[GOTY] Who Won on Day Five? — Game of the Year Breakdown

The GameSparked Team
GOTY 2012

BEWARE! POTENTIAL SPOILERS!

Best Assassin

Winner: Corvo Attano (Dishonored)
Corvo is the classic tale of revenge — he was set up for the death of the Queen, and now he must switch roles from bodyguard to assassin. But that’s not all; he’s getting a little help. “The Outsider” is a mysterious figure that grants Corvo with supernatural powers that allow him to teleport, slow time, possess living beings, and even summon an army of rats. He is at the top of his game when it comes to infiltration, hand-to-hand combat, sneaking, hiding bodies, and almost anything else you can think of. This is why he is GameSparked’s Best Assassin of 2012.

Runner-Ups: Ninja (Mark of the Ninja), Jacket (Hotline Miami)

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Best “Holy Shit!” Moment

Winner: Lee’s Bite (The Walking Dead)

Lee’s bite in The Walking Dead meant a lot more than what it is on the surface. It’s a cold, stark reminder that everyone is vulnerable in the zombie apocalypse, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. The entire moment is a perfect storm of everything going incredibly wrong all at once; Clementine is gone, Lee is given a time limit and a death sentence, and we don’t even know where to start. It’s this kind of crushingly dreadful “Oh, holy shit” that snapped this award up over some very, very strong contenders and even an entry at the eleventh hour.

Runner-Ups: White Phosphorus (Spec Ops: The Line), The Final Moments (Hotline Miami)

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Best Multiplayer Experience

Winner: XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Like a game of chess, XCOM: Enemy Unknown makes you feel incredibly smart when you’ve outsmarted your opponent, and incredibly stupid when you’ve made a careless mistake that ultimately leads to your demise. The customization of one’s team–right down to the weapons and armour–is some of the best balancing we’ve seen, and it adds a whole other level to the strategy. For a game titled “Enemy Unknown,” it truly embodies the spirit of it.

Runner-Ups: Borderlands 2, Syndicate

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Best Level/Mission/Quest

  Winner: Ring Side (Rhythm Heaven Fever)

There isn’t a mission, level, or quest that quite got the same loving attention from us as Ring Side from Rhythm Heaven Fever. Since we first encountered it on the game’s release in February, we have gone back to the game regularly, if not only to play this level one more time. I think you’ll be able to tell it’s everyone’s favourite Rhythm Heaven Fever level by looking on YouTube. But for us, it’s our favourite level of any game that came out this year. You can see why in the video above.

Runner-Ups: Bride to Be (Sleeping Dogs), Temple Ship Assault (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)

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The Most Suda51 Game That Is Not A Suda51 Game

Winner: NeverDead

NeverDead is not a good game. But a game’s quality has nothing to do with winning this award. This award is won based solely on the game’s premise. And NeverDead’s premise is what wins it the award for The Most Suda51 Game That Is Not A Suda51 Game. And here is that award-winning premise: Wise-cracking demon hunter Bryce can never die. Cursed with immortality by a demon king five hundred years ago, he now hunts demons for profit, and his own personal vendetta. With the help of a private investigator, he must stop a demonic invasion before it completely destroys a city.

Runner-Ups: Hotline Miami, Tokyo Jungle

Day Five of The GameSparked Game of the Year Debates 2012

The GameSparked Team
GOTY 2012

The final day is upon us, and things don’t cool down until the show closes down. Today, the Team argues over the Best Assassin, the Best “Holy Shit!” Moment, the Best Multiplayer Experience, the Best Level/Mission/Quest, and, finally, which game is The Most Suda51 Game That Is Not A Suda51 Game. Who will take the final awards? Listen below to find out!

BEWARE! POTENTIAL SPOILERS!

Download Link (Right Click, Save As)

Original Intro/Outro by Cody DeBoer

The DubSparked Remix by Kevin Madden

[GOTY] Best Assassin Nominees

The GameSparked Team
GOTY 2012

There has been quite a few games featuring assassins this past year, and we want to recognize those sneaky bastards. So here you have it, our nominees for 2012’s Best Assassin.

