I get lots of these comments and I like them. I like sharing my thoughts on games with you, but with all of the guides I'm working on, there has never really been enough time for me to do in-depth reviews.
So for now, I will stick to my game of the year blog post to give you an insight on what I liked best this year, what was a huge disappointment and what else caught my attention.
Let's start, shall we?
My favorite Games of 2013
#1 - Grand Theft Auto V
I'm personally a huge fan of open world games. But what makes GTA V so outstanding is how huge and fascinating the world is. There are hundreds of collectibles, endless possibilities, so many things to explore. No other game has been THAT big this year. Even though the Multiplayer didn't work in the beginning, the online portion still turned out to be a lot of fun. And now that it runs fairly stable, it's simply a great experience overall. I like the many tiny things GTA has to offer. Some funny side missions, some completely crazy ones (Kifflom, Brother-Brother!) and the most awesome types of collectibles ever. Stunt Jumps, Knife Flights, Under the Bridges... all of these "collectibles" are so unusual, yet so intriguing and fun to get. I had a good time doing these stunts.
There are just so many things that make GTA V cool, there is not enough text in the world to tell you about it all. Oh and I really like that it takes place in and around the area of Los Angeles. I've been to L.A. myself (I'm originally from Germany, if you did not know) and the virtual Los Santos looks very much like the real world LA. Sure, it's not an exact replica, but I was able to spot a Diner in Vinewood (West Hollywood) where I had lunch in real life. I was amazed by that amount of detail and these are the in-game moments that really left a wow-effect in my mind. Sometimes, it's the tiny things that can amaze the most.
Kifflom, Brother-Brother!
#2 - The Last of Us
My number two is TLoU. When it comes to which game had the best story, best graphics and best character this year, here's the clear winner by far. It has gotten lots of 10/10 scores from some of the biggest review sites in the world and it truly deserves it! The guys at Naughty Dog are just great and outdo themselves with each and every game. The Last of Us is no exception. I liked the survival horror theme. Nowadays, it's all First Person Shooters. And while I do like FPS very much, having a game of this kind every once in a while is what makes gaming fun and moves this industry forward.
Ellie is my favorite character this year. She is so small, but so tough and fun. The story-telling is just amazing and even though you are in an apocalyptic world, Ellie never fails to throw out a joke when she feels like it. The atmosphere and setting just feel right.
The Last of Us doesn't have to hide its Multiplayer either. I played quite a bit of it to get my platinum trophy. It's an interesting concept. You win matches and kill enemies to collect supplies and keep your virtual clan alive. Then there are some challenges that threaten to kill your entire clan every few dozen matches and that adds a nice twist. This multiplayer is new and original -- the whole game is!
It's also pretty badass to have a bow in your weapon collection there. Fun fact: I'm a recreational bow and crossbow shooter myself in real life. So I always used the bow in TLoU (which was massively overpowered anyway).
If you don't have a PS3, this game is the reason to get one. Definitely a must-have!
#3 - Bioshock Infinite
Choosing the third place was a little trickier. There are some other games that I really enjoyed and that would deserve a spot here, but Bioshock Infinite is very original and I like that. The flying city (Columbia) has to be one of the most beautiful and exciting video game environments I have ever seen. The entire game looks great and feels great - it's so full of life. When I first played the game, I knew this would be a strong game of the year contender and it belongs in everyone's collection. The story is interesting and the characters well chosen. And even though it's a linear game, there is a lot to explore.
Most Disappointing Games of 2013
#1 - Battlefield 4
More like Bugfield 4, huh? What can you say... well for starters, it's the most bugged / glitched game of all times. I have only played the PS3 version so far, but everything in this game is broken very badly. Doesn't matter whether it's the Single Player, the trophies / achievements, the collectibles or the Multiplayer. Over two months after release it's still not working as it should. I was also disappointed by the graphics on PS3. Older Battlefield games looked better. BF4 looks like a completely unfinished game that would have needed another year of development. In some areas you can only see black, empty placeholders in the background, rather than rich environments which should've taken their place. Some weapons are designed so poorly, the attachments are just hanging somewhere in the air and aren't actually attached to the weapon at all. The collectible counters are very bugged. Even after finding everything, they often do not update and say you are missing something. The numbers don't match with your battlelog statistics.
The single player is unplayable because your save game gets deleted almost every time you leave the game or go back to the main menu. How to hell did the guys from EA's QA department (Quality Assurance / Game Testers) not find this? And why don't they fix it? It's a mess. And the story is just bad. There is no point in it and it's boring. You are basically just saving a ship... or not, if you choose not to do so in the game ending (which essentially makes the story pointless). A lot of it plays on water. But the water has got to be the worst I have seen in my life. When you use a boat and there's a wave coming your way, you will go underwater and get some weird graphic errors. The game is freezing all the time. The Multiplayer is broken in every way possible. Your XP don't even get saved after some matches. My XP were reset every second match, which made platinum impossible for me and I chose to give it up. The Multiplayer graphics are so extremely horrible. It's a pain to even sit through one match... but most of the time the game just freezes on you anyway and when you turn your PS3 back on, it greets you with a "file system corrupted" message.
#2 - Aliens Colonial Marines
I was skeptical when I first heard about the game, but after seeing some trailers it didn't look so bad -- but it turned out to be horrible. This is the worst game I have ever done videos for. After playing the first 10 minutes I was already very disappointed, but there were no other releases at the time and I already had the game on my to-do list. So I put together some videos, but it really wasn't any fun. The game is just incredibly bad in every way. The graphics look like something you'd expect from a poor PS1 game. The game mechanics are too simple and the animations are even worse. This game was annoying from the first moment and I'll never ever touch it again.
Best Soundtrack of 2013
#1 - Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Brian Tyler did such an amazing job with composing the soundtrack for AC4. I love it! It supports the whole pirate theme and the sense of freedom that it embodies. When you attack a ship and the "Take What is Ours!" soundtrack starts playing, you start to get a feeling for what this era must have been like. It's a joy to listen through the soundtrack of Assassin's Creed 4.
Well, that's it guys. That's all the stuff I found very special over the past year.
Leave me a comment down below to share your favorites :)