So Top 6 Games of 2013. People are doing that now. Let's do that. No, February is not too late!
But first, let's get some rules out of the way.
- No ports or HD remasters, so no Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD or Wind Waker HD
- A 2013 game to me is one that was either released in North America or otherwise localized for that audience (like how Xenoblade Chronicles came out in 2012 for North America but earlier in Europe and Japan)
- Incomplete episodic content (namely Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 2 and The Wolf Among Us) will not be counted as 2013 games.
- An honourable mention is a game that may not be GOOD or a #7 pick, but interesting enough to mention.
And while 6 sounds like a weird number, I just wanted it to be a list of the best games I've played as opposed to "here's ALL the games I played that didn't suck".
Ok? Alright, let's get started!
HONOURABLE MENTION:
Song of Saya
(Saya no Uta)
(Saya no Uta)
Ok, I got some explaining to do. There's a few reasons as to why many people haven't heard of this. Firstly, this is a Japanese game from 2003 that in 2013 got an official English translation (so nyeh, it counts). Secondly, it's a visual novel, a very niche genre in the west. But thirdly, above all else, the reason why people wouldn't see this coming is that the game IS HENTAI. Be aware of that as I talk about it, as it's both important to why I like it (no, not in THAT way) and a reason why you should be careful when looking it up.
Song of Saya is about a medical student named Fuminori who, because of a life-saving surgery after a car accident, perceives the world as rotting flesh and humans as garbling monsters. What keeps him from ending it all is meeting a young girl named Saya who starts living with him and relieving him from his living hell.
So yes, it has hentai. It's a pretty damn intense experience, even if you consider the non-hentai elements like the vile sound effects and imagery of the meat world. The hentai itself involves illustrated sex scenes, rape, and sexual torture. However, and I say this with absolute confidence, that the portrayal of sex is surprisingly effective in plot and character development. It's not there for titillation or "getting off". Everything about the sex (and yes, it would be lacking if the sex was removed) is strange, ugly, and perverse. One rape scene in the middle seems excessive, but overall I'm impressed on how it handled the subject. Gold star for you.
And that's Song of Saya. It's dark, disturbing, yet oddly fascinating. For those wanting to hunt it down (it's not something you'll find on Gamestop shelves), just be aware what you're getting into. I wouldn't have even read it if there wasn't something interesting about it. On the side, the acting is good and the sound effects are visceral. Smiff said it best when I tried to read it. Read it as a piece of art, not for the hentai.
(don't worry, this trailer has nothing bad in it)
#6
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Blood Dragon is stupid. It's REALLY stupid. But it's stupid in the best possible way, making it one of the most entertaining and fun experiences I've had all year. Blood Dragon is basically a recolour of Far Cry 3 (except with more dinosaurs) putting tribute to video games and 80s action movies, ah hell, the 80s in general. If you're not a fan of movies like Terminator, Robocop, etc, there's still fun to be had in the one-liners, story, and acting.
It's very hard to explain that game properly (it's something you should see for yourself). It's almost a complete copy of Far Cry 3 gameplay-wise and while a lot of the mechanics don't carry over well (ie hunting), it still retains the fun of it's predecessor and more. It's a cheap little title with it's own brand of silliness and is genuinely funny. There was obviously a lot of love put into it despite being a cheap stand-alone made because some dude at Ubisoft wanted to do something fun after a big project. I wish I was there at the pitch, since it seems almost unreal that Blood Dragon saw the light of day.
Also Toronto gets nuked in the intro. What kind of game has Toronto getting nuked? An awesome one, that's what.
#5
Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus
A lot of fans (myself included) have become jaded as Ratchet and Clank spent two games toying with multiplayer gameplay. A series that seemingly could not do wrong (except for Deadlocked if you're not into that sort of thing) was in a seemingly steep decline. And while Into the Nexus is a small game, it was what a lot of people needed.
