Well another year has came and gone, and we are now looking at the
first day of 2013! It's hard to believe 2012 is over with, and well,
guess what people? We didn't die! So anyway, this year had a lot of
major events, but what I want to talk about today are the games that
came out. There were a lot of great releases this year that I personally
loved, but there's one game I would like to dub "Netto's Game of the
Year." Now I figured this could be a tradition here at the game room
that we could do every year. I'll post my personal game of the year, and
if the other staff members choose so, they can as well. So anyway,
let's get this show on the road! Netto's Game of the Year for 2012!
In 2012 I actually got to play a lot of different games, across a wide range of game consoles. While the 360, PS3, Wii, and 3DS were still on the market, the Vita hit the shelves, and the Wii U came out as well. Because of this, picking a single Game of the Year has proven to be quite the challenge for me, so before I tell you the game I have chosen, I feel there are a few others worth mentioning as well.
Note: The following games are my personal opinion, and because of this my views of these games may actually be different from any reviews I have done. While reviewing a game I tend to give a game a fair rating based on its content, but for this list I will be expressing my own personal opinion.
Game of the Year Runner ups:
Xenoblade Chronicles -
Now this game has been out for awhile in other regions, but it finally hit the US this year, and it was flat out amazing! While most JRPGs tend to have a basic save the world story, and take place in some fantasy world that you will progress through in a linear fashion, Xenoblade decided to go down the other route. The game featured a massive open world around the size of Japan, enemies ran around the world like wildlife would, you could customize your characters with different pieces of clothing and different weapons, and the game world itself was EXTREMELY unique; it's not every day you play a game where it takes place on top of two dead giants. This game was a breath of fresh air, and it is one of the few RPGs that actually felt like an adventure! And what's shocking about this game, IT WAS RELEASED ON THE WII! Kind of shocking that a game of this size could be released for the Wii, but here it is! Heck normally when someone tells you a game is going to be 100 hours long, they are lying, but in this case, they are telling the truth!
If you own a Wii, you like exploring massive worlds, like anime, like MMORPGs, or RPGs in general, you ow it to yourself to GET THIS GAME. If you don't, you will be missing out on a master piece. Even so, it wasn't officially released in 2012, so I can't consider it for a world wide game of the year title.
The Last Story -
Another amazing Wii JRPG which was another breath of fresh air. Last Story told a very personal story of a group of mercs who come to a strange island after they are hired by the king. After a series of events, the main character falls in love with the princess, and he slowly begins to learn the truth of the strange power he has gained. Although this game starts out with a standard story, it's mix of RPG, and action 3rd person shooter elements make this game extremely unique, and it has one of the best casts of characters you will find in an RPG. It had a unique cover system, an online death match mode, and it even had a full clothing/armor customization system. The game was great, and it was anything but your typical RPG. Still, just like Xenoblade, this game actually came out in 2011 in Japan.
Dead or Alive 5 -
This is one of them games I've written a review for, but I would like to state it again here. This is one of the best Dead or Alive games ever created, and it is the first in the series to actually REALLY improve on the gameplay. Since DoA 2, DoA has followed the same basic formula without really advancing, but this one really changed things up. New graphics engine, new types of stage damage, new characters, a full story mode, and solid gameplay make this a very enjoyable game for both long time fans and new comers alike. It's no wonder they are making a Vita version!
Review
www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...
BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend -
Although this game is simply an improved version of continuum shift, it is the best version out there! While BlazBlue is simply an amazing fighter on its own, with its great characters, full story mode, and fighting mechanics, CSX just flat out improved it. Not only was the game rebalanced for the new characters, a retelling of the original game's story was added into story mode, and each of the new characters gained their own story mode as well. This greatly expanded the game's story by about 7 or 8 hours, and the new gameplay modes (such as the 2 v 2 team matches) were a nice bonus as well.
Gravity Rush -
One of the reasons I wanted a Vita. This unique sandbox super hero game allows you to control gravity, fly through the sky, and fight enemies as the brand new hero Kat! Although the game may not be perfect, I had a blast playing it, and it made getting a Vita worth it!
