I decided to go with a different theme for my annual year-end game list. The best game I played this year was Dark Souls. I could drone endlessly about how that game obliterated and reconstructed my soul in a myriad of effective ways and then go on to declare it god-emperor of interactive entertainment ten times over, but Dark Souls came out in 2011 and it’s a 2013 list.
Despite its twenty-six month handicap, Dark Souls’ influence essentially became the fuel to fire my selection of 2013’s best games. This means that games that are objectively great and that I enjoyed quite a bit, such as Rayman Legends or Resogun, didn’t make the cut because, for this specific purpose, those games did a great job at reproducing an emotion or generating a response I had previously experienced in a different game. Every game listed here was either new to me or produced a means of appreciation previously unrealized through the mess of brain meat inside my upper head.
It’s a bit like in Titanic when J. Bruce Ismay suggested the captain increase the ship’s speed so newspaper writers would have something else to talk about other than how huge the thing was. Ignoring the phenomenal loss of dignity, private investment, and human life presumably caused by that (probably embellished!) colossal blunder – his intentions seemed well reasoned. He knew what everyone was talking about, but he wanted something more within the same realm.
With that in mind here are links to previous years where I produced a standard and unranked Ten Best List:
2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012
And here are this year’s:
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
The dream of Kinect is alive in a game that has nothing to do with Kinect. Meaningful interaction is often separated by a relatively absurd level of abstraction via input demanded from a contextually absent “controller.” Playing Gran Turismo with a controller, for example, creates a certain level of dissonance when a hardcore racing simulation is supposed to be analogous to the weird looking piece of plastic in your hands. Employing a racing wheel may get the player closer, but it’s still nothing like driving a real car. Brothers, without specifically mentioning the signature moment that defines its experience, bridges the gap between context and abstraction like no other game I have ever played. Being composed of surreal vistas and intimate non-verbal storytelling along with a technical presentation typically reserved for retail games does well to further demolish expectations – but it’s that one particular moment that will motion Brothers ahead as the author of a (hopeful) precedent between interaction and narrative. My review.
BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite’s opening hour managed the bewildering construct of escape and fantasy better than concept art provocatively assigned to express the intentions of other games. Approaching the lighthouse, soaring through the clouds, and becoming a participant in a surreal baptism before finally exploring an otherwise normal Columbia formally obliterated expectations. When combat transitioned into BioShock Infinite’s primary means of expression I didn’t bat an eye, and while I’ve read most of the essays aimed at toppling a critical colossus, other than Elizabeth’s unfortunate damsel-in-distress trappings, I don’t agree with any of it. Its violence is necessary, its combat essential, and the wild ride of ambiguity surrounding the Lutece twins fundamental to completing its narrative. Nine months out and I still feel like BioShock Infinite remains a master’s work. My review.
The Last of Us
The Last of Us is one of the few games – and likely the only AAA game – to properly express conflict behind the eyes of its protagonist. Binary choices don’t masquerading as agency. Dialogue and writing don’t have a tumultuous relationship with gameplay. The Last of Us is finely crafted to maintain a deliberate path for its main characters, and the clincher issued as the literal final word of the game presents a beautiful moment in interactive entertainment. The scene where Joel mows guys down with a chaingun and the left-field commandos populating that penultimate hospital demonstrate the genre still has ways to go, but The Last of Us pushes it further than any of its AAA peers. Also, giraffes. Steven McGehee’s review.
Papers, Please
Papers, Please made me feel gross. When I began working at its virtual immigration office in its fake 80’s Soviet-era country I thought of myself as compassionate citizen willing to listen to the plight of the poor and downtrodden. After all, it seemed like I was in a position to help someone out. Then I was penalized. Then they didn’t pay me. Then I couldn’t pay my bills. Then my family died. Then I lost the game 23 days early. I transitioned into a ruthless machine that prioritized efficiency with no room for sob stories or any modicum of bullshit. I also wanted to fight back, but I didn’t know how. Who was trustworthy? More importantly, was it even worth it if I could keep my family fed? Papers, Please presents a dirge of emotion inflicting a severe amount of conflict upon the player, and the harder it pushes the more ambivalent it seems about any sort of reaction. Glory to Arstotzka is all that remains. My review.
