Monday, February 11, 2013

5th Annual Helltown Game of the Year

Time seems to be getting marked here at Helltown by this award I give out. 5 years on, it lives.

THE 2012 HELLTOWN GAME OF THE YEAR IS SLEEPING DOGS.
United Front Games and Square Enix London Studios developed this one. Poster by Tyler Stout.

I've found that with games often times it's when you play the game, where you are in life or maybe the time of year. Same with music and movies. Sleeping Dogs hit me right.

The two standout elements are environment and music. There is also some part of it that hearkens back to Shenmue save for the violence. It is lovingly meant to be akin to what the Hong Kong film industry churns out; Tom-Yum-Goong, Infernal Affairs (all of them), PTU and Full-Time Killer are the only movies I'm remotely familiar with but it doesn't take watching them to get it.

There is a lot going on in this game. I'm still taking in the soundtrack. It's absolutely immense.

NOTABLES

Another couple very good triple A games this past year are Far Cry 3, Max Payne 3 (still playing) and NBA 2k13 (FIFA players, fire that up and start asking questions of EA. NOW). Far Cry, in particular, deserves a call out. I wish the story continued down the path of insanity. There was a moment in this game, perhaps when having ritualistic sex in the sacred temple with the leader of the of the local island peoples, I thought... my word. The game really goes for it. It is to be admired.

Frustrating game of the year goes to Assassins Creed 3. Grr. There was so much this game gave me personally but just plowed through it all. The opening of this game is epic. You start as an Haytham Kenway, a memorable character, learn to love his aristocratic arrogance. All the pieces are here and it is, by far, the best representation of the east coast I've yet seen. I could live in the sandbox for sometime (I did). Damnit! I want to give this game of the year. It just get's 'jumpy'. Not just in story but in gameplay.

"Journey" for PS3 is a beautiful example of game making. It's 2-3 hours of walking towards a mountain. Play it. Love it. Say "EEPP" to strangers that will help you on your way.

My gem of the year is a 2003 game Xbox game called 'Freedom Fighters'. I was looking for a Red Dawn type thing and came across that. Save the USofA from Russians? Squad based action? Good stuff.

2012: Sleeping Dogs
2011: Skyrim
2010: Red Dead Redemption / Heavy Rain
2009: Uncharted 2
2008: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

MORE ON GAMES IN 2013

I'm not a TV person. I haven't been for quite sometime now. I keep thinking that will change. Games replaced it however many years ago. Outside of soccer/Cavs/Browns, if my TV is on it's because I'm playing a game. More creative and interesting things going on with games then what I see on TV, I reckon.

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