1. The Last of Us ; It is probably the best game I've played since RE:4. It was awesome from start to finish.
2. Tomb Raider; Bought the game not expecting much, but it kept wowing me from start to finish.
3. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; In my opinion, the best game the 3ds gave us this year. Solid gameplay, solid story and really enjoyable.
4. Plants vs Zombies 2 ; Didn't expect much from this sequel, but it ended up being better than the first one.
5. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon ; few games had actually put a smile in my face like this little booger. I loved the presentation.
6. Soul Sacrifice; Loved the gameplay, definitely one of the best games of the year aswell.
2012. Persona 4 Golden ; First JRPG I've ever played, it has been the surprise of the year for me. I regret not playing it earlier.
1. Papers, Please ; Who knew being a corrupt passport official could be so fun?
2. Fire Emblem Awakening ; Exceptionally fun tactics game that really endears you to your crew of misfits.
3. Super Mario 3D World ; A masterpiece of bouncy, colourful platforming design, and so much fun in co-op.
4. Spelunky ; It's a year old, but the Vita port made it feel brand new. This perfect platformer works wonderfully on handheld.
5. Guacamelee ; Terrific brawler adventure that is inspired by all the old games I love.
6. The Last of Us ; Heart-wrenching survival epic with a fab leading duo. Also, great stealth stuff.
7. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons ; Beautiful puzzle-driven fairytale that ties its story to its mechanics in a crushing, effective, surprising way.
8. The Stanley Parable ; Funny, thought-provoking comedy that is constantly surprising you.
9. Civilization V: Brave New World ; Monster expansion pack that reinvented my favourite victory condition: culture. Also, the archaeology stuff was a stroke of genius.
10. Ridiculous Fishing ; The perfect mobile game. Addictive, deep, and absolutely untainted by bullshit F2P bibble.
1. Pokemon X / Y ; Pokemon went 3D and god damn it's never looked so good.
2. Animal Crossing: New Leaf ; just when I thought the series had run dry, Nintendo sucks my right back in again.
3. Pikmin 3 ; it's just so beautiful.
4. The Legend of Zelda Link Between Worlds ; I think the art style is terrible but hey, it's Zelda after all.
5. Super Mario 3D World ; it's no Galaxy.
1. The Last of Us
2. Ni no Kuni ; A surprisingly polished effort coming from the Level-5 that I loved. Such lovely graphics and music.
3. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Some haven't finalized their list and are just posting them as preliminary lists.
Others prob. didn't follow the rules, but might fix their posts by the time the voting ends.
1. Brothers: A tale of two sons ; The fact that a 3 hours game dethroned my ~1000hours of Dota tells quite a bit about it. Great graphics, Great OST, but what really shines here is how they managed to blend story elements with the gameplay, and it's quite the story. A brilliant game, didnt expect it to be as incredible as it was. 2. Dota 2
3. Bioshock Infinite
4. DmC: Devil May Cry
5. Tomb Raider 6. Civilization V: Brave New World
7. The Swapper
1. Bioshock Infinite ; Yeah, the disparate elements of the game never quite added up into a cohesive whole. But fuck if those elements weren't just awesome on their own. Elizabeth, the twins, the sound and art design, the individual set pieces, the unorthodox ending...even if the story was a cluster, it got our brains cranked. I love when a game inspires a community into discussion and intense debate the way this one did. Does everyone remember the spoiler/story discussion thread for this one and the fucking explanatory charts that evolved from those discussions? I love that shit. I love games that get us going the way this one did. Yes.
2. Pokémon X/Y ; God damn if nothing gets the addictive gaming juices flowing in me more than two things - a WoW expansion, and this franchise. A pretty awesome entrance into 3D (in both the not-2D sense, and the actual 3DS-3D sense). Pokémon came alive in full 3D animation, and battles have actually become a pleasure to watch in ways they haven't been since the Stadium games. Great stuff. Great adventure. Awesome music. And the promise of new infrastructures and expansions to come, via Poke Bank/Transfer. Just what the franchise needed. Very exciting stuff. Just needed a more robust post-game.
3. Super Mario 3D World ; Got me to buy a Wii U when I did. Powerful stuff. A true system seller. Even if it couldn't dream of eclipsing the brilliant Galaxy games and didn't even come close as far as I'm concerned, it was solid, top-notch new 3D Mario, and it added the awesome novelty of selectable characters, and co-op multiplayer, which I haven't even had the pleasure of trying yet on account of unavailable friends, haha. I have a feeling some drunken nights with this mode may have pushed this game into first place, but who knows.
4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; Tugging on the nostalgia strings in heavy doses, while still delivering a fairly original, surprising new Zelda adventure? In. So in.
5. The Last of Us ; Respect points for this. Naughty gods indeed, even if this didn't wind up being a great game for me. I got railed by the difficulty of the game, even on Normal. Those one-hit kill zombie bites early on in the game led to too much frustration. I gave up. And I was burned the fuck out on zombies. Despite all that, yeah, this was impressive, visually and as far as control goes. I must revisit it, if only to see this amazing story everyone's talking about before it's spoiled for me, haha!
6. Wonderful 101 ; Only played the demo so far, but had tons of fun. Game just oozes unique and original style. Love it. Will be nabbing as soon as a deal is to be had.
7. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD ; Stunning, gorgeous HD remake of this already-gorgeous game. Can't wait to revisit it. For now, it's sitting happily on my shelf after a good hour or two of play. Really happy Nintendo went ahead with this project.
8. Tomb Raider ;
9. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ;
10. Contrast ;
1. The Last of Us (PS3); Goty? More like Game of the Generation for me. Such an intense trip throughout post-apocalyptic U.S., where the living humans are even a bigger threat that the infected. Dem clickers. Dem bloaters. Dem gfx. The feels at the end. Such a roller coaster ride of a game.
2. GTA V (PS3); GTA V was a return to form. Had a blast throughout the whole game and getting the 100% felt so satisfying. Such a great world they created in Los Santos this time around, best way to appreciate it all is to get on a plane or a helicopter and just look it it from high up. The cars are still moving in the streets, so many things waiting to be found and discovered and the 3 character story was great fun.
Haven't even touched the MP yet, hopefully I'll be able to dive into that soon.
3. Spelunky (Vita); I've only been playing this game for a couple of weeks but god damn i'm so hooked on this. I even play it during the loading times between replaying the missions in GTA V for the golds. Seems pretty simple at first, but there's a great deal of depth in the game and its mechanics and everytime you die you know it's because you're a reckless motherfucker more than anything else.
4. Hotline Miami (Vita); The violence was brilliant. The utter nonsense was also pretty dope. The soundtrack was amazing. A great game and apparently #bestonVita
5. Velocity Ultra (Vita) ; Another handheld game on my list (now also out on ps3 peoples). Velocity Ultra manages to mix some sort of kinda vertical platformer, with vertical shooting and a great deal of pace and speed. Amazing game, was totally hooked on it, put countless hours in it. Perfect for a handheld like the Vita.
6. Bioshock: Infinite; As much as I like to bitch and whine about this game and it's linear nature and bad (imo always) story, I still had a pretty good time with it and even though it's not really what I expected from Irrational it was still quite a fun game. And Columbia, omg, that city in the clouds as much nonsense as it was, it was quite something.
7. Guacamelee!; I'm only started this recently but the bits I've played so far are full of shit I like, beating up dead people and internet memes. Good stuff.
8. Thomas Was Alone (Vita/ps3); A simple little game, but a very enjoyable experience. A unique platformer with blocks each having special abilities and with an amazing plot twist in the end!
2012 Borderlands 2 (ps3); Great fun that game was. Loved it!!! Lewt lewt lewt!!!
that's my top 8, i don't have a top 10 because I haven't played other 2013 games that can make it onto this list imo.
1. The Last of Us ; Wasn't sure if it would live up to the pre-release hype, but for me it was even better than that and the Uncharted series as well as everything else released in 2013.
2. Grand Theft Auto V
3. Super Mario 3D World
4. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
5. The Wonderful 101
6. Tearaway
7. Dragon's Crown
8. Puppeteer
9. Beyond: Two Souls
10. Killer is Dead
x. Gran Turismo 6
x. Knack
x. Resogun
x. Rain
1. Bioshock Infinite ; Undoubtedly game of the year for me and one of the games of the generation. I think it's been subject to some ridiculously unfair criticism (and some fair too to be fair) as of late but I really haven't been gripped by a game like I was with this in a long time. I could write at length about what I love about the game but it really just comes down to the fact that it was just wonderful escapism for me, which is what I seek from my favourite fiction. And it actually got me back into games in a big way. The only (slightly) disappointing thing for me is that in it's development the game seemed to take many forms, if you look through the art book or at the E3 demo there's just a wealth of great ideas, and I think a lot more could be done with the world of Columbia (and even more could be done with (SPOILER warning)
the universe of Bioshock - possibilities are opened up once you delve into multiverse fiction. But another high point is it successfully links a totally different world to Rapture and the original game, I bought that - it worked and I think that's pretty remarkable. I think it's a perfect send off for Bioshock.
). Also the anachronistic use of music and overall art design are just wonderful.
All in all Bioshock Infinite reminded me that I hate reading about games I enjoy on the internet. It also taught me that I really like the song Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Which worries me slightly. I think when a game challenges you as a person and shakes the very foundation of your being, placing an errant wish in your mind to listen to Cyndi Lauper when you're standing at the jukebox in your local bar, that's when you have your game of the year.
2. The Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds ; The bard in the milk bar...he can have all my money, and my heart too.
3. The Last of Us ; It lives up to the hype and the hype was insane. Not even pre-release hype, I mean game of the year hype. I was late to it. It's an incredible achievement really, and a worthy winner of game of the year. I just had more fun with Bioshock and Zelda.
4. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; I haven't played enough of this but I've played enough to know that it has to be mentioned. I'm pretty certain when all is said and done it'll be here.
5. GTA V ; I've done things you people wouldn't believe. Choppers on fire off the shoulder of Mt. Chiliad. I running punched down on their luck hookers outside the liquor store. All those moments will be lost in time if GTA V keeps being ignored, like tears in rain.
I say ignored, I've only really listened to the Giant Bomb GOTY stuff where I don't really follow the reasons for it's exclusion. It's a pretty impressive game. I understand people may have GTA fatigue by now though.
2012. Mass Effect 3 ; I feel everyone's said their piece on Mass Effect 3. All I'll say is even if it has departed from the promise of the original Mass Effect, and it has, and even if they made some terrible decisions with the ending, and they did, it's still a great game. The Mass Effect trilogy is the series I poured the most time into this generation
1. Bioshock Infinite ; I just loved everything about this game. With the first Bioshock I never got around to finishing it because I hated the fighting in the game. This to me fixed everything wrong with the first one. I enjoyed the fights, enjoyed the powers and everything seemed perfect the entire time. Throw on top of that the atmosphere and story that was great and engaging throughout the entire game. Honestly don't have a single complaint about the game.
2. Gone Home ; Thought about putting this as my number one for a long while. The experience could probably not be beat by any game on this list, but at the end it's more of an experience and less of a game and that's why it's number 2.
3. The Legend of Zelda : A Link Between Worlds ; I was hesitant coming into this thinking it was going to be too easy and lose some of appeal with renting the items. Although those things are mostly true I still came away from the game enjoying everything about it.
4. The Last of Us ; I wanted to put this higher on my list but to me the actual gameplay falls completely apart in the last third of the game or so. I hated the uncharted games because I hated the action and controls during the fights in those games. For the first 2/3's of TLOU I thought they fixed everything. The pacing was better there wasn't too many fights. But once you get to Winter the game becomes pretty much an all-out action game unless you're really good at stealthing through the game. The story and the first 2/3's of the game were amazing, I just wish the balance in the gameplay carried throughout the game.
5. Rogue Legacy ; Just pure fun. I played so much of this game and enjoyed every minute of it.
6. Path of Exile ; This game is genius. The mechanics behind the skills and the gear all the way down to the money being usable items. Add to that that it's a free to play game that should be copied in the way it approaches monetization and depth in the game.
7. GTA V ; Loved a lot of the missions and loved what they did with the characters, but the story and characters seem to fall apart completely at about the halfway point.
8. Guacamelee ; Great game with great fighting and pretty good humor.
9. Animal Crossing New Leef; Never played an AC game before this. I really liked my first 30 or so hours with it, but then it just got too repetitive to me. After a little while it started feeling like a facebook game. But that first 30 hours or so where I was coming to the game for the first time was really fun and really enjoyable.
10. Spelunky ; This might have ended up a couple spots higher if I had more time with it. I've played enough to know I really like it, but just not enough to put it higher than anything else above it.
1. Super Mario 3D World ; Apart from being a fantastic, fun and creative game: this is je MOST fun I have ever had gaming with my girlfriend.
2. The Last of Us; Beautiful, scary, polished and stunning.
3. Need for Speed: Rivals ; Amazingly fun and gorgeous, especially on the PS4.
4. Ni No Kuni ; Ghibli plus great RPG = awesome.
5. Killzone : Shadow Fall ; Had an absolute blast with the multiplayer and the single player game is quite fun and pretty sexy.
.
2012. XCOM : Enemy Unknown (PC) what a great return to form for one of my favourite series of all time.
First i'll say that i'm from europe so that it' ll not invalidate my vote for this year since i'm gonna post some imports.
1. Grand Theft Auto V ; I've played GTA 5 twice from start to finish ( because of a stupid bug ) not counting replays. I don't think it was a shore , far from it
GTA5 is a fantastic world to explore and even on my second run i was still finding new things to try.I'm convinced that if i play the game a third time i'll still find new thing to experiment with. It's a massive world , full of things to try / experiment , full of things to find.
It's what i signed for. I certainly wasn't let down so yeah First place without a doubt. Online doesn't count.
2. The Guided Fate Paradox ; This game wasn't on my radar. I knew that the guys of ZHP were behind it and i knew it would be crazy over the top and insane.... but i wasn't expecting this game to be this good.
