The Canadian Online Gamers crew have come together in collaboration to share with you our best and worst gaming experiences of 2012. Learn which games received top honors this year from each of our writers, and which games just didn’t make the cut.
Kirby Yablonski (The Outcast)
Game of the Year – Borderlands 2
My favourite game for 2012 has to be Borderlands 2. This sequel upped the ante in many ways, and to date is still a game I continue to play. Borderlands 2 was in a dead heat with Halo 4, but managed to just edge it out. For starters, the single player experience is HUGE and won’t be done in just a few sittings. You’ll put a lot of time into the main campaign, and the side stories add even more. Of course, lets not forget the DLC that has been added so far, and that there is still a lot more to come. I have never been a huge fan of adversarial online multiplayer. It’s not that I hate it, but it is not a deal breaker for me. Borderlands 2’s online cooperative multiplayer is what really won me over. The fact that you can play all of the single player campaign, every side mission and all of the DLC with up to three other people is great. Although Halo 4 has Spartan Ops, the DLC available and soon to be released for Borderlands 2 offers unique individual stories that continue the madness of Pandora. The humour, the characters, and the introduction of some new elements (e.g. Different monetary funds) adds to the addictiveness of play; and the unique visual style and great voice acting make it that much better. In many ways, I wish I could have two games as my favourite for 2012, but alas I could only have one, so this is it. Well done Gearbox Software and 2K games.
Borderlands 2 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/borderlands-2-xbox-360-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – 007 Legends
In regards to my biggest disappointment, I am choosing a game that not a lot of people were looking to play in the first place, and that is 007 Legends. I am a big James Bond fan, and given the 50th Anniversary of the 007 franchise this year, I had hoped this game, which spanned 5 different Bond story lines (six if you include Skyfall after it’s theatrical release) would be enjoyable. Activision has released some solid James Bond titles in the past (Quantum of Solace and Bloodstone come to mind) and last years Goldeneye on the Xbox 360 was fun. That being said, I was not prepared for the train wreck that 007 Legends was, and I was probably a bit too generous in my review. Regardless, I was so let down with its cookie cutter approach, the broken gameplay and the “it’s just over” ending that it left me yelling at the screen “WTF”. As a Bond fan, I was left with an empty feeling, given how let down I was with the game, and I hope to never have to play a game like this again.
007 Legends Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/007-legends-xbox-360-review/
Trevor Houston (MRBIGCAT)
Game of the Year – The Walking Dead
When the Lord of the Rings Trilogy came to end I had a sickening feeling in my stomach when I came to grips that this was the end of a fantastic ride. Well much like LOTR, I felt the same when I finished off the 5th episode of Telltale’s The Walking Dead. Over the better part of the 2nd half of the year, I thoroughly enjoyed playing through this episodic emotional roller coaster where every chapter tugged at my heart strings. The choices I made were agonizing, and I would reflect upon them on the days following my play through. To this day I regret some of the choices I made, but in the end, all those tough decisions contributed to what has been a remarkable experience. It is all those decisions and fantastic story telling that has me picking The Walking Dead for my game of the year.
The Walking Dead Review (Episode 1-5):
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-1-a-new-day-xbla-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-2-starved-for-help-xbla-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-3-long-road-ahead-xbla-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-4-around-every-corner-xbox-360-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-no-time-left-xbla-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified
In my mind, Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified was supposed to be the game that kept the Vita alive this holiday season. The Vita was craving for a hit title and desperately needed a big hit on their hands. Who better to save the day than Activision’s record breaking franchise Call of Duty. As it turns out, Declassified stunk and was nothing like what I expected. It was really only a shadow of the Call of Duty franchise itself. It had very little in the way of redeeming qualities, which is unfortunate. This was massive opportunity lost for Activision, Sony and the loyal fans of the Call of Duty series. For this reason, it gets my toilet bowl award.
