The Retro Goat's Game of the Year: Fire Emblem Awakening

While there were plenty of amazing games released this year, both in general and on the 3DS, I just can't justify choosing any other other Fire Emblem: Awakening.

The game had me totally engrossed the entire time, and I played in for a few hundred hours before I decided to touch another game. There really isn't much left for me to do in the game, because I played it until absolutely everything was accomplished.

I've already done a review of it (found here) so I'll try not to talk about it too much twice, but it's definitely one of my favorite games of all time. The characters are memorable, the story is well done and compelling, and it's just a seriously addictive game.

As a little side note, my review of Fire Emblem: Awakening is how Netto and I met. We both won GameFAQs review of the month and payment was delayed, so we were discussing what to do. Few months later, he asked if I wanted to write for his site and I (obviously) said sure!

I really do love this game, though I admit that I didn't play every single title to come out this year. I'm aware that there are plenty of fan favorites from 2013 that I've currently missed, and Fire Emblem is one of my absolute favorite game series, so I may be slightly biased here. Still, it's one of my favorite games period, so chances are that nothing would have changed my decision for my game of the year.

If you haven't checked it out, I would highly recommend any 3DS owner pick this game up. It's one of the best games on the system.

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troubadorSymphony's Game of the Year: Fire Emblem Awakening

I won't lie, 2013 was a bit of a slow year for me in terms of gaming. Plenty of new games coming out, of course, however there was only so much time and money to spare. But of course, that doesn't mean my mind wasn't blown by a good few games here and there. After all, 2013 brought us some highly anticipated games such as Bioshock Infinite, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, GTA V, Call of Duty: Ghosts (hey, not my thing but it was pretty anticipated...) and, of course, Pokemon X and Y. Not to mention the arrivals of a whole new generation of consoles!

It's a little unfortunate I have to pick one game as my favorite for the year, since there are so many really close seconds. Bioshock Infinite goes without saying; fantastic gameplay, fantastic story, and of course fantastic music, not to mention exactly what you'd expect from the Bioshock series... I won't say any more on that matter.

Pokemon X & Y were also extremely close to being my favorite for the year. The changes they made to the series in this installment were enough to change my opinion on Pokemon from "good" to "amazing." I'm really fond of how simple it is to EV train Pokemon now; now I actually have the attention span to raise a team that will actually be able to compete with my friends who dedicate what seems like their whole lives to the game. Not to mention the revamped graphics, the character customization, the music... the game feels a LOT more accessible than previous Pokemon games.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was also one of my favorites this year; granted, I partially say that because it's fresh on my mind after getting my last heart piece just a few minutes ago, but that still doesn't change the fact that it's a great game. It has a great mix of feeling between classic Zelda games such as A Link to the Past but yet feels like it's still fresh. However, I felt the game was a little on the easier side for the Zelda series; I completed it entirely (all collectibles, etc.) in just a little over a week.

And that brings me to my personal game of the year, Fire Emblem Awakening. I've been a big fan of the Fire Emblem series since I first played Path of Radiance on Gamecube, then I went back and played the two games on GBA and fell in love. Since it had been a good while since the last Fire Emblem release, the remake of Shadow Dragon for DS a few years back, and a US version of
Shin Monshou no Nazo Hikari to Kage no Eiyuu was looking less and less likely over time, I was starting to forget about it a bit until Fire Emblem Awakening was first announced. I picked it up a bit after its release and I don't think I put it down until a couple months later. I loved how much they added strategically this time around; building up relationships between units, as well as marriage and children added whole new possibilities. Not to mention you could make your units even stronger by changing classes and picking up new abilities from your classes; it felt rather rewarding whenever my Grandmaster would pull off an assassination. Thankfully, they added the ability to fight against different enemies that would appear on the map even after you finished the game, so you could continue making your units even stronger to show off on Streetpass. The DLC was amazing too, with the ability to gain units from previous Fire Emblem games. Once you got bored, you could bring the difficulty up a level for a new challenge. All in all, Fire Emblem Awakening is a fantastic strategy game that will keep you playing well beyond the main story, and that's why it's my game of the year.