Guided fate paradox is a game that destroy 1 by 1 what you knew about S-rpgs without any remorse and punishes you from thinking that the develloppers would make things easy for you. Don't get me wrong the game is not that hard because you have all the tools to suceed. You're just punished when you think you're safe. You're never safe in the game. I won't mention the story because it'll be spoiler but the twists , even when you can see them in advance are nicely done and the overall package is ROCK SOLID
3. Dragon's Crown ; You're playing dragon crown and you're faced with this reality :
This game is gorgeous visually ... then you complete some dongeons and you're faced with another reality This game control and mecanics are godly. After that you continue and the final revelation appears.
This game is just what i wanted .
Dragon crown is like that , polished to the extreme with some patches , it's a time sink you'll have a hard time to escape from , filled with secrets , satisfying in multiplayer and solo. Masterfull soundtrack , masterfull game design ..money well spent
4. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; MGR: R is a game that tried something different and suceeded. Simple as that. IF you like action game you can see it .it's obvious ! The potential for a sub-franchise is strong. Had this game been cocked 6 months more in the oven it could have been legendary. But We're left with a kick-ass soundtrack, delicious and devilish cutting mecanics that works , an active parry system that put you in the middle of the action like nothing before and charismatic vilains , MGS - style. Damn , give me a sequel Platinium !
5. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen ; Dragon dogma dark arisen , gave me a revised version of dragon dogma with some mecanics altered to feed feedback and a whole new toolbox of habilities to try in a new setting.Thanks capcom!
DDA is a great game . Bitterblack island leave you with a feelign that you want more and this is right , i want more dragon dogma... that's just how good that game is. Exploring BBI was awesome, exploring the land was not a challenge but so highly welcomed. That's right i felt like a hero and it felt damn good.
6. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies ; Appollo justice was an Ok game , but in the end i was disapointed. I'm so happy that the 5th game just brought back the old feelign i had when i was playing the first trilogy. The 3d model are fantastic , the music works , the anime cutscenes could have been better but in the end , PW5 was an amazing ride
7. Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus ; I'm happy that some of you will be able to play this game in 2014.As for me i couldn't wait. Gameplay is fun , music is good and has some incredible music themes.. but the sheer amount of content in this game is ...unheard .you're not ready. The story mode itself with the character episodes is long , great and fun . be warned , aside from LIFE AND HOMETOWN there is a game behind that ..and it works so well , especially in online multiplayer.
8. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F ; I'm a miku fan so i couldn't resist putting this game in my list.I don't feel like explaining why this game is good , it's a game made for me a vocaloid fan so "CQFD"
9. Persona 4 Golden (EU) ; Many things have been said about persona 4 , but the golden version of this game is still surprising by how well they polished the gameplay balance to this extend while adding so much stuff.Be carefull if you haven't played it yet , you can easily spend more than 100 hours into this
x. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch ; i'm ashamed to say that despite my love of rpgs i've been so busy i couldn't play this game enough to rate it in my top 10. Incredible visuals , nice soundtrack , good game mecanics. x. Soul Sacrifice ; I sacrified my wallet to save the vita and i got a fun game to play.Original gameplay , fun in multiplayer, good story Yeah i had fun. 2012. Sleeping dogs ; Awesome story , nice city , fun world.. i think i loved everything Sleepy dog did , except that it was over quite fast ( too fast ) Great game .
1. Europa Universalis IV; One of the best strategy games I've played and this time it's more approachable. Pick a historical nation and set your own goals.
2. The Last of Us; One of the best cinematic blockbuster type of games I've played.
3. Fire Emblem: Awakening; Another really good entry in a great series. The addition of easy mode made it a lot less frustrating than the older games.
4. Resogun; By far the best launch game for the next-gen systems. Getting it for "free" was also a nice bonus.
5. Beyond: Two Souls; Better gameplay and worse story than Heavy Rain. I hope we get a PS4 Quantic Dream title soon.
6. Antichamber; The first puzzle game in ages that actually left me puzzled. It's not always easy to know where to go or what to do, but at least you're always progressing in some way.
7. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft; A very polished collectible card game. It's not in the same league as Magic: The Gathering, but I will probably continue to play it for a while.
8. Papers, Please; The best kind of indie game which manages to turn something mundane into a great experience.
9. Bravely Default; Perhaps twice as long as I'd liked but still a solid traditional Japanese RPG with a few new welcome innovations.
10. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch; Not the best game, but it did have its moments.
1. Grand Theft Auto V ; Played on PS3, game was pretty sweet. The amount of detail and content is amazing. Did all the missions and side missions. I did get bored after a while, I mean how much screwing around in an open world can you do, after playing the other GTA games that starts to get old. Rockstar did a great job creating the game world though.
2. Hotline Miami ; Played on Vita. Awesome music, great solid gameplay with tight controls. This one was fun.
3. Capsized+ ; Played on iOS. Really great physics platformer. iOS controls take a little getting used to, but once you got it the game really clicks. Great music and art.
4. Badland ; Played on iOS. Great art, simple controls. Pretty good enjoyable experience.
I think those are the only games from 2013 I even played this year.
I normally read every post in the GOTY thread but I'm just coming to this thread after a holiday spent out of the country and I can't be bothered to read through 22 pages of lists and descriptions. I haven't started my list yet but I plan to do so soon. Looking forward to seeing other people's choices.
1. The Wonderful 101 ; This game is pure hype pressed onto a 25GB proprietary not-Blu-ray Nintendo disc. Not since Bayonetta in 2010 have I played such a masterfully crafted, endlessly escalating, packed to the gills with content, totally balls out crazy spectacular action game such as this. Every time you think the game has shown you its hand, it tops itself with another incredible scale set piece 20 minutes later, and this keeps going and going for 20 hours. It's bursting at the seams with energy unlike anything I've played this year, or maybe in my life. The combat system is fast, frantic, powerful, and deep. The genre switches are executed MUCH better than Bayonetta, and are good enough to be separate mini-games. It's filled with references to past Kamya works and Nintendo properties. The characters are very likable, and the writing is actually very entertaining. It's humorous, it's melodramatic, it's anime, it's Power Rangers/Super Sentai/Kamen Riders, it's amazing; it's The Wonderful 101, and it's destined for cult classic status.
2. The Last of Us ; Truthfully, this would be tied for #1 if this wasn't a legit "ranking by points" thread. It's the pinnacle of cinematic games as we know them currently, and an achievement in character writing in mainstream gaming. It's one of the most mature AAA titles in recent years, and by "mature," I don't mean blood and guts, but rather through it's restraint, subtlety, and handling of character archetypes throughout most of it's 15+ hour adventure (actually 20 hours for my first playthrough). The voice acting and performances are so natural, the facial animation is so nuanced, and characters are given life, in and out of gameplay, in a way only Naughty Dog can achieve. And don't let this narrative praise fool you, because despite what some say, it's also very satisfying to play. The context sensitive and blending melee combat is the smoothest "simple" combat engine I can think of while being incredibly brutal and desperate. The gunplay is purposely sloppy with super crisp sound mixing to the point that it's the only game to ever startle me from a gunshot, and one of the few action-adventure titles where I can say that firearms feel dangerous. Stealth and cat & mouse games against enemies- human and infected alike- are tense and can turn sideways VERY quickly forcing you to craft, dodge, fight, shoot, flee, and prioritize enemies all at the same time, all very smoothly. The pacing after the initial slow build is very well done even despite my personal dislike of forced walking. The soundtrack by Gustavo Santaolalla is low key and raw, used masterfully when it needs to be, and pushed out of the way not for explosions and yelling, but for ambiance and eerie tension. And without spoiling, the ending is one of the more gutsy moves in the AAA space showcasing such confidence in itself that you can't help but be impressed while it sticks in your mind for days afterward. The Last of Us is a great game.
3. Super Mario 3D World ; This game feels like they said "Yes" to every single idea in every single "Idea pitch meeting" over the course of development, and after some random cut-off date, decided to stop stuffing the game in favor of polishing everything to "mainline Mario" quality. It's a smorgasbord of Mario ideas, old and new, to the point that it ALREADY feels like they've maxed out the potential of this 2D/3D hybrid style. You're doing something different with a different level-gimmick on a different stage completely unrelated to the last every 5 minutes. The distinct multiple characters provide a kind of replay value to the game not seen since Super Mario Bros 2, and if you take the plunge with a random character selection before each stage, it's another changing variable to add onto this game's seemingly insatiable appetite for new things. It's rare to play a game so willing to throw ideas at you in a cameo appearance-like manner to be seen only once or twice before going back into the toy box. It's starts easy, but it ramps up when you get into post-end content with the last 2 levels, in particular, putting your Mario skills to the test. It might not be the grand adventure in presentation or scope that some of us wanted, but it's still a really good game with tons of charm, tight controls, and a focus on being as unfocused as it can possibly be. Shout out to the big band, and retro 50s music on the soundtrack, as well as the great Ghost House music.
4. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; If The Wonderful 101 is pure energy, MGR should've been subtitled "Unfiltered Badass Rock Star Action." Not only does this game feature the best swordplay mechanic in gaming so far, it also features THE BEST use of synchronized music, specifically vocal tracks, EVER in action games. The over the top actions you perform are made EVEN BETTER when the crazy metal soundtrack goes up a notch and rips your face off as you slice enemies into a thousand pieces. It's such an empowering game. It's not perfect, as you can see signs of Platinum's rushed save job from whatever the hell KojiPro was doing in the camera system, the game's environment reuse, and length overall, but Platinum was still able to craft one hell of a fine game and managed to shake up the character-action (sub)genre with a very different flow to combat. The focus on parries and defense leading to your Zandatsu move makes the game unique in what could've turned out to been a very standard melee action game. And that Zandatsu mechanic is SO satisfying that even after multiple replays that satisfaction never goes away, nor does the feeling of being a super ninja in a cybernetic body. It's also THE MOST QUOTABLE GAME OF THE YEAR with ridiculous one-liners, incredibly wonderfully cheesy characters, referential humor, and general off the wall dialogue. It's reveling in the MGS craziness, and is honestly the best thing to come from the series since MGS3 eight years ago.
5. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger ; Such a hyper focused, really fun Western themed arcade shooter. The most immediate positive quality of this game, and what allows the rest of its pieces to work as a whole, are the mechanics. Gunplay is fast, punchy, impactful, and incredibly satisfying. These are probably the best headshots in a shooter since Gears of War, and the visual feedback of your weapons is done very well. You can play the entire game using nothing but revolvers, single or dual wielded, and not get tired of that crack from the shot, the finely tuned recoil, and the over the top gushing headshots. But then you'd miss out of the long range precision of the rifles, and close range demolition of the shotguns all of which feel just as good and, in combination with the "Concentration Mode" bullet time, create some of the most addicting pure gunplay of the generation. It's also one of those games that gets better the more you play with an upgrade system that actually adds significant twists to the core gameplay. On top of that though, despite the campaign's short length as a budget priced arcade shooter, it features some very entertaining and creative storytelling. Making full use of narration and "unreliable narrators," you're taken on a ride of bullet riddled tales recounting bounty hunts, shootouts, standoffs, and revengeance in which the landscape can change before your eyes, people can pop up, items can drop from the sky, time is rewound, truths become myths, and myths are uncovered at the whim of Silas Greaves, the narrator and protagonist, and his small audience. These characters give what could've been a fun but standard arcade shooter such charm that it lifts the entire experience up a notch, especially those times when the game takes a more serious turn which rounds out SIlas as a character and makes this a tiny bit more than just a Wetern themed killfest. Can't forget to mention the Arcade Mode missions which are more challenge based, leaderboard driven run-and-gun experiences, and are insanely addicting to master and complete with a fast, fluid line of action. Lastly, the visuals are solid providing a nice variety of colors and classic Western vistas, towns, forests, mountains, and caves without losing its cohesiveness, and the soundtrack provides a good backdrop of spaghetti west harmonicas, guitars, strings, and percussion that drives the action or sets the mood in slower sections. All in all, it's a damn fine game, and a formula I've love to see given a bigger treatment in a sequel.
6. Bioshock Infinite ; It's not as smart as it thinks it is, and the twists don't always make as much sense as they think they do, but it's still a well paced shooter romp (barring the final encounter) elevated by really good main performances, and absolutely beautiful art design. Right off the bat I have to say I don't have nearly as much of an issue with this game being sure a pure shooter as those who turned on the game do. Ken Levine and co. decided that's what they wanted this game to be, and all that matters to me is whether or not I had fun, and I did. It's not a perfect shooter, mind you, with some non-reactive bullet sponge enemies (the vigors + hand cannon alleviated that quite a bit though), some questionable design decisions in regards to proper hacking- or the lack thereof- and the 2 weapon limit, but I still had fun toying around in the sandbox. What IS undeniably great about combat are the sky-lines. The way they come together with such speed, fluidity, and ferocity makes one of the best feeling mechanics in a shooter of the generation. I do wish there was even more use of them with more winding sky-line laden battlefields like the old E3 demos, more enemies hopping on and dueling with you, and more sky-line platforming, but I was still left satisfied. The art direction, as I mentioned, is gorgeous with every area and room within having it's own color palette and mood, and a thick layer of atmosphere and hand crafted quality around every corner. Great looking game. There are also a number of very good song choices, and effective use of those songs in moments I'd rather not spoil for anyone who hasn't seen them yet. And though the story falters, Booker and Elizabeth keep you interested enough to see it through, with Booker providing even more evidence of why the silent shooter protagonist should be a thing of the past. P.S.: sky-lines better make their way into Irrational's next game. They're amazing. 2012. Binary Domain ; I'll just link to my LTTP post HERE. Long story short, I really, really liked the game despite its flaws because the gameplay is solid and well paced, the characters are dumb and endearing, the narrative is mostly entertaining, and the whole thing has a lot of heart.
