Runoff 2012, Game of the Year

[The_Liquid_Laser]

The 2012 Game of the Year is Journey.
The runner up is Dragon's Dogma.
The master thread for all of these contests can be found here.

This year definitely needs a runoff vote.  We ended up with 38.6% "Other" votes which is the most we've ever had by far.  Only 3 games made the cut to the runoff round, and they are joined by 4 write-in candidates.  First the games that made the cut:

 

Diablo III (PC/Mac)
It’s time to face the devil again.  The third installment in this diabolical franchise would sell over 12 million copies across all platforms.

 

Journey (PS3)
Don’t Stop Believing in this indie PS3 game.  The unique multiplayer system allows you to Journey with the other players you meet or go your Separate Ways.  Any Way You Want It.  This game scored a 92 on Metacritic and has sold over 6 million copies.

 

Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)
The annual, amazing Nintendo game ended up coming from the Fire Emblem franchise in 2012.  This ensured that Smash Bros would get many Fire Emblem characters in the years to come.  Fire Emblem: Awakening scored a 92 on Metacritic and sold over 2.3 million copies.

Here are the 4 new games that each got more than one write-in vote:

Dragon's Dogma (PS3/XBox360)
Since 2011 had both Dark Souls and Skyrim, it was natural for many people to look for another 3D fantasy RPG in 2012.  The best of these was arguably Dragon's Dogma, Capcom's first attempt at an open-world fantasy game.  Since 2012, the game has been released on several other platforms and has sold over 7 million copies.  There is also currently a trailer out for a very impressive looking sequel that is on the way.

 

Spec Ops: The Line (PS3/XBox360/PC)
This tenth entry in the Spec Ops series was also a reboot.

The Walking Dead: Season One (PS3/XBox360/PC)
Telltale Games had gotten a reputation for making Adventure games that removed the puzzle requirements.  The most beloved of these was arguably The Walking Dead series, based on a comic book by the same name.  The Walking Dead was released in episodes starting in 2012.  Currently over 28 million episodes have been sold for Season One.

ZombieU (Wii U)
This seems to be the year for zombie games.  ZombiU arguably made better use of the Wii U gamepad than any other Wii U launch title.  ZombiU was the best selling third-party launch title for the Wii U, but it was still unprofitable for Ubisoft.

Runoff voting for 2012 Game of the Year will end on Sunday, Dec 3 at 11:59 PM, EST.

Games that didn't make the cut:

Halo 4 (XBox 360)
Borderlands 2 (PS3/XBox 360/PC/Mac)
Dishonored (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
Far Cry 3 (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
Mass Effect 3 (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (PS3/XBox 360/PC)

Last edited by The_Liquid_Laser - on 04 December 2023