Year in Review, or Twice 12. Part One
Happy upcoming holidays to everyone! It’s already December 29th, and it’s time to take stock of the outgoing 2012 year. This time we decided to move away from the usual format of presenting materials, which resulted in this doubled-up top list with quite strange and sometimes crazy nominations. There are plenty of ordinary ratings everywhere, there should be some variety! The second part of the epic New Year’s top was prepared by the incomparable Kitty\_Venom, and you can check out her point of view here.
I hasten to reassure you – I won’t be talking about brains and their structure. The topic will be about games in which tasty and juicy brains are valued by certain individuals as worth their weight in gold and represent the very meaning of life for them. Or the meaning of life after life. Or the meaning of life after death...
What’s here: [The Walking Dead: The Game](/games?search=The Walking Dead: The Game), DayZ*, [Resident Evil 6](/games?search=Resident Evil 6)*
Although in recent years gamers have successfully exterminated myriad walking dead in various gaming projects, half-decayed awful zombies still do not leave attempts to eat the pixelated brains of different heroes. They love this organ; what can you do? Look, hungry African natives have successfully eaten the brains of slain enemies until recently (which is said to give physical and masculine strength), and they thrive. This significant part of the body is still consumed as a delicacy in Asian countries – they take a live little monkey (which is almost human according to Darwin), open its skull, and then give spoons to the eaters... However, I digress again, but how, HOW can you eat the brain of a living monkey? Disgusting, although the zombies would disagree with me.
But let’s move from reality to virtuality. In our subjective opinion, the divine food was most successfully consumed in [The Walking Dead](/games?search=The Walking Dead), DayZ, and [Resident Evil 6](/games?search=Resident Evil 6). For the first game, the developers produced as many as five episodes – much to the delight of genre fans. DayZ is a real discovery of the year in the survival horror genre, although it’s just a mod for ArmA II, but what a mod it is! In [Resident Evil 6](/games?search=Resident Evil 6), not all zombies consume the above-mentioned organ as food – many just run around with machine guns and grenade launchers (wtf?), although canonical dead people with a habitual behavior pattern (eat, eat, eaat aaarghhh) are encountered as well. One could include [War Z](/games?search=War Z) in this list, but no. Why? You know.
Were there many good strategy games released this year? Not so many, and there were even fewer truly memorable ones. But there are shiny gems in the genre, and the most interesting thing is that not a single full-fledged RTS is among them. All games presented in the nomination have a turn-based mode – some of the projects are pure TBS or a blend of several genres at once. Naturally, we only selected the best representatives of strategically important products - step by step, carefully and cautiously. We acted almost according to the canons of Turn-Based Strategy.
What’s here: [XCOM: Enemy Unknown](/games?search=XCOM: Enemy Unknown), “[King's Bounty: Воин Севера](/games?search=King's Bounty: Воин Севера)”, [Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai](/games?search=Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai), [Warlock: The Master of Arcane](/games?search=Warlock: The Master of Arcane)
When shit is flying at you, it’s better to pretend it’s bouquets of roses from admirers. [XCOM: Enemy Unknown](/games?search=XCOM: Enemy Unknown) – first and foremost a tactical strategy, and then everything else, whatever anyone says. For this reason, and also because [XCOM: Enemy Unknown](/games?search=XCOM: Enemy Unknown) is simply crazy, incredibly awesome and unparalleled with a very interesting “campaign,” it gets into this list. I hope you agree with me? Next comes [Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai](/games?search=Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai), from which everything is already clear. British scientists developers cannot make bad games, as Fall of the Samurai confirmed with its very example. Successfully combining strategic and tactical modes back in the old [Shogun: Total War](/games?search=Shogun: Total War), The Creative Assembly continues to reap the fruits of their successful work, which is understandable – they satisfied both the RTS fans and catered to the TBS crowds. But how can one play [Total War](/games?search=Total War) on just the strategic map (there are such individuals, I personally know one) – I can hardly imagine.
It’s also worth noting “[King's Bounty: Воин Севера](/games?search=King's Bounty: Воин Севера)” – a good continuation of the famous game series. For those who love turn-based battles on hexagonal grids - it’s just right. I also want to mention the wonderful TBS game [Warlock: The Master of Arcane](/games?search=Warlock: The Master of Arcane), which many unjustly ignored. A simplified version of Civilization, you say? Nothing of the sort. If there were a ranking in this material, I would boldly place The Master of Arcane in second place and push Fall of the Samurai down to the third place, for which I would be brutally beaten by the executive director of Gamer.ru, for great justice.
