What were your Top 5 of the year? I asked some of the folks who work on, with, or around the various pillars of the Nerdist empire to tell me their Top 5 for 2012, and I’ve assembled the responses below… Wait, I can hear you asking: Top 5 of what? Well, see, I’m not big on restrictions here. I wanted everyone to answer that depending on their interests and what was important to each of them this year, whether it be all in their field of expertise or just experiences and things that stood out for them during the year. (And, let’s face it, I really couldn’t stick to one category myself…) So, let’s ring out 2012 with a look at the top five things for which some of us are remembering the year. And if you want to add to the list, please do so in the comments below.

I’ll start:

PERRY MICHAEL SIMON

In no particular order:

-Chris Ware’s “Building Stories,” a graphic novel that isn’t so much a book as a redefinition of “book.”

-New Orleans, specifically an early morning run up the St. Charles streetcar tracks and back through Uptown, looking at homes and buildings, watching the city wake up (or, in some cases, go to sleep) and just absorbing the atmosphere. I was late to my next scheduled appointment, but it was worth it.

–Silver Linings Playbook, because it’s about being a Philadelphia sports fan and mental illness, and I’m… a Philadelphia sports fan, and the movie beat the actual season in Philadelphia sports.

-Being at the taping of the Doctor Who bowling episode of Chris Hardwick’s All-Star Celebrity Bowling at San Diego Comic-Con International, because I’ve never seen people bowl quite like Karen Gillan (panic at the rack, grab a ball, put it down and grab another ball, screech while running up to the line, heave ball, throw strike) or Steven Moffat (thud). Awesome.

-Netgear’s WiFi Booster for Mobile, because it’s the first wireless network extender I’ve ever been able to get to work right out of the box without calling tech support or tearing my hair out. Plugged it in and it worked. (Honorable mention would go to the Roku, but the Netgear booster enabled one of our Rokus to work, so I’m going with the Netgear)

Perry Michael Simon is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist.com. Follow him at @pmsimon.

BRIAN WALTON

#5 – Pitch Perfect – I saw Pitch Perfect in the theater four times. I was with different people every time and got to see them with a wide smile when we left the theater. Rebel Wilson and company made a hilarious movie that is, to quote a friend, “cinematic prozac.”

#4 – Doctor Who – Saying goodbye to the Ponds was an emotional roller coaster and I can’t wait to see where we go from here. The Christmas special was whimsical and perfect and more fun than it had any right to be after losing Mr. and Mrs. Williams. I can’t wait to discover more about Oswin and open up the world of the Doctor more before the 50th anniversary.

#3 – Paperman – Who knew a five minute short could be the most fulfilling romantic comedy of the year? The meet-cute of two people on a train and then brought together again by the magic of a kiss is the best love story I’ve seen since the first ten minutes of Up.

#2 – Sherlock – Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are amazing as Holmes and Watson. I haven’t even tried Elementary because of my love for this show. I’m excited for another season of Doctor Who, but I am fiending for more Sherlock.

#1 – Wreck-It Ralph – I went to Wreck-It Ralph just as many times as I went to Pitch Perfect; this is my favorite picture of the year. The movie about two oddballs coming into their own and finding their place in this world really resonated with me, and it’s hilarious to boot. At a recent party I even dressed up as Fix-It Felix, that’s how strong my love for this movie is.

Brian Walton is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist News, Nerdist.com’s sister newsletter. Follow him at @b2walton.

DAN CASEY

– Homeland, because no matter how often I think you’ve written your plot into a corner, no matter how preposterous hacking a pacemaker may seem, no matter how genuinely awful at her job Carrie Mathison actually is, you keep me coming back week after week and begging for more. Also, big ups to whomever insisted on that little horn lick in the terrifyingly long intro sequence. Gets me every time.

– Ed Brubaker’s Fatale, because it blends the macabre otherworldly horror of writers like H.P. Lovecraft with grisly crime noir stories set in the heyday of Old Hollywood, and Sean Phillips’ art is pitch perfect. I’ve read a lot of comics this year and I keep coming back to Brubaker’s hardboiled mystery. I cannot recommend this book enough.

