Note from Jamaal Ryan: I embarrassingly made the mistake of calling Andrew Ryan "Adam Ryan". I apologize for the obvious mistake, and will practice better editing next time.
2013 was as good a year for video games as it could get. While
this holiday was light on stellar titles thanks to a console launch (and I also
like to blame the absence of Watch Dogs), the bulk of last year had some of the
best titles this generation.
I myself didn’t get to some of last year’s cream of the crop such
as Gone Home, Rogue Legacy, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds,
however I’ve had the opportunity to play and review some of last year’s highest
acclaimed titles. Here are my top 10 favorite games of 2013.
10. Tomb Raider
Lara Croft’s latest adaptation in and of itself earns one of
2013’s most empowering female leads, but Tomb Raider was a pleasant surprise on
multiple fronts.
Part Uncharted, part Arkham Asylum, Tomb Raider was an excellent
showcase of last gen’s most influential titles. It balanced stealth and action almost
as well as Rocksteady’s poster bat, and handled gunplay far better than
Uncharted has ever managed. Metroidvania games succeed when players bring
themselves back to previous locations numerous times even outside of the game’s
demand. Tomb Raider’s layered item system incentivized me to uncover every
secret, and most rewardingly, every tomb.
Lara Croft’s oddly paced story and abysmal multiplayer managed to leave
a few blemishes, but blemishes that pale in comparison to the core Tomb Raider
experience.
9. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
If there was any JRPG that deserved you attention last year, it
was Ni No Kuni. Level 5 and Studio Ghibli’s collaboration was a true palette
cleanser, a breath of fresh air from the modus opperandi of the genre. Ghibli’s
distinctive art style is enchanting, bringing the warmth of their feature films
to this fantastic RPG.
The JRPG sub genre has relied on the turn based battle systems too
heavily long past technical necessities. Ni No Kuni’s real time combat is that
thin strip of ginger that added to this game’s palette cleansing qualities. It’s
incredibly deep and surprisingly demanding to manage your party’s buffs as well
as their offensive and defensive positions in real time.
Outside of battle, much of your time is spent on chasing down new
Familiars and fetching equipment and items needed to metamorph your party
members. The errand side quests are inevitably mundane, but pay off well
enough.
But with its fresh aesthetic and excitingly novel battle system,
Ni No Kuni is one of the best titles of the year, an honor that JRPGs haven’t universally
earned in quite some time.
8. Grand Theft Auto V
By sheer metrics, Grand Theft Auto V bleeds the capabilities of
last gen systems in ways we may not have even imagined. The powerful lighting
system, the massive size of the city, and the detail rendered in the very
cracks of it, GTA V is a stunning location from sky box to sea floor.
But the actual game that exists within this city showcases
Rockstar’s best efforts. With the gunplay of Max Payne 3, the driving of
Midnight Club spiced with the spontaneity of Red Dead, GTA V was certainly the
best playing installment in the franchise.
But the odd trifecta that is Michael, Franklin and Trevor that
exists in GTA V’s story was the key ingredient that concocted gold standard
mission design in the open world genre. It wasn’t as liberating as we would
have thought it to be however. I couldn’t always play as Michael if I wanted
to, or switch to Franklin whenever I pleased, but missions that involved more
than one character was a sure guarantee to be highly entertaining.
And then there’s the rest of the city. GTA V brought back the
gleeful sandbox that was missing in some respect from GTA IV. To this day,
there are new videos posted of people’s antics as they f**k around with any and
everything from Los Santos to the boonies
up north.
Grand Theft Auto V is a fantastic ride when you need it, and
bottomless playground of your own discretion.
7. Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
Even as the lowest scoring game on this top 10 list, Metal Gear
Rising still managed to leave an even more lasting impression on me than some
of this year’s most popular games.
This might have been my lack of understanding, or Platinum’s habit
of cryptic communication, but Rising’s combat didn’t quite click for me until
more than half way through the game’s campaign.
