Hah, I like that Chris picked the DSII Beta. I didn't expect that but I should've seen it coming. 53 days till launch, Chris. Then we all dine in Hell together.
Personal Picks for GOTY 2013
Winners in our hearts.
Fire Emblem Awakening
by Julian Titus
In the two years I’ve been writing for PixlBit, I’ve given exactly two games a five-star score. Fire Emblem: Awakening was the second game to have that honor, and it is my personal game of the year. Sure, The Last of Us blew me away with its story telling and animation, and BioShock wowed me with the majesty that is Columbia and an ending sequence that is etched in my brain. When it comes to games that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go, however, Fire Emblem stands at the top of the heap.
I’ve always enjoyed tactical RPGs, but the Fire Emblem series always seemed too hardcore for my liking, and I’ll confess that the graphical style never did anything for me. Fire Emblem: Awakening is a perfect jumping on point for anyone that was on the fence about the series. The game does a great job of explaining its core mechanics, but true mastery of the battle system comes through experience. I spent hours and hours pairing up my units just so, and was rewarded when they would overcome foes that they theoretically shouldn’t have been able to best. It’s fitting that the main character’s class is that of tactician, because I came out of every major victory feeling like a four star general.
I can’t stress enough how much the dialogue and characterizations color the game. I haven’t been this attached to a group of characters in ages, and that made it all the more heartbreaking when one of them would fall in battle. Knowing that they were gone forever made each decision and every turn all the more tense, but it made squeaking out a victory with a sliver of health even sweeter. If you’re a heartless player with no time for the interplays between the cast you may not get as much out of this game as I did, but Fire Emblem: Awakening has endless hours of enjoyment for those who are willing to delve into it.
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