Ratonhnhaké:ton — Connor Kenway (Assassin’s Creed III)

Connor has gone through some shit. He had a hard early life, and vowed to take out the men responsible. He feels he has a great understanding of what is right and wrong, and held no issue with helping the Americans fight against their British oppressors. He can handle pretty much any weapon thrown at him, but the weapons he favours most are his tomahawk, hidden blades, bow, and one-shot pistol.

Zer0 (Borderlands 2)

Zer0 wasn’t challenged enough, so he took his deadly talents to Pandora, where he planned to hunt the Vault. We don’t know what he looks like. We don’t even know if he’s human. We’re going to go ahead and say no, as he only has four fingers on each hand. Regardless of this fact, we wouldn’t want to get on his bad side. With the help of his laser sword, holographic decoy, and incredible handling of a sniper rifle, he’s one hell of an assassin.

Corvo Attano (Dishonored)

Corvo was relatively new to the assassin gig at the beginning of Dishonored. Framed for the murder of the Queen–and probably his love–, he was thrust into the world of stealth, infiltration, and assassination. With only one goal–to save Lady Emily–, he had to utilize his new-found supernatural powers and his adeptness at using blades, crossbows, and firearms. There’s no doubt in our mind that he deserves to be on this list.

Agent 47 (Hitman: Absolution)

With all these new guys on the list, how could we forget an old dog like Agent 47? Choking guys with fiber wire, stealing their clothes, and sneaking past his friends is basically 47’s “M.O.,” but he is known to pull out his piece and let a few off if need be. He might have done a lot of sneaking around and running away in this year’s Absolution, but when it was time to take out a target, there aren’t many who can do it better.

Jacket (Hotline Miami)

He has no name and no face beyond the masks he wears. He is colloquially known as “Jacket” and he’s a ruthless, brutal killer. He excels at making use of everything he can lay his hands on, to the point of using his enemies’ weapons against them. Less of an assassin and more of a walking force of nature, once pointed in a direction he tears through entire buildings full of armed enemies and comes out the other side covered in entrails.

Ninja (Mark of the Ninja)

He may not have a name, but we’ve never seen guards get quite as scared as when they’re led to believe he’s around. He utilizes the tools of the ninja, and handles them impeccably. He’s also got a few supernatural tricks up his sleeve, and a wardrobe full of special outfits that help him in any situation that’s thrown at him. It’s no doubt that this ninja can overcome any obstacle in his path.

[GOTY] Best Faces Nominees

The GameSparked Team
GOTY 2012

Faces are the most important feature of the human body, yet making a face look just right in games is exceedingly hard to do. Video game faces have an easy time falling into the uncanny valley or just looking downright weird, so we here at GameSparked wanted to tip our hats to the games that went above and beyond in making expressive, emotive, or otherwise good-looking faces.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Dishonored

Hitman: Absolution

Max Payne 3

Soulcalibur V

Syndicate

[GOTY] Matthew Marteinsson’s Top Games of 2012

Editor’s Note: We thought it would be fun if we got some of the wonderful people in the industry to tell us their thoughts on this year’s games. Some of these people are developers and, yes, we have reviewed their games. After all is said and done, we hope you enjoy this series of GOTY articles.

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Matthew Marteinsson is the one man sound army at Klei Entertainment. Outside of work, he’s usually stopping everyone to put microphones in strange sounding spots. And posting pictures of his cat to the internet.

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Matthew Marteinsson
GOTY 2012

So here’s my top ten for the year. I actually had to go back and look at what came out this year to compile this. So much of the time I’m about a year behind with what’s coming out. I’ve always been horrible about narrowing down lists (favourite concert list is a Top 8 for that reason). This started as a Top 5, but grew a little. In no particular order, here it is:

Borderlands 2

I had forgotten how much I had missed Claptrap and his constant chattering. This didn’t feel like anything new, but a nice refinement of the first instalment. From the sound side, some great sounding guns. The sound team did a wonderful job of giving a voice to each weapon manufacturer. And serious points for having the most annoying gun ever that was disconnected from all the audio controls. 

