2013 brought us some great games and even a new generation! There were reboots, sequels, and new IPs but which were the top of the year? What was the Game of the Year? This won't be as long as the WWE post but expect a lengthly read. Oh, and SPOILERS FOR SOME OF THE TOP GAMES OF 2013 AHEAD! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!
If there are spelling errors, I apologize. I tried to get this out as soon as possible and didn't check over my work. Just go with it...
Top Gaming News of 2013
3. Grand Theft Auto V smashes records, Activision is butt hurt - I could have NEVER guessed that GTA V would have smashed the records like that did. GTA V made over $800 in the first day AND 1 BILLION in the 1st three days! That......is insane. That basically means everybody and their Grandmom played GTA this year! Now that's all good but apparently, Activision wasn't too pleased by this, rendering this quote about the success of GTA V;
"Congratulations to the team at Rockstar for their success. We look forward to getting the record back before the next GTA title."
Really? Are you serious? COD Ghosts obviously didn't past the mark but that was blamed because of the impending releases of XBO and PS4. Then, after they released, Activision had the NERVE to say that Ghosts was the top selling PS4 game yet. IT HAS BEEN OUT FOR A WHOLE FREAKING MONTH! What kind of record is THAT? Anyway, it seems Activison only prides itself on its records and not on the fact that it has been releasing the same old rehashed shooter every year. Make some new IPs Activision! Start taking chances! And would it kill you to NOT release a COD game EVERY year? It really kills the overall name of the name you're making. Just saying...
2. Super Smash Bros Wii U/3DS - The Blue Bomber is coming - Mega Man being announced for Smash Bros was a dream for many Nintendo fans for due reason. Mega Man got his start on the NES way back when and once Sonic, who was a rival to Nintendo and Mario was in a Smash Bros game, gamers clamored for an appearance by Capcom's blue star. It's going to be a reality now! With Mega Man added in the game, we now have Mega Man, Sonic and Mario in the same game for the 1st time ever. Three of gaming's biggest icons in one game. Now, only if we could get Pac-Man in this game, we would be SET!
1. JRPGs Live! - Persona 5, Tales of Zestiria, Kingdom Hearts 3, and Final Fantasy XV ALL announced - JRPGs are a dying genre. Gone are the days of the 90s where there were a vast amount of cliché RPGs available for each console. If we're lucky, we guaranteed maybe 2 a year. This year, it seems like they are making a small, but not unnoticed comeback. At E3, Square Enix announced that the previous announced Final Fantasy Versus XIII would now be the next entry into the long running series, coming to next generation consoles eventually. Minutes after that, the equally long waited numbered sequel to Kingdom Hearts was announced for next gen consoles as well. Both of those game were confirmation that the genre will continue onto the next generation. If you know anything about Square though, those games won't be out for awhile but that's good because there are two other major RPG series still to release titles on this generation.
Just recently, it was FINALLY announced that Persona 5 was coming out and we got a release window; Winter 2014. Now, this is only in Japan right now but the SMT series has been one of the most successful JRPGs series in the west so a release over here is inevitable. The Tales series has been the most consistent JRPG of the 360/PS3 console generation. They've released Vesperia, Graces, and Xillia ALL on this generation, and for us Americans, Xillia 2 and the Symphonia Chronicles are coming next year. They by all right should be moving on to PS4 and XBO but that didn't happen as the new Tales, Tales of Zestiria, will be releasing for the PS3. This was already confirmed for a worldwide release as well. When I see this many JRPGs in development, I can't help but think the genre is still very much alive and well. I can't wait to get my hands on all of these great adventures.
Greatest Moments in Gaming/2013
5. DmC - Capcom's Inside Joke - DmC is my favorite in the series. I'm not one of the fanboys who was upset by the simple change of hair color of the protagonist but apparently it affect'[ed it enough because it didn't meet its sales expectations. That's ashame. Thanks to this, we may not see Ninja Theory make a sequel. Regardless of that, the game has a little play on that whole debate in the 1st chapter in the game. Basically, a white wig floats onto his head and he looks in a mirror and says, "Not in a million years." It was a nice but not very subtle way to joke about a stupid debate that doesn't make sense anyway.
4. Grand Theft Auto V - Paleto Bay Score - GTA 5 had some amazing moments and it was hard to just put one on my list. Though the last two were amazingly epic, the small town heist was easily my favorite. I just liked the feeling of mowing down all of the opposition with the awesome power suit. ......that's all. It's always awesome being an unstoppable force.
