Looking back at 2012, it was a bit of a downer overall for co-op gamers. Not that we didn't have a lot of great co-op games, but it just seems that the field of truly standout games was a lot thinner than previous years. 2012 was the year we finally saw Diablo 3 released and while there was a lot of controversy around it, it was still a damn fine co-op game. We also saw sequels a plenty with the likes of Borderlands 2, Halo 4, Far Cry 3 and plenty of others. But 2012 was also a standout year for one reason, it was the year we really saw the rise of the indie game in both quality, quantity and recognition.
Digital download games have exploded, and with that, a lot of studios - both large and small - have self published titles. Studios with their first game like Misfits Attic who created A Virus Named TOM to veteran studios like Robot Entertainment who released the truly excellent Orcs Must Die! 2. Indie was everywhere this year and there was a solid field of games to choose from, almost as big as the AAA titles themselves.
Because of the way the industry has changed, so has our awards. Gone are several categories and instead we split things in two - Indie and AAA. We put up several games to a vote for the community and the staff itself voted as well. So who are the co-op games of the year? Let's fine out.