[Attention] The Gamingforce Game of the Year 2013: TOP 10 RESULTS TIME

In a remarkable turnaround this year we received a mighty 30 votes, so a huge thank you to everyone who took part. With the voting done for another year it’s time to take a look and see where the dust settles. As has been true for the last few years we’ll take a look at the top 10 games as picked by Gamingforce (well top 11, as 10th place was a tie) working from 10 down to the GFF number 1 pick for 2013.

So, what made it into the Gamingforce Game of the Year Top 10, well let's start with that tied number 10 shall we:





10-. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
[ Multi | Square Enix ]

Kicking off our Game of the Year list is a rather surprising title: “This game has no right to be any good. It's a relaunch of a hilarious disasterfuck that was, in turn, a sequel to a mediocre at best online Final Fantasy. And yet, somehow, they managed to make an intensely entertaining game.” Indeed, ‘disasterfuck’ might even be a touch mild when it comes to describing Final Fantasy XIV’s original launch on PC. However, somehow Square Enix did the smart thing and decided to go back and re-work FFXIV, listened to feedback and somehow pulled a decent game out of the wreckage: “Addictive game and a proper "I'm Sorry" letter from the company that brought you Final Fantasy XIV. I played the original, hated it, and quit after about a month of attempting to give it a fair shot. Version 2 really did an amazing job fixing just about everything with more to come.”

Already on PC and PS3 the title will be releasing on PlayStation 4 this April, so if the idea of “a Final Fantasy game complete with a world to explore, and a story to be told” that includes MMO elements then next-gen adopters will get their opportunity in a few months.

“It's a wonderful reboot to the fiasco that was the original FFXIV”.

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10-. DuckTales: Remastered
[ Multi | WayForward Technologies ]

Also squeezing into the GFF top 10, in joint place with Final Fantasy XIV, is the HD remake of DuckTales. “Anyone who was a child of the 80s remembers this old classic, and was all over this when it came out again. This was a beautiful remake of the original game. It added more depth to an already fantastic game. The dialog was great, the animation was smooth, and the music was beautiful.”

Nostalgia can be a powerful feeling, but taking a much loved property and tarting it up for an HD generation was no safe move and could easily have incurred the wrath of the fans, plus not every game ages that well. It’s testament to WayForward’s conviction and approach, and to how good DuckTales was at its core, that this all worked so well: “It's ducktales, but with wonderful new animation, voice acting and remixed level details here and there. Really satisfying platforming”.

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9. FEZ
[ Multi | Polytron ]

Love him or, more likely, hate him there’s little denying the quality of Phil Fish’s long-in-development puzzle platform game FEZ, which finally made its way to PC in 2013. Though it failed to make the GFF top 10 last year, FEZ found a new audience in 2013: “I was very, very happy this was released on PC this year. I played it for a minute when it came to Xbox but, alas, I don't own one of those things and I really, really wanted to play this to completion.”

The inventive retro-puzzler which sees the player rotating a 2D realm to discover there’s more the world than first seen proved to be a rewarding experience: “From the onset, everything about the game appealed to me, the music, the graphics, the presentation. I was handsomely rewards when I started playing. The puzzles were simply mind boggling and the sense of discovery was incredible.” And of course let’s not forget the “Wonderful music and visuals.”

“Best puzzle platformer I've played in ages.”

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8. Papers, Please
[ PC | Lucas Pope ]

Claiming the number 8 spot on our top 10 is an indie game from developer Lucas Pope. Papers, Please is a strange beast set in 1982 in a fictional communist country of Arstotzka where “you’re playing as a border crossing checkpoint guard ... where you have to check passports, permits, visas and the such like to ensure you only let in the ‘right’ people.” It’s a dark game that moved played and made them “feel dirty”, even going so far as to say “I love this game because I hate playing it” and that “Papers, Please is honestly one of the most depressing games I've ever played.”

It shouldn’t work, but there’s a satisfaction to “performing the rote tasks assigned to a border post inspector”, with an excellent story and atmosphere that draws you in; and before you know it you’ll be making questionable decisions just to keep your family fed and warm, or putting them at risk to let someone break the rules and entry the country. “Everything about this game is calculated to make you feel like a terrible human being, which makes it the most thematically and atmospherically successful game of the year.”

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7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies
[ 3DS | Capcom ]

“OBJECTION! The Ace Attorney is back” and impressing still in his fifth outing to make it to number 7 on our list. Despite the seeming popularity of the series on display here at GFF the game only got a digital release in Europe and North America, though I think we can all agree that that’s better than not getting it at all: “I really wish this game had a physical release, but the game had a north american release and I at least have to be grateful for that”.

