Talk:Our 2012 Faves

Feel free to be as verbose or terse as you like in your fave reasonings. And don't be afraid to note a few extra things as well.

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 too persistent & fucking fast in chasing you, enemy skills being stupid strong at times, the way death works if you don't use revivals, imbalance

Runner-up(s) of 2012: Shank 2 While the story wasn't quite as solid as the first, Shank 2 was notably superior gameplay-wise, being improved all around. It's one of those cases where it's hard to go back to the first, just because the second improved so much. I liked how the main weapons had perks and balances over each other, and even those you got later didn't completely over-power earlier ones. The sub-weapons gotten from enemies were pretty cool as well, again having different attributes compared to the main weapons (it might normally be crazy to use a baseball over two pistols, but knocking multiple chumps into meat grinders with one swing is very satisfying). I would personally argue that it's as close to feeling like a sort of 2D Devil May Cry (as in Dante, not Donte), at least that I've played. Especially when you set up all sorts of cuhrayzee combos and jump, roll, and run around like a maniac between smacking and shooting foes around. Bosses were definitely a step up in terms of challenge. Again, compared to the first, they lacked as much flavor and character, but had more creative fights. Hell, in general, stages were better, and full of much more hazards to defeat foes with and to avoid falling into yourself. Aesthetics were a bit better all around, with graphics being more lush and detailed. I didn't ever have the sound too high, so I can't comment as much on the music as I'd like. In terms of overall difficulty, things were more fair this time around. A bit more challenging, but still fair. One issue I had with Shank 1 was that bosses and even some enemies, were just generally getting timing and memorization right and avoiding damage as much as possible, because getting hit would take off big chunks of life per blow, which, in my case, often led to multiple retries. In 2, I didn't find myself retrying fights as much, but they still kept me on my toes enough to where playing as well as one could was recommended. Damage taken and dealt in general was a bit more even, though there were a few cheap parts here and there, though nothing that couldn't be overcome with some skill and persistence. As for multiplayer, I hadn't played it much, but still found it entertaining. Characters having different weapon setups is nifty, but more so different attributes, even "Shank 1"-Shank had differences to him versus being a lame clone (take notes, Smash Bros). I'd definitely like to play it more in the future, if I get the chance. While it is a bit of a shame that there's no longer a story to co-op, at least players mew to the game won't be overwhelmed by unexpectedly challenging levels and bosses, which was an issue (for me) in 1's co-op. Biggest pros: Much improved gameplay, lush visuals, nifty new multiplayer, hard-but-fair approach Biggest cons: Story is weaker and some new characters just aren't that cool, lacks a bit of the "pulp" feel of the original Biggest what: Now that I think about it, the menagerie of bosses vaguely feel kinda Metal Gear-ish. Not a bad thing, but at the same time, a bit unexpected.

