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The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

It was a year of expected sequels and companies feeding off of gamers’ urge to quench their thirst for supreme nostalgia.

The 25 Best Video Games of 2012
Photo: SCEA

Let’s set the scene, shall we? Eleven forty-five p.m., November 17, 2012. High in energy, fresh out of a Holy Motors screening, I joined my comrades in jest, partnering with the inconsiderate a-holes strutting by the midnight Wii U release lines, pointing and laughing at the wide-eyed masses clamoring for their dosage of pre-ordered digital drugs. It was a symbolic, suitable conclusion to a mediocre calendar year in gaming, one that produced a scattering of very good games, but only a couple of legit masterpieces. Much like 2011, it was a year of expected sequels and companies feeding off of the never-ending urge of gamers to quench their thirst for supreme nostalgia. Over half of the titles on our list are continuations or reboots of well-known franchises; hell, there’s even a sequel to a sequel, and there would have been another such follow-up had fellow Slant contributors to this poll become as Poké-obsessed as myself.

That’s not to say that 2012 was a step in the wrong direction. No, there was much risk-taking on the part of developers, as well as commendable attempts by publishers to alter the way people purchase and promptly consume their video games. Many respected outfits crafted new entries in their respected series that greatly differentiated from what came before, in both style and direction, and while some of them fell flat on their faces (Worst Game of the Year contenders include Risen 2: Dark Waters, 007 Legends, and Assassin’s Creed III) and some merely fumbled in execution rather than initial concept (Resident Evil 6), others benefited exceedingly from their throwing caution to the wind and embracing diversification. (In lieu of naming names, I implore you to read on.)

Two thousand and twelve may eventually come to be known as the Year DLC Took Over, as more and more games are being made available for acquisition via the Internet on or before their official retail street dates. Furthermore, so many download-only, independent titles are receiving immense critical acclaim on the spot, and most are far more substantial in originality, scope, and accomplishment than the big-budget heavy-hitters that spawn those aforementioned witching hour launch-party lines. One of these DLC exclusives, Thatgamecompany’s sublime Journey, shortlisted by our entire gaming staff, nearly landed at the very top of the rankings. Befitting, though, that in a year of several marked technological adjustments, and the effective birth of the next generation with the Wii U, our favorite game is a callback to the era of the classic JRPG. Mike LeChevallier


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

25. Persona 4 Arena

That the curiously unheralded partnership of Atlus and Arc System Works managed to produce the best fighting game of the year is all the more praiseworthy given the fact that the well-publicized Street Fighter X Tekken spent the majority of 2012 maintaining such a remarkably tight grapple on the lofty accolade. Yet, in the end, Persona 4 Arena, with its unique visual style, scaled learning curve, and intuitive control scheme edges out Capcom’s still-formidable blockbuster brawler by a fair margin. By taking the already vastly celebrated property of Atlus’s Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 and, through an utmost attention to detail and a thoroughly innovative spin on the popular 2D-throwdown genre, Arc System Works (Guilty Gear, BlazBlue) translates one of the past decade’s most important JRPGs into a perpetually rewarding fighter that not only faithfully retains the eccentric spirit of the source material, but quickly establishes a singular attitude all its own. LeChevallier


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

24. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

After the disastrous Michael Bay films and the dull, derivative Transformers: War for Cybertron, the first miracle bestowed by Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is that it leads one to actually care about the Transformers franchise, and further, to care about its typically inhuman, two-dimensional robot characters. This is an action game with stakes, in which we see the end of the world from multiple sympathetic characters fighting to stop an apocalypse. The gameplay is varied and thrilling, with clever levels designed to take advantage of the unique talents gifted to the characters. Forgetting the much-hyped, basically awful Grimlock chapter, the game is consistently exciting and concludes intelligently, linking to nearly every incarnation of the franchise. A smart and exhilarating action-adventure, Fall of Cybertron has something for everyone, not just fans. Ryan Aston

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

23. New Super Mario Bros. U

The Super Mario Bros. series manages to tweak just enough of its classic platforming tropes every year to remain innovative. Now Nintendo introduces the Wii U’s tablet-like gamepad controller for an unforgettable couch co-op experience, and in the process perfects Mario’s blend of cartoony fun for new players and tricky platforming for longtime fans. New Super Mario Bros. U will transform you into a grinning kid again with its Super Mario Bros. 3-esque gameplay. Also, new power-ups for Mario, Baby Yoshis, and the ability to play as Mii characters add a fresh veneer to an old hat. The Mushroom Kingdom’s colorful worlds are meant for an HD screen. Welcome to this generation, Mario. Kyle Lemmon


