1.
Kid Icarus: Uprising ; To use the old cliché Kid Icarus Uprising is a game that has thrown in everything but the kitchen sink and Im pretty sure they at least tried to get that in as well. Its been a long time coming for Pit to be called up from the Nintendo franchise reserve list but when the return is this strong its more than worth the wait. Uprising chooses to reinvent the Kid Icarus series focusing primarily on shooting, it leaves behind the platforming genre it spawned from and is in fact stronger for it.
Despite being effectively a franchise revival Uprising is a game that feels entirely new using the old name and what few characters it had to springboard off to greater heights, Uprising revels in its past at first showing an affectionate love to its NES origins but soon soars off to its own dizzying heights in a tale of constant escalation.
Part Rail Shooter and part fast paced third person shooter, Uprising aims to have you in almost constant action, not a chest high wall in sight and that health isnt going to top back up by taking a breather. Pit weaves in and out of attacks with a timing based dodge function and has infinite ammunition for your weapon of choice making enemy encounters mad scrambles against the underworlds varied goon squad, each foe standing out from each other with their own quirk, it could be how theyre defeated or how they attack but whats important is how the enemy lineup switch up each shoot out and infuse the game with further variety.
Throughout the gameplay itself the cast of Uprising will exchange banter and push the plot forward which gives all the characters life, a fun fuelled Saturday Morning Cartoon vibe that slaps a big old grin on my face as each character delivers their surprisingly witty lines with gusto and in turn creates one of the strongest casts Ive had the pleasure of enjoying in some time, especially from the Nintendo side of things.
The sheer avalanche of content packed into Uprising shows shades of Sakurais work on SSB, Uprising makes games within the game as you tinker with the rabbit hole of weapon creation and piece together the puzzle pieces to make up your ability lineup. These two aspects in particular intertwine with the games solid if limited multiplayer mode and also play an important role in preparing yourself for the games higher difficulty modes, the difficulty angle in itself is handled wonderfully allowing you to scale things for almost any player but only the brave who venture higher will reap the greater rewards.
Kid Icarus Uprising fires on all cylinders delivering a handheld title so packed in with quality that many big name titles (even those from Nintendo itself) seem a bit empty in content by comparison, utilizing every feature of the 3DS right down to even AR cards alongside its strong presentation and superb soundtrack leaves me with no hesitation of calling this my game of the year for 2012 as well as a much needed breath of fresh air for Nintendo itself.
2.
Mark of the Ninja ; Appropriately creeping up on me out of nowhere, Mark of the Ninja dares to challenge the idea of stealth in 2D yet what may at first sound limiting turns out be anything but. MotNs overall design comes together beautifully to deliver a refined stealth game that always gives you options, keeps you aware of the situation and most importantly makes you feel like a ninja. Glass Cannon is a term that describes the main character well, a plethora of options in how to approach enemies helps you feel in control of the situation, you can ghost your way past guards with the aid of ninja tools and distraction tricks for that non lethal approach or you can be let your presence be felt through more violent traps while remaining unseen yourself, distilling fear into guards before massacring the lot of them. But both angles carry a similar risk, if youre seen then youre not going to last long, while potent in the shadows youre a sitting duck in the face of gunfire, no leaping into hostile crowds with stylish sword combos and Izuna drops, just a swift bullet riddled demise. The games generous checkpoint system is a double edged sword here that alleviates any frustration at the expense of allowing the perfect run to be not so perfect at all.
The games visual design perfectly highlights whats in the dark, within the light, what the enemies can see, the sound of your footsteps, the various potential for noise in the environment and its all brought together with a rather minimal dark visual style that makes it pleasing to the eye, the actual art direction takes on a cartoony that lends a more unique touch the aesthetics which is hilariously at odds with bloody assassinations.
As you progress more abilities open up to suit your style of play and increase the variety alongside the new tricks each stage hides, most tantalizing of all are the various suits that can be earned for completing specific stage challenges to really help fully adapt to a particular playstyle, a silent and swordless stealth focus, a swift and flawless murderer or a flat out terrifying menace, by the way Im totally one of the last two.
Clocking in with a solid amount of length before suddenly dropping new game plus into sight makes MotN feel like a game that just keeps on giving, to think it wasnt even on my radar until it actually released and rumblings of its quality began to be whispered throughout the internet and now Im here to sing its praises further, ignore this at your own peril, ignoring things worth looking into are funnily enough also the actions of a clueless guard whos about to be dangling from a nearby lamppost with a hook through his throat to send a chilling message, of course this message of mine doesnt have to be delivered so brutally.
