My Top 10 Games of 2012

I originally wrote this list a couple of months ago, but had not published it.

10.  Snapshot

Format: PC

Snapshot is a great, quirky, and fun platform game that is available on Steam, GOG and for around 2 more days can be bought through the Humble Indie Bundle 7.

Snapshot has a nice cartoony retro look to it and has a unique mechanic, in that a camera is used to manipulate certain objects, in order to solve various puzzles.  How could I not include a game that lets you use elephants as trampolines?

09.  Angry Birds Space

Format: PC, iPad, Android

Possibly not the most popular choice among 'hardcore' gamers, but I really had fun with this game in 2012.  I've played it on my Android phone, on the iPad and on my own PC.  It is a great game when you just want to play for a quick 15 minutes.

Angry Birds Space can be compared to Mairo Galaxy.  They are both games that take the original formula of previous games and completley turn it upside down, sideways, back and forth until your brain feels like it has been turning 360 degrees inside your skull.  Yes, it is fun.

08.  Perspective

Format: PC

Perspective is a student project that can be downloaded on the PC for free.  The developers describe their project as an 'experimental first person perspective puzzle game.'  The closest I can compare the game to is a mixture of a first person shooter, without the shooting element, mixed with a 2D platformer, so maybe something similar to a combination of Portal and 2D Mario games.

It is a rather short game, but I would highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys puzzle or indie games.  It is completley free, so it will not do any harm to your bank account if you do not enjoy the game.

07.  Sonic Jump

Format: iPad, Android

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Sonic has had rather a rough time since making the transition into 3D, although among critics the more current Sonic games seem to be receiving more positive reviews.  Games such as Sonic Colours, Generations, Sonic 4 episode 1 & 2 seem to have recieved better reception from critics around the Internet.

I agree that recent Sonic games have become increasingly better, but somewhat Ironically I feel that the best Sonic game in recent memory is Sonic Jump, which has been released on touchscreen devices.  I say I find this ironic because I would think I would have enjoyed a game like this on a hardcore device, rather than a super casual friendly device.  Although, I would rather good old fashioned buttons to control the game.  Maybe, it could be ported to consoles one day.

I found this game surprisingly fun and I suggest that any Sonic fan, old or new, should check this out.  It is a lot cheaper than a Sonic console release, another positive.

06.  Assassin's Creed III

Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC

I'll say it straight away ... I was somewhat disappointed with a part of the Assassin's Creed III ending.  That is all I will say about the ending.  I am a big fan of Assassin's Creed, with AC II and Brotherhood, being my favourites in the series.  In my opinion AC III, was definitely a fun game and the colonial settings were a nice new area to free run around, definitely, my favourite part of the gameplay was running along tree branches and climbing cliffs within the frontier.

The AC III setting, personally, is not quite as interesting as running around renaissance Italia as Ezio, but I did enjoy the game overall, despite not being entirely happy with the ending.  Let us not forget the Ralph Waldo Emerson phrase: "Life is a journey, not a destination."  Yes, the ending may have been a disappointment, but the important thing to take away from the AC series is that it was fun to play throughout (to those that enjoyed the gameplay, of course).

05.  Mark of the Ninja

Format: XBOX 360, PC

Mark of the Ninja is a 2D stealth game from the makers of the Shank series, which shares a similar art style to those games.  The art style is about the only similar things that both Shank and Mark of the Ninja share; as they are both very different games in terms of gameplay.  The Shank games were about beating up and shooting as many enemies as you could, in order to complete the level, Mark of the Ninja is more about hiding from your enemies in the shadows.

Mark of the Ninja is a side scrolling stealth game.  The very concept of a 2D stealth just should not work, but this game masterfully both succeeds and exceeds my expectations.  It is a stealth game that manages to cater to stealth fans, but also is accessible enough for people that may not normally find stealth games to be fun.

04.  Dear Esther

Format: PC

Dear Esther began life as a mod for Half Life 2 and has now been converted into a full game, with updated graphics and new updates to the overall story.  Dear Esther is a very short game, about 90 minutes long, and the only gameplay element involves walking around an uninhabited Scottish Island located in the hebridean region.

The music is amazing in the game and is excellently narrated.  There is also replay value, as story narration is randomly played, offering more to the story for those that want to delve deeper.  It may seem boring to some, but this game, for me, is a better experience than a number of 40+ hour long games, a number of which are guilty of depicting rather bland stories.

03.  Lone Survivor

Format: PC

A 2D indie horror game.  Similar to Mark of the Ninja, Lone Survivor is a game presented in 2D, representing a genre that is not normally associated with 2D.  Playing through it feels like playing through a Silent Hill game in the second dimension.  In fact, Lone Survivor's creator, Jasper Bryne, made a demo game called Soundless Mountain II, which is a NES style demake of Silent Hill 2.

Lone survivor is an excellent horror game and any fan of survival horror needs to check out the game.  Lone Survivor is currently only available on the PC, but it has been announced that it will be released for the Playstation 3 and the Playstation Vita.

02.  Black Mesa

Format: PC

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Originally intended to be released in 2009, Black Mesa is a mod of Half Life 2 and a remake of the original Half Life.  After a number of years in development limbo, Black Mesa has finally been released and is available to download, but it is not entirely finished.  The game is missing the final Xen levels that were in the original Half Life, although the game will include them when Black Mesa is released as a standalone game through Steam's Greenlight feature.

I had to include Black Mesa, even though it is unfinished, because Black Mesa gave me the same great feeling I had when I originally played through Half Life, all those years ago.  It is also probably better that Xen is not included, as those levels were quite frustrating and easily the worst part about the original Half Life.

01.  Journey

Format: PS3

Journey is a thought-provoking, beautiful, emotive, tranquil, and engaging game, which needs to be experienced in order to fully understand and appreciate it.

Everyone who owns a Playstation 3 needs to experience it for themselves.

The following is a list of 2012 games I may have considered, but I still have to open from their wrapping or have to buy:

• Dishonoured
• Walking Dead
• Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing Transformed
• WWE 13
• Hitman Absolution
• Darksiders II
• Fifa 13
• Halo 4
• Resident Evil: Revelations
• The Unfinished Swan
• Fez
• Sleeping Dogs (Would have made the list, but I played it in 2013)