Welcome to the Game Revolution 2013 Game of the Year showdown!
Enjoy some well-written defenses of some of the year's best games, then vote on which game you want to see advance!
Today's round one match-up is: The Last of Us vs. Injustice: Gods Among Us
______________________________
The Last of Us is brought to us by Bretimus_v2!
Why is The Last of Us the best game of 2013?
It's not often that a game like The Last of Us comes along. For me this game represents the pinnacle of what this console generation has to offer both visually and thematically. It showcases the direction that so many developers are trying to achieve or are looking to achieve with their games.
To start off, the game is absolutely gorgeous. Naughty Dog has been one of Sony's flagship developers for quite some time and The Last of Us (TLOU) shows it. From the environments, to the character models, to even the facial expressions and body language, the game takes advantage of every last bit of the PS3’s hardware. The character animations, the movement of set pieces, for instance, the way you get wet up to a certain point also showcase the reactive state of the animation processes. And don't even get me started on the fire. Whether you light up a runner, a clicker or a bloater, it's amazing the differences that you'll see. The way the character model starts to char, the intensity and the color of the flames depending on which one it is. The game reeks of polish. And it only gets better from there. The beautiful visuals of the sets aren't just window dressing; the sound effects, and the voice acting pile in to provide an immersive world full of details.
But TLOU isn’t just another pretty face, she has a lot more going for her. The story line takes you on an emotional roller coaster that takes you from moments of tranquility, to moments of fear, and moments of savagery. The Last of Us is a journey that covers not only the United States, but all four seasons. During this journey you get to know our characters Joel and Ellie. The zombie apocalypse starts tragically for Joel with the loss of his daughter and by the time it fast-forwards two decades he has continued to see the vicious cruelty this new world is made of. The events have turned him into a bitter and lost man who does whatever it takes to survive and he has isolated himself emotionally against the world. When a supply run goes south he finds himself paired with Ellie. She’s extroverted and vibrant. While her spirit isn’t completely unblemished, she’s the more innocent of the two. As they make their grand journey, you see them go from a smuggler and his cargo to something more. It’s an emotional ride and the story is seriously one of the most satisfying and that I’ve played through in a long time.
When I look back at this year, it is hard for me to think of a game that had me more wrapped up in its world. The Last of Us both shocked and awed me. The beauty of the scenery mixed with the brutality of the gameplay was expertly crafted by Naughty Dog. But they did it one better. Naughty Dog made a compelling story and filled it with characters that I cared about who were involved in a struggle that was both physically dangerous as well as emotionally tense. I’ve never had so much fun feeling completely tense. There were times were I felt exhausted after a night of TLOU. But it was that experience that left me a fan and made this my game of the year.
Is The Last of Us a bad stealth game?
When it comes to The Last of Us, this is one of the few things that I hear brought up. No gem is without its flaw in my opinion. But in its defense, stealth games have come a long way from the early 2000s. I would agree that it in general, it has become too easy to break stealth and go loud. But this is a problem found in more stealth games than just TLOU. Admittedly on the Easy and Normal setting, there is really not a whole lot holding you back from breaking stealth. With the almighty brick in one hand and a shotgun in the other you are pretty adept at bashing people’s skulls in or vacating their chest cavities. But the real challenge comes at Hard or Survival, when the supplies run scarce, the enemies run faster and your brick is suddenly just a brick again. At this difficulty level, it pays to take the time to watch the patrol routes and listen at every corner. It pays to quickly scavenge a room and then avoid the enemy because if you engage him you’re usually fighting everyone in earshot within a few moments. So all of the sudden you find yourself rethinking your strategy, choking out more people, arrowing the ones out of arms’ reach.
How is The Last of Us better than Injustice: Gods Among Us?
I’m a big fan of Injustice. Alongside TLOU, it’s one of the few launch week titles I picked up this year. But it doesn’t even compare. The story is fun but full of moments both boring and laughable. It’s a fighter, filled with your favorite DC Universe IPs. It came pre-loaded with a fanbase. Do you like DC Comics? Do you like Mortal Kombat fighting systems? Well do we have the game for you!!! But it’s still just a fighter. For me, fighters are only as fun as the friends you find to play them and without that party/group atmosphere they lose their luster fairly quickly. The Last of Us was an original IP with an original story. Naughty Dog had a fanbase from Uncharted but a new IP is often like uncharted waters. It's success came from the breath-taking single player experience and even added on a fun multiplayer as well that with the right online group can continue to be fun well after the conclusion of Joel and Ellie’s journey.
