2012 Game of the Year Voting/Discussion Thread

Keep those votes coming!

1. Xenoblade Chronicles
2. Dark Souls
3. FUCK YOU ALL I"M VOTING FOR KID ICARUS ANYWAY / null vote

1. Crusader Kings 2
2. Ascension
3. Mass Effect 3


Crusader Kings 2 is about the only game that I've played on my Mac a lot this year. While I'm not sure I believe Steam's claim of 300+ hours (it counts the launcher being up), the fact that I can play the game windowed and muted on one side of the screen while watching Youtube ABC videos on the other side with my toddler on my lap, with the ability to pause any anytime makes for a game I can actually play in the first case. Then the richness of the interaction between the plots, families, and realms hasn't gotten old yet.

Ascension is the other game I can play, I think I've had games going with cnahr for the entire year.

And Mass Effect 3 is one of the few REAL games I've played this year, and despite the lame ending, the journey was great.


As for the "what counts as 'this year'" -- I say dump the restriction that it has to be released this year. If a game released 2 years ago is on the list, there's a good reason for it, either structural (released for a different platform), or its been upgraded a lot and people keep playing it, or its just that damn good.

Quite right. What is BF playing this year is more interesting than what is BF playing this year that was released this year. If BF is still playing DOOM, let's hear about it...

1. Guild Wars 2
2. Dark Souls

3 would probably be Torchlight 2 or Walking Dead, but I haven't spent enough time with either game yet to say for sure. I've been too busy playing Dark Souls.

Here's mine:

1. Mass Effect 3
2. Borderlands 2
3. The Walking Dead
4. Dishonored
5. XCOM: Enemy Unknown

As far as the "discussion question" in the OP: I think a game should be considered "out" when you can first a) pay money for it including microtransactions/subs for F2P, and b) play it.

The question about cross-platform releases (e.g., Witcher 2 X360, Dark Souls PC) and regional releases is harder, but I say only games released on a certain platform in the year should be eligible and let the votes hash it out from there.

1. Dark Souls - I was a huge fan of Deamon's Souls when it released in 09 and the second iteration was brilliant in so many ways. There's nothing I can say here that hasn't been said before on this forum. Just a great game.

2. Mass Effect 3 - I actually enjoyed the story, warts and all, my first time through. The real surprise for me though was the multiplayer. I never would have guessed it would be such an addiciton for me.

3. Dragon's Dogma - This game came out of right field for me as I hadn't read anything about it up to its release. A really fun take on the fantasy RPG genre.

4. Borderlands 2 - Handsome Jack, that is all.

1. FTL
2. Tribes: Ascent
3. Dark Souls

1. The Walking Dead
2. XCom
3. Mass Effect 3

1. FTL
2. XCOM

1. Mass Effect 3
2. XCOM
3. FTL
4. Borderlands 2
5. The Walking Dead

Even though it didn't crack the Top 20 games / GOTY finalists, I'd put Persona 4 Golden at the top of the list.

Haven't played all of the big releases on the list, but...

1. XCOM
2. Mass Effect 3
3. FTL
4. Mark of the Ninja
5. The Walking Dead

REAL NUMBER TWO IS SLEEPY DAWGZ I DON'T CARE THAT IT'S NOT A CHOICE DEM DAWGS BE SLEEPY SLEEPY NUMBER TWO

Oh damn totally forgot about Sleeping Dogs. My true list would be:

1. Persona 4 Golden
2. Sleeping Dogs.
3. Mass Effect 3
4. XCOM
5. The Walking Dead (Yes, I skipped Borderlands 2 on this version)

Less than 1 week to go....

Frankly I think you left the voting open too long.

As I said before, people have complained in the past that they didn't get a chance to play their Christmas Steam Sales games before voting on the GotY. Damned if you do, damned if you don't...

1. Dark Souls
2. Mass Effect 3
3. Dishonored
4. XCOM
5. FTL

1. Dark Souls
2. Dragon's Dogma
3. Eador Genesis

1 = Borderlands 2
2 = Dishonored
3 = Walking Dead
4 = Dark Souls
5 = Torchlight II

Sorry XCOM: Enemy Unknown , I haven't gone back to you after our first 10 hours together, I just don't have that desire to play you right now...