3.
New Super Mario Bros U ; NSMBU like the rest of its sub-series doesnt rock the boat in regards to the 2D Mario formula, it continues to build off of the previous NSMB games and in turn delivers the definitive NSMB title that can easily stand up alongside the much loved SMB3 and SMW.
NSMBU brings together many of the elements seen within the series so far and in a way feels like a greatest hits compilation of 2D Mario stage design, while the same could be said for the previous Wii entry NSMBU is that game truly refined, more challenging, greater visual variety, more enemy types and stage gimmicks, what it lacks in outright originality it makes up for in content quality, it pushes the NSMB style to its peak.
While the visuals stick to the basic NSMB style whats here truly feels like the realization of the Mario style seen in various renders and promotional material over the years, its simple yet bold, pleasing and full of a surprising amount of character, backgrounds in particular have broken free from the mushroom kingdoms array of dome mountains and come across a lot more vivid for it. Unfortunately the music was not so lucky drawing straight from NSMBWii for most tracks, the same tracks being reused in NSMB2 earlier in the year just dilutes it further and I cant comprehend why they just didnt go all the way with an all new soundtrack after they brushed up all the other aspects.
It's another trip around 8 worlds with the same basic setup in play, even with higher difficulty, a connected world map and stronger level design in play at this point it would not quite be enough to make NSMBU truly stand out but the main game is but one part of this package.
The ace up NSMBUs sleeve is absolutely its challenge mode, if the main game still wasnt tricky enough for you then now you can both rejoice and later curse at the extra tasks the designers at Nintendo have cooked up, from speed runs to item based obstacle courses the challenge mode really pushes the various elements of NSMB thatll have you perfecting the art of the new Flying Squirrel Suit one second to having you run through a stage evading coins like death itself the next. The challenge mode quickly ramps up, the gold medals become much trickier to obtain to the point even reaching the bronze minimum is a triumph, some of the stages made for challenge mode are among the toughest in the Mario series and even the games block placing boost mode gets in the action leading to a truly tricky co-op mode (or a maddening single player trial of placing your own blocks while playing for some crazy people).
Speaking of Boost mode theres another side mode in Boost Rush which manages to make forced scrolling enjoyable (though its not as good as NSMB2 Coin Rush), with these extra modes alongside the main game it highlights that Nintendo didnt skimp on the extra content, its actually quite unusual to see all this in a 2D Mario game and it packs the game with plenty more value for a genre often criticized for being too short.
NSMBU is a robust entry into the entire Mario series thats not so much an outright selling point for the Wii U as its just a really fine game for it. Well-crafted and reliable, it may not seek to innovate and its hardly the most unique of titles released this year yet it still stands as one of my strongest with an emphasis on simply delivering good old fashioned fun, the series and this entry in particular serve as a solid reminder of how I ended up in this hobby in the first place.
4.
Fez ; Just a few weeks ago I stumbled across a scrunched up piece of paper with gibberish scribbles on the back, and then I realized that it was in fact my numerous scribbles related to Fez and it took me right back, anyone whos paid any attention to Fez is likely aware at this point that the game is very much more than meets the eye.
Upon first glance its another gimmick focused puzzle platformer with a retro inspired soundtrack and pixel styled visuals, Fez is in a bit deceptive in a way and very much a game of two halves, the stories of perplexing puzzles that step right outside the box and united people together to solve the cryptic tasks thus creating a unique experience are quite commonplace when discussions of Fez arise.
Yet for me it was in fact Fezs other more typical half that truly resonated with me, the one that involves searching a sprawling world shifting your perspective in order to collect the various cubes dotted around the environments that make up Fezs world.
Exploration in Fez is a real treat, after a short introduction youre thrown right into its vast terrain, a world where a tremendous chunk of the map is actually open right from the start, it may invoke the feeling of a Metroidvania but aside from a few smaller areas that start locked youve actually got most of the gameworld before accessible from the start. Initially Fezs world is quite overwhelming, youll head into an area with multiple exits which in turn leads to more areas with forking paths, some dead ends, others spreading further out. The menu map looks like a tangled mess and the fear of getting lost is one thing but also the nagging thought of forgetting locations that youll wish to return to later on when you have a key or even just more information is perhaps more pressing, but therein lies the beauty of the exploration, it truly feels like an adventure as you stumble across the games colourful environments watching the map span ever wider.