______________________________
Injustice: Gods Among Us is brought to us by WickedLiquid!
Why is Injustice: Gods Among Us the best game of 2013?
Injustice stands as one of the best fighting games of 2013 and very possibly the best game of the year. It's an excellent brawler and a love letter to DC fans who have been waiting for a decent fighting game staring their heroes and villains.
The game tells a compelling story. While the plot is an excuse to help explain how Batman could defeat Superman in a one to one fighting game, it still manages to captivate the player from beginning to end.
Not only is there an impressive story mode, the single player campaign also features a ton of extras with Challenge modes and those famous "ladder battles" with fight after fight to reach that ultimate championship.
With hours of fun both online and offline, Injustice stands as a pinnacle for fighters in 2013 and may very well be the best game of the year.
Is Injustice: Gods Among Us the best Mortal Kombat game?
The creators of Mortal Kombat got their first chance at the DC Universe when they pitted their Mortal Kombat characters against the heroes and foes of DC. The reaction was less than impressive and many hardcore fans labeled it as the worst cross over fighter game EVER. Ed Boon knew his team had to win their fans over. After rebooting Mortal Kombat into the gore fest people were expecting, they tackled the DC universe once again with Injustice: Gods Among Us.
Injustice not only proved Ed Boon knew how to properly create a DC fighting game, but released one of the best games out of all his previous works. While it may not be Mortal Kombat, it is definitely better than a lot of MK games over the past few years.
How is Injustice: Gods Among Us better than The Last of Us?
The Last of Us? More like "The Ass In Us"? Amirite?
The Last of Us is a about a zombie apocalypse. Oh, I mean, a "Fungi" apocalypse that turns people into... Into zombies. Oh gee, how original, a zombie game... After the opening cutscene, if you haven't slit your wrists yet, this depressing tale takes you through a world where everyone is a total asshole. You're going to need a dose of prozac after you finish this game. Maybe some adivan too?
Injustice on the other hand is a brilliant story that isn't going to depress the hell out of you and turn grown men into crying babies. It's better than The Last of Us, because not everyone is a masochist like Brett who enjoys depressing games that constantly bring the feels.
______________________________
Continue the discussion below and vote for which game you want to see advance to round two.
PLEASE PUT YOUR VOTES IN BOLD
Thanks!
Enjoy some well-written defenses of some of the year's best games, then vote on which game you want to see advance!
Today's round one match-up is: The Last of Us vs. Injustice: Gods Among Us
______________________________
The Last of Us is brought to us by Bretimus_v2!
Why is The Last of Us the best game of 2013?
It's not often that a game like The Last of Us comes along. For me this game represents the pinnacle of what this console generation has to offer both visually and thematically. It showcases the direction that so many developers are trying to achieve or are looking to achieve with their games.
To start off, the game is absolutely gorgeous. Naughty Dog has been one of Sony's flagship developers for quite some time and The Last of Us (TLOU) shows it. From the environments, to the character models, to even the facial expressions and body language, the game takes advantage of every last bit of the PS3’s hardware. The character animations, the movement of set pieces, for instance, the way you get wet up to a certain point also showcase the reactive state of the animation processes. And don't even get me started on the fire. Whether you light up a runner, a clicker or a bloater, it's amazing the differences that you'll see. The way the character model starts to char, the intensity and the color of the flames depending on which one it is. The game reeks of polish. And it only gets better from there. The beautiful visuals of the sets aren't just window dressing; the sound effects, and the voice acting pile in to provide an immersive world full of details.
But TLOU isn’t just another pretty face, she has a lot more going for her. The story line takes you on an emotional roller coaster that takes you from moments of tranquility, to moments of fear, and moments of savagery. The Last of Us is a journey that covers not only the United States, but all four seasons. During this journey you get to know our characters Joel and Ellie. The zombie apocalypse starts tragically for Joel with the loss of his daughter and by the time it fast-forwards two decades he has continued to see the vicious cruelty this new world is made of. The events have turned him into a bitter and lost man who does whatever it takes to survive and he has isolated himself emotionally against the world. When a supply run goes south he finds himself paired with Ellie. She’s extroverted and vibrant. While her spirit isn’t completely unblemished, she’s the more innocent of the two. As they make their grand journey, you see them go from a smuggler and his cargo to something more. It’s an emotional ride and the story is seriously one of the most satisfying and that I’ve played through in a long time.
