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great writeup isiolia!

dsheinem wrote:great writeup isiolia!

Agreed, thank you for the good reading.

isiolia wrote:Song of Saya (official US version in 2013)
Similar to Gone Home, I felt like this was overrated. It wasn’t all that interesting. Wasn’t all that (visually) graphic either. I mean, the implications yes, but on-screen…ehhh… (not that I was hoping for that, more that it was overstated)

Wow I didn't even know this existed, but now I need it! I love Jast games.

List of games I played and beat that came out this year (even if it's just for that port):


I love this thread, it always gives me a chance to reflect on what I liked about this year in gaming and see other potential oscar-worthy games I need to play. Some obvious ones I missed were Gone Home and Stanley Parable. Below are my top games, they are in "whatever" order with the exception of The Last of Us, which I consider top.

The Last of Us (PS3)
I consider this to be the culmination of everything Naughty Dog has been doing right this generation and others try and emulate. The perfect combination of intense gameplay, driving narrative, amazing facial/body animation tech and excellent voice acting. 30 minutes in and the first scene is over and I knew right away this would be my Game of the Year, such an emotional setup, that really is crazy good. It accomplishes so much in that small amount of time. Sets up mood, teaches you how this game is gonna play, provides backstory on the main character in a super impactful way. Hands down, Naughty Dog is one of the best storytellers in the biz right now. Marry that with some lessons learned on gameplay from the Uncharted games and take it over 20 hours and it's just great. I hope a lot of this carries over to Uncharted 4.

Tomb Raider (360)
This might also win biggest surprise for me, as I was a little wary of this game for sure. I love the Tomb Raider series and I enjoyed the titles Crystal Dynamics put out before this one, but I was super annoyed that they were rebooting the series. The last game was pretty open-ended at the end and while it wasn't the best game ever, I sure enjoyed it. Well in the end I got some of the best gameplay in this type of game (3rd person action?) I've seen. Frantic, scrappy fights, over rocky landscapes, harrowing escapes through tight corridors, and some really intense moments. I loved the way the character of Lara progressed and grew over the game too, very well done. If they can combine these elements with a top notch writer/story teller like Neil Druckmann, Steve Gaynor, or Ken Levine. BOOM! This would've been my game of the year. That's probably not gonna happen, but I'm Day-1 purchasing their next effort, believe that.

Bioshock Infinite (PC)
This met my expectations for a Bioshock game and that's saying a lot. Infinite had big shoes to fill after Bioshock and the let down that was Bioshock 2 (not that this isn't a good game, just not Bioshock good.) Narrative in games is huge to me and this game has it in spades, but one of the things that keeps that down for me was that some of the crucial elements were told via voxaphone, which are completely missable. Great voice acting helps convey the story as well, but I wish the facial tech was a bit better, I feel like some of the emotion was flat because of that, but I'm sure that will improve in the next gen. I love all the layering that Levine gets into this story and all of the twistings of the story. I feel like gameplay-wise this is the best of the series too, while I understand the disconnect that some feel between story and gameplay, that sort of thing doesn't bug me.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PC)
What a lovely tale that is told through gameplay instead of words. None of the characters speak an understandable language, but the message gets across just the same. Reminds me of Ico in that regard. There's something about the gameplay that really brings out the bond of brotherhood too. Excellent game, with gorgeous visuals and a moving story. I absolutely love everything that Starbreeze puts out and this is no exception.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Everything a Zelda game should be and that's without qualifiers. It's part nostalgia and part something fresh. I loved the rental system as a way to keep the series from getting stale. The music throughout is beautiful and the gameplay pitch perfect. I'm gonna need a little more time apart from it (and to play LttP again), but I'm pretty sure this is my favorite game in the series now.

Stark wrote:List of games I played and beat that came out this year (even if it's just for that port):

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate
Guacamelee
Perspective
Tomb Raider
Thomas Was Alone
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Bioshock Infinite
Hotline Miami
The Swapper
A Dark Room
The Last of Us
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

I love this thread, it always gives me a chance to reflect on what I liked about this year in gaming and see other potential oscar-worthy games I need to play. Some obvious ones I missed were Gone Home and Stanley Parable. Below are my top games, they are in "whatever" order with the exception of The Last of Us, which I consider top.

The Last of Us (PS3)
I consider this to be the culmination of everything Naughty Dog has been doing right this generation and others try and emulate. The perfect combination of intense gameplay, driving narrative, amazing facial/body animation tech and excellent voice acting. 30 minutes in and the first scene is over and I knew right away this would be my Game of the Year, such an emotional setup, that really is crazy good. It accomplishes so much in that small amount of time. Sets up mood, teaches you how this game is gonna play, provides backstory on the main character in a super impactful way. Hands down, Naughty Dog is one of the best storytellers in the biz right now. Marry that with some lessons learned on gameplay from the Uncharted games and take it over 20 hours and it's just great. I hope a lot of this carries over to Uncharted 4.

