If shooter RPGs like Mass Effect can make the best of 2012, then how come Borderlands 2 isn't on this list?

Mass effect 3 for the win.

Xenoblade was so amazing-I can't wait for Monolith's Wii U game.

oh god, the Mordin moment had me choking up, good pick, even though ME3 had at least a dozen other worthy moments

I still need to get around to playing Xenoblade... desperately...

YES, some love for Dragon's Dogma! (my GOTY).

I also like the "Moment of the year" pick, though fighting your first Dragon in the Open World of Dragon's Dogma was pretty stunning, too :)

Good mass effect was so disappointing. nearly every aspect of the game had gotten worse since 1. Didn't know that about xenoblade, that's so awesome. And I really want to get dragons dogma soon, it sounds amazing

I don't know why everyone is so upset at ME3. I've felt that my choices mattered in the game, and the ending sequence was furthered improved by a free DLC. Even the multiplayer was very fun! I was happy with my purchase.

No Kingdom Hearts 3DS!? Really? I thought it was one of the best in the series, and seeing the characters from The World Ends With You made it even more compelling.

good list ....ff13-2 was this yr ? .. too many games this year. mordin also made me cry :(

Of course ME3 would win it all, however, I am glad to see that FFXIII-2 made the list a few times. Woot!

Cool list.

I agree with all of these except the RPG of the year.. the ending of ME3 soured the experience too heavily.

Mordin's moment is easily my favorite gaming memory of the year. Michael Beattie's performance in the Mass Effect series was the best voice acting in recent memory.

I'm glad that Dragon's Dogma got the recognition it deserves.

Love Mass Effect 3. It is my rpg of the year and one of my games of the year. But there should be a new catergory: best use of rpg elements. THis year would be Borderlands 2. But it would be interesting to see it in the following years.

Personally, I think the best character (I know this isn't a specific category, but whateves) was the Illusive Man. For what role he played in the Mass Effect series, he always had an underlying goal that I felt all of us can connect with; the desire for control and stability. This goal stood out from the cliches of revenge, being how revenge is aspect so common that it has appeared to have become a scapegoat for many writers. While he took that ideal to impossible heights, the general concept of control is something we all really want in life. Whether people are aware or not, the means of having a reign on our own lives to fight against unpredictability is the ultimate goal of human nature. The means to security is that of controlling the elements around us to mold our lives in a shape that we believe is best. In the Illusive Man's case that need for security took hold in trying to control the Reapers. His (Spoilers!!!)
ultimate downfall was just as poetic as it was ironic, that his ambition to control the impossible in the end ultimately caused him to lose control of himself and his sanity.

Also, I thought Martin Sheen did an incredible job voicing the Illusive Man. Just my two cents.

All the categories sound about right. :)  There are so many incredible moments in Mass Effect 3 that its hard for me to narrow down the best one, but Mordin's is definitely up there with the best of any game.  It hits on multiple levels.

I still don't get why ME3 gets all this hate when it was great. It may have not been the best in the series and some people didn't like the ending, I felt like I needed more closure with characters I've spent multiple games developing relationships with, but it didn't really bring down the experience for me in the slightest. Other than that, the rest of the list is just a reminder of what I need to play from this year. ^_^

Nice to see Dogma on this list.