2012 Best


There were a lot of great games in 2012, but here are the best: our Games of the Year. We continue by revealing our picks on Nintendo’s home systems, as well as PC. READ MORE

For me, 2012 wasn’t the year of the breakout all-time favorites, but rather one when it got super-tough to judge games’ relative quality. In this year like none before, game experiences are so apples-to-oranges. How do you compare Journey to Rhythm Heaven Fever? Or Sound Shapes to Mass Effect 3? Here’s my best attempt, but these games are all brilliant, as are a few that didn’t make the cut.

10. LittleBigPlanet Vita

Portable versions of console games. Sony’s gotten into some trouble in the past with this sort of approach, but with the Vita edition of LittleBigPlanet, it took the right approach. Touch controls are elegantly-implemented in most levels, and the App Store-like approach to community levels (save states and all) is very nice. It’s the type of game that’s best downloaded, as it’s a great palette cleanser after any other title.  READ MORE

2012 was a busy year! We try to cover all of it in one episode, which turns out to be just as crazy as it sounds. Hear us go system-by-system, talking about the highs and lows of each. It was a year of transition all around.

 

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Check out the show here, check us out on iTunes or use the RSS feed in your favorite podcast aggregator. Let us know what you think! Email podcast[at]snackbar-games.com.

Hosts: Jeff deSolla, Chris Dominowski, Chris Ingersoll, Andrew Passafiume, Graham Russell, Henry Skey, Shawn Vermette.
Music: Podcast theme by Tom Casper.

10. Reflec Beat+

Released only last month, this is one of the newest games on my favorite list. While there might only be 15 available songs at the time of this writing, it’s another Konami music game I’ve grown to love. While the game looks like a convoluted game of musical ping-pong, the arcade game makes its way to US iOS devices with the same challenge that Konami brings to all its music games. I’m excited to see what they release in the future as far as music goes for this game. READ MORE

10. Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs is not just another Grand Theft Auto clone. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let me tell you why it exceeds where previous sandbox games have failed. The world is gorgeous, the story starts strong and gets exceedingly good as it goes, and the basic structure always feels varied without introducing one too many elements. There are plenty of serious moments, but like any good sandbox, you also have plenty of chances to mess around and have a good time. This is a game that stayed with me long after I finished it and reinvigorated my love for open world games once again.  READ MORE