It was then when I figured out how to “break” the combat system,
and when Rising changed into a completely different game. Empowering players to
be able to manipulate their enemies at their will by brutal kinetics while
still maintaining a high level of difficulty is what separates good action games
from great ones.
Gunning at full sprint as I chop away at fodder and refuel my Nano Charge with liberal use of
Rising’s Blade Mode made me feel like a god in a way that I haven’t felt from
an action game in years. Once I got a full handle on Rising’s non-transparent
combat system, the campaign that took me seven hours to complete the first round
reduced to four the second time.
And it was a liberating four hours, ones that ended with chunks of
cyborg meat and fallen bosses that had once given me grief within my first play
through. Though it isn’t earned the highest score I’ve issued an action game
this year, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is my favorite action title of 2013.
6. Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag
The fact that an Assassins Creed game has made it on my top 10
list, as someone who hasn’t enjoyed an Assassins game since AC 2, speaks
volumes as to how damn good AC IV turned out to be.
Assassins Creed IV bests every installment before it by not quite
being an Assassins Creed game. One part Assassins game, three parts pirate
power fantasy, Black Flag is the pirate game we’ve always dreamed about.
Part of the franchise’s charm is the enjoyment of exploring rather
than gathering and collecting. Without relying heavily on the series’ core
formula, AC IV rolls out an entire ocean to explore away from the roof tops of
the densely packed cities.
Unlike any other open world title this year, AC IV managed to keep
me away from continuing to my main objective. It did so not by having a sh*tty
campaign like Saints Row IV, but encouraged me to open up my own opportunities
to venture out on my own, something that GTA V couldn’t even bring me to do.
Assassin Creed IV: Black Flag is a pleasant surprise after the
truly mess of a game AC III was, and has managed to be one of my top favorite holiday
games of 2013.
The Disappointments of 2013
As we take a look at some of 2013’s best, there were a number of
games that have garnered high hopes only to disappoint last year.
5. Dead Space 3
Dead Space 3, like most of the games on this list, isn’t a bad
game. In fact, it’s a great game with a significantly refined combat system
thanks to the complex weapon crafting economy.
However if the game itself was reskinned as an action title
without the horror aesthetics, we would have a fantastic title. Unfortunately,
Dead Space 3 DOES try to be a survival horror game, one that fails almost as
miserably to do so as Resident Evil 6.
Dead Space 3 accomplishes horror only by its atmosphere. However much
of the scares fall into an exercise of predictability, which is something that
no piece of horror fiction ever wants to be accused of. To make matters worse,
a powerful arsenal and a cocky protagonist only further prevent this game from
being scary.
Dead Space 3 is a great game, but a bad survival horror one at
that.
4. Saints Row IV
I’ve already briefly mentioned how much I didn’t like the campaign
in Saints Row IV. In a game that’s driven by your ability to fly over tall buildings
and run faster than even the fastest sports car, Saints IV’s story removed that
empowerment from me far more often than I would have liked.
And while tossing cars and running up buildings was the epitome of
its entertainment value, it made much of what allows Saints Row: The Third to be
one of the best sandbox titles ever made obsolete. Don’t ask me to get in a
car, because I can blow right past them. Don’t ask me to fly a jet, because I can
fly on my own. Saints Row IV didn’t manage to scale up everything to match your
enhanced super powers.
Take the time to flip through your list of purchasable upgrades,
and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
3. God of War: Ascension
No one asked for GOW: Ascension.
Kratos’ story was concluded in GOW 3, and not much time has passed
since the Spartan warrior’s swan song. But nonetheless, after an impressive E3
showing, none could complain about getting another God of War game since the
series has yet to release an underwhelming title.
But Ascension wasn’t only a disappointing game, it wasn’t a very
good one to begin with.
The God of War franchise has managed to do a decent job at
narrating Kratos’ rage filled quest for vengeance. But Ascension’s delivery was
weak on all fronts with meaningless characters and a severe lack in “epic”.
