1. Clementine - The Walking Dead
Telltale Games' The Walking Dead brought prestige back to episodic gaming and at the same time proved that adaptations of TV shows
can make for good games, exemplified by its Best Game win at the VGAs this year. Though we play as protagonist Lee, the heart and soul of the game is Clementine, a young girl who we strike up a father-daughter bond with over the course of the five episodes, and selflessly endeavour to protect. She is the face of innocence, like Carl in the TV series, amid a world of monsters and bad people, the one person we seek to protect above all others, and who creates the game's most stressful moments when she is in danger. Everything takes on a wholly more emotional dimension in the fifth episode, when an infected Lee realises that he's going to turn, and gives the player a choice, to ask Clementine to shoot him, or simply become a Walker himself. The end result is the same: Clementine is sent out into the world on her own, one of the most devastating cliffhangers in video game history, particularly as the game's final shot is of two dark figures emerging from the shadows, heading towards her. Hopefully this will be examined more in Season 2, because not including this amazing character in future games would be a colossal mistake. Who is your favourite video game character of 2012? Let us know in the comments below.