Madden NFL 13
Franchise mode is deeper than ever this year, allowing you to assign player progression points and change coaching schemes. I’ve spent hours playing this mode alone.
Mario Tennis Open
All the fun of a Mario sports game is here, the insane power-ups, the Mario characters, and the minimal button strategy. But like the best Mario sports game, to excel at it takes deeper strategy and refined skill.
Mass Efffect 3
Ok, everyone’s been complaining about the original ending and the bad DLC, but I confess I haven’t gotten there yet. But what I have played I loved. This is one of my favorite fiction universes and it got even deeper in 3. There’s also some incredibly epic boss battles. And I feel like I’ve already gotten some nice closures on a few of the characters’ stories.
MLB 12 the Show
Just without question, the best baseball sim I’ve ever played. Incredible how well it recreates the experience.
New Super Mario Bros. 2
This is actually the third in the New Super Mario Bros. series ( and the fourth one came out on WiiU this year). I know the level designs and overworld layout are getting stale, but I loved the addition of the total running coin count and the coin rush mode. And a not great Super Mario Bros. game is still better than the majority of other platformers out there.
Pokemon Black/White Version 2
I don’t even know anymore. Every year a new Pokemon game comes out, I say I’m not going to buy it because I’m tired of Pokemon, then I end up buying it and playing it all the way through. It’s the perfect handheld game I guess.
Trials Evolution
This game is so addictive. You’ll play tracks over and over to get the gold medal, and it feels like a blast every time. A few new modes have been added since the original Trials and they are also fun and addictive. The game is also ridiculously pretty for a stunt motorcycle game.
UFC Undisputed 3
To the uninitiated MMA doesn’t seem complicated at all, it’s just people hitting each other. In reality there are a ton of different fighting moves from different fighting disciplines used in even the most boring fight. Undisputed 3 strikes the right balance between accessibility and accurately mimicking hundreds of different types of moves. UFC fans can appreciate the strategy of different types of fighters without having to spend hours learning complicated button combos. It’s quite a technical feat.
The Walking Dead
This game just blew me away. The majority of the game is just interactions between the lead and other characters. The game forces you as the lead to choose how to respond to those interactions. It really feels like your responses affects the game’s story and how the other characters react to you (even if it doesn’t really). It’s not just one of the best written games I’ve ever played, it’s simply the best.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Finally a turn-based military strategy game I can wrap my head around! Your basic classes never change, but you can still upgrade weapons and promote units. And the game does get hard. But, there’s no memorizing tech trees, build orders, or optimum battlefield placement of over twenty different types of units. It’s all the fun parts of turn-based strategy games without any of the things that bog them down.