I told you bruh. Reading your list made me frustrated that I didn't post mine before because it feels like plagiarism. I already had it typed before you posted and everything, I just wasn't sure about the #5 spot.
This shouldn't come as a surprise anyway, we kept frequenting the threads this year (except Bioshock because i was late to that)
I just need to play Super Mario 3D World before making my list (I should receive it today or tomorrow). I haven't played a Mario game in such a long time I don't actually know whether I'm going to find it meh or love it to bits. So it might very well turn out to be my GOTY. Otherwise Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will take that place. I was wondering for a very long time whether TW101 should get that spot but on hindsight I did like MGR:R more and replayed it way more (I don't really feel like coming back to TW101 that much -I only finished it twice-, whereas I ordered the PC version of rising and intend to play it a lot more).
1. The Last of Us ; not sure what else i can say that hasn't been said already by many other besides this is my game of the generation as well.
2. Grand Theft Auto 5 ; the first gta that had me hooked till the end of the game. i rarely finish games but this one i did so it did something right. the story isn't mind blowing or anything but i enjoyed it and it was a ton of fun.
3. Wolf Among us ; didn't think i would like it as i don't follow the comics but love walking dead last year so i gave it s show and now i am hooked and cannot wait for future episodes
4. Diablo 3 ; played coop with my brother on ps3 and it was a ton of fun and i cannot wait for the expansion and get to play that on ps4 as well.
5. Guacamelle ; love drinkbox games and this game was a ton of fun to play
6. Gunpoint ; just bought this on steam sale and i have been enjoying the stealth gameplay and love the humor.
This is all i have so far. walking dead season 2 will most likely make my top 5 as i loved the last one but haven't had time to check it out. from the looks of it i will probably like stanley parable but that is for another day as i didn't play it yet.
Had a hard time making the list, the only 2 im happy with the position are the first 3. I think the rest could be interchanged becuase they are all great equally.
1. Bioshock Infinite ; I love the world, I love its characters, I love the story, im in absolute love with its music and how is so attached to the plot. Add you know what? I also had a fantastic time shoting things.
2. The Wonderful 101 ; This game, this mother fuckin game, it has the most epic setpieces ever, the greatest number of different characters, its an AMAZING action game, the central cast is funny as hell. Its the best WiiU game and one of the best games this generation. Had a hard time putting it on second place. GO AND BUY IT!
3. Saints Row IV ; Continuing the epic "I dont give a shit what you think, Im a game" from Saints Row the Third, this game just turns it up to eleven. What a fantastic experience, its fun, its crazy, the superpowers are fantastic, the whole cast is great, and I cant wait for the time travel shenanigans of 5.
4. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; Incredible strategic game, long, fun and a with characters that you want to invest time with them so they never die in a battle, and Tharja is mai waifu.
5. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds One of the best Zeldas, its fun, its creative, it twists the formula, it has an AMAZING soundtrack and has a phenomenal ending.
6. Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies ; Phoenix Wright is back! And he is ready, your honor. Best PW since 3, and what a great twists at the end, no one could believe it. And the change from 2D sprites to fantastic 3D models have done wonders to the game.
7. Bravely Default ; A better Final Fantasy than Final Fantasy right now. Best thing since FFIX. And all those config options to make the RPG as you like, damn, what a great idea.
8. Super Mario 3D World ; Not as good as the galaxies, and thats why its so low in the list, but stil amazing and what it does, and has a fantastic soundtrack.
9. Papers, Please ; What a thoughtful little game, never checking some papers has been as fun and engaging.
10. Luigi's Mansion 2 ; Next Level does it again. Frist was Punch-Out!! and then this. Nintendo needs to give them more reimagines!
x. Pikmin 3 ; Fuck, I run out of games that can get points, this is hard My first Pikmin and had a great time with it, if a little small.
x. DuckTales: Remastered ; Just beated a day a go, has a really great time and the game is as tough as nails. The music is great, dat moon remix. Good job Austin Ivansmith, the game is excellent!
x. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD ; First time I beat it, fantastic updated, it resolves lots of the problems the original had. The exploration is the best thing, but the game is still unfinished and it shows.
x. The Stanley Parable ; An amazingly fun meta game that makes you think, and I love allo thats is meta.
1. Dota 2 ; Dota 2 has become something approaching an obsession with me. The infinite variety in matchups and strategies, the thrill of well coordinated teamwork, the ever so satisfying mini-RPG progression of each match...of all the games on this list I played Dota 2 by far the most and I'll probably easily put another thousand hours into it
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; There's just nothing quite like 2D Zelda. I've enjoyed the 3D games, but LBTW comes and shows just how deep, how rewarding, and much fun a Zelda game can be.
3. Papers Please ; In an industry obsessed with aping cinema as a way to do "storytelling" Papers Please stands tall as one of the single best examples of how you leverage the strength of a video game to immerse a player and trigger emotion
4. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate ; After Dota 2 this is easily my second most played game this year, and 90% of that is local multiplayer. My friends and I have been playing this weekly for something approaching nine months now.
5. Guacamelee! ; Got this one on Steam sale and boy oh boy am I glad I did. Such a ridiculously vibrant, fun game
6. Pokemon X/Y ; The breath of fresh air the franchise needed. After stumbling with Diamond and Pearl the games got back on track with Black and White, but this is the first game in ages that feels like it really advances the series.
7. The Stanley Parable ; While I'm not quite as enamored with this as some people, its still a supremely clever game
1. Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm ;
2. Grand Theft Auto V ;
3. The Last of Us ;
4. Dead Rising 3 ;
5. Pokemon X ;
6. Fire Emblem Awakening ;
7. Forza 5 ;
8. CastleStorm ; So underrated and fresh. Since Activision killed Bizarre, Zen Studios have been my new favourite dev team.
9. Crimson Dragon ; With the balance changes, amazing. Most under-rated game of the new gen.
2012. XCom Enemy Unknown ; Would have been my 2012 GOTY if I'd played it last year.
1. Rayman Legends ; From the art, level design, characters and music, everything about this game was wonderful. I played the Wii U version, which I'm convinced is the only way to play due to the Gamepad features. My girlfriend is always keen to play games with me but many games are too difficult for her. Playing as Murphy was perfect for her and provided her an important role which was essential in helping us through some of the levels. My favourite platformer since Galaxy.
2. Brothers - A tale of two sons; This was a pleasant surprise. The gameplay was a little too simplistic at first and the puzzles were non-existant, but it was the story and characters that made this game for me. Even with a story delivered entirely in gibberish, the game made me feel more for the characters than most over-written crap that fills the industry. The final scenes were especially moving.
3. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate ; I played the Wii one to death and this one was no exception. The amount of new content made this worth the purchase.
4. Super Mario 3D World ; I wasn't particularly impressed by this after the first couple of worlds, but by the end of the final secret world, I was enjoying it so much, I started again with a new character.
5. Tomb Raider ; The Uncharted comparisons are inevitable, but I feel this one was so much more enjoyable in everyway. Of course the story is silly, but Lara wasn't nearly as annoying as Drake.
6. The Legend of Zelda: A link between Worlds ; I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as everyone else it seems. I applaud the fact the developers really tried to shake things up, but some of the ideas (renting items) sort of took away what I like about Zelda. By stripping all the fat away, they also somehow stripped away the charm and whimsy of Zelda as well. Still it was Zelda, and entertaining as hell.
1. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; Platinum has not let me down before and this game continued that trend at the start of this year. I had a blast seeing them take the Metal Gear universe and make it even more crazy than it already was. The game was fun and frantic, the cutscenes completely dumb (in the fun way), and the fact that all boss fights used music in a way to where lyrics kicked in near the end made those battles sublime. Already double dipped on the PC version and can't wait to replay it. Mistral theme is best theme.
2. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F ; I spent most of my time on the import, but then I eventually caved and picked up the localized release. I was bummed years ago when I ran out of music rhythm games (Amplitude/Frequency/Gitaroo Man). A friend suggested me to try it out and I ended up getting hooked on it. Enjoy most of the music and really testing my skills on the extreme difficulty. My fingers just need to be able to tap the buttons faster though
3. Shin Megami Tensei IV ; While I haven't finished it, I really was glad how it turned out. Portable friendly and able to play wherever I want. The only problem is when I get SMT'd and want to throw my 3DS out the window!
4. Super Mario 3D World ; Just a joy start to finish. Loved the new powerups and all the crazy things they put in the levels. Also got to enjoy multiplayer with family, which was a blast.
5. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; A lot of this may be nostalgia, but I loved returning to this world of Hyrule. The sounds of the overworld, dungeons, and all the other remastered/remixed themes kept me glued to the game as I played. Didn't overstay its welcome and I'll surely replay it when I have he time.
6. The Wonderful 101 ; In Kamiya we trust. While I wasn't able to master to systems completely, I never will doubt how over the top and crazy the game can get, like Metal Gear Rising before it. I am looking forward to seeing what game he will take the helm of next.
7. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate ; My first MH game to get into, and I finally understand what people were talking about! Thanks to the voice chat, I had a friend that could easily explain the systems and how everything works. It clicked for me and I put over 20 hours into it (which is a good bit for me as of late). Running from some of those really dangerous monsters gets your heart racing, that's for sure.
8. Saints Row IV ; Great game with some unfortunately buggy pieces. Co-op caused issues more often than I'd like, but I liked the super powers and all the new things to do. Got to co-op the entire game with a friend and it makes it much more enjoyable to blow things up and screw around in the city.
9. Risk of Rain ; Fulfills my "just one more game" itch that I need to scratch every once in a while. Really the only mark I have against it is that the multiplayer setup is terrible. Wish it was a bit easier and less convoluted considering this is 2013. But still a great game regardless.
10. Payday 2 ; Good multiplayer game. When everyone knows what they're doing, it's always good when a well planned heist comes together.
Get ready for some nonsense dudes cuz I was feeling loopy when I banged most of this out today. Instead of one list of ten games, here are five lists of several games, I’m aware most of this livejournalish babbling won’t make it through the parser but it’s all good. Also apologies for the comically bad cropping in my pics, just spent half an hour searching for things and editing but I’m an amateur at this so nothing’s really even. Needed to rush this post out since one of my games of the year is on sale through Jan 2 and I just want to spread the love before it’s too late.
The throughline in these lists ended up being Atlus, my favorite videogame company, and the RPG, my favorite genre. This was the year I decided to finish off all of their essentials, completing SMT1 and SMT2 and the last remaining Persona game I needed to beat. And yes, yes, we all know that the “Year of the RPG” happens every year, but for the first time this decade too many RPGs tied perfectly to my sensibilities, both new and old, were released for me to not acknowledge it. It’s unfortunate that South Park was delayed and that Dream Team was no good, and there’s a whole stack of RPGs on the 3DS I continue to wait impatiently for, but otherwise 2013 was without a doubt a personal banner year for my favorite genre.
Enough stupid preamble, let’s get this party started with some lists.
Top 5 Ports of the Year I. Soul Hackers; I love the 1990s II. Hotline Miami; As everyone says, this was made for the Vita III. Deadly Premonition: Director’s Cut; Deus Ex might have nabbed this spot if I’d had the chance to play it, but York’s adventures were special and deserve recognition IV. Wind Waker HD; maybe the new lighting is off but whatever it’s still the zelda made personally for me V. Tokyo Jungle Mobile; GOTY 2012 gets a phone/vita version that goes isometric and maintains the amazing core
Top 3 Rereleases of the Year UN. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment; the culmination of my Year of Atlus DEUX. Earthbound; a classic I passed on back in the day for no good reason TROIS. Maken Shao; my Kazuma Kaneko wonderland
Top 5 Games I’m Sure I Will Love When I Get to Em UNO. Shadowrun Returns; just waiting for a complete and fixed version before I dive in. DOS. Open Me; grimy puzzle action from Playstation C.A.M.P. and trailer of the year TRES. The Wonderful 101; looking for something fresh and viewtiful QUATRO. Papers Please; I’m a sucker for a good premise and a neat vibe CINCO. Rain; this sorta came and went without a fuss didn’t it? Still wanna try it.
Top 3 Notable Mentions x. Tearaway; the most notable of the notable mentions. does that Lovedelic thing with thoughtful gibberish voices and that stop motion animation thing that is Media Molecule’s crowning achievement. It’s nice to know these guys have got something after I soured on LBP, every gimmicky manipulation feels right, there’s just something innately pleasurable about unfurling things.
x. Alphabet; The game itself is just a charming little trifle, even fooling around in multiplayer it’s no Noby Noby. But as an odd Kickstarter exclusive (only one I’ve ever supported!) I just want to note its existence. I’m ready for a more complete Keita Takahashi offering next year and happy he’s returned to games.
x. Doki Doki Universe; I know my aesthetic taste is pretty narrow but I promise it’s not really THIS restricted, I just happened to play a bunch of weirdly similar cutesy shit this year so please excuse how redundant these all seem. This game is worth trying out for its oddball ambition, successful humor, and music that’s way nicer than it needed to be.
And finally, if you are still with me, the three games I want to recognize above everything else.
3. Attack of the Friday Monsters; This game is so effing intelligent. Because it is the smartest game of 2013, it produced some of the smartest writing of 2013, by people who can actually write well, so I’ll just link you to their words. Have a look:
http://scroll.vg/issues/10
Ray Barnholt’s magazine passion project contextualizes the game with a deep dive through the developer’s history, with typically impeccable layouts to boot.
As the adventure genre continues to develop in interesting ways, this is a game that ought to capture enthusiast hearts not just through sheer aesthetics, but through its lovely personal story. The game demonstrates clearly that going hyper-specific (1970’s rural Japan) is the best way to go universal. Attack of the Friday Monsters is currently on sale for $5 on the 3DS eshop until January 2. Please grab it so that Kaz Ayabe can convince Sony to release My Summer Vacation Collection in America next year, thanks.
