OK, so for every weekend (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) during my advent calendar period, there will be a top 10. Today, it's all about the video games. Now this year has been an OK year for gaming. There hasn't been that many new IPs this year, but there have been a whole load of sequels which may be a bad thing for many of us, but a good thing for some of us. We saw the launch of 2 new game consoles that officially started the 8th generation console war and while many of us are still getting used to them, some of the games on those consoles have shown off the console greatly. Now before I get into the top 10 games, here are those who didn't quite make it, that isn't thought I should mention:
Max Payne 3 (I know that many of you are surprised by this, but the reason that it isn't on the list, is because I have played it, but didn't get very far and I rented it so I really couldn't complete the entire game, seeing as it is a very big game. But should I have the time to have played it more, then I may have considered putting it in my list)
Hitman: Absolution (Again, this is another shocker to many of you, so it's not on the list because I haven't played it and if I heard about the reviews of it sooner, then I would've gone out and bought it, just to have a play of it. So yeah, that's the reason why it's not on the list)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (No surprise to some of you. It's never really impressed me, and I'm not talking about the game alone, I talk about the franchise as a whole. I really don't see why so many schoolboys decide to spend their time, just trolling on how COD is better than everything else. It's not and it never will be)
Halo 4 (Doesn't really appeal to me and I have no intention of playing it)
Resident Evil 6 (Again, doesn't really appeal to me in any way and from what I've heard, it may not be the best in the series)
Most of the Wii U and PS Vita games (they have only just been released and I can't really put a lot of them on the list as we have yet to see the true potential of the consoles themselves)
So without further ado, let's start the list (bear in mind that all of the games listed are based on my opinion alone. The games on the list are ones that I have played and were released this year (if it was released last year in another country, and was then released this year in other countries like mine, it won't count. that also includes ported games). Whether they have been reviewed or not, it won't matter either way. Lastly, this will be a multi console list, so there will be some console exclusives thrown in as well):
10: LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes
This is by far, the best LEGO game by TT Games, so far. Sure it may have the same old gameplay like before, but the open world and voice acting make up for it. As always, TT Games have created some new gameplay mechanics with the characters and with an original story that's outside of the main stream DC Universe as well as being the first game in a while to have voice acting, this is a very strong LEGO game that delivers on all levels and is definitely a step in the right direction for the developers.
9: Angry Birds Star Wars
While this may be just a mobile game that isn't as superior than the rest of the games on the list, Angry Birds Star Wars is quite possibly the best Angry Birds game of 2012. Unlike Rio, this one has all the birds dressed as characters from the original trilogy, each with their own abilities that resemble their human/wookie/droid counterparts from the films. It throws in a lot of elements from Angry Birds and Space, and uses them well. A great game for any fan of both franchises.
8: New Super Mario Bros. U
It may be the Wii U's first year in the gaming business, but that doesn't mean that there shouldn't be any games put on my list from it. NSMBU is the best game in the series that you could call the Super Mario World for a new generation as it has a lot of elements from that particular game, all of which work incredibly well. What's even better, is that it uses the Miiverse well as it prompts the player to write something on Miiverse, if he/she wants to. And the challenges work a treat too.
7: Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Its been a while since we had a mainstream KH game, and I think this one, is a great addition to the series. It pushes the 3DS to the limit with some of the most incredible 3D effects that I have ever seen on the console, and it uses StreetPass quite well too. What will be a first for Nintendo gamers, is the partner system where you can get help from your party members known as The "Good" Dream Eaters, which works quite well. Its overall a fresh and new experience for KH fans and definitely sets the tone for KH3.
6: LittleBigPlanet Karting
This may be another gimmicky, mascot go karting game, but it does see LittleBigPlanet in a whole new light. It may look and feel very similar to ModNation, but with the creation mode and the over the top races, this is a great game and also the reason why I picked this over Sonic & All Stars Racing. It's one of the best racing games that I've played all year and Stephen Fry's commentary is still funny as always.
5: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
Now if I had to choose between this and Michael Bay's films, I would pick this over Michael Bay's Transformers films any day. It continues from where War of Cybertron left off and it has a much more structured and stronger story that makes the game, even more epic than the first. Downsides that I would mention, that it's removed the whole co-op campaign mode that was seen in the last game and you don't go around as a trio this time, which is probably a good thing. It stays true to the franchise, and is a must have for any fan of the franchise.
4: Tekken: Tag Tournament 2
Arcade fighting games, have always been not so great, until now. This was originally going to be for Street Fighter X Tekken, but I feel that a game that has nearly every single fighter from previous games, beats SFXT any day. The graphics are good, the amount of fighters available are great and the Wii U exclusive features are great as well. Its a game that stays true to the franchise as a whole and is definitely a must buy for fans of the series.
3: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
It may be similar to Smash Bros. in terms of the gameplay and what its meant to be as a whole, but even though it doesn't live up to what Smash Bros. had, it's still a fun game to play and it's also one of those rare occasions where you can actually play as your favourite character from various franchises in one game. It may not be the best fighting game in the world, but there is definitely some fun to be had here.
2: Mass Effect 3
This game may have been a huge disappointment for me, but now that it has the additional DLC that were released later on after the game's launch, its actually a very good game. The graphics are very good, the amount of cutscenes is excellent and you really have to appreciate the hard work that was put in to making this game. Hell, it was in development, way before ME2 and all the hard work paid off. Its one of the best Sci-Fi games that I have played all year, and even if the multiplayer and endings suck for me, it's still definitely a game that is set on an epic scale when it comes to saving your planet from an ancient civilisation that plan to devour all lifeforms in the universe in order to survive.
1: Assassin's Creed 3
The reason that this game is at number 1 is because it did everything right first time, unlike ME3 where no explanation is given. It's the first ever game that is set during the American Revolution and has possibly, the best ship battles that I have ever seen in any game to date. It's the biggest AC game to date and is the first to show the world from the Templars point of view, in addition to the Assassins as well. The characters, while not very likable, are great in their own way, and while you don't get to fight in epic battles like the one that was shown in the E3 trailer, it's still a great game, never the less. It does however end on a very odd note, but at least it has provided a satisfactory closure to Desmond Miles's story, but whether future games continue to be set during the American Revolution, we do not know. Still, its a must buy for any fan of the series.
And that's my top 10 games of the year. Next time, we look at my top 10 favourite Christmas specials of all time.
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