Best Games of the Year So Far: Mass Effect 3, Diablo 3, Fez, more

DS: With this year's E3 expo now behind us, the gaming calendar has reached its halfway point, so we're looking back at some of the best releases of the past six months. From Mass Effect 3 to Diablo 3, there has been no shortage of blockbusters in 2012, but indie offerings such as Journey and Fez have put many of the big name studios to shame. Here are our early picks for 2012's game of the year award.

[hiredhelp]

Maxpayne 3 for me putting aside the multiplayer witch just BONUS really the actual game where its at is simply awsome quality gameplay story non stop action.
GOTY FOR ME

[Son_Lee]

Tales of Graces f for me, so far.

[fermcr]

Max Payne 3 is the best game of the year so far (for me). Other games of the list are good, except Street Fighter X (not my type of game) and... Diablo 3, take this piece of sh** out of the list.

The Witcher 2, great game, should be included. Released last year for PC and this year for X360.

[Fyflin]

Mass Effect 3 for me. Regardless of the upset caused by the ending, it's the final part in a story I've been immersed in since 2007. Awesome series, as good as sci-fi gets when it comes to gaming.

[darkride66]

Not surprising really. Despite all the bitching and moaning about the ending on the internet forums, everyone to the last that I know personally who played the game, loved the game. And the reason is a game is more than just an ending. The hours of fun they had playing it was hardly dampened at all by the ending that most I spoke to didn't have an issue with.

Critics felt the same with with the game managing a metacritic score of 93 out of about 74 reviews. I didn't see a single negative review from any professional reviewer. I have yet to play ME2 or ME3 so I can't judge yet, but I have ME2 ready to go as soon as I have some game time to play something. I'm looking foward to both.

[Pekolie]

Unlike most people on this site (based on your disagrees lol) I'm a sucker for cliffhangers/open endings. Mass effect 1 ended with me wanting to know more. Me2 ended with me just amazed at how fun the final mission was and how the story could progress! Me3 got me thinking "what next?". Just didn't want the story to end :(

Easily best in the franchise for me :D

Probobaly the same reason I love AC so much. Every game adds more questions and When (SPOILERS) I got to the vault at the end of revelations it was really sad knowing that I was at the end of Ezios journey.

[pandehz]

Unfortunately you got disagrees from ppl because so called self entitled nerds believe they paid for their expectations to be fulfilled and did not actually pay to play a game they never played.

[Hicken]

Actually, I think they paid for a product that was advertised, and was upset that what they got was not that. You know, the choices over three games mattering, an ending that wrapped everything up, multiple unique endings... Hundreds of hours and dollars invested: it's like taking a road trip to a theme park with your friends, having fun along the way, only to get there and find the park is closed. Yeah, you still enjoyed the trip, but the ending sucked, making the overall feeling far lower than you would have liked.

But I guess that's being entitled, right? Expecting to get what you were told you were getting.

[pandehz]

@Hicken show me an ad where it says all that?

I have seen ads saying variations of things like that but those entitled gamers expected a loooot more.

Also since when did gamers start expecting everything from ads? Ppl buy it and play it knowing that an unexpected story will unfold, if these gamers already made up a story in their heads then its not the creators fault. If they didnt like the story or the game then its fair enough, just low rate it but demanding changes and bashing like the universe belongs to them is just lame.

Also your road trip example is bull. Its more like they got to enjoy the entire amusement park but the main roller coaster they always wanted to ride on was slower and less thrilling than their 2 yrs of pent up expectations. This is more like it. Ppl got to enjoy the game regardless. There are so many damned games that are way more terrible than ME3 even the best of the best in the past few years have terrible portions when compared to ME3

All Im sensing is you and many self entitled
fan-hybrid-nerd-geek-shepherd s want full satisfaction of your expectations. Nothing wrong but when handled the way it was then its wrong.

[NeoTribe]

Id have to go with diablo even though it has some questionable isssues. Blizzard always corrects these types of things so I'm not to worried. Overall its my favorite game so far this year.

[LordMe]

So far... In no order.

Darkness II, Gravity Rush, Diablo III and Dragons Dogma.

[CLOUD1983]

Diablo 3... nice joke the article FAIL just from that try again dude & the next time dont check sale numbers those dont make a good game also dont check reviews either because those cant be trusted either how about to check some fans comments & reaction? yep this will help u understand if the fans r happy with this game.

[InTheLab]

This year has been pretty disappointing.

ME3 was crap. NOt just the ending...but the middle and beginning. Slow motion ghost kid bulls*** every chapter, and wall to wall plot holes.

I didn't like Max Payne 3. Thought the controls were awful, the story was depressing, and didn't bother with the multiplayer. Traded it in after the 3rd time Max let his clients daughter disappear..then die.

Diablo 3? Always online laggy single player= no buy

Dragon's Dogma is boring as all hell outside of climbing ogres and chimera.

The Witcher 2 came out last year...

Loved Lego Batman 2, Gravity Rush, MGS HDvita...

[BitbyDeath]

I agree, luckily PS+ has been giving me some older games to catch up on.

[numonex360]

Diablo 3 and Mass Effect 3 rank as two of the most disappointing games this year.
All that hype and both games failed to deliver to its fan.

Mass Effect 3 was over rated it was rushed, story was lacking in the final third, MP added little to the series and capped off with a garbage ending.

[swat_teem]

i liked Mass effect 3...

[alessandro10]

dragon dogma journey

[kingdavid]

I am enjoying diablo 3 but I guess its the "in" thing to hate on it. Take away the always online portion and its a pretty decent game.

[pandehz]

Diablo 3 is an average game, it should not be in any top ten list ever.