Feel free to list your top whatever. One... three... eighty...

I shall go with my top ONE. The one game that truly blew me away this year...

*drum roll*

Spelunky!

Yes, Spelunky is fucking awesome. It is the only thing stopping me from storming MS headquarters with a burning pitchfork. I've always been fascinated by the idea of the Roguelike, the endless promise of a procedurally-generated game, as well as the fascinating emergence that comes from overlapping many simple systems together to create a satisfying, challenging whole.

Well, Spelunky takes all of that and encases it in a scrumptious arcade action shell. I actually waited for this game to go on sale before grabbing it. Subsequently, the demo (which covers about a fourth of the game!) became one of my most-played games of 2012. Spelunky is hard as fuck, but it always keeps you coming back for more. You go back to zero every time you die, but, in classic Roguelike fashion, your personal skills and strategies 'level up', which allows you to get a bit farther each game. It's a great feeling. And when you die (over and over), instead of getting discouraged and (virtually) shelving the game, you just jump right back in for another go. Partially because death in Spelunky (as in Smash Brothers) is almost always hilarious, and partially because you're not REALLY playing to win or to unlock anything. You're playing for the sheer joy, the sheer nail-biting thrill of playing. Almost like a classic coin-op game. Except this one is RANDOMLY GENERATED, so the fun can theoretically go on forever!

I seriously can't say enough good things about Spelunky. 2012 was a year when narrative received an incredible amount of attention, but Spelunky excelled by being the gamiest game in Gametown. It's just so pure. Like fucking Everclear.

Spelunky is also available for free on PC, but I wouldn't really recommend that version, since it lacks the refinements that really put the XBLA version over the top. If you have the means, here's the motive: Go play Spelunky!!


Okay, now it's your turn!

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@Anand


I've become something of a real life pinball geek thanks to them and have an unhealthy obsession with their game... frequent fan forums, read interviews, listen to podcasts, follow them on Facebook, subscribe to their news letter. Yikes, huh? All this because I decided to buy a budget game for Wii on a whim. Haha.

Yeah, their Kickstarter events were to pay for the licensing rights to make Twilight Zone and Star Trek: The Next Generation, both of which turned out very well! Their next one will be for Terminator 2, but they are going to wait a few months and go back to creating some great tables that don't require any expensive licenses.

I just wish there was more of a fanbase so that they could make a load of money and hire the people necessary to make the game everything that it could be... and hell, maybe even continue to revive an interest in real life pinball.

@Hinph
Oh, the Kickstarters actually succeeded, eh? That's cool.

I think the Fuse guys who were behind Metroid Prime Pinball and Pinball Pulse tried and failed to do a kickstarter. And they were even going to hire one of the classic old-school designers to do a new table. Say, did you ever play Pinball Construction Set? Bill Budge's Pinball Construction Set, from EA? That might have been the first C64 game that I ever bought.

Speaking of pinball and podcasts, there were two pinball-related episodes of Robert Ashley's A Life Well Wasted podcast. Pretty interesting.

Yeah, they were asking for $400,000 if I remember correctly, which was just way too much for such a small fanbase. I think I pledged $100 but figured that it wouldn't happen... It would be very exciting to see what a legendary designer like Lawlor would come up with on an all digital design!

I haven't heard of that game. You could actually build your own tables? Something like that on a modern piece of hardware could be sweet. Farsight has expressed interest in the idea, but I doubt it will happen. Their ambitions don't exactly match up with their financial situation and capabilities. Haha.

Will have to give those podcasts a listen sometime.

Yeah, you could totally build your own tables. It was part of EA's awesome line of creator-spotlighting C64 games, many of them (like Racing Destruction Set, Mail Order Monsters, and especially Adventure Construction Set) with user-created content. Great stuff. EA was pretty much 180 degrees from where they are now.

I don't know why create-your-own... aren't quite as popular these days. I think a mini-golf or pinball game with a good engine and robust sharing features could be a megaton success.

Yeah, EA under Trip Hawkins was a very likeable company indeed... shame.

I was hoping Little Big Planet would start to get other developers thinking about this. Imagine a constant stream of Super Mario levels or Mario Kart tracks. Heh. Maybe that is the reason...

Yeah, littlebigplanet had a lot of promise. Shame about those physics...

Srsly, I kind of hate that game. But I don't hate that KIND of game!