Favorite Game(s) Played in 2012: Just Cause 2 I managed to get this when it was first free on PS+. Sadly, I feel like I missed out a bit by waiting so long, and also not playing on PC (Hell, I'd have paid full price if I had the cash at the time and my laptop wasn't a craptop), but it still managed to be very good and very solid even on PS3. I really enjoy so much of this. Not the music or the annoying ass grunts, but pretty much everything else. I dunno if this is the "ultimate fuck around game" or not, but it's definitely one of my picks for that title. My biggest complaints though, have to be an unevenness in some missions (Really, guys? You're gonna use freakin rocket launchers for JUST one dude?) and sometimes Heat seems to "bleed over" between areas (I've had "WE NEED AIR SUPPORT NOW" happen on Level 1 heat a few times, which is kinda bullshit). Everything else though, is pretty even stevens. I mean, it's basically what I'd like Zelda to look to in recapturing it's sheer "have at it" model of world. No real limitations after the initial few missions, just go anywhere, do whatever, take the missions on when you want to. One thing in specific I hold against Zelda nowadays is stupid shit like Wind Waker where it was just water water everywhere and not a quest worth taking. And not to forget dumbfuckery like Spirit Tracks which was literally on-rails. Fuck that, that's not adventure to me. That's why this was a breath of fresh air to me. Even if areas were copy-pasta'd a bit often, at least there's stuff to do or find in pretty much all of them. In addition, everything is always worth something. The weapon and vehicle parts, armor, and especially money. In Zelda and other action-adventures, action-rpgs, rpgs, etc. you often have the issue of "money for nothing" (though Chaos actually does end up like this, sadly). In JC2, money, as plentiful as it is, isn't entirely infinite, so it always has value and due to some weapons and vehicles being very rare, always has use. In addition, there's different types of ways to get around as well. Quick travel is nice and all, but you can't always use it, and there's times were you can't warp somewhere, because you haven't visited it yet. So you still have use for cars, boats, planes, and even just grapple-parasailing all over the place. That's good to me, especially since it isn't just one faster mode of movement versus just plain running around. In addition, taking the scenic route can also net out-of-the-way goodies as well, such as upgrades and/or faction items. There's differences between sandbox and adventure games, but I felt this came close to mixing parts of the two quite well. With a bit more variety in locales, it could have been really awesome. As is though, it's still damn good. Even if there's never going to be another JC game, I feel like they did well with this. Biggest pros: The grappler. Fucking around with enemies and vehicles. Scenery aesthetics. Bolo is mai waifu. Sniping a colonel in the head, every fucking time. Biggest cons: Some missions are a pain. Chaos build up kind of blows its load early on and becomes frivalous. Sloth Demon was way cooler than Tom Sheldon

Favorite Game(s) Played in 2012: Ultima IV (Sega Master System version) Well, I've already noted things I like about this game before, in a project I've still yet to fully establish. http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/MVI_Ultima_IV but I do like this version the best. I feel like I'm cheating in doing that, but fuck it. Might as well put that wall of text to some sort of use. Biggest pros: FM Music. Numerous little perks over the NES version, but also a bit of streamlining and conveniences over the computer versions. Biggest cons: Non-FM music in a normal SMS. Doesn't have some of the NES-exclusive perks. Lacks some of the little extras of the computer versions.

Runner-up(s) in 2012: Arabian Nights: Desert Spirit King This is a real late-comer, but I've played it a little bit before in Japanese (despite not knowing what the fuck, and only going of FAQs and rough translations), and quite liked it. Now that it's in English I can really enjoy what there is to it. Since I haven't played much, despite liking it, it ended up as a runner-up. What I've played so far is very solid. While you have your standard attack/defend/magic/item commands, the card system is the big thing here. This is especially true because BOTH allies -and- enemies can use it. Essentially, it provides party-wide effects over 3-4 turns, with various effects like stat buffs/debuffs, elemental damage, ally healing, and also other things such as canceling magic or physical attacks, stealing gold, and even flat out cancelling the effects of other cards. That alone is neat enough, but there's an interesting determinant factor to it as well. Most times, a side can overwrite the other's card effects by placing down a card of their own, and thus, the effect in play is now of the latest card's. However! If both sides use a card at the same time, there's a sort of hierarchy that determines which card will end up in play (I'm not sure entirely, but I think it has to do with the cards' elements (fire vs water, etc.) and effect (healing vs damage, etc.)) meaning that the card that loses is wasted, which can be a helpful event, but also a hindrance, though it makes things a bit more balanced either way. Curiously, you'll see some enemies use certain card types way earlier than expected, like, a card that nullifies physical damage BEFORE you've gotten a single spell. Yeah, yikes. Though this is definitely done to keep you alert. The auto-battle option, like some other variants at the time, is solely meant for "attack"-rushing, so just trying to cheese your way through everything can have consequences as can sometimes find yourself caught off-guard by a nasty card effect and need to counter it. My sole complaint here is that you can only hold so many cards at a time, and as of now, I don't know if there's a way to hold more or not. Regarding aesthetics, it's not a super detailed game, but it is better than most non-big name RPGs, and it actually IS animated, so that makes it better than some of the big names as well. Animations are nifty, but nice and quick, so they don't take up too much time. One of the more amusing ones early on is a turban-wearing demon who unravels his headwear to swing it like a whip. It's a nice touch to have things like this, and a bit surprising coming from such a small studio. The music is nice and has some really good melodies. However, like most RPGs at the time, you won't be able to appreciate the longer ones unless you stand still or listen to the music files (thankfully there's a music test in-game if you don't have the spcs, rsn, mp3s, etc. proper) due to music resetting in the overworld and dungeons due to random battles, and some boss battles being a bit short early on. It's got a nice "desert"-inspired feel to it, especially in the instrumentation, but also has a nice bit of funk and a little swing and jazz to it (gotta love dat bass guitar). Story wise, it's alright. A little cliche at times, but written/translated well enough to where it doesn't feel like a bore. Just the very concept of "world peace" being wanted by a young girl (the lead no less) and not some sort of dumbass "save the world" ancient prophecy where your home town gets destroyed is different enough, and it keeps side-stepping tropes and such from then on. Even some things that don't make sense are justified, like why a hardass Djinn spirit like Ifrit/Efreet has to hang out with a little girl (he's bound to his contract ring and can't be too far away from it, and this is the last of 1000 wishes he needs to be free of the damn thing, but world peace is a pain in the ass to obtain versus just granting the wishes of past owners of the ring with some dosh or good looks). It's honestly kind of surprising to get this kind of stuff from a small company, especially since it would have been so easy for them to copy the trends of the time. All in all, my experience with the game so far has been pleasant, and I'd recommend it easily. Biggest pros: nifty card system, nice aesthetics, arabian-inspired setting (subjective), amusing script without being too goofy, multiple endings, Shukran is adorable Biggest cons: Magic can take a while to get to (depending on how long you mess around), random battles happen a bit too much, a bit short (well, with reason though) I'm being timed?!: Had no idea. 15+ hours can make or break your ending. My time is 3:48, and I just barely got a single magic spell. Now the cheat codes make sense.