When I look back at this year, it is hard for me to think of a game that had me more wrapped up in its world. The Last of Us both shocked and awed me. The beauty of the scenery mixed with the brutality of the gameplay was expertly crafted by Naughty Dog. But they did it one better. Naughty Dog made a compelling story and filled it with characters that I cared about who were involved in a struggle that was both physically dangerous as well as emotionally tense. I’ve never had so much fun feeling completely tense. There were times were I felt exhausted after a night of TLOU. But it was that experience that left me a fan and made this my game of the year.
Is The Last of Us a bad stealth game?
When it comes to The Last of Us, this is one of the few things that I hear brought up. No gem is without its flaw in my opinion. But in its defense, stealth games have come a long way from the early 2000s. I would agree that it in general, it has become too easy to break stealth and go loud. But this is a problem found in more stealth games than just TLOU. Admittedly on the Easy and Normal setting, there is really not a whole lot holding you back from breaking stealth. With the almighty brick in one hand and a shotgun in the other you are pretty adept at bashing people’s skulls in or vacating their chest cavities. But the real challenge comes at Hard or Survival, when the supplies run scarce, the enemies run faster and your brick is suddenly just a brick again. At this difficulty level, it pays to take the time to watch the patrol routes and listen at every corner. It pays to quickly scavenge a room and then avoid the enemy because if you engage him you’re usually fighting everyone in earshot within a few moments. So all of the sudden you find yourself rethinking your strategy, choking out more people, arrowing the ones out of arms’ reach.
How is The Last of Us better than Injustice: Gods Among Us?
I’m a big fan of Injustice. Alongside TLOU, it’s one of the few launch week titles I picked up this year. But it doesn’t even compare. The story is fun but full of moments both boring and laughable. It’s a fighter, filled with your favorite DC Universe IPs. It came pre-loaded with a fanbase. Do you like DC Comics? Do you like Mortal Kombat fighting systems? Well do we have the game for you!!! But it’s still just a fighter. For me, fighters are only as fun as the friends you find to play them and without that party/group atmosphere they lose their luster fairly quickly. The Last of Us was an original IP with an original story. Naughty Dog had a fanbase from Uncharted but a new IP is often like uncharted waters. It's success came from the breath-taking single player experience and even added on a fun multiplayer as well that with the right online group can continue to be fun well after the conclusion of Joel and Ellie’s journey.
______________________________
Injustice: Gods Among Us is brought to us by WickedLiquid!
Why is Injustice: Gods Among Us the best game of 2013?
Injustice stands as one of the best fighting games of 2013 and very possibly the best game of the year. It's an excellent brawler and a love letter to DC fans who have been waiting for a decent fighting game staring their heroes and villains.
The game tells a compelling story. While the plot is an excuse to help explain how Batman could defeat Superman in a one to one fighting game, it still manages to captivate the player from beginning to end.
Not only is there an impressive story mode, the single player campaign also features a ton of extras with Challenge modes and those famous "ladder battles" with fight after fight to reach that ultimate championship.
With hours of fun both online and offline, Injustice stands as a pinnacle for fighters in 2013 and may very well be the best game of the year.
Is Injustice: Gods Among Us the best Mortal Kombat game?
The creators of Mortal Kombat got their first chance at the DC Universe when they pitted their Mortal Kombat characters against the heroes and foes of DC. The reaction was less than impressive and many hardcore fans labeled it as the worst cross over fighter game EVER. Ed Boon knew his team had to win their fans over. After rebooting Mortal Kombat into the gore fest people were expecting, they tackled the DC universe once again with Injustice: Gods Among Us.
Injustice not only proved Ed Boon knew how to properly create a DC fighting game, but released one of the best games out of all his previous works. While it may not be Mortal Kombat, it is definitely better than a lot of MK games over the past few years.
How is Injustice: Gods Among Us better than The Last of Us?
The Last of Us? More like "The Ass In Us"? Amirite?
The Last of Us is a about a zombie apocalypse. Oh, I mean, a "Fungi" apocalypse that turns people into... Into zombies. Oh gee, how original, a zombie game... After the opening cutscene, if you haven't slit your wrists yet, this depressing tale takes you through a world where everyone is a total asshole. You're going to need a dose of prozac after you finish this game. Maybe some adivan too?
Injustice on the other hand is a brilliant story that isn't going to depress the hell out of you and turn grown men into crying babies. It's better than The Last of Us, because not everyone is a masochist like Brett who enjoys depressing games that constantly bring the feels.
______________________________
Continue the discussion below and vote for which game you want to see advance to round two.
PLEASE PUT YOUR VOTES IN BOLD
Thanks!
