Top Ten Games of 2013

It's about time I did this. Just as the title reads, these are the top 10 games of 2013. Just remember when you read this that these are my top 10 games of 2013. My opinions will almost surely differ from yours, and to be honest, that's really a good thing. I would be more bothered if I had the exact same opinions as someone else, as it's human nature to value different things differently and whatnot. I won't lie, all of these games are going to be either multi platform games, ps3 exclusives, Wii U exclusives, PS Vita exclusives, or 3DS exclusives. I'm not a big X-Box fan, as I really don't care for first person shooters, and that's what the X-Box consoles are best known for. Also, I have not played every single game. I am living on a budget that allows me to play some games, but I can't even come close to playing every game.

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

I won't lie, I was a little bit worried about this before it came out. Right before it came out it was looking like it was going to be a little bit too much like A Link to the Past. However, this game not only brings the Zelda series back to its 2D roots, it gives you a completely fresh experience despite have an overworld that's almost exactly the same as A Link to the Past. There's new, great, characters. There's a few very good plot twists, and overall it's an amazing game. The ability to play the dungeons in any order in Lorule is really a brand new thing (this wasn't an option in the first 2 games in the series, despite what anyone says, getting to dungeon 4 required a raft, for instance, in the first one, and in the second it took an item to get to almost any next dungeon), and very welcome as well as the whole item system.

2. Super Mario 3D World

November 22nd was a great day as far as video game releases go. Not only was my #1 game released on that day, so was my #2. This game is incredible. It's not only a lot of fun to play through by yourself, but it is an absolute riot to play with other people. Now, I don't play online, so this was with everyone else in the room with me, and that may play into it, but I had too much fun playing this with 4 people. The game itself is creative, fun, and while it's not much of a departure from anything already done in the series, is still something that feels fresh. There's always just enough of a difference (outside of Mario Galaxy 2) to keep things fresh, and this is just another example of that.

3. The Last of Us

Despite how much detractors will try to squirm around this by making any comparison they can to other games, this game is a pretty fresh game given its nature. Sure, there's seemingly hundreds of zombie games out there, but this one had such a better story to it than almost any other I have played. It had its generic elements to it, but at the same time, it feels like it goes deeper, it just feels...like more than just a zombie game. The gameplay itself is great. The typical survivor elements are there, ammo conservation, stealth gameplay, and so forth. However, it's all done to near perfection in a way that only Naughty Dog seems to be able to do.

4. Bioshock Infinite

I should put forth a disclaimer here. An old acquaintance from high school actually worked on this game. However, I'm far from the only person to give this game high praise. This is one of the few exceptions that I ever encounter that are first person shooters that I like (the Portals, Goldeneye, Timesplitters 2 and Future Perfect, and the Metroid Prime series are some of the others). Bioshock games just have that certain level of character to them that I love. Infinite was such a great game with a more open world. Also, the complete mind-bender of an ending only added to the greatness of the game. Throughout the game you're just assaulted with interesting plot factors, and the game controls great with some very interesting new elements.

5. Tomb Raider

I won't lie, this is the first Tomb Raider game that I have played all the way through. This was such a great game though that I had trouble putting the controller down at the end of the day, and at the same time I was aching to pick it back up the next day. It was unfairly labeled as an Uncharted clone, but anyone who has actually played it knows how different it really is than the Uncharted series. Sure, it's a 3rd person shooter, but at the same time, it's so much different in the leveling up, the entire survival feel to it, and so on.

6. God of War: Ascension

It doesn't bring much new to the series, but that's not really the point with the God of War series. The reason it's such a popular series is because it gives guys what they want at their most primal level: violence, sex, and Greek mythology. It really doesn't need to change the formula up too much. This felt a lot like the PSP God of War games, maybe with a little bit of 1 and 2 thrown in there, not much like 3 at all outside of the graphics. Still, it was a lot of fun and was still more than a step above just replaying the other games in the series.

7. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

I won't lie, I was a HUGE fan of the original Luigi's Mansion. I went in with a bit of a bias, since this was very refreshing. The game plays much like the Gamecube version, but much more evolved. There are new elements and a new level system that really help to make this game so much more fun than the original, and longer as well. If you own a 3DS, this game is one that you must have. There's enough extras to it that it remains fresh throughout.

8. Duck Tales Remastered

I swore I wouldn't put any remakes in here, as there were so many great ones this past year, but this one is special. It's a remake, but it's so different that it's often barely recognizable. The layouts are mostly the same as in the games before, but they're still different enough that you feel like you're playing a completely different game. Still, having the voices from the cartoon is one great thing, and having the great gameplay from the NES Duck Tales games makes this game one of the most fun games to play of 2013.