Runner-up(s) in 2012: Surging Aura It's a damn shame this never came out stateside or was translated in English period, because it's really quite neat. Built off the Phantasy Star IV engine, this game is aesthetically pleasing, but also feels fast and satisfying. The first thing of note are the character "cut-scene" portraits, which present a neat image of important characters' faces and upper bodies. While not quite on par with PS4, it's still nice to see the detail of their faces and outfits, especially since there's only so much detail present in the normal walk-around sprites. Sadly, unlike PS4, you can't randomly check about everything and get little messages and comments on things (primarily due to Mu being a silent protagonist, despite showing emotion in battle and taking his own actions in important events). People in general still have quite a bit to say though, and 9 times out of 10, it's important to listen to them. One in particular actually functions as an optional tutorial fight to get accustomed to the game's fairly different battle system (at the time), which is a bit surprising, given that tutorials didn't happen too often back then, even when optional. The battle system is rather cool, working on something similar to FF's ATB system, but also having some twists of its own. One thing that later showed up in SE's ATB system is delayed spells, that is, certain spells have longer charge times than others. In this case, it's interestingly justified, since each spell has a chant, with some being longer than others. This is neat, because the chant proper will actually appear on-screen as Mu says it, doing so in cool wavy, trance-like letter animations as they scroll along the screen. It's a neat effect, especially given that Gen/MD lacked special chips and such, that you ought to see for yourself. What's interesting though is that the chant has to do with the spell itself, like say, "the word of earth is life" (or whatever it was meant to be originally) for the healing spell. In addition, there's a sort of auto-esque system regarding commands. Like selecting "attack" will have you attack at intervals, even while you scroll through the menu. Which is very handy if you're looking for items or a specific spell (because you get quite a lot of spells in time). However, it will also work for "defend", letting you keep your guard up in tough spots. Using items is a one-time thing though, same with spells. However, Mu stops doing whatever he was doing when chanting, so be careful at low HP. One curious thing about the battle UI is that you only see the gauges of HP and MP, not the numbers themselves. However, given that you still see numbers for effects (like you're hit and you take 3 damage or cast a spell and deal 29 damage), it's hardly an issue. There's still also numeral indications within the menus for HP, MP, stats and such, just as the norm. You can also check your magic guide for names of spells, spell effects, and how long it takes to cast them. As of now, there don't seem to be any macros or combos like in PS4, but I'm still very early in, so I'm sure some surprises are still ahead of me. Music wise, it's nice. There's some cool melodies, but for the most part, it's what you might expect out of a better quality Sega RPG. So far, I'm enjoying it, but I can't give it a totally fair judgment as of yet. One issue that I have with this that most might as well is that it's not in English. At all. You have 3 options when playing this: the original Japanese, an older French translation, and a newer Russian translation. The French translation has some errors here and there which are just errors, but for the most part is understandable and written properly. I can't speak for the Russian one, since I don't know Russian, but I would like to know if anyone else liked it. Biggest pros: Nifty battle system, neat as fuck animations and effects for the Gen/MD, pictorial changes mid-battle, some character and enemy designs are pretty cool Biggest cons: No English translation, the French translation is a bit awkward, a little cliche, could have been fleshed out some more, a bit hard to grasp without FAQs

