Here I am with my top ten favourite games that were released in 2013! I didn't finish all them, which is a bit naughty, so I'll have to make sure I go back to them this year before too many new ones come along. Before I get stuck in however, here are a few notable absences - you won't find The Last of Us on here because I haven't played it yet. Similarly there's no Batman: Arkham Origins or Fire Emblem: Awakening because I've barely started them. Finally, Bioshock Infinite isn't on here because I simply didn't like it very much. With that out of the way, let's see what did make the cut...
10. Pikmin 3 - Wii U
Now then, I'm actually not all that deep into the single player mode, but I have spent many hours playing the Bingo Battle mode with my brother and his family, which has cemented Pikmin 3's place in this list and ensured it will be in rotation for years to come. Bingo Battle is the perfect mix of strategic planning, chaotic scrambling, and screwing over the other guy that ensures that it's great fun to play. The five or so hours I have spent with the single player mode have been highly enjoyable, and Nintendo seems to have found the ideal mix of time pressure due to the daily limit, yet it gives players who aren't all that good at this sort of thing (me included) enough space to explore, experiment and try again if things go horribly awry.
9. Lego City Undercover - Wii U
This game came along at precisely the right time for me. There wasn't a lot coming out for the other consoles, and the Wii U itself had been starved of software since it launched, so it desperately needed something. Thankfully, Traveller's Tales and Nintendo teamed up to deliver a genuinely funny open world Lego game that should appeal both to adults and children. The single player story is lengthy enough to keep you occupied for some time, but that's really just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of optional things to do and items to collect, a lot of which aren't unlocked until you get the right item in the main missions. I hear that Lego Marvel Superheroes is even better, but I haven't had the chance to try it yet.
8. Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 3DS
I haven't picked this game up for a while now, so I expect when I finally do I will discover that a lot of my little animal buddies have moved out. For a solid three month period though, my 3DS and my ACNL cartridge went wherever I did. It's a very laid back, relaxing experience, and this entry in the series is arguably more of a proper game than any of the previous versions thanks to the vast array of mini games you can play on the tropical island. That's just one of many things to keep you occupied - town planning, regular bug and fishing contests, random visits from shady art dealers and confused seagulls - all charmingly written by the Treehouse team at Nintendo. The ideal portable experience!
7. Super Mario 3D World - Wii U
Now, the reason that this game is only in seventh place on my list is because I am not enjoying it as much as the absolutely mind blowing pair of Super Mario Galaxy titles that came out on the original Wii. The basic idea is just not as fresh, it being based around Super Mario 3D Land on the 3DS. That being said, there is still a lot of creativity in the levels, from the new suits like the cat suit and the double cherry, to the wide range of different environments and task for you to complete. Finding all the green stars, the stamps and landing on the top of the flag pole with every character is quite the challenge, but definitely rewarding if you have the skill for it!
6. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - PlayStation 3
This is one of the games on my list that remains unfinished, which is a terrible crime as it's so good. I spent a good deal of 2012 looking forward to this - an interactive Studio Ghibli movie with RPG mechanics! I did spend a solid 40 hours playing it, and loved every minute of it. The graphics are absolutely stunning, the soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi is sublime, and the game play is solid if a little traditional. It seems like great JRPG's like this one only come along a few times a year these days. We were lucky to get two of them in 2013, another of which you will find further down this list!
5. Tomb Raider - Xbox 360
The Tomb Raider reboot did play quite a lot like the Uncharted series, but in my opinion it was a better game than Nathan Drake's series. The skillful writing by Rhianna Pratchett ensured that the game was much more believable, even though Lara had pretty much become a gun toting bad ass by the end. Traversing the world and finding all the hidden collectibles was a fun diversion, and I even spent a little while doing this after I'd finished the main plot (though I didn't get everything). I'm looking forward to the next entry in the revived franchise now.
4. Grand Theft Auto 5 - Xbox 360
Now here's a game that I actually did manage to finish - and it's a GTA game too! That's the very first time that I've ever got to the end of one of them (not counting The Ballad of Gay Tony or The Lost and the Damned, as they were quite short). What Rockstar managed to achieve on the ageing Xbox 360 and PS3 was stunning, and some of the design from Red Dead Redemption has trickled down into this series for it's overall betterment. I still prefer Red Dead by quite a large margin because I don't find it to be as cynical and bitter in tone compared to certain sections of GTA 5, but it is a remarkable achievement nonetheless.
3. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Xbox 360
Ooops, another game I didn't quite get around to finishing. I wasn't far off though. This is one game where I do want to try and do 100% of everything though, as it is such fun doing piratey things like sailing your brig across the vast ocean, plundering ships for their cargo, harpooning great white sharks and digging up buried treasure. Some of the on land mechanics that have been present in every Assassin's Creed are definitely starting to show their age, though on the open sea the game is a pure joy to play. I am very interested to see in which direction the series will go next, and if the rumours of a spin off pirate game are true!
2. Path of Exile - PC
I love Diablo style loot 'em ups, and in 2013 Grinding Gear Games gave us one for free. It features everything you would expect from a full price release - seven character classes, tons of levellable skill gems, a truly vast passive skill tree, and three sizable acts to play through. The whole game has been designed to be replayable as well, with the random map and item generation that you've come to expect from the best games of this type, in addition to a large range of optional ladder leagues with which to challenge yourself and others. There's enough game in here to keep anyone occupied for months, and you don't have to spend a single penny to get it! That's deserving of second place in my book.
1. Bravely Default - 3DS
Another game that I'm only about halfway through, though I think I can be forgiven this time around because it only came out in mid December. Poor players in the US don't get in until February of this year! I did debate whether or not it had come out too soon for me to feasibly place it in first place on my list, but I think it should be permitted as it is the game I have enjoyed the most in 2013 by far. Very much a traditional Final Fantasy game in the vein of FF V or FF VI in all but name, it sees you take control of your four warriors of light and set off on a quest to restore the crystals. There is a vast range of jobs that you can assign your characters, roughly half of which are unlocked by completing side missions, and some innovative uses of StreetPass and sleep mode. Now that I'm back at work and commuting every day, I will be playing the rest of this game - I urge anybody who misses the "golden years" of Final Fantasy to do the same!
Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts
Monday, January 13, 2014
Thursday, January 12, 2012
RMGB Awards 2011: Part One
Welcome to my selection of the best games that were released during 2011, broken down by format, genre and then some overall awards. It's been a few years since I last did this, mostly because I normally don't play enough new games within a given year to be able to make an informed choice. This year though I was able to buy all the games that I wanted, due to having a nice redundancy payout from my previous employer. However I still didn't have enough time to play all the big games that were released, especially those towards the end of the year, so instead I will just have to include them in the honourable mentions category at the end and try to come back and review them in future. The awards will be split over two days, with the first covering each individual format plus a few other categories such as Most Disappointing Game, and the second covering the various gaming genre, Most Anticipated Game of 2012, and my actual game of the year. So without further ado, let's get on with the show...
Best Xbox 360 Exclusive
Where Gran Turismo was once the undisputed king of realistic driving games, now the Forza series has stolen the crown without a doubt. Forza 3 was really the game that pushed the series to the heights that it now enjoys, but the fourth entry in the series adds further refinements to the gameplay and the presentation. Forget the worthless Kinect modes - instead, enjoy a lengthy single player career mode, a gargantuan range of events to race in, and a true online community of racers, tuners and painters. Where in the third game you could progress to level 50 fairly quickly, this time the cap is a massive 150. What's more you have a separate level for each car manufacturer, which goes up to 50.
Whilst the two previous entries in the Gears trilogy were certainly good games, Epic Games raised the bar considerably with the final part of the Marcus Fenix saga. The single player campaign is much more diverse in both location and colour palette, and each of the major characters from Delta Squad get their own moment in the spotlight before the curtain falls. The Horde and competitive multiplayer modes have also been significantly overhauled, and a persistent levelling mechanic added across all the various modes. With the promise of significant single player DLC recently coming to fruition with the release of the Raam's Shadow pack, Gears of War 3 cements its place as one of the finest Xbox 360 releases from 2011.
Best PS3 Exclusive
Whilst Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a very hard act to follow, Naughty Dog have almost but not quite bettered it with their third instalment in the series. This time things get rather personal as we get a glimpse into Nathan Drake's past and his friendship with Sully, before racing an ancient organisation to be the first to discover the mythical Iram of the Pillars. Drakes pride may just cause him or one of his friends their lives, as he journeys around the world, finding clues, solving puzzles and getting into many life threatening situations. This game once again shows the developers technical and storytelling prowess, and not only a fantastic single player campaign, but also a in depth mutliplayer mode and a co-op mode.
