2007 - Bioshock
2008 - Fallout 3
2009 - Batman Arkham Asylum
2010 - Red Dead Redemption
2011 - Dead Space 2
2012 - Journey
Unfortunately I found 2012 a relatively weak year compared to previous years when it came to video games. I can't actually complete a top ten, let alone a top five list of games, so instead I'll stick with a top three that really impressed me and one major disappointment.
1. Journey - This is game of the decade material right here. A downright beautiful game that pushes the limits of what a game truly is. Visually beautiful and amazingly deep - it's an astounding game that redefines multiplayer.
1. Rayman Origins Vita - I'm slightly cheating here. Rayman Origins should technically fall under the 2011 list, but none the less, I played the Vita version first and loved it. This is hands down my favourite game of all time. I've completed it four times already and I know I'll complete it many times over. It's addictive, saccharine in all the right ways and visually amazing.
3. Spec Ops: The Line - I didn't have much hope for this game. It was released at an odd time of the year - which turned slightly in its favour - one of its main selling points was dynamic sand, and it hid its main drawcard. The mere fact that this looks like your average FPS, but turns into something completely different is amazing. There are moments in this game which are jaw dropping - moments which you've played countless times before in Call of Duty or Battlefield, but in Spec Ops they're given great depth.
Most Disappointing Game of the Year:
Dishonored - I wanted to love this game so much. I was told that it was going to be amazing, and I bought into the hype. It appears that a lot of other people did too as Dishonored tops many lists for 2012. Great gameplay doesn't cover up the fact that the story is trite. The finale - whether you get a good ending or a bad ending - is pathetic. And the amount of questions that are left lingering are more frustrating than intriguing - who the bloody hell was that random person that kept taking you to these weird worlds? I'll still play the DLC when it comes out, and I'm sure I'll play the sequel when that inevitably comes out and they say 'oh, we'll fix all those things we did wrong to begin with', but I can't help feeling that I guess I'm more frustrated because people were saying we were getting a new Thief and a new Bioshock with Dishonored, but instead we got neither. Not even a pale shadow of the two.
