2012 Gaming and Me

I suppose this is a bit late, sort of like my current gaming habits.  Between family life, work, and our move I didn't have too much time for one of my favorite hobbies.  There were plenty of solid games released last year, but I spent a good chunk of time trying to recapture my college level mojo (which ain't happening) in Capcom's 2D fighter offerings, defending my brains and house in Plants vs Zombies, and working through some older series (Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect I'm looking at you).  However, I did manage to sneak in two of 2012's releases; Mass Effect 3 and Dust: An Elysian Tail.  Both titles are very story driven, but gameplay wise couldn't be anymore different.

 Dust is hand drawn Metroidvania bliss, it's incredibly difficult to believe the game is for the most part the work of a single individual.  The gameplay reminds me of Treasure's Saturn classic Guardian Heroes, a very good thing.  There combos to learn, new skills to unlock, items to upgrade, and side quests complete.  I finished Dust at 95% completion, it took me approximately 20+ hours and it was a joy for every single one.  If you have a 360 and enjoyed classics like Castlevania, Metroid, or 09's Shadow Complex; I highly suggest checking Dust: An Elysian Tail out.

Mass Effect 3 is the conclusion of BioWare's sci-fi RPG epic.  Though the complexity of the games have been streamlined from the original title the story is very much intact.  Building an alliance from across the galaxy to take back a Reaper controlled Earth and seeing how decisions you made in the first two games is very rewarding.  There are also plenty of moving moments and difficult decisions to be made as well.  The gameplay is largely similar to ME2, but w/o any vehicle based missions.  After putting in well over 100+ hours into all three games I have to say that even though there are some loose ends and questions left unanswered, I found the conclusion of Shepard's story largely rewarding.  BioWare says the next title in the Mass Effect series is already underway and should arrive between 2014 and 2015.  I'm certainly looking forward to it, but until it arrives I'll complete another full tour of all three ME games.  I believe the series is just that good.

Honorable mentions, also known as games I purchased in 2012 but didn't play:  Mark of the Ninja, The Last Story, and Xenoblade Chronicles.  I wish that I found the time for these three, but I'll definitely get through them this year.  Hopefully I'll be able to follow them up with Dishonored and Assassin's Creed III, two titles that slipped through my rotation last year.