Best Wii Exclusive
The outcry from US gamers who believed that they would never see this game released in their territory was well deserved, as this is a truly remarkable RPG and one of the best games ever released on the Wii. Playing rather like an offline MMO, and delivering hundreds of hours of gameplay, Xenoblade Chronicles also pushes the hardware to the limits of its performance with its huge breathtaking vistas and epic score. Thankfully Nintendo have recently announced that the game will indeed get a US release later in 2012, thus serving as a fitting swansong for the Wii before it is usurped by its successor, the Wii-U.
It may have taken until the Wii is on the way out as a viable gaming platform, but Nintendo has finally captured the full potential of motion control with the release of the latest in the Zelda franchise. Though the graphics are beautiful for the most part, the Wii does occasionally start to show its age, and the MotionPlus controller does have to be recalibrated just often enough to make it become a minor annoyance. These issues are just enough to knock Skyward Sword down to the runner up position.
Best DS Exclusive
Solatorobo is actually the sequel to a much loved yet little played PS1 game called Tail Concerto. Both games take place in world populated by anthropomorphic heroic canines and antagonistic (or just plain naughty) felines as the travel amongst a chain of floating islands in their airships and robotic walkers. These games have all the charm of a classic Miyazaki animation such as Castle in the Sky, and are essentially action RPG's that also feature flying sections quite heavily.
The original Okami was one of the most beautiful games to be released on the PS2, and this DS follow up does a brilliant job of shrinking everything down whilst maintaining same style. Quite literally, in the case of the wolf god main character Chibiterasu, who is the smaller, cutesified son of Amaterasu from the first game. The controls are not quite perfect which prevented Okami-den from stealing the top spot, but in every every aspect this is a great action adventure game and easily rivals the Zelda games available for the DS.
Best PSP Exclusive
I reviewed a game in the Legend of Heroes series in the early days of this blog and gave it quite a high score. In hindsight it wasn't quite as good as I said at the time because it has an appalling translation, mediocre story and unremarkable mechanics. When you compare this latest entry to that one, the difference is quite astounding. You can still tell they share the same lineage, but XSEED have spent much more care in localising Trails in the Sky, and combined with the charming graphics and excellent soundtrack it all adds up to a fantastic package for fans of playing RPG's on the go. The battles are still a little traditional, but you probably wont care as the rest of the package is just so much fun.
Most Disappointing Game
Compared to Fable II, it just felt that Molyneux and Lionhead Studios had basically phoned in this entry to the series. Most of the enemies you encounter are reused from the previous game - in fact the whole experience feels like a hand-me-down and not the least bit fresh. I did still quite enjoy playing through it but compared after all the excellent new mechanics of the second game in the series it just didn't do enough to stand out in a year that has seen a staggering amount of top class games released.
The new facial animation technology developed by Team Bondi and implemented in L.A. Noire is extremely impressive, and the grimy setting is also a fascinating place to explore, but mechanically this game was not without it's problems. The main one was the interrogation scenes - you would often press the button to challenge a suspect and expect protagonist Cole Phelps to say one thing, only for him to completely go off on one without warning and basically accuse whoever happens to be in the hot seat of murder. The other issue I have is the the pacing - the game is entertaining up to a certain point and then it feels like it should have ended, only it keeps going for many hours past this point. A briefer game would have actually been more enjoyable in my opinion.
Worst Game of the Year
I am always keen to try out as many RPG's as I can that are released throughout the year as it is my favourite genre, but boy do I wish I had never tried this one. Stupid anime characters that barely feature any animation whatsoever explore the most boring random dungeons ever seen, or star in barely animated cut scenes that contain some of the worst dialogue and misguided attempts at humour ever to be included in a video game. Whatever you do, do not buy this game!
That's it for part one, come back soon for part two which will include genre awards, the most pleasant surprise of the year, and my overall game of the year!
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
The RetroModern Gaming Blog 2005 Awards
Here are the highlights of 2005 for me. The games featured year didn't necessarily come out this year, but I did play them this year. Tomorrow I will be giving out awards for the disappointments of 2005, but for today, it's all good!
GBA Game of the Year - Riviera: The Promised Land
A great little RPG which combined plenty of humour with an interesting battle system and some of the best graphics on Nintendo's diminutive handheld. It didn't get a release in Europe and there were only fairly limited quantities on sale in the US, so it might be quite hard to come by now, but it's worth picking up if you can find it.
Runner up - Racing Gears Advance
Not many people are aware if this little game but way back in January of last year it was constantly in the GBA slot of my DS. Imagine a game like Micro Machines or Mashed on the GBA and you'd be on the mark. This is the ideal sort of game for a handheld.