Do you love racing? Everyone loves racing. This nomination is exactly about racing. Because racing is racing. We selected the best races from the entire list of races. Read about racing, play racing, love racing.
What’s here: [Forza Horizon](/games?search=Forza Horizon), [Ridge Racer Unbounded](/games?search=Ridge Racer Unbounded), Need for Speed: Most Wanted
[Forza Horizon](/games?search=Forza Horizon) can be called without hesitation the best racing game (oh, breaking the material’s concept) of this year, and if you don’t have an Xbox 360, then step marching to the store – get a console and show Microsoft some love, and get a disk with that racing game. Why am I pushing you so hard? Because [Forza Horizon](/games?search=Forza Horizon) is the perfect game from every point of view – no matter which way you look at it. It has no flaws, although here I’m being a bit disingenuous. There is one, and it’s called: “why the hell didn’t [Forza Horizon](/games?search=Forza Horizon) come out on PC.” The game doesn’t offer anything drastically new, but all the elements in it fit together so carefully, and everything works and interacts with each other so well, that you just want to praise Turn 10 Studios. Guys, you did great! You created the best open world that there is today in the genre. That’s who Criterion Games should have been taking a cue from when they brought their vision of Need for Speed: Most Wanted to life.
It can’t be said that their racing game turned out to be bad, not at all, but to call it Need for Speed: Most Wanted was a mistaken decision. Although if you consider the project apart from the series, it turns out to be quite a nice game: it has drive, speed, and adrenaline. This “mixed bag” is also present in [Ridge Racer Unbounded](/games?search=Ridge Racer Unbounded) – a quality project from Bugbear Entertainment, where you can smash, crash, break down walls, and literally ride through shops. PS. I would have added [F1 2012](/games?search=F1 2012) to the list as well, but you probably don’t play such games, am I right?
If you feel sad and lonely, if you are tormented by gloomy thoughts / irritated by the short daylight / driven to madness by the terrible weather outside / killed by the abundance of bad news on television, play any game that starts with the word Dark. And you will immediately feel even worse. If you’re not goth, then don’t play games with the word Dark when you’re depressed.
What’s here: [The Darkness II](/games?search=The Darkness II), [Dark Souls](/games?search=Dark Souls), [Darksiders II](/games?search=Darksiders II)
But if you’re a goth, or you simply need a dose of “darkness” for any reason, then here are three good games with telling names. It is recommended to play them at night and with the lights off, preferably to sad and melancholic music. The desired effect cannot be achieved if you are not in the right mood, so prepare yourself for the game in advance. Remember some kind of sad song or think about how the New Year holidays were shortened by several days, and everything will work out for you. As an option – drink fish oil or brew yourself a cup of hot milk with honey, salt, and soda, or better combine both in one hellish brew. Optimism and positive attitude will immediately fade away; I guarantee that.
Once you finish all the preparations, you can start gaming, but first, listen to your inner feelings. Are you nauseated? That makes sense, as you consumed that disgusting concoction. But your primary focus should be on the changes in your mental state, not the tragic situation in your stomach, so distract yourself for a moment and concentrate. If it doesn’t work and you think more and more about death, you should play [Darksiders II](/games?search=Darksiders II), because the main character there is Death itself in male form. This game will help you maintain a dark mood for a long time.
If instead of a feeling of total hopelessness, a dark rage with a subsequent desire to kill someone arises, then keep your hands off [Darksiders II](/games?search=Darksiders II) and turn on [The Darkness II](/games?search=The Darkness II) – with Jackie Estacado you will quench your thirst for blood in full. But remember that excessive enthusiasm for [The Darkness II](/games?search=The Darkness II) contributes to the formation of an otherworldly portal in your room. Well, if instead of a fit of anger you are hit by an uncontrollable melancholia? Then you should directly go to [Dark Souls](/games?search=Dark Souls). The grim and dreary world of this game is so filled with a suffocating atmosphere that even a seasoned gamer may shed tears while scrolling through the menu.
Thor the god will sooner crash his heavenly chariot and smash his wild little head against the earth than such a wonderful genre will fade into oblivion. The quest lived, the quest lives, the quest will live on. This past year has seen many games of this kind released, and among the overall mass, you can dig up truly valuable specimens. But “Petka and VICH” and “Shirical” are still cooler.