3. The Last of Us - Ellie's Section - I wasn't really looking forward to playing with Ellie when they presented it but it turned out to be one of the finest moments in the already spectacular experience. It kind of felt like a separate game. She even had a nice little boss battle within it, something that wasn't present in the whole game. It had a satisfying conclusion as well, with Ellie completely obliterating David. It wasn't pretty for David but it showed more character development for Ellie, which was one of TLOU strongest points.
2. Saints Row IV - Saints of Rage - I didn't see this coming one bit. Streets of Rage is one of my favorite games and I wasn't expecting to ever see a homage to the series. When I played through this, I couldn't help to just smile. It was just great to see. SR4 was full of moments that made any fan of any medium happy but this one was the one for me. Thank you Gat!
1. Bioshock Infinite - The last half hour - I never finished the original Bioshock but I knew how it ended. I didn't allow that to happen again. I'm glad I didn't. After the last bullet fired, you're treated to a long explanation of everything in the game. How awesome is it when you transported straight to Rapture? It was the start of the mind blowing...ness. Elizabeth is Booker's daughter, Booker is Zachary Cole Comstock from a different timeline, it was all just amazing to see come together. I liked the line from Elizabeth when you're walking by the various lighthouses, "There's always a lighthouse. There's always a man. There's always a city." It's then when you realize what the title of the game really means; there are an infinite amount of universes. It's something that's so subtle that it blows your mind when you realize what's it referring to. Infinite's mind blowing ending is my moment of the year.
Games I Want Most in 2014
This list doesn't feature games that have been announced with no release windows given, like KH3, FFXV, Tales, Zelda Wii U, and such.
10. Yaiba Ninja Gaiden Z - Ninja Gaiden is one of my favorite hack-n-slash series. They are challenging and feature a ton of weapons. And also gore! Yaiba looks a bit more cheesy than its earleir counterparts but I hope that's all. Hopefully, the gameplay is just as solid as the others and just as hard.
9. Hyrule Warriors - One of the bigger surprises of the year, a collaboration between Tecmo Koei and Nintendo to put Link and the Zelda universe in a Dynasty Warriors gameplay experience. It sounds simple and I hope that it's not only as deep as the DW games but also features the trademarks of the Zelda series, such as puzzles and dungeon crawling. Hey, crazy collaborations work. Right Kingdom Hearts?
8. Bravely Default - The 3DS has been THE system for RPGs so it's no surprise that another great entry is coming to the Nintendo console. I don't know too much about the game but it has been compared to early entry Final Fantasy games, so it must have something going for it. I like going into playing games blind. It makes me appreciate that much more, which you'll see pretty soon.
7. Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney - The two greatest series introduced on the Nintendo DS come together for a truly amazing mash up. Combining the puzzle solving elements of Professor Layton with the court room antics of Ace Attorney is genius! I just hope it pans out as well as I think. Dual Destinies was a great return for Phoenix Wright and I hope that this crossover will live up to the expectations.
6. Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 - The long awaited sequel will finally release in February! I loved the original LOS though many said it was just a God of War clone. Was it original? No. Was it fun? Yes. And Alucard is going to be in it! And it's set in modern times! This is going to be a great game early in the year.
5. Tales of Xillia 2 - TOX was a great Tales game. Not my favorite, but this an enjoyable experience so I'm obviously looking forward to the sequel. This is a first, but it looks like the main character can equip various weapons and not just swords like many JRPG protagonist usually do. I'm also hoping for a casino and battles with former Tales characters in the coliseum in the game.
4. Super Smash Bros Wii U - Nintendo's fighter is always fun with friends. Ever since the 1st game, I've bought the Nintendo system specifically for Smash Bros. The tradition continues. With the current technology the Wii U has, this could be the best Smash Bros yet. Plus, Mega Man is in it!
3. Dark Souls II - My GOTY in 2011 was Dark Souls because it made me feel like a gamer again by never giving up even when I wanted to most. I expect DS2 to be more of the same. I eagerly await to travel back to hell in DS2.
2. X - Xenoblade is the best JRPG of the 7th generation. Hands down, unless Persona 5 hits one out of the park. Anyway, my expectations for X are insanely high. Xenoblade was an amazing experience that crushed the competition with its break of RPGs traditions. If X can follow suit and have an amazing story and addictive battle system, X could be the game hardcore Wii U gamers are looking for.
1. Persona 5 - A 2014 release for the states is probably unlikely but Atlus has surprised me before! Persona 4 is easily one of my favorite PS2 games of all time. It did so many things right, from the addictive mix of socialization to its difficult battles, it had it all. I'm really just waiting to see what it will look like, especially since we haven't seen a Persona title on PS3 yet. I'm just super amped to see what kind of game we'll get. Here's hoping for an early look at the game next year.