9. Saints Row IV

Yep, that's right, Saints Row is on here, but no Grand Theft Auto V. This is not a knock on GTA, I actually really love the game, but the Saints Row games play into my wheelhouse so much better. I love the humor added through the absolute absurdity of the Saints Row games. Sure, the graphics are not as good (I really don't care too much about graphics), and the world isn't as huge, but the game itself is just so much fun to me. I much prefer the humor and bizarre creativity that goes into these games rather than the Grand Theft Auto games, which have been getting somewhat stale to me as far as story goes. It's not that the story is exactly the same, but it follows the same arc. That does go with the series, but again, it's just not as much fun as a game that can surprise you with something you don't expect around every corner.

10. Dead Space 3

Keeping the greatness of this series alive, Dead Space 3 isn't too much different than the two previous games, but at the same time it has enough of an atmospheric difference to really allow you to separate it from the rest of the series. If you have played a Dead Space game, you know what to expect, but it's just a lot of fun every time.



Honorable Mention

NHL 14

One of the best sports games I've played in years. I love playing as the Blackhawks against the Canucks and just focusing on beating the hell out of the Canucks players (and still winning).

Grand Theft Auto V

The formula is almost the exact same thing as with the other GTA games since the release of the PS2, but it's still a ton of fun to play.

Guacamelee!

My favorite PSN game of the year. I thought this game was very fun to play and loved the retro style of it.

DmC: Devil May Cry

People who were whining about this were really just crying about nothing. The game is still just as fun as the other DmC games. I could care less which Dante there is, they're both fun to play as.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Very short, and much different than the Metal Gear Solid series, but I thought it was still a fun game that had some interesting mechanics.

Beyond: Two Souls

This game most reminds me of Heavy Rain. Lo and behold, it's made by the same people. The story isn't as strong or as powerful, but it's still a great game.

Tearaway

I won't lie, I didn't get this game until 2014, but it was released in late 2013. In fact, it's another game that was released on November 22nd. This reminds me an awful lot of LittleBigPlanet, but in a 3D world, and without all of the extra things. I really only played the story mode of the LBP games, so that's where that is coming from, so you understand. There are some really fun elements to this game, and a lot of very new things as well.

New Super Luigi U

2013 was the Year of Luigi. Well, some of it had to wait for 2014, like Dr. Luigi, but this was one of the things that didn't. Take New Super Mario Bros U, and then compress the levels and give only 100 seconds to beat the level. It's more challenging, but at the same time doesn't give you the same opportunity to just enjoy the game. As a whole it's still a lot of fun.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate

The reviews for this game were terrible, but I actually found it to be a lot of fun. Sure, there were some problems, but as a whole this was a lot of fun for me.



Games I Haven't Played Yet

Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag

Really look forward to playing this, but I have a huge Assassins Creed backlog to go through, and I demand to play the series in order. Buying the game now would just cost me more than getting it used after it has gone down in price.

Batman: Arkham Origins

See above. I still haven't played through Arkham City, as sinful as that sounds.

Diablo III

I've intended to buy it at times only to see that it was sold out or to realize there was a game I wanted a little bit more. I loved Diablo growing up, and I hope to get this before too much longer.

Rayman Legends

Rayman games have always been second tier as far as priority to getting it goes, but when I play them they're always first tier as far as fun goes.

Batman: Arkham Origins - Blackgate

See Arkham Origins above.

Mario Party: Island Tour

Horrible reviews, but I don't often totally agree with reviews. While I didn't care for Mario Party 9, I'm still more than willing to give Island Tour a shot.

Sonic: Lost World

Sonic games are always at least solid games to me. I've never played a Sonic game that I haven't liked.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The last Ninja Turtles game that I remember playing was TMNT 2: The Arcade Game. I remember absolutely loving this game. My parents wouldn't get me any of the next games, but I have fond memories of playing TMNT games. If this is like any of the previous games, then I'm sure it's a great game.






There you have it. As with the rest of this blog, I don't always share the same views as the mainstream. I'm not some sort of contrarian, but I just don't always follow popular opinion. Sometimes I do, but video games are one area where I often see myself disagreeing with popular opinion despite often seeing close to the same level on most things, just being off a bit. Sometimes I'm way off. Either way, these are my opinions. I probably won't agree with yours, but at the same time I'll respect yours. If you disagree, feel free to let me know, but be respectful, and if you are, I'll be respectful to yours as well.