... the Game of the Year. In particular which game has the mettle to rise to the top for this years GOTY. With AssThreed stumbling out of the gate it opens the field back up but a new, looming predator already has it in its sights: Far Cry 3.

@katzenbalger is presently reaping the rewards of Australian citizenship and playing this game NOW (And I SEETHE with jealousy) and confirms basically what 27 out of 28 professional reviews already suggest: that this game is PHENOMINAL. We've all seen how f'in pretty it is but hearing all this glowing praise just gives me a Nerd-On from hell and I'm thinking Far Cry will compel me to do something I would never imagine doing even a few months ago: award a First-Person Shooter the title of Uesugi-dono's Game of the Year. It's possible, folks... it's really possible.

What else could come close? Well, I would be remiss if I didn't at least give an honorable nomination to:

WTF you ask? No, I will not allow last years's Champion to retake the crown but let's be fair... I've played this game ALL YEAR LONG and I STILL can't get enough. That's pretty damn impressive. But here's a brief list of the other contenders in my book:

Nipping at the top spot is Binary Domain. It's very possible that you didn't play this sleeper hit, and if that's so this is something you should remedy post-haste. ( @pokecharm - I'm looking at YOU) Binary Domain has a real fighting chance this year and, like Vanquish before it, really deserves it. It's in my Forever Collection, which is pretty small, and for a good reason. With an excellent blend of action, drama, and comedy Binary Domain is what most games set out to be but end up losing sight of in the process.

Sleepings Dogs was a LOT of fun and it really brought back Open World games for me after GTA IV nearly killed it. This is a game that should be on everyone's short list this year. I didn't keep it; I sold it the week before the DLC came out, but that doesn't change the fact that this is one of the best games I've played this year.

Technically I can't include this game; I didn't play it. But I'd like to and I acknowledge that a LOT of people loved the hell out of it and this will probably end up with more than it's fair share of GOTY awards; both personal and professional. I'm not much into the Steampunk setting and I heard that there really was only ONE way to get a good ending (and that was to play boring) but I admit a strong desire to share in this experience.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown also hit my Forever Collection... at least until it comes out for the Vita! I could pour Skyrim-like hours into this and not get tired of it. A more excellent strategy game is hard to find.

But don't count the Heir Apparent out just yet. AssThreed has MORE than it's share of problems. Plagued by glitches and bugs that can be horrifically distracting, AC3 tries hard to expand out from its well-established territory into the lands of past GOTY Hall of Famers Red Dead Redemption and Skyrim but it seems like it was a little too ambitious. Despite it's bugginess and its largely unliked protagonist (He's grown on me; I actually like him more than Ezio now) AC3 has it's shining moments; including an inspired series of naval missions and its taut history-bending story. Has it lived up to its God-like expectations? Not by a long shot, but it's still ruling my console at the moment.

There's not a lot of time left in the year and, let's face it, Far Cry with its incredible rocket-launch start looks impossibly strong. It will be interesting to see what games emerge as Spotter's favorites this year. Soon I'll be putting up Uesugi-dono's Games I've Played This Year for 2012. I look forward to reading yours as well!