Switch Lights

The lights are on

What's Happening

2012 Action Game Of The Year Awards

Best Downloadable: Mark of the Ninja

Stealth has been a common gameplay element for decades, but it's rarely been done well on a 2D plane. Klei's Mark of the Ninja managed to impress just about everyone that played it, thanks to its sneaky and satisfying gameplay. Crawling along ceilings, distracting guards by taking out lights, and popping out of vents for kills made this downloadable title as close to a 2D Batman game as it could possibly be.

Action Game of the Year: Dishonored

As you can tell by its other two awards in this feature, we really enjoyed Bethesda's newest IP. Dishonored didn't simply feature the best setting and story in the genre, it was the best action gaming experience overall this year. From Corvo's unique powers to the brutal kills he's capable of, he's a fresh new face in the gaming landscape. Considering how great his starring vehicle was, we can't think of a better debut.

Email the author , or follow on , , , and .

Comments
  • Glad to see people are remembering Asura's Wrath for awards season. Such a well done game.
  • I loved Dishonored, but it did not have the best story. I have not played Journey but IT had the best story. AC3 multiplayer was not good, that goes to Halo 4. Fine with all the other awards.
  • meh
  • True true true

  • why do I keep coming back to GI when I read things as ludicrous as these...I think it's time for a change in staff I would sincerely appreciate a blog explaining why Journey is considered an action game. It was a great experience, but the player is limited to running and jumping. I would also like to know why Syndicate does not seem to exist to GI.It was a solid shooter with high production values, and was not mentioned in any way in the Best of 2012 issue, despite receiving a score of 8 from Bryan, thereby qualifying some mention.
  • Action GOTY: AC3!

  • Looks like I need to check out Dishonored.  I figured AC III would take the cake.

  • Booyah! Dishonored is awesome, it deserves all the praise it gets and more for though its ideas may not be anything new, its combination of story choice, multiple gameplay styles, setting, powers, weapons, and so much more make for one unforgettable experience that is pretty unique to the person playing.
  • It really could have gone to AC3 but i agree Dishonored deserved this award.;)

  • I don't agree with this
  • i still need to play dishonored

  • Gonna have to play Dishonored.

  • Asura's Wrath the most ridiculous action game of this year? I second that!

  • Picked up Dishonored on Steam sale for $30 and finished my first play through earlier today.  

    Already one of my favorite games of all-time.

    Everything just works together so well, with enough new and satisfying gameplay to keep me coming back for quite sometime.

  • Definitely agree with Dishonored being the winner. However, there seems to be a lot of people complaining it wasn't that great in the comments...I absolutely loved it and would go as far to say it's one of my top games this year. :/
  • I greatly disliked Dishonored. Way to easy and way to short. I beat the game on the hardest difficulty, and I beat the game using none of powers, except for the teleportation. I did all of that while remaining stealthy. I was highly unimpressed with the game.

  • The action genre was one of the most disappointing for me this year. I felt Dishonored was good but not great but IMO that will be one of those games that has the potential to serve up a stellar sequel. AC3 was my biggest disappointment. At the end of the day it just wasn't very fun for me. I found the pacing absolutely horrendous and the mission design ranged from decent to dreadful. The Assassination missions sucked. I think my favorite action adventure game this year has been Mark of the Ninja.

  • I kind of regret returning dishonored, i don't think i gave it a real look at.

  • AC 3 for me as well to me Dishonored got really boring really fast.

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next ... Last