We can be particularly thankful for any sort of release with high praise like “Best ace attorney game since trials and tribulations, hands down”, “All the characters are fantastic, the animations perfect, the soundtrack the best of the whole series” and “It's so outrageously ridiculous and delightful.” I think they liked it. “I can't wait for 6.” Yep, guess so.

Seems if you have a 3DS you may want to nab this, and if you have it already it sounds like you should make sure you have the DLC: “Oh my god the fucking DLC case. There are NO WORDS that can properly describe how absurd this game gets. But it's a good thing!”

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6. Grand Theft Auto V
[ Multi | Rockstar North ]

The boys are back in town with the latest of Rockstar North’s juggernaut GTA series, and the trio of Michael, Franklin and Trevor have helped recapture some of that GTA magic: “After the crushing disappointment of GTAIV being a technical masterpiece completely devoid of hunour and lacking a lot in actual fun, GTAV was a fantastic return to form for the series. It's actually funny, the missions are varied and interesting and the radio stations have music on that makes you want to drive places rather than just getting taxis everywhere”.

GTA IV definitely left a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths with the Saints Row series (SR2 arriving the same year as GTA IV) somewhat stealing the ‘fun time sandbox’ crown, so GTA V wasn’t a guaranteed win for Rockstar. That said they pulled out the stops and as such with GTA V “the series rebounded nicely”, “GTAV was a fantastic return to form for the series.”

“It's good. It's vast. It has a great soundtrack.” But is it more than just good? Maybe so: “I will say this was the best GTA since Vice City, possibly ever.”

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5. The Last of Us
[ PS3 | Naughty Dog ]

Naughty Dog have built a reputation through the Uncharted series for delivering solid 3rd person adventure games with perhaps a little too much gunplay. At first The Last of Us looks like it might fit the same gameplay, but with a much stronger focus on stealth as well as story and characterisation in a post-apocalyptic US of A the adventures of Joel and Ellie feel rather different, and could be quite affecting: “The Last Of Us did something to me that I never thought any game would ever do: It made me stop for relatively-long stretches of time to enjoy, you know, just life in general. This wasn't because it was a bad game, though. In fact, the polar opposite is true here. This game's grimly-wonderful story and far-above-great acting has already been written about by countless publications to an almost nauseating degree, but it remains one of the best stories ever written for any video game in recent history. Heartbreak after heartbreak, whether it was from a character’s death* or from finding a hopelessly-despairing note left by a survivor who had probably long ago turned, I found myself often longing for contact from… shit… from anyone! I would text or call my girlfriend just to know she was on the other end of the conversation or text my sister to shoot the shit. Books have done that to me; never a video game.”

And perhaps its testament to the story and characters that despite the gameplay getting “a little repetitive” or the AI perhaps not acting as expected in places the game still struck a chord for many. “I know there are people who had issues with how this game played where some of the immersion was broken, but I never experienced anything like that and this ended up feeling like a great book where you just want to know what happens next. The ending was close to perfect and ultimately this has been an experience that has stuck with me since those closing moments.” The story even worked despite featuring the rather ubiquitous zombie trope: “Although I'm not a big fan of zombies, this game's take on the zombie genre was really entertaining and the "shocking" moments in the game made the narrative a lot more gripping.”

“[T]he fact is it's a brilliantly acted and craftily told story”.

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4. BioShock Infinite
[ Multi | Irrational Games ]

The true sequel to lauded FPS BioShock was probably a safe bet for making the GFF top 10, and possibly even consider a contender for the top spot. Infinite saw the action move from underwater haven Rapture to sky-based Columbia put some people off and attracted attention from others, but all agreed the move was a good one and Columbia proved an interesting location to explore: “I was really kind of turned off that 2K/Irrational moved the setting from the underwater art deco gallery of decay in Rapture to a literal heavenly setting but I was surprised to be proven catastrophically wrong. The Jingoist-run, above-the-clouds city of Columbia turned out to be the kind of thunderbolt the series deserved and added a whole new level of exciting gameplay mechanics with the SkyHook.” “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.”

Much like The Last of Us the minute-to-minute gameplay mechanics aren’t always the strongest element, but the story, characters (particularly dimension-hopping sidekick Elizabeth) all work heavily in the game’s favour: “I didn't think the combat was super awesome, everything else is pretty top notch”, “The story was mind-fucking fantastic and really made you think.”

