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

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Majmun

Member
Damn, TLoU is easily going to snatch the GOTY title. Looks to be a distant #1

And I like reading some of the mini summaries after each title. Makes me very interested in some games. Can't wait to play Shin Megami Tensei IV next year.
 

Randam

Member
1. The Last of Us. The only game that really interested me this year, but would have no doubt been on my list regardless. A great adventure, with an emotional story to go with it. GOTY for me.

you need a semicolon behind the titel of the game.

1. Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS)

you too, even without a comment, i think.






but guys, GUYS, do we need a spece between titel and semicolon?
it looks so wierd.
 
1. The Last Of Us ; Fantastic gameplay and story to match. Surprisingly moving.
2. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance ; A near perfect SRPG.
3. Rogue Legacy ; Wonderful action platformer. Insanely addicting.
4. Legend of Zelda - A Link Between Worlds ; A return to form for Zelda.
5. Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen ; fun action RPG
6. Tomb Raider ;
7. Dragon's Crown ;
8. Etrian Odyssey 4 ;
9. Bioshock Infinite ;
10. Gone Home ;
 

nel e nel

Member
1. Dead Space 3; Blah blah blah f*ck EA! Blah blah blah MICROTRANSACTIONS! While it is the weakest game in the main trilogy, it's still Dead Space through and through, and it's pros outweigh it's cons. The addition of the weapon crafting mechanic gave a much needed breath of fresh air to the series. Hopefully we'll see another DS game in the next-gen, but I'm totally satisfied with the series ending here.

2. Remember Me; a great game that I feel got lost in poor critical reviews. Honestly, I felt the combat got a bad rap, it just took some getting used to. Once I had a handle on it, I was getting 8x combos fairly regularly, even on the harder difficulty settings. And the aesthetic of the world they built, coupled with the engrossing pre-launch website was my own personal brand of catnip.

3. Tomb Raider; Not much to add here. It's been talked to death already. As an 360 only owner, this is as close to an Uncharted experience as I will get, and I had a great time.

4. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon; Again, what else to say about this? As a 40 year old man-child, this pulled me back into the days of renting straight-to-video dudebro action movies in the 80s. And I loved how they just pulled out all the stops for the final boss and leave you feeling like a total badass.

5. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger; Great great schlocky fun. Dual wielding golden revolvers in a colorfully rendered old west was so rewarding. The only drawback was the spike in difficulty for the duels.

6. Gears of War: Judgment; As a die-hard Gears fan, this is required placement on my list. While it was a great installment in the series, and the new multiplayer mode of Locust vs. humans was great, it was also a very obvious cash grab that felt like a bit of a punch in the gut to longtime supporters of the franchise. I think they would have been better off selling the new MP mode as an add-on to Gears 3, and saving the new campaign for another year or two down the road.

7. Defiance; My first foray into an MMO experience. I actually had no intention of getting this, but I enjoyed the show on SyFy so much, I went ahead and bit the bullet. The shoot-and-loot of Borderlands - which I already love to death - paired with the vitality of a populated MMO game was a new experience for me. I actually liked it more than Borderlands in some respects specifically because the world felt much more alive. Even doing the same missions over and over to grind for gear was more engaging as you never knew if some random folks would join you. The major world events with dozens and dozens of players taking down an ultra boss were hella fun too.

8. Bioshock Infinite; Obligatory placement of 'Important Video Game™' here. I enjoyed BI, but I fell into the 'combat got dull' camp. While the story is the exact type of space-time-continuum stuff that I love to try and wrap my head around, everything else just felt kind of stale after the initial glow wore off. It also feels like Ken and Co. have gone to the Bioshock well a few to many times now, so I'm curious to see what other kinds of ideas they have.

2012. Sleeping Dogs; My award for "Best Bruce Lee Simulator". Seriously, some of the best hand-to-hand combat outside of the Batman Arkham games, and the most fun I have ever had in an open world game. More fun than GTAIV and both its expansions.
 

Kabouter

Member
I might change/add a few things later, but I think this is just about it. I hope I got the voting format right too. Pretty good gaming year overall. First some random awards I felt like giving out for stuff I won’t be mentioning in my top 10/honourable mentions:

Peter Molyneux Award for Least Realized Game Design based on Promises and Hype
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SimCity – Really, no one should be surprised that I thought this the most disappointing game of the year. The first real SimCity game in a decade, with seemingly significant resources spent, a bunch of good design ideas, what seemed to be a complex new simulation engine that promised deep and rewarding gameplay, and so on. You might be expecting me to say now that it was the server issues at launch that ruined things for me, but they didn’t. The server issues were something that was annoying for a few days; the fundamental design flaws, countless game-breaking bugs, tiny maps and lacking features on the other hand were problems that absolutely killed the game. A group of us gave it several tries, establishing regions and cooperating, and it was always fun enough as multiplayer games usually are, but invariably some (or all) of us would run into some bug that would kill the game for us, or some of us would simply run out of space after only a short time with nothing else to do after that. Don’t think that patches have fixed all the bugs or issues other than scale either, far from it. SimCity is still plagued by game-breaking issues, some of which only appeared in later versions, whilst others have been present since launch. I think with this instalment, despite its significant sales, EA might have killed the franchise for the fans once and for all. An absolute embarrassment.

Worst Advertising Downloadable Content
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SimCity – The Nissan Leaf DLC. Not just for being essentially pointless in-game, but also for arriving at a time when players were hoping to see actual improvements to the game coming from Maxis.

The Obsidian Award for releasing with more Bugs than you can Shake a Stick at
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SimCity – Yes, that. And as I noted earlier, patches have done some to alleviate the plethora of bugs, but the game is still riddled with game-breaking bugs.

Best Downloadable Content
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Mass Effect 3: Citadel – The year wasn’t all bad for Electronic Arts, the release of Mass Effect 3’s Citadel downloadable content pack, the final single-player content for the last-gen trilogy was great. Citadel was to Mass Effect what the episode 200 was to Stargate SG-1. Something that poked light-hearted fun at the whole thing and proved to be a much better send-off to the characters and universe players/viewers had spent so many hours with than the actual endings proved to be.

Most Insane Future War Scenario:
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Call of Duty: Ghosts - I haven’t even played the game but have only read about it and seen bits on YouTube, nonetheless wow. I don’t think we’ll see this topped until the release of Homefront 2 to be honest, because stuff like Battlefield 4 just can’t compete with this. My hat is off to you Infinity Ward.

The Ron Paul 2016 award for most Unlikely Electoral Scenario
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Democracy 3 – My popularity in a game as the USA I did. See here

Ubisoft award for bar-fillingest Game of the Year
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Cookie Clicker – You produce cookies, to buy upgrades, to produce more cookies, to buy more upgrades, to produce more cookies, to buy more upgrades, to produce more cookies, to buy more upgrades, to produce more cookies, to buy more upgrades, to produce more cookies, to buy more upgrades, to produce more cookies, to buy more upgrades, to produce more cookies, to buy more upgrades, to produce more cookies, to buy more upgrades, to produce more cookies, and then you reset for heavenly chips, and then you produce cookies, to buy upgrades, to produce more cookies, to buy more upgrades, to produce more cookies, to buy more upgrades, to produce more cookies… I hate myself for actually finding this somewhat compelling for a day.

Okay, to preface the actual vote, I will say that when I include ratings, I use a scale where 6 is an above average game that I would recommend, a 7 is a good game and so on. A 10/10 is not a perfect game, but it is an instant classic, and represents my belief that the game is amongst the best in its genre.

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1. Europa Universalis IV ; Anyone who knows me here on GAF probably saw this one coming from a mile away, but I think it’s a very worthy game to pick as game of the year. For those not familiar, in Europa Universalis IV (EU4) the player takes control over any nation in the world from 1444 and guides them through the centuries until the game ends in 1821. As the fourth entry in the grand strategy franchise, EU4 does not stand out as a radical departure from its predecessors, but rather a more refined, more polished and more balanced experience. EU4 finds a balance between the freeform nature of EU3 and the more historical approach of EU2. It’s a far more appealing product as a result, as it leads to a somewhat more plausible world without the player feeling like he isn’t much affecting the world as it is taking shape outside his borders. As a result of this, it’s far easier to identify with your nation similar to how people identify with the scheming of their ruler in Crusader Kings II, which makes it a far more compelling game.

Perhaps even more importantly, the fundamental game mechanics are now far clearer and more accessible to the player, there is still some room for improvement in this area (and that is coming), but it’s far easier for players to grasp what they’re doing and what consequences it will have. Various mechanics have also been changed to be more sensible and fit better in the logic of the game. Players are now curtailed in their expansionist tendencies by the formation of coalitions against them when nations feel threatened by conquests in their vicinity. Replacing the old global infamy value in this fashion has created a more natural deterrent to expansion, and also serves as a far more effective way of preventing one nation from becoming effectively invulnerable to enemy action as was the case in EU3. The aggressive expansion mechanic that means to simulate internal instability as a result of conquests however could still use some work, but I’m confident that will eventually be adjusted for the better.