Declassified Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/call-of-duty-declassified-ps-vita-review/
Shad Forsyth (Fifty)
Game of the Year – Halo 4
While this might look like a safe or easy pick, a new studio successfully taking over one of the biggest gaming franchises is no small feat. Improving the franchise as 343 did is the single biggest achievement in gaming for 2012. 343 knocked it out of the park. The addition of Spartan Ops to the series’ already strong online presence is both ambitious and brilliant. And that’s not even the best part. The real treat is the life and depth 343 has brought to the characters Master Chief and Cortana. As good as the previous games were, they never explored either of these main characters or their relationship like 343 has here. It is great, great stuff. All of this combines to make one kick ass game. Halo 4 gets my vote for Game of the Year in a landslide.
Halo 4 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/halo-4-xbox-360-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Wii U
2012’s biggest fail for me is the Wii U. While there were plenty of launch titles, there was no shortage of absolute crap games at launch. Nintendo failed to deliver a killer app and I think its going to really hurt them. The Wii U also has a very slow operating system and frequent, long title updates. Never before have a I played a new console so little. No one expected the Wii U to eclipse the success and ingenuity of the Wii, but I didn’t expect so little either. By introducing motion control and basically opening gaming to an entirely new segment of consumers, Nintendo forced both Sony and Microsoft to be reactive. Unless we see some real ingenuity from game developers, I have a feeling Nintendo is going to get steamrolled once Sony and Microsoft roll out their “next-gen” strategies.
Devon Gagnon (T. Monkey)
Game of the Year – The Walking Dead
It’s that time of year again, where we bow down and pay tribute to the deities of recreation by offering up our favorite games of the year as bounty. It’s been a great year for the industry, and one of the best for the indie gaming community. The Walking Dead by Telltale games is one such game (sort of indie) that I believe stands out amongst it’s peers; and it just so happens to be my GOTY for 2012. There has been much debate as to whether a game that sacrifices gameplay in favor of character development and story line really deserves consideration at the top levels. Some see it as more of an interactive visual novel then a full on video game. I strongly disagree with that viewpoint. I found the amount of input required by me the player to be perfectly adequate; with quick, heavy decisions being made on the fly and just the right amount of click and investigate to keep me intrigued and entertained. What really grabbed me though was how emotionally immersed I was in the story, and how strongly I felt for the plights of the characters involved. I was sincerely concerned about my comrades and their own personal situations, trying to judge what’s best for them and the group with each decision I made. And when tragedy struck, I always thought back to past events and questioned how it went wrong; and how I could have done things differently. The dynamic between Clementine and Lee is one of the most touching and compelling character relationships I’ve ever witnessed in a game. When each episode ended – usually on a cliffhanger – I was already anxious to get my next fix. Even in the face of full retail games with superior mechanics and graphics, I can’t help but consider how rare it is for a game, in an industry well known for it’s poor writing, to charm me in the brilliant way that it did. Couple that with a great comic book visual style and excellent voice acting, not to mention the backing of a successful franchise, and we’ve got ourselves a sure fire winner that I believe sets a new bar of quality for story telling in games. And that accomplishment alone deserves to be recognized.
