Here is my Top 10 list for 2013, enjoy.
Edit: I had just played Gone Home after I made this list which I really why I should have just waited until the 31st to do this but I was also wrong in waiting so long to play such a masterpiece. So I can finally give it the credit it deserves.
I thought I was done with JRPGs at one point in my life, then I played Persona 3. I have been a fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series ever since. I was glad to finally get a 3DS (or 2DS, don't judge) so I could play this extensive library of games I have been missing out on. As excited I was for Pokemon X/Y and finally got the system to play that, this was what I was most excited to pick up when I finally got it for a decent price on Black Friday. This is basically a Pokemon for adults while keeping true to a traditional JRPG style. Aside from all the corny story tropes you find in every JRPG this was actually very interesting in the long haul, a very long haul. This game is long, fun, engaging, and doesn't stop up until the end. Demon negations are as addictive as catching Pokemon and then fusing demons adds even more depth. The demon fusing problems I had in Persona 4 (the last SMT title I played) are even fixed here which made me very happy. Lastly this game worked perfectly as a handheld and I can't put it down. This is MY GOTY.
Naughty Dog hits another home run while taking a break from the Uncharted series. In a year that brings the PS4 to consumers, I don't want to say that this is the final masterpiece for the PS3 era as the console still has some life in it. This game does push the hardware to its limits in ways I thought I had already seen in Uncharted 2 but they managed to push it even further. The game also handles well for a stealth game while being a great shooter when it needs to be. The story really gripped at me and had me going nonstop. It was a great experience and I can't wait to see what Naughty Dog has ready for next gen.
Every once in a while a piece of software gets released that makes you think is this a "game" or is it an interactive story. Typically the interactivity comes in dictating how the story pans out but this is different. The whole game is just you inside a house that you can interact with almost anything in. They cut you loose to explore this house until the clues lead you to a definitive path that only feels natural as the story unfolds. Playing this game awoke some feelings; not only feelings of nostalgia but just feelings about coming of age in an era I way very familiar with growing up. The sound-scape of a stormy night used in this game is brilliant only in a way this interactive medium can deliver as opposed to a movie, as long as you're wearing a pair of headphones or ear buds. The game is short and sweet and knows how not to overstay its welcome most games or even movies still don't know how to do sometimes. I can only remain terribly vague because I can't do the injustice of spoiling anything to anyone who still hasn't played but please check it out for yourself and you will most likely understand why this took a belated #3 on my list.
This was a refreshing take on what Rockstar had perfected over the years inventing the sandbox game. The 3 character dynamic was a great new feature. It keeps the old GTA feel we've grown nostalgic for while adding a ton of activities as well.
In keeping with the old BioShock formula we've already seen in the past 2 games they didn't try to fix what wasn't broken. Nothing can compare to the first game and with that said; it does rather well in the new setting with new characters.
The nicest roguelike I've ever played. Its both fun and challenging and will keep you going for hours always fresh with a new character every time you die. I don't think you can beat this game without dying so suck it up and keep trying.
Its a core Pokemon title in 3D. Happy now?
This game was just bonkers. That's it.
This was a phoenix that rose from the ashes as a reborn game. Not often does a company get a second attempt such as this to revive a horribly broken and heavily criticized MMO and it didn't even need to go F2P, imagine that.
This one gets in by a technicality because the full steam release was in 2013. With that aside; it was a ton of fun to play and brought back those elementary school memories of "The Oregon Trail" from my childhood with a radical twist.
Honorable mention: I still haven't played it, but its the game I am most excited to play when I can't finally get my hands on a copy. Plus its Zelda and from what I heard absolutely amazing, which should be the standard all Zelda titles need to hold.
Another honorable mention only because this game not only had one of the best moments of 2013 near the end but also was the most fun thing to play through in a single night in my floors lounge in the dorms with my buddy Avi. Could have been a better, longer game but still worth checking out if you have a free night and are ready to laugh your ass off at the final boss's monologue.
Or watch it now. http://youtu.be/nryWFQKpGKo
