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Here Are Your Winners: 2012 PlayStation.Blog Game of the Year Awards

Sid Shuman — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:29:09 +0000

The polls are closed and the votes have been tallied. Read on for the full list of PlayStation.Blog Game of the Year Awards winners as chosen by you, plus a few Editors’ Choice picks from the extended PlayStation.Blog team.

I want to thank each and every one of you for voting, debating, and commenting on our first annual awards! As predicted, the process wasn’t entirely without its hiccups, but in general I think it was a pretty good first attempt. That said, we absolutely want your feedback on next year’s awards, which will be bigger and better in many ways. Please provide your feedback in the comments – we’ll be referring to it in preparation for next year!

Also, be sure to listen to our new episode of PlayStation Blogcast, where GamesBeat Editor in Chief Dan Hsu joins us for a discussion of our favorite games of the year.

‘Nuff said. Read on to see the very best in PlayStation gaming for 2012 as chosen by PlayStation gamers worldwide.

PS3 Game of the Year

Assassin’s Creed III

This one was a squeaker, but Ubisoft Montreal’s period epic inched past a strong showing by Gearbox Software’s well-received shooter. FIFA 13 Soccer landed the most write-in votes, but not enough to place in the winner’s circle.

Borderlands 2

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Far Cry 3

Dishonored – “In my book, this was the smartest, most distinctive FPS of the year, shoehorning adult themes, nuanced characters and sophisticated gameplay mechanics into a wincingly visceral campaign. Oh, and it was great to see so many primary colors too! Sequel please!”

– Fred Dutton, Manager, EU PlayStation.Blog

Borderlands 2 – “Sequels don’t always manage to one-up their predecessors, but Borderlands 2 does just that — in nearly every conceivable way. From the vastly improved story, to the motley cast of characters, to the massive volume of guns, Gearbox has planted their foot firmly in the ground as one of this generation’s premier FPS developers.”

– Justin Massongill, US PlayStation.Blog

XCOM: Enemy Unknown – “This game scratched an itch I didn’t know I had, weaving tense turn-based firefights into a shockingly addictive management simulation. This is a refreshing and utterly fascinating game with a surprise and a delight around every corner. Highly recommended.”

– Sid Shuman, Manager, US PlayStation.Blog

PS3 Game of the Year (PSN Only)

Journey

Thatgamecompany’s wildly original opus was always the favorite to win this category, though Telltale Games’ heartbreaking series The Walking Dead nearly overtook it in the final hours of voting. Queasy Games’ Sound Shapes took the most write-in votes.

The Walking Dead: Episodes 1-5

Tokyo Jungle

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Journey – “I’m going with the obvious choice here. Nothing else I played this year drew me in like thatgamecompany’s Journey. Despite the lack of communication and identity involved, I felt closer to my co-op partners in Journey than in anything else I’ve played this year… maybe ever. It’s an experience I wish I could wipe from my memory, just so I could have it for the first time again.”

– Justin Massongill, US PlayStation.Blog

Journey – “I won’t be alone in singling out thatgamecompany’s bewitching quest here. Some complained that it was too brief, but its three hours of playtime will surely live longer in the memory than almost any other release this year. This is joyful, uplifting, must-play material. And, no, there’s no shame in admitting its final moments set your bottom lip aquiver.”

– Fred Dutton, EU PlayStation.Blog

The Walking Dead: Episodes 1 – 5 – “Telltale’s memorable series starts small but slowly builds to towering emotional heights, culminating in what may be the greatest gaming moment of the year. This is a prime example of the narrative potential of videogames — don’t you dare miss it.”

– Sid Shuman, US PlayStation.Blog

PS Vita Game of the Year

UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss

The closest category in this year’s awards nearly ended in a three-way tie between Gravity Rush, Persona 4: Golden, and UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss. But in a photo finish, Bend Studios claims the Platinum prize. The most popular write-in vote was for Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, which is also available on PS Vita game card.

Persona 4 Golden

Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation

Gravity Rush

Gravity Rush – “Alternately careening and frolicing through the skies of Hekseville provided some of the most enjoyable, empowering moments in gaming this year for me. A lush world and loveable character wrapped around a set of mechanics that feels downright awesome in the palm of your hands.”

