Right, here it is the culmination of months of internal struggle and deliberation. There's some obvious stuff and a couple that just squeaked in past the post before the close of 2013.
So here it is being chipped in the marble for permanent record, no turning back and only the narrowest of margins to change the list from now till number 1.
This is a personal one for me back in 1995 I didn't have any of the consoles of the day and hadn't for a while. Playing video games wasn't something I did. But then came along miss Croft with her adventuring and ahem... allure and gave me a reason to play, It's the spark that started my love for video games, but it has been a while since that spark had been so bright with Tomb Raider.
Then along came the 'gritty reboot' a phrase that gets every eye within a 20 foot radius rolling but it was bloody brilliant. It needed more tombs and less shooting though I could say that about any game but it left me craving more, I was so happy on that nightmare Island peeking round every corner and looking for all it's shiny trinkets I didn't want Lara to get rescued. So now I say dear lord Square Enix let them make more and don't stick your oar in.
I know the multiplayer was a disappointment and Trevor was a reprehensible monster but the heists were superb. The build up to each was tense and exciting and left me with my heart beating out of my chest every time and the hours and hours of fun I had just exploring the island and dicking about with it's toys meant this was one of the games I spent the most of this year playing, also it's the first GTA I've felt compelled to finish.
It's god damn good fun, something that a lot of games have forgotten in this our modern. age (wink). Maybe not as good as 3 but throwing away the boundaries of the usual open world game and just letting you run riot made this a joy to play. Also "What is Love?"!
I missed this early on in the year and was glad when it popped up on sale as I'd loved Enslaved and looking back on DmC it would have been a terrible shame to have missed out on this gem.
I have two willing hands with unwavering middle fingers to waggle at all the naysayers that burned this game before it was even made. Ninja Theory have done incredible things with the level and enemy design, it's always surprising and inventive and mixed with the more accessible and fun combat system than in previous iterations, this was the best Devil may Cry has been since it's first outing if not better.
A bold and colourful world that shunned the common browns and greys of it's stablemates in the FPS genre. The combat left a lot to be desired but the story and craftsmanship in the rest of the game ensured that it was never too much of a chore.
The single player campaign wasn't quite as good as the brilliant Conviction but the co-op offering was far superior and it is this side of the game that ensured it a place on this list. I had many hours of fun being a tricky trickster alongside my even tricky tricksterier wife in Blacklist which was much bigger, better and more varied this time out.
Polished to a blinding shimmer and a welcome jaunt down memory lane. I don't get to sink my teeth into and old school RPG like this all too often but they always take me back to the days of playing Balder's Gate and Champions of Norath and loosing myself in their world and just not being able to step away from them until it's far too late or early in some cases.
I always feel odd about considering a game for these lists if I haven't yet finished it but this is just the kind of crazy, Japanese nonsense that really appeals to me. Not sure what that says about me but that's the case and I've really enjoyed what I've played of it thus far, so there. It's number 8.
I know you hated it but it grabbed me from the start. It featured a fantastically crafted near future Paris and a female lead that made a welcome change from the usual over abundance of male characters in games year after year and you know me, I like a female protagonist after all. The combat grated at times but that wasn't enough to stop me from keeping the pad in my hand and staying to see what was around the next corner.
Or stupid name stupid name stupid name. Despite this and the hokey story Platinum have crafted a superbly enjoyable character action game with solid, deep and very fun combat with a neat hook, it's almost as if Platinum do this all the time or something.
