It’s New
Years Eve and I’m sure that you all are going to go out or stay in and have a
good time with friends and/or family. But until you celebrate or try to forget
this past year, why not bore yourself to death with the next ten picks in my
wildly popular “Top 40 Games of 2013” series? You’re welcome.
20:
Neverwinter
There’s some hate for this one,
but I think it’s one of the better MMOs that I’ve played. It’s been a while but
I do remember the micro-transactions being a little high. However, I don’t
think you have to grind too much (a
little grinding is expected in free-to-play) and though it doesn’t do anything
that original within the genre, the combat is satisfying and the Foundry –
where you can create your own quests for people to do – is the selling point
for me. This is an underrated MMO.
19:
Resogun
It’s short but it’s intense, and
seeing as how we used to get games like this back when I was a kid, there’s
definitely that nostalgia factor kicking in… that desire to play these types of
games. This is a really gorgeous side-scrolling shooter with amazing music.
18: Two
Brothers
Not to be confused with
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (a game I’ve only played briefly), this was a
retro-inspired – most specifically Gameboy – tale where you’re trying to bring
colour back to the world. It’s filled with memorable characters and fun action.
It’s also slightly open-world.
17:
Saints Row 4
It feels weird putting Saints
Row 4 at 17 because I love the Saints Row games. They’ve come a long way from
their beginning as a Grand Theft Auto clone. You’d hardly recognize the series
at this point if you’ve only played the first one. The reason for this being
that the series has gone completely off its rocker. You literally play as the
President of the USA with superpowers. While it does run the risk of being just too much for some players, it’s a
lot of fun to jump high in the air or shoot people with your super powers.
16: Galah
Galah
Jake Clover returns with this
odd adventure, a series of unfinished games thrown together. What this means is
that it’s pretty confusing but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun because it’s a
short, but incredible experience.
15: Metal
Gear Rising: Revengeance
Any time a core Metal Gear title
gets released, it’s my favourite game of the year. This isn’t a core title. It’s
a spin-off starring Cyborg Raiden. As an action title it’s fantastic as Platinum
Games are basically kings at this kind of thing. As a Metal Gear game, it has a
bit of the charm of the Metal Gear universe but it loses a little something
because it’s so light weight in that sense. The core titles are a nice mixture
of gameplay, emotion and humour, with so many memorable moments I could
literally make a list just of those (not a bad idea)… whereas this is just you
being a badass Raiden. Fun, but not nearly as inspired or important as Metal Gear
Solid.
14: Year
Walk
I try to play a few mobile games
each year but this year I slacked hard on that. Year Walk was one of the few I
played and it was the only one I loved. I hate touch screen controls, but since
this is just an adventure game, I’ve found that that genre works on mobile.
This has a great ending and gorgeous visuals to go along with its intriguing
story.
13:
Pikmin 3
Pikmin on all accounts could be
a Top 10 game, so this just comes down to preference. This was my first step
into the Pikmin world and I was surprised by how intense it was. Yes, intense.
You are given a time limit each day to move your cute little Pikmin around,
solve puzzles, scavenge for food and beat bosses, so you always have to think.
Pikmin sold some Wii Us, but it’s great enough that it should have sold more.
12:
Bombermine
This is a very simple idea: take
Bomberman multiplayer, and grow it. I believe there are a thousand people
playing in one game at any given time. I have always been a huge mark for the
Bomberman series, and to see it lifted to such grand scales makes me smile just
a little lot.
11:
Beyond: Two Souls
And so I end this entry with a
controversial one. You either love this game or you hate it, because David Cage
and his crew offer experiences that other major studios do not. You’ll see
games within the indie community that are light on gameplay and focused almost
entirely on story, but you won’t often see a AAA title that does that, for what
I feel are obvious reasons. Beyond: Two Souls has the most actual gameplay of
any of their titles, but it’s still basically gameplay-light. You come here for
the story, and except for a few hiccups, the story is well told and
interesting.
Be safe tonight, and make sure
to battle your hangover long enough tomorrow to check out the final ten games of 2013.
