Instead of doing the impossible and naming my single favorite game of 2012, I’m going to list all of the ones I played instead, and show you some of my favorite tunes from each. They’ll make the blog look longer than it actually is!
Separated into two parts to make loading faster, here are games of 2012 that I played!
Persona 4 Arena
I loved the continuation of Persona 4’s story present in P4A, and continue to believe that Arc System Works is the best at integrating story into their fighting games. Unfortunately, because of Soul Caliber V, I haven’t put as much time into learning exactly how P4A works. My friends are just less interested in joining me for a 2D fighter. It’s too bad, but I hope to find a buddy to challenge eventually so that I can master this gorgeous game.
Borderlands 2 (PS3)
My brothers and I marathoned the first Borderlands in a week, and continued to play it and enjoy it throughout its DLC life. Unfortunately, we’re all in college or working now and finding time where four of us can play together has been difficult. Winter break gave us the time we needed however to finally finish the campaign, and begin our second playthrough. The game is such an improvement over the first in every way! I play as Zero, a sniper in the first playthrough, a flying melee ninja in the second, and the difference between the trees is astounding. I think my favorite part of the game, next to Handsome Jack, is the amount of detail and variety in all of the guns. The reload animations especially are a sight to behold!
Torchlight 2 (PC)
Torchlight 2 came out only a little before Borderlands 2, and fortunately a little before my co-op group became really, really busy. As a result, we had ample time to wean hours and hours of old fashioned co-op out of Torchlight 2. I played as an Outlander in my 1st playthrough (with my cousins), and a berserker in my second, which was originally going to be with one of my friends until he flaked and I ended up playing with some other pals. Both classes were very different and a lot of fun. Trapping my allies with their enemies using Bramble Wall never gets old (for me at least)!
Pokemon Black 2 (DS)
As an avid fan of Pokemon (just check out my Pokemon Blog Series), I was very excited by Pokemon Black 2, and it did not disappoint! As usual, my team consisted of random Pokemon chosen on the spot of capture (Sandslash, Beartic, Amoonguss, Liepard, Accelgor, and Lunatone), and some of them even have a story behind their capture. I enjoyed the brief and occasional mentioning of my character from Black 1, and the 8 gyms, Elite Four, and catch ‘em all experience remains addicting and entertaining. And the unique gym theme remixes were awesome!
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (PS3)
My yearly Call of Duty does not disappoint, and the Pick 10 system is enjoyable and deep. Many of the new maps in Multiplayer are lackluster, while there are several standouts that are enjoyable every time. Overall, I’d say it’s a better collection than MW3’s, and the abundant return of claymores and Bouncing Betties both returns some of the slower more methodical pacing near those corners, and makes Engineer a practical must. The campaign had its entertaining moments, complete with side missions that gave us control over several different units at once, and Zombies is great fun. I’m fortunate to have several friends to join me on weekends, so we’ll be up to our necks in Multiplayer until the next Call of Duty release.
Nintendoland (Wii U)
Nintendoland, as a local multiplayer title, is the crown king this year, and likely until the new Super Smash Bros is released. Mario Chase and Animal Crossing: Sweet Day are my family’s favorites, and we could play either for hours at a time (we have). I haven’t touched the single-player or co-operative modes (other than Donkey Kong Crash Course), and I honestly can’t see myself trying them out any time in the future. I’m just too busy playing Mario Chase and Animal Crossing: Sweet Day. Nintendoland is the Wii U’s Wii Sports, showing the possibilities of the game pad in local multiplayer, while entertaining for far longer at a time. Even as our local favorites find new releases (SSB, and hopefully Custom Robo and Mario Strikers), I know we’ll be popping Nintendoland in every time we’ve got the players.
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale (PS3)
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale is a lot of fun, in both 1v1 and 4 player FFA/2v2, though its infinitely better balanced for the latter. Radec, Nathan Drake, Heihachi, and Evil Cole are my favorites, and I have no doubt I’ll enjoy the DLC characters- when they do eventually come around. There are some questionable decisions (only 1st player can level up characters during local play, for example), but none of them so far have been detrimental to my overall enjoyment of the game (since I’m first player 
). I can’t wait for a PSABR2, as I’m hoping it’ll represent the same jump that Melee was from SSB64 as far as features are concerned.
Awesomenauts (PS3)
Awesomenauts has my favorite soundtrack of the year, without a doubt, and the game is up to par with its music. The 3v3 2D Moba style game is easy to pick-up but requires time and practice to master. Unfortunately for PS3 owners, Romino has only been releasing new characters on the PC, leaving us in the cold, likely thanks to update charges. It’s too bad, because I gladly would have paid for DLC to support one of my favorite games of the year. Awesomenauts provides good local fun, as the majority of my favorites do, letting three of us play per PS3 (for 6 total at my house). And, luckily, as it’s easier to pick up than LoL or Dota 2, and the community isn’t filled with overly competitive and socially bankrupt ne’er-do-wells, it was much easier to get my cousins in on the action. If I did have to pick a single GotY, Awesomenauts would be a strong contender, thanks to its personality, aesthetics, music, and addicting gameplay.
Asura’s Wrath (PS3)
Asura’s Wrath is crazy. Like, really fucking bonkers.
Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS)
While not the traditional RPG fans of The Thousand Year Door might have been looking for, SS provides proper on the go chunks of great entertainment. The humor is clever, the puzzles and battles both require astute observation more so than many games in recent memory, and the battles are fun and never frustrating. While I’m as eager for a huge TTYD-esque Paper Mario title, SS left me satisfied and eager for more. Next to Awesomenauts, SS also features some of my favorite tunes of the year!
Chasing Aurora (Wii U)
The Miiverse community especially seems let down by Chasing Aurora, but for anyone who has been following the development and developer’s commentary about the game, Chasing Aurora delivers exactly what it promised, “a unique multiplayer action game” about the “dream of flight.” Multiplayer being the key word; single-player aficionados hoping for a Journey-like experience need not apply. This game excels as a local couch title, and playing the Freeze Tag mode with five people is fun unlike anything on other consoles. If you’ve got $7.50 and a handful of friends, you can’t go wrong with Chasing Aurora.
New Super Mario Bros U (Wii U)
New Super Mario Bros U is a very different game when played with one or two players. By myself, I found the game far more challenging and less forgiving than platformers I had played recently (Super Meat Boy, Dustforce, etc.), probably because when you die, you are ejected from the level. Those extra moments of load times and animations add up, when compared to the arguably more difficult aforementioned platformers, who have you running and jumping within moments of your death. The game was frustrating, but Miiverse kept me going! Seeing other people’s hints and drawings as I played, and drawing some of my own when I finally conquered a stage, or beat one the first try without taking damage, made every accomplishment seem like a community effort.
Playing with my brother, however, eased all tension completely, and we found ourselves laughing at every death, especially those caused by lacking teamwork, more than anything. Even the most difficult levels seemed less daunting with a (sometimes) dependable ally. New Super Mario Bros U is a stellar platformer made all the better by the Wii U’s artistic community.
I did manage to get my hands on a few other games during 2012, but I haven't gotten a chance to play them (or play them enough). I have Xenoblade, Assassin's Creed III, Kingdom Hearts 3D, Kingdoms of Amalur, and Tales of Graces F (from this year) and Bulletstorm, Dead Island, Bioshock 2, and a number of Humble Bundle PC games I haven't finished. Those are games that will get me through the less hectic gaming months this year!