2013 is the founding year of Enemy Slime, and as such it’s also the year that I had the least notice that I was going to need to rummage around for 5 games that I could honestly consider Game of the Year material. It’s a tall order to fill; you can’t just take the top 5 games in descending review score order, because there’s more to it than that. My picks may not have been perfect, or even for everybody, but they rocked my world. I was able to forgive whatever niggling issues these titles may had because honestly, I had so much damn fun with them.
5. Gunpoint (PC)
One of the best indies I played this year, Gunpoint made me laugh pretty heartily. The way in which you navigate buildings felt like a well thought out, and although rewiring objects isn’t necessarily new, it sure felt new in a stealth game and didn’t go any deeper than it needed to. All throughout the game you never really want it to end… Much to your dismay, the game ends just a few short hours in, and the level editor (while appreciated) didn’t allow the building of full campaigns, causing the custom level community to fizzle out before it could ever really start. Yes, this is a negative, but that hunger for more Gunpoint is just part of why it makes the list. Sometimes you see a beauty that lingers only for moments and then slips away into the night, and there you stand, glassy eyed and hopeful that you’ll see her again. Do we get a sequel? A better level editor? I don’t know, but I’ll keep waiting.
4. Saints Row 4 (PC, X360, PS3)
The at times unstable nature of the game made it a hard sell for GOTY, but I can’t deny that it was the most fun I’ve had playing a Saints Row game. And since Rockstar hates PC gamers, I’ll never know if I would have favored Grand Theft Auto 5 over it. It doesn’t matter though; in Saints Row 4 I flew, sprinted, and pelvic thrusted my way to the finish line and don’t regret any of it. Playing all the way through in co-op made the deal all the sweeter, and extended the play time with so much futzing around it should have been illegal. Perhaps most importantly, Saints Row has existed to remind us of a very important thing. As many AAA developers get too stuffy, thinking that the only way to make a good game is more realism and more seriousness, Saints Row gooses them, giggles, and cartwheels into a confetti explosion, reminding us that games are still allowed to be fun for fun’s sake. Duly noted, gentlemen. Duly noted.
3. Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag (PC, X360, WiiU, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
Although Jay had a less favorable view of Black Flag than I’ve had so far, Edward had me from the word go. “It’s not about need. I want food that don’t make me sick. I want a decent life.” I see a man who has lived at the bottom of the barrel, and his drive to acquire coin could be mistakenly seen as nothing more than 1-dimensional greed. Being poor most of my life and often feeling I deserve something decent for a change, I get Edward. I have to imagine many who have had the misfortune of being down and out would abandon a few principles here and there if it meant having the life they deserve, especially if they see no other way. Heavy stuff aside, the gameplay has just enough new and refined stuff to improve the series. The visuals on the PC are stunningly good, even if the performance is dodgy. I’ve never met an Assassin’s Creed game I didn’t like, and Black Flag has been no exception. Roping the Jackdaw to an enemy ship and engaging in a boarding fight is exciting every single time.
2. PayDay 2 (PC, PS3)
The game that’s probably on nobody else’s GOTY list, but it’s on mine. Why? Because it elevated itself immensely from its predecessor and stands as the only truly great heist game on the market… somehow without being all that complex or deep; it’s almost more of an arcade heist game. Sure, I can think of ways to make the game better by inserting some more sim-like elements, but what’s here is more than enough as it is. The skill trees are fantastic and give a reason to play the heists over again as well as provide a good opportunity to think up unique builds. Co-op is necessary but a blast. The way it carries itself is unique and memorable; once you’ve heard the cadence to Bain’s voice, Dallas dropping f-bombs at a hostage, witnessed the horror of a Bulldozer, something about it all just sticks. Oh, and hey, it certainly doesn’t hurt that Overkill Software is so generous with giving out free stuff.
1. Path of Exile (PC)
Blizzard made numerous amateurish blunders when they released Diablo 3. It had (and still has) wild balance issues, everything was boiled down to a single attribute making gearing a boring and fruitless effort, the writers seem to have come hot off the heels of a Saturday morning cartoon, and it just didn’t feel like a Diablo game. Path of Exile leaped out of the gate like a ravenous beast, eager to sate the appetites of Diablo players who felt left in the cold. Although the Diablo 3 expansion may solve a great many of Diablo 3’s issues in the future, for the time being Path of Exile has it by the throat. The itemization is just right, character progression is devilishly deep, it has more Diablo feel in its pinky than Diablo 3 does in its entire being, and to top it all off, it’s free to play. Like, really really free to play, to the level cap, to the end, to your heart’s content.
The barter system is a brilliant change to the ARPG formula; scrolls and item enhancements act as the currency, giving them true value beyond a simple integer. Some knock its visuals for being low budget as they’re a little rough around the edges, but I find them to be sharp and dark, and the atmosphere to be chilling, just the way a game like this should be. Path of Exile deserves to at least be considered for Game of the Year, here and everywhere.
