Favorite PS3 games

The PS3 was, and still is a good run in gaming. Remembering how the PS2 worked out, I can't help but feel like this really is the successor and can see it following a similar path... its got a lot of classics and great features and power behind it that it might be a while before it truly dies. I got in on it a little late in 2009 around the time uncharted 2 was hitting it big, and I've really enjoyed it since. I don't quite get why people act like the consoles in this cycle lived on too long, we had a really long line to work with here because its been good hardware and let us do pretty much anything if the team was smart enough to accomplish it. Sadly the market struggled to even keep up with its own diversity of what we've had before, and in many ways went backwards or just in one direction for a while leaving real innovation and diversity a bit scarce. So many creative routes weren't bothered with and still likely wont be as the budget continues to balloon in insane ways while publishers bully developers. Yet I'm still grateful as we got plenty of fantastic games and some edgy releases that went a bit carelessly and provided a blast with new or unpopular idea anyways. I really feel like it would have been ok if the PS3 had 3 more years without a PS4 especially now that developers were really starting to get creative again, but oh well there's a time to move on and there have been plenty of games out anyways... and more coming out. I really did enjoy my time with the PS3 as it was a time I was kind of maturing into a more analytical and social phase, while my PS2 and pre-PS2 self barely paid attention or care to what I did and just played things handed over. I do this blog now full of opinions and editorials, I check reviews, I talk with other gamers, I look for mechanics and think over their risks and rewards, most of my games owned are of my own choice and purchases, I care about the market and where my money goes to, etc. As for PlayStation, it has more meaning to me than the other platforms or brands. Its always just been more for me with games and exclusives that appeal to me, and a publisher that actually isn't a jerk about everything it does to companies and consumers and actually does a lot of good. It is where a lot of the serious fun and impact really hits and its what has always been there (except the PSP) for me giving me the majority of my fun and values in gaming. Its the platforms and brand name that I found my first favorite shooters on, it gave me a reason to choose gaming over television and the best game trilogy ever made with spyro, and its the brand with a company that decided to hand out free money (which I rebought spyro 1 with for support's sake) because it knows its purpose is for the fun and consumers. It really is my gaming platform of choice, and the PS3 really upgraded that within the last generation.

So it would be a shame to not have a favorites game list while the PS3 is still relevant, though I may do that with older platforms some other time to. This is a pretty difficult thing to do, as I'm still leaving out some fantastic games (Unreal Tournament 3, COD Black ops 1, Naughty bear, Bad company 2, All-stars, Crysis series, LittleBigPlanet2) and cutting it close with some others. I'm also going to drop in rules that I cannot take more than one in a series, and remakes and re-releases do not count. Honestly I cannot promise the accuracy of this list as a result of just so many good games out there and ones I haven't bothered with, and I've gotta say it was tough putting numbers on the good ones I was trying to figure out. I also admit I'm on the fence with some of my own picks as its hard to number them and wonder how much memories override quality, but I'm trying my best to make it clear where the real value shines. Due to the difficulty of trying to cram in so many good games it feels like its appropriate to do it by 15 slots instead of 10, and I'll probably do this again if I bring up a PC or PS2 list as those have it too tough to leave it at 10 as well. Also as a reminder, this is a personal favorites list and is not here to tell you these games are 100% more quality efficient or fun than whatever your favorite games are. Anyways here's the top list.

15) Lost Planet 2

The insanity... oh the sheer insane and crazy fun of it all. This is a game that just fills you with so much delight based on just how crazy everything is, and its a lot of fun because of that. Grapple hook anywhere, giant vehicles and insane weapons everywhere, and there is no such thing as a minor boss with giant freakin' monsters coming up to battle you. Its mechanics are solid enough to just follow through on a fun experience even if the core gunplay is about as interesting as an onion. Oh and the graphics reminded me of something as sleek and brilliant as killzone 2... not quite as good, but it had that layered effect to it that was quite impressive and made things shine well. What is impressively taken from killzone is the fact that you can actually be a helghast soldier or sniper in multiplayer or campaign. Speaking of which the multiplayer was good clumsy fun as well, and there is a bot function to back it up now. Overall this game captured a lot of what just having fun was all about, and it did so in a crazy alien filled creative sci-fi world complimented with wonderful graphics. This is one of those games to get all hyped up on and run in guns blazing, cheering on the adrenaline rush and just laughing all about it when you either make it to the end stage with points or get spit back up at the last checkpoint from being mangled to death out of your carelessness. Its a lot of fun and deserves a small spot as one of the better PS3 games I've played.

14) Assassins Creed: Brotherhood

I got in late into the series with this one, ever since its release Assassins creed was apparently a big deal to a lot of guys. People were talking about how awesome it was, but I never paid attention to the real conversation or what made it so special, so I just sort of skipped around it and paid little attention to what people actually said. So finally when I got some extra money to burn and came across this in the mall, I leaped for it. One of the best blind buys I've made in the PS3's cycle. Huge open world game with a stealth focus, interesting collectibles and mission types, great world and exploration, fun tools, great mechanics, and the main campaign was all brilliant. I also adored the merchant system to almost an addictive point, and just had to see myself unlock all the shops and free them from tyranny so I could add them to some banked collection. The story again was especially exceptional with charismatic characters, amazing dialogue that made me want to learn Italian, and while the plot wasn't something I made a big deal of, the moments that lead you through it were quite interesting. I really enjoyed this game, and in a time where my gaming ADD was high and I was hopping around game to game and playing things I really wasn't even all that into, yet I managed to find this game sucking me in and halting everything else for a good while because it was just so fun to explore and tackle so much stuff. Oh yeah and La Voulpe needs his own spin off, that guy is awesome. Sadly ever since this game, I just can't find that same charm in the series. AC revelations felt too bland and dull to take me in awe the same way this did, and ever since AC3 they've dumbed down a lot of the basics, and now AC4 remains as an amazing metagame experience... but not fun on its own merits and mechanics like brotherhood was. Maybe if I went back and played brotherhood I would find it lacking a bit as well, and maybe I only rode off this one as an introduction to something different... but last I checked some of the moments, characters, and fun I had was pretty genuine. So I'm calling this a ton of fun and one of the lesser best PS3 games I've played.

13) Starhawk

Multiplayer bliss. I have some regret and some resentment at putting this on the list because I'll admit my play time on this game is kind of weak (well for a "favorite" game at least), but I've had a lot of fun and understanding with it to love it regardless. Oddly this game was familiar, but in a lot of ways that was fresh. It had basic pickups instead of loadouts or a gimmicky "collect 15 different assault rifles" thing, server lists for freedom and choice, and simple but solid modes like CTF. Don't get me wrong there's some new stuff and some of the best and most interesting vehicle to ground warfare situations and balance I've ever seen before in a multiplayer game. The premise to play is simple: You rocket down in drop pods to a friendly area on the map and then earn energy money from a "rift" reactor to then call down buildings and stations that give you supplies to go and shoot up the enemies over some objective like CTF or just deathmatch. Simple once you get past the well crafted RTS inspired bits, but then when you realize how much chaos this rolls out its not so simple. The game features heavy on substance, freedom, and just having fun with great balance and no gimmicks. XP and unlocks are mostly just to get skins and paint jobs unlocked (customization is pretty deep) rather than generic rifle #13 or overpowered perk #44. The game plays it simple in all the right ways and your weapons are very standard issue, your vehicles don't take upgrades, and what little perks are in the game give you a special advantage you've actually earned from a real accomplishment and you're allowed nothing more than 1 perk slot. This leads to a very balanced, simple, and yet very satisfying experience that falls back on just playing the core game and loving every second of its chaos and madness while also leaving you feeling like a strategic team badass if you are any good. Oh yeah and speaking of balance, I adore how vehicles work. While infantry are bullet sponges to each other, they are weak to most vehicles however vehicles are also weak to them. A simple grenade will scar any vehicle heavily, and if the team works together or equips themselves well a two man team can overwhelm the biggest vehicles. Sounds odd and silly, but it provides a great sense of edgy vulnerability while also giving people extreme power and great transportation with vehicle combat. It just feels right, and I prefer this sort of game so much more than the stronger vehicles of other games like battlefield. At the end of the day Starhawk is one of the better Chaotic team based games I've played, and deserves a good spot as a really strong PS3 exclusive. It breaks my heart that despite all the good this game did and all the love and care that went into it, it was hardly appreciated. People let this go ignored while ironically demanding more new games, and as a result of poor sales after several big attempts to push the game the developer went under to make IOS games. Its also a shame that the campaign was pretty bland despite an amazing setting and art style, and the multiplayer portion lacks bots numbering the days of this game's value.

