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GAF Games of the Year 2013 - Voting Thread - VOTING CLOSED

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Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
1. Spelunky ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGrPeu5NWk0

2. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons ; A simple metaphor yields a complex epiphany, over and over again. Brothers is a reminder: a great control-scheme doesn't need to remain rigid. The "use" verb can be systemically rewarding. I chose to press and hold the left trigger -- does that actually say something about me? Does it hold, then, that it says the same thing for everyone who has finished Brothers? Does this legitimise context-sensitive input?

3. Antichamber ; Antichamber smiles down at us. Friendly, but intimidating, he suggests: "You think, Young-White-20-Something-Male, that the way you accumulate knowledge is linked to the where, when and why you learn something." We nod, not realising that over the next few hours this sound-foundation will be swept from under us, now something ethereal: a faint laugh of a mad-man echoing around a corner that leads to itself and back again.

4. Device 6 ; You duck out for a moment to relieve yourself. On your way back, you press your ear against the door. All your friends are where you left them, but they're talking to someone you can't identify. Without warning, your favourite band is playing, but you can't hear the drummer. Device Six is about presenting the familiar but suggesting the unknown, exploring the space between what we expect and what actually exists on the other side of the door.

5. Gone Home ; A door should be eight hundred and twenty millimeters wide. A queen-sized bed should be a little over two meters long. A small pot-plant should be watered twice a week. A good character should have the fortitude to prove a premise. The normal household light-bulb should shine for roughly one thousand hours. A protagonist's response to conflict should be surprising in the moment and obvious in hindsight. A combination lock should have a definite code. A great love should conquer all. There is great risk in presenting things as we suspect they must be.

6. Wonderful 101 ; It doesn't work, like, 25% of the time. Escaping a collapsing building is mostly frustrating. A recurring boss-fight remains inscrutable on its third showing. An aerial dog-fight is won by holding down a button and moving a stick back and forth. When The Wonderful 101 fails, it fails spectacularly. It pushes back. Somewhere, someone human, someone who might be *me* made a risky decision. There are stakes involved; the moments that work feel like they might fall apart at any second. When the space-shuttle lands in the ocean intact, suddenly -- vividly -- I'm alive.

7. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; Immediate. Definite.

8. Gunpoint ; Sympathy must be granted to the lowly security guard who patrols the halls of Gunpoint. A light-switch is flicked and a door swings open with enough force to cause a severe concussion. If he wasn't already horizontal, he might have noticed that the room was still dark. Bummer.

9. Pikmin 3 ; This is a Nintendo game that asks the player to plan ahead, make tough choices about resource-expenditure and improvise in the face of devastating loss, else completely fail.

10. The Last of Us ; I've deleted this paragraph a few times. Every time I try to say something about The Last of Us, something meaningful or charming or subtle, I realise that the text doesn't support my reading. "A great premise supported by both its fiction and its mechanics", I suppose to myself, clumsily. Minutes pass. Backspace. Delete. I guess most of what I did in the game was just take cover and shoot guys. Maybe I snuck past them? Backspace. Delete. Scrounging together supplies to use as weapons or remedies does show a bit of desperation, on the character's part, maybe. Backspace. Delete. Wait. Repeat. I realise now that the only vaguely interesting thing I have to say about the game is this: everything appealing about The Last of Us is immediately obvious on first-reading.
 

YeSp

Neo Member
1. The Last of us ; best storytelling, voice acting and pacing in a game this generation
2. Diablo 3 (Ps3 version) ; Awesome local co-op... played it a lot with my son
3. Bioshock Infinite ; Great story and setting, skyhook
4. Brothers A Tale of Two Sons ; Unique Control scheme and story
5. Assassins Creed Black Flag ; Best open world game this year,Pirates!
6. Rayman legends ; Great platformer...love the music levels
7. Resogun ; Voxels
8. Path of Exile ; Great free to play action RPG
9. Tearaway ; best game on the Vita this year.. loved it
10. Killzone Shadow fall ; pure eye candy
 
1. The last of us ; Fantastic storytelling with amazing voice acting and mocap.
2. The legend of Zelda: A link between worlds ;
3. Super Mario 3D world ;
4. Grand Theft Auto V ;
5. The legend of Zelda: Wind Waker ;
6. Bioshock: Infinite ;
7. Saint Row IV ;
8. Lone Survivor ;
9. Dead Space 3 ;
10. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ;
 

so1337

Member
imqiU8F8VERgi.gif

My man.
 
1. The Last of Us ; Overall best looking game this gen, great atmosphere, superb gameplay and an ending to remember.
2. Beyond: Two Souls ; The most detailed and best looking characters this gen with some jaw-dropping environments. A game that took me from dancing in a bd-party to killing a warlord in Somalia without making it all weird needs to get some praise. Touching story with some hiccups.
3. Bioshock: Infinite (XO) ; When that a capella quartet came singing God Only Knows I was sold.
4. Grand Theft Auto V (XO) ;
5. Battlefield 4 (PS4) ; The best mp shooter ever, when it works.
6. Resogun ;
7. Hotline Miami (Vita) ;
8. Brothers: A Tale of Two sons (XO) ;
9. Dragon's Crown (Vita) ;
10. XCOM: Enemy Within (XO) ;

x. Killzone: Shadow Fall ; Unbeliavable graphics for a launch game, but it just falls flat on every other aspect.
x. Spelunky ; Simple, great to play, addicting...but way too unforgiving.
2012. Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (Vita) ; Zero expectations for this one, but it really blew my mind. First game I ever Platinum'd.
 

Ce-Lin

Member
1. The Last of Us ; Second best game of the generation with amazing gameplay and story
2. Bioshock Infinite ; Gorgeous story and setting with fun gameplay mechanics
3. Beyond: Two Souls ; Main female character done right
4. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons ; Simply wonderful and original
5. Rayman Legends ; Really Fun platformer
6. Resogun ; Adrenaline in your veins
 

darkside31337

Tomodachi wa Mahou
1. The Last of Us ; In my eyes its the greatest storytelling ever told in a video game. Everything about this game is superb, I honestly thought ND could never top Uncharted 2 but this one surpassed it on every level (well except for multiplayer, long live pre 1.05 UC2). Honestly can't remember a game gripping me from start to finish the way TLOU did.

2. Grand Theft Auto V ; This was the biggest surprise for me. I thought GTA4 was completely wretched, a horrible experience with a drab, lifeless world and a "oscar worthy" plot that had left me bored for the 15 hours so that I put into it. This game thankfully goes back to its roots somewhat, taking itself less seriously, having a really enjoyable world that I still hard to believe was pulled off on last gen consoles. The characters and story were pretty shallow but I do prefer that over a game taking itself way too seriously.

