True Performance Skating - NHL 13

Best New Feature

Staff writers at Operation Sports were overwhelmingly supportive of True Performance Skating in NHL 13, as this was perhaps the least competitive vote in the entire field of Sports Game of the Year Awards.

It's not hard to figure out why, NHL 13 dared to completely rework the most fundamental aspect of its hockey game, in a move that was as daring as it was brilliant. What we got on the other end was a much more refined, much more realistic version of hockey.

And to boot, it made the NHL series feel 'fresh' in every way.

This is more than just a physics engine upgrade, it's more like a complete animation or motion upgrade -- and the results were incredibly impressive. For that reason, and for EA Canada's willingness to try something daring and new -- NHL 13's True Performance Skating takes home the award for Best New Feature of 2012.

Readers Choice: NBA 2K13's Control Stick (27.41% of the vote)

The control stick beat out True Performance Skating, Connected Careers, and WWE Attitude Era for the crown of best feature by a vote from the readers. This was a pretty close decision from our readers, as once again there were several different features vying for this award from readers. NBA 2K13's Control Stick won this vote by a decent but not huge margin of ten votes.