The Walking Dead Review (Episode 1-5):
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-1-a-new-day-xbla-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-2-starved-for-help-xbla-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-3-long-road-ahead-xbla-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-4-around-every-corner-xbox-360-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-no-time-left-xbla-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Assassin’s Creed 3
I’d have to say that Assassin’s Creed 3 was my biggest disappointment of 2012. I’m a huge fan of the series. I’ve played all of the sequels up until the present, and being a history buff, I was really looking forward to a brand new chapter set during the era of the American Revolution. Did I mention you get to fight bears? Unfortunately, my opinion changed when I actually bought a copy and started the campaign. My biggest gripe of AC3 has to be the incredibly slow pacing of the main story line, it was really unexpected. You spend hours learning about the premise of the story and getting through the initial training before you even learn about Connor, the main protagonist. When you finally get control of the guy, with the impression of finally getting to the action, they drop you in even more equally grueling tutorial sessions. For me, the flow just wasn’t there, and even despite AC3’s gorgeous visuals and the really intuitive tree climbing and animal hunting in the Frontier, I wasn’t compelled enough to remain involved in what was going on in the plot. Connor just didn’t grab me the way Ezio did in AC2, and the buggy stealth mechanics and horizontally challenged city climbing often broke the immersion. Perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects of the game are the instant fail missions, where you tail and eavesdrop on a POI to gather information. Only, if you get caught, can’t keep pace or screw up in any manner, you fail and have to start the entire boring event over again from scratch. The game still has some good points of course, like the combat being fun and smooth as always, and the excellent naval missions you perform with the acquisition of your ship. But overall, I really couldn’t get into the groove. I never felt connected with the characters, and I really didn’t care what was going on with Connor or Desmond, which is really disappointing considering the investment I’ve put in so far. I’m not going to say that Assassin’s Creed 3 is a bad game, because it isn’t, but it simply does not live up to what I’ve come to expect from this great franchise. Let’s hope it’s only a small bump on the road of an otherwise excellent series.
Assassin’s Creed 3 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/assassins-creed-iii-xbox-360-review/
Matt Cullen (Canusky)
Game of the Year – Spelunky HD
It was a big year for gaming, with a good number of both big and small budget titles released. I thought long and hard on what I had played over the year and what I kept coming back to. It was a simple game on the surface, but once I started playing, it revealed a surprising amount of depth. At times it had me cursing loudly, other times laughing out loud, or even wincing in pain as my character died. My choice for best Game of the Year is not a big-budget title, but XBLA’s Spelunky HD: the quest of a little guy (or gal!) for Olmec’s treasure in maze-like caves under the desert. This game could have been an average side-scroller, but with its randomly generated areas, hidden stages, strange sense of humor and catchy soundtrack, Spelunky HD became something truly special. I have to admit that I would choose this game over Mario any day.
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Diablo 3
Waiting… I hate waiting. Especially for a big-name title that had been in development for over a decade. So the day finally came, and the game was released – but my spirit was crushed. Maybe I was expecting too much, thinking they could really pull off an awesome sequel that would dwarf the previous versions. But in the end, Diablo 3 was a major disappointment to me. Gone were features I loved in Diablo 2; there was no offline single player mode, and the game had a poor launch where the servers couldn’t handle the influx of players trying to log on. Didn’t they learn from their earlier mistakes with World of Warcraft? The mess with the auction house, with people selling weapons and then having those same weapons nerfed after a few months in an update, made trying to sell items a frustrating endeavor at best. I never finished the game because I felt it got boring way to quickly. Maybe my tastes in games have changed since Diablo 2 came out. I suspect if Blizzard had released this a lot sooner, I might have enjoyed it more.
D3 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/diablo-3-pc-review/
John Elliott (JohnnyXeo)
Game of the Year – Pokemon Black/White 2
Wait, what? I know some of you are having that thought right now when you read that my Game of the Year is Pokemon Black/White 2, especially when there are games with much better graphics and a better story. However, when it got down to it and I asked myself which game did I sink the most time into, am still playing and still haven’t beaten yet, what other game have I hit the 92 hour mark of gameplay with; the answer I came up with was Pokemon. Sure, the title falls into the usual Pokemon mold, but it’s added so much with the Pokemon Tournament; and was the first Pokemon title to continue a storyline from a previous title. Not only did it continue the storyline, if you had played the previous title it would reveal even more story, making it richer for the player. In the end, it’s the game I still keep going to and thoroughly enjoy that I will continue playing until the next Pokemon drops.
