God Emperor Baldur
(?)Community Member
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- Posted: Tue, 24 Dec 2013 03:56:14 +0000
2013 has been a good year and a bad year. It seems that there has been a lot of crap in 2013, but with all of the bad games that came out, we still had plenty of good games. So here is my list of the best games of 2013.
Da Rules:
1. The games have to have been made in 2013 or at least released worldwide in 2013.
2. It has to be a game I played. That means there won't be any 3ds games or PS4/XBO exclusives.
3. I will only have games that I deem games. In my definition of gaming, a game must have a challenge. So Gone Home and Stanley Parable are not on the list. Games that are too easy will also not be on the list so don't be looking for Sonic: Lost World.
4. Everything is fair game. That includes AAA titles, Indie titles, DLC, Flash games and ROM Hacks are allowed.
Honorable Mentions:
Total War: Rome 2-
This is a controversial game to say the least. However this game is something I would recommend. Granted there are still bugs, but it's very playable and addictive.
GTA V-
This is also a good game. The map is huge, there are a ton of weapons and the gameplay is better than GTA IV. However, the campiness of the story, the lack of buildings you can explore and the bad practices of the developers keep this game from getting on the list.
Kerbal Space Program-
I know it's a 2012 game, but since this year, KSP has transformed into a whole other game. It is a Rocket Science simulator where you build rockets and get into space. It is really difficult, but really rewarding.
Dishonorable mentions (Because a lot of 2013 sucked)
Sim City-
This game was plagued with incredibly restrictive DRM that almost aims to make Sim City obsolete when they come out with a new one. Even without the bad business practices of EA, Sim City is a game where the map is too small. It's not worth getting.
Ride to Hell-
Everyone knows why this game sucks from the bad gameplay to the unpolished voiceovers to the retarded missions to the misogynistic view on sex. For those who don't know, Angry Joe review.
All the games with microtransactions-
Seriously. If you pay $60 for a game, why should I be extorted into shelling out more money? ******** any game that has that model.
My list:
10. Bioshock Infinite-
The creators of Bioshock never shy away from politics in their video games and Bioshock Infinite is no exception. This is a game that attacks the argument that the olden days were good. And Columbia expresses that perfectly. The city is nice on the outside, but in reality, racial segregation, wealth inequality, lack of worker's rights, civil instability, fundamentalism and class struggle is rampant. Politics aside, the story is great and the characters are memorable. Unfortunately the gamplay is not as stellar. Even then, the game steers away from the cliche of escort missions.
9. Battlefield 4-
Battlefield 4 to me seems like an upgrade from the predecessor. If I were to rate this game on the multiplayer level, it is nearly perfect. Battle feels kinetic as opposed to many other Modern Military Shooters like CoD Ghosts. It is refined and much better. Still, this game has flaws, mainly EA and how their DRM practice treats you like a prisoner where Always Online and frequent security patches make playing it a chore.
8. Saints Row IV-
Normally I'm not a fan of campy action media. Films like The Hobbit and most Lethal Weapons are almost unwatchable to me and when artists want to take that further and make over the top, it always fails. This game however did not. It went as over the top parody as possible and instead of ending up as a joke, it created the jokes, referencing games, memes, pop culture and even classic jokes. Not only that, but I have to give brownie points to the developers who are fine with monetization of their content and their respect to the PC community.
7. Euro Truck Simulator 2-
When it comes to occupational simulators, most of them always suck. You have street Sweeper Simulator, Bus Driver Simulator and even odd ones like Airport Firefighter Simulator. But out of all the crap that companies half-assed, ETS rose above it. In this game, you are a truck driver, moving freight. What makes this game fun however is the realistic behavior of the road, the beautiful scenery going through country to country, the career mode which is simple, but effective and the icing on the cake being the radio which is live steam that you can listen to whenever. While it was made in 2012, I count it because it went global in 2013.
6. Papers, Please-
This game should not have worked. The idea in of itself sounds stupid, even compared to Euro Truck Simulator. But Papers, Please is a puzzle game that puts you in control of who you let in and out of your crappy communist country. With this game, you must see if their entry is valid and sometimes denying someone is painful. Do you let them in and get reprimanded or do you kick them out and doom them? Sometimes letting someone through could cause a terrorist attack. For a point a puzzle game, it really takes itself seriously and it's a dark game that will make you question your morality.
5. Splinter Cell: Blacklist-
The last Splinter Cell could have been a lot better. When you take a franchise based off of Stealth and put in a game engine that makes brute force more pragmatic, then you may as well have given up. Blacklist on the other hand is different. You can choose to be a Rambo, but the game makes it way more difficult if you choose that. The best would be to take people out quietly or evade them. Both are much preferred. This game shows that the new Splinter Cell can be just as good as his golden age. A shame about Michael Ironside though. The new guy seems like the George Lazenby of Sam Fishers.