One thing agreed upon, if you do play it make sure you stick with it until the end: “ The ending was an almost Kubrickian mindfuck that stuck with me long after I shut off my Xbox and I was sure I was going to be writing this one in as my favorite game of 2013”, “If anyone hasn't played this all the way through, they really need to take time off work and do that”, “Ending was great. Dayum.”

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3. Fire Emblem: Awakening
[ 3DS | Intelligent Systems ]

And now we enter the realm of the big hitters with the number 3 slot going to Fire Emblem: Awakening. Arriving in North American and Europe a year after its Japanese release the western world finally got to enjoy this fantastic Tactical RPG from Intelligent Systems. “YEAH NIGGA FIRE EMBLEM IS BACK. WE BACK SON. SHADOW DRAGON? PFFF THAT WAS SOME SHIT SOMEONE RELEASED ON THE SIDE TO MAKE US LOOK BAD. WE REAL FIRE EMBLEM NOW. GET READY TO FIGHT FOR YOUR GOD DAMN FRIENDS. ALL OF THEM.”

No feature was spared in Awakening with everything, including the kitchen sink, being thrown in for good measure: “I'm seriously surprised that they got so much content into this thing. It's so chock full of ideas, and every single one of them actually WORKS. The child system and all the extra content and all the bonus stuff and OH MAN REVISED CLASSES and LOOK AT ALL THAT SHIT yowza.” ‘WE BROUGHT BACK THE SUPPORT SYSTEM SO YOU CAN MARRY BITCHES (ALL THE BITCHES) AND HAVE KIDS THAT ARE STUPID OVERPOWERED. SHIT IS DOPE. TEAM ATTACKS? YEAH WE GOT THAT.”

Oh yeah, did you know this game has some wonderful characters? “Here is a game that collects together a sizeable cast of some of the most likeable and interesting characters I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with for a while”, “MUST GET EVERY SUPPORT CONVERSATION MY GOODNESS I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS”, “There's also no single bad character. Not one. Which is insane.”

Also a pretty good soundtrack... “BITCHIN SOUNDTRACK? GOT THAT TOO”, “good God dat soundtrack”.

“[W]ith apologies to the 99% of Earth's population I'm about to offend, it makes Chrono Trigger (or Saints Row 2) look like Quest 64 by comparison. Best soundtrack ever committed to a cartridge and/or disk, and brilliant character design. All of the positive qualities of traditional FE gameplay but with 90% less reliance on the RNG god than previous Fire Emblems because Frederick went all PICK A GOD AND PRAY and stuck a spear through its head. No shoes required to play.”


“If any further proof that the 3DS had a ridiculously good year was required than look no further than Fire Emblem: Awakening.” “Soundtrack of the year, RPG of the year, Gregor of the year.” Quite.

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2. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
[ Multi | Platinum Games ]

Before you get confused (or angry), no this isn’t the number 1 spot, you didn’t misread. Coming in strong at number 2 is Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Platinum’s lovably bonkers take on robo-ninja Raiden - you know, everyone’s favourite MGS2 character: “Raiden may never be forgiven for MGS2, but he's been pretty damn awesome in MGS4 and this game.” “Bravo, Platinum. You made me give a shit about Metal Gear and Raiden.”

As with most of Platinum’s titles this game was perhaps a touch overlooked on console, but thankfully the slash-em-up found a new audience with its late 2013 PC release with all who picked it up delighting in its offerings:
“To me, this was my Game of the Year for 2013. It was just so over the top with crazy action and a soundtrack that you'd think you would hate but is actually pretty damn good.”
“Jesus christ this game. I know I played this only now, but the game is so good it deserves to be here... Deliriously funny, inventive, challenging and delightfully entertaining.”
“If you’ve been in chat at all over the last few weeks you’ve probably heard a fair bit about Revengeance, and with good reason: it’s a cracking game. Platinum Games have crafted another game where the moment to moment interactions and gameplay are incredibly satisfying.”
“Holy balls, this game. That soundtrack. The action. All the silly shit and it still worked like a charm. Definitely the biggest surprise and most fun run for me from 2013.”
“NANOMACHINES SON. Seriously, the game is amazing.”
“The gameplay is slick and fun as all hell; the plot was thin, linear, and contrived, but self-consciously so; and finally it was quite challenging, but not infuriatingly or unreasonably so.”

“IN THE END IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY”

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1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
[ 3DS | Nintendo ]

And here it is ladies and gentlemen, the Gamingforce Game of the Year 2013 is The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Recent announcements may suggest that Nintendo are struggling but you wouldn’t know it from the quality of games they’re kicking out lately and none were more deserving that the latest Legend of Zelda title: “Damn, this game is amazing. Nintendo nailed everything here: the music, the sounds, the story, the graphics, the gameplay, all of it just fits perfectly.”

