The word unique gets thrown around a lot in gaming, but The Unfinished Swan is truly unique, an experience not to be missed. It will show you that games don't need combat to be engaging, and they don't need color to strike a chord with your imagination. Simply put, this is one of the best games of the year, and my very favorite gaming experience of 2012.

The visuals have been massively overhauled to make this the best looking Halo, if not the best looking 360 game to date.

With the release of BioShock Infinite, developer Irrational has delivered a bigger story, more polished experience, and created two similar-yet-separate games that can co-exist and remain equal in quality. When the history of videogames is written, not one, but two BioShocks will be remembered for pushing gameplay, story, and subject matter to new levels.

Crysis 2 really feels like the kitchen sink of recent shooters: compelling single-player, interesting multiplayer modes, vehicles, myriad weapons, and the Nanosuit. Plus 3D, stealth kills, grabbing and throwing enemies, sprinting and sliding, using cover, and facing enemies using highly effective AI routines to keep every encounter fresh: It's all here, every check box of the genre ticked. But this kitchen sink is 24-carat gold plated.

Dirt 3 may be the best racing game I've played in the last decade. It's certainly the best one that takes place on surfaces other than tarmac.

Easily the best game currently available on the 3DS. The incredibly story, fun and rewarding gameplay, and astounding soundtrack all make it clear to see why the original game was heralded as one of the greatest games of all time. Improvements like updated graphics, touch screen control for menu navigation, and the added Master Quest and Boss Rush mode make this port the definitive version of the game.

It's once in a blue moon that a game this special comes along.

For every Mario-like overworld map screen and shifting platform puzzle it recycles, it sprinkles in a dash of new-age ingenuity, with fast-paced and complex obstacles, comical scientist slaughter, and laugh-out-loud '90s pop culture references.

Fan-fu**ing-tastic. It's the sort of game you don't want to stop playing.

Combat is extremely fulfilling due to the fact that you can string together attacks, counters, gadget quick attacks, and special moves completely flawlessly.

Tweaks to the My Player mode as well as the growth of the Legend concept has led this franchise to even greater heights. A wonderfully tasty mix of presentation and solid gameplay make this game a keeper, even in a year when the actual NBA may never appear.

If Uncharted 3 proves anything, it's that Naughty Dog may be the most versatile studio in videogames. Their ability to craft tightly paced cinematic action, lighthearted narratives, endearing characters, and paint it with technical wizardry is unparalleled. Every single aspect of Uncharted 3, including its surprisingly robust multiplayer, is staggeringly well-executed.

The multiplayer is a cut above the rest, with a ton of options and the ability to customize a huge number of details on any of the maps you set up for Private Matches.

Sometimes I feel like role-playing games have forgotten about the whole "roleplaying" part of the genre. So it's refreshing to play a game like Skyrim that imbues so much effort into immersing you in its world. Quit your job. Divorce your spouse. Give your children up for adoption. Do whatever you need to do to find the time to play Skyrim.

An experience unlike any other. It never takes itself too seriously, it remembers that games should be fun and they should entertain. It's not that any particular part stands out above the other, rather, on the whole, everything is just downright awesome. The character creator alone warrants multiple playthroughs and the story is literally only half the game.

Not only one of the best Zelda games, but one of the best games ever made. It will take you places you've never been and show you sights you've never seen, so ignoring it just because it's on the Wii would be a damn shame.

Inventive, original, whimsical, and fun as shit. Excepting some minor control hiccups, it's nearly the perfect platformer. If you think for one second that time has passed the platformer by, give Rayman: Origins a chance to prove you dead wrong, because it absolutely will.

The deepest, richest, and greatest installment in the already-rock solid franchise, and it's the most compelling reason to go out and buy a 3DS. Now go do it already. I'll see you on the track.

Street Fighter X Tekken has given me everything I've dreamed of and more from a fighting game.

What you'll remember when you're done with ME3 is not the glitches, it's the adventure and the characters you shared it with. As a trilogy, it is one of the most well-realized pieces of science fiction ever created. As a videogame, let's just say I hope I'm alive to see a series of this scope again.

With Diablo III, Blizzard made one of the most approachable and enjoyable games in the world even better. In fact, aside from the annoying online-only infrastructure, I can't imagine a single thing I would change to make this game better. That's when you know you have a classic on your hands, and that's also when you know you should play this game as much as you can.

Mark of the Ninja is not "the game that they were meant to make" because Klei is a talented enough studio that can do even more with different styles of 2D gameplay. Yet, the studio has not only redeemed itself, it also managed to make one of the best stealth games of this generation and also one of the best ninja games ever made.

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita isn't only one of the best LittleBigPlanet games ever, it's one of the best games to pick up for your Vita. It's got creativity, fun, and challenge – entertainment cornerstones that most people would argue make up a great video game.

Now what is the reason to own Street Fighter X Tekken for PlayStation Vita if you already own it for the home consoles? This version is packed full of extras geared towards owners of the PlayStation 3 version of the game. With this you receive the extra 12 DLC characters and 38 alternate costumes for the core characters of the game.

Hotline Miami is one of the very few games that is a perfect union of gameplay mechanics and production values.

There are curmudgeons out there who will skip this game because of the liberal Mario throwbacks, but they're missing the forest for the trees. Inventive level design, loads of content, and the shockingly profound boost mode make this one of the best 2D platformers out there.

There are very few games I’d recommend to anyone regardless of gaming experience or preference, but Runner 2 is one of them. It’s a fantastic reminder that sometimes games are most effective when they don’t try to emulate explosion-riddled Hollywood blockbusters and instead embrace solid gameplay mechanics and unfettered creativity.

With a surprisingly long campaign, infinitely replayable multiplayer, improved spectating and community tools, and access to hundreds of user-made game modes, Heart of the Swarm is an absurd value and a complete necessity for anyone that enjoyed any aspect of StarCraft II. Unless you just hate using your mouse in video games, buy Heart of the Swarm.