Top 7 Video Games of 2013 | Best Wii Games, Xbox and PlayStation Games
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The months leading up to the release of a new breed of consoles are always an exciting time for gaming.
With the Wii U released in late 2012, gamers were left waiting patiently for the next generation consoles PS4 and Xbox One to be released in November 2013.
Nonetheless, the veteran game developers who were working on titles for the older consoles still showed that, whilst the new platforms were coming, they could still get some amazing art made.
2013 was a great and unique year for video games, and it will be hard to top in 2014. Let's have a look at the top 7 video games of 2013.
Super Mario 3D World – Wii U, November 2013
What is perhaps the strongest and longest running franchise of modern gaming continued in 2013 with this new Mario title. Finally, after an early release of the new Wii console in 2012, this game was able to demonstrate the potential of the Wii U. This platform video game adds another dimension to the genre through the unique controller.
The world can be influenced by your touch on the gamepad and now even your breath, (platforms in the game can be manipulated by you blowing into the gamepad).
As has come to be expected from Mario titles, the game play is perfectly smooth and the level of detail is at a level above what has been seen before.
It looks and feels great. The levels are gorgeous and Mario can now wear a cat suit, (which believe me, is awesome).
If you are a platform fan, everything you want is here. As one of the best video games of 2013, Super Mario 3D World is an exciting teaser of what we can expect from the Wii U versions of Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros to be released in the coming year.
Grand Theft Auto V – PS3, Xbox 360, September 2013
Wow. Right when you were wondering what this brand could do next, they did it. With three main characters, vastly improved graphics and, as always, compellingly written story lines the GTA franchise delivered the goods in 2013. Keeping itself fresh with the three concurrent story lines, gamers and fans flocked to this game and were not disappointed.
Ask three of your friends who their favourite main character was and you may well get three different answers – the game was well enough written and acted to the point that no one particular scumbag stands out as a clear fan favourite.
As a player you get to experience three different demographics of criminal locations from the slums to Hollywood Hills, and you get to experience them with vastly improved controls and more vehicles to explore the bigger world.
Oh, and there is now a thing called GTA Online… Team up with your friends for some blatant global online chaos.
The addition of this feature is still obviously raw, with the strong story line of the single player mode still shining through, but GTA Online offers enough fun and potential to suggest that we will see several more successful iterations of the GTA franchise to come. One of the most successful and best PlayStation games of 2013.
Guacamelee – PS3, April 2013
What style. Without a doubt the most stylish game of the year, Guacamelee offers something to look at that you haven't seen before. A raging Spanish guitar provides a soundtrack to your brightly coloured quests, with characters and cardboard cut-out environments that are both insanely oddball, and enticing.
It is a 2D game that, in terms of game play, doesn't offer much that is new – but it feels different. You can expect to solve puzzles to unlock the next screen, and boss fights that will make you laugh before you get down to business.
It feels fresh, new, artistic, and it is presented in a way that has not been seen in video games before. It is unique enough, (but not intimidating), to spark a level of interest that will keep you coming back and sees it score a place as a top video game of 2013.
The Last of Us – PS3, June 2013
Zombies are certainly in fashion. But this video game is no happy-slasher, it is much, much deeper than that. The story writers have mastered the art of building tension and anticipation, towards what is a thrilling climax, in this gripping and engrossing playable story.
It takes and examines human relationships within an apocalyptic world in a way that is compelling, bleak and leaves you feeling filled with an overwhelming mix of doom and hope. In a word, it is simply thrilling. An amazing title and one of the best that the zombie genre, (which was admittedly starting to feel flat), has put up so far.
The contrast between the two main characters – the brutal, hardened Joel and the highly capable, 14 year old Ellie – is gut wrenchingly and beautifully human, and might just bring a tear to your eye. It is a game of survival and attrition and the game play is by necessity stealthy, but the combat scenes are inevitable and brutal.
It is a game that leads you to question your morals. There are areas for improvement, such as in game glitches that remind you that this is, in fact, just a game.
