The Best Games I Played in 2013
10. I Am Alive
Due to all the middling reviews this game got, I almost never gave it a chance. However, Scott Nichols vehemently defended it on Twitter, and it eventually went on sale, so I got it. I can honestly say that playing it was extremely rewarding, and I fell in love with the combat that played out more like a puzzle than a shooter. I understand that it did not live up to original hype and trailers, but it's a game worth juxtaposing against other survival games that often go astray.
9. Thomas Was Alone
I played this game last month when I had some downtime and ended up finishing it and getting all the achievements in one night. Not only are the mechanics extremely simple and accessible, but the lovely narrator creates compassion for these quadrilaterals that we never thought possible. Coupled with a wonderful soundtrack and beautifully simple graphics, Thomas Was Alone easily placed itself on my top ten list.
8. The Last of Us
Winter. I already gushed quite heavily about this game, but it's worth repeating that the story is touching and affecting in a way few games have managed to accomplish for me. I know this is topping many other lists, but the rote gameplay that only manages to distinguish itself during one wonderful chapter knocked it down some pegs. Still, this is a must buy for Playstation 3 owners.
7. Asura's Wrath
I was curious about this game from the get-go, but even after checking out reviews and trailers, I did not know what to make of it. Coincidentally, I found it for pretty cheap on some website, and I played it and its (English) DLC over the summer. While it lacks a lot of gameplay to speak of, the bombastic story and events are brilliant to watch, providing entertainment for more than just the player but also anybody watching. Although a game primarily made of QTEs has a limited audience, I can honestly say they went a long way towards making me feel like I am actually accomplishing the ridiculous feats Asura performed.
6. Tomb Raider
My only experience with Tomb Raider was playing the original for the Sega Saturn for about a week. I did not know what to really make of 2013's entry and so ignored it mostly until it was on sale. How wrong I was! Although many aspects of the misfortunes Lara experiences made me uncomfortable in a bad way, she managed to maintain a strong persona amidst a sea of poor female representations. And this action story laced with mysticism actually made a ton of sense. This game felt good to play and good to watch, much like Uncharted 2, but more affecting and personal. I just hope the next entry is not riddled with such poor happenstance for our heroine.
5. Demon's Souls
I started this in 2011 but put it right down when the going got too tough. But all the hub-bub about Dark Souls gnawed away at my distaste until I picked it up again. Although not my favorite game, I had an amazing experience conquering this beast, which I wrote about elsewhere. It also provided me with the rare instance of enjoying consulting Wikis for information, which the game provides little of. Finishing it left me with a sense of accomplishment that is just hard to describe. You feel somewhat sexy for having this under your belt.
4. Gone Home
Gone Home caught a lot of flack from privileged cisgender white male gamers who balked at it for having a feminist or even gay agenda (and for being short, of all things!). I'd rather not directly engage with such an ignorant group, but I don't understand why a very well-written story about a teenage girl falling in love with another girl is considered part of an agenda. Sifting through the Greenbriar family home was just an awesome experience, more akin to Myst than Blue Is the Warmest Color. There is a true feeling of loneliness and suspense coursing through the few hours is takes to complete Gone Home. Simply put: it's an incredible return for the adventure genre that I recommend to all fans.
3. Persona 4 Golden
To say there is no game like Persona 4 would be a lie because other Persona games are like Persona 4. Though distinctly a JRPG, Atlus created a genre unto itself in many ways. The story is long and fascinating with supernatural occurrences just becoming par for the course. I loved collecting and fusing my personae and building my relationships daily. There's always something fun to discover as you work your way towards the end game. The next game is on the horizon, and I can't wait, because this is seriously one of the best RPGs you'll play in your life.
2. Antichamber
I love Antichamber. Somehow, Alexander Bruce managed to sneak in a puzzle game whose tutorial teaches the player more about life and love than about playing it. The visuals are striking, and the music and sound effects are poignant; nothing is overdone. I also really enjoyed the challenge, which required me to both learn and unlearn in order to progress. Sometimes, solving a puzzle means just sitting and staring at the screen for a few minutes until you finally consider the one action you haven't tried. I can easily recommend this to absolutely everyone because of its simple controls and hours full of "A ha!" moments. Although beating it feels triumphant, it also feels personally fulfilling as if you're a better human being because of it.
Also, this is the default Game of the Year for 2013 as this is my highest ranked game actually released in 2013. It was going to be #1, but recent events changed all that…
1. Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward
OK. I didn't beat this game in 2013. No, I beat it on January 3rd, 2014, at about 3 in the morning. But it just seemed extremely stupid to lump it into next year for no reason. Here's the deal. As mentioned in my last post, my husband bought me this game, which necessitated my purchase of 999 before it. And 999 was a great game. Now, if you take 999's story and make it about 20 times more complex, you'll get Virtue's Last Reward.
Like its predecessor and Asura's Wrath, it is arguably not much of a game. There are definitely puzzles to solve — plenty of them — but you spend more time reading/listening than doing those. But what you witness is, in my opinion, just amazing. I found myself becoming truly obsessed with this game, which not only provided crazy amounts of twists and turns but found a way to work multiple playthroughs into its narrative in a way I hadn't witnessed since Eternal Darkness for the Nintendo Gamecube.
I do plan on writing a review for it, but just know that it's hard to describe exactly why this is one of the best games I've ever played. Yes, that's right. Ever! I just adore it, and it really revitalized my game-loving spark at just the right time. I'm so thankful for my husband for buying it for me.
Screenshots were either taken by me through Steam or the Playstation Vita, from Game Informer's website, or from the amazing Demon's Souls Wiki.
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