Top 10 Video Games of 2012!
Alright, I really really want you to listen to this years Bullshot! end of the year special. It can be found here. So in hopes to encourage you to listen I’m only going to post 2 or 3 sentences on why I liked these games. For more discussion listen to Bullshot! Thanks!
10. ZombiU – Wii U (Ubisoft)
ZombiU feels more like a ride or an experience. Something you would pay many tokens to play at the arcade. It also shows that third parties might know what to do with Nintendo’s latest console.
9. Uncharted: Golden Abyss – PS Vita (SCEA/Sony Bend)
By far and away the best game for the Vita. Uncharted is brilliantly written and acted and was one of the most satisfying adventures of the year.
8. Mass Effect 3 – Xbox 360/PS3/PC/Wii U (EA/BioWare)
Mass Effect 3 is nowhere near as good as Mass Effect 2, but you have to respect BioWare for seeing this trilogy to its conclusion.
7. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning – Xbox 360/PS3/PC (EA/38 Studios/Big Huge Games)
A brilliant mash up of Fable and Skyrim. Its too bad the game was caught up in the 38 Studios controversy because people missed one of the best RPGs of 2012.
6. Borderlands 2 – Xbox 360/PS3/PC (2K Games/Gearbox Software)
Borderlands 2 is Borderlands, but bigger. Play with friends or even strangers and the world will melt away. All you will care about is bullets and loot.
5. Assassin’s Creed III – Xbox 360/PS3/PC/Wii U (Ubisoft)
Assassin’s Creed III makes up for some of Revelations shortcomings, but isn’t as good as Brotherhood. Still the game is beautiful and the conclusion to Desmond’s storyline is fantastic.
4. Spec Ops: The Line – Xbox 360/PS3/PC (2K Games/Yager)
Spec Ops: The Line is a sub-par military shooter, but underneath its surface lies its dark heart and the best narrative in video games in 2012.
3. Kid Icarus: Uprising – 3DS (Nintendo/Project Sora)
Incredible writing and voice acting makes up for bizarre controls. Easily the most underrated game of the year. It literally makes me angry that more people didn’t play it.
2. Halo 4 – Xbox 360 (Microsoft Studios/343 Industries)
Halo grows up. Halo 4 is the first time I can whole heartedly recommend a Halo game since Halo 2. Manned by a new team who seem genuinely excited to be working on new Halo games Halo 4 is an absolute triumph of video game making. The music, the graphics, the gameplay, everything comes together to make one of the most fun to play games of 2012.
1. Journey – PS3 (SCEA/thatgamecompany)
Journey is the best game of the year. To say anything else would ruin this incredible experience. If you play video games this is a must play. Even if you don’t play video games, watch someone else play it. It’s something everyone should see.
REVIEW: PSVita
Its been a week now since Sony rolled out the PSVita and you’ve already read countless reviews of the hardware. So, instead of writing your typical 2000 word review I’ve decided to lay it out as a fake FAQ of sorts. I’ll write a statement or question and then I’ll answer it True, False, or something snarky. Make sense? Ok! Here we go!
The screen is really awesome. TRUE
The 5″ OLED screen is ridiculous. The only thing that outdoes it is the iPhone’s Retina Display. The viewing angles are insane, the colors are crisp and bright, the whole thing is just beautiful. I could see myself watching an entire movie on the Vita.
The Vita is not portable. FALSE
The Vita is not POCKETABLE. Buy a case for your Vita and throw it in your bag and you are all set to go. I took mine with me on a train ride, and on a few car trips and it is fine. Case. Bag. Done.
You need the 3G version. MAYBE
This all depends on just how connected you want to be. Many of the games have online multiplayer or some kind of networking feature. Plus all the apps are for the web. Foursquare, Twitter, Netflix, etc all require a data connection. Unit 13 a game due out next week has a constantly updating leaderboard and begs you to keep it connected to the Internet. If you’re just going to play this at home, or at places with WiFi you should be fine. You could also always just get a tethering plan for your smartphone which is what I might end up doing.
Does the battery suck? KINDA
I let the Vita sit for a couple of days fully charged and the battery meter didn’t move a bit. However on Saturday I played 2 hours of Uncharted, a half hour of ModNation Racers, and an hour of Hot Shots Golf and that killed the battery. The 3DS gets about the same amount of game play time out of a full charge and we all got over that. Plus right now most of the games are meant to be played in short bursts. Battery life will be a bigger problem when online multiplayer gaming becomes more prevalent on the system.
Do the thumbsticks really make a big difference? YES
The Vita is basically a PS3 controller with a screen. It makes all the difference in the world. Uncharted FEELS like a brand new full entry in the series. Not a half assed version of the franchise. That’s another exciting thing about the Vita it will expand franchises. Something I will talk about in more detail on Bullshot! because my theory is a tad complicated.
Do I need to buy one right now? NO
Nope it’s just a video game system you don’t NEED it. I’m in love with mine, but if you aren’t going to find yourself in situations where you need to play a video game to kill some time or because you only have one TV in the house and you can’t always play games then the Vita is fantastic, otherwise you can wait.
I’ll definitely be talking about it more on Bullshot! and I’ll do a mini-review of Uncharted: Golden Abyss when I wrap it up.