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No game has consumed more of my life this year than Dota 2. While it's technically been playable for a couple of years, it was officially released this year. The depth of game play mechanics on display in Dota 2 can be frustrating, exhilerating and frightening all at the same time. Even the best players in the world, who make their living playing the game, admit they don't know every deep, dark, corner of the mechanics. This is a game about embracing how terrible you are at it and trying to improve every time you play.
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Rarely does a game contain such emotional power that I have to play it in small chunks. The Last of Us was that game this year. It's a game I've described as not always fun, and at times tough to play, but also worth every moment. The game play mechanics don't always hold up against other games, but you almost never care because the narrative is so gripping.
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BioShock Infinite is one of those unfortunate experiences that gets crushed under the weight of it's own hype. No game made by mortal hands could have ever lived up to the hype machine created for this game. The key to realizing just how great of a game this turned out to be is to ignore the hype train.
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While this came out on XBLA in 2012, it's PC release was 2013, so for me this is a 2013 game. And what a game it is. A complete labor of love and one of the most beautiful Metroidvania's I've ever played. The story isn't always up to par, and it's obvious the voice acting is mostly amateurs, but as a total package Dust delivers.
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I'll be the first to admit that despite trying, I never got in to a Saints Row game before IV. Despite all the praise heaped on three by, well, everyone, it just never gripped. Saints Row IV is finally the one that got me. It's mix of Saints Row humor and Infamaous/Prototype style open world game play is an absolute treat. This is such a fun open world game it nearly spoiled GTA 5 for me.
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When most people ask me about GTA 5, my stock response is "It's Grand Theft Auto". I mean this in the most sincere way possible: Even with the new "multi-character" system, GTA5 doesn't really break any serious ground in the open world arena. What is there is absolutely top quality though, and the attention to detail the Housers are famous for is on full display here.
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Another game that was possible to acquire before 2013, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch saw it's North American release in January 2013. After slowly drifing away from JRPG's over the years, Ni no Kuni restored my faith in the genre and showed me that it can be more than naval gazing teenagers with spiky hair and angsty first world problems. As has already been noted by the Giant Bomb crew, Mr. Drippy is one of the best characters in a JRPG in quite a while.
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I didn't hate Assassin's Creed III as much as the rest of the world did, but I have no problem admitting how much better Assassin's Creed IV is. Edward Kenway is everything that Connor was not: Funny, lively, likable and gripping. Plus, I mean, Pirates. AC4 might be the best pirate simulator ever created. The open world pirating is so good that you can completely ignore the story and just role play being a pirate. In fact, many people do just that.
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I've always enjoyed fighting games more as a spectator than a player. Sure, I've tried my hand at Street Fighter IV and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom, and I'm terrible. I can barely string together the most rudimentary combos in those games. Killer Instinct finally took that fandom from viewership to player. It's fun and simple to grasp, but hard to master, combo system really grabs you. The exceptional Dojo mode helps you learn that combo system and gets you up and putting down K-K-K-iller Combos fast. As an added touch the announcer is hilarious and completely over the top.
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I may be terrible at it, but I love StarCraft. I still consider it the most difficult 1v1 game to play in the world, requiring reflexes, intelligence, strategy and forethought that most people don't have. HotS added much needed strategic depth to StarCraft II and shook up the professional meta game considerably. The campaign story was still your stock crunchy Blizzard fare, but it was fun and the mission mechanics were interesting and varied.
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