No. No. No no no no no. This game has nothing in common with the classic FF games except having good music.

This is what I finished in 2012:

- Fallout 3 (PC)
- Thief Gold (PC)
- Mass Effect 3 (360)
- Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
- Diablo 3 (PC)
- Crysis (360)
- Demon's Souls (PS3)
- Crysis 2 (360)
- Xenoblade (Wii)
- Xenosaga (PS2) (somewhat)
- Xenosaga II (PS2)
- Sonic Generations
- Megaman X (PS2)*
- Megaman X2 (PS2)*
- Megaman X3 (PS2)*
- Megaman X4 (PS2)*
- Megaman X5 (PS2)*
- Megaman X6 (PS2)*
- Halo 4 (360)
- Dishonored (360)
- Megaman (PS2)*
- Megaman 2 (PS2)*
- Megaman 3 (PS2)*
- Thief II (PC)
- Thief III: Deadly Shadows (PC)
- Far Cry 3 (360)

* = replay

Thief blows everything away so they win.

Xenosaga I-II were more of a replay with me finally officially beating them (except not 99% officially with the first game, died at the last encounter before the final boss and missed the last save point, lost a few hours of work... so fuck that, I just watched the rest on youtube). People who claim Xenosaga has good gameplay are blinded by nostalgia or something. Trust me I'm alone with my love for the series, but the gameplay freaking sucks, nothing but longass combos that take forever to watch and it was just so bare bones. The entire game has practically no BGM so that sucked too, and the music that was there wasn't even that great... Mitsuda's weakest by far, I have to imagine he was rushed on the project or something. So sure, Xenosaga II's battle system is weird as hell and the game fails to really explain it, but when you get it figured out it's pretty fun and this time around I enjoyed it way more than the first. No complaints for this one. I'm still off and on on my Xenosaga III replay, which is the peak for sure.

Xenoblade was amazing.

Demon's Souls was amazing, still never got back to Dark Souls but yeah it was awesome and I'll have to pick it up again sometime.

Skyward Sword was top notch, but a bit tedious after awhile with little environment variety (lots of backtracking on the three main islands). Twilight Princess has a very slow start and all the wolf stuff in the first half I hated, so I'd say overall they kind of tie for me. Both amazing games with a few flaws.

Mass Effect 3 and Halo 4 were good but already feel forgettable to me. Must be feeling franchise burnout on these.

So yeah, the Thief series stands out the most for me this year. I even have a hard time wondering if I like them more than SS2 or not. They were so damn good and Garrett's one of the best characters I've seen in awhile. In comparison to the first two games Deadly Shadows was a step down, but overall still a pretty damn good game.

This year I beat

Silent Hill Psx
Silent Hill 2 Ps2
Silent Hill 4 Ps2
Silent Hill Downpour X360
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim X360
Hitman Absolution X360
Star Wars KOTOR Xbox
Red Dead Redemption X360
RDR Undead Nightmare X360
Ao Oni PC

So, for the elders among you - the only traditional strategy game I can stomach to play, Dune II, has been recently recreated in Java and made playable via your browser of choice. I almost forgot how epic the soundtrack of this game is.

The soundtrack was awesome. A friend transcribed some of them and we played them during lunch hour in music class. The game was great for its time as well, but the mechanics are very much dated. So much to render it almost unplayable.

That last boss in Sonic Generations was really disappointing but I think it was a pretty cool game overall, just wish they'd release some DLC for it because it's one of the only games that really could benefit with it.

I finished a few games last year like Machinarium but I only managed to platinum one, Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection.

Quite easy trophies apart from the only gold trophy which you got from completing Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.
I never owned a Mega Drive as a kid so the games were all new to me and I really enjoyed most of them.

What's the confusion about?

Well, for one thing (and to be pedantic) it's not a traditional strategy game (which would be turn-based strategy) but rather one of the first of the new school of real-time strategy games. But mainly, I don't really see how you can like Dune 2 but dislike all other similar 90's RTS games... The transition from Dune 2 to early Warcraft games or especially Command & Conquer seems perfectly natural.

Well, I used "traditional" just to separate the bona-fide strategy games (Dune II, Warcraft, Starcraft...) from "games with strategic elements" such as UFO Defense and Star Control 2, but yeah, RTS is what I basically had in mind.

Also, I'd lie to you if I said I have anything to substantiate my claim other than nostalgia and sentimental values. Dune 2 was the first game of its kind (technically, Caesar 2 was my first RTS, but it wasn't as battle-focused and therefore felt as a different genre) I've ever played; it was tense, it had a great soundtrack, it was novelty. With every subsequent RTS, that sense of novelty and wonderment perished and I quickly grew bored with the entire genre altogether, but kept a warm spot in my memory for Dune 2; not because it was the best, but merely because it was the first.

Thank you very much for this link! This surely brings back some memories. Used to play it with my cousin, 6-7 hours sessions. Never mastered the Ordos campaign though.

@Xeogred; Why don't you play episode III of Xenosaga?

I'm still replaying it. But tackling all three games in a row, haha even as good as III is I think I needed a break. The final stretch is insane though and I think it tops the final stuff in Xenogears. With Xenosaga it was like a chain reaction of final dungeons and all these insane conflicts and rivalries coming to an end, both epic and kind of sad at the same time. Though all around I probably still like Xenogears more. The Shion arc in III has some great ideas and backstory on some bits, but she is kind of the weak link in III, along with the great lack of Albedo. Though Yuriev is just as awesome. I'm on the second disc now so I'm pretty sure it's pure awesomeness again from that point on. A shame a lot of fans didn't make it to III though, even stand alone it's still one of the best PS2 RPG's I'd say, and with the database you could practically skip the first two games completely.

