The Games That Made 2013 Great

The year just gone was a big one for gamers. Both Microsoft and Sony unleashed their next generation consoles on the world – the Xbox One and Playstation 4 — and we’re only just beginning to find out what they can do. The WiiU, launched late last year, failed to match the sales of its predecessor, but Nintendo’s policy of ‘when in doubt, release a new Mario game’ may just turn their console’s fortunes around.

And, of course, there have been more big titles than you can shake a joystick at. This year saw the release of blockbuster games like Bioshock Infinite and Grand Theft Auto V, the latter of which had already out-grossed most big Hollywood movies ahead of its release. Meanwhile, high-brow indie titles like Gone Home and The Stanley Parable successfully cornered the ‘I don’t normally play games, but…’ market.

Rather than an industry-wide wrap up, I’ve opted for something a bit more personal – a run-down of the games I truly loved in 2013. These are the titles that inspired me and spoke to me and kept me glued to various consoles for dozens of hours, long after I should have been in bed.

I’m not necessarily saying these are the best games of the year, but they’re the ones I absolutely couldn’t live without.

Favourite Game: Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch

I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch is everything I’ve ever wanted out of a video game, and I can die happy now I’ve played it. The PS3 game is a collaboration between animation house Studio Ghibli and Japanese RPG developer Level-5, and if any of the words I just wrote make sense to you, then you were probably just as exited for Ni No Kuni as I was.

The trailers made it look fantastic — like a Ghibli film you can play — but the game itself surpassed every expectation, combining stunningly beautiful visuals with deep and involving gameplay.

The story of Ni No Kuni is your basic quest narrative. A young boy named Oliver is grieving the death of his mother when his toy comes to life and tells him that there is another world, parallel to our own, from which he can try and bring her back. This other world and its eccentric inhabitants are under the control of a dark djinn and a mysterious white witch, and he must face off against each of them if he has any hope of success. He travels through deep, dark forests and across sun-baked deserts, recruiting friends to help along the way as he slowly transforms from a meek little boy into a great hero.

The gameplay is at once familiar and inventive. Throughout the story, Oliver and friends capture and train a variety of creatures to fight alongside them, teaching them spells and levelling them up as they go. The real-time battle system makes the combat feel fast-paced and exciting, even in some of the longer boss battles, which can go for upwards of 20 minutes. The world itself is filled with unexplored nooks and crannies, and there are enough side-quests and collectibles that I notched up 100 hours easily in my first play-through of the game.

Joe Hisaishi, the man behind the music, was the composer for almost all of Studio Ghibli’s big films — Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke — and Ni No Kuni is his first video game. The orchestral score is filled with his signature hauntingly evocative melodies, with moments of whimsy and high drama packed in side by side. The ‘World Map’ theme is completely spot on, with great flourishes of brass and lone hornpipes hinting at both brave deeds and dark mysteries. The ‘Battle Theme’ is deliberately jarring, with a shifting tempo that keeps you off balance, and the post-battle ‘Victory!’ tune is soothing and reassuring.

I haven’t even gotten to the beautiful character design, the huge variety of enemies and locations, or the thrill that comes with ducking and diving around on your dragon’s back for the first time — oh yeah, partway through the game you get your very own dragon to fly you around the world map.

I’ve long been a lover of RPGs, from Secret Of Mana and Chrono Trigger through to the Final Fantasy and Tales games, and Ni No Kuni is a worthy addition to the list. In a year when a lot of big games repeated past glories, this one tried something fresh and new, with cracking results.

Favourite System: Nintendo 3DS

2013 was a banner year for Nintendo’s 3DS, both critically and commercially. As of September this year, the 3DS was nudging worldwide sales of 35 million, and its library of great games continues to expand. This year, another must-play title seemed to arrive every couple of weeks, to the point where it was actually difficult to keep up.

For my money, the best 3DS games of the year were a pair of RPGs: Pokemon X & Y and Bravely Default. Each one was a twist on a beloved old franchise, and each offered many, many hours of deep gameplay.