Pokemon Black/White 2 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/pokemon-blackwhite-version-2-dsdsi-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Assassin’s Creed 3
Considering how well known I am for being a huge fan of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, my choice for biggest disappointment may come as a surprise. To give you an idea, I have all the collector’s editions for the series displayed on my entertainment unit, I own two AC belt buckles; and as I write this I am wearing a Desmond hoodie and I walk to work everyday with an AC messenger bag on my back. In the mail are four AC posters that I shall frame and have up on my walls very soon. However, as a super fan I have to give my Biggest Fail of the Year to Assassin’s Creed 3, but the reason it is the Biggest Fail of the Year for me is that Ubisoft totally dropped the ball when it came to the story of Desmond. Sure, Connor’s story arc wasn’t as stellar as Ezio, but I would say it was still better than Altiar’s original foray into the series. There were numerous glitches, bugs and WTF moments throughout the game, but were ultimately not game breaking; however annoying they might be. I can deal with these problems because I know that this was a brand new engine Ubisoft put together just for Assassin’s Creed, and there were bound to be problems as they worked out the kinks. What I can’t forgive was taking the story into a direction that not only didn’t make sense, but took away the player’s choice in the end. Upon completion of the game you are a faced with a choice that is fairly bleak, and I believed I would be prompted to make that tough choice; but it never happened, which I thought was completely unjustified. In a game with so many choices, this is the one that players should have been able to make after investing so many years and so many hours into these titles; to be given no choice and ultimately what I felt was a cop out of an ending just so they could complete the game and publish it is disappointing. I wonder if I could get some new ending DLC just for me?
Assassin’s Creed 3 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/assassins-creed-iii-xbox-360-review/
Jennifer Dingle (xxGENEVIEVExx)
Game of the Year – Far Cry 3
Up until late November, I was dead certain that the Walking Dead would be my choice for GOTY, for obvious reasons. But then, a little game called Far Cry 3 came out and now, I just can’t put it down! I have yet to finish the story, but I’m thoroughly enjoying the open world, exploring the lush island, skinning animals, taking over radio towers, and encountering pirates (including the very memorable villain Vaas). It looks fantastic, has a great soundtrack, a lengthy single player campaign, a multiplayer suite with co-op and most importantly, I’m having a blast playing it! And you can punch sharks! That alone makes it truly worthy of a GOTY accolade!
Far Cry 3 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/far-cry-3-xbox-360-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Epic Mickey 2
As for my most disappointing, unfortunately, after much thought, regretfully I have decided on Epic Mickey 2. I had such high hopes for this game, something both my daughter and I really looked forward to playing together. But it never lived up to its true potential. It looks gorgeous, but it’s plagued with the same issues that the first game suffered from: clunky controls, confusing design, and a problematic camera, which makes it very frustrating to play. Considering what this game could have been, it’s a shame that it’s considered as my biggest fail of the year.
Epic Mickey 2 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/epic-mickey-2-the-power-of-two-wii-u-review/
Adam Dileva (Variation)
Game of the Year – The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition for Xbox 360
It would be easy to go back to my old reviews and simply pick my highest score and give that my GOTY, but it’s not always that simple. My personal GOTY is The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition for Xbox 360. Yes, technically the game came out for PC back in 2011, but the Xbox 360 version in 2012 was nothing less than superb and it was clearly done with much labor of love. There are few games that I instantly start a new playthrough as soon as I finish it, but in the case of The Witcher 2, I started a new game as soon as the credits finished rolling.
The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition for Xbox 360 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-enhanced-edition-xbox-360-review/
Most Disappointing Game of the Year – Steel Battalion Heavy Armor
Hands down without hesitation: Steel Battalion Heavy Armor. This was supposed to be THE defining hardcore title for Kinect, but instead we were given a game with controls that were utterly and completely broken; and forever made the Steel Battalion franchise a joke, and just reinforced all the Kinect naysayers criticisms. As a note, this game received the lowest score I’ve ever given to any game, ever.
