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KoA used an art palette closer to that of World of Warcraft than Dark Souls,making visuals a matter of preference that even non fans of the style will admit is an impressive showing.Crafting elements abounded,literally,making gaming sessions drift from pursuit of a quest to finding that one more component…and when adding in an estimated 200 hours for a "speed run" just on the quests,the game has an overwhelming number of things to do.With the meltdown of 38 Studios as "closing" doesn't even begin to describe and the fallout from which isn't close to over the fate of Amalur is TBD,though I'm guessing via the actions of an opportunistic,er,enterprising publisher will snap up the IP and we'll see more of Amalur at some point.I hope so,as this game represented,in my eyes,a natural evolution of the RPG genre other devs should take note of. XCOM:Enemy Unknown has to take it for me.The gameplay was simplified and streamlined from the original,but not dumbed down.The aesthetics were creepy,and you always got a chill down your spine when you run across another squad of aliens more than willing to rip you limb from limb or shoot acid at you.It all came together in such a perfect package that,even if you're not a fan of tactical turn based games,it still has more than enough to suck you in.Yet the best part about it was the difficulty.There are a lot of games out there where you know you'll beat it eventually all it takes is a little bit of time.XCOM laughs at your puny attempts to defeat it,and every battle and every decision is not only important,but thrilling when you see it succeed. While I could sit here all day and praise the sci fi epic Mass Effect 3,thanks to its intricate,choice based storyline and brilliantly designed characters,my vote for Game of the Year would have to go to Xbox Live's first free to play title:Happy Wars.Offering intense 30 player online battles on huge maps,Happy Wars proved that free to play doesn't have to mean pay to win with its fair use of powerful but not overly so premium items and in match power ups.Factor in a very balanced trio of job classes,customizable characters,upgradable weapons,and wonderfully conceived maps all wrapped in addictive strategy meets hack n slash gameplay,and it's hard not to see why I've spent hundreds of hours playing and why it's my Game of the Year.Mass Effect 3 certainly deserves credit as a top contender for our 2012 Game of the Year,but XCOM:Enemy Unknown takes the most top honors,and it's definitely well deserved!Every time you play it,you never know what the outcome will be.There aren't many games out there that give you as much of a sense of satisfaction after finally beating it.To the wizards at 2K,we salute you! While many people tend to lean towards the AAA games with their extremely realistic looking graphics,epic storylines,my vote for Game of the Year would be Skylanders:Giants.This cross platform action adventure is true to its name,offering a vast world for players to explore with all new characters,upgraded graphics,and a story that calls to the hero within.Toys for Bob and Activision already had a cashcow with the buy fifa coins online prequel,Skylanders:Spyro's Adventures,and nothing could've stopped them from using the same formula with a new story.Instead,the developers tried to improve the game,adding different special effects,difficulty settings,and also allow fans to bring over existing toys characters from Spyro's Adventures to the sequel.The gameplay is child friendly and will appeal to players both young and old,instead of just catering to one type of gamer.
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