Here's to 2014 and all the new games we'll be seeing this year, like Super Smash Bros, Bravely Default, and many others that haven't even seen the light of day yet. Happy New Year, readers!

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NettoSaito's Game of the Year - Tomb Raider

2013 has been a year that I have a lot of mixed feelings about. In my personal life, a lot of tragic events occurred. I three family members (one of which I was VERY close too), my grandma lost vision in one of her eyes, and someone I went to school with met a tragic end as well... Really, the year has been quite sad with heartbreak after heartbreak; however, it hasn't all been bad (I started a new job after all!) When it comes to the video game industry, 2013 was actually an amazing year. New game consoles hit the shelves, a lot of heavy hitters finally came out, and we got a lot of exciting news about the future as well. Really, looking back at it all, 2013 has to be one of the best years in gaming we have had in a long time... That is why this next post isn't going to be easy for me.

Every year all of us here at NGR take our time to write an article discussing a game we felt deserved the "Game of the Year" award, or rather, our version of it. Looking back at every game that has been released this year, I actually had a hard time deciding on which one I would personally choose. Near the start of the year we got Fire Emblem Awakening (which is one of the best Fire Emblems in my opinion), we got amazing new IPs such as The Last of Us, we got a directors cut of Deus Ex Human Revolution, we got a sequel to The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past, Assassin's Creed IV is easily one of the best Assassin's Creed games, Tearaway is a very creative Vita game (and a very much needed one), Tales of Xillia was finally released in the west, Nintendo finally released Pikmin 3, and the list could go on. Really this year was filled with a lot of surprises, and there were just so many great titles that deserve to be discussed here; however, there is only one game I want to focus on. It is a game I had personally waited a long time for, and it is a game I am considering buying again very soon. So, what is this game? Well, its none other than the Tomb Raider reboot!

The thing about Tomb Raider is, I was never really a fan of the series. I played a game or two on the PS1, I played some of the "spin off" titles, and Underworld was one of my first PlayStation 3 games. Even so, I just never got into the games. I thought that Lara seemed like a cool character, the story seemed interesting, and the gameplay was solid (for the time), but I just never really got into the series. Something about it just didn't keep me going back. Now, with that being said, I was excited to hear about the reboot. I was happy to see Lara being redesigned in a much more realistic way, and I personally couldn't wait to see her new "origins" story. I followed the game from the moment it was announced, and I went straight to GameStop to pick it up as soon as it hit the shelves (sadly my car battery died and I got stranded for about 3 hours).

When I finally got to play the game, I was pretty much blown away. While the game wasn't anything truly ground breaking, it was a game that just did everything right. I was interested in the story from the get go, I liked seeing Lara as a "normal girl" who had to learn to survive on an island filled with killers, and I loved how the game was a bit more open ended. While in past Tomb Raider games you were forced into specific areas for each chapter, this time around you could basically go anywhere on the island, and new areas were always becoming unlocked. As Lara learned new skills and abilities (or as you upgraded equipment) you could use your new found abilities to advance to areas that were previously out of reach. This style of exploration and progression just reminded me so much of other games I loved (such as Metroid), and it gave me a reason to search every nook and cranny.

The gameplay itself was also very solid. The way Lara moved/was controlled in general felt very smooth, and it made the game a joy to play. She would interact with the world around her as she walked through it (for example she would rest her hand against a cave wall to help keep her balance and make her way through it faster), she would auto duck and take cover behind objects when hiding from the enemy, the combing sections were very fluid, the gun play was dead on, the few puzzles were a nice change of pace, the ability to hunt and salvage resource was nice, and the game even had a multiplayer mode to kill time in. Tomb Raider was just one of them games that had a lot to offer, and it was a game I just really enjoyed playing. Truthfully I could go on and on about why I like the game, or what it did right, but that's what reviews are for. For more information over Tomb Raider; feel free to check out my review right here at Netto's Game Room. Overall, Tomb Raider was just a game I really enjoyed, and that is why I have chosen it as my Game of the Year for 2013.