Pokemon X & Y broke sales records in October, and were met with a rapturous reception. For many, they represented the culmination of the series so far, retaining the core Pokemon gameplay experience while giving the world and the creatures in it a stunning 3D makeover. The online elements of X and Y were flawlessly executed, so battling trainers from around the world was a snap. I have to admit that I’ve yet to achieve a victory with my all Eeveelution party, but I’m getting there.

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Bravely Default is the newest offering from Final Fantasy developer Square Enix, and it harks back to the glory days of that series, before it swapped out gameplay for pretty visuals. Bravely Default is a gorgeous-looking game, but its turn-based battles and intricate job system are catnip for lovers of old-school RPGs. The world of the game is beautifully designed, with locations like a clockwork city in the middle of the desert to explore. The title also makes sense in the context of the game, I promise.

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My runner-up for 3DS title of the year would have to be The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Not only is it the freshest Zelda adventure in years, it manages to pull off a very difficult trick, disguising something new as something old. It looks just like the SNES classic Link To The Past, but after lulling you in with nostalgia, it hits you with new and exciting gameplay mechanics. The game will rightly make it on to many end-of-year lists.

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This year also finally saw a European release for Devil Survivor: Overclocked. A tale about a group of teenagers in a demon-infested Toyko, it’s one of the most brutal and unforgiving hand-held RPGs I’ve ever come across. The tactical battles require a lot of strategy and planning, but there’s nothing like the thrill of finally smashing that big boss. Fire Emblem Awakening is currently sitting on my pile, too; by all accounts, it’s a fantastic strategy RPG and I can’t wait to get into it over the holidays.

Atlus’s beat-em-up Code Of Princess didn’t get a physical release in Australia, but is currently sitting in the 3DS e-shop, tempting me to download it. That may have to do until the inexplicably delayed Shin Megami Tensei IV finally comes out here. Seriously, what’s the go with that?

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Favourite Time-Wasters

The increased accessibility of technology means there’s absolutely nothing to stop budding game designers from having a crack and then releasing their product directly on the internet. There have been a bunch of great, free-to-play browser games this year, but in the interests of space, I’ve narrowed by picks down to four.

Naya’s Quest has a look that harks back to the NES era, but the simple isometric visuals conceal a great deal of complexity. You literally have no idea what you’re about to walk into, and plotting your escape path gets harder and harder with each room.

Leaf Me Alone is a simple and beautiful platform adventure, and the hero of the tale is a little beige blob who just wants a little time to himself.

If you want to feel stressed-out and anxious, then Slayin is the way to go. You play a knight, running frantically from left to right as hordes and hordes of enemies swarm all over you. There are power-ups to be had, but ultimately, survival is all about your wits, and how fast you can dodge.

Last of all, there’s Fear Less, in which a Little Red Riding Hood-like girl attempts to outrun a wolf each in her recurring nightmares each evening.

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Honourable Mentions

Tales Of Xillia brought a rich, RPG world to the PS3, and the game’s dual protagonists give it great replay value, allowing you to experience the story from two totally different perspectives. Dragon’s Crown was a shamelessly fun beat-em-up, offering gaudy fantasy visuals and hyper-exaggerated boss battles. Persona 4 Arena, pictured below, was a fighting game that pushed things beyond button-mashing.

A few more familiar faces came back on 3DS. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon was the first truly original game to emerge from the Mario franchise in years, while Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D provided colourful platform-based gameplay and a high level of challenge.

Meanwhile, in one of the most anticipated re-releases of 2013, Kingdom Hearts –HD 1.5 ReMIX- brought a classic back to life in hi-def. Kingdom Hearts 2 and Birth By Sleep will get the re-release treatment next year too, in the lead-up to the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3.

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Alasdair Duncan is an author, freelance writer and video game-lover who has had work published in Crikey, The Drum, The Brag, Beat, Rip It Up, The Music Network, Rave Magazine, AXN Cult and Star Observer.