Gaming Gush: 2013 (A Non-Fic post?! HERESY!!)

If there's one thing I love as much as teh poneh, it's games. Shooters, platformers, RPGs, fighters, you name it.
(Sports games?) *HIIISSSSSS*

So, screw it—this is MY blog, I can put a non-fic post on it if I want.

...You're still reading? 'kay, good. Wanted to talk 2013 and games.

Firstly, Game of the Year. Rather than do what I did in 2012—kidnap a developer from each of the companies/teams that made my five favorites of that year (Journey, XCOM, Mists of Pandaria, Borderlands 2 and Walking Dead), put them in a quarry, have them fight to the death and have the surviving developer's title be named my GOTY—I decided I'd just name 10 really great games and say they're ALL my Game of the Year. Much less work, and no cleanup afterwards.

The Last of Us: I enjoyed Naughty Dog's past franchises, Jak and Uncharted, but Last of Us is probably one of the most affecting entries they've had. You actually spend more time dodging humans than you do infected folks, which is unusual for a game set in a not-zombie apocalypse. An amazing character in Ellie as you watch her grow, and a brooding protagonist in Joel who, from the start, you can understand why he might come across as a bit of an asshole. There's been some debate regarding the ending, but that's what makes it great—people are debating from a more ETHICAL standpoint regarding what happens. Fantastic writing, acting, music and gameplay make this a must-have for PS3 owners.

The Walking Dead Season 2: Well, this is the continuation of the best game of 2012, so of course it ends up here. With only one episode so far, it's hard to say if this entry can live up to, or even surpass, the story of Lee Everett, one of the best game characters EVER, but I really like what I've seen thus far. It's good to have you back, Sweet Pea.

Papers, Please: A game about filing through paperwork has NO RIGHT to be this awesome, but Papers, Please surprises by placing you at the very center of the constantly shifting political shitstorm of Not-Russia. Terrorist attacks, a secretive anarchist order and a flow of people who deserve a chance to get through the border you man, with needs greatly surpassing the fact that their papers have expired. GLORY TO ARSTOTZKA!!

The Wolf Among Us: On the surface it's The Walking Dead with a swapped-out franchise, but this amazing look at the Grimm (SEE WHAT I DID THERE) lives of fairy-tale characters in modern-day New York proves that the formula WORKS. Playing as Sheriff Bigby (Big Bad) Wolf, you work to solve the murder of one of your fellow Fables in a dark, VIOLENT story of doing good, when you have a past of being Big and Bad.

Payday 2: One of the most addicting online-shooters I've played, with intense heists, MANY weapons and an amazingly deep skill-tree that lets you handle hostages, act as a one-man army, blow stuff up with the best of them or stealth your way to victory. Play it with friends, though; the single-player AI is... not the best, and it feels better to have a human checking your flank.

Bioshock Infinite: A spectacular story and setting would have been enough, but Elizabeth, the girl you spend a majority of the game with, is an AMAZING Escort character, mainly because you don't have to worry about her getting SHOT. She chucks ammo, health and Salts at you depending on what you need, and the story that unfolds around her and the main character, Booker DeWitt, leads to one of the most jaw-dropping endings in gaming history.

Grand Theft Auto V: Well, DUH. The controls are MUCH MUCH smoother than the last game, which was still fucking AWESOME. The characters are perfect for a GTA game—Michael, a bitter drunk whose family knows what he does, yet follow along for the ride, Franklin, who I ended up liking a HELL of a lot more than I'd expected, and Trevor, the PERFECT character to swap to if you decide to play the time-honored GTA classic, "Get a Rocket Launcher and See How Long You Can Last with a 5-Star Wanted Level!"

The Stanley Parable: A hilarious little look into the role the player has in video game storytelling, with amazingly funny writing and one of the best narrators EVER, voiced by Kevan Brighting. I'm not telling you what happens, play it yourself on Steam. (The demo does a fantastic job of drawing you in.)