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Netto's Game Room - Games of the Year Coming Soon

Every year here at Netto's Game Room we have always done our version of the "Game of the Year" award. At the end of each year/during the beginning of the new year, each writer takes their time to look back at all of the games released over the past year, and then they choose one to be their top game to discuss.

While normally our reviews and articles tend to stay on the "professional" side of things, our Game of the Year posts are actually quite a bit different. They are articles on the personal level, where we each get to state our opinions and our opinions alone. They are not reviews, and they are not articles to talk you into playing the games, they are our own personal feelings, and they will be very informal.

As of right now there is no time frame for when these articles will go live. Each writer is free to publish them at anytime, but I can say that it will be awhile before mine goes live. I still have a lot I need to take care of, and I am unsure of when I will have the free time to actually write the article. On top of that I also have a few reviews in the works which I would personally like to publish very soon, but time just won't allow it.

On another note, the Tumblr, Google +, and Facebook pages will go back into full swing very soon. The tragic loss of my uncle has put a stop to things for awhile, but I will get things up and running again very soon. I'm sorry that we had to semi-shut down, but I would like to thank you all for understanding.

Well, until next time guys... And thanks again.

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GlacialLeaf's Game of the Year

Well, NettoSaito had a crazy idea that whoever's active and can should do this post, so I guess I'll just have to write this one. It's not the I'm complaining or something, it's just that... well... I went over the list of games that came out this year. I did so just in order to know what I can write in here and what I can't.

The entire list of games I played that came out this year is this:

- Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
- Kid Icarus: Uprising
- Pokemon Conquest
- Pokemon Black 2 and White 2
- Imaginary Range pt. 2

And... that's it. This is the entire list, so don't expect much out of this post. I mostly focus on handhelds, as you can probably see, and even though I played more games than these during 2012, besides these four, all of them came out before 2012. Let me just state a few of them here and say whether or not I enjoyed them, because otherwise, this post will be extremely short.

Portal 2 - This is the first game that came to my mind. This game freaked me out a bit, but I just couldn't stop playing it because of its AWESOMENESS. (And that's saying a LOT) Too bad it came out at 2011, though.

BASTION - A unique experience, great soundtrack, tons of stuff to destroy, a lot of extra content, a great story and a great... uh... monologue?.. What can I say? This game has it all.

Audiosurf - The best music game I ever had the chance to play, and I do enjoy music games. Even has the ability of playing with your own music, and has a high scores table for each song, for competitive purposes. If you enjoy music, games, and/or music games, you should definitely give this one a try.

Ace Attorney 1-3 - Though I enjoyed every second of these games, they are not for everyone. Since this is a visual novel series, it focuses heavily on the story. The characters are easy to get attached to and sympathise with, most of the time. This series has a great humor, too. Too bad I only enjoyed these three games out of the entire series. (I didn't like Miles Edgeworth's investigations, too)

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - Not much to say. The usual LoZ adventure, as a port for the 3DS. The models were worked on a bit and they call it 'improved graphics.' The game is great, but it doesn't feel like a remake, like they say it would. It was just a port with a 3D ability.

Super Pokemon Rumble/Pokemon Rumble Blast - You get a toy Pokemon. You fight other toy Pokemon and 'befriend' other toy Pokemon. You do it again. And again. And again.
A great time passer, but after the story is beaten, there's not much to do, unless you're a 100%er. If you ARE one, I can't recommend this game. It isn't that easy to 100% it.

And these are the games I focused on this year that, unfortunately, I couldn't put in this list. There are a few more I played, but there's not much to say about them. They were either really boring or too unnotable to actually mention here. Or games like Picross DS and Hikaru No Go for the GBA, that are just thinking games for gaming consoles.