A sequel, of sorts, to much loved fan-favourite A Link to the Past Nintendo were potentially playing with fire, but with A Link Between Worlds managed to surprise a number of people:
“From the point this game was announced to finally starting it I was equal parts excited and terrified; A Link to the Past is one of my all-time favourite gaming experiences and LttP is the game that turned me into a ‘gamer’, so a sequel to that title could so easily fail on numerous levels. The fact that A Link Between Worlds not only succeeds but is fantastic in its own right is astounding.”
“This is seriously the perfect essence of Zelda, distilled down to a rock solid, damn near flawless execution. Dungeons were tight, puzzles were fine, collectibles were about perfect, and 60 motherfucking frames. 60! I never want another Zelda game in something less.”
“I was pleasantly surprised to see that a sequel to LttP was coming. When I jumped into it, I found much of the world was the same, the charm was still there, and a couple of the dungeons were even similar, yet expanded versions of the originals. Definitely pleased with this nostalgic gem.”
“This really, really brought me back to a very latent love for the series. I have had zero interest in the console releases since the original iteration of Wind Waker and really despised the other DS games. This game, though, THIS GAME. I loved the 2D mechanic, I loved the music, I loved the changes to the world, and I know this might seem ridiculous, but I was really surprised when they actually included a mirror-world (albeit a different mirror world than A Link to the Past's). I felt giddy. I loved it.”
“ I wasn't entirely convinced that A Link Between Worlds was going to be anything special, especially after having been let down by the two DS entries in the series. Boy was I glad I was wrong. A Link Between Worlds is one of the best entries in the series (after Skyward Sword, I'd say), and a wonderful reinvention of the classic formula.”
“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.”
“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.”

The only advice you need? “If you have a 3DS, YOU MUST PLAY THIS GAME.”

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So there you have it, the Gamingforce Game of the Year 2013 Top 10. Has the list come out how were you expecting, or have we got it all horribly wrong? What should have been there, what shouldn't have? What was too high, and what was too low? Start the discussion/bitching below.

Oh, but before you head off to post replies a quick announcement: as an added bonus for 5 of the voters I actually included an added mini-competition for everyone taking part. I have Steam codes/Humble gift links for five games, and I’ve picked five names at random who will be asked to pick which game they’d like. So Adol, Angel of Light, Extra Chromosome (Sprout), Tritoch and Hyde keep an eye on your PM inboxes for incoming instructions on how to claim your free game.

Once again a big thanks to everyone taking part, hopefully you still all feel this was worthwhile. Until next year.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Fez and FF XIV are the only games I'm surprised made the list. I didn't think enough people here even played XIV for it to get that many votes. I'm glad that I didn't give it any points now that I know it would've knocked DuckTales off the list if I had.

Seeing Revengeance at #2 is pretty surprising, but Zelda definitely deserves the top spot.

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I'm really really okay with these results. My 40 points to Zelda probably tipped it a tad but man I really did love that game. I did buy MGR twice in 2013 but never got around to playing it. I definitely need to fix that. I keep hearing about it constantly.

So I'm really curious what managed to make the top 11 to 20 and perhaps beyond? Spreadsheets plz?! =O

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Acer Why

I'm really really okay with these results. My 40 points to Zelda probably tipped it a tad but man I really did love that game. I did buy MGR twice in 2013 but never got around to playing it. I definitely need to fix that. I keep hearing about it constantly.

So I'm really curious what managed to make the top 11 to 20 and perhaps beyond? Spreadsheets plz?! =O

Whilst your 40 points for Zelda undoubtedly helped, it did also get votes from 11 other people so it didn't win on a handful of big votes alone (for comparison Revengeance got votes from 10 people).

For anyone interested in seeing a more data and a more comprehensive breakdown (i.e. screengrab of the spreadsheet results section) which also covers the games that made positions 11 through 20 then click below:

Spoiler:

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Dang it, I knew I should've registered two duplicate accounts to get Monaco into the top 10.

Thanks for doing this again, OP!

I was speaking idiomatically.

Awesome event and great write-up, OP.

Also, thanks for the Steam codes/Humble bundle gift.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Awesome post mate. Bioshock is free with PSPlus in Feb so that's another top ten game here I'll own and never get round to playing.

FELIPE NO

Even though I thought it would be the other way around I can't be mad with Zelda being #1 and Rising ending up as #2. Both games were amazing.