3. Tearaway ; As somebody who has never loved LBP all that much I was also surprised by Tearaway. This is the game that should have existed for the Vita's launch, it's the justification to so many of the Vita's features that no other game has justified yet. This game oozes charm and leaves you with a smile from the start of the game all the way to the very end.

4. Saints Row IV ;

5. Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut ;

6. Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory ;

7. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch ;

Will update rest of the list later as I'm catching up on a few more before the end of the year and really don't know how the list shakes out after 3 anyway.
 

Jack cw

Member
1. The Last of Us ;
2. Assassin's Creed 4 ;
3. Tomb Raider
4. Beyond: Two Souls ;
5. Killzone Shadow Fall ;
6. Resogun ;
7. Battlefield 4 ;
8. GTA 5 ;
9. Remember Me ;
10. Gran Turismo 6 ;
 
1. Super Mario 3D World ; just pure fun. Great level design, great gameplay,beautiful worlds. The very essence of video games.

2. The Last of Us ; My favorite naughty dog game. Filled with cliche post-apocalyptic standards, The Last of Us is one of the most memorable video game experiences I've had in years. Very similar to the feeling I had when I played Resident Evil 4 for the first time.

3. Shin Megami Tensei IV ; My first entry into Atlus' Megami JRPGs. I am really enjoying this game. I've continued to play it off and on since its release. I'm probably about 40 hours in. I'm excited to keep playing and hopefully beat it in the next month or so.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds ; Nintendo has reinvigorated 2D Zelda with what made it fun to begin with: exploration, great gameplay, simple yet magical story.

5. Pikmin 3 ; One of the most unique gameplay experiences I've had all year. The amount of feels I got while playing this game..... I can't even explain.

6. Gone Home ; Short and enjoyable. Interesting story, set in the 90's. I really liked this game.

7. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate ; I sank like 200 hours into this game. Unfortunately, it gets quite repetitive, but I was really into it the first half of this year.

8. Rayman Legends ; I am huge fan of platformers, and this one was one of the best. A little on the easy side, but it was incredibly enjoyable.

9. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon ; This game was a simple experience that brought me a lot of nostalgia. I didn't like the mission style focus when compared to the Gamecube Luigi's Mansion. But I still has a lot of fun.

10. Pokemon X/Y ; It's Pokemon!

11. Animal Crossing ; Tons of fun! But I got bored in a month. I'll come back to it one day though. Really relaxing game.


x. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; Just bought this from the best buy sale last week. Really excited to start playing this.

x. Etrain Odyssey Untold: The Millenium Girl ; I'm dying to try out some more Atlus JRPGs after my postive experenice with SMTIV.

x. Tomb Raider ; Never got the chance to play this since I don't have a ps3 or xbox 360 currently. This is a game I hope I get to try out in the future.
 

Fabrik

Banned
Sadly I won't get to play games like Tearaway, Pikmin 3 or A Link Between Worlds before the end of the year, so who knows if my list will change after that.

Yep, I haven't noticed anyone who played Tearaway and A Link Between Worlds not put them in their GOTY list.
 

GQman2121

Banned
Is a GOTY voting thread, a thread of people giving out opinions about what they like most, the right place for you to start preaching/ranting about how you just *can't understand* how people like what they listed? Really?

Speaking of,

7. Tomb Raider: I like it. Some would launch a tirade against me and call me a part of lowest common denominator for liking it, but it is what it is. Gorgeous graphics, great atmosphere all around, enjoyable gun/gameplay... I enjoyed my time with it, and one of rare games this year that I actually bothered to finish from start to end.

The OP says discussion is welcomed.

I wasn't trying to rant. Sorry if it came off that way. :(
 

Larson

Banned
1. The Last of Us ; The best game i have played this generation. Really perfect paced, dialogue, gameplay and atmosphere.
2. Tearaway ; A cute and great game. Maybe Vitas best game.
3.Bioshock Infinite ; Maybe not the best gameplay, but the story and world was great and it really stuck with me.
4.Super Mario 3D World ; Its MARIO!
5.Resogun ; Fast paced free action. This game is worth the price of a PS4 alone, the co-op play is some of the most fun moments i have had in many years.
 
1. Europa Universalis 4; Largest timesink for me that came out this year. Continuing the tradition of Paradox games being the motherfucking time vampires that they are, EU4 adds refinements and changes that, on the balance of things, make for an improved experience over EU3, which I was still playing right up to the EU4 launch.

2. Batman: Arkgam Origins; I was very worried about this game, especially when the reviewers started taking it out back and knifing it in the back. I loved it though. It's a step back in a few ways over the last game, but the much needed variety and difficulty it adds to the game's core mechanics outweighs the bugs and feelings of being a "b team" game.


Only two for now. Damn phone.
 
1. Europa Universalis 4; Largest timesink for me that came out this year. Continuing the tradition of Paradox games being the motherfucking time vampires that they are, EU4 adds refinements and changes that, on the balance of things, make for an improved experience over EU3, which I was still playing right up to the EU4 launch.

2. Batman: Arkgam Origins; I was very worried about this game, especially when the reviewers started taking it out back and knifing it in the back. I loved it though. It's a step back in a few ways over the last game, but the much needed variety and difficulty it adds to the game's core mechanics outweighs the bugs and feelings of being a "b team" game.


Only two for now. Damn phone.
Your phone caused you to skip Pikmin 3? You never finished it, did you?
 

SaitoH

Member
1. Last of Us ; Not only is this game of the year for me, it might be game of the generation.
2. Tomb Raider ; A great reboot. Only disappoint was the lack of Tomb Raiding, hyuck hyuck.
3. Tearaway ; This game put a huge smile on face. Ended up getting a platinum and still want to keep playing. Love it.
4. Grand Theft Auto V ; BThe best GTA game by a long shot.
5. Assassin's Creed: Black Flag ; Best Assassin's Creed game (Noticing a trend). So much stuff to do and so much fun. Don't know how UBI will top this game.
6. Gran Turismo 6 ; Shame this showed up so late in the year otherwise It may have placed higher, but this is a huge improvement over GT5. Watching the First Love documentary and driving the Hudson shows how much passion is behind this series. Can't get enough.
7. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time ; I wouldn't have thought a non-Sucker Punch Sly could be so good. Played it at home and on the go, I loved the PS3/Vita synergy; wonderful game.
8. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen ; I want a PS4 sequel, stat.
9. Dragon's Crown ; I love Vanillaware and Dragon's Crown is their best effort; I still play it.
10. Ni No Kuni ; Beautiful game that was a lot of fun, I didn't want it to end.