– Founder’s Breakfast Stout, because you don’t really know what you’ve had until it’s gone. This is the beer that haunts my dreams and the fact that you cannot purchase it west of the Mississippi is the greatest tragedy my mouth has ever faced. All work and no hops, oats, and chocolate and coffee undertones make Dan a dull boy…

– The Walking Dead: Season One, because it’s the most heartfelt, gripping gaming experience that I’ve had in a long time. With TWD, Telltale has managed to create a point-and-click adventure game worthy of sharing shelf space with classics like Grim Fandango and Escape From Monkey Island. More than once, I found myself gasping aloud or gripping my chair as the consequences of my actions unfolded before me. And if you didn’t cry at least once, then perhaps you should invest in a chisel because your heart is clearly made of stone.

– Doug Loves Movies for consistently being one of the most enjoyable 45 minutes of my week. Fans of movie-based riffing and comedians playing movie trivia games or people who just like to hear Pete Holmes and TJ Miller hijack a podcast should hightail it to iTunes and give it a listen. Recommended: The 8/20/12 episode in which Jon Hamm, Paul Rudd, Morgan Spurlock, Mike Birbiglia and John Mulaney generated enough back-and-forth banter and wry one-liners to make me go back and download every other episode of DLM. This is the gold standard, folks.

Dan Casey writes for Nerdist.com and Nerdist News and edits the TOKYOPOP newsletter. Follow him at @osteoferocious.

EMILY V. GORDON

-Grimes – “Visions”: I have never heard music like Grimes. After hearing the song “Genesis”, I couldn’t tell if the band Grimes was made up a group of Asian women, young men and women, or some sort of collective. The answer is that she’s a Canadian woman who combines a million types of music with her gorgeous pixie-voice to make some of the best music I’ve heard this year.

–Seven Psychopaths: This movie is astounding. It’s meta, it’s smart, it uses both Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken perfectly, and it is dark. Hats off to Colin Farrell for choosing interesting movies to be in, rather than constant lame blockbusters. A wonderfully told tale that cannot be adequately described in a trailer. If you liked In Bruges, you’ll love it.

-“A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel” by Hope Larson: “A Wrinkle in Time” has always been one of my favorite books. It’s a lovely and mysterious story that I always pictured in my head while reading it, but now I don’t have to! Hope Larson has made a gorgeous graphic novel out of it!

–Borderlands 2: Since I’m the host of a video games podcast, I should mention games, right? My overall favorite game of the year was Borderlands 2. While I loved a lot of games this year, Borderlands 2 is the world that I enjoy playing around in the most. It’s huge, it’s interesting, it’s got lots of nooks and crannies, and some of the cleverest storytelling in gaming history.

-Macaroons: I just discovered macaroons this year, and I’m kinda obsessed. They’re tiny, they’re bright and colorful, and they taste completely amazing. Plus you seem like a hero if you bring them to a birthday party.

Emily V. Gordon is the co-host of The Indoor Kids podcast. Follow her at @thegynomite.

SEX NERD SANDRA

Sex Nerd Sandra’s Top 5 Sparkly Feelings of 2012

1. Getting laughed out of a brothel in Tokyo — As nervous as I was, the sign “Japanese Men Only” did not deter me. Better to be laughed out than pistol-whipped. (Episode: “Japan: Nippon Nookie”)

2. Narrating an anal sex demo like a horse race — Using my fists as “stunt butts,” I had 2 volunteers battle it out to see who was better at “romancing my ‘ass.’” (This also wins favorite on-stage educational moment of 2012.)

3. Naked Dance Party — Apparently laughter, skipping and childlike games abound when 25 normal people pose for a nude photo shoot. We did it for art, but what happened was magic. (Episode: “Sex Toys & Tangents”)

4. Interviewing an ex-boyfriend about his first time… with me… while sitting on his lap — He was brave and I was shy. It was great. (Episodes: “Virgin: The Sexual Debutante” & “Big, Big Love”)

5. Inventing a better BJ through physics – My mind was lit ablaze when I discovered pressing the forehead to the pelvis acts as a fulcrum for more fluid movement. Science! (Episode: “Dating and… Chivalry!?”)

Sandra Daugherty hosts the Sex Nerd Sandra podcast on the Nerdist podcast network. Follow her at @sexnerdsandra.

DAVE ROSS

1. Game of Thrones. The second season came out this year, and I found about the show this year. I blew through all 20 episodes in a week, then promptly watched them again. Then, a couple months later, I watched them again! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaimaloser.

2. “Awwwwwwwwwwwwkward” by Fidlar. I found out about Fidlar this year, and everything they’ve put out since is amazing, but this song in particular bears noting. I can’t stop listening to it. It’s slower and drones on more than their other songs, but it punctuates how I feel most of the time, and how I’d imagine most my friends do: “I’m probably gonna fuck it up and make it super awkward!”