12) Journey

You know I'm not to often agree with the masses on amazing games, especially when it comes to indie games. Usually the popular games really do feel like they're cut out for the masses and lack a certain heart or value I look for in great games, but with indie games its actually the fact that they pick games with such a strong emphasis on something very flat, obscure, and so ridiculously linear that it just isn't that fun... like Limbo. However I'm going to put that aside with this game and say that Journey does indeed deserve a solid and strong spot on this list and is one of the best games made. No that was not a typo, I mean that literally with no "PS3" mark to separate it, I'm calling it one of the best games out there on a long list and history of games that reached redefining and legendary status. As far as artsy games goes I believe this is the best and being the best of a growing trend within the media and mastering that genre is no easy or simple task and said game has got to be said as one of the best games out there if its truly worthy of such a fantastic value to that group. I believe Journey is that standard setting game that artsy games should follow through on and try to replicate. It is a benchmark in how far gaming can go in this type of direction, and will be remembered as a fantastic and amazing way to put down $15 and a way to blow your mind in such little time. To cover all that it does right for the genre would require its own article. Ok enough mushy crap, its still a very linear and short experience giving it a limited amount of fun value that has been beaten by quite a good amount of games causing it to go pretty far away from the top of this list but I'll still go into the reasoning of why its on here at all.

Journey really has mastered its style and resonates with me in such a way that deserves to be mentioned on the list. For starters, its a great example of an artsy game leaving such a strong experience within you. It has an obscure goal shrouded in a spiritual essence, and you basically have to cross a desert, temple, caves, go under water, and through harsh snowy conditions all to reach a mountain and complete your life's goal to get to a light with other people like you. The trip there is beautiful, emotional, and captures a great scope in such quick time. The music is wonderful, the atmosphere is enchanting, and the trip alongside a friend really helps push that emotional value and attachment to the experience that simply could not be done if it settled on a more traditional gamey experience. Nah just kidding on that last bit; Part of what Journey does so well apart from its peers is capturing a bit of a gamey experience that mixes fluidly into the artsy "experience" side of things and adds far more replay and just general fun value to the whole package. For starters there are collectibles, hidden easter eggs, and the odd but wonderful multiplayer integration that has you traveling with a real living person also playing the game with you. That combined with the scarf mechanics, and surprise enemies add to a sense of tension and fun that you just don't get from some walking simulation or visual only game that other games of its type settle for, and obviously all this adds some good replay value. Even better is that once it is all complete and you have a 100% trophy unlock on the game, you get a freakin' cheat code and get to ride around with super jump and hover abilities in a white angelic costume. Brilliant! I could just stop there, but honestly Journey again is something that just stands out extra to me in a special way because it also captures an atmosphere I personally enjoy. I can really connect to the desert atmosphere because there has always been a bizarre sense of deja-vu for me and ancient desert themes, then combine that with a spiritual atmosphere (and I love spiritual and philosophical stuff) and you just have something that feels special. The story became clear quite naturally to me, and the ride through the beautiful and atmospheric world with a theme that just feels so suiting to me and it left me in tears... like every time I beat it... tears of joy and happiness at such a grand emotional and amazing experience that really stuck with me. That and the anonymous silent buddy thing... well it just hits home on the social feeling. I can't quite explain why, but that sort of unconditional anonymous buddy thing just works with me. Even in some chaotic multiplayer shooter, having some random friend just come out and support me feels good, so having that thing in an emotional atmospheric peaceful journey... its a once in a lifetime combination within a grand game. This just had to go on the list. Journey is an amazing and spectacular classic and is one of the best games ever crafted, so of course it belongs on a list of the best games on a console it was exclusive to. Its also a game I 100%'d, and I guess that's not saying a lot for its length but I took the care and time to make sure I really did everything without making it a grind. However I also talked about why it doesn't get but so far on the list, it just isn't gamey and fun valued enough to counter some of the others that have just brought more joy to me. Allow me to bring you to another interesting game on the list that demonstrates that well with better length and gameplay....

11) Resistance 3

Fuckin' A material, this is the type of shooter I wish this generation was filled with. I grew up with games like this, and its this type of shooter that I've been finding the market sorely lacking and it just disgusts me what has nearly monopolized the market in its place. Resistance 3 felt like a cure to my frustration, and it was glorious. The first game felt generic for its time because... well I took that kind of thing as the norm back then, and honestly it just wasn't special enough even now that I can stand behind it feeling so great. Then 2 came along and... well it was part of the problem and basically served as COD campaign with a better story and aliens. So to my surprise 3 came out and totally blew me away not only backtracking on what made 1 better than 2, but it remastered the core values and came in with some new ideas and a better general campaign of its own. It was a bit shorter, but honestly it was quality over quantity. Graphics were finally on par with competition, Gunplay was amazing and old school, health didn't regenerate at all... not even partial Resistance 1 style, and the campaign and enemy types just freakin' ruled. One of the amazing new things that fits so well with the old formula of this game style was the addition of weapon upgrades making them bigger, feature better fire types, and just better and more insane. There were about 3 total scripted events in the entire campaign, and they were all handled amazingly well and paced so far apart from each other that they were actually satisfying and added rather than took away from the control and experience. Between the good and creative story full of aliens (and even had a well done edgy moment where it killed a vital main character out of nowhere), enemy types, old shool guns and health that made gameplay so awesome, well paced level design, and a generally strong sense of quality and care put into it, this was the shooter I was waiting for. Still that short length with long but low level count kind of hurt the replay value on it for me, and I still can't quite say it was one of the best general shooters... I dunno it just still had that slight lacking feeling to it at the end that didn't make it out as spectacular as it should have been. If it had more competition in this FPS style, I'm certain I would have had a better game making it higher on the list.. like if turok evolution had a sequel that would just be fantastic. So it gets a high spot on my PS3 library, but not quite top 10 material.

10) Bulletstorm

Remember when I said R3 needed better competition? Well this was close, and it did top it. Oh yes, bulletstorm not only was another fantastic shooter that was much needed, but it saved both me and my father of boredom in an important time when PSN was hacked and down and we need a long and good fun filled campaign. Created with doublefine, some of the Painkiller devs, and epic games all on the thought process it was destined to be a crazy fun FPS experience. It prided itself in creative killing, in a creative tropical sci-fi world, with creative weapons, all while your character swears creatively... no I'm dead serious on that last one, this game just loved being as creatively vulgar as possible. Between this and starhawk, this is where I point TitanFall enthusiasts to for a truly unique shooter that needed their support. It had fast paced thrilling gameplay that also made you think to make the best use of everything. You could interact the world in interesting ways, and each enemy had about 10 ways you could kill them without even counting the really special weapons, and when you do count the special weapons.... you have a bouncing bomb launcher, rope based explosive... thing, Freakin' drill launcher, quadrupedal barreled shotgun, and a remote bullet sniper rifle, all in addition to your assault rifle, pistol, giant death boot, and a gravity manipulating whip. Now the fact it went with full regenerating health was a bummer and prevented it from being that full fledged old school corridor shooter joyride like Resistance 3, but I suppose it was to keep your mind focused on points and killing than resources and staying alive, but apart from that flaw I can't complain so much. Heck this places higher than said game (R3), because at the end of the day the campaign, replay, and creative essence of it all was just so much better than just a generational leap of my favorite sub-genre. I've even got to admit the 3 weapon slot system is awesome here because it works in favor of BulletStorm's unique design and goal, because it made you think what kind of weapons you would use and gave you a focus point for your canvas of destruction, making it a smarter but mindlessly fun FPS so different from anything else. Beyond just great gameplay, I found the campaign to be a blast full of fun moments and amazing levels, and the story is one of the most underrated gripping adventures I've seen in a shooter. If that wasn't enough, online co-op is a fun distraction and echo mode is a very replayable high score mini-level mode worth some good time to. Overall BulletStorm is just an underrated stroke of genius in the FPS genre, and one that every shooter fan should try. It is a great way to kick off the top 10 on my favorite PS3 games.

9) Last of Us

Well... this is awkward. Rather than explaining why its such a good game I probably have to defend myself on why I'm placing it so far up on the list as a 9. I just don't quite match this game up to the praise it gets, but I'll get to that later or make a separate article for it. Meanwhile what does it do right? Well it really is a masterpiece, but in my perspective it is a game worth saying that it makes for an "experience" every gamer should try and go through and be a part of by playing the game. Honestly though I can't give it but so much more of a recommendation than that, however I'll explain it a bit more... The last of us is an adventure between an odd pair up trying to go across a dying and deeply troubled America after the apocalypse sort of happened with a plant based zombie-like disease. At first it sounds like a generic plot in an over-saturated market full of zombie games (a fad that I'm sick of), as your simply given the task to get a girl who has the cure to the proper doctors that can replicate the condition and stop the virus from spreading. However it becomes clear this game was given to a good team that really knows how to use their triple A status to the max. Maximized potential for graphics, cut-scenes, performances, and overall deep and big quality used to everything. I'm sorry but I have to take this time to say: screw you publishers that pretend your budgets and teams are too demanding for anything less than 5 million, if that was the case this game wouldn't be such a big deal to people and your not putting your money in the right places. Last of us just brings the heavy and full impact of what current big budget titles should look like.

