Holy crap was 2013 a good year for games! Just thinking back there was an absurd number of releases that completely blew my mind, and I certainly spent a good chunk of time playing who knows how many hours of these games.
However, which of these did I like the best and why? Well, in an attempt at brevity (which, if you've read my reviews, isn't my strong point), I present to you Nathan's Best Games of 2013.
But first...
Nathan's Best Game He Forgot to Mention in 2012
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition (PC)
I hated this game. Hated it. I still kind of do. It's unreadable menus and unexplained icons. It's absurdly hidden secrets and eccentricities that you find either by dumb luck or searching the internet. It's lack of assistance in anything aside from basic tutorials. It's ruthlessness in letting you know, at all times, that it hates you and the fact you are playing it.
But holy cow when I beat the Kappa Demon did I feel on top of the world.
Dark Souls is the rebirth of the NES game. It's a game that you sit down and play, bludgeoning your way through it, feeling lost and confused and like you are earning every inch. And when you beat that boss, you feel amazing.
I haven't felt that way since when I first played The Legend of Zelda on the NES. When I was six. Props, Dark Souls.
Ok, back to 2013. In order of release date, because I'm using a Wiki article to refresh my memory.
DmC: Devil May Cry
I hated the way this game looked. The demo gave me a tiny bit of hope, but I still though holding triggers to change weapons was clunky and "new Dante" was awful. I bought the game only because of rave reviews and a price fluke that got me the PC copy shortly after release for $20.
Wow. I haven't been this wrong about a game in a while.
DmC isn't the old Devil May Cry games. It's more like a compromise, but in the best way. It's a fusion of the eastern action game ala Bayonetta and the western one, ala God of War, but with it's own personality and flavor. It's easier than other Devil May Cry games, but also infinitely more accessible. You still get that rush of a reward when you beat a particularly hard boss (the harder difficulties are the best way to play it, by the way)i or manage to beat a difficult room. The bad elements of previous DMC games (backtracking, platforming, etc.) are toned down and your mobility increased. The game's levels, which start out colorful but relatively uninspired, go completely off the deep end after the first act (you'll know it when you see it), leading to one of the craziest, dubstep-fueled stages I've ever experienced.
And new Dante? Not all that bad. I actually warmed up to the guy.
DmC is an excellent reboot, and honestly the most fun I've had with an action platformer since Bayonetta. A pity it will probably never get a sequel thanks to the Ninja Theory Curse.
Super Hexagon
I already reviewed this one, but it's just a video game. A pure, unadulterated video game. And it's also absurdly difficult and stupid addicting. It was 30 cents on sale on Steam. You should get it.
The Swapper
Yes, I just bought this game today. Yes, I haven't beaten it (I'm about 2/3 of the way done). Yes, yes, yes.
Don't care.
The Swapper is the best puzzle platformer since Braid. It might even be better. It uses one mechanic - one mechanic - to push some of the most brilliant puzzles I've ever seen.
There's no tutorials, minus basic controls. You can make up to four clones, and swap to any of them if you have sight and a clear path to them. If they die, you can place them again. That's the game.
Add a brilliantly subdued plot that slowly hints at the horrific nature of what exactly you are doing, stunning visuals that are creepy in all the right ways, and excellent sound and graphics and you have an absolute gem of a game.
Believe the hype. The Swapper is one of the best games of the year.
Guacamelee!
Metroid-vanias are very much outdone by indie devs these days, but Guacamelee! adds a punch of chili powder and some luchador nonsense to make it something unbelievable. It still follows similar tropes of the genre: you unlock new abilities to open new areas, requiring a small amount of backtracking to find hidden secrets. There's "heart pieces" and "magic meter upgrades" and even a light/dark world variant. Despite that, Guacamelee! is surprisingly more a platformer than a 2D action game, and it's a damn good one at that. Reminding me of the crazy swapping required in Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Guacamelee! takes button pressing and dexterous reaction times to their limit as you try to save your lady-love from a jerkbag skeleton in an sombrero.