The only one that really shocked me was Final Fantasy XIV. After reading what was posted and even though I've never played an MMO I've managed to like and stick with, I almost want to give that game a try.

Although I haven't played every game in the top 10, I don't see a game on the list that I dislike.

Props to you OmagnusPrime for running this again. Hopefully we get some good games in 2014 as well.

Hopefully no one does a Most Disappointing 2013, there's a certain Sonic title I'd be giving all of my points to.

How ya doing, buddy?

I was quite surprised with FEZ! With all the hate the creator is getting on the internet, it's hard to believe that he made a game that GFF folks liked a lot.

Also, I'm not surprised that there's a couple of 3DS games on the list! I think it's a sign that I should get a 3DS or a 2DS already.

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In retrospect, I'd probably steal Dragon's Bosoms' points (I did stick this in as a post edit, although I have no idea if anyone noticed it) and a few of Saints Row IV's points and give them to Final Fantasy XIV. Seriously, the free weekend, plus the month I got with the i5 processor I bought back in October, was enough to goad me into buying a subscription, and I hate most sub-based mumorpugers.


If you do not like Elezens, :frogout: and go babble on about giraffes on 4chan.

Also Saints Row IV, for all of its positive attributes and BIZ MARKIE, still isn't as good as Saints Row II. Great game, great dubstep guns, but still lacks SR II's something something. I probably shouldn't have given it quite so many points regardless of my opinions on FF XIV, but it's still pretty good and I'm slightly disappointed it didn't sneak into the top 10.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Adol

In retrospect, I'd probably steal Dragon's Bosoms' points (I did stick this in as a post edit, although I have no idea if anyone noticed it) and a few of Saints Row IV's points and give them to Final Fantasy XIV.

I did take that note into account and gave the Dragon's Crown points to FFXIV as you requested.

You're right about Saints Row IV though, it's a huge improvement over the shambles that was III, but it doesn't come close to the heights of SR2. It's a fun game well worth a dabble with, but certainly not top 10 material I wouldn't say.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I wasn't really looking at the points that people were assigning games in the voting thread so I'm a bit surprised that Zelda won over Revegeance, but that's about it. FF14 seems neat, but I'm holding out for a nextgen version when/if I play that; I played the PS3 beta and I liked it, but it was pretty rough on PS3 and my PC could probably barely run that version.

Also I just started playing SMTIV yesterday and it is AMAZING, holy shit. Like, it already would have been in my top 3 super easy, I'm a bit salty. I'm guessing no European release for that last year is why it didn't seem to really chart at all here.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Vemp

I was quite surprised with FEZ! With all the hate the creator is getting on the internet, it's hard to believe that he made a game that GFF folks liked a lot.

Whether you hate the guy or not (and most do), you can't deny how enjoyable Fez itself is. An asshole can still create a quality item from time to time.

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Originally Posted by Shade

Whether you hate the guy or not (and most do), you can't deny how enjoyable Fez itself is. An asshole can still create a quality item from time to time.

Yeah absolutely, I don't think Phil Fish's Twitter shenanigans should have any impact on people giving FEZ a chance. Fish has done a good job of saying some pretty dumb things, but it's hard to deny the love and reverence he has for gaming's history (particularly platformers) that is infused into every inch of the game. Honestly if the game has had you intrigued at all I'd say give it a look as it's a lovely experience.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Adol

In retrospect, I'd probably steal Dragon's Bosoms' points (I did stick this in as a post edit, although I have no idea if anyone noticed it) and a few of Saints Row IV's points and give them to Final Fantasy XIV. Seriously, the free weekend, plus the month I got with the i5 processor I bought back in October, was enough to goad me into buying a subscription, and I hate most sub-based mumorpugers.

I was the same way with XIV. I hadn't bothered with an MMO since the first year WoW was out, but I've really enjoyed XIV. The biggest upside to me was its emphasis on single player to a weird degree. It's basically a single player game outside of instance dungeons and the big boss fights, because oftentimes it even makes you disband your party for story quest battles.

FELIPE NO

This is a pretty good list, and one of the first years in a while that I'm okay with the number one pick-- it was one of my favorites this year, but I found it too easy and too short for a Zelda to be considered above Fire Emblem (a game in which I make no overstatement when I say it has zero faults). Hero mode unlocked from the beginning probably would have made it much closer to besting Fire Emblem for me.

All in all, good games, good votes, good year. Really happy to see the return of the explanation blurbs and quotes for each game. Thanks for doing this yet again, Omagnus.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?