Dishonored

Loved the openness of this one. A great, quirky world they let you play in, as well. A nice new twist on the steampunk setting (not that we get a lot of that, either). While the stealth is really great, I really started to enjoy this after I stopped worrying about playing a perfect stealth-style and just went with the flow. The game really does work with which ever mixed path you want to play it. And returning to areas makes you wonder how things will change if you perform previous missions differently. Not many games I really look forward to playing through multiple times, but this is one of them.

Shellrazer

Great iOS game from local Vancouver devs. Really nailed a fun game that I can fit in on the transit ride to work. And almost causing me to miss my stop. Always a good sign for a mobile title.

Pumped: BMX

Another iOS game. This goes to one of my long-term interests outside the game world. This game was made by a BMXer and it really shows. I feel like this actually captures the feel of trail riding. Better than any of the old 3D BMX games. It’s a tough game, but always feels fair in how it plays.

SSX

Big reason this is on the list is the music system. It helps that it’s also a lot of fun to play and, for me, captures feel of the old titles. But the music system! SSX has always done really cool things with the licensed music tracks. More so than just about anyone. It’s no easy task making licensed music interactive. And now they brought the same interactive effects to any track you drop into the game. All in real time. Really cool stuff.

Mass Effect 3

Even with the meh ending, it was really fun to dive back into this universe. I’ve always loved the sound work and music of this series as well. This is how sci-fi should be done. And there’s still some DLC to come. It’s always a bit odd jumping back into a story when the main story is done, but still looking forward to it.

Sleeping Dogs

More local people on this one. And a great dev story that preceded it. It was really great to see all the hard work actually see the light of day. Open-world sand-boxy games are sort of hit and miss with me, but this one hit. This was another one that wasn’t neccesarily breaking new ground, but it combined everything in a nice, tight package. Another one that I’m looking forward to with some of the DLC that’s in the pipe.

The Walking Dead

One that’s on a lot of lists. A great, well done story that really deserves the “it’s cinematic” comment. Loved the pacing of the episodes. Just the right length to dig into over a night and leave you wanting the next one. Can’t really add anything that anyone else hasn’t said before.

Bad Hotel

Another iOS game that got a lot of play from me. Loved how the music evolves as you build up each stage. It would get tough, too, but never with out hope that I could clear the stage if I gave it another shot.

Mark of the Ninja

Yes, I’m putting my own game on the list! That’s how proud I am of what we accomplished with this one. Definitely my proudest moment as a sound designer and game developer. I really do think it holds its own against anything else on my list, or anyone else’s.

[GOTY] Nels Anderson’s Top Games Of 2012

Editor’s Note: We thought it would be fun if we got some of the wonderful people in the industry to tell us their thoughts on this year’s games. Some of these people are developers and, yes, we have reviewed their games. After all is said and done, we hope you enjoy this series of GOTY articles.

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Nels Anderson was the lead designer on Mark of the Ninja at Klei Entertainment. Previously, he worked as a gameplay programmer on DeathSpank at Hothead Games. And he’s probably the only game developer in Canada that was born and raised in Wyoming.

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Nels Anderson
GOTY 2012

There are a couple of caveats I’d add to this. One, I’m only counting games I actually finished and there’s a couple of big games I’d probably put on here if I’d been able to play them (I’ll get around to them eventually).

Dishonored

While Looking Glass undoubtedly influenced the industry, it wasn’t until Dishonored that a game really evolved those design principles. Dishonored creates a suite of player-facing systems and then just stands back, encouraging the player to approach the game however they see fit. Combine that with some of the best 3D level design I’ve ever seen and it’s easy to see that Looking Glass’ legacy is indeed alive and well.

The Walking Dead

Having read neither the comics nor seen the TV show, I still found The Walking Dead to be a tremendously affecting experience. With good, honest writing still being a rarity among games, The Walking Dead’s powerful characters were a breath of fresh air. I found myself routinely making decisions that I knew were poor ones because I did not want to disappoint Clementine. That alone is a testament to the Walking Dead’s success.