Near misses:
x Guacamelee
x BioShock Infinite
x Puppeteer
 

-NeoTB1-

Member
1. Fire Emblem Awakening ; The absolute best game I played all year. The only major fault with this game is that I can't play it all over again for the first time. If this is the future of FE games I am all in.
2. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed ; The new standard for kart racers. I adored the previous game and this installment is no different. Your move, Mario.
3. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag ; AC makes it's triumphant return to form. I was really let down by III, but IV has proved to be the best in the series since II/Brotherhood. Naval battles are definitely the high note for me.
4. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn ; This game is a true love letter to all FF fans. The updates and changes they made from the original release are nothing short of amazing. Oh, and it's a pretty darn good MMO in its own right, too.
5. Animal Crossing New Leaf ; The wait for this game was well worth it. Animal Crossing is one of those games that I can pick up every day and feel fulfilled no matter how long (or short) my play session is.
6. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch ; This was quite possibly the best console RPG I played all year. The entire time I played through this game I had a goofy smile on my face. It made me feel like a kid again, which is appropriate considering the main character. Please make another game Level-5 and Studio Ghibli!
7. Tomb Raider ; A fun reboot/origin story for a classic series. I wish there was more tomb-raiding to be had, but all in all it was an enjoyable game. I hope the next one has a more interesting plot and better supporting cast.
8. Knack ; This is sure to be an unpopular opinion amongst the masses. Knack is a solid launch title platformer. It does nothing to further the genre, but it doesn't really need to. It's colorful, easy to play, family-friendly and most of all... fun! If nothing else, it's worthy of a rental.
9. Tales of Xillia ; A solid addition to one of my favorite JRPG series. Good cast, enjoyable battle system, and decent story. It doesn't really excel in any one area over previous installments, but as a whole it works out well. I'm looking forward to 2.
10. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen ; Stick this battle system in Skyrim and I would be in heaven. Seriously.



I may edit this later to make some minor changes and add my honorable mentions.
 

Xeno_V

Member
1. The Last of Us ; Naughy Dog's finest game, great atmosphere, interesting story and characters.
2. Super Mario 3D World ; Although SMG set the bar too high, Nintendo proved that they can always add new elements that work great in Mario games.
3. The Legend of Zelda ; A Link Between Worlds ; Nintendo found the perfect balance between paying tribute to a classic game and offering something new at the same time.
4. Grand Theft Auto V ; Only R* can deliver such games, so many nice details and such a great OST - Tangerine Dream ftw.
5. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; The most addictive game that I played this year, absolutely engrossing.
6. Tearaway ; Great world, great visuals, even greater music... and also many interesting gameplay elements to take advantage of PSV hardware.
7. Hotline Miami ; Such a fun experience, interesting aesthetics, simple and addictive gameplay and oooh... that 80s feeling was perfect, great music too.
8. Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon ; I never expected to like such a game, but it was so polished .. great level design by the way.
9. Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons ; Simple, easy and short but it was totally worth it for the storyline and the beautiful visuals.
10. MGS Revengeance: Far from Platinum's best but it was soooo fun to play. Smooth frame rate, crazy OST and several fun boss fights.
 

spekkeh

Banned
1. Spelunky ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGrPeu5NWk0

2. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons ; A simple metaphor yields a complex epiphany, over and over again. Brothers is a reminder: a great control-scheme doesn't need to remain rigid. The "use" verb can be systemically rewarding. I chose to press and hold the left trigger -- does that actually say something about me? Does it hold, then, that it says the same thing for everyone who has finished Brothers? Does this legitimise context-sensitive input?

3. Antichamber ; Antichamber smiles down at us. Friendly, but intimidating, he suggests: "You think, Young-White-20-Something-Male, that the way you accumulate knowledge is linked to the where, when and why you learn something." We nod, not realising that over the next few hours this sound-foundation will be swept from under us, now something ethereal: a faint laugh of a mad-man echoing around a corner that leads to itself and back again.

4. Device 6 ; You duck out for a moment to relieve yourself. On your way back, you press your ear against the door. All your friends are where you left them, but they're talking to someone you can't identify. Without warning, your favourite band is playing, but you can't hear the drummer. Device Six is about presenting the familiar but suggesting the unknown, exploring the space between what we expect and what actually exists on the other side of the door.

5. Gone Home ; A door should be eight hundred and twenty millimeters wide. A queen-sized bed should be a little over two meters long. A small pot-plant should be watered twice a week. A good character should have the fortitude to prove a premise. The normal household light-bulb should shine for roughly one thousand hours. A protagonist's response to conflict should be surprising in the moment and obvious in hindsight. A combination lock should have a definite code. A great love should conquer all. There is great risk in presenting things as we suspect they must be.

6. Wonderful 101 ; It doesn't work, like, 25% of the time. Escaping a collapsing building is mostly frustrating. A recurring boss-fight remains inscrutable on its third showing. An aerial dog-fight is won by holding down a button and moving a stick back and forth. When The Wonderful 101 fails, it fails spectacularly. It pushes back. Somewhere, someone human, someone who might be *me* made a risky decision. There are stakes involved; the moments that work feel like they might fall apart at any second. When the space-shuttle lands in the ocean intact, suddenly -- vividly -- I'm alive.

7. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; Immediate. Definite.

8. Gunpoint ; Sympathy must be granted to the lowly security guard who patrols the halls of Gunpoint. A light-switch is flicked and a door swings open with enough force to cause a severe concussion. If he wasn't already horizontal, he might have noticed that the room was still dark. Bummer.

9. Pikmin 3 ; This is a Nintendo game that asks the player to plan ahead, make tough choices about resource-expenditure and improvise in the face of devastating loss, else completely fail.

10. The Last of Us ; I've deleted this paragraph a few times. Every time I try to say something about The Last of Us, something meaningful or charming or subtle, I realise that the text doesn't support my reading. "A great premise supported by both its fiction and its mechanics", I suppose to myself, clumsily. Minutes pass. Backspace. Delete. I guess most of what I did in the game was just take cover and shoot guys. Maybe I snuck past them? Backspace. Delete. Scrounging together supplies to use as weapons or remedies does show a bit of desperation, on the character's part, maybe. Backspace. Delete. Wait. Repeat. I realise now that the only vaguely interesting thing I have to say about the game is this: everything appealing about The Last of Us is immediately obvious on first-reading.
Excellent write up! Agree with a number of your choices too!
 