However that is nothing if it weren't for the gameplay... which happens to fit fluidly with the story and tension in a way I have never seen before despite the trending apocalypse theme. Your inventory system is loaded with tools you collect, and you have to craft just about all of them with small supplies giving you a scenario where alcohol and some other gear can either be used as a heavily lethal molotov or a life saving health pack giving you a risk or reward to any choice you make. Likewise gun ammunition is really limited, to the point where the first third of the game may leave you with nothing more than one magazine for your limited weapon selection leaving you under constant stress of conservation that rewards different solutions than run and gun. However you will have to get into combat situations, and they make up for some tense fights with great AI, nice feel to your aim, limited ammo making each bullet impact your thought and gameplay, real time inventory choices, and the ability to confused and mess with enemies. Enemy types are also present, though limited, giving you some diversity and interesting moments in the game. You will despise clicker, though probably in a good way because that was an intentional high threat enemy. I could go into more details, but the general depth of the game is tough to all write down and in the end I must sum it up to say it is one of the most tense, and best way to handle a linear survival adventure and it feels catered to those that want to really dig deep and feel rewarded... its a hardcore high budget masterpiece that grips you in tightly for the duration of good quality cut-scenes and unique heavy gameplay. On top of that there are extra and goofy unlockables and a new game plus, because again: it cares for the hardcore and to deliver a really grand experience rather than tacking on crap and leaving you early for the multiplayer (which people also love). Oh and the story goes way deeper than I made it sound, but I just can't feel right to give away more details. Just trust me when I say the journey goes deep, powerful, and the ending will blow your mind when the character comes full circle in a way I have never seen before in a story of any kind. However with all that being said, I could not find myself making the adventure more than once and you know... I guess this game just didn't impact me or resonate with me in such a way that makes it hit the mark others give it. I also despised fighting zombies by the end of it, not because they were tough, but because they were designed in a way that really recked the felling of gunplay and had such stupid AI compared to the humans... it just felt like a chore to put up with them. It certainly isn't going to be my choice for "the best game ever" like some are saying. Heck I haven't even bought it yet, I just rented it and again can't find myself going back right away. Like I was saying around the start, I call it more of an "experience" because while it has heavy gameplay it works so well with the tense and deep feeling that it actually isn't all that great to jump back into... instead you experience and ride along the journey, and when that's done there's just a giant lacking draw to doing anything in it afterwards. Overall I had a lot more fun and impact from other games that make it higher on the list, but I will save that discussion for this game's issues and lack of impact on me for another day. Just don't cry when you see some "dumb" fun games get way ahead of this heavy game. Sometimes I don't want something emotionally deep or too tense to get in the way of my general enjoyment of just having a blast in a game. Regardless, it deserves a spot on this list as one of my favorite PS3 games. It was a really grand experience that wont easily be forgotten.... especially with the internet giving it a godly status.

8) Sly Cooper: Thieves in time

Sly 4 is on this list for the same reason Resistance 3 was, except this just does the job so much better and more satisfying with its adventure and just leaves me grinning big. It brings up a genre I miss and rarely see anymore, and provides it in an amazing and exciting experience that feels fresh and new despite clinging to old ways. I don't really know how well to praise it apart from just saying its one of the better 3D platformers out there, and has a lot of value and interest to it as well as a gripping adventure. Its just a fantastic game which I wrote more deeper praise as I choose it in my GOTY 2013 article, the end. I just had a ton of fun in such a way that this deserves a great spot on the list.

7) Warhammer 40'000: Space Marines

This game actually had such an impact that it changed my life a bit. It was my gateway into an incredible fictional universe that would become one of my favorite things in both Fantasy and sci-fi genres. However it was a slow process. It was just one of those ok looking games I kept coming back to until I just settled on the idea that it freakin' rocked. I seen some news... looks cool. I played the demo, it was fun. I played the demo some more, it was worth keeping around for a bit. I rented it and enjoyed the first 3rd of the game in it. I rented it again, it was worth trying to beat but then I lost interest for a second. I asked for it for a christmas when I wanted to play it again and started over noticing small little details I hadn't before and was really getting a kick out of it.... and eventually I got to the demon portal twist in the story, and holy crap I was sold that this game was made of sheer awesomeness. I later got involved in the lore, got interested on what was previously just a bland story (because I couldn't tell what they were talking about), felt nostalgic for all its little traits that reminded me of great things in older games like the Ork voices, red war skies, and cheesy fun atmosphere, and I just started letting all that awesome stuff sink in and manifest itself into one of my favorite games of the past few years. The gameplay mechanics were stupidly manly and just plain fun and unique basically having a shield system over top of a health bar that you could only recover by diving into the heat of battle and ripping enemy's guts out. All while the universe was checking off a fictional world wishlist of mine, and the whole campaign was lengthy fun that felt amazing. This just ended up becoming a game I really respected and to me it was one of those games you just feel a calling to. Even the survival/horde mode was just a blast to play, and I usually hate that kind of thing. I just wish the competitive multiplayer wasn't such a big clunky mess of mediocrity, but I can live without it and still love the game. Certainly one of my favorite PS3 games, and I really hope it gets a sequel. However even if one never happens the MMO coming out is shaping up to replicate many things from this game and I'm excited to see more of it.

6) Uncharted 2

Like I said at the start, when you start numbering your favorite games there are a few surprises along the way even on your own list. I guess you'd expect uncharted 2 around a 6th best PS3 game spot anyways, but for me it was kind of awkward to put this here over space marines, starhawk, sly, and lost planet, but yet it kind of feels right too. Uncharted 2 just does the adventure so right, and in such a way that really left an impact on me as one of my first PS3 games and it remains to feel like one of the best I've played. Sure it has pacing problems, platforming is an outright joke of button mashing and scripted events, and the story ends up repeating and conflicting with itself thanks to its odd intro, but in the end it was a fantastic game that really sticks with me. The multiplayer is a ton of fun despite a bunch of its own problems and was lovingly supported for its day (I remember starting it up on christmas with santa hats on everyone), and the campaign has some fun moments that I just kept returning to and enjoying over and over again. It also has cheat codes, a well driven story, amazing visuals that still hold up pretty nicely today despite a couple others topping it, and just a great theme to it that all make it just feel so good. I really enjoyed this game, and its currently my favorite game from this company and one of my favorite general PS3 games. Oh yeah and the sequel was good, but the story and difficulty spikes just threw it such a big step backwards, and the adventure in general just wasn't as fun. Uncharted 2 is the peak of the series, and a grande PS3 game.

5) Skyrim

Skyrim captures the very principle of what made me really get into games before I was old enough to get a good grip on mechanics and logic or skill: It was full of slow paced observation heavy environments and exploration you could just get sucked into. Skyrim basically throws you into one giant sandbox of a world, and lets you get lost in it. Exploring, fighting, discovery, atmosphere, adventure, treasure, twists, fantasy, its all here in an insane 150-300 hour world of a game called skyrim. I realized I would love this game after my first incident past the tutorial. I got out of the tutorial and didn't understand the objective tracking... or objective... or map. I was lost. I stumbled across a fisherman, and abandoned camp settlement where I stole and peeked through old logs and equipment left behind, found a mysterious ruins of an abandoned hut on the cliff of a mountian where a couple appeared to be burned to death, stumbled onto some overpowered ghost spirits that chased me away from an abandoned castle, ran into a road trap full of bandits and killed them all, watched some of the animals actually interacting with each other, and eventually found my way into a vampire tower where I fought all the way up to the very difficult boss where I gave up and left. Shortly after that tower problem I finally figured out the compass icon and realized I was just a tiny bit away from the town I was supposed to go to... I turned back around and went backwards to get lost again because it was so ridiculously fun just to go at my own pace and run free in an ever evolving interactive massive fantasy world. I haven't even begun to talk about all the other content and brilliance hiding in this masterpiece, or any of its main RPG mechanics. I'm not going to either, because that is all overkill and the game really brings an amazing experience out of itself. Now with that being said I have plenty of issues with the game as well, ranging from glitches and crashes, shallow combat, slow and frequent loading, too many dungeons, and worst of all a horrible use of an inventory system that just kills the game for me at times and bugs me on nearly every action I take. These problems get in the way of my decision to play the game at times because I'm not in the mood to put up with them, and overall I feel like at times the game may have been better if it was marketed as a sandbox and kicked most of its RPG elements and game hindering bits out in favor of just capitalizing on the amazing exploring, world building, and pacing. However its still a brilliant game, and really reminded me of what really pulled me into the hobby until I was old enough to follow more strict rules in other genres, and skyrim was just a real joy and masterpiece to play. And that music... oh god yes that music is amazing. One of my favorite soundtracks, interactive worlds, and overall PS3 games out there. Skyrim well deserves a place among my favorite PS3 games....though to be honest I don't quite know if this is too far or not. I dunno, here's my best attempt at numbering it though and I do really enjoy this game a ton.

