Readers discuss the highs and lows of the last 12 months in video games, from the Xbox One and PS4 launches to the curse of microtransactions.
Since this will be the last Hot Topic of the year we wanted to know how well you think 2013 has treated video games. Has it been a good year for gaming and what do you feel have been the most important trends, the biggest news stories, and the most exciting new game announcements?
Naturally the launch of the two new consoles got a lot of mentions, but primarily in terms of Microsoft’s bungled unveiling of the Xbox One than the actual release. Microtransactions were another touchy subject, while the favourite games included The Last Of Us and Grand Theft Auto V.
Weight and substance
The game that stands out for me from 2013 is The Last Of Us. I quite liked the Uncharteds, the second one being the best for me but I thought that was overrated. The characters were well-realised and likeable and it was a really polished game but it just seemed a bit hollow to me, there wasn’t much substance.
The Last Of Us though had more than substance, it had weight. I don’t want to give away any spoilers here about the plot but Joel and Ellie (and more importantly their interaction) actually had me caring about an arrangement of pixels on the screen. I really should buy one of those snake draught excluders for the front door because a whisper of wind whistled under it just as I finished the game and made my eyes water.
The biggest news in gaming in 2013 was Microsoft’s (and a two vowel minion) attempts at being paid twice and more for the sale of one product but they listened and cared/scuttled backwards in the end so let’s not dwell on past indiscretions.
Seriously though, the industry is becoming increasingly corporate which is inevitable as it continues to grow and the only good thing is for these corporations to have competition. Merry Christmas to you all.
Chevy_Malibu (PSN ID)
Currently playing: Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (9/10), Mass Effect 3 (8/10), and N64 Paper Mario on the Wii (10/10 for the save file whistle music alone !).
PS: I’m having a bit of trouble with that bat Kalameet in the Dark Souls downloadable content and there are no summon signs nearby. He murders me solo so any co-op assistance would be greatly appreciated. I am soul level 324 and not very good.
Car crash revelations
No Man’s Sky was my favourite revelation of 2013. The game looks amazing, a super-powered colourful version of Elite, and I hope the epic looking space adventure lands on consoles.
The biggest news story of the year was the car crash launch of the Xbox One, but in truth I quickly got tired of the whole next gen ruckus. People were siding with one huge corporation over another, like they were cheering on a fight in the school playground. It’s guaranteed that all big companies are as ruthless at each other, they take no personal interest in who’s side you are on.
As Tony Soprano would say, ‘It’s just business’.
To end on a positive the Tomb Raider reboot was really good. Perhaps I imagined gathering clouds of negativity but I thought everyone was prepared to give the game a good kicking, I honestly wasn’t expecting such good reviews and it’s a shame the title didn’t meet sales expectations.
Although the game is slightly too combat heavy for me (I’m still stuck in Shanty Town), it’s generally thrilling, young Lara controls beautifully and I think Camilla Luddington’s excellent voicework and motion capture put a bow on a very impressive package.
msv858 (Twitter)
Big and small
2013 for me has been a year of blockbuster titles and announcements and also independent titles and handheld titles. It’s great to see all aspects of the market are alive and well. I’ve been playing catch up as well, playing some games from 2012.
For the 3DS I’ve loved Luigi’s Mansion 2, such a charming game. I’ve sunk so many hours into Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies as well. A lovely way to relax.
On the PlayStation 3, GTA V is a simply amazing title, and a fantastic way to sign off this gen. I’ve followed the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 news with interest, and will certainly get one when I am finished with my PlayStation 3 backlog.
My son and I are playing through Broken Sword 5 together. I funded it through Kickstarter, along with Broken Age, and we’re really enjoying it. A big part of the appeal is the location artwork and the simple interface. Papers, Please is another cracking indie game and I recommend it without hesitation
half_empty80 (PSN ID)
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Interesting mistakes
This to me has been a highly interesting year, not just in game standards but the news about the industry which range from serious to laughable.
The news story which I find incredible is the backtracking of Microsoft. Never before have I seen a company as big as this, panic at the response of gamers regarding their product. Curiously, as GC say on numerous occasions, complaining does not shift a company’s stance but actually creating a situation which impacts on the financial side of the company will change it’s stance.
And boy all those pre-orders of PlayStation 4′s did the trick and possibly creating one of gaming history’s most embarrassing act for a high profile company in which they changed nearly everything about the Xbox One’s displeasing sharing policies and online rules they had in place for the customer.
I found the above amusing, especially with Sony’s CEO Kaz Hirai taking the mickey out of them on Twitter.
One of the serious aspects of gaming news was microtransactions and the danger this poses for the future. Would we stand in unison together in this as we did in the Microsoft rules on games debacle? I hope so, because this could be scary if Angry Birds Go is anything to go by. I don’t mind a good size DLC, but not to help make the games only beatable if you pay the extra dosh to make it possible.
Games I have enjoyed this year are BioShock Infinite and The Last Of Us, two games which highlight the importance of plot and engaging scenarios. The mastery of story and gameplay interpretation was well realised and will always leave me thinking back to those moments which made another exciting and successful year for the gaming world.
Have a wonderful Christmas and new year GC and GC’s viewers and hope for another quality gaming year.
Alucard
Lesser vintage
For me 2013 will be remembered as a year that was about quality rather than quantity, and of course, finally, the announcement and release of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
I probably played fewer games this year than I have for a long time, but the ones I did play were excellent. The year started with two wonderful reboots of long running series in Tomb Raider and DmC Devil May Cry, both of which I enjoyed immensely. Then came BioShock Infinite, the incredible The Last Of Us, Beyond: Two Souls, and then of course GTAV, which was amazing and a fitting last hurrah for the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 era. I also finally got myself a PS Vita this year and had a great time with the likes of Gravity Rush, Guacamelee!, and Tearaway.
