My Game of the Year Top Ten for 2012

(A quick note: I have not played a great deal of competitive multiplayer this year, so keep in mind that my ratings of games will be talking solely about single player unless otherwise specified)

10. Halo 4

Quick Look: Halo 4

I am a huge Halo fan going way back; indeed, it was my friend John getting me addicted to Halo 1 on his rented Xbox (complete with gigantic potato “Duke” controllers) back in the day that led to me wanting a 360 over the Playstation 3…well that and the price differential.

Halo also holds a special place in my heart as being the game series that got my wife and I playing coop games together.  We were both exceedingly happy with the original trilogy, as well as Reach (ODST, less so). I was filled with a little trepidation regarding the announcement of Bungie moving on and a new Halo trilogy being made by a new, Microsoft owned studio.

As it turns out, that trepidation was not justified.  343 Industries created a, to quote Giant Bomb, “Halo-ass Halo game,” and it did the job.  Great graphics, great gameplay (barring a couple of absurd difficulty spikes in random places), great sound, and a story that would have been interesting had they bothered to explain the fiction within the game itself.  Unfortunately, the new enemies were garbage to fight and some other aspects fizzled (Spartan Ops behind a pay-wall?  Piss off, 343), but there was enough to like here to make me positive about the future of the franchise and to place the game in my ten best for the year.

9. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

Quick Look EX: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

I am a Transformers nerd.  They were the first toy range and cartoon I ever fell in love with as a kid, and no amount of TMNT or anything else could steal my affection.  I also think it is a setting that, when taken a little more seriously, is rife for exploring some interesting ideas often present in science fiction, with the added bonus of being about robots who transform into fighter planes who transform into bigger robots.

War for Cybertron was a fun game that didn’t have much of a story or sense of place, but gave you a good, nostalgic time playing as a selection of re-imagined favourites.  Fall of Cybertron takes this to the next level, providing an interweaving narrative that removes some of the choice, but increases the amount of character as a result, as well as fitting in some cool set pieces and a tonne of fun fan service for fans of G1 while also staying mostly true to the greater Prime universe it is a part of.

With a fun story, great, freeform gameplay allowing you to transform at will, and the ability to play as some more obscure Transformers, as well as a last Chapter that will make any Transformers fan amazingly happy (plus, dat ending credits song!), this was way better than it had any right to be.  Plus, this was the only new game that actually got me to commit any sort of time to its multiplayer mode this year – it is hard going back to TF2 or BF3 or whatnot when you’ve had the ability to transform into a spaceship while playing capture the flag.

8. Borderlands 2

Quick Look: Borderlands 2

Borderlands is the third part of Sam’s and my trifecta of co-op shooters (along with Halo and Gears of War) that we have had a tonne of fun lazing around on the couch playing.  Borderlands 2 delivered everything that Borderlands 1 had, only with more of it.  More plot (both good and bad), more jokes (both good and bad), more characters (both good and bad), and, of course, more guns (pretty much all good).

I had a great time with Borderlands 2.  I found the absurdist sense of humour generally pretty good – Handsome Jack, to me at least, was actually kind of hilarious with how over the top he was, which then highlighted his more serious turn later on; Tiny Tina, on the other hand, made me want to murder everybody involved with her creation, and no amount of sad background story was going to change that – and the fact that there was an actual plot with actual characters was just icing when compared to the Diablo-esque blandness of the first game.

And, of course, the gameplay was ridiculously fun.  Rarely was it particularly challenging in the first playthrough – and, indeed, it followed the Borderlands tradition of making you stupidly over-levelled if you actually did all the side content – but it was always exciting rambling around the much-more-visually-varied wastelands of Pandora, destroying wildlife with a gun that fired shots in an arc like a mortar, or destroying robots with an SMG designed to act as an impromptu sex toy.  Borderlands 2 scratches an itch that few other games even attempt to reach.

7. Hotline Miami

Quick Look: Hotline Miami

Hydrogen by M.O.O.N.  There is your reason for this being on my list.

…what’s that?  Oh fine.  Hotline Miami, besides having an absolutely killer soundtrack, is also an ultra-sharp, incredibly fun, and surprisingly challenging top-down murder simulator.  It is the kind of game out of touch old people piss and moan about in the media.

It is a game that, as you find yourself becoming more and more absorbed in its stupendously fast trial-and-error gameplay, hypnotic soundtrack and pulsing, retro visual style, and oddly schizophrenic narrative, you might just start to wonder whether there is some truth to what those people have been saying for all those years.

Rarely has violence been presented in such a way in games, where you glory in the absurd viciousness of what you are doing and then are actually confronted about what you did and the feeling it created afterwards.

Plus, it is really fun to play.  And that soundtrack!

6. Dishonored

Quick Look: Dishonored

Now we are getting into the contentious part of the list.

Dishonored was a game that I was always destined to be interested in: a Deus Ex style approach to open mission design, made by one of the guys that actually worked on the original Deus Ex, and all set in a cool, somewhat-Steampunk, somewhat-Dieselpunk world, with a visual style created by the dude who designed City 17 in Half Life 2.  It was like this game was designed for me personally.