Review
www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...
Resident Evil Revelations -
One of the best Resident Evil games released, and its on the 3DS! This game featured a mix of horror survival and 3rd person shooting segments, and it also featured an RPG like online co-op mode! On top of that, this was also the first game to greatly improve on the RE series' controls, by adding in the option to play it like you would a standard 3rd person shooter. The 3D effect was amazing (it even had an option to increase the 3D effect to double of what the 3DS normally allows), and well, it was just flat out fun!
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance -
Ever since 2006 fans have been waiting for a game to continue Sora's story from where Kingdom Hearts 2 left off, and this is the game to do so! Sure we had a few other releases, including the amazing Birth by Sleep, but none of them really followed Sora's story. Dream Drop Distance is the game that serves as the prologue to the long awaited Kingdom Hearts 3, and it is also the game that finally improves on the gameplay as well! With the new flow motion system, and the ability to play through Riku's story, this game ended up being one of the best Kingdom Hearts games to date, and it was just a lot of fun!
www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...
Final Fantasy 13-2 -
A lot of people may disagree with me on this one, but FF13-2 was a really nice follow up to the original. FF13 features a completely different style of gameplay from the rest of the FF games, and that was one of the main reasons I really liked the game! FF13-2 takes just about everything I loved from the original, mixed up the party system with a Pokemon like monster catching system, and it features an area/level structure which is a lot like Kingdom Hearts. Mix all of that with a time traveling story, with massive areas to explore and amazing music, and you've got one fun unique RPG. Still, the game wasn't perfect.
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge -
Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor's Edge fixed everything wrong with the original game, and proves itself to be a true Ninja Gaiden game! With very challenging gameplay, many different weapons, and even different characters to play as (including Dead or Alive's Kasumi!), this is one of them games that will last players for YEARS. Heck it even has a full online mode! This is one of them games that takes a lot to master, and it is one of the few innovative games that you will be able to find now days. It's one of the reasons I wanted a Wii U in the first place!
Assassin's Creed 3 -
This one actually almost won this for me, but a few things still held it back for me. Either way, Assassin's Creed 3 is easily one of the best AC games ever made, and it was one of them games I wanted to keep playing. It had a really nice story, the new combat system was fun, and it had a MASSIVE world with a massive forest to explore, as well as the massive cities of New York and Boston! It had a pretty fun hunting system, a deep crafting system, and it even had an online mode! This game was packed full of content and different types of missions to go on, and it basically just had something for everyone! Heck even if you just wanted to play board games, you can do it! It was a great game, and well worth the long wait!
Netto's Game of the Year:
Ok so, now with all of them out of the way, which game is my game of the year? Well, none other than KID ICARUS: UPRISING!
Really this comes as a shock to me, because I never really thought of how great Kid Icarus Uprising really was. I mean I had fun playing it and all, but looking back on it now, no other game besides Ninja Gaiden really came close to offering what that game did. Still I choose this game over Ninja Gaiden for a few reasons.
Kid Icarus: Uprising was a very shocking game, and it was just something I never expected Nintendo to do. With this game, Sakurai really took things to the next level, and he did things that Nintendo would normally avoid. While Nintendo themselves mostly stayed in the past, Sakurai realized how the world of gaming had changed, and he decided to create a game to reflect these changes. He included a very deep class/weapon/skill system, he included hard difficulty settings to make up for all of the easy games we normally get, he included a deep online mode with a deep Player vs Player system, and he created a unique single player with a unique story!
It has nice arcade on rail shooter sections, it has really nice 3rd person shooter like sections, there were achievements and extras to unlock, and it also has Star Fox style commentary throughout the levels as well! In short, Kid Icarus Uprising took everything I liked from games like Kirby Air Ride, mixed them with elements from games like Super Smash Bros and Ninja Gaiden, and gave it a Star Foxish story mode that really helped tie everything together! Mixed with it's deep online mode, and crazy weapon and class systems, and you've got a game you can easily spend a few hundred hours playing!
Nothing else this year has been this original (mostly because a lot of the games this year were sequels), and nothing else has really provided me with this much fun. Even today I'll still pick up the game from time to time, and that's something I rarely do.
