Right, I feel like I can do this pretty fairly round about now. Quick note - I'd give Xenoblade Chronicles the #2 spot but it released in the UK in 2011, so doesn't really count. I might shuffle this around a bit later.
10. Halo 4 - Halo isn't so much a franchise to me as it is some sort of shooter-based bible. I love everything about the series and was ready to see a new developer take the reigns. For the most part, 343 didn't disappoint - Halo 4 is a shooter that stands head and shoulders above most of the year's efforts with a campaign showing no shortage of imagination and ideas, and an online offering that's up there with any of Bungie's prior efforts. There are cracks in it's previously spotless package though - invisible walls and more structured environments bring the experience down a few notches from both 3 and Reach, but it's still a smile-rendering blast from start to finish.
9. Papo & Yo - Journey will take all the accolades for PSN's best game, but it felt like a retread of Flower to me. Instead I found both Papo & Yo and Datura to be more interesting experiences. Papo takes the edge though with its bold interpretation of fatherly love gone wrong. An incredible ending makes this one of 2012's best.
8. MotorStorm: RC - I've always been a MotorStorm fan, but I didn't think this scaled down version of the franchise would grab me quite as much as it did. It's the best top-down racer since the PS1's Micro Machines, enabling you to perfect laps with the slightest lick of precision. Variation in tracks and modes kept it on my Vita for a good few months after the system's launch.
7. Pokemon Conquest - It's been a long time since I've played a Pokemon game, despite remaining quite enthusiastic about the franchise since infancy. However when I heard that they were translating the franchise into a turn-based strategy game (one of my favorite genres), I went nuts. There's incredible potential for such a spin-off and, for the most part, Conquest brings that all to life. It's a touch too easy but with that comes a brilliant pace and the option for multiple playthroughs. I really hope there's a sequel.
6. Gravity Rush - Mark Kat down as 2012's best new protagonist. She carries Gravity Rush - quite literally - with her can-do attitude and enlightening smile. If that makes it sounds like I'm in love with her... it's because I AM. It also helps that GR is a splendorous adventure with one of the best traversal mechanics in gaming and using the Vita's features in ways that actually help it become a more engaging action game than it would be with a Dualshock. T'is a winner.
5. The Walking Dead - TWD has been one of the generation's rare experiences in which you're fully aware that you're witnessing scenes that will go on to be talked about for years to come. Nowhere is that more obvious than in the game's incredible final few moments that manage to conjure the kind of feelings that only the best movies and TV shows achieve. Really special.
4. Yakuza: Dead Souls - A welcome mix up for the Yakuza franchise this year. Nothing's been lost - the open world and crazy missions are still there, you just trade all the fist fighting for gun arms and the mafia story for... a mafia story with zombies. I sank about 150 hours into this one, and those were hours spent laughing and bouncing up and down with delight. God bless this franchise.
3. Hotline Miami - It's testament to how utterly brilliant Hotline Miami is that I first played it yesterday and it's climbed straight into the #3 spot. This is so many things - an action game of only the fastest and most intense pace, a puzzle game with staying power to rival that of Tetris, and a brilliant love letter to exploitation media. It's an empowering experience that puts you in the shoes of its protagonist more than any first-person AAA experience has in a while. I love this game.
2. Catherine - Catherine finally ventured to these shores in February and boy am I glad it did. This is an experience unlike anything ever even attempted in gaming. A story-based puzzler that manages to pull your own values and beliefs into question. Even for an Eastern-developed product it has a unique story that's worth playing through to the end. I was caught completely off guard by how much it made me think about relationships, despite being completely bonkers. It's something I won't be forgetting any time soon.
1. XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Which leads us to the ultimate game of 2012. I phrase it like that because XCOM really is all about game. It has a story, and it has a really cool 50's sci-fi atmosphere, but it wins because it hands control over to you in the first 10 minutes and from there on in it's all on you. You control your base, your resources, your soldiers, and, most importantly, the battle ahead. This is a blistering strategy game that completely demands your full attention to crack even it's medium difficultly. Despite being relentlessly hard, it seldom feels cheap (though there is the odd instance). You can spend an age challenging yourself in new ways with all the different modes and choices. For me, it's unquestionably the game of 2012.
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