It took me an extra month but I think I have played enough games to determine my 2012 GOTY awards, so here they are. First let me mention the games I have yet to play, I highly doubt any of them would be my GOTY but maybe they could have won other awards. I did not play Assassin's Creed 3, Dragon's Dogma, Sleeping Dogs, Paper Mario Sticker Star, Gravity Rush, Max Payne 3, Hotline Miami, I own all of these, I just have yet to get to them. I didnt play Virtues Last Reward or Crushmo either.

Miscellaneous Awards

Best Graphics - Journey

Yes I begin my awards by giving Journey an award. It is simply one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. I would argue its the most beautiful artwork of any game. And that is almost  all its great at.

Runner up - Mass Effect 3

Best Music - Mass Effect 3

I dont remember much music from the past year, I just know ME3 had the most consistantly great soundtrack. I love the 80s sci-fi like vibe it has.

Runner up - Journey

Best Story - The Walking Dead

I cant remember the last game to make me tear up or if it has ever happened but this game did so. The story is as good as the TV show and propells an otherwise really boring game into something that is a must play.

Runner Up - Mass Effect 3

Best New IP -  Dishonored

Not much competition here, Dishonored is a really cool stealth FPS. It could become something really special with some work.

Runner up - ZombiU

Best  Online Multiplayer - Halo 4

Halo once again presents the most meaty, comprehensive online mode of any shooter. Tons of modes, easily accessable and fun to play. An entire co-op campaign as big as the main one. Forge mode for customization options. It has it all.

Runner up - CoD Black Ops 2

Most original game - Fez

A crazy rotating three dimensional game that plays on a 2D plane and is filled with a million puzzles. Brilliant game

Runner up - Hotline Miami

Best Dowloadable Game - Fez

Look above

Runner up - Hotline Miami

Genre Awards

Best Action/Adventure Game - Resident Evil Revelations

Rough year for action/adventure games, well Resident Evil Rev takes the cake. I think RE6 has the better campaign but Revelations is more consistant and has the incredible raid mode. Overall its an amazing portable game.

Runner Up - Darksiders 2

Best Platformer - LittleBigPlanet Vita

Another fantastic entry into the LBP franchise. So many new ways to play with the touch screen. This game has all the magic of the console version in portable form. All the magic and innovation Mario games have now LBP has, its more of a Nintendo game than 2D Mario is at this point.

Runner Up - NSMBU

Best FPS - Halo 4

An excellent new Halo game that does enough to the gameplay to keep it fresh. Multiplayer is incredible

Runner up - ZombiU

Best RPG - Mass Effect 3

Yeah I know its not much of an RPG, but its categorized as an RPG so here it is. The incredible stellar ending to the ME saga.

Runner up - Xenoblade

Best Puzzle Game - Fez

I know they call this a platfomer but this game is much more about puzzles than it is platforming. One of the most brilliant puzzle games I have ever played.

Runner up - Little Inferno

Best Strategy Game - XCom

A stellar nearly perfect remake. It has everything you could want from an xcom game.

Runner Up - ? its the only strategy game I played

Best I dont know what it is - NintendoLand

Not sure where to fit in this game so here it is. Its a fun sampling of mini games mixed with very long main campaigns. Its addicting and shows off the Wii U pad excellently.

Runner Up - Journey

Platform Awards (exclusive games only)

Best PS3 game - NONE

What the hell happend to Sony this year. I cant think of anything and no I am not giving it to Journey. What an embarrasment. I guess I have to pick PS All Stars...

Best 360 game - Halo 4

MS best franchise is still great.

Best Wii U game - NintendoLand

Who would have thought the weird mini game thing would be the best launch game

Best Wii game - Xenoblade

An RPG that is too big for its own good but still one of the best JRPGs of this gen.

Best 3DS game - Resident Evil Revelations (well its still exclusive for now)

A great RE game with one of the best extra modes ever. Perfectly made for portables.

Best Vita game - LittleBigPlanet Vita

If any franchise was made for on the go its LBP, infinite levels at your fingertips.

Best PC game - hahahaha, ok its Hotline Miami

I only played a few levels but it seems like a really cool original idea

Game of the Year - Mass Effect 3

I never reviewed this game so here it is. Mass Effect 3 is a crowning achievement as the franchise has pulled off a trilogy where your choices from the first two game has completely shaped your experiences in the third game. Two people can have an almost all different cast, different dialoge and experienced based on what they have done before. What ME3 excells at the most is making all those choices have a resolution, all characters have a moment, whether it is a grand goodbye or evolving friendship. The story pulls no punches as it hurls at its finale, it has the biggest events, the most emotional moments but as you know it all falls apart in the last scene. I wont let a 10 minute cutscene ruin my experience, yeah it sucks but the rest of the game was stellar.

The gameplay is better than ever with improved shooter mechanics that make it hang with the best of the genre. Its fast, responsive, the cover works excellently but the best part is the depth that ME allows. It is still an RPG as it allows you to choose from multiple classes and build your player and squad up in multiple ways. The classes are better defined than in any past game with the special powers really effecting the combat. This game streamlines most of the leveling up crap you find in other RPGs. All those excess items and really pointless minor stat increases are gone and only major changes happen when you level up.

Mass Effect 3 has some of the most amazing setpieces I have ever seen in an RPG. There are moments that are on a grand scale that make you feel like the galaxy is in full war and you are the last hope. Now even though the story is epic it is missing some of the more personal, almost star trek like episodes from ME2. Overall ME2 excells better at side missions and varied gameplay which is why I feel it is still the better game. But when ME3 is at its best it delivers the best moments of the series.

To top it off this game has multiplayer that far from sucks, its actually great, and addicitive. This mode has a full leveling up system with all the powers from the main game and when mixed with three other players you can make some incredible team combos. It is basically horde mode but with a Mass Effect twist.

Mass Effect 3 is not the masterpiece ME2 was but it stands alone as the clear best game of 2012.

Runner up - Xcom

Its best aspect is also the reason it isnt GOTY, its worthy of being a remake of the original, that said its just like the original. Still one of the best games of 2012