– Nick Suttner, PlayStation Blogcast co-host

Persona 4 Golden – “JRPGs have seen a relative lack of representation in this gaming generation. But now that Atlus has rebuilt one of PS2’s most highly regarded games for PS Vita, they’ve proven that a well-written, visually striking, character-driven RPG can still find an appreciative audience.”

– Justin Massongill, US PlayStation.Blog

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale – “A tough choice, but my voracious appetite for portable pugilism ultimately tipped the scales in favor of the All-Stars. SuperBot’s slavish attention to detail shines on the OLED screen and the characters feel intoxicatingly powerful, making this a perfect choice for mobile encounters.”

– Sid Shuman, US PlayStation.Blog

PS Vita Game of the Year (PSN Only)

Sound Shapes

Innovative indie titles placed strongly in this category, with Queasy Games’ charming musical platformer handily securing the lead. Fun fact: Grasshopper Manufacture’s shooter Sine Mora was the top write-in vote.

MotorStorm RC

Super Stardust Delta

Escape Plan

Frobisher Says! – “Not many games are silly. Yet Frobisher’s minigame madness is supremely silly in all the right ways, a ton of fun, kind of beautiful, and free, free, free as a bird. Whether I was finding flan, making a terrible din, or not smiling at pandas, it was some of the most fun I’ve had on PS Vita this year.”

– Nick Suttner, PlayStation Blogcast co-host

Sound Shapes – “Jonathan Mak’s unique approach to game design yields one of the biggest surprises of the year: A whimsical musical platformer that whisks you away on a magical tour of five imaginative worlds, leading inexorably to a momentous meeting with Beck.”

– Sid Shuman, US PlayStation.Blog

When Vikings Attack! – “Okay, maybe I’m biased, but I found When Vikings Attack!’s bonkers Britishness impossible to resist. If there was a more satisfying mechanic in gaming in 2013 than flinging a skip at a gang of Viking invaders, I certainly wasn’t privy to it. If you’re after a hidden gem to discover this Christmas, you could do a lot, lot worse.”

– Fred Dutton, EU PlayStation.Blog

PS Mobile Game of the Year

Super Crate Box

In a surprisingly tight race with several favorites jockeying for position, Super Crate Box’s accessible, addictive formula came out on top in the PS Mobile arena. The most popular write-in vote? Lemmings.

Sixty Second Shooter

Aqua Kitty

Everybody’s Arcade

Rebel – “Super Crate Box is the easy choice, but with that well-trod I want to make sure that no one misses out on Rebel. A sort of anti-Crate Box that has you dodging falling weapons crates while turning enemies against each other, Rebel feels satisfying thanks to a brilliant reward loop of upgrades that turn time-waster into skillful navigator.”

– Nick Suttner, PlayStation Blogcast co-host

Super Crate Box – “This feels like the no-brainer of the group, though Bullion Blitz and Puzziball are definite gems. Simple but focused, Super Crate Box is one of those indefinable instant classics that you’ll understand the moment you lay hands on it. A sheer delight.”

– Sid Shuman, US PlayStation.Blog

Super Crate Box – “Believe it or not, I reckon I’ve played SCB more than any game in any category. Vlambeer’s bite-sized score-attack platformer was an ingenious confection, and nailed that just-one-more-game catchiness better than any other title this year.”

– Fred Dutton, EU PlayStation.Blog

Best Use of PlayStation Move

Portal 2 In Motion

Another tight race, with Sixense’s Portal 2 expansion pack beating back a potent showing from PlayStation Move favorite Sorcery and close runners-up Wonderbook: Book of Spells and Sports Champions 2, while Okami HD claimed the most write-in votes.

Datura – “Probably the best example yet of how PS Move can open up new ways to interact. Navigating the dreamlike forests of Datura from a first-person perspective using PS Move brings a hypnotic surreal quality, as well as a more tactile interface. Really cool stuff.”

– Sid Shuman, US PlayStation.Blog

Datura – “I like touching trees.”