Praise is also due for the way the game deals with achievements, which is perhaps a strange thing to say (and it won’t even be the last time I do so on this list), but forcing the player to play in ironman mode if he wants to gain achievements was a stroke of genius, as it encourages playing the game in a manner far more in keeping with the intentions of the design. Many of the achievements offer interesting goals to pursue and are absolutely worth attaining, but where one in a normal game might for instance save a game before starting a major war, here that is no longer possible. The game saves after virtually every event that happens or decision the players takes, and does so by overwriting a single cloud save, this leads to history in the game becoming far less of an inevitable trend towards greatness. A foolish decision to enter a war can lead to significant territorial losses, which makes the whole decision making process in the game remarkably different. After having put hours into a single game, just quitting isn’t really an option, so you consider your options more carefully and perhaps think a little more on how you are going to approach things.

The most fun you can have in EU4 however is not had in single-player, but in multiplayer, and I believe this to be one of the finest multiplayer games ever made. I’ve played a whole bunch of EU4 multiplayer games already, both with friends and with a group of GAFers, and in all cases it’s been an incredibly rewarding and entertaining experience. Scheming together with or against other players, trying to ascertain what the other’s plans are and how best to deal with them, and of course simply seeing how you stack up against other players. (For the record, in my case, not that well, but it’s fun regardless)

I could really go on and on about EU4, because it really is just that good. It clearly shows the huge progress Paradox has made as a studio over the past few years, for one thing, the game was perfectly playable at launch. For those who remember the state in which EU3 launched, that’s remarkable in and of itself, and not unlike its predecessor, EU4 will undoubtedly receive a great many expansions that add to and improve the game’s mechanics and content, the first of which is out this January actually. In closing, this is not only my Game of the Year, but one of my favourite games of the past few years. It represents the very best in the grand strategy genre, and I encourage anyone even remotely interested in that genre to give EU4 a try. (10/10)

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2. The Stanley Parable ; Back in 2011, I named the original mod this is based on as one of my favourite games of the year, and I was thus excited when they announced an HD version. I was pleasantly surprised that rather than just overhaul the graphics, they’d also bothered to completely redesign the game, only hanging on to a handful of things from the original. Happily, the redesign was a great success, and this HD version is much better than the original. I could go on at length about various things that I loved about it, but I really think people should go into this game blind, I wouldn’t want to spoil it for any of the three people reading this post in its entirety if they haven’t played the game yet. Suffice it to say, it’s an incredibly entertaining take on choice in games and it’s easily the funniest game I’ve ever played. (9/10)

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3. Gone Home ; Gone Home is a game that came absolutely out of nowhere for me, I had never heard of it before I bought it, and I really enjoyed it. It’s rare to play a game where characters – especially ones you can’t even see – actually act like real people. I also loved the way Gone Home plays with your expectations, and offers exactly the things you don’t expect. However, as with the Stanley Parable, this is another game where people really should be going in as blind as possible, so saying all that much more on it is probably not wise. Trust me however when I say that this is really something special. (8.5/10)

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4. Papers, Please ; I still can’t quite believe that a satirical game in which you play an Eastern European bureaucrat turned out to be one of my favourite games of the year. In Papers, Please you man a border checkpoint for entry into the fictional totalitarian state of Arstotzka. At its core, the gameplay consists of checking the documents of people seeking entry into Arstotzka for validity. It is important you process enough entrants every day, as your pay depends on the number processed, and at the end of every day you incur expenses for housing and feeding your family. While early on this doesn’t pose too much of a challenge, as the game progresses you find it becomes progressively harder to make ends meet due to ever more numerous and complex rules and documents, and this is where much of the game’s brilliance lies. Continuing to make ends meet whilst being an upstanding and loyal member of Arstotzkan society becomes incredibly hard, you’ll quickly find yourself taking bribes from entrants, denying people with invalid documents despite pressing reasons for entry, or even supporting rebels that seek to overthrow the regime. (Award for Excellence)
(8/10)

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5. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons ; Brothers takes you to a beautiful fairytale world where two brothers must go on a great quest to find a cure for their father’s illness after having already lost their mother before. It’s a game where death plays a major role, but it isn’t about death, it’s about a bond between brothers. The entire game is played with you controlling both brothers at the same time, and to get to the end, they have to work together at every stage, helping each other navigate through the many distinct and beautiful environments. There is no dialogue here, but during the three hours or so the game is long, you become more attached to the characters than you do in most games, which makes the experience a lot more engaging than it otherwise might have been. I absolutely loved this game from beginning to end, and thought several moments in it were some of the most memorable in any game this year. (8.5/10)

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6. Reus ; I bought Reus a few months ago and didn’t really get into it the first time, I thought it was fun, but for some reason it didn’t really click for me. Having gone back to it now though, I really like it a lot. For those not familiar, Reus is a god game in which you exercise your godly powers via four giants, who can create and improve resources for the humans to use.

You progress in the game by facilitating human development as best as possible, by providing them with enough resources for their towns to grow and for them to complete great projects. Early on this is fairly easy, but as you progress further in the game, achieving higher levels of development becomes more of a challenge as you really have to ensure you make the optimal use of the limited space towns have available. Its progression and gradual difficulty curve is probably the best thing about Reus, it gradually ramps up in complexity and scale, going from fairly easy 30 minute sessions to challenging two hour sessions. The way in which you progress is great too, it’s not about completing pre-set levels, because Reus is effectively a sandbox game. The way you progress is by unlocking achievements. Unlock a certain number of achievements, and you unlock new resources for you to use in the next game. It’s a brilliant system, because it so perfectly marries the sandbox nature of the game with a goal-oriented progression.

Of course there should be some pushback to your progression, and there is. As a god, you find out that human free will can lead to some seriously unwanted consequences. Make a town grow too quickly without them sufficiently respecting your power or without the presence of danger in their environment, and the people will turn greedy, and will be eager to conquer neighbouring towns. They might also turn on your giants if they feel you aren’t giving them enough resources, and send raiding parties against them to try and bring them down.

Lastly, I should absolutely mention the brilliant presentation of the game. Reus has an amazing art style and is certainly one of the most visually pleasing games I’ve played this year. It’s also probably overall the best game ever developed in the Netherlands. (8/10)

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7. BioShock Infinite ; I fully understand why BioShock Infinite is as divisive as it is, because on the one hand there is so much to love in the setting, the story, some of the characters and so forth, but at the same time, the moment to moment gameplay isn’t nearly as good as it should be. There are two main issues in the moment-to-moment gameplay: poor pacing and an excess of uninteresting combat encounters. The two are of course very much connected, with the uninteresting combat usually keeping you from progressing further through a staggeringly beautiful and interesting world, and experiencing more of the story. At times you almost feel like the gameplay is intruding on the experience you want to have with this game. For me though, looking back on the experience, it’s the game’s world and the story that stuck with me most, not its flaws. It’s a game that should have been a lot better than it was, but despite that was still a hell of a lot better than most games that came out this year. (8/10)

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8. Victoria II: Heart of Darkness ; This second expansion for Victoria II refines what is already an absolutely brilliant strategy game even further. Victoria II, a grand strategy game that predominantly takes place during the 19th century, sets itself apart by putting the people front and centre. As leader of your nation, you don’t have absolute control over its actions, but instead feel the pressure of the people pushing you in certain directions. Another important element is the interplay between the various great powers in the world, as no single nation was a hegemon such as the United States is today. It is in this area where, in my opinion, the most significant improvement of Heart of Darkness (HoD) lies. The add-on adds a new crisis system, which allows nations to effectively align on separate sides in a conflict before it eventually starts (if it ever does at all).

Of course the title of the add-on points to a focus on Africa, and indeed the colonization of Africa is a major part of this add-on. Mechanics surrounding it are completely reworked, and cause the colonization of Africa to be a more competitive affair than it was before. It’s a far better approximation of the scramble for Africa that happened during the late 19th and early 20th century than systems that were present before. In tandem with the colonial system they also changed the naval mechanics, improving them considerably and making them actually interesting.

