1. Shin Megami Tensei IV; This is my game of the year. Shin Megami Tensei IV was an absolute blast to play through. Out of all the games I played in 2013, hell, out of all of them in the past few years, Shin Megami Tensei IV comes out on top. The Shin Megami Tensei franchise has always provided me with sublime JRPGs in the past, but I honestly was not ready for the world I was about to be thrown into.
I think one of the things that was so enthralling about it is the world-building, and atmosphere it possessed. Once I stepped foot into Tokyo, I was immediately hit with the realization that I was in for a treat. Traversing the ruined Tokyo's world map might have been an arduous task due to its confusing layout, but the sheer dread and depressing attitude I felt was unlike any other world maps I've trekked through before. Dilapidated buildings, smoke and ash drifting overhead, the embers of the gigantic fires breaking out; all of this was hitting me at once, to the tone of the amazing map theme. The residents of Tokyo are properly screwed, and one romp through the map will make this clear.
The atmosphere doesn't end once you enter a field from the map, either. The dungeons and fields you go through are down-right terrifying as well. Overturned cars, rumble, corpses litter the streets of the once great city. I made it a mission of mine to explore every nook and cranny of Toyko, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
The Press Turn system makes its glorious return. Battles are fast paced (though not as fast as Soul Hackers, per se), and don't focus on any extraneous details that bog down the overall experience. Exploit weaknesses, strike first, keep up your healing, and rack up those extra turns! After a few hours or so, I felt as though the system was running as smooth as butter. Demon encounters were becoming more an exercise of efficiency rather than HOLY SHIT HOW DO I KILL THIS THING; every challenge presented was surmountable, all it took were some clever strategies beforehand. Grinding was absolutely unnecessary.
The learning curve is really interesting though. For newcomers, the game does indeed start off challenging; the Naraku dungeon will show no mercy. Naturally, you'll become used to things and start to feel less threatened when you're in battle. Now, the middle of the game becomes super easy. You're well-adjusted to the battle system, and you have access to high-level demons. By the halfway point of the game, I was ripping through everything. Some may see this a bad thing, and I'd absolutely understand that. The endgame picks back up in difficulty, pitting you against some real motherfuckers.
Shin Megami Tensei IV's story didn't grab me as much as the atmosphere of its world did, but I still found it enjoyable nonetheless. I found the endings to be a bit weak, but, again, one might have a different opinion on this. Character-wise, there's not much to say. They pale in comparison to characters from Persona, of course, but I didn't come across anyone that I outright disliked. But hey, characters weren't really that big of a deal when my crew of demons had so much personality. Demon conversations are a bit tricky this time, but nothing too irritating. Sidequests are abundant as well, very few felt truly annoying or out boring. The game gives satisfying incentives for doing them to, other than just racking up extra Macca or EXP.
The music is this game is goddamn incredible. As of this post, I've found out that the full 112 track OST will be available. It's no question that I'm copping it. It's really great, diverse too. A lot of the tracks have and 80s/90s vibe to it, very reminiscent of older titles. Nothing really feels out of place, and I rarely heard tracks too close to each other so that it became tiring to hear.
Overall, Shin Megami Tensei IV is most impressive when one takes into account the scope and ambition of such a title on a handheld device. This is the most recent entry in the mainline series, so it obviously bared some responsibility on its shoulders, and it absolutely succeeded. If this is what they are able to get out of a handheld outing, I have no worries that I will be getting something bigger and better if the mainline series finds it way back onto consoles. I'm ready for anything, Atlus; handheld or console. Shin Megami Tensei IV has strengthened my opinion of JRPGs in general, and has solidified my position as a huge fan of the franchise.
Did you get all that?
2. Fire Emblem: Awakening; I'm a long time Fire Emblem fan, and Awakening hit right at home. Intelligent Systems once again created an excellent SRPG that offers long time fans exactly what they want out of the experience. Awakening also extends a hand out to those who have been on the sidelines for awhile, but just haven't taken the leap into it. On the surface level, Awakening is gorgeous. It's one of the only 3DS games where I leave the 3D cranked, shit looks stunning actually, coming from the 3DS's sub-par hardware. The character models themselves are a bit spotty during the battle animations, but everything else, from map sprites, to maps, to UI, it's brimming with quality.
