Game of the Year 2013

EDIT: So I finished The Last of Us. Obviously, I had to add it. Tomb Raider got dropped and every thing after The Last of Us got shifted down 1. Sorry Lara. You know I love you.

2013 sure was a year. Some great highs, some bad lows, and a bunch of great games. Let's talk about them! But first...

2011 Games That Are Still Great in 2013: Dark Souls

2012 Games That Are Also Still Great in 2013: XCOM, Far Cry 3, Sleepy Dawgz, Skullgirls (keep fighting folks!), Persona 4 Golden

Other Good Games That Came Out This Year: Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Rising, Runner 2, Ridiculous Fishing, Battleblock Theater, Monico, Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, Shin Megami Tensai 4, Gone Home, Papers, Please, Dragon's Crown, Ace Attorney 5

Of course, I have not played everything this year. Hell, I'm in the midst of The Last of Us and Guacamelee right now. But I feel this is a solid list of the stuff I really liked. Now check it out!

List items

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  1. Saints Row IV

  Saints Row bitches! Saints Row IV did not disappoint in the slightest for me. As other have pointed out, giving you powers that more or less break the game in a lot of ways made this into the ultimate superhero game. Only your hero is a pretty red-haired lady wearing only a towel. For me at least. This game does fanservice better than other, to the point where calling it fanservice feels unnecessarily dismissive. All the super specific references and callbacks to previous games are perfectly executed while never feeling pandering. And of course the story goes some absolutely insane places. They fucking better capitalize on that sequel tease. Much like how I felt after SRTT, I have no idea how they're gonna top this. But I can't wait to see it.

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  2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

  I'm not one of those people that dislike the recent Zelda. I really liked Skyward Sword. But, man, just being able to hit dungeons in any order you wanted made the game feel super fresh. Going old to make it new or something. Fun, fun times.

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  3. The Last of Us

  I'm writing this not too long after I finished the game. I don't know what to say that hasn't been said but just about everything about the game is pitch perfect. The world is incredible and manages to put a fresh spin on zombies. Fucking clickers. It's very cool to see a huge budget game that's just super bleak and brutal. And the story, the characters, the voice acting were fantastic. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.

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  4. Animal Crossing: New Leaf

  I have loved Animal Crossing for a while now, but no other game grabbed me like the Gamecube original. New Leaf finally brought enough new stuff to the table to make it really seem like a new game. Isabelle alone would get this game on my list. This game just felt really fresh compared to the last few games and has kept me in for 124 hours and counting.

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  5. DmC Devil May Cry

  Probably the biggest surprise of the year for me. Depending on when you ask me, I either mildly dislike or fucking hate the Devil May Cry series for a number of reasons. But it turns out taking a new direction did a hell of a lot of good. I've Ninja Theory's games in the past, but this is easily the best playing game they've made. And goddamn if all the setpieces they created weren't really cool and creative. The Bob Barbas fight! So good.

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  6. Rogue Legacy

  I love this game! I don't know what else to say. The core idea of generations and traits and stuff is super clever, it's so fun that you don't mind grinding a bit, discovering all the secrets, fighting the bosses, just... man, I love this game. And I've still got plenty more to do!

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  7. Fire Emblem: Awakening

  I got into strategy games in 2013. XCOM started it (still need to play Enemy Within!), and Fire Emblem continued it. As if the actual gameplay wasn't addicting enough, playing anime matchmaker was a really fun added quirk. The support system is really cool and I love the conversations between you crew. It's still kinda wild to hear known voice actors in a Nintendo game. And they even had a huge amount of DLC to keep you in. There's so much here!

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  8. BioShock Infinite

  Yeah, there was a lot of discussion about the story and the ending and all that, and I agree with some of it. But nothing can change how blown away I was when I saw the ending. Nothing can change the fact that I started playing in 1999 mode immediately after finishing the game for the first time. Nothing changes how incredible that word looks, the great setpieces, the fantastic voice acting of Booker, Elizabeth, and everyone else. What I'm getting at is that Bioshock Infinite is pretty damn good game.

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  9. The Stanley Parable

  There's nothing I can say that can convey how clever and funny this game is. Just play it. It's a total treat.

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  10. Gunpoint

  Fucking Gunpoint man! What a rad little game. Everything about it is super fun. This and Mark of the Ninja make a great case for 2D being the way to go for stealth games.