Overall, this add-on isn’t earth-shattering, and in my eyes not as significant an upgrade as last year’s A House Divided, but it is a good upgrade to an already excellent game, and a great reason to get back into it. (8/10)

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9. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag ; Assassin’s Creed IV (AC4) continues the franchise’s recovery, after last year’s Assassin’s Creed III already did quite a bit to make up for Revelations. AC4 shines where previous games in the series were never really all that strong, at least not until AC3, it’s best when you’re just roaming around the vast and beautifully rendered world exploring, looting the occasional merchant ship, filling lots and lots of bars and fulfilling the odd assassination or naval contract. The actual missions aren’t bad, but aren’t especially compelling, mainly because the story just isn’t very engaging, and the characters generally aren’t very interesting. I did however like the parts of the game outside the animus, where you’re just walking around offices and can hack computers to find exposition stuff. I would have liked it more however if there had been more ‘active’ gameplay there, I would have preferred something closer to the undercover sections of Splinter Cell: Double Agent (sue me, I liked those parts of SC:DA), where you’re trying to avoid detection as you’re snooping around. Overall though, this is a solid game, and I hope the 2014 Assassin’s Creed improves on it further. (7/10)

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10. The Raven – Legacy of a Master Thief ; I have to admit that I was hoping the Raven would be better than it eventually ended up being. I absolutely loved the Book of Unwritten Tales by the same studio, and the 1960s detective setting of the Raven appeals to me far more than TBoUT’s fantasy setting ever did. The writing here however just isn’t quite as sharp as it was there, even if it’s still better than what you will find in most point & click adventures, much like the voice acting is. I guess my favourite part of the Raven would be a huge spoiler if I actually explicitly mentioned it, but there is a story mechanic about midway through the game that I really liked. It was an interesting way to tell the story, as vague as that is. I also loved the general aesthetics of the game, particularly those in the first episode. Overall, this is an enjoyable game, it’s not incredible by any means, but if you like point & click adventures, you will probably like the Raven. (7/10)

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x. Papo & Yo ; I’m rather torn on Papo & Yo. On the one hand, I enjoyed it as an experience and support someone trying to make a game about a difficult theme like child abuse and alcoholism, but on the other hand the actual gameplay of the game is not as interesting as it should be due to a very low difficulty level and rather simple design. A bit of a mixed bag, but overall still worth it for me. (6/10)

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x. Tomb Raider ; I was never a huge fan of Tomb Raider before, I don’t think I ever lasted more than a level or two before getting bored and quitting, me actually finishing this game was a pretty huge step forward. I liked quite a few aspects of the game, it’s very polished, it has a good length without overstaying its welcome, the visuals are great, and I respect them for trying to take the character and story in a new direction for the franchise. That said, the end result is still a fairly unremarkable and typical AAA experience. It’s all a bit linear and scripted, QTE-heavy and in general just burdened by a whole ton of extremely tired AAA-tropes for me. I do think this rebooted franchise has potential though if they try to be a bit more ambitious and give the player some truly open environments to explore. Also, maybe torture your main character a little less next time around. (6/10)

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2012. The Walking Dead ; I hate zombies, I think they’re just about the worst theme in gaming, film, TV and what not. That said, given the dreadful premise of surviving a ‘zombie apocalypse’ , Telltale has done an amazing job with the Walking Dead due to some excellent writing and character stuff, save maybe for the fairly weak fourth chapter. More than that, I find it amazing that they’ve made what is essentially a very linear game come across (to me at least) as being a fairly non-linear experience with meaningful choices. Not until I started talking about the game with others did I realize just how linear an experience it is, and by now we’ve probably all seen the very narrow flowchart of decisions. (8/10)

As far as 2013 games go, I would have liked to have checked out Saints Row IV, but I’m holding off for a full package type version, games that will get massive amounts of DLC usually deter me from buying them before such a time. Grand Theft Auto V I hope to check out on PC in 2014, if it does show up there, I didn’t feel like playing a game on 360 in 2013.
 

ZQQLANDER

Member
1. Splinter Cell Blacklist; Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't expecting that much or that I'd never played a Splinter Cell game before, but "Blacklist" was addicting fun to say the least. The campaign held my attention and was quite a challenge even on only the 2nd highest difficulty. Spies vs. Mercs was a great addition as well and proved to be a great respite away from the campaign and Co-Op. Overall, a fantastic game that surprised me with its quality and quantity of content.
2. Bioshock Infinite; I'm a huge Bioshock fan and Ken Levine's latest held up to the high expectations I had with regards to atmosphere, but the combat was somewhat repetitive. It certainly didn't help that the vigors felt very limited and recycled. However, the story and environment made up for constant waves of enemies. Its just hard thinking about what might have been....
3. Tomb Raider; While it was a little heavy with the QTE's, Tomb Raider was my first foray into the series and I was pleasantly surprised with the dark and enthralling environment. The best part was killing enemies with the bow; all i can do is equate it to eating potato chips as you simple can't get enough.
4. XCOM: Enemy Within; A great addition to a turn based strategy game that kept me going for months last year.
5. Forza Motorsports 5; Best racing sim I've played in a long while.
6. FIFA 14; This years installment is simply the most engrossing of the series.
7. Spelunky; I have never enjoyed dying so much except maybe in Dark Souls.
8. Rogue Legacy; Quirky game with plenty of replayability.
9. Monaco: What's Yours is Mine; The best Co-Op game of all time, no contest.
10. Antichamber; One of the more unique games I've played. Makes one really think, which is rare in video games these days.
 

Sadist

Member
‘twas the year of playing a lot of 3DS games. My number one pick is a console game. Congrats…

1. Super Mario 3D World ; After the E3 reveal a lot of folks were sour, but I never doubted the guys and girls from EAD Tokyo. So the months went by, new trailers emerged and what do you know… another hit from the studio that brought you the Galaxy-duo. The first two words are basically the typical intro-levels you’ve come to expect from the team, but hidden in those levels are some quirky aspects you will instantly love. I can get into a Koopashell and bowl over several enemies. And as a cat, I can climb structures to find hidden goodies. But during world 3, the game starts to show it’s true colors. Smart level design, great challenges and oh, the boss battle with Bowser? Fantastic. 3DS up-port? Lazy? Uninspired? Please, don’t do this. Play Super Mario 3D World and EAD Tokyo will show you there is such a thing as Nintendo magic.

2. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; My most anticipated game of 2013, easily. And man, did it deliver. I think the most interesting thing about Awakening is the fact that it’s far more accessible than its predecessors on GBA, Gamecube, Wii and especially DS. Normally that would be a bad thing, but Intelligent Systems really balanced everything out. If you are new to the series the game offers you enough ingame advice, while veteran players can just move along. The basics of the series remains unchanged and man, it’s still good. Plus, now you can pair-up units creating tanks that destroy everything. And if there’s chemistry, your pair-up might even become a couple. Everything goes in love and war.
Tharja is the best!

3. Pikmin 3 ; I own the original Pikmin for Gamecube and while I liked it, there was something missing. It’s the reason why I skipped the second game (apparently a huge mistake) and wasn’t entirely sure about the third game. But those worries all melted away while exploring the beautiful world that is Pikmin 3. One of the reasons why I like the game so much is because there isn’t anything else like it in the current industry. Yeah sure, some might argue that the Wii U has last-gen specs bla bla, but overall I’d say Pikmin 3 is one of the prettiest games that has been released in 2013. Plant and –wildlife look absolutely amazing. The quirky captains and the Pikmin facing off with all the dangers surrounding them make this game on of the best this year. And if you’re done with the main game, there are several great challenges to be played.

4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; Out of the blue, Nintendo announced A Link Between Worlds. When it finally hit store shelves, a large group of gamers were ecstatic with what Nintendo gave us. The game might be too easy, but everything else was masterfully done. The rental system gave players the option to choose which dungeon they could play first, an option which I personally enjoyed a lot. Combine this with a buttery smooth framerate and Link’s latest adventures will garner a lot of praise for years to come. And oh, you can turn into a painting. Which is AWESOME.

5. The Last of Us ; One of the biggest releases this year and it was one heck of a ride. I always love post-apocalyptic settings, but Naughty Dog outdid themselves with a terrible virus destroying life as we know it. The presentation of this game is superb and I really liked the dialogue between Joel and Ellie. Gameplay-wise it’s solid, but during several stealth moments I just felt the game was a bit too much trial and error. A minor flaw really, because everything else is fantastic.

6. Pokémon X & Y ; Nope, I won’t do it. I won’t let the hype get to me an- ah who am I kidding. Black and White brought me back, but with X and Y the series finally took that step we’ve been waiting for. All your Pokémon, in a 3D world. And wait, you can pick a new starter plus one of the Kanto starters? Oh man, I’m there. The world of Kalos certainly in the beginning is vast, with new and old Pokémon lurking in the shadows. The game even introduced new mechanics like horde encounters en Mega Evoltions. But the real reason we all play Pokémon is because we love exploring a new world and meeting new friends, something X and Y do exceptionally well. The best new features overall might be the online system, making trading and fighting other Pokémaniacs quite easy. Good show Gamefreak. Good show.

