We published a lot of stories this year. You loved some. You hated others. Some were great. Some were arrows.
Our finest tech people have crunched the numbers and provided me with a list of our top traffic-getters. Below, you can see the 25 stories that drew the most new readers to our site, which, internally, is how we measure statistical success.
Thank you to all of our readers who read these stories. Apologies to all of our writers whose stories next week will be ineligible for acclaim, since we're acting like the year is over right now.
On with it...
#1 (which, like several other pieces on this list, was actually published in 2011!)
This Incredible Multiplayer Paintball Video is a One-Shot Kill
Paintball has never been quite as exciting as it is seen through the eyes of director Saman Keshavarz in this video, which you'll want to watch at least three times. More »
#2 (Shocking...really!)
The 12 Best Games for Mac
Hey, look! A sleek computer with a piece of fruit embossed on it. Did you splurge for a Mac Pro or save money and get the totally capable iMac. Either way, good move, those things just work. More »
#3
What Skyrim Looks Like When You're Running 100 Mods At Once
My copy of Skyrim would usually fall over once I started running more than, say, 8-10 mods at once. So I've got no idea how modder Unreal has managed to get around 100 mods running at once. More »
#4
The 12 Best Games for the iPad
Stop watching movies on your iPad. Stop browsing the web.
Your iPad can play some great games.
iPad games that shine use the extra screen space and sharper resolution to deliver touch gaming that captivates. More »
#5 (Another 2011 interloper)
The Best PlayStation 3 Ad We've Ever Seen Will Give You Chills
When Sony announced their "Long Live Play" campaign a few weeks back, the entire interwebs lit up with buzz as to what it would herald. A PlayStation Home re-launch? More »
#6
Experience Super Mario Bros. As First-Person Shooter
What if, say, Modern Warfare creators Infinity Ward were given the keys to Super Mario Bros.? Brandon Laatsch, friend of Freddie Wong, lets us see the NES classic from Mario's perspective, injecting Call of Duty gameplay shenanigans into Nintendo's blocky platformer... More »
#7
Olympic Gymnast Uses Zelda Medley During Performance
Mexican gymnast Elsa Garcia Rodriguez Blancas did her Olympic qualification routine to an arrangement of music from The Legend of Zelda. Specifically, an arrangement by violinist Lindsey Stirling. More »
#8
Skimpy Outfit Gets Lollipop Chainsaw Cosplayer Asked to Change Or Leave PAX Show Floor
Word is that Jessica Nigri, a big-time cosplayer hired to portray the protagonist of Lollipop Chainsaw, was asked to leave the PAX East show floor yesterday. More »
#9
Before You Start… Tips for Playing Skyrim The Best Way
Today marks the long-anticipated release of Bethesda's excellent role-playing adventure The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It's a massive game, a true epic-hundreds of hours of exploration, adventure, magic and mayhem.
But before you can get to all of that, you've got to start the game... More »
#10
Is This the Star of Assassin's Creed III? [Update: Yes, It Is]
Well, this is interesting. A Best Buy worker just emailed us two images snapped from their employee news section. One shows that Ubisoft will be unveiling Assassin's Creed III on March 5, and that there'll be pre-order bonuses to be had. More »
#11
Blizzard Offers Some Unlucky Diablo III Fans Refunds, Others "Free" Games
Poor Aussie Diablo III fans who pre-ordered the game then lost their money (and game!) when retailer GAME went into administration yesterday, you're suddenly in luck. More »
#12
The Next PlayStation is Called Orbis, Sources Say. Here are the Details.
While the official reveal of Sony's next home console could still be months away, if not longer, Kotaku has today learned some important details concerning the PlayStation 3's successor.
For one, the console's name-or at least its codename/working title-is apparently Orbis. More »
#13
The Terrifying 'Slenderman' Goes from Meme to Free Horror Game
Let us never underestimate the internet's ability to come up with freaky crap. The vast reach of the web creates mysteries as often as it dispels them, and sometimes those mysteries are truly scary. More »
#14
Sweet Mother of Assassin's Creed III, I Would Wear This Jacket Up And Down And Everywhere
I don't like most gamer clothing. They're usually tacky, or have a huge, ugly logo plastered everywhere. Plus, personally, they're usually all too large. More »
#15
This Guy's Portal Gun Actually Works, Turns His House Into a Test Chamber
Jason Craft recently purchased a Portal Gun from Aperture Laboratories. Not a toy. A real one. You can see it in action in this video, where he tests it out with a few friends.
Sure, it might look like fun and games in the game, but in the real world? More »
#16
Bethesda: Skyrim DLC Will Feel More Like Expansion Packs
We've been promised substantial downloadable content for last year's blockbuster Skyrim, but it sounds like Bethesda is thinking really big.
"For Fallout 3 we did five DLCs," Howard told me during an interview last week at the DICE Summit. More »
#17
Google "Do a Barrel Roll" Right Now
Do it. Right now. Why are you still here? You need a link? To Google? Seriously? Fine.
There, wasn't that fun? You can thank Twitter. More »
#18
Would You Catch These Realistic PokéBalls? Could You?
The Poké Ball, the device which catches and holds Pocket Monsters, comes in various types. There are twenty-six variations, all different. Sadly, they're not real (neither are Pocket Monsters!). More »
#19
The 12 Best Games on PC
PC gamers have reason to crow, since they get often the best of both worlds. Quirky and cheap smaller titles? Yup. The shiniest, most impressive versions of AAA multiplatform games? More »
#20
Call Of Duty Tip: Don't Toss A Grenade Into The Chimney Of The House You're Raiding
Players of Call of Duty: Black Ops, be careful where you toss your grenades. The consequences can be... well, watch this video, which is popular on YouTube today. More »
#21
The 12 Best Games on the iPhone
You've got yourself an iPhone and you want to play some games on it. You might not want to just plunge into the App store. It's a jungle, and it is full of bad games.
Let us help you. More »
#22
Borderlands 2 Has A Ridiculous Number Of Hidden Secrets. Here Are All The Ones We Know About. [Update: More Stuff!]
Borderlands 2 is a game that will keep you happily busy for some time. But if you want to experience all the game has to offer, you'll have to hunt after all the easter eggs and hidden secrets. More »
#23
The Official Zelda Timeline, Now With Added Detail
While we were able last week to bring you the official Zelda timeline, courtesy of the series' new art book, it was only the barest of structures, with just game names in chronological order. More »
#24
Next Time You Have Sex In Front of a Webcam, Make Sure It's Turned Off
It's been, what, only a few weeks since Slooshi was caught jerking off on camera after a League of Legends livestream event? Well, looks like somebody—and by somebody, I mean World of Warcraft player murdaralph—didn't learn their lesson. More »
#25
Nerds and Male Privilege
I want to tell you a story.
A few years ago, I was dating a girl who was decidedly not nerd curious. She tolerated my geeky interests with a certain bemused air but definitely didn't participate in ‘em… not even setting foot inside a comic store on new comic day. More »
....
Bonus: #199
Watch Dogs is Probably the Best Game We'll See This E3
A rarity this E3: a brand new game. Not a sequel, not a reboot, but a brand new game based on brand new IP. And it looks amazing.
Taking place in an open-world city (so, think Grand Theft Auto), players in Watch Dog will have the power to control an entire city's infrastructure... More »