I've played the shit out this game (hundreds of hours), not only because of my sheer enjoyment out of it, but because of the dizzying amount of content that's available. It's almost staggering. The overworld map is ever-lively, and soon becomes a chronicle of just how much stuff you've done across the campaign. And that's not even taking into account the DLC, as well. This is a game that will keep on giving.
Story has always been at the core of a lot of Fire Emblem titles, and Awakening doesn't slack on it. Awakening's story was really well done in my opinion, the use of your Avatar was a nice touch (although I've heard this has been done in an unlocalized entry before). By the end of it, I felt pretty attached to the crew, namely my Avatar and his family (I can't believe it either). These are pixels on my screen, yet seeing them fight together, barely escaping death, and then engaging in fun banter in the Barracks was quite touching. They really did feel like my own crew.
The game's not perfect in any sense, nor is it the best in the franchise. There are some issues with level design, the magic triangle was scrapped, and it's rather easy to break the game and become damn near godlike, but Awakening shines through that as one of the best games on the 3DS. Must play for sure.
3. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance; Metal Gear Rising was not a game I was very enthusiastic about when it was announced. It seemed like a clunky, awkward spin-off of a somewhat loved franchise of mine. I actually don't know when it came to be that I was anticipating its release. Anyways, after a few more trailer outings, it was looking more and more like it had evolved into another masterpiece that only Platinum Games was capable of. Its moniker, "Cut what you will", is very indicative of the experience you get with the game; it's in no way misleading. Metal Gear Rising boasts high-speed swordplay in a constantly engaging environment.
What struck me first when I got behind the wheel of MGR was the responsive, fluid movement of Raiden's actions. Many samurai movies often have a cliche in which the master tells his disciple that a sword is an extension of the wielder's arm. Raiden's movements truly feel like it adheres to that. Many combos feature his nanosuit's heels (yeah they look like high heels) attaching to Raiden's sword, allowing him to have ridiculous reach and range with every deadly spin or slash. Many combos easily chain into each other, and I found myself developing my own "go-to" combos that weren't really displayed in the game's help menu. Lots of neat stuff you can do.
The game has three other primary weapons that you get for defeating major bosses. I didn't use any of them for my first two playthroughs, as Raiden's default blade is so satisfying and effective to use on its own. It was only in my third, fourth and fifth playthrough that I got around to messing around with the others. Speaking of multiple playthroughs, MGR is perfect for speedruns, and absolutely encourages replayability. By the time of later playthroughs, I had already memorized every nook and cranny of each level, yet I was motivated to continue playing due the game constantly challenging me to do better, via the often brutal ranking system. Standard DMC fare; S, A, B, C, D, E. Sometimes I felt like the criteria for S and A were a bit much, especially for the Chapter totals.
MGR is not without problems. There were some minor gripes I had about the parry system and enemy abilities, such as gunfire. Also, there are some slow parts of the game that kind of break up the flow a bit too much. Overall, it was a great rollercoaster ride that I didn't want to end. Highly recommended.
4. Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign; Mobile game alert! I swear to god, I don't know how I came across this game. I think I first saw it mentioned in an IGN review, in which it received a 9/10. Shrugged it off and thought eh, mobile. Through a series of events I don't remember, I downloaded it on my iPad. It was yet another free-to-play title that offered rather shady in-app purchases, but I still found myself coming back to it. My initial disgust at the scheme was soon quelled once I fully immersed myself in the game.
It's standard match this, match that affair, with a Marvel overlay. But this is just on a shallow level, deeper analysis reveals a competitive puzzle game with comprehensive team-building. I respect what this F2P does more than others simply because you really are rewarded for choosing to abstain from the IAPs. A few hours of work per week will land you right up with the big boys. The production values are pretty good, character portraits look nice and detailed, the UI decent (its undergone several updates).