Adding more to this unwarranted release, Ascension’s combat has
worsened; attacks are looser with a notable delay and some annoyingly
non-interruptable moves. But this GOW’s biggest offense sits in its inexcusable
use of provocation. The formerly titled “Bros before Hos” trophy continued the
franchise’s disrespectful messaging towards women after the appalling “I didn’t
do it, but I wish I did” trophy from GOW 3. And its childish use of suicide
imagery in the game’s multiplayer was completely uncalled for.
Ascension manages to pull through with a surprisingly enjoyable
multiplayer, however it’s better to forget that God of War: Ascension even
existed.
2. Call of Duty: Ghosts
I speak to the Call of Duty fan base about this one as many will
quickly resort to, “Well Call of Duty’s sucked for years!”
Every Call of Duty game’s campaign has managed to be mindlessly
entertaining with a few moderately successful attempts at compelling story
telling. However the director of Syriana’s contribution to Ghost’s story has
done nothing to save it from being unequivocally bad. From the weakest
narrative to completely un inspired pacing makes Ghost’s campaign the first I recommend
against playing.
There’s not much to say about the multiplayer either. The map
design is bloated and unnecessarily convoluted making Team Deathmatch surprisingly
uneventful in some cases. Some of these maps can be saved by different match
types, such as the hardcore mode Cranked, but Ghost’s maps fail to adapt well
to different styles of play.
Multiplayer also seems to try too hard to fabricate longevity. With
a light feature set outside of the awesome Extinction Mode, having to unlock an
overloaded list of perks, weapons and attachments, Call of Duty’s multiplayer feels
more like a chore.
As Giant Bomb’s Jeff Gerstmann said, “This is exactly what
Titanfall needed”. In March, I’ll gladly hang up my dog tags for a jet pack and
a Titan.
1.Beyond: Two Souls
Beyond 2 Souls is the lowest scoring game I’ve ever reviewed,
which is an utter surprise after Quantic Dream’s previous offering which still
sits among my top three PS3 games of all time.
Beyond was a shockingly bad effort in both story telling and game
design. The writing was poor, mildly evocative at best giving us no real chance
to build an emotional connection with it; and its completely disorganized and
out of order sequence did nothing to enhance its delivery.
And while some slight distractions such as the gorgeous visuals,
Ellen Page’s performance, and an excruciatingly small handful of interesting
narrative attempts, Beyond never rises up above being a terrible video game. The
lack of player agency is severe and borderline offensive, robbing you of any meaningful
choices until the game’s conclusion.
Beyond: Two Souls is a full step backwards in every way imaginable
from the studio that brought us the truly excellent Heavy Rain.
Now, for the remaining 5 of the best games of 2013
5. Bioshock Infinite
Infinite’s significance is nearly entirely recognized by its
ending. That one-two gut punch of Rapture followed by the Comstock reveal is
what Bioshock Infinite will be remembered by.
The writing was bold and unafraid to gets its hands dirty with
depictions of religion and racism. Disappointingly however, those subject
matters weren’t pervasive throughout the game’s entirety and only served to
emphasize how twisted of a society Comstock has created after we’ve seen [Andrew] Ryan and Sophia Lamb’s failings.
Infinite’s sense of narrative agency is powerful, giving the
player plenty of responsibility to piece together the city of Columbia. And
though the gameplay itself seemed divorced from the fiction, it offered a
successfully energetic approach to combat as opposed to the original’s
methodical pacing. The sprawling battle arenas threaded with sky lines
presented impressive mobility. And the Vigors helped close the gap or reach
enemies from afar.
Bioshock Infinite stands as a wildly successful title, acing
nearly everything it strived to accomplish.
4. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Spoiler alert
Bioshock Infinite’s biggest criticism was that the gameplay bared
little resemblance to its narrative of the city of Columbia. Brothers manages
the exact opposite, where the gameplay itself is a direct representation of the
story.
Controlling both brothers independently with each analog stick was
admittedly awkward, but worked for the gameplay and worked even better for the
story. Puzzles and encounters offered a satisfying challenge, not only because
of the split controls, but because they were creative and engaging in their own
right.
