OXCGN’s Game of the Year Awards for 2012

2012 GOTY feature

OXCGN’s Game of the Year Awards for 2012

The world did not end this year 

by David Hilton

©2012 David Hilton

game of the year award smlWith all the attention on the impending Mayan apocalypse it would have been fitting to look at the state of gaming at the end of 2011 and wonder if the gaming world might also end.

While there was initially some optimism that new major next gen consoles would be announced at this year’s E3, only the Wii U actually was a next gen certainty and the limits of current gen consoles had seemingly been reached.

On top of that, gaming sequels continued to dominate game releases.

It looked like the end could be nigh for big release gaming of the AAA variety in the near future.

However the quality of this year’s titles shows that gaming is very much alive and though many studios and franchises faltered this year, more succeeded with some of the best games this gaming generation.

With a huge renaissance gaming year promised for 2013 in the form of new generation consoles, let’s look at 2012 as the last big battle of this current console generation for top gaming honours.

We gave our readers a chance in a poll to decide their 2012 Game of the Year, and the results came in with the beautiful and clever Playstation exclusive downloadable title, Journey. Now it’s our turn.

OXCGN GOTY here

OXCGN’s EA Showcase Snapshot: Crysis 3, SimCity, and The Devil’s Cartel

PREVIEW_ea showcase 2012

OXCGN’s EA Showcase Snapshot: Crysis 3, SimCity, and The Devil’s Cartel

A showcase of EA’s Q1 2013 lineup

by Arthur Kotsopoulos

©2012 Arthur Kotsopoulos

ea logo oxcgnIt’s astounding to think that all the games at EA Australia’s Showcase will be released in Q1 of 2013. These range from the beautiful title Crysis 3, to Insomniac‘s first multiplatform title and new IP known as FUSE.

The line up is disappointingly filled with shooters, which I have to admit is starting to make this last stretch of current generation consoles over-crowded. With that being said though, EA do have Maxis‘s SimCity, my highlight of the showcase.

With FUSE and Dead Space 3 being the bigger titles of the line up, we’ve decided to bring back the snapshot format OXCGN utilized during previous events of this year.

This way, you’re able to digest more important information that we feel would interest you.

Get a glimpse of 2013!

Counterpoint: Multiplayer Unlocks Don’t Ruin Halo 4

ARTICLE_halo 4 kotaku

Counterpoint: Multiplayer Unlocks Don’t Ruin Halo 4

And here we go…

by Arthur Kotsopoulos

©2012 Arthur Kotsopoulos

halo 4 boxartOver the last month I’ve had a few issues with the level of quality journalism from our colleagues at Kotaku, from the abysmal THQ Humble Bundle article to the criticism of why the Bioshock Infinite cover is terrible and why it matters.

As we all know, the third time’s a charm when another Kotaku article caught my eye, this time criticizing why “This Year’s Biggest Shooters Remind Me Why Multiplayer Unlocks Suck“.

At first I thought: “Okay, it’s a bit of a stretch but I’ll bend my imagination, give this article a read and see what the fuss is about.” The first paragraph sums up the article and its outrageous claims nicely:

Kotaku: The other day, a colleague mentioned that she felt like there was something off about Halo 4′s multiplayer. She was getting destroyed by others players, eventually feeling like she didn’t have much of a chance when up against people with advanced abilities or gear gained from level unlocks.

I’m not sure what game the supposed colleague was playing but as far as I know, Halo 4 doesn’t include advanced abilities, nor any type of gear you can unlock at higher levels that even remotely attributes to a stronger Spartan.

Sure, Halo 4 includes Armor Abilities, Tactical Packages and Support Upgrades, but neither of these substantially increase the player’s chances of being an unstoppable killing machine.

When GameInformer broke down the inclusions of Halo 4‘s multiplayer aspect, a lot of gamers cried foul about how Halo 4 was moving away from its roots and becoming another Call of Duty among the plethora of generic shooters.

Does Halo 4 really suffer from modernizing?

OXCGN’s 2012 Reader GOTY: Gamers Voted, But Will the VGAs Get it Right?

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OXCGN’s 2012 Reader GOTY

Gamers voted, but will the VGAs get it right?

by Nicholas Laborde

©2012 Nicholas Laborde

For five wonderful years, OXCGN has been bringing the gaming community in Australia and abroad the best opinionated pieces in the gaming space.

This year, we decided to have two separate Game of the Year awards: one for the readers, and a second traditional one decided by our staff.

You voted, and the results are in.

Who did you pick?

And the winner is…

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