The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Ie h i hThursday, January 10, 2013 - 3B Best TV Shows of 2012 2. "Game of Thrones" 3. "Parks and Recreation" It's not always obvious what a show will do after taking as big a risk as "Game of Thrones" did in its season one finale. It's now safe to say that the HBO fantasy-drama has successfully maintained a high level of excitement and sus- pense after killing off the one hope that Westeros had. Season two continued the battle of the Seven Kingdoms, introducing new players Theon Grey- joy and Stannis Baratheon to fight for control against fan favorites like Robb Stark and Daener- ys Targaryen. In addition to the new faces, depth was added to existing characters Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister - both impossibly more badass than before. Though the landscape seems sprawling, "Game of Thrones" kept us afloat among the details with vivid storytelling and visuals. And though it seemed impossible, season two has made us all hate Joffrey Baratheon more than ever before. -RADHIKA MENON It's the little things that make NBC's "Parks and Recreation" quietly superb: Jean Ralphio, Bert Macklin's (FBI) guest appearances, Ron's Tammy terror. It certainly takes a tremendous amount of skill, dedication and heart for a series to so fully shake off humble beginnings and create one of the most expertly defined, lovable ensemble caststo grace our TV sets in years. And the ensemble is what "Parks" is all about. Where would Ron be without Leslie's birthday scav- enger hunts and not-so-subtle matchmaking? Poor Tom would still be mourning Entertainment 720 without Ben's restrained guidance, Andy and April would be lost (literally, in Andy's case) without each other and Garry wouldn't be Jerry without his exas- perating co-workers. Seamlessly blending new characters, challenges and campaigns, "Parks" is more than a sitcom. It's a love letter to the idea that people can make a differ- ence. And also, bacon. -KELLYETZ BBC HBO 4. "Sherlock" 5. "Girls" The BBC's edgy series, "Sherlock," crafts a deftly clever name for itself amid endless Holmes re-imag- inations by thrusting the famed detective into con- temporary London while still faithfully assimilating Conan Doyle's original vision. Marvelously witty, the series plays on classic Holmes - with mysteries such as "A Scandal in Bel- gravia," featuring the infamous Irene Adler, now a dominatrix - without losing any modernity in the process. The writing is unflinchingly smart, one could expect nothing less from "Doctor Who" veterans Ste- ven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. But the invigorating mystery series reaches new heights because of its superb cast and buckets of chemistry. Benedict Cumberbatch spins Sherlock as dismissively superior in both intellect and charisma. Martin Freeman's Watson is a flawlessly on-point blend of cynicism. affection and protectiveness. Add Andrew Scott's blissfully demented Moriarty and the series practically drips talent. The insanely addictive background score and skill- fully crafted twists and turns make "Sherlock" the Holmes for a new millennium. -KELLYETZ It'sbeen hailed as intuitive and honest; it'sbeen criticized as "too young-and-female-centric." It's been loved and hated, but HBO's "Girls," starring writer and creator Lena Dunham, was one of the most groundbreaking shows of 2012. The show follows a group of twenty-somethings navigating the awkwardness of post-grad life with the for- mula of "Sex and the City" and the unapologetic persona of Generation Y. The show doesn'tshy away from HBO's now- renowned sexual explicitness and painfully uncomfortable social situations. Dunham's char- acters portray a new wave of youth; a generation prepared to struggle for identity after gradua- tion, knowing that the prolonged journey will teach us more about ourselves. The show doesn't spe'ak for everyone, but it certainly speaks to everyone. As Dunham spells out, she isn't trying tobe the voice of our genera- tion; she is simply the "voice of a generation." Whatever the story, her voice is worth a listen. -PR OMA KHOSLA Best Video Games' of 2012 2. "Borderlands 2" 3."Torchlight 2" Sometimes you just need a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, and "Borderlands 2" answered the calliwith flair. Want some kick-ass stylized