1. The Last of Us ; Maybe the best game I've played on the PS3, incredible from the start to finish
2. Bioshock Infinite ;
3. Tearaway ; had a smile on my face the whole time I was playing it
4. Velocity Ultra ;
5. Beyond: Two Souls ;
6. Tomb Raider ;
7. Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon ;
8. Rayman Legends ;
9. Resogun ;
10. Spelunky (Vita) ;
 

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
Thanks to this thread, I have now played Gunpoint and Guacamelee as well, and man, what a game Guacamelee is! Will probably finish it tomorrow, and if nothing happends, I need to do some serious editing of my list :)
 

wapplew

Member
1. The Last of US ; Changed my perception of video game as a media art form entirely. Graphic, writing, acting, music all perfectly put together so well make us forget how good the actual game play design was.
My favorite level design of the game was the start of winter section, story wise, you are so eager to know what happen, yet they design a stealth level require you to calm and focus, a perfect example on how level design impact your emotion.
Another well design level is cafe/library, multiple entrance with vertical space,so many ways to play this level.
Some open level just big enough for exploration yet you know the path without hand-holding is the perfect example on clever use of color and subtle visual highlight.

2. Tearaway ; Just everything Amirox said.

3. Dota 2 ; Best competitive multiplayer this year and many years to come.

4. Nino Kuni ; Great visual, superb music, old school JRPG gameplay with simple story. Perfect entry-level JRPG for everyone.

5. Sonic & Sega allstar racing transform ; One of the best kart party game.
 

Kevtones

Member
Games that left a mark on me this year:


1. Super Mario 3D World - If there is a cult of Nintendo, consider this a reiteration of its mission statement. Perhaps one of the finer deliveries of 'games as art' I've encountered (whatever the fuck that means). This game evokes something not found elsewhere and for the first time in awhile, that evocation has nothing to do with nostalgia.

2. Grand Theft Auto V - Incredible detail. Varied missions. Funny. Worth the wait and will only improve. Truly next-gen. It's not perfect, but it gets so much right and has such a wonderfully pervasive personality that it deserves all the accolades it gets.

3. The Wonderful 101 - A vision of game design and a perfectly stubborn one at that. Shame on people for discounting its direction and the cynicism surrounding its system-choice. A classic action game with content and depth for days.

4. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - Everything is better that needed to be better and everything that is the same FEELS better. Charm and accomplishment wrap neatly in this package.

5. Metro: Last Light - I appreciate linearity these days, and this game puts on a clinic. The austere quality radiating from each of its design elements comes together to form an industrial despair that takes a shit on some other more well-known (melodramatic) gaming scapes. A true vision, however flawed.


Still need to play: SMTIV, Assassin's Creed IV, Deus Ex HR:DC. Played pretty much everything else this year aside from PC games and there was a lot of disappointment.


Underwhelming games I played to completion: The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Pikmin 3,
 

Levyne

Banned
Thanks to this thread, I have now played Gunpoint and Guacamelee as well, and man, what a game Guacamelee is! Will probably finish it tomorrow, and if nothing happends, I need to do some serious editing of my list :)

Guacamelee is one of those games that's becoming increasingly harder to ignore...
 

Brick

Member
1. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; Loved every moment of this game. Reminded me why I used to like Zelda games.
2. Gunpoint ; Some of the best writing in a game in years. Great puzzles and fun mechanics.
3. Bioshock: Infinite ; Untouchable art direction. The ending left me thinking about the whole game long after the credits rolled.
4. Splinter Cell: Blacklist ; I had no expectations for this game after Conviction, but they managed to pull off the best Splinter Cell since Chaos Theory
5. Tomb Raider ; Had a ton of fun with this game. Those complaining about the story clearly don't remember ANY of the stories of previous Tomb Raider games.
6. Assassin's Creed 4 ; As much as I love Brotherhood, this is their best Assassins Creed game yet.
7. Card Hunter ; Was not expecting to put any Free to Play games on this list, but Card Hunter absolutely deserves the recognition. Incredibly well though out design. Spent more hours with this game than most on this list.
8. Saints Row 4 ; Big, dumb fun. What more could you ask for?
9. Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm ; Admittedly I spent more time watching tournaments of this game than I did playing it, but that's just because I'm terrible at it.
10. DmC: Devil may Cry ; Screw the haters, I had a ton of fun with this game. And I actually prefer the new Dante to the old Dante.
 

Superman

Member
1. The Last of Us ; One of the best games of the generation. Fully deserves the award for game of the year. Amazing. Nothing I can add that wouldn't of been said countless times. 10/10.

2. Tearaway ; Such a charming original adventure. If this was released last year, it would of been my number one. Every Vita owner needs this.

3. Persona 4: Golden (EU) ; One of the best RPGs I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Loved every single minute of the 100+ hours I sunk into it. Every RPG lover should experience this game.

4. BioShock Infinite ; I don't care what anyone says, this story got me thinking for weeks... Very rare a game does that to me. I wasn't too keen on the gameplay, but it is one of the best games I played this year.

5. Guacamelee! ; Enjoyed everything about this game. Right balance of difficulty, fantastic homages to games in the past, great humour. A metroidvania done right.

6. Resogun ; My favourite PS4 game. I think Housemarque are great devs. Enjoyed every Super Stardust they've made, and this raises the bar. Super addictive & challenging.

7. Hotline Miami (Vita) ; A very addictive game that you just have to keep playing, even when you die 10-20+ times on one level. Amazing soundtrack too.

8. Killzone Mercenary ; For me it's the best Killzone ever made (controversial?). Fantastic multiplayer. The best handheld first person shooter ever made.

9. FIFA 14 ; The best looking football game ever made! Great upgrade from the 360/PS3 version. Gameplay is great. Really excited to see how FIFA 15 will shape up.

10. Assassins Creed IV Black Flag ; I'm not that far into this yet, but I'm far enough to realise this is a great game. If I was further in who knows? Would it be even higher? Possibly. Enjoying it a lot so far, and deserves to be on my list.
 
1.BioShock Infinite;
2.The Last of Us;
3.Fire Emblem Awakening;
4.Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn;
5.Ni No Kuni;
6.Amnesia: A Machie for Pigs;
7.Pikmin 3;
8.Metal Gear Rising;
9.Tomb Raider;
10.Need For Speed Rivals;
 

Kaswa101

Member
Assassin's Creed 4 ; As much as I love Brotherhood, this is their best Assassins Creed game yet.

Agreed. Brotherhood was my favourite as well until AC4, and I had no expectations going into it after AC3 put me off the series so much. Great turnaround imo. Hopefully Ubisoft will continue giving the series new ideas to play with.
 

mudkyp

Member
1. Gone Home ; This game kicked me right in the gut with it's touching story and elegant form of gameplay. I've been waiting for a game that just let me explored a space without dreading an annoying combat scenario or obtuse puzzle. Gone Home is my dream game.

