It’s the end of 2012 and that means two things: the holiday season is in full swing, and every gaming outlet is pumping out Game of the Year awards and nominations. I have recently been given the fantastic opportunity to work for Splitkick as one of their podcast co-hosts. I was asked by the staff as well to contribute my choices for 2012’s Game of the Year. This year was actually the first time I selected my Game of the Year, and it was actually a pretty tough choice!

2012 Game of the Year

After much deliberation, I settled on Borderlands 2 as my Game of the Year. The combination of satisfying gunplay, intense action, simple multiplayer interaction, an improved story, and fantastic visuals and sound made this a standout on many lists I’m sure. If you haven’t played Borderlands 2 yet, you’re simply missing out on one of the best games to come out this generation of consoles.

Read my full write-up for the game on Splitkick.

Honorable Mention

And I have one honorable mention to award in 2012. Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward is easily the surprise hit of the year for me. I knew little about the series and was expecting noting in particular. But what I got was one of the most story-driven, exciting, and fresh experiences I’ve had in many years playing games. Though light on actual gameplay, Virtue’s Last Reward makes up for it with one of the best narratives out of any game, and much like Borderlands 2 it uses talented voice actors to deliver lines with emotion. This might have flown under your radar in 2012, but it’s definitely one of the year’s best.

Read the rest of my write-up at Splitkick.com.

There were many great games released in 2012, but these two stood out to me as the best. What were your favorite games?

Here’s to an even better year in 2013!

Laters,
Jsick