Coint and Plick 2013 - The Sixth Annual ILX Video Game Poll

http://image.com2us.com/hubweb/contents/9innings2.png

Time for a frickin' 9 innings thread on ILG, folks... ― schwantz, Thursday, August 26, 2010 10:26 AM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 4 February 2013 20:52 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): Battleheart – iOS – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://lh5.ggpht.com/Ra8lhVkkcXssEHGR0aSXjtR1Vjqq6fGLk9Ioph45qCOXKRzE5LoyhvRQZfqJw96NQQ=w705

http://cdn.appstorm.net/ipad.appstorm.net/files/2011/12/Battleheart-Picture.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 4 February 2013 20:55 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): DayZ – PC – 5 pts – 1 vote - FREE

http://www.tnt51.com/upload/Forum/1343126385.jpg

http://dayzmod.com/images/gallery/dayz-gallery-photo_p1.jpg

Errant Signal Plays Day Z

Standalone Game in progress, until then you’ll need Arma II

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/12/oct/dayz.jpg

no thread for day z yet?

WillM: I had finally snuck up to a promising building without getting chewed up by zombies or shot at by other players. It was at one end of an airport. It was clear that someone had recently holed up there, as I found the door blocked off by barbed wire. I snuck around it, and kept sneaking -- if a human showed up with a gun, I was basically fucked. I hoped to either not get noticed, or manage to convince the person to leave me alone while I leave the way I came in.
But, there was nobody there.
I searched the place for something -- anything -- I could use. I think I found a can of Pepsi. I worked my way up the ATC tower, and eventually to the roof... nothing. I used the opportunity to lie prone and scan the horizon -- well, as much as my crappy video card would allow me -- and I heard a shuffling on the ladder. "Fuck," I thought. "I guess I'm starting over again."
Except it was a dude. He had no gun. He thought I was dead for a second, approached me to see if my corpse had anything, but then he saw me move. We both froze for a second. One of us, me I think, eventually asked "friendly?" and the other replied "yeah."
We asked each other for various things for a minute or two. He needed food; I had none. I wanted bandages; he had none. We both kinda stood there for a while, awkwardly, both realizing the other was harmless and useless. Then, another shuffling. A zombie had followed this asshole, and now it was coming at him, as he was closer to the ladder. He jumped off the roof, broke his leg, and the zombie followed and died. I followed him down, using the ladder, waiting for him to die to take whatever he had. Cold, I know. He crawled further, fell off another ledge, and died.
The location he crawled to? There was no way to get there without breaking my own leg. He died out of my reach just to make sure nobody would get the Pepsi he was probably hoarding. I looked for a way to get to him, realized it was impossible, and moved on. Even if he came back, he couldn't get it.
Sure, the game is broken as hell, and takes forever to set up, and the interface is about as intuitive as Dwarf Fortress, and the whole game was even more ruined when it went on sale and a million people rolled up on it and started shooting at each other -- but those weird little moments where you're just trying to survive and you meet someone else who's trying to survive and you both realize you're fucked -- that's what a zombie video game should be about.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 4 February 2013 20:57 (twelve years ago)

woooo!

(for those that care, the animated cover images will start later on in the countdown)

― Z S, Monday, 4 February 2013 20:58 (twelve years ago)

yeah, as i will note in that opening piece, ZS has graciously created animated intro pieces for our top fifty.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 4 February 2013 21:00 (twelve years ago)

damn, WillM makes that sound pretty outstanding. sounds like the seeds of an incredible game that could be developed in the future.

― Z S, Monday, 4 February 2013 21:01 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): Fortune Summoners: Secret of The Elemental Stone – PC – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyzljgm1RS1qct9ss.jpg

http://img.gamefaqs.net/screens/7/6/2/gfs_247962_2_13.jpg

Hardcore Gaming 101

JWiki

http://img.gamefaqs.net/screens/b/7/2/gfs_247962_2_14.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 4 February 2013 21:21 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): Gunman Clive – 3DS – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://uncade.com/neogaf/gunman-clive/gunman-banner.jpg

http://img.delvenetworks.com/gdX9KjCLT1wmBYosX6fyt0/Q9l_TTh3Q1ArGykyMjHQvc/Ic-.540x324.jpeg

Detailed Cross Platform Sales Data

Dev Diary

http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/arcadesushi.com/files/2012/08/Gunman-Clive.png

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 4 February 2013 21:22 (twelve years ago)

1 vote for dayz?

society is in the gutter

― do you even frogbs? (cozen), Monday, 4 February 2013 21:32 (twelve years ago)

Gunman Clive is cheap, looks & plays great. buy it!

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Monday, 4 February 2013 21:33 (twelve years ago)

these are some good looking games. DayZ is the only must-play i haven't really gotten to play yet (I guess I'll wait for it to come to a system I run natively). the new version of 9 innings is pretty - better or the same as the last one?

― Mordy, Monday, 4 February 2013 21:33 (twelve years ago)

I also am surprised by DayZ's showing, though I didn't play it (or vote!). Battleheart looks cute but superdull.

― Andrew Farrell, Monday, 4 February 2013 21:40 (twelve years ago)

downloading gunman clive! looks great. as someone who has spent way too much time playing 9 innings 2012, i'm hesitant to jump on the new one unless it has something significantly new to offer.

― Z S, Monday, 4 February 2013 21:45 (twelve years ago)

I played the hell out of 9 Innings 2011, but when I started playing the newest one it did absolutely nothing for me... not sure if it's jsut that I ran out of energy for the first game, or the second one just isn't as... hooky? Feels like the microtransactions are a little bit less unavoidable which really made me reconsider. Also, zero credit for the microtransactions I did on the previous game which is a real turn-off, obv.

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Monday, 4 February 2013 21:51 (twelve years ago)

And yeah DayZ is kinda great if you can stand the fucking torture of getting it to run, even though it is also quite awful. I found running around by myself weirdly enjoyable... so lonely. If I played it again though I think I'd want to have a couple of buddies to rove the countryside with.

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Monday, 4 February 2013 21:53 (twelve years ago)

dayz with friends is fun for a while, but at the stage that i played it it was buggy to the point that you could count on someone in your group to be having problems at any given time, and they inevitably start lagging in a dangerous area pulling the whole group into a situation where everyone dies and loses everything. and so every time we'd play it'd take a good while to accumulate a decent amount of supplies to do anything and then there's always the risk of like, falling through a rock and losing everything again. so the concept and atmosphere is fantastic, but it still needs some serious polish to be playable, imo, unless you can invest a lot of time into it and don't mind "starting over" a lot.

― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Monday, 4 February 2013 22:08 (twelve years ago)

Battleheart is actually great; it's a single player MMORPG (if that makes sense) where you're working to level up your squad through constant resource and time management. The art style is light and fun, the RPG elements give a constant sense of progress and the boss battles are challenging without being annoying. I really loved it; well worth a few bucks to keep you busy for a half a week.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 4 February 2013 22:11 (twelve years ago)

Gunman Clive is also available on iOS for $2 and is equally enjoyable there.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 4 February 2013 22:12 (twelve years ago)

Fortune Summoners is one of those Carpe Fulgur games I've been meaning to dig out of my backlog, I'll try to give it a shot this year

― Nhex, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 04:53 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): Knytt Underground – PSN – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://uk.playstation.com/media/f0brRIFW/1621/KnyttUnderground_FeaturedImage.jpg

Gameplay Video (lol dude shut up)

http://i1.cdnds.net/12/30/618x390/gaming_knytt_underground_1.jpg

IGF Winner

Dork Shelf

http://www.gamrreview.com/media/images/knytt-underground-review-5-39654815357038572368309240189465.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 23:28 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): McPixel – iOS, PC, Mac – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/10/McPixel_Steam.jpg

http://media.desura.com/images/games/1/17/16196/shot9.1.png

Free Soundtrack

Created for Ludum Dare

http://www.universityobserver.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Mc-Pixel-4.png

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 23:29 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): MLB 12: The Show – PS3 – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://gamingirresponsibly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/mlb-12-the-show.jpg

http://download.gamezone.com/uploads/image/data/875270/MLB12TheShowFeature2.jpg

Brainy Gamer: Put Me In Coach

Operation Sports Forums

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0305/mlb_e_pujols12show_576.jpg

MLB: The Show

WillM: The reason I finally bought a PS3. What The Show gets that not only other baseball games but other SPORTS games don't get -- out-of-game menus. When I play the Show, I spend as much time in OOG menus as I want. Contrast with FIFA 13 and NHL 13, which I got and promptly stopped playing. UNBELIEVABLE bloat in the menus. Pop ups about lucky-dip card modes I don't want to play. Is this a fucking filesharing website or a video game I paid money for? Oh and when you start a career in FIFA, prepare to wait upwards of 15 minutes for simming between games. Utter fucking garbage. The Show is the only good sports game left -- because it's the only sports game where I can actually GET INTO A GAME in a mode I want to play before my macaroni and cheese finishes cooking.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 23:30 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): Pixel Defenders Puzzle – iOS – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://images.jayisgames.com/pdp-b.png

http://user41396.vs.easily.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Pixel-Defence-Puzzle-Screenshot-e1358504429608.png

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 23:31 (twelve years ago)

Pixel Defenders Puzzle is fun! a dece matching mechanic + strategic combat. nothing too brainy but a fun kick nonetheless

― Euler, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 23:33 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): The Simpsons: Tapped Out – iOS – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/files/the_simpsons_tapped_out.jpg

http://web-vassets.ea.com/Assets/Richmedia/Image/Screenshots/the-simpsons-tapped-out-iphone-screen03_656x369.jpg?cb=1341252656

jjusten: First off, fuck you. I get it, The Simpsons hasn't been funny for a decade, and this is sort of a glorified farmville (or I think so? idk ive never played farmville and i don't understand it, but i am awesome at assuming stuff), but that hasn't kept me from sinking dumb amounts of time into this little yellow people simulator. it probably actually sucks, but fuck it, i spent weeks hiring and firing people in tiny tower and building them fake apartments and shit, so what kind of paragon am i really. its free. it makes noises, and reminds me to do stuff at regular intervals, which appears to give me feelings of "achievement" and "progression" and "fun". Let's just call it the "I am a rat pushing a button to get a food pellet simulation" of 2012.

http://s.pro-gmedia.com/videogamer/media/images/iphone/the_simpsons_tapped_out/screens/the_simpsons_tapped_out_2_605x.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 23:34 (twelve years ago)

more tomorrow!

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 23:35 (twelve years ago)

does anyone else want to vouch for the simpsons game??

― Mordy, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 23:38 (twelve years ago)

A buddy of mine says he loves the Simpsons game, it's definitely a "this'll be done building in a wihle, but you can pay to speed it up" type game but it seems like it's pretty much the best one, sooo

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 00:19 (twelve years ago)

pretty sure that link for "play online" for pixel defenders puzzle is wrong. its a game called "pixel defenders" instead, which appears to be a tower defense game, while pixel defenders is a merge-3 triple-town style thing.ed. note: right you are. i pulled the link

― s.clover, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 02:12 (twelve years ago)

MCPIXEL. my vote!

yes yes i admit i am totally a third-grader but that nut-kicking animation gets me every time

― Nhex, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 03:34 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): Sleeping Dogs – PS3, X360 – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://almostnerdy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/sleeping-dogs-game-play-preview-0.jpg

http://leviathyn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/sleeping-dogs-04-700x3931.jpg

Brainy Gamer: Me, My Avatar and The Space Between

Three part Siliconera Dev Interview

Popmatters

Gamasutra: How Sleeping Dogs Tackles Open World Design

http://www.abload.de/img/untitled-104-faster9ss4z.gif

SLEEPING DOGS

if: This is not so much a vote for the game (although that didn't do a whole lot wrong, being even worse than LA Noire for supposed good guy in reality being a terrible psycho aside), as for the setting. Even more than Driver San Francisco appealed to me because of its realisation of San Francisco, for me Sleeping Dogs was all about the massive and involving version of Hong Kong that it takes place in and how fun it was just to run/drive around. Also while I'm not going to stand up for every aspect of its portrayals, it's kind of cool that the UK's biggest selling new IP of 2012 was a game with a majority Chinese main cast of characters/actors.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:09 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): Super Monsters Ate My Condo! – iOS – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://www.androidpocketreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/banner-super-monsters-ate-my-condo.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8324/8364773260_4c2a4ba5eb_z.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:13 (twelve years ago)

#91 (Tie): Waking Mars – iOS – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://media.desura.com/images/games/1/20/19975/WakingMars-Boxshot.png

http://ifanzine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/WM1.jpg

Touch Arcade’s Game of the Year

Rock Paper Shotgun: The Real Science of Waking Mars

Wired: Game Postmortem

Gamasutra: Learning from the Style of Tiger Style

How the money works

http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/222884-review-waking-mars/wake3-620x.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:14 (twelve years ago)

#89 (Tie): New Style Boutique – 3DS – 6 pts – 1 vote

http://media.nintendo-gamer.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/style-feat.jpg

http://cdn3.spong.com/screen-shot/n/i/nintendopr381253l/_-Nintendo-Presents-New-Style-Boutique-3DS-_.jpg

Gay Gamer Discusses Style Savvy

Tumblr

”Skyrim Writ Small and Accessorized”

Neogaf Forum

http://www.cubed3.com/media/2012/October/Style_Savvy_813_Screen_05.jpg

if: Like a slightly more in depth Game Dev Story/F1 Story/whatever with a different sense of humour, a Nintendo polish and a self-defined difficulty level. No interest in fashion even required to enjoy the gradual accumulation of cash/options and fixing things up for the succession of customers and other interested parties. Also flat out assumes that you are female without ever tipping you off that it's going to do so when you're putting in your name, but it's not like there aren't plenty of games doing the opposite.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:17 (twelve years ago)

Whooooooaaaaaaa I really expected Sleeping Dogs to place higher... it just just JUST fell off of my top 10 games this year. And even then I slightly would reconsider. The space felt intelligently designed... things that should be close together WERE close together, things that were far apart were connected by paths that were actually fun to drive, side missions were fun, beating friends' scores at various achievements was fun (aside from "clean drive" showing up on screen every 10 seconds, that was annoying as hell), the story was... you know, the psycho/hero disconnect was obviously there but I for some reason cared less than I did w/ eg. GTA IV (maybe the HK action trappings made this easier, because chow yun fat always shoots a ton of dudes)... the ambience was chewy and delicious... man, that was a good game. not an incredible game, but a darn fine game. 91 way too low.

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:21 (twelve years ago)

#89 (Tie): Spellwood – iOS – 6 pts – 1 vote

http://lh3.ggpht.com/qPFKns8LSygfQgUbDdYG6rWl35x0xRU_rp1QyPNV8Zq5sm3J5RfCUB7Z8iP7OxYYOao=w705

http://www.mobot.net/writer/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Spellwood-1.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:21 (twelve years ago)

lol, gimpshit.

― emil.y, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:36 (twelve years ago)

the demo for sleeping dogs was so s o bad that i never even thought of going back to play it - is the real game much better wrt the actual melee/shooting mechanics? because the demo was pretty lacking, esp the hit detection etc.

obv i am not opposed to changing my mind about a game after disliking the demo because BULLETSTORM

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:50 (twelve years ago)

JJJ - did you change your mind about Kingdoms of Amalur? Because that demo was hideous. Even worse than Sleeping Dugs.

― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:52 (twelve years ago)

Sleeping Dogs was awesome because street vendors sold you stat buffs in the form of dim sum, and for the 80's throwback comedy horror Halloween dlc.

I wish they would have beefed up the drunken master style a bit more tho. I'd like a deeper moveset.

Playing the game has the same effect as watching proper kung fu flicks. "Dude, I'm hungry, lets go get some pork bun."

― The New Jack Mormons! (kingfish), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:54 (twelve years ago)

Sleeping Dogs up on EU PS+ today, gonna try it out later on tonight

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:55 (twelve years ago)

i never actually bought kingdoms of amular, but yes, you are right, that might have been the worst demo of 2012.

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 16:58 (twelve years ago)

how's the format sitting with everyone? I went link and info heavy; you should be able to learn a lot more about these games with minimal effort.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 17:00 (twelve years ago)

works for me.

― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 17:00 (twelve years ago)

yeah i am down

i am actually about to finish a game that i voted for (no spoilers) which i almost never do these days, which i find exciting. might have actually bumped it further up the list if i had spent more time with it before voting

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 17:07 (twelve years ago)

I didn't know the Simpsons had a game like that. I wish there was another puzzle element in it like Puzzlecraft had to offset the mindless timed tapping away

― The New Jack Mormons! (kingfish), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 17:27 (twelve years ago)

puzzlecraft was 99% puzzle! the timed tapping was just a dumb mechanic to stretch out the puzzling.

― s.clover, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 17:30 (twelve years ago)

& to drive purchases of in-game money

dammit I wish they would update that game, would happily keep playing it but there's no more "progress" to be made

― Euler, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 18:48 (twelve years ago)

i want 20000000000

― zero dark (s1ocki), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 18:49 (twelve years ago)

yessssssss

― Euler, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 18:49 (twelve years ago)

also want plants vs zombies 2 ffs

― zero dark (s1ocki), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 18:49 (twelve years ago)

yessssssss

― Euler, Wednesday, February 6, 2013 12:49 PM (36 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― Euler, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 18:50 (twelve years ago)

just played through the spellwood lite version and yeah, i could see this getting pretty fun, altho i have to rewire my scrabble brain not to plan ahead since they yank the words after play, but that does add an interesting mechanic. kinda cutesy to the point of semi-annoyance, and it seems mostly like single player scrabble with a wrap around it. not bad tho

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 18:54 (twelve years ago)

You can play it 2p, which is how I play it.

― pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 18:55 (twelve years ago)

puzzlecraft was so quick to beat, even with no iap. i have no idea why anyone would have actually spent for it.

― s.clover, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 18:55 (twelve years ago)

so far all these games look like garbage

― 888 (Lamp), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:02 (twelve years ago)

Well, these are the one-vote, lowest possible points ties, so yeah, most of them will be 'a thing I played that passed the time and was relatively fun but certainly not the best game ever'.

― emil.y, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:05 (twelve years ago)

so far the lowest-rated games in this poll dont look good!!!

― zero dark (s1ocki), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:07 (twelve years ago)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/48124_10151114325844649_2118752997_n.jpg

^^ also enjoy puzzles

― 888 (Lamp), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:08 (twelve years ago)

Which one are you?

― emil.y, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:09 (twelve years ago)

im the ocean

― 888 (Lamp), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:17 (twelve years ago)

is that...castlevania III?

― Z S, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:18 (twelve years ago)

i think i checked out waking mars earlier this year but it was too pricey for an iphone game. i'm really interested in it tho.

Super Monsters Ate My Condo! > different game from normal monsters ate my condo?

― Mordy, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:19 (twelve years ago)

btw enjoy your free tiki drinks while you can, kid - someday you're going to have to pay for those ingredients yourself, and good demerara is hard to find

― Z S, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:20 (twelve years ago)

That's Simons Quest, I think. 88-89 release. Played it too many times.

― The New Jack Mormons! (kingfish), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:22 (twelve years ago)

yeah its castlevania II iOS

― 888 (Lamp), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:24 (twelve years ago)

ah, i should have recognized that, because i just busted it out two nights ago for the first time in forever! i'm not a big fan of simon's quest! there are too many infinitely frustrating obstacles that have nothing to do with skill. for example, not just once but several times in the first 30 minutes of gameplay, there are fake ledges - you walk over them and just fall through them. there's no rhyme or reason to them, you just have to get punished and then remember they're there on your next attempt. when that happened the 10th time i turned off my nes in disgust. as a 29-year-old in 2013.

― Z S, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:25 (twelve years ago)

oh my god mcpixel

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:31 (twelve years ago)

thank you to whoever voted for this

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 19:31 (twelve years ago)

#88: Nintendo Land – WiiU – 7 pts – 1 vote - Top WiiU Game (lol)

http://www.justpushstart.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nintendo_land_logo.jpg

http://www.blisteredthumbs.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Z-New-NintendoLand.jpg

Killscreen

Iwata Asks

Polygon Postmortem

Composer Interview (with tracks)

http://finalcheckpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/nintendolandlevels.png

Wii U

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 23:11 (twelve years ago)

you mean to tell me i coulda put 8 points on the game party champions and it would have been TOP ILX C&P WII U GAME OF ALL TIME (for a year)????

FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUU

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 23:13 (twelve years ago)

why am i rooting so much for this system to bankrupt nintendo forever? i don't even understand it myself tbh.