Anywho, it's time for the actual purpose of the post.


Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode I:

What can I say about this game? It was one of SEGA's attempts at making a classic Sonic the Hedgehog games for the audience they have right now, in the form of a newer game, while including bosses that actually appeared in older games. They did succeed, somewhat, I guess.. The game itself is so short that it can be beaten in just a few hours. They tried so much making it like the classic games, that even the bosses aren't new. And to top it all, when playing this game, it felt just like a chore for me.
Flame me about this if you like, but I say I didn't like this game. Needless to say, I didn't get Episode II, and I do not intend to do so. Sonic Generations was a way better way to bring back classic Sonic, and even though I only played the demo, it was the first Sonic game I enjoyed ever since Sonic Heroes. (Yes, I didn't even enjoy Sonic Advance 3)
If you're looking for a great New-Classic Sonic experience, you can try this game, I guess. But it'd be better to just play the old games. The stisfaction of playing them are greater, they actually have exploration, and the stages aren't THAT short.


Kid Icarus: Uprising:

I've seen people flaming this game quite a lot because of it's controls and the fact that if you're left handed, you have to buy the extra circle pad. I can get that. The controls aren't as natural-feeling as most other games, where you pick the game up, go through a tutorial and you're ready to play. They actually need quite some time to get used to. The fact that you're given no way of practicing them before being thrown into the game doesn't help much. The only tutorial offered is through videos. Their dialogue may be really funny, but it gives you no feel for the game before you actually start to play. Being an almost right-handed game only doesn't help - I hate paying extra just to be able to PLAY the game, setting aside expansion packs and cash items/characters. I don't think I would've bought this game had I been left handed.
As much as the controls are inconvinient, though, you can get used to them in 3-4 stages, tops. You can even replay each stage and choose the difficulty each time - the greater the difficulty, the greater the reward. In an interview about this game, it was said that the whole system of this game is built on 'challenge' and 'reward,' and I like the idea of that. You can actually beat this game without even trying on difficulty 0.0, but get lousy items, and you can play the stages on 9.9 and be rewarded with great weapons and items. There's also an achievement system with an ingame reward for each, be it an ability, a weapn, hearts, or music.
The dialogues are extremely funny, second only MAYBE to the Portal series and/or Rune Factory 3, the voice acting is accurate and feels just right for the characters, and the gameplay, after getting over the hurdle of the controls, is well-designed. The Mage of Deceit stage gave me quite a headache, though.
Also, this is the ONLY non-MMO game that me and Netto played together through Wi-Fi that actually ran smoothly. With SSBB, for example, by the time either of us did ANYTHING, our characters were usually out of the screen. So great job with that, Nintendo!


Pokemon Conquest:

I, for one, did not see this one coming. Sure, Pokemon's strategic concept is great for a game such as this, but it came out as quite a surprise for me. Was this game a good one, or did Nintendo fail with this spinoff?
This game starts with you being a castle overlord, and you are being attacked by the Fire Kingdom, so you defend your castle and then go to conquer the Fire Kingdom.
After all, there's a story that if someone is able to conquer the entire region, the one who created the region appears. And so you go to conquer each and every kingdom - each kingdom with its own battle ground, goal and obstacles. You can also add more fighters for your army and befriend other Pokemon. (Although, only up to 6 fighters are allowed for each kingdom, and each fighter has only one Pokemon. Some things just never change, I guess)
The game, though surprisingly easy at times, can be prove to be surprisingly difficult, at others. The most powerful attacks usually have a lower accuracy, evolving certain Pokemon can be quite a husstle at times, and for some kingdoms, the hurdles there can be too much at times, so you have to go back and train, just like in any of the regular Pokemon games.
After you beat the main story-line, you can go through different special episodes, which are doing the same thing like the story, mostly. Some require you to conquer 4 kingdoms, some 7, some the entire region, and there's even one where you have to obtain 100 Pokemon. (Not necessatily different ones, though) Although it's quite nice to see different perspectives, they are tiring and when playing them, I felt just like I have to accomplish something that I already did. It's a great game, but don't expect for too much after beating the main story.


