GOTY 2013
There were many games that came out this year, and unfortunately I didn't get to play them all. Here is a quick shout-out to those games; maybe I'll get to play them next year: DmC Devil May Cry, Remember Me, State of Decay, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Papers, Please, Gone Home, Divekick, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Outlast, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct, Super Mario 3D World, and finally Zoo Tycoon (yes, really).
Also, here are a few games that almost, but didn't quite, make the cut: Dead Space 3, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Shin Megami Tensei IV, Grand Theft Auto V, Pokemon X/Y, and Battlefield 4 (due to all the crashes and whatnot).
Now on to the list!
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With it's fantastic story with fantastic characters in a fantastic world that looks fantastic, this game is just, well... fantastic. The multiplayer wasn't half-bad either. And man, that ending. These are the reasons that I chose The Last of Us as my personal Game of the Year.
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Technically this game came out in Japan a couple of years ago, but we just got it in the U.S. and man, what a game. The world is whimsical and the art and music are incredible. My journey through the world was full of fun and wonder, much like Oliver himself. Catching monsters was cool, the battle system was fun (albeit a little too much of it), and that damn compendium, period. It almost became my Game of the Year, and would have been if it wasn't for one other game.
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It's weird. This is the least Assassin's Creed-like Assassin's Creed game, and yet it's some of the most fun I've had in the series. I really liked the characters and the selfishness of Edward Kenway. And guys, being a pirate is pretty darn cool.
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This falls in the same boat as one of the other games on this list in that it came out over-seas before we got it here in the states. I've never really been into strategy rpgs too much, but this was one of the games that turned me onto them. The story was pretty decent,the combat was pretty good, and the characters were great. And besides,how could I not like a game that I got married in. STOP STARING AT ME FROM BEHIND, THARJA!
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This was one of the games that I was looking forward to the most this year, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. Sure, the game seemed like it was trying to be too much like Uncharted, what with all the set pieces and all, but I didn't mind. It was a pretty good game with a decent action thrill-ride surrounded by a mysterious island with a neat story. And those things fit right into what I like.
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This was the last game I played before writing this, and maybe it's just the high of recently beating it that put it on my list, but to me that simply means the game was super interesting. The game (in my opinion) was better mechanically and gameplay-wise than Heavy Rain, and the story was WAY better. I actually can't wait to play it again to see all of the other endings and ways different scenes can play out.
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There really isn't much to say about this game except that it's better than it's predecessor in every way. From graphics, to shooting, to stealth, to hit detection (that was an important upgrade), Last Light was just really fun in a pretty neat post-apocalyptic world. Some parts were a little annoying, and one part was really frustrating, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the game too much, and that's why it made the list.
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HOLY SHIT WHAT A STORY. HOLY SHIT WHAT A WORLD. HOLY SHIT WHAT A GREAT GAME. In all seriousness, Bioshock Infinite was a fun ride through a pretty well-realized world. The story is that game's greatest strength along with it's characters. The combat was pretty decent, but some of those scenarios is what ultimately found it on the lower half of the list.
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A Link Between Worlds makes some changes to the Zelda formula that are both smart and necessary. It breathes some new life into a franchise that needed it. Being able to tackle most dungeons in the order of your choosing, along with having access to most items from the start of the game makes a huge difference. The game is charming with some clever writing, and the 3D effects are outstanding and really enhance the gameplay. The only reason it's not higher on the list is because I didn't get to play enough of it yet.
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Saints Row IV is a pretty good Saints Row game. It's funny, clever, and a blast to play. Zipping around the city is fun. Using a variety of super powers is fun. The loyalty missions are fun (and some of the best stuff in the game). It'll be hard for Volition to top this, but if anyone can do it, it's them.
