My top 5 games of 2013

Its time to gaze back at what has happened this year, and for me to pick out my favorites.

I'll be honest... when it came down to this time of the year and naming off awards I am a bit disappointed. Not because it wasn't a fun year or anything, it was. There were some great games released, and amazing things experienced, some of which I have yet to go for myself (All the great wii U games, tearaway, Shadow warrior, and more) but overall I just felt like few made a big GOTY impact to me. I had a great time with plenty, currently prepared to play some more Assassins creed 4 after typing this and I had a blast with the interesting gameplay and adventure of games like last of us, Anarchy reigns, and many others. However little stuck with me as "GOTY material" so well, and I'm still baffled by the praise Tomb raider gets. I kept finding myself reflecting back on old 2011 and 2012 titles that still have a powerful impact on me... games like Torchlight 2, Dishonored, Space marines, Skyrim, Resistance 3, Dragon's Dogma, Starhawk, etc. I feel like there were fewer of those this year and I've actually spent a good portion of my time playing much older games like the original far cry, unreal 1 and tournament 2004, Postal 2, etc. This year just kind of felt weak compared to others and I struggled to come up with amazing games that defined the year for me or stuck out. Last year it was a struggle to figure out which took the spot, now it feels odd choosing what I do... but it was the best to me. So I finally came up with a small top 5 list.... lets take a look after some honorable mentions...

Honorable Mentions

The big 3:
You should all know what I'm talking about. From hyped teasers to big hits, people wont shut up about The Last of Us, Bioshock infinite, and Grand Theft Auto 5. And I think they're somewhat right to. They are each big hit big budget titles with massive work being driven into their worlds, story, characters, and gameplay. I've got to admit, they're all their own sort of masterpieces and are quite amazing games.... however I just didn't get the full feeling for them myself. I loved Bioshock for returning to a lot of things that made shooters amazing.... really appreciated that and its the closest of the 3 that makes it to the list. But I think some of the enemy designs, while great that they were there, were ultimately bogging the game down from mastering its own design. Likewise the two weapon slots is worse here than it is for most games, it wrecks the feeling and motivation to use certain weapons when some seem to serve very specific purposes. Plus the pacing could have been way better... more clear and interesting bosses, that asylum part was just boring, the peaceful parts felt lacking and just there to steal your time looking for excessive items, etc. As for last of us: Amazing in every way for a cinematic and tense ride.... but then I just can't get myself to replay it. It was hardcore, tense, and fun, but at the end of the day it really needs you to build up to it and go along side its story. When that story was over, I was to and couldn't get myself to go past that dragging first 5 hours again in new game + and go through all those tense moments again. It was great but it needed a new adventure for me to go through it again, and when that happens... I just can't find myself putting it on GOTY. As for GTA5... well I'll admit I couldn't go as deep as I'd like to, and even if I could it was just frustrating at so many spots. Its a great game, but big, clunky, and frustrating at the same time. Overall I can see why these games get the love they do, but all of them left me wanting more in some area... and they all lacked that quality of just giving me those moments where I smile and realize I've hit a gem. I recognize them as true gems in themselves, but based more on general opinion more than my own. So they don't make my personal list.

Killzone Mercenary:
I loved this game, and will continue to support it as one of the best things you can put on a handheld... and one of the best shooters this year. A good twitchy take on killzone multiplayer, one of the best narratives in the series which completely surprised me, some great gunplay and weapons delivered flawlessly to the handheld, and some interesting quirks of its own. However after a short campaign, there just isn't much left. The level designs weren't as strong and replayable as Killzone 2, the tacked on stealth did more harm than good, and the multiplayer is just not worth holding onto. When I have to hover over my router to play a watered down portable killzone game in the very same home with four better killzone multiplayers (counting the original with bots) ready at their stations, its hard to justify mercenary's multiplayer as a great year defining one. With the bot patch coming, it will get better in playability, but for now this game felt lacking by series standards. It was an amazing spin-off for one of the best franchises out there.... but it was still clearly a spin-off that just didn't completely live up to the thrill killzone is used to giving me. So close to the list, and one of the best shooters you could have bought this year, but not exactly my GOTY material through the whole way.