Nintendo DID embrace user-created content with Mario. Mini-Mario! Though that Mario Vs. DK puzzle game actually started life as the connectivity-based Donkey Kong Plus. Man, would I love a Donkey Kong game with level sharing and REAL, old-school Kong physics.

I also still long for Roll-o-Rama. The concept becomes more relevant and appropriate EVERY time Nintendo releases a system!

For me it's Max Payne 3. I have loved the game to death from the moment I started it. The game had me at the fucking title screen.
I know many will disagree (if anyone here even played it), but I think it's a step above other games. Is it linear? Is it overly cinematic? The answer to both questions is YES, but that is irrelevant, since that is what the game is setting out to do.

It's almost like an interactive movie to me, and for better or worse, the game really runs with that idea. Again, the game IS extremely linear, but the gunplay is just the best I've ever seen, hands down. But that's not it.

For me it's just the perfect package, a game ahead of its time, a game I can't believe this generation is outputting. The game as a whole package, is like, perfection to me.

What helped me come to the true realization that I might love this game even more than games like Half-Life, Zelda TP, OOT, Super Metroid, Dead Space, etc, is actually...marijuana haha. I admit I got into it quite strongly in recently...now regardless of where you stand on someone smoking weed, I find it a great experience. But playing games while high? Incredible. Playing Max Payne 3 while high?!?! NIRVANA.

For the past 3 days I have been playing that game while under the influence and I just have to seriously say the experience is second to none. It's INCREDIBLY immersive, and under this state, I just appreciate every. single. fucking. nuance of that game. The godly animation and physics, gunplay, visuals, art direction, music, voice acting, etc. I feel so badass, I feel like fucking Max Payne when I play in that condition (I feel like him, I don't feel like fucking him hahaha). Seeing Max Payne against the walls behind cover, seeing him wince at every gun shot, see him wipe his brow of sweat, etc...it's just amazing. While in this nirvanic (not a word) state, my mind races with wonder and delight. I imagine what Hideo Kojima must think of this extremely American, extremely ridiculous, Hollywood-esque story. I think what I would do if I saw this game after I thought MGS1 on PS1 was MIND BLOWING. I think "in MGS2 I thought it was amazing to see all the little low poly bottles get shot, what would you do if you saw how damn advanced THIS game is?".

I actually wanted to make a seperate thread topic for this, but it's kind of irrelevant to the point I'm trying to make.

To me Max Payne 3 is basically second to none in the gaming world. I just might like it more than Dead Space, seriously. And people here know I'm just gay for Dead Space.


So yup. Odd post I guess hehe..... But yeah.

MAX PAYNE 3.

I also played Batman Arkham City last year and that's also very very worthy of a mention. I played a bunch of other great games last year but I just must say that Max Payne 3 stands above the rest, with games like NL, Batman AC, Zombi U, AC3, and others all being fucking awesome.

Oh and Tekken Tag 2 Wii U is THE TITS. I have already put like 100 hours into that game. I'm gaga over it. Like, obsessed with it. I guess I started playing it very very late 2012, so it counts.

For anyone who might smoke weed, or is open to the idea, all I can say is...play games while high.... Seriously. It's just fucking incredible. You don't know what you're missing. That's all...

@carlosrox

Playing games high is something that I really miss... but I have to worry about stupid hair drug tests for my job, so that's out at the moment. In fact, I just had to take a drug test today and it has me stressing about an oxycodone that I took a month ago for back pain without a prescription. Sure hope that doesn't show up. Heh.

Max Payne 3. I bought it during the Steam sale but have yet to play it. I had this grand idea to replay the first two games first, but I might have to just scrap that idea.

@Hinph
Many people hated (which I don't get) the game though. Many loved it though. It's pretty different from the old ones, yet...somehow also does feel very Max Payne-ish. Hard to explain I guess.

What kind of games did you play high?? I need some suggestions!!

Right now I'm into Max Payne 3, started Dead Space 2 (I'd do 3, but it's hard to focus sometimes and I'd prob spoil the game, even though it'd be amazing), and I wanna try Black Mesa Source, HL2, or possibly Ni No Kuni. I want to escape into fantastic worlds.

But yeah, very cool that I'm not the only one! I was feeling a little uncomfortable typing that out haha. Thanks for the backup!!

Games with exploration! Action adventure, RPGs, more immersive action games. Metal Gear Solid 3 is blissfully fun. I would actually find myself enjoying certain genres less though, like Mario platformers for instance. Guess I lack my usual skill.

And a pizza... sigh.

Where has my youth gone! Pot, video games, and pizza?