Best of 2012: #2 - XCOM: Enemy Unknown

XCOM: Enemy Unknown for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is #3 in our Best of 2012.

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COMMANDERS... You have performed... admirably, considering the situation. You managed to beat competition from what should have been Game of the Year contenders this year, and did remarkably well. The odds were always stacked against you, and earning support from Gamers around the world was always going to be a challenge. Would hardcore fans offer their support, given how radically different Enemy Unknown is from the original UFO Defense? And what about the hyphen? More casual gamers may have struggled to see the appeal of a turn-based strategy game in 2012. "Why isn't this a FPS?," they might have proclaimed. Who could have known there was so much power hidden in this relic of a genre?

Your perseverance, and use of modern technology helped you command such a lead in this year's battle. You managed to create a game that has the modern appeal of your enemies, without sacrificing the appeal of the classics. The end result was a game that very few could resist. Not only did Gamers and Editors pledge their support for your cause, but they came back over and over again--even after their entire squads were wiped out in a mismanaged turn in Ironman mode.

You've proven that challenge can be its own reward, with the seemingly insurmountable odds making the battle that much more satisfying. But gamers want more. We expect even greater things from you in 2013. Do not disappoint us.

COUNCIL RATING: 2ND PLACE


The Shacknews Best of 2012 Awards were determined by ballot voting across the entire Shacknews staff. Garnett, Jeff, John, and Steve voted for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, with Andrew picking it as his personal Game of the Year, earning it 355 points and the 2nd place position on our list. The Shacknews Community chose the game as the 3rd Overall Game of the Year.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    January 25, 2013 12:00 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Best of 2012: #2 - XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

    XCOM: Enemy Unknown for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is #3 in our Best of 2012.

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      January 25, 2013 12:12 PM

      Noo - this should have been #1 :P

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        January 25, 2013 12:23 PM

        I feel you. Everyone else on the team was wrong!

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      January 25, 2013 12:24 PM

      oh shit. walking dead wins for sure, no way they chose diablo

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        January 25, 2013 1:28 PM

        the save nightmares alone ruin it for walking dead.

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          January 25, 2013 1:56 PM

          I thought the nightmare nightmares ruined the walking dead.

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          January 25, 2013 3:55 PM

          if you're not playing an episide in a full sitting you are doing it wrong

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            January 25, 2013 5:53 PM

            Yeah, I just hit ESC if I need to break for any reason, then resume.

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      January 25, 2013 1:58 PM

      Is that deal for a streamworks version?

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      January 25, 2013 3:17 PM

      There's always going to be some of us who hated certain choices and this is mine. While I don't think that this simplistic remake wasn't good, it just wasn't that great and the design choices they made to dumb it down (imho) really do take away a ton of depth. When I can win nearly every game by just chucking a grenade, that makes me sad. :(

      I'm going to keep playing it more hoping that it gets better with time but I'm not terribly hopeful.

      This is one of those games where if you'd played the original and knew how to compare it, rather than being from a younger gaming generation that's used to more streamlined fare, you'd have a more clear and probably more harsh perspective on this game. :(

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        January 25, 2013 3:20 PM

        A lot of us oldsters like our strategy games elegant instead of fiddly. No time units was a big relief.

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