Nyu Media has already supported our Frequent Flyers reward program, but they’ve been so generous to give us an additional three Steam codes for eXceed Collection to give away.
So we’re going to give them away to the people who join in our weekend discussion!
The topic for this week’s discussion? What have been your favourite games so far this year. We’re past halfway, and there has been a lot of great games released – so which have been your picks, and how has this year held up to previous years so far for you?
At the end of the weekend I’ll pick the best three comments (make me laugh, make me cry, make me think, just don’t spam for entries!) and those people will win the Steam codes.
Best of luck!
Theatrhythm for me. That game is spectacular for a near life-long fan of the series. 😀
I loved the second Legend of Kyrandia game, Hand of Fate. Such a charming adventure! A little on the easy side maybe, but the dry humour made up for that. It's good to see a great adventure game that isn't made by Sierra or Lucas Arts and… what? what do you mean it's not 1993 any more? Oh well.
Seriously, though, I've been trying to beat my backlog instead of playing all the new things. Two games do stand out, even if they're clearly not "game of the year" material. Sega's Binary Domain was a lot of silly fun – a good, solid action game that tried a couple of new things and mostly failed. But it was fun while it lasted.
And then there's Orcs Must Die 2. Loved the first one, adore the second one. I've yet to play co-op. Anyone here interested?
Challenge accepted! Make me laugh – *tickles*; make me cry – *pokes*; make me think – *is a new theory of matter required at the highest energies?*
Otherwise, it's not been a stellar year so far, and I'm particularly disappointed with the lack of must-buys on 3DS. I've mainly been doing a Thomas and working through my backlog instead. I have enjoyed Paradox's new games though; Warlock was fun, Arctic Circle is underrated, and Sword of Islam is thought-provoking and an excellent example of DLC done right.
Kid Icarus: Uprising. I know the game has some control issues. I don't care; KI:U was one of the few modern games that made me feel genuinely happy. And in a industry where some developers are so obsessed with evoking emotions from players to the point that the games become interactively and visually dull, a funny and lighthearted and fast-paced romp-fest filled with unique (and colorful) locations effectively evoked more of an emotion than the games of those obsessed people.
Can you give a prize to yourself?
It would probably go to Operation Raccoon City.
I know that it didn't get the best reviews, but I had a really good time with it. It was even better when I got a game and played through a few levels with randoms.
After this block of exams I will be sure to pick it up and give it a go again.
Behind that, it would have to be Metal Gear Solid HD.
Amazing games, now portable.
That is a good question given the high number of games I've played. Skyrim was very involving and I really did not start playing it until this year. That being said, I would probably go with Mass Effect 3 so far. I know there's been plenty of controversy around the ending, and certainly it had high expectations that it did not meet with most people, but I did enjoy the single player game quite a bit and I still participate in the multiplayer for several hours every few weeks still, giving it a surprising amount of staying power in my library.
Probably Magic: The Gathering 2013. I just started to play the card game with my dad this year and like it, and while I don't like the video game as much as the actual card game, it is still fun.
Good question. So far I'll have to go with Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D. Mutant Mudds and Kid Icarus: Uprising are great as well, but don't quite reach the magic of Solid Snake's adventures in the Russian jungle. That game is amazingly well-acted and well-paced, not to mention has stunning gameplay variety and freedom. For as linearly as it's structured, it's infinitely replayable.
I'm with Rob and Thomas in that this year hasn't been heavy on "current" gaming. I've been buying games I missed over the past few years and playing a lot of retro games/re-releases digitally. The few big games I did buy like Kid Icarus Uprising were somewhat disappointing.
The closest thing I can think of is Sonic Generations from late 2011. Technically, it did get a digital release on PSN only last month. 😛
Lots of great stuff this year- Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Prototype 2, Max Payne 3, LEGO Batman 2, Tony Hawk HD… I actually hadn't realized how many games I've played in 2012 till I started writing them down.
And I know this isn't part of the question, but I'm really looking forward to some of the stuff this Fall too- mainly AC 3, CoD:BlOps 2, Dishonored, and Halo 4. Yep, pretty happy with the apocayear… broke, but happy.
Seriously – that's how I felt last year near the end of the year when games like Skyrim, Batman, CoD, BF3, FF XIII-2, Infamous 2, etc were all coming out at roughly the same time, lol
DayZ. I can't stop playing this game! Even though my neighbors probably HATE me by now for having to listen to me yell at my screen all night! 😉
I don't know if I have purchased a "new" game this year, but I did complete Rayman Origins which was great. If anybody enjoys 2D platforming, I would suggest giving Rayman Origins a chance especially at it's new lower price point.
The game might make some people laugh, cry, and definitely think for sure. It's challenging, and levels will be tried over and over, which might cause some to cry. Figuring out how to get all the items will make you think, and the game will probably make you laugh with it's crazy level designs, soundtrack, and even co-op multiplayer if you get the chance at it.
Also, there's stuff like this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReCAc5IZysE
Punch-Out!! was gifted to me, and I have enjoyed that a good bit as well. Now that I think about it though, I don't think there is a game that has released in 2012, that I have purchased…though I did download Blacklight: Retribution (free-to-play) and have enjoyed the few hours I have played that.
Don't enter me in the giveaway (I already have a copy), but I wanted to answer anyway. ^^ My favorite game by far this year has been Journey! It's such a compelling experience, and the visuals and soundtrack are gorgeous.
P.S. Check the "filtered" comments for mine, it included a link. You will probably find a few more of my comments there as well. Then you can delete this one. 🙂
Could not agree more with Rayman Origins. I have the Vita game, and it's one of my favourites on that console. So gorgeous.
I've still yet to play DayZ. Damn me and having a no-good laptop for gaming 🙁
It's high on the "to do" list, if I ever get a decent PC.
Thanks for the input!
I won all three prizes 😛
(not really, prizes awarded tonight, and no I don't qualify)
If you're really thinking about playing DayZ, get a really good CPU and get at least 8 Gigs of RAM. DayZ runs off of the ARMA II engine, an engine known notoriously for not running well on anything that isn't a 64 bit OS.
If your laptop won't play anything good, check out OnLive! They're giving away Zeno Clash for free this weekend. Not the best way to play games, but its better than not playing at all! 🙂
Unfortunately my computer sucks as well, so I've been limited to playing Cubemen and Terraria. So shit, I guess my entry is Cubemen LOL
I would love, love, love, love to have OnLive. Unfortunately it's not available here in Australia 🙁
Fingers crossed it launches soon.
Welcome to the site, BTW – glad you found us!
Thanks to everyone for joining in this week's discussion – game codes have been DMed over Twitter to the winners – enjoy and thanks again! 🙂