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

22. Twisted Metal

David Jaffe’s return to his pre-God of War success, the 2012 Twisted Metal reboot built on the existing franchise with a strong story component and the same hilariously over-the-top arcade-style vehicular combat that made the series successful in the PSX and PS2 era. Taking a cue from Saw and its genre ilk, Twisted Metal features some of the most ghastly and reprehensible full-motion video ever seen in a video game, married comfortably to its over-the-top gameplay in which serial killers take to ridiculously modified vehicular death traps to kill and maim each other. Even the difficulty is extreme, making some parts of the compelling and vomit-inducing narrative a chore, but ultimately a rewarding one. Twisted Metal is a thrilling celebration of immature excess with intelligence and a sardonic sense of humor. It’s bloody awesome. Aston


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

21. Gravity Rush

The sensation of realistic human flight, sans any sort of motorized transport vehicle or giant airborne organism, is captured brilliantly in SCE Japan’s Gravity Rush, a game that uses the power and freedom of aerial navigation as a metaphor for decrypting its heroine’s own mysterious past. Kat is surely in the running for Best New Protagonist of the Year, her subjectively shaded characterization covertly drawing the player in deeply with each passing storyline development. With its coolly interactive comic-book transition sequences, touchy yet intricate manipulation physics, and unexampled graphical approach, Gravity Rush was the first game to truly make the PlayStation Vita stand out among its peers. In all honestly, though, the only systematic rival opposing Sony’s current-gen handheld is the 3DS, and if the Vita had released one or two more titles at or above the quality level of this diamond in the rough, Nintendo would likely be shaking in their aggregate boots. Bring on the sequel, please. LeChevallier


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

20. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

The choice was clear, and Geralt, the mutant Witcher thought little of it. After all, he’d already taken down the many-tentacled kayran in an epic and grueling battle; he’d gone one-on-one with the mysterious Kingslayer. It’d be a shame for those elven women to burn alive, especially after all the abuses they’d already suffered, but wasn’t it more responsible to butcher the man responsible for it? As it turns out, none of the choices in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings were that black and white: This one decision branches the game into two distinct experiences, each so smoothly written and substantial that each path—your path—feels correct, no matter how blood-soaked it gets. Forget the sex and violence; that’s maturity. Aaron Riccio

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

19. Paper Mario: Sticker Star

In theory, the Paper Mario franchise never should have worked as well as it did. It strips away nearly all of the elements that make the mainline Mario games highly anticipated events in the gaming community, and replaces them with RPG aspects and a literally paper-thin aesthetic that renders Nintendo’s foremost mascot an overly cartoonish caricature of himself. Yet, even now, as the Wii U bursts onto the scene with a fantastic launch title in New Super Mario Bros. U, the greatest achievement Nintendo has to their name in 2012 is arguably Paper Mario: Sticker Star. The fourth game in the Paper Mario series gets just about everything right, carrying on the Paper Mario tradition of taking risks in shaking up the formula of the previous installment (how the sticker system evolves from throwaway novelty to an automatic essential is nothing short of extraordinary) while sustaining the signature unabashed, tongue-in-cheek writing quirks that casually make fun of Mario’s world without pulling any gold coin-spouting punches. LeChevallier


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

18. Hitman: Absolution

Stealth games saw a renaissance this year, so it was only natural that IO Interactive’s barcoded, silent assassin Agent 47, a patient antihero who doesn’t require a gun to shake a target from its mortal coil, makes a triumphant return. The thrill of the hunt propels you through Hitman: Absolution’s 20 missions. Your choices of doling out death to targets are various: push them off a building, poison their fish dinner, shock them while they piss on an electrified fence, and so on. These decisive moments, as memorable as the exquisite crowd animations and lighting effects, imbue the game with a special brand of sadistic enchantment; hiding garroted bodies in crates and putting on ridiculous disguises, for example, never gets old. Hitman: Absolution makes a strong case for finite game environments that value sharpness of vision over breadth of experience. Lemmon


