The WotGs are back!  It was a great year for gaming, so let’s just jump right in.

First off, thanks to those who contributed their Games of the Year to the cast:  Scott Dunphy, Scott Wachter, Tim, Paul, Darrell (probably misspelled that; sorry, bud), Tony and Holden.

Now, our picks.

The Molyneux

• Papo & Yo
• Steel Battalion
• Lollipop Chainsaw

The Brink

• Quantum Conundrum
• Armored Core V
• Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

Darksidered

• Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
• Far Cry 3
• Max Payne 3

Biggest Disappointment

• Assassin’s Creed 3
• Armored Core V & Steel Battalion
• Mass Effect 3

The El Shaddai

• Asura’s Wrath
• Asura’s Wrath
• Max Payne 3

Biggest Time Sink

• Borderlands 2 (58 hours)
• Ghost Recon Future Soldier (113 hours)
• Borderlands 2 (108 hours)

Most Addictive

• Infinite Runners
• Need for Speed: Most Wanted
• Dishonored

Best New IP

• Journey
• Dishonored
• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Continues to Impress

• Saints Row: The Third
• Assassin’s Creed multiplayer
• Skyrim

Made Just For Me

• Mark of the Ninja
• Ghost Recon Future Soldier
• Borderlands 2

Best Throwback

• Rock Band Blitz
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown
• Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection

Best Story

• The Walking Dead
• XCOM
• Mass Effect 3

Best Character

• Handsome Jack, Borderlands 2
• Vaas, Far Cry 3
• Legion, Mass Effect 3

Host’s Random Pick for Distinction

• Spaceteam
• Faster Than Light
• Journey

Hosts’ Game of the Year

• The Walking Dead
• Borderlands 2
• Borderlands 2

The Way of the Game Game of the Year: Borderlands 2

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Jonathan’s dealing with family stuff this week, and so Sam and Alex present the show this week.

Sam talks about Resident Evil 6.  Alex talks up The Walking Dead.  They both wax poetic about XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

After that, the boys discuss the year’s “themes.”  Stealth done right, strategy’s not dead, and developers aren’t afraid to delay for quality.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Business:  Jonathan’s going to miss Gen Con this year, because employment trumps gaming.  Sam will be attending, though, so WotG will still have a presence.

Games Jonathan Played:

• The Walking Dead – an interesting, if cel-shaded, take on zombies and point-and-click adventures.
• Dragon’s Dogma – what Alex thought about Skyrim, Jonathan thinks about Dragon’s Dogma.
• New World Colony – Catan crossed with Risk, and Jonathan’s impressed.

Games Alex Played:

• Crusader Kings 2 – well worth the sale price, maybe not so good at full price.

Games Sam Played:

• Max Payne 3 – once you accept what Max is laying down, the game gets good.
• Ghost Recon: Future Soldier – hear what happens when your pitted against you buddies.

E3 Time: We discuss the good and bad of the Big 3 press conferences, throw in some publisher smack talk for good measure, and lay bare just how bad we are at making predictions.

Next week, we’ve got two, count ‘em! TWO! people on the show who actually attended E3, one of whom is pulling a Jack Kerouac and going on the road, but for games instead of drugs.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

A bit of a short show this week, but there’s a lot going on in it, I promise.  We’ve got a topic this week that has caught the interest of Alex Wawro, a writer for PC World and former WotG E3 insider, and John Davison, vice president of CBS Interactive.

Rather than inundate our guests with our usual game-related ramblings, we ask what they’ve been playing, by way of introduction.  Alex has been playing Tell Tale Games’ new episodic title, The Walking Dead, and it’s amazing.  John has been trying to understand League of Legends, and it’s not so amazing.

We then move on to the topic which brought these august gentlemen to the show: if the next home consoles restrict the used market in some way, will this ultimately harm small independent media outlets like The Way of the Game?  Will we be less able to experience the breadth of games that listeners and readers demand, or will we be better situated to meet the needs of gamers who are also playing fewer games?

We want to extend a huge thank you to John and Alex.  They provided truly unique insights that can only come from people involved in the “mainstream” media.

Next week, there will be no Alexes on the show, and Sam has rage in his heart.  It ought to be fun!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download