2. Ni no Kuni; Quite the mixed reception for this game in a lotta quarters huh? I expected the Level 5 HATERZ but not sniffy condescension from people who call themselves RPG veterans. Here’s where I acknowledge the flaws but politely sidestep them as ultimately irrelevant. I think it was Aeana who said it, but Ni no Kuni is a game that feels “complete.” It avoids the compromises of practically every other RPG this generation, compromises that are engaged quite interestingly and deliberately in my GOTY funnily enough. Hino’s seemingly blank check for this franchise allowed for a lavish, expensive, expansive, ridiculous, financially suicidal dream to be realized by a C.E.O. who followed his crazy-ass muse into relative bomba-dom just because he could afford to (seriously, there is no reason but ARTISTRY to include that amazing book and packaging in a game that was initially supposed to be portable).
Complaints about sidequest design and AI seem perfectly valid (I micromanaged every skill into oblivion in the settings so AI issues became somewhat irrelevant for me personally) but then you’ve got griping about the battle system (it’s FF13 basically!), grinding (sorry you are terrible and never switched out your pokemans), story (endearing!) and protagonist (a child who’s unfailingly polite and respectful and generally cautious, cmon that’s a real rarity) and you guys lose me.
So that’s the defensive case for the game but what about something more positive? Everyone has covered the major aesthetic points already, and yes if I was a nine year old playing this my imagination would have exploded and blah blah blah mushy stuff, but I love how steeped in RPG history the game is. It’s a rather specific loveletter to the past and sometimes I think appreciation of the game is directly proportional to your appreciation of Dragon Quest V, from which Ni no Kuni very lovingly cribs at every turn (along with shout outs to things like FF3 and Laputa, the ur-form of the Japanese RPG). It’s not a DQ5 level classic but a game that still felt special and rare and was very easy to fall for given my particular sensibilities.
1. Shin Megami Tensei 4; Here’s the thing about Shin Megami Tensei 4. There are so many things that are wrong with it. To that list I forgot to add visible encounters without a useful Estoma spell to keep things moving.
Then there are the design decisions that seem recklessly insane but actually work. The much derided world map, which hearkens to earlier games and makes it easy to get lost (this is a GOOD thing guys!). The decision to hide an effing
AIRSHIP
in an easily missed optional sidequest received from randomly chatting with a particular demon. And finally the game’s meanest trick of all, the first seven hours. I’m going to repost something I wrote earlier that describes my favorite moment in the game, a moment that occurs after the seven hour point which is probably everyone’s favorite moment in the game. It’s a little bit spoilerish for those who have no idea at all what’s coming, but if you’ve checked out a trailer you can go ahead and read.
Here is a rambly little essay about the moment you reach Tokyo. I want to take the time to spell out exactly how masterfully the developers crafted this moment, where music, mechanics, progression and storytelling synchronize perfectly into a kind of symphony of design. Jeremy Parish has already described in detail the aesthetic and mechanical excellence of the game’s first boss, a true M____R gatekeeper in the SMT3 sense. But what comes immediately after in the Tokyo moment is just as carefully designed.
To set the stage, recall that you have descended to the depths of the game’s most dangerous and difficult dungeon, and at the very bottom you discover
the fun inversion that you are actually at the very top. Hell is heaven, in Mikado you are crypt robbers, but in Tokyo you are angels.
It's the first major plot revelation, and the game is set up to provide a suitable level of impact.
The staid and boring medieval environment of every other RPG gives away to the eerie modern setting that is the series trademark. The Tokyo moment is a gamechanger, which is to say that the the game is literally changed. Mechanically, you obtain guns for the first time, and visually, the change in setting is obvious.
After the cramped drabness of Naraku caves and hallways, the camera so tight as to be deliberately claustrophobic, you reach the bottom and the game finally opens. The drudgery and cliche lameness of the previous Mikado hours have been extinguished: from low budget menu traversal to breathtaking 3d town design (skyscrapers piercing crimson ash clouds!) and a high concept world map based on real life Tokyo. Parish’s review touches on very interesting ideas regarding how SMT4’s Mikado section embodies the downscaled streamlined compromises of the modern handheld RPG, while Tokyo represents the RPG as we remember it, and I think this is absolutely the right take. Lots of RPGs build to the moment where the game finally opens up, but I don’t think there are very many that do so as adroitly and as dramatically as SMT4. From the mechanics and progression systems to the beats in the story, SMT4 stands out.
And the music! An incredibly stark contrast from Mikado, where the Trauma Team composer does competent medieval 101 tracks, suddenly you're bowled over by Tokyo’s otherworldly cyberpunk majesty. You reach the terminal for the first time, and the Hindi incantation instantly sends chills, a recollection of Digital Devil Saga’s cyber-Hinduism, paired with glorious glittering Nocturne visuals as you transport, and eventually a traditional Shin Megami Tensei composition to ground the game in its history.
And finally, the world map theme. Crafted for maximum awesomeness, the nostalgia is almost painful, a wailing guitar that transcends the inherent cheese to seemingly contain all the anguish and hope for a troubled genre, those plunking strings a sonically perfect elegy to what might have been had Japan’s stars more readily aligned with the West’s this past generation. That RPG you remember from your youth, captured here in the classiest of ways, somehow evoking sighs even from those of us who never bought into the decline narrative. I think what I’m saying is that the Tokyo moment felt weighty and weirdly emotional, I’m still processing it, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
I could babble more about the extra fun insights the moment provides for the few of us who’ve played SMT1&2, I feel like I could write a dozen ANALYSES of so many songs in the crowdpleasing soundtrack (Item Shop Music: Triumph of the Vocoder?), but really in the end all I want to say is that the Tokyo moment seems like it was designed specifically to assuage so many of my fears for this game and for the future of Atlus, and helped me feel better about my year long lingering Kaneko depression heh. SMT4 is a special RPG and I’m so happy that it was made and released in 2013, it’s the game of the year.
Looking back at this list I realize that it seems very backwards looking and it’s true that I sort of retreated into videogame history even more than usual this year, but I think these three games show that its possible to marry nostalgia and progression to create something really unique. They engage the past more thoroughly than the average “indie” and generally have more respect for the player than the average “AAA” blockbuster and I hope the industry will continue to find ways to sneak these kinds of games in the margins. As expected, 2013 was a nice recovery from 2012’s weird low point and I’m optimistic that there will still be games for all of us in the future, so good looking out videogame industry, there's hope for you yet.
1. The Wonderful 101 ; Best Platinum game. My favorite action game of all time. Very tight controls, fun story, and very replayable. This is a platinum action game done perfectly.
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; Wow. It took only thirty minutes to fall in love with another Zelda classic. The rentals and wall mechanic are both great ideas and work extremely well. They need to make more top down Zeldas.
3. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; Platinum's third best action game behind W101 and Bayonetta. While I believe W101 is a lot deeper, this game makes you feel like an overall bad ass. Loved the cut mechanic and had the best soundtrack of the year.
4. Super Mario World 3D ; yep ead tokyo has yet again outdone themselves. Loads of great ideas, outstanding visuals, dat soundtrack, tight controls. Its just another perfect Mario from EAD Tokyo.
5. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon ; the visuals, them feels. The lighting and atmosphere on a 3DS is extremely impressive. Loved Mansion on gamecube and this just outclasses it in every way.
6. The Last of Us ; just a very very solid game from naughty dog. The idea and execution are near perfection. The set pieces are just a little too obvious from naughty dog which kept it out of my top 5.
7. Volgarr The Viking ; 2D brawling, 3D hating....a special place in my heart for this genre and this game did not let me down. Tight controls. Difficult. Monster slaying. Please, keep making these games!
8. Spelunky ; hours upon hours of frustration. Loved every moment....well most. It looks gorgeous on the vita. Again, tight controls.
9. Bioshock Infinite ; best shooter of the year. Great art direction, powerups, story. The setting is just surreal graphics wise. Predicable set pieces like Last of Us again let me down but overall very solid.
10. Guacamelee! ; wonderful idea. Just seemed slightly shallow but to round out my list, it was still a very good game. Not sure if it is really a metroidvania but I loved kicking some 2D butt as a Mexican wrestler. Beef up the sequel and they would really have a hit on their hands.
I am prefacing this list by saying that my actual favorite game this year that I have sank hundreds of hours into, Hearthstone, isnt eligible this year. If it were, it would be my number 1 game.
1. Picross e2 ; Picross is not only my favorite Nintendo property, but also the only one I am willing to buy a new system for. When Picross e was announced in July of 2011, it (along with the price drop) was what got me to pull the trigger on a 3DS. Unfortunately, we would have to wait almost 2 whole years before getting to play the game in America, and by the time it finally arrived, other countries had already began to enjoy the sequels. While I loved Picross e, the lack of difficulty led me to question the future of the series. Then, a month later, without warning, Picross e2 was released on the US eShop, and quickly became the most fun I had playing a game all year. There were more higher difficulty puzzles (the 10x10 free puzzles were harder on average than the 15x15 free ones in Picross e), and the Miicross mode, a spin on Warios Picross from one of my favorite games of all time, Marios Picross 2, allowed for a much more intelligence-stimulating experience. Nintendo also took time to fix some issues that were present in Picross DS, such as defaulting awful stylus controls to off, and making it super easy to remove the theme skins from the puzzles to just go with simple white backgrounds with monocolored blocks, allowing for the purest experience. While the game is shorter than you would like (It took me a little less than 30 hours to complete), the pure fun of the gameplay is enough to make this my favorite game of the year.
2. Papers, Please ; Papers Please is not meant to be a fun game. It is supposed to be a game that frustrates you with its ruleset, its slow work process, and its limited workspace. The graphics, intentionally ambiguous, are made even worse on documents, to make you really question the identity of a person. It is supposed to make you uncomfortable with yourself just because you are doing your job- sorry maam, I cant let you into the country to see your kids because your passport is expired. And while there is an overarching narrative to the game- something about a shadowy organization trying to overthrow the government- where this game succeeds is in the small, naturally evolving stories that can happen over the course of the game. A guard will ask you to sneak his lover into the country, only to be killed later that day in a terrorist attack. A simple fool presents you with a crudely drawn passport- depending on how you react, his future appearances will change up. Want to take a bribe? It might cost you down the line. Its a game that invites going back and seeing what could happen differently, and thankfully automatically creates saves each day to make this process easier. This game makes the tedium of following rules a fascinating experience, and if Nintendo hadnt finally given us Picross this year, it would be a shoo-in for the number 1 slot to me
3. Bioshock Infinite ; A damn fun shooter. I had so much fun with the combat in this game, mixing together guns and vigors to destroy my enemies. While the story of the game is garbage for the most part, the characters- mainly Booker and Elizabeth are awesome, and the world itself is so detailed and fascinating that you just take your time exploring it and finding cool easter eggs. Elizabeth as a gameplay element is awesome- instead of needing to protect you, she works to find you ammo for your favorite gun (so you can pretty much just stick with what you like the entire game), health, and summoning useful items into existence. Also, probably my favorite soundtrack of the year.
4. Injustice: Gods Among Us ; While I think the name is pretty crappy, this was probably my biggest surprise of the year. I was expecting a Mortal Kombat clone skinned with superheros, akin to MK vs DC from 2008. Instead, we got a game that actually feels like a superhero game! Gone are the concepts of rounds that a traditional fighting game has- you now just have 2 lifebars, representing a second wind that a comic book character can have. Arenas are not designed to be balanced for both characters, and people who have super strength get advantages over weaker characters in the ability to lift up objects to throw. Every single fighter gets a face button dedicated to doing something unique to that hero- ranging from Green Arrow firing off a shot, Flash moving faster than the opponent (slows them down), to Batman utilizing gadgets. Outside of the fighting, the game also features a great story mode, that is on par with the average DC Animated Movie. The voice cast does a great job, and it smartly limits itself by only having you play with half of the roster, instead of padding out the story to let you play as everyone. The only real negative with the game is the slimey way they handled DLC costumes, many of which were not included in the season pass. Thankfully, a GOTY version of the game with all the costumes unlocked was released by the end of the year.
5. Divekick ; The moment you get to the main menu and realize that it can only be controlled with 2 buttons, you will either decide that the game is total bullshit, or you will smile in appreciation of truly committing to a big joke. And committed to a joke this game is- if you have any familiarity with the FGC of the past few years, you will be laughing your head off at all the little things they crammed into this game. But underneath the jokes, somehow, is a legitimate fighting game that is super easy to pick up and play, and full of tension. Every round is a staring contest, waiting for someone to blink. It also had the side effect of me playing my Vita a lot more than I had before, and I came to appreciate all the things that console can do.
6. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; This was my first real exposure to the series, and I had a ton of fun with it. Permanent death makes you approach missions in a way to keep everyone alive (even if you are going to restart if anyone actually does die), and the battles are super fun. While I did like the relationship stuff that was included here, I feel like it really didnt go far enough- I would love for the next game to feature Persona style Social Links.
That said, there is nothing like marrying your farmboy with your loli dragon. Nothing!
7. The Stanley Parable ; I love subversion, and fucking with people just for the sake of fucking with them. This was the game that did it the best this year (Bubsy 3D was a close second). The narrator is perfect, and the sheer insanity that you can find (
playing Minecraft, reaching button heaven, the clicking achievement
) is wonderful. I doubt that I have seen everything this game has to offer, as many of its best moments are so well hidden that finding them is just as much of an accomplishment as enjoying what the narrator says about them. I felt the game was probably a little too expensive, but if you get it for 10 dollars or less its a steal.
8. DmC Devil May Cry ; Ive never been a DMC fan, but when I heard that the people who made Heavenly Sword (the most underrated experience this generation), I was excited. The combo system makes it easy to do a bunch of cool things stringed together without having to work hard, The characters and environments are super interesting, and the limbo effect used on many environments is one of my favorite graphical flourishes of the year. This game was also home to some awesome set pieces, such as the Raptor News Network boss. By having no appreciation for what Devil May Cry was, I probably enjoyed this more than most people for what it ended up becoming.
