Q2 2012 Awards: Best Game

WINNER: MAX PAYNE 3
Though I think it's fair to say that it may not get Game Of The Year status for 2012, Max Payne 3 is an incredible third-person shooter that elevates the violent action-adventure genre out of the depths it has so disgracefully fallen into these past two years. Through protagonist Max, we see the journey of a hardened war veteran into the slums of South Africa, as dark civil wars break out from beneath the surface and our hero finds the lines between good and evil increasingly blurred. The compelling narrative is boosted up by some phenomenal cinematic values and a great (if repetitive) gameplay system that almost revolutionises its style of play in each and every level. I did consider giving this award to the equally fantastic military shooter Spec Ops: The Line, but Max Payne 3 just edged it out in terms of innovation and using ideas that didn't feel so similar to the Gears Of War franchise. This isn't the next Grand Theft Auto by any stretch of the imagination, yet in the current games slum it's pretty much the best new game out there, and it will still remain one of my most memorable first playthroughs of the year! Here's to a busier second half for the industry, though...