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

I should probably post something before Omagnus murders me in my sleep.

Xenob- Wait, it wasn't released anywhere else this year? Damn.

Gunpoint - 5 Points

I'd forgotten that this was a 2013 game until Qwarky gave it some points. It caught my interest because the guy who made Gunpoint also wrote a fantastic short story with the same humor in This Is How You Die. I would give Gunpoint more points if it was longer, but it does have some replay value to it and will have Steam Workshop functionality at some point for user created levels.

The writing doesn't disappoint one bit:

Er, maybe not the best example:

Rayman Legends - 10 Points

Just like Rayman Origins, this was an amazing platformer. They juiced up the Skull Tooth/endless runner-type levels by making them all different musical styles, followed by obscenely difficult 8-bit versions of all of them played with a rounded CRT image that flickers with static. It would have been a lot better if Ubisoft had released it 7 months sooner when it was finished, but at least we got nearly all of Rayman Origins put into it as a result. That's something.

Fire Emblem: Awakening - 10 Points

I could say something here, but honestly I just need to get back to playing this. I'm not too far in, and it's quite possibly the best Fire Emblem released outside of Japan. Other people here have already showered it with praise, so I won't bother.

The Last of Us - 15 Points

I kept delaying this post partially to play more of The Last of Us and say more about it, but that didn't pan out. Instead I spent the weekend in a delirious, half-asleep haze and accomplished nothing, but I can already tell from what little I've played that it's an incredible game. Sure, the immersion breaks down a bit when the AI starts bumping into the mutants I'm carefully sneaking around or teleports down a tunnel when she just said she couldn't swim and I'd need to find another way, but I love what I've played so far.

Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan - 15 Points

I'm a little torn on this one. It's definitely much easier than previous Etrian games, but also a huge step forward. The airship exploration is neat, and they opted to make each area 3 floors plus several small mini-dungeons instead of the usual straight up 5 floor sections. Even though it's easier it still has a degree of difficulty until the last stratum when the Imperial class becomes available which decimates everything in its path. It felt like a much shorter game than usual, but that was only because I played it non-stop straight through the 3rd stratum. I'd say the positives far outweighed the negatives here.

Bioshock Infinite - 20 Points

It's no secret that I love airships, so Infinite had me with its first trailer. Between the setting and the great job they did with Elizabeth this was a high contender for my #1 GOTY. This is where I'd post Elizabeth's version of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" since I've listened to it around 100 times since finishing the game, but Qwarky already took care of that. Fun fact: I've listened to it twice while typing this post.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - 25 Points

It feels like I should be giving this and Bioshock more points, but I really wanted to include those other games. I was a little wary about the item rental system going in, but it really did work out. I could easily see that becoming the new standard for Zelda games with a few tweaks. I've been lamenting the lack of top-down Zelda games for years now (no, Phantom Hourglass and Choo-Choo Ghost Time don't count), and Nintendo made this one damn near perfect. The dungeon design, music, everything is perfect.

I saw an article yesterday where one of the devs said not to expect 60 FPS every time. They had only done it here to make the 3D really work. This is also the first and only 3DS game where I played almost exclusively in 3D, because it really did make the game look better. If 60 FPS was what made that happen then they should strive for that quality every time from now on.


Honorable Mentions Because Damn Did A Lot of Great Games Come Out This Year:

- Rune Factory 4 - Took everything RF3 did right and improved.
- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn - Best single player MMO.
- Rogue Legacy - Who doesn't love a game about inbreeding?
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf - This was tons of fun with nearly everyone at the Meet playing.
- GTA V - I've only gotten up to Trevor's first few missions, but really meeting Trevor is all you need to see how great this is. It's a nice return to the humor GTA had back with 3 and Vice City.
- DuckTales: Remastered - If it had been DuckTales 2: Remastered then it would have gotten some points. WHERE IS MY NIAGARA FALLS, WAYFORWARD?

Jam it back in, in the dark.