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs: While it wasn't quite the pants-shitting experience that The Dark Descent was, it still had some of the best writing, with an ending that haunts me to this day. THIS WORLD IS A MACHINE, A MACHINE FOR PIGS, FIT ONLY FOR THE SLAUGHTERING OF PIGS!!

Hearthstone: Yep, still in Beta. No, I don't care. Speaking as someone who doesn't play cardgames, it's amazing how well this turned out, with a VERY intuitive interface for playing cards, addictive manner of building decks and feeling like a badass for coming out on top.

Honorable Mentions: Gone Home, Beyond: Two Souls*, Outlast, Batman: Arkham Origins, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Mario and Luigi: Dream Team, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Deadpool, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Ducktales: Remastered, Rayman Legends, The Novelist, Saints Row 4.

*...what are you looking at me like that for? It was well presented, well acted and had a good score. I enjoyed it thoroughly, in spite of how it expected to be taken seriously during the profound silliness onscreen.

Best Moments—whether they be gameplay or cutscene, these scenes either were extremely fun to play, or left a lasting impression on me to some emotional level.

Spoilers are likely.

Batman: Arkham Origins: "Not So Different". Batman and the Joker have a scuffle in the chapel of Blackgate Prison—one that is, by no means, their last.

To quote Heath Ledger's Joker, "I think you and I are destined to do this forever."

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs: "The Coming Century". Mandus arrives at the very heart of the machine he'd spent the last unconscious months building. Only when he realizes what he's done, the horrific lengths he's gone to prevent the horrors brought with the 20th century, does he work to stop a Swine-based Armageddon.

The Machine urges, pleads, BEGS Mandus to not shut it down, saying that the future it seeks is a far kinder one than an era of war, genocide and hatred. It's the kind of scene that makes you wonder if you really want to keep going, knowing what your actions will bring.

Bioshock Infinite: "Constants and Variables". Really, I don't want to say ANYTHING that could spoil a moment of this masterpiece. Essentially, it's the kind of ending that makes you look at the rest of the game a whole new way.

Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: "Stage 5: Acceptance". The Original Vault Hunters arrive at the end of Tiny Tina's Bunkers and Badasses Campaign and defeat the Handsome Sorcerer... But Tina's denial over the loss of a loved one pours through again. The Hunters see just how deep her pain reaches, and help her to overcome her denial and move on.

...Then to balance out the seriousness we get one final, epic reveal.

Outlast: "Richard Trager, PhD". Oh, thank god, a seemingly sane and friendly voice in this insane asylum filled with lunatics and dudes with no pants! He'll help me out--

OH GOD WHYYYYYYYYYYYY

Saints Row IV: "How to Become President". In one of the most epic game intros I've seen, your character:
A. Fights terrorists
B. Hangs off a nuke and disarms it while Aerosmith's "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" plays
C. Jumps OFF the nuke and gives you a thumbs-up as it explodes behind them
D. Lands in the Oval Office and puts their feet up, not a single fuck given
E. And becomes the President, with advisers Keith David and Benjamin "Mutha-fucking" King (Voiced by Terry Crews)
This is why I love Saints Row.

The Last of Us: "What I'm Capable Of". Ellie is faced against a vicious man who I'm not sure if he's even insane. After a BRUTAL brawl Ellie is forced to show him that the will to survive can be more fatal than any not-zombie outbreak.

And when all is said and done, we're shown just how close Joel and Ellie have grown over the past few months of travel. "Oh, baby girl..."

Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm: "Rebirth". Kerrigan's restored humanity is, ultimately, short lived. Without allowing herself to be reborn in the most primal essence of the Zerg, she has no hope of crippling the Dominion and slaying Mengsk, or of facing off against the Fallen Xel'Naga that put the entire story of Starcraft into motion.

I am the Swarm.

All right, I think I'm good. Thanks for the indulgence. What were your favorite games of the year? Favorite moments? Characters?