Over the course of many weeks, starting back in December, we went through a list of 2012 releases and plucked ten of our top picks. For anyone who followed our countdown, you're likely well-acquainted with our choices by now, whether or not you played them firsthand. Every entry, starting with Telltale's The Walking Dead episodic saga and ending with Valve's free-to-play Dota 2, earned its spotlight.

So after much deliberation, we ultimately gave our "Game of the Year" award to (Drumroll, please!) thegamecompany's Journey. This peculiar little adventure won us over for so many reasons, some of which are pretty typical. Sure, the game boasts both stellar music and a gorgeous visual style, but there's more to it than that.

Journey lives up to its name in every way. It is a journey, one you begin with a stranger. Across a beautiful world, the two of you head toward an unknown destination, drawn together by your mutual, unspoken goals; by the journey's end, you've become kindred without ever having uttered a word or knowing each other's names.

At face value, this PS3 exclusive might not seem as grand as our other nominees, but the feelings it evokes are universal and powerful. No other 2012 game on any platform can claim this, and for these reasons, Journey is our 2012 Game of the Year.

Neoseeker Game of the Year nominees

• The Walking Dead
• Hotline Miami
• Darksiders II
  
• Assassin's Creed III
  
• Far Cry 3
• Dishonored
• Halo 4
  
• Journey
• Guild Wars 2
  
• Dota 2

We named our picks and explained exactly why they were chosen. Sure, not everyone liked our choices, but a surprising majority expressed their approval with the overall selection. That being said, we thought the community deserved a say too, which brings me to the next segment of our "Game of the Year" award event.

The Neoseeker community was given an opportunity to vote for any 2012 games of their choosing, whether or not it was nominated by our writers. The results showed some overlap, though for Neoseeker readers, there could be only one Game of the Year: Borderlands 2.

Interestingly, the top ten games voted on by our community saw quite a few ties. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed III and Treyarch's Black Ops 2 both shared the same number of votes. Further down, The Walking Dead and 343 Industries' Halo 4 also tied, followed by High Moon's Transformers: Fall of Cybertron earning the same number of votes as BioWare's Mass Effect 3.

Community Game of the Year nominees

1. Borderlands 2
2. Far Cry 3
3. Assassin's Creed III
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
5. Dishonored
6. Halo 4
6. The Walking Dead
8. Hitman: Absolution
9. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
9. Mass Effect 3

And that, our dear readers and followers, concludes our 2012 Game of the Year award show, and we certainly hope you'll be joining us for more further down the road. Game on, 2013!