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ADAMWD

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GOTY 2013

This was the first year in the past few that I feel there were no clear standout games. 2012 had Fez and The Walking Dead, 2011 had Portal 2 and Saints Row: The Third, and 2010 had Mass Effect 2 and Super Meat Boy. Everything that came out this year seemed to have at least one significant flaw, something that dragged down the experience, yet could have easily been avoided. It was super hard to to order these games, and to a point, a bit random. I would say my top 5 games are all really damn close in terms of enjoyment, and an argument could honestly be made for any of them to take the top spot. With that said, here are my top games from this weird ass year.

Some honorable mentions that didn't quite make the cut:

Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Played this games every day for a good three months or so and then I just stopped and never returned. I burned out on this one quicker than Animal Crossing, the last game in the series I played. I would love to see Nintendo really flesh the game out, make the world bigger, add more depth and activities, etc. for a Wii U version. Some kind of crazy Animal Crossing themed overworld that acts as the home screen for the system would be super rad as well.

State of Decay - This game has some really cool ideas for the zombie survival genre. The whole system of scavenging to find different types of materials to store at controlled outposts and using said materials to add to or upgrade your outposts is unique and matches what you would kinda expect to do in a zombie apocalypse. There's a lot of other cool stuff going on, but that's also part of the problem. There's a lot of unfinished or non-functional ideas floating around that make the game cluttered and confusing to get a grasp on until you sink a few hours into it. Unfortunately, the game is a little buggy and has major frame rate issues, so getting to the point where you have a feel for the mechanics and systems can be a real slog.

BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien - Bit Trip games pretty much always rock, and Runner2 is no exception. The game looks pretty cool, the varying aesthetics between worlds is great, and the combination of on rails platforming an rhythm is totally endearing.

The Wolf Among Us - I didn't include this in my list because only the first episode came out this year, otherwise it would absolutely be on it. The Walking Dead was one of my favorite games from last year, and if the first episode, 'Faith', of The Wolf Among Us is any indication, Telltale has one-upped themselves. The visuals in this game are vibrant and striking, and really nail the comic book feel. The writing so far has been top notch, the world intriguing, and the characters interesting and deep. Even though it was the first episode and I have no familiarity with the source material I feel like I've known these characters forever. The banter between Bigby Wolf and Mr. Toad is especially great.

Games I didn't get around to playing that possibly could have made the list:

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

The Stanley Parable

Gone Home

And lastly let's all pour one out for the big guy. RIP Ryan Davis, the industry lost one of the good guys, but you'll never be forgotten, and your legacy forever ingrained in the spirit of Giant Bomb.

List items

  • I should first note that Bioshock is my favorite game. I have an unhealthy adoration for the world of Rapture, from the eccentric madness of Sander Cohen to the unnerving beauty of Arcadia. With that said, Infinite delivers on every aspect of what made me fall in love with Bioshock, and comes up short in the same ways. The incredibly realized world brimming with depth and an attention to detail that just begs to be explored. An atmosphere that grounds the player in the world much like the original. And a plot that keeps you interested, on your toes, and constantly thinking.

    As everyone is so eager to tell you, the combat in this game blows. Except it doesn't. Sure, you shoot dudes and use plasmid-like abilities like the original, and while there's nothing particularly inventive going on with the combat system, there are enough tools at your disposal and enough variety in enemy types that you don't get bored as shit. In addition, the sky hook adds a cool wrinkly to the gameplay, that once you get a handle on makes the combat a lot more fast paced. Also, just put it on easy and enjoy the world and story if you aren't a big fan of shooters.

  • This game is brimming with content, and it all is an absolute delight to experience. The art style is divine, and seeing it come to life in the form of a platformer is magical. There is so much content in this game and all of it is excellent. The game even features levels from Rayman Origins. Some of the best levels are the music levels which synchronize the beat of the song with the mechanics and actions of the platforming occurring.

  • I bought a PS3 pretty much intermediately after Naughty Dog showed off the first demo for The Last of Us. With that said, despite making the top five of my list, The Last of Us was probably one of the most disappointing games of the year for me. That first gameplay demo made the combat look so visceral, intense, and truly a means of survival in a broken down, desolate world. But, much like the Uncharted series, it gets tedious as you kill the same enemy for the hundredth time. Many games commit this crime, Infinite being one of them, but it's a bigger problem in TLoU. I feel that the lame combat, and relentless killing that makes Joel seem like a murderous tank completely undermines the story, world, and atmosphere that Naughty Dog have worked so hard to create.

    I think we can all agree there is nothing original or unique content wise about TLoU, it is its execution of ideas that is fresh. I commend Naughty Dog for taking on the zombie genre and they did a fine job handicapping themselves, but the human relationships and writing are the only winning parts of this game.

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