4) Ratchet and Clank: A crack in time

Ratchet and clank a crack in time is a perfect example of an older idea and formula continuing over and over again and where it ends up if its paced right, and done right to resume putting out amazing general quality. This is especially the case if the game was so darn unique to begin with, like this series is. At the end of the day what I want is a game that is insanely fun and makes me feel happy (and no it doesn't need to be cheerful, just so much fun). That means making me think with the mechanics, making me laugh or give me an interesting world my mind or imagination can get a grip on, and/or to just provide a great and fun experience where little interferes with that control and interaction that makes a game a game. A lot of older game styles that I like do that well enough as they are, and R&C is one that doesn't need a change other than a fresh adventure, and it'll hit its best and worst moments naturally. A crack in time gives fans a new adventure continuing the future storyline of the series which actually went pretty far in this entry and goes through its share of great moments and really brings out some good gameplay. Space combat returns and is the best of its kind in the series, the humor is perfect, it has my favorite video game villain of all time doing his thing, and this game just includes a lot of fun moments and amazing battles. I found some of the fights to be on a pretty great sense of scale to, which isn't the usual expectations from this series. I got a lot of replay value, good laughs, and a lot of general fun out of this game that just left me really happy and thoroughly enjoying the experience as a grand game and it nearly challenged Up Your Arsenal as my favorite in the series. I suppose it had its issues though with a super easy first half to the game that even someone who had never played the series or anything like it found it a little too simple, and the arena battles have just seen better runs. However it was pretty much my 2nd favorite game in a series I really love and replay the heck out of, so I've got to consider it one of the best PS3 games out there. I also came so close to platinuming it.... so close. Freakin' bolts are too tough to get though.

3) Dragon's Dogma: Dark arisen

I had been dreaming of a concept like this for as long as I understood and was generally disappointed with the general RPG genre. Sword fighting through deep combat that let you pick your swings, blocks, and special abilities, a leveling and management system that didn't get in the way of gameplay, and an epic quest with an emphasis on interesting monsters rather than such pathetic wastes of imagination like elves and dwarves. Years later here it is, on my PS3, and with more features than I asked for.... simply awesome. Party system with pals you can control, Massive open world, Passive multiplayer integration that adds to your characters and party as well as trivial game knowledge from other player's experiences, multiple and interesting classes giving a lot of different play styles, a romance NPC system (glitchy but still nice that it is there), a combat system that went beyond my expectations, mini-boss monsters that require learning and mastery over their pros and cons, and an amazing story line and adventure with a philosophical powerful dragon and a fantastic twist ending with the king and general lore of the world. Overall this is one of my favorite RPGs out there, and honestly I still haven't seen it all as I've barely even started the dark arisen expansion. Music is also nice, graphics are a bit dull but detailed in good spots, and at the end of the day I can feel satisfied calling this my favorite RPG of all time. However I kind of regret to say that like StarHawk I haven't spent as much time with it as I probably should. I guess while its absolutely amazing there's just always going to be that missing hook for me and RPG games, but anyways I'm still calling this a matter of amazing quality and preference over a ton of other games out there. Certainly one of my favorite PS3 games and I can now cross off "breathe taking RPG with amazing combat" off the list of things I want to see or accomplish in my life.  

2) Dishonored

As an action stealth game in first person, you play as a super powered Assassin in a Victorian steam punk inspired fictional island city trying to seek revenge on a government betrayal that framed you as a killer of your people's queen. I may sound like I'm starting a review or cold game summary (and one leaving out plenty of good details), but that's actually most of my justification of this game being so high on this list. There isn't a single tiny detail of that summary that is anything less than awesome, and if you're worried about execution through gameplay you need to just go do yourself a favor and run out and buy it to play it for yourself... because it plays spectacularly. Ok even more details: I love this game and its developer team because it just scratches a certain niche that fits with me much like their last game (dark messiah) did for my first completed RPG. The game is dark, stylish, heavily interactive and slow paced in big open environments, Beautifully brings the steampunk style into something different in a hobby that desperately needs more steampunk stuff, very open in general gameplay and decisions, has a cool plot and very interesting characters, and a lot of replay value through different decisions and consequences... and I mean that both naturally and through the game's binary morality system. Its one of the few games that has caught me spending about two hours in the hub world even after I beat the game once already and had all collectibles. I was just running around the hub world toying and observing stuff taking in all the detail, interactions, and trying to make sure I didn't miss a single freakin' thing. Imagine how I was on an actual mission of importance. Eaves dropping, collecting notes, cracking codes and vaults, using super powers to do goofy and fun stuff, this game was just a fantastic adventure with a certain allure to go through it with a child's playful mind... but I also ran through it like some dark edgy super hero assassin as the game felt like it intended. If your not convinced its one of the greatest and most flexible single player adventures of its decade, I can only say I guess its not your type.... but for me it hit a lot of special marks and just feels so good to play and I will be looking forward to whatever the heck Arkane puts out on the market next because I'm sure by now it will be spectacular as well (even if they crush my dreams of the old prey 2 concept by reworking it all in favor of system shock). Don't get me wrong now dishonored isn't perfect, but so close I just don't care otherwise. It needs a new game+, it needs one big mechanic pacing issue fixed, and the morality system is just as wacky and lame as any other binary morality system, but again all of these things are easy to suspend while I go around literally suspending my character and others with interesting powers and have a blast with the gameplay. Oh yeah and the game came with actual stylish tarot cards based on the character art work if you pre-ordered it, so there's that cool little quirk that I appreciate to.

1) Killzone 2

This is my list, and if you know me by now you'd know I couldn't leave this off.... well guess what I found myself feeling like it was the only thing good enough for top #1 material. Now prepare for a big 3 part read. There just comes a time when a game just feels right, and feels catered to you in quite a lot of ways... killzone 2 did that and presented it along with a mind blowing multiplayer, strikingly brilliant graphics and physics engine that I still defend as the crown achievement on what a PS3 looks like a its best (even if it feels like all of its aspects were beaten in some way by other games, nothing completely did it all), and some of the best FPS aesthetics on just about everything imaginable. I really mean that to, just go look up the ballet of death video on youtube (here you go) and it shows off all the death animation and wonderful physics, the weight and metallic feeling to the guns, the particle effects and you can see pretty much all of that in a video, but playing it is even better... especially the weight. The gunplay even did hipfire right, which was a huge relief after how awful it was done in certain other games but I'll talk more on that later. There's even just that underlying joy towards just starting the game up, and I end up watching the amazing intro video and logos with some sort of draw to them and anticipation for the game... even if I'm only going to play some tiny chunk of a level or one or two bot matches I can just feel that enthusiasm worth waiting for it. Its just that good.

Multiplayer is a work of brilliance and one of the few hardcore designed multiplayer shooters in the middle of PS3's cycle.... and possibly one of the only successful ones compared to brink's disappointment and Starhawk's flop status. It was designed to have team based tactics in mind mixed with a dynamic changing field of objectives in small portions of the map that would result in complete clusters of chaos and mayhem. The game has one of the few progressions systems I've actually looked back on fondly, because unlike others it was real progress and the point system and total design of the game was kept simple and competent rather than overfluffed and gimmicky. You actually started with nothing but an assault rifle and pistol with low ammunition, and earned the shotgun, then your first class and responsibilities, then the ability to command squads, the list goes on. Then you had to take your class abilities and earn points with them to qualify a ribbon, then take that ribbon and get a 7 more in separate matches until you leveled up and got the next class ability or the perk to mix it with another base class (meaning if you mastered your medic and engineer you could have a medic that revives and repairs stations for ultimate support). You worked for your stuff, and it felt so good to keep it. You had a good balance of classes with their own uses and abilities as well as weapon limits. The sniper deserves a special mention as the idea was one of the most brilliant and unique I've seen with a full on invisible cloak, an amazing sluggish and loud one hit kill bolt action sniper rifle, and the ability to spot and mark targets for your own tracking or to help the team's radar abilities out. Moving or killing broke the cloak requiring you to hold still and snipe then change spots as your thunderous death blow gave you away leaving some of the most risky/rewarding positions I've played in a multiplayer game. Changing objectives kept you on your toes and rolling through different classes and jobs supporting the team in interesting ways while racking up points all along with the gunplay and aesthetics I've mentioned before, as well as the ability to play it all to your own custom soundtracks. Going back in a circle I'm going to bring up again that this game really felt for the hardcore and I'll explain more on what I mean with that. Between the team based tactics, and the fact that you had to adapt between objectives and roles at the same time, you were also adapting to things as simple as your bare bones mechanics like aiming (weighty aim), recoil and accuracy, and the fact that you had a decent portion of non-regenerating health all while experiencing the deep unlock system to really earn your ranks and further gaming access. Even hipfire to ADS had a pro/con bit that some had to adapt to and it made fights even more interesting, especially since there was no way to one hit kill melee like in other games and future killzone titles. Unlike a lot of shooters, the fact is if you fire an assault rifle in controlled bursts while in a steady fixed position (like crouched, which was a hugely effective move for accuracy in killzone) with it up against your shoulders the only difference between going ADS is extending your arm out and seeing the exact sight. So hipfire was actually pretty accurate around a close range and was actually a tactical advantage in close quarters as you had more flexible movement and control than someone zoomed in on you near point blank range like an insecure flinch mistake. Take note on that Insomniac and Infinity ward, ADS does not belong in twitchy close fights. Moving on from that, there was the deep reward and freedom the game entrusted you with, the ability to get ribbons and accolades that actually helped your status and having the freedom of full server lists full of options and mode redefining choices was just a brilliant thing. The game didn't have a lot of fluffy gimmicks, but that was ok... again this was for the hardcore, substance and depth is where it mattered and delivered through genius maps, options, and mechanics all wrapped up in an outstanding engine. Who cares if there's only one shotgun or two assault rifles when that was all that was needed and the main game felt this good. What more could you ask for? Well how about the fact those modes were brilliant fresh twists on old ideas, the level design was awesome and provides me with some of my favorite general multiplayer maps, and the atmosphere was just perfect. Hearing Brian cox's voice over a propaganda radio cheering on the helghast's agenda as they attempt to drop the radio off in the ISA base with lots of explosions, chaos, and corpse mixed with solider bleeding out hoping for a medic all within a dark gothic-like stone and earthy polluted world.... its just so perfect for what killzone is. The atmosphere here is horribly underrated in this game, and I can't stand to hear critics bash on it for the lack of color when they're clearly missing out on all that it does do. All of this atmosphere goes on fluidly within 32 player based multiplayer matches. Sadly the multiplayer is pretty much dead now, as it has been a long run in a world where its type isn't so popular. However while it was there and kicking, I think Killzone 2 is possibly my favorite multiplayer games. That is why Killzone 2 belongs at number 1.... haha, no just kidding I haven't even started on the campaign yet. I would never let a game win based on multiplayer only no matter how damn good it is.