― sleepingbag, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 23:18 (twelve years ago)

i would like to cosign that (lol)

― Mordy, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 23:19 (twelve years ago)

i'm also rooting for nintendo to fail. i kinda feel like their whole take on gaming atm is incredibly cynical and increasingly lazy idk. i've had some fun times w/ the wii so i don't want to totally write them off but

― Mordy, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 23:20 (twelve years ago)

Because then you'd be able to play their games on other systems, which, due to having a library of decent games made by other companies, are worth owning? As compared ot a Nintendo system, which you only buy to play Nintendo games?

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 23:22 (twelve years ago)

yes, otm

― Mordy, Wednesday, 6 February 2013 23:22 (twelve years ago)

plenty of games by 3rd parties on Nintendo handhelds worth playing, almost all by Japanese developers though

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Wednesday, 6 February 2013 23:34 (twelve years ago)

Anyway it was me who voted for Nintendoland and, um, most of it's shit actually. I just threw it some points because the Mario Chase minigame is a really fun time, it's the best little whole-family-all-on-one-sofa-having-the-giggles thing we've played this year. But that one minigame definitely isn't worth buying the whole game for, and definitely definitely definitely isn't worth buying the whole console for.

― JimD, Thursday, 7 February 2013 00:19 (twelve years ago)

all i played this year was FTL so i am just an observer but the encyclopedic style of the entries is a+ forks

― a permanent mental health break (difficult listening hour), Thursday, 7 February 2013 00:23 (twelve years ago)

so if anyone downloads the simpsons tapped out and wants to become friends with me in the game that is by no means totally pathetic and sad.

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 7 February 2013 18:00 (twelve years ago)

― The New Jack Mormons! (kingfish), Thursday, 7 February 2013 18:03 (twelve years ago)

yo jjj i friended u in a game that is by no means totally pathetic and sad fyi

― Mordy, Thursday, 7 February 2013 21:49 (twelve years ago)

whats your username?

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 7 February 2013 21:55 (twelve years ago)

oh ha i am assuming you are a something unpronoucable that starts w/ an l?

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 7 February 2013 21:56 (twelve years ago)

yes that is me

― Mordy, Thursday, 7 February 2013 21:58 (twelve years ago)

and for some reason i can't add your city oh crul ringmaster world

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 7 February 2013 21:58 (twelve years ago)

ha this origin interface is kind of a shitshow huh

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 7 February 2013 21:59 (twelve years ago)

#83 (Tie): Assassin’s Creed III – PS3, X360 – 8 pts – 1 vote

http://d1vr6n66ssr06c.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/assassins_creed_3.jpeg

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/assassins-creed-3-screenshot-01.jpg

I Broke Assassin’s Creed III

Canon?

Gamasutra: An Assassin’s Revolution

Everybody Loves IAP

http://images.gamenguide.com/data/images/full/6909/assassins-creed-3.jpg?w=600

Assassin's Creed

EZSnappin: I posted my ongoing frustrations with this tower of disappointment and regret to ILX on what seemed like a daily basis. Coulda been amazing, but sure as fuck wasn't.

Zora: Oh, it got a few things right. The core climb-up-stuff-and-jump-off-it-again mechanic is still superb. Sadly, I had to stop playing it after I watched the Zero Punctuation review, and realised that the review was bang on, a lot more fun than the game and didn't take nearly as long to get through. It's just as well because playing AC games compels me to gorge on Toblerones and my arse is fat enough already.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Friday, 8 February 2013 04:19 (twelve years ago)

#83 (Tie): F1 Race Stars – X360 – 8 pts – 1 vote

http://i2.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article1524217.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/F1_Race_Stars_China_006.jpg

http://i2.cdnds.net/12/44/618x348/gaming_f1_race_stars_3.jpg

Art Director Interview

http://86bb71d19d3bcb79effc-d9e6924a0395cb1b5b9f03b7640d26eb.r91.cf1.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/f1-race-stars-image.jpg

if: Do you like Formula 1? Do you like Mario Kart? Do you like surprisingly well thought out single player career campaigns? Well, probably not many people are going to answer yes to all three of those to the same extent as me, but if you did, then you may well love this game. It carries through on its absurd mash-up ideas with gusto, and while I was initially disappointed to realise that it had only 11 out of 20 tracks on the F1 calendar, I got a lot of fun out of it regardless.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Friday, 8 February 2013 04:21 (twelve years ago)

I loved the demo from Race Stars but haven't picked it up yet.

― EZ Snappin, Friday, 8 February 2013 04:22 (twelve years ago)

#83 (Tie): Football Manager 2013 – PC – 8 pts – 1 vote

http://www.gameinfocenter.com/uploads/Football-Manager-2013.jpg

http://cdn.pocket-lint.com/images/4Vhr/football-manager-2013-pc-game-review-21.jpg?20121102-194347

The Managing

http://media.gamerevolution.com/images/games/mac/football-manager-2013/football-manager-2013_014.jpg

Which football manager would you bring in to sort your love life out?

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Friday, 8 February 2013 04:24 (twelve years ago)

Hahahaha I forgot to send my ACIII hate rant in but seeing it down here is worth more than a thousand swears

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Friday, 8 February 2013 04:27 (twelve years ago)

#83 (Tie): Shen Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 – DS – 8 pts – 1 vote - Top DS Game

http://moetron.com/uploads/20121206_devil02_resize.jpg

http://newbreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/36211266161918.jpg

everything rad is good for you: a persona/shin megami thread

lamp: The Savior must have been / A silent Gentleman

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Friday, 8 February 2013 04:28 (twelve years ago)

Please rant now, jjjusten. It totally deserves it.

― EZ Snappin, Friday, 8 February 2013 04:29 (twelve years ago)

I will touch up the screed tomorrow and either send it to forks or post it here, w/e he prefers

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Friday, 8 February 2013 04:33 (twelve years ago)

#83 (Tie): Torchlight II – PC – 8 pts – 1 vote

http://media.edge-online.com/wp-content/uploads/edgeonline/2012/10/torchlight_2_top1.jpg

http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2012/11/tlight2.02-580-100015114-orig.jpg

Versus Diablo III

PC Gamer Interview with Max Schaefer

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yM2PAZn15HA/UFx4trypj-I/AAAAAAAABrg/7vTtDtr6tSg/s1600/Torchlight_screenshot_1.png

torchlight - a baby diablo

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Friday, 8 February 2013 04:33 (twelve years ago)

I'm good either way jjj!
more tomorrow.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Friday, 8 February 2013 04:37 (twelve years ago)

I enjoyed the heck out of Torchlight. I expect I'll dig the second once it's on Mac.

― EZ Snappin, Friday, 8 February 2013 04:53 (twelve years ago)

^ditto

― Nhex, Friday, 8 February 2013 07:12 (twelve years ago)

F1 Race Stars is another one that popped up on UK PS+ this week, the fact it's codemasters is enough to make it worth a try I guess, it's a very odd idea though.

― JimD, Friday, 8 February 2013 10:32 (twelve years ago)

hmm, i guess i was the only person who voted for fm2013 and torchlight 2? i feel bad for not having written something up now. um...fm2013 was the only sport-related game i played this year that i didn't hate? torchlight 2 i am surprised didn't get any more votes, maybe ppl are waiting for it to be bundled; i waited to pick it up 50% off. it's just a well-balanced, well-designed, good looking, fun to play game. retrospectively made me realize how little i actually enjoyed playing dIII.

― Roberto Spiralli, Friday, 8 February 2013 14:21 (twelve years ago)

f1 race stars is new to me, looks like fun

― Roberto Spiralli, Friday, 8 February 2013 14:22 (twelve years ago)

This is the first year in a few that I didn't buy the new FM, for some reason 2012 I fell completely off the wagon and only played it a tiny bit.

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Friday, 8 February 2013 15:58 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator – iOS, PC – 10 pts – 1 vote

http://cdn2.gamefront.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/artemis.jpg?cda6c1

http://www.edownload.cz/sw/images/artemis-spaceship-bridge-simulator-patch_10.png

http://img-games.lisisoft.com/img/5/0/5002-2-artemis-spaceship-bridge-simulator-patch-1.40-1.50.jpg

WillM: Six of us got together and played this. We had two decent laptops, two not-so-decent laptops (supplied to public school teachers by a public school board, to give you an idea of the quality); an iPad; a fairly powerful PC, and an iPhone which didn't really work out as well as the iPad and was subbed for one of the bad laptops later in. Installing, setting up, all of that was painless. Learning to play was harder for some stations than others, and some required more upkeep than others, but six of us with varying levels of gaming "ability" and urge to play managed to have an absolute ball. I want to play this again -- a lot. This game makes me want to build a pretend space station bridge and put PCs in it. God. BUY THIS GAME. GET 5 MATES. PLAY IT AND PRETEND YOU'RE CAPTAIN KIRK. IT'S AWESOME. And it's nowhere near as hard as everyone says it looks.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 00:29 (twelve years ago)

#60: Baldur’s Gate – iOS – 10 pts – 1 vote

http://images.cyberimg.com/iphone/2013/01/08/Baldurs_Gate.jpg

http://17f0418678386b4e6860-e4f9fcd924b589d19bf6ccc2802ea9aa.r66.cf1.rackcdn.com/4f17cbc9f5cb4344bfeb66c27a2eb1a7dbb6b696.jpg__939x820_q85.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/186qrisi615osjpg/original.jpg

diamonddave85: iPad UI and stability issues aside, this is one of the most fun and engrossing RPGs i've played in many years.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 00:40 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Black Knight Sword – PSN, XBLA – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://thecontrolleronline.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Black-Knight-Sword-Logo.jpg

http://cf.shacknews.com/images/20110922/blkknitswrdtwo001_19443.nphd.jpg

Is This the First VideoGame About Battling Old Age?

http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/grasshopper/blackknightsword/BlackKnightSword_610.jpg

Rolling guaranteed commercial failure Grasshopper Manufacture/suda 51 thread

jjjusten: It's a Suda platformer with all the batshit qualities that you would expect from such a beast, but missing the trademark "wait the actual game part of this sucks" us fans have come to expect. Why am I buying things from a wheel of mouths? WTF are these cat plants about anyway? What the fuck is that thing for? Yep, that's all here too. Great use of 2-d theatrical shift tricks, playable but by no means easy, weird as fuck. If you don't get sucked in by the demo, don't bother going any further and just go back playing BLOPS until your dumb brain slops out of your ears.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 00:42 (twelve years ago)

did they ever patch Baldur's Gate? I heard it had a bunch of problems but haven't kept up with the news.

― EZ Snappin, Saturday, 9 February 2013 00:43 (twelve years ago)

i just can't conceive of how baldurs gate could be fun on a tablet

― Roberto Spiralli, Saturday, 9 February 2013 00:44 (twelve years ago)

holy shit that star trek bridge guy game

― zero dark (s1ocki), Saturday, 9 February 2013 00:52 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Crusader Kings II – PC – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RX-MEfAwLco/UI4sD3Afk9I/AAAAAAAAAM8/Coh8cWMirSo/s1600/Crusader-Kings-2-19.jpg

http://bulk.destructoid.com/ul/214600-crusader-kings-ii-interview/crusaderkingscreen2-620x.jpg

http://vagary.tv/wp-contentnew/2013/01/ck2-2013-01-09-19-38-59-16.jpg

lamp: "My name is slutbanger2K, king of kings:
Look on my unlocked achievements, ye Mighty, and despair!"

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 00:57 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Dikembe Mutombo 4 ½ Weeks to Save the World – Browser – 10 pts - 1 vote - FREE

http://www.adzag.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Dikembe-Mutombo.jpg

Play Online

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/images/Scramble/Scramble121212-1.jpg

Wieden and Kennedy Blog

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_megq4qjR5y1qam8qjo1_500.gif

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 00:59 (twelve years ago)

Whaaaaaat? You just made that Dikembe game up.

― Jeff, Saturday, 9 February 2013 01:12 (twelve years ago)

Nah, it existed, but was offline by the time I tried to play it.

― emil.y, Saturday, 9 February 2013 01:20 (twelve years ago)

check out the gameplay video!

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 01:39 (twelve years ago)

truly twas a thing of wonderment

― Nhex, Saturday, 9 February 2013 02:10 (twelve years ago)

My vote. I guess it makes sense that a game so dependent on being topical (every episode was created the week it was released) was removed after a few months.

― abanana, Saturday, 9 February 2013 03:37 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Doom 3: BFG Edition – PS3 – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/doom3_bfg.jpg

http://konzolokszervize.hu/data/picture_product/78/6178/doom-3-bfg-edition-xbox-360--doom-iii-bfg-edition--x360-25197.jpg

Creative Director Interview

http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/bethesda/doom3-bfg-edition/doombfg5.30.12610.jpg

DOOM 3 - does it own, pwn, or both?

diamonddave85: Back in the early to mid-nineties, my dad would take me to a ham radio convention every year where they would have booth after booth of shareware floppies that you could buy. My dad had heard about Doom from a coworker or something and decided to pick up Doom 1 & 2 so we could play together, much to my mom's horror. Playing doom with my dad is one of my earliest computer related memories and as someone who is now in computers professionally, it is one of my fondest.
I had gotten my dad a ps3 a couple years back for xmas (mostly for blu-ray and netflix) but he really didn't play many games on it. It would seem that most videogames these days don't really appeal to a 60 year old man (the exception being Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, which he played quite a bit). This year, I picked him up the BFG edition mainly because it came packaged with Doom 1 & 2. playing Doom again with my dad on xmas morning was well worth the price. Between that and playing Flower with my mom and sister for about 4 hours in one sitting, this xmas was one of the first times my family had bonded over videogames for a good 15+ years

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 05:00 (twelve years ago)

Playing doom with my dad is one of my earliest computer related memories and as someone who is now in computers professionally, it is one of my fondest.

irl aw just now

― Z S, Saturday, 9 February 2013 05:27 (twelve years ago)

JUMP TO 60? ARE YOU SERIOUS? THIS IS GONNA BE A SLOG

ALSO, S1OCKI, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED I OWN ARTEMIS AND WANT TO PLAY AGAIN. DO YOU KNOW TREK NERDS IRL?

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Saturday, 9 February 2013 05:55 (twelve years ago)

btw the linked "gameplay video" on artemis is pretty good at representing how a bunch of kind of drunk people end up playing this game

i have watched this video 3-4 times and lived quite vicariously

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Saturday, 9 February 2013 06:08 (twelve years ago)

because i don't want those tubes to EVER be empty

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Saturday, 9 February 2013 06:09 (twelve years ago)

hahaha, yeah that actually looks pretty awesome!

― Z S, Saturday, 9 February 2013 13:16 (twelve years ago)

ALSO, S1OCKI, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED I OWN ARTEMIS AND WANT TO PLAY AGAIN. DO YOU KNOW TREK NERDS IRL?

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Saturday, February 9, 2013 12:55 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

we gotta do this

my friend has a projector and a big screen in his loft... THINK ABOUT IT IMO!!!

― zero dark (s1ocki), Saturday, 9 February 2013 16:40 (twelve years ago)

http://kbhgames.com/8790/old-spice-%7C-dikembe-mutombos-4-1-2-weeks-to-save-the-world/

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Saturday, 9 February 2013 18:13 (twelve years ago)

so far i appear to be stuck at the loading screen but maybe someone will be able to play it?

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Saturday, 9 February 2013 18:14 (twelve years ago)

works for me, thanks for the link!

― Z S, Saturday, 9 February 2013 18:17 (twelve years ago)

Good catch Will; I've altered the entry.
Couldn't find that damn thing anywhere!

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 18:51 (twelve years ago)

I will touch up the screed tomorrow and either send it to forks or post it here, w/e he prefers
― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, February 7, 2013 10:33 PM (2 days ago)

Still waiting on the ACIII rant...

― EZ Snappin, Saturday, 9 February 2013 18:54 (twelve years ago)

in the form of ASCII art

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Saturday, 9 February 2013 18:56 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Double Dragon Neon – PSN, XBLA – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://cache.g4tv.com/ImageDb3/295487_S/double-dragon-neon-coming-to-xbla-and-psn.jpg

http://cdn.wegotthiscovered.com/wp-content/uploads/double-dragon-neon.jpg

Dev PostMortem Podcast

Original Dev, Yoshihisa Kishimoto, Interview

http://www.blisteredthumbs.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Neon.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 20:11 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Final Fantasy XIII-2 – PS3 – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://cdn2-www.playstationlifestyle.net/assets/uploads/2011/06/feature-FinalFantasyXIII-2.jpg

http://cdn2-www.playstationlifestyle.net/assets/uploads/2011/11/feature-Final-Fantasy-XIII-2-Girls.jpg

Hills and Lines in FFXIII- 1

”Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the opposite of Ernest Hemmingway”

Further Deep Thoughts (“The player must then have a fluency with the narrative as experienced and seek to find the moments when the game could end and then try to see if it might.”)

Farroncest, some quirky kink, and one-sided Alyssa/Serah

http://download.gamezone.com/uploads/image/data/1044109/final_fantasy_xiii2_trailer_crop.jpg

S. Clover: The biggest gaming disappointment of the year for me was reaching the end of Final Fantasy XIII-2, and discovering yet again that I was underpowered / underskilled to defeat the final boss. I'm sick of fun, plot driven RPGs with arbitrary difficulty spikes.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 20:13 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Halo 4 – X360 – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/06/04/halo4screen_610x369.jpg

http://www.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/halo4-leak.jpg

Brainy Gamer: High Noon for Shooters

http://www.fastcocreate.com/multisite_files/cocreate/imagecache/slideshow-large/slideshow/2012/10/1681797-slide-slide-20-halo-4-behind-the-live-action.jpg

HALO 4

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 20:15 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Jet Set Radio HD – iOS, PSN, XBLA – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://cdn.techdeville.com/wp-content/uploads/jetsethub2-600x338.jpg

http://vgfaq.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Jet-Set-Radio-HD-Achievements.jpg

Devs Look Back

Where Are They Now?

http://segabits.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Screen-Shot-2012-06-26-at-9.09.44-AM.png

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 20:17 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): LEGO Lord of the Rings – PS3, X360 – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://86bb71d19d3bcb79effc-d9e6924a0395cb1b5b9f03b7640d26eb.r91.cf1.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/lego-lord-of-the-rings-unlockable-characters.jpg

Gameplay Video (lol whatta maroon)

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/erikkain/files/2012/11/lego-lord-of-the-rings.jpg

Executive Producer Interview

http://cache.g4tv.com/ImageDb3/299887_S/lego-the-lord-of-the-rings-announced-one-lego-game-to-rule-them-all.jpg

WARNING Lego Man Pedophile on the Loose

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 9 February 2013 20:18 (twelve years ago)

Final Fantasy XIII-2 worst video game name of the year

― zero dark (s1ocki), Saturday, 9 February 2013 20:25 (twelve years ago)

should have called it Final Fantasy XI

― brogue element (seandalai), Saturday, 9 February 2013 20:26 (twelve years ago)

It's a sequel to Final Fantasy XIII - what else are you going to call it?

Also it isn't even the worst name in this thread so far (Black! Knight! Sword!) and we're only at #60

― Andrew Farrell, Saturday, 9 February 2013 20:28 (twelve years ago)

oh i dont know, final fantasy FOURTEEN maybe

― zero dark (s1ocki), Saturday, 9 February 2013 20:37 (twelve years ago)

But none of the main-series games are sequels to each other?

― Andrew Farrell, Saturday, 9 February 2013 20:42 (twelve years ago)

they should have called it final fantasy 13: chronicles of the windsweeper or something. it just looks like it's final fantasy 13's second disc or something!

― zero dark (s1ocki), Saturday, 9 February 2013 21:00 (twelve years ago)

But none of the main-series games are sequels to each other?

― Andrew Farrell, Saturday, February 9, 2013 3:42 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

nope.

― s.clover, Saturday, 9 February 2013 21:01 (twelve years ago)

This list is already pretty bizarre!

bro-five to whoever voted for Double Dragon Neon. I had to double check my ballot to make sure I didn't vote for it, but I was pretty entertained by it. the ending song alone! (Thx for those links, forks, some good reading)

― Nhex, Saturday, 9 February 2013 21:03 (twelve years ago)

Chronicles of the pee pee ding ding

― Jeff, Saturday, 9 February 2013 21:04 (twelve years ago)

FF13-2 was my vote (eep). The story is still nonsense but the characters were a lot better. (In the first game the characters encounter a no-win situation, and then you get a lot of cutscenes about courage and family and all that Disney shit, ending with them choosing the no-win path which involves killing a lot of people.)

Double Dragon Neon was also mine. Not sure about the tapes mechanism -- it's a bit too much like cow-clicking -- but otherwise it's a lot of fun. Here's a playthrough from a big Double Dragon fan: http://youtu.be/In917B12R_Q

― abanana, Sunday, 10 February 2013 00:26 (twelve years ago)

the previous FF was better in my book, not least because I could actually _beat_ it. the story was also less dark, and less weird.