7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Dual Destines ; Who is that spikey haired man in the blue suit? It’s Phoenix Wright and he’s back as a lawyer. Now with Apollo Justice as his apprentice and the energetic Athena Cykes as a new addition to his Wright Anything Agency, he’s ready to take on the dark age of the law. And that’s one hell of a dark age he’s encountered. As usual Phoenix and his associates face off with some dubious characters and get into crazy trials. Especially the third case is amazing and shows that Phoenix still can put up a good show. And when the game is over, there is always a great DLC case with a Pirate-theme. Yes I said pirate. And whales. Don’t forget about it those awesome creatures. In justice we trust!

8. The Wonderful 101 ; Is the game hard? Yeah it is. Does it have a few flaws? Oh sure. So uh, why should I care about some game from a dude who has a thing for cutes babes? Because it has superheroes transforming into all kinds of shapes like hands, swords, guns, whips, hammers and other items to smack the stuffing out of alien invaders. Wait what? No, WONDERFUL. In this colourful adventure you fight of aliens with wonderful actions, cool combo’s and crazy bossfights. Play it. Play it damnit.

9. The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker HD ; HD remakes aren’t my thing, but seeing the new paintjob on the Wind Waker HD, I just needed it in my life. It’s the game you on Gamecube, but with a bloomy graphical update which makes the game even prettier. Does it still have the Triforce Hunt? Yup, but this time around the game makes this particular part of the game less bothersome and the King of Red Lions features a quick sail option. Even eleven years after it’s original release, the Wind Waker is still a fantastic game. If you’re a Wii U owner, this is a no-brainer.

10. Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor Overclocked ; We’re poor folks, us PAL-dwellers. The release of Atlus games in Europe always take a while (or they just don’t show up) and in the case of the EU release of Devil Survivor Overclocked, it took about a year and eight months before Overclocked reached us. Still, it’s a good thing because Overclocked is a great strategy RPG that got stuck in my 3DS for a while. Until Fire Emblem came along at least. The game is addictive, fun and fusing demons is quite fun. The extra eighth day is pretty great too and I think I’ve played the game for about 90 hours now. So I’d say that warrants a place in my top ten right?

2012. ZombiU ; I got my Wii U in January and the first game I bought next to Nintendo Land was ZombiU. Totally worth it. It needed more time in the oven, but overall it’s easily the best survival horror game I’ve played in years. Fighting zombies off with just a cricket bat, not a lot of bullets to spare (not to mention sounds seems to attract the undead bastards) and the undead being pretty powerful… this game was one hell of a ride. Visiting several of London’s landmarks after the outbreak is great to see, even if they are destroyed by escaping humans or the undead. During these visits I’d carefully plan ahead, scout the area and watch out for secret zombies, waiting to strike. A great and tense experience. Btw, the ending of the game; a fantastic adrenaline rush. Highly recommended.
 

thefil

Member
I'm not going to write too much here, I just want to be counted.

1. Spelunky; a game that has become ritual in a non-destructive way. Teaches you patience and the value of expertise. I see myself playing this near daily for the foreseeable future.
2. Fez; masquerading as a gimmick platformer is a game of mystery and puzzles. Heartbreakingly difficult at the end, but an all-consuming force in my mind for weeks.
3. Dishonored: The Brigmore Witches; More consistent in quality than the main campaign, Brigmore witches shows what DLC can be. Played it through 4 times in various challenge runs.
4. Divinity: Dragon Commander;
5. Antichamber;
6. Shin Megami Tensei IV;
7. Samurai Gunn;
8. Zelda: A Link Between Worlds;
2012. Dark Souls;
 

Megatron

Member
1. Splinter Cell Blacklist; Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't expecting that much or that I'd never played a Splinter Cell game before, but "Blacklist" was addicting fun to say the least. The campaign held my attention and was quite a challenge even on only the 2nd highest difficulty. Spies vs. Mercs was a great addition as well and proved to be a great respite away from the campaign and Co-Op. Overall, a fantastic game that surprised me with its quality and quantity of content.
2. Bioshock Infinite; I'm a huge Bioshock fan and Ken Levine's latest held up to the high expectations I had with regards to atmosphere, but the combat was somewhat repetitive. It certainly didn't help that the vigors felt very limited and recycled. However, the story and environment made up for constant waves of enemies. Its just hard thinking about what might have been....
3. Tomb Raider; While it was a little heavy with the QTE's, Tomb Raider was my first foray into the series and I was pleasantly surprised with the dark and enthralling environment. The best part was killing enemies with the bow; all i can do is equate it to eating potato chips as you simple can't get enough.
4. XCOM: Enemy Within; A great addition to a turn based strategy game that kept me going for months last year
5. Forza Motorsports 5; Best racing sim I've played in a long while
6. FIFA 14; This years installment is simply the most engrossing of the series
7. Spelunky; I have never enjoyed dying so much except maybe in Dark Souls
8. Rogue Legacy; Quirky game with plenty of replay ability
9. Super Hexagon; One of those games where a ten minute stint quickly turns into an hour long session.
10. Monaco: What's Yours is Mine; The best Co-Op game of all time, no contest.


You might want to bump Super Hex to your 2012 game mention and put something else in it's place since it came out last year.
 
1. Metal Gear Rising: Revengance ; Incredible action game on every level. This is exactly what I want to see out of Platinum games. The dynamic soundtrack during boss battles is also pretty much the most hype thing I've ever seen in any boss battle in any game.

2. Shin Megami Tensei IV ; Like Metal Gear Rising is exactly what I want out of an action game, SMT4 is exactly what I want out of an RPG. Excellent combat, good writing and an interesting story, great demon designs and fun demon recruitment. Just fix that overworld map and we'd have my perfect JRPG...

3. Pikmin 3 ; It's the best Pikmin game and the best game on Wii U. It looks outstanding, especially considering the hardware, and has the best time management mechanic in the series, even if collect juice gets a little too easy the more you play.

4. Rayman Legends ; It's Rayman Origins but better. Hey, that's good enough for me. The artstyle is leagues ahead of Origins and the gameplay is as tight as ever. As far as 2D platformers go, move over Mario, Rayman is the new King.

5. Battlefield 4 ; Yes, this game has had issues. But none the less I keep coming back to it on PS4 over and over again. It's still the best online mltiplayer shooter I've played in the last few years. Would have been higher on my list if the launch had gone smoother.

6. The Last of Us ; Probably lower on my list than a lot of people, but I still enjoyed the game a lot. Some of the best writing and cinematography in games, and for once in a Naughty Dog game: the gameplay to back it up.

7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies ; The only game on my list I haven't fully completed yet. None the less, I know where it stands on my list. It's exactly what I want out of PW, it looks great, and is only topped by Trails and Tribulations.

8. Pokemon Y ; As someone who'd grown tired of Pokemon with Pokemon White and White 2, this was very enjoyable to me. A great step into bringing Pokemon into 3D, and excellent online integration.

9. Resogun ; I loved the Stardust HD games and Housemarque hit it out of the park again. I actually just got the platinum trophy an hour before writing up this list. Excellent and addictive.

10. The Swapper ; I never would have expected this game to be on my list before playing it, but here it is. Excellent puzzles, perfect length, and great atmosphere. Surprise of the year for me.

x. Fire Emblem Awakening ; Honorable mention number 1. I KNOW if I'd played more of this that it would be on my list. High up there too. But I didn't play nearly enough to be comfortable doing so. Excellent, excellent game

x. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; Honorable Mention number 2. Like Fire Emblem, I simply haven't played enough (I just got it yesterday) to put it on my list, but I'm confident it would be up there if I had.

x. Super Mario 3D World ; Honorable Mention number 3. Yup, just like the others. Had I played more it would be on here, but I haven't so it isn't.

2012. Spelunky ; So, Spelunky is a hard one. It came out on XBLA is 2012 but on PC/Vita this year. In the end I figured it fit the 2012 category best according to my experience with the game. I played it in 2012 but I really came to love it in 2013. I played daily challenges on PC daily, played it on Vita on trips, and just all-round became a Spelunky addict. If you haven't yet - PLAY SPELUNKY! Please, correct me if I'm wrong for having this in the 2012 category.
 

Megatron

Member
I'm not going to write too much here, I just want to be counted.

1. Spelunky; a game that has become ritual in a non-destructive way. Teaches you patience and the value of expertise. I see myself playing this near daily for the foreseeable future.
2. Fez; masquerading as a gimmick platformer is a game of mystery and puzzles. Heartbreakingly difficult at the end, but an all-consuming force in my mind for weeks.
3. Dishonored: The Brigmore Witches; More consistent in quality than the main campaign, Brigmore witches shows what DLC can be. Played it through 4 times in various challenge runs.
4. Shin Megami Tensei IV;
5. Samurai Gunn;
6. Antichamber;
7. Divinity: Dragon Commander;
8. Zelda: A Link Between Worlds;
2012. Dark Souls;

Fez came out last year, I'm sure you're referring to the Steam version, but I think that's just a port, so wouldn't count?
 
1. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; Pacing was perfect, nice challenging difficulty and they've really made Raiden his own character. Godly soundtrack, i loved every second of this game.
2. Pokemon X/Y ; So amazing seeing all those Pokemons in 3D! This game has kept me playing it since release, always something new to do and the upcoming Bank update looks set to continue that notion.
3. Killer Instinct ; Double Helix have done a brilliant job of hauling this behemoth out of the 90s arcade cabinets and delivering what has to be the best fighter i have played since Street Fighter IV was released a few years ago.
4. Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon ; As a huge fan of 80s action films, this was like a love letter to me and just the right length to not wear the joke thin.
5. Grand Theft Auto V ; Overrated, but still a fantastic game and the sheer scale and feat they have done to create that experience on PS3 and 360 deserves a hats off.
6. Super Mario 3D World ; Some things never get old - playing this through with my buddy was pure gaming bliss. Not up to the standard of the Galaxy games, but i enjoyed it a lot more than the NSMBU.
7. Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD ; Feels a bit cheesy giving a remake a place on the list, but it really was that good which is a testament to not just the original game but the quality of the remake.
8. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; I had not played a FE game beforehand, and whilst the anime-ish tendencies turned me off a bit the gameplay is utterly fantastic,
9. XCOM: Enemy Within ; Expansion pack to my GOTY 2012, more of the same good stuff that made me fall in love with Enemy Unknown.
10. Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm ; I haven't really had the patience to dive into ladder play again, but the next episode in the story introduced some really fun missions and units and proves Blizzard can still make good games (cough Diablo cough).

Lots for me to play still, been a bit slack this year with gaming but truthfully there has been far less that i was interested in compared to previous years.
 

damisa

Member
1. Path of Exile ; Diablo 2 clone done right
2. Dota 2 ; Very fun game. Best current coop/team game.
2012. Puzzle and Dragons ; I can't stop playing this
 

tav7623

Member
This year I didn't really get to play many new game releases and instead played a lot of older games( like Earthbound, Metroid Fusion, Dead Island, Crysis 2, Uncharted 3,etc) so my ballot will be fairly bare bones.

Note: This list may change a little bit before the Jan 18th deadline

1. Legend of Zelda:A Link Between Worlds - classic "2D" zelda goodness, awesome story, music, controls, and game design.
2. Rayman Legends - 2D platforming awesomeness, I especially love the challenge mode with it's Daily & Weekly challenges
3. Tomb Raider - awesome reboot for the series, only real complaint...it needed more tombs & less multiplayer
4. GTA V - Loved the game's story and locals.... the characters & online multiplayer not so much
5. Assassin's Creed IV - loving the naval battles and treasure hunts, story is kinda meh (imo)
6. New Super Luigi U - solid DLC/retail expansion for New Super Mario Bros. U, this imo is DLC done right
7. Injustice: Gods Among Us - decent fighter that tries to do something interesting with the DC universe
8. Super Mario 3D World - decent 3D platformer, awesome music, lots of collectables/levels, but feels a bit too much like 3D land on the 3DS


Honorable Mentions:
X: Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - I decided to put this here instead of on my main list because I liked the game for the most part, but felt that the game's mission based structure really messed up the game's flow for me. It didn't help that going in I was expecting to have free reign over all the game's 5 mansions (like you had free reign of the first game's single mansion) and instead I had to constantly be forced into going back to E. Gadd's lab every time I finished a quest/mission.

X: Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D - good game, but lack of a customizable control scheme and a single preset control scheme made playing this game for long periods of time a bit painful (for me at least).

LTTP 2012: Zombi U - awesome FP survival horror game, I call it the Shaun of the Dead simulator.....you got red on you :p
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
is 10000000 not eligible?

The iOS version is 2012, but the Steam and Android versions are 2013, so they should count.

From what I understand, if it was released in your region in 2012, and you didn't vote it then, you can vote for it now. Or something. I don't know.
 

thefil

Member
Fez came out last year, I'm sure you're referring to the Steam version, but I think that's just a port, so wouldn't count?

Ports aren't eligible. If it has significant new content then it is. For instance, Earthbound even though it released on the WiiU this year, not eligible.

From the rules:

Eligible games:
  • PORT RULE: Games that released in your region in 2012 BUT NO EARLIER and have been brought to a new platform in 2013 are eligible, as long as you didn't vote on it last year.
 

Kabouter

Member
Ports aren't eligible. If it has significant new content then it is. For instance, Earthbound even though it released on the WiiU this year, not eligible.

I'd carefully re-read the OP if I were you.
PORT RULE: Games that released in your region in 2012 BUT NO EARLIER and have been brought to a new platform in 2013 are eligible, as long as you didn't vote on it last year.
That's the rule, and that's how it's always been.
 

Vlade

Member
The iOS version is 2012, but the Steam and Android versions are 2013, so they should count.

From what I understand, if it was released in your region in 2012, and you didn't vote it then, you can vote for it now. Or something. I don't know.

I will put it on my list and take my chances :)

edit:
I'd carefully re-read the OP if I were you.

That's the rule, and that's how it's always been.
well ok
 

McHuj

Member
1. Rogue Legacy - Game I had most fun with this year.
2. Luigi's Mansion - Dark Moon - great fun, great character
3. Year Walk - Awesome use of the touch screen
4. Brother's - great adventure game, although not really challenging

2012: Dark Soul's PC - The best game ever.

I played several other games like Tombraider, Metro, but I just don't feel like they belong on my top list. Missed out on GTA, Last of Us, and still have Zelda to play this.
 

Vlade

Member
1. Ni No Kuni : Wrath of the White Witch ; For me personally, this game was exactly what I wanted. An extended interesting and beautiful game that I or the kids could play and progress. A wonderful experience with great characters and art.

2. The Last of Us ; The first game in a long time that has a story that must be discussed. A compelling single player experience that mandated you talk about it to get it off your mind. The quandaries were big (is humanity worth saving?) and small (Does Ellie know the truth?). Epic in every way.

3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; Scratches an itch, sure, but is a fantastic game on its own.

4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD ; I am very impressed at how well this game holds up, and how refreshing the Miiverse integration is – It really aids the pacing of the game.

5. Gone Home ; I hope more designers and developers go back to basics and take games where they want them to go.

6. Pikmin 3 ; It’s amazing how tense a calm, quiet game can get once something takes a bite out of your pikmin. I think I care about them too much.

7. 10000000 ; The progression is a great tutorial for what is a really nice short burst score attack game.

8. Lego City Undercover ; The game played like a series of surprises of how good the game is. I got the game not even knowing it was San Francisco, but I realized I was in Ghirardelli Square so I went to check out Lombard, and the Wharf, and the Bridge… Not to mention the great story and constant references (Chase? Chase!? CHAAAASSSSSE!!!!!!!).

9. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ; Hardcore Classic.

10. Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes ; For a game that lacks balance, it sure ends up being a really fun game to progress through.

x. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen ; I wouldn’t feel right giving it points because it’s really Dragon’s Dogma that I played a bunch and love… But great game.

x. Magic 2014 ; Great updates this year, extremely fun game.

2012. Dark Souls ; Without a doubt. 100s of hours in, I still want to play this game. It really did no less than restore my hope and faith that games that I LOVE still could be released with the high budget treatment. One of my top games of all time.
 

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
Kabouter's list is always the bomb to read. Always look forward to his because it has a bunch of games that I probably wouldn't have played until after I read his list. Though this year, there seems to be some overlap between mine and his. :O

I usually give out random awards for soundtrack of the year too, so I wonder if I should follow suit and go for it here in an unmarked ballot post. Really liked reading Kabouter's take on it.

Saw Reus on sale on Steam so I might get it.
 

fallingdove

Member
1. The Last of Us ; A moving story, interesting characters. The gameplay was solid, varied and seemlessly meshed strong survival horror and third person action elements. The graphics were incredible for last gen and did a great job immersing you in the story.

2. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen; An impressive addition to the original title, Dark Arisen adds Brittleback Isle, a challenging, expansive and incredibly rewarding addition to a great game.

3. Ni No Kuni; a return to the wonderful jrpg mechanics I grew up with, the game presents a relatively interesting story on the back of incredible graphics and a beautiful art style.

4. GTAV; an amazing technical acheivement, the go anywhere do anything formula of the series is significantly refined to allow for a complex multifaceted story to unfold. The graphics weren't too bad either.

5. Metal Gear Solid: Revengance; Everything I wanted the next Devil May Cry to be - fast paced, deep, and action packed. The soundtrack is excellent and the gameplay is buttery smooth.
 
Going to post this now and edit it later if it needs to be in order of 1-10.

