Best of 2013
My favorite games of 2013.
List items
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In some ways, The Last of Us is a game that felt like it was made for me. The survival, scavenging, and post-apocalyptic setting are just a few concepts that I crave in any medium. But it's not just these things that make TLoU so great. It's how perfectly balanced everything feels - how the game is so well paced, how it let's the two characters interact, and how the gameplay and story both have their time to shine. Purely as a game, the mechanics are really fun. The shooting is so much better than previous Naughty Dog games and the mechanics of the stealth gameplay made being sneaky a viable (and often times necessary) option.
But I'd be lying if I told you that's the only reason I loved The Last of Us. The story and characters in TLoU are better than anything I have played this year, and they add up to make one of the most memorable video game experiences I have ever played. Additionally, the game benefits from a fully realized world that feels so alive and adds to the overall experience of playing the game. Little things like fleshing out the side characters and making them fully realized individuals that you actually care about add so much to the game's atmosphere. I play video games for a lot of reasons - for fun, for the story, to immerse myself in the world. No 2013 game does all three better than The Last of Us. And because of this, it's not just one of my favorite games of 2013, but one of my personal favorite games of all time.
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It's hard to rate something based on an arbitrary category, but on the "fun" scale, DmC is off the charts. The game feels as if it was designed to always provide the player with a good time while playing. That should always be the goal of every game, but no 2013 game nailed it as much as DmC did. Character movement, the platforming, the story, and every bit of the characters and dialogue were simply enjoyable. I think DmC is easily the most recommendable game of the year, simply because it is hard to not enjoy the basic mechanics of the combat.
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The inclusion of a Ratchet & Clank game on my list seems crazy. I've never finished any of the previous games in the franchise. I've only played two previous R&C games, and I've only amassed approximately 2-3 hours of total playtime with the series. Even worse, the game starts out fairly slow and the intro is easily the most uneventful part of this game. Yet I gave Into the Nexus a chance, and I was rewarded greatly. With tight controls, slick visuals, a constant barrage of new weapons and gadgets to mess around with, and some funny lines of dialogue, Ratchet and Clank was easily my biggest surprise of 2013, and one my overall favorite games of the year. As someone who has always preferred the Jak and Daxter franchise, and never really gave Ratchet a fair chance, I can confidently say that I am now a fan of both.
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Hey, don't look at me like that! True story though, I really do like David Cage games. I think he always achieves what he sets out to do - which is to engage the player in the world at all times. Though it's easy to critique his games and to tear them down piece by piece, the games as a whole are always entertaining and fun to play.
Even as a fan of his former work, Beyond had me a little scared. The early previews were negative and the game's story didn't appeal to me. Of course, I ended up giving Beyond a chance and unsurprisingly I ended up liking it a lot. It's not perfect and it's often uneven, but by the end I found myself really invested in the characters and story. Additionally, the game's mechanics have improved greatly over Heavy Rain and the way in which Aiden is used for combat and puzzle solving is a well implemented gameplay mechanic. Perhaps the biggest improvement though is the quality of acting. By the end of the game, I had a renewed admiration for Ellen Page, whose performance is brilliant throughout. When at it's best, Beyond puts you into the world and lets you develop an understanding and appreciation for Jodie. Levels like "The Party", "Homeless", and a lot of the early bits of her childhood are stellar examples of how great Beyond is at exploring the complexities of Jodie and Aiden. I really appreciate what David Cage does, but it's not just the unique experience that puts it on my list - Beyond is a great game that is fun to play.
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I played, beat, and enjoyed my time with GTA IV when it came out. It took awhile to get used to the nuances of the game, but overall I felt the polish and last third of the story made the experience an overall enjoyable one. I attempted to play it again in 2013, but the game was close to unplayable. The graphics were ugly, the controls were arguably broken, and it was tough to get back into the world of Liberty City. When I finally got my hands on V, the improvements were immediately evident. GTA V is fun to play - it's fun to drive, it's fun to shoot, and it's just fun being in the state of San Andreas.
I was a bit pessimistic when they announced that the game would have three protagonists, but I felt the way Rockstar implemented the gameplay around this was both ambitious and something that added to the game itself. All of the characters are memorable (in large part thanks to a stellar cast of voice actors) and while I had some quips about the ending, I did enjoy the storytelling as a whole. Even after playing 30 hours of GTAV's campaign, I never felt burnt out on either the city or the gameplay. In comparison, the second longest game I completed this year was less than half the time of V. I always felt content, and while not every mission or moment was a white-knuckle, edge-of your-seat thrill ride, there really wasn't any point where I was bored or wanted to abandon the game. To keep me interested for over 30 hours is an achievement for any video game, and GTA V was able to accomplish it in an impressive fashion.
