20 Most Jaw-Dropping Games of 2012

By Javy Gwaltney IV / January 9, 2013

Contrary to Metacritics by-the-numbers assertions, 2012 was a hell of a year for video-games Each quarter had a slew of high-quality AAA releases that kept gamers entertained for hours on end. We probably didnt even have time for all of them since indie developers brought their A-game as well. The number of fantastic titles released across a variety of genres is mind-boggling. Seriously, not one, but TWO of the games that have been earning Game of the Year awards from various publications are isometric (and aren't RTS games)! When was the last time that happened? And lets not forget the popularity of the dungeon crawler Legend of Grimrock or, better yet, Telltales point-and-click adventure adaptation of The Walking Dead. Lets talk about the ones that blew us away; here are the most jaw-dropping games of 2012, listed in no particular order.

20. Sleeping Dogs

Thank the gods Square Enix picked up Sleeping Dogs after Activision Blizzard dropped it midway through the games development. Otherwise, we would have been deprived of a superb and tense odyssey through Hong Kongs underworld. Boasting an impressive fighting system reminiscent of the Arkham games, an enjoyable RPG lite system, and a gripping story about an undercover cop, Sleeping Dogs is a thrill ride that shouldnt be missed anyone who loves a good action/adventure title.

This is the one game where you can kill sometime doing karaoke and then go for a ride in your beat-up hunk of junk, see a shiny car you want and hijack said car by leaping out of your car, latching onto the desired vehicle, and then forcibly removing the owner from the drivers seat. Sure, observed up close, Sleeping Dogs is a hodgepodge of all sandbox games that came before it, but that doesnt stop it from being a damn fun hodgepodge.