5 Best Games of 2013

Honorable Mentions: The Stanley Parable, Papers Please, Dota 2, The Swapper, The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead: Season 2

Runner Up: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Technically this is a DLC, buy in reality it works as a standalone game. "Far Cry 3" was my favorite game from 2012, it was a giant open world of fun where I could kill a bear with a flamethrower; is there anything more a person could want? It turns out there is, and it’s killing a dinosaur with a minigun. "Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon" is a standalone expansion where you play in an 80's inspired neon wonderland and like "Far Cry 3," you kill everything that moves in very fun ways. FC3's enjoyment came mostly from its over the top nature, and Blood Dragon cranked the craziness up to eleven without over doing it. With the bow hunting from FC 3 and RoboCop's gun, this is one of the most enjoyable experiences of 2013. And like I mentioned earlier, you kill dinosaurs and it is awesome.

5. Gone Home

Before its release, I hadn't heard anything about "Gone Home;" but after it came out everyone was raving about it, and I can now see why. The game was actually recommended to me by a friend, I asked what it was about and he said he couldn't answer that. He said it wasn't really a game in the traditional sense but related it to TellTale Games “The Walking Dead.” He said "while it's not a game you’re going to want to play through every year, but it's a game you'll be glad you played though  at least once;" and boy am I glad I did. "Gone Home" is a fascinating game that seamlessly blends gameplay with storytelling. While the game is kind of expensive as compared to it's length, I would say it's certainly worth the play through.

4. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

And the award for the most adorable video game of the year goes to "Ni No Kuni." "Ni No Kuni" is a Japanese role playing game where you are put into the role of a young boy whose mother is killed by her heart condition while she saves his life while he's drowning; not the most cheerful start but it does show this game is more than just adorable. You’re character then enters a type of fantasy world where you are pure of heart, and the only hope for stopping an evil witch. The problem with most JRPG's is that they are such a grind and get old real quick. "Ni No Kuni" doesn't suffer from that, there's so much stuff to do it never feels like a choir to level up. "Ni No Kuni" is a fantastic, one of a kind game that will appeal to anyone who plays it.

3. Bioshock Infinite
Upon its release "Bioshock Infinite" was released to near universal critical acclaim, but over the next couple months more and more people started criticizing the game for this reason or another. I really had never seen anything like it, people who were praising the game quickly turned to hating it. Honestly, I can't see where they're coming from. "Bioshock Infinite" is easily one of the best games of the year and one of the best of the generation. The art style, the combat, the story, and everything else just comes together and works perfectly. Infinite is the third installment in the franchise, and it does the series justice. Already winning multiple game of the year awards despite the haters, "Bioshock Infinite" is an amazing experience that's worth the play if you call yourself a true video game fan.

2. Grand Theft Auto 5
GTA 5 is going to be the game everyone remembers from 2013, and for good reason; this game is f*cking awesome. Easily the most anticipated game of 2013, GTA 5 had a whole lot to live up to and did so in almost every category. There were a lot of super enjoyable games released this year but GTA 5 is the most fun I had playing a game in 2013. Whether it was the Paleto Bay job or chasing after a jet that you just shot down on a motor bike, this game was a blast from start to finish and has turned into one of my favorite games of the console generation. If you're one of the five people left on the planet who haven't played this game, you need to go out and fix that; but be prepared to sink 40- 70 hours into it.

1. The Last of Us

No game this year will be remembered as fondly as "The Last of Us;" this game is regarded so highly, whenever another game wins a game of the year award there's a swarm of thousands of people who complain TLOU didn't win. As far as emotion goes, this is one of the most powerful games I've ever played. Within 15 minutes, it'll have you shed tears. The main characters are Joel and Ellie and I don't think I've ever had such an emotionally strong connection to video game characters. But this game isn't just story; the gameplay perfectly fits the game and is some of the most brutal combat I’ve seen in a game in recent years. This is the must play game of the year, it's that simple. Years from now when people look back on 2013, the one game that everyone will remember will be "The Last of Us."