3. Rory Scovel. Rory was all over TV this year and all of it was great. His Comedy Central Half Hour was amazing, his set on Ferguson, and both of his Conan sets. (Or were there three?) Conan loved his first set so much he let him walk out with a beer and improvise his second solo set. It’s required reading for… For everyone.

4. San Francisco. I truly fell in love with that city this year. Originally, this entry was going to be called “The San Francisco Comedy and Burrito Festival”, one of the most fun weekends of my life. I then landed on “the San Francisco Comedy Scene” — I can’t count on two hands (or four or six) all the amazing comics I’ve met and friends I’ve made and sets I’ve had in that wonderful city since January. But it’s even more than the comedy scene. I saw the Coachwhips reunite in SF this year, along with Moonhearts and Traditional Fools. I watched Giants fans hug each other and high-five and love each other after winning game six of the World Series. The best set of stand-up comedy I saw this year, and possibly in several years, was in San Francisco, performed by Chris Garcia at his own goodbye show. Not to mention all the other weekends and weeks I spent there this year doing shows and meeting comics and laughing and getting drunk and walking up hills and walking down hills and eating burritos and just smiling my motherfucking mouth off. SF became my second home this year.

5. Barack Obama winning the election. He whipped Mitt Romney’s ass. I cried. I cried three times.

Dave Ross is a stand-up comic and co-host of the Sex Nerd Sandra podcast on the Nerdist podcast network. Find him at davetotheross.com.

BEN BLACKER

Here’s my top five and a small preamble.

It’s too easy making a Best TV of 2012 this year. We have talked to death about Breaking Bad. There is no arguing that this is the best thing going, with precise care taken in every moment by everyone involved, from Vince Gilligan and his crack team of writers to the actors, directors, art direction, and all down the line. Filling out the next bunch of shows is relatively easy too: Louie, Homeland, Parks and Recreation, New Girl, Sherlock… The Walking Dead has gotten to be so much fun while Glen Mazzara’s been in charge. Even Girls — which I am sick of hearing and talking about — became something I looked forward to in the second half of its season. You guys can even have Game of Thrones on this list; it’s a good show. I like its scope and Peter Dinklage’s Tyrion Lannister may be the most fun character (or the character having the most fun) on TV right now. When TV writers get together, we tend to talk about these shows. (Or, if Jeff Greenstein is involved, we’ll talk about the great British TV we’re illegally downloading).

So, here’s my Top Five list; It’s the 5 Shows We’re Not Talking About Enough:

5. Mad Men/Community: Lumping these together because while we definitely ARE talking about these shows, it may not be for the right reasons. When Mad Men‘s fifth season ran earlier in 2012, I feel like we heard a lot about Megan Draper’s bizarre “Zou Bisou” scene (which was in the season premiere) and then things sort of quieted down. Outside of the penultimate episode, there weren’t a lot of “holy crap” moments this season. Indeed, when it ended, I didn’t think much about it. Before interviewing Matt Weiner and some of his writers for Nerdist Writers Panel #59, I rewatched the season. Mad Men, like a lot of shows these days, is a show that rewards the bulk-viewing experience. There were thematic elements at play–most notably, aging and mortality–that were revealed in small character moments which, when watched episodically, were perhaps overshadowed by some of the less elegant scenes about the way the characters’ world is changing. Worth a second look.

Too much of the talk about Community this season was about what was going on behind the scenes and not about the ridiculously great stuff that was going on in the episodes. The great episodes from season 3 of this series are too numerous to name (but there was the Law and Order one, the Glee episode, the Halloween episode, and, of course, “Remedial Chaos Theory” (as discussed in NWP #22), and they show Community to be more inventive and ambitious than anything else on TV. This is also the year that Donald Glover and Gillian Jacobs broke out, bringing depth to their characters even as some other cast members–like one who’s (finally) leaving the show–fell back into caricature.

Also, the tremendous Alison Brie is in both. So.

