Aussie Nintendo - Australia's Best Nintendo Coverage

Welcome to the 2012 Aussie-Nintendo Game of the Year Awards! Its high time we took a look back at the year of gaming that was 2011, and decide just who made the best what. While lots of sites rely on their talented staff to decide who wins, we're proud Aussies - so that means we're more laid back (re: lazy) and would rather give you, the people, the chance to have your voices heard! Despite being called Aussie-Nintendo, we don't discriminate the other platforms, and we try to give everyone a fair go. This year we see more categories than ever, covering more formats than ever, so will this be the best ever? I guess that's another thing for the public to decide. Man, we're too kind!

I could go on, but let's get down to business. What you, I, and everyone else is here for: to find out what titles made the grade for the 2012 Aussie-Nintendo Game of the Year Awards!


Skyloft is a place amongst the clouds,  a place of peace and contentment, a place where nothing goes awry. Well, guess what? Young Zelda has been taken by evil forces down to the dangerous and mysterious land of Hyrule below, and its up to childhood friend Link to go after her. Harking back to the earliest time in the series, this is where legends really are made. A fresh and able cast (and Groose!) support the always engaging tale, and the revelation of true 1:1 sword-swinging action is a delight. The classic enemies, puzzles, and dungeons are all there, tweaked within an inch of perfection by the talented team at Nintendo.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword attempts to be the biggest and best adventure that hero Link has made in the franchise's illustrious 25 year history. We won't get into the politics of deciding if that really is (or ever will be) the case, but instead concede that it's still one helluva game. Top notch graphics, gameplay, plot and music coupled with the Wii motion controls finally showing their true potential proves Nintendo never takes their most respected series lightly. It's going to be interesting to see how they can surpass this achievement.



Mario Kart 7 continues the act of addictive racing shenanigans and driving players to the brink of insanity, where pure luck is on equal terms with pure skill. Loaded with tracks, characters and vehicle upgrades, there's something for everyone in this frantic scrap for first place. New abilities to glide through the air or drive underwater allow new ways of approaching the same track and make for amazing shortcuts. The online play is another key area, allowing you to race friends from around the world and royally piss them off with those damn blue shells. Still the master of its craft.

Super Mario 3D Land is a celebration of the old by celebrating the new. Making full use of the Nintendo 3DS' ability to show that extra dimension, gamers can use depth of field to see the old world of Mario in a new way. Stunning graphics in full 3D set the bar for how well the gimmick can work not only for effect, but result. The Tanooki Suit returns in a big way, aiding not only Mario, but his adversaries too for the first time. Exciting battles with Bowser and his cronies, tricky levels and a quest beyond expectation, Super Mario 3D Land is a tight, concise package. Nintendo's nostalgic ways will charm even the most discerning of fans.



Another year, another Pokémon game. But is that such a bad thing? Once again you're a young, up-and-coming Pokémon trainer out to show the world how good you are, building an army of Pokémon and battling fellow trainers. You're delegated a single pocket monster before being unleashed into the big, new world of Unova. Though still ultimately the same tried-and-true formula, a load of new elements were employed: rotation and triple battles make for new strategies, along with seasons, fully animated Pokémon, and 3D-esque environments to traverse. A whole lot of little things add up, but ultimately, why fix what isn't broken?



RedLynx knows how to play with physics. After all, these are the guys who made the sensational Trials HD for the Xbox Live Arcade. Now, they've turned their attention to WiiWare and made this: MotoHeroz. You must race and bounce and do whatever you can to keep the motion going as you make your way across the beautifully presented and challenging tracks on the planet of Genma. Not only that, but there's the hilariously fun multiplayer mode and online challenges to meet. RedLynx takes buggies, physics and a fine line between success and failure to create an addictive and rewarding gaming experience.



Pullblox (or Pushmo) comes from the insanely talented minds of Intelligent Systems (Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, Paper Mario) in this 3DS eShop title, and boy is it a doozy. Deceptively simple, you are Mallo, a friendly little guy who just happens to like rescuing children who get trapped at the top of very elaborate and blocky playground equipment. You must push, pull and jump to reach the top and extract the hapless kid to progress. It doesn't sound like much, but with the use of 3D and perfect gameplay mechanics, you'll get sucked into the 250+ puzzle campaign. And then there's the whole mess (re: fun) of creating your own levels. It never ends, nor would you want it to.


Everyman adventurer Nathan Drake returns for more fantastic third-person action adventure hijinks in the most realised entry to the acclaimed series yet. Drake and Sully are traveling the globe in search of a lost city before the bad guys do. It's a simple set-up that expands and builds in an effortlessly entertaining way. Literally stunning graphics, character mo-cap, and music prove this to be a technical labour of love, with developer Naughty Dog pulling out all stops to make Uncharted 3 as immersive as possible. The story and its characters are the real strength to this game, where simply watching them interact is as equally enjoyable as playing it.



Marketed as a prequel and a remake (is that even possible?) of 2009's Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Dissidia 012 is largely reminiscent of the original, but with some changes. Ignoring the terribly convoluted story, you explore the world with others, engaging primarily in one-on-one battles. The battle system itself is a thrill to master, and the selection of characters delectable. RPG elements like leveling up your character and assisting your fellow players sneak in to not only make it more Final Fantasy-like, but enhance to overall experience. Then there's the graphics and cut scenes, which almost always look great in a Square Enix title. Fans of Final Fantasy will love the improvements on the original, the fan service moments, and the sheer amount of content.



