It's been a pretty good year for PC gaming, I'd say. What's your favorites?
For me, in no particular order:
Crusader Kings 2 - considering how much P'dox was waffling about making a sequel at all (didn't they moan that it wasn't worth, because CK1 hadn't done too well?), it's funny that this is probably their most widely acclaimed game.
X-COM: Enemy Unknown - a re-imagining of the original game for today. Different than the original? Yes? Better? Maybe. At any rate, one game that was intense and kept me glued to the screen.
Guild Wars 2 - an MMO that trims off a lot of the MMO fat (travelling time, crafting tediousness, skill spam, group finding), and instead focuses on the fun bits and tries to deliver as effortlessly as possible.
Honorable mentions:
FTL - managing your starship that's outgunned, on fire, has multiple hull breeches and has intruders on board to stave off the inevitable demise was good fun. And it's been a while since losing was so much fun.
Endless Space - slick design, some imaginative races, and one of the better UIs for a 4x games. Unfortunately I didn't get to spend as much time with it as I'd like to have. (mostly because of the above games)
Giana Sisters - Twisted Dreams - beautifully designed jump'n' run with a big nostalgia factor and absolutely seamless switching between dark/bright level look/layout at the flick of a button.
Spec-Ops: The Line - very conventional shooter with a very unconventional story. Not perfectly done, but a welcome change of pace from the Medal of Duty-Call of Honor: Modern Black War-Ops Fighters.
LEGO Lord of the Rings - only started playing this (picked up for 75% off on Amazon when it was on sale, and probably the most epic of the LEGO games. I was weary of their adding sounds/dialogue from the movies, but it works surprisingly well and makes it even more endearing.
Alea Jacta Est - solid outing from AGEOD, returning to their roots (think Rise of Prussia, Revlution under Siege, Wars in America), only about Roman Civil Wars. Again, not spent as much time with it as I would have liked, but fun.
I didn't get to play Sleeping Dogs or Far Cry 3, though I definitely mean to pick them up once they've gone down in price (sorry, Jake!), because I have my plate quite full.
Do AGEod's games make a profit?
Not counting World of Warcraft, which I played a lot before I completely switched over to Guild Wars 2 (I haven't even tried the panda expansion), I would say about 90% of my gaming time was split between three games:
Crusader Kings 2
Guild Wars 2
Civilization 5 - Gods and Kings
For me it would have to be Guild Wars 2. Even though I have lost interest recently I haven't played and enjoyed a game that much in a long time.
Other 2012 games I played: CK2, FTL, Torchlight 2, Grimrock, Borderlands 2. Everything other than CK2 was for less than 10 hours, though I hope Borderlands and Torchlight will eventually way surpass that.
XCom. FTL. Sleeping Dogs. The Walking Dead. Spec Ops. Max Payne 3. Torchlight II. Mass Effect 3. So three sequels, three reboot, and two new projects.
Just bought AssCreed3, so I can't opine on it. But I am preternaturally biased towards the AssCreed series, so perhaps I will add it to the list. But if they fuck up the political aspect, I will be wrathful indeed.
Dwarf fortress, for the fifth year running
Panzer
Combat Mission: Fortress Italy
I wasn't going to get Fortress Italy until they put in the British.
Game I've played the most this year: Bloons Tower Defense 5. :blush:
In terms of hours played...
Diablo 3
Mass Effect 3
Crusader Kings 2
CK2
Far Cry 3
XCOM
Dota 2
Eve
Not sure what my third would be, played a ton of games....but none that really captured my attention for more than a couple of days at most. :(
CK2 and Xcom are probally the only two new releases ive played
I'm surprised noone but me mentioned Gods & Kings. With that expansion, Civ 5 is the best Civ game to date.,
Maybe because this isn't the expansions of the year thread? Just a thought.
Quote from: Martinus on December 29, 2012, 04:26:09 AM
I'm surprised noone but me mentioned Gods & Kings. With that expansion, Civ 5 is the best Civ game to date.,
I really like the G&K expansion, and if we were talking about the Game of the 4th quarter 2012 I would vote that. I have only had G&K for a couple months though.
I don't play Civ5 much - with the latest expansions turn completion even in the classical age is slow as molasses on my PC (i7 3.5GHz, 16GB RAM, nVidia GTX660Ti with 2GB RAM).
Off the top of my head it would be CK2, Mass Effect 3 (altough the whole trilogy experience plays a role in that, admittedly), and XCOM.
But it has been quite a year I think.
XCOM, Walking Dead would be clear and away best i've played.
In terms of play time, Mass Effect 3 wins by a mile.
I've not yet played a game released in 2012. :blush:
The nearest I've come if finally getting around to playing Civilization 5 a game released early last year.
edit:
Maybe not, I bought it on steam along with the Gods and Kings expansion, which may have been this year, if so by default, that is my game of the year, well at least for the last day+. :D
CK2
Civilization 5
The Secret World
I won't nominate Diablo 3, I found it very 'meh'. Haven't tried XCOM yet, but it's on my list.
Never got around to buying Diablo 3.
CK2, Walking Dead
Crusader Kings 2
Ass Creed 3 is holding up well, but notwithstanding that, it's light years behind the ones i identified earlier.
I only played it on PS3, but my nod goes to Sleeping Dogs.
Xcom, Torchlight 2 or Mark of the Ninja.
I really like Darksiders but it's 2 years old already.
Dark Souls is pretty intriguing, but I'm not sure I buy it.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 10, 2013, 08:09:41 AM
I only played it on PS3, but my nod goes to Sleeping Dogs.
Well Jake probably thanks you.
I bought Sleeping Dogs for my PS3. Not played it yet though. I seem to have aquired too many games
I dont think I would choose one.
Despite how good GW2 was, I am just burned out on MMOs. 2012 will probably be the year I stopped playing computer games.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 10, 2013, 08:09:41 AM
I only played it on PS3, but my nod goes to Sleeping Dogs.
:cheers:
My biggest regret about that game is that none of the Emma Stone post-getting-laid lines got in.
X-COM: Enemy Unknown, no contest.