This past year has brought us a boon of wonderful games and next year promises some exciting new ones to look forward to. With so many options to choose from it was hard to cut it down to just five, but the following are the games that really stuck out this year.
5. Diablo 3
People waited 12 years to delve into the world of Diablo once again and though there are a few complaints such as the changes in the way the skill tree operates, it was still a great story line and a blast to play. The addition of the option to choose between male or female on each class was a major plus and the World of Warcraft style auction house proved to be just as addictive as the game itself.
4. Dishonored
When the main complaint being made about a game is that it just isn’t long enough, you know you’re doing something right! Dishonored brought us an intriguing storyline and very fun gameplay mechanics. It gave you the option to do each mission however you felt. You could be a sneaky snake and stealthily get the job done, or you could go in balls to the wall and kill every person who happened to look at you funny. It was even possible to complete the entire game without killing anybody!
3. Assassin’s Creed 3
This was perhaps the best of the Assassin’s Creed installments as far as the new gameplay features go; the ability to hunt, homestead missions, and naval missions. We finally got to see the end of Desmond’s story and if you’ve been a fan of the series since the beginning it probably brought more than tear to your eye as you spent those last minutes together. As always the story line was riveting and the combat was greatly improved. With the promise of DLC content it is sure to keep you playing well into 2013.
This year seemed to be the year of three! Mass Effect 3 dealt with a lot of controversy due to the ending of the game and people feeling as if they were cheated, but it is unfair to judge the entire game based on the last ten minutes. The fact is that it was a wonderful game, whether you loved the ending or not.
1. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
This has to be one of the most addictive games of this year. Turn based gameplay was widely thought a thing of the past, but this game proves that there is still a place for it. Firaxis did an amazing job with this reboot. It has all the frights, thrills, and challenges of the original game from the 90’s and has added so many great features! Other than the obvious graphics upgrade, the customization of your base and your soldiers adds a whole new level of excitement. The only complaint is that you can’t customize which flags your soldiers have, but it isn’t that big of a deal and may be something that gets changed in later DLC packs. Naming your soldiers after yourself or people you know really makes you fear for their safety as they battle against the invading aliens, one wrong move or miscalculation and your entire squad could bite the dust. On the other hand you can be in a situation where just two soldiers are left and they fight their way through an entire crashed spaceship and come out victorious. You just never know and that is what makes this game so addictive!
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