But then, of course, there were a few aspects that had me concerned as well, chief among them the fact it was being made by a studio (Arkane) with a track record that did not exactly fill me with confidence.  Dark Messiah of Might and Magic was another game with a great deal of potential, and it failed to really achieve any of the things it set out to do.

Thankfully, Arkane have pulled out a game that hit all the right notes, creating a cohesive, legitimately interesting world that was amazingly fun to play around in and allowed the player a great deal of choice in how they went about things, including creating a stealth experience that was satisfying and non-lethal solutions that were quite well realised.  While the game suffered a little from making you feel overly powerful (if you chose to go all-out in combat, it is quite easy to empty a map of enemies, especially once you gain some of the more advanced abilities and weapons) and a story that, while well written, was also predictable with characters that were often quite flat, I still think Dishonored was a fantastic experience, and one that I am eager to see a sequel to.

5. Mass Effect 3

Quick Look: Mass Effect 3

A great deal has been said about Mass Effect 3, particularly in regards to the entire debacle surrounding the ending to the game.  My opinions on the ending, the sense of entitlement from a vocal minority of players, and the subsequent spineless backpedalling by BioWare over their creative work has been documented elsewhere, but suffice it to say I thought the ending was a good idea executed poorly.

All of that, however, does not take away from what was otherwise a very good game, albeit probably the worst game in the trilogy.  It was obvious playing this that, like in Dragon Age 2, BioWare had not been given sufficient time to put their usual layer of shine on this game.  As a result, it felt stripped back; side quests were kind of pathetic, bugs were rife, and the sense of exploration and wonder so prevalent throughout the previous two games was almost non-existent.

However, what they did deliver was the best playing game in the trilogy, and a tight, taut quest to bring to a close all the events built upon in the previous two games.  Visiting old friends, solving long-standing crises, and uniting the galaxy all felt suitably dramatic, and the scale of the game was, at times, quite breathtaking.  While there were faults, this was still a fantastic overall experience and a terrific game.  The fact that it was merely an adequate end to the series says more about the quality expected from BioWare than it does about the game itself.  Oh yeah, and the multiplayer was surprisingly rad, even if the monetisation of it was downright sleazy.

4. FTL: Faster Than Light

Quick Look: FTL: Faster Than Light

This game.  This fucking game!  The last couple of years have seen me become fascinated with games based around punishing difficulty (as seen further down this list), which has most often been reflected by a shallow flirtation with certain games, like FTL and the Binding of Isaac, that have been termed “rogue-like-likes” by genre-definition-obsessed douchebags in gaming forums all over the world.

FTL combines several things that I love into one neat, retro-graphics package.  Large space ships? Check.  Large space ships shooting lasers and missiles at other large space ships? Double check.  Crew members of large spaceships suffocating to death due to pinpoint ion strikes on their oxygen systems?  Oh man, I love this game.

Simple in idea and fiendish in execution, FTL is a punishing, frustrating, wonderful, absorbing experience, and is one that I am absolutely addicted to.  The strategic gameplay combined with the steady yet somehow frantic pace (both in battle and in your retreat from pursuing enemies in the galactic map) make your almost certain doom as enjoyable as those very few times you succeed in your quest.  FTL is a game that encourages you to tell stories to your friends about the time you teleported your four-Mantis assault squad aboard the Rebel fighter, only to have them counter-board you, set your engine room on fire, and then destroy your door controls while you are open to space and venting oxygen.

Don’t let the simple appearance put you off; this is the game Star Trek and Star Wars geeks have dreamt about for decades.  Just give me a version for tablets already!

3. XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Quick Look: XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Speaking of games that encourage you to tell stories: gather round and listen as I regale you with the tale of Colonel Hollywood “Hulk” Hogan, Heavy extraordinaire, and his band of poorly armed squaddies as they bravely (and stupidly) took on a Very Difficult late-game abduction mission which ended with the deaths of all but two of the rookies (including the Hulkster himself), both of whom went on to participate in the final assault on the alien mothership and die horribly in a mind control incident I’d rather not talk about.

I have never been a turn based strategy guy.  RTSes? Sure.  Your Civ-style strategy games?  No worries.  But this kind of game has never been overly appealing to me.  Indeed, the punishing difficulty of the original X-Com games may well have been part of the reason for this aversion to the genre, considering experiencing those in my childhood just about broke me as I threw myself with youthful exuberance at a game that required steady nerves and flawless tactical acumen.

Enemy Unknown, however, is just so slick.  From the presentation to the funky personalisation options for your troops, through to simply presented but surprisingly deep combat and metagame options, XCOM has streamlined and updated and spit-shined while staying true to the spirit of its predecessors.  While the game has its share of bugs, and I wish it had substantially more content (it is still a long and varied game, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t feel as huge as it should), it is still a fantastic modern interpretation of a classic franchise that has reinvigorated a genre that has not been relevant on the main stage in quite a long time.

It was also destined to be my 2012 Game of the Year until only a couple of months ago (indeed, it was due to be second until yesterday…)

2. Spec Ops: The Line

Quick Look: Spec Ops: The Line

And then this came along.

