Features// SPOnG Zeitgeist 2012: The RPGs

Put away your sword and find yourself a frost giant's loin cloth to curl up in. This is the SPOnG Zeitgeist, in which we take you on a quick tour of what's been on gamers' minds, what itches they've needed scratching - what's been attracting the most attention on the Mighty SPOnG Database in 2012.

Up today are RPGs...


Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
Yep, an oldie. Right at the top. And with nearly double the hits of the title below it, too. This rather beloved classic had no less than three periods of activity. The first was in February, followed by a more sustained period of interest from May to September with a further peak in the October/November period. The next most visited (and far more timely) Final Fantasy title on the list doesn't even make the Top 10. FF XIII-2 is (appropriately) at 13.


Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
This seems a bit more sensible, eh? The so-hard-it'll-make-your-gums-ache PC package of Dark Souls started gathering hits in the back end of August, before quietening down a bit then resurging from late September through early November. The peak, appropriately, was on October 26th – launch day.


Inazuma Eleven Strikers (Wii)
Huh? Yes. Inazuma Eleven Strikers. If you're a PC, PS3 or 360 player this may well have passed you right by. A football ('soccer', if you're American) RPG with a strong anime visual, it was in many ways the Wii's last hurrah before the Wii U came along and made it obsolete. Inazuma Eleven Strikers started picking up steam in August, slumped a little, then picked up around release at the end of the month. See what Michael thought of it here.


The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Hearthfire (Xbox 360)
Mass Effect 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U)
Game of Thrones (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Fable: The Journey (Xbox 360)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
King’s Bounty: Warriors of the North (PC)
Mass Effect Trilogy (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

Don't forget to check out SPOnG's previous zeitgeist rundowns.