[Question] The Gamingforce Game of the Year 2013: Heigh-ho it's off to Vote we go

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - 5 Points
The year of 2013 started with me being very mad at videogames.

Or more specifically me being mad at Bandai-Namco and their lack of seriously looking at preorder numbers for a special edition of their game and then matching that number and a little extra. Fucking disaster. So many got their preorders cancelled and that includes even people being from the original preorder batch in the summer of 2012. I managed to slip-in during the second preorder session so I wasn't surprised when I was amongst those on the chopping block. However, it was just all handled so incredibly poorly from people being able to use a special url to then order as many as they wanted to said url getting leaked online to online shops and scalpers being granted special privilege to preordering dozens of special editions.

I talked to their customer service to see what the hell was going on and they were complete shit and offered me shitty e-bucks on their website which I didn't want. The only thing I really wanted was the stupid companion spell book and game. The plush doll and everything else could go suck it. I just wanted to match what was originally intended for the game. Yes, the book is included in the game itself and yes I downloaded a pdf version of said book but it's just not the same. Don't offer more preorder slots if you don't even have enough for the first batch of preorders, ya fucking mooks!

Eventually I bit the bullet and ordered the regular edition of the game and played a few hours of it. It's an enjoyable game but I just couldn't get over how mad I was at Bandai-Namco that I had to stop playing it because I just wasn't having as much fun as I should have been. They did send a free guide to make up for their bullshit but I honestly don't want it. I don't think I'll ever order anything from their online store again. I need to get back to this game though since I've had enough time to cool my head to not be mad at it anymore.




No Brakes Valet! - 5 Points

I played this on Nutty/Mo0's Ouya and ahahahha oh wow it's a lot of fun. Like I haven't had as much simple fun as I've had with this game in a long time. Fly out of one of four parking entrances to slam on your brakes and attempt making it inside the parking lines for points. Even better with two players competing for space at the same time. Almost makes you want to buy an Ouya. Almost.




Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - 5 Points

Another game I barely played. I enjoyed what I did play but just didn't get that far. Since Nintendo's stance is that The Year of Luigi extends into 2014 I'm gonna have to make that true by actually giving it a proper go this year.

YouTube Video

Heh I've probably replayed this video than I've played the game. To be fair it's a great video. Hey.




Super Mario 3D World - 5 Points

This game deserves more points I'm sure. However, I only every played up to World 2 by myself. I was anticipating playing this with my buddy and his sister but it quickly became who is the biggest asshole and leave everyone behind and him getting a headache meant we stopped playing and never went back. I did have fun and I'm sure it's a great game if everyone works together and feeling well but I just didn't play enough to give this more points. I know it gets better the further you get into it but yeah... I need to play more.




GTAV - 10 Points

Yeah... I was originally gonna do MS Paint crap for all these pictures but got burnt out after the fourth one. Anyway some of this shit is practically trace-work and it looks like shit because I have very little experience with my Wacom Bamboo. I probably should have just used the stupid picture i traced over. Whatever it made for fun practice. Oh this shit's longer than the fucking text about the game below. Whoops.

GTAV. Good game. It felt a bit short compared to past GTA games but it was definitely fun and definitely not as serious as GTAIV was. I enjoyed the three character system and the game felt a lot more balanced and fair compared to GTAIV. I look forward to what Rockstar does with this engine with expansions. I really hope they don't just do online and that's it.




Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed - 10 Points

This was a surprising hit for Game Night. It's just a tight racing game that's a lot of fun. I look forward to playing it with you all some more. My God those Samba levels.




Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 20 Points

So good I bought two copies. Well mostly for time travel shenanigans for traveling between towns for good turnip prices. I was spreading disease when it came out so I didn't get to enjoy it like I should have at the meet. After I'd settled in at home I managed to really get into it and start seeing what I could exploit with a second copy. I also just really enjoyed the game itself and being the mayor really expanded the game in an interesting way. It sorta became an unlocking mechanic for things that normally would be in your town from the get go and also for certain things in the city. At the same time it allowed for some customization of those things you didn't have control of before.

I still think Nintendo needs to take a good hard look at Konami's Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times which pretty much takes all the interactions of the villagers and actually makes it meaningful and not just returning items to villagers and also adds quests, magic, and other cool shit. The island was a good start at adding something more to a quest system to the game. I think this could be expanded upon to something beyond your town. If Nintendo is going to make an Animal Crossing for Wii U then it better not be as disappointing as City Folk was as a small expansion to Wild World.

Anyway I definitely enjoyed New Leaf and its a step in the right direction. Yes, I know that Animal Crossing is a relaxing mortgage simulator where you can fish and catch bugs and micro manage everything but I think it could be more. Also Isabelle is adorable. <3~




The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - 40 Points

Holy shit this game. I know some people claim rehash or some shit. Fuck them. This game may practically have the same basic overworld as A Link to the Past but its plenty different. Clocking at 60 frames per second WITH 3D on this game is the reason to have 3D on your entire play through. It looks great and I played it practically non-stop so long my eyes felt funny but it was worth it. This is probably the best playing Zelda I've experienced in the past twenty years.

Even its gimmick is incredibly well designed. I thought maybe the painting thing would feel forced but no it works incredibly well both as gameplay mechanic and for the story. The bosses and dungeons may be a bit easier than I'd liked but part of that is that I'm a Zelda veteran and the game just plays incredibly well. I started a second playthrough in Hero Mode and the four times damage definitely helps increase the difficulty. Having 100% the game the first go around helped me in finding a decent amount of hearts. I'm still in the beginning in Hero Mode but I look forward to challenging myself through this excellent game once again.

Is it as good as A Link to the Past? No but it tries really damn hard to be. There's just so much to this game - amazing gameplay, good graphics, great music, fun story/characters, and just an amazing overall experience you won't want to put down. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a must play and my personal game of the year.


Honorable Mention:



Spaceteam

A shame you came out in 2012. Had a blast at the meet playing this with you guys. REMODEL THE KITCHEN


Fallen Hero:



Nikki & Swapnote

RIP you loveable loveable program. I probably spent more time on Swapnote than I did on any of these games. All Nintendo had to do was disable the stupid ability to attach photos and most of the problems with it would be gone. Fucking killjoys. I really enjoyed drawing stupid shit for you guys. I miss you Nikki.


Making this post has made me realize just how little I've played videogames in the past year. Besides the games I play during Game Night with you guys this is practically what I played all year and its kind of pathetic. I read 4000 times more about videogames than I actually spend playing them and I need to change that. I have games that I started during Let's Play streams that I also need to do, and I have all these various games that I've bought that are unplayed. I keep current with my purchases but it just piles up. It's a really big problem. Thanks OP.

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