Journey

It’s hard to something meaningful about Journey that hasn’t already been said. thatgamecompany’s success in creating a game about collaboration with silent strangers that feels positive, but a touch melancholy, when you realize you’ll likely never meet again. The environments, the amazing score, the simple yet expressive mechanics; Journey hits every note exactly and becomes a beautiful duet.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Everyone that played XCOM this year has a story about how things went terribly, terribly wrong. When a panicked rookie that got the rest of the squad killed, or a rocket that flew off course, hit a gas station and ruined every plan you had. XCOM is a machine that produces these terrible moments and they’re the fuel that makes the success feel truly rewarding.

Crusader Kings II

Crusader Kings II actually provides the politicking, scheming and plotting the rather anaemic “diplomacy” most strategy games attempt to simulate. You’ll have to deal with rebellious vassals, backstabbing family members and incompetent heirs. There’s massive potential in Crusader Kings II, if you can get past the rather … complicated interface.

[REVIEW] Dishonored

Jonathan Tay

(Xbox 360 [REVIEWED], PlayStation 3, PC)

Sometimes, two things were just meant to go together. Peanut butter and chocolate. Bioshock and Deus Ex. In the case of the former, we got Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. With the latter, we get Dishonored. The question is, which one is more awesome?

I’m not going to spend that much time on the story, as it’s one of the game’s (few) weak points. You star as Corvo Attano, an ex-bodyguard-turned-assassin after being framed for the murder of his empress. After escaping prison with the aid of a resistance movement, you set out on a quest to assassinate those who have wronged you, and to set the kingdom on a better path. Helping you out is a mysterious stranger, who gives you mystical powers based on whale charms (Runes). All in all, the story is predictable and the characters unimpressionable.

The world, however, is anything but. Dunwall, the city that the game takes place in, is a plague-ridden slice of steampunk fantasy. It is a world where rats roam the streets, devouring corpses. It is a world where swords and crossbows are just as likely to be used, if not more so, than guns and grenades. And while it is a world that incorporates many of the same colour palettes as most other first-person games, it does so with the same style and taste as the upcoming Bioshock: Infinite. The lore behind Dunwall is just as impressive: a living, breathing city can be found in books, notes, and audio diaries logs strewn about the game’s many maps.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can delve right into the meat and potatoes of the game. Imagine that you’re in a situation where you have to get past a group of guards. What would you do? Charge at them head-on, sword in one hand and gun in the other? Wait until they disperse, and sneak around them? Freeze time, shoot sleep darts at them, and watch them all fall down once time resumes? Summon a swarm of rats to attack them, possess the body of a rat, and scurry forward while the guards are distracted? Each option is a valid one in the world of Dishonored.

The one who has a baby in their headdress is going to get some sweet fly tang tonight.

Even though the game gives you a rather binary choice in how you go about doing things (i.e. loudly or quietly), it gives you a huge amount of tools to do them with. This is where you’re supposed to think Deus Ex: multiple approaches, multiple weapons, and multiple powers. If you’re a fan of the loud method, you’ll be able to throw grenades, set mines, summon rats, toss people off balconies with a gust of wind, and much, much more. A shout out has to go to the melee combat in the game: it works on a simple block, attack, and parry system, although it’s more fluid and visceral than it sounds. Think a faster-paced Skyrim.

If, on the other hand, you’re a fan of the sneaky method, then you will love Dishonored. Stealth kills and drop attacks are immensely satisfying. The same can be said of jumping from rooftop to rooftop, rewiring an electrical fence so that it will shock enemies, or possessing a fish in order to enter a building through a pipe. Have no fear, those of you with non-lethal mindsets: knockouts and sleep darts are also available. Further augmenting (intentional word choice there) your abilities are Bone Charms, which, when found, grant your character small boosts to his abilities.

Unfortunately, the gameplay isn’t perfect, being marred by a few technical issues. The game doesn’t handle context sensitive events too well, especially when trying to knock someone out (resulting in you blocking and looking like a fool) or drop attacking (resulting in, more often than not, broken legs). The AI is blindingly idiotic when it comes to detecting you—it’s a whole lot of “what was that noise?” and walking past dead bodies without a word. It might actually be a step down from Human Revolution’s AI, which, as you’ll recall, came out last year. To its credit, the game rarely, if ever, lags, although that comes at the cost of some graphical prowess. Of course, it’s probably a non-issue if you’re part of the PC gaming élite. I’m also torn on what to think about the music. It sounds excellent if you’re the confrontational sort, but I don’t recall us sneaky types getting even a single ambient track. But maybe the silence is for the best.