I used to be pretty good at that game, I found it very easy to beat. But playing the Ultimate Collection made me realize my gaming skills have really gone downhill in recent years. The collection is fantastic anyway, good emulation for most of the titles.

But of course, the #1 spot goes to Persona 4.

Anyhoo, I never made it past Xenosaga II because it was just balls compared to the first. You think I should just skip straight to III?

Xeno games that aren't Xenogears =

Anyone played Chivalry: Medieval Warfare? My Demon's/Dark Souls PvPing friend are getting it and encouraging me to do the same. I'm not normally into PvP in games but I was into it big time for D-Souls (especially Demon's) so there are obviously exceptions (though I'm not sure I'd like a game made entirely for deathmatch...). This game is first-person but apparently you can put it third person (which I usually prefer) and has controller support. No demo, unfortunately. I wonder if it's really any good.

Sure, originally when they all came out I never completely finished the first two, but jumped into III a few years back and it was the first one I beat, lol. It was easy to put things together having played chunks of the others, and the database helps if you need more details.

It's pretty clunky, and tbh videos make it look much more fun than it actually is. Maybe I've just not played enough of it, but killing in it feels pretty cheap. I certainly didn't feel like I'm outsmarting my opponent or that I'm even more accurate when I'm killing. It was mostly either "I see him but he doesn't see me" or "dance around each other until one of our weapons reach".

There's skill involved, it's timing and footwork based. When you learn that you have to block the part of the weapon that's going to hit you (not straight ahead or the tip of the weapon) the blocking gets easier as well.

I play it alot, I'm pretty good by now and usually rank in the top.

Oh, it's very good. The combat system is robust and deep (I actually planned to recommend it to DaS/DS aficionados, but forgot to do so earlier). Its only short coming however is exactly what you're concerned about - it's not entirely made for deathmatch as there are also objective based missions, but if you're not normally into PvP - the game would outlive its welcome pretty fast (I have only 12 hours on record, although I might return to it at some point). Also, them archers

About the third-person view - first off, it's available only if the server you're playing on allows it, and secondly - the bread and butter of the game, the blocking mechanic, is geared towards first person view (you need to move your mouse see the part of the weapon that's going to hit you on your screen to successfully defend an attack, as was mentioned earlier), so in third person the positioning of your block isn't as clear and intuitive.

Trine

Nice little game. "Little" because it's too short. Nice because it's a fun platformer that gives you enough different things to do to not get boring. There are different weapons, albeit few, 3 different skills with 3 skill levels for each of the three characters and stat & skill boosting items you find a bunch of during the game. The enemies are ultra repetitive because there aren't many different ones and the game is somewhat too easy. The fun comes from the level design that makes you find creative ways to overcome obstacles and search for items by using the possibilities of the game's physics engine, which requires a fair amount dexterity, and then throws enemies and traps at you to let you struggle. The story and setting is generic unicorn fantasy stuff and not further noteworthy. The 3D rendered sidescrolling levels are extremely detailed and beautiful though.

7/10

Anarchy Reigns releases this week. Who's getting it? This is by the veterans from Platinum Games and looks super punchy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1naO0gSypzk

I will get it on PS3 when I can afford it. Looks fun.

What are you guys playing right now?
Dark Souls for me...and for another month or so,depends on how occupied I am with school.

Oh and Bulletstorm

I just finished Resistance 2. Probably my favorite FPS in recent years. At some point I need to finish Rage, but the story is just so boring and uneventful that I can't be arsed.

Thanks for the comments on Chivalry. Still not sure I want this, I might get it in one of those ridiculous Steam sales where it's like $2.

Ehhh there's controller support right? Cause there ain't no way I'm playing any game with a mouse/keyboard setup.

The mouse/keyboard setup allows for more precise aiming and faster reactions. I couldn't even imagine playing an archer with a controller. It'd probably be similar to playing Dark Souls with a mouse/keyboard.

I tested it now, and... barely. You can use it of course, but all the prompts you'll receive at the tutorial/keybinds menu are still m/kb ones so you pretty much have to guess what button corresponds to what and memorize them (and apparently not all of them are assigned to the controller; I didn't manage to find the reload button for the archer class, for example). There's also the hassle of needing to switch back to your mouse when choosing your alignment and probably your gear as well (I only tried it on the tutorial, so I didn't get this far).

Most importantly though, FrizzySkernip brings up a good point - the controller lacks the precision and reaction time of the mouse, and given there are no controller "corrections" (i.e. soft/hard target locks) in this game, you're basically setting yourself up as a target practice for the mouse-and-keyboarders.

I still think the game is worth adapting to mouse and keyboard controls for, but given your preferences I'd wait for a 75% sale if I were you.

P.S: I tested it for XInput. I can also give DirectInput a try if someone's interested.

I. Don't. Care. -_-

Well, this sucks. Thanks for the info.

Already preordered. It was £15, how could I not?

Been playing Trials Evolution. I'm horrible at this, I love the in game and user created tracks too much to quit.

Jesus, I think I'm going to be sick! Then again, I can't recall you ever mentioning games that actually need them.

Another controller purist here!

Same for me, prefer joypads to KB&M.

Shutdown, is that you?

Cant stand pads, they're so slow and sluggish especially for fps's

Are we really having this discussion?

Apparently!

We haven't mentioned Bioware recently. Things are looking up!