What Were the Top 10 Games You Played This Year?

[BurningDoom]

Wanted to start this thread because I'm a retro gamer. While I do play modern games, I don't really play enough of them to warrant a top 10 games for the current year only. And that other thread limits it to just that.

So, since this is a retro-oriented forum and all, I thought it might be appropriate to start a thread that includes both modern games and retro-games.

What were the top 10 games you played this year?

2013 isn't quite over yet, and I just got a 3DS, so I may be adding to this list before the year actually ends. But so far, here's what they are for me:

-Batman: Arkham City (Xbox 360) - Batman: Arkham Asylum was a great Batman game. But Batman Arkham: City, is a great game, period. So much detail put into this game. So much fan-service. And such a great use of it's high-production value. Instead of just going for big bangs and lots of CGI scenes like most big-budget games; this game put it's money into creating an incredible atmosphere. Arkham City is this living, breathing, and forever memorable character with a great use of lighting (or I should say a great use knowing when not to use it), a distinct style, gritty yet realistic graphics that perfectly fit the style, a good Batman story that could have been used in any ongoing Batman comic, and superb voice-acting.

-Bionic Commando (Xbox 360) - Such an underrated gem, and quite possibly one of the best games this generation. I'm pretty sure it didn't do so well for the simple fact that it was an old-school mentality game that had a high-learning curve and steep difficulty level. But once you get the controls down, the controls and movement is just divine.

-Brutal Legend (Xbox 360)- So metal, and so awesome! If you're not a metal-head, or never have been; then this might not be your cup of tea. But if you are, or have ever been a part of the metal-world, you'll freaking have a blast with this game! It's just so freaking bad-ass and so hilarious at the same time. So many references, and a ton of unlockables too that pay a ton of fan-service to headbangers.

-Chrono Trigger (SNES) - This one is kind of a cheat, since it's not the first time I played it. But the first time I did play it was very long time ago when it was a new game, and I was a kid (maybe middle school). So it's been years since I played it, and while I remember parts of it, for the most part it was a very fresh experience for me. And it still stands up to the test of time. The time-travel story and the way it affects the different timelines is just so cool. And the music is fantastic! Played it this time via Wii Virtual Console.

-Golden Sun (GBA) - At first, it just seems like your average 16-bit JRPG game, but portable on the GBA. That alone makes it a good enough game. But as you continue to play through it, you realize it's a bit different. The world is a bit more affected by your actions than you first realized. And as the story starts to unfold, you begin to realize that there's a lot more going on than what is initially presented to you. Just as you think you may have a grasp on things, too, the last section of the game slaps you in the face and wakes you up with a large plot-reveal, which continues on into the 2nd game, which is a must-play after finishing this one.

-Golden Sun: The Lost Age (GBA) - The direct-sequel to the first game, which picks up directly after the first game ends (really, it's just a continuation of the first game's story). More of what made the first game so awesome. But what makes this one really stick out, is the connecting nature of the 2 games. They really are interconnected so well, that after playing through both games you get that same feeling you get after you just finish watching an epic movie trilogy or a great multi-issue comic book storyline.

-Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360) - I tried this game out when it was new. But I was also a new Xbox 360 gamer, so I was quick to judge with so much out there for me to play. The first time started playing it I decided it was too different from past Halos, so I traded it in. Lucky for me, I got another copy for cheap this year and I gave it a real chance. I have to admit, while the environment may get a bit to familiar with all the back-tracking and such; the story more than makes up for it. And I love how it's told through each soldier's eyes.

-Raptor: Call of the Shadows (PC) - An old Apogee Software 2D shoot-em up on PC. Got this one this year via GoG for under $2 during a sale. Well worth the price of a slice of pizza. Shoot-em fans should eat this one up. 2D horizontal shooter with nice, chunky graphics, a great old-school soundtrack, and different upgradable ships you spend money earned on levels for.

-Spyto 2: Ripto's Rage (PS1) - Cutesy 3D platformers are normally not my kind of game, at all. But I just don't know what it is about Spyro. I had blast with this game, as I did the first one. Now I need to get my hands on Spyro: Year of the Dragon.

