2012 Community Game of the Year - And the winner is...

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And the winner is…

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Saint's Row the ThirdSpecial Award: Classic Game of the Year

One of the quirks of the way we do Game of the Year voting here at GWJ is that there's the possibility that a game that wasn't released this year will end up in the ranking anyway. That's what happened with Saint's Row the Third. It took the #8 spot in last year's voting and this year takes the #10 spot as more people played it and fell in love.

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Diablo 3

Despite being decried here and elsewhere as broken, Diablo III managed to cast its dark spell anyway and landed the same spot as last year's equally controversial Dragon Age 2.

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Mark of the Ninja

One of this year's indie darlings, this game was praised by most for doing what seemed impossible: creating a rock solid side-scrolling stealth game that, for some, perfected the genre.

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Borderlands 2

Building on the success of its predecessor, Borderlands 2 won players over with its gorgeous art style and addictive, loot-drop gameplay.

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JourneySpecial Award: Console Exclusive Game of the Year

Despite being not only a console exclusive but a PlayStation 3 exclusive, Journey impressed nearly everyone who played it. thatgamecompany has created something truly unique and memorable.

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Dishonored

Whether you approached the game with stealth or death in mind, Dishonored accommodated a variety of gameplay styles in a dark, beautifully realized world. Turns out the comparisons to Thief: The Dark Project weren't just hype.

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FTLSpecial Awards: PC Exclusive Game of the Year; Indie Game of the Year

Kickstarted to completion, FTL is about as indie as it gets. A lo-fi space faring roguelike, it won praise for its scathing difficulty and addictive replays.

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Mass Effect 3Special Award: Best-Loved Game of the Year

Polarizing even now, Mass Effect 3 collected more top votes than any other game this year and was also called out as a disappointment by more posters than any other.

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XCOM: Enemy UnknownSpecial Award: Most Loved Game of the Year

How do you follow up a gaming classic? Like this. XCOM: Enemy Unknown refined the gameplay of its venerated predecessor without losing much of what made it so special. This game collect more raw votes than any other.

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The Walking Dead

It didn't have the most votes, and it didn't have the most #1 votes, but as I ran the numbers it felt like nearly every list had The Walking Dead listed in its top half. At the start of the year, who would have guessed that GWJ's #1 game would be a licensed adventure game? I certainly wouldn't have.


And now, some special awards, for games that were significant but didn't crack the top ten:

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Persona 4: GoldenSpecial Award: Handheld Game of the Year

The PlayStation Vita might be struggling, but the handheld's port of this JRPG classic won a number of accolades. Galactic punt!

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Ascension: Twilight of the GodsSpecial Award: Mobile Game of the Year

Collectible card games seem to have found a cozy home in the world of smart phones and tablets, but no more so than Ascension. Taking advantage of a digital environment to smooth out some of its edges (like shuffling, shuffling, shuffling your decks), Ascension has become many GWJers' go-to mobile game.

Here are the Official Rules of the 2012 Community GOTY Voting Thread. We'll do this FAQ-style.