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

17. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

It’s appropriate that Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is the strongest entry in the mashed-up Disney/Square Enix franchise since 2005’s Kingdom Hearts II, as it’s the only notably legitimate chapter since then to focus intensely on the light/dark relationship between dual protagonists Sora and Riku. By introducing the infinitely fickle drop system, which places a countdown clock on the player’s gameplay sessions assuming the role of either of the game’s two heroes, a continuous sense of alternating personalities and overarching motifs must be gradually comprehended in order to fully grasp the depth of Dream Drop Distance’s categorically compressed core morals. Sora’s comparatively lighthearted quests are typically about doing the right thing for the betterment of a specific community, Disney-themed or otherwise, while Riku’s missions usually demand that the secondary champion undergo a more intense self-examination process, symbolically prying himself open and dragging out the darkness inside. Both of these spiky-haired teens have been through the proverbial ringer since the series’s outset, and their subtle intertwinings, as well as the sensitive fusion of Disney and Square Enix, has never been more sound than it is in Dream Drop Distance. LeChevallier


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

16. Prototype 2

There’s a point in shape-shifting antihero James Heller’s brutal quest for revenge—a quest that spans the entirety of Prototype 2—that the dubious motives for his actions are completely forgotten, lost in the total destruction of New York City and the endless massacres of both guilty and innocent. Finally fulfilling the promises of the original game and the disappointing InFamous series, Prototype 2 emerges as one of the best open-world games ever made, an ultraviolent interactive superhero fantasy in which the “hero” is recast as a overpowered and mindless maniac with little interest in anything but mass murder. With a gorgeously grim, progressively degrading setting that mirrors the protagonist’s personal crumbling alongside fluid controls and an RPG-like point system that rewards one for playing, Prototype 2 is an irresponsible, intelligent, and insane power fantasy. Aston

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

15. Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward

As out-of-the-blue magnificent as 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors was, Chunsoft’s spiritual successor, Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, outdoes their previous claustrophobic gem in a variety of ways. For one, it implements a deviously magnetic show-not-tell method of creeping-evil storytelling, giving the player as few narrative details and enigma-solving hints as possible, applying its around-the-corner surprises as strenuously earned gifts. Secondly, Virtue’s Last Reward uses its closeted setting to its full advantage; its labyrinthine warehouse backdrop exudes grimly atmospheric flourishes at every opportunity, making the replica steamship from 999 seem like a bum vacation by comparison. While the game’s prime mover, Sigma, might not be a more appealing main character than 999’s mutable Junpei, its supporting cast is among the year’s most memorable video-game ensembles. Each participant in the treacherous Nonary Game is well-rounded and believable in their plights, causing their successes and downfalls to resonate as profoundly as that of an IRL companion’s. LeChevallier


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

14. Max Payne 3

Max Payne is relaxing with a drink. Though he’s an on-duty bodyguard, the gig seems cushy. After all, what could go wrong in a high-rise nightclub? But don’t let the cutscene fool you: It’s just there to mask the loading screen, and Max Payne 3’s in-game action lets up only after you’ve failed a slow-motion dive through the air, missing a few thugs along the way. But even a Game Over lasts only long enough to replay your cinematic death, and the result feels like playing a movie. That is, a movie designed by a stuntman and executed by hard-boiled gamers, as you’ll be zipping down the exterior of a football stadium, escaping a fiery office building, infiltrating a drug-filled yacht party, creeping around São Paulo’s favelas, always seeing and doing something new. Thanks to the taut pacing and the wise choice to avoid an idle open-world, this antihero’s downward spiral is an upward experience. Riccio


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

13. Fez

The tribulation-ridden development of Phil Fish’s Fez is now legendary courtesy of his involvement with the inspirational documentary Indie Game: The Movie, which makes the unbridled joy of his final product all the sweeter.Fez is a wonderful and deceptive game, one that’s incredibly pleasant to experience, but also hides a much deeper and more complex game beneath its humble and gorgeous exterior. Its intricate puzzles lead to startling and rewarding moments of revelation, all of which come together to make sense of its universe and the way changes in perception can alter one’s entire experience of the world. An inadequate world map and some convoluted puzzles aside (including one the Internet is still yet to solve properly), Fez remains a beautiful and unique adventure, and one that cannot be experienced anywhere else in any other medium. Aston



The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

12. XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Prepare to die a lot. The modern gaming landscape is one littered with checkpoints, save states, and wonky AI. 2K Games’s reimagining of the XCOM strategy series harkens back to the cult classic’s unsettling gameplay and punishing difficulty. The rewarding sensation one receives after successfully commanding a squad out of a heated skirmish with strange intergalactic warriors is unparalleled in modern games. These tense battles eventually lead the player to actually form an emotional bond with your team members, which makes their inevitable demise that much more crushing. These interactive elements lend XCOM’s tense action an atmosphere that’s engrossing and wholly addictive. It’s easy to treasure an old-school counter-offensive game that understands the motivating power of fear. Lemmon