4. Metro: Last Light-
Last Light is the sequel to the heavily underrated Metro: 2033. This is a world where people live in the subway system of Moscow after a nuclear war. Supplies dwindle, monsters are everywhere, some men transcended into demons thanks to the radiation, war is everywhere, disease is rampant, the metro is unsafe and worst of all, there has been to contact from the rest of the world. They may be the only humans alive. Yet despite all of that, the people live strong day for day, never letting their hope fade. Along with a great setting, the gameplay has been improved drastically compared to the last. This is my favorite shooter of 2013.
3. Sonic After the Sequel-
One thing that Sonic is less known for are the fan games people create. Many of them are ROM hacks and many more never get past Alpha. Sonic After the Sequel is different. The game takes place inbetween Sonic 2 and Sonic 3. The story attempts to bride the huge gap between games while the gameplay is experimental. The developer (known as lakefeperd) takes the Sonic CD engine and attempts to do everything imaginable with the physics given to him. The results are amazing and can rival even newer Sonic games. If you get a chance, I would also check out Sonic Before the Sequel.
2. Volgarr the Viking-
Many gamers complain about how easy games are nowadays. This game was made in response to this. Volgarr the Viking is the result of a successful kickstarter that promised to make a game as hard as the classic 16-bit games. This game shows its influence of the old days in gameplay and in difficulty. Making this game even harder than Dark Souls and Super Ghosts and Goblins. It is very hard and very unforgiving. But each death is your fault. This game isn't unfair and it's set up so that you feel that every time you die, you can better yourself. The controls are also solid. There are no cutscenes or a break from the action to update the story. Odin tells you to go right and you follow.
1. DCS World: Flaming Cliffs 3-
If you haven't heard of this game, then you haven't read my replies to the Ace Combat topics. Flaming Cliffs 3 is a military jet simulator and it is very realistic. It isn't as bad as the A-10 Simulator when it comes to the learning curve, but you must learn how to fly the plane and deploy weapons effectively. Then you need to know how to fight. That is difficult. I have been playing Lock On since 2011 and I'm still getting the hang of it. But once you do, then the game is satisfying to say the least. Each time you evade a missile, out-turn your opponent and finish missions, you don't get a better feeling than that. The game is very challenging and it's hard to the point of frustration. Trying to refuel in mid-air has been the bane of my existence. Yet the effort pays off and once you master the missions, a whole new world of multiplayer is there to greet you. I am not saying this game is perfect. But this game shows that simulators are not dead and because of that, I think it is the best game of the year and my #1 choice.
Da Rules:
1. The games have to have been made in 2013 or at least released worldwide in 2013.
2. It has to be a game I played. That means there won't be any 3ds games or PS4/XBO exclusives.
3. I will only have games that I deem games. In my definition of gaming, a game must have a challenge. So Gone Home and Stanley Parable are not on the list. Games that are too easy will also not be on the list so don't be looking for Sonic: Lost World.
4. Everything is fair game. That includes AAA titles, Indie titles, DLC, Flash games and ROM Hacks are allowed.
Honorable Mentions:
Total War: Rome 2-
This is a controversial game to say the least. However this game is something I would recommend. Granted there are still bugs, but it's very playable and addictive.
GTA V-
This is also a good game. The map is huge, there are a ton of weapons and the gameplay is better than GTA IV. However, the campiness of the story, the lack of buildings you can explore and the bad practices of the developers keep this game from getting on the list.
Kerbal Space Program-
I know it's a 2012 game, but since this year, KSP has transformed into a whole other game. It is a Rocket Science simulator where you build rockets and get into space. It is really difficult, but really rewarding.
Dishonorable mentions (Because a lot of 2013 sucked)
Sim City-
This game was plagued with incredibly restrictive DRM that almost aims to make Sim City obsolete when they come out with a new one. Even without the bad business practices of EA, Sim City is a game where the map is too small. It's not worth getting.
Ride to Hell-
Everyone knows why this game sucks from the bad gameplay to the unpolished voiceovers to the retarded missions to the misogynistic view on sex. For those who don't know, Angry Joe review.
All the games with microtransactions-
Seriously. If you pay $60 for a game, why should I be extorted into shelling out more money? ******** any game that has that model.
My list:
10. Bioshock Infinite-
The creators of Bioshock never shy away from politics in their video games and Bioshock Infinite is no exception. This is a game that attacks the argument that the olden days were good. And Columbia expresses that perfectly. The city is nice on the outside, but in reality, racial segregation, wealth inequality, lack of worker's rights, civil instability, fundamentalism and class struggle is rampant. Politics aside, the story is great and the characters are memorable. Unfortunately the gamplay is not as stellar. Even then, the game steers away from the cliche of escort missions.
