Pro A.
06-25-2012, 06:19 PM
Okay, it's not til Saturday, but this is close enough, I think. It has been an interesting, somewhat tumultuous, 2012. With the Wii U coming out in November and the promises of a couple of Mario games and RE6 and a few other possible A-listers, it should be a good year. Maybe on par with 2011, maybe not. Here's my top 5 for the year (so far):
5. Xenoblade Chronicles, Wii. It's a good thing the story more than holds its weight because the combat is pretty blah. Then again, this is an RPG so we probably shouldn't expect too much. This game got a lot of buzz in Europe as one of the more engaging RPG's in recent memory. And we're talking more of the classic RPG here for Xenoblade, which is a spiritual sequel to the cult classic Xenogears.
4. Max Payne 3, PS3, X360, PC. It's worth noting Max Payne is absolutely awful at whatever he job he does before he starts murdering an entire city. It is also worth noting that this noir-ish title is delightfully stepped in grimy, ugly despair that is absorbing even when the game starts doling out C-movie dialogue (which is quite often). Bullet time is still a wonderful thing and I can only hope it doesn't take eight years for the next Max Payne.
3. Diablo III, PC. Thank God all those years of waiting were worth it. It lacks the rich complexity that made the second title so good, but it still delivers. Misery, blood, and hell never looked so good. I just wish the launch hadn't been such a disaster. I mean, come on guys, you had 11.5 years to get it right.
2. Mass Effect 3, PS3, X360, PC. Yes, we know the ending sucks. Yes, it will go down as one of the biggest clusterfucks in history. It is the complete antithesis to Arkham City's ending, which ranks as one of the five best ever. Personally, I don't think ME3's ending is as awful as some people, though it is underwhelming. Sci-fi trilogies can't seem to hack it as far as endings go. Halo 3 was pretty shitty, too. All that aside, it is still one extremely riveting thrill-ride and worth the experience. Granted, with a caveat.
1. Journey, PSN. Journey is some kind of strange near-masterpiece, for sure. The game owes a bit to Shadow of the Colossus, which was more action-oriented and puzzle-oriented, but in terms of that vast, epic scope that kind of brings a hush to you as you experience the game, few games have been able to match this experience. I just wish it weren't over so soon, though it has plenty of replay value because the experience is so absorbing. This is definitely the greatest DLC/online-only title I have ever played.
Most disappointing game of 2012:
Prototype 2, PS3, X360. You only wish the game was as engaging as the commercial, which gets props as being one of the better VG commercials post-Gears of War.
Worst game of 2012:
Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Episode II, PS3, X360, Wii. Not even close. Any hope Sonic Generations provided was completely eviscerated with this grating piece of shit. Episode I was flawed, but it remained reasonably entertaining through most of the title. Episode II made me physically ill. And that was before I put the game on mute so I didn't have to listen to the music.
Other games of note:
- Twisted Metal's decade-long layoff should have gone another five years after laying an egg with its quasi-revival.
- FFXIII-2 proved direct sequels in this series DO NOT WORK. Not counting the online turkeys that were FFXI and FFXIV, this and X-2 are the nadir of the franchise and are emblematic proof of how far this series has fallen in the last decade.
- Mortal Kombat's return was probably better than it deserved. Still not as good as Street Fighter's revival a few years back, but a step in the right direction.
- Kid Icarus's proper return after 25 years was a very good title for the 3DS. The controls were a bit wonky, but the experience was about what I expected from a modern-day title.
Have I played everything? No. Will I? I'll do my best. A lean summer should get me caught up in time for NSMB 2 for the 3DS, which comes out in August.
5. Xenoblade Chronicles, Wii. It's a good thing the story more than holds its weight because the combat is pretty blah. Then again, this is an RPG so we probably shouldn't expect too much. This game got a lot of buzz in Europe as one of the more engaging RPG's in recent memory. And we're talking more of the classic RPG here for Xenoblade, which is a spiritual sequel to the cult classic Xenogears.
4. Max Payne 3, PS3, X360, PC. It's worth noting Max Payne is absolutely awful at whatever he job he does before he starts murdering an entire city. It is also worth noting that this noir-ish title is delightfully stepped in grimy, ugly despair that is absorbing even when the game starts doling out C-movie dialogue (which is quite often). Bullet time is still a wonderful thing and I can only hope it doesn't take eight years for the next Max Payne.
3. Diablo III, PC. Thank God all those years of waiting were worth it. It lacks the rich complexity that made the second title so good, but it still delivers. Misery, blood, and hell never looked so good. I just wish the launch hadn't been such a disaster. I mean, come on guys, you had 11.5 years to get it right.
2. Mass Effect 3, PS3, X360, PC. Yes, we know the ending sucks. Yes, it will go down as one of the biggest clusterfucks in history. It is the complete antithesis to Arkham City's ending, which ranks as one of the five best ever. Personally, I don't think ME3's ending is as awful as some people, though it is underwhelming. Sci-fi trilogies can't seem to hack it as far as endings go. Halo 3 was pretty shitty, too. All that aside, it is still one extremely riveting thrill-ride and worth the experience. Granted, with a caveat.
1. Journey, PSN. Journey is some kind of strange near-masterpiece, for sure. The game owes a bit to Shadow of the Colossus, which was more action-oriented and puzzle-oriented, but in terms of that vast, epic scope that kind of brings a hush to you as you experience the game, few games have been able to match this experience. I just wish it weren't over so soon, though it has plenty of replay value because the experience is so absorbing. This is definitely the greatest DLC/online-only title I have ever played.
Most disappointing game of 2012:
Prototype 2, PS3, X360. You only wish the game was as engaging as the commercial, which gets props as being one of the better VG commercials post-Gears of War.
Worst game of 2012:
Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Episode II, PS3, X360, Wii. Not even close. Any hope Sonic Generations provided was completely eviscerated with this grating piece of shit. Episode I was flawed, but it remained reasonably entertaining through most of the title. Episode II made me physically ill. And that was before I put the game on mute so I didn't have to listen to the music.
Other games of note:
- Twisted Metal's decade-long layoff should have gone another five years after laying an egg with its quasi-revival.
- FFXIII-2 proved direct sequels in this series DO NOT WORK. Not counting the online turkeys that were FFXI and FFXIV, this and X-2 are the nadir of the franchise and are emblematic proof of how far this series has fallen in the last decade.
- Mortal Kombat's return was probably better than it deserved. Still not as good as Street Fighter's revival a few years back, but a step in the right direction.
- Kid Icarus's proper return after 25 years was a very good title for the 3DS. The controls were a bit wonky, but the experience was about what I expected from a modern-day title.
Have I played everything? No. Will I? I'll do my best. A lean summer should get me caught up in time for NSMB 2 for the 3DS, which comes out in August.