My Top 10 Favorite Games of 2013

Out with the old and in with the new, my family always said. But I'm still growing up so I'm staying and so are video games. The next-gen is now the current-gen and the current-gen is now the last-gen. The Wii has stopped production after about 8 years, the Xbox One and PS4 are out on the shelves, the Oculus Rift is awesome, and the Nintendo 2DS looks ridiculous. So, to officially end 2013, I give to you my list of my favorite games from 2013.

10) The Walking Dead: Season 1 & 400 Days - Telltale Games

Sure, Season 1 came out in 2012 but I've decided to combine the first 5 episodes and the DLC together because they are so good. Easily a game nobody would have thought would be the break-out hit of the year, Telltale's dedication to the original source material, amazing art style and quick decision making makes ever gamer feel either good or bad with their choices, especially when a character's life is in the balance. 400 Days and Season 1 have such great stories, it's ridiculous. Be sure to play this on PC, as it is, like everything, better on PC.

9) Saints Row IV - Volition

Originally a DLC for Saints Row: The Third, Saints Row IV brings back the comedic style of the previous entries and makes you the President of the United States, followed up by an alien invasion and you getting super powers in a virtual Steelport. The dialogue is a bit scratchy sometimes but even so, this is one great game. You even get a freaking DUBSTEP GUN. Even though it was banned in Australia for a while, it's still has that sense of fun all the other games originally had.

8) Dead Space 3 - Electronic Arts

Issac Clarke's journey just won't end, now will it? In the third installment in the freaky Dead Space franchise, you resume as Issac Clarke, a ship systems engineer, trying to survive an apocalyptic setting... in space. Though this does entry in the series isn't a survival/horror like the other games were, the game was still scary and fun till the twisted end.

7) Surgeon Simulator 2013 - Bossa Studios

Remember when you wanted to become a doctor when you grew up? Well, this is may be what it'll be like if you were left-handed and a horrible doctor. Surgeon Simulator 2013 is an outrageous, over-the-top hilarious game where you play as (Dr.) Nigel Burke and try to operate on your constantly revived patient, Bob, as you try to perform brain surgery and even a heart transplant. With awesome additions like the Team Fortress 2's Meet The Medic DLC and the exclusive alien surgery, this game is worth every cent.

6) Any Pinball Game - Multiple

Recently, pinball has begun to grow once more as an awesome way to waste time at the arcade. Xbox Live Arcade, that is. So many pinball games have be put on the Xbox Live Arcade and all of which were amazing, featuring spectacular graphics and great themes, such as Marvel Comics and ...well, Marvel Comics, these games are lots of fun you'll waste hours upon hours on.

5) Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 - Game Freak

The final set of games in Generation Five, Game Freak delivers a memorable gaming experience for all Nintendo DS and 3DS fanboys. Taking place two years after the original Black & White, the story is just as fun as the last entries. Featuring new and old Pokemon, new Gym Battles and the end of the pixel sprites, Black 2 & White 2 are surely two games that are worth owning.



4) Grand Theft Auto V - Rockstar Games

The long-awaited fifteenth installment of the Grand Theft Auto series finally arrived in November and it did not disappoint. Featuring the biggest world in the series, the best graphics and a new campaign with three different characters, this game truly lives up to it's hype. You play as Franklin, Miachel and Trevor, out on the streets of Los Santos robbing crimes and shooting guns. If you don't have fun having a high-speed chase from the cops, you are not a true gamer. Just saying.

3) Tomb Raider - Square Enix

The last game with the Tomb Raider name came out in 2008. After the game Tomb Raider: Underworld was released, Square Enix began development on what became one of the best reboots of the year. Sporting a brand new Lara Croft, new origin story and amazing graphics in tow, this game is a beautiful nod to the franchise's story and main character. Not only that, but with it's re-release on PS4 and Xbox One
finally here, gamers of both last and current gen can enjoy Lara's body, I mean story.

2) Disney Infinity - Disney Interactive

Following up Disney's last somewhat-success attempt of a sandbox game, Disney Universe, Disney Infinity takes the successful formula of the Skylanders franchise and sprinkles on some Disney magic. Adding on the ability to build anything in your world and having a wide range of recent and classic Disney icons playable, this is a throwback and a great re-invitation to the world Walt Disney created so long ago.