  • What games are eligible for voting? Anything you played for the first time in 2012. So, your fourteenth trip through Mass Effect 2 (because you really, really wanted to import a blonde renegade FemShep adept into the next one) doesn't get to count, and if you just logged your 1000th hour in Left 4 Dead, then that doesn't get to count, either. But if this was the first year you cracked open a classic like System Shock 2 or Silent Hill 4, go ahead and stick it in your list if you loved it enough. Voting this year is open to any game on any platform from any year.
  • What if I didn't finish it yet? If you haven't finished a game but feel like you've played enough to know that you really love it no matter what happens in the end, go ahead and list it. Let's face it: some games are really stinking long, and you might not have been able to finish them yet but still know they're excellent.
  • Why are we doing it this way? Because we're old. This is a site packed to the brim with mature, adult gamers with jobs, family obligations, hobbies, and other things that take up our time. This is also a site packed to the brim with people who can't afford the new hotness as soon as it's released. We've all got piles, and we all play through them, but we don't often get a chance to say that we really love something even if it's old. (We could tell tboon that, I suppose. Love you, tboon!)
  • What if the top game ends up being from 2007 or something? It won't.
  • So how are votes counted? Games in the top spot on a list are get ten votes, second place gets nine, et cetera, et cetera, with tenth place getting a single vote. Out of format lists (i.e., lists that aren't ranked and/or lists that go over ten) will get one vote for the first ten games mentioned.
  • Can I list a game multiple times so that it gets more votes? No. That's cheating.
  • When does voting open? When does it close? Voting is open as of right now, so go post your list! Voting will close at midnight-ish on the 31st of December. That'll give people time to wrap up some of those late November games and also to sample whatever they might find under the Christmas tree.
  • Are you going to do anything really neat and special with the results? I'm so glad you asked, because yes! Aside from the community's top ten list and the traditional top games for each platform, the results will be sifted through for some other results like:
    • Best-Loved Game of the Year and Most Loved Game of the Year - These are given to the games with the most #1 votes and most unranked votes, respectively.
    • Classic Game of the Year - Given to the game with the most votes that wasn't released in 2012.
    • Darksiders of the Year - Given to the game that's maybe good. Better ask just to be on the safe side.
    • And more! If I think of something! Or if you think of something! Or something!
  • Wasn't this supposed to start on the 15th? It's only the 14th! Well, now it's a tradition.

Joke-entry: Kickstarter. The in-app purchases are a bit brutal, some of the levels are absolute rubbish and there are a lot of hackers and scammers in the system... but when you get a good group and the content developer holds up their end it's utter magic. The replay value is pretty good too. Depending on the instances you choose to run through it opens up a whole world of other entertainment possibilities even outside of the game.

Real entry: Torchlight 2. Nothing ground-breaking. Nothing revolutionary. Good, clean, fun. And the reason it is at the top of my list? It's the only PC Video Game (other than Minecraft) that my Girlfriend has actually asked me to play with her. That makes it a glittering diamond in a pile of slightly less glittery diamonds. Gaming this year has been glorious.

I'm leaning towards Spelunky(XBLA) right now. Simply the most fun I've had in 2012. I'll need to go back and look at exactly what I played though.

PLEASE VOTE SECRET OF THE MAGIC CRYSTALS FOR GAME OF THE YEAR!

I'm going to toss The Secret World in here, I think it hit its niche theme perfectly though I acknowledge said niche is clearly not for everyone.

Less controversial picks;
The walking dead. (PC)
FTL

Just in case it wasn't clear: you don't just have to pick a single game. This is where you post your top ten (or five or seven) lists.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

PLEASE VOTE SECRET OF THE MAGIC CRYSTALS FOR GAME OF THE YEAR!

Hugs and kisses, Quintin. Now go to hell.

How are votes counted for those who aren't ranking their picks?

With no time and less money than last year—and quite frankly still enthralled to my 2011 GOTY, Skyrim—I haven't played nearly as much in 2012. I'll have to defer posting to the deadline since I have yet to play Dishonored or finish The Walking Dead (Santa willing).

I can tell you what won't be on my list though: f*cking Witcher 2.

Gravey wrote:

How are votes counted for those who aren't ranking their picks?

With no time and less money than last year—and quite frankly still enthralled to my 2011 GOTY, Skyrim—I haven't played nearly as much in 2012. I'll have to defer posting to the deadline since I have yet to play Dishonored or finish The Walking Dead (Santa willing).

I can tell you what won't be on my list though: f*cking Witcher 2.

Filthy skimmer. The OP has your answer, which is 1 point/unranked game.

1) Mass Effect 3 - I wish the Extended Cut had been there from the get-go, as the ending played far better for me with the breathing room and tailored imagery it added, but still so many amazing payoffs within its running time. Tuchanka! Tali!

2) Gravity Rush - Great design and central gameplay mechanic. Falling upwards!

3) Walking Dead - I still think it peaked with Episode 3, but whatever... sh*t was awesome.

4) MLB: The Show '12 - It's kind of my thing.

5) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD - I never played the original, but finished this one and immediately started over and finished it again. That endless f*cking ladder... brilliant.