― s.clover, Sunday, 10 February 2013 00:36 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Letterpress – iOS – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/gamelife/2012/11/letterpress.png

http://cultofmac.cultofmaccom.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Letterpress.jpg

Business Insider Tells You How to Win

So What Is This Again?

http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/files/2012/10/Letterpress-Game-Board.png

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 10 February 2013 20:35 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Little Inferno – PC – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://imagenes.es.sftcdn.net/es/scrn/6654000/6654993/little-inferno-06-700x437.jpg

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6zf3hxVA61qkx5q5.png

Blue Screen of Awesome - Playthru

http://www.redbull.co.uk/cs/userfiles/image/little-inferno-2.jpg

Little Inferno

Forksclovetofu: Another game about games in a year where these were everywhere to be found, Little Inferno (along with 10000000 and Spec Ops) asks you if you really want to play at all. Fairly short but surprisingly twisted, with a depth that’s difficult to explain as (maybe just this once) the spoilers really are spoilers. All my DEEP THOUGHTS on completion were neatly echoed by Errant Signal's excellent video essay linked up top. This is a near close call as my favorite game of the year; now that it’s out on iOS, you really owe it to yourself to give it a whirl. Dream bigger!

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 10 February 2013 20:47 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Machinarium – PS3 – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://www.nskonzole.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Machinarium-PS3-igrica.jpg

http://gamesymbol.com/Image/covers/machinarium/machinarium-image655618.jpg

Zora: A beautifully drawn, fairly fiendish, amusing little p&c adventure game. It harked back to the best kind of children's TV and books; the non-patronising kind. I'd have scored it higher but it was -gasp- too hard for me. Pure spite.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 10 February 2013 20:53 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): New Super Mario Bros. 2 – 3DS – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/229860-New%20Super%20Mario%20Bros%202%20Header%202.jpg

http://www.edge-online.com/wp-content/uploads/edgeonline/oldfiles/articles/reviews/new-super-mario-bros-2.jpg

Iwata Asks

YouTube Soundtrack Listing

PopMatters

http://cf.shacknews.com/images/20120622/nintendo3dsmario2newimg_22569.nphd.jpg

diamonddave85:Back in college, my roommate, a guy down the hall and I would get stoned and take turns playing a level from SMW to see who could finish the level the fastest. We realized that part of the genius of Mario games was that almost every level was impeccably designed to be run through at top speed: jumps and enemy placement were just in the right place so you could run through a level with an unbroken flow. Ever since then, my preferred style of playing Mario games is to run through as fast as I can and try to achieve that flow. Although I'm still getting used to the levels, this style of play seems to be encouraged in NSMB2 (the coin block head powerup should make this obvious). Because it seems like this was a focal design consideration, this has been one of the more enjoyable of the newer 2d Mario games for me.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 10 February 2013 21:01 (twelve years ago)

We realized that part of the genius of Mario games was that almost every level was impeccably designed to be run through at top speed: jumps and enemy placement were just in the right place so you could run through a level with an unbroken flow.

YES, so true. watching youtube speed runs of SMB3 can make it seem like the entire game was designed so some genius kid could chain together a bunch of jumps and bounces off of enemies in one, perfect way that all other playthroughs pale next to

― Z S, Sunday, 10 February 2013 21:26 (twelve years ago)

did machinarium place on coint + plick 3 years in a row on 3 different systems?

― Mordy, Sunday, 10 February 2013 23:27 (twelve years ago)

but it was -gasp- too hard for me. Pure spite.

haha, this is where i ended up, too

― Nhex, Monday, 11 February 2013 00:33 (twelve years ago)

Wow, Letterpress just swallowed (swallow wallowed, sallowed) my Sunday. Like SpellTower but actually fun.

― Plasmon, Monday, 11 February 2013 07:02 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Picross E – 3DS – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://media.nintendo-gamer.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/picross-e1.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5EiW5Nu1bXY/UE_bfGCT9lI/AAAAAAAAHaQ/oULkJ-XpdR0/s1600/promo_193.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 11 February 2013 17:59 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Professor Layton and The Miracle Mask – 3DS – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://media.nintendo-gamer.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/professor-layton.jpg

http://www.nohighscores.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/professor-layton-miracle-mask-review-shot-1.jpg

YouTube Soundtrack

http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/nintendo/professorlayton/mask-of-miracle/610news-layton.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 11 February 2013 17:59 (twelve years ago)

I haven't played a professor layton in a while. Do they come up w/ new feeling puzzles or is mostly retreads at this point? And when does the Layton/Justice crossover happen?

― Mordy, Monday, 11 February 2013 18:00 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Rayman Origins – 3DS – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://media.nintendo-gamer.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/rayman-3ds.jpg

http://download.gamezone.com/uploads/image/data/1104232/Rayman_Origins_3DS.jpg

Gamasutra: The Core of Rayman Origins

http://www.themagazine.ca/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Rayman-Origins.jpg

Creator Interview

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 11 February 2013 18:01 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Rock Band Blitz – PSN – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://www.altpress.com/images/made/images/uploads/news/fb71c3909d2a6c471c7b5047759a1fa0_620_349_70.jpg

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/1992/2167247-rock_band_blitz_screenshots2.jpg

New York Post Interview

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/1992/2167250-rock_band_blitz_screenshots5.jpg

ROCK BAND

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 11 February 2013 18:02 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Saturday Morning RPG – iOS – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://www.mightyrabbitstudios.com/presskit/Gallery/smrpg_iphone_1.png

http://www.technologytell.com/apple/files/2012/04/saturdaymorningrpg-skillselect-640w.jpg

Soundtrack Sampler

Dev Interview and Concept Sketches

http://images.eurogamer.net/modojo.com/features/1348/1.jpg

S. Clover: SMRPG is a retromania game, but doesn't trade in transgression so much as wish-fulfillment. The genre parody is modest and affectionate. The worst you'll find are that the GI Joes are credit-hogs. The combat system is pretty varied, but once I'd acquired my best weapons I found I stuck with them to the exclusion of others, which meant things got fairly repetitive. Which is a shame, because there are branching choice paths that would reward multiple playthroughs if certain sections of enemies weren't such a slog. Nonetheless, the plot of the episodes released thus far is enjoyable enough, and there are enough fun surprises for at least one playthrough.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Monday, 11 February 2013 18:04 (twelve years ago)

Simpsons game is pretty good for a Farmville clone type thing, and the first one of these that I actually feel tempted to buy premium stuff for (I still won't bc spending money on a non-game is a ridiculous prospect). But still - kudos to them.

― Mordy, Monday, 11 February 2013 20:23 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): Sound Shapes – PSN – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://86bb71d19d3bcb79effc-d9e6924a0395cb1b5b9f03b7640d26eb.r91.cf1.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/sound-shapes-logo.jpg

http://www.indiegamemag.com/media/Sound-Shapes-Level.jpg

Beck’s Soundtrack on Youtube

Gamasutra Postmortem

Tumblr

Ten Great Community Levels

”How Sound Shapes Shines”

http://bulk.destructoid.com/ul/232933-review-sound-shapes/sound-shapes-1-620x.jpg

Forksclovetofu: Another game I love that is less a game and more a concept realized in game format. The community is really key here; there's loads of interesting levels to explore.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 00:31 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave – 3DS – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://www.denpamen.com/eu/what/img/main_text.png

http://download.gamezone.com/uploads/image/data/1125018/The_Denpa_Men_They_Came_By_Wave_-_3DS_-_3.jpg

A Beginner’s Guide

http://www.pixelitis.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/denpamen-e1348758073880.jpg

zappi: Charming DQ-style dungeon crawler, your party is gathered via wifi signals. An expanded sequel is on its way soon.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 00:35 (twelve years ago)

#60 (Tie): WipEout 2048 – PSVita – 10 pts - 1 vote

http://firm-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Wipeout-2048-picture-8.jpg

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/wipeout2048gamescom010.jpg

WIPEOUT

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 00:37 (twelve years ago)

#57 (Tie): Angry Birds: Star Wars – iOS – 10 pts – 2 votes

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/121008012130-angry-birds-star-wars-monster.png

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdvx13ckcF1rha1xmo1_1280.gif

Touch Arcade Review

http://vogueent.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/angry-birds-star-wars_510x3171.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 00:41 (twelve years ago)

#57 (Tie): Burrito Bison – iOS – 10 pts – 2 votes

http://www.gamerchica.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/burrito.jpeg

http://nerdsontherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/burritobisonrevenge2.png

Play Online for Free

http://armorblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Screen-Shot-2012-02-28-at-2.09.58-PM.png

S. Clover: Like a slot machine. Stupid, mechanical, addictive, effective.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 00:44 (twelve years ago)

#57 (Tie): QatQi – iOS – 10 pts – 2 votes

http://apppirates.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/qatqi-2-e1355170710789.png

http://www.quartertothree.com/fp/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/words_words_words.jpg

http://media.edge-online.com/wp-content/uploads/edgeonline/2012/12/QatQi.png

jjjusten: If you ever wanted to get beat up by leaderboard inadequacy, this is the game for you. If you lived in a bubble and didn't know that other people were playing, this would be a 5 minute yawn delete download, but when that first leaderboard populates and you see just how lame your score is, suddenly you are replaying and replaying and now you hate yourself. Especially when you realize that all that internal monologue about how "hey it's just lucky breaks" is just the sound of you lying to yourself. 2012's game most likely to make you want to murder your friends.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 00:49 (twelve years ago)

word games + slot machine games =

gaming in 2012

― Mordy, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 00:50 (twelve years ago)

I hate word games. I think I hate words in general. Giving up on life.

― Jeff, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 00:54 (twelve years ago)

also hard games but i suspect they're mostly still to come

― Mordy, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 01:02 (twelve years ago)

#56: Minecraft – XBLA – 11 pts – 1 vote (+83 points / 7 votes from 2011 poll, which would put this at #5 technically, but fuggit)

http://gamershavennews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/minecraftxbox360_616.jpg

http://www.xboxkinectfans.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/minecraft_cont.jpg

Gamasutra: Minecraft, Intellectual Property and The Future of Copyright

Put some cheese on that burger

Notch Interview

http://d1vr6n66ssr06c.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Minecraft-XBLA-2.jpg

itt we minecraft

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 04:42 (twelve years ago)

#55: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy – 3DS, iOS – 13 pts – 1 vote

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110711191223/finalfantasy/images/5/58/Theatrhythm_Final_Fantasy_Logo.png

http://media.nintendo-gamer.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Theatrhythm-Final-Fantasy-screenshot-3.jpg

Songlist

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SCbakyKbfww/UBmI12Xj8YI/AAAAAAAAAL4/JBZ3_oPFd5c/s1600/theatrhythm-final-fantasy-review.jpg

if: Ouendan with classic Final Fantasy music, a couple of extra gameplay touches, and levels upon levels of RPG complications which are mostly there to take or leave as the mood goes - all good things. It gets the difficulty curve just right as well, from initial introduction through to full on concentration and desperation. The point when I realised that this game had really got to me was when I was watching a Paralympic medal ceremony and started picturing the Brazilian national anthem as a series of taps and swishes.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 04:45 (twelve years ago)

#54: New Star Soccer – iOS – 14 pts – 2 votes

http://i1-news.softpedia-static.com/images/news-700/New-Star-Soccer-for-Android-Now-Available-for-Download.jpg

http://www.hookshotinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/mzl.yniguzvd.1024x1024-65.jpg

Play Free Online

NSS’ Unlikely Success

http://media.t3.com/img/resized/ne/xl_New_Star_Soccer_624.jpg

cozen: 'Pandemic. Got that pandemic.'

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 04:47 (twelve years ago)

lol minecraft isn't a fun game

― Mordy, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 04:47 (twelve years ago)

new star soccer! my first vote. guilty admission - i played a whole career w/ beitar club (incidentally) long before this ever happened

― Mordy, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 04:48 (twelve years ago)

i have played so much new star soccer...it makes me sad

― Z S, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 04:49 (twelve years ago)

STAR MAN!~!

― Z S, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 04:49 (twelve years ago)

We're about at the halfway point, so here's a recap:

#54: New Star Soccer – iOS – 14 pts – 2 votes
#55: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy – 3DS, iOS – 13 pts – 1 vote
#56: Minecraft – XBLA – 11 pts – 1 vote (+83 points / 7 votes from 2011 poll, which would put this at #5 technically, but fuggit)
#57 (Tie): Angry Birds: Star Wars – iOS – 10 pts – 2 votes
#57 (Tie): Burrito Bison – iOS – 10 pts – 2 votes
#57 (Tie): QatQi – iOS – 10 pts – 2 votes
#60 (Tie): Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator – iOS, PC – 10 pts – 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition - iOS - 10pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Black Knight Sword – PSN, XBLA – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Crusader Kings II – PC – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Dikembe Mutombo 4 ½ Weeks to Save the World – Browser – 10 pts - 1 vote - FREE
#60 (Tie): Doom 3: BFG Edition – PS3 – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Double Dragon Neon – PSN, XBLA – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Final Fantasy XIII-2 – PS3 – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Halo 4 – X360 – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Jet Set Radio HD – iOS, PSN, XBLA – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): LEGO Lord of the Rings – PS3, X360 – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Letterpress – iOS – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Little Inferno – PC – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Machinarium – PS3 – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): New Super Mario Bros. 2 – 3DS – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Picross E – 3DS – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Professor Layton and The Miracle Mask – 3DS – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Rayman Origins – 3DS – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Rock Band Blitz – PSN – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Saturday Morning RPG – iOS – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): Sound Shapes – PSN – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave – 3DS – 10 pts - 1 vote
#60 (Tie): WipEout 2048 – PSVita – 10 pts - 1 vote
#83 (Tie): Assassin’s Creed III – PS3, X360 – 8 pts – 1 vote
#83 (Tie): F1 Race Stars – X360 – 8 pts – 1 vote
#83 (Tie): Football Manager 2013 – PC – 8 pts – 1 vote
#83 (Tie): Shen Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 – DS – 8 pts – 1 vote - Top DS Game
#83 (Tie): Torchlight II – PC – 8 pts – 1 vote
#88: Nintendo Land – WiiU – 7 pts – 1 vote - Top WiiU Game (lol)
#89 (Tie): New Style Boutique – 3DS – 6 pts – 1 vote
#89 (Tie): Spellwood – iOS – 6 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): 9 Innings Pro Baseball 2013 – iOS – 5 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): Battleheart – iOS – 5 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): DayZ – PC – 5 pts – 1 vote - FREE
#91 (Tie): Fortune Summoners: Secret of The Elemental Stone – PC – 5 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): Gunman Clive – 3DS – 5 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): Knytt Underground – PSN – 5 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): McPixel – iOS, PC, Mac – 5 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): MLB 12: The Show – PS3 – 5 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): Pixel Defenders Puzzle – iOS – 5 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): The Simpsons: Tapped Out – iOS – 5 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): Sleeping Dogs – PS3, X360 – 5 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): Super Monsters Ate My Condo! – iOS – 5 pts – 1 vote
#91 (Tie): Waking Mars – iOS – 5 pts – 1 vote

From here on in, I'm proud to say that ZS' great animations will accompany the rest of the games on the countdown. Basically everyone on this board probably already knows his work, but if you don't, check out http://weinventyou.net/

More tomorrow!

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 04:59 (twelve years ago)

I didn't get the minecraft release date wrong did I? Pretty sure it did come out in 2012, can't remember the rules on incorporating last year's votes though. Anyway I agree that it's not a fun game, but it lets you turn off the game parts, and then it's a very fun play set to hang out in with kids.

― JimD, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 07:11 (twelve years ago)

it would break some kind of gamers' honour code i am sure, but i would love to see some combined ilxor hours logged #s for all these games

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 12:22 (twelve years ago)

I'm actually sort of surprised waking mars didn't get more votes -- it did pretty well among a segment of critics. Maybe just not a lot of room for long-form games on ios?

― s.clover, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 15:21 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/dxR8Yif.gif
#45 (Tie): Analogue: A Hate Story – PC – 15 pts – 1 vote

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/12/feb/ahs.jpg

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/12/jan/analogue.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8147/7177436610_869225e9b7_z.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:44 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/0xLOV1v.gif

#45 (Tie): Gridrunner - iOS – 15 pts – 1 vote

http://gamesareevil.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/photo.png

http://wosland.podgamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/gridrunner1.png

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a-U1r9DVObw/T2y0wQ_kVUI/AAAAAAAAAEo/TivnS3Is_Bs/s1600/Gridrunner+Header.PNG

Cerebral Pop

Play Online Free

JCL: A great, remixed version of Gridrunner for iOS. It almost made me buy an iCade.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:46 (twelve years ago)

http://i46.tinypic.com/2rxzo85.gif

#45 (Tie): NBA 2K13 – PS3, X360 – 15 pts – 1 vote

http://blog.stack.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/NBA-2k13-Wilkins-e1347041535979.jpg

http://nba2kguides.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/120815023613-nba-2k13-story-top.jpg

The Not-So-Secret RPG History of NBA2K

http://cache.g4tv.com/images/ImageDb3/311425_S/nba-2k13.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:47 (twelve years ago)

analogue a hate story is much better than the last one but still not as good as digital.

― Mordy, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:48 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/Sk0vRlZ.gif

#45 (Tie): Pinball Arcade – iOS – 15 pts – 1 vote

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2hKD42_h0d8/UJ0I6T-q3rI/AAAAAAAACkY/u-JikYLOK3I/s1600/Pinball+Arcade+v1.7.0+Android+APK.jpg

http://bulk.destructoid.com/ul/226451-review-the-pinball-arcade/tba5-620x.jpg

http://www.148apps.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pinball-arcade-3.jpg

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:49 (twelve years ago)

http://i50.tinypic.com/33xk60w.gif

#45 (Tie): Pocket Planes – iOS – 15 pts – 1 vote

http://gamechurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/pocket-planes.jpg

http://assets.ilounge.com/images/mac/nimblebit/pocket-planes.jpg

Nimblebit Talks

KillScreen: A Series of Uninteresting Decisions

Gamechurch

http://www.insidemobileapps.com/wp-content/uploads/photo9.png

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:50 (twelve years ago)

Oh man, I had no idea 2K couldn't get the rights to use John Stockton's likeness and had to settle for Chris Kattan.

― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:50 (twelve years ago)

So I was the only vote for Analogue, huh? I was somewhat disappointed (think I've said on every possible thread that it's nowhere near as good as Digital) but I still thought it was worth a reasonable vote. It's much much better than most 'Visual Novel' type things.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:51 (twelve years ago)

wow, nobody else played NBA 2K13? that game kinda blew my mind! of course, I haven't played an NBA game in like ten years, so... but still!

― Nhex, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:51 (twelve years ago)

I played the demo for NBA 2K13 and thought it was their best in years. But I haven't seen it for cheap -- missed the Black Friday deals -- so I haven't picked it up yet.

― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:54 (twelve years ago)

lovin the gifs

― zero dark (s1ocki), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:54 (twelve years ago)

i felt like digital was the perfect amount of gameplay to storytelling. analogue was just a giant text dump at times. she needs an editor.

― Mordy, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:55 (twelve years ago)

POCKET PLANES that was gaming to me in 2K12 for better & mostly for worse

― Euler, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 16:57 (twelve years ago)

these animations are great.

really glad i got off the pocket planes early on when an idevice died. at least with the other time-waster pellet dispensers you can run out of things to do pretty quick. pocket planes quickly ramped up to where you could be managing yr. planes all day nonstop.

― s.clover, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 17:07 (twelve years ago)

my life this term has been Pocket Planes IRL so I appreciated the mappiness of it. I am basically a sucker for games that have real world maps involved essentially in the game play (cf. Plague Inc)

― Euler, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 17:10 (twelve years ago)

its a game that invites min/maxing but at the same time makes you ask why you're reallly bothering. that article linked is pretty good on the topic, i guess, but more positive about it.

― s.clover, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 17:13 (twelve years ago)

...yeah, i am at a loss at how i spent so much time on Pocket Planes and Tiny Tower. don't really regret it, but i'm kinda glad to be out of the addiction cycle as well

― Nhex, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 17:24 (twelve years ago)

someday i'll get around to playing Analogue just so i can yell at you guys for overrating Digital

― Nhex, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 17:24 (twelve years ago)

i could see myself (regretting) getting lost in pocket planes so i will steer wide of that.

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 18:11 (twelve years ago)

c+p has by far the best production values of any poll, nice work forks and zs

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 18:12 (twelve years ago)

the gifs are really nice

― Nhex, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 18:50 (twelve years ago)

graphics 5/5
story 5/5
sound 4/5 because it doesnt have any

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 18:57 (twelve years ago)

Pinball Arcade was my vote, and I'm surprised I was the only vote. All of the pinball machines in the game are simulations of real machines, using the actual layouts, sounds, and animations.

― pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:00 (twelve years ago)

huh I could have sworn I voted for that

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:01 (twelve years ago)

just doublechecked, you didn't.

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:02 (twelve years ago)

btw the gifs are, one and all, amazing; lots to look forward to

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:03 (twelve years ago)

maybe I thought it was a 2011 game?

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:04 (twelve years ago)

This is the poll for old games that were re-released on random platforms in 2012 so there is no room for actual new games.

― pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:06 (twelve years ago)

anybody want to start putting in bets on the top ten?

― it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:07 (twelve years ago)

NO
(jk)

― Z S, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:08 (twelve years ago)

I'm guessing that #3 is the gamification version of the 1040 EZ tax form or something.

― pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:10 (twelve years ago)

great work on the animated gifs so far, looking forward to what gif is chosen for my no1 game that no one will have voted for!
also : really need to get round to playing a Christine Love game - i think i got Analogue in a Steam sale, but do i need to play Digital first?

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:14 (twelve years ago)

they're unrelated but digital is significantly better than analogue

― Mordy, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:22 (twelve years ago)

http://images0.pulsd.com/pulses/images/000/012/119/original/legs.jpg

gamification

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:22 (twelve years ago)

on the gifs: i'm doing the best i can (still need to animate top 18), but they take a lot of time and i'm really crunching on a bunch of stuff so quality may precipitously decline!

― Z S, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:34 (twelve years ago)

this is where I am sad that wallogina.jpg is gone as that would be an outstanding backup

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 19:59 (twelve years ago)

it's gone?!

― Z S, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 20:02 (twelve years ago)

btw, nice gams!

― Z S, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 20:03 (twelve years ago)

yeah it vanished a few years ago ;_;

well actually ^_^

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 20:07 (twelve years ago)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Thefalloftheberlinwall1989.JPG

― zero dark (s1ocki), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 20:15 (twelve years ago)

super monsters ate my condo for ios is free for the moment. folks should grab it.

― s.clover, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 21:59 (twelve years ago)

love the gifs!

the games are kinda lost on me this year though as I don't have any iOS devices and my PC is no longer fast enough to play new games - but still, it's good to see what's been exciting other folks

― a passing spacecadet, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 22:06 (twelve years ago)

getting super MAMC for free almost makes up for the tragic discovery that wallogina.jpg is no more

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 13 February 2013 16:52 (twelve years ago)

super MAMC is way better than the original so far. Lots more combos, lots more variety.

― s.clover, Wednesday, 13 February 2013 23:38 (twelve years ago)

yeah they basically isolated the core of what made MAMC fun and then threw a gigantic pile of awesome on top of it

I had to vote for the game if only for making the blue monster suddenly really super fucking useful, although they made up for it by adding a boost that completely invalidates the existence of red

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Wednesday, 13 February 2013 23:40 (twelve years ago)

like, I've built up ridiculous amounts of points just from padding time by feeding upgraded condos to blue making matches with clocks in them, then switching to a green/yellow combo for megazone, then switching out for blue to pad up time again, rinse/repeat

some ppl are super good at this game though, my best synergistic run ended up with 67 trillion points and there are still 181 ppl with higher scores than me; the top score has some stupid number like 9.2 QUINTILLION points

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Wednesday, 13 February 2013 23:44 (twelve years ago)

lol 67 BILLION, I'm not that good (yet)

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Wednesday, 13 February 2013 23:46 (twelve years ago)

the free price sucked me in. not a fan of the currency system, but it's still a good game

― Nhex, Thursday, 14 February 2013 05:32 (twelve years ago)

http://i47.tinypic.com/2qtvhy1.gif
#45 (Tie): Resident Evil: Revelations – 3DS – 15 pts – 1 vote

http://www.pixeljumpers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Resident-Evil-revelations-box.jpg

http://download.gamezone.com/uploads/image/data/875404/Raid_Mode_006_bmp_jpgcopy.jpg

Gamasutra Dev Interview

Shocked to discover there’s sequels in the works

http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/screenshots/ResidentEvilRevelations/re-revelations-1105-002.jpg

zappi: Mostly successful attempt to match the gunplay of modern RE to the atmosphere of old RE. Raid Mode a lot of fun too. A port to HD consoles is coming soon.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 05:50 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/Uwh2OVX.gif
#45 (Tie): Skullgirls – PSN – 15 pts – 1 vote

http://www.made2game.com/uploads/article_images/Skullgirls-banner.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6187/6104312753_1d45223a17_z.jpg

http://www.thatsyogarbage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/SkullGirls.jpg

Combo Transcripts

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 05:52 (twelve years ago)

http://i50.tinypic.com/behlrk.gif
#45 (Tie): Soulcalibur V – PS3, X360 - 15 pts – 1 vote

http://validgaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/SoulCalibur-V-Has-Upgraded-Character-Creator-Lots-of-Classic-Fighters-2.jpeg

http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/2012/gameguides/soulcaliburv/0011.jpg

Game Director Interview

http://www.sidekickcomicsuk.com/blogs/media/users/ned/soul_calibur_v_comparison.JPG

Worldwide Finals

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 05:57 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/DICBuy8.gif
#45 (Tie): Triple Town – iOS – 15 pts – 1 vote

http://lh4.ggpht.com/Ys1UqKyNCuozFhTO5Q5f6IVdgQvUml4T13U1AAItWBLjqbdWbV__Xf0aVw3XlzuTJg=w705

http://immagini.z-giochi.com/2013/01/evomap.jpg

http://media.edge-online.com/wp-content/uploads/edgeonline/oldfiles/articles/features/triple_town_1_0.jpg

A Decade of Triple Town

On... Kindle?

Getting Cloned

WillM: Triple Town is a sickness. It's the one game on my phone that I can pick up and play at almost any time. I've been doing so for about 12 months. It never goes anywhere. About one in five games I get the floating triple castle, which is pretty cool, I guess, but it doesn't even save my high scores anywhere. It's so aimless. So why do I enjoy it so much? I've never really had a match 3 game get in my head like this one did, but I think the magic of it is the empty space. Clearing corridors to put down more grass, finding ways to avoid requiring crystals and high-level (tree, hut, etc) pieces, placing junk blocks until only a few spots remain to kill the 7-10 ninja bears I've amassed and make them into churches... it's satisfying in a way a Bejeweled will never be, because in Bejeweled, all of the "little victories" are abstract. Going up a level or getting a big combo or whatever. In Triple Town, the little victories are concrete -- open space to make more bushes. When you do something right, everything compresses and your canvas gets bigger again.
Now, can we PLEASE stop making match 3 games? I think that's enough now.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 06:00 (twelve years ago)

http://i48.tinypic.com/r6zhbd.gif
#44: Plague Inc. – iOS – 15 pts – 1 vote - 1 top game votes

http://gametipcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/plague-inc-logo.jpg

http://behance.vo.llnwd.net/profiles4/238183/projects/4199973/fecce7ae570afa1ebb52d814d337f051.png

http://applenapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/plague_inc2.jpg

Sound Design Interview

Dev Podcast

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 06:02 (twelve years ago)

http://i47.tinypic.com/212g56g.gif
#41 (Tie): Dungeon Village – iOS – 15 pts – 2 votes

http://jtmgames.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/dungeon-village-rpg-for-android-now-available-for-download.jpg

http://cdn.appstorm.net/iphone.appstorm.net/files/2012/06/DungeonVillageScreenies.png

Top 10 Kairosoft Games We Want in English in 2013

Why Do We Kairo?

http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/dungeonstory1.jpg

S. Clover: Why am I still up, staring at this tiny screen? I'm not even doing anything, just watching the little heros run around and fight on their own. I can turn it off, and they can fight on their own tomorrow. I'm sure I can turn it off. I've got this.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 06:06 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/qB9dqgw.gif
#41 (Tie): Infectonator – iOS – 15 pts – 2 votes

http://jaren.cudilla.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/infectonator-2.jpg

http://thumbs.mochiads.com/c/g/infectonator-2/screen4.jpg

Forksclovetofu: Sometimes when a game grabs you, you don’t know why. It plays off the ol’ time waster principle too well and the hours fall off easy on the train or in bed or in boring moments. It is not a thinking game that wins our time, often it is a grout game, a thing meant to cement the bricks of real life together. This year, for me, it was Infectonator that drew me in again and again, pointlessly, stupidly, addictively.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 06:10 (twelve years ago)

http://i47.tinypic.com/dd1d3l.gif
#41 (Tie): Rebuild – iOS – 15 pts – 2 votes (+ 15 points / 1 vote for the in-browser version from last year which would boost this to 24, but fuggit)

http://i47.tinypic.com/2h87hft.png

http://cdn.macworld.co.uk/cmsdata/reviews/3412691/Rebuild2.jpg

http://iphoneipadleaks.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Rebuild-Ipa-3.0-v3.0-iPhone-iPad-and-iPod-Download-Has-New-Events-and-Endings.jpg

S. Clover: A tense, scary game. I'm afraid to play it at the high difficulty levels.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 06:11 (twelve years ago)

love the concept of "grout games."

― s.clover, Thursday, 14 February 2013 14:16 (twelve years ago)

rebuild looks cool, imma get that shit on my kindle

― Roberto Spiralli, Thursday, 14 February 2013 14:21 (twelve years ago)

pretty sure Plague Inc was my #1 (can't remember! def voted for it) & I'm shocked I'm the only vote for it! I think you'll all dig it; you get to kill the whole world, which seems in touch with general ILX 'tudes

― Euler, Thursday, 14 February 2013 14:21 (twelve years ago)

i killed the world once or twice on easy. there wasn't anything pushing me to ratchet up the skill level too much higher and keep exploring the game.

― s.clover, Thursday, 14 February 2013 14:25 (twelve years ago)

^ that mostly. I think it (and rebuild) would be on a top 20 ballot but I thought there were 10 games better than both this year

― Mordy, Thursday, 14 February 2013 14:27 (twelve years ago)

I like games with real world maps (would love an ios port of Shadow President) & the killing dynamic was just a good enough hook for me to keep on going

― Euler, Thursday, 14 February 2013 14:28 (twelve years ago)

picked up Infectionator - didn't realize they improved it since the original flash version, cute

― Nhex, Thursday, 14 February 2013 14:45 (twelve years ago)

i downloaded that simpsons game after somebody recommended it on this thread and after 15 minutes i wanted to kill myself, fuck all games like that forever. such depressing life-wasters.

― zero dark (s1ocki), Thursday, 14 February 2013 14:48 (twelve years ago)

ABSOLUTELY! (downloads Triple Town)

― JimD, Thursday, 14 February 2013 15:35 (twelve years ago)

rebuild made my ballot despite not getting that much more play than plague -- the game itself was so tense and memorable, plus it was fun to keep playing even when i was safe/dominating, and there was enough story that it was interesting to explore the various paths, alternate endings, etc. the quartertothree review really nailed it for me.

― s.clover, Thursday, 14 February 2013 15:43 (twelve years ago)

well s1ocki i guess i know who isnt getting any springfield valentines to build phineas butterfat's from me in the near future then

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:01 (twelve years ago)

oh btw are we all friending each other in the Simpsons game?

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:02 (twelve years ago)

look upon my mighty disorganized fake city with no roads connecting stuff and despair

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:04 (twelve years ago)

i am jjjusten btw

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:05 (twelve years ago)

djperrynomod

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:06 (twelve years ago)

who is lubbarlubab, is that someone here?

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:06 (twelve years ago)

mordy iirc

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:08 (twelve years ago)

yeah that's me

― Mordy, Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:10 (twelve years ago)

so you all are getting valentines from me right? just want to make sure im doing that right

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:15 (twelve years ago)

STOP RUINING THIS THREAD YOU GUYS

― JimD, Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:18 (twelve years ago)

oh yeah, tons of valentines everywhere

― Mordy, Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:19 (twelve years ago)

<3 <3 <3

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:21 (twelve years ago)

http://i48.tinypic.com/2utmeco.gif
#40: SSX – X360, PS3 – 15 pts – 3 votes

http://86bb71d19d3bcb79effc-d9e6924a0395cb1b5b9f03b7640d26eb.r91.cf1.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ssx-2012-walkthrough-cover.jpg

http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/files/2012/08/ssx.jpg

http://thecontrolleronline.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SSX-Race-It.jpg

T/S: SSX vs SSX Tricky vs SSX3 vs SSX whatever!

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:26 (twelve years ago)

i voted for that!

― Mordy, Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:28 (twelve years ago)

That SSX GIF is killer! Nicely done, Z S.

― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:28 (twelve years ago)

http://i47.tinypic.com/264newp.gif
#39: Dear Esther – PC – 16 pts – 1 vote - 1 top game votes

http://www.pageofreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/Dear-Esther1.jpg

http://cdni.wired.co.uk/620x413/a_c/2012-02-13_00004.png

Brainy Gamer: Dear Eisenstein

PopMatters - Isolation in Gaming

Postmortem

The Thin Play of Dear Esther

”Speedrun”

Nightmare Mode: The Wonderful Accessibility of Dear Esther

Dear Esteban

http://www.primagames.com/media/images/games/hub/hero/dear-esther.jpg

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:28 (twelve years ago)

http://i47.tinypic.com/9srl3s.gif
#38: Hotline Miami – PC – 16 pts – 3 votes

http://gamingirresponsibly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Hotline-Miami-Logo-Small.png

http://thecontrolleronline.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Hotline-Miami.jpg

http://25.media.tumblr.com/f125fa78bbab68f320e8a8cb10880917/tumblr_meoxcscnY51qbqo3ao1_1280.jpg

WillM: The flip side of the Fez coin. I didn't get too far, like Fez. I didn't quite love the gameplay. I thought the overt story bits were so super hokey. But there was something about the feel of it. Again, probably the music and the visuals and the pacing of the whole thing. the whole game feels like the sticky floor of a movie theatre. Kind of gross, kind of foreign, best not to think about it too much.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:31 (twelve years ago)

http://i49.tinypic.com/30hlpir.gif

#37: Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward – 3DS – 18 pts – 2 votes - Top 3DS Game

http://www.technologytell.com/gaming/files/2012/11/zero-escape-virtues-last-reward-e1352227187810.jpg

http://cdn.dualshockers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Zero-Escape-Virtues-Last-Reward_2012_10-22-12_003.jpg_600.jpg

”Why ZE:VLR should be Game of the Year”

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/8/85333/2361540-zero_escape_vol._2__virtue_s_last_reward__17_.jpg

if: I loved 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors. The sequel most importantly keeps the general sadistic Crystal Maze approach, and also removes most of the annoyances in mechanics terms, has some particularly clever puzzles and ups the scale and complexity of the story to this amazing meta thing with hilarious/stunning twists everywhere. The prose is still overwrought but when you don't have to read it several times it doesn't seem a bit issue All of which makes it all the more annoying in the few occasions where it also takes the dubious innuendo/character design that infected the first game in places and puts much more uncomfortable needless sexism into the mouth of the first person main character.

lamp: In the movies of my childhood the heroes
after skilled swordplay and moral victories
leave with absolutely nothing
to do for the rest of their lives

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:33 (twelve years ago)

http://i47.tinypic.com/awxi4k.gif
#33 (Tie): Motorstorm: RC – PSVita – 20 pts - 1 vote - Top PSVita Game

http://beefjack.com/files/2012/02/motorstorm-RC-review.jpg

http://roxarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/motorstorm-rc-vita1.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ocDzS84eRg/T1gBJDzhcFI/AAAAAAAAEwg/Z_YaMfatzf8/s1600/MotorstormRC2.jpg

JCL: Top-down, remote control car racer with tons of content and challenge. For some reason, I feel like this game has been over-looked, but damn, it’s really good. If only it had online multiplayer, it could have been perfect.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:36 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/iJ8gDd9.gif
#33 (Tie): Sine Mora – PSN, XBLA – 20 pts - 1 vote

http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/224060-review-sine-mora/SM_screenshot_3-620x.jpg

http://www.onlysp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Sine_Mora.jpg

http://cdnl.complex.com/m.php/CHANNEL_IMAGES/VIDEO_GAMES/2012/06/the-top-25-video-games-of-2012-so-far/sine_mora_new_screenshot_010_270369.jpg

JCL: Probably the best looking STG ever. The soundtrack, by Akira Yamaoka, is wonderful. Also just a really solid game.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:42 (twelve years ago)

http://i48.tinypic.com/5y9uhd.gif
#33 (Tie): Star Wars: The Old Republic – PC – 20 pts - 1 vote

http://www.universostarwars.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/star-wars-the-old-republic-gameplay.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m4DAgQcR7ns/TvCCYh651_I/AAAAAAAAAd4/BBFOdw2dUTw/s1600/Star+Wars+Old+Republic+gameplay.jpg

How I Got Through SW:TOR

Gamasutra: The Burning of SW: TOR

Darth Hater

Late 2012 Dev Interview

http://www.gamersbliss.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Star-Wars-The-Old-Republic-Legacy-Update-Tauntaun-Pet-600x300.png

Dev Blogs

Tanking the Old Republic

Zora: I know this has been out a while, but you said MMOs were ok, and I only started playing it in 2012. What can I say about it? It's an MMO, it's star wars, it's exactly what you'd expect, but... just a little better. Well written, well voiced, nicely balanced. The PvP lets it down something fierce, because it all takes place in instanced scenarios, and they are really, really well designed but there's only so many of them, so it suffers from that paintball problem all instanced PvP is subject to. Coming from years of open-world PvP in Dark Age of Camelot and EVE Online, the instances are repetitive, frenetic, and ultimately feel a bit silly. Think of this as a multiplayer adventure game, however, and it's not going to disappoint.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:43 (twelve years ago)

http://i49.tinypic.com/110avrd.gif
#33 (Tie): Unchained Blades – PSP – 20 pts - 1 vote - Top PSP Game

http://gamingbolt.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/UnchainedBladesSlider.jpg

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2013/01/ucb.jpg

XSEED Blog - How To Do What You Love (If Your Love Is Nerdy and Awesome)

XSEED in 2013

http://www.gameplox.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/unchained-blades1.jpg

lamp: so much depends
upon
the way you
level

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:48 (twelve years ago)

so basically this list is making me feel bad about how few games i played this year.

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:49 (twelve years ago)

u totally wasted your life not playing games dude

― zero dark (s1ocki), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:53 (twelve years ago)

Amazed that nobody else gave Dear Esther a vote! Best thing I played all year. By dropping everything else gamey and just letting itself be a journey through a landscape, it really achieved what in truth I think lots of games aim for but then fall short of, because they then trip up over their own combat or menus or levelling or whatever - it felt a real visit to a real place.

I really enjoyed the writing and voice acting and experimental story structure too. But they all felt secondary to that sense of place.

― JimD, Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:56 (twelve years ago)

xp they're all out there and readily available and MUCH CHEAPER now, so rejoice!

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:56 (twelve years ago)

it was a pretty solid year, more than i realized, as i often feel during these yearly recaps

JCL votes in character, nice

SSX was a lot of fun, and didn't overstay its welcome. wish it had a better soundtrack, better multiplayer and a little more variance in the levels, but i really appreciate what was there for a "fresh" start

I would've rated Hotline Miami higher if I'd played a little more before voting, it's fucking great btw. i mean really great, easily on par with the best stuff I played this year. deserves to be a LOT higher in this list.

― Nhex, Thursday, 14 February 2013 17:57 (twelve years ago)

haha forx did you just link a couple of random XSEED-related blog posts in the 'unchained blades' entry??

― kill yuppies (Lamp), Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:02 (twelve years ago)

seemed appropriate. i like what they do but it's all of one color, isn't it?

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:08 (twelve years ago)

i think theres probably a greater aesthetic/cultural consistency than there is in gameplay

― kill yuppies (Lamp), Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:13 (twelve years ago)

Infectonator and Rebuild are ace.

I've just installed Super Monsters Ate My Condo on my iPod, but it looks like the sort of thing I'll enjoy for a while despite being absolutely shit at it, then give up in the not-so-distant future. I can't even imagine how you guys are getting such high scores.

Dear Esther looks AMAZING and right up my alley, I might spend some of my birthday money on it.

― emil.y, Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:24 (twelve years ago)

Sine Mora OMG I waaaant it
I always forget about 2D space shooters and then they appear

― flamboyant goon tie included, Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:29 (twelve years ago)

emil.y: Super MAMC is all about appropriate boost selection once you've unlocked all of them. There are a few that look like they will be indispensable at first that turn out to be kind of terrible and others whose possibilities explode once you start using the monsters' powers more effectively. Scoring high in the game is all dependent upon extending the gameplay time and raising your multiplier; once you unlock enough of the starting boosts where you can begin focusing on that (and making chain combos) you'll find it very hard to score less than a billion points in a game.