2. Grand Theft Auto V ; Driving along the coast line in a fast car with the music blaring while watching the sunset is one of my favorite gaming moments this year. The scope of GTA V is incredible and the variety of things to do in the game is staggering. Also, it's the only game I've played this year that let me visit a therapist and have me mop a floor.

3. Dragon's Crown ; Classic old school fun with unexpected support from Vanillaware and Atlus with the constant patches to improve the game and it's longevity. The fact that they raised the level cap and added a new dungeon and new enemy attacks for free is amazing in this day and age.

4. Papers Please ; One of the most stressful and fucked up games I've ever played.

5. Metal Gear Rising ; Platinum did what they do best, make an insane and stylish action game with an great deal of depth. And a kick ass soundtrack.
 

mcbradle

Neo Member
I want to preface my list by saying that 2013 was the year that got me to play several sequels and entries in franchises that I never played or
had any interest in, which to me in a big deal. I also think the year was a home run for indie titles, though my list may not represent that. Anyway, on to the list...

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1. Grand Theft Auto V; I have not EVER finished a Grand Theft Auto game, despite playing all of them (including Chinatown Wars). GTA V fixed everything wrong with previous GTA games and eliminated all the barriers to me completing the game. In IV, the game had camera issues that made driving difficult, the characters were unlikeable to me, cars felt like they were driving on ice, and the gunplay was a joke. In GTA V, the gunplay felt very tight and concise, and the driving handled like I would expect from a decent racing game. Those two crucial elements, along with a vivid open world, more entertaining and likable characters and plot lines, and decent polish (not counting GTA online) made this a game I could not put down. After one heist, I was compelled to see the next one, or to see what Trevor would do next. It made me root for Michael, despite him having some undesirable characteristics. The soundtrack was great, controls were excellent, and it was hard for me to dislike anything in this latest entry in the GTA franchise. It improved a franchise that has always been good and well-received, and that deserves top honors.

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2. TLOZ: Wind Waker HD; I did not play Wind Waker on the Gamecube at release because I didn't have one. When I finally got one, I played an hour or so of it before it felt boring and monotonous. This game, in conjunction with Pikmin 3, sold me a Wii U in October. In addition to gorgeous visuals, the game transported me back to my feelings from TLOZ: OoT. With the updated sail, the island-to-island sailing was quick and painless, and it was easier to enjoy the world rather than despise the exploration itself. The dungeons were fun, and the story really is one of the strongest in the franchise. It was hard to put down, and I found the Wii U gamepad to be irreplaceable. This should be one of the games that makes the gamepad a relevant piece of hardware, and it makes me anxious to see what a "made for Wii U" Zelda can do.

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3. Bioshock Infinite; To continue the trend, I also did not play either Bioshock game that preceded Bioshock: Infinite. I bought Infinite to be in on the hype, though, as it was getting a large amount of buzz at released. I instantly understood why. The story, while complex and twisting, was one of the most thoughtful and captivating plots I have ever experienced. The gunplay was tight, and I loved the way that using vigors weaved seamlessly into the fight mechanics, often making battles much more dynamic and fun. The audio and visual presentations were spectacular and made great use of art style to convey an enveloping world that makes you want to look at everything.

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4. Injustice: Gods Among Us; Mortal Kombat has always been one of my favorite franchises and that one fighting game that I played end on end to improve. Being a DC fan, I was interested in Injustice from the first trailer. Injustice takes an incredible breadth of DC characters and settings and applies the tight, fun Mortal Kombat fight system to it to create a very novel and surprisingly deep fighting game. I thought that Batman or The Flash would become my favorite character to play with (being an unreasonable Batman fanatic). I was surprised to discover that Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Nightwing (not so surprised about that) were all incredibly diverse, powerful, and fun to play with, making them my most played fighters. Mortal Kombat Vs. DC was known for lots of problems, a goofy story, and a shallow fighting system for the DC characters. Doing a DC-centric game, however, forced them to create more depth in terms of move sets and roster.

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5. Batman: Arkham Origins; Again, back to my Batman fanaticism, this was my most anticipated game of the year. While it was critically lukewarm, I felt that it took Arkham City's best parts and pushed them further. The story in Asylum and City was transparent from a mile away: the Joker wants to kill you, and you have to fight all these other bosses for one reason or another before you get to him. In Origins, the focus was less on big name villains (sporting villains like Copperhead and Firefly in place of Mr. Freeze or Two Face), and provides very meaningful story to the Batman game arc. His first interactions with Bane, Joker, Harley Quinn, and The Riddler are handled very well and creates a great origin story for Batman that continues with the solid gameplay that Rocksteady began. While not the best game, it would be a shame to write this game off simply because it's not the critical darling that City and Asylum were.

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6. Fire Emblem: Awakening; Fire Emblem seemed to me like that franchise that I would want to like but just couldn't get into. I bought FE: Awakening simply because I was in a drought of 3DS games, and it got a lot of buzz on release. Awakening did an excellent job of introducing me to a franchise that has an intimate and deep strategy system that can be daunting at first. I have no knowledge of other FE games to compare Awakening to, but it is a solid game to me all on its own. The strategy makes every battle a new challenge, and the death of characters was very enthralling and impactful, something difficult to pull off in a strategy game. The 3D was excellent, and even without it, Awakening is a spectacular looking 3DS game.

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7. Rogue Legacy; I get bored easily with repetitive gameplay. That's why I stayed away from Dark Souls. I knew I'd put it down the 10th time I died in a certain area. Rogue Legacy fixes this for me. Every death was actually exciting. EXCITING TO DIE. Because I knew there was a brand new dungeon with lots more opportunity awaiting me. Despite being difficult, the randomization of the world each time made the difficulty a non-issue. This game has tons of replayability and is very tight in terms of control.

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8. Gunpoint; I watched the Giant Bomb quick look of this game for 4 minutes the day it was released, and I instantly went and bought it. I then downloaded it and preceded to beat it immediately that evening. It was so fluid and fun to jump through windows and pounce on enemies, all while using strategy to plan out your break in that I couldn't quit. It is one of the gems of the indie community this year.

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9. Pikmin 3; This also sold me a Wii U. I loved the gorgeous visuals and enjoyed the quirky gameplay that, while arguably simple, was still entertaining in that classic Nintendo way. It's a must own for any Nintendo fan or Wii U owner, and it helped cap a year that supported the Wii U library with several solid hits.