6) Journey - Provided one of the most unique, emotionally affecting non-violent co-op moments ever.

7) 10000000 - A glorious three day obsession, on a platform I generally dislike.

8) Assassin's Creed 1 - I played this after finishing AC2, and can't help but feel it has... something that its successor does not (read this Forbes article for an inkling: http://tinyurl.com/cavp6v2), and before the subject matter became a more explicit Erich Von Daniken/Dan Brown/Mayan Apocalypse affair, I liked the way it eruditedly poked around the issue of governing a godless world.

9) Persona 3 Portable - I can enjoyz JRPG.

10) Spec Ops: The Line - A bit of a snooze when it comes to gameplay, but watching the main character devolve mentally, physically, and vocally over the course of the game was so interesting, I couldn't believe I'd never seen it done before.

I'm an idiot and managed to double post an hour apart.

Contemplating now - will come back and update this weekend.

So many good games this year!

I started a preliminary list and man is it WEIRD.

Skyrim from last year. Honourable mentions for Guild Wars 2 (still needs work) and Saint's Row 3, again from last year.

Everything else gets a great big meh. I've had a bit of a think about what I played this year, and there's so much I wouldn't miss if I never played it in the first place, which isn't a good sign.

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Okay, this probably isn't in the OP (I didn't really check), but what's with the whole "reserving this post" and then editing it later? Why not just post your lists when you have them? What does it matter when in thread your post is?

Gravey wrote:

Okay, this probably isn't in the OP (I didn't really check), but what's with the whole "reserving this post" and then editing it later? Why not just post your lists when you have them? What does it matter when in thread your post is? :?

It doesn't, haha. Blind_Evil just likes being on the first page. I did that for mine to mock him.

(I don't think he saw it)

SixteenBlue wrote:
Gravey wrote:

Okay, this probably isn't in the OP (I didn't really check), but what's with the whole "reserving this post" and then editing it later? Why not just post your lists when you have them? What does it matter when in thread your post is? :?

It doesn't, haha. Blind_Evil just likes being on the first page. I did that for mine to mock him.

(I don't think he saw it)

Well he is blind.

Reserving this post until somebody writes something really witty later on, then I'll edit this post to make it seem like it was my joke and they stole it.

I didn't get as much gaming into 2012 as I'd have liked, thanks to circumstances which should change (at last!) in a few weeks. So, my list:

Civilization V/Gods & Kings
Saints' Row the Third
Skyrim (I started a new character in 2012. )
Mass Effect 3

The iPad versions of Plants vs. Zombies, Sid Meier's Pirates!, and Gridrunner also soaked up a lot of my time. I approve of the way iOS is becoming a platform for nostalgia gaming.

I love you guys.

Top Games of 2012

  1. Dishonored (PC)
  2. Civ V: Gods & Kings (PC)
  3. The Walking Dead (PC)
  4. The Secret World (PC)
  5. Diablo III (PC)
  6. XCOM Enemy Unknown (PC)
  7. Max Payne 3 (PC)
  8. Mass Effect 3 (Xbox 360)
  9. Borderlands 2 (PC)
  10. Crusader Kings II (PC)

Honorable '11

  • Saints Row: The Third (PC)
  • Assassin's Creed Revelations (PC)

Honorable '12

  • Planetside 2 (PC)
  • Guild Wars 2 (PC)
  • Game of Thrones RPG (PC)
  • Battlefield 3: Expansions (PC)
  • Call of Duty - Black Ops II (PC)
  • The Darkness II (PC)

Haven't Played But Would Have a Good Shot

  • Assassin's Creed III (PC)
  • Far Cry 3 (PC)

1) FTL
2) Fallout 3
3) Borderlands 2
4) Mark of the Ninja
5) Rockband Blitz
6) Dust: An Elysian Tale
7) Trials: Evolution

So funny aside, went through my list of cheevos to see what I had played this year, and there's only a few games that I started this year that didn't make the above list...