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

11. Persona 4 Golden

Persona 4 Golden achieved a goal that not very many video games do: It made me fall in love with something for a second time that I was already head-over-heels infatuated with. A magnanimous renewal of four-year-old Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 vows, Persona 4 Golden is the most mindful handheld role-playing port in recent memory, giving those who missed out on the original a chance to experience Atlus’s final PlayStation 2 JRPG magnum opus while simultaneously causing the composite hearts of longtime Persona fans to unwaveringly go all aflutter. Enhanced graphics, a flawlessly converted user interface, worthy online annexations, and the incorporation of newcomer Marie’s surprisingly comprehensive and revealing subplot make this the must-have PlayStation Vita game as of now. Bundled underneath the Christmas tree alongside Persona 4 Arena, Persona 4 Golden is one part of a dream team that quietly announces 2012 as the Year Shin Megami Tensei Bit Back. LeChevallier


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

10. Dishonored

Like many of the best games of this year, Dishonored hinges on choice. You can be a creeping assassin flitting above the rat-infested streets of Dunwall, or you can abandon that notion and slaughter aristocrats like a British whale-punk version of Rambo. Bethesda has created a grim world filled with oppression that’s worth exploration. The story of Corvo Attano and his reaction to the conspiracy against Empress Kaldwin is interesting, but the missions supersede any clumsy grappling of plot. BioShock-esque powers give you agency and the game’s engine provides a fluid experience throughout. This is the fresh and confident kind of world-building experience that prompts spirited water-cooler conversations and epic sequels. Lemmon


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

9. Final Fantasy XIII-2

Some studios might have gotten depressed at the lackluster response to Final Fantasy XIII. Others might have dismissed it and moved on. But Square Enix doubled down with a direct sequel, and did so successfully. Final Fantasy XIII-2 improves on its predecessor’s fast-paced and addictive role-selection combat by adding Pokémon-like monster collecting; exploration, which was largely absent before, now spans not only a variety of levels, but 700 years and several alternate realities, thanks to a time-travel mechanic that unites the best parts of Chrono Trigger and Radiant Historia. A celebration and reward to those who have followed this ever-changing franchise over the years, one need only play the opening battle sequence, first fighting on horseback and then flying after the giant dragon Bahamut, to realize that the gap between ambition and capability has nearly been crossed. Riccio


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

8. Sleeping Dogs

Less isn’t always more: To emphasize just how much officer Wei Shen has to lose while working undercover for the Sun On Yee triad, United Front and Square Enix invested in building a world beyond its missions. You could explore an authentic, albeit scaled-down, open-world Hong Kong and shop for clothes, eat at night markets, go on karaoke dates, gamble at cockfights, you name it. Sleeping Dogs’s John Woo-like action sequences went similarly overboard, in the best of ways, with an Assassin’s Creed-like foot chase leading naturally to a melee battle that spotlights the free-flow, Batman: Arkham-style fisticuffs before shifting to a bullet-time-filled gunfight that brings to mind Max Payne, all of which leads to a daring vehicular escape that feels as hectic as anything from Driver. Though these elements may have felt familiar, the total package felt far from sleepy—especially when you consider the soberingly graphic storytelling—and represents the best sort of hybrid, the one that puts the fun back in fundamentals. Riccio

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

7. Darksiders II

Though the plot of Darksiders II runs concurrently with that of the first entry in the series, as the Horseman Death attempts to redeem his brother War’s good name, there’s little here that feels like a retread. Sure, combat still revolves around combo-juggling and quick-roll evasions, but enemies and chests now drop randomized loot, which can provide even unskilled players with an edge. And while intricate dungeon puzzles make a welcome return (and provide a sometimes much-needed break from the mash-y combat), they revolve around new tools (similar to the Zelda games adored by this franchise). Traversing these spaces is more interesting, too, with wall-running “borrowed” from Prince of Persia and horseback sequences that pay respect to Shadow of the Colossus. This isn’t just another action game, but an homage to all the greats. Riccio


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

6. Mass Effect 3

Any trepidation approaching the conclusion to one of the most important trilogies in video-game history was easily forgotten just hours into Mass Effect 3, the amazing finale in which the talented, capable people at BioWare delivered on every character, story beat, and promise made across the remarkable series. Although it will be remembered most for its unfairly maligned ending, the trilogy reaches its zenith here in a series of affecting and impossible choices, wherein the player-designed Commander Shepard must unite as much of the universe as possible against an oncoming and unstoppable apocalyptic force that threatens all life, while sacrificing beloved characters—and sometimes entire species—for the greater good. It’s a personal and poignant experience that will change from player to player. Aston