4. Awkward: I’d been hearing about Awkward through its strong first season but only got the chance to sit down with it halfway through its second, when I mainlined every available episode during one of MTV’s many weekend-long marathons. Painfully funny in the way of Freaks and Geeks or My So-Called Life, creator Lauren Iunerich makes it go down easy by balancing that, well, awkwardness with the goofy vibe of the best episodes of Malcolm in the Middle or 30 Rock. Iunerich assembled a talented, game cast and writers room and churns through story — without diminishing emotional resonance — in a way that other series could learn from. So taken was I with Awkward after that initial viewing that I hurried to get Iunerich on a podcast to pick her brain about the series, pairing her with David Hudgins, a writer from another not-talked-about-enough show…

3. Parenthood: I cannot recall a time when I regularly watched — let alone looked forward to — a network drama. ER, maybe, in its heyday? Does Survivor count? In any event, in 2012 Parenthood was firing on all cylinders, finding strong stories for all of the Braverman clan. But, like Mad Men (and like show-runner Jason Katims’ Friday Night Lights before it), where Parenthood really shines is in the small moments between characters, quieter scenes that illustrate complex relationships. There’s a lived-in quality to Parenthood that no other drama possesses. We don’t just know these people as real, breathing humans. We are these people.

The podcast with Iunerich, Hudgins, and our old pals Josh Friedman (Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Jeff Greenstein (Will & Grace) is #58.

2. Justified: I’m tired of telling you guys to watch Justified. Watch Justified. There is no cooler show on the air. It’s a modern Western and a police show and the only good adaptation of an Elmore Leonard story and it’s on FX, where everything interesting is happening. It’s developed and run by Graham Yost, whose mission seems to be to bring humanity to every supporting character and to bring every character actor to TV. Its third season, while overall not as strong as its second, was more sprawling and fascinating, especially in regard to the evolution of lead character Raylan Givens, who was put through a far more emotional wringer than in the past. Yost is a clever and thoughtful guy (hear him in NWP #41) and you can trust him to explore every facet of the world he’s created, which is beautifully realized, wide-ranging, and fraught; keep Westeros, I’ll take Lexington, Kentucky any day.

1. American Horror Story: Asylum: It’s hard to write about AHS:A without swearing, but I’ll try. American Horror Story: Asylum is the most bat-crazy, effing bonkers show on TV. The first season was flawed but interesting — it got the “anything can happen” horror movie elements right, but there was a remove from the characters and the show’s plotting was haphazard at best. But, as has been promised with every season of the show, the first was a closed-ended story, so you can just jump in on the second, which sets events in and around a Massachusetts asylum in the mid-sixties. Using that focus as a jumping off point, the series explores different horror tropes nearly every week. There’s a villain called BloodyFace, Nazis, Catholics, exorcists, aliens, lesbians, Al Swearengen as a slasher Santa, alcoholics, and somehow Adam Levine is in it too. And it all works!

And somewhere around the fourth or fifth episode, the series turned from “Holy shit, this is crazy and great!” to genuinely great TV. The overarching storylines started to come together in interesting and coherent ways, the characters (all played by ridiculously great actors who are clearly having fun) showed unexpected depth and made unexpected–but, again, consistent–choices that only led them into more trouble. It’s a kitchen-sink approach to storytelling that works when it shouldn’t. It’s bold and confident in a way that few shows are (or have ever been) and it synthesizes tropes in a consistently fun, funny, interesting, scary, and dramatic way.

Ben Blacker hosts the Nerdist Writers Panel podcast on the Nerdist podcast network and is the co-creator of the Thrilling Adventure Hour, on stage and on the Nerdist podcast network. He’s also written TV shows you’ve seen. Follow him at @benblacker.

KYLE ANDERSON

1. Like Perry, my favorite thing I got to do this year was sit in on the taping of the All-Star Celebrity Bowling episode at Comic-Con, Team Nerdist vs. Team Doctor Who. I mean, meeting everybody who makes my favorite show is pretty amazing in and of itself, but learning that they’re delightful people and hilarious at bowling was something even amazing-er.

2. 2012 was also the year of all the movies I like to geek out over. The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall, The Hobbit, and Django Unchained are basically everything my inner 8-year-old could possibly have wanted in a year for movies. Not that I’d have been allowed as an 8-year-old to watch Django Unchained, mind you. I had better parents than that. That at least the first three of those movies made a billion dollars means I wasn’t alone.

3. I finally fulfilled a lifelong dream to travel abroad to my theoretical favorite city, London, England. With as much British programming as I watch, it’s a wonder I’d never been before. Thanks to some friends who have wealthy Belgian benefactors (where can I get one of those?), I was able to finally make the trip. And, guess what: it’s awesome. If you get a chance, go to there.

4. Speaking of things I should have done years ago, at last this year I have made the upgrade to Blu-ray and an HDTV. I didn’t know what I was missing. I don’t know if you all know this, but Blu-rays looks really pretty.