1- Crusader Kings II, one of my favourite strategy games of all time. Not for the strategy, but for the stories the game creates and its atmosphere.
2- Walking Dead, a great narrative games, except for episode 4.
3- Dragon's Dogma an AAA underdog from Capcom, imperfect but brilliant.

Some other good games on the selection, but those three are above. I'm pretty sad Hotline Miami didn't make the cut.

Dark Souls is game of the generation but I played it last year on PS3, so I don't feel like including it.

1. Dark Souls - Best game ever. I'll vote for it in 2013 too, even if it's not on the list.
2. Call of Duty Black Ops 2 - Because it's *still* a free country (no thanks to Obamacare) and I can vote for whatever I want. :P
3. Mass Effect 3 - I guess so, because I haven't played any of the other games on the list.

I added Spec Ops to #3 on my list just the other day, so I benefited.

No Far Cry 3 but a game from 2012 gets on just because you PC grognards can't get with the fucking times, eh? Whatever.

1. The Walking Dead
2. XCOM
3. Dragon's Dogma
4. Xenoblade Chronicles
5. Mark of the Ninja

Xenoblade Chronicles is from last year, you should have imported it from the UK like I did. That would have been a hell of a lot cheaper than buying an entire console for a game I didn't know if I'd like. Sorry to be so behind the times with my filthy PC.

1) Crusader Kings 2
2) The Walking Dead
3) Mass Effect 3
4) Mark of the Ninja
5) FTL

Too bad Hegemony: Gold and MechCommander are too old for this.

I'm far enough into Dishonored that I won't be adding it to my list.

1) Dark Souls

Nothing else was good enough to merit mention relative to DS. I haven't been this obsessed with a game since WoW came out.

graller
Inigima
Matt Bowyer
Sarkus
ehm ecks
Athryn
Farnsworth
JoshV
kerzain
extarbags
scharmers
candide
walTer
Ingmar
Thursday
Nute
deadbuffalo
Therlun
bloo
shift6
Jab
Vesper
Damien Neil
HeavenlyInsanity
Turin Turambar
Kat
Neopythia
Brian Rubin
Shake
roguefrog
caesarbear
RSharp
Talorc
owen_magnetic
XenoCrash
James Johnson
Marchhhare
sinfony
Horrible Oscar
Kalle
brettmcd
SlainteMhath
Astromarine
ChuckJ
Flowers
Bleaktea
Alan Au
Tyjenks
Adree
lesslucid
Old Man Gravy
Salarn
Otterloop
McKnight
RodeoRanch

All of you voted in the nominations thread and I wanted to give you a chance to vote in the GotY thread before it closes tomorrow night.

(just trying to help!)

1. Walking Dead
2. Guild Wars 2
3. Dishonored

1) Walking Dead
2) XCom
3) FTL

Thanks for thinking of me, Blackadar... I somehow didn't even see this thread!

1. Dark Souls
2. Diablo 3

1. XCom
2. Mass Effect 3
3. Crusader Kings 2
4. Diablo 3

My feeling on the extra-credit question: the first release of the game should be in the year in question. I would personally not make Dark Souls eligible, since it came out in 2011. To take an extreme example, consider the idea of voting for King of Dragon Pass because they ported it to iOS in 2012, that seems absurd to me.

(Vote late because I never look at sticky threads)

1. Legend of Grimrock
2. FTL

1. Mass Effect 3
2. Spec Ops
3. XCOM

No problem amigo. I just hope I didn't miss anyone with the tag.

I protest the forum's poor taste by not voting. Trials Evolution is the game of the year, and I refuse to recognize the legitimacy of any poll that does not so deem it.

1)XCOM
2)Dragon's Dogma
3)Dark Souls

I changed Dark Souls and Dragon's Dogma order, because even with the new content, the part of the game I liked best was released in 2011 to me.