-WWE '13 (Xbox 360) - It really is too bad THQ took a dive right when their wrestling games were making a huge comeback in quality. What really shined in this game was the storyline mode, better known as the Attitude Era mode. It was just a nostalgia fest playing through this. And it hit all the right buttons with the video footage, the entrances and music, the little documentary parts were better than the WWE: Attitude Era DVD, and I loved the unlockable mid-carders from the era. Any gamer that followed the WWF during the oh-so-awesome Attitude Era needs to do themselves a favor and pick this game up. But be forewarned, I cussed out loud more while playing this game than Sandman did in all his promos for ECW. That damn reversal system can get pretty frustrating at times.

[SamuraiMegas]

In no particular order:
1&2: The first two batman arkham games! Stealthy goodness with amazingly fluid combat and great controls.
3: metal Gear Rising. Fun 3D beat em' up type game (I think it's considered a beat em up) with over the top action.
4: Fire Emblem Sacred Stones! I actually can't beat this one, but It was a ton of fun! Introduced me to fire emblem.
5: Fire Emblem Awakening. Good story so far, more of the fire emblem goodness i love.
6: Starbound. I literally just sunk 2 hours in it without meaning to. I would have played even more but the game crashed. It's in beta and does have a few bugs.
7: TF2. I have 90ish hours in it and I am awful at it but I love it.
8: Garry's Mod. The game that can be anything you want it to!
9:Hotline Miami, the gory and extremely tough top down game that I still can't believe I managed to beat.
10: Journey. Amazing. Purely amazing, I went through the game with about 4 people and had a blast. People were nice and patient and were okay letting me stop and look around at the wonderful art.

[Gamerforlife]

We've had a couple best of threads lately, so I fear I'm repeating myself since much of what I'm mentioning here is 2013 stuff, but here goes:

Sam & Max Save the World Reality 2.0 - Full of hilarious comedy and fun gaming nostalgia, this is one of the best Sam & Max episodes I've played and a really well designed PC Adventure game

Puppeteer - It's hard to describe this game in just a few words. It a platformer full of energy, inspiration, creativity and fun. Puppeteer is a game full of surprises where you never know what you'll see or hear next. The game's theatrical presentation, narrator, and interactive audience really gives it a unique flavor. Puppeteer is my platform game of the year.

Sly Thieves in Time - Every bit as good as the PS 2 trilogy. I love this series and am happy to see it still going. This game is classic Sly with fun mini-games, a cool mix of stealth gameplay and platforming, and a cast of characters who are super charming. High points are the awesome montage segment and the boss fight against The Grizz, who is a hilarious bad guy.

Assasin's Creed IV: Black Flag - I started this recently, and haven't finished yet, but it's already wowed me. The game captures the whole pirate theme better than anything I've played since Skies of Arcadia. The ship battles are fun and remind me of the ship battles in Sly Cooper 3's pirate chapter, but waaaay better. Everything in this game is polished to perfection. The combat system ranks up there with Sleeping Dogs and Batman Arkham City. The stealth mechanics are great. The platforming is simple. Collectibles are easy to find and rewarding. The sailing is awesome. The story is good. As my first Assassin's Creed game, this makes a very strong impression and I'm thinking it might actually be my overall game of the year. My only minor gripe is some of the multi-player stuff I'll have to do if I want the Platinum trophy for this game. I hate when quality single player games have tacked on multi-player.

Guacamelee - Awesome mix of beat 'em up gameplay, humor, cartoon-like graphics, Metroid game design, and a cool Luchador theme. I Platinumed this game and got all the DLC trophies too because it's just that addicting

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack - A really funny, unique platform game with a variety of interesting gameplay mechanics and an old, sci fi horror movie theme. From the same great minds that made Guacamelee, it has one of the coolest final stages I've ever seen and is another one of those games you can shove in the face of people who say the Vita doesn't have good software

Castle of Illusion HD - More than an enhanced port, they completely remade the game in 3D and it's AWESOME how they incorporate the original game's classic elements in a 3D world, while adding in lots of new ideas to flesh the game out further. As great as Ducktales Remastered was, this was even more impressive

Castlevania: Mirror of Fate - It's a hodge podge of everything great about Castlevania. There's that old school linearity, but then it branches out to let you explore Metroid style when you get far enough in a chapter. There are epic bosses as you'd expect from a good Castlevania game and there's some cool modern twists taken from its big, console brother like the God of War style combat and quick time events.

