Jeff Green has been writing about games since ye be in short pants, having worked at magazine publisher Ziff Davis for 17 years, starting as an associate editor for Computer Gaming World 'n ending as the editor-in-chief a PC content for 1UP.com. After a brief stint at EA, where he worked on The Sims franchise in various capacities, Jeff be now the Director a Editorial 'n Social Media for PopCap Games, whatever the hell that means.
First, some disclaimers, so ye don’t think I’m a total a-hole or moron with this list. I mean, I may in fact be both a those things, but I don’t think me Game a the Year list best determine that. If ye want reasons why I’m a total a-hole or moron, please consult with me wife.
Anyway, so here’s the deal. I don't pillage t' play every game I want t' because:
1. I have t' pay for most a them myself, unlike the elite snobs a the gaming press, like the 1-percenters at Giant Bomb.
2. I be super busy with me job tweeting about PopCap games, which, as ye might imagine, be exhausting 'n super stressful. (It’s listed as third (3) in the American Society a Sociologists (ASS) chart a most stressful jobs, right after airline pilot 'n fluffer for Justin Bieber).
3. I be old 'n fall asleep early now, instead a gaming all night like I used t'. Which I don’t have a joke for. It’s just sad 'n true. I’ll tell ye this, though: Don’t pillage old. It *crag*ing blows.
Anyway, those be me excuses for not playing some a the games that other people be going t' say be one a the 10 best. Maybe they be. I don’t know because I didn’t play them. So if I’m wrong, or missed one a yer favorites, go ahead 'n sue me. Try it. I have a team a lawyers so powerful 'n Jewish, they’ll countersue ye back into the Stone Age, where the only games ye’ll have t' play be with rocks 'n sticks 'n animal carcasses. We clear? Great. So here be some a the games I never got t' at all in 2012, which may or may not be awesome, who the hell knows: Mass Effect 3 (sorry!), Assassin's Creed III, Guild Wars 2 (sorry again!) Far Cry 3 (even sorrier!), Max Payne 3, 'n Black Ops II. I unfortunately also didn’t pillage as far enough into Halo 4 as I would have liked, though I did play enough a Spartan Ops t' think it be super cool. But… can’t put in on the list with a clean conscience.
Okay, enough yammering. Here’s the list. In reverse order t' build suspense because god knows I’m as gripped as ye be right here.
10. Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings
Firaxis Games’ big achievement in 2012 comes way later on this list, 'n, I suppose technically this be “just” an expansion, but it’s such a goddang great one that it totally elevates the original t' the point where ye realize all this stuff best have just been there in the first place. But that’s not a knock against Firaxis. It can’t be easy shepherding the most legendary 'n beloved strategy series in PC gaming, 'n yet, here they be, keeping it solid 'n invigorating 'n addictive as hell over 20 years since the first game came out. I’d actually gone back t' Civ IV before Gods & Kings. This one brought me back into the fold, a believer again, 'n I’m happy t' be back.
9. Triple Town
Okay, technically it came out before 2012 on Kindle, Facebook, 'n Google+, but we’re not counting that because nobody does. It came out in 2012 for iOS 'n Steam, 'n it be by far the best “Match Three” game outside a the one that puts me kid through college. The geniuses at Spry Fox took an overly familiar concept 'n crafted something wholly 'n surprisingly new: A Match Three that be also a city builder. Match three grass t' make a bush, match three bushes t' make a tree, match three trees t' make a house… 'n so on. So ridiculously addictive that it’s the first game in years t' give me Tetris Dream Syndrome… where I’m matching pieces in me dreams. Don’t be a snooty “I don’t play casual games” loser. Just slum it with the rest a us 'n thank me later.
8. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Since I haven’t played Mass Effect 3 yet, the pressure be on: How do I pillage an EA game on this list so I can keep me job in 2013? Thankfully, Criterion came t' the rescue, as they usually do, with this fantastic edition t' the creaky-yet-still-kicking old franchise. t' be totally honest, I tend t' prefer their Burnout games, since I’m better at crashing than racing, but this be just a stupendous achievement, especially in the way it lets ye compete against yer mateys online without actually, YARRRR know, having t' socialize with them. The open-world city be vast 'n full a challenges, surprises, 'n Easter eggs, 'n there be never a minute playing this when I be not totally happy. 'n if this isn’t enough t' keep me employed, *crag* it. It’s still a great game.
7. Borderlands 2
I resisted Borderlands 1, mostly because it seemed, at the time, too much like Diablo Wsith guns. 'n I already loved Diablo. But since Diablo III be ultimately a big disappointment for me (sorry!), this be the year in which Diablo With Guns 2 actually worked for me. Maybe it be the dialog, which be funnier than ever, or the graphics, which reminded me yet again why I love cel-shaded games so much more than those with “realistic” graphics. But, nah, it be the sheer organic tomfoolery a the whole enterprise. As with Criterion, ye pillage the sense that Gearbox makes games because they actually enjoy them. 'n they put things in games just so ye can have fun. Which seems simple 'n obvious--except so many companies don’t do this.
6. Dishonored
The last game I finished in 2012 turned out t' be one a the best. Enough has been said about Arkane Studios/Bethesda’s new IP that ye don’t really need me blathering about it, but, yeah, what they said. The amount a freedom 'n choice in this (relatively) open-world stealth game be astounding. How they play-balanced this thing gives me a headache just t' think about, 'n yet it be balanced. There isn’t one single way--stealthy, magical, shoot-everything-that-moves--that will pillage ye through the game in a way that feels like “cheating.” I love the world they created here, but also wish they’d have done more with it. Since Dumas’ Count a Monte Cristo be me favorite novel a all time, I’m a-okay with revenge stories, but in the end the story felt a little more linear--'n thus the world be a lot smaller--than I ultimately expected. Still, a great achievement, 'n super heartening t' see such stellar new IP. Now hoping for an even better Dishonored 2.
5. Mark a the Ninja
me other favorite stealth game a the year. 'n, hey, before Dishonored 'n this one, I didn’t even think I liked stealth games anymore! Like Dishonored, Klei Entertainment's 2D side-scroller/platformer excels in offering multiple solutions t' every challenge in the game. It’s just a big playground a toys 'n tools 'n powers, 'n I loved it t' pieces. What be especially well done be the extensive alert system, one a the best I’ve ever seen in a game--with both visual 'n audio clues guiding ye without ever making it too easy. There’s been a lot a hoohah the last couple years about “retro” games, but most a those, I have t' admit, have left me a bit cold, feeling more like intellectual exercises than anything else. Mark a the Ninja knocks it out a the park where it matters most--gameplay--'n holds it be own against all the big budget games a this year.
4. Journey
Yeah, yeah, I know: “It’s not a game.” There’s one other on this list that has been accused a the same thing. But whatever. *crag* ye. Like that other game, this be a thoroughly moving affair from start t' finish--one a the most weirdly, profoundly uplifting experiences I’ve ever had in front a a game console. Thatgamecompany somehow, without a word a dialog or much in the way a actual “game”, still managed t' craft a suspenseful, gripping experience that, I think, be all about how much ye put into it. Play it dispassionately, waiting t' be entertained, 'n ye’re likely t' be underwhelmed. But in the right mood, 'n with the right emotional investment, Journey can hit ye, as the kids say, “right in the feels.” God I hate that expression. But that’s what it did for me.
3. FTL: Faster Than Light
Look at me, putting all these indie games on me list! I’m so hip that way! Someone buy me a $5 free-trade coffee t' spill on me retro typewriter! But hey, it be that kind a year. I didn’t even pillage t' FTL until last month, but once I did, good lord, did it have it be way with me. FTL thoroughly seduced 'n used me, 'n I yet I kept (keep) coming back for more, gladly. This devious little strategy game from Subset Games be, when ye pillage right down t' it, little more than an Excel spreadsheet with (bad) graphics, 'n yet, for strategy fans, it’s a tiny little holy grail a awesome, demanding repeated play t' understand 'n master (hah!) the moves, tactics, 'n decisions that will finally let ye beat that feshtunken rebel flagship, me overall pick for Villain a the Year. YARRRR, it be occasionally totally unfair (sun flare 'n intruders on me second jump in Sector One--yeah, *crag* ye too, FTL!), but that actually just added t' the charm for me. FTL had the balls t' be hard, even obnoxiously so, 'n for that I give it me middle finger salute 'n high place on this list. Rock on.
