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Game of the Year 2012 - Console Awards

Our picks for the best on each console in 2012.

Wii U Winner 2012

Nintendo Land - Winner

Before I start, I’ll give you a second to overcome your surprise. Yes, you did read that right, our Wii U game of the year is Nintendo Land. No, this was not a mistake. Shocking, I know. But here’s the thing, Nintendo Land took us all by surprise. Much like Wii Sports, Nintendo Land proves the worth of Nintendo’s new platform in a single convenient game that slowly comes to life as you play it more.

Whether you’re one person, or in the company of many, Nintendo Land offers a wide variety of attractions that draw their magic from a variety of Nintendo’s perennial franchises. You’re guaranteed to have a good time progressing through The Legend of Zelda: Master Quest with a friend or tackling the recreated world of Pikmin as Olimar or one of his leafy minions. With a crowd, there’s nothing better than a game of cat and mouse in Luigi’s Ghost Mansion and going solo, Donkey Kong’s Crash Course is a great bit of fun despite being incredibly challenging.

If you’re looking for the perfect companion for your Wii U, look no further than Nintendo Land. There are hours upon hours of quests to master and fun with friends when you manage to get them together. By appealing to longtime gamers and casual newcomers alike, Nintendo Land quickly became a staff favorite making it our Wii U Game of the Year.


Write-up by Nick DiMola

Wii U Runner Up 2012

While Nintendo Land showcased how the new GamePad could provide an asymmetrical gameplay experience in a way that no other system can, Ubisoft showcased how so called “hardcore” games could benefit from the new controller.  ZombiU is not the type of game we’ve come to expect from Nintendo third party exclusives.  It’s dark, it’s gory, and it’s as tense of a gaming experience you can get on consoles these days. 

Oh, and it’s really good too.

With ZombiU, Nintendo gets the chance to prove the value of its unorthodox approach to the next generation, and its unwarranted “kiddie” image too.  If we’re lucky, Ubisoft has a potentially lucrative franchise on its hands here and we’ll see more of this in the future.

Write-up by Jesse Miller

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Comments

Beerfan

02/23/2013 at 10:13 PM

Loved a lot of these games.  I really want to try Journey.  Looks awesome.  I think Xenoblade is the best game I have played in years.  However, I thought FFXIII-2 was a POS.  I have said it many times, and I say it again.  That ending killed any goodwill SE had remaining with me.  And the game was a drag.  Was like they put together with a focus group.  And I couldn't give a crap about the main characters.  I was one of the few that liked FFXIII.  But the sequel rates up there with FFX-2 to me.  Just my two cents.

Julian Titus Senior Editor

02/23/2013 at 10:20 PM

I liked FF XIII-2, but I'm right there with you on the ending. I knocked off from my score because of it. But I enjoyed the journey there. Of course, I love FF X-2, so I'm a little bit of an anomaly when it comes to my Final Fantasy fandom.

Beerfan

02/24/2013 at 09:18 PM

I did like FFXIII-2 enough to finish it, but was one of my least favorites.  I think X-2 & XIII-2 are the only 2 FF's I didn't like.  I even loved FFXI.  Hopefully, FFXV puts SE back on the right path.

SanAndreas

02/24/2013 at 09:22 PM

I thought FFX-2 was a nice callback to the old FF job system myself, and I liked FFXIII-2. What I would like, though, is for Square to build a monster epic experience as they did with FFXII.

Ranger1

02/25/2013 at 07:47 PM

You haven't played Journey yet?! It was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had playing a game. Enjoy it when you do get around to playing it.

DarthViking

02/25/2013 at 11:12 PM

 I want Xenoblade Chronicles so bad! :( But i'm not paying $160 for a copy on Amazon thats for sure!

Travis Hawks Senior Editor

02/25/2013 at 11:17 PM

Aw, man.  I was worried that would happen.  Silly me not buying more games for the backlog when I had the chance...

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