Gaming News I Want to Hear in 2014
3. Surprise titles - Hyrule Warriors was such a great announcement because it was unexpected. There were no rumors about it at all. Persona 5 and Tales of Zestiria were fantastic announcements, but inevitable. I don't want to take anything away from them but I would like to see more unexpected titles come out. How about something new from Ninja Theory? WayForward? A company I haven't heard of? Something!
2. More titles for XBO/PS4/Wii U - The reason why I've been so hesitant to take the step to the next generation is because of the lack of games. It's like a endless feast of games right now. There are barely anything out that make the consoles worth owning. 2014 needs to see the release of fresh games for all 3 of the consoles. And games that aren't on past generation consoles. Once those games come out in large numbers, I'll make the official jump.
1. New Zelda on Wii U - Wii U has been out for a year now. We have a 3D Mario but no other Nintendo mainstay series have made it just yet. With confirmation that the Wii U Zelda WILL be revealed at E3 2014, the show just became even more must see. What will it look like? Will it retain the same rules as past Zelda games or will it follow in the non-linear path of A Link Between Worlds? No matter what approach it takes, we'll definitely see the first look at Link's next console adventure in June.
Game of the Year
5. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - Zelda games always have a special place in my heart. I try to play every entry in the series and I'm glad I played this one. ALBW is a fine addition to the highly regarded series. Many of the previous Zeldas had you go through the games 8-12 dungeons in order, picking up items you needed for your journey along the way. This game does away with that. You can now rent or buy your items from the character Rovio. That's the only way to get the game's traditional items, such as the bow, boomerang and bombs. There are also upgrades available but you can only apply those after buying the items. This system for the Zelda series is very innovative. It's the step in the right direction. Zelda games are always great don't get me wrong, but they're linear as heck. I remember when I was done playing Skyward Sword I just felt glad that it was over. The gameplay is classic Zelda and it's in the same world as A Link to The Past so if you've played that game, you'll see some familiar places. Death Mountain is still in original position as is your house. The dungeons are very well done in this game as well. Challenging but never to the point of being unfair or impossible to traverse. There are some boss rehashes from LTTP but it's few and doesn't outshine the other amazing bosses in the game, particularly the lass boss. If you're a fan of Zelda, there is no reason to not play this now. The only thing is your time will be pretty short as I managed to finish the game in 13 hours flat. And that's the only downside. Once you start getting into the great dungeons and classic gameplay, you're facing Yuga-Ganon. I think this is the step to future Zelda games. Let the players explore the world more and complete the game how they want to. The Wii U Zelda needs to take pointers from this game. There is no going backwards now that ALBW has established this new formula.
4. Tomb Raider - Tomb Raider is a great adventure into the origins of Lara Croft. This reboot strays away from the series a bit and takes notes from other great series, such as Uncharted and Resident Evil 4-6 by making gunplay and gore the vital parts to focus on. In the first hour of the game, you play as a survivor, trying to adapt to what has happened. After you get your first gun, survivor Lara is gone and she becomes a complete bad ass. It's kind of crazy how fast they jump from survivor to hardcore killer but it doesn't really affect the game's overall greatness. The exploration is nice and it's fun to use Lara's tool effectively, like the pick ax, rope and bow and arrow. The upgrade system is very rewarding and you feel like you have different equipment once you implement those upgrades. The game is straight BRUTAL as you'll be mauling enemies and getting mauled by them and various things in the environment. When playing this, let Lara die a couple times, just to see what I'm talking about. The way they make her die on countless occasions are graphic and remind me of Dead Space at times. The gunplay is simple, yet effective and if you've played any third person cover shooter, you'll be fine. The story does take some supernatural twists near the end but that's Tomb Raider style. This game is a success because it takes notes from other series and incorporate them so well to make them feel fresh and amazing. Reboots are usually hit or miss but this was a definite hit.