– Nick Suttner, PlayStation Blogcast co-host

PixelJunk 4am – “Sure, it’s something of an acquired taste and plays best, as advertised, in the small hours after a night on the town, but Q-Game’s music plaything really got its hooks in me over the summer. If you like your digital entertainment arty, freeform and very, very bleepy, this one’s for you.”

– Fred Dutton, EU PlayStation.Blog

Most Anticipated PS3 Game

The Last of Us

Despite powerful resistance from Grand Theft Auto 5, Naughty Dog’s highly anticipated post-apocalyptic journey The Last of Us claimed the coveted Platinum prize. Bronze winner BioShock Infinite topped Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch by just a handful of votes, while Namco Bandai’s RPG Tales of Xillia earned the most write-in votes.

Grand Theft Auto 5

BioShock Infinite

God of War: Ascension

Puppeteer – “A close call between this and BioShock, but my innate predisposition towards anything involving 2D visuals, running, and jumping won through. Japan Studios’ lovely platformer is a true feast for the senses, shot through with a delightfully dark sense of humor and A-grade character design. One to watch out for.”

– Fred Dutton, EU PlayStation.Blog

The Last of Us – “An agonizing decision, but (sorry BioShock Infinite) I’m putting my money on Naughty Dog. I’m drawn to the game’s suffocating atmosphere of hopelessness, but I’m also dying to learn more about the fragile relationship between innocent Ellie and world-weary Joel. Fingers crossed that Naughty Dog pulls off something extraordinary here.”

– Sid Shuman, US PlayStation.Blog

Sportsfriends – “If you’ve ever managed to catch one at a gaming event such as PAX, you know that Johann Sebastian Joust, Hokra, BaraBariBall and Super Pole Riders are already some of the best local multiplayer games EVER, even in their unreleased forms. Having all of them on PSN, upgraded and collected as Sportsfriends, is just too exciting for words. Get ready to Joust!”

– Nick Suttner, PlayStation Blogcast co-host

Most Anticipated PS Vita Game

Killzone Mercenary

Strong showings from Sly Cooper, Soul Sacrifice, and Tearaway weren’t enough to unseat Guerilla’s upcoming powerhouse. Intriguingly, Atlus USA’s mysterious Dragon’s Crown earned the most write-in votes.

Soul Sacrifice

Tearaway

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

Guacamelee! – “It’s been far too long since I got my hands on a unique exploration-based platformer. Guacamelee’s hyperactive art style and elbow-dropping personality promise to revitalize the genre popularized by games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.”

– Justin Massongill, US PlayStation.Blog

Soul Sacrifice – “Inafune’s dark fantasy promises to bring some serious emotional gravity to the co-op battlefields, such as tragic boss monsters that beg for mercy and an alarming array of life-or-death choices. I’m particularly drawn to the grim, almost grotesque art style.”

– Sid Shuman, US PlayStation.Blog

Tearaway – “Can’t wait. Expect wild innovation, free-wheeling creativity and charm in abundance. If you don’t covet a PS Vita now, just wait until this one lands on shelves.”

– Fred Dutton, EU PlayStation.Blog

Portal 2 In Motion DLC Launches Today on PSN

Danny Woodall — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 18:16:48 +0000

With the Portal 2 In Motion DLC releasing today, we’d like to share a little more about its content and development. The DLC now available on PSN is a campaign designed by our team at Sixense to take full advantage of the capabilities of the PlayStation Move controller. We started with all of the great features that already exist in Portal 2. Then we envisioned Portal 2 In Motion as a new game experience (including a new campaign) built for motion control – not just the addition of motion controls on top of existing gameplay that was designed for a traditional PS3 controller. So the result is a new gaming experience that requires new thinking and use of the PlayStation Move motion controller. We’ve included a video here that demonstrates the new features you’ll get when you buy the DLC. I’ll discuss these features a little more. I’ll also discuss at the end of this post the Move support for Portal 2 that we have implemented in the PSN downloadable version of the game and the patch for the Blu-Ray version, all of which is available today.

Sixense designed three new motion mechanics for Portal 2 In Motion and tuned them to feel like a natural extension of your body. The “One-to-One” mechanic allows the player to manipulate objects as if they were held in the player’s own hand. This means that when using One-to-One you can change the object’s position and orientation by moving and rotating the Move controller. This opened the door to a lot of new possibilities for our team in terms of puzzle design, which you’ll see in Portal 2 In Motion. It is very satisfying to reach out with the controller and redirect lasers with the Discouragement Redirection Cube to light up some poor Sentry Turrets.