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10. Saints Row IV; Saints Row: The Third was hysterical and tons of fun to play, so I had high hopes for SR4. I was happy that the great gunplay, interesting upgrade system, and entertaining story and writing returned, but I felt that more of the jokes fell flat. I also had a difficult time caring for the "
Matrix-esque"
story that the game immediately reveals that provides a rationale for your superpowers. I could have used a better story, but the game is still solid and fun to play, especially with the superpowers. That puts it on my top ten, though rather low.

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x.. Simcity; Look, it had online issues. They frustrated me, too, for a week or two. Yes, the plot sizes are small. But, regardless of those issues, there is a lot of depth that people seem to not notice. Taking a region and making an education city that is funded by tourism and gambling, while its neighbor is an uneducated oil and mining town that produces loads of money and materials, all while the next city over is a bustling, clean metropolis with an emphasis on electronics and manufacturing is really fun. Or maybe your first city is filthy rich with gambling and mining/oil, while its neighbors are education focused and a trash town (solely used as a large dump). There's fun to be had in Simcity, and now that Cheetah speed is back and that the connection issues are worked out, the game is decent enough to put in some hours.

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x. Papers, Please; Another gem in the indie lineup this year, I was very surprised that I enjoyed Papers, Please so much. It had nice gameplay that portrayed its message clear, and a large swath of endings makes it intriguing. The only place it fell short for me was having the perseverance to continue through all the days to make it to the end.

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2012. FTL: Faster Than Light; While I played X-COM: Enemy Unknown and Hotline Miami into 2013, FTL takes my LTTP nomination. I can't stop playing it. When there's nothing else I am trying to pound through or enjoying, I go back to FTL. I love that every game you play acts as a story to tell others about that sounds like a really good space movie. Whether you made it to the end or died in sector 2 to a ship full of slugs that suffocated you and started a bunch of fires on your ship, it's still a great journey every time. It's hard to stop playing and can easily go into the wee hours of the night, much the way Civilization V can with the "one more turn" mentality. It reveals my inner "Captain of the Enterprise" fantasy and if it were released in January, it would be my game of the year for 2013.
 

UV-6

Member
1. The Last of Us ; Game had it all really. A true 10/10 and my personal GOTG.
2. Bioshock Infinite ; Amazing story and art direction.
3. GTA V ; My favourite GTA so far. Good varied characters and it actually had a decent story.
4. Guacamelee! ; I would have missed this gem if it wasn't for PS+. Really enjoyed despite a few annoying moments. Damn you Tree Tops!
5. Hotline Miami ; Frustrating, annoying but ever so addictive and satisfying.
6. Papers, Please ; What a weird game. Never in my life would have thought to enjoy something like this but the praise it got was deserved.
 
1. Bioshock Infinte ; Loved every second of it. It has had some blowback, but this game connected with me so much I never questioned my game of the year.
2. The Last of Us ; Any other year, would have been number one.
3. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; Amazing that they could make such a traditional Zelda game stand out from the rest.
4. Splinter Cell Blacklist ; Largely overlooked this year. Fantastic SC missions
5. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; Never thought a tactics game would match Final Fantasy Tactics, but Awakening did it for me
6. Tomb Raider ; Never liked the older games, this one took me quite by surprise.
7. Animal Crossing: New Leaf ; Still great.
8. Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs ; Great game, bad followup to Dark Descent. Should not have been an "Amnesia" game.
9. Spelunky ; Spelunky.
10. Gunpoint ; Narrowly beat out Rogue Legacy.
 

Levyne

Banned
7. Rogue Legacy; I get bored easily with repetitive gameplay. That's why I stayed away from Dark Souls. I knew I'd put it down the 10th time I died in a certain area. Rogue Legacy fixes this for me. Every death was actually exciting. EXCITING TO DIE. Because I knew there was a brand new dungeon with lots more opportunity awaiting me. Despite being difficult, the randomization of the world each time made the difficulty a non-issue. This game has tons of replayability and is very tight in terms of control.


Wishlisted, haha
 
1. The Last of Us ; quite simply a masterpiece in storytelling among its peers. The gameplay was brutal and satisfying, enhancing the narration as few games do.
2. Metal Gear Rising ; visceral gameplay, adrenaline-fueled soundtrack and one of the most memorable villains ever. Because nanomachines, son.
3. Super Mario 3D World ; a terrific mélange of old-school and modern gameplay. A delight to play.
4. Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs ; while the game didn't provide the same amount of fright as its predecessor, it was still a great game with a terrific atmosphere and some of the best writing I have ever seen in a video game.
5. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; the game refines and distills the gameplay to its essentials. Everything you want in a Zelda game is there. The lack of ammo makes everything faster and less tedious, along with providing the player a door to more varied gameplay styles.
6. BioShock Infinite ; while not the masterpiece some claim it is, I had a great time with the game. A great story, though muddled by some poor writing. The gameplay is what's keeping this game from being higher on the list; it was too run-and-shoot and diluted. You can feel the focus testing just by playing it. Still, a good game.
7. Outlast ; while not as flamboyant as Amnesia, the game provides some tense gameplay and a satisfying experience.
2012. Halo 4 ; I played the game this summer and absolutely loved it. It's your core Halo game but with tons of refinements here and there, along with the best story and narrative the series has seen.
 
1. Castle of Illusion ; a remake of my all-time favourite childhood game could never possibly live up to my expectations, I thought. I was wrong - it surpassed them. Old-school without feeling outmoded, this game captures the magic of the early Disney platformers so perfectly it's like witchcraft. Yes, it's two hours to 100%, but they're two of the most affirming hours in gaming. Effectively perfect and easily my GOTY.

2. Rayman Legends ; Rayman Origins was brilliant. It's shit compared to Legends. The best 2D platformer in roughly a decade.

3. Guacamelee ; came out of nowhere from - to me - an unknown developer, to consume my life for its duration. Pure, brilliant 2D gaming, without feeling panderingly retro.

4. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D ; a classic Wii game, now playable while crapping. The new levels didn't miss a beat and the game is still wonderful. Can't wait for the sequel.

5. DmC Devil May Cry ; Gorgeous, involving and accessible. Finally an action game I can actually play!

6. Animal Crossing New Leaf ; the best game in the series by a country mile. Never stops being endearing and absorbing, with a seemingly endless parade of things to do.

7. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed ; the best Karting game of all time, bar none.

8. Tomb Raider ; a hugely enjoyable and atmospheric adventure; while it has problematic elements, I was able to get a huge amount of enjoyment from it.

