Your Top Five of 2013

[Master_Craig]

Since it has been decided that Grand Theft Auto V is the Game of the Year for 2013 here at the GR forums, I'm wondering... what were your top five games of 2013? List down your top five favourite games, what console you played it on and why these particular games are on your list.

For me...

5 - Pokémon: X (3Ds) - I'm a big fan of the Pokémon games but I went on a big hiatus from the games after Pokémon: Gold back in 2000. I picked up Pokémon: Black 2, got back into it and with the arrival of Pokémon: X/Y I was really excited. So many new features compared to the previous games especially with its great online implementations make Pokémon: X my fifth favourite game of 2013.

4 - Tomb Raider (PS3) - I've never been a fan of the Tomb Raider games but the 2013 reboot caught my eye when I saw initial trailers and read the articles online. In my opinion, the game has a pretty dumb plot, but it was really entertaining regardless and the game was just a lot of fun to play.

3 - Grand Theft Auto V (PS3) - GR's Game of the Year comes on my list at number three. I was honestly disappointed with GTAIV, but after seeing trailers on GTAV I pre-ordered it on a whim and wow, this was a big, fun game. I'll admit, I was pretty bored at the start but for me the game got better as it went on and thankfully it didn't take too long for it to get better either.

2 - Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PC) - A while ago I was asked by used44 to write my opinion on why Splinter Cell: Blacklist is better than GTAV and I got completely stomped, but still I stand by my opinion. I'm a big fan of stealth games and I'm a big fan of the Splinter Cell franchise. While I was disappointed with Splinter Cell: Conviction, I'm glad that Blacklist kept the fast paced gameplay mechanics of Conviction but instead turned it optional, as the game went back to its roots and allowed players for a more patient, quieter approach to tackling missions. Furthermore, I wasted so many hours in Blacklists' online multiplayer jumping on people and snapping their necks, making this game number two for me.

1 - The Last of Us (PS3) - Ever since watching the very first demo of this game I was excited. I'm a huge fan of Naughty Dog due to the Uncharted series and seeing Naughty Dog tackling a game that wasn't about cheesy action and adventure got me excited. The Last of Us had a brilliant presentation, I fell in love with the performance of the cast, the graphics, the story, the music... everything. To me The Last of Us was a fun, intense experience, really pushing the PS3 to its absolute limit.

And just for giggles...

Most disappointing game of 2013 - Batman: Arkham Origins -

God damn it, WB Games. Okay, Batman: Arkham Origins was by no means a "bad" game, I did enjoy it but I was still really disappointed. I was very excited for this game, even going so far as to buying both the Collector's and Definitive Editions of this game (one for me, one for my brother) was well as two season passes. I was disappointed about the game for many reasons... for starters, the free roaming map was just recycled mostly from Batman: Arkham City and Batman essentially used the same gadgets from previous games, just recoated (the glue grenades from Origins work exactly the same as the freeze grenades from Arkham City). The story wasn't that great either, it was good but it wasn't as exciting as the previous... it was also disappointing that the assassin's who were hyped up so much don't even play that big of a role in the game.

I LOVED Batman: Arkham City, to me that game had an epic "wow" factor that just made it so much better than Arkham Asylum. Asylum was a great game in its own right, City then built on that and became even better, then Origins just... it didn't feel like a sequel or a prequel, it honestly felt like an expansion pack. It was still fun to playa and enjoyable but unfortunately it bought nothing new to the table, which is why Batman: Arkham Origins was my most disappointing game of 2013.

 

[MattAY]

OK, craigy boy - let's do this!

#5 - Dead Space 3
Whilst this game is getting a bit repetitive now, I still love a good Dead Space game. One of my favourite parts of this game was the very end, with an introduction to alien necromorphs, it brought back scares I had during the first encounters of the first game! A bit less action with more scare could make it a better game, but I loved it nonetheless. And that custom weapon system tops it off.

#4 - Rayman Legends
A mint game! As soon as I picked it up I wanted to play through every level. And I did with some bathroom breaks in between! Also - music levels = fuck yeah.

#3 - Bioshock Infinite
Good. Very good. But not the same as the first. You always compare this game to the first and it falls short everytime. But that doesnt mean its bad, it was just as gripping and I was guessing what the plot twist would be until the very end. I couldnt put it down.

#2 - Tomb Raider
At first I wasnt impressed. It seemed too similar to other games like Assassin's Creed, or Uncharted. I also didnt like the combat as much, and there were parts of me that wanted more natural enemies much like the old style Tomb Raiders (tigers and shit...not the weird stuff) . Once I got further into it though, I loved it more and more. Whilst the QTEs can go fuck themselves it was a damn solid game. An intruiging story with a good bunch of challenging puzzles. I wanted way more of those puzzles though!

(trumpets) #1 - GTA 5
Yup, had to be. Already clocked in around 100 hours on that bad boy, and that's just offline! The outrageous missions, with heists made that game massive for me. I loved every mission and couldnt wait to play the next. From hijacking a plane using a crop duster, to stealing goods from a train my colliding it with another! FUCK ME!

 

[WickedLiquid]

#5 Injustice
Sure it's a fighter. But it has a better story than whatever Ben Affleck movie is coming.

#4 Hitman Absolution
Did this come out in 2013? Screw it i'm listing it. This one was a lot of fun. But if Tomb Raider is as good as everyone says I might replace it.

#3 Grand Theft Auto V
Look it's a great game but the other two blew my mind while this one just wowed me.

#2 Bioshock Infinite
Holy Jeebus.