Dust: an Elysian tail and Dragon's dogma: dark arisen: 
I played both around spring of this year and they were fantastic. Dark arisen gave me purpose to go back and replay one of the best RPGs ever, and enhanced it in a couple ways while adding a massive and challenging expansion pack to it. However its for the most part Capcom being Capcom and rehashing the same game as a "super duper" version of itself, and its not much of a real sequel or new game in itself. I was actually about to put it in the list considering its a big favorite of mine combined with the lacking feeling from this year, but it would be cop-out and I struggled with myself over it until I decided just no. Plus despite how much I loved it I couldn't get myself to really keep up with it, and the actual meat of the expansion is still left untouched. I'd rather find room for something else before just finding a cop-out solution to put an old game I keep thinking of back on the list. Amazing RPG, but its mostly last year's amazing RPG. As for dust, similar deal there... while the version I played was released and re-praised this year it was a PC port of a game that already came out last year. I really would put it somewhere special if it were a potential game of the year, but its just a really good port of a last year game... and honestly its not THAT good to compete with some of what came out in last year.

#5) Risk of Rain

Well this feels odd. I despise rouge-likes by their very concept, and usually hate plenty of other bits in their gameplay as well. To me they come off as shallow games based on trying to kill you fast to make you restart for some cheap thrill or achievement.... or just bragging rights of "I got this many levels done before the game kills me with a cheap attack". There's minimal interaction, little lore or creativity, and it often comes down to coin flipping your way to the restart button. Yet here this one is on my list. Well I can't really explain myself other than to say its the exception rather than the rule, and a damn good one. It didn't exactly fix all my problems with the genre, but it came in an acceptable exciting package that kept me enjoying it and more than happy to go for that "one more round" and I'm no where near done with it yet. It sets you up in a world, starting with either a dry lake or ruined forest, and you have basic but distinct attacks and a drive to explore the randomly generated landscape. You explore around collecting loot, building up your character with crazy weapons and buffs (it actually begins to feel like a sidescrolling ARPG form of Ratchet and clank), fighting off random hordes of enemies, and get to a teleporter that activates a gauntlet sort of challenge to survive while it fires up preparing to take you to the next level in a new environment. Its gamey, replayable, fun, and different in each run. It also uses a nice visual flare of very detailed sprites and backgrounds of a beautiful (but very hostile) world full of interesting creatures as well as electric rockin' soundtrack that never gets tiring. The attacks have purpose and intelligent use, the art and world is awesome, there is value to explore, exploits are set up just right so you can get your cheap shots in but are penalized for wasting your time taking advantage of slow health regen, and the game is just a general blast. I will admit I still hate that feeling of losing everything when you die or just need to quit, and I hate how the unlock system is missing with easy since the game is punishing, I also hate that while the timer fixes health exploitation it also feels like I'm being rushed a bit too much... but its all forgivable considering the amount of fun I have with this game and I feel like I got a pretty grand high quality product out of this. Risk of rain earns a backseat spot in one of the best new games I've played this year.

#4) Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus

Not only a game I really underestimated, but nearly nothing else this year made me smile as hard as playing through this game over and over again. When I heard it was a miniature return to Ratchet and Clank's true formula, I was excited... but skeptical it wouldn't be so good with the short length and with all the bad spin-offs in recent time. However I've been proved very wrong. It was not only a blast to play through the 5 planets, and get everything accomplished, but the formula used nearly all of my favorite series cliches and combined them into one small new refreshing and very well refined adventure. It also went extra big on graphics and audio, the thugs 4 less guys have to be some of my favorite video game villains since the orks in space marines. Their cartoonish European gangster voices mixed with some good dialogue and the novelty of just being lizard aliens was awesome. The guns were amazing, the voices amazing, the graphics amazing, the story was great, gameplay was as perfectly tuned as the series has been despite the hover boots, and what new elements were introduced worked fine. Everything was perfect until I played it the fourth time after a week of play and realized I had experienced every tiny inch out of this game. Its a tiny game, and for that reason I nearly made it void of this spot... but then again I've got a freakin' rouge-like on the list, and rather than removing both I realized they were just too fun compared to the other games of this year to just snip. R&C: into the nexus is a short experience, but replayable and a highly valuable gamey experience that kept me smiling throughout the way. It was more than just Ratchet returning to his roots, it was ratchet mastering the best of his roots under the disguise of a budget game. Insomniac... more of this and less of all4one and fuse please.