What’s here: Botanicula, Edna & Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes, Deponia, Chaos of Deponia
The studio Daedalic Entertainment is a true conveyor belt for producing all sorts of quests and adventures, but in this case, the term “conveyor” doesn’t carry a negative connotation. The Germans repeatedly release good, high-quality quests that are fun to play – even here you can notice the infamous German quality. Moreover, they approach their work with creativity, sometimes revealing previously unknown sides of their mysterious German soul. Just take, for example, Edna & Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes – a continuation of the extremely acid quest not in terms of graphics but in terms of story from [Edna and Harvey: The Breakout](/games?search=Edna and Harvey: The Breakout), where the main characters are female individuals with various mental disorders and a monstrous toy rabbit named Harvey. The fantasy of the descendants of the ancient Germans is rather specific, which is a plus – a light silliness in presenting the story only embellishes Harvey's New Eyes. Sometimes you can both feel sad and smile, and sometimes laugh heartily.
From the lineup of quality projects, two more quests from the same studio, Daedalic Entertainment, can be highlighted: Deponia and Chaos of Deponia. The psychosis in these projects is already absent, but they offer tons of humor and laughter. Watching the pathetic attempts of the main character to escape from a filthy planet is not only interesting but also very, very fun. The plot is top-notch, and the visuals are excellent in every respect. And in Deponia, you can discover the most beautiful red-haired beast!
I also want to highlight the game Botanicula. Why separately? Firstly, due to the prevalence of projects from Daedalic Entertainment in this category. Secondly, because of the magic of the game itself. The creators of Samorost and Machinarium have told a story about the hard life of tiny and cute tree creatures who went on a sacred journey against nasty parasitical invaders in their distinctive style. Botanicula turned out to be such an extraordinary game that it interested even those gamers who previously couldn’t stand quests, or even fell into despair at just the mention of the genre.
And this is not about the developers, as you might think, but about the negative characters from various gaming projects. The presented antagonists give gamers a lot of trouble and sometimes even provoke burning hatred, but the fact remains: without them, it would be much more boring and dull.
Who’s here: Vaas ([Far Cry 3](/games?search=Far Cry 3)), Handsome Jack ([Borderlands 2](/games?search=Borderlands 2)), Raul Menendez ([Call of Duty: Black Ops II](/games?search=Call of Duty: Black Ops II)), Diablo ([Diablo III](/games?search=Diablo III))
The new incarnation of Diablo impressed players with its rounded feminine forms, although the hellish creature has not become prettier or kinder because of this. In the final battle, it tears, crashes, shreds, bites, hits hard, and spews fireballs. A very serious opponent to defeat is an honor for millions of gamers. You say, you shouldn’t hit girls? In this case, you absolutely can and should. There’s no need to coddle with guys from other games, after all, they’re the strong sex. It should be noted that they all seem to be begging to get into the hall of fame of antagonists. Or into a curiosity cabinet, whatever one prefers. Vaas is a schizo and a bloody drug addict, Raul Menendez is a pseudo-messiah with paranoia and delusions of grandeur, while Handsome Jack is a maniac and killer with a complete set of complexes. But they would be just average scoundrels, of whom there are plenty around, if it weren't for one “but” – all of the mentioned characters are charismatic to the point of madness. And scoundrels with charisma are very, very tasty. We like them, which is why we chose them. Nevertheless, I send the biggest bouquet of rays of goodness to Vaas - dude, you made [Far Cry 3](/games?search=Far Cry 3).
There are countless games where you can engage in building and developing your own estate – countless strategies. But sometimes there are such projects in which arranging life is not a mandatory function. If you want – do it, if you don’t – go kill enemies and complete quests. But here’s the trouble – in 2012, very, very few unique specimens of this kind were released. We sifted through hundreds of games but found only a few more or less suitable titles. By discarding those gaming projects where building and arranging living space is indeed important and mandatory, we got what we got. It’s a bit sparse, but what can be done?
What’s here: Assassin's Creed III, The [Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim](/games?search=Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim) – Hearthfire
In Assassin's Creed III, we have our own virtual “family nest” – the Davenport estate. The owner of the estate and all lands adjacent to it is the old black assassin Achilles, but he cannot manage the estate due to his weakness and frailty. To fix the overall dire situation, the clever African American offloads all his responsibilities onto a conveniently young Indian. Talk about reverse slavery. We, in the skin of Connor Kenway, must engage in trade, recruit craftsmen for voluntary-compulsory work, and settle disputes among estate residents. Well, we “must” – we can choose to complete missions related to the estate, but they don’t affect the storyline in any way, but they introduce a small touch of variety into the gameplay.
In the TES V: Skyrim expansion called Hearthfire, the affairs with household and construction are handled somewhat differently. If in Assassin's Creed III houses and sheds are built after completing special missions, in Hearthfire, we have to do everything with our own hands: forge nails, carve logs, lay foundations, and build walls and roofs according to pre-made blueprints. After completing construction work, we have to decide on rooms and extensions, craft furniture, keep livestock, weed the garden, have children, invite a steward, and so on and so forth. Not Sims, of course, but the developers didn’t intend to turn Hearthfire into a homemaker simulator. Just a little diversity.
