Wow, what a year it has been for video games. When I sat down to write up this list, it was surprising to me how many great games were released this calendar year. In my opinion, this may be the best year of gaming since 2004 (look up that year if you can’t think of it off the top of your head). Without further ado, here are my favorite games that were released this year. As an adult with a full time job, I wasn’t able to get to every game released this year, so there may be some big games left off this list.
#10 – Guacamelee! (PS3, PS Vita, PC) – I love a good Metroidvania style game, and Guacamelee! was the best Metroidvania game released in 2013. It is a side-scrolling action adventure game starring a Mexican luchador. The fighting was great, the upgrade system was fair and rewarding, and the art style was incredible. I cannot recommend this game enough.
#9 – Gunpoint (PC) – Gunpoint is one of those special games that falls onto your radar out of nowhere, and you wonder why you are just hearing about it now. The game was developed by Tom Francis, a former writer of PC Gamer. In Gunpoint, you play as Richard Conway, a spy-for-hire that is trying to crack a big gun manufacturing conspiracy. The game features an original mechanic with the Crosslink device; giving you the ability to link up electrical devices in buildings to get passed guards. Oh, and did I mention the game is hilarious as well? One of my favorites this year.
#8 – BioShock Infinite (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC) – As a huge fan of the first BioShock (the second one was alright), I really enjoyed BioShock Infinite. The setting of Columbia was amazing, the story was brilliant, and the addition of the skyhook really opened up the combat in a way. While the gameplay had some weak spots, it was still a very enjoyable game. I mainly play BioShock games for the story, and Infinite did not disappoint.
#7 – Tomb Raider (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC) – The Tomb Raider reboot this year was definitely a surprise for me. After seeing many videos from trade shows, I did not think the final product would turn out well. I was very wrong. Not only is it one of the best looking games this year (if you have a good PC to amp up the graphics), but the gameplay was very enjoyable. With 2013 being the “year of the bow,” I have to say the bow mechanics in Tomb Raider was the best year. While there was less tomb raiding compared to gunplay, I still greatly enjoyed the reboot, and I can’t wait to see where the series heads next.
#6 – Gone Home (PC) – Some folks out there may dispute the fact that Gone Home is a game, as there are no puzzles to solve, no enemies that you encounter, and there is no way for your character to die. Like The Walking Dead, Gone Home is more of an interactive story than a video game. But I still enjoyed the game immensely. Other than The Last of Us, no other game this year created the kind of atmosphere that Gone Home did. It was a fantastic game to experience, and just walking around a very detailed empty house can be very soothing.
Alright, time for the top five games of 2013!
#5 – Grand Theft Auto 5 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) – In the fifth spot in Grand Theft Auto 5. I had a very hard time deciding where GTA 5 would fall on this list. At times I thought the game was incredible, maybe even the best game ever. At other times I thought it still was reminiscent of the incredibly frustrating GTA 4. At the end of the day, GTA 5 is a solid entry into the Grand Theft Auto series, probably the best GTA ever made.
#4 – Metro: Last Light (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC) – Not only is Metro: Last Light the best shooter of 2013, it is one of the best shooters in recent memory. With the combination of excellent gunplay and great stealth mechanics, it made the game incredibly fun. Plus it is one of the best looking games this year, maybe second behind Crysis 3. This was my first venture into the Metro series, and I thought the game was so good that I went back and played Metro 2033, which is also a fantastic game. The team at 4A Games have done a wonderful job with the series, and I hope it continues with next-gen systems.
#3 – Kerbal Space Program (PC) – I’m sure some people may question the validity of Kerbal Space Program being on a top ten list of games from 2013 even though the original release was in 2011. If you are not aware of KSP, it is a space flight game that is in the Early Access program on Steam. The past few versions of the game have really progressed the game to actually feel like a game, rather than a sandbox space flight game. Now you can start a career mode where you must have successful flights to gain research points, which you spend on parts to unlock to get you further in space. It is still very early on in development, but if what they have released is a taste of things to come, KSP could be one of the most ambitious games of all time. I’ve sunk hours and hours into the game, and I do not expect it to stop any time soon.
#2 – Papers, Please (PC) – Papers, Please is one of those really special games. There is a very basic story to the game when you start, but as the game goes on you find this very elaborate story that can be interpreted by every player differently. The monotonous task of checking to see if documents of people entering the country sounds like a boring premise for a game. But given the setting and the rewards to correctly identifying mistakes in a document, it becomes a very stressful game that really adds to the dystopian feel of the game. It is an excellent game that can be beaten in a few hours. But with multiple endings, there are reasons for you to go back to Arztozka!
#1 – The Last of Us (PlayStation 3) – Without a doubt, the best game I played in 2013 is The Last of Us. Naughty Dog has once again created a masterpiece, but it is also so different from their previous outings with the Uncharted series. TLOU excels where other post-apocalyptic games have failed by giving players a believable world to survive in. As stated previously, the atmosphere in The Last of Us is amazing; it does an incredible job of drawing you into the world. Visually, the game looks amazing. It is by far one of the best looking console games I have ever played. This game really is the full package: great story, excellent writing and voice acting, and really intense and satisfying gameplay. It is an unforgettable experience, and I can’t wait to play through it again.
