by Jonathan Kevin Castillo
This year had been a full blast of excitement. The 2013 video games were an introduction of what we can expect in the latest consoles in terms of innovation, game play, and storytelling. In case you’ve missed any of them, here’s your chance to take a quick peak.
Pokemon X/Y
So far, I have not met any gamer who is not interested in Pokemon. There were people, who previously hadn’t owned a 3DS, bought even a 2DS, just to play the latest Pokemon lineup. What’s new anyway? Well for one, all the Pokemon come in full 3D polygons with one or two action animations. The whole Wi-Fi connectivity makes trading Pokemon so much easier. Soon to come out is a paid cloud subscription called the Poke Bank where game saves of previous versions are uploaded, so you can download them in the current generation. Pretty neat, huh? The feature may extend up to future titles.
Gran Turismo 6/Need for Speed Rivals
Grand Turismo has always been the best racing game there is with its ultra-realistic driving simulation. Besides that, in respect to the late Paul Walker, the Need for Speed games has that The Fast and The Furious vibes to it. Exotic cars, police chases, breaking speed limits in the city. It’s a type of game that gives a different type of thrill, mostly coming out from the player’s passion for driving with style. And let’s just be clear here, just because you’re an awesome driver in-game, doesn’t mean you can drive that way in real-life. You can try, but let’s just play it safe.
The Last of Us
I always say this, The Last of Us is a machine-gun fire of heart-stopping moments. This was regarded as the “Citizen Kane” of gaming. The game play isn’t as deep as we might’ve wanted it to be. Instead, it connects to the players to an emotional level. The main characters Joel and Ellie go on to a journey across the post-apocalyptic America, and develope a kind of father-daughter bonding, something that seemed to have given Joel hope and purpose in life, a way to make up the loss of his real daughter. The game has subtle side stories in the form of diaries that shows us how other people have fared in the zombie-filled world. The game’s final moments is so heart-clutching, you’ll be in the verge of breaking down and cry.
Batman: Arkham Origins
The “Batman: Arkham” games have been considered as the best Batman games around simply because they really are the best Batman games available. Arkham Origins take some inspiration from the Year One storyline, in terms of Batman being new in the hood and people mistrust the vigilante. It’s a prequel to Arkham City’s dead end ending, and features a larger map to explore, with a larger rogue gallery of popular and lesser-known DC villains, including Deathstroke, Firefly, Electrocutioner, and Shiva.
Battlefield 4/Call of Duty: Ghosts
It’s a tie between these two rivals. Both are hyper flashy games, decent storyline, lots of action, and the perfect haven where to blow things up. Multiplayer has always been the biggest reward when playing these games, with friends or people half way around the world. Strap in a gaming headset for enhanced gaming experience and send stuff flying with your pals.
Bioshock Infinite
Another great game with superb storytelling and unlike the previous Bioshock games, Infinite tackles themes such as racism, religion, and consequences from choices. The game is a first-person shooter filled with high-action adventure, coupled with plot twists so mind-boggling, you’ll think that the movie Donnie Darko is easier to understand; then again, maybe not. The DLC-packs, Burial at the Sea, intertwines the game into the first Bioshock game, back to Rapture, and yes, we can see where this is all going.
Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
This is a recent released Zelda game for the Nintendo 3DS. If you’ve never played a Zelda game, then this is a fine place to start. Maybe it’s the game’s connection to the two-decade old “A Link To The Past” that gives this game’s nostalgia of older games that were simpler, fun, and full of adventure in every corner – and in a Zelda game, adventure is really in every corner, lots of dungeons to explore, puzzles here and there to be solved, and a princess to be saved.
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
StarCraft requires no introduction whatsoever. If you’ve haven’t been up to date with this game, let me bring you up to speed. Get this expansion. If you’re new to installing it, you may be required to download a massive 8 or so GB patch, which is honestly, very frustrating, but once that’s down the pipe, things should be smooth sailing from thereon. The Heart of The Swarm focuses on Kerrigan’s attempt to reclaim her position as the Queen of Blades. The campaign story mode features RPG-elements, which is quite similar to Wings of Liberty’s mercenary system. New and rebalanced units were released to accommodate the multiplayer game play. And minor spoilers, this game finally concludes the story arc that was established since Brood War, to make way for the third expansion set to come out soon. The best part, since the account is cloud based, you don’t need a CD to play it.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
I’ll be honest here. This game has no mind-blowing hyperreal graphics, no unique game play; but the story is something to watch out for. The game was co-produced by Studio Ghibli, the same people who brought you the animated movies, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke. It’s a lighthearted story about a boy traveling to another world, hoping to find a way to bring back his recently deceased mother. From there it takes on fairy-tale twist, and from there, we can speculate if the things happening is real in-game or if the boy has just lost his marbles.
Grand Theft Auto V
There is no doubt that Grand Theft Auto V is the best game of 2013, and it’s safe to say that it’s going to stay as the best game for a while. It has sold close to a billion within its first few days of release, and yes, it’s still going strong. The game map is massive, extremely detailed, the city’s skyline is wonderful, the graphics are jaw-dropping, and then the characters are interesting – fresh that breathes in a new life that wasn’t there in previous GTA games. Throw in Grand Theft Auto Online, and you’re bound to get into bigger and more explosive trouble. The game is just that, awesome. Period. Say hello to sleepless nights.