The game is constantly updated, and the devs aren't shy about getting in-touch with the players. I really hope this service-like experience continues to bolster for the foreseeable future.
Seriously, check the game out, it's a real treat to collect and build your own team of tile-crushing superheroes and villains.
Also, RIP Ragnarok. We hardly knew you.
5. Ace Attorney 5: Dual Destinies; Ace Attorney does it again. As a long running fan of the series, I rarely have to worry about a new entry disappointing me. Capcom absolutely NAILED the art's transition to 3D. One hundred percent accuracy, really. After my 35-odd hours with it, the models would sometimes make me subconsciously believe I was playing with the original 2D sprites, even with the 3D slider maxed out. It's that accurate.
A point of contention among some fans was the very obvious streamlining of the investigation phases. It's all very automated now, feeling like the whole process was just told okay okay, yeah we get it, IS IT COURT DAY YET?. Ultimately, I feel like this was a good move. I didn't enjoy some of the phases of the older games, which sometimes fell into pixel-hunting exercises in concentration.
Court phases haven't changed much, and that's fine: if it ain't broken, don't fix it. Although now there's a new, badass intro sequence that plays when entering the court. Speaking of presentations, AA5 makes the proceedings feel even more dynamic. The distance of the gallery versus the floor has shortened, making the pressure of watching eyes all the more apparent. The camera is also not very shy about zooming around in and out of the courtroom when crazy shit goes down, a very genuine, courtroom-drama TV show feeling.
The characters don't disappoint as well, faces new and old stay in tandem with what we've come to expect from the series. Athena Cykes in particular is one of the most well-written, active female characters around. Her character was damn impressive. Not quite as annoying as Maya (I still love her though), and not afraid to get into the situation. This also brings me to appreciate the obvious (successful) attempt at character development here. I won't go into specifics, but some of the characters whom I felt had a lot to be left desired in past time get theirs in this time around. Good stuff.
Yeah it's on the eShop exclusively, and I bought it. Call the cops, I don't give a fuck.
6. Papers, Please; I picked up Papers, Please on a whim during the Autumn Steam sales, and I'm glad that I did. It's a strange game that would turn almost anyone off after describing it to them. Yes, the objective of the game is to govern an immigration checkpoint. It sounds like a real chore, but that in essence is what makes Papers, Please so interesting. It provides a genuine look into the world of bureaucracy, with all of the paperwork and technicalities that come with it.
The game doesn't tell you how many things work either, they give a rulebook, and they fully expect you study it. The game forces you to come up with your own strategy for maximizing the efficiency of your workspace. Passports go here, fingerprint results here, rulebook in the top right corner, etc. At first I was juggling between the credentials, but soon I got used to it, and worked out a system for myself.
Lastly, the way Papers, Please told its story was wholly unique. I couldn't wait to make it to the next day and find out what I was going to get myself into. It told a wonderfully dark, dystopian tale that I don't think I'll forget for a while. All from the perspective of a freaking immigration officer.
7. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed; Mario Kart does have competition, I admit. Granted, these two aren't directly competing in my opinion, but All-Stars Racing: Transformed manages to simultaneously take design cues from Mario Kart and introduce new, innovative ones. The sense of speed is just right, offering enough control to stay on top, while making me feel like I'm not going 10 miles per hour.
Best campaign/career in a Kart racer yet? I think so. Seriously, the Career mode lasted a lot longer than I thought it would, offering up more than just collect these things in one minute-type challenges in between standard races.
Visually, the game looks fantastic. Vibrant, and in possession of a cohesive art-style. On PC, it looks pretty damn impressive (and no frame-rate drops!).
I'm a little LTTP on the game, but I can't remember the last time a Kart racer enthralled me like this. While I'm already liking what I've seen from Mario Kart 8, I'm not exactly chomping at the bit for a new Kart racer; All-Stars Racing: Transformed has me covered.
It has a nice lighthearted soundtrack which goes well with the tone of the game and all that successfully took me back to my younger carefree days.
