Another year has passed and for the first time in many years, I have actually played quite a lot of the big games of the year. 2013 will obviously be remembered for the launch of PS4 and Xbox One but in my opinion the year is great because of the great games the PS3 and Xbox 360 had for their last major year. Also we can't forget the PC which is getting more and more great indie titles that we can't see on other platforms.
I can't believe that GTA V isn't game of the year for me, it was really difficult to choose between the top two but in the end I have to recognize just how amazing The Last of Us is. The Last of Us is a shining achievement for Naughty Dog and a brilliance in game design. I have played through the game a couple of times now and I still can't find anything wrong with it. The graphics in the Last of Us are so amazing that its unbelievable that it came out for the 7 year old PS3. The soundtrack is really simple but breathtaking, I really don't know how often I have sat down and played the music from the game to relax, it just is that good. For the moment I'm not sure that the game is the best of this generation but it definitely is the best game of 2013, you just have to experience this game. The Last of Us takes a hold of you and just doesn't let go until you finish it, and what a finish it is. Never have I been so caring for a character (or characters) in a video game like in The Last of Us, the game is simply stunning and is a must play.
I don't think I have been as excited for a game like I was for GTA V since GTA IV came out. GTA V didn't disappoint and even managed to exceed my extremely high hopes. When you think of it, it is just crazy that a game like GTA V can exist. It's so big that no one will ever experience everything that the game has to offer! The new concept of having 3 playable characters and being able to change between them on the fly was so masterfully done and how great the story and it's missions were that I am still shocked of how great this game was. I loved the controls in Max Payne 3 and I was very glad to see it return in GTA. I can't even try to say how much I loved GTA V but all I can say is, if somehow you haven't played GTA V already you are REALLY missing out
My hopes for Super Mario 3D World were quite low before its release, the game didn't look like it would be as good as the Galaxy games and the cat suit just looked silly to me. I decided to pre-order the game because I knew I should trust Nintendo and except for Super Mario Sunshine I have always loved the main Mario games. 3D World is a great continuation of 3D Land, just like 3D Land the game is really easy to begin with but ramps up the challenge when the main story is over. The controls are really tight and the levels are for the most part really good. If you like 3D Platformers then you really have to play Super Mario 3D World although it can't quite reach the Galaxy games.
After loving every bit out of Rayman Origins I was extremely excited about Rayman Legends. Legends is clearly better than Origins, it's more refined, it's bigger and has more variety. However I can't shake the feeling that for the most part I just hated the Murphy levels. Playing this game on the Wii U and having the controls taken away from me for so many levels really frustrated me. But all in all, Rayman Legends is one of the best 2D Platformers of all time. And you just have to finish the game 100% just so you can play the brilliant 8-bit versions of the music levels, they are AMAZING!
I have never been a big fan of the Tomb Raider games and I waited for the game to drop in price before picking it up. But man is this game good. It's clear that the Uncarted series is a huge influence on this game, which is pretty funny since Tomb Raider probably influenced Uncharted to begin with. This new Tomb Raider game is excellent, it has some flaws but all in all it really is a great game and it manages to take the old silly Lara Croft and make her into a character you can relate to and feel for. I really can't wait for the next game in the series
The original Bioshock was amazing and Irrational Games really had a lot to live up to with Infinite. Although Infinite isn't as good of a game as the original it's still a very good game. The atmosphere is great and you really can loose yourself for some time just looking around and enjoying all the small details in Columbia. But as good as this game is I just have to mention the combat which I really didn't feel was up to par with everything else in the game. Although it's not perfect, you should play Infinite and enjoy that we get these big high quality games to play
Tearaway is a strange game, this 3D Platformer is like a tech demo for the PS Vita but in a good way. It uses all the features of the Vita but it always feels like the Vita was made for the game not the other way around. My main issue with the game is the lack of challenge but there are few games that I have played with a bigger smile on my face then Tearaway. Playing through the games story was a heck of a good time and I can't wait to see what Media Molecule does next
Papers, Please sounds like a really boring game on paper. Working in an immigration station in an old Communist country where your job consists of checking passports and other permits, it just can't be much fun. But when you get to try the game you start to realize that the game is actually really fun. In the beginning it's very easy but the challenge starts to ramp up quite fast and if you want to keep your family alive you have to work really fast and just DO NOT make mistakes! I really have to give Lucas Pope huge respect for having the balls to make a game like this and actually making it as good as it is. Just play this game already
Puppeteer is a fantastic game that I just loved playing. The game is quirky and pretty strange but if you give it a chance it wil really suck you in. The gameplay is clever and very fun, the ability to use scissors in as many ways as the game does is great. However the cutscenes are too long for my taste and probably a bit too childish. But although the cutscenes do hamper the game a bit all Platformer fans should play it, it's just so sad to hear how badly Puppeteer sold and just how many people haven't heard of the game.
Heavy Rain was a fantastic game, and a game that really changed how I look at video games, so the pressure was on for Beyond: Two Souls. Beyond is really similar to Heavy Rain in a lot of ways but also really different. You don't have as much as a saying of how the story pans out as in Heavy Rain but there aren't a lot of games that give you as much freedom in a story game like Heavy Rain. I recommend Beyond: Two Souls to everyone that liked Heavy Rain but just remember that it's quite different and doesn't live up to the hype, this game has some flaws but you can certainly live with them
The God of War series has been amazing through the years and with God of War 3 I thought that the series couldn't get any better and that Kratos had done his last major God of War game. Then comes Ascension which obviously happens before the 3rd game and unfortunately it probably is the worst game in the series. Its not a bad game but the series has become pretty stale and Ascension just isn't fresh enough. It does some new things but if you have played through all of the other games, Ascension will be pretty forgettable. I'm probably writing too negatively about this game, don't get me wrong it's still a solid title and you will enjoy it, but not as much as the other God of War games.
FIFA 14 does the same thing that FIFA 13 did, it makes very small changes to the earlier game but manages to be a better game than the previous. Although FIFA 14 is the best football simulator today I can't give it a higher spot than this simply because of the lack of new features. If you're a crazy FIFA fan like me you'll love this game and you should own it, but everyone else can probably wait for FIFA 15 and hope it does more new things than 14
Rayman Jungle Run was a fantastic game for tablets and smartphones and it was one of my favourite games of last year. Fiesta Run builds on its predecessor and is a fantastic experience, I never thought I would have so much fun on my phone. I was constantly recharging my phone because I just couldn't stop playing Fiesta Run. This running platformer is a must own and is a great value for your money
I have loved the Angry Video Game Nerd through the years. He has been going down in terms of quality videos but he still delivers some quality stuff. It was just a matter of time when a big title was released based on the Nerd. The game has alot of character and uses alot of fun references to the show, every fan of the Nerd will have a great time playing through the game. It has some problems that some players will not be able to forgive but this hard as nails action platformer will really give retro gamers and fans of the Nerd some great hours of fun
DuckTales for the NES is one of the best games released for the NES (along with DuckTales 2). The amount of hours I have sunk into the 2 NES games is alot so of course I was very interested when I heard that Capcom was going to remake the original. DuckTales Remastered is a great remake, it keeps the simple controls of the original and uses the good old charm that the old game had heaps of. However they added way too many cutscenes which really takes you away from the experience, but yeah Remastered is a great buy for retro gamers