1. Xcom
2. Borderlands 1

8. Rocksmith
9 Space Marine
10 Diabolo 3

1) Dishonored
2) Mass Effect 3
3) Dark Souls (PC)
4) Batman: Arkham City
4) FTL
5) Diablo 3
6) XCOM

TrashiDawa wrote:

Top Games of 2012
10. Crusader Kings II (PC)

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Oh man so many good ones this year. I have to go lie down and think about this.

In roughly this order:

Saints Row: The Third
Batman: Arkham City
The Walking Dead
Stacking
Bulletstorm
Mark of the Ninja
FTL

1. The Walking Dead- Despite the technical issues that required me to relocate my save and prefs.prop file multiple times to continue on into a new episode, the quality of the content and characters in this game makes it my GOTY.

2. XCOM: Enemy Unknown- I'm hoping the relative success of this game helps to bring turned-based strategy back into the mainstream. (or at least gets a few more games of this type funded)

3. Minecraft: XBLA- While this version will always be several updates behind its older PC brother, I've found this to be superior for my needs. The ability to play Minecraft multiplayer with my children around the TV and using controllers brought our household 100's of hours of enjoyment over the spring and summer break.

4. Borderlands 2- Combining a wonderful art style with fast paced action and boatloads of quests, Borderlands 2 is the only FPS on my list this year.

5. Civ V: Gods and Kings Expansion- I didn't forsee having an expansion on my GOTY list, but Civ V's expansion truly completed the game and helped it finally surpass its predecessor in my heart. During a year which found me with an overabundance of new games to play because of my first decent PC purchase in a decade, this expansion pulled me back into 50+ hours of Civ instead of playing something new.

6. Diablo 3- This was the game that prompted me to finally buy a new PC. I am not one of the people that obsessively played the previous games through all of the higher difficulties grinding for loot. Therefore, the addition of the auction house didn't actually negatively impact my play of this game the way it seemed to for others. I've played through the "story" with a buddy three times using different character classes and enjoyed every minute. It may not have been everything the diehards hoped for, but it was worth my purchase price.

7. Path of Exile-(Beta)- Even though this title is still technically in beta, I spent as much time playing it as I did in Diablo 3. Its large branching passive skill tree and skill gem system pushed me to make eight different characters in the time I've spent with the game. I can't wait to see how it evolves upon its open beta release next year and with the addition of Act 3.

8. Crusader Kings 2- I LOVED Europa Universalis 3 when it was introduced to me by members of this forum. Crusader Kings 2 added a level of polish, but for me was slightly less exciting because I am a bit less enthused about the time period and focus of the game. However, I can't wait to see how the refinements to the system and polish introduced in CKII help shape EU4.

9. Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita)- I'm as surprised as anyone to find a Vita game on my top ten list. However, the combination PS+'s instant game library and Amazon's Black Friday deal pushed me over the edge and "forced" me to purchase the system. I love the Uncharted games and Golden Abyss didn't disappoint. In many ways, I actually preferred it over Uncharted 3, but it still fell short of 1 & 2.

10. FTL- Hard, but addictive. After banging my head on normal for a couple hours I've switched the difficulty down to easy, and I'm having a much better time. If I hadn't just purchased it this week, then there is a good chance this might be higher in the list, but it is too soon to tell.

Edit:

Biggest Disappointment- Quantum Conundrum- I was really excited for this title, but didn't enjoy how many of the puzzles seemed to revolve around platforming. I still liked the title but not enough to keep it from being buried in the pile.

Still in the Pile- Mark of the Ninja, Torchlight 2, Max Payne 3, Arkham City, Infamous 2, Kingdoms of Amalur and too many others. I seriously have a game buying/time management problem.

For putting Hotline Miami in second place Norway will be spared in the coming Mayan Apocalypse.

Top 10

  1. Hotline Miami
  2. Hotline Miami's Left Shoe
  3. 1-800-Hotline-Miami
  4. Hotline Miami Pizza
  5. Hotline Miami Adult Bookstore
  6. Hotline Miami Heroin Warehouse
  7. Hotline Miami It`s Raining Men
  8. Home Is Where Hotline Miami Is
  9. I Have Hots For Hotline Miami
  10. Super Hotline Miami New Game Plus Axe In Face

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