01.
Shin Megami Tensei IV ; Incredible game. The variety of demons is stunning, the gameplay is satisfying, and the fusion has never been better. I really enjoyed getting lost in Tokyo exploring all that I could. Press turn is still one of my favorites, and I really loved all the dialogue, story, and character interactions. The sidequests were hit or miss, but I found them to be pretty enjoyable to complete with decent rewards. And man, that story was just so great. I enojyed this game as a whole much better than Nocturne especially because of some of the older SMT callbacks. On a scale that only goes from awesome to awesome with no in-between, I think saying that this is a game deserving of its lineage is a safe thing to say. For me trying to rank SMT games is almost like trying to rank all the 3D Zelda games, where the love-factor is so minuscule between games that you can't help but stand back and be impressed by the lineage.
Let's not forget it also has the
best OST of 2013,
too. (definitely spoilers in links! BEWARE!)
02.
Ace Attorney Dual Destinies ; Fennie and gang are back in another incredible game. I can't describe the sounds I made and how much I defecated everywhere when this game was announced. The game delivered on my hype and much more, proving that Capcom could definitely handle the transition to 3D with a flawless victory. The returning characters are all great, the music has some of the series' best, and the story is highly entertaining and and fantastic experience that will have you shitting your pants all the way till the end of the game. The new characters are great, and Athena is an outstanding addition to the gang. Blackquill with the prosecutors is also wonderful, and he ended up 3rd on my overall favorites list. You min-know it! And man, I didn't think they could replace Gumshoe, but Bobby is a solid addition to an already outstanding cast.
Sexiest investigation theme in any AA game, ever.
03.
Super Mario 3D World ; Pretty much a flawless platformer that is enjoyable with everyone. Every group of friends I have has all heard of the game, so they naturally demand I bring it over so we can play. I think as of writing this, i've probably played through the main game at least 5 times, all with different people each time and it never gets old. The music is incredible, Mario in HD is glorious, and nyaa nyaa nyaa nyaa nyaa, I actually love the catsuit.
04.
The Wonderful 101 ; The Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann of video games, I finally broke into the hype of action games. Something midway really clicked for me, and when I achieved a mindset that could clearly see, plan, and excecute my moves in real-time, the game is second to none in terms of delivering a deep and satisfying gameplay. The cast and story are also very unique and well, wonderful. I was fist-pumping so hard by the end of the game, and
Tables Turn still triggers a Pavlovian drool elicitation from my mouth and an adrenaline rush through all of my veins every time the tune hit my ears.
05.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds ; Pretty much one of the best Zelda experiences in a while, I really enojyed the love given to this game. Mechanics are tight, the new item system lets me explore where I want WHEN I want, and the music is oh-so eargasmic.
06.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate ; My first experience with Monster Hunter (and with nobody to be my sensei either!) I thought I would hate the game after someone told me how steep it was to get into. I sit here now with a little over 300 hours played between both versions, and honestly I couldn't be happier. It always has me coming back, and every monster, every fight, and every hunting group are just incredibly memorable experiences.
07.
Fire Emblem Awakening ; Came for the waifus, stayed for the... waifus and gameplay. Did not leave disappointed. While I prefer AW-style gameplay to the FE model, I still have a special place in my heart for FE. I played the game so much, loved the music, loved the characters, loved their interactions, and even loved resetting my game once every 5 minutes due to me being bad. Hell, the experience is half just resetting, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Also you all know Severa is the best girl. Let my post be recorded in NeoGAF history as stating the truth. You know it in your war snarl to be true.
08.
Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan ; My first actual EO experience, I really loved this. Based Koshiro. I came for challenging and satisfying gameplay, and I did not leave disappointed. I sank so many hours into this game, and just loved the amount of customization I could have. The classes/jobs were all interesting, and fuck, I love drawing maps.
09.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn ; YoshiP came, he saw, and on the seventh day he rested. Seriously, not many people could orchestrate such a turn-around like this, and it went from a game that I liked to a game that I love. Everything is more intricate, more fun, more accessible to my friends (so they can play with me now!), and just overall a great job done. I still play, and I even double-dipped.
10.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf ; I'm still playing this nearly daily, and it's one game that I forced myself to get digitally because I literally could not live without it being in my 3DS every day. A must have.
Honorable Mentions
x.
The Last of Us ; Simply wonderful. I cared about the characters and the story, and found the combat to be pretty engaging. Haunting.
x.
Tales of Xillia ; Found it to be a step back in the gameplay department from Graces f, but the characters and story were much better. The game overall felt a lot shorter compared to other games, and the overworld was pretty poor, but man, I just fucking love playing Tales series games.
x.
Senran Kagura Burst ; This game made me wear looser pants, and man is it fun.
2012. Diablo III ; Man, I have never made so much money off of one video game before. I'm really sad to see the RMAH go away, and it will be missed.
Shit I wish I finished before I made a list:
Tearaway
Pikmin 3
Device 6
Mario and Luigi Dream Team
Etrian Odyssey Untold
Metal Gear Rising (damn you PC port)