The campaign takes place after killzone 1, possibly one of my favorite PS2 shooters, and it feels pretty good at first being about a frontal assault on the enemy territory. They underestimated the Helghast threat as they put the fierce leader that trained the main military school in charge of leading the helghast to destroy the ISA assault. Actually ok I wont go much further other than to say the ending level and cut-scene wrapped this up fantastically, because the story in general wasn't all the big of a deal and could be looked at as a generically bad FPS story just used as an excuse to move you along the gameplay's path. Now the gameplay has its problems and I'll start off by naming at first that I despised the pistol locked inventory system, the lack of importance behind going for sign shoot collectibles, and then there's just the bummer that campaign went for full health regen even though the multiplayer was smart enough to know better. Actually when I think about what good the campaign did I feel like it came up a bit short until I realized it only sounds that way. Basically the strength of the campaign was its simple nature and that it was basically a testing grounds of all those wonderful things mentioned before about good aesthetics, gunplay, and engine and the only thing campaign adds to that other than a generic FPS story is: Amazing enemy AI, a couple tiny boss events, and a full on cover system as well as a couple exclusive weapons and tiny vehicle set pieces. For the most part the campaign is barebones for an FPS corridor shooter. However considering how amazing Killzone 2 was with its core set up, this was fantastic and lead it to being such a fun and thrilling experience that I found myself replaying again and again and again especially thanks to the fantastic level design system where you could just jump into your favorite battles in the middle of any level. According to stat tracking I have over 30 hours in playing a 6 hour linear game. Oh yeah and I did bring up the AI, and I'll bring them up again to say they were awesome and a lot of fun to fight. The set pieces were few and far between and really felt special when they needed to and the feeling of going from gun to tank or gun to turret rubbed off smoothly as the heavy aesthetics stayed while feeling fresh in a new little campaign toy. The cover system was awesome with a heavy snap-like function that went with the duck command giving you a feeling of control and precision that also matched the weight. To bring up what I said at the very start, the general game felt like it was supposed to cater to me. It had a special level select system dropping you into any battle, boss, or set piece you wanted to, amazing AI for maximum replayability, fantastic dark war atmosphere with a deeper story underlying the plain and short main plot, small little jokes in and out of dialogue that interested me, the best feeling and physics to any FPS ever, the weight and lack of indicator to throwing grenades, and even the way you went iron sights with toggle R3 and the way the game refilled your ammo and automatically fixed your magazine felt like a perfect thing over the usual trait of shooters. I guess the inventory limit and health were a step back away from what I wanted, but everything else down to the tiny details was so perfect I didn't care. The multiplayer was of my favorite style and brought innovations where it was welcomed while staying old in ways that I loved. Overall to sum it all up Killzone 2 is a masterpiece in the field of first person corridor shooters and its one of my favorite games out there as well as the best PS3 game I can think of when it comes to naming the best to my personal list. I know it wont be thought much of outside of it cult fanbase. Critics (apart from Jim Sterling) confuse it with the lesser sequel entry, and gamers that play it continue to argue over its love or hate status, and generally it fades behind such gigantic cinematic progressions as Last of Us or gets swept under by fads and mainstream success, but in the end I know it has served me well as one of my favorite shooters out there and I am very grateful for every piece of brilliance this game brought me when I got it that Christmas day with my PS3. I don't even think it'll have a sequel that will beat it. It deserves my personal favorite spot in the PS3 category.

Target hit!

Top 11 games that I love... but no one else does.

I've actually seen this kind of list done before, and it often gets a bit interesting. Its like some hipster backwards spin on overrated lists, and yet remains more interesting and personal than listing off underrated titles. Being someone who kind of grew up enjoying quite a good bit of what I played, and stumbling on a good amount of cult hits and obscure titles its just fitting I take a stab at making this kind of list. I'm also certain it'll get bigger after its actually finished because I've still got some pretty obscure games like chrome, chaser, and a couple others I have hardly gotten into yet. So this list is just begging to be made overall... maybe even revisited with a part 2. I'll be naming off games I really enjoyed that were either dismissed without much thought, games that bombed, or games that might have simply have been disliked by the fans or a vocal community. Also while they have an order and number to them, its a bit confusing to pick and place them... so forgive me if a game feels out of place by a couple of spots on the list or you just feel like there isn't much consistency. I hope the formatting helps explain them. I guess I should start off by also explaining "top 11" instead of 10. The last number came at the last moment when I remembered a game I simply could not get myself to leave out... so yeah lets go with 11 titles for this top list.

11) Lair

Why I love it: Freakin' dragons! Fly around, fight other dragons, eat stuff for health recovery, participate in big scale war that goes from air to ground, etc. Ok I'll admit I don't actually "love" it, its just good fun. I enjoy it, and its a fun game with a theme I love. Typically I'm not a big fan of flying games, so yeah the genre isn't my thing and this isn't completely blowing my mind in a way that introduces everything. However it is a lot of fun for what it is, and has more control and depth to it that can appeal to me despite its flaws.

Why no one else did: Imagine an entire reception basing their opinions off of the poor controls. Hard to believe, especially considering this is the same brand name that got tomb raider to thrive. Look I get it, the SIXAXIS isn't the best use of motion controls nor is it a great control scheme. But it functions, and there was a freakin' patch to completely fix the issue and people still hate the game because... well I guess it released joy chemicals in their brain to think such. No seriously I cannot find much of a real reason this game was hated on beyond its now fixed control scheme. I manned up and dealt with the default controls and had a good time. I don't see the big deal with this game.

Spot: It gets this place on the list because I didn't care about it so much, and honestly like the majority of gaming audiences I've sort of let it go forgotten. I have no real reason to talk about it often, and there isn't a lot of drive for me to continue with it because I'm simply not that into flight combat games. Its a fun game, and I'll remember it as an obscure fun game that was hammered into the ground by everyone except me and maybe some other lucky soul getting some fun out of it.... but apart from that it just isn't special enough to go higher.

10) Medal of Honor: Warfighter

Why I love it: Multiplayer. All I can really say. I love it for the multiplayer and gunplay. It was the first game to make red dot look realistically blurred, had a great sense of recoil and feeling to weapons, fun modes, a lot of fun with its lean system, and the class balance and buddy system was just awesome. It has the typical multiplayer gimmicks, but what I appreciate is that they are all so heavily underplayed or poorly done that they don't matter to the game and I find myself only worried about going around with a decent gun and killing people through a barebones game with good substance into its gunplay. Oh yeah and there's a server list, so there's that nice bit to.