1) The Last of Us - Naughty Dog

2013 was full of great hits but The Last of Us tops all of the best and then some. The story of Joel and Ellie's journey through the United States while surviving an apocalypse under a tyrannical government is one that's strong, well-scripted and can make any gamer misty-eyed. The fact that you must do anything to survive, even kill other survivors, makes us realize that we are killing people. Actual people. People in situations just like yours.  Not only that, the threat of a breed of fungus-infected "zombies" make your journey that more difficult. Bullets and food are scarce so you must use your resources wisely or else you may die. This third-person adventure/shooter truly is a work of art and will go down for years as one of the greatest games of all time.



Honorable Mentions:

• Lego Marvel Super Heroes - Telltale Games
• Super Mario Luigi Bros. U - Nintendo
• Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure - 5th Cell
• Injustice: Gods Among Us - NetherRealm Studios

And As Always, Gamers of the Nations, RAGE ON! And I'll See You Next Time :)

2014 Is The Year of... Nintendo?

Nintendo's Mascot Super Mario Punching an "N"

Ok, I'm just going to be honest:

Nintendo hasn't been very good lately.

But that doesn't mean they aren't trying to turn around for the better. Nintendo's most recent games, Super Mario 3D Land, Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Pokemon X & Y, have reached record sales and have become Nintendo's most highly praised games by far and it's only going to get better from here on out.

Nintendo surprised everybody at E3 last year with some big announcements of new games. Specifically these games: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS, Mario Kart 8 and Bayonetta 2. I'm a huge fan of Super Smash Bros. and with the latest installment featuring characters like Mega Man, Rosalina, Villager and even the Wii Fit Trainer, Super Smash Bros. appears to be a "smash" hit. But as for Bayonetta 2, this is actually a strange move on Nintendo's part. The original Bayonetta was rated M for it's last installment, remember? The last time Nintendo mad a move like this was when the game Madworld came out for the Wii U's predecessor in 2009 and that game was G-O-R-Y. Finally, Mario Kart 8 actually looks GREAT. With the Gamepad becoming a new way to use as a wheel, new and updated courses and new mechanics such as becoming hoverkarts, I'm excited for this next entry in the franchise. But that's not all Nintendo has up it's sleeve. Most recently, after much demand, Nintendo released a YouTube application for the Nintendo 3DS system. I can finally watch my favorite episodes of Freddie Wong's Video Game High School in awesome 3D. Now if Nintendo could JUST RELEASE FLIPNOTE STUDIO 3D, IT WOULD BE AWESOME. HINT HINT, NINTENDO.

Just $100 Off? PLEASE??????

But even so, the Wii U console still isn't selling as it was expected too. The reason? Well, for one, the previous price drop was only $50, still making it quite expensive at the current price of $299.99 for a 32GB Deluxe Set. The console may be $100 cheaper than a PS4 but Nintendo has to keep in mind that I can get a refurbished DS Lite system for only $69. My idea is that if Nintendo could decrease the price of the console by just enough, more people would by the console because of it's outrageous price. Another idea is to try to expand your genres of games. Bayonetta 2 is a perfect example of this because it's very rare for Nintendo to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for the Nintendo DS and if I know anything about COD, it's that it's, just like Madworld, very violent. What I'm saying is that If they expand the kinds of games they put out on the Wii U instead of just family-friendly titles, maybe more people would buy the console to play the game. Finally, an issue that's been around since consoles began to evolve: online multiplayer. Nintendo has a bad reputation when it comes to online multiplayer. I understand Nintendo wants to have friends and family sit together on a couch and play together, but what if they're away? I mean, the Nintendo DS family has online multiplayer and it's a good 25% the size of a Wii U.
go passed the T Rating. I mean, they even put

Wii Mini... Whatever It Is...

So what has Nintendo done? Not much so far. They've announced the end of production on the original Wii console but has also released the Nintendo 2DS and the Wii Mini. What do they do? Well, the Nintendo 2DS is basically a thin wedge of cheese with a D-pad, four buttons and 2 screens while the Wii Mini... I have no f**king idea.

In the end, with all of the success that Nintendo has had so far this year, I think that maybe Nintendo will do what Microsoft did with its Xbox One policies and do a complete 180. Right now, Nintendo has put out some great content over the last two years. A sequel to Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin 3 and with more HD remakes than I can count. I hope that in 2014 Nintendo will finally start to crack down on what they need and not need to put out this year. Why? One, to make their fans happy and two, to prevent what happend at E3 last year and actually hold a press conference and not some lousy booths.

And as Always, Gamers of the Nations, RAGE ON and I'll see you next time :)