Also the writing (what little there is) is fantastic and the game looks absurdly good. It's on PSN and Steam. Go get it.
Dota 2
I've sunk nearly 800 hours into this game, and who knows how much on cosmetics. Even just writing this I want to go back and play more. Is it a hard game to get into? Absolutely. I've been playing for almost ten years and I'm still "just ok" at it. But is it worth all the effort? Yes. Yes it is. Even if you hate MOBAs, Dota 2 has set a precedent. As both a platform to watch eSports (which Dota 2 finally helped me understand "Sports People") and just a darn good game, Dota 2 will consume your life if you let it.
And the best part? 100% free. Every hero, every match, forever.
Papers, Please
Everyone needs to play this game. Everyone.
I feel like I'm saying that a lot this year, but the indie scene just killed it. Papers, Please is a game about being a border agent in a fictional European country. It's not a good place to live, nor is it easy to get in or out. But what escalates from a simple job into a more complex one then weaves into an actual narrative. Yes, there's a story (many stories, based on the number of endings) buried deep in this "job simulator."
But the absolute best part of this game is the small stores. The woman who wants to see her son but is missing her passport. The woman whose husband you just let in but she has a typographical error on her paperwork. Do you let them in and take a hit, at the risk of your family? Or are you a slave to the man and the system in an attempt to simply survive? Paper's, Please might be the single most important game released this year. It simply must be played.
Saints Row IV
Going from Papers, Please to Saints Row is...weird, but it's true. Saints Row IV is basically "what if we took Saints Row The Third and put you into the Matrix? And then broke the game with all the crazy powers you have?"
Yep, that's Saints Row IV. In a year ripe with industry self-parody (see: Paper's Please, Bioshock Infinite, The Stanley Parable), Saints Row proudly wears it on its sleeve, taking jabs specifically at Mass Effect 2 but all other types of games in the process. It's rude, silly, and absolutely hilarious. It may be a bit too much like the third installment in the series, but that's ok. It's actually funny enough (and witty enough) to pull it off.
Plus, dive-kicking from above skyscrapers to cause a nuclear explosion upon landing? Priceless.
Pokemon X and Y
I hate putting these on the list, because they still are just the same stupid games. But whatever; it's the best Pokemon game. You can read other places on why; who cares. If you like Pokemon, play this one. There ya go.
The Stanley Parable
What is The Stanley Parable? Is it a game? Is it a critique of games? Is it a critique of the game industry? Is it a parody of office life? Is it just a brilliantly written and narrated story?
Is it all of the above?
I can tell you what it is, though. It's one of the best games of the year.
Also the demo is awesome and completely different from the main game. And that's free, so get that if you're cheap.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
I've only played about an hour of this game (my wife is hogging it currently), but I can tell you already it's the best Zelda game I've ever played.
So it has that going for it. Yes, it's better than the original Link to the Past (at least so far). I went there. I don't care. It's amazing. Nintendo, please learn from this game when you go back to making 3D ones. Oh wait, you're basing them off Dynasty Warriors now. Never mind.
Games that I probably would have put on my 2013 list if I actually played them more (or at all)
Metal Gear Rising: Revengenace
Game looks awesome. I have it pre-ordered on PC. So I'll play it in like a week. I'm sure it'll be rad, right?
The Last of Us
I heard the game gets loads better after about the 1/3 mark. I didn't make it that far. But hey, it's opening sequence was perhaps the most emotionally intense thing I've seen in games this year, so it has that going for it.
Grand Theft Auto V
Just kidding, I hate these games.
Super Mario 3D World
Super Mario 3D Land was one of my favorites. This one has cats and wiggle-legs Luigi. It has to be better, by default.
Phoenix Wright Whatever Number They're On
These games be tiiiight. But also require reading. Yawn.
That Fire Emblem Game
Looks great! Don't have it yet.
So...what is Nathan's GAME OF THE YEAR 2013?! ARE YOU FEELING THE EXCITEMENT? CAN YOU NOT WAIT TO SCROLL DOWN AND SEE?!
BUBSY!
Wait, just kidding, it's The Stanley Parable.