Why no one else did: Because the game is garbage, and I'm going to admit that and say it loud for everyone to hear. I didn't agree with every critic on just how bad it was, but it was pretty bad and the only redeeming quality of it was some bits of the multiplayer. Players hated it because it didn't offer them as much as other games, or felt like a satire of the modern military shooter sub-genre. Critics hated it for its lengthy amount of buglists even after the giant (and it was quite incredible) day 1 patch. Fans hated it because it simply isn't a good series anymore. One of my favorite gaming critics on youtube even did a video dedicated to making an example of it as why FPS campaigns are just so awful today... and I agreed with him on every single moment and found it tragically accurate. I gave up on it with its pathetic playcount draining life out of the only thing worth keeping it around for, and it will go down as an abomination to the genre and a milestone of how bad this sub-genre can get. Heck this is the only military shooter I just cannot get myself to complete no matter how much I prepare for its lack of quality.... its just that bad, and as you'll see in this list I'm not one to be scared off by "poor" games so often.

Spot: I still love it for a lot of the multiplayer quality I mentioned before. Its like the only game I can say seriously redeemed itself on gunplay alone, and that was fine with me to say I really had a lot of fun with it and found it to be a stroke of genius. For being a very big guilty pleasure to enjoy its feel in lacking gimmicks and its good gunplay, I can't say I loved it much more than that and the gaming community rightfully wants to burn it to the ground. So it can't go far on this list. Without bots, I can't really even say I'd try to return to enjoy it some more because its probably all dead making it a horrible game I'll only play the campaign of one day if I have some nerve to torture myself. So it earns a pretty light spot on the list.

9) Two Worlds 2

Why I love it: I spotted the trailers, and had hope this would basically turn into what Dragon's Dogma was. I found out the bad news.... it wasn't, but still refused to let hope die down. You know what, I was right. Spent $60 on it around launch and I'm perfectly fine with that, because to this day it is one of the most interesting, creative, and entertaining ADD filled quest based RPG games I've played. I freakin' loved the world, combat was good enough to entertain me with an awesome upgrade system, graphics impressed me for the time, and the lack of polish actually felt more charming than bad. Oh yeah and the music is just brilliant. I really enjoyed this game, and will probably go back to it before I call myself really done with the PS3 (if that sort of time comes).

Why no one else did: Yeah remember that bit where I mentioned bad polish? Bad polish and presentation, horrible voice acting, clunky situations, and part of that polish was a framerate that was just constantly bad. Mix that all in with the fact that it was just very campy in a few ways and the market is flooded with much better typical RPGs and its not that big of a deal to skip out or find this game lacking. However I can forgive polish, I am far more appreciative of creativity, and this was one of my first RPGs... so none of the common issues really bothered me. I embraced the campy buggy mess and found gold in the rest of the game's traits. However I wasn't honestly the only one and to the public's credit there is a very tiny pathetic sized cult of people who enjoyed it, or praise it for things like its magic system, online mode, and middle tier developer feeling.

Spot: Not that bad on the list because of what I just mentioned... its not that horrible considering there were still some people able to tolerate it or even love it with me. Its just that for the most part it was still panned, angered some, and left without a footprint.

8) Brink

Why I love it: Heck yeah! A multiplayer FPS that is stylish, interesting, customizable, and made for the hardcore with some innovation in mind. I really loved this game for its core mechanics, and considering the time it came out it was practically a savior. Mixed with the style, voice acting, setting and plot, and I was really sold on the idea of this being a fantastic game. I loved the large bullet spongy health, the class balance, interesting RPG upgrades, the parkour, the strong thunderous gunplay, and some of the objectives and level designs were genius. What could go wrong?

Why no one else did: Son of a bitch. Of course that last statement above was foreshadowing for something going wrong. I actually understand and sympathize with the hate in a lot of ways, because when it comes down to it this game's disappointment hits like a punch to the gut. Much like how I said with Metro in my GOTY article, some games that release just shake up everything you knew and give you the unexpected. Brink did that in a bad way. While the gameplay is beyond solid, and is in fact golden to my standards, the game falls severely short with its 8 map limit, no modes, its "blurred" solo/multiplayer feature that was used as hype is nothing more than MP with bots with some tiny cut-scenes in between missions leaving you deceived because there is no such actual campaign. On top of that at launch, bot coding was worse, the matchmaking was the worst I've ever seen, and graphical glitches were almost at rage's level of bad. HOWEVER... the hate gets a little out of hand. Its more than "trash" or a waste of money. When it comes to playing video games, I love games for their mechanics and their freedom. Brink delivers on gameplay in a fantastic manner, however a lot of the typical vocal gamers can't see that. They just trash it. I think its because a lot of people got cozy with the super casual manner of most multiplayer shooters, like the low reflex based fast regenerating health and gunplay and design that has nothing but point and shoot. Brink is not that kind of game, it is there to serve the more hardcore shooter fans. At the end of the day I can sit back and play brink for a good few hours, getting sucked into how much fun it is to play with its amazing gameplay with some bots... and I really do enjoy this game and feel happy that I got it... even if its not worth but half its actual launch price. By now, there is no reason to stay clear of this game unless you simply weren't cut out for it to begin with. As it stands now the price is low with patches installed, while the gameplay remains fun, and unique.

Spot: Brink hits this mark for truly being a bit of a bad release that deserves some of the hate it got... and I was angry with it to, and still feel awful about all that missed potential. I was so ready and so hyped for it, following it and anticipating it to even overcome my love for killzone.... and then it bombed that dream with the fact that as you only had a season pass worth of content to play it all in. Its an overbloated demonstration of a shooter I've been waiting for... with all that said I love what is there and will defend its mechanics and general design to the grave if I have to. Its a brilliant hardcore shooter that should have been more, and no matter what people think of it I will enjoy it. So it gets an ok spot on the list, but there are bigger fish to fry.

7) Alpha Prime

Why I love it: It resonates with me in a special way. I don't know how I can really say that any better. It blows my mind and sends me in for a nostalgic joyride through a gun blazing space adventure that I really enjoy. I loaded it up years ago in demo form when I was just grabbing all the free demos I could find on steam, and it was laggy and challenging but fun... though a bit familiar to. I picked it up for good recently on the last big winter sale steam had, and man am I glad it was a bit "familiar" to me years ago because its the sort of direction I wish shooters stayed in. Tight corridor shooter action with resource management, fun weapons and gunplay, at least some form of enemy types, and an entertaining (though still bad) attempt at a plot. It also had a look that felt very doom 3-like, and was clearly the type of game made when everyone was chasing after Half life 2 or halo. And I loved every bit of that. The world was interesting and atmospheric enough for me to sink my time into looking around, gameplay was fun and offered a good challenge and made me think before doing stuff, and the gimmicky physics were fun gimmicky physics. This game feels like a lost love letter to the sort of shooters I grew up playing. Oh yeah and there's other fun quirks like bullet time, and hackable objects that can completely screw with your enemies in optional ways. Overall it was a game I could really get into, and a giant relief from modern military style games.... though to be honest its in its own time period, its just a big relief because I bought it late.

Why no one else did: For a start, its on here because its very obscure and practically has no one talking, buying, or discussing it. However what few have stumbled upon it, it still has quite some fierce reception for a $5 game. Others that are happy with it even use $5 as an excuse as if it weren't worth anymore. The problems people have with it apart from the obvious nature of its terrible voice acting, is that it just doesn't do anything special, it forces quick saving, and the AI relies on aimbot-like fighting to challenge the player.

Spot: I'm a nostalgic person, yet despite this most of my love for games and things is backed up with reasoning. However in this case I can't grab enough defense, it really does come down to a lot of nostalgia goggle wearing perspective. I love this game, but its a lot of nostalgia that is giving me the fun. In general its a "meh" old title that some hate and some find for a fun little bargain bin distraction, and outside of that it has practically no attention or value to the world. I feel like this spot is appropriate for such a game.

6) Lost Planet 2

Why I love this game: Because its crazy as can be, and straight forward in getting to the next wild and open ended crazy gun blazing segment. The game has some pretty weak and generic 3rd person shooting to it, but the amount of crazy freedom in such a linear stage by stage design and enemy types make up for it. Oh and the bosses.... wow. Massive alien after massive alien, and they all have cool and lengthy designs to them that make the whole situation really sink in as a playable and great struggle. The story is a bit meh at times, but comes in strong in the final act with an epic vibe that suits the crazy scope of it all making me feel just so good for playing the game. Oh and there is a limited but fun little bot multiplayer bit as well, the real multiplayer was nice to despite some clunky bits to it. Overall I had a ton of fun with the game. Everything from its artstyle, to its silly gamey nature just made it a blast to play through. It also is a shining example of a co-op game done right, no forceful gimmicks or difficulty spikes that require you to play with broken AI partners or feel left out for going in alone, I played the whole lengthy crazy fun filled adventure alone and loved every moment of it without struggling through partner gimmicks like my experience with most co-op driven games.

