As voted by you!
Through the month of November, we asked for you to vote for your favourite games of the year. You did (and in incredible numbers – thank you for that), and now it’s time to announce the finalists and the winners. Each day we’ll be revealing a new category.
How it works
The five games you’ll see below are the top five games for each category based on the reader’s votes. They are listed in no particular order. The final game is the winner.
If there are six games listed, then there was a tie for the 5th finalist in that category.
We’d love to hear what you think about each category, so please do let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Xbox 360 game of the year
The Finalists:
Halo 4 – Microsoft’s own space opera managed to live up to its predecessors despite no longer being helmed by Bungie. A brilliant continuation of a series that has captured the minds of so many gamers.
Minecraft – Minecraft’s accessibility has always been impressive, and it’s port on to the Xbox 360 has made the game even more accessible for even more people.
Fez – One of the true breakout hits of the year, Fez’s unbound creativity and clever puzzle concept is enhanced by lovely retro-themed visuals and a kind of charm that is rarely seen in big-budget titles. More than any other game Fez has proved that indies can mix it with the big guns.
The Witcher 2 – This is how a real RPG works. The Witcher 2 is a brilliantly told and very mature story. It’s a gritty kind of fantasy, but one that is endlessly compelling.
The Winner:
Lollipop Chainsaw – Goichi Suda is the games industry’s version of Quentin Tarantino. His games push boundaries and Lollipop Chainsaw is one of the most refined games he has ever produced.
With an expert story (from Hollywood writer James Gunn), Lollipop Chainsaw has some depth to its themes that might have surprised players that bought it based on its promotional material. What appears on the surface to be a typical dumb cheerleader story reveals itself to be a criticism of those very expectations.
It’s backed by some great gameplay. Suda’s trademark epic bosses are an interesting lot as always, and the combat system manages to be both high-energy and highly engaging.
Suda’s greatest game by far, and an essential title from 2012.
I need to finish Lolipop really bad.