graphics? Done. How about some futuris- tic tunes to serenade you while you empty a few hundred rounds into an armored midget? Why not! You like guns? Here are a few thousand, complete with shot- guns that shoot bullets that then shoot bullets. With an addicting co-op-cen- tered gameplay and rarer loot when more friendsjoin in the fun, "Borderlands 2" trades realism for fun, serious strategy in exchange for a "Screw that, I'm going in guns blazing" type of spontane- ity. And the game even rewards you by increasing the tempo of the music while you begin your rampage. The storyline's pretty great too, complete with some fantastic voice acting. What more could you want in a game? -STEVEN TWEEDIE The sequel to Runic Games's hugely successful "Torchlight" came a few months after Bliz- zard's dungeon crawling, loot grinding journey to hell and back "Diablo III" hit shelves world- wide. It offers a lighter take on the hack-and-slash genre, with less oppressively dark shoulder- ing of the weight of the world and more indiscriminately bashing through anything that moves. "Torchlight II" provides a more accessible and casual expe- rience to those looking for a less intense playthrough than "Dia- blo" while retaining all of the excitement. A robust endgame comes bundled with the game, some- thing its high-budget competi- tor lacked sorely until recently, and free downloadable content from Runic Games is expected in 2013, ensuring that the game will continue to provide new thrills to newcomers and veterans alike. -JULIANAIDAN 4. "Halo 4" 5. "Guild Wars 2" 1. "Dishonored Unsurprisingly, 343 Indus- tries's reboot of the "Halo" series and the beginning of the Reclaim- er saga rocked everyone's world this year. Without a doubt one of the most graphically impressive BETHt5DA console games of the year, "Halo 4" provided the trademark alien ass-kicking and sci-fi story its possibly hardcore lore adherents adore, he game with new settings and enemies - ng seen and brand-spanking new ways to sualties, litter said settings with said ene- sfaction mies' innards. The multiplayer's loadout system and depth puts its For those looking for the predecessors to shame and is con- next-generation of MMDR- stantly being updated with new PG's, look no further than game modes and maps to keep the ArenaNet's "Guild Wars 2." constant stringof profanities flow- Where competitors struggled ing from the mouths of hundreds with familiar and boring of thousands. of gamers. While gameplay mechanics, "Guild not full of innovation, the game is Wars 2" crafted playstyles a solid and a worthy successor to that rely on one's skill and one of the most popular first-per- thinking ability, instead of just son shooter series in history and a mashing the numbers on your worthy contender for game of the keyboard. year. And the developers, always -JULIANAIDAN with an ear to their fans' doors, created a stunning environment that was graphi- cally impressive and filled it with voice-acted NPC's - enough voice-acting to fill 60 feature-length films. Com- bining that with the elimina- tion of factions, a thrilling and addictive PVP mode and the option for some seriously ambitious world vs. world bat- ties; fans and first-timers alike will be blown away.. -STEVEN TWEEDIE 2012 was a great year for games, but few fresh releases made their way to the top like "Dishonored." From the imme- diately intriguing storyline to the palpably grim depiction of a totalitarian government, the game seamlessly placed players in its mid-fantasy steampunk world. Offering a multitude of ways to approach any given scenario and an array of spells that give the player a massive amount of con- trol over the world, "Dishonored" is a stealth game that gives every- one anything they could want. Players can play ti as a shadow, never bei and never inflicting ca or experience the sati of freezing a group of guards in time and thee ing them all to ash by me telepathically controlled toting rat. It's good stul honored" earns its plac top by delivering solid g and a top-notch story it where successful new I few and far between. -JULIAN sadistic n reduc- ans of a , bomb- ff "Dis- e at the ameplay n a year Ps were AIDAN THE BEST OF 2012 LISTS CONTINUE! Best of viral videos, local performances and more can be found online. VISIT MICHIGAN DAILY.COM FOR MORE 2012 MEMORIES.