Justin Amirkhani, Staff Writer

You Don’t Know Jack

In the great kingdom of Trivialand there is a monolithic mountain that casts a shadow over every meadow and hamlet; atop that mountain sits King Jack. Silent for so long, the people of Trivialand began to fear that their most noble champion had vanished forever. But then, like a crashing tide against a tired schooner, the great King Jack descended and brought benediction to all who basked in his greatness. On that fateful day the good people of Trivialand were reminded there is only one king, and he is irreverent.

Bulletstorm

The traditions of the first person shooter have become ritual to the point that they no longer feel special. It’s a disturbing confession, but the normalcy of run-and-gun gameplay has become an almost passive experience, requiring no more than basic muscle memory autopilot to complete. Enter Bulletstorm, a game made appealing by a gimmick that invited players to interact with their enemies and their environments unlike any game before it. The non-standard arsenal of weaponry, including the game defining energy leash, combined with a combo system that rewards creativity made Bulletstorm a game that felt busier and more active in the best ways possible. This was the first action game released this year that required me to think while I played.

Marvel vs Capcom 3

A good fighting game is deeply technical, offers a balanced roster of characters, and does it all with visual panache. Marvel vs Capcom 3 hit every note on the checklist and still managed to be more accessible than any of Capcom’s previous offerings. If fighting games are defined by the people you play with, MvC3 succeeds by ensuring no matter where your friends sit on the skill ladder, they’ll be able to compete and have a good time.

Child of Eden

Despite being wholly engrossing experiences, there are few games that can affect my emotion within minutes of playing. Child of Eden is a sensory overload that I can’t help but be affected by. The rhythmic pulse of the game’s psychedelic metronome is hypnotic; it takes over and absorbs you. No other game released so far this year has been able to do that, and it’s unlikely any other will before 2012.

Empires and Allies

I’ll break the mold and be the first to put a Facebook game on this list. Having dabbled in a few social games in the past for research I began to understand their appeal on a fundamental level, but it wasn’t until Empires and Allies did I ever become fully engrossed in one of these games. Breaking a lot of social gaming conventions by letting you attack your friends, suffer losses and requiring economic co-operation between contacts, Empires and Allies gave me stakes in a genre that’s generally about consequence free gameplay.

Neilie Johnson, Staff Writer:

Back to the Future Series

Telltale's fulfilled one of my teenage fantasies (no, not that one) by creating new chapters for the Back to the Future saga. They've totally recaptured the BttF magic here with amazing, stylized caricatures of all the original actors and the vocal talents of Christopher Lloyd and newbie actor A.J. Locascio (who's more Michael J. Fox than Michael J. Fox). Those of us who've always loved (or wanted to be) good ol' Doc Brown finally get to see what the old kook would've been like as a young kook. When that familiar piano riff plays over the opening credits, I dare you not to get the chills.

Hector Badge of Carnage: We Negotiate with Terrorists

I tell you, Telltale's on a roll. This time, not because they've made something great, but because they recognized something great. Irish animation company Straandlooper (yeah...) created a spectacularly slovenly detective and starred him in a series of short films as Hector, Fat Arse of the Law. How could an interactive version of that not be great? Badge of Carnage shows Hector taking on a mad bomber using all the resources available to a foul-mouthed, dirty-underweared gumshoe and includes crudely witty exchanges with petty criminals, prostitutes and terrorists. Again I ask you—what about that isn't great?

Gemini Rue

This is one of the most interesting, thoughtful adventure games made in a good long while and it was made by one guy. One. Made by UCLA student, Joshua Nuernberger (who makes the rest of us look like slackers), the game follows a brooding, noir-like detective through a futuristic, Blade Runner-esque cityscape on the trail of his missing brother. Although the art style hasn't been current since oh, 1990, the game is highly atmospheric thanks to some good dialog and smart audio design. Couple that with a storyline that actually surprises and Gemini Rue beats the crap out of 90% of the games out there, narratively speaking.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Keeping with the detective theme, Ghost Trick creates a whole new spin on the murder mystery by killing off its primary investigator two minutes in. Having been ignominiously shot in a grungy back alley while looking into a crime, the game's protagonist learns (with the help of a mysterious paranormal mentor) how to use his “ghost tricks” to continue the investigation. In some ways, like a supernatural Ace Attorney game, Ghost Trick gives you the chance to flex your info-gathering skills while its puzzles tax that generally unused portion of your brain--the one that controls logic. Easily one of the most interesting titles of the year, handheld or otherwise.

Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded

Some people think Kingdom Hearts is all played out but title after title, they keep managing to surprise. In this “RPG-lite” installment in the KH series, you get to help original hero Sora debug a top-secret digital journal. Square keeps the core gameplay here but streamlines it for the less hardcore player. Being Square though, they also introduce a slew of new gameplay modes, including some 2D side-scrolling sequences and turn-based arena play. As long as they keep making Kingdom Hearts games, I'll keep playing 'em.