Video Games have had a great year! The top games have out sold every movie released this year solidifying their domination of the entertainment market. Games are no longer for the nerds of the world, but now have mass appeal.
The “free to play” games have been killing it as have the social games, anchored by Facebook. But the online multiplayer games have crushed all that have come before them.
So who were the winners of 2012? Below are the top twenty one!
Sega is back! Nightopia is a surreal world that you, as either, Claris or Elliot, explore by flying around in a perpetual motion. It takes some getting use to, but once you have mastered flying and the need to keep moving, it rocks!
The old style fantasy fighting game with 2012 graphics, although you are moving around a traditional grid world. Become a fighter, rouge or mage to escape the mountain prison you’ve been wrongly condemned to. You need to fight your way out all the while looking for hidden keys and exits.
Old school action adventure, where you play Death to clean up the mess from Darksiders 1. Level up for more capabilities including melee and spell-casting options. My favourite being able to transform in to a giant hooded scythe welding package of Death.
The second best selling game on Sony’s Playstation platform, the steam-punk world gets a an overhaul for the PC. Having cost $45 million at the first time of development, with over a 100 developers, Final Fantasy 7 was always going to age well. As has its main theme, a band of freedom fighters, called Avalanche, taking the fight to the corporate greed and polluters of the world.
#17 – Ghost Recon : Future Soldier
A Modern Warfare me too. Storyline, narrative and game play all have a Modern Warfare feel. The mission is to chase down a bunch of stolen nukes, and you will cross the globe in their pursuit. The Predator-style camouflage technology is very cool, allowing you to sneak up close to the bad guys.
Master Chief is back with a bang. The graphics sadly are the best part of this game, they are stunning. The storyline is the weak link. You are racing from point to point to blow something up, like a shield generator or hit a critical button. Level up for better weapons and armour. Multiplayer is ok, but overall I was expecting more.
#15 – Call of Duty Black Ops 2
More of the same. Don’t get me wrong, there is a reason that Call of Duty has ruled the world for five years, but there has not been a significant amount of innovation in its latest off shoot franchise. There are 14 worlds to explore and as with previous versions the multiplayer mode is one of the best around. Fans will love it, justifiably so, but it is unlikely to pull in new fans. It should be higher up the list but the reality is, it’s more of the same, all be it pretty great more of the same.
The zombies are coming, the zombies are coming! Based in London you are a survivor fighting the zombie hoard that can only be killed with headshot, don’t let them get too close otherwise it is zombie meal time. When you re-spawn it is as a new survivor, back at the base station, with none of your collected goodies, although you can go and collect them from your previously dead character, be careful though as the game only remembers one dead character at a time, meaning if you die on the way all is lost.
Sega has rereleased the original Dreamcast version of Jet Set Radio, with such great enhancements. High definition is welcome, but the graphics still have a somewhat classic feel about them. You skate around to avoid the bad guys which include very cool helicopter gunships and a bunch of troopers. Yes, at 12 years old, it is older than most of it’s gamers, but it still holds it’s own.
War is hell, and so is PlanetSide. You pick your character and team and get dropped right in the middle of chaos, enemies everywhere waiting to frag you. Sony will drop up to 2000 gamers on to the same continent to fight it out, typically across three factions, and not always in an even fashion, so being out gunned is a distinct possibility. One of the best multiplayer shooters on the market. War is hell.
OMG, this game is #WINNING, or maybe trying a little too hard to be hip to be square. Even though it is a bit of a try hard, it is a fantastic driving game. Set with a backdrop of the rockies and the Colorado roads the scenery is stunning, I could only imagine middle earth of New Zealand could be any better. Go racing my friend.
#10 – Need for Speed: Most Wanted
There were concerns that the new producers of Need for Speed could not live up to their predecessors, but there was no need to worry, Criterion nailed it.