Tearaway
Tearaway is a unicorn the Vita has ached to capture. It’s an original concept from a world class team created specifically and exclusively for the Vita. It’s beautifully rendered in a papercraft art style all its own, and its theme and disposition are unique in its field. Best of all, it interprets the hardware’s peculiar control options not as a dutiful obligation but rather as leverage for original ideas; there isn’t a single part of the machine that feels wasted. Tearaway comes together by showing its player a good time, and it’s intimately focused on driving that final point home. It also contains my favorite ending sequence of the year – and possibly ever. As intangible of a concept as “heart” is, no one pumps more of it into their game than Media Molecule. My review.
Outlast
Every sin Outlast commits can be redeemed by its greatest strength; the ability to inflict pure terror upon its victim player; being chased down by some heinous monster is Outlast’s best trick. To make matters worse (read:better), the neat mechanic of snapping back mid-run to catch a glimpse of the horror nipping at your heels isn’t an instance of reprieve but, another layer of insufferable panic delivered directly to the player’s psyche. Each trick and every situation really only works once before Outlast devolves from a pure horror game into potentially monotonous sessions of trial and error – but that first time something dreadful chases you down a hall is worth its weight in gold. Outlast is the only game I’ve had to pause and walk away from because I couldn’t deal with the anxiety wrought out of its presentation. In the right light, or lack thereof, Outlast is supremely terrifying. My review.
Surgeon Simulator 2013
“Perform a heart transplant.” How? With what? Why? Sitting a friend down in front of Surgeon Simulator 2013 and observing them poke and prod at the poor son of a bitch on the operating table remains the most fun, vicariously or otherwise, I’ve had with game this year. Playing it solo evolves from the usual bewilderment behind the deliberately obtuse controls into smooth proficiency demanded to actually complete the game, but Surgeon Simulator 2013 took on another life entirely when I started introducing it to other people. The look on someone’s face when they *accidentally* obliterate a rib cage all the way to slamming the heart in with mindless aplomb made for an incredible surrogate experience. It’s perfect for parties, great by itself, and a hell of a thing to subject to a player expecting an actual surgery simulator. My review.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
My first entry into Animal Crossing, I played New Leaf every day for almost sixty days. And then I never played it again. Despondent from the pains of what eventually felt more like a dutiful obligation than something I was actually enjoying, I had to put the game down – but the two months before the spell wore off felt like magic. My wife and I (I purchased two copies of the game) played together almost every day, either to see what each other’s store was selling or for the chance to hunt bugs and fish together at the island. One time we even dressed up and went on a date to each other’s respective museums. I don’t really think any of the core gameplay in New Leaf is as fun or compelling as it could or should be, but the rich sentiment generated from interacting with its menagerie of citizens and real-life crossovers with other players made it worth the time invested. Also I’d be lying if I said part of the reason I haven’t gone back is because I’m afraid of what the residents of my city of Pharton will say when I return after a four month absence. Steve Schardein’s review.
The Wonderful 101
I understand the vitriolic rage and well reasoned criticism aimed at The Wonderful 101. The game isn’t very good about teaching its rules or allotting the player enough time to develop a particular style within those rules, and the skill level required to meet its demands won’t appeal to the impatient or unwilling. That being said, I can appreciate a concept that combines the arena brawling and technical proficiency of Bayonetta, jubilant call to arms of Viewtiful Joe, and swift virtual penmanship Okami. It’s like Hideki Kamiya abandoned the idea of individual sequels in favor of refining every idea he’s had in the last ten years singular game, and even when The Wonderful 101 stumbles – and it stumbles frequently – its disposition as an omnibus of Kamiya’s prized ideas was more than enough to win me over. Steve Schardein’s review.
Gone Home
There was a brief scene in Indigo Prophecy where I had to go through a character’s bedroom to try and figure out what kind of person she was, and ever since then I wondered if we’d ever get a game where you’d learn about a character exclusively by going through their stuff and absorbing their story. I wanted that to be the full game rather than a one-off tangent. Dear Esther got me part of the way there, but Gone Home took me, well, home. I understand that others, including members of the staff here at Digital Chumps, will take one look at Gone Home and wonder why anyone would pay $20 for a game that appears to be marginally interactive and lasts three hours. That’s totally fine, Gone Home’s approach isn’t going to connect with everyone, but it feels like it was made just for me. My review.