Pokemon Black 2 and White 2:

Yes, I did play both of them. And yes, I do realize that they're practically the same game. Then why? I played Black 2 at normal mode, using only Pokemon I got through this game. White 2 I played in challenge mode with Pokemon I couldn't get in Black 2 before beating the game. (Excluding Legendaries, obviously. Besides Keldeo from the Keldeo event that someone was kind enough to give me)
So... what can I say about these games?.. They're the same as every other Pokemon games, but with the graphics of the 5th Generation. They have a few extras such as the Pokemon World Tournament and the PokeStar Studios, but the core is still the same. And there's no need to change it, since the cash just keeps flowing to Nintendo. Not saying that there's anything bad with it, I mean - I love the Pokemon games, but the even the spinoffs usually keep the same core mechanics. I'd like to see a Pokemon hack&slash game just once, for example. It could be nice. But I digress.
This is just like every other Pokemon game, but the thing is... when they decided to put it in Unova again... well... it feels just like how Kanto felt in Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal/HeartGold/SoulSilver. Like some kind of an expansion to the original game. I read in an interview that they tried to make it as new as possible, and maybe they succeeded with their mission. But the thing is, we're so used to a gen per trio, or couple, in this case, of games, that it feels more of an expansion pack than an actual full-retail game. Maybe the problem is with me, I don't know, but that's how I felt.


Imaginary Range pt. 2:

I don't know if you heard of this one or not. It's a smart-phone game by game, that takes the form of a comic book. The story is told through an comic book, and every few pages, you have to go through a mini-game in order to move on. While going through the comic book, you have the ability to take SOME items which might be needed to move on, too. There's also a symbol throughout the pages, and it's hidden really well sometimes. For each part, there are about 25-30, and finding them gives you coins you can use later on in order to unlock stuff from the gallery you get after beating each part. You can also play an endless version of the minigames from the comic book after you beat the game, and you can get coins based on your score.
The first part came out at 2011, the second part at 2012, and I'm still waiting for the third part. The first two were extremely short, but were quite enjoyable, and
the story is well-written and interesting.
Moreover, its completely FREE. Definitely worth a try. At least I think this way.


So, after going through the entire short list, there's one game I have to pick as my best game of 2012:

Kid Icarus: Uprising.

The game, even though it's made mostly for right-handed and the controls aren't that convinient at first, is a great game - the dialogues are great, the story is interesting, the characters are lovable, it offers a great selectiion of weapons for different fighting styles, it has a great replay value and the online mode is really fun and fast-paced. Plus, it feels great to use the super weapon in the online mode to kill the other team's angel and then find out that another one in your team just managed to collect all the parts just to see his hard work go down the drain. =D (Sorry about that, Netto)
My list wasn't long at all, and I did have a few complaints about some of it, but that doesn't mean this game doesn't deserve this place. It's a really great game, and
I'm sure that once you're actually able to play it, you'll be glad you got to try it out.

And that's it for today. Join us next time! Same Game Room time, same Game Room Network! (Just to be clear, I have no idea when that is)

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Netto's Game of the Year

Well another year has came and gone, and we are now looking at the first day of 2013! It's hard to believe 2012 is over with, and well, guess what people? We didn't die! So anyway, this year had a lot of major events, but what I want to talk about today are the games that came out. There were a lot of great releases this year that I personally loved, but there's one game I would like to dub "Netto's Game of the Year." Now I figured this could be a tradition here at the game room that we could do every year. I'll post my personal game of the year, and if the other staff members choose so, they can as well. So anyway, let's get this show on the road! Netto's Game of the Year for 2012!