Daniel Kozlowski (The Jugganautt)
Game of the year – Guild Wars 2
My choice for Game of the Year was made easy by Arena Net. Prior to its release, Guild Wars 2 had been receiving a lot of buzz about its unique design, and it delivered an incredible experience. One so great, that months after its release I still find myself engrossed in its amazing game play. When I think of Guild Wars 2, I think of a breath of fresh air. Less grinding, vast amounts of content, and an MMO that actually holds your attention for more than a few levels, because it’s different and offers variety. The world of Tyria, as designed in Guild Wars 2, is an endlessly exciting place. It’s full of mystery and adventure, providing you with beautiful sights and well written personal stories that are memorable and engrossing. Guild Wars 2 did not turn out to be a simple sequel, instead it turned out to be a revolutionary MMO.
Guild Wars 2 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/guild-wars-2-pc-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Diablo 3
Given that Blizzard shaped my video gaming days as a child, I was very upset when they released Diablo 3. Don’t get me wrong, I was incredibly excited to play the latest entry in the Diablo series, and a lot of work was put into the making of this title. With 12 years separating it from its predecessor, I had high hopes for Diablo 3. While it had fairly positive feedback initially, the months that followed its launch have allowed players to see Diablo 3’s true colors. The endgame content is almost non existent. Player-versus-player is still on the way apparently. A month before the game’s release, Blizzard explained to its fan base that the feature was removed, and that it would be patched in later. The game has been out for several months now, and PvP is nowhere to be found. Ultimately, a large portion of the fan base feels let down. On top of this, I haven’t even mentioned the disaster that the Diablo 3 launch was. Millions of players couldn’t even properly log on to the servers to play the game the first few days. After waiting 12 years for this game, it was more then frustrating to have issues trying to log in. In the end, I really thought Blizzard would have known that hours spent loot grinding grows dull quickly without variety. Diablo III might have been addictive and exciting in its early days, but it has aged poorly, especially in comparison to its predecessor and the impact it left on the gaming community.
D3 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/diablo-3-pc-review/
Paul Sullivan (Paulhammer)
Game of the Year – Mass Effect 3
I struggled with the task of picking my Game of the Year. In some ways they could have been reversed, as I have issues with both games, but I have to go with my gut here. My Game of the Year pick for 2012 is Mass Effect 3. Yes, Bioware has endured MASSIVE backlash from gamers over the ending, and it’s almost inexcusable that the Leviathan DLC wasn’t included in the base game (for those that haven’t played it, Leviathan makes the whole ending make sense). BUT, it’s impossible to argue with the quality Mass Effect 3 brings to the table. The battle mechanics are excellent, the character development is spot on and it’s stunning in terms of art direction, graphic design and musical scoring. The ending drove me absolutely nuts, but that’s what makes it a great ending: controversy is undeniably the sign of an excellent ending (Ex. Inception), and Mass Effect’s wind up has much the same feel. Few games have made me feel as connected to its characters and world as Mass Effect has, and I enjoyed ME3 more than anything else I played this year.
Mass Effect 3 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/mass-effect-3-xbox-360-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Assassins Creed 3
All summer, I salivated about Assassin’s Creed 3. The demos and videos from trade shows looked unbelievable, and I couldn’t wait to dive back into that universe. Sadly, AC3 feels like a total rush job, and it’s the most disappointing thing I’ve played in 2012. At first, I thought the environments, battle mechanics and characters were engaging and fresh, but after a few hours the lustre was LONG gone. The pacing of the game is atrocious. Five plus hours before the world even opens up? Endless eavesdropping and chase missions with boneheaded AI? Glitchy and unpredictable controls? Absolutely horrible interface design? Assassin’s Creed 3 has all the above in spades. Not even the stellar voice acting and exciting naval battles can save the game from itself. As a whole, the game is a chore to slog through, and robs you of any satisfaction by turning important events into quick time events or other cheap feeling mechanics. Ubisoft should have held this one back to finish it properly, because I for one will be reluctant to return to the Assassin’s Creed world.
