Year in Review 2012: The Games

While there were quite a few games that I did not get around to in 2012, there were plenty of games that yours truly got to spend some quality time playing.  Some games on this list I played to completion before the end of 2012, some I did not.  Those games on this list that I did not complete, I still got quite a ways through them.  Enough so that they deserve to be mentioned in my top games of 2012.  Due to how busy I was in late 2012, my top games of 2012 will not be organized in a list of ten games in ascending order.  The games will be listed by the order of their release.  Each person is different so my top games of 2012 will most likely differ from your top games so I hope everybody will enjoy my opinion and feel free to share some games that I may have overlooked.

Run Roo Run
There is no other iOS game that I have found released this year that is better than Run Roo Run.  Charming graphics, simplistic yet intuitive controls, satisfying gameplay and a plethora of levels that test both your mind and reflexes, Run Roo Run is the complete package for only one or two dollars depending whether you get it for the iPhone or iPad respectively.  5th Cell's first game for iOS is a game that no iDevice owner should miss.

Journey
Journey is easily one of the most unique experiences I had playing a game this year.  There are no tutorials, no real instructions.  You are just dropped into a seemingly baren desert with this profile of a mountain in the distance.  The controls are simple yet incredibly intuitive, the graphics and art are just jaw dropping, the music is beautiful and the puzzles, while simple, are very charming and engaging.  Journey is a soothing and relaxing experience that can easily be finished in one sitting, which makes the game easy to sit down and play again.  I cannot stress enough how great of an experience Journey is.  If there is one game on this list that I highly recommend every gamer go out of their way to play, it is Journey.

Kid Icarus:  Uprising 
Nintendo may have took 20 years to release a new Kid Icarus game, but Uprising makes the time fans waited well worth it.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is a labour of love from Masahiro Sakurai and Project Sora that brings Pit to the 21st century in style.  While the controls can get in the way from time to time, the fast-paced action, witty fourth wall breaking banter, exciting story and fun multi-player experience sure make up for it.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is easily the best 3DS game of 2012 and one 3DS owners should not miss.

Xenoblade Chronicles
One of the last great games for the Wii, Xenoblade Chronicles is a grand RPG adventure from Nintendo and Monolith Soft.  Xenoblade Chronicles has an incredibly gripping story, fun real-time combat and an enormous world to explore with a huge amount of side quests to keep you occupied.  I have played over 30 hours of Xenoblade and I barely scratched the surface of all the content in this Wii RPG.  For a system that has been starving for RPGs, Xenoblade Chronicles stands tall as the pinnacle of RPGs on the Wii and for Japanese RPGs in this console generation.

The Last Story
The Last Story was the Wii's last story, pun intended.  From the mind of the most recognizable name in Japanese RPGs, Hironobu Sakaguichi, The Last Story looks to take the Japanese RPG in new and innovative directions.  The Last Story's biggest strength is its innovative real-time battle system that has you controlling the protagonist Zael while commanding the rest of your party to set up big combos of magic and physical attacks.  Along with Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story is another great RPG for a system that sure has needs it.

Darksiders II
Originally coming out for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in August, I did not get to try this excellent amalgamation of genres until I bought my Wii U in November.  The combat of great action games like God of War and Devil May Cry, the loot system from classic dungeon crawlers like Diablo, the massive over world of an action adventure game like The Legend of Zelda, the parkour-like platforming of a Prince of Persia and the classic leveling and skill system of a classic RPG can all be found in Darksiders II, but Vigil Games takes all these elements and makes it their own.  Vigil's effort has created a game that you can easily get lost in for hours at a time.  While a few glitches may pop up from time-to-time, Darksiders II is an incredible game that no gamer should pass on.

Transformers:  Fall of Cybertron
Not many licensed games are worth playing; fewer are praised both by critics and fans.  High Moon Studios' Transformers: Fall of Cybertron falls under those select few, no pun intended.  Taking the great framework set by War for Cybertron, Fall of Cybertron takes players through an incredibly focused and diverse campaign that explores the Transformers' final days on their dying homeworld.  Fall of Cybertron does justice to the Transformers like no other piece of media (TV show, comic or movie) has done for the franchise in the last number of years.  Also it has one of the finest final levels I personally played all year.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Another year, another side-scrolling Mario.  Many gamers, myself included, can remember a time when it was rare to see Gaming's Number One Plumber star in a brand new side-scrolling game.  While Mario platformers are some of the finest games around, it is a little hard to get excited when it seems like one comes out every year.  Seriously, we got two Mario platformers in 2012 alone.  While I was not really excited for New Super Mario Bros. U, I still picked it up for my Wii U at launch.  After putting the game in my brand new system, I learned once again to never doubt Nintendo.  New Super Mario Bros. U is easily the best game in the New Super Mario Bros. subseries and can stand among Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3 as one of the best Mario platformers of all-time.  The levels are expertly designed, the difficulty ramps up at the perfect pace (making use of all those lives you accumulate in earlier levels), there are a great number of secrets to find and plenty of modes like Challenges and multi-player that will keep you coming back for more Mario.  The one game that all Wii U owners should pick up when they buy their brand new console and one of my personal favourite games of 2012.

