[Question] The Gamingforce Game of the Year 2012: Results now in!

I think I've waited long enough to get in on this. Actually, I may have waited too long since I didn't notice this was going by Englandland time instead of a real time zone.

Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy - 40 points

I'm not usually much for rhythm games. I've gradually managed to kind of know how to play guitar in Rock Band, but otherwise I steer clear because I'm just not very good at them and can't enjoy them properly. Theatrhythm couldn't really be passed up though, and I've sunk so much time into it this year. Even now I recently dropped another $10 on DLC that I hadn't bought yet. Field songs are so easy that they can be fairly relaxing even on Ultimate, Battle is challenging without being frustrating, and the videos that play behind Event songs are usually really neat compilations. It's a fantastic tribute to the series that only fails at being perfect because of several glaring song omissions. Seriously Square, no You Are Not Alone? At least they realized that fatal flaw in the iOS version.

Borderlands 2 - 20 points

I debated for a while on how many points to give this. It didn't really live up to the expectations, and it didn't have the staying power of the first Borderlands. Regardless, I still had a blast playing this with Skills, GB, Omagnus, and a little bit with Tails. Handsome Jack was a great choice for a villain, and he has some of the greatest lines ever. From now on every bad guy should get a bag of pretzels.

Kid Icarus: Uprising - 15 points

Pretty much everyone else has already covered this one, but it deserves the points for the dialogue alone. The controls may have been iffy, but it's a beautiful game with great music.

Journey - 10 points

Journey was... interesting. When I started out I was just goofing around, jumping and playing with the scarf. I didn't know it even had multiplayer at first. Then I ran into another dude and we goofed around a bit before going our separate ways between levels. The second time I played the game I started around level 3 or 4 and stuck with, as far as I could tell, the same person for the rest of the game and it took on a very different feeling. It was the last level that made all the difference for me, and honestly without it this probably wouldn't even make honorable mention. Without spoiling anything, that last level somehow managed to instill a strong sense of camaraderie with my wordless friend. It wasn't just about reaching the end anymore. It was about making sure we both reached the end, and this mutual change developed with no means of communication except for dings and movement. A game that manages to successfully pull off that trick deserves some major props.

Crimson Shroud - 10 points

To be honest, I've only played this for about half an hour so far. It doesn't matter, though. This game had me the moment it asked if I wanted to sidestep an arrow or whirl around to parry it with my sword, and then asked me to roll a reflex save to see if I succeeded. Touchscreen dicerolls for a D&D style RPG are the best use of the DS' touchscreen since Etrian's cartography. It also helps that I instantly liked the world, the writing, the music, and the system for post-battle item distribution. The only real problem I've seen with the game so far is know how short it is, and how badly I already wish it had a full-fledged sequel rather than just being part of a compilation.

Spelunky - 5 points

I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did, but I ended up playing the crap out of it. It's frustrating and I died every 5 seconds, but it was also beyond addictive. The boss fight at the end is very out of place with the rest, though.

Honorable Mentions:
- To the Moon
I would've given this a TON of points, but I wasn't sure that it counts as a 2012 release. It received an actual release on Steam in 2012, but came out in November 2011 on the author's website. The gameplay may be close to non-existant, but I still absolutely adored this game and played through it in 2 sittings.
- LEGO: Lord of the Rings
This is the first LEGO game since they started messing with the formulas that has really gotten the Hub world right. It feels so much more expansive than all the other LEGO games, and has really restored my feelings towards them.
- Resident Evil 6
RE6 fails in every regard that Capcom was trying to accomplish, and isn't worth full price. However, they did manage to put out a game that's so unintentionally hilarious while playing with a friend that it's definitely worth buying cheap. Every story is beyond retarded, most of the characters are idiots, and Capcom's idea of a plot-twist is that every villain will always come back to life 4-5 times before you finally kill it in some ridiculously over the top fashion. You can also roll around and butt-scoot everywhere, and those things alone nearly make up for its shortcomings.
- The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave
I don't know how many other people played this, but it's a fun little RPG. I'm giving it honorable mention mostly due to how it uses wifi. Every signal gives characters you can capture for use, and you don't have to be able to connect for it to work.

Referred by: GB

How ya doing, buddy?