This was an up and down year for me. This year involved saying goodbye to series I used to care about (Tomb Raider) and saying hello to series I had hitherto skipped entirely (Etrian Odyssey, SMT, Persona, Fire Emblem, Y's). More than anything though, it was a year where I reached a peak of cynicism, only to have that somewhat rectified by some games I'd like to devote some time to here.

Before I start, I'd like to acknowledge that there are some games I simply didn't have time the time necessary to get very far into, and as such I feel I can't include them in my list. There are some games which I've enjoyed so much in the time I've had to devote to them that they'd likely be near the top of my list otherwise (Etrian Odyssey IV, Wonderful 101 (forgive me), Super Mario 3DW). Other games I feel I probably would have enjoyed, but just haven't been able to get to at all, or at most for a few hours (Anarchy Reigns, Mamorukun Curse! (hey, at least I bought it), MGR:R, Metro: LL, Divinity: Dragon Commander, Killer Instinct, Dragon's Dogma :DA).

As such, I feel this may be the last year I bother doing a GOTY list at all. My work demands more and more of my time, and the last two years the majority of my favorite games I haven't been able to play until the middle of the following year.

And so, for whatever it is still worth, I'll offer up my list of games which I completed (well, mostly) that I most appreciated this year.


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10. Ys: Memories of Celceta; This is my first Ys game. I have no way to judge if this is representative of the series or not, but I gotta say, I'll be trying more. Tricky boss fights, regular enemies that take specific approaches to dispatch efficiently, everything actually trying to kill you instead of just standing around waiting to get mashed, just dodge and just guard bonuses - it's like if Kingdoms of Amalur had actually been challenging and played well. My biggest complaint are the graphics, but performance is more important to me in this case.


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9. Antichamber; I'm not a Portal person. That's not to say I can't stand Portal, I simply haven't played one. Yeah, that's right. Don't look at me like that. Anyways, if Antichamber is a Portal knock-off, then I have a couple games I need to get to.

Antichamber is a loose, even slightly janky feeling game at times, but I find myself able to forgive this because it's just so clever when it wants to be. This is a game about not trusting any preconceived notions about anything, and instead focusing on exploring possibilities. The overall effect is like playing a puzzle inside an optical illusion, and if that was the intent, they certainly succeeded.


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8. Grand Theft Auto V; Hey kids, look! It's GTAV! What a surprise! After all, what's not to like?

Well, quite a lot actually. The shooting is a major improvement over many of Rockstar's other offerings, but it's still pretty terrible. The story starts off well, but rapidly turns into one of the most haphazard, nonsensical piles of drivel I've ever endured, saved only by the possibility of seeing characters you've grown to appreciate if by nothing else from familiarity get some retribution over caricaturish bad guys that somehow make our protagonists look nearly acceptable by comparison. Also, this is supported by writers who make Family Guy look like a female-friendly collective of sharp and talented satirists. There's a lot about the game that can make (and has made) people a lot more sensitive than myself legitimately uncomfortable.

At the same time though, at its core, it's also meaty, ambitious, and entertaining.

Open world games are something which I am infinitely attracted to and almost always let down by. The trade-off to scope is reduced quality in the details, or so I'm told. Quantity over quality. I don't know how much I can comfortably buy this. I've never personally been put into a position where I've been told my fundamentals can suffer as long as my output increases, so maybe that's why I'm skeptical. Bottom line, I don't like to give things which offer quantity over quality a free pass.

GTAV is game which manages to impress in both its scope and its details. The craftsmanship of the environments is impressive on its own, managing to deliver a world that feels familiar and vibrant enough to be a convincing illusion even on 8 year old tech, but the game also manages to offer a large variety of things to do which are actually fun. Having three protagonists was also a great choice, and the payoff in both how you can utilize them, interact with them, and how you can wrap up their stories is a welcome addition. In a lot of ways, the game feels like a culmination of everything Rockstar managed to get right with Red Dead, San Andreas, and Max Payne, with a majority of the garbage shaved off. I found myself as entertained just roaming around playing in the sandbox as I did plowing through the plentiful but mostly varied missions. I think a lot of that is the result of a game built with a desire to both offer content tourism yet discourage it by constantly offering something to sink your teeth into to avoid everything just turning into trumped up interactive wallpaper.

You can't offer a comment about GTAV though without mentioning GTA:O. I honestly spent dozens of hours on the campaign and enjoyed doing all sorts of activities or engaging in random mayhem. I could easily have placed this game a bit higher up on my list this year, but Rockstar gets no free pass for sticking in a F2P styled, barely functional, immensely under-delivered online experience. Aside from simply not functioning for the first week or two (which may be forgivable under the circumstances), the overall concept was everything from flawed to insidious, and it remains something I'd rather pretend didn't exist just like so many other undercooked multiplayer modes in recent AAA games.


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7. Puppeteer; Have you heard of Puppeteer? Probably not, judging by the sales figures. If ever a game deserved a chance at an improved sequel but will never get one, it's this puppy.

Puppeteer is a character platformer that all at once feels classically inspired, but fresh and new. Production values through the roof on this one, fantastic music, incredibly imaginative art style, level and boss design, brilliantly united art direction, all seemingly for naught on a project played by fewer people than played Indigo Prophecy. Let that one settle in, why don't you.

Gameplay-wise, this is an imaginative and well-paced platformer, with a variety of abilites that eventually get utilized quite well and with beautiful level design that manages great flow. It starts slow, but the back half of the game is just great, albeit too easy beginning to end.


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6. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds; I don't have much to say about this one. 3D Zelda has just never worked for me for whatever reason, so in spite of some misgivings about moving backwards, this was a welcome change for me. The rental system really throws off the flow of what I think of as Zelda progression and I can see why it let down longtime fans, but as someone with no real investment in the series, I came to think of it as a change of approach more than ruining the formula or even as short attention span pandering. Ultimately, the classic gameplay is there, and the, well, wall crawling mechanic or whatever you want to call it adds rather a lot more than I expected, especially to puzzles and hidden stuff. Like my favorite Zeldas, it's a simple game supported by smart level design and addictive fundamentals.

Full disclosure, I'm not done with the game yet, but I'm currently working through it, and felt I'd played enough of it to throw it up here.


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5. Fire Emblem: Awakening; Like so many of my favorite games this year, this is a 3DS title in a series I'd long neglected, and I feel like a fool for doing so now. Aside from being one of the most polished 3DS titles I've ever played, this is a game that doesn't skimp on content and fun. The game's biggest flaw is how broken it gets once you level a certain few units and classes up. A minor general complaint I'd add is that the relationship system serves a purpose and is a lot of fun to experiment with (especially if you like certain characters a lot more than others), but it has a tendency to come across like it's just there for fanservice.


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4. Tearaway; It might be of some surprise to anyone who knows the kind of games I usually go for that I liked LBP. Mm inhabited a positive place in my mind for delivering a fun physics sandbox which scratched whatever bizarre console-based creation game germ that had been planted back with Mario Paint. I've often expended some effort defending the game (especially as a great game to throw 4 friends at and have a nonsensical free-for-all). I sorta feel there's no longer any reason to bother, as Mm have delivered a game which stands on its own as something definitively inventive and fun to play.

I won't lie, the game isn't perfect. There are a few parts I didn't like particularly much. Its most grievous error being that while having precise gameplay, it is never punishing. On top of that, much of the game's charm is frankly lost on me. I can't see how an adult is supposed to see themselves in the "sun" and not chuckle at the whole delivery like some awkward perversion of Teletubbies.

Trouble is, I'm so often a sucker for a great concept given sincere effort. It may not have a deep or compelling concept, but this is a game which takes an idea and follows through on every possible level those who created the game could come up with. It is lovingly crafted, polished, and most importantly, actually fun to play.

Tearaway, like TLoU, manages to be an evolution through making what was old new again. Tearaway is part of a pedigree which stretches back to the earliest 3D action games, back before they were full of tropes and convention and developers had to feel their way through the dark to find the most satisfying ways of utilizing a new approach to gaming on new hardware and still make something that played well.

And then there's the ending. Much is made of this game's ending. Don't misunderstand. It's not a matter of having a good plotline, it's a matter of being a culmination of everything the game tried to offer, tried to make you feel, tried to be. It is appropriate without being much of anything, appealing without being cloying, clever without being pretentious. It should not be something someone enters into with expectations - it will be less than you expected. It is simple and effective because of it.

As I mentioned in the OT, Tearaway reinforced for me how the best delivery of a unique vision in this medium is through the most sincere invitation, not a cynical handout.


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3. The Last of Us; My first few hours with TLoU didn't do much for me. Like many games this year, the pacing honestly felt off for large swaths of the game. The melee wasn't much to speak of, the shooting was serviceable, the stealth - even with Lazy Mode off - seemed more like a puzzle game than a game of subterfuge.

I spent a good several hours attempting to weave through stealth sections perfectly, to conserve all items, to simply die and reload my save if discovered. This started to feel shallow and one-dimensional to me.

