Monday, January 13, 2014

Top Games of 2013

Top Games of 2013

First, I wanted to mention a bit about a game that game out in 2012, but I didn't play until 2013:

  • Persona 4 Golden - This game really called to me in many ways. If you're not familiar, Persona 4 is a mixture of a JRPG and a dating simulation. You play as a teenager moving to a new high school uncovering a mystery. Half the time you'll spend building relationships with your friends (and girls!) and the other half you'll be crawling through dungeons, fighting monsters in a mostly traditional turn-based RPG game. The characters are great, although they can be corny (anime style). You choose how to spend your time in the game, whether to hang out with friends, go to bed early, or go to a part time job.
Preface:

I want to start out by laying a bit of ground rules for how I determined my list.  In order to make the list, the game had to meet two criteria:


  1. I had to have played it most or all the way through, or otherwise given it an appropriate amount of time.
  2. The game has to have captured my attention and emotions in some way.  It had to be a supremely enjoyable experience.

So there are some notable games still on my backlog that I could not consider:



  • Guacamelee
  • Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  • Shin Megami Tensei IV
  • Saints Row IV
  • The Stanley Parable
  • Super Mario 3D World
  • Gone Home


Honorable Mention:


XCOM: Enemy Within
XCOM Enemy Unknown was a game that made my Top Games of 2012 list. It's a fantastic strategy game that I really came to love.  I put XCOM: Enemy Within as an honorable mention because it's technically an expansion, not a new release. But the expansion breathes even more new life into the game that it is definitely worth recognizing.

There are two main new mechanics added in this expansion, the ability to genetically enhance soldiers and the ability to build and upgrade mech units. In order to install genetic mods or upgrade mech units you need a new resource called Meld. You find meld in canisters in battle. Each canister will have a limited number of turns before it self-destructs, so sometimes you have to move your units quickly to capture them. This adds an extra strategic element because it can be dangerous to move your units fast and they can be out of position and die easier.

Also, the expansion has added additional language resources so that you can have your Squaddies speak in their native languages. It's a small touch overall, but it really enhances the game.


The Top Seven Games of 2013


7. Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto has been around a long time, and the latest version doesn't disappoint. In previous games, I've had problems with the controls (both driving and shooting) and ended up losing interest in the game.

Grand Theft Auto V has the best controls of any other GTA game that I've played. The story is interesting, well written, as are the characters and the missions. It's not without criticism though; it's a very cynical game. Pretty much every character is a horrible, despicable person (for different reasons). Some people have criticized the game for it's treatment of women, for example, that women are set pieces to be used or degraded.

Despite those flaws, I still think it is a rewarding game. Switching between three characters was novel and interesting. There is always catchy, exciting music playing on one of the radio stations. It's very worthy of being in this list.


6. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
A collaboration between Level-5 Studios and the anime company Studio Ghibli (of Spirted Away fame), Ni No Kuni is an absolutely gorgeous RPG.  The art is breathtakingly beautiful, everywhere you go.

Additionally, the voice acting is top-notch, especially Mr. Drippy the Lord of the Fairies who accompanies Oliver on his quest.


5. Fire Emblem: Awakening
Another early 2013 game on the list, Fire Emblem: Awakening is a hardcore strategy RPG in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Fire Emblem has had a challenge to appeal to a broader audience, probably because of the brutal difficulty.

The tactical strategy is all about deciding how to equip your troops with weapons and skills, and then positioning them in battle. It can be incredibly difficult to survive a battle without losing units and you often find yourself attached to them (in the same way that you do in XCOM). Combat is rich and incredibly satisfying when you succeed, and the overall experience is fluid and polished.



4. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
After Assassin's Creed 3, not many people had very high expectations for the next entry in the series. As a fan of the series from the beginning, I was even incredibly off-put by AC3. It was a slog to complete, but did have one shining gem, one universally praised mechanic: naval combat. For Ubisoft to take that naval combat, refine it to perfection, and release a main Assassin's Creed game around it is nothing short of spectacular.

It seems to take the seriousness of the Assassin's storyline and throw it out the window, instead encouraging players to go have fun and explore the Caribbean seas; and fun it is! Sailing your ship is a joy with all kinds of sights to see, collectibles to nab, ships to battle, and whales to harpoon. All the while, your crew sings sea shanty's that are delightful to hear and very catchy tunes to boot.


3. Bioshock Infinite
I don't know where to begin with Bioshock Infinite. Let's start with the things I love about the game: the setting, the music, the action, the story, the science fiction, and the mind-blowing ending. It's a tight and polished experience, very much on rails.

The game isn't without flaws, however. The combat can be rote and doesn't do anything groundbreaking. Also, the violence of battle is a bit incongruous in the tone of the game.

Despire that it's a lot of fun uncovering the story while guiding Booker and Elizabeth around Columbia. The atmosphere is immersive and I love getting lost in it.


2. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
If you have played the legendary (heehee) SNES masterpiece Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, you MUST play this game. If you haven't ever experienced A Link to the Past, you MUST play this game.

A Link Between Worlds is every bit the masterpiece that the original was. The maps are close enough to the original as to be familiar, but different enough to be new and challenging. The music has been remixed and rearranged. The dungeons have been redone with different puzzles. There are new types of equipment with different abilities, as well as the awesome idea of being able to rent pretty much all of the equipment from the beginning of the game. It's cheaper than buying the equipment outright with the catch that if you die, you lose your rented equipment. It gives you a reason to keep discovering rupees. Additionally, because you can have a lot of the equipment up front, there isn't a linear choice of dungeons (in the original LttP you had to do most of the dungeons in a specific order because you needed equipment from a previous dungeon). It makes a Link Between Worlds more open and gives the player more choice.

At the core of the game is a new mechanic where you can move up to a 2D surface and squish down to 2D and walk horizontally along the surface. This opens up new spatial challenges trying to figure out where you should switch dimensions to end up where you want. This is used throughout the game to access new areas, switch between Hyrule and Lorule (the dark world), and to solve puzzles. Additionally there are 100 "Maimai's" to collect (a maimai is a little creature that you rescue in different areas to return it to it's mother).


1. The Last of Us
No "Game of the Year" discussion is complete without talking about The Last of Us. This game is a work of art. Naughty Dog has raised the bar for storytelling, voice acting, and animation. The emotional impact of the game is profound. I cannot say enough good things about this game, and I'm not going to. If you've played it already, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't played it, stop reading this and play it. Don't have a PS3? Go buy one. Or go signup for Playstation Now in a few months.

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