Why no one else did: It had its fans and playerbase, but for the most part it was usually disregarded as a lesser game in the series by many fans and critics were more than happy to slam it while others often just didn't have anything good to say. The fanbase that was there just wasn't very loud about it either, and overall you had a pretty crazy and interesting game that left kind of quietly. I also keep note of a hilarious common complaint I hear with people I actually know where people try to suggest its the dark souls of shooters (in a bad way). My friends made me think the bosses were impossible one hit kill death machines, and another friend said the demo boss took him 45 minutes to beat... which would be unbelievable if not for the giant counter making it a real thing you can say and the fact that I also witnessed my dad playing and beating that length by overstaying the fight for more than an hour. I also remember even before owning the game thinking the IGN review was only blaming the game for their sucky playing. I just don't know what it is about the game being too hard on some people and hurting its reputation, but I went solo and blasted through it guns blazing with ease and happiness.... and I'm not really all that great at any game usually. I guess this game was just my thing that clicked with the way I worked. Meanwhile many just really could not get a grip on this game, and I guess that has hurt its value while also just being the sequel to a "meh" cult hit.

Spot: We're getting into the real meat of the list, and I feel like this is good grounds to put a game like this in for the passion I had for it and the lowly and mixed reception it got. Love this game, and its probably one of my top favorite third person games alongside Furfighters, Starhawk, and Space marines. However it faded out as an obscure title within an obscure and "mediocre" series that just can't seem to catch on big with everyone. It was received harshly, but I could care less personally as I got more than my money's worth and will hold onto this. Now Lost planet 3... that is just miserable and boring to even watch let alone think of playing. Sad way for the series to go.

5) Hoard

Why I love it: I really can't explain it so well apart from the obvious love in theme. Its an arcadey top down twinstick shooter about dragons. With the theme aside, because I really do love that, I'm not quite sure why this was more enjoyable to me than the usual twin stick shooter. Each twinstick shooter I've tried seems to do its own thing while playing it safe in most actions and mechanics, like a dark story driven alien shooter that has its own way of doing progression or throws some tiny twist to shooting, or a general short run twin stick shooter that has its own way of doing goals and quick missions. Hoard falls into the previously mentioned one about short matches, made for quick multiplayer runs and competetive record beating... which makes it sound even less likely that I would enjoy it. However I just love it. The ecosystem, the upgrades, the feeling of being a dragon, the random events like trolls, the progressing towns and world that can get harder if you let them go unchecked, the tribute system and rivalry with other dragons, and tiny little elements that effect your lair like princess ransoms and thieves who get a little too brave. I love this game, and found it to be one of the most replayable and enjoyable PSN games out there... even beating out Journey.

Why no one else did: Talk about obscure nothingness. The whole experience just reeks of it. The developer got sucked into a mobile company with no word of it after they failed to properly support the game on any platform, and the audience behind it.... well not a peep. The media and public was just so darn quiet about this game, and for something I had some good fun in and something that holds a record for its tiny genre... it just isn't recognized. I wouldn't be surprised if it falls out of existence completely on digital markets and internet. I can't believe two games staring dragons made this list, you'd expect more respect and love from the many dragon fans when the media sorely lacks dragons.

Spot: I really enjoyed this game, but still because of its genre and the fact that its some tiny digital game I can't praise it or get but so much fun out of it. I really like it, but then there's just nothing really to it.... no hate, no outcry, no following of any kind, bad support, the whole game just went meh and extinguished itself from interest. So I suppose it makes a good middle tier spot being a lot of fun and decent value to myself, and leaving on such an obscure note that it might as well not exist without my personal enjoyment of it.

4) Killzone 1 (and kind of 3)

Why I love it: Killzone 1 was a great ordinary shooter to me that slowly pulled me more and more into it as a game sort of crossing the lines between medal of honor and more creative shooters I played. The campaign itself wasn't so fantastic, but it was still a lot of fun to play and had some cool values. Now it really opened up my eyes and revolutionized things for me when I found out about its bot mode... it was the first time ever seeing something like that in a shooter. The possibilities of playing a randomized skirmish with a player set count of my choice, and map pick ups was just.... wow! It was like creating my own mini-wars as a younger kid, about in 5th grade. I had seen some idea of its mechanics in split-screen gaming, but now at any time with or without friends I could throw myself into a mode like that with a whole freakin' battlefield and plenty of enemies and allies to play with on my own terms and pace. It was magnificent. But fine, want to know more about what I loved? Helghasts! They were amazing in design, tech, and voice. Then there was the crazy secondary weapon fire in a military style shooter, fun levels, grenade cooking and sprinting for the first time to me, and replayability through different characters, and the gunplay was a good attempt at what killzone 2 would later master with a serious depth in shooting and weight that really gave the guns a punch to them and a certain aesthetic that couldn't be found anywhere else at that time. Then there were all sorts of little amazing nitpicks that I loved, like one shot kill sniping, climbing ladders piece by piece and looking at your arms, double tapped magazines, corpses that didn't fade so fast and even pre-set ones to add atmosphere of a deadly war filled world, and other small little things of that sort of nature. I just really loved this game for its time and enjoyed the revolution to me to get my first run at bot mode. Even with nostalgia and "my first time experiencing x or y" aside this game was still a blast and I've had fun replaying it and I think it holds up as a solid and good corridor shooter with a simple but fun bot mode. Don't get me wrong it had its problems. Most notable problems could probably be directed to the fact that The voices had a tendency to get really repetitive, and the multiplayer/bot mode had a tendancy to favor explosives... to the point where whoever got to the hill with rockets, or stumbled upon a grenade launcher first likely rained death upon whoever they wanted to for the length of their ammo supply. Still any problem I found with the game was something I could brush aside for the amount of fun and joy it brought me.

Now as for Killzone 3, I could sort of drag that into the list because it was a lot of the same fun killzone 2 had. In a couple ways it improved, with new guns (including the best SMG ever), better campaign inventory system, and the multiplayer was a lot of fun similar to killzone 2 and was one of the best shooters on the market in its time.

Why no one else did: Killzone 1 was just trashed. I don't find myself often saying this since I can often handle bad reviews and criticism, but the reviews felt like outright strings of burning lies and nitpicks gone unchecked. I guess people got so obsessed over the stupid magazine pushed hype of it being a "halo killer", but that's just unacceptable... it needs to be judged on its own merits rather than trying to be rated purely on whether or not it tops the mainstream crown because a biased magazine told you so. The glitches, and wacky audio were taken out of proportion, and the core values of the game were undermined, and quite a few critics pretended it was unplayable for a framerate problem I couldn't even bother to notice unless I tracked it with a speed gun. Oh yeah and one critic even called it a rip-off of halo because an enemy was called an "elite".... yeah this is who you've entrusted your professional Journalism to internet: people that think the role of an elite soldier is owned by Halo. -_- I cannot do a facepalm hard enough. There were also a few remarks about how the gunplay was generic or mediocre, despite how far from the truth that was with the weighty feel and serious punch guns had to them... and I have still yet to find another shooter around or before that time period that did something like that. In modern times critics still can't get over their old ways of finding some way to hate it. More modern reviews on the HD release cry about controls despite full button mapping, repeat their complaints for bad audio, feel the need to hate on the overuse of bad language, and just try to convince you the gameplay has nothing about it worth enjoying. As for user reception, it was mostly just forgotten and not mentioned... however many people that are vocal were just there to tell you about how awful it was that it couldn't be halo. The people that did love it were a lot like me, and they followed the franchise into its golden age with killzone 2 while keeping old memories of the opening story line, helghast iconography, and nostalgic memories of fun in the military semi-arena style fragfest of the multiplayer.

As for Killzone 3, that is a bit of a tough one to talk about. Critics loved it in big reviews and even somewhat mainstream coverage for the first month it was out and then turned around calling it generic and forgettable in second opinions and through small sneers, and the entire time they were downplaying the story (with over 90 minutes of cut-scenese) as nothing. The fanbase was divided and many rejected it for its changes compared to the amazing killzone 2, and you know they were right to call it a lesser sequel. It ripped out important features like server lists while forcing point pop-ups in your face as well as some dumbed down bot fuctions and a campaign with a few too many rail and scripted pieces.

Spot: This is a tough call since I have so much passion for the series, and yet the first one bombed so hard for such unfair reasons. The first one really elevated me to a better quality in an FPS, finally giving me replay beyond a campaign which would have been enough to qualify as a great game even if it had stopped there. Whether I'm looking through nostalgic goggles, or if I take them off and look at it as an analytical gamer with fun in mind... I found killzone 1 to be great. I'll repeat myself again, I truly believe the criticism for the first game was full of some of the most dishonoest and poorly written reviews I've stumbled upon from the PS2 era; with outrageous expectations, some outright lies (what kind of framerate were they seeing?), and people who felt too big and full of themselves to be grateful for the things that were just fine. The casual public didn't stop to give it proper credit either, as most stayed quiet or fell for the "it failed as a halo killer" crap. So if this were about killzone 1 it would get a very high spot on the list meeting both extremes of my enthusiasm and public hate as well as going pretty undernoticed. However I'm also taking into account Killzone 3, which is honestly more fair and mixed. The series was established well by then and had fans who despised the changes while critics were a bit more forgiving of it. However the purist fans are off for the same reason I mock the 2nd opinions and legacy of this game from critics. They call it COD-ified and bash on it, to even the point of spreading their own lies like saying it had horrible noob friendly aim assists (it actually has less than killzone 2). It was not a forgettable or generic game and was instead a lesser killzone game but never the less a good solid killzone game. Killzone 3 was still fun, and actually has a couple of good qualities over shadow fall which is in general a better game. Killzone 3 got less burned though, while killzone 1 was a revolution to my nostalgic sense and a grand game in general that was scared and bullied at reception so I find this place around middle-high tier on the list to be a good spot for these games to share. So its kind of the big with the small, and I'm going to settle it down around this spot.