Funny thing, though - in hindsight, it is most apparent that TLoU is a game about letting go. It's a game about being uninhibited, should the alternative be failure. This may not truly be inherent to the design intent of the game, but it might as well be.

TLoU works when you let go. All the individual elements which I felt were shallow taken at face value fall together when you embrace the chaos of the moment. Making mistakes and improvising are not things to be avoided in this game, they are the game.

Likewise, TLoU excels when it lets go of you as a player, which thankfully is usually. Sure, it has cutscenes, has the occasional "hold forward for a while here and pretend to be engaged" bits, and it has a linear arena structure, but your approach to overcoming enemies falls entirely upon your choices and your limitations, the sum or difference of your mistakes. It is a game which on every level is at its best when it is about living with your decisions.

Ultimately, at its heart it is a very simple, very classically styled approach to a cinematic game, and as such, I think it may show that the best way was the old way. It is a game that unlike Uncharted tries to be an evolution of what has always worked instead of a devolution of gameplay for the sake of more easily delivering someone's vision. As an experience, it ties in theme and narrative with gameplay in a way which never worked for Uncharted and creates actual satisfying tension. Naughty Dog managed to bring their incredible level of polish and production quality to a game that was actually worth it. This is one of the few AAA games that I've wanted to replay right after finishing it in years.

Top it off with an incredible soundtrack, an actually very effective story with an ending actually worth discussing, and some of the best uses of lighting in a game in my experience, and this ends up a really impressive package.


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2. Dragon's Crown; I had my doubts about this one, most especially near release. 160 hours of co-op and not the least bit of fatigue later, I remembered how good a fast-paced arcadey loot game could be. How people can endure putrid garbage like Borderlands when games like Dragon's Crown exist is beyond me.

Rather than basically giving a breakdown of everything DC has to offer, I think it may be better to talk about what it doesn't have, namely the things I was most concerned about before playing it:

  • You can't grind to infinity and trivialize content in any one difficulty level.
  • The loot system is not some random clusterfuck of useless crap, and it eventually makes perfect sense once you get to the open "grindy" part of the game.
  • The "grindy" part of the game isn't.
  • The quests have some actual rules associated with them and aren't all just about kill farming.
The game delivers on it's promise, is unending fun (at least in local co-op), and the continued excellent support from the dev team for this title long after release (class updates, balance tweaks, and a new difficulty level and dungeon - for free? In 2013?) simply has to move this up on my list.


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1. Shin Megami Tensei IV; I'm still kinda surprised at this one. There's some really annoying stuff worth disliking about this game - the overworld, the dull mazes (domains, whatever), the character designs, the run-of-the-mill sidequests. I simply don't care though. The game's central conceit is, I suppose, similar to so many RPGs built upon collecting and creating a "deck" for lack of a better term and then applying or combining "cards" in different ways, but I suddenly found myself obsessed with this system, and on top of that was the way you can interact or even get quests from enemies in battle which added just enough of a little spark to really hook me. I've never played an RPG where I've been excited to see the same enemies over and over again, because it meant I could get more of them to combine. On top of that is the approach to the turn-based combat system, granting extra moves if you hit weaknesses, and the enemy getting the same bonus. This felt so natural to me, maybe my Mega Man fueled bias towards games with exploiting enemy weaknesses shining through.

The end result of all of this is something seriously addicting without feeling grindy (well, to me anyway), and for the most part the difficulty is just right. The weird music I thought was catchy as hell, and the abstract plot wasn't as bad as some people make it out to be. Then again, I have a soft spot for any story where knowledge and books are treated as a source of undermining order and the status quo :p My first SMT game, (perhaps it is the weakest of the bunch, I wouldn't know) but it will not be my last.
 

Derrick01

Banned
Damn, TLoU is easily going to snatch the GOTY title. Looks to be a distant #1

It's unfortunately looking to be the case. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, we almost never get the right choice as a collective. I'm actually looking forward to seeing who's closest to my votes again more than the overall results.
 
1. The Last of Us ; Great survival/stealth gameplay, best writing and acting in a videogame ever, Best Game of the Generation.
2. Tales of Xillia
3. Hotline Miami
4. Resogun
5. Dragon's Crown
6. Soul Sacrifice
7. Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon
8. Bioshock Infinite
9. Grand Theft Auto V
10. Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
 
It's unfortunately looking to be the case. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, we almost never get the right choice as a collective. I'm actually looking forward to seeing who's closest to my votes again more than the overall results.

Eagerly awaiting your list :p


I mean, TLoU isn't even in my top 5 and I haven't finished but I don't see how it winning over GTA V is some crime against hardcore gaming. They're both incredibly shallow when it comes to gameplay and both suffered pretty bad technically for trying to do way too much on a PS3. When it comes down to it, TLoU is more an "emotional experience" and that's what this site loves these days (*cough Journey GOTY 2012 cough*)
 
Please, correct me if I'm wrong for having this in the 2012 category.

As thefil put it:
From the rules:

Eligible games:
  • PORT RULE: Games that released in your region in 2012 BUT NO EARLIER and have been brought to a new platform in 2013 are eligible, as long as you didn't vote on it last year.

Spelunky for XBLA came out on 2012, and the Vita/PS3/Steam ports came out in 2013, therefore under the port rule they're eligible for this year. Bump it to the top of your list! :)
 

Derrick01

Banned
Eagerly awaiting your list :p


I mean, TLoU isn't even in my top 5 and I haven't finished but I don't see how it winning over GTA V is some crime against hardcore gaming. They're both incredibly shallow when it comes to gameplay and both suffered pretty bad technically for trying to do way too much on a PS3. When it comes down to it, TLoU is more an "emotional experience" and that's what this site loves these days (*cough Journey GOTY 2012 cough*)

My list isn't very exciting this year, there's nothing on it that feels like it would be a surprise and it was honestly very tough to get a top 10. Thankfully the steam sale gave me the opportunity to get to some games I didn't buy at full price and I'm currently putting enough time into them to make sure their quality doesn't drop.
 

bengraven

Member
1. Bioshock Infinite ; one of, if not the best story I've experienced playing a game, incredibly beautiful music, fantastic characters with purpose, and some fun action.
2. Don't Starve ; early release better count. Don't Starve's controls and viewpoint remind me a bit of AC - except, to me, it's what happens when you enter a game of Animal Crossing only to find the animals in the village don't want you there and when night falls you're fucking dead.
3. State of Decay (PC) ; it's an action-sim that's not heavy on either element, but just enough tension and fun exploration to make me keep going. Goddammit, I need more construction materials, you're telling me there's just fuel in this garage?
4. Saint's Row 4 ; powers were incredibly fun and the story was all fan service - the creators getting more comfortable in this world and I hope we see more of this kind of gameplay - would be higher on the list if it wasn't a rehash and missing some key features that made SR3 fun.
5. Sir, You Are Being Hunted ; another early release and damn does it hurt my heart to play.
6. Legend of Dungeon
7. Shadowrun Returns
8. Ittle Dew




2012. Borderlands 2 ; my most played game of the year
 
OK, hopefully my memory serves me well.

1. The Last of Us - This game felt like everything last-gen was building to, not to mention that it had maybe the best voice acting in any generation, ever. Ellie is the best written character I've ever witnessed. Despite the minor bugs I experienced, this was my GOTY for 2013 - 4 points
2. Ni No Kuni - Already being a huge Hayao Miyazaki fan had me sold on this game from the start. The Pokemon-style leveling along with the whimsical characters and setting just made it all the better - 3 points
3. Tomb Raider - A reboot done well. Many people compare it to Uncharted, and while it may be similar, I like the M-rated spin on it and the gameplay was just fantastic. It was my GOTY until the previous games on my list came out. - 3 points
4. Saints Row 4 - Saints Row 3 was one of the most fun games I had played in a very long time. Saints Row 4 made it even better. From the movie parodies, the sheer magnitude of over-the-top gameplay, the old-school levels, and the humor, this game is the most fun I've had this gen; even more so than GTA 5. - 2 points
5. Grand Theft Auto 5 - GTA 5 expands the GTA universe in ways that I never expected. The trio of criminals at your disposal are witty, charismatic, and very well-written. Trevor is one of the best characters I've played as (he seriously reminds me of Heath Ledger's Joker in a way). Even thought I found much of the story to be lacking in certain points, I still had a great time with it. - 2 points
6. Bioshock: Infinite - Booker's travels through the majestic world of Columbia was a grand trip indeed. However, what made the game stand out was the ending and how the Bioshock universe all ties into everything as well as how entire lives can change by simply a matter of choice. It would be higher if the gameplay didn't get so repetitive. - 2 points
7. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - Once again, this game brings together so many things that I love about Platinum Games. The focus on over the top gameplay, the pumping soundtrack, and the sheer scale of destruction is why this game is so much fun. It's a little short on game length, but I found it to be a blast. - 1 point
8. Tales of Xillia - I'm a newcomer to the Tales series, but if they are like this, I will definitely follow it from now on. The battle system is great and fluid, the link system allows for great strategy, the dialogue is well done, and the storyline is actually interesting as are the characters. - 1 point
9. DMC - I'll catch some flack, but whatever. I enjoyed the hell out of this game. It wasn't the deepest game around, but definitely nowhere near as bad as some made it out to be. - 1 point
10. Killer Instinct - It's rare (no pun intended) that one game makes me want to buy a next-gen system, much less a fighting game. But after playing for an extended amount of time at Comic-Con, and revisiting it after the Xbone launched, I played for hours on end. This might be the most fun fighting game I've played in some time. I'm probably a little biased since I was so obsessed with the SNES and N64 offerings when I was a kid, but it's the only reason I would ever consider buying an Xbone one day. Aside from the combos and redesigned characters, KI may also have the soundtrack of the year remixing the old Killer Cuts tunes. - 1 point

