These Were The 15 Hottest Games of 2012’s Holiday Season

Borderlands 2 -September 18 – Borderlands 2 was the first big fall release of 2012, coming out on September 18. The sequel takes place five years after the original game and follows many returning characters and some interesting new ones. It proved to be critically successfully yet we are still waiting for the next game in the series.

Resident Evil 6 – October 2

Dishonored – October 9 The first Dishonored game released on Oct. 9 to general critical acclaim. We were introduced to Corvo, who was forced to become an assassin in Dunwall after being framed for the murder of the Empress his was sworn to protect. The stealth gameplay, and the freedom you were given to complete mission, made Arkane’s game so great. It was popular enough to lead to a sequel, which released in 2016.

Forza Horizon – October 23 – The first in the open world Forza spin-off came on October 23. As most would expect given the calibre of the main line series, the driving is top-notch, but it was all surrounded by a wonderfully detailed and expansive world. The music/driving festival idea is novel and Forza Horizon is now one of the premier open-world racing series.

Medal of Honour: Warfighter – October 23

Assassin’s Creed 3 – October 30

Need for Speed: Most Wanted – October 30

Halo 4 – November 6 – The seventh Halo title, and the final one on Xbox 360, released on November 6. Being a direct sequel to Halo 3, taking place four and a half years after, it continued the story of John-117 and Cortana when who left abandoned on the remains of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. It was the first game in the series to be developed by 343 Industries.

Harvest Moon: A New Beginning – November 6 Releasing on Nov. 6, Harvest Moon: A New Beginning was one of the biggest 3DS releases of fall 2012. It introduced the ability to customize both you character and the world your adventure takes part in. You could change the appearance of your house and the village to add a little personality to the standard Harvest Moon gameplay.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II – November 13 As you would expect, Call of Duty’s annual release came in early November. 2012 was the turn of Treyarch and their game was the second in the Black Ops sub-series. It was the first CoD game to feature futuristic warfare and the story branched in different ways depending on the player’s choices. Black Ops 2 also saw the debut of the ‘Pick 10’ system in multiplayer, which has since been changed for other titles in the series.

New Super Mario Bros. U – November 18 Nintendo’s Wii U released in November 2012 and its big launch title was New Super Mario Bros. U. It followed the standard side-scrolling gameplay of 2D Mario games but had features that took advantage of the Wii U’s gamepad. It was well received and generally considered to be the best of the Wii U’s launch games.

Hitman: Absolution – November 20 Before this generation’s episodic Hitman game, IO Interactive released Hitman Absolution. It was a beautiful game with detailed and well designed locations but people were concerned by the linear structure of the missions. Players didn’t have as much freedom to approach situations as they had done in previous games, but they were still mostly enjoyable.

Persona 4: Golden – November 20 The PlayStation Vita is the home of handheld JRPGs so when Persona 4 made its way to Sony’s portable on Nov. 20 in the form of Persona 4 Golden, fans were understandably excited. It was an expanded version of the PlayStation 2 original and boosted sales of the Vita itself. It is one of the most popular and highest rated games to have ever released on the often ignored console.

Telltale’s The Walking Dead (Last 2 episodes)

Far Cry 3 – December 4 Released on Dec. 4, 2012 was the title that made the Far Cry series as huge as it is now. Far Cry 2 was good but some players found it frustrating and repetitive at times. The third game relocates to a stunning island and gives you as much freedom to cause havoc as you could wish for. Add Vaas, one of the best video game villain from the last decade, and you’ve got a wonderfully enjoyable action adventure.