1. Shin Megami Tensei IV ; Flynn and Isabeau look just as surprised as I am. This game was completely not on my radar until a few weeks before release. Although I loved Persona, I never got around to playing the dusty copy of Nocturne that I bought ages ago. I didn’t even own a 3ds. But, as a fan of jrpgs, I thought I owed it to myself to pick it up (and I didn’t like to admit that I was also buying the system to play #3 on my list.) Simply put, this is the rpg I didn’t know I wanted. It starts out routinely enough - you are a Samurai in the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado. It has a major difficulty curve - I died in the tutorial - but I thought I knew what I was in for. But then you make it to the bottom of the dungeon, and holy crap… I will not spoil it, but it was a great moment in gaming for me. At that point I was hooked, and I ended up putting 90 hours into the game. I did every side quest and managed the neutral ending. I saw complaints about the story in the game, but I don’t have any… I thought the story was interesting and unique, and I thought it was well explained. The main character was a bit of a cipher, but well… that’s SMT for you, with their silent protagonists. Graphics in the game were nice, and took good advantage of the 3d capabilities. The soundtrack, mostly rock and synth themes, fit the game perfectly. If you like jrpgs and you haven’t played this game, I question your dedication to the genre. Go. Play it. Thank me later.
2. Tearaway ; I played a lot of handhelds this year, due to being on the road a great deal. The Vita was an impulse purchase, but as far as I’m concerned Tearaway justifies it completely. When I heard about this game, not being a fan of Little Big Planet (other than the fabulous Stephen Fry as narrator) I dismissed it as gimmicky. When this game came out, VitaGAF was mad for it, so I downloaded the demo. After 10 minutes I quit the demo and bought the whole game. I played as Atoi, the female messenger (sadly, the photo above is from the PS blog, not mine… though I must make an elk soon!) Everything about Tearaway is so incredibly charming, from the character models to the adorable language that all the paper characters speak. The music is fantastic, like really fantastic, and the story is lovely. The end is particularly touching. The platforming is (for the most part) fun and decently challenging. There are a few gyro controls, which I never enjoy. The controls are fairly tight, though Atoi was occasionally loose on landings (but she was made of paper, so who can blame her?) The game isn’t incredibly long, though if you are OCD like me there are lots of things to collect for the platinum trophy. I really hope there is a sequel someday set in the same world, but if not then I’m so glad I got to play!
3. Animal Crossing: New Leaf ; I used to laugh at the Animal Crossing fans, but not anymore. It’s hard to explain what makes the game and your animal neighbors so compelling, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t shed a tear the day that Cesar moved away. I spent 4 months playing this year before work distracted me,and now I actually feel guilty. If you go back they know exactly how long it’s been and will tell you. I’m sorry Marshall, bear who enjoys dancing, and Coach, the bull who calls me “Lady-bro” and always shows me his muscles! I promise to come back more often!
4. Gone Home ; This game inspired a lot of debate on the price, and discussion of what makes a game. I don’t have an opinion on price, since I bought it in a Steam sale, but this is definitely a game. It reminds me of the adventure games I grew up on - no combat, just exploration and some light puzzle solving. It also provoked major nostalgia in me. You see, I myself was a teenaged girl in the 90s - just a few years younger than Sam. I’m pretty sure I had VHS X-file tapes just like the ones above, and I watched them until the tape broke. Everything in the game is authentic to the time. The story of the game was good, but what was better was how it was told. Walking through the house, picking up papers and trying to piece together what has happened to your family in your absence was unsettling. No, this isn’t a scary game, though a few sequences managed to evoke a feeling of dread in me, as I feared I was about to discover something awful. I am glad I got to experience Gone Home.
5. Etrian Odyssey Untold ; This is my first Etrian Odyssey game. I avoided them because I generally like a story to go with my games, and the series doesn’t really have much of one. This game is a remake of the first with optional “Story Mode,” which is what I played. The story is decent, and it definitely kept me invested. Raquna (the lovely lady with the beer stein) was my favorite, a fantastic and completely non-typical anime woman. The mapping, which I thought would be irritating, turned out to be really fun. The game includes the option to hear the new,orchestrated soundtrack or the original chiptunes, a great touch! I think Atlus was wise to make this game with modes that appeal to both those who like story and those who want to make their own characters - it’s made me more likely to try the other games now.
6. Papers, Please ; Oh, Jorji. Every time you appeared with your poorly forged documents (Cobrastan, really?) I wanted to let you in. Alas, my Uncle needs medicine (the freeloader!) and I already have to choose between food and heat. Please understand.
Papers, Please does something unique. It does a better job than any game I’ve played of really forcing you into someone else’s life. I’ll admit, I thought before starting the game that I would certainly let in as many people as I could, but this game made me think about why people make the choices they do. This is one of several games this year that really made me consider what games can accomplish.
7. Bit.Trip Runner 2:Future Legend of Rhythm Alien ; Runner2 is just fun. It’s full of jokes and absurd ads (like the above) but it’s also a really challenging endless runner. Adding the music aspect makes it both harder and easier. I don’t think I have ragequit so often since Demon’s Souls, but it is all worth it! Thinking about getting it on Vita too, since it would be easier on my blood pressure.
8.
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers ; After playing SMT IV I went on a bit of a binge. I played Devil Survivor Overclocked, which would have totally made my list had it not been from 2011, and then I played this. This game is from 1997, which is somewhat apparent due to all the references to things like hackers and “The Information Superhighway.” Basically you are a member of a gang of hackers, and you have to figure out what to do after your best friend is possessed through a computer. Nemissa, the demon doing the possessing, is a great character. While the rest of the characters seem a bit bland and too trusting, Nemissa is having none of it. It’s worth it for her (and the boss above… yes, his weapon is a guitar.) There are a few dungeons that go on forever, but the game is short for an RPG - 18 hours for me. I enjoyed the tour of history.
9. Guacamelee ; I played Castlevania (Symphony of the Night) on the PS1, but I have to admit I had to look up what a Metrovania game was. Apparently, Guacamelee is one, and it’s fantastic. Filled with humor and cute characters, I was charmed from the first scene. The platforming and combat are a challenge, at least for someone as platformer challenged as I, but there are lots of checkpoints, so dying never means going all the way back to the beginning of the level. Yet another fantastic Indie game - one that makes me excited about the future!
2012. Persona 4 Golden ; I wasn’t sure I was going to buy this game, since I played Persona4 on the PS2. But it went on sale, so I thought why not? To my surprise, there is a ton of new content. The battle system has been updated, as have fusions (they now resemble those in SMT IV, which has a great system.) My only disappointment is the changing of Chie’s voice actress - I know the old one wasn’t available,but I loved her old voice… now she sounds too girly. Kanji has replaced her as my favorite character for this playthrough. Other than that the game is perfect. If you haven’t played this game, which might be my all-time favorite, I suggest you do!