Now that 2012 is almost over, we can finally sit back and reflect on a year of awesome gaming. After teasing you with our nominations, we’ve finally come to the moment you’ve been waiting for: the winners of Gaming Trend’s Game of the Year. We’ve deliberated, put in our votes, and made our decisions. While each and every single one of these games is fantastic in their own right, one game did something special, something that elevated it above all of the others. Want to find out who won? You’ll have to keep reading to find out! A big thank you goes out to all of the game developers responsible for these amazing games. All winners are highlighted in bold.
Game of the Year
Mass Effect 3
The Walking Dead
Far Cry 3
Dishonored
Borderlands 2
Journey
Planetside 2
Guild Wars 2
Spec Ops: The Line
Halo 4
Best RPG
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Mass Effect 3
Torchlight II
Diablo III
Xenoblade Chronicles
Best Shooter
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Spec Ops: The Line
Far Cry 3
Halo 4
Borderlands 2
Best Racing Game
Forza Horizon
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Formula 1 2012
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Best Sports Game
SSX
Madden NFL 2013
Sports Champions 2
FIFA 2013
MLB 12: The Show
Best Action/Adventure
The Walking Dead
Sleeping Dogs
Journey
Darksiders II
Dishonored
Best Fighting Game
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Persona 4 Arena
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale
Street Fighter X Tekken
Soul Calibur V
Best Puzzle Game
Quantum Conundrum
Lumines Electric Symphony
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
Crashmo
Best Strategy Game
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
FTL: Faster than Light
Pokemon Conquest
Best MMORPG/Free-to-play Game
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Guild Wars 2
Planetside 2
The Secret World
Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan
Best Multiplayer Game
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Mass Effect 3
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Borderlands 2
Best Multiplatform Game
Borderlands 2
Far Cry 3
Mass Effect 3
Dishonored
The Walking Dead
Best PC Game
FTL: Faster Than Light
Planetside 2
Legend of Grimrock
Torchlight II
Guild Wars 2
Best PS3 Game
Journey
Dyad
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale
Sports Champions 2
Sound Shapes
Best Xbox 360 Game
Halo 4
Forza Horizon
Dust: An Elysian Tail
Fable: The Journey
Dance Central 3
Best Wii / Wii U Game
Rhythm Heaven Fever
Xenoblade Chronicles
The Last Story
Zombi U
New Super Mario Bros. U
Best 3DS Game
New Super Mario Bros. 2
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
Paper Mario: Sticker Star Saga
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Resident Evil: Revelations
Best Vita Game
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Persona 4: Golden
Gravity Rush
Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation
LittleBigPlanet Vita
Best HD Re-release
Jak and Daxter Collection
God of War Saga
Ratchet and Clank Collection
Okami HD
Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition
Best Indie Game
Hotline Miami
FTL: Faster than Light
Legend of Grimrock
Fez
Mark of the Ninja
Best Graphics
Halo 4
Assassin’s Creed 3
Journey
Mass Effect 3
Planetside 2
Best Sound
Mass Effect 3
Assassin’s Creed 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Halo 4
Dance Central 3
Best Music
Journey
Mass Effect 3
Dance Central 3
Hotline Miami
Halo 4
Best Voice Acting
The Walking Dead
Mass Effect 3
Dishonored
Halo 4
Borderlands 2
Best Hero
Corvo from Dishonored
Connor from Assassin’s Creed 3
Lee Everett from The Walking Dead
The Vault Hunters from Borderlands 2
Commander Shepard from Mass Effect 3
Best Villain
Charles Lee from Assassin’s Creed 3
Raul Menendez from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Vaas from Far Cry 3
Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2
Capt. Martin Walker from Spec Ops: The Line
Best DLC
Mass Effect 3: Leviathan
Skyrim: Dawnguard
Borderlands 2: Mr. Torges Campaign of Carnage
Biggest WTF Moment in a Game
The first six chapters of Assassin’s Creed 3
The opening moments of Far Cry 3
The dark choices made in The Walking Dead
The white phosphorous scene in Spec Ops: The Line
Biggest Disappointment
007 Legends
Assassin’s Creed III
Diablo III
Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor
The Wii U’s Tepid Launch
Did we leave out one of your favorites? Email me at [email protected] and we’ll give you a special shout-out.
I've been gaming since my dad made the bad decision of buying me a Nintendo when I was four years old. Every day I'd find myself with my face glued to a TV screen, punching away at buttons, getting furious with Bowser, Dr. Wily, and those freakin' birds in Ninja Gaiden. Since then I have failed to get my parents to play any board game with me, I sold my full copy of Earthbound with box and guide for $300 to some dude in Austria for rent money, and I still believe in Nintendo even after all these years.
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