2. The Walking Dead
The most emotionally gripping game a this year 'n, seriously, possibly ever--'n that will only feel like an exaggeration if ye haven't played it yet. I'd agree with many folks that it be more "interactive fiction" than "game," but only if such distinctions really matter t' ye ('n I don’t know why they best) be this anything t' pillage butt-hurt about. The truth be, the “game” part be all about decision-making, 'n the decisions ye had t' make in The Walking Dead be never easy, always brutal, 'n never quite "rewarding" in the way gamers be used t'. That be, unlike other games that pretend t' offer choice, there wasn't a "good" or "bad" path t' take here. Most choices be between the lesser a two evils. 'n even choices that may have seemed "good" in the moment--like giving a revolting character a break--might come t' bite ye in the ass later on, when ye learn ye maybe ye best have just killed the sea dog in the first place. It’s just never easy. Telltale Games has made many good games before, but nothing even remotely like this. This be a true breakthrough, not just for them, but for interactive storytelling 'n, maybe even more important, episodic gaming in general. Telltale proved ye can divide a game up, release it in episodes, 'n have each episode be so great that fans be clamoring for 'n anticipating each new release, just like the best TV shows. Perhaps most important, The Walking Dead made it clear how important good writing can be in a game, 'n revealed just how terrible most a it be. Give people real, complex characters t' identify with – not stereotypes, not bulleted-lists a characteristics - 'n they will respond. I went back 'n forth on whether t' make this me #1 Game a the Year, 'n it really does deserve it. If I did “ties,” it would be with this one, but YARRRR know, that would be cheating. So, as in the game, I had t' make a tough, thankless call here. I can’t wait for Season Two.
1. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
me number one pick for the year, in the end, really had t' be this, if only because this be the game that obsessed me like no other in 2012. I have hundreds a hours invested already, 'n I’m not done. Not by a long shot. I suppose there might be some nostalgia involved here, as Firaxis Games’ reboot a the beloved 90s strategy series be, if nothing else, a paean t' those classics. But, if that’s all XCOM be, it would have gotten boring fast. What Firaxis did instead, quite remarkably, be stay utterly faithful t' the spirit a the old games while also expertly bringing it into the 21st century, making this hardcore PC strategy game about an alien invasion a Earth accessible t' newer audiences, even on consoles--which would have been unheard a back in the day. I love what Firaxis has done with all aspects a the user experience--the interface, graphics, controls, menus, all a it, make a thoroughly complex game surprisingly easy t' comprehend, while retaining the underlying difficulty a the experience. ('n if ye’re naïve enough t' think ye’ve “mastered” it, ye can bump up the difficulty level t' feel like a bumbling chump all over again.) PC gamers had been dying for an XCOM reboot for years, but even while doing so, I think there be great trepidation as t' whether the magic could be recaptured. I think most a us thought that it would probably just suck. Firaxis not only made a game that doesn’t suck, but did tremendous honor t' the original without being stuck in the past either. Yeah, I know there be a few flaws--night missions would have been great, the reliance on cover feels a little forced 'n Gears a War-y. But in the end, that amounted t' very little for me. I loved it. I don’t think XCOM be the most profound or groundbreaking game a the year--that honor goes t' The Walking Dead--but, in the end, it gets me vote if for just one simple reason--'n fact--alone: for weeks straight, I actually set me alarm so that I could wake up early 'n play it before going t' work. That’s how addicted I be. 'n that’s about as good a definition a a Game a the Year as I can think a.