Launch Station: Darksiders II

At the beginning of 2010, the original Darksiders took many people by surprise.  While Darksiders did borrow heavily from God of War and The Legend of Zelda, it had enough of a new atmosphere, setting, characters and interesting level design to capture the hearts of many gamers.  At first, I was not anywhere close to interested in Darksiders as I thought it borrowed too much from God of War and The Legend of Zelda to stand on its' own.  Once I played the demo, the opinion made a complete 180 and fell in love with this incredible series to the point that Darksiders II will be one of the first games I pick up for the Wii U once it comes out later this year.

Unlike your regular sequel, the story of Darksiders II runs parallel to the story of the first Darksiders.  Only this time around, you control Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, on his quest to  restore mankind and clear the name of his brother War, the protagonist of the first Darksiders.  Death is very different character than War.  Death focuses more on speed, magic and quick feats of raw power than the slow pace and brute force of War.  While Death's primary weapons are his two scythes, he is able to switch between other weapons at a lightning quick pace, which makes it easy to set-up huge combos.  Darksiders II is set in the Nether Realms, which is a massive open world that is easily multiple times bigger than the firs Darksiders.  Death is able to explore the Nether Realms at his own leisure completing side quests, fighting enemies for loot and finding tons of secrets from hidden areas to secret bosses.  You progress in Darksiders II by completing dungeons interspersed throughout the Nether Realms.   Darksiders II also includes some light RPG elements where you are able to customize Death's skills, armour sets and weapons.

Out of all the games releasing this week, Darksiders II is easily the most anticipated game.  All thanks to all the fans that spread the word about how good the first Darksiders was and got their friends, family and other acquaintances to try the game.  No matter what anybody says about Darksiders II, I will definitely be picking it up for myself and seeing how it continues the series.  If you are interested at all in Darksiders, I highly suggest picking up the first game.  If you enjoyed the first Darksiders, help support Vigil Games and in turn THQ, whose financial woes have been well documented, by picking up Darksiders II.

Hump Day Video: Darksiders II

While July seems to be a slow month for games, August looks to pick up for the slack with some big releases.  Among these big releases is one that holds the fate of a company in it's hands.  THQ's financial woes have been well documented and it has seem to come down to this game to bring them back from the brink of destruction.  With the weight of an entire company on their shoulders, Vigil Games looks to be creating a phenomenal game in Darksiders II.  When the first Darksiders was released back in 2010, it was easily overlooked by many as just another God of War clone.  I was among those that overlooked Darksiders for it's heavy influences from God of War and The Legend of Zelda until I tried the demo.  While Darksiders did borrow a lot of key mechanics from God of War and The Legend of Zelda, Vigil implemented them in such a way that it was just fun to play and explore this rich new world.

With Darksiders II only a few weeks away from release, THQ and Vigil have released a new story trailer that I would like to share today.  Unlike the story trailers that were released before, this trailer is made up of all in-game footage.  This trailer gives gamers one last glimpse at the game before it releases and it is one great glimpse.  There are brief snippets of action mixed with little teases of what will be in the game from riding Death's horse to fighting a dark version of War that get me excited to play this game.  First I need to complete the first game then I will most likely pick up Darksiders II when it releases for the Wii U later in the year.  Until then enjoy watching this great trailer.

Off the Newsstand: Electronic Gaming Monthly Issue 254

The last little while I have been quite upset with Electronic Gaming Monthly.  Being a follower of this magazine for many years now, I followed EGM before Ziff Davis shut it down all the way through the magazine's glorious resurrection back in 2010.  After just starting a new subscription with EGM, I went a good few months without issues.  I tried contacting EGM's customer service and looking at forums online to find an answer, but nothing.  I along with hundreds of other loyal subscribers were left in the dark for a good few months as the EGM staff worked on their website EGMNow.  This incredibly dumb move along with the switch to EGM releasing on a bi-monthly schedule really ticked off this loyal fan, who had stuck with this magazine through the thick and thin, to the point that I considered cancelling my subscription and moving onto another magazine.  Cooler heads prevailed as this fan gave EGM to the end of this subscription one more chance to turn things around and win back my trust.

Waiting for Issue 254 to come in the mail felt like forever.  I was starting to worry that EGM decided to not to tell subscribers about a possible delay like they did last year, but those thoughts dispersed when I got the magazine in my hands.  The EGM team spent the last two months really revamping the magazine and it really shows.  This issue is a much better magazine than the last few issues I have read.  The returns of the classic EGM three-man reviews and awards system along with a new focused previews that opt to ask the harder questions about the games covered rather than rehashing the same old-info you see in every gaming magazine out there.  Being an apocalypse-themed issue, EGM Issue 254 features great apocalypse-themed stories such as a look at Wasteland 2 Kickstarter, THQ's troubles, a roundtable on the next wave of consoles and a list of the Top 20 Apocalyptic Games.  The Borderlands 2 cover story is pretty good as well featuring new information on this highly anticipated post-apocalyptic shooter and a great interview with the co-founders of Vigil Games, the developer behind the Darksiders series, David Adams and Joe Madureira.  It all amounts to possibly the best issue of EGM I have read since it's rebirth back in 2010.

I was pleasantly surprised by Issue 254 of EGM.  It really turned around my whole attitude towards EGM and made me forget about the mishap from last year.  This is the EGM I remember and I hope to see more great things from this magazine in the future.  If you have 7 dollars to spare, EGM Issue 254 is an excellent read that should make any self-respecting smile from cheek-to-cheek.