For example, a strategy I like is choosing the "double pink condo" boost, where every time, pig and multiplier condo you create for the first 15 seconds creates a double and then creating and feeding bronzes and silvers to the blue monster, who doubles the value of all pink condos matched, right at the beginning of the game. If you can get your matches right and you are lucky with chains, you can end up with 5 minutes of time on the clock and a multiplier that's pushing 300 after the first 15 seconds of play. If you can then balance between making matches with time condos while blue's power is active and activating yellow before going into Megazone, you will find that every time you launch Megazone you can rack up over a billion points. Then it becomes a game of "how long can I keep this going" wrt combos and keeping blue active as long as possible.

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:41 (twelve years ago)

xxp yeah, that's what i mean by color i guess

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:44 (twelve years ago)

My high is 376 million. And I thought I was doing good.

― Jeff, Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:48 (twelve years ago)

I've settled on using the peace, long combo and double pink boosts as my go-tos; I think if I swapped out the peace boost for either the dog or the cat I could probably take my baseline score up to the next level

also I play this game compulsively

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:52 (twelve years ago)

how do you "afford" to use the boosts though? seems like you'd only be able to use them once every few games, and the rest of the time save up money

― Nhex, Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:53 (twelve years ago)

My money management strategy for the first 30 "levels" of the game was to only use the peace boost and to avoid events until I had over 10,000 gold; then I added another cheap boost and kept playing until I could reliably make 1000 gold per game, at which point I added a third cheap boost. I would also take whatever free boost I won on the wheel.

So, for a while until I built up my bank, I only played with peace, yellow, and +10 multiplier and would regularly end the game with 1000+ gold, which when added to the incidental gold you make during the game and the bonus gold you can win on the wheel, meant that I was always coming out positive in the coins. I recently switched to long combo/peace/double pink, which is 2000 gold, and have been reliably scoring 1800-2100 gold at the end of the game which has kept me at about the break even point while I work on figuring out how to get to the trillion mark. If I get too low in funds due to a string of bad games, I just go back down to the peace boost and play some games to get my bank back up.

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 14 February 2013 19:02 (twelve years ago)

in mamc i always am held back by not wanting to feed my bronze/silver/gold/etc to the monsters because i want to build more of them

― zero dark (s1ocki), Thursday, 14 February 2013 22:34 (twelve years ago)

its like i kinda keep refusing to play it correctly

― zero dark (s1ocki), Thursday, 14 February 2013 22:34 (twelve years ago)

haha yeah, I understand that; the realization that I could make more points by feeding bronzes to blue rather than hoarding them was a long time coming, mostly because in the original MAMC blue was useless except for in very specific situations where I was likely to not even have him swapped in

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 14 February 2013 22:40 (twelve years ago)

doesnt the blue do the same thing?

― zero dark (s1ocki), Thursday, 14 February 2013 22:45 (twelve years ago)

keep the tower straight no matter what?

― zero dark (s1ocki), Thursday, 14 February 2013 22:45 (twelve years ago)

in the original, blue keeps the tower from falling and that's it
in super MAMC, blue keeps the tower from falling AND doubles any time bonus, coin bonus or multiplier bonus you get from matching pink condos

he basically went from being the least useful monster to the most useful IMO; he's the only one that radically boosts your ability to extend the time limit on the game, giving you more of an opportunity to score points

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, 14 February 2013 22:47 (twelve years ago)

ohhhhhhh

― zero dark (s1ocki), Thursday, 14 February 2013 22:50 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/rTFDA1m.gif
#32: Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland – PS3 – 20 pts - 1 vote - 1 top game votes

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6842904475_d3a60afdb9_z.jpg

http://m5.paperblog.com/i/24/240244/ss-reviews-atelier-meruru-the-apprentice-of-a-L-V1SRlK.jpeg

Localization Interview

RPGamer

Coming to Vita

http://d1vr6n66ssr06c.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Atelier-Meruru-Apprentice-of-Arland-gallery-01.jpg

zappi: If you can get past the ubertwee cutesy graphics (and switch off the English dub, ugh nobody needs to hear that garbage) there is a really fun worldbuilding JPRG underneath. Oh and half the game is spent tooling around in menus combining items to create new ones through alchemy.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:19 (twelve years ago)

that was the worst gif, right there

― Z S, Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:22 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/evELBtU.gif
#30 (Tie): Far Cry 3 – PS3, X360, PC – 20 pts – 2 votes

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02413/Far-Cry-3-cover_2413312b.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18at7esoy8pp7jpg/xlarge.jpg

I Broke Far Cry 3

Author Interview

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Farcry-3-Story-Trailer-Screenshot-01-600x336.png

The Crysis/Far Cry/Crytek-in-general thread

Jordan: The best hang-gliding sim of the year.

jjjusten: YES THE STORY IS STUPID PROBABLY. NO I DIDN'T ASK FOR A GAME WHERE MY PROGRESS IS MEASURED BY A TRIBAL TATTOO.
Okay, now that that's out of the way, FC3 a much more enjoyable followup to FC2, with the nice changes as listed here:
1. Your character might be a jerk, but he isn't actually an inherently evil and terrible person.
2. Sound and visual design is as good as it gets. Seriously.
3. Respawning murderous animals makes a lot more sense than respawning guard posts, probably.
4. Lots of diversity in mission design.
5. Great use of vertical space. In a lot of ways, the map feels like Just Cause 2, but with less abject stupidity (dont get me wrong, love that game but wow is it dumb).

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:24 (twelve years ago)

serious questoin: is the tribal tattoo/progress bar symmetrical and located directly above the butt?

― Z S, Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:25 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/xPpkicz.gif
#30 (Tie): Wargames: WOPR – iOS – 20 pts – 2 votes

http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/230127-WOPR-Header.jpg

http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/files/2012/12/wargames.jpg

Developer Interview

A Brief History of Match Three

http://www.pixelitis.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/wargames_wopr.jpg

S. Clover: Wargames certainly profited from a retro tie-in, officially franchised no less! But the story is mainly confined to some clips and dialogue between levels. The rpg-puzzling itself is where the action is at. More than other draw-a-line matchers, there's both scarcity and time constraints in the wargames world. The field is basically littered with ticking bombs, and against a sufficiently powerful opponent you'll always, eventually lose. So play is strategic, but also over quickly. And unlike the steady grind of some other similar games, you can just jump into a level of your choice.

Forksclovetofu: Late to the game on this one but I think it's not unfair to say this is nearly as good as 10000000. http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-colbert.gif

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:27 (twelve years ago)

tribal tattoo is on the arm because main character IS A TOUGH GUY MAN GODDAMNIT

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:31 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/maOKvlY.gif
#29: Fairway Solitaire – iOS – 21 pts – 3 votes

http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/features/10%20more%20free%20iPhone%20games%20and%20edits/25-freeway-solitaire-580-90.jpg

http://blog.swagbucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/fairway-solitaire-2.jpg

Play Free Online

Dev Interview, Part One

Dev Interview, Part Two

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tmaH7-jeWzM/Tz8iEX3HFYI/AAAAAAAABJc/-0dc7ypf7T4/s640/FairwaySolitaireCheat.png

EZSnappin: Loved the PC version, but the iOS one is better. Once they added the daily challenges I was hooked. Worth that 5 minutes of play each day.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:32 (twelve years ago)

ok to be fair, the game is actually weirdly good at defeating that same mythos as much as celebrating it, but still, dudertown tribal armband thing is dumb as shit

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:32 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/BjEqiCd.gif
#27 (Tie): I Am Alive – PS3 – 25 pts – 1 vote

http://static9.cdn.ubi.com/en-US/images/IAA_Screenshot_12_620x350tcm1932369.jpg

http://thecontrolleronline.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/i-am-alive-trailer.png

http://media.t3.com/img/resized/i_/xl_I_Am_Alive_4_624.jpg

”Development Disaster”

Soundtrack on Spotify

come anticipate a TS w/me: infamous Vs. prototype Vs. I am alive

Jordan: I am the only person alive who liked this game. It worked within its limitations so well that it always felt bigger than it was.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:34 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/Hv0bt6L.gif
#27 (Tie): Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 – PS3 – 25 pts – 1 vote

http://cdn.pocket-lint.com/images/4S5W/pes-2013-pro-evolution-soccer-2013-review-1.jpg?20120923-193438

http://www.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/pes-ps3.jpg

Dev Video Interview

”Brand Manager” Interview

http://screenshots.nl.sftcdn.net/nl/scrn/3342000/3342271/pro-evolution-soccer-2013-02-700x393.png

EZSnappin: The best soccer game got better, primarily through better AI. Remember when we all wanted some of the processing power to go towards better AI? At least one group of developers got the message.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:35 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/Fgj9cLp.gif
#26: Puzzle Craft – iOS – 26 pts – 2 votes

http://quickman.gameological.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/120905_sawbuck_puzzlecraft_featured.jpg

http://www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/feature/180102/PUZZLECRAFTFINAL.jpg

Gamasutra: The Evolution of Puzzle Craft

”Good At Killing Time, Not Good At Usability”

http://www.hookshotinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Puzzle-Craft-1.jpg

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:37 (twelve years ago)

Top 25 to come.
Can a fella hear a little enthusiasm?

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:38 (twelve years ago)

I know nothing about video games of the 21st century, but I am v much enjoying the rollout and imagining in my head what the games might be.

― brogue element (seandalai), Thursday, 14 February 2013 23:40 (twelve years ago)

are any of these games available for free in browser or are all those types of games only on iOS now

― Alice 2 Chainz - "I Luv Dem Bones" (zachlyon), Friday, 15 February 2013 00:03 (twelve years ago)

Rebuild, Burrito Bison, Infectonator, Fairway Solitaire - all definitely available for free in browser. I played them all as browser games first, but I think most/all were last year or before, hence it being iOS versions that are in this poll.

― emil.y, Friday, 15 February 2013 00:06 (twelve years ago)

I cannot even comprehend what would compel anyone to vote for these community sim games. Like, fine, waste your precious hours playing them, I get it. Life is meaningless. But to recommend that practice to others is cruel.

― pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Friday, 15 February 2013 00:06 (twelve years ago)

oh thanks xp. i noticed there were a lot more iOS games this year, and i usually use these threads to find new distractions. played Rebuild a while ago, was a fun hour or two.

― Alice 2 Chainz - "I Luv Dem Bones" (zachlyon), Friday, 15 February 2013 00:20 (twelve years ago)

puzzle craft is another one that i probably would've voted for w/ a bigger ballot but just too small and inconsequential to feel like one of the 10 best games of the year. the 'puzzle' element is practically non-existent too.

― Mordy, Friday, 15 February 2013 00:23 (twelve years ago)

I just started far cry 3. Probably would have voted for it if I had played it earlier.

― Jeff, Friday, 15 February 2013 00:25 (twelve years ago)

the first truly millennial video game! or so some idiot game reviewer told me

― Mordy, Friday, 15 February 2013 00:27 (twelve years ago)

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/12/behold-the-first-video-game-about-the-millennials/266039/#

atlantic game coverage is truly horrific

― Mordy, Friday, 15 February 2013 00:28 (twelve years ago)

xpost
i think i remember that idiot reviewer! where was that?

― Z S, Friday, 15 February 2013 00:28 (twelve years ago)

whoops, you already posted it before i could ask :)

― Z S, Friday, 15 February 2013 00:28 (twelve years ago)

i think fairway solitaire is another game that has shown up on c+p a few times from different systems

― Mordy, Friday, 15 February 2013 00:28 (twelve years ago)

i just started it too, and i think it's really solid so far.

yes its "the beach" + "red dawn" story elements are pretty bad, but fwiw still a notch above most shooters

― goole, Friday, 15 February 2013 00:30 (twelve years ago)

xps it meaning FC3

― goole, Friday, 15 February 2013 00:30 (twelve years ago)

ha goole i was plowing through max payne 3 so i could rack in some more time on fc3 and then loan it to you!

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Friday, 15 February 2013 00:53 (twelve years ago)

#27 (Tie): I Am Alive – PS3 – 25 pts – 1 vote

as it should be

― keef qua keef (Jordan), Friday, 15 February 2013 01:55 (twelve years ago)

If i'd started playing fairway earlier, it totally would have made my ballot. I've three-starred all the levels except for the bonus ones now. so yeah, its pretty much just down to the one daily level, but at this rate it'll take me forever to unlock any of the remaining stuff. the monetization on this is also sort of ridiculous (12$ IAP? seriously? who does that?).

― s.clover, Friday, 15 February 2013 03:20 (twelve years ago)

fairway solitaire is the first video game about the millenials

― zero dark (s1ocki), Friday, 15 February 2013 15:47 (twelve years ago)

... sit on the bench man, you on a cold streak

― Nhex, Friday, 15 February 2013 15:49 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/zXVW885.gif
#25: Botanicula – PC – 30 pts – 2 votes - 1 top game vote

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/11/dec/bot1.jpg

http://images.pcworld.com/reviews/graphics/products/uploaded/software_manufacturer_botanicula_1199324_g4.jpg

Experience Points

Play the Demo Free Online

http://amanita-design.net/img/games/botanicula-02.jpg

CraigG: I'm never entirely sure that I'm solving the puzzles in this - I'm mostly wandering my little crew aimlessly about, but I seem to keep getting a little further each time. I found Samorost, Machinarium, and games like that really passifying in the past, and this is no exception. Plus, the audio and overall style are lovely.

Zora: This was one of the most original and (I hate to say it but-) charming games I've ever played. It was hard at times because it required an insane amount of lateral thinking, but the upside of course is that it both surprises and satisfies. And it's more affordable than a meal cooked by Heston Blumenthal.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Friday, 15 February 2013 15:57 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/LsxTDxS.gif
#24: Diablo III – PC, Mac – 30 pts – 3 votes

http://images.pcworld.com/images/article/2011/11/diablo-3-5235391.jpg

http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Diablo-iii-auction-house-trouble.jpg

Hey, remember that slow start? Good times.

Brainy Gamer: A Comfy Conditioning Chamber

Diablo Is Kind of a Dick

Gamasutra: Diablo III - Lead Director Interview

http://www.diablo3classes.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Diablo3_creaft.jpg

Diablo III

EZSnappin: Bought this to play with a friend. Had a blast but haven't played it since that first month. Still, it was worth it.

Forksclovetofu: Bought this to play by myself. Had a blast but haven’t played it since that first month. May have been worth it? I’m just glad this lacked the opiate power of it’s predecessor. I still refer to Diablo II as one of the main reasons I don’t have a bachelor’s degree.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Friday, 15 February 2013 16:01 (twelve years ago)

are we wrapping up today?

― Mordy, Friday, 15 February 2013 16:01 (twelve years ago)

Nope. Likely gonna go on a bit longer. Prior appointments.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Friday, 15 February 2013 16:03 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/RudSDGE.gif
#22 (Tie): Magic: The Gathering 2013 - Duels of the Planeswalkers – iOS, PC – 31 pts – 3 votes

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7411999038_a3449b28be_z.jpg

http://www.maclife.com/files/u325188/2012/06/magic_screen.jpg

Gamasutra: What Can Magic Teach Us

http://cultofmac.cultofmaccom.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/E13-Challenge-Gameplay.jpg

Magic: The Gathering C/D

EZSnappin: I hadn't played the card game since the Ice Age expansion, but this got me interested again. I have no desire to get into the collectable bullshit part of it again, but this was fun.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Friday, 15 February 2013 16:04 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/rhaNRT5.gif
#22 (Tie): Max Payne 3 – PS3, X360 – 31 pts – 3 votes

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/wp-content/gallery/maxpayne3/max-payne-3-12.jpg

http://media.rockstargames.com/rockstargames/img/global/news/upload/maxpayne3_screenshots_03012012_0005.jpg

I Broke Max Payne 3

Errant Signal

Voice Actor Interview

”Max Payne 3 Soundtrack Should Be A Model For The Future”

Pitchfork Soundtrack Review

http://www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne3/img/global/screens/maxpayne3-weapon-smgs-01-640.jpg

What about Max Payne 3 already

CraigG: I got this in the July Steam Sale, and alternated between playing this and playing Skyrim in bursts, though both games tended to distract me to the point where 'bursts' become '3-4 hours'. It's definitely just as good as Max Payne 1/2 were, the story is interesting enough to keep it trundling along, but really - as with the first two - it all just comes down to how badass a shootout is with well-implemented (by the developers) and well-executed (by you, the player) Bullet-Time. There are even some great set-pieces that show that real-time-events don't have to be frantically tapping the 'x' button to wrestle with someone, or pushing a joystick one direction at exactly the right moment, they can just be more badass bullet-time!
It does suffer for crappy vehicle missions (I've never enjoyed vehicle missions in games like this, GoW, Halo, etc), so I just drop the difficulty to get those over and done with, then get back on with the shooting.

jjjusten: Haven't finished this yet, so I reserve the right to yank my vote if there's one of those skull-fucking crying baby blood trail levels, but they haven't showed up so far. Thankfully Rockstar also managed to dodge the pitfall of doing another dark shadow noir take on this one, keeping the vibe but splashing color all over the place. Obv being who they are, it's clear that they were throwing buckets of money all over the place for this one, and it shows, from the interstitial cut-scenes to the splashy environments. You learn pretty quickly to take the world-weary max schtick with a grain of salt, and if you hone into the humor it's actually pretty well planned out. I've got some qulams about the controls at times, too many moments where you end up inadvertently shoot dodging for no reason, but it never seems to end up with cheap death scenarios so it's a minor quibble at best. Some not-quite-quicktime events that didn't need to be there arise, but not enough to be all that frustrating, and as a dude that thinks that 90% of cover shooters are rank bullshit, this one actually seems to work (again, level design in a cover system needs to be basically perfect or that shit just doesn't work.) I hear there is multiplayer, so hey, hooray for people that care about that sort of thing.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Friday, 15 February 2013 16:05 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/84YdyL8.gif
#21: Mass Effect 3 – PS3, X360 – 32 pts – 4 votes

http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2012/03/10/mass-effect-3-allies_r640x400.jpg?5f283927f7404204a81e453b153d50eb7d86d89b

http://cache.g4tv.com/ImageDb3/293725_S/mass-effect-3-multiplayer-guide-a-simple-strategy-to-survive.jpg

Gamasutra: Mass Effect 3’s Creative Challenges

PopMatters

Pixelogic Interview

http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/electronic-arts2012/bioware/masseffect3/MassEffect3GOTY610.jpg

Writer Interview

Mass Effect

diamonddave85: As stupid as the ending really was (WHY WAS SETH GREEN RUNNING AWAY FROM THE BATTLE??), as weak as the storyline was, and as much as I hated the protagonist (Shepard looks exactly like this loud jock bro that lived above me at the time), I have a soft spot for space action/adventure games and enjoyed the battle system quite a bit.

WillM: The best thing about Mass Effect 3 is that I'm done with Mass Effect now. I love love love the first game -- it so perfectly captured the essence of space loneliness during those quiet, irrelevant Mako treks on barren planets and moons -- that the shootered up, voice-forever-in-ear Crank 2 High Voltage little brother in Mass Effect 2 could do nothing but disappoint. Mass Effect 3 spends its entirety, from the first five minutes to the last fade out, that HEY USER, THIS IS THE END. Which works for it at times (the Geth/Quarian missions) and not so much others (any time you are reminded of your "galactic readiness" it's just wearying and so so so lame). I was so insanely hyped for 2, and, honestly, 3 too... I'm just glad that it's "over" and that I'll never really be hyped for another one of these. The multiplayer was shockingly competent, which definitely didn't hurt.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Friday, 15 February 2013 16:11 (twelve years ago)

mass effect 3 was my disappointment of the year. after playing the first 2 (multiple times) i just could not get into the third one. it's not you, mass effect, it's me. i'm sure. i no longer want to watch 4 hour space opera cutscene dialogues in my video games. i want to play them.

― Mordy, Friday, 15 February 2013 16:13 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/t13IVUc.gif
#20: Quantum Conundrum – PS3 – 34 pts – 2 votes

http://www.gev.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/quantum-conundrum.jpg

http://i1.cdnds.net/12/25/618x347/gaming_quantum_conundrum_8.jpg

Gamasutra: Quantum Conundrum’s Kim Swift

http://cdn2.gamefront.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/quantum-conundrum.jpg?cda6c1

Jordan: Terrible writing (the jokes were not jokes) but some of the puzzle mechanics were great. This is 2012's game that my girlfriend played all the way through with me.

if: Quantum Conundrum is not exactly based on the same mechanics as Portal, but the common creator shows through in a very similar approach and the game play being just as ingenious, even as the story and other design elements all fall a bit flat. Turns out that the puzzles are indeed the single most important part.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Friday, 15 February 2013 16:16 (twelve years ago)

i'm getting so excited. only 2 of my votes have placed so far which means 8 of my votes are in the top 20!