9. Battlefield 4-
Battlefield 4 to me seems like an upgrade from the predecessor. If I were to rate this game on the multiplayer level, it is nearly perfect. Battle feels kinetic as opposed to many other Modern Military Shooters like CoD Ghosts. It is refined and much better. Still, this game has flaws, mainly EA and how their DRM practice treats you like a prisoner where Always Online and frequent security patches make playing it a chore.
8. Saints Row IV-
Normally I'm not a fan of campy action media. Films like The Hobbit and most Lethal Weapons are almost unwatchable to me and when artists want to take that further and make over the top, it always fails. This game however did not. It went as over the top parody as possible and instead of ending up as a joke, it created the jokes, referencing games, memes, pop culture and even classic jokes. Not only that, but I have to give brownie points to the developers who are fine with monetization of their content and their respect to the PC community.
7. Euro Truck Simulator 2-
When it comes to occupational simulators, most of them always suck. You have street Sweeper Simulator, Bus Driver Simulator and even odd ones like Airport Firefighter Simulator. But out of all the crap that companies half-assed, ETS rose above it. In this game, you are a truck driver, moving freight. What makes this game fun however is the realistic behavior of the road, the beautiful scenery going through country to country, the career mode which is simple, but effective and the icing on the cake being the radio which is live steam that you can listen to whenever. While it was made in 2012, I count it because it went global in 2013.
6. Papers, Please-
This game should not have worked. The idea in of itself sounds stupid, even compared to Euro Truck Simulator. But Papers, Please is a puzzle game that puts you in control of who you let in and out of your crappy communist country. With this game, you must see if their entry is valid and sometimes denying someone is painful. Do you let them in and get reprimanded or do you kick them out and doom them? Sometimes letting someone through could cause a terrorist attack. For a point a puzzle game, it really takes itself seriously and it's a dark game that will make you question your morality.
5. Splinter Cell: Blacklist-
The last Splinter Cell could have been a lot better. When you take a franchise based off of Stealth and put in a game engine that makes brute force more pragmatic, then you may as well have given up. Blacklist on the other hand is different. You can choose to be a Rambo, but the game makes it way more difficult if you choose that. The best would be to take people out quietly or evade them. Both are much preferred. This game shows that the new Splinter Cell can be just as good as his golden age. A shame about Michael Ironside though. The new guy seems like the George Lazenby of Sam Fishers.
4. Metro: Last Light-
Last Light is the sequel to the heavily underrated Metro: 2033. This is a world where people live in the subway system of Moscow after a nuclear war. Supplies dwindle, monsters are everywhere, some men transcended into demons thanks to the radiation, war is everywhere, disease is rampant, the metro is unsafe and worst of all, there has been to contact from the rest of the world. They may be the only humans alive. Yet despite all of that, the people live strong day for day, never letting their hope fade. Along with a great setting, the gameplay has been improved drastically compared to the last. This is my favorite shooter of 2013.
3. Sonic After the Sequel-
One thing that Sonic is less known for are the fan games people create. Many of them are ROM hacks and many more never get past Alpha. Sonic After the Sequel is different. The game takes place inbetween Sonic 2 and Sonic 3. The story attempts to bride the huge gap between games while the gameplay is experimental. The developer (known as lakefeperd) takes the Sonic CD engine and attempts to do everything imaginable with the physics given to him. The results are amazing and can rival even newer Sonic games. If you get a chance, I would also check out Sonic Before the Sequel.
2. Volgarr the Viking-
Many gamers complain about how easy games are nowadays. This game was made in response to this. Volgarr the Viking is the result of a successful kickstarter that promised to make a game as hard as the classic 16-bit games. This game shows its influence of the old days in gameplay and in difficulty. Making this game even harder than Dark Souls and Super Ghosts and Goblins. It is very hard and very unforgiving. But each death is your fault. This game isn't unfair and it's set up so that you feel that every time you die, you can better yourself. The controls are also solid. There are no cutscenes or a break from the action to update the story. Odin tells you to go right and you follow.
1. DCS World: Flaming Cliffs 3-
If you haven't heard of this game, then you haven't read my replies to the Ace Combat topics. Flaming Cliffs 3 is a military jet simulator and it is very realistic. It isn't as bad as the A-10 Simulator when it comes to the learning curve, but you must learn how to fly the plane and deploy weapons effectively. Then you need to know how to fight. That is difficult. I have been playing Lock On since 2011 and I'm still getting the hang of it. But once you do, then the game is satisfying to say the least. Each time you evade a missile, out-turn your opponent and finish missions, you don't get a better feeling than that. The game is very challenging and it's hard to the point of frustration. Trying to refuel in mid-air has been the bane of my existence. Yet the effort pays off and once you master the missions, a whole new world of multiplayer is there to greet you. I am not saying this game is perfect. But this game shows that simulators are not dead and because of that, I think it is the best game of the year and my #1 choice.