Of course Id be amiss to not mention the perspective platforming, rotating around the environment to traverse it isnt particularly taxing on the player but it certainly lends itself to some more inspired ways to travel within the genre, as you progress youll likely learn small shortcuts gained from using the perspective shifts to your advantage and the games lack of punishing for a grim fall pushes experimentation in this regard.
The visuals and soundtrack are certainly worth merit, soothing themes that compliment the sun setting over the seas or a mysterious melody working in conjunction with the dark and rainy ruins of an oddly Owl focused society to create its atmosphere (oh yeah, Owls are a thing here, I can dig it), the game does a great job of reeling the player in.
I almost skipped out on Fez, from the creators controversial comments to its perhaps commonplace appearance masking the true game within, now that certainly wouldve been a mistake.
5.
Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing Transformed ; To call Transformed a flat out kart racer would be perhaps a bit of a misnomer, while it very much carries the DNA of the mascot kart racer within itself its also taking heavily from an avenue that Segas various racing games revel in, a distinct arcade like gameplay is also present within transformed making it a union of both Karting and Arcade racing styles.
The main hook of Transformed would of course be the whole transforming vehicle aspect that goes beyond MK7s gliders and floatier underwater sections, outright shifts into full flight or fighting with the waters flow in a boat make the transformations a fully featured mechanic far different to racing on wheels and the tracks ever changing layouts keep the racing styles switched up.
But make no mistake, as neat as some of the transformation sections are theyre still second place to the more common and satisfying car sections where the track design is more involved, the controls more refined and the racing more gripping.
The tracks themselves do well to represent Segas varied history, each one standing out on its own as opposed to the previous games heavy theme reuse, the character roster unfortunately cant say the same and misses out on being a true All Star lineup, where the hell is my Valkyria Chronicles representation?!
The games main mode of play isnt just Grand Prix but World Tour which is in fact a whole host of various missions that often fall into being varied challenges alongside standard races, the difficulty curve here begins twist and turn more than a racetrack with many corners, strict unlocking gates make some of the games characters unusually tricky (or simply a slog) to obtain, while the mode itself is an enjoyable twist in itself it could use some ironing out.
Transformed is fast paced racer with more depth to it than most other Karting outings Ive seen recently, serving as an exhilarating battle for first place whilst simultaneously a sightseeing tour of Segas history, if it were just a bit more polished on the whole I could place it upon the sub genres throne, even so Transformed is bound and determined to make an impact, it has no trouble stacking up to the perceived kings of the karting kingdom and shows off the benefits of its part arcade inspired direction, enough to spark up that old 16 bit Sonic and Mario rivalry in another genre entirely.
6.
Katawa Shoujo ; Swerve of the year for sure, a visual novel with odd origins and of dubious content, I distanced myself from the warning alarm ringing in my head and took a chance on it, after all its free so whats the worst thing that could happen? Well I guess it delivered some emotional gut punches out of nowhere but Im very much okay with that.
Katawa Shoujo isnt nearly as offensive as it may sound, you take on the role of Hisao Nakai who suddenly discovers the hard way that he suffers from a heart condition that turns his life upside down and has him sent off to a special school for people with disabilities, what he views as the end of his normal life becomes a new beginning and its partly thanks to the female cast, each of which suffering from a different dilemma, from lacking limbs to lacking sight, yet these characters arent defined simply by what makes them viewed as abnormal to most people and in turn they can help our main man Hisao get back on his feet.
A series of choices will set the player off down one of 5 main character paths focused around one of the girls, each path I believe was penned by a different writer meaning theres a decidedly different take on the tale, some better than others but each one tackles different personality types with different issues and in turn helps shape the direction Hisao himself takes, unless of course you completely cock things up. While the overall writing fluctuates by route choice I can happily say that the characters within are an engaging bunch whose tales can run the gamut of emotions, the experience is heightened further for me by an equally surprising soundtrack that hits all the right notes.
Katawa Shoujo is a labour of love by its creators, sporting solid production values for a free visual novel and tackling issues that could be deemed rather controversial with tact, its not perfect but all in all its a delightful surprise that truly exemplifies the old adage to not judge a book by its cover.
7.
Dust: An Elysian Tale ; An odd controversy stands in Dusts path for a few, a visual dilemma as a few people struggle to unsee filthy and sordid things in the deep recesses of their mind because Dusts cast of anthromorphic animals remind them of unspeakable creations from the internets abyss, what a damn shame because whatever one may think of the art direction whats in here is handled very well and completely inoffensively in my opinion and its a shame some people cant get over that hump to experience a charming and classic style 2D hack and slash in the Metroidvania vein.