Into the Nexus is a return to the classic style of gameplay. No multiplayer, no special bells and whistles, just your typical Ratchet and Clank. While one can praise Insomniac for at least experimenting with a largely unmoved formula, it was still good to just run, jump, shoot, and explore as before. While being a small title (5-8 hours for one playthrough), it at least tries to bring a few small things to the table. The hoverboots have been made tighter, the weapons line-up being one of the strongest in the franchise, some neat environments, but the biggest thing has to be the jetpack. Similar to the levitator from Going Commando, the jetpack allows levels and regions to be more expansive and explorable. It controls well, and there is an entire planet dedicated to exploration. Another new thing added is the gravity mechanics, but other than Clank's mini-games (which is like a faster-paced Limbo), gravity with Ratchet is something criminally under-used. I hope gravtity and the jetpack are both expanded upon in future installments.
Into the Nexus is perhaps the least necessary Ratchet and Clank in the main franchise. It's short, begs further development in both gameplay and story, and it's thematic connections to past Future games is very forced. However, I had a lot of fun with it. For a game that's about half the price and length, that doesn't mean it was made with half the effort or care. This is the true 10th anniversary Ratchet and Clank game.
#4
Papers, Please
Papers, Please is a hard game to recommend. It's a game where 90% of what you do is looking through paperwork and looking for things that don't add up. That's it, and it does that very well. However, would you believe that Papers, Please is also a very engrossing game as well?
You're chosen by your not-Soviet country of Arstotzka to manage a border checkpoint. You decide who makes it through and who doesn't. What's so good is how the gameplay changes with the story. The area is full of political unrest, meaning you need to quickly adapt to new laws to the point where your desk is full of documents as you inspect it against the clock. What makes it SPECIAL on the other hand is how all of this is expanded with an untelegraphed moral choice system. Being an area of unrest, you get punished for allowing people without proper papers to pass. However, what if the people who didn't have the papers were trying to flee a country? What if they have family on the other side waiting for them? What if they'll be killed if they don't enter your country? Is it worth "defending" your country against these people? This all comes into a delicate balancing act as you try to support your family who relies on you for a steady income to survive. Your country will rather throw you in jail than give any mercy.
It's hard to explain the power of this game. And to bring it all home, this game was made by ONE person and is perhaps the most beloved indie game of the year. AND EVEN BETTER, pretty much any computer can run it. Hell, the install is 30 MB. Go nuts!
#3
Pokemon X/Y
Pokemon has been a bit part of my gaming life since childhood. While I have been keeping up with the series, I find it hard to get excited. Same old same old without a huge amount of evolution to gameplay. I was hesitant about Generation 6's coming, but now that I've played it, surprisingly enough I think this is turning out to be among the best generations yet!
The gameplay in general is largely unchanged. You battle Pokemon, gather badges, etc. However, it feels like this is one of the biggest jumps in evolution to the franchise since Gen 2. The new camera allows greater detail in characters and the world as well as bringing back old nostalgia for Pokemon Stadium type angles. It's not perfect (the battles in 3D can sometimes lag and the camera movement can be jarring) but I appreciate what atmosphere and detail it brings. Other additions include super training (to simplify EV training), interactable Pokemon Amie, character customization, among many other features. As usual we add more Pokemon to add to the daunting pile, and while I always get skeptical of new designs, there are actually some great new species (my favourites being Greninja, Xerneas, Noivern, and Sylveon). Mega Evolution is pretty cool too, bringing more balance and opportunity to Pokemon that have lagged behind in competitive worth (poor Charizard). Oh so many things! And you know what? The fairy type is not as lame as people originally believed. I love dragons, but we need SOMETHING to make Garchomp not fuck everyone's shit.
But oddly enough, what I love most about X/Y is the culture. This region feels alive in more ways than any previous generation and it was so fun to explore and interact with it. It's more than just the new graphics and camera angles. It feels "global". The Kalos region itself is based on France (as opposed to the largely Japanese previous regions) in both geography and culture. There's cafes, boutiques, salons, style mechanics, French Pokemon names, the way the cities look and feel, mythology/history, everything just comes together. Mixed in with the multi-language Pokemon credits sequence, it's the first time Pokemon felt aware of it's presence on a global scale. And I appreciate it, Game Freak. Well done.