In 2012 I actually got to play a lot of different games, across a wide range of game consoles. While the 360, PS3, Wii, and 3DS were still on the market, the Vita hit the shelves, and the Wii U came out as well. Because of this, picking a single Game of the Year has proven to be quite the challenge for me, so before I tell you the game I have chosen, I feel there are a few others worth mentioning as well.

Note: The following games are my personal opinion, and because of this my views of these games may actually be different from any reviews I have done. While reviewing a game I tend to give a game a fair rating based on its content, but for this list I will be expressing my own personal opinion.
Game of the Year Runner ups:

Xenoblade Chronicles -

Now this game has been out for awhile in other regions, but it finally hit the US this year, and it was flat out amazing! While most JRPGs tend to have a basic save the world story, and take place in some fantasy world that you will progress through in a linear fashion, Xenoblade decided to go down the other route. The game featured a massive open world around the size of Japan, enemies ran around the world like wildlife would, you could customize your characters with different pieces of clothing and different weapons, and the game world itself was EXTREMELY unique; it's not every day you play a game where it takes place on top of two dead giants. This game was a breath of fresh air, and it is one of the few RPGs that actually felt like an adventure! And what's shocking about this game, IT WAS RELEASED ON THE WII! Kind of shocking that a game of this size could be released for the Wii, but here it is! Heck normally when someone tells you a game is going to be 100 hours long, they are lying, but in this case, they are telling the truth!

If you own a Wii, you like exploring massive worlds, like anime, like MMORPGs, or RPGs in general, you ow it to yourself to GET THIS GAME. If you don't, you will be missing out on a master piece. Even so, it wasn't officially released in 2012, so I can't consider it for a world wide game of the year title.

The Last Story -

Another amazing Wii JRPG which was another breath of fresh air. Last Story told a very personal story of a group of mercs who come to a strange island after they are hired by the king. After a series of events, the main character falls in love with the princess, and he slowly begins to learn the truth of the strange power he has gained. Although this game starts out with a standard story, it's mix of RPG, and action 3rd person shooter elements make this game extremely unique, and it has one of the best casts of characters you will find in an RPG. It had a unique cover system, an online death match mode, and it even had a full clothing/armor customization system. The game was great, and it was anything but your typical RPG. Still, just like Xenoblade, this game actually came out in 2011 in Japan.

Dead or Alive 5 -

This is one of them games I've written a review for, but I would like to state it again here. This is one of the best Dead or Alive games ever created, and it is the first in the series to actually REALLY improve on the gameplay. Since DoA 2, DoA has followed the same basic formula without really advancing, but this one really changed things up. New graphics engine, new types of stage damage, new characters, a full story mode, and solid gameplay make this a very enjoyable game for both long time fans and new comers alike. It's no wonder they are making a Vita version!

Review
www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...

BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend -

Although this game is simply an improved version of continuum shift, it is the best version out there! While BlazBlue is simply an amazing fighter on its own, with its great characters, full story mode, and fighting mechanics, CSX just flat out improved it. Not only was the game rebalanced for the new characters, a retelling of the original game's story was added into story mode, and each of the new characters gained their own story mode as well. This greatly expanded the game's story by about 7 or 8 hours, and the new gameplay modes (such as the 2 v 2 team matches) were a nice bonus as well.

Gravity Rush -

One of the reasons I wanted a Vita. This unique sandbox super hero game allows you to control gravity, fly through the sky, and fight enemies as the brand new hero Kat! Although the game may not be perfect, I had a blast playing it, and it made getting a Vita worth it!

Review
www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...

Resident Evil Revelations -

One of the best Resident Evil games released, and its on the 3DS! This game featured a mix of horror survival and 3rd person shooting segments, and it also featured an RPG like online co-op mode! On top of that, this was also the first game to greatly improve on the RE series' controls, by adding in the option to play it like you would a standard 3rd person shooter. The 3D effect was amazing (it even had an option to increase the 3D effect to double of what the 3DS normally allows), and well, it was just flat out fun!

