10. Mutant Mudds (3DS eShop) - I know this game is a bit divisive around here, but for me it was a solid 2D platformer that felt like a modern take on SNES style gaming. Didn’t like the time limit on stages, liked everything else.
9. New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U) - Honestly this wouldn’t even be in my top 10 if it were just the main game, which is good but kind of same ol' same ol'. Challenge mode though... now we’re talking. This is exactly what I need from a Mario game, straight up challenging platforming with controls tight enough to make it feel right. They better include this in all future versions!
8. Journey (PSN)- This game didn’t quite blow me away the way it did some people, but it was a pretty wonderful, sublime experience nonetheless. And very beautiful... very, very beautiful. Also, short enough that I may have to take another run through it.
7. Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS) - Revelations feels like a game with a bit of an identity crisis, as most modern Resident Evil games do. I loved the Jill stuff, which felt like a good combo of the gameplay of Resident Evil 4 + the mood of Resident Evil Remake. The other parts were not as good. Overall... still pretty good.
6. Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii) - Simple, wacky, fun, addicting. This is the direction I love seeing the rhythm genre head into. There was just enough challenge in obtaining all medals to keep me coming back for more (although in no way, shape, or form will I ever go for all perfects.) It doesn’t hurt that my girlfriend loves the game too.
5. Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS) - My expectations for this game were pretty low, and it kind of blew them away. The moment to moment action in this game is amazing, as is the variety and sheer polish. It also had some of the best dialogue in any Nintendo game yet. I did have some control issues, but nothing that kept me from loving it.
4. Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS) - Now this is an odd one. It’s less of an RPG than older Paper Mario games, and more of a platformer. But not quite Super Paper Mario either. Really, Sticker Star is its own beast. And although I still don’t fully understand why they took XP out, I loved pretty much everything else about this game. It felt like the dev team was having a lot of fun with their ideas.
3. Little Inferno (Wii U eShop) - Best fireplace simulator ever. No really, this is what I think of when I think “experience”. It’s not the core gameplay that won me over (though it is rather fun to burn things), but the underlying narrative and revelations that happen throughout. Not many games really connect to me on a personal level, but this one did.
2. Monster World IV (VC) - Yes, I’m putting an old Genesis game way up near the top of my list, and I'm allowed to, because it finally released in NA this year. What can I say? It’s a great platformer, but it also has adventure / exploration elements, which basically means it hits all of my sweet spots. Tons of creativity too. I really feel like this is a lost classic from the 16-bit era (IE the best era ever), and it saddens me that more people have not played it.
1. Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii) - The number one game on my list is also the only one that I have not finished. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those people who love it but grew bored of it halfway through. I’m still very engaged. The problem is, the world is so vast and amazing and pulls me in so deeply that I feel like it’s doing the game a discredit to sit down and play for anything less than 3-4 hours at a time... and I rarely have that much time to play a game nowadays. So I’m about halfway through, slowly moving forward. This RPG is so modern in so many important ways, and not “modern” in the non-linear, cutscene fest way that many others are, but modern in the “not going to penalize you in stupid ways but instead will make (almost) everything as slick as possible” way in a lot of key mechanics. It’s a big, amazing world where every piece of it feels unique and “real” and you can spend hours exploring it without moving the plot forward... or you can go right to the plot, which is intriguing enough to keep you interested. Your choice. I tend to take my time...
Almost made it: Crashmo, La-Mulana, New Super Mario Bros. 2, Nano Assault Neo, NightSky, Nintendo Land, Trine 2
Too soon to call: Fluidity: Spin Cycle
Wanted to play but didn’t (yet): Assassin’s Creed III, Closure, Darksiders II, Liberation Maiden, NiGHTS into Dreams, Persona 4 Arena, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, Retro/Grade, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2, Sine Mora, Sound Shapes, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, The Last Story, The Unfinished Swan, The Walking Dead, Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, ZombiU
Topic: 2012 Game Of The Year Chat (Read 8247 times)
