2012 comes to an end and Potaku wraps up it’s GOTY community choice awards!

Howdy folks, Nova here.

Unfortunately, I had a rather large backlog of games from last year, so very few new releases found their way into my hands this year. That said, some phenomenal games were released and since the good folks here at Potaku felt the need to hand out some awards, who am I to question their wisdom? So here are my choices for the First Annual Potaku Game Of The Year Awards (Just as an aside, did no one think about that Acronym?)

Most Bomb-Ass Character: Handsome Jack – Borderlands 2. In most games, the main antagonist is there, but they are rarely developed enough that you actually want to go out and take him/her down. On the other Jack is a thoroughly unlikable person. He’s rude, callous, sadistic and so annoyingly superior you just want to punch him the face. Kudos to Gearbox.

Biggest “HOLY SHIT” Moment: I’m changing this award from Coolest to Biggest, because my winner really wasn’t cool at all. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll leave you with 6 words – Spec Ops. White Phosphorous. Holy Shit.

Most Kick Ass Multiplayer: I’m giving this one to Journey. I’m not the biggest fan of multiplayer. I much prefer to get sucked into a single player story. But the way Thatgamecompany worked the co-op aspect of Journey was amazing. Having another wanderer randomly drop into your game, but not forcing you to stuck together made for some interesting choices. Do you stick with the guy who wants to explore around every corner and under every rock? Or do you run ahead and leave them, their small chirping voice fading into the background? It fit so well with the idea of the game, that I have to give them this award.

The “This Music is Making Ear Love to Me” award for Best Soundtrack: Journey again. What more can be said about Austin Wintory’s masterpiece. The first Grammy nominated game soundtrack is obviously something special. The Road of Trials and Apotheosis are the highlights of this much loved gem.

The Outta Left Field award for Most Surprising Game: Katawa Shoujo. I’ll wager that nobody knew about this game before its release. But once it came out and a few stories were written about it, I’ll admit I was sceptical. And given that it’s an erotic visual novel about girls with various physical disabilities made by frequenters of 4chan, I think a healthy dose of scepticism was more than justified. But after reading said articles, I decided to check it out for myself. And I’m glad I did. More than just a good game, I found it to be a wholly sincere exploration of being faced with such a disability. I raise my glass to Four Leaf Studios and what they’ve accomplished.

The “Someone Painted This With a Goddamn Rainbow” award for Best Art Style: The Walking Dead. The cel shaded style has a timelessness all its own. Take Zelda Wind Waker, still looks gorgeous almost 10 years later. The Walking Dead game is no exception. It would have been all too easy for Telltale to go for the “dark, gritty, realistic” art style as would be expected of a game centred on the zombie apocalypse. But they chose to go for a look not dissimilar from Borderlands. And I feel that despite the “unrealistic” look, it served to reinforce how unnatural the walking dead really are, and their place in the world.

Most Dick Kickingest Game of the Year: Katawa Shoujo. I wasn’t sure if I would end up giving GOTY to Katawa Shoujo, Journey or The Walking Dead. But I chose to go with the game I’ve spent the most time with. I only played Journey through once, and have only finished Episode 1 of TWD. But Katawa Shoujo has kept me coming back all year. The strength of its story and characters made me want to replay it to see through all 5 character arcs. I’ve spent many hours at Yamaku Academy and every one of them has been an experience that will stay with me for some time.