2012. Hotline Miami gets my LTTP vote. It's addictive, very 80s, and the soundtrack is amazing.
 
It's unfortunately looking to be the case. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, we almost never get the right choice as a collective. I'm actually looking forward to seeing who's closest to my votes again more than the overall results.

Well, that's always best part anyway. The people closest to me are rarely ever people I see post, though, which sucks.

My 3rd place coulda gone to GTAV if it hadn't been for GTA:O. It was a bigger dissapointment for me this year than Tomb Raider, and you know how I felt about TR :p
 

Oxymoron

Member
1. Gone Home ; It’s amazing how a game shedding most of the artifice of AAA games can be most effective at affecting me.
2. Europa Universalis IV
3. The Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds
4. Super Mario 3D World
5. DOTA2 ; This probably wouldn’t be on the list at all if I only played with pubbies. Having a group of people who don’t get mad and don’t tryhard is essential.
6. Pikmin 3 ; Magically, my non-gaming roommate loves this and play with me. Because it’s ridiculously cute and enchanting.
7. Gunpoint
8. Rogue Legacy
9. Fire Emblem Awakening
10. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
2012. FTL ; I spent a stupid amount of time playing this this year.
 

ZQQLANDER

Member
You might want to bump Super Hex to your 2012 game mention and put something else in it's place since it came out last year.

Ah, yes it did. I guess I was going off the Android version which was released in January of 2013.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll replace it with another title.
 

shem935

Banned
It's unfortunately looking to be the case. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, we almost never get the right choice as a collective. I'm actually looking forward to seeing who's closest to my votes again more than the overall results.

Gonna vote now out of spite :p
 

Kabouter

Member
Kabouter's list is always the bomb to read. Always look forward to his because it has a bunch of games that I probably wouldn't have played until after I read his list. Though this year, there seems to be some overlap between mine and his. :O

I usually give out random awards for soundtrack of the year too, so I wonder if I should follow suit and go for it here in an unmarked ballot post. Really liked reading Kabouter's take on it.

Saw Reus on sale on Steam so I might get it.

Thank you very much, I'm looking forward to your list and those of a few others as well. There's always a few people in these threads who post great lists that always manage to make me interested in a game or two. And yeah, would be fun to see others give out random other awards too, so if you can think of some good stuff for that, absolutely go for it :).
 

shem935

Banned
1. The Last of Us ; The game is beautiful, gameplay is dynamic and brutal, and the story and ending leave little hope left to find in the world

2. Resogun ; Basically this is crack in video game form. No BS frills, pure fun and adrenaline

3. Tearaway ; MM crafted a beautiful world, full of relentless cheer that can't help but bring a smile to my face every time I think of it.

4. Guacamelee ; not much to be said, the game is super fun and has an enormous amount of style.

5. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag ; The best of the series (even better than 2). The gameplay was fun, graphics were amazing, and the story was by far the best.
 

demidar

Member
My 2012 game comments is two times longer than the longest comment in the top ten. Also I'm having a hard time finding a top ten. I recently played Shadowrun Returns so I reckon that'll get on there somewhere. I'm also struggling to get under the character limit, I have half a mind to just put that stuff in an image to circumvent that limit.
 
1. Fire Emblem Awakening ; I've played the first two Fire Emblem games released in NA (FE7 & FE8) and this is easily my favorite so far. With a wide variety of characters and the ability to do limited interactions/skits with them makes the side characters have a lot more depth than the previous Fire Emblem games I've played. The loss of the magic triangle and the grindiness of the game made it lose some of the strategic potential found in previous games but this game is my #1 GOTY.
2. Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds ; Back to the roots of Zelda. No more hand holding, a large world to explore and beautifully constructed dungeons and puzzles. LTTP is my favorite Zelda game and this game could easily surpass it as my new favorite.
3. Shin Megami Tensei IV ; My first SMT game from the mainline and spin off games (I haven't played Persona yet), SMTIV is a fantastic JRPG and demon collection game. Exploring the city of Tokyo was great and the demon combination system helped make the collection of demons easier.
4. Animal Crossing New Leaf ; I played AC on Gamecube for a long time. The addition of being mayor really brought my love back for the series.
5. Pokemon Y ; This game would have been higher on my list had they put more end game content in. Pokemon XY finally transitions to a 3D world and battle making the visuals much more engaging and interesting to play. The addition of the Fairy time shakes the previously established meta game up and the breeding enhances have really cut down on the tedious IV breeding.
6. The Swapper ; This little indie game is absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere, music, and visuals all combine to make a really immersive experience.
7. DOTA 2 ; I played this game almost every night after classes with my class mates. Dota 2 is a highly competitive arena game with a high skill ceiling and addictive gameplay.
8. The Last of Us ; The campaign for this game immediately grabbed me and took me a rollercoaster ride about a father daughter relationship between two very well written characters.
9. Tales of Xillia ; Tales of games have always been some of my favourite JRPGs. ToX's combat was great, however the link system made multiplayer suffer for more than two players.
10. Bioshock Infinite ; Elizabeth and the SciFi plot/ending were great. However, the gunplay felt pretty generic and didn't have much impact and the "plasmids" felt really out of place in Columbia. (Was there ever any story significance for them to exist in the world?)
 
As thefil put it:


Spelunky for XBLA came out on 2012, and the Vita/PS3/Steam ports came out in 2013, therefore under the port rule they're eligible for this year. Bump it to the top of your list! :)

Can I keep it in 2012 if I wish to? I feel like it fits better for me in there.
 

Bert409

Member
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds; Fast-paced, action-packed Zelda is BACK, and it should have never left.
 

Lady Gaia

Member
1. The Last of Us ; Hands down the best experience of the generation from my perspective. Solid gameplay with plenty of unique encounters and remarkable moments in a complex and detailed world. The best realized and motivated characters I’ve seen, and a story that combined inevitability with surprises. Yow. Naughty Dog’s next title can’t come soon enough.

2. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons ; Every bit as memorable as some of my favorite downloadable titles of years past like Braid and Bastion, Brothers uses novel gameplay mechanics that are pitch perfect for telling its unique story. What is it about indie games that start with a B?

3. Assassins Creed 4 ; Even though I didn’t intensely dislike AC3 I recognized how stagnant the franchise was getting, and wasn’t sure I’d pick up the next iteration. Then Watch_Dogs disappeared from the next gen release calendar and I caved. Am I ever glad I did! Great characters centering on a reluctant assassin and a novel exploration mode changed things up enough to make it all feel fresh again.

4. Rocksmith 2014 ; Rock Band grows up, taking the pro instrument concept to another level. It’s a shame there’s no practical way to extend the franchise with drums and keys to round out the experience.

5. Super Mario 3D World ; Mario magic returns! Obviously not a Mario 64 caliber revelation, still a wonderfully solid experience that paints a path forward for Nintendo. Here’s hoping it’s the start of good things to come for the Wii U.

6. Knack ; Solid brawler mechanics that mix things up with enemy combinations, marred by too much padding but in no way deserving of the horrific reviews it received. I’m already eager to play through it again for the challenge, the secrets, and the subtle sophistication of animation, lighting, and material rendering throughout. There’s a wonderful vibe reminiscent of The Incredibles that made me smile from start to finish.

7. Tales of Xillia ; It wasn’t an amazing year for RPGs. Still, Tales of Xillia scratched that itch in a way Ni No Kuni totally failed to do for me.

8. Resogun ; A modern take on Defender with enough depth to keep me engaged during the initial slow release period? From the makers of Super Stardust? Sold.

9. Tomb Raider ; Flawless? Hardly, but the reboot of Tomb Raider was enough of a thrill ride to have me looking forward to the next installment. I almost left it off the list over the definitive edition money grab, but I’ll get over it.
 
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