Guards will walk past slain comrades without noticing their bodies, and zombies will forget you if you go through a door.
But this is more than made up for by the brilliant storyline. The game is both terrifying and compelling, and this also translates well into multiplayer mode without losing this sense.
As a veteran gamer, this is one of my favourite video games of 2013 and quite possibly the best video game of the year.
Dead Rising 3 – Xbox One, November 2013
It seems like yesterday that the original Dead Rising drew me into its bizarre world. This is another zombie game, but you are more likely to be laughing than shedding tears with this one.
With this new title you are not trapped inside a shopping complex or a casino – this time you have a whole city. And in a whole city there are a whole lot of quirky weapons to be discovered! It still has the endless creative slasher mayhem, but the time crunch of the previous two titles isn't as crunchy in this one.
You have more time to complete side missions, which means that you also have more time to go and play with the zombies. But you will still find the ticking clock, (there is an air raid coming), sufficient enough to make you feel the pressure of the zombie apocalypse and the fun factor has been amped a bit.
Staying true to the franchise, Dead Rising 3 is utterly ridiculous. You can combine combined weapons into ridiculous super weapons and now you can combine vehicles into ridiculous super vehicles. The developers have found a way to have an unbelievable number of zombies in the frame and keep the game running smoothly.
You can now level up your character uniquely using the new feature of an ability tree to tailor your play to your preferred method of mayhem. The entertaining mix of fear, time crunch and nonsense will keep you on the edge of your seat, laughing.
If you're a fan of the franchise you will love this – if you haven't played a Dead Rising title before this is the one to pick up.
Bioshock Infinite – Xbox 360, PS3. March 2013
Yep. It's a standard first person shooter with regards to game play. It draws you in, your ammo runs low; it's a challenge, sure.
But it is also a work of art.
If you are a 'high taste' gamer who appreciates detail and, (warped), historical reference, then this is a game you will enjoy playing. It is set in the intriguing separatist society of the floating city of Columbia and it subtlety suggests a future for America that will make you think in a way you haven't before.
It also incorporates time travel into the story in a way that is interesting instead of ridiculous, (an increasingly difficult challenge given some of the time travel rubbish out there).
The action parts of the game, such as the shooting sequences or the use of your hand powers, might not remain in your memory for that long – but the way the story develops in your mind through the subtle little clues that you glimpse throughout the story make this game a compelling piece.
The relationship between the two main characters feels human and leads to a conclusion that is no less dramatic than a bestselling cinematic blockbuster.
Call of Duty: Ghosts – PS3, Xbox 360 November, 2013
Yes, it's a brand that is getting tired and is having trouble rehashing itself, but the legions of hardcore fans that remain still push this one onto the list. When a franchise has this many dedicated fans they could release a peanut and still be a bestseller.
In terms of game play there wasn't much breakthrough stuff here but in terms of the genre and story there were some really cool innovations. Female soldiers were available as characters for the first time.
The storyline was not from the point of view of a powerful nation fighting for freedom, but was instead based on a devastated weak nation fighting for survival against a newly emergent technologically advanced global power.
Sales were perhaps driven by the legion of online devotees who needed the new title to play against the biggest number of opponents, but the ability to fully customize your soldier and the intriguing new storyline still landed Call of Duty: Ghosts in the list of top video games of 2013.
The Wrap Up
In a world of upcoming new upgraded consoles it can be easy to forget the gems of the past, or even of the present. We can tend to get overly excited about the future and overlook what is in front of us.
But there were a quite a few gems in 2013, and they remain top video games for gamers to get their hands on. Gaming continues to evolve into an emotional experience and 2013 was another step in this exciting direction for gaming.
The biggest bonus is that, if you haven't played the titles that were released on the older consoles yet, they will surely be discounted in stores in no time at all. And they still offer some of the most amazing stories, fun, game play and graphics that modern developers have to offer.
You may or may not agree with the views in this article, but you can't argue that these have been some of the best video games of 2013.
To the years ahead….
