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

I didn't have a chance to play a lot of games this year and the games I did play were mostly for portable systems. Its only within the last few weeks I've finally managed to play some console games, but the games I did make time for are definitely very enjoyable.


Final Fantasy Theatrhythm (3DS) - 40 points

I have to admit, this game has an addictive hold on me. I have sunk so much time into trying to complete this game. This is a rhythm game that is based upon a simple concept and incorporates some of the best final fantasy music we've ever seen from the series. Granted the game can get difficult, but I've never really found any of songs to be so difficult that they were unplayable. I've downloaded every track for the 3DS version of the game, and even to this day I still pick up and play to try to fully chain all the songs. Some of my favorite tracks include:

Sunleth Dreamscape
Something to Protect
Mi'ihen Highroad

I still have a lot more left to play in this game and despite my lack of playing console games for the year this is probably my game of the year for being highly addicting and having an awesome soundtrack.


New Super Mario Bros 2 (3DS) - 25 Points

A perfect example of how an original formula can still be just as enjoyable no matter how old it is. I hate to admit it but I'm not particularly fond of 3D mario games. As much praise as both super mario galaxy games yet, I'm in no rush to go out and buy them. I can certainly play them but they just don't hold my interest like a 2D mario platformer does and New Super Mario Bros 2 is definitely one of the better ones I've played in a while. Mario's newest adventure has us collecting a ton of coins which is pretty much crack for a completionist like me. I have indeed maxed out the coin counter at 9,999,999 and I enjoyed every minute of it. The level designs are great and the music is highly enjoyable, but unfortunately the only reason why this game doesn't score much higher is that its incredibly easy and when building upon a highly collectable coin mechanic, free lives are literally infinite which does not make the game challenging.


Akai Katana (360) - 15 Points

Every time I see a shoot'em up get released for a console I always smile because even though to see a shoot'em released for a console in physical form is a rare treat it is always appreciated and Rising Star games is really doing an excellent job of localizing shoot'em ups and releasing them in physical form. We have had Akai Katana and Under Defeat HD released this year alone. Akai Katana is a wonderful bullet hell shoot'em up and one game I think a lot of people missed. The colours are beautiful and soundtrack is absolutely gorgeous and it just has that perfect amount of difficulty that can either make a shoot'em up highly enjoyable or highly infuriating.

Code of Princess (3DS) - 10 Points

This game gave me high hopes, and even though I don't hate it as much as skills does I did find a lot to enjoy about the game. My biggest problem is they could of done a lot with this game, this game had a lot of hype going into it only to be let down by the end result. They could of done so much more with this game, but I felt when the game was finished it was a shadow of what it could of been. It was being hailed as a spiritual successor to guardian heroes, but in the end it didn't even come close. The graphics and music are absolutely beautiful, and it was actually nice to play a beat'em up again and the online aspect can be highly addicting.

Persona 4 Arena (PS3) - 10 points

This is a game that I literally need to spend more time playing, but its definitely been my favorite fighting game I've played so far this year. I do feel kind of guilty though because this game is my first game I've ever played from the persona series, I really need to get around to playing persona 3 and 4. This game looks absolutely stunning and its gameplay is highly addicting. I never ever thought that transitioning an rpg series into a fighting series would work, but you know if final fantasy can do it, why can't persona and what we got was a beautifully crafted fighting game with a ton of balance and some pretty insane combo's.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Ben, I think the event was a total success if you ask me. Despite community involvement is pretty bare these days we still have our core group of members that is not afraid to give their opinions about specific games.

In all honesty I thought we got a lot more input this year compared to other years.

Its understandable that some of us may not be able to play video games as much as we use to just simply because as we're getting older we have a lot more responsibilities.

Its still one of the things I look forward to every year. I'm actually glad to see some games make our top ten list that are usually ignored by so called big gaming websites.

We do have some games that makes everybody's list for best games of the year such as:

Borderlands 2
Mass Effect 3
The Walking Dead

but its also good to see people recognize the greatness of other games that are often ignored by the mainstream gaming audience such as:

Final Fantasy Theatrhythm
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Crimson Shroud

I've always appreciated the opinions that people on this forum have had towards the games they play because for one they don't sugarcoat anything and they tell it exactly how it is and there is no politics behind it. Besides I loved the biggest gaming disappointment of the year thread because any thread that gives me the ability to watch Skills, Philia, Encephalon, Omagnus rant about the horrible things with regards to gaming in 2012 is a well worth reading.

In all honesty, I hope you can continue with this, I think for the most part you'll always have the same people post their responses to it. Its one of the few gaming based things that all of us as a community can put our input in.

There's nowhere I can't reach.