Best Game of 2012

Well, since everyone else is doing it, I think it's time for me to take a look at this past year and give out my Best Game of 2012 award. I will admit that it's been a pretty tame year for me as far as game purchases go. At my count, I've only played 10 games that were released this year. So, I will rank all 10 of them in order and why they are where they are. Actually, it's kind of convenient, because that allows me to make a top 10 list again. That worked out well the last couple of times."

10. Battleship (Xbox 360)

Y'know, I would go into great detail about my thoughts on this game... oh wait, I already did that. Atrociously bad, one of the worst examples of a budget FPS I've ever seen, and I lived through the early 2000s when everyone and their mother was making awful First Person games.

9. Diablo III (PC)

I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get as much out of Diablo III as I feel like I should. The new level up system is okay... though it does take away the feeling that you are a specialized character. Also, equipment is pretty much strictly for appearances now, as it all feels very bland (especially since you never just attack with your weapons, you're always using a special skill of some kind.) I get why they made the decisions they did, but I just don't feel like the game is the same level of awesome that Diablo II was, though some of that could be just my tastes in gaming changing. Although, other games still prove that being loot-driven can be tons of fun, which I will get back to later.

8. Mark of the Ninja (Xbox 360 Arcade)

Two-dimensional stealth is actually a lot of fun. This game brings its share of frustrations, but at its core this game hits the key notes that make 2D gaming great. The levels are mostly static, meaning that your performance is based 95% on your skill (with 5% being up to if the game decides it doesn't want to do something you told it to.) Also, the controls are very simple and easy to get used to. All in all, a good game, but it does fall short in having some repetative level design, incrediably dumb enemies, and an overreliance on QTEs (especially for takedowns).

7. Madden 13 (Xbox 360)

Yeah, I'm a Madden whore and I end up buying the new game every year. I do this for two reasons: one, because I love football. Two, because I like watching games evolve. Madden is one of the few games that can get me to buy it every year it releases, and it does so by promising new features that I've been wanting. This year, for example, the game added an actual physics engine, a more robust season/career mode, and a much stronger passing game. It executes all three of these very well, but there are some issues holding it back. One is that the physics engine is hilariously wonky at times, and you will often see your own players tripping over each other, especially after plays. Also, the running game hasn't really been balanced to reflect the new physics engine yet and needs some work, since running back performance will range between Barry Sanders and... well, Me in Football Pads. Good game, and I'll see how next year's game expands on this one.

6. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (3DS)

I was a big fan of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, so I'm no stranger to rhythm based games. However, I've never played one without the aid of an instrument (minigames notwithstanding). For example, I know some people love Patapon, which is heavily rhythm based, but I didn't have that frame of reference going into this game. However, this is absolutely phenomenal. It probably helps that they've put in some of the most iconic music of my childhood on here to play along with, but Theatrhythm also has some RPG elements that provide a bit more strategy. You can set up your character so they can perform better in the "Battle" style songs, or so that they can keep going even if you make more mistakes than usual, or you can even set yourself up with no aids, allowing you to get the best scores in the game with the added challenge. The game is really solid and offers a lot of great additional songs as DLC to expand the 70-some song main game to a maximum of around 120. If you like the music from Final Fantasy and you enjoy rhythm based games, you shouldn't miss out on this.

5. Minecraft (Xbox 360 Arcade)

Also known as Digital Legos: The Time Devourer. Yeah, I don't even want to start trying to figure out how many hours I've put into this game. What I love about Minecraft is that it doesn't look all that great (though it is stylized, and it captures the target look very well), has some bugs in it, and can be brutally and unfairly difficult at times, yet you just want to keep playing it. They've done a lot of work to the game since it's release in May to bring it up to where the original PC version is currently at, and we're at a state now that the game is an absolute blast. If I had to give it one major knock it would be that the combat is very unfulfilling and basic, but despite that minor gripe, it's hard to find another game that allows you to do what this game does, as well as this game does it. If you've never experienced Minecraft, I heavily recommend checking it out. I really can't sum it up any better than that.

4. Mass Effect 3 (Xbox 360)

Ah, the first smell of controversy, I'd imagine. Don't get me wrong, Mass Effect 3 is good. Damn good, in fact. The gameplay is very solid and the graphics are absolutely beautiful. The story even does a great job of evolving the game world from the last two Mass Effects and it really it's cool to see how some of your decisions have helped to shape the universe as you prepare for the final conflict. The obvious place this game fell short is the conclusion. I will admit that the Extended Cut did help provide a lot more closure, but I think my biggest frustration was that I had to spend so much time defending this game to people, when it should have stood on its own. Despite that, the game is still great (though not as great as Mass Effect 2 was), and the multiplayer is quite engaging and enjoyable, and doesn't feel tacked on at all. Plus, you can tell how much they care about the multiplayer, considering how much free content they've pumped into it (six new maps, several new enemies, new mission objectives, new characters, new weapons, the list goes on.)

3. WWE 13 (Xbox 360)

Bear with me here. Yes, I know being a fan of wrestling skews my views and opinions, but I've had just a stupid amount of fun with this game. Not only have I greatly enjoyed the amount of work (and nostalgia) that was injected into the single player, but I haven't had this much fun in a multiplayer game in quite a while. The gameplay is exciting and fun, and you never really feel like you're being screwed over by the controls or engine. Your performance is completely controlled by your skills and your character's abilities. That hasn't been the case in a wrestling game in a LONG time. Hell, the online even works really well, which is something that has never happened with this franchise. All in all, the more I play this, the more I truly think this is the best wrestling game I've played. I know some of you might call BS on this one, but hey, this is my list, and these are my rules. If you want a more detailed look at this one, I've got you covered.

2. Halo 4 (Xbox 360)

Hard to knock this one. Halo 4 is great. This is coming from a guy who really isn't a Halo fan. Hell, sometime soon I'm going to be putting up a post talking about Halo, since I have a lot of thoughts on the games, but that's not the point of this list. The story in this game was gripping, intense, and a hell of a lot of fun (at least on Normal, something else I want to talk about in another post... holy crap am I rambling a lot.) The multiplayer is even a lot more fun and balanced, although I'm actually kind of pissed that they took out Firefight from this year's game. Spartan Ops simply is not the same thing, and doesn't have the same level of enjoyment that Firefight provided in Halo Reach and Halo ODST. I would heavily recommend this game, even if just for the the campaign, though. I also must say that the idea of how AI Rampancy works... is just phenomenal. It's damn near Lovecraftian, which means I am obligated to love it.

1. Borderlands 2 (Xbox 360)

Cream of the damn crop here. Borderlands 2 has proven that loot based games still have a place in our gaming culture. This literally wasn't even on my list of games for the year to purchase, but somehow, here it is. The first Borderlands game tended to be excruciatingly boring, especially if you were playing it by yourself, and the story can be broken down to "You hero, open door, kill bad things." There were a couple of interesting characters on the way, but the game ultimately took itself way too seriously the entire way through. Borderlands 2, however, is completely different. The gameplay is a lot more fun with the vastly varying weapons and enemies, the unique skill trees of each character, and the story. Holy crap, the story is so good. It starts off with a literal bang, and just keeps growing into a bigger and bigger snowball of awesome. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say this: Handsome Jack is the greatest video game villain of the year, bar none, and deserves to be high up on a Top 10 list of all time greatest villains. The guy is everything a bad guy should be. The game is great, the multiplayer makes it better, and the story actually makes you care about the world. Great job all around to Gearbox on this one.

Do you agree with this list? Disagree? Want to call me names? Feel free to do any/all of the following in the comments section.