When mentioning the term “sandbox,” one immediately recalls projects like Minecraft, [Cube World](/games?search=Cube World), Salem, [Castle Story](/games?search=Castle Story), and Heaven and Hearth, where one can craft, dig, chop, grow, wander, steal, rob, and engage in other mischief. But “sandbox” is not a genre at all, but rather a conglomerate of genres, so to categorize only the mentioned games as sandbox, at the very least, is incorrect. There are many other “sandboxes” – good, worthy, engaging, and most importantly, released in 2012.
What’s here: [Borderlands 2](/games?search=Borderlands 2), [Far Cry 3](/games?search=Far Cry 3), Assassin's Creed III
All these high-budget gaming projects have one thing in common – a vast world with a ton of various activities. Yes, in Assassin's Creed III and [Borderlands 2](/games?search=Borderlands 2) there is no single “seamless” space, but that does not diminish their “sandbox-ness” at all, as every location is a real attraction filled with an abundance of entertainment. You can easily send the storyline to the backseat and eagerly explore the surrounding territories with subsequent completion of various quests. Want to ride with the wind? Here are jeeps in [Borderlands 2](/games?search=Borderlands 2), horses with ships in Assassin's Creed III, and water scooters with ATVs and deltaplanes in [Far Cry](/games?search=Far Cry). Want to indulge in a hunting spree? Take down bears, beavers, tapirs, and other creatures - no licenses required for their killing. Dream of becoming a treasure hunter? Go for it – there are plenty of caches around with various useful items. Want to save the unfortunate, miserable, and downtrodden? There are legions of them, all whining, asking for something, demanding. You can add three dozen more things, but it’s already clear that all these mentioned games are the genuine “sandboxes,” and the best of what was released this year. As they say, here you go, comrades, shovels and buckets, mold your sandcastles, and take care of your palm trees.
Oh, sport – you are life! Yes, there’s a lot in you that is repugnant: you make us sweat and overexert our muscles, you injure us and sometimes cripple us, causing indescribable suffering and tears of hatred. But we want you! And without sports games, we can’t do without you! We selected the best among them! The result of our thorough and meticulous selection will surprise you, just wait and see!
What’s here: [Pro Evolution Soccer 2013](/games?search=Pro Evolution Soccer 2013), [FIFA 13](/games?search=FIFA 13), [London 2012](/games?search=London 2012), NHL 13
I fooled you. There’s nothing surprising in the existing list, nor could there be by definition. What extraordinary happened this year? Logically, the football giants from Electronic Arts and Konami were released again, exciting the public once more and triggering another wave of endless “holivars” on the topic “who on earth is the prettiest, plumpest, and whitest”: [FIFA 13](/games?search=FIFA 13) or [Pro Evolution Soccer 2013](/games?search=Pro Evolution Soccer 2013). NHL 13 said “hello,” only to be answered with “goodbye, you dumb, football is cooler.” In the run-up to the London Olympics, a simulator of the Olympic Games was released with an intriguing title [London 2012](/games?search=London 2012). Well, that’s basically it. There were no more quality projects in 2012. No, there were, of course, but all of them, to a greater or lesser extent, fall under the definition of “repulsive.” And what about our nominees? All of them can and should be played, especially if you like sports games as such. But don’t forget – virtual sports don’t help in reducing fat deposits in your gamer body! Better go to the skating rink or ride on skis and take me with you.
“You’ll definitely see robots here,” you probably thought. Yes, there will be robots, how could it be otherwise, but we didn’t forget about other representatives of the subgroup “mechanical and combat mechanisms.” In this category, we included the best projects of 2012 where some metal monsters fight against other metal monsters. And in all these games, the metallic monsters are perceived not as soulless mechanisms but rather as genuine living steel.
What’s here: [MechWarrior Online](/games?search=MechWarrior Online), [World of Warplanes](/games?search=World of Warplanes), Hawken, [War Thunder](/games?search=War Thunder)
Thunder roars, the ground shakes – a robot is fighting a robot, rivers of oil are flowing, and that’s all I could come up with for a rhyme. This year marked the revival of the legendary series MechWarrior, albeit in online format – some love it, some don’t, but this event is significant. In recent years, very few projects like this have been released, so [MechWarrior Online](/games?search=MechWarrior Online) was awaited with hope that it would be a masterpiece. Did the gamers' expectations come true? In full measure. By the way, this game has a pretty serious competitor called Hawken – a very quality “mech” simulator with canonical robot battles and a hardcore level of difficulty, which can compare to MechWarrior Online.