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

5. Far Cry 3

Jason Brody is the unlikely hero of Ubisoft’s exceptional first-person shooter Far Cry 3, and his transformation from a millennial brat into a vengeful murderer aligns well with a game that transcends emblematic genre tropes. The narrative arc retains a dramatic force that’s lacking in most modern shooters. Furthermore, the developers made the right decision to focus on cultivating a lush open world that takes inspiration from hallmark games such as Red Dead Redemption and Skyrim. Rook Island is a teeming and balmy wilderness that makes one wrestle with real-world concerns such as colonialism, drug culture, and human trafficking. A multiplicity of tactics and paths provide the player with a sense of true psychosomatic and terrestrial exploration. Far Cry 3 is a intrepid sequel that eschews the series’s previous mistakes and leans on its strengths with the relish of a practiced hunter. Lemmon


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

4. Borderlands 2

This sequel to Gearbox’s 2009 hit Borderlands carries over the original’s exceptional gameplay, satisfyingly meshing first-person shooting with traditional RPG tropes, and adds a stronger narrative, penned by Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’?’s Anthony Burch, while retaining the series’s irreverent, mean-spirited sense of humor. (The Claptrap’s Birthday Bash! timed mission might be the most depressing thing in any 2012 video game outside of The Walking Dead.) Borderlands 2 improves on nearly every aspect of the original, with more balanced gameplay and weaponry, superior characters and dialogue, plus an abundance of Easter eggs and in-jokes hidden throughout the expansive and fascinating environments. It’s a hysterical game that oozes personality and is consistently hilarious. Worth seeing through both alone and with friends, Borderlands 2 is a tremendous sequel that is quite literally a blast. Aston

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

3. The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead point-and-click adventure game boasts both believable characters and a compelling storyline, and the attention to detail alone vaults it above AMC’s merely adequate television series. This five-episode DLC title, which places you in the shoes of a convict turned hero whose interactions with his small cadre of survivors sends ripples throughout the game’s world, even manages to nearly rival Robert Kirkman’s original tone, vision, and aptitude for rich characterizations in his ongoing comic-book series. The smart, profound narrative is a thrill to experience, but The Walking Dead is also a wonderfully cell-shaded environment that wrenches the heart just as much as it shocks it with fear. Lemmon


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

2. Journey

You’ll start out in the desert, descend into a midnight-blue labyrinth, and soar through the clouds into the bitter, icy mountains, but the game’s beautifully rendered settings aren’t the journey. It’s the emotional experience that elevates Journey above others, what distinguishes your poor, red-cloaked character from the billions of specks of sand he traverses. The areas you explore are often massive, but at the height of despair, and if you’re playing online, a second player may appear. Perhaps they’ll feel as you do, wandering around with the wide-eyed wonder that comes with starting out on this journey for the first time—or perhaps they’re a spiritual veteran of the game, serving as a reassuring guide. You’ll never know, as you can only communicate via chirps, but for three hours, they’ll be your best (and only) friend—and should you lose them, you’ll feel a loss that all the 1-Up mushrooms in the world could never salve. Riccio


The 25 Best Video Games of 2012

1. Xenoblade Chronicles

The Wii is dead. Long live the Wii U. Yes, the Nintendo Wii only gave us a handful of bona-fide masterstrokes, but each and every one of them is a game that doubtlessly invites multiple replays. How suitable is it that the Wii’s tenable swan song also single-handedly revitalized the vintage JRPG subgenre? Xenoblade Chronicles, like fellow 2012 JRPG revivalist Final Fantasy XIII-2 (which, like so many other games, owes a debt to the seminal Chrono Trigger), cleverly uses the thematic components of shifting destinies and humankind versus higher powers as manners by which to depict the oscillating mental states of its central characters. This year, you won’t be likely to find a more fleshed-out batch of heroes than 18-year-old sword-swinger Shulk and his ragtag group of Mechon-battlers. Writer-director Tetsuya Takahashi (Xenogears, Xenosaga) has been in this market for quite a while, and clearly understands that a great RPG starts and ends with its cast, and how well players can identify with their specific, often extrinsic, ambitions and dreams. Monolith Soft’s ambitious epic is boundlessly beautiful, challenging, emotionally gripping, and most distinguishably of all, effortlessly transporting. LeChevallier

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