The “Portal Surfing” mechanic is the ability to move and rotate a portal along a “portalable” surface. Portal Surfing allows you to change an object’s trajectory as it passes through a portal by rotating the portal. Spraying gel with a Move controller is quite a different experience than when using your typical input device.

The “Scaling” mechanic went through a number of iterations in development until we found a balance between required motion complexity and functionality. Scaling is performed by reaching out with the Move controller while holding a cube in the game, pressing the scaling button and moving the controller horizontally to increase or decrease the size of the cube. To scale along a different axis, the user rotates the cube prior to scaling. The mass of the object also scales with its size, allowing for plenty of satisfaction as you use giant objects to crush turrets or punch through glass.

Finally, for the basic aiming of the cursor in the game, we implemented the highly intuitive view mode that we call “Freeaim”. Freeaim uses the Move controller’s orientation to determine cursor position. The controller’s absolute position does not affect the rotation of the view, so the user can adjust the camera view using only small wrist movements. The result is a camera system that is much more fluid than using the analog stick on the traditional PS3 controller. We have a great demonstration of this in the video. With Freeaim, aiming and firing portals also becomes extremely natural and intuitive and the overall experience becomes much more immersive.

The features that I’ve described to this point are all included with the Portal 2 In Motion DLC. Because the patch and the downloadable Portal 2 are both releasing today, I want to make clear what is included in those products with regard to the work Sixense has done. Both the digital download Portal 2 and the patch include PlayStation Move support, meaning that the full single-player and co-operative Portal 2 campaigns can be played with Move, and users will be able to take advantage of the Freeaim mechanic to play (or replay) the game. You can even play split screen with both players using Move motion controllers. Only the Portal 2 In Motion DLC, however, includes the advanced mechanics of One-to-One, Portal Surfing and Scaling, as well as the new campaign consisting of test chambers that require the use of the new mechanics. The patch and Portal 2 on PSN do contain a short tutorial designed familiarize the user with the Move motion controller and the Freeaim feature. At the end of the tutorial, we provide a taste of the One-to-One feature that is otherwise exclusive to the Portal 2 In Motion DLC.

Check out the video, and experience Portal 2 In Motion today!

Portal 2 In Motion on PSN Tuesday, Full Game Getting PS Move Support

Josh Bays — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:01:01 +0000

We gave the world a glimpse at E3 back in June, and now it’s official. On November 6th, 2012, Sixense will launch Portal 2 In Motion, a motion DLC campaign for Valve’s Portal 2 on PlayStation Move. Our development team at Sixense has applied our expertise in motion gaming to create what we believe will be the defining experience for PlayStation Move. The Portal 2 In Motion DLC will be priced at $9.99 on PSN. We’ll also have a special launch promotion of 30% off for PlayStation Plus members.

Those who are familiar with Sixense know that over the past few years we have focused on delivering motion gaming experiences that are intuitive and natural for users. We are excited to now work with Sony and Valve to deliver content that takes advantage of the advanced motion tracking of the PlayStation Move. Portal 2 In Motion introduces gameplay mechanics, including scaling and rotation of objects as well as portal surfing. These new abilities are all required as the player progresses through an increasingly challenging set of test chambers that look familiar from Portal 2, but require new thinking to solve.

We are timing the release of Portal 2 In Motion to coincide with Valve’s release of Portal 2 for digital download on PlayStation Network, which now includes PlayStation Move support (implemented by Sixense) for the entire single-player and cooperative campaigns. PS Plus members will also receive 30% off on Portal 2 when it launches on PSN. Owners of Portal 2 on Blu-Ray will receive PlayStation Move support through a free patch, which will provide a touch of the motion experience provided by Sixense. While the original Portal 2 campaigns will be fully playable with PlayStation Move, only Portal 2 In Motion features the gameplay mechanics designed by Sixense specifically for motion.

We hope that Portal 2 In Motion will mark the beginning of much more to come! Look for everything on November 6th!