Brother’s wordless dialogue only heightened the surprisingly dark
tone and emotional interactions. It brought us to pay attention to body language
and non verbal communication unlike any other game has.
But Brother’s highest achievement comes after the older brother’s
death. It’s emotionally heartbreaking not only because of the passing of a
companion and the uncomfortable burial of his body, but the entire control
scheme reacts to his death, mimicking the emptiness the younger brother felt.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is easily one of the most emotionally
effective games of 2013.
3. Hotline Miami
The cult hit from 2012 returned in 2013 and invaded Playstation
Vitas for your homicidal pleasure.
At its roots, Hotline Miami is an arcade game with a very simple “clear
the room” objective. However its electrifying head bobbing soundtrack, tight as
f**k controls, instant respawns, and incredible depiction of violence made this
murderous hyper trip down-right hypnotic.
Hotline Miami’s level design is centered on rapid problem solving.
Its tools of mutilation allowed me to feel empowered, yet its one-hit-kill
punishment made me feel very vulnerable. You can either die a dozen times, or eviscerate
a dozen foes in 12 seconds.
To this day, Hotline Miami is still my favorite title on Vita.
2. Super Mario 3D World
Even if Wii U’s library was filled with strong third party support
offerings, there’s no denying that few could have measured up to the impeccable
craftsmanship in Super Mario 3D World.
3D World’s masterful level design is gleeful, joyous, and
unpredictable. Picking up a Cherry power-up for the first time made my girlfriend
scream in excitement. The same reaction was elicited from me when a flag pole
sprouted wings and began flying away.
Super Mario 3D World’s replay value is immense, and had me go back
multiple times with multiple characters to scrape up every single collectable.
3D World’s highly difficult stages, once conquered, brought me back for intense
speed runs, Mario’s oldest form of replayability.
Multiplayer brought some of the most fun I’ve had with friends in
a Battlefield and Dota 2 era. The series of vengeful griefings and happy accidents
can only exist in a couch co-op experience, and I’m glad Nintendo stuck to it.
My favorite line from playing multiplayer was, “David, you’re a butt” as the
couple in my living room chased each other to throw one another off a cliff.
It’s been several years since we’ve been graced by a stellar
console Mario title, and Super Mario 3D World is the best proper Mario game
since Galaxy 2.
1.The Last of Us
They say that we love the ones who hurt us the most; I suppose
that’s the kind of relationship I have with The Last of Us.
The Last of Us was grimy, dingy, and very uncomfortable to
experience; and it was for those very reasons why I kept coming back. Easily,
The Last of Us boasts the best visuals and performances on Playstation 3.
Naughty Dog didn’t need to visually replicate the talent behind Joel, Ellie (Troy
Baker and Ashely Johnson) and the other strong characters in order to convince
me they were real people.
The “on the edge of my seat” cliché is most appropriately used to
describe my complete emotional reaction to The Last of Us. Creeping around
Runners and Clickers, examining new characters with caution and mistrust, and
not knowing just what the hell was going to happen towards the end; The Last of
Us had me hooked every second.
The complimentary stealth action gameplay was a perfect pairing
for The Last of Us. It represented the desperation of the post apocalypse and
adapted effortlessly between silent avoidance and direct confrontations.
Next to its shocking ending, The Last of Us’ multiplayer was this
game’s biggest surprise. I can’t think of a multiplayer game that has managed
to closely replicate its single player counterpart as The Last of Us did. It didn’t
only do this with its methodical mechanics, but it did so with its harrowing
sense of desperation.
As one who’s responsible for a growing survival camp, your actions
in multiplayer directly affected the fate of your survivors. And the inclusion
of names and their personal updates made you feel as if your tasks were that
much more important. I say that The Last of Us hurt me, and I meant that quite
literally. One multiplayer match triggered so much anxiety, that it gave me
chest pain. No video game in my 20 year history has ever had that effect on me.
The Last of Us isn’t only my pick for the top game of 2013, it
defines AAA accomplishment for the last console generation, and has become my
favorite game of all time.