― Mordy, Friday, 15 February 2013 16:22 (twelve years ago)

haha, 9 out of my 10 already placed, and i think in all i was the only voter. Mr Niche!

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Friday, 15 February 2013 17:07 (twelve years ago)

I think 6 of mine have placed and of the 4 remaining, 2 of them i am like "of course they'll rank high" and the other two i am SHOCKED are inside the top 20. well one shocked, one kinda surprised.

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Friday, 15 February 2013 18:09 (twelve years ago)

d85 shoulda been a lady shep

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Friday, 15 February 2013 18:12 (twelve years ago)

lol@ diamond dave subconsciously choosing a Shepard that looks like his hot neighbour.

― Andrew Farrell, Friday, 15 February 2013 18:26 (twelve years ago)

i would've chosen femshep if she didn't look exactly like my crazy ex

― ☕ (diamonddave85), Friday, 15 February 2013 19:27 (twelve years ago)

I voted for ME3, but exclusively for the multiplayer, which I probably dropped 40 hours into

― pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Friday, 15 February 2013 19:29 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/XMwdCVt.png

(I haven't played any of the ME games)

― abanana, Friday, 15 February 2013 19:47 (twelve years ago)

I voted for ME3 too but I've got no idea why really. I guess a couple of the characters got their stories wrapped up fairly nicely. But it was pretty bad overall.

― JimD, Friday, 15 February 2013 20:09 (twelve years ago)

But wait like

You can make either shep look any way you want

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Saturday, 16 February 2013 19:31 (twelve years ago)

awesome thread, wish I'd known about this and voted now!

― Neil S, Saturday, 16 February 2013 19:47 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/GvqWhMe.gif
#19: Legend of Grimrock – PC – 35 pts – 3 votes

http://images.pcworld.com/reviews/graphics/products/uploaded/software_manufacturer_legend_of_grimrock_1199294_g1.jpg

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/12/apr/grimlock/gri8.jpg

Gamasutra Interview

Theme Composer Interview (and MP3)

Designer Interview

http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/5/11526/z11526545Q,Legend-of-Grimrock.jpg

Zora: Old-skool dungeon crawly awesomeness.

Forksclovetofu: Deeply obsessive logic puzzle fiddly stuff masquerading as an RPG. Immensely rewarding and surprisingly immersive despite the last gen visuals.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 16 February 2013 19:50 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/bpop80t.gif
#18: Fallen London – Browser – 37 pts – 4 votes - FREE

http://www.mmorpg-info.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Fallen-London-Map.jpg

http://images.eurogamer.net/2012/articles//a/1/4/7/0/6/1/4/Fallen_London_1.jpg

”Why Free to Play Could Be the Future of Storytelling”

Streaming Radio Soundtrack

Wiki

8Bit Tavern

On Aggressive Advertising Models

http://media.edge-online.com/wp-content/uploads/edgeonline/2013/01/Fallen-London-01.png

jjjusten: So this is that interactive story thing you people keep talking about. Ok that's a slight exagerration, i've played this shit before and (mostly) hated it, but there's something much deeper going on here, and seemingly a near endless number of things to do. I say seemingly because the action limitations are capped way way too low, so just at the point where you are breaking out some strategic moves, you realize that you have to wait ten minutes to do another thing, which is when I close the browser window and play an actual game instead. There's still something lovely about the whole thing, and i get that peeps need $$$, but maintaining that the speed of action generation is so that I sit back and enjoy the game is only legit if they are assuming that their audience is made up of illiterates that need to sound out all the words or ask their mom to help them with the ones with lots of letters in them.

Zora: I wish I'd written this. It's A+. I just wish there was more scope for players to contribute to the narrative. Here's a random sample of the writing, first thing on my action list:
"In the street, you pass a tall, cheerful man with a brisk manner, a stovepipe hat and a row of bright brass buttons down the front of his coat. He winks familiarly as you pass and spreads his hands: eight fingers.
You've seen him before. Of course you have. He was beside your bed when you woke this morning. Or were you still asleep?
Note - Your Nightmares are reaching a dangerous level."
There's a level of ambiguity that can be maintained in a simple text game that 3D photographic quality graphics just don't support, and it's really refreshing.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 16 February 2013 19:53 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/fVCrxwC.gif
#17: Need For Speed: Most Wanted – PS3, X360 – 40 pts – 3 votes

http://i2.cdnds.net/12/41/618x386/gaming_nfs_most_wanted_2.jpg

http://s.pro-gmedia.com/videogamer/media/images/xbox360/need_for_speed_most_wanted_2012/screens/need_for_speed_most_wanted_2012_31_605x.jpg

Audio Lead Interview

Exec Producer Interview

http://www.gamrreview.com/media/images/need-for-speed-most-wanted-ios-2-74572602486974931659059457164028.jpg

Need For Speed: Most Wanted 2012, because apparently we have run out of names for things

EZSnappin: I loved Burnout Paradise. This isn't exactly the sequel I wanted but it was good enough to scratch the itch. And it's a mighty itch.

jjjusten: After a refreshing break with the last few years top-notch crazed arcade racers (the Split/Second crowd still deserves praise imo), and enduring the not entirely fair half-sim frustrations of the dirt franchise, it's nice to just tear ass around a city bashing the shit out of other drivers. That in itself would be Burnout Paradise 2, which i guess would have been enough to get in here somewhere, but NFS:MW 2012 throws in a few twists that elevate it even further. The integration of getting chased by cops seems simple at first, but it's more game changing than you think. First of all, it forces exploration and driving experimentation - you have to find alternate routes, and you have to hone your driving skills or you will get pwned. Secondly, it brings some of the anarchic s/s stuff into play, because when cops get involved one lap into a career race, it's goddamn bedlam out there. Add to that a huge and varied map, a brilliant way to get you to keep trying alternate cars and rewarding you for digging deep into the map as well as progressing through career unlocks, smart leaderboard integration, and various other tweaks and treats, and suddenly there just isn't really any reason to pop paradise city back into your console.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 16 February 2013 19:55 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/5H7DYOD.gif
#16: Last Story – Wii – 45 pts – 2 votes - 1 top game votes

http://squadronofshame.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/the-last-story-bar.jpg

http://www.geekscape.net/_wp_/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Last-Story-Screen-4.jpg

Sakaguchi Interview

”When Good Ideas Go Wrong”

Likely to see a WiiU remake

http://www.nowgamer.com/siteimage/scale/0/0/306673.jpg

zappi: Not as fun as Xenoblade but still miles better than the rubbish that gets released under the Final Fantasy name these days. Poor Sakaguchi.

lamp: I saw the best JRPGS of my generation delayed by publishers, despairing lyrical unkind
dragging themselves through the torchlit streets at dawn looking for any fetch quest
Greasy-fingered neckbeards yearning for the ancient heavenly connection
to the same old games of their youth

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 16 February 2013 19:58 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/U5Bwcat.gif
#15: Tokyo Jungle – PSN – 46 pts – 5 votes - 1 top game votes

http://www.console-arcade.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Tokyo-Jungle-3.jpg

http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/files/2012/08/tokyo-jungle.jpg

Zero Punctuation (Jump up to about 3.53)

Lengthy Japanese interview

Initial Pitch “wasn’t received so well”

How to Improve Tokyo Jungle

Muddle through with this ridiculous Google Doc

Battle at Kruger

More Savagery

http://therealmcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/ss_preview_tokyo_jungle_4_jpg.jpg

Tokyo Jungle

Forksclovetofu: This hit every gaming sweet spot I have, most specifically my love for E.V.O.: Search for Eden. Gleefully batshit concepts married with Dark Souls difficulty and hidden depths only the most deranged and non RTFM-type would ever think to plumb... which is why they were so sweet when I found them. It’s a badly flawed game in a half dozen ways, no doubt; but it’s never broken. Every halting step (and good luck if you choose to play as a vegetarian) pays off with fantastic new abilities and drastically different goals within the same playing field and an almost infinite variability of gameplay. Sure, the game looked like ass. I barely even noticed.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 16 February 2013 20:05 (twelve years ago)

fallen london is great! i haven't played it since i got too far and everything took forever to do. i didn't feel like grinding 100 gangs or whatever crazy things they asked for.

― Mordy, Saturday, 16 February 2013 22:10 (twelve years ago)

lol lamp, n1 on Last Story

― Nhex, Saturday, 16 February 2013 22:35 (twelve years ago)

so many ppl w/ psn's on ilx! i didn't realize the system was so popular.

― Mordy, Saturday, 16 February 2013 22:36 (twelve years ago)

blame the euros

― Nhex, Saturday, 16 February 2013 22:38 (twelve years ago)

This thread is amazing!

― hyggeligt, Saturday, 16 February 2013 22:49 (twelve years ago)

xbox only really popular in US & UK, rest of the world think it is butt

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Saturday, 16 February 2013 22:49 (twelve years ago)

Butttbox

― Jeff, Saturday, 16 February 2013 22:59 (twelve years ago)

)*(box.

― hyggeligt, Saturday, 16 February 2013 23:47 (twelve years ago)

has Frog Fractions not shown up on this list yet? what the fuck people

― ta-nehisi goatse (fadanuf4erybody), Sunday, 17 February 2013 00:01 (twelve years ago)

Really this many iterations and assbox hasn't shown up yet c'mon people

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Sunday, 17 February 2013 00:03 (twelve years ago)

XButt, surely

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Sunday, 17 February 2013 00:06 (twelve years ago)

#83 (Tie): Football Manager 2013 – PC – 8 pts – 1 vote

idea that this pitched up so low (before fucking Pocket Planes ffs) makes me retch.

Kinda new round here so dunno where the consensus lies re: this sort of thing. Is it a forgone conclusion that Skryim mop up in this poll?

― Windsor Davies, Sunday, 17 February 2013 00:25 (twelve years ago)

i'm pretty sure frog fractions is going to clean up.

― s.clover, Sunday, 17 February 2013 00:29 (twelve years ago)

I don't think skyrim was 2012...

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Sunday, 17 February 2013 00:33 (twelve years ago)

Yeah Skyrim won last year.

― JimD, Sunday, 17 February 2013 00:58 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/UL58EYV.gif
#14: 10000000 – iOS – 54 pts – 6 votes

http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/eightyeightgames/10000000/ten1.13610.jpg

http://quickman.gameological.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/120809_sawbuck_10000000_featured.jpg

Quarter to Three (he later recanted)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/10000000-dinara-1993.jpg

diamonddave85: I had A LOT of fun with this one for about a week but since beating it, i haven't touched it. I'm hoping a sequel is in the works with a bit more replay value.

Forksclovetofu: I love it when people complain about how they want the game to have an expansion where you go twice as long. Guys. It’s the same game regardless. you just want a new carrot so that you get the payoff? That says more about the way we play games than what the game is. And I say this as someone who feels the same way! I was just amazed how so many of us decided to stay in the cell rather than leaving when the opportunity arose.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 17 February 2013 05:56 (twelve years ago)

has Frog Fractions not shown up on this list yet? what the fuck people

― ta-nehisi goatse (fadanuf4erybody), Sunday, February 17, 2013 12:01 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Frog Fractions is going to win. Or else I kill everyone. With BUG PORN.

― emil.y, Sunday, 17 February 2013 06:21 (twelve years ago)

that Frog Fractions made it this far has disappointed me already

― Nhex, Sunday, 17 February 2013 06:36 (twelve years ago)

You are a fool. I kill you. With BUG PORN.

― emil.y, Sunday, 17 February 2013 06:37 (twelve years ago)

got WOPR - this is an A+ take on the chain-objects game style
Fallen London is interesting, I don't really know what's going on, I'll probably lose interest quickly because of the action constraints.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Sunday, 17 February 2013 08:12 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/wmVkwgo.gif
#13: FTL: Faster Than Light – PC, Mac – 55 pts – 3 votes - Top PC/Mac Exclusive

http://megagames.com/sites/default/files/game-images/ftl.jpg

http://www.gamrreview.com/media/images/faster-than-light-review-2-56526138635493640648090640945491.jpg

Gamasutra: FTL - Roguelikes and Freedom vs Choice

Going Faster Than Faster Than Light

A Captain’s Primer

Throw some LEGO on that

Wiki

A Common Problem

Kickstopped for the Future

http://4logpc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Faster-Than-Light-upgrades-screen.jpeg

CraigG: I actually only picked this up a week ago to bolster my roster of games for Coint and Plick, but boy am I glad I did! Direct from the developer's site it came in at a cool £3.20 ($5 American). That £3.20 has returned 13 games (0 completions...) and 5 or 6 hours of play so far, and I don't see me stopping any time soon. The music is awesome, the surface simplicity with underlying complexity make it a really well balanced game.
Some genuine panic-stricken moments where the otherwise fairly slow paced gameplay becomes crazy, like when you're just about to jump out of a fight you're completely under-powered for, then your engine gets hit, or solar flares keep starting fires around your ship while you're trying to battle some jerk in a fire-proof pirate ship. I've still got lots to unlock, I've still not made it all the way through (even on easy!), so I can see this one eating a lot of time.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 17 February 2013 17:00 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/ylW2S.jpg

― abanana, Sunday, 17 February 2013 17:09 (twelve years ago)

too low

― Mordy, Sunday, 17 February 2013 17:35 (twelve years ago)

do you need a mouse for FTL

― слабоумие и отвага (cozen), Sunday, 17 February 2013 17:47 (twelve years ago)

i have been playing rebuild. it is great!

― Roberto Spiralli, Sunday, 17 February 2013 17:52 (twelve years ago)

i use a trackpad for FTL.

i think what i like so much about it is that it creates a roguelike experience placed in a new genre and w/ totally new mechanics. but what it keeps is the sense of exploration, the difficulty, the randomness, the lack of save slots, the sense that you're constantly getting better. i remember when i couldn't even beat the game on easy and now i've beaten it on normal w/ a variety of different ships. i love the huge amount of content - numerous species that do different things, different augments, different ships to unlock (still haven't unlocked that crystal ship) and then different ship forms to unlock.

i think a sequel jam-packed w/ new content (and maybe something longer than 7 sectors and a boss sector) would be incredible, or opening the game up for modding. so much potential yet to come i think.

― Mordy, Sunday, 17 February 2013 18:05 (twelve years ago)

cool, so you don't need the 3-clicks-per-second dexterity a mouse will give you

going to grab that & rebuild I think

― слабоумие и отвага (cozen), Sunday, 17 February 2013 18:07 (twelve years ago)

this game rules

― a permanent mental health break (difficult listening hour), Sunday, 17 February 2013 18:08 (twelve years ago)

will never get tired of moving my entire crew to the medbay when i'm boarded, sealing the medbay off, then opening every door and airlock on the ship

― a permanent mental health break (difficult listening hour), Sunday, 17 February 2013 18:09 (twelve years ago)

you can pause ftl at any time to issue orders so quick responses are never an issue (much like eg nethack where you can always just stop and think for a while about your next move)

― Mordy, Sunday, 17 February 2013 18:10 (twelve years ago)

FTL looks amazing, can't wait to try it out when I get home!!

― Z S, Sunday, 17 February 2013 19:15 (twelve years ago)

Only five bucks!

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 17 February 2013 19:59 (twelve years ago)

it's good, but i would lower my expectations a bit for anyone coming to it fresh

― Nhex, Sunday, 17 February 2013 20:53 (twelve years ago)

will never get tired of moving my entire crew to the medbay when i'm boarded, sealing the medbay off, then opening every door and airlock on the ship

THIS alone sells this game!

― hyggeligt, Sunday, 17 February 2013 21:34 (twelve years ago)

FTL is fun!

― слабоумие и отвага (cozen), Sunday, 17 February 2013 23:13 (twelve years ago)

even tho i DID vote for frog fractions and i did NOT vote for FTL i am still somehow embarrassed that one outplaced the other.

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Sunday, 17 February 2013 23:33 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/FeHtRif.gif
#12: The Walking Dead: Season One (Episodes One through Five) – iOS, PC, Mac, PSN, XBLA – 55 pts – 4 votes - 2 top game votes

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qzZcGtcvNUM/UOmrfjBUYeI/AAAAAAAABa8/1mQqFeRZrlU/s1600/The-Walking-Dead_-The-Game-Episode-Five_-No-Time-Left-Trai_Nov-20-2012-2.28.30-PM.png

Gameplay Video (Episode 1 Complete Walkthrough)

http://thegaminggang.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/the-walking-dead-video-game1.jpg

Popmatters

Experience Points

WSJ Sales Discussion with TellTale CEO

Kirkman Interview

Writer Interview

Season Two?

http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2012/05/the-walking-dead-game-review-pc-610x333.jpg

The Spoilerific Telltale WALKING DEAD Thread so we don't spoil the game for people who want to ask if 'Stacking' is good

WillM: When I heard about the Walking Dead comic book series, I thought: "finally, a zombie serial. This is exactly what I think would make the zombie genre neat." I read the first few TPBs and, while I didn't dislike it, I wasn't really moved to keep reading. Then, the TV show came out. "Finally," I thought, "a zombie TV show. This will be awesome." I barely finished the first season before giving up on it. So I wasn't exactly excited about the game -- let alone a game by Telltale, whose games I've never particularly cared for. I mean, as far as adventure games go, I kind of liked Day of the Tentacle back in the day when I watched my friend play it on his computer, but since then I've found them vaguely pleasant at best and irritating at worst. Enough people seemed to be talking about it, though, and it was on sale, so I figured, why not?
Boy, am I glad I played it. I don't think a game has ever made me cover my mouth in abject horror. I also don't think a game has ever made me cry, either. This game did both. I certainly didn't expect this game to be my #1 game of the year, but, really, nothing else came close. Nothing else made me excited about the future of storytelling in games (something I've all but given up on in recent years). In a year where Mass Effect 3 came out and kept on with the game boring hero-anti-hero conversation mechanic, this came out of nowhere and embarrassed the "leading" choose-your-own-personality RPG.
Warning to potential players: while this game is excellent, it is probably the feel-bad game of the century.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 17 February 2013 23:43 (twelve years ago)

Huh. Thought that would be higher.

― EZ Snappin, Sunday, 17 February 2013 23:45 (twelve years ago)

Would be if you could invert the y axis.

― Jeff, Sunday, 17 February 2013 23:50 (twelve years ago)

can't believe dishonored beat ftl and walking dead

― Mordy, Monday, 18 February 2013 00:30 (twelve years ago)

walking dead not even making the top 10? wow. y'all disappoint me

but thanks will for putting into words that which i could not

― Nhex, Monday, 18 February 2013 01:35 (twelve years ago)

INVERT Y AXIS

― Jeff, Monday, 18 February 2013 01:42 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/H4HY2e2.gif
#11: Punch Quest – iOS – 57 pts – 4 votes - 1 top game votes - FREE

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2012/10/image2-610x406.png

http://www.destructoid.com/ul/237188-review-punch-quest/PunchQuest1-noscale.jpg

Creating Profitability

Polygon: Yes, You Can Do More Than Just Punch Stuff

http://wpuploads.appadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/mzl.qwqfsymn.640x960-75-642x428.jpg

S. Clover: I have some systems, but I never have the time or inclination to play them. I have some computer games, but I tend to get them a few years behind, from humble bundles. That leaves iOS games, which I play on the train, while watching TV, etc. Single servings, digestible, right to the stimulus-response pleasure centers. So what I value tend to be games with lots of novelty, a gradual difficulty curve, and frequent rewards. Punch Quest is simply the best/most replayable runner I've played. Everything feels precise, and everything feels balanced. There's an immense variety of enemies, each with different combat mechanics. There are probably over 30 randomized mini-levels, and thousands of combinations of skills, each of which brings something unique to the table. And the quest system pushes a range of goals, which mean exploring the skill-tree fully. Then there's the "hat" metagame, which provides a high-leveled coin-sink for incremental, largely cosmetic perks. This is basically Diablo as a 2D runner.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Monday, 18 February 2013 03:05 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/Mf4CEzj.gif
#10: Trials Evolution – XBLA – 61 pts – 6 votes

http://d1vr6n66ssr06c.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/trials.jpg

http://i2.cdnds.net/12/05/618x347/gaming_trials_evolution_screenshot_1_1.jpg

'Trials Evolution’s Soundtrack Is So Bad It’s Like They’re Kidding'.... but don’t take Kotaku’s word for it.

Tech Interview

http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/microsoft/trialsevolution/evo610.jpg

Trials HD - "worse than crack cuz u gotta go out and get crack"

CraigG: Trials Evolution is more of the same as Trials HD, but also nicely different, and so many levels. I still haven't completed it (think I'm at about 75%), and some tracks like Gigatrack just keep bringing me back to just have a 10-15minute zip around an awesome circuit, before I waste a bunch of time trying to get past the first obstacle on some of the insanely difficult tracks.