This was ALMOST picked: Sound Shapes Biggest pros: easy to get into, neat idea, some stages are pretty clever, some neat user-made levels, Beck's levels and songs, Some new creative possibilities with DLC Biggest cons: a little bit pricey right now, some user-made levels suck, deadmaus' levels and songs, cross-buy lacks cross-save sadly Why I didn't put it in: Not big enough campaign for me to justify its entry, user-levels are quite hit-and-miss, deadmaus's levels and songs sucked nuts This was ALMOST picked: Final Fantasy Dimensions Biggest pros: gameplay aspects of FF5 and FF4TAY mixed and improved, nice differences between stories and such, Red Mage having useful skills, some neat story events Biggest cons: Some characters suck, a bit unevenness between jobs, story is lacking, not very original, despite being refined gameplay-wise, dungeons are kinda plain Why I didn't put it in: Those fucking prices. I still haven't even got everything yet. Some story/characters bring it down a bit (despite cool stuff), no ENG Android This was ALMOST picked: Zen Pinball 2 Biggest pros: Cross-buy/save on PS3 and Vita, nice variety of tables, objectives, themes, and designs, damn good pinball physics Biggest cons: Buying everything can be a bit pricey, loading times every now and then can be a little long (depending on the platform) Why I didn't put it in: I haven't bought everything. I haven't played this enough to be fair. I liked a number of things better. This was ALMOST picked: Double Dragon Neon Biggest pros: Goofy as hell, solid gameplay, dat soundtrack, neat upgrade/skill system, co-op making all of the former better, Training Wheels, Skullmageddon Biggest cons: Genzoman, the game feeling less "complete" when playing alone, fucking Genzoman, trailers made it look worse than it is, did I mention I hate Genzoman? Why I didn't put it in: I haven't played enough to give an honest judgment on it, Playing alone vs co-op is kind of a bummer, in more ways than one, Genzoman

Looking Forward to in 2013: Dragon Quest 10 WiiU Why: Everything I've seen and read about this, info and gameplay-wise tickles my fancy. It's like DQ8 and DQ9 put together, but actually good, versus just "alright". Looking Forward to in 2013: Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Why: It might be the best Shantae yet. I also like how it's been noted that gear has a weapon-based use as well as a practical use. Matt Bozon is mai hasubando. Looking Forward to in 2013: Soul Sacrifice Why: The concept intrigues me and it looks nifty in both aesthetics and gameplay. I also heard it was pretty tough. More Vita games are always a good thing. Looking Forward to in 2013: PSO2 Why: Doesn't seem to suck and isn't just PSU with a new skin (so I've heard at least). If I can get on Vita and PS3 simultaneously (cross-buy?), that'd be neat. Looking Forward to in 2013: Class of Heroes 2 Why: I liked the first and this seems to have improved on that. Dem dorfs man. Fuck, I still have to beat the first though. Biggest Letdown(s) of 2012: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Why: Wasn't as good as it was hyped. Also that Rhode Island fiasco. Yeesh, what a mess that was. Biggest Letdown(s) of 2012: Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion Why: The interruption drawing thing didn't work as well as hoped and it was short as hell. What the fuck are you doing, Dreamrift? Get it together, yo. Why didn't I buy this in 2012: Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure Because: Being poor sucks.