#3) Metro: Last Light

Ah yes now the more content heavy big releases begin to show. Last Light is the sort of game that comes along every once in a while and changes what you know about games. In this case it shows you how tacked on awful formulas that this past generation has been full of in shooter campaigns can not only be done right, but be presented as the selling factor in a game made for a more hardcore audience than the typical release. I researched the hell out of this game being very careful about it, waited to have it recommended to me over and over again, and I'm glad I choose to finally believe in it and play it. Metro was a blast to play, and covers all sort of things I enjoyed under gameplay I would usually be very critical of. From its dark earthy foreign culture vibe to just solid and great FPS mechanics once the gameplay gets going, it is a great experience that carters to gamers like me while somehow getting away with things that would usually piss me off. It may have quick time events, and a large heavy amounts of scripting, but it gives me enough time to let me soak in the world and enjoy it all and isn't afraid to give back control at the right times. Last light builds a world and knows when to let the player enjoy it. You may have to put away your gun a few moments for some exposition heavy dialogue, but you get rewarded for taking your time and looking at all the details. But how is the gunplay and mechanics? Fantastic as well! Just like those peaceful or exposition moments, when they hit it's hard and leaves a good mark. You get decent stretches of being tossed out into the middle of the wastelands or tossed into a tunnel with an objective and tools and get to let it all sink in and play the way you want. You also manage a sizeable amount of tools and utilities, guns feel powerful yet match their crude style, currency can be used as high powered bullets for an interesting choice of sacrifice, and there are multiple solutions and ways to overcome most enemies and obstacles. All of these gave the gameplay a great amount of depth. This is a shooter made for those who want challenges that get you thinking for your moves, gives you immersion, and is for those who crave creativity and imagination brought out in a big dark campaign. This is not just the biggest shooter of the year to me, but it is one I feel is important enough that the industry should learn from. That's not to say it is a flawless game... far from it. Parts of the central plot flop hard, The lengthy exposition bits are a bit hard on to sit through a replay, and even here the quick time events shouldn't be a thing (especially since ranger mode removes the prompts forcing you to memorize and guess them out), but overall the game comes off as a gem of a shooter and delivers its purpose and role with good strength.

#2) Killzone Shadow fall

I still insist that metro is my shooter of the year with a brand new feeling, surprise, and interesting mechanics to it. However Killzone shadow fall still came out late this year and in the end comparing the two is just like having comfort food win out over some fancy special cuisine. Killzone's multiplayer and its general world and style is a blast to return to, and its just a lot more replayable and assured fun for me. Mercenary was a great spin-off title, but it didn't have the weight shadow fall did and its very appreciable to have a full blown next gen killzone sequel release in a weird year for gaming. Its got problems, and the campaign is hit or miss, but overall I'm really getting quite a kick out of this game and I'm a satisfied killzone fan despite some nitpicks. It might be too soon to call for sure, but I'm going to probably be playing it out for a while into this new year chaining points in chaotic battles, playing custom modes, trying out tactics as I learn the maps better, and goofing around with bots or campaign moments. Thank you Guerrilla games for bringing me another entry in my favorite ongoing series, and its a great way for me to start off the PS4's life cycle.