9. Pokemon Y ; This was the first Pokemon game I have played since Red or Blue, and I was happy that I was able to pretty much ignore any Pokemon designed after 1999 in my playthrough- my final party was all original 150 (with the exception of my starter), I only caught pokemon I recognized, and just treated everything else as a random enemy in an RPG. So while the 30 hours I spent on my adventure were a blast, I have no desire to go back into the world and do anything else, as most of it, like Friend Safari and Wonder Trade, are full of pokemon I could not give half a shit about. Also, the pacing of the game is poor- you spend almost as much time between the first and second gyms as you do between the 2nd and 8th gyms- you begin to wonder if you messed up at some point. Also, the lack of 3D in most parts of the game is disappointing. That said, I give Nintendo credit for making a game where I could have a fun time with nothing but old pokemon.
10. WWE 2K14 ; In the first year of the new 2Kuality era for WWE games, we got the safest release in the series history. Attitude Era mode is gone, but it is replaced with the same structured Wrestlemania mode, which allows you to play a series of matches with special stipulations in order to unlock new characters, videos, and more. The gameplay is almost identical to last years game, which is fine, because last year had a fine engine that while buggy as shit, was fun to play around with. And while the current roster is questionable (No Fandango, Big E Langston or Bella Twins), they were very quick to add them in as DLC. And this game features the best legends roster ever in a WWE game- you can re-create almost every big Wrestlemania match ever as long as it doesnt involve Lawrence Taylor or Chris Benoit. While this is the last year they can get away with a product like this, it still plays well and does a great job tapping into nostalgia. Now, they just need to find a way to get people to care about the current roster .
x The Last of Us I barely got to play this game, but if the intro is representative of the actual game, than I am going to love actually sinking my teeth into the full game in the next year.
Also an interesting list, bigkrev. I grabbed a friend Divekick as a Steamgift knowing absolutely nothing about it. And I have a brother that loves Injustice. Both seem really interesting, but I just don't really gel with fighting style games.
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; This was it. This was finally the game that, for me at least, could rival ALTTP in terms of quality. I loved everything about it. I loved the dungeons, which doled out just the right amount of challenge and made you feel like a champ for solving puzzles. I loved the exploration, which the smaller world and plentiful collectibles made a joy. I loved the tight controls. I loved the music. Was the game on the easy side? Sure. But that didn't take away from the airtight game design. This is why I still love Nintendo.
2. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; What a game. This is probably the most fun I've ever had with an SRPG. A fantasic aesthetic upgrade for the series, coupled with a solid storyline and excellent gameplay. I was concerned that the game's focus on being approachable for beginners would result in a dumbed down FE outing, but that wasn't the case. The normal mode was as satisfying as ever, and the new mechanics made for a more interesting game off of the battlefield. Great stuff.
3. Super Mario 3D World ; As much as I've enjoyed Mario's previous 3D adventures, 3D World takes the top spot for me. The game finds Nintendo at the height of their creativity, and constantly throws new, inventive challenges your way throughout the entire game. Even when the game lacked challenge, it was still a blast thanks to great level designs. Later worlds ramped up the difficulty to a satisfying level, and that run up to the final, mega-tough level was pure bliss. More than anything, though, I appreciated that, in an era where seemingly everything has to be some greyish-brown, dystopian warzone, Super Mario 3D World was a game that made me feel happy.
4. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PS3) ; The day that Metal Gear Rising came out, I played through the whole thing in one sitting. I had work to get done and obligations to fulfill, but I didn't care. I had to see this thing through. The next day, I did it again on the harder difficulty setting. There aren't a whole lot of games I do that with these days, but Metal Gear Rising's lightning fast combat and insane boss fights made it worthy of that honor. Oh, and the final boss gives the greatest speech ever written. It belongs in the top 10 for that alone.
5. Shin Megami Tensei IV ; I wanted to quit SMTIV after about 3 hours. The game was a slog, and wasn't at all what I wanted out of a Megaten game. But I stuck it out. About an hour later, I discovered that those initial hours were all part of an elaborate bait and switch -- one that was incredibly effective due to that initial grind. The dozens of hours that followed were the most enjoyable I spent playing an RPG this year. And in terms of setting and moody music, SMTIV is still lightyears ahead of the pack.
6. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies ; I was honestly pretty worried about this game prior to its release, even though I'm a huge fan of the series. It had been years since the last AA game, and as much as I had enjoyed them, Apollo Justice and Ace Attorney Investigations hadn't reached the lofty heights of the original trilogy. Clearly, my fears were unfounded, because Dual Destinies ended up being one of my favorite entries in the series. The storyline was as full of twists and turns as I'd hoped, the dialogue was as witty as ever, and the new characters were fantastic additions to the cast. And shockingly, the transition from 2D to 3D visuals did nothing to dampen the characters' expressiveness. It was an excellent game all-around. Hell, even the DLC case was great.
7. Volgarr the Viking ; I'm usually pretty down on indie platformers. They tend to draw inspiration from the classics and do nothing to build upon those ideas. Volgarr doesn't roll like that. While clearly inspired by classics like Ghosts 'n Goblins, Volgarr the Viking puts together some of the most devious, yet insanely well-designed levels I've ever seen in a game. While brutally difficult, every single obstacle has a proper way to overcome it, and the game empowers you to maneuver through the entire game without taking a hit. It takes classic mechanics and pushes them to their limits. Volgarr the Viking's design is so impeccable that if it had come out in the early '90s, I have no doubt it'd be one of the games we wax nostalgic about today.
8. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD ; I'll be frank: The Wind Waker is one of my least favorite 3D Zelda games. The seafaring and sedated pacing take a bit too much patience for my liking. But holy hell, when the game is good, it's really good. the dungeon designs are among my favorite in the series, primarily for how well they utilize several different items in a single puzzle. Meanwhile, the game's new, HD coat of paint takes an already gorgeous game and makes it one of the prettiest titles of 2013. It's a really strong package all-around.
9. Guacamelee (PC) ; Metroidvanias are a dime a dozen these days. Indie developers latched onto the subgenre, and have produced a lot of games that suggest the developers like Metroid, but don't get why it works. Guacamelee is the first indie game I've played that really nails it. The game's excellent pacing, satisfying upgrade progression, and backtracking-friendly map design make exploration satisfying. It's not on the level of a Metroid or a Castlevania in that regard, but it's still very good. The rock-solid, beat-em-up style combat, however, is where the game finds its own identity. All of a sudden, I wasn't worried about how the game compared to Super Metroid or Symphony of the Night -- I was enjoying Guacamelee on its own merits. A game that can stand out like that has to be something special.
10. Tales of Xillia ; The Tales series is pretty hit-and-miss for me, but Xillia fell squarely in "hit" territoriy. The game's combat is easily the best of the entire series and the storyline was surprisingly competent. What I liked best about Xillia, though, was that the game really made you feel like you were on some grand adventure. The game put me in that magical zen-like trance that only the best RPGs do, and that's worth applauding. Being a Tales game, it's still very anime-ish, but even with my limited tolerance for such tropes, the game was still a great time from start to finish.
Honorable Mention: Ys: Memories of Celceta ; Admittedly, I've just started this game. I'm sure it'd make the list seeing as how it's an Ys game, but if I haven't finished it, it doesn't seem right to throw it in there. Either way, I have to give props to Adol & Co.
2012 Honorable Mention: Kid Icarus: Uprising ; I didn't get around to playing the game until this year, mostly due to all the negativity I'd heard surrounding the game's controls. Maybe it was blown out of proportion, or maybe the expanded screen surface of the 3DS XL helped, but the game's controls never gave me a problem, even at the outset. What I discovered, instead, was an insanely well-designed game that felt like the soul successor to Star Fox. I was convinced, about 30% of the way through the game, that I was about to reach the end because there was simply no way the game could continue to maintain this kind of quality for much longer. But Kid Icarus kept on going and going, and when I finally did reach the end, it just felt right. Kid Icarus: Uprising was clearly the work of some of the most masterful game designers in the biz today, and it's a game I'm really glad I gave a chance.
I played a ton of games but I decided to keep my list to five to make the games that I mentioned more meaningful and not to give accolades to undeserving titles.
1. Fire Emblem: Awakening ; Much is to be said about Fire Emblem: Awakening but if there is a single word to describe the game itd be brilliant. There are many facets of the game that bring Fire Emblem: Awakening to one of the most monumental creations this generation. Its not because it reinvented the strategy RPG genre nor was it due to rethinking the entirety of the historys well-established franchise. Its the simple idea of making game design choices fit within the context of the game and making the multiple designs cohesively align with each other. Whether it be the marriage component determining what skills and stats affect a new upcoming recruit or the various pools of units to choose from, it all clicks and its all easy to understand.
2. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; Revengeance is a short game but I wouldnt have it any other way. Rather than dragging its feet and fizzing out, Revengeance explodes straight from the get go and really doesnt stop exploding. It just keeps going with the crazy. The ridiculous writing, crazy-ass cutscenes, the awesome music, the insane combat system, etc. Everything about the game is top notch and embraces itself in the most honest way. It pokes fun of its cheesy happenings and it runs headlong into the game industry with pride in its heart of what it does best. And what exactly does it do best? Pretty much everything.
3. Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm ; HotS is an expansion and its not the best expansion for a game. In fact, my time with the game was a nostalgic and familiar feeling treading the days of when I played Wings of Liberty. Still, the enjoyment I got out of HotS is undeniably large. The narrative isnt ambitious and borderlines on mediocrity but the gameplay more than makes up for it. The missions are fun and the customization aspects are intriguing to say the least. The game definitely requires more than one playthrough. The campaign gives you a ton of tools that are fun to use and its impossible to put them all into your arsenal at once. The multiplayer is what you expect adding new units, new strategies, and a whole new mess of balance problems. Still, I found what was there more enjoyable than what I found in WoL, which is expected.
4. Shin Megami Tensei IV ; SMT4 is not my favorite game ever. In fact I absolutely despise the game. If there is any one game that doesnt deserve to be on this list it would be this one. So why exactly is this game on here? I dreaded playing this game due to how backwards it feels with gameplay design choices that leaves me scratching my head. A confusing overworld map that doesnt utilize markers. A cruel difficulty in the very beginning. Tons of cheap shots from bosses and regular foes alike. A story that is boring and unintriguing. Despite all these problems theres only one reason I put this game on this list and in fact I spent so much time with this game Im almost afraid to admit it. Whats that reason you ask? Fun. The game is pure addiction. The fun of collecting demons, or failing in trying to collect them, pissing off your party members with narrative choices, or trying to beat that dumb boss. The game beats you down hard and there are many aspects of the game that just incite frustration. Yet, these negatives come back and turn into positives for the most part. SMT4 is not a well-designed game. Its okay. However, there are elements that easily overshadow the games faults. Also the OST is fucking good.
5. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn - If you told me that Square-Enix would revive a dead MMO game by remaking it in 2 years time and somehow end up good then I wouldve told you wut hahahaha no. Im glad I was wrong and this perhaps may be that small glimmer of hope that Square-Enix is not dead yet. ARR is a very simple MMORPG that doesnt try anything exceptionally new or special. In fact, everything it does is basically found in other MMOs but not in one MMO at a given point. ARR can be summarized as the Uncharted of MMORPGs. It borrows elements from many games and while it doesnt excel in a single given aspect, it does a damn good job wrapping up the entire package into one good, cohesive experience. The combat is a simple tab-combat but the various jobs are fun to utilize. Oh, did you know that one character can play all the classes. Job switches are super cool. Too bad there are some game design choices that leaves me frustrated. Not having a good way of leveling multiple classes on a single given character is one. Still, the impressive story, outstanding soundtrack, beautiful world and lore, and the memorable experiences in the world Eorzea makes ARR one of the best games this year.
1. The Last of Us ; I really enjoyed playing this, may be the best game I have ever played, super polished, makes all other games look horrid
2. Guacamelee! ; Really had fun playing this and you don't get to see any metroidvania genre lately
3. Resogun ; Pure fun, even better than super stardust
4. Beyond Two Souls ; Great work from quantic dream, the camera shots and acting are just fantastic, and I really liked the story, I hope they keep on coming with these type of games
Probably won't get around to actually playing/finishing a different game other than BF4 so I decided to just make my list
1. Grand Theft Auto V (single-player only) ; Gonna get this out of the way: Purposefully leaving out the GTA: Online portion cause I when it played it for a month and a half, it was a fucking mess. Now on to the single-player...I had a fucking ball with this. I loved almost all the characters. I actually liked the story, and got a real kick of some of the game's more memorable moments (more drug-induced missions in the future please). It gave me more than enough in terms of content outside of the main missions (should have done more triathlons and bike races). It was the perfect last purchase I ever made for the Wii/PS3/360 generation
2. Animal Crossing: New Leaf ; Waited a long time for this to come, especially after spending so much unnecessary time with City Folk. I may not be playing this every single day like I had hoped, but this game really is a breath of fresh air.
3. DmC: Devil May Cry ; A real damn shame the majority of DMC fans (and action gaming fans in general) never gave this game a chance. This unappreciated gem did not disappoint when it came to both action (30 FPS? Not a problem at all) and humor (Dante may spout more f-bombs but he's still a funny, likable smartass). I hope Capcom has the good sense to let Ninja Theory take another crack at this franchise.
4. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon ; It was the Year of Luigi alright. Unfortunately, this was really the only Luigi game I completed (sorry Dream Team). I never finished the original Luigi's Mansion but I was really glad to beat this game. The online multiplayer was a nice addition, especially if everyone was working together
5. Dead or Alive 5 Plus ; It was probably pointless for this game to come out on the Vita mere months before Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate came out for the PS3, thus rendering the cross fight feature in Plus useless. Nonetheless, the game still looked and played great on Sony's handheld. And playing around with the boobs on the female fighters using the touch screen...who wouldn't love to do that?