9. Candy Box 2 ; pretty great to play at work! Full of surprises.

10. Aces Wild ; hey! You know that hardcore 2D action game you want so much? It's this! It's right here! WHY DIDN'T ANYONE PLAY THIS!?

X. Ducktales Remastered; coasts on its fanservice, with plenty to dislike about it mechanically. But it's Ducktales! In 2013! With the original cast!

X. Saint's Row IV; a minor disappointment, what with the complete pointlessness of the vehicles. Still a complete trip to play, and goes in the only direction that the series possibly could have after The Third.
 

Derrick01

Banned
1. Europa Universalis 4; Largest timesink for me that came out this year. Continuing the tradition of Paradox games being the motherfucking time vampires that they are, EU4 adds refinements and changes that, on the balance of things, make for an improved experience over EU3, which I was still playing right up to the EU4 launch.

2. Batman: Arkgam Origins; I was very worried about this game, especially when the reviewers started taking it out back and knifing it in the back. I loved it though. It's a step back in a few ways over the last game, but the much needed variety and difficulty it adds to the game's core mechanics outweighs the bugs and feelings of being a "b team" game.


Only two for now. Damn phone.

It's a beautiful two though. I just picked up EU4 yesterday so I'm trying to get enough play time in to include it in my list.
 

ithorien

Member
Only making decisions on games I've either beaten, or have gotten comfortably far enough to pass judgments on.

1. Final Fantasy XIV - A Realm Reborn ; Square Enix with the heavy stigma as of late has managed to accomplish what has never been done before. The new development team has taken a fallen, mangled mess of an MMO and like a Phoenix reborn has raised the soul of the game from the depths and into light as one of the best MMOs I have had the pleasure to play.
2. Bioshock Infinite ; Having never been partial to the Bioshock franchise, Infinite swayed my way by providing a phenomenal story that has kept me engaged throughout and long past its amazing ending; top this off with solid shooting mechanics, great AI and a wonderfully useful magic system and you have yourself a contender for game of the year.
3. Tomb Raider ; Gritty, emotional reboot of a franchise that lost its way, the new Tomb Raider does everything I expected from the title. Exploring feels natural, combat feels real, and most importantly it depicts Lara taking a path that turns her from a fragile young girl, into a strong woman worthy of the Tomb Raider title.
4. Assassin's Creed 4 - Black Flag ; After a much disappointing AC3, Black Flag brings a living, breathing open world to the franchise made that much more special with the inclusion of expanded sailing gameplay. The rest of gameplay systems an improvement, it puts the series back on the right path and moves it forward.
5. Need for Speed - Rivals ; Solid arcade racer with a good selection of cars, large world, and most importantly the inclusion of the All-Drive mode. All-Drive breathes new life into the game, which alone made the title worthy of being included on this list.
6. Ratchet & Clank - Into the Nexus ; A much needed and welcome comeback to the formula that made all the R&C games special. Albeit short, the gameplay is solid with a large enough selection of guns and upgrades; it is all about guns after all, isn't it?
 
1. The Last of Us; The best story of the year combined with good gameplay and great graphics. The only game this year I completed twice.

2. GTA V; Probably the most enjoyable and funniest game of the year

3. BioShock Infinite; A really good story and enjoyable combat to boot.

4. Tomb Raider
5. Splinter Cell Blacklist
6. FIFA 14
7. Guacamelee
8. Resogun
9. Batman Arkham Origins
10. DMC: Devil May Cry
 

Einbroch

Banned
1. Tomb Raider ; Fun. It has issues, obviously. Side characters suck, story gets weird, most collectables are worthless, tombs are underwhelming...but you know what? None of that matters. It's just a fun game. Best third person action since Gears from a gameplay perspective.

2. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; Waifu simulator-lite meets deep SRPG goodness. I have not really played a traditional SRPG since Disgaea, and I was not disappointed. What a game.

3. Hotline Miami ; Only game I played for more than five hours in one sitting. Absolutely a blast to play that works perfectly on the Vita.

That's really all I feel like mentioning. This year was pretty lackluster for me.
 

woodland

Member
1. Dota 2; Simply the best Dota-style game on the marketplace right now. The cosmetic system is completely optional, ALL heroes are available, and the balance and metagame is amazing. Balance changes wildly with each patch, while the meta changes from tournament to tournament. Naga was huge earlier this year as a support, while now CM is the thing to do. Naix is picked now, but not as much as before, etc.
Valve has added so many amazing things - an amazing replay/spectator/casting/coaching system, teams & clans, team matchmaking, ranked matchmaking, multiple playmodes (CM, CD, RD, AR, SD, etc), a library of heroes and items for beginners, multiple holiday modes, new servers, etc.

This game goes above and beyond what any game should - it will be played years from now when any other games in this thread are long forgotten.

2. Bioshock Infinite; Haven't played many other games this year - simply because Dota 2 has taken all my interest. Other games pale in comparison to it. However, I've played Bioshock Infinite and enjoyed it. The gameplay was fine. It could've been better but thats why its my #2. The story was interesting (albeit a tad confusing) and overall it was a lovely foray back into the world of Bioshock.

3. Just Cause 2 MP Beta; I don't know if I'm allowed to add this, but this mod is fantastic. It lets hundreds and thousands of people play such an open sandbox where you can go from flying through the air next to planes in a boat, to racing bikes or in a parachute jump off a building, to a derby in a satellite dish, to a gunfight on Pie Island in the middle of nowhere. Fantastic mod. Absolutely astounding.
 

Cyberia

Member
1. The Last of Us : Naughty Dog's finest game ever and my GOTG. The storytelling was unmatched; Its characters are more interesting and flawed than most from any game of any generation, the overall post-apocalyptic aesthetic far surpassed the attempts of other games that have tried it; the gameplay switched from exploration to stealth to combat with ease and assurance; and if all that wasn’t enough, the multiplayer was addictive as hell too.
2. Tearaway ; the most fun you can have on the handheld. Vita's best game too.
3. Guacamelee ; so full of personality and challenging gameplay
4. Rayman Legends ; one of the best 2D platformers of the last 10+ years
 