#2
The Last Of Us
Naughty Dog and I had a rocky relationship last generation. Naughty Dog has been with me as a child with Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter I hold very fondly, and then Uncharted...has nothing for me. When The Last of Us came around, I didn't want it initially because of Uncharted. It's a very petty thing, I understand. But then I got it...and liked it.
The story is definitely TLOU's strength. The acting and motion capture is among the best in gaming (and speaking without hyperbole). The characters all have motivations and realistic behaviour and dialogue. Joel is a wonderfully grey character (borderline villain, actually) weathered by his past, and Ellie is naive but very likable and one of the best companions I've had in a game. The story flows well and halts to a gripping climax and one of the bleakest endings I've ever seen. Not to mention the game can be very intense and it's soundtrack is downright gorgeous.
It's even weird to sit back and look at how the worst thing about the game is it's gameplay. Not that it's BAD but it's just "ok". The combat is brutal and frantic, the guns feel good (but you never feel strong enough to "Leroy Jenkins" everyone) and it allows for different ways to play or even bypass trouble entirely. The downside is that there is simply TOO MUCH of it, especially with the human survivors (I've never been to Pittsburgh myself, but I find it hard to believe that everyone there but two dudes are assholes). Tomb Raider (2013) had a similar problem with having far too much combat. It also doesn't help that many encounters seem very forced and are overwhelming. The best parts of the game are obviously the story, but also the exploration and scavenging of the environment which gives way to a lot of world and character building flavour and relief.
But for what it's worth, it is really one of the best PS3 games out there. And the fact that it's a late generation IP with so much success is assuring. If you asked me my GOTY in July, I would've easily given considered it my game of the year. But then another game came along...
Choosing my game of the year was a tricky one. I nearly gave it to The Last of Us, but I had a bit of a think. There can only honestly be ONE game that meets the time-honoured way to tell quality in a game.
The requirement is this.
...
That you can platform to a mariachi cover of "Eye of the Tiger"
#1
Rayman Legends
But if you know me, of course I ADORE the new musical levels. The highlight of the game are the musical levels in each hub world where you platform in sync to various silly Rayman covers of songs like"Black Betty" and "Eye of the Tiger". They're short, but oh-so sweet. It represents what makes the platforming so good in Origins and Legends. It uses speed, precision, momentum, and critical level design on the part of the developers. These levels were perhaps the most shown off during pre-release, and quickly became the fan favourites of all levels. They're not easy things to describe, so look at the video link towards the bottom.
Don't listen to everyone saying the definitive version is on the WiiU. Unless you want it for the couch co-op and touch screen features, the other versions will more than suffice (and playing the PC version means I got on Steam sale for about 1/3 of the cost on console). Murfy may be a bit fiddly when assigned to a button, but it's functional and the rest of the game is the same. I've spent more than 40 hours since November playing it and it's still fun. Other than Murfy and the scale back in difficulty compared to Origins (though Origins got stupid hard in places, so maybe some scaling needed to be done), I struggle to find any flaws at all. Seriously, this is easily one of the best platformers of the generation and more than worthy of my selection for game of the year 2013.
And for those that doubt my reasons, allow me to correct myself. In fact, there are TWO levels where you platform to a mariachi cover of "Eye of the Tiger". I rest my case!
Well that's my list. I hope you enjoyed it and maybe even convinced you to try out some new games. There were a few I couldn't fit on the list like Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, and Sly 4, but you have to draw the line somewhere. There were a few games I wanted to try like Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Ni No Kuni, and Rogue Legacy, but not enough time (or money) for them all.
As for any hopes and dreams for next year? Well, there can only be one.
I feel sad now.
It was wondering if I could use this write-up on my other website, I will link it back to your website though.Great Thanks. hantai
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