6. Mighty Switch Force 2 ; Just as challenging as the first game, but still fun in most areas.
x. Battlefield 4 ; Even though I have put over 150 hours into game, if DICE hadn't fucked this game up in more ways than one, this would have made my list.
x. Dragon's Crown (Vita) ; It's a good game, but I never got around to continuing it (holding out the online feature was a bad idea IMO).
x. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team; Kinda gave up on this game. Don't even know how far I am story wise.
1. The Last of Us ; Far and away the easy winner. An incredible experience and Game of the Generation for me.
2. The Swapper ; Simple, pure, intelligent. Sci-fi perfection.
3. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; Another superb game. As a big MGS fan I was pleasantly surprised
4. Far Cry: Blood Dragon ; I'm a sucker for the 80s
5. Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed ; Put a lot of hours into this and it never stops being fun (voting on the definitive PC version)
6. Assassins Creed 4 ; Huge and endlessly entertaining. What AAA games should be.
7. Gunpoint ; Clever and entertaining. I would love a bigger game that expanded on the original gameplay content.
8. Saints Row IV ; More of the same but that's exactly what I wanted.
9. Sang-Froid - Tales of Werewolves ; Took the Orcs Must Die template and made a far superior game out of it than the disappointing OMD2.
10. Sanctum 2 ; Removed the boring parts of the original game to create something with deliciously good and addictive gameplay.
x. GTA V ; My PS3 yellow ringed before I got GTA V and I replaced it with a PS4. Hopefully I'll get to experience GTA V on PS4 or PC this year.
x. Bioshock Infinite ; While I did like Infinite it had so many flaws that stopped me from truly enjoying the experience and left me feeling a little negative towards it overall.
2012. Dishonored ; Not my 2012 GOTY but I am loving the resurgence of stealth games.
Didn't know if I could put I&II Chronicles+ on the list (and since I played the PSP one long ago, wasn't new enough) and I've barely been able to put time into Celceta, only a couple hours. That's just how it went D:
Well I just wrote up a very large post on a blog I just started about my choices, so I'll provide a link to that instead of rewriting my thoughts on each game. I'll copy out my thoughts for #10 though to make my post eligible. I also have more than one past game in my blog and a couple Honorable Mentions if you want to check that out.
10. Killer is Dead; Does Killer is Dead have technical problems? Sure. Does Killer is Dead have segments that don’t do the game any favors? Yeah. Is Killer is Dead an original over the top, nonsensical, action game that has a certain style and doesn’t apologize for it? Yes. This is why Killer is Dead makes number 10. The game was panned by critics for combat that lacked any finesse, weird gigolo side-missions that do nothing for the game, an incoherent story, screen tearing issues, etc., and while all of these things were true, I still had a blast with Killer is Dead. It’s oozing with style. It’s true it doesn’t make much sense. Why is there a Unicorn? I don’t really give a shit; I don’t go into a Grasshopper Manufacturer – the makers of Killer 7, No More Heroes, Shadows of the Damned and Lollipop chainsaw – game expecting no technical problems; I go in looking for a weird, stylish game that is a fun romp through. The game deserves a little recognition which it won’t be getting from general media outlets, so it’s getting a spot on my list. It may not have the depth of Bayonetta, DmC, or Metal Gear Rising, but I found it to be just as fun.
x. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds; The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds falls into a weird category. There is enough to distinguish it from its predecessor A Link to the Past, but it takes so much from A Link to the Past that it relies almost too much on it. I’m not trying to knock A Link Between Worlds or say it’s a rehash, but it walks a very thin line in my opinion. That being said there are some really great features that distinguish ALBW from ALTTP. The merge mechanic, which allows Link to turn into a painting and walk around walls, makes for some interesting puzzles, and you’re given almost all items from the start. ALBW much like ALTTP allows you to complete most of the dungeons in any order you want giving much more freedom to the player than in more recent entries. Eventually I got use to the aesthetics of the game, but I still felt dungeons looked rather drab compared to other entries in the series; the dungeons are also rather short, a couple are only 2 floors, and don’t take much work in terms of puzzle solving. It’s a very good Zelda game, a Zelda game that I felt I’ve played before, but an extremely good one, mostly due to the fact that ALTTP is the best Zelda. It would be a number one recommendation for anyone who wants to relive A Link to the Past or who hasn’t experienced A Link to the Past.
x. Grand Theft Auto V; While I found the ‘satire’ too over the top and too in your face to enjoy for more than 4 hours, the three main characters to be one dimensional, and the story to sort of dissolve half way through, I thought it is only fair to give recognition to the technical achievement that was GTA V. The open world is filled to the brim with things to do. Jumping out of a plane and landing in the ocean only to find that bodies of water have elaborate coral reefs and insular shelves to explore is amazing. Unfortunately, while it was leaps and bounds better than GTA IV, I had more fun watching my friends cause destruction and mayhem then actually playing it myself. I ended up burning out on the missions which is why this only gets an Honorable mission from me although I do hope to go back into the World of Los Santos and just dick around.
1. The Last of Us ; Its not a game, its an experience.
2. Grand Theft Auto V ; After the awful GTAIV, R* finally reincarnate the greatness of San Andreas. It even bested it.
3. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag ; Best AC yet. Ridiculously beautiful world portrayed as a pirate and an assassin,
4. Bioshock Infinite ; Gameplay wise its just like Bioshock 1, but what it catches my eyes is the how the end unfolds.
5. Dota 2 ; A Game that has been released for more than a year and still manages to keep people busy. This is my go-to game and will continue so over the years.
1. Super Mario 3D World ; Perhaps the best platformer ever constructed, certainly in 3D control space anyway. Near perfect controls, beautiful graphics, and a cooperative multiplayer mode that is hectic in all the right ways. The worlds are imaginative and do a great job of showcasing just how much life the platformer genre still has in it.
2. Pokémon X/Y ; My most anticipated 2013 release. Terrific online features ensure you can always find someone to trade or battle with. Player character customization is appreciated, the Pokémon look their best ever as 3D models, and all of the new monsters (though sparse in number) manage to prove worthy additions.
3. Fire Emblem Awakening ; Does everything right in a strategy RPG and provides a great story along the way. Excellent gameplay options that let you make progression as difficult or as easy as you choose. DLC pricing is a bit of a bummer though.
4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; A Zelda game with a ton of great new gameplay ideas. Unfortunately, it still sticks much too closely to a world we've already experienced. With a new Hyrule and a better central theme than "do the Dark World again," this game could have been truly spectacular.
5. Bit.Trip Presents Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien ; Great rhythm platformer with single levels that have eaten hours of my life. Easy to pick up, but mastering the "dance" mechanic pushes you to the limit to achieve the highest scores.
6. Bioshock Infinite ; My most recently completed game of 2013. I love the world constructed throughout the story. The ending I both love and hate. Gameplay is fun. All the guns feel right and the Vigors are interesting to experiment with. Elizabeth is not a revolution in AI partnership, however.
7. Animal Crossing: New Leaf ; The game that consumes lives. A lot of additions to the AC formula that make it more fun to play than ever. Multiplayer functions add a lot to the experience too. I'll not soon forget the island minigames I played with some of my closest friends, working diligently to match the fossil displays!
8. Tomb Raider ; I liked it better than any of the Uncharted games. Maybe that was thanks to her glorious, always clean and never dull, TressFX hair. The puzzles in the tombs were fun, though much too rare. Gunplay was good, but generally the combat wasn't the most fun part. Upgrade system is so-so.
9. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed ; Quite possibly the very best kart racing game on the market. It actually manages to focus on racer skill more than item luck. Mario Kart 8 has a lot to live up to after this title raised the bar for the genre. Great handling karts and cool level designs that shift between laps.
10. Dust: An Elysian Tail ; Platformer with RPG elements and some Metroid skill style level progression. Fighting gets a little dull at times, but it's still a lot of fun. Art and voice acting range from very good to very meh.
x. New Super Luigi ; Great elements of challenge missing from NSMB U's normal gameplay, but the short level timers make the stages feel like they are over before they really get started.
x. Guacamelee! ; Another fun Metroid-style platformer. It got a little bland in places, but it was still enjoyable thanks to the fighting system. I would have liked trying the cooperative mode with a friend, but I never got an opportunity.
x. Volgarr the Viking ; A throwback to older action platformers, the game's quality really managed to surprise me. Your first few trips through levels probably won't be pretty, but after learning all the tricks and traps, it's a feeling of tremendous achievement to blaze through a stage unscathed.
2012. Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition ; Everyone's seen the amount of praise thrown at the game, and it deserves nearly all of it. Wonderful world, great atmosphere, tight controls. Never as difficult as it is sometimes made out to be, but it makes sure poor decisions are quickly and appropriately punished.
I didn't play a lot of games this year so I can probably include every one of them here it goes.
1. The Last of Us ; Easily the best game I played this year.
2. Battlefield 4 ; Glad a waited to buy it. It works for the most part now.
3. Resogun ; First platinum trophy ever.
4. Blood Dragon ; Loved all the 80's cheese
5. Knack ; Seems everyone hated it yet I kind of really liked it
6. Killzone : Shadow Fall ; First half of the campaign showed promise but the second half was a complete dud. MP was a nice balance between what they did in 2 and 3 but at this point some maps are almost unplayable because of the base camping stuff. Hopefully the new maps address this.
7. NBA 2k14 ; Gameplay is great and most of the issues I have had with it are fixed or improved. But the always on bullshit coupled with the dreamcast servers, the absolute garbage menu, and F2P make up of some of the stuff knock it down from top 3 to down here.
8. Call of Duty: Ghosts ; Haven't really played a COD game since MW2 so I don't think I am as worn out with them as most are.
x. Assassin's Creed 4 ; Not far into it but really like the setting and it looks surprisingly decent for a cross gen port. If I had put more time into it would probably be near the top.
2012. XCOM Enemy Unknown ;
1. Super Mario 3D World ; easy #1 choice. This is exactly what a 3D Mario game should be. The level design is unparalleled and the variety between each stage is incredible. Colorful, charming, fun, this game can evoke the same emotions that SMW and SMB3 did back in the day thanks to that Nintendo magic.
2. Bioshock Infinite ; despite being my least favorite out of the 3 BS games, I had a ton of fun exploring Columbia and experiencing the story. One of the best endings in any game.
3. Pupeeteer ; the game that nobody bought. Very unique platforming with one of the best graphics and use of lightning effects I've seen on this past gen.
4. The Last of Us ; great story, great graphics, great characters, replayability extended through online, but the gameplay had some issues that irked me. Nevertheless, fantastic game.
5. Fire Emblem Awakening ; great SRPG, perfect for newcomers to the SRPG genre or Fire Emblem series overall.
6. Shin Megami Tensei IV ; loved the dark story and atmosphere of the game, fusing demons is really fun and addicting.
7. The Wonderful 101 ; amazing over the top action game with a fun sense of humor and unique challenging gameplay.
8. Rayman Legends ; great follow up to Origins, looks great, love the daily and weekly challenges.
9. Tearaway ; charming 3D platforming that unfortunately will go under the radar for most.
10. Tomb Raider ; fun 3rd person shooter that provided good variety between combat, exploration and collecting.
1. Shin Megami Tensei 4; Here’s the thing about Shin Megami Tensei 4. There are so many things that are wrong with it. To that list I forgot to add visible encounters without a useful Estoma spell to keep things moving.
Then there are the design decisions that seem recklessly insane but actually work. The much derided world map, which hearkens to earlier games and makes it easy to get lost (this is a GOOD thing guys!). The decision to hide an effing
AIRSHIP
in an easily missed optional sidequest received from randomly chatting with a particular demon. And finally the game’s meanest trick of all, the first seven hours. I’m going to repost something I wrote earlier that describes my favorite moment in the game, a moment that occurs after the seven hour point which is probably everyone’s favorite moment in the game. It’s a little bit spoilerish for those who have no idea at all what’s coming, but if you’ve checked out a trailer you can go ahead and read.
Here is a rambly little essay about the moment you reach Tokyo. I want to take the time to spell out exactly how masterfully the developers crafted this moment, where music, mechanics, progression and storytelling synchronize perfectly into a kind of symphony of design. Jeremy Parish has already described in detail the aesthetic and mechanical excellence of the game’s first boss, a true M____R gatekeeper in the SMT3 sense. But what comes immediately after in the Tokyo moment is just as carefully designed.
To set the stage, recall that you have descended to the depths of the game’s most dangerous and difficult dungeon, and at the very bottom you discover
the fun inversion that you are actually at the very top. Hell is heaven, in Mikado you are crypt robbers, but in Tokyo you are angels.
It's the first major plot revelation, and the game is set up to provide a suitable level of impact.
The staid and boring medieval environment of every other RPG gives away to the eerie modern setting that is the series trademark. The Tokyo moment is a gamechanger, which is to say that the the game is literally changed. Mechanically, you obtain guns for the first time, and visually, the change in setting is obvious.
After the cramped drabness of Naraku caves and hallways, the camera so tight as to be deliberately claustrophobic, you reach the bottom and the game finally opens. The drudgery and cliche lameness of the previous Mikado hours have been extinguished: from low budget menu traversal to breathtaking 3d town design (skyscrapers piercing crimson ash clouds!) and a high concept world map based on real life Tokyo. Parish’s review touches on very interesting ideas regarding how SMT4’s Mikado section embodies the downscaled streamlined compromises of the modern handheld RPG, while Tokyo represents the RPG as we remember it, and I think this is absolutely the right take. Lots of RPGs build to the moment where the game finally opens up, but I don’t think there are very many that do so as adroitly and as dramatically as SMT4. From the mechanics and progression systems to the beats in the story, SMT4 stands out.
And the music! An incredibly stark contrast from Mikado, where the Trauma Team composer does competent medieval 101 tracks, suddenly you're bowled over by Tokyo’s otherworldly cyberpunk majesty. You reach the terminal for the first time, and the Hindi incantation instantly sends chills, a recollection of Digital Devil Saga’s cyber-Hinduism, paired with glorious glittering Nocturne visuals as you transport, and eventually a traditional Shin Megami Tensei composition to ground the game in its history.