Other games I greatly enjoyed:
Anarchy Reigns – In some alternate universe Anarchy Reigns’ brand of arena-brawling combat replaced Call of Duty as a the go-to competitive multiplayer experience of the generation. Best licensed soundtrack of the year, too. My review.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – By forcing the player toward the enemy as its only means of evasion, Revengeance begs for player engagement at every opportunity. My favorite character action game of the year, and an appropriate Metal Gear experience. My review.
Proteus – Discovering what it was an interpreting what happened was a joy.
Year Walk – It used to be fashionable to include an iOS outlier on a GOTY list, but over the last couple years it’s become a necessity. Year Walk’s unsettling narrative and unique approach to interaction (including its companion app) was divergent not for the sake of being different, but rather because it was the best way to endear its content.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon – It had me at “hello” consisting of Michael Biehn, cyborg atrocities, 80’s synth, neon lasers, and mecha dragons. In practice it kind of demonstrated the same flaws of Far Cry 3 proper, but Blood Dragon remains the absolute best way to employ assets from an AAA game and spin it off into something completely different. My review.
Remember Me – I loved watching the art direction escape its cyberpunk influence and I adored the memory remix sequences, even if they were few and far between. My review.
Resogun – Resogun put me in the same place as Panzer Dragoon, Super Stardust HD, and PixelJunk SideScroller. Shooters – rail shooters, top-down shooters, sidescrollers, whatever – require complete brain dedication to attain any level of proficiency. Success in Resogun demands the player focus on a myriad of objectives simultaneously, and trying to manage all of that leads to one of the most stressful – and most rewarding – experiences of the year.
DmC: Devil May Cry – Loved the wacky art direction, especially the fake game show Dante gets shoveled through. Thought the combat was rote but effective. Story was stupid. Revengeance outclassed it in its own genre, but DmC wasn’t a bad game. Steven McGehee’s review.
Saints Row IV – Mechanically, Saints Row IV is the most refined super hero game ever made, and it’s inconceivable why it defaults to boring third person shooting as often as it does. Saints Row The Third wasn’t great in the gameplay department either, but at least its sense of humor felt fresh. IV, while making me laugh, seemed more interested than one-upping itself than doing much of anything new. My review.
The Stanley Parable – The Stanley Parable made me think of modern videogame design as a bizarro-world tangent from which were accidentally set adrift by a rogue catalyst (likely Half Life). I think Gone Home was better at rejecting modern design philosophy without explicitly declaring its intentions, but The Stanley Parable isn’t bad either. My review.
Rayman Legends – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhIoidHbWQs. My review and Steven McGehee’s review.
Bit.Trip Presents…Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien – This is probably the best runner ever made. An appropriate level of skill is kept in check by an increasing number of mechanical directives and balanced through a soundtrack perfectly synced to the player’s performance. Also you can play as an anthropomorphic pickle named Unkle Dill. My review.
Grand Theft Auto V – I put 70 hours into GTA V. Either USgamer’s Jeremy Parish illustrated my thoughts perfectly or I read his piece and happened to agree with it. Either way, give it a read. Nathan Steven’s review.
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon – I absolutely adore the type of character Luigi has turned into. Hearing him hum along to the background music, watching him become startled at every little thing, and hearing the supremely confident, “I do it!” were all great. Cool game too, though I thought it had some pacing problems. Steve Schardein’s review.
Games I bought and didn’t get a chance to play because lack of time I am an idiot: Super Mario 3D World, Rogue Legacy, Antichamber, Kentucky Route Zero, Eldritch, Don’t Starve, Device 6, Puppeteer, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and most shamefully: Shin Megami Tensei IV.
Total games finished this year (I keep track of this because I don’t know): 76.
Total 2013 games I finished this year: 45.
Trainwreck of 2013: Either Aliens: Colonial Marines or Sonic Lost World. I also can’t remember a single thing that happened in Tomb Raider but that’s probably due to completing it in one session (thanks, Redbox).
Oldest game I finished this year: Kirby’s Adventure (1993).
Dumbest game I finished this year: Pepsiman (1999).
Games I’d like to see on my inevitable 2014 list: Bayonetta 2, The Division, The Last Guardian (lol), Watch Dogs, Dying Light, Day Z, The Evil Within, FFXIII: Lightning Returns, Rime, Hotline Miami 2, Republique, The Walking Dead Season 2, Persona 5, and, of course, Dark Souls II.