DS Game of the Year - Mario Kart DS
Without doubt this is absolutely the best game on the DS so far. Every thing you could ever possible want from a Mario Kart title and more (who would've expected the Mission mode?). The Wi-Fi Internet mode is the icing on a particularly scrummy cake and combined with the regular multiplayer mode ensure that this game will be a favourite for a long time to come.
Runner up - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Another inventive and witty entry in the Mario RPG series. The DS has been starved of quality RPG's since it was released by now Mario & Luigi are here to keep players entertained for at least 20 hours of quality gameplay.
PSP Game of the Year - Ridge Racer
I'm possibly a little biased here - Ridge Racer has long been a favourite series of mine, but these are my awards so never mind. The classic RR gameplay was given a boost (pun intended) with the addition of a Nitrous gauge, and many of the best tracks from past games were dusted off and given a thorough going for this PSP "best of" update.
Runner up - Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion
It took a while for a decent RPG to appear on the PSP, just like with the DS, but finally Legend of Heroes was released back in November. It has a less than perfect localisation, but that hasn't prevented me from enjoying the story and all it's many twists and turns. It's refreshing to play a game where many different characters drop in and out of the story, rather thing joing with the protagonist and following them all the way around the world.
Gamecube Game of the Year - Resident Evil 4
I've been partial a bit of Resident Evil for a long time now, but even I was starting to tire of the clumsy controls and cliched formula. Capcom took a long hard look at the series and finally gave gamers RE 4. No one could have predicted just how good this game would be. Every chapter is crammed full of inventive and exciting set pieces and the amazing soundtrack makes sure you are constantly on the edge of your seat, all the while holding your breath.
Runner up - Batallion Wars
When it was announced that British developer Kuju games was making a Gamecube version of the Advance Wars series and changing it from a turn based strategy game into a third person action game, fans of the series were horrified. After all, Kuju's track record has been average at best (Reign of Fire, Lotus Challenge and War Hammer: Fire Warrior were all less than amazing). Nonetheless, the managed to deliver a very solid and fun little shooter which even reminds me of Halo at times (the chatter of the troops, and the vehicles). Well worth checking out.
PlayStation 2 Game of the Year - Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King.
This game is amazing, spellbinding. I knew Level 5 were adept at getting the most out of the PS2 hardware from past experience with Dark Chronicle, but I never imagined anyone could cram a game that's this long, with such brilliant graphics, a stunning orchestral score and fantastic gameplay, on to one single DVD ROM.
Runner up - Shadow of the Colossus
This also achieves things that I never thought possible on the aging PS2 hardware, but sometimes the cracks show through. The frame rate can get quite unstable when the action hots up which prevented me from ever getting completely immersed in the game. Still one of the most beautiful things I have seen all year though.
Xbox Game of the Year - Jade Empire
Runner up - Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
It's sad that this game never sold as many copies as it deserved to, as it was well worth it. A western style game set in the bizarre Oddworld, featuring the same sense of humour from the Abe and Munch games. I saw a pre owned copy for £10 the other day, and if you should comeacrosss a cheap copy you should snap it up.
PC Game of the Year - The Movies
This is the best game Peter Molyneux and his team have delivered since Theme Hospital came out all those years ago from Bullfrog. It can get rather tough after a while as you a juggling stars and directors throwing petty tantrums with trying to make the best films you can and managing not to go bankrupt. The movie making aspect has seen a huge community build up already, where you can upload and download home made films for your own entertainment.
Runner up - Sacred Gold
This is an action RPG in the Diablo mould, with plenty of character classes to choose from, some very nice graphics and a verylengthyy quest to work your way through. This Gold edition also includes the Underworld expansion disk which adds about another 15 hours of gameplay.
Overall Game of the Year - Resident Evil 4 - Gamecube
It was a close call but for me, the best game of 2005 was Resident Evil 4. It's now also available on the PS2 with even more content.
Runner up - Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King - PlayStation 2
I very nearly decided to place these two games the other way around, but in the end RE4 had more innovative touches (DQVIII is verytraditionall at heart, but that has a lot to do with why it's so good).
Come back tomorrow for part 2, where I list my worst games of the year, my mostdisappointingg delay, best hidden gem and best retro game.
GBA Game of the Year - Riviera: The Promised Land
A great little RPG which combined plenty of humour with an interesting battle system and some of the best graphics on Nintendo's diminutive handheld. It didn't get a release in Europe and there were only fairly limited quantities on sale in the US, so it might be quite hard to come by now, but it's worth picking up if you can find it.
