My Top Ten Games of 2013

Work and life has taken a lot of time from me this year, meaning I have played a lot less games than previous years. My PC has also been broken since the summer meaning I missed a lot of games I want to play on that platform. Despite this I still managed to play a lot of games that I really enjoyed, and cobble together a list from them. This list will likely change over the course of 2014 but at the moment this is how I feel about the games of 2013.

I do not own a Wii U or Xbox One so obviously none of their exclusives are available to me and as I said my PC is out of action, but here are my personal top ten games of 2013:

10: Battlefield 4 (PS4)

With Destiny and Titanfall on the horizon it looks like we are at the end of the modern military shooters dominance over the genre, but Battlefield 4 would be a great way to see it off. In a year where CoD was a disappointment Battlefield 4 managed to significantly improve its singleplayer campaigns quality while maintaining the excellence of its multiplayer.

My enjoyment of the online is curtailed by having few friends to play it with, but it is a damn impressive game that has great visuals and scale. It has some significant technical issues at the moment and has crashed on me a few times, but I am still enjoying my time with Battlefield 4 and want to play a lot more thanks to its less linear and controlled combat scenarios and sheer scale of its combat scenarios.

9: Tomb Raider (PS3)

Ironically taking lessons from the success of Uncharted, Tomb Raider is a reboot that brings viability back to a series that I felt was dead. While I found the story and the development of Lara into a killer was laughable under examination the actual gameplay did not let me down. Tight controls and strategic combat scenarios made this a pleasure to play, and the bow was a blast to use. I felt like a hunter as I used it, relishing each enemy encounter as another opportunity to ambush foes and nail them with arrows.

The visuals are gorgeous and the design of the island is just lovely. Yes the story is predictable and the ending ultimately disappointing, but I would love to see this reboot continued forward and really enjoyed my time with the new Tomb Raider.

8: DmC Devil May Cry (Xbox 360)

God of War has been my character action game series of choice, and I have rarely enjoyed the pacing and style of the Devil May Cry series. Most of the Devil May Cry games are relatively boring, with only 3 really standing out to me as a game truly worth investing in, until DMC. Ninja Theory have crafted one of the most attractive, interesting and fun action games I have ever played in DMC, a reboot that got much more hate than it deserved.

The combat is deep yet accessible, the story decent and the overall game just comes together beautifully. Stylish, responsive and gorgeous, DMC is for my money far superior to any of its predecessors and one of the best games of the year. It deserved to do much better in sales, but I am delighted that Ninja Theory were able to give us this game even if they don't get to do anything else with this series in the future.

7: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PS3)

Smaller games have increasingly improving in recent years, filling the creativity gap left by risk adverse larger budget games, and Brothers is the example of this for 2013. A game that focuses on telling as story through its gameplay mechanics and abandons combat completely, Starbreeze have a compelling title in this one.

Brothers is not without issues, having controls I found extremely awkward at sections, and some rough fidelity to its visuals. Having said that, it also has one of the most engaging aesthetic styles of any game this year, leaning on a fantastical world of Nordic mythos, and a story with real impact and satisfaction by its conclusion. By using game mechanics to directly involve the player in the story Brothers manages to be one of the most memorable games I played this year.

6: Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS)

My first experience with Nintendo's strategy series was one that left me very surprised, as it is one of the deepest strategy games I have played in years.

Blending RTS mechanics with JRPG elements works beautifully here, with a character system that invests the player by having a well drawn cast of characters who you get to know under the constant danger of permanent death. There are real consequences for screwing up in battle, and the actual combat is so satisfying. Fire Emblem Awakening is a refined and demanding game, but one that I am glad extremely glad I became involved with.

5: Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag (PS4)

I haven't finished Black Flag yet as I only got it for Christmas. However, it is already one of my favourites this year, completely restoring the flagging AC series and tossing all the excess crap that AC 3 built up.

The setting is stunning, providing a gorgeous game that concentrates its efforts on the strength of the series instead of mind-numbing side tasks that brought down Revelations and 3. It helps that the visuals are crisp and it plays like a charm on PS4, providing that "next gen" feel that justifies my purchase of a new console. AC 4 is a fantastic, exciting and fun game, and is likely to rise higher in this list unless it makes a mess of its conclusion. Assassin's Creed is back to its best with Black Flag.

4: Bioshock Infinite (Xbox 360)

The original Bioshock is one of my favourite games of all time, so I had heavy expectations from Infinite. While it does not live up to all of them, it does manage to capture the same spirit while changing the setting from Rapture to the flying city of Columbia, providing an immersive and colourful world that is unafriad to explore a darker side and some uncomfortable themes.

The combat could be better and I do wish the game was less linear without a dull middle section, but the strength of the world and characters, the stunning art direction and the captivating narrative drove me through the game to its fantastic conclusion. Irrational once again made good on their talenr and ambition witi Bioshock Infinite.

3: Grand Theft Auto V (PS3)

Massive in scope and scale, GTA V is probably the biggest and most ambitious game of the year. It clearly takes lessons from Red Dead Redemption and improves upon every aspect of the gameplay from GTA 4, from shooting to driving to checkpoint layout.

Rockstar created a world that is a pleasure to inhabit and just traverse, allowing me to espape my Wintery reality and go to the sunshine of Los Santos. It does feel slightly dated but it really resonated with its cultural commentary with me, and Trevor is absolutely one of the best characters I have seen in any creative medium. The heists are exciting and while the online should be a lot better it does not prevent GTA V from being among the best times I had with games in 2013. It also managed to get my non-gaming friends to play it, and that is quite a feat.

2: Pokemon Y (3DS)

Despite the negative rhetoric, Nintendo had a great year for actual quality of games, and Pokemon Y was at the forefront of this for me. I have played all the entries in the series and enjoyed them, but Y completely overhauls the visuals while opening up the game mechanics in ways the series has needed for years.

The online is fantastic and adds huge longevity to the endgame, the sheer selection of monsters available to the player is the strongest in the series and the introduction of a new typing of Pokemon changes the metagame in some really interesting ways. I have spent nearly 300 hours with this game during my commutes to work, and I have immensely enjoyed my time with it. Pokemon Y is an enthralling game and shows the continued strengths of a handheld console. Long may it last.

1: The Last of Us (PS3)

Talk about sending a console off with a bang. Naughty Dog proved that making a new IP can payoff late in the cycle of a generation with this remarkable achievement. The Last of Us is undoubtedly one of the best games I have ever experienced.

It is a harrowing experience with a haunting story, gorgeous visuals, natural characters and a lovely soundtrack. There have been complaints about its gameplay, but I found its blend of survival elements with more bombastic Uncharted-esque play to be nearly perfect. It is a tense and thrilling game with great pacing and I feel deserves recognition as one of the all time greats. It has a perfect ending, some powerfully poignant moments and easily overpowers anything else I played this year. The Last of Us is my game of the year for 2013.