Anyway, to use two other games as a description of what Dust entails Id say its part Muramasa and part Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, our amnesiac hero Dust travels across a varied selection of beautiful environments in order to put together the forgotten pieces of his past alongside his jokey yet endearing sidekick Fidget and along the way theyll meet numerous colourful characters, plots will twist and go a bit deeper than the games appearance may denote. Nothing tickles my exploration itch like the Metroidvania map setup, nooks and crannies just out of arms reach to make a mental note of, hidden pathways, exploring new unknown locations and the ever increasing power of the main character as the game progresses, Dust checks all these boxes and also brings in a sweeping score that helps emphasize the games atmosphere.
Bursting with vivid colours, animal based characters, frantic combat, simple yet effective platforming and all wrapped up with an enjoyable story Dust kind of feels like the product of a different time, a time I miss and would love to see more of. Dust has some pitfalls, the combat is too limited for the amounts of enemies encountered throughout the game and in effect stays similar from beginning to end but the strength of the overall package had me still very much enjoy Dust from start to finish. If Noogy hasnt fallen into a NEVER AGAIN state of mind after having finally overcome the hard fought journey to Dusts release I eagerly await whats next even if I have to wait a while to find out.
8.
Asura's Wrath ; Cyber Connect 2 and Capcom came together to create a rather odd spectacle, an interactive anime masquerading as an action game filled with quick time events by the bucket load. Asuras Wrath tells the tale of a betrayed and furious individual on a quest for both vengeance and to get his daughter back, the whole father angle is almost funny coming from this seething rage machine but it works, even if Asura isnt a rational character who sounds like hes suffering from an eternal sore throat and is mostly characterized by being absolutely pissed off hes still a character I can rally behind, Im almost at one with every rage fuelled strike within his furious flurry of fisticuffs.
The gameplay side of Asuras Wrath is unfortunately lacking, melee combat is limited and becomes repetitive as the game draws on and the rail shooting sections can sometimes be flat out painful in their tediousness, yet theres something about Asuras Wrath that keeps me enthralled, the chaotic energy from the bombastic gameplay, its retribution plot, its overall absurdity and stellar presentation all combine to create something unique that stands out when its all said and done.
Visually and thematically speaking I adore what theyve created here, the blend of various Asian mythologies and sci-fi creates a memorable universe with great character design, I think thats what stuck with me most of all. Boss battles are the true highlight of the games playable side of things, marrying the cinematic craziness with your own actions in frenzied encounters creating an area where Asuras Wrath shines brightest.
The part 4/true ending as DLC snafu is a shame and sadly typical of Capcom this year, its especially sad because its damn good (and Id say borderline required) DLC at that, if all the various DLC content was included with that core game then it would stand quite a fair bit stronger. I wouldnt consider it a game for everyone at all, it heads into an odd niche but manages to carve out something quite special, manly fighting to Symphony No.9 from the new world is something I certainly wont forget any time soon.
9.
Virtue's Last Reward ; Tasked with following up on 999's mind bending plot and inspired twist is a tall order but VLR succeeds in meeting expectations as well as standing on its own two feet, consider many minds melted to mush once more.
VLR refines a few issues with 999, most noticeably the new flowchart that allows you to jump around various scenes to prevent replaying sections for new endings (and boy are there a lot more of those!). Its brand of puzzling still leaves me a bit too flummoxed at times, it either goes pretty well where I get what the game is asking of me and solving the puzzle feels like a personal victory or alternatively it drives me right up the wall and baffles me to the point of anti-fun, still the option of an easy mode is appreciated here but I do feel various elements could be less cryptic at times.
Of course the reason behind wanting to speed through those puzzles is to get back to the increasingly intriguing plot, the game has a tendency to stop the player in their tracks when things are getting interesting and requires jumping around various story paths before allowing progression elsewhere which makes some early stages and endings feel lacklustre but it pays off when you can venture further forward as you piece together the bigger picture and then the twists and turns rain down with full force watering the seeds of my curiosity. VLRs plot is backed up with an enjoyable cast of characters, youll like them, hate them, be betrayed by them and also be supported by them, basically the pendulum swings back and forth with you liking a character one second and then cursing their name the next which in turn keeps the games whole betray or ally angle on its toes.
VLR has a few niggles but altogether its pretty enthralling, capable of sinking its narrative claws in deep and leaving a lasting impression.
I can't decide on a number 10 out of my honourable mentions and i'm also about to reach the character limit so i'll leave it at these 9, if anyone wants to see my HM choices maybe I can put them in a separate post or elsewhere.