And finally, the world map theme. Crafted for maximum awesomeness, the nostalgia is almost painful, a wailing guitar that transcends the inherent cheese to seemingly contain all the anguish and hope for a troubled genre, those plunking strings a sonically perfect elegy to what might have been had Japan’s stars more readily aligned with the West’s this past generation. That RPG you remember from your youth, captured here in the classiest of ways, somehow evoking sighs even from those of us who never bought into the decline narrative. I think what I’m saying is that the Tokyo moment felt weighty and weirdly emotional, I’m still processing it, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
I could babble more about the extra fun insights the moment provides for the few of us who’ve played SMT1&2, I feel like I could write a dozen ANALYSES of so many songs in the crowdpleasing soundtrack (Item Shop Music: Triumph of the Vocoder?), but really in the end all I want to say is that the Tokyo moment seems like it was designed specifically to assuage so many of my fears for this game and for the future of Atlus, and helped me feel better about my year long lingering Kaneko depression heh. SMT4 is a special RPG and I’m so happy that it was made and released in 2013, it’s the game of the year.
Really great stuff, really appreciated your perspective on this. SMTIV was my GOTY as well, and I had most of the same complaints and praises, but it was my first SMT and I wasn't aware of the nods to the past in the game. It won't be my last though, this has become the JRPG series I most want to become better acquainted with.
1. Europa Universalis IV ; The only game I preordered and would even have considered to preorder. EUIV's gameplay feels more like a further expansion of EUIII, but that's exactly what you'd expect. The core of EU's fantastic gameplay should only change incrementally and EUIV will serve as an excellent base for years to come. Also commendable is that Paradox has done well to release a perfectly playable title at launch. Hitching onto Steam after recognising their own limitations resulted in a fairly mature title right off the bat, and for Linux to boot. Bravo.
2. Path of Exile ; A pleasant surprise as I was virtually all played out with aRPGs after Diablo III, but this managed to hook me for many more hours. Rest assured that this is now my go-to title for this type of game, as I feel I've only scratched the surface of what PoE has to offer and they keep adding to it very regularly.
3. Starcraft II Heart of the Swarm ; Speaking of Blizzard, this title is included mostly because it's the only other 2013 game I played this year. However, its gameplay is as enjoyable as always. The story is the usual fluff, but at least not as cringeworthy as WoL's.
And that's it for 2013 games. Day-one or even year-one gaming holds little appeal for me, so the rest of the year is for older games. I'm looking forward to playing some of this year's games when the time is right.
1. The Last of Us ; (PS3) You might have heard of a studio named Naughty Dog, they created that awesome Uncharted series. Normally, when a studio is done with their trilogy on a system, they would wait for next gen to start, but not this studio. Instead, they decided to release my personal game of the year, a new IP, on a now seven year old system, called The Last of Us.
The Last of Us is a completely different beast compared to Uncharted. Its a much more serious game built around a dark setting where most people have turned into zombie-esque mushroom walkers. Its a take on a zombie story, which should be stale by now, yet Naughty Dog manages to keep it interesting by having these zombies look different and act in interesting ways to make the gameplay incredibly tense.
This game is also Naughty Dogs best shooter. Some might argue that the studio doesn't quite have the mechanics down in the shooting area, but I felt The Last of Us captured the dark, torn down world in its use of guns. The gunplay was heavy and brutal. No one was a bullet sponge, if you took a shot from a shotgun, Joel was sent on his arse, struggling to recuperate and get back up. Staying in cover was important, but staying hidden was even more so. The Last of Us did gunplay better than any survival horror has done in this now coming to an end generation.
But lets not forget that the true star of The Last of Us is its story - that beginning scene was a right smack in the face to wake up the player in what to expect from the game - and the two main characters, Joel and Ellie, who are perfectly represented, thanks to the fine work from Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, are the best characters of the year. These two embark on a personal journey that grows both characters, turning into a father-daughter relationship that makes the player continue to dish out the punishment without questioning the morality behind the actions, just to keep Ellie alive for that little longer and reach that fantastic ending sequence that I completely didn't expect to happen, but also makes The Last of Us have a solid closure for the best game of 2013.
2. Persona 4 Golden ; (Vita) The original Persona 4 on PlayStation 2 was one of my all-time favourite RPGs, so it makes sense that this Vita enhancement was going to score high in my game of the year list. Persona 4 Golden is the best version of the game. Its the same charming characters blended into a fantastic murder mystery story that revolves around a personal experience with the cast, rather than saving the world as a whole. To top it off, it has a brilliant battle system to boot.
Theres plenty of additional content for this Golden celebration of the title, with more voice acting, extra scenes, a new character and a whole new dungeon to explore, along with a new ending to see. A special mention has to go out for the soundtrack created by Shoji Meguro, who seems to be a genius who can craft catchy j-pop, jazz and pop-rock with lyrics and not have them become tedious on the ears. At the end of it all, I simply cant emphasis enough that Persona 4 Golden is simply a must own game for any RPG fan or Vita owner.
3. Super Mario 3D World ; (Wii U) People love Mario and Nintendo will give people Mario, but Mario has had some less than stellar outings over recent years, all thanks to the sterile New Super Mario Bros. series. Theyre good games, but you want more than just good games from Nintendo. Thankfully, we got a fantastic taster in what the real Mario studio, Nintendo EAD Tokyo, can do, with the release of Super Mario 3D Land in 2011. Role on two years and the Mario masters are back with Super Mario 3D World, a platformer that stands out in a year that has been full of excellent platforming games.
We all know Mario can jump, shoot fireballs and all that malarkey, and with EAD Tokyo at the helm, the controls are the most responsive in the business. What really steals the spotlight in Super Mario 3D World is how the studio can still come up with inventive and creative level designs that keep on surprising. Mario has been bouncing around 3D worlds for 17 years, and yet I was still in awe at the genius this studio keeps crafting in the 3D Mario titles, not to mention that it now includes multiplayer that works in a 3D environment.
We cant forget the new power ups, especially the cat suit - it adds more to the game than I thought it would have. The cat power builds on Marios already well developed move set, giving the chubby plumber a chance to climb surfaces that allow for fresh level designs grounded on this new climbing mechanic. I can strongly say that this is 3D platforming at its finest since Super Mario Galaxy 2, and having the game in high definition running at a buttery smooth 60FPS is icing on the cake that makes Super Mario 3D World one of 2013s most beautiful and imaginative games.
4. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate ; (Wii U) The Wii U might not be doing so well for Nintendo, but for me, there was no denying that it had the best entry of the Monster Hunter franchise to date. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate was, as the title says, the ultimate version of any Monster Hunter title, combining the content of Monster Hunter Tri with new monsters and locations that originally only Japan got to see, thanks to their hold on Monster Hunter 3rd Portable.
Capcom pretty much achieved a perfect representation of what they were trying to accomplish with the franchise - creating a game that is the pinnacle of cooperative gameplay, combining four players to work together to hunt down powerful monsters. Players need to have a keen sense of old-school gameplay to study a monsters attack patterns and then find openings to go in to deal the damage. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is a unique title that fits into a select few video games that spawn a story through the experiences that people acquire over the course of the game, alone, or with friends online or locally, when participating in hunting down one of the games many memorable beasts. Through failure or success, this game will get people talking about their adventures in the vast lands of Monster Hunter, and it helps that the game is extraordinarily deep and plays so damn well.
5. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; (PS3/Xbox 360) Cyborg ninjas and Platinum Games skill in crafting fantastic character action games makes Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance the action game of the year. This game throws a twist on the typical offensive gameplay, instead, building around the very distinctive mechanic that is based around Raidens use of the Katana. Fundamentally, the player is required to learn how to time precise parries with the Japanese sword to counter attack and switch the momentum against the enemy. Parrying in Revengeance is an intelligently designed mechanic that is assigned to same button as attack, yet it works, by having it intuitively activated by a direction and the attack button being pressed at the same time to parry in that direction.
Oh, and the boss fights, oh boy, those fights are fantastic, with each one having a unique weakness that brings their downfall. Lets not forget the final boss of the game and his ridiculously, yet so entertaining, speech that you wont forget any time soon. Blend those features with the adrenaline-fuelled action and the amazing (and dynamic) soundtrack that changes as the player makes their way through a boss fight, and you have a game that, while short, is one heck of a stylish and exceptionally executed title based around the principles of swordplay. I did say it had a cyborg ninja, too, right? A CYBORG FREAKIN NINJA.
6. Rayman Legends ; (PS3/PC/Xbox 360/Wii U/Vita) Lets start this out with a strong statement; Rayman Legends is one of the best 2D platformers I have played for the past 15 plus years. Yep, its that good, and theres a reason why it is. You see, apart from Rayman Legends having intuitive controls, the games levels are the real star of the show. Each level seems to offer something different, and when you think you have seen the use for one such application of a mechanic, it adds it again in a new way. Rayman Legends oozes joy from every angle, engulfing the player in a wonderful shower of love and affection that beats Nintendos lacklustre attempts at making astonishing 2D platformers. It just goes to show that even after all these years, you can still get excited pressing buttons to jump in a 2D space.
7. Tearaway ; (Vita) What a wonderful game Tearaway is. Its a game crafted to bring tremendous joy to the player by the people that brought you LittleBigPlanet. From the papercraft visuals to the genius implementation of all the Vitas features, Tearaway is an exceptional title for the Vita, which can finally say with confidence that it now has a game that defines the system.
Creativity is once again a showpiece that Media Molecule has designed this game around, but this time its more of a personal one, a story about your own creations and how they merge into the world around you and your little paper messenger. Its a wonderful feeling seeing your hat, which you shaped with your finger using the Vitas touchscreen, being worn by a squirrel, or your own designed snowflakes falling down past the skyline in the mountainous region. Theres just so much to like with Tearaway.
Not only is the game intelligent designed around the hardware, but one aspect of Tearaway that stood out for me was how the game manages to fuse the player into the story in a believable and contextualised way. I dont think any other game has managed to involve the player so well in a games world without breaking the experience or having some disconnect with the story. Thats a massive achievement. Its truly a magical game that people should no doubt try without hesitation and whisk themselves away into the beautiful world that Media Molecule has created.
8. Dragons Crown ; (PS3/Vita) I have a soft spot for scrolling beat-em-ups. Its a genre that brings great memories from my childhood. I remember my time playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time or Streets of Rage 2 well, so when Vanillaware, the studio that brought us the wonderful Odin Sphere and the beautiful Muramasa: The Demon Blade, announced a scrolling beat-em-up that would retain their distinctive, yet gorgeous art style, I was jumping with joy. Its great to know that my excitement wasn't wasted, as Dragons Crown soon shot up to be one of my favourites in the genre.
its not easy to create a beat em up that is mechanically solid, plays well and has depth to keep you coming back, but theres so much done right in Dragons Crown that pushes the beat-em-up genre forward for this modern age. Theres depth in the combat, an experience system that unlocks new moves, plenty of loot, six unique characters, intelligently designed bosses that all need to be defeated in various ways, and a smooth, silky online experience and local cooperative play. All this makes for a fantastic time, on your own or with friends, plus the recently released 255 level cap, harder difficulty and new dungeon, make it a game that I found myself going back to time and time again, even after finishing it on multiple occasions.
9. Grand Theft Auto V ; (PS3/Xbox 360) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas remains my favourite GTA game. I loved the worlds openness to do whatever the hell you wanted. The scope was insane at the time, having three cities joined by lots of countryside, water and mountains, simulating a state, rather than a city. I was disappointed with Grand Theft Auto IV, since it went back to the smaller, enclosed space of a city, removing a lot of what I loved about San Andreas. This is one of the main reasons why I enjoyed the hell out of Grand Theft Auto V - it brought back that grand thrill and scope of the open world that I loved to explore to see what is tucked away, especially in such a rich world as Los Santos.
The story is engaging, the world is full of wonder and the three protagonists add diversity to storytelling and gameplay. Trevor is the star of the game. Hes the insane man of the group, the horrible guy, but that makes it a nice change, as it isn't often people are given the chance to play a hideous guy that should be detested by the player, yet I couldn't help but be drawn in by Trevors actions. I want more games that put you in the role of a terrible person.
Perfect is such a strong word to define something, and while no game is ever perfect, there is no denying that Rockstar aimed in the right direction to perfect the formula of the franchise for Grand Theft Auto V.
10. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons ; (PC/PS3/Xbox 360) Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a touching adventure of two brothers, who go on a journey through a gorgeously crafted world to help find a cure for their ill father. Its a game that I only recently played a few days ago, but what the title did managed to make it slip into my top 10 games of the year.
Its not a long game, around three hours, but within that time youre sent on a mystical adventure with the two brothers, controlling the older one with the left stick and the younger brother with the right, with the triggers on their corresponding sides used as context sensitive inputs. Its simple, yet this control scheme has a purposeful meaning with its story, even if I felt the controls were iffy at times.
Its an emotional tale, even though everyone speaks gibberish in the games world, it still had a big impact on me. Its the actions that make it work, having the two characters interact with the world, such as having the younger brother rock an old lady in a chair to make her laugh, or the older brother helping his sibling cross a stream, its all there for a reason for the player to grow attached to the brothers as they do their utmost best to save their father. It made me want to help them overcome their hard journey through various hazardous, but visual stunning, environments. Once its over, youre left with very memorable ending that really digs deep when you find out what it does with the controls; it will touch home with anyone who has a sibling they dearly love.
1. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies ; Dual Destinies is not the best Ace Attorney game, but a fitting continuation to the series that was supposed to end with the original trilogy. It's full of lots of in-jokes, while also being funny to newcomers, has a cast of characters, some old, some new, who learn and grow as the plot develops, and despite all this mishmash of old and new still manages to feel fresh and authentically Ace Attorney. Being a fan of the series, it was always going to be my GOTY in a year where not much else that I'm a huge fan of released, but I don't want that to take anything away from what the people making this game achieved. It may be lacking Shu Takumi's touch, but they have done an admirable job of capturing how he made his series so special, and have certainly set the franchise back on the right course after Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney sent it astray.