#1 The Last of Us
A game that could not be anymore praised even if I tried. But it's worth it.

 

[UrbanMasque]

GTA is #1 get over it..

douches.

 

[WickedLiquid]

Urbz i'm going to get in a boat and sail down to kick your ass in my river of tears.

 

[Master_Craig]

MattAY - I've still yet to play a few of those games. I've never played any of the Bioshock games and while I loved the first two Dead Space games I've yet to play the third one. Those look like a bunch of games I need to play!

WickedLiquid - Interesting choices. Injustice: Gods Among Us was an awesome game and I really liked the story too. Hitman: Absolution came out in 2012 I believe but in saying that, yeah, that was an awesome game too. I really enjoyed that.

UrbanMasque - no u r

 

[Paul_Tamburro]

In no particular order...

Rogue Legacy

Hugely addictive game that plays like a roguelike 2D Castlevania with a wicked sense of humour.

The Stanley Parable

I gave it 5/5 in my GR review. If you want to know my thoughts on it, go check that out.

The Last of Us

There's literally nothing more that I can say about this game that hasn't already been said.

Animal Crossing: A New Leaf

For about 5 months I booted up this game every morning and every night, and when I think of it now, I feel genuine sadness that I've somewhat abandoned my townsfolk. Now that's a game.

Rayman Legends/Super Mario 3D World

I'm cheating a bit on this one, but honestly these are two of my favourite platformers not just of 2013, but ever. It's impossible to list one above the other, but just know that both of these games justified my purchase of a Wii U.

 

[Longo_2_guns]

Man, I can't even think of five games I really liked this year...

But I'll give it a shot.

5. Metal Gear Rising
While the story was silly and not at all fitting with most of the Metal Gear games, the gameplay of Rising was ridiculously bonertastically fun. It was the kind that I like, where it wasn't too much brawling (like God of War) and isn't too much about SSSICK COMBOS (like Devil May Cry). Instead, it sat in the sweet, sweet medium, and felt like a faster, stupider version of God Hand. Which is just fine by me.

4. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
The base game for Dragon's Dogma is pretty good. You know, a B+ or so game, but nothing all that special. Dark Arisen fixes almost every flaw in the game and adds in a bunch of new content. It's not all good content, but it definitely does a bunch.

3. Injustice: Gods Among Us
Mostly because I played this a bunch with my friends, and it was just what I wanted in a DC fighting game. Clever and new without being too hard to play for newcomers (hello MvC3), so I can't hate it.

2. Assassin's Creed 4
Honestly, if it wasn't for the terrible, terrible main missions, this game would've been flawless. Everything in it is exactly what a piracy action game should be. Maybe it just does something more for me because that's one of my favorite historical periods, but still. Everything in this game is great. Besides the main missions. What the fuck, Ubisoft?

1. Grand Theft Auto 5
While it still had its problems, it was a huge improvement over 4 and the best free roam game since San Andreas almost 10 years ago. So of course it's number 1.

 

[MattAY]

^ I was the same, I struggled all the way back to Dead Space 3's release just to get 5 games.

 

[Affen]

I've been so focused on older games that I didn't get many new ones last year.

Ni No Kuni comes first to mind as one of the best. Otherwise the list is pretty 3DS dominant with Animal Crossing, Professor Layton and DKCR3D.

 

[Paul_Tamburro]

I wish I would've put more time in Ni No Kuni before I gave away my PS3. I got a few hours into it but then, as I do with most RPGs, kind of lost interest and let it gather dust in my game collection.

 

[Master_Craig]

I still need to play Ni No Kuni.

 

[Longo_2_guns]

Me too. I got a copy of it for Christmas, but I've just been too sporadic with my playing to invest in an RPG like that.

 

[Paul_Tamburro]

It definitely was the slow burning kind of RPG, as it takes far too long to introduce you to the game and the first few hours are spent simply going through the motions. When I'd finally got made progress into it I was already burned out on it.

 

[Affen]

The start is really slow and linear, but after the game opens up a bit and gives choices it becomes much more enjoyable.

I really liked the pokemon style familiar thing. Only gripe with that was catching them. It was completely random and many times I could have spent hours before obtaining one I want.

The story and style were really the things that raised it higher. It was nothing spectacular, but I had not played a traditional rpg like that in a long time. It was really refreshing.

 

[LinksOcarina]

5: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Was a charming game if you ask me. Full of the Miyazaki sense of mystical wonder, pretty decent combat system/monster capturing mechanics, and an RPG that is light, but fun, with complexity under it that which didn't distract from the experience.

4: Legend of Grimrock

Great indie game basically. Old school dungeon crawl with excellent production values, not too hard but challenging, and with some good puzzles outside a few time-based bits that were more annoying than anything else. Well worth the download in my book.

3: Papers Please!

The best indie game to come out this year. Stronger than Gone Home in terms of theme and gameplay if you ask me, it was an experience that would make us question our own morality while playing, under the pressures of what we need to do to stay alive. An amazing experience if you ask me.

2: Pokemon X/Y

Great game, as always, and Nintendo did enough to not only transform the franchise to update it, but made it so easy to have access to what you need now, its well worth the addiction in the end. Best game on handhelds this year.

1: State of Decay

The zombie game we all want. A simulation/strategy/survival experience that is not perfect, but addictive. Scrounge for supplies, fight the undead, keep your survivors alive and do what it takes. It's a game with a lot going on in it, and a lot to recommend in the end. For me though, its the game I played the most this year.