I've had difficulties dedicating time to this, but I still want to reach a conclusion, so here are some more awesome games.
WEEK 5
Far Cry 3
- Released: December
- Giant Bomb Score: 5/5
- My Score: 5/5
- Quick Look
I finished up Far Cry 2 less than 6 months ago. After having lived on shelf for a few years, I decided to get through it and ended up having a ton of fun, despite the game's many limitations - traversal seemed slow and arduous, missions weren't particularly exciting, there wasn't much variety in what you could do. Far Cry 3 is everything that it's predecessor wanted to be and more, and brings back the original's tropical island setting. On top of that, it takes you on some wild rides and its story is, for the most part, enjoyable despite some missteps.
Whatever you find yourself doing, it is always entertaining. The core components hunting, driving and combat are all brilliant, and the variety of mission types will keep you on the hook for a long time. Crazy stuff will just happen as you go about your business as pirates and mercenaries clash against the jungles resident wildlife. The game also features one of the best characters of the year in Vaas, whose dramatic performances are frightening. I did not expect Far Cry 3 to be as good as it is, you can see the components from Far Cry 2 here, but the way they all work together elevates FC3 to greatness. One of the best of the year.
The Walking Dead
- Released: April-November
- Giant Bomb Score: 5/5
- My Score: 5/5
- Quick Look
The series'conclusion got its emotion hooks into me, I'll admit it. I'll avoid spoilers here, but suffice to say that the journey you take with these characters is perilous and at times moving. TWD is an episodic game done right, and the time between the release of each episode left me just enough time to have a true hunger to dive in for another 2-4 hours of tough decisions and dire situations. The gameplay is nothing special, but that isn't why you're playing. It's another zombie story, but is a fantastic use of the theme. Its also the best game Telltale has made in modern times, and leaves you sympathising with characters, and feeling truly torn up about the choices you're making. If you haven't played it yet, I'd advise that you do not take in all 5 episodes at once - that sounds like it'd be a little too much to handle.
Sleeping Dogs
- Released: August
- Giant Bomb Score: 4/5
- My Score: 5/5
- Quick Look
I think Sleeping Dogs'sense of style is what sets it apart. Though it isn't the best as far as open city action games go, the hong kong undercover cop story and characters keep it entertaining whilst the high speed driving, incredible on-foot combat and traversal systems and strong licensed soundtrack will keep you playing far longer than the limited mechanics should allow. I dove deep into Sleeping Dogs, unlocking every achievement it had to offer, and generally had a blast kicking fools in the face, dumping them in the trunk of my car and then driving top speed through the city whilst listening to Flying Lotus.
Current List
| 1 | Far Cry 3 | NEW |
| 2 | Journey | vv (WEEK 2) |
| 3 | Forza Horizon | vv (WEEK 3) |
| 4 | Dishonored | vv (WEEK 1) |
| 5 | Hotline Miami | vv (WEEK 1) |
| 6 | The Walking Dead | NEW |
| 7 | Fez | vv (WEEK 3) |
| 8 | Sleeping Dogs | NEW |
| 9 | Borderlands 2 | vv (WEEK 4) |
| 10 | Binary Domain | vv (WEEK 2) |
Far Cry 3 takes the current top spot, The Walking Dead slots into 6th place, and Sleeping Dogs takes 8th.
Trials Evolution and SSX drop out of the Top 10.
WHAT ELSE?
Left to Complete
This list is of the games that I am trying to complete, or at least play for enough time to reach a qualitative conclusion on. From what I have seen and played so far, they could all be Top 10-worthy, so I have 3 more weeks to get stuck into them:
Hitman Absolution - I'm a big Hitman fan, and although this new one is more Splinter Cell than Blood Money, I'm still having a great time so far.
ZombiU - My first Wii U game, and after having lost a 3-hours experienced survivor, I need to get back in there and keep on going.
Assassin's Creed III - This one is picking up flak from everywhere. I need to sink some considerable time into it before I can draw my own conclusion.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown - The game I'm least likely to love out of the bunch due to its genre, but I want to give it a real go.
New Super Mario Bros. U - Arrived yesterday, my last NSMB game was the first for NDS (last Mario game was 3D Land).
Mark of the Ninja - Didn't stick much time into it originally but looks like something I should enjoy a lot more than I initially did..
Darksiders II - Maybe a little too much Darksiders for the year as I played the original in January, but we shall see..
Spelunky - Fell in love with it upon release but haven't returned since. Doubt I will 'finish it' but could certainly consider it for GOTY.
And?
There are other games that I have finished but have yet to feature. I need to return to them and sink more time in before I can reach my final decision on them. They include Halo 4, Mass Effect 3 and Max Payne 3. So yeah... could be close. See you next time.
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