3. Grand Theft Auto 5 - GTA5 was the most anticipated game of any generation. EVER. It lived up to the expectations of everyone. Everything here is what GTA has been known for but the way it's done here is amazing. Los Santos FEELS like a living breathing world. The city just grips you every time you go into the world. What really stands out for me are the three contrast main characters, Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. Michael feels like Tommy Vercetti after Vice City is over. Franklin embodies everything about GTA San Andreas. Trevor is the rampaging psychopath inside all GTA main characters. And they all just CLICK together. Some of the best moments in the game come between interactions between them. Another thing I like is the fact that dialogue can be different during missions. Ever fail a mission and hate listening to the same thing over and over again? Not in GTA 5. There is now different dialogue so when you fail a mission, you might here things go down a different way. It's a very small thing to add but much appreciated regardless. Shooting and driving, two of the main problems for me behind GTA4, are great. The special abilities the characters have help out in a pinch and even the supporting characters are fun. Lamar almost upstages the main characters. The only glaring issue for me and it's on a personal level, is the way that it ended. I took the save everyone route and read the other endings where you kill Michael or Trevor. I didn't like any of them. For me, when I finish game, it's all about the how the game makes me feel afterwards. When I beat Dark Souls, I felt a great deal of accomplishment. When I beat this, I felt cheated. There was such a buildup in the story that killing all their enemies without repercussion felt unrealistic. It felt like a cheap way out. Death was inevitable but I just didn't like the way it all went down. The ending is my only flaw with this game as it is a true masterpiece of this era and pushed the consoles to their respective limitations. GTA5 is basically the swan song for the AAA titles as they begin the transition over to next gen but Rockstar went out in style.
2. The Last of Us - No game has caused me to feel reason emotion since Persona 4, and that took 25-30 hours. The Last of Us thrust you into this world and made me feel for Joel within minutes. Never been done. When his daughter was killed, my heart sank. I knew she wasn't real but at that moment, I felt raw emotion for a video game character. The Last of Us is an amazing achievement in video games. The gameplay is great, it never ever feels like Naughty Dog's previous series Uncharted ever. The environments are post apocalyptic but in their own way feel beautiful and distinct. The game is fantastic to play and amazing to progress through but the key element that make TLOU #2 on my list is the story and the fantastic character development of the main characters Joel and Ellie. Joel gets wrapped into escorting Ellie across the US for this group called the Fireflies so he can get his weapons back. Along the way, he finds out she may be the cure to saving the world, which is overrun by disgusting mutated creature. Joel and Ellie, who are at first cold and distant toward another, begin to really connect and to me at least, Joel begins to look at Ellie as the daughter he lost. The ending is pretty good as well. Once Joel gets Ellie to the Fireflies, he finds out she has to die to save the human race. Joel, not content with that, breaks her out, killing all that stand in his way and lies to Ellie about it. It's such a tragic ending and it once again makes you feel for Joel. I could go on and on about how the gameplay is but it's really the emotion provoking story and characters that keep you coming back for more in this game. TLOU is an accomplishment just because of the story and character alone. It proves that a game can be an emotional roller coaster ride and still have a complex and satisfying end. A sequel to this game shouldn't be done. The ambiguous ending is perfect for the game. In a year where endings in game disappointed me, TLOU stood high and mighty over all. All but one of course...
1. Bioshock Infinite - I bought Bioshock Infinite for 13 bucks on GameFly 7 months after it came out. I never completed Bioshock 1 or even played 2 but I decided, after hearing everything about the game, to give it a chance. It surprised me. It surprised me because I was going into the game, expecting to get Bioshock 1 but what I got was a completely original experience. While the characters or story didn't make me feel emotion, like TLOU did, it had one of the greatest conclusions in all video games but I'm getting ahead of myself. The gameplay is phenomenal. The Skyhook is such a great tool in the game. The Vigors were fun to use on enemies. One of Infinite's strong points as was the original's, was the city of Columbia. The crazy city in the sky. The tyrant, Zachary Hale Comstock, is a worthy antagonist is his own rights and make for an awesome villain to hate. The story of Infinite is the best part of the game though and it really starts to pick up once Elizabeth starts to open rifts into different times and universes. This is where the Infinite parts comes in. Who would have thought that the Infinite title tie in so nicely with the story. The mind numbing ending is the most satisfying ending I've ever experienced in a video game. Once you get to Rapture, the game takes you on a crazy journey that you won't soon forget. The fact that Elizabeth is Booker's daughter and not know it, the fact that there are plenty Bookers trying to stop Comstock, and the fact that Booker is in fact Comstock all come together nicely in the last 30 minutes. They throw so much information at you, you become so overwhelmed, but in a good way. The decision to make this my Game of the Year over the other two big blockbuster, GTA5 and TLOU, was difficult but my choice was made clear when I was looking up story explanations a week AFTER I beat the game. The game's ending affected me so much to continue to look into it way after the story ended. It's the lasting appeal the game had over me that makes me love it so much and why, though I wasn't even looking forward to this game in the first place, made my Game of the Year decision so easy.
WOW! Both of my entertainment needs 2013 lists are done! I'm going to fully enjoy this vacation now! Happy New Year everyone and God bless!
No comments:
Post a Comment