If you would like to read my full review of Kid Icarus: Uprising, check out the following link!
www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...
Well that's it! Thank you for reading my Game of the Year New Years Day special, and I hope to see you all again next year for the 2013 list!
In 2012 I actually got to play a lot of different games, across a wide range of game consoles. While the 360, PS3, Wii, and 3DS were still on the market, the Vita hit the shelves, and the Wii U came out as well. Because of this, picking a single Game of the Year has proven to be quite the challenge for me, so before I tell you the game I have chosen, I feel there are a few others worth mentioning as well.
Note: The following games are my personal opinion, and because of this my views of these games may actually be different from any reviews I have done. While reviewing a game I tend to give a game a fair rating based on its content, but for this list I will be expressing my own personal opinion.
Game of the Year Runner ups:
Xenoblade Chronicles -
Now this game has been out for awhile in other regions, but it finally hit the US this year, and it was flat out amazing! While most JRPGs tend to have a basic save the world story, and take place in some fantasy world that you will progress through in a linear fashion, Xenoblade decided to go down the other route. The game featured a massive open world around the size of Japan, enemies ran around the world like wildlife would, you could customize your characters with different pieces of clothing and different weapons, and the game world itself was EXTREMELY unique; it's not every day you play a game where it takes place on top of two dead giants. This game was a breath of fresh air, and it is one of the few RPGs that actually felt like an adventure! And what's shocking about this game, IT WAS RELEASED ON THE WII! Kind of shocking that a game of this size could be released for the Wii, but here it is! Heck normally when someone tells you a game is going to be 100 hours long, they are lying, but in this case, they are telling the truth!
If you own a Wii, you like exploring massive worlds, like anime, like MMORPGs, or RPGs in general, you ow it to yourself to GET THIS GAME. If you don't, you will be missing out on a master piece. Even so, it wasn't officially released in 2012, so I can't consider it for a world wide game of the year title.
The Last Story -
Another amazing Wii JRPG which was another breath of fresh air. Last Story told a very personal story of a group of mercs who come to a strange island after they are hired by the king. After a series of events, the main character falls in love with the princess, and he slowly begins to learn the truth of the strange power he has gained. Although this game starts out with a standard story, it's mix of RPG, and action 3rd person shooter elements make this game extremely unique, and it has one of the best casts of characters you will find in an RPG. It had a unique cover system, an online death match mode, and it even had a full clothing/armor customization system. The game was great, and it was anything but your typical RPG. Still, just like Xenoblade, this game actually came out in 2011 in Japan.
Dead or Alive 5 -
This is one of them games I've written a review for, but I would like to state it again here. This is one of the best Dead or Alive games ever created, and it is the first in the series to actually REALLY improve on the gameplay. Since DoA 2, DoA has followed the same basic formula without really advancing, but this one really changed things up. New graphics engine, new types of stage damage, new characters, a full story mode, and solid gameplay make this a very enjoyable game for both long time fans and new comers alike. It's no wonder they are making a Vita version!
Review
www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...
BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend -
Although this game is simply an improved version of continuum shift, it is the best version out there! While BlazBlue is simply an amazing fighter on its own, with its great characters, full story mode, and fighting mechanics, CSX just flat out improved it. Not only was the game rebalanced for the new characters, a retelling of the original game's story was added into story mode, and each of the new characters gained their own story mode as well. This greatly expanded the game's story by about 7 or 8 hours, and the new gameplay modes (such as the 2 v 2 team matches) were a nice bonus as well.
Gravity Rush -
One of the reasons I wanted a Vita. This unique sandbox super hero game allows you to control gravity, fly through the sky, and fight enemies as the brand new hero Kat! Although the game may not be perfect, I had a blast playing it, and it made getting a Vita worth it!
Review
www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...
Resident Evil Revelations -
One of the best Resident Evil games released, and its on the 3DS! This game featured a mix of horror survival and 3rd person shooting segments, and it also featured an RPG like online co-op mode! On top of that, this was also the first game to greatly improve on the RE series' controls, by adding in the option to play it like you would a standard 3rd person shooter. The 3D effect was amazing (it even had an option to increase the 3D effect to double of what the 3DS normally allows), and well, it was just flat out fun!