#1 & GOTY 2013) Sly Cooper: Thieves in time

I don't get it... when you have some routine or great base for games that are loved by so many, why on earth would you stop making that? This is the question I've been pounding away at with some of my favorite types of games, as you just don't get them much anymore. However when that game comes out that actually remembers a sub-genre, or style that brought you so much happiness and it releases in a full blown updated form bringing amazing graphics, features, and a new adventure to hit high potential and keep past brilliance fresh the result just feels so good. In this case I'm talking about 3D platformers and sly cooper. No its not some cinematic emotional masterpiece like Last of us or Tomb raider. No its not redefining what gaming is or lighting up the charts of this year. Instead it brings back what gaming was to me, and made me smile big while I enjoyed a long lengthy and satisfying polished adventure across my PS3 and Vita. The 3D platform routine is something I really love to death when its done right, just look no further than my favorite game of all time called Spyro. Sly cooper was oddly a series that didn't quite click with me though. I skipped out on it during its actual lifetime on the PS2, but then picked up on it with the HD re-releases. Character was awesome, some ideas it had were great, and the games were fun but eventually there would be some bumps that annoyed me and turned me off of the experience or it just wouldn't grip me enough. The 4th game was a better take on that which really fixed most of my complaints or that lack of hook with the series. The adventure was amazing and compelling, the gameplay was more consistent and interesting without going too far with minigames, and while the bosses still felt cheap and frustrating they had checkpoints casting a more forgiving light on that issue. However I felt like there were no compromises towards what I guessed old fans enjoyed, and I was right judging by a lot of favorable views on the forum and youtube comments.

Sly cooper thieves in time is a refined and fresh take on an old and enjoyable series within a genre that is nearly dead right now. This game had no competition this year in the way of giving me bliss through its awesome style of gameplay, nor was there anything to rival the stylish and enjoyable world full of charm and character that helped to keep my attention and gave me more interest in the story. It's big and numerous hub sections full of collectibles in between missions, and variety in interesting changes in its pattern by switching characters and sets of mechanics while still being consistent in its values as a 3D platformer was unmatched by any other game released this year. I took my time collecting things, taking in the world and style, and then had a blast progressing the story and the flow of going from one setting to the next. Each time I was about to fear disappointment or some short ending or broken piece of the gameplay or some shameful side effect of modernized gaming, the game threw another massive chunk of fun and enjoyment out. It wasn't too easy or hard, it wasn't too short or too overpadded, and it was polished to perfection, the game was everything I loved about the simple and glorious older days while doing everything it could to bring and update the great side of being on a higher generation and even featuring as a cross-play vita game bringing the enjoyment of a brand new 3D platforming adventure on the go, flawlessly updating and refreshing an old style that I love and making it a lot more accessible. This type of game is what brought me into gaming, and an occasional and fresh release of something like this is a purchase and experience that really sticks on me. I just couldn't find myself saying the same for the more "matured" and heavier toned games that took over the news and acclaim of this year. Don't get me wrong, they're fantastic experiences too and its fascinating to see gaming progress and try things in that area taking advantage of big budget and widening expectations, but at the end of the day I want a gamey experience that resonates with me as a gamer who just wants to have some fun. Sly cooper thieves in time masters and delivers that in a big way and has earned my personal spot for Game of the Year 2013.

Well that's my list. I know its not exactly popular opinion, but I double checked some of these and brought the best memories and fun I had with this year to figure out what could make this list and I'm satisfied with the results. Again, I didn't walk away feeling like this was such a strong year despite a lot of fun games and big releases. However it was still fun, and the games that made this list all put a smile on my face and left me impressed. I am looking forward to this new year as it tests the new waters of the new consoles and brings big titles like Destiny, Watch dogs, Elder scrolls online, Titanfall, and my personal most hyped game: Wolfenstien new world order. But I'm also certain we'll get a good mix of new smaller games like starbound and maybe some medium tier games that bring a lot of fun to the gaming crowd. There will be new obstacles and problems, new fads and odd obsessions, but we'll get through them and come out with some fantastic games like we do every year. Have a happy new year everyone, and keep up the fun in gaming!