2. Tearaway ; Device, meet game. Vita may not have been made for Tearaway, but Tearaway was most definitely made for Vita. I don't know any other hardware available that could do justice to what this game set out to achieve, which is a testament to the creativity and absurdly high level of craftsmanship at Media Molecule. Everything about Tearaway oozes with quality, from its platforming gameplay -- including its inventive use of the previously flimsy rear touch, to the slightly less-maligned front touch -- through to its aesthetic, which all combines together to create a game that is as charming to play as it is to look at, listen to, smile at, think about and any other verb you can apply to appreciating this game. While it's sad to say that Tearaway's sales are hardly setting the charts on fire, and as such more people will never get to enjoy one of the greatest 3D platformers ever made, I'll settle with the knowledge that at least critically this will be remembered as the best platformer in a year of really excellent platformers.
3. Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons ; If Tearaway was a perfect marriage between gameplay and hardware, Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons is a nearly-perfect bond between narrative and interactivity. I started off this game rather frustrated at the way it controlled -- each brother is controlled using one of your controller's directional sticks -- but I quickly forgave this quirky necessity after appreciating the lengths Starbreeze went to in order to capture usually base sentiments but infuse them with interactivity to make them feel relevant and fresh again. On their own, a brotherly bond, or the love of sons towards their father, or the helpless giant troll thing trying to rescue his kidnapped lover are all actually quite trite, and would be yawn-inducing if experienced through any passive medium, but the fact that these bonds are formed or fostered by the two young lads you're controlling creates a sense of player agency that games with endless dialogue trees and binary moral decisions could only dream of having.
4. The Last of Us ; With The Last of Us, Naughty Dog have created a call to arms for the cinematic gameplay experience. All throughout this console generation, games like Mass Effect, The Elder Scrolls, and Heavy Rain have presented their own unique spin on worldbuilding and storytelling in games. The one thing they all have in common is the sense of player agency and the idea that anything can happen depending on the decisions you make in the game. The Last of Us takes that, and sticks its middle finger at it, and I love it for that. While I have no problem with decisions in games, sometimes the narrative is better served by having a direction or focus, and a gulf between the player and the protagonists. In previous directed cinematic experiences, the protagonist's goals are often in-line with the players, and are usually compounded by transparently bad caricature villains who are so evil that any moral grey area the hero may inhabit suddenly makes them look like Ghandi (see: the Uncharted series), but in The Last of Us Naughty Dog have made no bones about them creating a protagonist (Joel) who is a sociopathic killer that only really cares about himself and those within his incredibly narrow sphere. Sometimes he does things we agree with, other times we object. None of that matters. In fact, a whole level in the game involves us working our way through a building, heading to an objective that we're not entirely sure we want to go to as the player. In short, the game doesn't try to create a false illusion of player agency with the protagonist in order to encourage us to continue on playing, and in some perverse consequence that makes the game infinitely more compelling. Couple that with rock solid gunplay, a nice blend of action, stealth and survival (embodied perfectly by the tense moments when a Clicker appears), and you have yourself a cinematic gameplay tour de force.
5. Pokemon Y ; I've always enjoyed the relative safety of the Pokemon games. While I sometimes harp on about how the series needs to evolve and grow, when I first saw Pokemon X & Y in motion, I almost had a heart attack. I was actually terrified that they'd screw it up! In the end, I actually found the game delightful to play. It's just like the older Pokemon titles, with some mechanical enhancements here and there, and an aesthetic overhaul. About the only thing that really disappointed me about this game was the lack of any real meaty endgame content, but in reality I only ever play Pokemon games for the journey: I beat the gyms, finish off the latest evil team threatening this game's region, and smash the Elite Four to become the champion. In that respect, the latest in the series delivered everything I wanted, and I couldn't be happier.
6. Civilization V: Brave New World ; Civilization V shipped a broken mess. Some balance patches and the Gods & Kings expansion later brought the game up to an acceptable and playable standard. With that in consideration, Brave New World really feels like the first proper expansion of the Civilization V formula, and not simply a necessary fix. As it happens, it's a pretty good expansion. New Civs are always welcome, while the overhaul of social policies and culture victory conditions make that line of victory a lot more feasible and in-depth at the same time. Oh, and the archaeology feature is a wonderful example of how to make your current game feel more alive than ever before. Truly, a magnificent expansion.
7. Rayman Legends ; Rayman Origins was a fine 2D platformer. Rayman Legends is a sublimely excellent 2D platformer. The game is super polished, thanks to its extended development time, but it's not the time spent making it technically perfect that made it creatively perfect, since that comes from its foundations. The level design is pretty much unmatched as a single player or co-operative game, and it's not just a few remarkable levels in a sea of above average stuff, but actual sense of love towards and quality in every microsecond that I was playing. Speaking of time, the game is really quite long, thanks to the fact that it's exploding with content. The only thing I didn't like was the boring Murray levels, which while ironically meant for the Wii U GamePad, don't really use it in a particularly compelling way. Though I can't strictly hold that against Rayman Legends, as it's not alone in that.
8. Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale ; This game was a pleasant surprise. It's a carefree 3-4 hour life sim/visual novel/adventure game/card battle-hybrid thing that popped up on the Nintendo 3DS eShop as part of Level-5's Guid02 range of games. Set in the 70s Tokyo (not the metropolis we're familiar with nowadays, but a less-developed Setagaya district), you play as Shota, a boy who starts his afternoon off doing a delivery for his wimpy Dad's dry cleaning business, only to be wrapped up in a tale of TV giant monster shows (ala Godzilla), aliens, and childhood wonder. To gameify it, there's a little card collecting/battling thing that's just a wholesale implementation of rock, paper, scissors, but it does somehow tie itself into the main narrative strand at the end and is a good distraction from the endless storytelling, if you find your desire to "play" eating away at you frequently. It never takes itself too seriously, and in general is actually quite silly. This laid back attitude allows the plot to unfold at its own leisurely pace (and the player's), and let you explore the rather sweet if simple characters that this short game offers. I'm sure anyone interested in 20th Century Japan, the Kaiju genre, and want a story-driven game will like this.
9. Papers, Please ; The scenario for this one is simple: you are a passport inspector for an authoritarian communist state in the early 80s. What starts off as a mechanically simple puzzle game quickly becomes an intentionally frustrating experience of the bureaucracy. As the hapless government tries to engineer society more and more, an increasing amount of paperwork has to pass your inspection, thus increasing the likelihood of and encouraging forgery. As your efficiency dwindles, so does your income (you're paid by each person correctly processed at the border), and thus your family (who you need to keep warm, fed, and healthy) begins to suffer. This desire to keep them alive opens the door to some pretty bad stuff. Do you take bribes from any sort of undesirables (drug runners, people traffickers, and so on) trying to get in? Or do you detain the lady with a minor error on her passport so that the guards (paid on a similar per-person processing scheme as you) give you a kickback for boosting their quota? Or do you help out the shadowy resistance group out to topple the oppressive regime, at great personal risk to yourself? With 20 or so endings, Papers, Please is a game I kept on returning to time and time again.
10. Gone Home ; This is a game of compromise. The Fullbright Company had a small budget with this, and wanted to tell a story, so they made an empty house (recently moved in to by the family) with lots of notes and audio-log type things. This allowed the game to tell a story while giving the player a narrative justification for exploration (you were travelling around Europe when your family moved). If told linearly, it's quite a simple tale as it should be, but actually in the game, reading letters and notes and other things left around the house help it unfold in its own unique way, right up until the bittersweet ending when you read a letter addressed just to you that tops off the tale. Despite all the compromises going into the production, what came out felt surprisingly complete. There wasn't much to dislike about this game: the world is fully-realised, the characters, despite never meeting them, feel lifelike and familiar, and the ending is bittersweet. In short, it's a nice little love story told in the most novel way.
1. The Last of Us; The story lives up to the hype, but what I loved most was the intense stealth/horror sequences. Beautiful and well crafted.
2. Animal Crossing: New Leaf; Amazing writing for this style of game. I want to talk to my villagers every day, and I want to keep them happy. Plus there is so much to do!
3. Super Mario 3D World; The perfect blend of old and new, refining the formula that began with 3D Land. A great Mario game and an instant classic.
4. BioShock Infinite; A beautiful game with a pulpy sci-fi story, but a pure action game at heart. Whizzing around with my sky hook and shooting lightning from my hand never got old.
5. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds; A welcome shake-up of the Zelda formula. Extremely polished and fun.
6. Fire Emblem: Awakening; Refined turn-based strategy with a huge layer of added depth thanks to character relationships. Extremely polished and well-made.
7. Pikmin 3; Perfect controls and brilliant design.
8. AntiChamber; Inventive and unique. Forces you to truly think outside the box.
That's all I can think to mention. There were other 2013 games I have played but do not feel like I can evaluate them properly quite yet. I'll throw a couple in as honorable mentions:
x. The Wonderful 101; Insane action, completely over the top and ridiculous. Pure fun and chaos.
x. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon; Great adventure/light action game so far. Has fallen by the wayside as I play the hell out of other 3DS games. Just started playing some multiplayer recently though and that's really fun too.
Just re-checked the list, and saw that Solforge was eligible, which is in far more of a beta than Hearthstone is. Why is it eligible when Hearthstone isn't?
1. Shin Megami Tensei 4; Here’s the thing about Shin Megami Tensei 4. There are so many things that are wrong with it. To that list I forgot to add visible encounters without a useful Estoma spell to keep things moving.
Then there are the design decisions that seem recklessly insane but actually work. The much derided world map, which hearkens to earlier games and makes it easy to get lost (this is a GOOD thing guys!). The decision to hide an effing
AIRSHIP
in an easily missed optional sidequest received from randomly chatting with a particular demon. And finally the game’s meanest trick of all, the first seven hours. I’m going to repost something I wrote earlier that describes my favorite moment in the game, a moment that occurs after the seven hour point which is probably everyone’s favorite moment in the game. It’s a little bit spoilerish for those who have no idea at all what’s coming, but if you’ve checked out a trailer you can go ahead and read.
Here is a rambly little essay about the moment you reach Tokyo. I want to take the time to spell out exactly how masterfully the developers crafted this moment, where music, mechanics, progression and storytelling synchronize perfectly into a kind of symphony of design. Jeremy Parish has already described in detail the aesthetic and mechanical excellence of the game’s first boss, a true M____R gatekeeper in the SMT3 sense. But what comes immediately after in the Tokyo moment is just as carefully designed.
To set the stage, recall that you have descended to the depths of the game’s most dangerous and difficult dungeon, and at the very bottom you discover
the fun inversion that you are actually at the very top. Hell is heaven, in Mikado you are crypt robbers, but in Tokyo you are angels.
It's the first major plot revelation, and the game is set up to provide a suitable level of impact.
The staid and boring medieval environment of every other RPG gives away to the eerie modern setting that is the series trademark. The Tokyo moment is a gamechanger, which is to say that the the game is literally changed. Mechanically, you obtain guns for the first time, and visually, the change in setting is obvious.
After the cramped drabness of Naraku caves and hallways, the camera so tight as to be deliberately claustrophobic, you reach the bottom and the game finally opens. The drudgery and cliche lameness of the previous Mikado hours have been extinguished: from low budget menu traversal to breathtaking 3d town design (skyscrapers piercing crimson ash clouds!) and a high concept world map based on real life Tokyo. Parish’s review touches on very interesting ideas regarding how SMT4’s Mikado section embodies the downscaled streamlined compromises of the modern handheld RPG, while Tokyo represents the RPG as we remember it, and I think this is absolutely the right take. Lots of RPGs build to the moment where the game finally opens up, but I don’t think there are very many that do so as adroitly and as dramatically as SMT4. From the mechanics and progression systems to the beats in the story, SMT4 stands out.
And the music! An incredibly stark contrast from Mikado, where the Trauma Team composer does competent medieval 101 tracks, suddenly you're bowled over by Tokyo’s otherworldly cyberpunk majesty. You reach the terminal for the first time, and the Hindi incantation instantly sends chills, a recollection of Digital Devil Saga’s cyber-Hinduism, paired with glorious glittering Nocturne visuals as you transport, and eventually a traditional Shin Megami Tensei composition to ground the game in its history.
And finally, the world map theme. Crafted for maximum awesomeness, the nostalgia is almost painful, a wailing guitar that transcends the inherent cheese to seemingly contain all the anguish and hope for a troubled genre, those plunking strings a sonically perfect elegy to what might have been had Japan’s stars more readily aligned with the West’s this past generation. That RPG you remember from your youth, captured here in the classiest of ways, somehow evoking sighs even from those of us who never bought into the decline narrative. I think what I’m saying is that the Tokyo moment felt weighty and weirdly emotional, I’m still processing it, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
I could babble more about the extra fun insights the moment provides for the few of us who’ve played SMT1&2, I feel like I could write a dozen ANALYSES of so many songs in the crowdpleasing soundtrack (Item Shop Music: Triumph of the Vocoder?), but really in the end all I want to say is that the Tokyo moment seems like it was designed specifically to assuage so many of my fears for this game and for the future of Atlus, and helped me feel better about my year long lingering Kaneko depression heh. SMT4 is a special RPG and I’m so happy that it was made and released in 2013, it’s the game of the year.
This post perfectly describes the game. Well done sir.
I agree with everything except one detail in your linked post. You say that magic builds are broken. I don't know if you tried Dx builds but believe me, it makes magic laughable.
As crazy as that can seem to be, I already beat the game 8 times. I tried everything and nothing compares to Dx builds in term of how broken it is.
If you wish, we can continue to talk about it in the OT to avoid the off topic here.
