Talk:Our 2012 Faves

Dejiko's 2012 faves
Game(s) of the Year 2012: Warriors Orochi 3 Pretty fucking impressive. I liked how stage objectives would change based on time-travel and how side-stages actually had notable effects on things. The interactions between characters were pretty well done as well. There is something of an obvious balance issue, but for, I'd say, 95% of stages, you can beat them with anybody. The other 4% would be those you're good with, and the last 1% being characters you can cheese the fuck out of. Being able to customize characters' weapons with different attributes and fusing them is great. Being able to cover characters' weaknesses and/or boost their strengths is also sweet (speed-based characters with speed boosts are hilarious). In-stage missions are also interesting, having a bit more variety than most other Warriors-type games. In addition, you have a bunch of off-disc DLC stages and outfits to pick and choose from, which is pretty cool. Co-op was pretty cool, though I only did it once and I haven't played co-op online, so I can't comment on that. Editted stages can range from amusing to lame, so it's kind of a mixed bag there. Being able to get more rare crystals is always good though. Due to plot summaries in-game, along with the Koei Wiki to fill in the gaps for the curious, anyone can pick this up. The story kind of roller-coasters from cool to awkward but for the most part evens out to be okay. If you haven't played it yet, give it a shot, via some means (a buddy's system or something) or watch some gameplay. Although the Wii U version, Hyper, has a bit more content, it doesn't really even out due to less enemies on-screen and weak frame rates, so that doesn't come recommended. 360 and PS3 are a sure thing, and you can also brute-force and/or FAQ your way to grasp victory in the PSP version (assuming you don't know Japanese).

Biggest pros: Just making teams and fucking around pretty much, using different characters and weapons and really just tearing shit up with them; Chaos Mode. Biggest cons: Nezha and Lu Bu. Seriously. What in the fuck were you thinking, Koei?

Game(s) of the Year 2012: Kid Icarus: Uprising If you've ever been in a 3DS thread, you're pretty much seeing somebody praise or recommend this. For good reason, too. Assuming you aren't a fucking moron who can't grasp the controls (despite being able to CHANGE them) or a babby who needs two sticks (despite the FACT that you don't), then you're in for a damn enjoyable ride. Sakurai and co. did a crazy impressive job with this. Let me just get my favorite part out of the way first: the fucking amazing soundtrack. OH GOD MY EARS ARE IN BLISS. There's pretty much something here for damn near everyone. I absolutely love how the music syncs up to the situations in flying stages, yet still manages to be good on it's own. In addition, ground stages have enough length and variety to repeat and not bother you. In addition to music, the voices were all great and the script managed to be pretty cool overall (Viridi can go fuck herself, goddamn mary sue cunt I'm so buttmad you don't even know, even her nice observatory theme doesn't make up for how total shit she is on every level (no, I don't give a shit if she's Princess Bubblegum, I don't give a fuck about that show)) Gameplay wise, weapon variety was great, and it's neat how attributes can really affect how good a weapon can be. A tiny few weapons are a little bit OP though, but at the same time, the majority have some sort of balance to them (like some may be great in sky, but not so great on land, or strong but poor range, or long range but weak, etc.). Stage variety was also nice, having you do many a good many different things and flying stages also have good variety in their design as well (a small few being VERY different). Bosses are great and even a good handful of normal enemies can provide some challenge as well. I do have to say though, that not being able to jump outside of jump pads and the magic skill is kind of a shame, since there could have been some interesting things done with it and it really would have been flat out convenient. However, at the same time, the stages and bosses are designed well enough to make up for this, so it barely gets a pass in this regard. Speaking of skills, I thought it was pretty creative to make something similar to MMBN's Navi Customizer for the sake of balance, especially since it encourages different replays and can really make or break your Challenge attempts (a majority of which can be challenging, thrilling, and rewarding). Online is pretty good, and even the offline AI can provide some challenge. Overall, a must-try, if not a must-have.

Biggest pros: Soundtrack, solid gameplay, stage variety, Magnus, Pittoo, Hades Biggest cons: Weapon fusion is kinda made to fuck you over unless you have REALLY good weapons as fodder, some of the challenges are flat out bullshit, Viridi

Runner-up(s) of 2012: The Denpa Men Came pretty much out of left field. I thought it was kinda meh when the first japanese trailer was released pretty much a year ago as Denpa Ningen. However, the more I looked it up, the more interested I became. I was still a bit cautious when I bought it, but I ended up pleasantly surprised. It's a nifty little cutesy RPG, though it feels like I used "little" almost ironically in saying that. It's probably one of the best uses of AR type stuff I've seen done, period, mostly because it isn't really "necessary" to play the game past setting up your initial party and such. The utilization of colors and antennae (or lack thereof) is pretty well done for the most part. I can't think of any real time that it's a detriment, mostly because you can equip accessories and clothes to counter-act weaknesses that your Denpa critters may have and use antenna powers to further cover a respective and/or collective Denpa ass. Impressively, you can't really just have ONE solid party. You might have some mainstays, but the game is set up to where you WANT to take advantage of different Denpa types (colors, antennae, and/or lack of either) and sometimes NEED to. A semi-nice thing is that you can sometimes avoid battles, as enemies appear on-screen and not through random encounters. However, the 'semi" comes from monsters being adamant in chasing you as soon as they can see you and they aren't exactly slow either. Enemies are generally kind of... alright. Most usually have some skills after the first dungeon and as a result, they keep you on your toes, the problem is that you may not always be up for a fight (due to lack of items, low HP and/or AP, etc.) and running is only sometimes effective (and tends to NOT be when you really need to run). Surprisingly, bosses don't tend to be too hard for the most part (with exceptions). Overall, I don't know if I'd say this game is super "light-hearted" (even if it kinda is), but it's definitely humorous and silly, and well aware of it, even breaking the 4th wall (with actual good reason) a few times. This is definitely evident in the music. It's 3DS RPG of the year (for me, at least) and it doesn't even cost 20 bucks.

Biggest pros: utilizing different Denpas, getting Denpas from QR codes, the general silliness of the game (and some surprising parts) Biggest cons: enemies are too persistent & fucking fast in chasing you, enemy skills being stupid strong at times, the way death works if you don't use revivals, inbalance

Runner-up(s) of 2012: Shank 2

Favorite Game(s) Played in 2012: Just Cause 2

Favorite Game(s) Played in 2012: Ultima IV (SMS)

Runner-up(s) in 2012: Arabian Nights: Desert Spirit King note: (3 hours 48 minutes) 15 hours

Runner-up(s) in 2012: Surging Aura

This was ALMOST picked: Sound Shapes Biggest pros: Biggest cons: Why I didn't put it in: Final Fantasy Dimensions Biggest pros: Biggest cons: Why I didn't put it in: Zen Pinball 2 Biggest pros: Biggest cons: Why I didn't put it in: Double Dragon Neon Biggest pros: Biggest cons: Why I didn't put it in:

Looking Forward to in 2013: Dragon Quest 10 WiiU

Looking Forward to in 2013: Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

Looking Forward to in 2013: Soul Sacrifice

Looking Forward to in 2013: PSO2

Biggest Letdown(s) of 2012: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Biggest Letdown(s) of 2012: Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion

Why didn't I buy this in 2012: Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure

(to be finished... soon-ish?)