Peter's 2012 Gaming Awards

What's this? Peter's making an update on PG's Game Room?! What is this madness?!?

Yes, I apologize for my prolonged haitus. I'm afraid there really isn't much I can do about that; college has been taking up a lot of time and I haven't found much enthusiasm for writing in a while. Still, with a few new games behind me and not that many projects for the rest of the year, I thought it'd be time for a 2012 Award-type article!

Yes, much like that thing I wrote back in February, this is a series of titles given to games that I played this year. So, without further ado, lets get into the best and worst gaming experiences I had this year.


Best Game I Played In 2012: Persona 3

Persona 3 was my first experience with the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, and I must say, I regret not getting into these games sooner. Despite my initial skepticism, Persona 3 proved to be one amazing game. Traditional RPG combat and roguelike dungeon crawling, combined with an incredible story with great characters and dark themes, Persona 3 is easily one of the best games I've played in a long time.

Runner Up: Radiant Historia

Most Underappreciated Game: Final Fantasy IX

Seriously, Final Fantasy IX does not get the credit it deserves from some people. Sure, it isn't the flashiest Final Fantasy game, but it's one of the best RPGs the original Playstation had to offer, and thats saying something. Filled to the brim with iconic Final Fantasy references, FFIX is a major tribute to Hironobu Sakagichi's legendary series.

Plus this is the game with Vivi.

VIVI IS AWESOME.


Best Looking Game: Final Fantasy IX

Yes, I played a lot of recently released games this year, all with sleek and modern visuals, but you know what? Many of these games pale in comparison to what Final Fantasy IX's prerendered backgrounds achieve.

I mean, holy CRAP. Memoria has got to be one of the most memorable Final Fantasy dungeons in the entire series, simply on the merit of it's gorgeous backgrounds.

Runner Up: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Most Disappointing Game: White Knight Chronicles

I'll bet that anyone whose read my reviews would have expected me to call Final Fantasy XIII-2 my biggest disappointment of the year. Actually, I recently gave XIII-2 another chance and found it to be a much more enjoyable game than I had previously thought, largely due to playing White Knight Chronicles. Level 5's a rather hit-or-miss developer, but they've made some really entertaining games. White Knight Chronicles, however, is the definition of an average game. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, but there's nothing good about it either. It's just so boring. At least XIII-2 has some memorable moments.

Runner-up: Rogue Galaxy (sheesh, Level 5. You'd better step up your game with Ni no Kuni next year).

Best Protagonist: Stocke (Radiant Historia)

The fact that Stocke was such a good character was one of many pleasant surprises which made Radiant Historia (one of the best games on the Nintendo DS) such a memorable experience. A soldier who finds himself torn between loyalties, Stocke is on a quest to prevent an apocalypse by using the power of time travel. What makes Stocke so engaging are the little moments where the player has to make a decision on his behalf, providing a clear view of Stocke's motivations and thought process.

Runner up- Zidane Tribal (Final Fantasy IX)

Best Side Character: Vivi (Final Fantasy IX)

I mean, come on. Just wook at that widdle face. Vivi is one of the best characters in the Final Fantasy series, and exists at the heart of Final Fantasy IX's central question- how do we make the most of our lives, knowing that we are doomed to die?

Runner up: Junpei Iori (Persona 3)

Best Villain: Takaya (Persona 3)

At its core, Persona 3 is a game about death. Everyone will eventually die, but you shouldn't give up on life even when faced with the inevitable. If you do, you'd end up like Takaya. The leader of a group called Strega which serve as the main antagonists of Persona 3, Takaya is a charismatic, tortured young man who seeks to live every moment to its fullest, yet has no value for his own life or that of others.

Runner-ups (ooh, a tie!): Heiss (Radiant Historia), and Caius (Final Fantasy XIII-2)

Most Frustrating/Cheapest Moment: Anytime You Fight Caius (Final Fantasy XIII-2).

Caius is one of the best aspects of the newest Final Fantasy title- a man motivated by love and duty, so desperate to save his love Yeul that he would destroy time itself so that she could live.

He's also a total pain in the ass to fight. And you fight him over and over again...


Best Music: Persona 3

Shoji Meguro's compositions for Persona 3 are sometimes trippy and eclectic, sometimes haunting, yet they perfectly suit the strange events that befall these ordinary students.

Runner-up: Radiant Historia



Best Setting: Vainquer (Radiant Historia)

A fully realized setting is a difficult thing to accomplish in a video game, but Radiant Historia's war-torn land of Vainquer, despite borrowing copious steampunk elements from Final Fantasy VI, is nonetheless a very fleshed out setting, as Stocke and company are embroiled in its political turmoil.

Best Location: Memoria (Final Fantasy IX)

However, if I had to give an award to one individual location, it would be Final Fantasy IX's Memoria, a haunting (literal) walk down memory lane.

Well, that's that for this year. I've played a lot of great games, and gotten a new favorite series thanks to Persona. Here's hoping next year will be just as fun. Until next time!