RiccochetJ

Gold Member
1. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag; I honestly thought I was done with the series, but Ubi knocked it out of the park.
2. BioShock Infinite; Love the world created by Irrational
3. Dead Rising 3; Had a blast with this game. Nex gen is off to a good start!
4. The Last of Us; The day ND releases their next game is the day I buy a PS4.
5. Bit.Trip Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien; I bought the soundtrack!
6. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger; Great storytelling and a solid fps to boot!
7. Papers, Please; Never thought shuffling papers would be so much fun and thought provoking.
8. Saint's Row IV; Had me laughing all the time
9. State of Decay; Amazing zombie survival game. Can't wait to see what's next from these guys and girls at Undead Labs!
10. Injustice: Gods Among Us

x. Tomb Raider
x. DmC
 

IronLich

Member
1. Tales of Xillia ; Consider me blown away that as much as I loved the Tales series, I wouldn't necessarily consider any of them to be the best games of their respective years, but here we are. Xillia is a great combination of several elements from previous battle systems. Sick air combos leading to OTG pickups in order to continue those combos could only be envisioned in a fighting game up to now. Xillia makes you realize this in real-time RPG combat that only Tales can provide. Yet another cast of likable heroes and villains alike with not a rotten apple in the bunch, Xillia has a very strong cast to mold, making their characters grow up out of their own solitude, assume responsibility for past sins, find their true place and purpose, and at the same time, learn the joys of having an empty stomach. Tales dropped an epic nuke this year that I feel no JRPG could match in the realm of an HD generation. Deeply looking forward to its sequel in 2014.

2. Fire Emblem Awakening ; As a longtime fan of Strategy RPGs, it gives me great pleasure to see Fire Emblem reach their peak in portable form. Every mechanic that made this franchise both great and unique, is being brought to the table like never before. Romantic relationships leading to points where you can eventually bring your own offspring into the army, yet another video game soundtrack being an utter delight for the ears, and some of the most memorable characters in Fire Emblem's grand history. The 3DS seems to usually possess the highest points of their first party franchises, and this one is no exception.

3. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; So Platinum Games got their hands on an unfinished Metal Gear spinoff, and ran that ball down the field for the mother of all touchdowns. Polished to the nth degree with a much deeper combat system than advertised, a simply mindblowing soundtrack at your back with the best use of dynamic cues in recent videogame memory, and all but the highest of praise for any and all of the game's boss battles, teaching you the game's new mechanics hard, and in some of the best ways possible. An action game with a level of satisfaction only rivaled by Platinum's previous entries.

4. Bioshock Infinite ; As a person that didn't quite have that many feels for the original as far as combat was concerned, everything works much better in Infinite. You can occasionally call upon your own George Washington bot in your great name. As far as story and setting goes, there's so much to see when you stop to look around. But even when your eyes are usually up front, you're treated to the new standard of character tagalongs in Elzabeth. She's as likable as she is helpful. And the game gets extra props whenever Songbird is on screen. That unsettling screech continues to haunt my nightmares to this day.

5. Pokemon X/Y ; It's always been said "If it ain't broke, don't fix it.". And in that respect, what we've learned from Pokemon is that Gamefreak fine tuned it. After 15 years, all your favorite Pokemon are now in delicious portable 3D. And in Generation VI, your Pokemon can be trained and pampered at your leisure like never before. Opening up Mega Evolutions, a new Fairy type to shake up the metagame, and throwing in tons of nostalgia from those Reds/Blues of long past, this is definitely the definitive run of the franchise as of now.

6. Rayman Legends ; Ubisoft did it again. They've managed to once again put the platformer scene on notice. Excellent level design boasting an exceptional amount of variety in setting and tasks, and major props to getting those music levels to work so well. Running across a castle wall to the tune of Ram Jam as a viking princess with a mighty battle axe that you can slide on is something that in 2013 you could only do in this game, and thank god for that.

7. Dragon's Crown ; So this game finally comes out, and what a joy it was. It's as pretty to look at as it is to play having that Vanillaware touch of having the visuals look straight out of a pop-up storybook. All that feeling of a D&D game with a charming narrator recalling your every step of the way, and the bosses? Good heavens. Never in the realm of videogames has a rabbit been so intimidating .

8. Anarchy Reigns ; While the original Japanese release was in 2012, Sega proved to the Western market that good things come to those who wait. Props given to some of the most insane multiplayer known to man, another top notch soundtrack fitting the battleground of the ruined streets like no other, and that Platinum touch in being able to do proper beat-em-up combos in a multiplayer battle. Plus, it gave me the Garuda. Like tearing apart enemies with a piercing drill? How about 2 drills?

9. Dynasty Warriors 8 ; Here I was thinking that the Dynasty Warriors franchise could get no greater after 7, and then 8 offers more gameplay additions like Storm Rush, more story branches filled with "what-if" missions inspired by Warriors Orochi 3, and still banging out an A+ soundtrack to go alongside the greatest battles of the Three Kingdoms era. It doesn't hurt that there are a ton of callbacks in the soundtrack from previous games used at just the right time. Never thought I'd be happy to hear DW6 music again...

10. Injustice: Gods Among Us ; It was either the DC Comics fighting game that is loads of fun to play, and tons of fanservice for fans of DC Comics, or the crazy Scribblenauts game with DC Comics characters that's loads of fun to play, and has tons of fanservice for fans of DC Comics. I'd say the former because of how much I surprisingly liked it in the end. It certainly wasn't the ideal roster, but it was a fighting game that made you feel like a hero. Even when you played as a cat escaping a maximum security museum.
 

Melchiah

Member
1. The Last of Us ; No other game since Silent Hill 2 has made such an impact on me, and stayed with me long after finishing the game. Loved the melancholic story, and how the morals were more grey, instead of the usual black and white approach.
2. Bioshock Infinite ; Pure audiovisual feast with its atmosphere, and the vintage steampunk theme. Bringing out the dark side of religion was also to my liking. The twist was foreseeable long before the end though, and too much shoot-bang.
3. Beyond: Two Souls ; Another game with an emotional kick. Perhaps not perfectly executed, but it kept me nailed to my seat for the whole ride.
4. Killzone: Shadow Fall ; It has its flaws, but it still managed to entertain me with its sci-fi war opera. Plus points for bringing in something varied and different, instead of following the usual COD-routine, and having some open areas as well. And it goes without saying, eye candy galore.
5. Resogun ; Good old retro fun.
6. Mass Effect 3: Citadel ; It was an enjoyable way to end the trilogy, albeit still partly affected by the bitter taste from the ending.
7. God of War: Ascension ; Not as good as GOW3, but still a fairly enjoyable experience, apart from the platforming sections.
8. Dead Island: Riptide ; More of the same as the first, which suited me fine. Didn't like the defending parts that much though. I guess they might have been more fun on co-op.


Is Mass Effect 3's Citadel DLC eligible? If it is, I'll edit my list.
 
1. The Last of Us - really loved it from start to finish

2. Tearway - charming and awesome

3. Walking dead 400 days and episode 2- series keeps getting more awesome

4. The wolf among us - came out of no where and blew me away

Didnt play that many games this year
 
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