Drifting around corners, smashing in to billboards and through gates in the fully explore-able city is a winner, add to that multi-player and you get chaotic driving heaven,
The thing I enjoy the most about Dishonored is that is is more true to real life. Yeah if you were under attack in the real world you might throw all your weapons at the problem, and go charging in head first and hope for the best. But in reality you would evaluate the situation, taking your time to ensure the correct strategy then attack, or slip on by without causing a ruckus. And that is what Dishonored is about, thinking of the best course of action, which is not always about pulling out the biggest weapon. It is more about stealth rather than guns. It’s only drawback is it is very focused, with each level a distinct mini story moving towards the predictable castle maze. You can do worse and it deserves a top ten placing.
The original Trials was a master at capturing your interest in being the best. You had a leaderboard that you really wanted to be the top off. It’s mater stroke was that you could replay the bike jumping antics of the guy ahead of you on the leaderboard so you learn and improve, there was nothing hidden, you knew why the guy ahead of you was better than you. The reincarnation of Trials keeps this addictive feature and at the same time does a better job at teaching you to be better. At to that a new multiplayer feature and you are on to a winner.
#7 – Lego The Lord Of The Rings
Middle Earth, not the stunning middle earth of New Zealand unfortunately, lies before you as you can free explore from Bagend to Rivendale. In true Lego style the characters mimic the brick look of Lego with basic character looks. But the genius of this game is the story and adventure with some of the dialogue taken directly from the movie script. A true winner.
Welcome to the Hillbilly Swamp! Hansome Jack and his weapons go on a massacre building towards the final show down with the Boss. Multiplayer is strong, but does require you to keep an eye out for loot, as it is a first come first serve environment. Complimentary skills in teams make levelling up and completing missions easier, so pick your team accordingly. The weapons, as with the first version of Boarderlands, is the star of the game, I can recommend the Nuke firing turret!
#5 – The Elder Scrolls 5 : Skyrim – Dragonborn
Solstheim Island returns in this expansion pack of the Elder Scrolls, and it is HOT! Skaal and Pirates everywhere, the town of Raven Rosk is ruled by the ruled by aristocratic Dark Elves and sets the background for your adventure. A cult has it in mine to reincarnate a dodgy priest called Miraak, your job is to stop them! Game play is brilliant as are the graphics, you can’t go wrong!
Far Cry 3, always touted as one of the hot releases of 2012 from the makers of the Assassin’s Creed series. Graphics are stunning, game play is flexible and the story is one of the strongest around. Do slow down at the beginning to understand the story, you won’t regret it. Rook Island is full of dangerous animals, pirates and bad guys. Your mission is to win back control of the island, one outpost and one tower at a time.
The four player co-op adds to the fun and while it stands alone on its single player mode you can’t go wrong in opting for the multiplayer.
In two months Assassin Creed 3 sold over seven million copies! It is an epic adventure that new players and old are raving about. Set in 18th century America, assassin Connor Kenway is fighting in the Revolution. He is set tasks, such as assignation, all the time running in to the famous men of the time, such as George Washington. The Sea battles are epic!
A classic first person shooter. The Tribes series dates back to 99, where the concept of skiing down and along landscapes and jet packing up hills was introduced. Tribes Ascend keeps this cool mode of transportation and gives the entire game a surreal feel and another level of skill to master.
The objective is to capture the flag and the multiplayer mode is the key to this games success. It is free to play, but cost money, gold, or XP to get some of the cooler weapons. Go play it today, you won’t be disappointed.
#1 – Mass Effect 3
The WINNER, the WINNER! The Reapers are back to destroy earth, well the advanced life forms, humans, politicians and lawyers, not so much. If you want a third person shooting experience or an intelligent character-driven adventure, or even an epic role-playing experience this games hands to you on a platter.
Fans will love it as it draws the entire epic to a conclusion that ties the previous stories together seamlessly. But newbies will also be dragged along for the ride and will enjoy it just as much. But like any series it is a shame to join it at the end. Even the multiplayer pulls it off, with the team taking on six new maps.
One of the best games on the market!
