My top 10 games of 2013

Hey,

Now that 2013 is over, I'm ready to talk about my top 10 games of 2013. I've been stewing over my choices for a few months now, but with some surprises towards the end of the year and much debating over placements, I think I'm now ready to post them.

10. The Last of Us

Yes, I'm aware that many have chosen The Last of Us as game of the year but honestly, it's lucky to be in my top 10. Naughty Dog are one of my favourite developers and I have a lot of love for Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and Uncharted, the latter of which I have a bit of an obsession with!

Sadly, although the gameplay, voice-acting, music and graphics in TLoU are top-notch, I found the story and characters to be pretty flat. I felt that a lot of the character development happened in-between seasons off-screen and we were supposed to just accept that, and the story was well-written but didn't feel very groundbreaking. I could relate to characters but they never really drew me in to care for their plight, something that is a first for Naughty Dog, especially as I have an undying love for Drake and co.

If it wasn't for the amazing multiplayer in The Last of Us, I think Tomb Raider would have this spot.

Update: Having replayed Tomb Raider, I regret giving The Last of Us a spot in my top 10, when I feel Tomb Raider deserved it more for its campaign alone.

9. Tales of Xillia

Tales of Graces f was in my top 10 of 2012 so this isn't much of a surprise. The art style is breathtaking and the characters are all equally lovable. The story kept me captivated and the gameplay was entertaining and overall, apart from some stiff model animations, the game was very well-rounded out on every level.

I'm excited for Tales of Xillia 2 and so far in the Tales series, ToX is my favourite.

8. DmC Devil May Cry

This one may surprise people too and although it doesn't beat DMC3 for me, I do feel that it's the next best DMC game.

The story was faithful to what we already know and both Dante and Vergil were believable and the fresh take on their relationship was enjoyable. Although it seems Capcom will be making all their games in-house from now on, I'm very interested in seeing what's next for the Devil May Cry series.

7. Deadly Premonition

I'll get this out of the way now, the gameplay and graphics are abysmal and that it was released in such a state is somewhat shocking.

Fortunately, the story and characters are some of the most believable and fascinating of the year, keeping me glued until the very end.

6. Beyond: Two Souls

I don't understand the mediocre reviews behind this at all bar people not liking 'QTE's'. I find the gameplay in Beyond to be just as good as gameplay in a traditional game, and just as immersive.

I felt involved in Jodie's adventure and was rooting for her to have a happy ending and the journey made me emotional more than once. The music, the mo-cap and graphics are outstanding and although I prefer Heavy Rain, I'm very interested in seeing Quantic Dream's next game.

5. Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies

This is the game that got me into Phoenix Wright and since then I've purchased all the games, bar Miles Edgeworth: Investigations 2 which hasn't been released in the UK.

All 5 cases were gripping and I'm sure the next Phoenix Wright game will cause me many late nights, there's never a good time to put the game down other than at the end of the case! Thankfully, Dual Destinies had a much better save system than previous games.

4. Persona 4 Arena

I love fighting games and this may be my favourite one yet. The sprites are stunning and it features my favourite cast of characters. The music is as addicting as it was in Persona 3 and 4 and the story is one of the best told in a fighting game.

I'm excited for Persona 4 Arena 2 and look forward to continuing the story of the Investigation Team, S.E.E.S and Labrys.

3. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with this game as I found the focus on grinding to be boring, but one day quite recently, I returned to it and have been on it since. I'm now near the end and it's shot from being out of my top 10 to being in my top 3.

I hope Ghibli help to make another game at some point in the future, but I hope for a more traditional turn-based battling system, despite how good Level-5's is.

Also, it's a complete joy to look at!

2. Bravely Default

I got this on Christmas Day and it's managed to bravely force its way into my top 10. It's very reminiscent of Final Fantasy IX, one of my all-time favourite games (just behind number 1 of this list) and is just as gripping.

Everything comes together to make one of the finest and greatest JRPG's ever created, and I'm really looking forward to Bravely Second. Hopefully it doesn't become an annualised series like someone at Square Enix wants it to be, but even if it does, we'll probably be waiting another year for the localisation.

1. Persona 4 Golden

My top game probably doesn't surprise anybody at this point, and it's also my favourite game of all-time.

I've written about this on PS4Attitude which can be read here, otherwise I'll do a quick summary now.

Everything in P4G meshes so well, blending together to make, in my opinion, a masterpiece. I'm very excited for the amount of upcoming games featuring the cast and it seems their story is nowhere near finished yet. I'm currently on my third playthrough and it's as exciting as it was the first time round.


I'm well aware my top 10 may rub some people the wrong way, especially with The Last of Us being last (and almost knocked out by Tomb Raider) and Bioshock Infinite not being featured at all (I love Bioshock 1 and 2 but felt that Infinite was a giant disappointment) but these are my opinions and my opinions only.

Feel free to share your comments but please try to keep any disdain and hate to yourself.

Thanks and I hope you enjoy reading!

Mitch.