After three years here with the Involved Fans staff, the time has come for me to step back as the Community Manager here at XBLA Fans. The reason for my departure is not negative nor are any relationships here the cause of my stepping down. Sometimes life just happens and you need to take a step back. I simply don’t have the bandwidth to keep up with any day-to-day tasks anymore, and the site is better off if I take that step back and give another staff member a chance to take over the community side of things. Who knows, I may be back at some point in the future at some capacity but for now I’m simply a guy who watches from a distance while others continue to make the site thrive and grow every day. The staff here is excellent. Everything is in good hands.
Another year is in the books, and, as expected, XBLA has continued to grow and reach milestones that one would not have imagined possible seven years ago when the first few XBLA games released. In 2012, XBLA games set many records only to break those same records again and again in the ensuing weeks. From Fez to Trials Evolution to Minecraft, the downloads just kept queuing up all over the world. The success of XBLA in 2012 was impressive to say the least.
That meant that we had quite the task in front of us when coming together as a staff to try to decide which game to pick for each Game of the Year category below. The nominee list for each category offered so many great choices, but at the end of the day, only one game could win each award and as a staff of passionate XBLA gamers, we think we did a pretty good job of presenting the highlights of Xbox Live Arcade in 2012. Hope you like what we picked, but if not, let us know in the comments what you would have voted for. Without further delay, here are the 2012 XBLA Fans Game of the Year awards as chosen by the XBLA Fans staff.
On the last day of The 12 Days of XBLA, we are giving away the most successful XBLA game ever. That’s right, it’s Minecraft day. And as an added bonus, we have a few extra games to give away to the daily winner of this post. The winner will also receive a copy of Black Knight Sword, Pool Nation and The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile! That makes this particular contest worth $55!
All you need to do to enter today’s contest is share your favorite Minecraft creation below. Anything is acceptable. You could link to a photo you have uploaded of your world, describe an awesome moment you had like your first creeper encounter or even link to/describe somebody else’s creation you saw online that took you aback with its excellence. Anything goes here. It’s the last day. Let’s just share Minecraft stories, shall we? We hope you enjoyed the past 12 days. We sure did :)
The winner of yesterday’s contest is: Marco Cremona (@XdarKillerX94) – You have won a copy of Fable Heroes. We will be in touch with you today on Twitter!
And the winner of this (Day 12) contest is: xMALOx (@xGATOxMALOx) – You have won a copy of Minecraft, Black Knight Sword, Pool Nation & The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile. We will be in contact with you today on Twitter!
As we near the end of the 12 Days of XBLA promotion, we have one last Photoshop contest for you. The above image is a screenshot from an 2012 XBLA game after a few Photoshop filters were applied. All you need to do to enter today’s contest is name the game the screenshot is from in the comments section below. Good luck!
The winner of yesterday’s contest is: Slim (@DarkSlimy) – You have won a a Pinball FX2 Avengers Chronicles and Zen Classics pack. We will be in contact with you today on Twitter!
Today we will be giving out an Avengers Chronicles and a Zen Classics pack for Pinball FX2. That’s 8 total tables! All you need to do to enter today is post your dream pinball table in the comments section below. I know I personally want to see some sort of South Park table added. And to be honest, Saved by the Bell would be pretty cool too. What would you like to see added to Pinball FX2? Let us know below and you are entered in today’s contest. Good luck!
The winner of yesterday’s contest is: El Ross Maszczak (@el_Ross_M) – You have won a copy of Sine Mora. We will be in contact with you today on Twitter!
On Day 9 the “Name those Achievements” game returns. Do you know what XBLA game the four achievement pictures above are taken from? If you do be sure to post the name of that game in the comments for a chance to win today. Good luck!
The winner of yesterday’s contest is: Cereal Killa (@ChuckyCereal) – You have won a copy of Mark of the Ninja. We will be in touch with you today on Twitter!
Day 8 brings another distorted screenshot contest. Take a good look at the image above and post what XBLA game you think it is in the comments section below. Guess the game right and you will be entered in today’s contest. Good luck!
The winner of yesterday’s contest is: Ken Rumsey (@kenrumsey) – You have won a copy of Pid. We will be in touch with you today on Twitter!
Cherry Pop Games recently contacted us about our 12 Days of XBLA promotion and we were more than happy to add a few Pool Nation codes to our list …
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It’s day 7, and today we are giving away a few copies of Pid. In order to enter in today’s contest, all you need to do is answer the trivia question below. Good luck!
Question: What is the main characters name in Pid?
The winner of yesterday’s contest is: Linda (@ohhaihello) – You have won a copy of Dust: An Elysian Tail. We will be in contact with you later today on Twitter!
Today we are giving away a copy of [Redacted]. OK, so we’re not telling you what the prize is quite yet. But in order to figure it out, all you need to do is identify what XBLA game the four achievement pictures in the above image are from. If you can figure it out, then go ahead and post your answer in the comment section below for a chance to win [Redacted]. Good luck!
The winner of yesterday’s contest is: Kyle A. (@qwikciphers) – You have won a copy of Happy Action?Theater. We will be in touch with you today on Twitter!