Kevin Lynch counts down his very best of 2013.
1) Bioshock Infinite – A beautifully crafted world, excellent story, fun and unusual gameplay mechanics in an FPS (like the Sky hook). The perfect example of how a franchise should be taken to the next level. The only game this year that I’ve felt the need to buy on it’s release date along with the art book and a few days holiday from work to boot!
2) Pokemon X/Y – Perfect mix of old and new. A complete nostalgia kick and the Mega evolutions are a nice addition which are helpful for the youngsters as they look great and monstrous, but adds a new mechanic to teambuilding. Not to mention the introduction of the Fairy Type. It’s still a game of rock paper scissors that got out of control, but it’s the best one!
3) Rogue Legacy – One. More. Dungeon. I’ve been hooked on this lovely and charming little 2D “rogue-lite”. It has a Super Meat Boy-esche feeling of “Yeah, I messed up” which makes the game rewarding, the bosses are challenging without being frustrating and you always feel that your time wasn’t wasted with the continual progression system. Thumbs up all round!
4) Hearthstone (Beta) – When Blizzard makes games, they don’t mess about. Hearthstone is aesthetically pleasing, well balanced with huge scope for expansion and honestly a free to play game that can be completely free to play. There’s so much lore in the Warcraft Universe that I’ve had a smile on my face even just pulling some of these cards out of their packs….LEEEROOOY!
5) Final Fantasy VII (Steam – 2013) – Bit of a cheat but sometimes your best games of the year will be the games you’ve played over and over again. This is a game that is a pretty big part of me. It inspired me to learn how to program games and was the most fun I had in a 24 hour period in a looong time. Always remember to bring Phoenix Down’s though folks!