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preheatedbibby

Google search in the firefox bar before I left work today: "dom deluise". Certainly a weird day.

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GOTY 2013

Of course, it comes the time of the year where I look at all of my games and go "man I wish I played more" but these are my top 10+2 games of the year.

List items

  • The Last of Us is one of the greatest stories told this year in games. It felt so wrapped up that I wish that there was no more DLC, no more sequels...just leave it as it is. My only regret is that I wish I had played the game on Hard. I played it on Normal, and although I still died, I always had supplies. My only other gripe is the same I have with the other Naughty Dog games; you can tell when combat will happen by the 12 or so pieces of waist-high cover. The combat was fun and tense, the stealth worked fantastically, the environment was believable and immersive, and the characterization of everyone, including smaller roles, was fantastic. I believe this is one of those games that will be discussed years from now.

  • This is how Nintendo should be making games if they continue to keep going back to the well on old franchises. The painting mechanic was a new one that was not seen before, but very fresh. Finding the maiamais was quite entertaining (I found all 100) and I actually was happy that all of the items unlocked at the beginning of the game, even if it did lead to pacing issues later in the game. I artificially attempted to prolong my experience by collecting everything, then just decided to finish it quickly. I believe this to be a 3ds system seller; a fantastic game that everyone, whether or not they have played Link to the Past, should experience.

  • Gone Home is one of the most intense, enthralling experiences this year. The house has so much character and atmosphere that I could not leave. Unraveling the story of Sam, along with finding all of the subplots, such as the parents having problems with their marriage, while being so scared of the house was such a fantastic experience. Opening a door then immediately turning on the lights (and leaving them on) happened in every single room. Also, a lot of audible moments, such as seeing the red lights to the attic for the first time made me go "fuck that." Keeping me completely hooked for 2 hours like this almost never happens, and that's why its my #3 this year.

  • Rogue Legacy was one of my personal favorite times this year. Logging 25 hours for one playthrough, deciding whether or not to go for the boss or just decide that "this isn't this guys run, let's try and get more gold for the next generation(s)." The constant 60fps, the super tight controls, and the leveling up (including adding new mechanics like the double jump) are some of my personal highlights of this game. Coming from a person who likes other Roguelikes (ugh), it's probably not a surprise that this is one of my favorite games this year.

  • Since GTA: San Andreas is one of my favorite games of all times, a return to that world is a huge welcome. Improved shooting, the three protagonist story, along with other improvements, it made GTA 5 so great. Although it was a bummer that this game still has not been released on PC, the last-gen consoles seemed to struggle with the game. Also, the story wasn't super interesting to me, but I did enjoy that it ended with a "wipe your hands clean" kind of moment.

  • Again, like with Tomb Raider, I have not played a Fire Emblem game until this year. After playing XCOM last year, I was hooked on this type of game (grid-based strategy RPG?). But wow, as soon as I got into the rhythm of this game, as well as figuring out how to show the enemy grid by pressing the X button, I couldn't put it down. It is still my overall #2 most played on my 3DS. I used to hate these type of games, and along with XCOM, I believe I have found a new genre of games to enjoy.

  • I should make it known that I did not like the other Tomb Raider games, so maybe I enjoyed this one for a 3rd person action adventure game rather than a "Tomb Raiding" game. The combat is what you would expect, but it was fun to try and stealth around, and once the cover was blown, bring out the guns and go to town. Although the story wasn't all quite there, the payoff at the end gave me a quick smirk. And the game is damn gorgeous, even if I couldn't run the TressFX.

  • Bioshock Infinite's story is what made it to the list. It didn't help that I finished it at about 2am, so the confusing ending was compounded by my lack of sleep. In either way, the world building that this game does is one of the best this year. Although I missed a few things (damn audio logs!), the world of Columbia was fantastic to be a part of. I just wish the combat didn't seem so tedious. That is why it is not higher on my list.

  • Papers, Please is the most fun I've had playing a passport-check game. I guess that's because this is the only one (that I know of.) The mechanics end up being fantastic, you begin to roleplay, or you try and get the "best" ending. I ended up getting 4 of the endings, and by then I think I was done with Papers, Please. Re-playing it over multiple days, speaking with my friends about it, it was quite the experience.

  • OK, Gunslinger might not look like much, but once you get past the arcade-like/light gun game shooter, the story telling of a narrator re-telling his story to the bar patrons, along with corrections, somehow ground it and make it that much more enjoyable. On top of that, the shooting is damn fun, and even the standoffs helped break up gameplay, even if they weren't my favorite part of the game. This is another game in that $15 range that is a surprise and a joy to play.

  • Honorable Mention #1: The Swapper was one of the greatest experiences I had this year. It left me with so many questions, even after the choice. It's sci-fi story was amazing and although I did get stuck on a few of the puzzles, it was a fantastic game and I recommend it to everyone, especially on the cheap.

  • Honorable Mention #2: Although there were 10 better games this year (sorry Brad,) this game was quite good and I believe it deserves a mention here. The controls were quite difficult to wrap my head around, but once I got a hold of those, navigating through this world was quite the Journey. Actually, in a number of ways, this game reminds me of Journey, with its quick, complete story telling without saying a word, accompanied with musical flourishes, and an impactful moment towards the end of the game. And with it coming to US PS+ next month, a number of people will be able to play it.