Fist Puncher - A very simple, NES style beat 'em up in the vein of River City Ransom. It's loads of fun, funny, and accessible. Lots of awesome unlockable characters too including a guy with a Mr. Freeze style ice gun!

Fire Emblem Awakening - The high stakes combat (where people can die for real), the freedom in choosing and developing character relationships, the camaraderie and teamwork that combat strongly emphasizes, the cool characters, the butt load of awesome DLC, the awesome, fully animated, 3d combat sequences that break up the 2d, grid based gameplay, the strategic combat, there's lots of stuff this game does right. I had many sleepless nights playing this, which got me in trouble when I was napping at work

Honorable Mentions:
I also enjoyed playing Deadpool, Drive the Game...er, I mean Hotline Miami, Contrast, Shinovi Versus, Mario & Luigi Dream Team (which I'll eventually finish one of these days) Dokuro (flawed though it was), Stick it to the Man, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, and the highly overrated but still enjoyable Walking Dead series

EDIT: Crap, forgot to add Ratchet and Clank into the Nexus. So many cool games I played this year. Into the Nexus is worthy of my top 10, but there's no room for it. The game has one of the best opening chapters I've ever seen in a game, meeting a compelling new female villain, blasting bad guys, and leaping from ship to ship with your grav boots while avoiding a large enemy ship trying to crash into you, followed by a significant story event, it's all very epic.

[Sload Soap]

@BurningDoom, when you say Bionic Commando do you mean the 3D reboot or the 2D remake? Just curious.

[Damm64]

No particular order and i barely played any games this year so i can't reach 10 but this are the best:

Batman Returns; Seriously a really great beat'em up featuring BATMAN, even when the enemies thend to look a bit lame the fact that you can thrown them into the background or grab two and knock their heads together make's this game worth it.

A Link to the Past; Well i haven't finished this one yet, but i enjoy it so far and it reminded me why im bad at zelda games i tend to get stuck a lot

Bayonetta; i skipped devil may cry and tried this one the ps3... now i'm want to try the other games created by kamiya. I played a few hack and slash but this one has so many combos where you really need to be precise to pull them off and i will be obsessed to get platinum on every stage.

Lollipop chainsaw; with ton of unlockables and great sence of humor i really enjoy it this game. Has one of the most memorable first boss ever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyn_KNMdSKE

Ducktales, yet another game i need to try and beat. Heard about the remake and decided to check the classic and is really good and the remake looks even better to me so i have to get it.

Well i think that's it like i said barely played any games this year.

[Luke]

Whew, this one is a toughie. Probably just another "my favorite games list" for me. In no order:

NHL 2002
Bioshock Infinite
Child of Eden
El Shaddai ascension of the metatron
Ninja Gaiden
Sonic CD
Yars' Revenge
Crash Team Racing
Mutant League Football
Super Mario Bros. 3

[cha cha]

No real order, just games I have immensely enjoyed on multiple occasions this year. As you may have guessed, a lot of these are fighters and/or multiplayer games. The ones that aren't are the ones I actually got to play with what little time I leave to myself each week

Dragon's Crown
Tomb Raider
Tekken Tag 2
SoulCalibur 5
Bioshock Infinite
Last of Us
King of Fighters 13
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record (MP campaign)
Raskulls
Guilty Gear AC+R

[alienjesus]

I'll probably answer this question once I've had a chance to post my final games beaten list for this year.

[Luke]

No real order, just games I have immensely enjoyed on multiple occasions this year. As you may have guessed, a lot of these are fighters and/or multiplayer games. The ones that aren't are the ones I actually got to play with what little time I leave to myself each week

Dragon's Crown
Tomb Raider
Tekken Tag 2
SoulCalibur 5
Bioshock Infinite
Last of Us
King of Fighters 13
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record (MP campaign)
Raskulls
Guilty Gear AC+R

Hey Duder, does Tekken Tag 2 have endings for each specific character?

[BurningDoom]

@BurningDoom, when you say Bionic Commando do you mean the 3D reboot or the 2D remake? Just curious.

3D. The 2D one is called "Bionic Commando: Rearmed". I have that one and it's sequel, too, but I played those when they were brand-new. Also fantastic games.

However, I got stuck on a boss on BC: Rearmed 2. When you're C.O. goes evil and super-bionic and you have to fight him, he's freaking impossible!