5. I began hosting Doctor Who screenings in the NerdMelt Showroom in the back of Meltdown Comics the final Saturday of the month at 2pm. It’s a whole lot of fun screening stories from the Classic Series for new and not-new fans alike. 2013 being the 50th anniversary year, we’ll be showing a different story from each Doctor corresponding to the month. Pretty excited for the year to come.

Kyle Anderson writes for Nerdist.com and is our resident Doctor Who expert. Follow him at @kanderson.

JAKE KROEGER

There are plenty of year end lists going around right now, certainly ones for comedy listing the best comedy albums/specials, best podcasts, funniest people to follow on Twitter, etc. Making a year end comedy list here at The Nerdist, I felt the need to add several more adjectives to stand out and compile something worthy of your time here. That’s why I came up with The 5 Funniest On Camera Comedy Interviews That Weren’t So Much Interviews. Below are clips of interviews that weren’t so much interviews as they are something disguised as an interview or just pure chaos during what was supposed to be an interview. Just so you know, these are some of the funniest things I saw in 2012.

If that’s not enough adjectives for you, just add this to the title: In No Particular Order.

-After interviewing celebrated author Maurice Sendak Colbert style, Stephen Colbert and Maurice Sendak huff markers and create the most patriotic children’s book ever.

–Nathan Fielder, who has a Comedy Central series ‘Nathan For You’ coming up in late Feb., and Katie Crown, who you might have seen being carried by Conan during a Jon Dore/Rory Scovel bit, attempt to do a new style of interview, called the Treeterview.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v89vFvKVSkk?rel=0&w=615&h=461]

–Shelby Fero hysterically reverses the role of her interview with Mike Birbiglia and Ira Glass for Sleepwalk With Me by playing Birbiglia, Glass conducting the interview, and Birbiglia playing her.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4L-kFA_SmM?rel=0&w=615&h=461]

–Andre Hyland, who played several of his very funny characters on the now defunct Daily Habit, brought several of them to Cinefix, a behind-the-camera online channel, where he can test the patience of actors during press junkets like he did of Bas Rutten for Here Comes the Boom.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsV5zTLAI4I?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

-Pretty much every Eric Andre (of The Eric Andre Show on Adult Swim) talk show appearance this year has gone off the rails in a way were pretty sure wasn’t discussed with a segment producer. See the madness go down on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Conan, and Attack of the Show (he goes fully nude here).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXmo2EknnJ8?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

Jake Kroeger writes about comedy for Nerdist.com and is the creator of The Comedy Bureau.

MO FATHELBAB

These are my personal, top 5 favorite moments that involved working at The Nerdist Showroom at Meltdown Comics in sunny Hollywood, California:

1. NerdTerns: The Nerdist Channel web series that I co-created/co-wrote/co-starred in/executive produced and showran about working at The Showroom. It features many of our talented staff members and interns, including co-stars/co-creators Kyle Clark and Jenny Fine. You can catch all 10 episodes of the first season on our YouTube channel.

2. On Thursday, March 15th, Dana Gould presented live commentary of three episodes of The Simpsons with fellow show writers Matt Selman and Mike Scully. As a fan of the long-running series, it was effing fantastic!

3. Robin Williams surprised the audience of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail with an impromptu stand up set on Wednesday, May 2nd. Then he stayed to catch the rest of the show!

4. All of the writers of Key and Peele, including the two stars, stopped by The Showroom for a live recording of the Nerdist Writers Panel podcast on Sunday, August 19th. I helped put that one together with host, Ben Blacker!

5. I met one of my childhood idols, “Weird Al” Yankovic, during an event at The Showroom in September. And I haven’t washed the hand I shook his with ever since…..

Mo Fathelbab is the On-Site Producer for theNerdist Showroom at Meltdown Comics and co-creator/co-writer/co-star of the Nerdist Channel’s NerdTerns. Follow him at @mofathelbab.

AARON H. BAKER

1. In April, Danielle N. Kramer put on an art exhibition called “Kids In The Hall | Kids On The Wall”. We had a big opening party and lots of great art. Scott Thompson of the Kids in the Hall stopped in one of the days and we gave him a private viewing. I got a picture of him holding my art piece I made and was able to tell him what an inspiration he is to me and the comedy community at NerdMelt.

2. I’m the Associate Producer of the Nerdist Channel’s 4 Points with Alex Albrecht and we got to shoot our season finale at NerdMelt LIVE onstage before an audience! The crew did an amazing job turning NerdMelt into a TV set and we had Garfunkel & Oates open the show and James Urbaniak (Venture Bros./American Splendor) and Michael Biehn (Terminator/Aliens) were our special guests.