3) Cortex Command

Why I love this game: Well for starters it holds some value for being the first indie game I seriously got into (I played a bit of serious sam before that, but just a tiny bit). Outside of that though, I invested some time into it around its late build 18 days when it was a free game up for grabs that was mostly ran by mods. I downloaded and got a real kick out of what you could do in this game, it was basically an engine full of potential and ran by a community of imagination. I loaded up maps and went to war, ordering in troops with a unique loadout system and could send ships down full of supplies, bombs, interesting robots or creatures, or a squad of armed and ready soldiers. Then I defended against endless waves of enemies. The core mechanics were just genius, with a gibable system of nearly everything. Guns could be shot out of your hands, every limb could be shot off requiring you to adapt to a new situation, actual bleeding or robotic circuiting failures were a part of your health, and ships could lose vital engines and fall down taking out cargo, buildings, and terrain with it before it results in a final big explosion. Oh yeah and terrain had its own materials and destruction as well. As you could imagine this was a big sandbox of fun and again filled with player imagination. I would personally stack a ton of mods, hide my brain (goal to defend) in a ridiculous location, and had money placed ridiculously high from editing my files, and just went to survive crazy and insane battles until I got sick of the map or simply destroyed too much of it to continue on. It is to this day the best and most thrilling combat I've had in a sidescroller game. Oh yeah and it got even better in some ways as time moved on. When further builds were released, heavy scripting could be coded in to create deeper guns, characters and gibs were overhauled to be bigger and deeper with a new armor system including helmets and higher or lower tier soliders and factions, and dropships now had way more pieces to them than engines and their core. Over time new modes were developed, modders invented their own factions, and war was a lot more fun. Sadly though there were also more bugs added, some mods were outdated and never to be seen from again, more mods resulted in huge loading times, and the community is currently bordering on dead along with the game itself. Most of the good times for this has passed, but I still love what this game did for me and its still one of the most important and memorable indie games  to me.

Why no one else did: Even the developer hated this game, and that's where most of the problems come from. This game was poorly made under the assumption that it never needed to be finished or updated in truly interesting ways. After build 18 upgraded the shiney new stuff, it became premium and eventually worked its way out to the major public with a $20 release at one of its most broken and uninteresting forms on steam after indies became a big deal and had fierce competition with themselves for far better prices. The developer has been lazy, lacks communication, has done dishonest and hurtful things to its own fans (like spending all the extra support edition cash on buying a real AK47 rather than using it for game work like he implied), and because he got treated like he deserved once it went public he used that reception as an excuse to continue his old habits of not following up the support he promised and doing work just as efficiently as valve is on the continuation of half-life. Cortex command was a broken buggy release with some of the worst support I've seen in an indie development, and because of that and its steep learning curve as well as its general need for a community at a time when the PC market is oversaturated with good indie titles... the game was bashed and hated on only to be left forgotten by now as even steam sales don't bring the game back up to its real form. A cult following mostly from whoever was left from build 18 or previous days still remembers the good times and occasionally checks up on the game, but apart from that this game fell into a state of decay and is considered an abomination by the masses.

Spot: I can see every reason people are upset with this game, and I think the developer is a total jerk for running such great potential into the ground the way he did. Still I am sooooo grateful I joined in at a better time and took the time to understand this game in its younger, better working, and free state so I didn't just blindly throw $20 in and rage quite the buggy mess at first glance. I love what the engine is built around, I adore the core mechanics, I have it packed with mods to give that content substance, and I still continue to really enjoy this game and have such incredible memories of time spent with it. It was a brilliant game with a well deserved horrible reputation and a closed up legacy of pity, yet it deserves a high spot on the list because if you can forgive it you get a game of monstrous potential and one of the most incredible 2D engines ever constructed.... and I love it despite the hate it gets and deserves.

2) Naughty Bear

Why I love it: Love might be a bit overboard, but honestly its a great game that gave me a break from what I'm used to and was relaxing and good fun in a setting that actually felt nice to my sort of niche. I love tropical themes when they're done right and fun (no not farcry3's drug obsessed world). I love saturday morning cartoons that had that very simplistic nature to their world. I love how Naughty bear captured both of these things, kidified it, and then puts an ironic spin on it all turning it into a murder score game. As for the gameplay, it wasn't so complex but the pacing and open feel to it fits right in to what I love and I had a good time running around playing with traps, AI, and trigger events. The level set up was pretty fun as well making you go in with different goals, and different problems giving you a new way to look at each level. Sadly apart from those challenges and events, the level was mostly recycled and I guess that was the main drawback. However I still had a lot of fun in it, and the setting and feel to it make it one of those brilliant summer comfort games to sit back and play for some mindless well paced arcadey fun.

Why no one else did: To be fair if I bought this for full price, maybe I'd be made to. The game was recieved poorly and hammered around 2/10-like scores from most critics and recieved poorly for basically the complaint I had with the level repeating.... except they applied it to everything. It was a pretty cheap game in the end, and sent you through a lot of repetition, a lot of reused things not fleshed out enough, and all in a pretty unpolished title. Other bits could get to and bug the hell out of some people, like the "annoying" narrator or the camera. The game was just trashed for its repetitive nature and it was just seen as a very bad game. It was really hated, and critics and gamers still use it against the developer (which I'm honestly impressed is still around and making the next big W40K game.... awesome). Its just one of those "really horrible" releases that everyone only remembers to bring up as a joke and laugh at, almost like colonial marines without the controversy. Speaking of which, I think that game has its fun moments to but its still bad.

Spot: I suppose it gets one of the highest spots for just how shocked I was with the industry and public reception. At the time I was really begining to trust and get a grip on how to check into whether or not games were good based on their reception. Of course, as you can tell by this list's existence, that's not ever going to completely work out... but this one just really shocked me. I mean a 2 out of 10... come on guys, its not even close. You gave Duke nukem forever, and such forgettable buggy games as rage and alien marines better scores than that. I ran straight to the VGportal forum blog at the time of this and made a post on how off the critics were while giving a mini-review myself. It just shocked me that much. Look I'll admit its not critically amazing game, and it deserves some mixed scores and general disappointment... especially if they tried to sell it off as $60 However I found it to be a refreshing and enjoyable bargain bin game with a good theme and some good design choices resulting in an overall fun experience. At the end of the day, Naughty bear is a strong "guilty pleasure" of mine that deserves a strong spot on the list.

1) Turok Evolution

Why I love it: Lets see.... Crazy guns, inventive amazing world that is so memorable and inspiring just on how weird or cheesy it is, lengthy fun campaign with plenty of fun chapters, great replay-ability through cheat codes, those lizard people enemies are just plain awesome, great music (that theme!), craptastically cheesy voice work that I adore, the gore and gunplay just feels right, and a ton of nostalgic just for being one of the first major FPS games that I really got a kick out of. I cannot find out any reason to call this game anything short of awesome. It sucked that the only non-campaign thing was split-screen arena (this was the standard thing until I came across killzone 1). The only thing I can say I'm disappointed in apart from that last statement, is disappointment in myself that I don't go back and replay this game as much as I should. I just love this game, and its one of those big impact childhood games of mine.

Why no one else did: Yet the world just looked on it and said "meh". The turok series as a whole got kind of thrown under the bus. It was a big hit and a classic on the N64 platform, but it disappointed in its 3rd entry and got overshadowed by goldeneye, and as time went on people just didn't care about the series as it attempted a PS2 entry that went no where and as the company died it got sent to a reboot status with disney that also went no where. As people look back... well that's the thing, they don't really. Even the classic N64 versions are hardly mentioned and not really cared about anymore. This game specifically is my favorite for better controls, better gun selection, better enemies, and just nostalgia yet this is the game a lot of fans made fun of, critics looked back on as "milking" the series, and people just continued throwing under the bus. The reviews themselves were just calling the game out as being mediocre or nothing special, and in general the game just kind of suffered a quite and mediocre reception. Some people even say the cheap death filled arcadey sidescroller GBA port that was nothing like the game I'm actually talking about was better because... I dunno, NES or sidescroller lovers is my best guess. Overall the game was just kind of trashed, or frowned at, and universally kind of forgotten.

Spot: This is the very top place for how huge of an impact it had on me, and how I still just love it and have so much respect for it as a shooter. Yet the masses don't even know what it probably is anymore, and those that will remember... probably don't care or will question if I am talking about the same game since they walked away with disappointment or regret.

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!