GOTY 2012 Game of the Year: Far Cry 3

We're now at the end of Softpedia's Game of the Year 2012 awards and the main distinction – the Game of the Year one – will have two winners, one chosen by me, Andrei Dobra, and one chosen by my colleague, Andrei Dumitrescu, which both reflect our personal opinions.

For me, as you could have guessed after checking out the rest of the awards, the Game of the Year 2012 is Far Cry 3.

I played a huge variety of great games in the last 12 months and I really enjoyed a lot of them, ranging from Mass Effect 3, to Diablo 3, Orcs Must Die 2, Dishonored, and many more.

But what really impressed me was Far Cry 3, the latest first-person shooter from Ubisoft.

I really liked Far Cry 3 largely because it did a lot of things differently, for better or worse. While Far Cry 3 is arguably a more streamlined experience with a relatively simpler story, it still does a lot of offbeat things for a regular first-person shooter.

While it's still a great game in which you shoot enemies, you can also develop your skills via a complex RPG-like leveling system, you can craft new items, like healing syringes, and upgrade your abilities, by manufacturing bigger weapon holsters or ammo pouches.

The game is also huge, as you can wander on two sprawling islands in the single-player and two more in the cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes. You can explore all this land by using different vehicles, from cars and jeeps, to boats and jet skis, or even hang gliders.

You can also play the game as a guns-blazing, extremely resistant mad man or you can opt to spend your skill points in different takedowns and play stealthily throughout the game. It's up to you and whatever method you choose, you'll have a lot of fun.

From its mechanics, to its huge world, to the wealth of content you can go through, Far Cry 3 is my game of the year 2012.