3. Producing and performing LIVE sketch variety shows at NerdMelt. A few guys/gals and I that work there put on a few sketch shows this past year that were super fun. One was called TELETHON! and the other we still do is called Booze Cruise. We got to work with amazing comedians and sketch groups from L.A. like Jay Larson, Jim Hamilton, Beth Stelling, Taylor Williamson, Sean O’ Connor, Jerrod Carmichael, Ricky Carmona, Power Violence, WOMEN, Dead Kevin, The Birthday Boys and the list goes on!

4. Comedian/Actor Tom Wilson headlined The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail‘s last show of the year and for a Christmas present to NerdMelt, he did a brief Back to the Future Q&A (which he rarely does). He was so nice and sang Christmas Carols with the crowd and personally said goodbye to everyone who performed that night and the NerdMelt staff… Effin’ sweet.

5. I am a huge fan of metal music, and Meltdown Comics curated an art exhibition in November called “INVOCATIONI” in the NerdMelt Showroom that featured amazing work from Peter Beste and Antichrist Kramer honoring amazing bands like Immortal, Gorgoroth, Darkthrone and other bands from the Norwegian Black Metal scene.

Aaron Baker is the House Manager of the Nerdist Showroom at Meltdown Comics.

MICHAEL STUART

-“Jonah Raydio” Because The Hold Steady lyrics sung in the voice of Millhouse’ Dad are my new favorite thing.

–Harmontown going weekly: Because colonies on the moon don’t build themselves.

-Cinefamily 24 Hour Telethon: Because Robert Downey Jr kicked in the rest of the cash for a new projector, Rob Schrab and Dan Harmon live commentary over gonzo film clips, and a ton of other cool stuff I don’t remember cause I fell asleep. The best calendar in town; show support and see great movies when you buy a year pass.

–Power Violence Comedy: The best weekly stand-up show run by skate punks in Los Angeles.

–This Feels Terrible and Friday Night Film School podcasts: TFT for entertaining insights into sex, dating, relationships that are by turns giddy and cringe inducing; FNFS is a chill sesh with your awesome bros discussing your favorite best/worst movies.

Michael Stuart is one of the NerdTerns at the NerdMelt Showroom at Meltdown Comics.

MATTHEW BURNSIDE

5. Moonrise Kingdom: I’ll be darned if that wasn’t one of the most charming movies I’ve ever seen. Wes Anderson movies have yet to disappoint me, but this one might just be my favorite. Granted, I was a boy scout.

4. I got my first new X-Box 360 controller since the console launched. Look, my controller was in BAD shape. I game like it’s my job. It is actually. Listen to The Indoor Kids podcast from the greatest company in the land, Nerdist Industries. DOUBLE WINK! This year brought more amazing games than a person could possibly play. I’ve probably put 60 hours into Halo 4 and I currently sit too close to the TV while I play Far Cry 3 because I want to live in it. What a year for gaming!

3. Liars – “WIXIW”: Liars makes two types of albums – weird, post-punk, art-house, call-it-what-you-like type stuff, and their versions of certain popular styles. “WIXIW” is basically their take on electronic pop/dance. The track “Brats” has been played in my car roughly a billion times since the album came out in June. I caught them live for the first time at this year’s FYF Fest in Los Angeles. Loved. Every. Dang. Second. Of it.

2. The Walking Dead game: A thousand cheers for Telltale Games! I’ve never teared up while playing a game. Heavy Rain tried, but it just made me depressed. This game is something special. It took story and characters to a whole new level. My roommate, bless his soul, doesn’t care much for video games. However, if I played it without hooking up my laptop to the tv, he’d beat me! Nah. I’m just goofin’. He’s a good guy. (Hi, Mike!) It would disappoint him though. The simple controls and limited mobility moved the “game” feeling out of the way and let you build the story. It’s an incredible game that will change the medium forever.

1. Breaking Bad: Best everything forever. Breaking Bad is literally my favorite piece of entertainment of all time. This season was awesome. Magnets. Trains. People on toilets getting their mind blown. I feel like I’m on meth when I watch this show. I can’t wait for it to return! I need another hit!

Matthew Burnside contributes to Nerdist.com and is a Manager at the NerdMelt Showroom at Meltdown Comics. He also assists on The Indoor Kids podcast. Follow him at @matthewburnside.

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Okay, your turn: Add your own Top 5 of Anything for 2012 in the comments. GO! (And Happy New Year, y’all…)