Runner up - Racing Gears Advance
Not many people are aware if this little game but way back in January of last year it was constantly in the GBA slot of my DS. Imagine a game like Micro Machines or Mashed on the GBA and you'd be on the mark. This is the ideal sort of game for a handheld.
DS Game of the Year - Mario Kart DS
Without doubt this is absolutely the best game on the DS so far. Every thing you could ever possible want from a Mario Kart title and more (who would've expected the Mission mode?). The Wi-Fi Internet mode is the icing on a particularly scrummy cake and combined with the regular multiplayer mode ensure that this game will be a favourite for a long time to come.
Runner up - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Another inventive and witty entry in the Mario RPG series. The DS has been starved of quality RPG's since it was released by now Mario & Luigi are here to keep players entertained for at least 20 hours of quality gameplay.
PSP Game of the Year - Ridge Racer
I'm possibly a little biased here - Ridge Racer has long been a favourite series of mine, but these are my awards so never mind. The classic RR gameplay was given a boost (pun intended) with the addition of a Nitrous gauge, and many of the best tracks from past games were dusted off and given a thorough going for this PSP "best of" update.
Runner up - Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion
It took a while for a decent RPG to appear on the PSP, just like with the DS, but finally Legend of Heroes was released back in November. It has a less than perfect localisation, but that hasn't prevented me from enjoying the story and all it's many twists and turns. It's refreshing to play a game where many different characters drop in and out of the story, rather thing joing with the protagonist and following them all the way around the world.
Gamecube Game of the Year - Resident Evil 4
I've been partial a bit of Resident Evil for a long time now, but even I was starting to tire of the clumsy controls and cliched formula. Capcom took a long hard look at the series and finally gave gamers RE 4. No one could have predicted just how good this game would be. Every chapter is crammed full of inventive and exciting set pieces and the amazing soundtrack makes sure you are constantly on the edge of your seat, all the while holding your breath.
Runner up - Batallion Wars
When it was announced that British developer Kuju games was making a Gamecube version of the Advance Wars series and changing it from a turn based strategy game into a third person action game, fans of the series were horrified. After all, Kuju's track record has been average at best (Reign of Fire, Lotus Challenge and War Hammer: Fire Warrior were all less than amazing). Nonetheless, the managed to deliver a very solid and fun little shooter which even reminds me of Halo at times (the chatter of the troops, and the vehicles). Well worth checking out.
PlayStation 2 Game of the Year - Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King.
This game is amazing, spellbinding. I knew Level 5 were adept at getting the most out of the PS2 hardware from past experience with Dark Chronicle, but I never imagined anyone could cram a game that's this long, with such brilliant graphics, a stunning orchestral score and fantastic gameplay, on to one single DVD ROM.
Runner up - Shadow of the Colossus
This also achieves things that I never thought possible on the aging PS2 hardware, but sometimes the cracks show through. The frame rate can get quite unstable when the action hots up which prevented me from ever getting completely immersed in the game. Still one of the most beautiful things I have seen all year though.
Xbox Game of the Year - Jade Empire
Many people weren't overly keen on this game, especially after playing Knights of the Old Republic, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and found the action based battle system to be a refreshing change. The mythical Chinese style setting was wonderful too.
Runner up - Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
It's sad that this game never sold as many copies as it deserved to, as it was well worth it. A western style game set in the bizarre Oddworld, featuring the same sense of humour from the Abe and Munch games. I saw a pre owned copy for £10 the other day, and if you should comeacrosss a cheap copy you should snap it up.
PC Game of the Year - The Movies
This is the best game Peter Molyneux and his team have delivered since Theme Hospital came out all those years ago from Bullfrog. It can get rather tough after a while as you a juggling stars and directors throwing petty tantrums with trying to make the best films you can and managing not to go bankrupt. The movie making aspect has seen a huge community build up already, where you can upload and download home made films for your own entertainment.
Runner up - Sacred Gold
This is an action RPG in the Diablo mould, with plenty of character classes to choose from, some very nice graphics and a verylengthyy quest to work your way through. This Gold edition also includes the Underworld expansion disk which adds about another 15 hours of gameplay.
Overall Game of the Year - Resident Evil 4 - Gamecube
It was a close call but for me, the best game of 2005 was Resident Evil 4. It's now also available on the PS2 with even more content.
Runner up - Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King - PlayStation 2
I very nearly decided to place these two games the other way around, but in the end RE4 had more innovative touches (DQVIII is verytraditionall at heart, but that has a lot to do with why it's so good).
Come back tomorrow for part 2, where I list my worst games of the year, my mostdisappointingg delay, best hidden gem and best retro game.
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