I can’t wait to see Dishonored: The Lance Armstrong Edition.

The length of the game is also pretty short—I would say 8 to 10 hours—but you weren’t planning on only playing this game once, were you? There are multiple endings (most likely two) based on how much Chaos you’ve accrued throughout the game. Chaos increases based on how many people you kill, so you have, at the very least, a reason to play the game using two different methods. There are also many side-quests to do. For you completionists out there, good luck: the game tracks the total number of coins you can get in any given mission. Have fun opening every drawer to find every little 5-piece coin!

By now, you can probably easily ballpark the score I’m going to give this game. Although its ideas aren’t anything we haven’t seen before, they’re executed with such fluidity and grace that one can’t help but be impressed. There are a few problems here and there, but those shouldn’t mar what is otherwise an excellent experience. Dishonored proudly wears its inspirations on its sleeve, and if you’re a fan of seeing those inspirations in the form of a new IP, then this will be the perfect game for you.

The GameSparked Podcast Oct-16-2012

The GameSparked Team

The GameSparked Podcast contains naughty words, and inappropriate content. Viewer discretion is advised. 

The GameSparked Team welcomes a new member with a Frozen Charleston Chew tasting. It didn’t taste nearly as good as they thought, nor was it particularly interesting to talk about. Oh, well! There are plenty of videogames to talk about. With Joe bringing Retro City Rampage to the table, Mat praising how great Dishonored and XCOM: Enemy Unknown are, and Myles going on about a game called Lucius, this is one heck of a show. They also weigh in on how to get to a woman’s heart, as well as fruit flies. All that, and much more, in this week’s episode of The GameSparked Podcast.

Download Link (Right Click, Save As)


Original Theme by Cody DeBoer
The DubSparked Remix by Kevin Madden

The New GameSparked Podcast Oct-9-2012

The GameSparked Team

The GameSparked Podcast contains naughty words, and inappropriate content. Viewer discretion is advised. 

The GameSparked Podcast returns with Stephen and Cody from Blind Fist Software! Cody and Stephen bring FTL: Faster Than Light and Torchlight II to the table, while Mat talks about his adventures in the Tokyo Jungle before heading into a rant on Resident Evil 6. In the meanwhile, Myles contemplates buying Dishonored, but not before talking about Taken 2 and Looper. The guys also delve deeper into what’s in store for the future of The GameSparked Podcast, as well as genres they despise. It feels so good to be back!

Download Link (Right Click, Save As)

Original Intro/Outro by Cody DeBoer
The DubSparked Remix by Kevin Madden

What is Dishonored?

Mat Paget

Bethesda is known for putting out great First-person RPG titles, and they’re going to be doing it again this Fall. Developed by Arkane Studios, Dishonored is a Stealth-action RPG based in a Steampunk universe. But unlike past Bethesda-published RPGs, this one isn’t going to sport an open world. Instead, the game will incorporate a series of linear missions.

The protagonist is an ex-bodyguard to the Empress, who he has been blamed for the killing of. Going by the name Corvo Atano, his goal is to hunt down Lord Regent, the man who framed him. Along with being a master swordsman, marksman, and infiltrator, he also possesses supernatural powers. One in particular is Blink, which teleports him from one place to the other by simply looking at the desired destination. Other powers include freezing time, possessing living creatures, and summoning plagued rats.

Weapons he has at his disposal include daggers, swords, and guns. The guns aren’t like the ones you’ll find in Call of Duty; instead, they consist of muskets, and powerful, but slow, pistols.

The game also highly encourages creativity, as players will have a generous set of skills to play around with. And just like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, players will also be able to complete missions in more ways that one. Also, every single enemy in the game can be taken out non-lethally, including bosses — I smell an achievement coming. The way you play, whether you kill or do non-lethal takedowns, will determine how the story plays out.

To finish this little feature off, the game looks fantastic. But I’ll stop there, and just point you toward to the video below.

Dishonored will be out on October 9 for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.