Because this last generation has largely been about consoles, few gamers know about the thrill and offerings of arcades. Aside from featuring some of the most unique games, arcades also have an atmosphere unlike console gaming.  It’s a fear that even survival horror games can’t reproduce – that of embarrassment. For that reason, some key titles like DJMAX Technika hardly get touched by the uninitiated, which will likely change now with the Vita release of DJMAX Technika Tune.

I’ve never been one to identify with others when they discount newer games and movies in favor of older releases. However, I have to admit I am  on that side of the fence as well when it comes to certain games – especially fighting games. There’s just something about having to practice for hours on end to even become proficient with characters and their combos that I respect. While one series has managed to keep its integrity and difficulty, the same can hardly be said for others. Thankfully, the digital market has made it possible for one of the hardest 2D fighters ever, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, to become accessible again.

2012 was a year about a lot of things, like (terrible) end of world predictions, the discovery of the Higgs-Boson, and Mars rover landings. But it was mainly about video games, and not just video games, but good video games, because the worst kind of video game is a bad video game. And those aren’t nice. Here are some that are.

When browsing deals online, I’ll surely find a pair of Skullcandy earphones periodically. On my first impression, I always thought that they were meant for aesthetics, rather than performance. I’ve always been one to favor performance over aesthetics. Fancy my interest when I saw that Skullcandy would be releasing a wireless gaming headset that would be compatible across the board for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Needless to say, I was ecstatic that a headset would finally be able to follow me as I game away with the modern wireless gaming controller.

As 2012 comes to a close, we look back at the games released this year. While everyone wants to point out the obvious “best games,” there are others that stand out this year and deserve recognition. Here are the five highlights of the year for me, even if they aren’t the epic, Hollywood production titles everyone looked forward to all year.

At any party with video game consoles, the Wii is always everyone’s first choice for proper party games. With games like Mario Party and Super Smash Bros., the system has had a firm hold on both casual and hardcore gamers alike, and both Sony and Microsoft have made countless attempts to catch up. Sony’s latest attempt, Playstation All Stars Battle Royale, is more ambiguous; it aims to take down the most dominant party game, Super Smash Bros, begging the question of whether Sony takes the path of plain mimicry or innovation to dethrone the king.

Many games illicit an immediate response from us, whether it be excitement, eagerness, or even utter disgust if the game is horrible enough. Sometimes, and just sometimes, a game entirely confuses our emotions. When I first laid hands and eyes on Mugen Souls, I loved its premise but also felt embarrassed to even play it in public – an RPG that uses various anime TV tropes rather than elements to decide weaknesses and strengths, featuring Lolita girls that belong in school rather than on an adventure conquering the universe.

Over a decade ago, Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima stepped out of the stealth action genre and into the action adventure genre, creating the Zone of the Enders, one of the most genuine mecha experiences in gaming. As time passed, though other games have become dated, both in their design and technical prowess. Kojima’s other titles in the Metal Gear series have held their own well, but that only begs the question of how well Zone of the Enders would do after a full decade.

The beauty of the Silent Hill series over other survivor horror series is its method of instilling fear. While other titles focus on sudden, abrupt monsters popping into view or surprisingly loud noises, it’s the atmosphere and creepy visuals that Silent Hill a nightmare inducing experience. With every Silent Hill game, I know to expect this; sadly, this was not the case with the Vita’s Silent Hill: Book of Memories. Instead, Book of Memories is a mostly compacted version of Silent Hill, where the trademark mood and atmosphere are absent and the horror is left out of survival horror.