It's the final countdown! Here are my top 5 games of 2013, my most anticipated titles for 2014, and some of my favorite games of the last generation. Enjoy!
SOUP'S TOP FIVE GAMES OF 2013
GAME OF THE YEAR: DOTA 2
I have played a lot of Dota 2 now that it is officially released, and I think I've come to one conclusion: the guy who made Dota is officially crazy. I have no idea how this game got so popular. It literally takes every single game design convention and either makes it ridiculously difficult or just says fuck it. And somehow, through all the chaos, it works! Even though Dota 2 is difficult to pick up, Valve's excellent production and execution makes the game slightly more accessible, and their e-sports push with the International is refreshing to see after their treatment of the Counter-Strike 1.6 scene. Dota 1 may have revolutionized the genre, and League of Legends may have popularized the free-to-play model, but Dota 2 has surpassed both in all areas. Dota 2 is one of the best multiplayer experiences you can have today. Or worst, depending if you won your game or not.
2. THE SWAPPER
3. ANTICHAMBER
4. PAPERS PLEASE
5. TOMB RAIDER
HONORABLE MENTION: THE LAST OF US
Only honorable mention? Blasphemy! The Last of Us provided so much emotion and depth to video games! No other game has ever achieved such heights of emotional manipulation! 10/10!!Yes, The Last of Us is a great game and you should probably play it. However, while I enjoyed the story and the characters, I didn't really have fun actually playing the game. The Last of Us suffers from an identity crisis. It tries to not be a traditional video game by having this stealth-focused, low resources combat, but then relies on and shoves traditional video game tropes in your face. Look, I could go on, but this isn't a review. It's a great game, but I think I enjoyed playing the five games above it more. Plus, everyone else and their mom is praising the game. I'm sure Naughty Dog will live.
SOUP'S MOST ANTICIPATED TITLES OF 2014
BROKEN AGE
I'm a backer for this project and I've been watching the documentary episodes religiously. Seeing a large budget point-and-click adventure game from one of the most beloved developers of the genre is exciting, and even with all the money and budget controversy going on, what they have shown of the game looks ridiculously good.
THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 2 & THE WOLF AMONG US
The first episode of the second season of the Walking Dead wasdifferent. It had all the normal things you should have in a Walking Dead episode, but it seemed to me that the writers didn't really hit their stride until the end. That's not really their fault. I'm sure they weren't expected the original Walking Dead to be such a hit and a sequel such an obvious move, so having some awkward scenes to tie up the loose ends of the first season was expected. The first episode of The Wolf Among Us was excellent, as detailed in my post, and I am eagerly looking forward to how that story progresses. But man, Telltale has got a tough road ahead of them. Walking Dead, Wolf Among Us, Borderlands, Game of Thronesgood luck, guys.
PERSONA 5
You are slave. Want emancipation? Please Sega, bring this game to North America. Otherwise, I will have to spend years to learn Japanese to play this game. I'm willing to put in the effort, but you gotta meet me halfway.
SOUP'S FAVORITE GAMES OF THE GENERATION
* Mass Effect series
* Halo 3
* Journey
* XCOM: Enemy Unknown
* The Walking Dead
* Limbo
* Fez
* Mark of the Ninja
* The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
* LA Noire
* Portal series
* Bastion
* Fallout 3
* Deus Ex: Human Revolution
* Dustforce
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Street Fighter 4
* Zero Escape series
* and many more I can't remember
SOUP'S FAVORITE GAME OF THE GENERATION (AND OF ALL-TIME)
PERSONA 4 GOLDEN
The original Persona 4 for the PS2 was one of my favorite experiences in all of video games. I had just finished Final Fantasy 13, which had some good ideas but ultimately failed on execution, and Lost Odyssey, a very slow, traditional JRPG dressed up as a modern video game. Persona 4 was a breath of fresh air. Worlds with kingdoms that need saving, swords, and knights? Yeah, fuck that. You're a high school student in modern Japan and have to solve a murder mystery involving a supernatural TV show. In fact, the Shin Megami Tensei series has really unique takes on the JRPG genre, but I somehow got really attached to Persona 4. The dialogue reminded me of some stuff I would say when I was in high school, and whenever you thought something predictable was going to happen, the game threw in a huge twist. The plot made me feel literally every emotion in the human spectrum, and while I found the ending is a little cliche, the journey was so excellent that I didn't really care. Persona 4 Golden addresses a lot of the gameplay flaws that were in the original game, while also adding a lot of interesting content. Yes, some of it is fan-service, but the dialogue is so well-written and I'm already so invested in these characters and the story that I didn't mind. Some of the additions were unneeded (cough MARIE cough) but overall, Golden perfected what was, in my mind, a perfect game. I mean, it still has its flaws and problems, but never have I enjoyed a video game more than Persona 4 Golden. It's like decided to marry someone. Sure, they have their problems, but you still love them for who they are. At least, I hope you do. That kind of love is what I have for Persona 4 Golden. If you could legally marry video games, I would have married it by now. I meanwhat? You didn't read that. What was I talking about again?
Don't fuck up Persona 5, Atlus.
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