by generalgrey
*Note: Battlefield 4 would be on this list (most likely in my top 10) if it were actually functioning properly.
Abandoned Prior to Completion: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (360), Grid 2 (360)
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Entered list: 2/15/13 at #1 If you'd have told me at the beginning of the year that any of my top 10 games of 2013 would be 3DS exclusives, I would've given you a derisive scoff. Yet here we are at the end of the year and no less than 3 have made it, including number 1! Fire Emblem was the first game I put on this list, and it has held tight at number one for the entire year. I'd never played a Fire Emblem game prior to this one and was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The characters are terrific (Kellam is a personal favorite), the gameplay is phenomenal, and the storyline is compelling. Above all, the game is just a true joy to play. No complaints.
Entered list: 12/8/13 at #2 Like a lot of other people, I was seriously disappointed in Assassin's Creed III (see last year's list). That game really suffered from taking itself too seriously and losing sight of the focus on fun that made the Ezio entries (at least the first two) so good. AC4 rectifies that. Even without the AC tie-in, it'd be a damned good pirate game (it does a great job of recapturing the spirit of Sid Meier's Pirates). Indeed, the worst parts of this game are the old Assassin's Creed mainstays. The tail missions (both in-ship and on foot) are staggeringly annoying, guard behavior is baffling, and there is a considerable amount of repetition. But the rest of the game is just so damn fun that those flaws can be overlooked. Sailing into a giant storm in search of bounty while the crew sings Drunken Sailor is just magical. I love this game.
Entered list: 9/27/13 at #2 It's difficult to fully articulate my thoughts on this one. The scope of GTA5 is absolutely staggering. It's huge...and almost all of it works. Truly an incredible achievement from a technical perspective. Then there's the story. I actually quite enjoyed the Michael story arc, enough in fact to offset my distaste for Trevor's and my indifference toward Franklin's. In fact, I think Michael's story is the only one that actually qualifies as an arc. Neither Trevor nor Franklin really go anywhere from where they start. For Trevor it seems like Rockstar just didn't know what to do; for Franklin I'm convinced they just gave up. It's a bit depressing really. That said, I still really enjoyed my time with GTA5...and again, there's just so much of it!
Entered list: 6/29/13 at #2 I'm a bit of an Animal Crossing obsessive. Ever since I played the hell out of the first game, I've made it a point to pick up each new game...and have rapidly put them down again. For whatever reason, they have lacked the appeal of the first game. Until New Leaf, that is. I've played this game for dozens of hours and have enjoyed nearly every minute. Nintendo made enough changes for the game to feel fresh, while retaining those bits of Animal Crossing that made the series so endearing in the first place. Bravo.
Entered list: 9/7/13 at #3 Blacklist was definitely the biggest and best surprise for me this year. I've never really cared much for the Splinter Cell games as, in general, I find stealth gameplay more frustrating than fun. In this case, it was the exact opposite. Blacklist is much more accessible than its predecessors in almost every way. In addition, it has a pretty tight story which, while a bit cliched, is still pretty exciting (it has a really good sense of pacing, a quality often lacking in games nowadays), and some really good voice acting. It's just a really tight, smooth game. Highly enjoyable.
Entered list: 10/28/13 at #5 This is hands-down the best Pokemon generation since the first. The new look combined with Nintendo's crazy streamlining of the traditional formula finally let me get back into a Pokemon game. While series purists may hate the changes, thinking that they make the game too easy, as a more casual player I love them. There's no more grind; just fun. Wonder trading is brilliant too.
Entered list: 3/28/13 at #2 I really wanted to love Bioshock Infinite. The original Bioshock is one of my favorite games of all time. I think that's probably why I found Infinite so disappointing. There's not a single element that lives up to the previous entry (or at least my nostalgic recollection of the previous entry). The characters are more shallow, the story lacks direction and depth, and the ending may or may not even make sense. Regardless of the ending's consistency, I really hated it. Like so many other parts of the game, it felt tacked on halfway though rather than integrated into the overall vision of the game. So many great and interesting ideas are introduced at various points, only to be abandoned almost immediately. What's left lacks the coherence and cohesiveness that made Bioshock so great. All that said, the game is absolutely gorgeous, the locations are stunning, and the first hour is one of the finest in the history of gaming. But then there's the randomness of Vigors, and the witch fight(s)...and the final battle on the airship...and what is up with the weird Boys of Silence or whatever...ugh.
Entered list: 3/25/13 at #3 Heart of the Swarm took the already great StarCraft II and made it even better. That's no small feat. I love where this series is going. Looking forward to the next expansion.
Entered list: 2/22/13 at #2 This is another instance of my trying out a franchise for the first time and being completely blown away by it. These types of games usually drive me nuts, but I enjoyed the hell out of DmC. I was actually forced to pause this game a few times due to concern about my heart rate. Really good gameplay and some super-creative level design make this game one of my top games of the year.
Entered list: 8/12/13 at #5 I love Papers, Please. Everything about it. The mechanics, the progression, the aesthetic, the music; just everything is pretty much perfect. If you haven't played this game, you must.