The end of the year of course was all about the next gen launches and I got a PlayStation 4 having already ruled out Xbox One, at least for a while, after Microsoft’s terrible initial reveal. I know they subsequently changed a lot of their original plans but still. I’m happy I made the right choice with PlayStation 4, even though the launch line-up wasn’t great but it’s an investment in the future and over the next year or two there’s potentially great stuff coming such as The Division, Watch Dogs, The Order: 1886, The Evil Within, and a new Uncharted.
So overall not a vintage year, but maybe that’s to be expected as the industry made the transition from one generation to another, but plenty of reasons to be optimistic for what’s to come.
dyniner (PSN ID)
Harsh but true
My general feeling about gaming in 2013 was a slight sense of disappointment with a few titles I thought would blow my mind. BioShock Infinite to me felt like it had been stripped right down and turned in to a run and gun shooter with a fantasy story bolted on, Elizabeth looked like some creation from the studios of Disney/Pixar which seemed to jar a bit with the general feel of the game.
The Last Of Us was a game I was holding out great promise for and it was good, but not great. The cut scenes were excellent and emotional, but I wasn’t prepared for all that stealthing around through 99 percent of the game, I found it excruciating in places. As I have said in the Underbox, it had some great moments, its a shame it wasn’t the gameplay though. Am I being too harsh GC?
I found I was playing more games from previous years, like Darksiders 2, Assassin’s Creed III and Far Cry 3. Tomb Raider would be my vote for top blockbuster game of 2013, it’s the only Tomb Raider game I actually finished, with a few achievments completed.
Games I am really excited for are Thief 4, Fallout 4, The Witcher 3, and Dying Light. Have a merry Xmas and a happy new GC and all the readers and commentators on here.
Avant Aklu
GC: You’re not being harsh. Although we enjoyed the game greatly as a package there’s no arguing that the gameplay alone was fairly one note.
Almost a classic
2013 for me will go down on gaming as a very good year, if not classic, and the best since 2010 as we have had great quality titles releases consistently throughout the year and of high quality. Titles such as BioShock Infinite, DmC, Tomb Raider, Rayman Legends, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and GTA V on multiformats. Not to forget PlayStation 3 exclusives The Puppeteer and God Of War: Ascension and Xbox 360′s Gears Of War: Judgment.
Nintendo have released quality games, if sparingly. These include the brilliant Luigi’s Mansion 2, Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Super Mario 3D World and (finally) Pikmin 3.The next generation has started and I have a lot of optimism for next year’s releases. Bayonetta 2, Dark Souls II, and BlazBlue: Chronophantasma being my most highly anticipated but I have spent most of 2013 catching up on 2012′s finest.
MAINEVENTMAFIA (PSN ID)
Currently playing: Remember Me (6/10).
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
2013 memories
Well, the most vivid memory I’m going to have exiting this year and entering the New Year and new generation of consoles, is how much Microsoft have botched up their new console so far since its reveal. Coming off the success of the Xbox 360 as well, seemingly hopping from one bad news release to the next with the Xbox One. But swiftly moving on to the games though…
The games I really enjoyed were some of the obvious ones, and some not. EA actually had a strong couple of titles this year for me, if I don’t mention Battlefield 4′s problems and Need For Speed Rivals lack of usable in-car cam oversight (both equally bad blunders and game breakers in my books). They got some really good, competent games that failed to get other people excited seemingly but I really loved and still playing and will be replaying. These games in particular are Army Of Two: The Devil’s Cartel and Fuse.
Both in my opinion huuuugely enjoyable and very polished games to boot. Liked the new characters, the sheer fun of the gunfights, destructible scenery and story shockers in The Devil’s Cartel, as well as the tight gameplay and character and weapon customisation. I just love the game to bits. With Fuse, again polished, tight gameplay, four unique characters with signature skills and weapons as well as your standard skills and weapons. Story was by-the-numbers, but like Devil’s Cartel I found the game to be enormous fun, especially in co-op. The game kind of reminds me of Army Of Two meets Vanquish. Highly recommend both games.
I got my favourite Splinter Cell of the series, Blacklist. It took everything that worked from Conviction, and applied it to the stealth mechanics of classic Splinter Cell, and it… worked really well. I even prefer the new voice actor and look of Sam Fisher, plus the return of Mercs Vs. Spies. And I got my favourite Tomb Raider ever in 2013′s reboot. What a great game with outstanding visuals and great look and feel to it all.
Two games I really enjoyed on the PlayStation 3 were The Last Of Us and Beyond: Two Souls. I found The Last Of Us a bit anti-climatic and slow after the gripping prologue, but a unique experience on the whole. Beyond I played through with Mrs Edge, and we both enjoyed it greatly. We found it gripping, entertaining, interesting and at times touching with some great acting.
Two games I simply can’t go without mentioning are firstly GTA V. What a game! Plays well and is really a marvel in terms of technical achievement, but the game I really enjoyed this year possibly the most? XCOM: Enemy Within. I’ll take any excuse to play the game again, but Firaxis have done and added so much to the game, that it almost feels like an entirely new game! So many new maps, missions, gear and possibilities, and the introduction of Exalt, has all done the impossible, and improved on perfection. Roll on the full-on sequel!
I’ll be looking forward to trying out Battlefield 4 when it works, Need For Speed Rivals if they put in a usable in-car view, and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag on my lovely new PlayStation 4 to get the new year started.
Spartas Edge
PS: I’d like to wish everyone a great Xmas, new year and good health.
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