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance -
Ever since 2006 fans have been waiting for a game to continue Sora's story from where Kingdom Hearts 2 left off, and this is the game to do so! Sure we had a few other releases, including the amazing Birth by Sleep, but none of them really followed Sora's story. Dream Drop Distance is the game that serves as the prologue to the long awaited Kingdom Hearts 3, and it is also the game that finally improves on the gameplay as well! With the new flow motion system, and the ability to play through Riku's story, this game ended up being one of the best Kingdom Hearts games to date, and it was just a lot of fun!
www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...
Final Fantasy 13-2 -
A lot of people may disagree with me on this one, but FF13-2 was a really nice follow up to the original. FF13 features a completely different style of gameplay from the rest of the FF games, and that was one of the main reasons I really liked the game! FF13-2 takes just about everything I loved from the original, mixed up the party system with a Pokemon like monster catching system, and it features an area/level structure which is a lot like Kingdom Hearts. Mix all of that with a time traveling story, with massive areas to explore and amazing music, and you've got one fun unique RPG. Still, the game wasn't perfect.
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge -
Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor's Edge fixed everything wrong with the original game, and proves itself to be a true Ninja Gaiden game! With very challenging gameplay, many different weapons, and even different characters to play as (including Dead or Alive's Kasumi!), this is one of them games that will last players for YEARS. Heck it even has a full online mode! This is one of them games that takes a lot to master, and it is one of the few innovative games that you will be able to find now days. It's one of the reasons I wanted a Wii U in the first place!
Assassin's Creed 3 -
This one actually almost won this for me, but a few things still held it back for me. Either way, Assassin's Creed 3 is easily one of the best AC games ever made, and it was one of them games I wanted to keep playing. It had a really nice story, the new combat system was fun, and it had a MASSIVE world with a massive forest to explore, as well as the massive cities of New York and Boston! It had a pretty fun hunting system, a deep crafting system, and it even had an online mode! This game was packed full of content and different types of missions to go on, and it basically just had something for everyone! Heck even if you just wanted to play board games, you can do it! It was a great game, and well worth the long wait!
Netto's Game of the Year:
Ok so, now with all of them out of the way, which game is my game of the year? Well, none other than KID ICARUS: UPRISING!
Really this comes as a shock to me, because I never really thought of how great Kid Icarus Uprising really was. I mean I had fun playing it and all, but looking back on it now, no other game besides Ninja Gaiden really came close to offering what that game did. Still I choose this game over Ninja Gaiden for a few reasons.
Kid Icarus: Uprising was a very shocking game, and it was just something I never expected Nintendo to do. With this game, Sakurai really took things to the next level, and he did things that Nintendo would normally avoid. While Nintendo themselves mostly stayed in the past, Sakurai realized how the world of gaming had changed, and he decided to create a game to reflect these changes. He included a very deep class/weapon/skill system, he included hard difficulty settings to make up for all of the easy games we normally get, he included a deep online mode with a deep Player vs Player system, and he created a unique single player with a unique story!
It has nice arcade on rail shooter sections, it has really nice 3rd person shooter like sections, there were achievements and extras to unlock, and it also has Star Fox style commentary throughout the levels as well! In short, Kid Icarus Uprising took everything I liked from games like Kirby Air Ride, mixed them with elements from games like Super Smash Bros and Ninja Gaiden, and gave it a Star Foxish story mode that really helped tie everything together! Mixed with it's deep online mode, and crazy weapon and class systems, and you've got a game you can easily spend a few hundred hours playing!
Nothing else this year has been this original (mostly because a lot of the games this year were sequels), and nothing else has really provided me with this much fun. Even today I'll still pick up the game from time to time, and that's something I rarely do.
If you would like to read my full review of Kid Icarus: Uprising, check out the following link!
www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...
Well that's it! Thank you for reading my Game of the Year New Years Day special, and I hope to see you all again next year for the 2013 list!
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