicting the story will be one that has Chief restoring her. Restoring her to a physical body. Then Chief and Cortana can, at last, be together forever =p
I'll take it a step further. They wont just restore COrtana to a body but they'll have Chief become captured and Cortana will go save him. She'll be uber powerful and accredit her skills to having been in CHief's head for all of these years.. she'll be hyper powerful and fast. Then she'll in the process of saving Chief succeed but give her life to do it. THE END.
just watch. I have little doubt something like that will happen 😉
i hope not its too cheesy and corny.
the way they ended it, with her AI deterioration, its the end.
if they can find a way to "fix" her than fine, but restoring her to a human just does not feel right.
let her rest.
i actually interviewed one of the lead developers a few months ago, josh holmes and trust me there done with her.
i asked him why they decided to go with the more tragic personal route for the two, and he said they needed something where they could leave their mark, and this story and fates was the best way they could do it.
bringing her back would be a massive insult.
they dident do it for shock factor, just like arkham city it was done for a reason.
they want to move on and introduce something new to the franchise.
unlike arkham city though this was done for the better.
Thanks for your time and effort into putting this together Ben. I know it probably had you pulling your hair out at times. Not everyone is going to agree on everything (including me), but that is what makes gaming fun. Happy New Year everyone!!
Nice! I really like Gravity Rush. It didn't win anything, but sure deserved all of it nominations. Personally I would have given it the Vita award. It reminds me of that old Japanese innovation that we all loved at some point.
Twisted Metal didn't live up to our expectations, but it really did nail a few key parts.
ACIII, BoarderLands 2, Far Cry 3, and Dishonored all looked to have that high end production value. I'm avoiding them b/c I just don't have enough time for games that nice right now.
And I so glad a game like Journey got as much credit as it did. The world outside of PSX seems to stomp on innovative gems like Journey and this time they pretty much embraced it.
2013 is looking pretty grand. I'm not going to be able to make it through with out my PS3.
Can agree with 90% of the list which is a shocker because I rarely agree with anyones GOTY lists.
With that said, I disagree with Dishonored being the GOTY. I tried playing that game and it failed to grab me. I have yet to play Assassin's Creed III so I can't comment on that one, but the GOTY for me comes down to Mass Effect 3 and NFS Most Wanted.
Good call on Dishonored as GOTY. I really enjoyed playing the game and am looking forward to more jaunts in that game's world.
I agree with a lot of this list. However my most under rated would probably be Binary Domain. That game was easily the best Sci Fi TPS I played this year. Best story I would give to The Walking Dead, even the ending aside the walking dead seems to have a better more coherent story than ME3 had. Oh also, I think graphically far cry 3 is better than AC3, but only slightly. I kind of like the colour palette more and the artistic style a bit more.
The last big disagreement would have to go to Mass Effect 3 getting the RPG award. I'm sorry it just isn't an RPG and hasn't been an RPG since the first Mass effect game. All the the RPG elements that most RPG fans look for were largely gutted. What we ended up with was a shooter with RPG light elements and the ability to make choices that were going to affect the outcome of the game. I don't think I need to remind anyone but Call of Duty Black Ops 2 also gives you the ability to alter the storyline based on choices, does that make Call of Duty a role playing game? Or are we just saying that mass effect 3 has such good writing that it gets to be called an RPG, where other games such as Blops 2 don't? Other than superficial thematic differences how are the RPG elements in Mass Effect 3 that much deeper than the ones in the new Call of Duty game? I mean you can change your loadout before missions in Blops 2 which is a big change from the other entries in the series, and literally the main difference between the two is the ability to level up in Mass Effect 3, which was gutted in ME2 and ME3 and ended up making it feel like it was tacked on.
I think on the list you had Dragons Dogma was the only real RPG. It had all the things we expect from an RPG, it had a meaningful leveling system which provided progression that allowed you to become really powerful late game, something mass effect 2 and 3 conspicuously lacked when compared to the first. Dragons Dogma also gave the player a bit of storyline choice, along with lots of side quests. There was a ton of loot to collect and land to explore, and in general it felt way more like an RPG than Mass Effect 3 did.
I mean the term RPG is becoming harder and harder to define as time passes and games implement RPG staples in a more watered down, and easy to access ways. Its easy for developers to implement an XP bar that provides a sense of progression, everyone likes filling up a bar whether or not it is actually doing anything meaningful.
So to sum it up, I don't think Mass Effect 3 is an RPG it should have been in the shooter category as it now plays more like a shooter than an RPG. If you had have given this award to Mass effect 1, well I would have had nothing ill to say.