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What if I were to tell you that Batman Arkham Origins is my favorite game in the series up to this point? It's a fairly insane proposition, but I think there are some legitimate arguments to be made for Origins. Above all else, the game features by far the best boss fights in the series. Deadshot, Deathstroke, and the third Bane boss are perfect examples of what I want going forward. Deathstroke taking a skill based combat approach, Deadshot requiring all of the stealth mechanics, and the third Bane encounter bringing something entirely different (and seriously scary). Not just that, but the gameplay was as good as any of the previous games and I felt the tighter, more linear approach to the story served the game better. I'm not sure why Origins was so hated upon release or why it gets swept under the rug when compared to the two previous games, but I believe it's safe to say that this Batman can stand tall against any of the others.
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Unlike the other character action game on my list, I liked Revengeance for a different reason. I do think it is a lot of fun to play, but unlike DmC, Revengeance shines during its boss battles. The combat is a lot more technical, akin to other Platinum games of the same ilk, which lends itself to some seriously intense fights. The Samuel and Monsoon fights in particular were really, really great and it requires a lot of skill to beat. There's no better genre to get satisfaction from than action games, it felt so great finishing off some of the fights in Revengeance.
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It's hard not to like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. The game's mechanics are unique and rewarding. Though the puzzles were light on difficulty, the way in which the core gameplay mechanic is constantly being used to solve them is rewarding upon finishing that specific task. Things like rowing a boat or using a saw to cut down a tree are just a few examples of simple tasks that actually take some thinking to accomplish. Additionally, both visuals and the OST are absolutely stunning. I think Brothers arguably has the best original music in any game this year. I understand the story won't pull the heart strings of everyone, but towards the end, there's one really great moment that could move even the coldest heart.
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The way in which you have to balance both speed and precision in Papers, Please makes it one of the most intense games of 2013. The game requires speed to effectively support your family, but being thorough when checking the papers is just as important because the costs of missing just one could be detrimental. And just when you think you've got the hang of everything, the game throws in a new mechanic to make sure you're not slacking off. Perhaps Papers, Please greatest assets though are simply making you feel like you're actually there examining these immigrants. You'll hear a lot of stories, be asked to take sympathy upon others, offered bribes, and there are many more scenarios in which you'll be forced to make decisions. I'm certainly interested in a sequel to Papers, Please because the game that's built around the mechanics is really good. Glory to Arstotzka!
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It's really not too fair that Infinite came out all the way back in March. I remember enjoying the game when I first played it, but it wasn't one of the first games to pop in my head while doing this list. As I start remembering how beautiful and fully realized Columbia was, I start to remember why I liked it so much. Though the gameplay isn't something that blows me away, it wasn't something that hindered my enjoyment. Oh, and I'd say it has arguably the best moment of the year. Not necessarily the reveal, which in and of itself is insane, but where the game physically takes you. I was in awe and I started to get that tingly feeling that's hard to describe. For that alone, Bioshock Infinite is worth playing through.
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[Honorable Mention] As a general rule, I avoid putting any games on my GOTY list that I have not finished. So while I didn't beat Dragon's Crown, I did feel it was one of 2013's best games, so I wanted to acknowledge it in some way. Everything about the game is so clean and beautiful - the graphics, the art, the music, and the narration are all so well done. The gameplay itself is really fun too. I wish I would have had the time and patience (I ran into a fairly steep difficulty spike after about 8 hours in) to stick it out, and I hope to come back to it some time in 2014.
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[2013’s Old Game of the Year] Instead of sticking to just one old game that I played and loved in 2013, I went ahead and just added the whole Max Payne franchise to the list. For the longest time, I've considered Max Payne to be one of my favorite third person shooters, yet I've never actually completed the game. I went ahead and changed that this year. Luckily enough, Max Payne still holds up very well to this day. Even playing it on the original Xbox, where the frame rate is always a little crummy, the game still plays and looks pretty good. They simply don't make games like this anymore, and that's just too bad. The arcadey feel of the shooting and the noir themed New York setting just feel so perfect together.
The sequel's a damn fine game too. Though it doesn't hold a candle to the original in terms of story or overall feel, the gunplay and stability are much better. It's also crazy to see how they changed the shooting mechanics to something completely different, yet still really fun.
The final chapter, Max Payne 3, wasn't exactly a game I enjoyed per se. In fact, it was a little disappointing. Part of it is because my expectations were really high, but I also think the game's direction from arcade shooter to cover based TPS makes for a relatively uninspired experience. Overall, the thing I liked best about MP3 were the references to the original. Without spoiling anything, the graveyard and police sketch easter eggs were really great. It's also an interesting look at how much game design has changed over a decade.
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