Jordan: It's oddly peaceful with the music turned off. I am basically terrible at this game so I hit my wall early on, but it was a solid week of obsession.

if: I never played Trials HD, so the racing/platforming crossbreed timetrial approach came as new to me and was very compulsive, especially with the friendslist competition (I haven't dared to go back recently and see if I am still second placed ilxor on many tracks, I suspect not). Some bold and brilliant and sometimes very funny level design in there too.

diamonddave85: What blew my mind about this game was just how such a simple control scheme could translate into a steep yet rewarding learning curve. Props to polyphonique for obliterating every one of my best times.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Monday, 18 February 2013 17:22 (twelve years ago)

we're gonna take a little break here before rolling out the top nine. while we pause for station identification, feel free to throw out some guesses as to placement.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Monday, 18 February 2013 17:26 (twelve years ago)

I never actually voted in this due to heavy travel/laziness/who knows. I'll throw out my 10 faves from last year in no particular order:

-Far Cry 3
-XCOM
-Kairosoft iPhone games
-Spec Ops: the Line
-FTL
-Dishonored
-Hack, Slash, Loot
-Walking Dead
-Sleeping Dogs

best 2011 game played in 2012: Skyrim and Tropico 4

― The New Jack Mormons! (kingfish), Monday, 18 February 2013 17:38 (twelve years ago)

wish this poll got as many votes as the music polls

no idea what the top 9 will be

― слабоумие и отвага (cozen), Monday, 18 February 2013 17:40 (twelve years ago)

I recently started playing the Trials Rev "Origins of Pain" add-on pack and have been really enjoying getting back into the flow of things. The new bike they give you is really hard to control, though.

― pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Monday, 18 February 2013 17:59 (twelve years ago)

Walking dead got robbed, y'all are crazy.

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Monday, 18 February 2013 20:44 (twelve years ago)

Maybe if I played it standing on my head I would have liked it better.

― Jeff, Monday, 18 February 2013 20:49 (twelve years ago)

totes robbed

― Nhex, Monday, 18 February 2013 21:02 (twelve years ago)

no inverted Y would be unforgivable in even dark souls

― слабоумие и отвага (cozen), Monday, 18 February 2013 21:15 (twelve years ago)

i forgot to vote for Walking Dead, although i've only played the first episode. thought it would be a good game to play with my gf and she got way into the decision-making but didn't really care to play more. plus it seems like it's best played a full episode at a time, and i only have time for shorter bursts these days. also #invertyaxis.

― queeple qua queeple (Jordan), Monday, 18 February 2013 21:46 (twelve years ago)

i feel like the only games that i recognize are the ones i voted for

― kill yuppies (Lamp), Monday, 18 February 2013 21:49 (twelve years ago)

predicting a top 3 finish for Hexagon

― Women, Fire, and Dangerous Zings (silby), Monday, 18 February 2013 22:31 (twelve years ago)

ones i know have yet to place are hexagon, spelunky, xcom, dishonored, and frog fractions -- and i would not be unhappy if that ended up being the top 5 in that order

― Mordy, Monday, 18 February 2013 22:39 (twelve years ago)

Journey hasn't placed yet, has it?

― EZ Snappin, Monday, 18 February 2013 23:02 (twelve years ago)

no, kinda hoping it isn't no. 1 tbh

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Monday, 18 February 2013 23:19 (twelve years ago)

It topped my ballot.

― EZ Snappin, Monday, 18 February 2013 23:22 (twelve years ago)

three letters, baby

― Nhex, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 01:34 (twelve years ago)

I'm not sure if Spec Ops is going to not place, or place high, both of which would shock the hell out of me

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 14:25 (twelve years ago)

I haven't yet played Spec Ops, but why would a high placement be shocking? It seems to be generally well-reviewed, or at the very least interesting to have been talked over a lot this past year.

― Nhex, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 14:53 (twelve years ago)

I've yet to finish Spec Ops. It just strikes me as one of those games that 1 or 2 people on ILX would champion but far from a "universal appeal" type game.

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:11 (twelve years ago)

ok i ahve to ask is the invert y axis walking dead thing for serious? i have no idea how the control scheme is on console, i played it w/ a mouse,but it doesn't exactly strike me as a game where axes are very important (as in the plural of axis, not the plural of axe, which are fairly important in TWD)

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:33 (twelve years ago)

there's a handful of FPS sequences, i suppose

― Nhex, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:34 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/B6cvRU1.gif
#9: Super Hexagon – iOS – 62 pts – 5 votes - 1 top game votes - Top iOS Game

http://media.edge-online.com/wp-content/uploads/edgeonline/2012/09/super_hexagon_tips_03.png

http://www.thumbactive.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Super_Hexagon_original.png

Play Hexagon Online

Wired: Terry Cavanagh can’t keep his high score

Super Text-Based Hexagon

Little Big Hexagon

Problem Machine: Spiralling Shape

A Modest Proposal

Batterywine

Unwinnable: Allow Natural Death

http://morbidholiday.com/comics/2012-09-15-super-hexagon.png

JCL: Such a simple concept, so perfectly executed. I was never able to master the last few levels of challenge, but for a few weeks there, I had a great time trying.

cozen: fuck this game in its fucking fuck

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:35 (twelve years ago)

BASTARDS #1 4EVA HEXAGON HEXAGON HEXAGON

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:37 (twelve years ago)

sigh hexagon ijdgi

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:39 (twelve years ago)

my number one vote. kinda a perfect game.

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:43 (twelve years ago)

a great game for iOS, for sure. Perfectly suited for 0-60+ second bursts (depending on how good you are, i guess). and it's satisfying to witness your skill level gradually improving, even if it feels like you're just failing repeatedly at first. before you know it, that first 30 seconds that used to be a nightmare is something that you navigate through relatively calmly as you prepare for the onslaught that arrives near the end.

still, cozen otm. it's kind of a stressful game! even just making the gif brought back flashbacks to losing at 57.8923 seconds and realizing that i'd been holding my breath the entire time.

― Z S, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:51 (twelve years ago)

i've seen super hexagon called a 'rhythm game' elsewhere but i was never able to connect the music and throbbing with the gameplay.. is this something that makes itself more apparent the better you get?

― ☕ (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:56 (twelve years ago)

i always play better w/ the sound off

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:56 (twelve years ago)

i'm with cozen on this one

― Nhex, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:57 (twelve years ago)

Re: Spec Ops - the only downside to forks' exhaustive approach is the certainty that if anyone voted for something that hasn't placed, it is still to place.

― Andrew Farrell, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:58 (twelve years ago)

not a big deal when nothing is happening, but annoying in the 'action' scenes where zombies are breaking down the door and you need to move the cursor up to select something quickly and you move it down and have to do it over again.

― queeple qua queeple (Jordan), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:09 (twelve years ago)

^ this. i'm fine during the downtime/exploration parts but nearly all the action parts which need you to make a split-second reaction i've had to replay a couple of times

― ☕ (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:10 (twelve years ago)

That's why I only played the first chapter. Liked the storytelling, but the split-second stuff controls like balls on the ipad.

― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:16 (twelve years ago)

I'm pretty sure that's not how you're supposed to use an iPad

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:16 (twelve years ago)

no invert Y axis = no dice for me

― Neil S, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:17 (twelve years ago)

Oh man that super hexagon gif!

― JimD, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:20 (twelve years ago)

I can't look away!

― JimD, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:20 (twelve years ago)

yeah i really can't understand it when developers don't implement inverted Y functionality.. it's literally just: if ( inverted_y ) { y_value = y_value * -1; }

― ☕ (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:25 (twelve years ago)

my thoughts on a few of the others:

i got a hold of need for speed: most wanted after seeing the results of the poll, and i would have voted for it had i played it earlier! it was cool to drive around the city and see all the places that jjjusten and JimD had already visited, try to break their high scores, etc. after about 10 hours or so it gets to be pretty repetitive: start using a new car, complete a few races, upgrade the car, do the terrible "lose the cops in XX seconds or less" challenge that makes me want to tear my eyeballs out (more on that below), beat the more difficult race, switch cars, repeat.

the police. i love their presence during races. they add an added layer of mayhem, and the game strikes a nice balance between ensuring that they're a factor you have to consider as you race, but they rarely completely ruin your race and make you restart. i HATE HATE HATE the missions where you start out being chased by the police and have to completely lose them within a certain amount of time. outrunning them is not an option, unfortunately - new police always seem to show up in front of you, wherever you're heading, so apparently you're supposed to lose the ones behind you and hunker down in a hidden space off of the road instead. however, even if you go off the main road and hide in a tunnel (or whatever), when the police get within a certain distance they'll just automatically detect you and suddenly veer off the road to your location. i dunno, it's possible that i'm just a complete idiot, but i came to really, really dread these challenges. unfortunately, there's a nice upgrade that you get whenever you complete the Lose the Police challenges, so they always feel mandatory in order to be competitive in the races.

online is just complete mayhem. even though i never did very well, it's very addicting. overall, even with its flaws, i'd highly recommend NFS:MW to fans of burnout, especially when it drops down to $29.99 or whatever

― Z S, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:32 (twelve years ago)

Driver: San Fran pretty much sated any driving game needs I'd ever have outside of an open-world game.

― The New Jack Mormons! (kingfish), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:44 (twelve years ago)

So far i think the only game ive played has been "Hotline Miami" (unless "Sleeping Dogs" already came up). It's pretty damn amazing but i do wish there were like dozens and dozens of levels to the game rather than what they have w the story and all that.

― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:14 (twelve years ago)

Oh cool "Sleeping Dogs" did make it. What an AMAZING looking game. At night in the rain, it's probably the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous thing i've ever played.

― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:16 (twelve years ago)

they're working on an DLC expansion-turned-into-sequel for Hotline Miami now, so your wish shall likely be granted in some form. also, it just got announced for a PS3/Vita port

― Nhex, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:16 (twelve years ago)

Pro tip for nfs:mw about ditching cops - They don't tend to follow you off of jumps, so hitting a few jumps is key to the evasion challenges

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:42 (twelve years ago)

gtfo of here with that suepr punch quest shit coming in so high

― zero dark (s1ocki), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:58 (twelve years ago)

so this walking dead game, i wanna play it, is it much better on PSN than ipad?

― zero dark (s1ocki), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:58 (twelve years ago)

yeah super punch quest is awful sorry ya'all

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:19 (twelve years ago)

Walking Dead on the iPhone was terrible for me, the controls were awkward. PSN was great, though.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:30 (twelve years ago)

Played Hexagon once for a minute. IDGI

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:30 (twelve years ago)

not sure about psn or ipad but i would play walking dead on a computer personally... i can't imagine trying to point and click any other way. plus i think it's mac-compat?

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:31 (twelve years ago)

i can confirm that it is mac compatible, tho if you have a retina macbook you have to do a full-screen > windowed > full-screen move to get text to display correctly

idg what is not tg about hexagon? it's so simple and intuitive - pure like tetris

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:38 (twelve years ago)

It was boring?
Tetris ramps up, you have time to consider moves. Hexagon is just tap tap tap/hope you get the rhythm right.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:40 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/8B7Xrra.gif
#8: Dishonored – PS3, X360, PC – 64 pts – 4 votes - 2 top game votes

http://cf.shacknews.com/images/20120604/ratswarm_22292.nphd.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18180wg5ga8b5jpg/original.jpg

Errant Signal

Gamasutra: The Creative Team Behind Dishonored

Popmatters

Behind The Scenes

http://media.t3.com/img/resized/di/xl_Dishonored_2_624.jpg

Dishonored.

Jordan: The world is imaginative, and the gameplay is not only creative but it works. Missed opportunity: can't believe they didn't set one of the missions on a whaling ship. Or let you...possess a whale? It also provided my favorite gaming moment of the year, in the form of this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo4JH96KcgQ

Zora: Hand on heart, I have probably not played enough of this to rate it fairly, having bought it for the console. For various reasons, I've been gaming mainly on my laptop. However, what I have played of it was right up my flooded, rat-infested alley. Still - it's not quite the Thief 4 I'm looking for. Keep on jonesin'.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:41 (twelve years ago)

what is "super punch quest" and is it like normal punch quest?

the two objections to it i could see would be A) you didn't get into it and so just ran a bit, died a bit and got bored or B) you were really good at it (I'm not) and didn't find it challenging it at all.

on another note, people like to vote for _important_ things for their #1, so I could see spec ops placing really high.

― s.clover, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:41 (twelve years ago)

PSN walking Dead controls are the two joysticks and four main buttons. Super simple.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:41 (twelve years ago)

i was not a fan of punch quest either. all the elements of that style of iphone game were there - gradually unlocking skill trees, semi-randomized levels, bite sized play periods perfect for ~~sitting on the toilet~~ the modern lifestyle - but somehow it was missing the FUN. punching through enemies never really felt satisfying. tiny wings had a similar structure (minus the unlocking skillz part), but the main thing it had going for it was that it felt really GOOD to fly way into the air and sail forever and then nail the landing and whooooooosh off again. Punch Quest didn't create any comparable moments, for me at least.

― Z S, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:42 (twelve years ago)

all about the combos, imho.some of he super skills are really satisfying on their own too. things like burning punch where you really feel the difference between a jab and a solid connecting blow. also, nailing the timing on punching torches was a really nice feeling for me.

― s.clover, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:55 (twelve years ago)

people like to vote for _important_ things for their #1

Yes. Yes, they do.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:56 (twelve years ago)

Tetris ramps up, you have time to consider moves. Hexagon is just tap tap tap/hope you get the rhythm right.

this is so wrong. you have to consider moves, it does ramp up and it's not tap tap tap/hope, certainly not on the hardest levels. it's scan pattern / quickly input correct response

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 18:59 (twelve years ago)

also i think my biggest complaint about super punch is how ugly it looked. very unappealing aesthetics.

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:02 (twelve years ago)

Walking Dead on ipad is great. Prob the best game i've played on it.

― sofatruck, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:02 (twelve years ago)

if that frog thing wins this poll it'll be worse than anco or the dirty projectys taking the music poll

and I'll hold you, emil.y, personally responsible

― слабоумие и отвага (cozen), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:03 (twelve years ago)

controls on punch quest are really responsive and smooth. everything feels really tuned -- its the sort of game that you can tell was made by people who are good at making this exact sort of game.

― s.clover, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:09 (twelve years ago)

If that frog thing wins this poll it'll be the same as that time Mr Blobby got the Christmas number one.

― JimD, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:21 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/JTlgnDz.gif
#7: Xenoblade Chronicles – Wii – 65 pts – 4 vote (+30 points / 1 vote from 2011 which would actually boost this to #5, but fuggit) - Top Wii Game

http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/2011/230/960564_20110819_640screen003.jpg

http://media.nintendo.com/nintendo/bin/udoroAA_MSDEWbOZ4T67kIRTrd4cs1aD/fa_Zt9eQ9XKH9nejI7mJfAtlZTbGK2ja.jpg

Brainy Gamer: Why We JRPG

The History of Xenogears and Xenosaga

Iwata Asks

http://www.consoleob.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/xenoblade-chronicles_2.jpg

diamonddave85:This game is going to go down in history as the last great Wii game and one of the finest JRPGS of this generation.

lamp: Carried through many nations and over many seas
I arrive, brother, for these wretched funeral rites,
so that I might present you with the last tribute of death
and speak in vain to silent Ash Ketchum
since Nintendo has carried away from me you in the flesh
Alas, poor brother, unfairly taken away from me,
now in the meantime, nevertheless, these things which in the ancient custom of analog controls
are handed over as a sad tribute to the rites
receive, coated with much Dorito's Cool Ranch dusting
And forever, brother, hail and farewell.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:22 (twelve years ago)

is there a way to play that if you don't have a britishes wii?

― Euler, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:25 (twelve years ago)

that game didn't even occur to me, damn

also, the gif for dishonored makes me want to play dishonored more than anything i've ever seen for the game

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:26 (twelve years ago)

is there a way to play that if you don't have a britishes wii?

dolphin emulator

― ☕ (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:27 (twelve years ago)

ah ok

man I just want to play big games like that on my tv, not on a pc

& guess dolphin emulator means some kinda hacky thing, blah blah

― Euler, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:28 (twelve years ago)

xenoblade is out in america. it's just not in HD which means i can't comfortably play it.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:28 (twelve years ago)

dolphin will play it in full HD but you need a pretty hardcore gaming rig

― ☕ (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:29 (twelve years ago)

yeah I looked for xenoblade but like on amazon it costs > $100, what's the deal

― Euler, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:30 (twelve years ago)

and I'll hold you, emil.y, personally responsible

― слабоумие и отвага (cozen), Tuesday, February 19, 2013 7:03 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I have no problem with being held responsible for the best game of the year being voted best game of the year.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:31 (twelve years ago)

xenoblade is, i think, out of print
my PROTIP on buying xenoblade chronicles is that you join gamefly, put that one game in your queue and buy it for thirty bucks when they send it

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:32 (twelve years ago)

no other game this year included frog pornography lemonade stand style simulations

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:35 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/urFqLUR.gif
#6: Journey – PSN – 67 pts – 4 votes - 2 top game votes - Top PSN Exclusive Game

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8iaulIQnt1ra57bjo1_400.gif

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdxe2f8NtW1qi6l3do5_1280.png

Some thoughts and sounds on sound design

World One Two - ‘Over the Precipice: An Essay on Journey’

The Atlantic - ‘A Portrait of the Artist as Game Studio’

Brainy Gamer - ‘All About the Journey’

Jenova Chen Interview

Dissenting opinion at Quarter to Three

http://azurebot.com/dmas/art/journey_demake.gif

JOURNEY for PS3

forksclovetofu:Journey is NOT drastically different than Flower; it's just better looking, more ingeniously designed and with a Demons' Souls style multiplayer element. It's almost intrinsically not the most interesting game. The puzzles I beat were fairly easy and logical and not taxing; the kind of thing that’s good to beat with a new voiceless friend. So if you want a great game, this probably isn't it and if “how long the game is = how good it is”, you’re at the wrong station. But as an interesting EXPERIENCE this is a must play and probably the most profound time I had with something that thought it was a game since, wow, maybe ever.

kelpolaris: I’m gonna say it got *slightly* monotonous - yeah, even within it's near abysmal 2 hour timespan - but there were certain moments where i couldn't believe how beautiful the games shots were. I tagged along with a dude for near the entire game, almost never lost him.... only when the game ended did it tell me that i had actually spent all that time with 5 dudes O_o

EZSnappin: The best game of this generation on Playstation. Just the right length to play in one go, and a pleasure to go through again. Getting a chance to help a stranger discover the magic was the best gaming experience I've had in ages.

if: If I say that it is a lot like Fez but without a game to go with the beauty, I don't mean that entirely as a bad thing. The sweeping down the sandstream bit was stunning, and the ending was lovely too. Maybe if I had a connection with anyone I met on it I would be raving about it.

zappi: The year’s best walking simulator/non-game "experience".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgu76ql6FSo

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:37 (twelve years ago)

how many times have I considered buying a PS3 just to play journey

― слабоумие и отвага (cozen), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:39 (twelve years ago)

i have a feeling i'd really like xenoblade. about the only thing that's seriously tempted me about a wii, but it feels way too late in the platforms' life to get it just for one jrpg.

― s.clover, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:42 (twelve years ago)

whew so glad journey is not #1

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:42 (twelve years ago)

xxp it's worth buying a ps3 cos it's the best system currently available and then getting journey, but it's prolly not worth buying a ps3 just for journey. it's a very cool game though, + it is the only video game my mom has ever commented on in her life as far as i can recall (she also thought it was cool)

― sleepingbag, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:42 (twelve years ago)

just waiting on PS4 at this point tbrr

― слабоумие и отвага (cozen), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:43 (twelve years ago)

it's been said over and over but seriously this game has some of the most stunning images i've seen in the medium.. the cleaved mountain was a personal favorite, can't really put into words why but it seemed to be in some sort of sub-conscious jungian archetypal way

― ☕ (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 19:43 (twelve years ago)

Flower is a better game

― pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 20:38 (twelve years ago)

was going to vote for Xenoblade but then remembered that it was my number 1 vote last year
sorta enjoyed Journey for the 90 odd minutes it took, but even in that short timespan its ideas were stretched pretty thin

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 20:41 (twelve years ago)

Flower was crap.

― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 20:50 (twelve years ago)

Here's my explanation of Super Hexagon's appeal from last year:

so is playing that game just a matter of memorizing the pattern and touching the screen appropriately? Could you write the winning passage as sheet music?
― EVERYONE COOKING SCMABLED EGGS,CHEESE WITH TOASTER!! (forksclovetofu), Friday, October 5, 2012 3:04 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
there are patterns but they come out in an unpredictable order, so it's about practicing the mapping from patterns to touches to the point of being able to unconsciously execute them.
― www.toilet-guru.com (silby), Friday, October 5, 2012 3:06 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yeah, i know those words make sense but I can't read them in a way that does
― EVERYONE COOKING SCMABLED EGGS,CHEESE WITH TOASTER!! (forksclovetofu), Friday, October 5, 2012 3:34 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
lol it makes perfect sense to me
― Mordy, Friday, October 5, 2012 3:37 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I'll try again: it's distilled procedurally-generated rhythm mario
― www.toilet-guru.com (silby), Friday, October 5, 2012 4:09 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― Women, Fire, and Dangerous Zings (silby), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 21:43 (twelve years ago)

super punch land just felt like every other l-r iOS runner and yeah the punching wasnt even that good

and as far as voting for important games goes, i didnt vote this year, but you are talking ot a guy who put drop7 at his #1 a couple years ago

― zero dark (s1ocki), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 21:59 (twelve years ago)

important itt = big budget title?

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 22:03 (twelve years ago)

important = "the vote makes a statement", not just "this was fun".

no other ios runners have nearly as much punching!

― s.clover, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 22:09 (twelve years ago)

as much as i enjoyed dishonored it seemed more like a culmination/refining of a trend (very well designed open world RPG style game) and not a breakthrough in gaming. like idk ftl or walking dead feel like they could inaugurate a lot of similar games (small tightly designed gamey roguelikes and sharply written adventure narratives respectively). not that either of those are actually unique to the history of gaming but it's been a long time since either of those genres were popular or interesting. another COD4 style game (even a particularly good one) or another bethesda project (esp after the fallout 3 tour de force imho) just don't blow my mind in 2013

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 22:14 (twelve years ago)

also terry cavanagh is a genius that goes without saying

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 22:16 (twelve years ago)

Hold on, Dishonoured isn't open world, and it's not very RPG either.

― JimD, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 23:54 (twelve years ago)

yeah, i guess closer to deus ex / thief templates but it felt like a lot of other RPGs i've played lately and felt very 'open' maybe not in quest selection (tho plenty of optional stuff to do + places to explore) but in approaches/style development. it felt a little looser than bioware rpgs too, even if obv not quite as sprawling as skyrim/f3

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 23:58 (twelve years ago)

i liked human revolution last year too but it also didn't feel particularly groundbreaking in the genre (and was also pseudo-open world, pseudo-RPG)

― Mordy, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 23:59 (twelve years ago)

Punch Quest just felt right in the punching, timing and so forth, I dug the music, design and animation style too. Also I'll permanently associate it with getting me through the SUPERSTORM. I still haven't nailed a 200-hit combo though, maybe someday.

― Nhex, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 00:04 (twelve years ago)

Ok enjoying 2 games that are still to place that have not been mentioned.

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 00:11 (twelve years ago)

One of which is going to apparently blindside some peeps, but it is super badass

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 00:12 (twelve years ago)

One of Dishonored's two creative directors did Deus Ex.

That's why you could approach the missions in a variety of play styles.

― The New Jack Mormons! (kingfish), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 00:32 (twelve years ago)

There's a difference between open-world and hub-levels. Sleeping Dogs is open-world; Deus Ex: HR is hub-level

― The New Jack Mormons! (kingfish), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 00:36 (twelve years ago)

phew, finally finished all of the goddamn images!!

(i was the reason for the holdup these last few days, sorry!)

― Z S, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 03:15 (twelve years ago)

you've been amazing dude. great work throughout.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 03:26 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/flBEXN2.gif
#5: Borderlands II – X360, PS3, PC – 73 pts – 6 votes - 1 top game vote

http://cdn.ientry.com/sites/webpronews/pictures/borderlands2_616.jpg

http://i1-news.softpedia-static.com/images/news-700/Borderlands-2-Gets-New-DLC-on-PC-via-Steam.jpg?1355301896

Extensive Video Dev Interview

How Borderlands 2 Lied To Me

Popmatters: 1, 2, 3

The White World of Pandora

http://4playernetwork.com/static/media/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/borderlands2_top.png

BORDERLANDS - like Fallout 3 but with cars and MAXIMUM PWNAGE OMGWTFLOLNEWB FPS combat

jjjusten: Shoot shit, kill stuff, bang bang etc. It's not the most novel concept in the world, but BL2 might be the best iteration of it so far. Like Bulletstorm (well and the first Borderlands) before it, this is a shooter that understands that games are supposed to be fun, and that while depresso mope fests are one way to deal with the fact that virtually shooting people is sort of a creepy pastime, there is another answer - to turn the whole exercise into a ridiculous anti-realist romp. Gameplaywise, this is a shooter that sorta reveals it's depth as you go, and little things like frame rate are imperceptible, level design is actually pretty complicated and loaded with alternate routes and (gasp) strategic decisions if you are more of a "get the drop on them" rather than a "SHOOT U IN UR FACE NOW" player. re: improvements over the first one - the story isn't stupid, it's funnier, the vehicles are not absolute horseshit. Also, don't believe the "gotta play it multiplayer" hype, it's just as badass SP style.

CraigG: I played a ton of the original Borderlands, and it was the game that persuaded me to give FPSes a little more of a chance (I did, and I don't much like them still), so I couldn't pass up Borderlands 2. I haven't gotten really into it in the same way as I did Borderlands, but I think that's mostly because I've had so many great games to play this year (between new releases and catching up on some of the winners from C&P 2011). It's just as good, though, I think and seems pretty big so far. Now I'm armed with a decent assault rifle and a sniper rifle, I'm set to continue my rampage.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 03:28 (twelve years ago)

Graphics have been excellent on this thread

― The New Jack Mormons! (kingfish), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 05:13 (twelve years ago)

you've been amazing dude. great work throughout.

OTM. Seriously impressive.

― hyggeligt, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 07:01 (twelve years ago)

Borderlands 2 is great, but has suffered from diminishing returns a bit for me. I think I need to try one of the other character classes, though (stuck with the commando thus far).

Co-sign on the great graphics.

― Neil S, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 09:15 (twelve years ago)

Yep, I sort of hate borderlands 2 at this stage (although I voted for it). I'm pretty close to the end of the main campaign and I've hit a massive difficulty spike, and as far as I can tell it's really just because I've been unlucky with the random weapon drops. That shouldn't really be possible in a triple-A game these days, I feel like maybe they've just tried to build in too wide a range of possible play styles and classes and loadouts, but then weren't able to fully play test all the gazillion possible permutations that throws up.

But I've still had fun times in there, and I've not given up on it yet (I guess there's always something to be said for any game where I can spend two hours dying and dying and dying but still feel like I want to keep going).

― JimD, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 10:46 (twelve years ago)

The new game plus is pretty cool once you've done the regular game, it's when you start to get really crazy weapons too. I kind of like the randomness of it, but I do know what you mean.

― Neil S, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 11:28 (twelve years ago)

Borderlands 2 is one of those games that looks like tons of fun until I remember that I am beyond terrible at shooters (the last one I played that I developed any type of aptitude with was... Goldeneye)

― This beat is TWEENCHRONIC (DJP), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 15:03 (twelve years ago)

DJP - we should play Borderlands 2 together. I suck at shooters too. Might be a good laugh.

― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 15:08 (twelve years ago)

hahaha yes

it will be 5 minutes of shooting at a wall while desperately looking around for any type of melee weapon before the first controller goes flying across the room

― This beat is TWEENCHRONIC (DJP), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 15:14 (twelve years ago)

We'll have to play with JJJ so he can actually progress the story while we empty our guns into the ground, sky, and each other.

― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 15:16 (twelve years ago)

things just got really sexy in here

― Z S, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 15:42 (twelve years ago)

get a room you guys! and if you've got a room, lose some weight!

― Neil S, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 15:44 (twelve years ago)

its still worth giving borderlands 2 a shot (heh) if you hate shooters, because its still just a shooter on the face w/rpg dice rolls behind it (or at least that is my understanding).

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:16 (twelve years ago)

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:22 (twelve years ago)

nope, not banned yet

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:25 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/ZnEcIXJ.gif
#4: Fez – XBLA – 103 pts – 8 votes - 1 top game votes - Top XBLA Exclusive Game

http://tech.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/fez.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/Fez_videogame.jpg

Flash Fez clone “for poor people”

Experience Points

Lego Fez

Renaud Bedard Interview

The California Literary Review

NY Times

More like MicroBucks mirit? ...but maybe not.

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2009/04/fez-thumb-main.jpg

fez

CraigG: I've probably only put a couple of hours into Fez, but I've played enough to know it deserves a place in my C&P poll, and that when I get a chance to spend a chunk of time on it I'm going to really enjoy it.

diamonddave85: Like a lot of people, I'd been waiting for this game since its first reveal: the visual aesthetic was beautiful and the 3d rotation seemed novel and fun. When it finally arrived, it was boring as shit. This was my most disappointing game of the year.

if: Provides a kind of constant brain-tickle of enjoyment through both the puzzle design and satisfaction of just rotating the world, and the beauty of the music and visuals. I just discovered that the soundtrack album is available to buy separately and it is probably worth it! Graphically the bright and simple colours are there not just out of a desire for retro accuracy but to create some amazing scenes - there was one particular moment in my playthrough with a bright purple sunset that I am not going to forget. I actually loved the down-a-rabbit-hole design of the map too, and the sense of mystery and things lying just out of the reach of comprehension, to the extent that I didn't feel even the need to go far into the cryptography stuff because it was a joyful and complete experience as it was.

WillM: This is one of two games I included just because of feel. I mean, sure, it's a good game. It's fun to do some of the puzzles, even if some are repetitive and others are so goddamn inscrutable that it makes you wonder why the fuck you're even trying to do it without a FAQ. But there was just something about playing this game with the lights out in late summer while the sun set and dusk set in. Maybe it was the excellent soundtrack (similarly with my other similarly-chosen pick, Hotline Miami). Maybe it was the graphics being so sharp, so bright, and so well-framed. Maybe it was the hints of a bigger story that I never fully uncovered but passively wondered about. I didn't beat Fez -- to be honest, I am not sure I'll go back and do so -- but on those perfect warm summer nights, this game was my fucking jam. I felt good just hanging out in it.

jjjusten: Definitely the most interesting game of the year, and one that actually lives up to the endless development cycle hype. It is at least nominally a platformer, and it is perfectly fine at doing that, and at times even ramps up the challenge, but it has very little twitch timing going on, because it is 100% at heart a puzzle game, so platforming only really comes into play in service of that. I know that deceptively simple is one of those horrible game review catch phrases, but behind the 8-bit sensibility lurks a strange and complex beast. This is the first time that a d/l title has actually done what all the other 5 star titles (fuck u braid) claimed to, which is deliver aha moments over and over and over. Immensely rewarding in every way, and brilliantly layered - whether you are in full on cryptography mode or just finally getting to the top of a pedestal, every frustration is met with that magical all-too rare feeling of actual gaming accomplishment.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:28 (twelve years ago)

gorgeous looking & sounding, gameplay didn't grab me personally.

― Neil S, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:29 (twelve years ago)

loved this; concur most definitely with the sentiment of ok-Gameplay but WOW everything else, what an experience

― Nhex, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:32 (twelve years ago)

really atmospheric too. Maybe I should give it another go...

― Neil S, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:33 (twelve years ago)

ok too low, now forks u are banned

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:34 (twelve years ago)

i dont mean to be this guy, but so journey and frog fractions made the top three? i voted for one of them, but gtfo with that nonsense

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:35 (twelve years ago)

i like the idea of being the kind of gamer who is super into Fez, but i gave up really early after getting bored by thought of lots of backtracking and trial & error. :(

― queeple qua queeple (Jordan), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:35 (twelve years ago)

Journey already showed up at #6.

― Z S, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:38 (twelve years ago)

the backtracking is not that bad since at the end of each hub, they open a portal to quickly bounce between the other hubs

― Nhex, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:40 (twelve years ago)

spelunky, frog fractions and what for top 3?

― Mordy, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:40 (twelve years ago)

Dishonored

― Jeff, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:49 (twelve years ago)

Dishonored was #8.

― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:50 (twelve years ago)

it was so good, it will also be #3

― This beat is TWEENCHRONIC (DJP), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:51 (twelve years ago)

Well I guess either CODBLOPS2 got no votes, or it's top three.

― JimD, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:51 (twelve years ago)

I'm really hoping Spelunky has won it though.

― JimD, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:52 (twelve years ago)

guessing no votes, actually

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:52 (twelve years ago)

add spelunky to the big pile of idgi for me

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:52 (twelve years ago)

I've never even heard of Spelunky

― This beat is TWEENCHRONIC (DJP), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:53 (twelve years ago)

it sounds like the title of an Aphex Twin track

― This beat is TWEENCHRONIC (DJP), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:53 (twelve years ago)

FTL totally ruined my night. I could. not. stop. And I didn't even get that far during my first two attempts! As with the best of Roguelikes, though, I feel like I know exactly went wrong during the disastrous ending of my last attempt, and I feel like I'll do much better next time. Highly recommended to fans of Roguelikes.

― Z S, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:54 (twelve years ago)

I should mention I played a shitload of The Real Texas last year, before getting hung up on one of the puzzles and drifting away.

― The New Jack Mormons! (kingfish), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:55 (twelve years ago)

i am legitimately baffled as to what the third finisher is.

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:56 (twelve years ago)

i will say that as much as i dont really want frog factions to win, i will take it if the alternatives are spelunky or blops2 winning

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 16:57 (twelve years ago)

shocking #1 finish for Lollipop Chainsaw!

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:00 (twelve years ago)

wait did xcom place yet

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:00 (twelve years ago)

How many of us actually played cod: black cops 2 last year, anyway?

― The New Jack Mormons! (kingfish), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:03 (twelve years ago)

only 5 people played blops2, but all of them used 10000 racial slurs during multiplayer

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:07 (twelve years ago)

there really wasnt any decent way to tweak the VU analogy but you get me

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:08 (twelve years ago)

spec ops 0 votes daaaaaaamn

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:11 (twelve years ago)

i coulda figured that out earlier if i had remembered spelunky tho

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:11 (twelve years ago)

since there is a lull, anybody want to offer up any recs from last year that fit my usual 50 cent blood on the sand wonderful/terrible category? lollipop chainsaw isnt going to last forever

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:11 (twelve years ago)

Well, Tokyo Jungle totally fits in that category.

― JimD, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:15 (twelve years ago)

god, honestly spec ops fits that category.

― Bob-omb The Videogame Industry! (Will M.), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:16 (twelve years ago)

wow, so either Spec Ops or BLOPS II didn't place at all?

― Nhex, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:17 (twelve years ago)

jjjusten: have you tried Asura's Wrath?

― Nhex, Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:17 (twelve years ago)

Okay, top three now in fast fashion. I seriously am working on that goddamn essay and will post when I'm done.
Thanks again to ZS for his help on this tempest in a fairly small teapot.
Without further ado:

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:23 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/Zm8x6K3.gif
#3: Frog Fractions – Browser – 110 pts – 7 votes - 2 top game votes - Top Browser Game - FREE

http://indiegames.com/frog%20fractions%20title.png

Gameplay Video (WARNING, SPOILERS)

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/12/oct/frogfractions.jpg

http://assets.thecreatorsproject.com/blog_article_images/images/000/037/751/FFdragon_detail_em.jpg?1352832014

Frog Fractions

jjjusten: Almost didn't vote for this because I know it's going to pound the votes home, but it's just too good to ignore. Totally insane, deeply satisfied with being as odd as possible, and despite being a one trick pony while still seeming like the exact opposite of that, it's the game that everybody should play (or maybe experience) this year.

WillM: Frog Fractions is unique in that it references a bunch of game genres without being what some might call "a love letter" to those genres. It is a send-up. It's like a good one-hour stand up special -- great jokes, relatable, but not just yelling "TEXT ADVENTURE!" and getting laughs just because you and I both recognize what a text adventure is. Well, okay, there's a bit of that. But there are some great gags in there. I really like seeing stuff like this. It's good to know that some people who make games still have a critical bone in their body and aren't afraid to lambast the medium.

S. Clover: iOS games, due to the limitations of the system, and I suppose the demographic most likely to be carrying it, are very strong at hitting nostalgia buttons. Bitmapped graphics, chiptunes, etc. In fact, all the games I've listed could have run on systems from at least ten years ago. Frog Fractions, the only browser game I've picked, is less a game to be played repeatedly than a détournement of retromania, a fantastic genre mash-up that takes childhood memories and adds twists. Every puzzle revolves around ignoring one or more long-held conventions/limitations of the genre in question, while the core gameplay of each stage mimics the genre perfectly. The basic premise -- what if the fake-fun of educational games that were supposed to spark our childhood imagination (as viewed through an adult PBS prism) was the actual-fun of our much-less-limited actual childhood imagination.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:23 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/VjyHiAj.gif
#2: XCOM: Enemy Unknown – X360, PS3, PC – 126 pts – 7 votes - 3 top game votes - Top PS3 / X360 Game

http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article1377074.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/XCom:+Enemy+Unknown

http://cache.g4tv.com/ImageDb3/293318_S/xcom-enemy-unknown.jpg

Rock Paper Shotgun Post Mortem

Soldier Progression

How to Save-Scum

Polygon: The Making of XCOM’s Jake Solomon

http://timenerdworld.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/xcom-enemy-unknown.jpg?w=600&h=400&crop=1

is there an XCOM thread?

CraigG: This year it is far too easy for me to pick a no.1 game, and it has to be XCOM. I've spent more time on this that any other game this year. I think this is a great start to a new dawn of XCOM games, though that's not to say it isn't without it's failings.
I feel like it's missing a lot of the more intricate management stuff that was present in XCOM Apocalypse - the last one I played (and I played that to death) - and I miss the big grid that represented your backpack for loadout that I could fill with hundreds of clips for my various guns, piles of grenades, etc. That said, I do appreciate the 'Lite' aspect of it where armor is just armor, rather than having a dude running around in khaki's wearing a Marsec helmet because there was a spare helmet lying around but no armor, and guns just *have* ammo to reload rather than counting clips. It would have been nice to have the option of the old school over-the-top management.
That even the tutorial introduces you to the fact that your are going to lose scores of soldiers is a great touch, too. I bored my girlfriend, and confused my friends with tales of how one friend just shot another friend in the face and killed him when he freaked out because he's a pussy and got scared by a wee alien, and I must admit to the occasional reload cheatery when one of my 'good friends' died (though I was on CraigG the 4th or something by the end of it) - perhaps a bit of an eye opener when I lost a team mate, thought about reloading, and went "Meh, it's only Danny"...

WillM: Leading up to XCOM I was ready to hate it. Turn-based tactical games like the original X-COM are pretty much my favourite genre of all time. I've played some pretty awful ones, especially over the past few years, to get my fix. The genre has been a graveyard for some time. What was the last computer turn-based tactics game that was even mediocre? Silent Storm? Calling that game even mediocre is a stretch. So I already had my arms crossed when I heard about the new XCOM. Add to that the 2K Games label, whose name might as well be Ruiners of Games, and Firaxis, who, while okay, I guess, seemed like a weird fit for XCOM -- I was expecting a disappointment I'd be able to complain about for another few years.
It was probably for the best that they didn't stick to the original game's winning recipe too closely, in the end, because it wouldn't have compared favourably. This game makes its own mistakes, but it makes them on its own terms. Most franchise revivals these days feel too of-the-moment -- either frenetic and ADD and IF SOMETHING'S NOT HAPPENING EVERY TEN SECONDS WE'RE FAILING THE USER -- or too achievement-unlocky, too collecty, too IF THE USER DOESN'T HAVE EXPLICIT THINGS TO STRIVE FOR OUTSIDE OF THE MAIN GAME FLOW WE'RE FAILING THE USER. XCOM avoids both of these. It's slow, at times, but engaging. It's confident in its design, doesn't pile on hours of "fun" with collection (unless you WANT to research everything, which is entirely up to you). You can certainly play through the game with restrictions on yourself -- no reloads or whatever -- but it doesn't ask you to. If only every remake was this assured and cool.

― Even by Zales standards, that's sad. (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:23 (twelve years ago)

i really should get asuras wrath, shouldnt i

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:23 (twelve years ago)

http://i.imgur.com/uXvpICL.gif
#1: Spelunky – XBLA, PC – 138 pts – 9 votes - 3 top game votes - Top Game 2013, Top PC Game, Top XBLA Game - FREE on PC

http://www.spelunkyworld.com/images/spelunky-friends.jpg

http://killscreendaily.com/media/img/articles/spelunky.jpg

Free for PC Download

Creator Interview