There is one word that describes my time with Spec Ops: ‘harrowing’. It was not harrowing in the way that, say, Homefront was harrowing, which was made so due to being a steaming pile of hot garbage.  No, Spec Ops is something else entirely.

Initially, and without knowing much about the background of the game, Spec Ops looks like a B-tier example of every other modern military shooter out there – just another take on the sub-genre popularised in the modern era by Call of Duty 4.  Indeed, the only thing that initially differentiates it from your CODs and MoHs is that the gameplay seems ripped from Gears of War, complete with third person perspective, cover mechanics, etc.

Where the game differentiates itself is in the story and character and, indeed, how it incorporates gameplay into both of these things in a way that extends far beyond the typical linear crawls punctuated by set pieces so typical of shooters.  It is impossible to discuss the story of the game without spoiling what it is that makes it special, but I can say that this is both a clever and cunning subversion of the tropes of this genre, and also a grand psychological experiment, both in terms of the characters within the game, but also for the players of the game and why it is that we are so willing to go along with living out the super soldier fantasy presented by these games.  It will test you and make you question why you did the things that you did; there was one particularly moment, for example, that I did something absolutely reprehensible in game without even considering that there might have been a peaceful alternative (there was), something that shocked me to my core afterwards.

Spec Ops: The Line is a short game.  It is, in many ways, a flawed game.  I understand why opinions on it were divisive.  I understand why many refused to pay full price for it, what with a five hour campaign and a multiplayer that feels entirely irrelevant.  I understand all of this, but I still have no reservations whatsoever in recommending that you acquire it.  It is, completely and unreservedly, a game that is worth experiencing.  I can’t promise it will be enjoyable, but I can promise that it will make an impression.

1. The Walking Dead

Quick Look: The Walking Dead

Much of what I said to describe Spec Ops: The Line also applies to the Walking Dead.  It is, at its core, an adventure game of the point-and-click variety, with the added bonus of some generally unobtrusive but not exactly fun action elements thrown in.  In short, it is a game that, perhaps ironically considering where it is sitting on my list, does not ‘play’ particularly well in the traditional way that we define such things.

Where The Walking Dead shines, however, is in one aspect of its gameplay that would ordinarily be, at best, an incidental system, and at worst, completely ignored altogether in other games.  What I am talking about here is the intelligently designed and incredibly captivating character interaction.

The Walking Dead seems to take cues from the Mass Effect series (and their RPG ilk), building upon the multiple dialogue options and subsequent influence gain/loss, etc, and creates a world where everything you say appears to matter, and where a flippant remark in the first episode might come back to bite you at the worst moment during the tense finale.

The magic that Telltale has weaved here is nothing short of breathtaking.  As the player, you inhabit the character of Lee in this messed up world where the most that can be hoped for is a little respite before the waves of the undead or the remnants of humanity drag you to your grave.  The zombies themselves are almost a force of nature; a cataclysmic event that forms the backdrop to what is, at its core, a story of a man caught up in a truly desperate situation, thrust into the often conflicting roles of survivor, leader, and surrogate father of a lost little girl, and just trying to survive in a world that seems to exist to snuff out all hope before ending your life.

I have never been caught up in a story like I have with the Walking Dead.  I found myself becoming Lee; inhabiting him as a character, thinking and reacting like I believe he would.  Instead of me projecting myself onto a Commander Shepard or Revan or whatever, I instead was drawn into this character and this fiction in a way that I rarely experience with any kind of fiction.  Telltale deserves all of the accolades they have received for crafting such an amazing game.  The Walking Dead shows (indeed, as does Spec Ops) that gaming is a medium that can tell poignant stories that are about more than big tits and guns.  Indeed, the interactivity and the ability to slip into a role as an actor within the script is something that no other artistic medium can really offer, and it is wonderful to see Telltale create something that truly shows what video games are capable of.

The Walking Dead is deserving of all of the many accolades it has received, my own included.  This is a game everyone should play, and I am happy to name it my Game of the Year for 2012.

Honourable Mentions:

Orcs Must Die 2 – a solid sequel with the addition of co-op, but too similar to its predecessor to really excite

Natural Selection 2 – a great game that has been long awaited, but my lack of interest in multiplayer has prevented me from giving this the time it deserves.

CS: Global Offensive – a surprisingly solid update to the CS formula.  I played more of this than I ever expected to, but was impressed by what I saw.

Mark of the Ninja – I honestly have no doubts this would have made my list, but I have not had enough time to play it yet to be sure.

Fez – Similar to Mark of the Ninja, Fez is an amazing game that would be comfortable on any GotY list.  Unfortunately, a big part of what makes the game special was spoiled for me before I ever sat down to play it, and that has caused me to hold off for the foreseeable future.

WWE 13 – I’m as surprised as anyone to see this even get mentioned, but the Attitude Era mode is a great addition for those of us who grew up during the Monday Night Wars.  Plus the story editor has reached the logical point of utter stupidity, which makes me very happy.  CHOCOLATE DROP!