Assassin’s Creed 3 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/assassins-creed-iii-xbox-360-review/
Jordan Pachal (ThreeDJP)
Game of the Year – Guild Wars 2
Unfortunately, 2012 was not that kind to me gaming-wise, based on attending school for the first half of the year, and then getting a job requiring a bit of commuting over the next few months. For anybody that knows me, however, it will be of no surprise that my favourite game of 2012 is Guild Wars 2. As a huge fan of the original, I waited in rabid anticipation for the sequel through its many years of development to its release in late August. From the gorgeous painted art style, huge immersive world, dynamic world events that help get rid of the “MMO Grind” and the sense of online community (even if you are running around the land of Tyria solo) Guild Wars 2 is a great evolution of the franchise. If you are a fan of online RPGs, and you haven’t given this one a try yet, I am not sure what you are waiting for.
Guild Wars 2 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/guild-wars-2-pc-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Wii U
As I sit here trying to think of the worst game, I realize just how little gaming I have really done this year. Because of this, I chose my gaming time quite carefully and/or was chipping away at my backlog. If I did have to pick my biggest 2012 disappointment though, it would have to be the Wii U. As a huge Nintendo supporter it pains me a bit to even put it on this list as I was more excited about the possibilities of this system than I was with the Wii 6 years ago. Although I have had a lot of fun with the system so far and there are many aspects of it that I do like, it has failed to reach my expectations so far. I do still believe that the system has huge potential, and I can’t wait to finally see Nintendo and the other companies take advantage of it; however, at this point I have already seen failed marketing attempts, a slow operating system, mediocre internet/friend support (although still light years ahead of Nintendo’s previous attempts), and the only “killer app” at this point is Nintendo Land – the equivalent of Wii Sports. You can do better Nintendo… You have to…
Shawn Petraschuk (CanadianBoarder)
Game of the Year: Dishonored
Give me something new! Give me something that isn’t a regurgitated CoD from years past! These are the thoughts that go through my head when I’m searching out a game experience, and this year the calls were answered by my Game of the Year pick, Dishonored. It’s so hard in the gaming landscape for a brand new IP to crack the collective hive of gamers and actually do well. Every year so many try and ultimately fail, even if they don’t deserve it (Kingdoms of Amalur… gamers should be ashamed, this was a big contender for me) and yet another 5th or 6th sequel in a predictable series gets all the sales. I was excited right upon announcement for Dishonored and was pleasantly surprised by how well it was received. The difficulties of launching a successful new IP aside, the merits of the game itself are what truly made it successful. A brilliant and well thought out Steampunk universe with an equally well thought out protagonist in Corvo Attano brought an experience that I wanted to finish and couldn’t help but be drawn into. The gameplay is as open world as you can imagine, whether you want to run in slaying every guard you see, stealthily warp into dark corners and lure unsuspecting victims to their demise or take over the body of your friendly neighborhood sewer rat and waltz on by them all with nary a glance. While taking cues from other successful franchises (Assassin’s Creed is a worthy comparison) Dishonored manages to tell its own story and create an experience that stands on its own and is thoroughly engrossing. For these reasons it gets my Game of the Year honors, and I personally can’t wait to see where they take this new franchise in the future.
Dishonored Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/dishonored-xbox-360-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Wii U
Perhaps this is a good sign of the year as a whole but I really found it difficult to try and call out a big downer for myself this year. I’m not sure if that means I have extremely low expectations or that this was a great year in gaming, but nonetheless the choice was a difficult one. After much deliberation I had to go with the Wii U console. I’m aware that another one of our reviewers called out the new unit as well and I couldn’t help but agree with him. A shiny new console should be getting regular play and sadly I’m finding that despite the button mashing of my 4 y/o, it’s getting largely ignored by a household of gamers. Now I’m not going out there and saying that the console stinks as it has a lot going for it, but the sheer lack of playable launch titles (and by playable I mean worth my time playing) was disappointing. The GamePad will see more use in games as developers learn how to incorporate it into their experiences, but it seems like a missed opportunity to turn the industry on its collective head a bit as it wasn’t overly utilized at launch, except perhaps by ZombiU. The OS is painfully slow with a laborious day one download and update that really turned me off. All in all it just felt like a rocky start for what was supposed to usher in the next gen of gaming experiences. I hold out hope as franchise mainstays on the Nintendo console make their debuts, but Nintendo dropped the ball a bit on this one.
