As a guy who reads a lot of books story is important for me but I usually overlook bad plots in games since I mainly play games for the gameplay so when a game shows up with a pretty damn good story it’s going to get my attention. After that mediocre first season and atrocious second season of the television show I was pretty hesitant to even touch this game but eventually I decided to give the first episode a chance and it blew me away. Here was a game that gave you meaningful choices that changed the way things happened in the game and how people would react to you for the rest of the episodes and a cast of characters that you could actually give a damn about. The game was everything I wanted from The Walking Dead and more. – Diego Escala, Reviews Editor
The Walking Dead’s writing is a spine-chilling reminder of the impact of our sudden decisions. With such a dark and humanizing theme laced into the writing, this game will resonate in the game industry for years to come. – Trevor Stamp, News Editor
I am not a fan of adventure games but Telltale Games the Walking Dead managed to capture me in a way that no other game has this year. They manage to give the player a sense of control in making choices which appear to change the story based on individual decisions made by players. I was able to overlook the often terrible gameplay mechanics (shooting, walking, attacking etc..) because of the relationships I felt I was forming with the characters. The forcing of quick dialog choices fought with my natural indecisiveness and gave me a better understanding of a harsh, zombie-ridden post apocalyptic world. – Austin Adamson, Associate Editor
Biggest Disappointment – Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
Operation Raccoon City was the game that was going to reinvent the way we play Resident Evil and I was pretty excited for it to come. Although known for their SOCOM titles, I’ve always enjoyed the gameplay in those games even if I wasn’t the biggest fan of the games themselves. What resulted of this was a game that felt rushed, incredibly dull, full of glitches, and was an insult to both franchises. – Diego Escala, Reviews Editor
Operation Raccoon City has a cool concept: Run n’ gun through the streets of Raccoon City. Not only does to the game disappoint on executing this cool concept, but it also manages to make Raccoon City one of the most unimaginative locations in video games this year. – Trevor Stamp, News Editor
A Resident Evil game focused on 4-player cooperative gameplay with in a Left 4 Dead pacing sounded like an awesome idea, however I should have known better to let Capcom get my hopes up. The characters are throwaway and forgettable. While the game takes place in an exciting point in the RE time line, but it does nothing to evoke an exciting tone or atmosphere. Calling the shooting mediocre would be generous. Luckily the campaign mode is short, so if you were unlucky enough to be pulled in by the Resident Evil name, you won’t have to suffer long if you are determined to complete it. – Austin Adamson, Associate Editor
Best Mod – Black Mesa
A fan made “HD” version of one of the greatest games of all time. Black Mesa was in development for what felt like a lifetime and now that It’s out I can say that it delivered on every level I expected. Taking a wonderful game from a different generation and visually modernizing it. If you Haven’t played the original Half-Life I can’t imagine a more enjoyable way to dive into series so you can finally understand why everyone is complaining about no Half-Life 3. – Austin Adamson, Associate Editor
Best PC – Hotline Miami
Hotline Miami was not only one of the biggest surprises for me this year, but also a complete blast to play. Slamming a guy with a door, picking up his pipe to toss it at his buddy with the gun, running over to kick his face repeatedly into the wall, and then returning to the first guy to slit his throat before he got back up before getting shot in the face by the three guys who were on the other side of the glass never felt so good. It also helps that it’s got one of the best soundtracks of the year. – Diego Escala, Reviews Editor
The music in this game is great, the art style is delightfully trippy and the gameplay is that of an overly violent, real-time puzzle game. Another perfect example of the melding of gameplay, music and visual style. Everything about Hotlime Miami just flows so well together. The sometimes frustrating, repetitive gameplay only add to the message which the game conveys well. I can think of few games that delivers on such a homogeneous experience. – Austin Adamson, Associate Editor