However, while robots are great, there are also other equally interesting examples of combat vehicles. For instance, airplanes. First and foremost, I want to highlight [World of Warplanes](/games?search=World of Warplanes) – a worthy continuation of the famous gaming series from Wargaming.net. You say that one cannot perceive these flying birds as living organisms? Of course, one can. Tell any true pilot that airplanes are soulless flying devices made of metal and aluminum, and you’ll get a punch in the face. A pilot shares a piece of their soul when controlling their “little bird,” and this is an indisputable fact from their harsh perspective. The developers of [World of Warplanes](/games?search=World of Warplanes) did just that – they infused their souls into their project and thus breathed life into both the game and the airplanes in it. Am I being romantic? [War Thunder](/games?search=War Thunder) – yet another excellent game about airplanes, but I won’t elaborate on it any further – we’ve already included this product of Gaijin Entertainment in the list of the best online games of 2012.
Is life lacking drive, crazy fun, and madness? Do you want to do something that makes your blood run cold or adrenaline shoot out of your ears? Jump out of an airplane or ride a bike on ice, that’s what I can tell you. There will be plenty of action, and you’ll love it. Don’t want to? Afraid or lazy? Then play the games listed below – they too are full of action. Easy and safe. Don’t like the list? Butthurt is running.
What’s here: [Hitman: Absolution](/games?search=Hitman: Absolution), Dishonored, Assassin’s Creed III, [Max Payne 3](/games?search=Max Payne 3)
All these games are good in one way or another and deserve to be in the list of the best action projects of 2012. Yes, they didn’t escape critical evaluations from both gamers and reputable gaming publications, but this situation can be described very simply. We’ve become too spoiled, folks. We’ve gotten too spoiled! No matter what they serve us or how they please us, we turn up our noses and frown. This is not that, this is not so, everything is bad, and in general - we waited, and those sneaky developers blatantly deceived us. Why did Agent 47 shave off his barcode? Why did they change the gameplay concept of [Hitman: Absolution](/games?search=Hitman: Absolution)? Down with it; we don’t like it! Oh, they removed the noir from [Max Payne 3](/games?search=Max Payne 3) and slapped a beard on the main character? Down with it; no need to chew on this! Nothing new was introduced in Assassin’s Creed III? Again down with it; they’re just squeezing money out of us for a polished old bait. Of all the games we’re discussing, only Dishonored didn’t get spit on from head to toe, although many guru experts still believe that the creation of Arkane Studios has been overpraised. I believe that the time will come when every action game will absolutely deserve to get 10 out of 10, but while the heavenly gardens haven’t grown on Mother Earth, we have to be satisfied with what we have. And what we have are truly very good and worthy projects.
Did everyone dream of becoming astronauts in childhood? Ah, boys (mostly) and girls (to a lesser extent)? Surely, they dreamed, but their hopes didn’t come true: astronauts fly to the ISS or undergo severe training on Earth, not reading these lines as you currently do. But don’t be upset, not everything is so bad – after all, you can experience weightlessness without leaving your comfy chair. You just need to launch a shortcut to the corresponding game. In this nomination, we highlighted the best gaming projects of 2012 that feature stars, planets, and His Vacuum Majesty.
What’s here: [Mass Effect 3](/games?search=Mass Effect 3), Galaxy on Fire 2 Full HD, Angry Birds: Star Wars, Angry Birds Space
Galaxies can be different: yellow, white, red. So it is with games about space. Take, for example, the third part of [Mass Effect](/games?search=Mass Effect), where the interstellar space is teeming with evil Reapers, vengeful Geths, and other hostile beings. It’s a harsh and hardcore vacuum where there’s no room for fun – only good epicness with heroic accomplishments and self-sacrifice. Let’s finish the lecture “Canonical Space” and move on to the topic of “Pragmatic Space.” It turns out there is such an entity too – in the same game called Galaxy on Fire 2 Full HD. Yes, in GoF 2 you also have to fight pirates, brigands, and mysterious alien races, but most of the time you will be drilling asteroids, trading, or acting as a courier and part-time taxi driver. And all for what? For money, which is always lacking. A more down-to-earth game, but no less interesting. Finally, our last topic for today is as follows: “Funny Space,” and it is most fully revealed in Angry Birds Space and Angry Birds: Star Wars. Although simply naming them will suffice – the studio Rovio has realized its best ideas in these two projects, which has had a substantial impact on the final outcome. Bird and pig battles against the backdrop of mysteriously winking stars turned out to be nothing short of spectacular.