Belated Top 10s - Games

Well now that Top 10 lists are back in fashion (did they ever go out of fashion? -- Ed) it's time for our, rather belated we must admit, top 10 lists. Today we start of with games. 2013 wasn't the greatest year for gaming, with the current-gen consoles winding down with the lead up to next-gen, and the next-gen launch being rather mediocre. Yet at the same time, it feels like there was more content this year than any other, with seemingly more indies, downloadables and free-to-play titles than ever before. So without further adieu, let's take a look at our top 10.

10. Lego Marvel Super Heroes (PS4) - You wouldn't find too many people admitting to this, or any Lego game for that matter, being one of their favourites, but I'm only being honest. I love all the Lego games, add dozens and dozens of Marvel heroes and you have yourself a winner. There's really not much else to say other than you already know whether you like this game or not.

9. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (PC) - The Call of Juarez games have been a mixed bunch over the years, with the franchise seemingly losing it's way, only to make a resounding come back with this title. It's easy to take people by surprise when nobody really expects much from you and this is certainly what CoJ: Gunslinger did. But you still have to give the crew at Techland props for getting it so right with this title. A great story, and novel storytelling, combine with fun and exciting gameplay, and great graphics and level design. The duel mechanics are a unique aspect that is executed perfectly and altogether this is a great little game.

8. Rogue Legacy (PC) - You might call it rogue-lite. You might scoff that it's "too easy". For me, this game is the logical iteration on the roguelike formula because it gives the rest of us a chance. Not everyone can deal with the amount of abuse and punishment a true roguelike dishes out, and this game gives you a reward for all the time and effort you put in. Does that diminish the feeling when you do complete it? I don't think so. This game is still a challenge, but a relatively fair one. The controls are super tight, the graphics hark back to the good old days and the unique twist on the repeated deaths is more than just a gimmick. This is a great platformer that manages to brilliantly straddle the line between challenge and frustration.

7. Dust: An Elysian Tail (PC) - It's hard to believe that this game was created almost entirely by one person. With sumptuous hand drawn graphics, fun combat and enough RPG elements to make progression fun and rewarding, this is a great Metroidvania-lite, in a year with some other great entries to the genre. I say lite, because the difficulty isn't overly punishing, but the story, characters, art style and combat make this game great fun to go through.

6. The Swapper (PC) - A unique spin on puzzle games with a clever mechanic and some real head scratching scenarios, set within a beautiful backdrop that oozes an eerie sort of tranquility. The ability to move on to a different puzzle if one has you dumbfounded allowing you to return later and solve it instantly means you're never stuck for too long, and leaves you slapping yourself once you see just how, seemingly, easy the solution was all along.

5. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PC) - We were a little late to get on the Brothers bandwagon, but with the game available for a nice price during the recent Steam sale, we couldn't fight the hype and praise any longer, we had to see it for ourselves. This is a fantastic game. Without any (coherent) dialogue, a beautiful story unfolds and delivers some real emotional punch. The art style is wonderful, taking on a darker tone at times while retaining the fairy-tale feel, and then of course there is the unique control scheme which some may find a little harder to grasp than others. This is a game to be played in one sitting, and will leave you feeling happy, sad and everything in between by the end.

4. Tomb Raider (PC) - Talk about a comeback. Lara Croft rises from the dead with a bang. Gone are the oversized polygon breasts and clunky mechanics. Welcome to the 21st Century Lara. While this game may owe a lot to titles like Uncharted, and, well, Uncharted 2, it does more than just copy, it forges it's own path and creates an entry that more than stands on it's own. The graphics in this game are amazing. Truly next-gen, well before the console next-gen even thought about getting started. The gameplay mechanics are simple but executed perfectly. The combination of exploration, adventuring and combat is perfect, and the story, while not brilliant, is still very good.

3. Bioshock Infinite (PC) - Will this be the last Bioshock? If so, what a way to go out. While I will admit the combat in this game lacked a little something compared to the original Bioshock, it more than made up for it with the brilliant mind fuck story which demanded you keep playing. The art style, and the brilliant contrast between the picturesque and tranquil world of Columbia and the extreme violence you carry out within it made for a compelling experience.

2. DmC: Devil May Cry (PC) - For all the kicking and screaming from the Internet about their beloved franchise, it turned out to be in vain. This is such a great game and a great entry in the Devil May Cry franchise. With a perfect and deceptively simple control scheme and combo system, the combat in this game was so much fun. Easy to pickup, just the right amount of difficult to master. The insane level and enemy design and the story with just enough real world parallels and video game crazy are a perfect match for Dante. He is the ultimate anti-hero after all. Sumptuous graphics and art direction, all running at a buttery smooth 60fps without needing a beastly PC. Forget the haters, this is a brilliant game and props to Ninja Theory for sticking to their guns and delivering their vision with aplomb.

