The Rufus Reviews Top Games Of The Year

Source: IGN.com

With 2013 coming to a close I thought it would be timely to have a look back at some of the best games of the year.  This isn't a countdown and I am completely unable to choose any of the following as a game of the year.  This is simply a rundown of what I considered to be the highlights.

So without further ado...

SPELUNKY HD

Okay, I realise that this was around on Xbox live for a good year or so plus I am still a huge fan of the original freeware version but 2013 was the year this randomly generated, super tough but hugely re-playable platformer hit the PC and PS3.  Yes, I bought it on both! Why not check out my review.

BIOSHOCK INFINITE

The world created for this metaphysical shooter is just amazing.  Getting into the flying city of Columbia is as breathtaking as the place itself.  Of course this beautiful city soon shows itself to be a place of extreme intolerance and violence.  Okay, I do no this game is a first person shooter but I still feel the level of violence could have been peeled back a little since once it gets ramped up towards the end it becomes more of a chore and has an adverse affect on the game.  It's still worth seeing it through for the insanity of the finale (even if one of the big reveals is pretty much given away in advance).  Oh, and if you find the guitar definitely play it.

TOMB RAIDER

Hmm, reboot.  Reboots can be a big concern at times.  The Tomb Raider series had gotten a little stale so the idea of taking a young, inexperienced Lara Croft and putting her in a fight or die situation was certainly intriguing.  Thankfully the new Tomb Raider delivered, with spectacular scenery, frantic action, lots of hidden treasure, thrilling set pieces and a crazy mystical plot to move things along.  There is a bit too much reliance on quick time events (where failure leads to some of the most gruesome death animations I have seen in recent times) and the "inexperienced" Ms Croft seems to quickly get over her aversion to shooting arrows and firing bullets through peoples heads, but overall this is a great gaming experience.

SAINTS ROW IV

There are really two main franchises that have become synonymous with sandbox games and while on the surface they seem rather similar their latest installments really do show just how different they are.  First up (because I played it first) is Saints Row IV.   Considering just how crazy the third installment of this series was it was always going to be difficult to top it.  Fortunately the developers delivered giving us a plot where the leader of The Saints managed to become president (during a sequence with the best use of Aerosmith's "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" ever) and an alien invasion.  Throw in a bunch of super powers, all conveniently explained by the plot, regular parodies of other games and Keith F*cking David and you have a big pile of fun!

GTA V

The second big sandbox title is of course GTA V and boy did Rockstar step up to the plate.  With three main characters to explore the massive map with and missions where switching between them allows you to mix up the gameplay to help keep things varied and fresh.  You are still stuck driving cars over long differences, something I found detracted from GTA IV, however the driving is more enjoyable this time round.  Add in crazy side missions and random encounters to become involved with and you end up with an epic tale of three horrible human beings that you just can't help but like.

RAYMAN LEGENDS

Rayman Origins was a fantastic platformer, however it's difficulty curve pretty quickly turned into a sheer vertical precipice.  The sequel very sensibly keeps the colourful fun characters, great music and fast paced gameplay of its predecessor but adjusts the difficulty for a more gentle experience.  Cleverly the challenge is still there as to unlock all the games secrets you need to find some fiendishly hidden secret areas and complete bonus levels that ramp up the challenge significantly.  Oh and the musical challenge levels are sheer brilliance.  Near perfect platform shenanigans, don;t trust me check out this review I found lying around... somewhere...

THE WALKING DEAD: ALL THAT REMAINS

There is a definite prerequisite before playing the final game on my list.  The first series of the Walking Dead game showed how episodic gaming should be done and provided a grueling adventure game experience set in the Walking Dead world.  Simply put you must play the first season, and the mini-episode DLC "400 Days" before launching into the latest installment.  The first episode of the second season is now available and carries on the story based on decisions from the first season.  There isn't much in the way of plot in this initial episode but it clearly shows the intent to ensure the thrilling, and often gruesome, world is experienced to the full.  This is the most fun you can have in a depressing bleak world of death.

GTA V Gets One BIG Gameplay Trailer

Rockstar have released a very interesting trailer for the upcoming installment of the GTA series breaking down gameplay options and just some of the additional activities available in game.

Man, this looks epic.  Watch it now because I am going to be talking about stuff in the trailer okay.

Good now?  Excellent.

First up I think the most interesting feature is the ability to plan heists in advance to allow for very different approaches.  This is a genius move since it adds a heap of replayability and I'm sure there will be direct effects on subsequent gameplay (eg escape options, level of police response) and without a doubt there will be consequences further down the track relating to the choices you've made.  Come on, what game doesn't have a "moral choice" system in play?  At least in GTA V it'll be based on different types of illicit underhanded shenanigans rather than if you are super nice vs super nasty.

Secondly, this looks massive.  I think the sheer amount of area to cover is even bigger than Red Dead Redemption (but I'm pretty sure you can cover ground faster using a sports car or airplane than on a horse). Add to that the various options available outside of the story missions and it appears this game could reward those willing to invest serious time in uncovering just what is available.  The scuba diving particularly intrigues me and I am sure there are plenty of weird things to discover.  I do hope however that the extra stuff doesn't include any rehash of "Hey cousin, come hang out with me at American Bar where we can see American Boobies" style of relationship building with the various characters ala GTA IV.  Seriously, that stuff got annoying super fast.

And finally, let's not forget that this all happens in the state of Los Santos, originally introduced back in GTA San Andreas which remains a firm favourite amongst fans of the series.  I'm pretty sure I saw a few dudes in Grove Street Family colours hanging around the hood.  Could we possibly be seeing a cameo from the "hero" of GTA: SA, the one and only CJ?

There is much more I'd like to discuss/speculate on just from the above trailer alone, especially with that multiplayer teaser at the end, but I think I'll wait for more solid information before diving any deeper.  I think it is safe to say that the series is getting back some of that extra fun that was lacking from the brown shaded grimy crime fest that was GTA IV.  Fingers crossed that GTA V is as good as it looks because what I've seen so far looks amazing.