Renegade Ops is a top-down shooter where you drive a plethora of deadly vehicles across a range of environments, shooting and exploding your way through to your next objectives. The best games take a simple premise and keep them simple - no needless extras or restrictions. Renegade Ops delivers this in spades with highly detailed levels where just about everything can (and will) get blown up. Not even the cheesy dialogue and voice acting can ruin the fun you'll have here with all the customisation and gameplay options on tap. It's a blast. Really.

Back on the Mega-CD, Sega released one of the best installments in its Sonic the Hedgehog series. Sonic and Amy Rose are enjoying themselves on Little Planet before Dr. Robotnik shows up, kidnaps Amy, and unleashes a robotic duplicate of Sonic to wreak havoc. The speedy protagonist must blitz his way though the cleverly designed stages, utilising the even more clever time-travel mechanic to see changes in the environment and enemies. For a game nearly ten years old, newcomers will find this 'enhanced' Sonic CD a breath of fresh air, and discover that Sega really can make a good Sonic title, albeit an old one. Also Tails.


The 360's greatest third-person shooter is back, three years after the last game and things are still pretty grim. The Locust Horde are gone, but a new threat has risen, once again threatening humanity. Enter Marcus Fenix and his tough team of problem solvers. Completing the trilogy in spectacular fashion, Gears of War 3 can be seen as the perfection of a series that seems all its own. Polishing the already superb gameplay mechanics to the extreme, Epic Games has ensured the final arc of the tale gets a fitting send-off, with top of the line graphics, sound design and intelligent settings. Though essentially it's big guys with big guns killing big aliens, Gears of War 3 is also utterly big, bombastic and brave in everything it does.



Seems everyone's going gaga over the little indie darling that could. The Kid moves through a world that rises and subsides as he moves about, collecting shards and attempting to restore the Bastion, a place that could be the key to saving the Kid's civilisation. The endlessly shifting environments are lush and gorgeous, as they are both safe and perilous with hordes of enemies impeding the Kid's progress. A narrator follows the Kid's progress, with a deep, engaging tone that intelligently notes what's literally happening, instead of simply telling a story. Bastion's music, sound effects, and surprising depth of the weapons, power-ups and choices make this one of the best downloadable titles, period.


The first Portal was a surprise. An unassuming puzzler that based itself on the brilliant premise of the portal gun, allowing the player to move about levels like never before. It was devilishly funny, smart, and fun. In Portal 2, it's all that and much, much more. Chell is back in the Aperture labs, working with the hilarious Wheatley to escape, but someone doesn't want that to happen. Valve Corporation are an absurdly clever bunch, crafting a puzzle platformer yard stick any imitators will be compared to. A plot revolving around Aperture's own history is smartly unraveled and adds all the more to the unforgettable conclusion. And then you've got the amazing co-op multiplayer after that!


The creator of the Infinity Blade has been locked away in a tower, and its up to you to rescue him. Moving through the game you'll become engaged in one-on-one sword battles with a variety of foes. Careful dodging, blocks and attacks are important to defeat your enemies, all done on a touch screen of all things. And looking at the graphics, it's hard to believe such a title is available on a device that you use to make phone calls. RPG elements sneak in too; with exp. points allowing you to level up your weapons, armour, shields, everything. A twisting plot is there to keep you hooked, and it even attempts to explain why you must repeatedly kill. Though still pretty linear and short, this is an example of the potential future of high-powered mobile gaming.


Popularity breeds hate. Ask Nike, McDonald's and Microsoft. Granted, those are all big and successful corporations, but Bethesda Game Studio's latest installment in The Elder Scrolls franchise is the biggest and most successful yet. While a majority of sites have listed Skyrim as their overall Game of the Year, you have instead decided to name it your ANTI-Game of the Year for 2011 - your worst game. A lot of you didn't seem sold on dragons or taking arrows to the knee, or "FUS DO RAH!" and the many glitches (some of which are downright hilarious) didn't help either. It seems that a lot of people not usually into this sort of open-world action RPG curiously bought into the premise due to overwhelming critical acclaim. Were your bodies not prepared for the backwards-flying dragon brilliance? Guess not. Enjoy your successes Skyrim, because we won't.




The story aims to precede all Zelda games before it, and show us the origins of the legend we all know (or think we know) and love. Again, Nintendo have laid out an interesting plot for Link to make his way through, one that you actually want to invest in. And the characters! Bar the overly-analytical Fi, the supporting cast in Skyward Sword is a diverse and engaging bunch, even the villains. For the first time, Zelda's music is fully orchestral too, and boy, is it good. Appropriately timed for release in the 25th anniversary of the series, to quote our review: "it's easily the most graciously alternative Zelda since Majora's Mask and certainly features enough great entertainment to earn a recommendation to anyone who's been, at the very least, remotely interested with the franchise."


And that's it! What a year! Certainly a few surprises in there, and some not so much (and not because they weren't deserving!), but that's how these things go. The discussion generated in the Forums was good to see, as you voiced your feelings and opinions on the games that made your year. It goes without saying, but a big thank you to all who took the time to vote and have your voice heard. The year ahead looks to be another interesting one, with potential console releases and more big games in the works, so no doubt we'll be just as hard-pressed to pick from a plethora of great titles for the coming 12 months. It's a hard life, being a gamer.

Oh, and Happy Australia Day!