1. The Last of Us (PS3) - It just had to be, didn't it? There's a reason this game has garnered so much attention and praise. Simply put, it's amazing. Naughty Dog are at the absolute peak of their powers and this game proves it. The unflinching story and it's brilliant delivery, the the amazing cinematic set-pieces, the absolute immersion and tension you feel in this game are unparalleled. So much of the brilliance in this game is from the things that aren't the main focus. All the small details that went into creating such a realistic world, the eeriness you feel as you walk through the desolate world and try to piece together what once was, as you scour every nook and cranny trying to scavenge every little bit you can find, as you try to survive at any cost.

E3 Observations

Microsoft

So I stayed up past midnight, awaiting the live stream of the Microsoft conference, and boy did I regret it the next day when I had to front up to work dead tired. The MS conference was disappointing, and despite being a long time fan of both the original Xbox and Xbox 360, I have to say that the wheels have truly come off for Microsoft. Speaking from personal experience only, I've almost completely moved from 360 to the PS3. I don't like having to pay for Live, and regardless, my 360 is one of the old ones with no WI-FI. MS made a gamble to get the 360 out first but for the early adopters, would you rather buy another 360 to update it or just go for the PS3 with Blu-Ray, a larger HDD, built-in WI-FI and free online. Surely there's quite a few hard core gamers who went for the PS3 once it showed what it can do. So the message of this year's press conference was that all the 3rd party games will be on 360, there's a lot of media content on 360 and that Kinect exists. So like I said, my 360 doesn't have WI-FI so I'm not interested in the media, all those games will be on PS3 as well and the voice control in Mass Effect 3 doesn't interest me in the slightest. Gears of War 3 obviously looks great, and I know it will be as brilliant as both it's predecessors were, but the predictable Halo reveals, really didn't stir me up at all, and when you look at Sony's exclusives coming this year, and the massive Nintendo news, and it really looks like MS is running last in this race now, at least for me.

Sony

I'm loving my PS3 more every year and 2011 and early 2012 are shaping up as the best for the Sony system. Uncharted 3, probably the best series of this generation, as well as Resistance 3, Infamous 2, Twisted Metal and others just re-emphasized Sony's superiority over Microsoft in the software department. And the pricing of their new portable system the Vita would have made a lot of people happy. I love my PSP. I'll admit that the great games for it were few and far between but the good ones did deliver, and the multimedia capabilities are still far superior to most portable devices. Expandable storage and a brilliant and large screen means the PSP is a blessing for me on holiday. So they don't really need a ton of games coming out, just a few must haves like the Uncharted they've been showing off, and I'm pretty much sold. Now the fact it may also allow the PS3 to leverage the same capabilities as the new Wii U and you can see why Microsoft are up against it. 

Nintendo 

I've never been much of a Nintendo fan. I was a Sega kid all the way in the 8 and 16-bit wars and  then a Sony and Xbox fan. But the new Wii U has me super excited. Finally you can play all the big 3rd party games, in a unique way to boot as well as hopefully numerous exclusives. The big question is how long will Nintendo's power dominance last as MS and Sony prepare their next generation of machines. Nevertheless, Nintendo are counting on building a sizeable lead by then. If the price is reasonable and the launch titles strong, I will be itching to get it, and from a non-Nintendo fan I think that's a pretty strong backing. Nintendo's worry should be that the 3DS is waning with weak launch titles, little to discern itself from the everlasting DS/i/XL and little reason for many people to get it. Now that the Sony Vita has been announced at the same price as the 3DS I would say Nintendo should be feeling threatened for the first time in a long time in the handheld market. But the wow factor of the Wii U overshadowed this and gave gamers a lot to look forward to, as well as Microsoft and Sony. 

The Games - 

There were a lot of big titles shown at E3, including stage demos of Gears of War 3, Mass Effect 3, Modern Warfare 3(!) and a ton of others. But I was really impressed by Rage which seems like a blend of Bioshock and Borderlands, but with brilliant graphics, and seemingly a lot of variety and a ton of gameplay. 

Bioshock 3 also has me super excited. The first one was one of the greatest of this generation and this looks to be an awesome re-imagining of the Bioshock genre. The multiplayer FPS battle will be fascinating this time around as Battlefield 3 has been absolutely dazzling with what's been shown so far and with the MW3 team having a lot pressure on them Still, what was seen of MW3 also looked superb. I've always been a CoD fan but Black Ops was lackluster and I've been waiting for Battlefield to deliver for a long time. This might be their turn.

Bring on next years E3.