PixlBit

Ok not the definitive list. Just my humble opinion and before anyone gets butt hurt and goes “You fucking moron, why wasn’t <INSERT GAME NAME HERE> in the list, IDIOT!”, this is just a list of the games I played. I haven’t played The Last of Us, Stanley Parable or Bioshock Infinite and thus they can’t be put on the list, assuming I would of liked them anyway, which in Bioshock Infinite’s case is doubtful.  I’m keeping each entry succinct because ...I can’t be arsed  and a lot of the games I played this year came out years previous, so some game making the list is purely academic, meaning the list should probably be renamed ‘games that came out in 2013, that I liked’. Anyway this is MY 2013 experience.

10. Injustice Gods Among Us – Actually this is the first ‘new’ game I bought in 2013. I was pretty hyped for it and the game was pretty accessible with tougher to learn mechanics should you wish delve deeper. I liked it and it kept me occupied for a good few weeks.

9. Brothers - This game has so much feels! I'm not waxing lyrical about it nearly as much as many other people because I wasn't too enthused by the mechanics, as solid as they were, but there's something to be said for the strength of a story where two brothers set out to save their dying father. Someone grab me a tissue, my eyes are leaking!

8. Gone Home – This isn’t actually a game as such but it makes the list purely for nostalgia purposes. Walking round the house and finding X-Files VHS being taped over a wedding video was class and bought me straight back to my childhood. The game’s attention to detail was second to none. I’d love to see this as a template to a future Film Noir like game.

7. Shadowrun Returns – CRPGS have been so very few and far between, for so many years and with Kickstarter we now have loads on the horizon. I’m very much looking forward to Tides of Numenera and Pillars of Eternity but in the meantime Shadowrun has been a great substitute.  It has all the core ingredients: Solid writing, good mechanics and gorgeous hand drawn backgrounds. Not to mention and endless supply of user generated content. I’ve really enjoyed my time with this and would recommend it to anyone slightly interested in the genre. Planescape: Torment however, it is not.

6. Fire Emblem Awakening – I don’t own a 3DS but I played this for an extended period one weekend when my brother was home. Hooked man! So much so I’m buying a 3DS in January, fuck Next Gen! (until the Witcher 3 comes out)

5. Hearthstone – I love CCG’s and was very lucky to get an early acces BETA key for this. I’ve been playing Magic: The Gathering on and off since I was ten and have recently been playing a fair bit of Android Netrunner. Hearthstone is like a more basic version of Magic but manages to keep the complexity of that game whilst also keeping matches very short and fluid. The art style is also great with the colours just popping off the screen.

4. The Wolf Among Us – First off, for those saying that the game mirrors the Graphic Novel series? Bullshit. There are tonal similarities and scenarios that are familiar but the overall arching stories are playing out in a very different way. They may copy more from the books in future episodes but they haven’t yet. Anyway this series was very much a surprise for me. I wasn’t expecting much but a walking dead clone. It actually surpassed that series IMO, with the characters, settings and story being so much more diverse and interesting to me.

3. Grand Theft Auto V – Look this was a stellar game. It was basically GTA greatest hits with a mass layer of gloss added on top. I loved the dynamics of the three main characters and the writing, as always, was fantastic. It still isn’t as good as Red Dead Redemption but it Definitely blows IV out the water and then some!

2. XCOM Enemy Within – Ok I know this is just an expansion but I never played Enemy Unknown, so it’s making my list this year rather than last! Probably the most addicted I’ve been to a game all year and I’ve really struggled to get into many games this year, so this was a pleasant surprise. Naming your squad and then sending them on a suicide mission for the greater good is one of the most powerful and emotional moments in video gaming and it was all created in my mind without any shitty exposition from the game. PERFECT.

1. DOTA2 – I hate MOBAS, or should I say I hated MOBAS. This has to probably the game with the most play time on my part and yet I’m still incredibly poor and inept at this game. I don’t know why I like this game, the learning curve is steep and the community shitty but yet it’s my game of year because...

Honourable mention has to go to State of Decay; I thought I was done with zombie games and then this game had the concept that I was after all along. Unfortunately it was plagued with bugs, massive game breaking bugs and thus I can’t really recommend or award it anything. So much unfulfilled potential.

Sorry for any typos, this was very much a bleary eyed rush job. I must also say sorry for not being that active, I’ve not played a lot this year and when I have you can be sure I’ve blogged about it. This year has very much been about me sorting out life stuff and that gets in the way of gaming. I am always lurking though and always read, even if I don’t always comment.

What is 2014 bringing? Dark Souls II! Oh and I’m going to buy a 3DS and enjoy a mass backlog of amazing games. I’m not even fussed about next gen at the moment.

Anyway I’m out. Merry Christmas!

Peace.

X

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