Tomb Raider (360)
This might also win biggest surprise for me, as I was a little wary of this game for sure. I love the Tomb Raider series and I enjoyed the titles Crystal Dynamics put out before this one, but I was super annoyed that they were rebooting the series. The last game was pretty open-ended at the end and while it wasn't the best game ever, I sure enjoyed it. Well in the end I got some of the best gameplay in this type of game (3rd person action?) I've seen. Frantic, scrappy fights, over rocky landscapes, harrowing escapes through tight corridors, and some really intense moments. I loved the way the character of Lara progressed and grew over the game too, very well done. If they can combine these elements with a top notch writer/story teller like Neil Druckmann, Steve Gaynor, or Ken Levine. BOOM! This would've been my game of the year. That's probably not gonna happen, but I'm Day-1 purchasing their next effort, believe that.

Bioshock Infinite (PC)
This met my expectations for a Bioshock game and that's saying a lot. Infinite had big shoes to fill after Bioshock and the let down that was Bioshock 2 (not that this isn't a good game, just not Bioshock good.) Narrative in games is huge to me and this game has it in spades, but one of the things that keeps that down for me was that some of the crucial elements were told via voxaphone, which are completely missable. Great voice acting helps convey the story as well, but I wish the facial tech was a bit better, I feel like some of the emotion was flat because of that, but I'm sure that will improve in the next gen. I love all the layering that Levine gets into this story and all of the twistings of the story. I feel like gameplay-wise this is the best of the series too, while I understand the disconnect that some feel between story and gameplay, that sort of thing doesn't bug me.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PC)
What a lovely tale that is told through gameplay instead of words. None of the characters speak an understandable language, but the message gets across just the same. Reminds me of Ico in that regard. There's something about the gameplay that really brings out the bond of brotherhood too. Excellent game, with gorgeous visuals and a moving story. I absolutely love everything that Starbreeze puts out and this is no exception.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Everything a Zelda game should be and that's without qualifiers. It's part nostalgia and part something fresh. I loved the rental system as a way to keep the series from getting stale. The music throughout is beautiful and the gameplay pitch perfect. I'm gonna need a little more time apart from it (and to play LttP again), but I'm pretty sure this is my favorite game in the series now.

Awesome post, keeps these great post coming!

Stark wrote:
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PC)
What a lovely tale that is told through gameplay instead of words. None of the characters speak an understandable language, but the message gets across just the same. Reminds me of Ico in that regard. There's something about the gameplay that really brings out the bond of brotherhood too. Excellent game, with gorgeous visuals and a moving story. I absolutely love everything that Starbreeze puts out and this is no exception.

I'm playing this game finally (it's free on PS+) and holy shit is it phenomenal. Everyone here should play it. Gorgeous, moving, and full of so much wonder...

My Top games of 2013:

1. The Last of Us- I can't add much to what hasn't already been said. I loved the story, the gameplay, and the graphics. It's just about the perfect video game, IMO. In my Top 3 of All Time.

2. Bioshock Infinite- The gameplay in this isn't anything groundbreaking. The atmosphere/setting of this game is really, really great. I loved it. When I first finished the story, I didn't like it. But the more I chewed on it, the more I came to appreciate the complexity of it and just the total 'mind fuck' of it all. It's a lot to digest, but once you do I think you better understand the beauty. Gorgeous looking game too.

3. Resogun- I just finished this a few weeks ago, but I still consider it 2013 since it was released with the PS4 launch. Great, great game. Although it's short, it's a BLAST. If you have a PS4, I highly recommend checking this out. This was really my first shmup I've completed, and now I'm addicted to the genre. Need more! The graphics are fantastic and the gameplay is fast and addicting.

4. Grand Theft Auto V- I had a lot of fun with this game, but I feel it was a bit overhyped (as was GTA IV). The single player was great, the online was a mess and a grind. If you've played one GTA, you've played them all. The formula works and not much changes with GTA V. I did NOT like the 3 protagonists format; although I do like the fact that Rock* tried something new with this idea....it just didn't work for me.

5. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag- My first PS4 game. It was fun, the only things I didn't like about the game was the modern/present day parts of the story. I don't like all the Animus stuff and (IMO) this game would have been better if it was just about pirates and looting ships. Sailing the seas and attacking other ships (and boarding them) was the best part of this game. I could do without the convoluted modern day storyline as well as the Assassin/Templar war. I could care less honestly.