作者：Stefanie Fogel

很多人都认为游戏中的原创性已经消失殆尽了。每一年，我们都会发现商品陈列架上摆放着各种授权游戏和AAA级系列游戏（特别是在假期）。根据Penny Arcade Report的一篇文章，今年在所有主机和掌上电脑游戏中，只有195款不属于授权游戏——比2011年减少了35%。幸运的是，数量上的欠缺仍能够用质量来补偿。以下我将按字母顺序列出5款值得玩家投入时间和金钱的非授权新游戏。

《耻辱》

Dishonored（from vehq）

虽然这款朋克式潜行游戏是从《骇客任务》，《神偷》以及《生化奇兵》等游戏中吸取灵感，但却因为其特有的大气层背景而带给了玩家全新的感受。来自名人的配音（游戏邦注：包括Susan Sarandon，John Slattery，Brad Dourif以及Chlo? Grace Moretz等），《嗜血法医》的作曲家Daniel Licht以及游戏产业中的创造天才Raphael Colantonio和Harvey Smith赋予游戏中的虚构城市Dunwall强大的生命力——就像《生化奇兵》中的Rapture或《半条命2》中的City 17一样。游戏围绕着基于任务的故事情节（有关政策与背叛），并始终强调玩家的自由，让他们能够在此感受到全新的游戏体验。

《龙之教条》

Dragon’s Dogma（from gamezmentor）

这是Capcom所打造出的西方风格的角色扮演游戏，并在2012年引起了不小的轰动。游戏混合了激烈的打斗与异步多人游戏元素，并在一个开放的幻想世界中设置了许多巨大的怪物——所以能够同时吸引玩家与评论者的注意。根据MCV，这款游戏初次亮相时便直击日本软件排行榜榜首的位置，并在面向PlayStation 3和Xbox 360发行时售出了30万份的好成绩，使其成为了当前主机时代中最畅销的新IP。Capcom表示他们正致力于游戏续集的制作中，并透露有可能添加玩家生成的任务系统。

《尘埃：幸福的轨迹》

Dust An Elysian Tail（from gimmegimmegames）

因为这款游戏具有卡通式的美术风格以及拟人化的角色设定，所以我们很容易认为它太过幼稚。如果这样想的话你便会错失一款非常有趣的独立2D平台游戏。《尘埃》突出了一个有关战争与记忆的完整故事。游戏中的战争具有深度性，但却不会过于复杂，游戏世界中布满了密道和各种隐藏的道具，等待玩家去探索。更让人惊艳的还是游戏的制作背景：专业的动画师和插画师Dean Dodrill通过自学编程，并花费了4年左右的时间创造了这款游戏。最终，他的付出得到了回报。《尘埃》的确是一款非常华丽的游戏，任何选择了这款游戏的玩家都不会对此感到失望。

《Journey》

Journey（from thatgamecompany）

《Journey》所带给玩家的乐趣并不在于游戏长度（这款游戏非常短）或挑战（这里并不存在挑战），而是玩家关于美丽的游戏世界的探索——这款游戏的配乐甚至获得了格莱美奖的提名。Thatgamecompany多年来一直在努力推翻互动娱乐间的界线，而《Journey》便是他们最棒的尝试，即证明没有枪支，流血事件或爆炸也能够创造出有趣且有意义的游戏体验。有时候，在游戏中与好友一起跳跃，奔跑或滑下沙丘便是最棒的体验。

《忍者印记》

Mark of the Ninja（egmnow）

根据GamesBeat的评论者Evan Killham的说法，《忍者印记》是大师级的潜行游戏。与《尘埃：幸福的轨迹》一样，这是一款带有卡通式美术风格的可下载2D卷轴游戏。游戏是关于躲避侦查，执行拆卸任务，操控黑暗等各种忍者所具有的技能。市场中已经出现了许多潜行游戏，但却甚少2D游戏能够成功做到这一点。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

5 of the best original games of 2012

By Stefanie Fogel

Who says originality in gaming is dead? Well, a lot of people do, actually. Every year, it seems store shelves are bombarded with licensed games and triple-A sequels, especially during the holiday season. Only 195 titles released on consoles and handhelds this year weren’t based on existing franchises, according to a recent article from Penny Arcade Report. PAR says that’s a 35 percent drop from 2011. Luckily, what 2012 lacked in quantity it more than made up for in quality. Here, in alphabetical order, are five brand new, non-franchise, non-licensed video games worth your time and money.

Dishonored

This stylish steampunk action-stealth game borrows heavily from titles like Deus Ex, Thief, and BioShock, but manages to feel fresh thanks to its atmospheric setting. The fictional city of Dunwall — brought to life by a celebrity voice cast (Susan Sarandon, John Slattery, Brad Dourif, and Chlo? Grace Moretz to name a few), a soundtrack from Dexter composer Daniel Licht, and the creative talents of industry veterans Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith — is as memorable as BioShock’s Rapture or Half-Life 2’s City 17. Toss in an intriguing mission-based storyline of politics and betrayal and an emphasis on player freedom, and you have the beginnings of a bold new franchise.

Dragon’s Dogma

Capcom’s attempt at a Western-style role-playing game was one of the sleeper hits of 2012. Its blend of punishing hack-n-slash combat and asynchronous multiplayer in an open fantasy world full of gigantic monsters proved popular with both players and critics. It debuted at the top of the Japanese software charts, selling over 300,000 units on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at launch and making it the fastest-selling new IP of this console generation, according to MCV. A sequel is already in the works, and Capcom is teasing the possibility of a player-generated quest system.

Dust: An Elysian Tail

It’s easy to look at Dust: An Elysian Tail’s Saturday morning cartoon art style and anthropomorphic characters and dismiss it as too childish or too “furry.” But those who do are missing out on a fun indie 2D platformer. Dust features a mature story about war and memory. The combat has depth without being overly complicated, and the game world is full of secret passages and hidden items waiting to be discovered. But what’s most amazing about this game is its background: Professional animator and illustrator Dean Dodrill taught himself to program and spent nearly four years of his life making the game a reality. His hard work paid off. Dust is a beautiful, charming game that’s sure to please anyone who gives it the chance.

Journey

The joy of playing Journey isn’t in its length (it’s incredibly short) or its challenge (there is none) but in exploring a beautiful game world — set to a Grammy-nominated soundtrack — with an anonymous online companion. For years, Thatgamecompany has sought to push the boundaries of interactive entertainment, and Journey is its best attempt yet, proving that you don’t need guns, blood, or explosions to create an interesting and meaningful experience. Sometimes, simply jumping, running, and sliding down sand dunes with a friend is enough.

Mark of the Ninja

A “tribute to silent badassery,” according to GamesBeat reviewer Evan Killham, Mark of the Ninja is a masterclass in stealth gaming. Like Dust: An Elysian Tail, it’s a downloadable 2D sidescroller with a Saturday morning cartoon art style, but the similarity ends there. This game is all about avoiding detection, executing silent takedowns, manipulating darkness, and other feats of ninja-y goodness. Plenty of stealth titles are on the market, but a 2D one that pulls it off so well is a rare treat.(source:venturebeat)