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance -

Ever since 2006 fans have been waiting for a game to continue Sora's story from where Kingdom Hearts 2 left off, and this is the game to do so! Sure we had a few other releases, including the amazing Birth by Sleep, but none of them really followed Sora's story. Dream Drop Distance is the game that serves as the prologue to the long awaited Kingdom Hearts 3, and it is also the game that finally improves on the gameplay as well! With the new flow motion system, and the ability to play through Riku's story, this game ended up being one of the best Kingdom Hearts games to date, and it was just a lot of fun!
 
www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...

Final Fantasy 13-2 -

A lot of people may disagree with me on this one, but FF13-2 was a really nice follow up to the original. FF13 features a completely different style of gameplay from the rest of the FF games, and that was one of the main reasons I really liked the game! FF13-2 takes just about everything I loved from the original, mixed up the party system with a Pokemon like monster catching system, and it features an area/level structure which is a lot like Kingdom Hearts. Mix all of that with a time traveling story, with massive areas to explore and amazing music, and you've got one fun unique RPG. Still, the game wasn't perfect.

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge -

Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor's Edge fixed everything wrong with the original game, and proves itself to be a true Ninja Gaiden game! With very challenging gameplay, many different weapons, and even different characters to play as (including Dead or Alive's Kasumi!), this is one of them games that will last players for YEARS. Heck it even has a full online mode! This is one of them games that takes a lot to master, and it is one of the few innovative games that you will be able to find now days. It's one of the reasons I wanted a Wii U in the first place!

Assassin's Creed 3 -

This one actually almost won this for me, but a few things still held it back for me. Either way, Assassin's Creed 3 is easily one of the best AC games ever made, and it was one of them games I wanted to keep playing. It had a really nice story, the new combat system was fun, and it had a MASSIVE world with a massive forest to explore, as well as the massive cities of New York and Boston! It had a pretty fun hunting system, a deep crafting system, and it even had an online mode! This game was packed full of content and different types of missions to go on, and it basically just had something for everyone! Heck even if you just wanted to play board games, you can do it! It was a great game, and well worth the long wait!

Netto's Game of the Year:

Ok so, now with all of them out of the way, which game is my game of the year? Well, none other than KID ICARUS: UPRISING!
Really this comes as a shock to me, because I never really thought of how great Kid Icarus Uprising really was. I mean I had fun playing it and all, but looking back on it now, no other game besides Ninja Gaiden really came close to offering what that game did. Still I choose this game over Ninja Gaiden for a few reasons.

Kid Icarus: Uprising was a very shocking game, and it was just something I never expected Nintendo to do. With this game, Sakurai really took things to the next level, and he did things that Nintendo would normally avoid. While Nintendo themselves mostly stayed in the past, Sakurai realized how the world of gaming had changed, and he decided to create a game to reflect these changes. He included a very deep class/weapon/skill system, he included hard difficulty settings to make up for all of the easy games we normally get, he included a deep online mode with a deep Player vs Player system, and he created a unique single player with a unique story!

It has nice arcade on rail shooter sections, it has really nice 3rd person shooter like sections, there were achievements and extras to unlock, and it also has Star Fox style commentary throughout the levels as well! In short, Kid Icarus Uprising took everything I liked from games like Kirby Air Ride, mixed them with elements from games like Super Smash Bros and Ninja Gaiden, and gave it a Star Foxish story mode that really helped tie everything together! Mixed with it's deep online mode, and crazy weapon and class systems, and you've got a game you can easily spend a few hundred hours playing!

Nothing else this year has been this original (mostly because a lot of the games this year were sequels), and nothing else has really provided me with this much fun. Even today I'll still pick up the game from time to time, and that's something I rarely do.

If you would like to read my full review of Kid Icarus: Uprising, check out the following link!

www.capcom-unity.com/nettosgameroom/blog...

Well that's it! Thank you for reading my Game of the Year New Years Day special, and I hope to see you all again next year for the 2013 list!

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