Henry Kokuryo (Ippon)
Game of the Year – Diablo 3
The reason: Addicting gameplay, great sound, decent graphics and constantly finding new items make this game for me the best Game of the Year. Granted, it’s a lot of mouse clicking and not a tremendous amount of strategy, but that’s what I like to do before I go to bed. Mindless adventuring and making my characters stronger.
D3 Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/diablo-3-pc-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir
The reason: I expected some creative uses from the game, especially using the 3D camera and movement, but all I got was awkward camera angles, repetitiveness and frustrating lighting that took a lot away from the game. Creepy at times, but feels too short of my expectations.
Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/spirit-camera-the-cursed-memoir-3ds-review/
Frank Naresh (Alucardblack)
Game of the Year – The Walking Dead
Game of the year is really a no brainer for me. Normally I would succumb to the Call of Duties or Gears of War type titles, but I got hooked on this game right off the hop. In 2006 I reviewed a couple of episodic game series from Telltale Games. They were early in form, a little vague in their delivery, but still; fantastic stories. Of course, this leads me to the groundbreaking The Walking Dead series. After honing their chops on titles like Wallace and Grommit, Sam and Max, Hector and many others, Telltale has really hit the nail on the head with The Walking Dead. The game has nothing in common really with the hit television series, except for the name origins and in a way, the delivery. Having no prior knowledge of the franchise, I dove in and loved it. The story telling is what drew me in, right from the opening scene; it sucked me in like a great movie. The game pulls you in requiring your participation, tugging on heartstrings and conjuring real life feelings of hate, fear and love. This was incredibly refreshing, I came away from each episode not being able to wait for the next. I really loved how the game extracted different emotions for each of the games characters, hating those who were a bit sketchy while pouring empathy for the less fortunate. The games storytelling is not the only star here, the mix of great voice acting and beautiful hand drawn vivid art all combine to make a nearly complete game, worthy of its Game of the Year award. The wait for the next season is going to be tough!
The Walking Dead Review (Episode 1-5):
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-1-a-new-day-xbla-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-2-starved-for-help-xbla-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-3-long-road-ahead-xbla-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-4-around-every-corner-xbox-360-review/
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-walking-dead-episode-no-time-left-xbla-review/
Biggest Disappointment of the Year – 007 Legends
Since I’m a huge fan of Bond films and a couple of the games, I was really looking forward to 007 Legends. HD Bond with gorgeous graphics, great stories and fantastic action really sounds great to me. Unfortunately, 007 Legends just didn’t pan out that way for me. I was totally disappointed with the sub-par voice acting; they sounded nothing like the real Bond, or for that matter Daniel Craig. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think he even uttered his catch phrase anywhere in the game: Bond… James Bond. It’s hard not to compare 007 Legends with COD since every single aspect of it’s game play is identical. Where did the trademark Bond suave and stealth go? What a slap in the face. Stealth is unnecessary in this Bond title as you can gun down anyone anywhere just by barging in guns a blazing. The boss battles are quite the scripted moments of very little challenge, with the AI usually finishing things off for you. I found the game very disorganized; it screams of a very underdeveloped game released before its due date. The subject matter and premise really had me excited for this game, but yet again, here is another epic fail for a Bond related license.
007 Legends Review: https://cogconnected.com/review/007-legends-xbox-360-review/