In what was, for me, a profound year in general, Bioware's Mass Effect 3 exemplifies why this year was especially profound for my gaming. Like a few other titles, Mass Effect 3 inspired me to play through it at least three times––something I cannot say I've done since my PS2 days; but, even then, with games like Shadow of the Colossus and Metal Gear Solid 3, my repeated play-throughs came with extended stretches between them. Like no year before, many of the games I played in 2012 were so inspired and fun that, immediately upon their completion, I started a new play-through, repeating this until I got worn out or a new game came along. Though Mass Effect 3 was not the first game I looped this year (that honor goes to the damaged but brilliant I Am Alive), the multifaceted draw of ME3 makes it the most compelling example.
