2013 was a good year in gaming, filled with quality releases nearly every month of the year. So sifting through the dozens of games I’ve experienced over the past twelve months, it’s time to declare what the top three Xbox 360 games of 2013 are:
3.) Metro: Last Light
While I didn’t care much for the original, the sequel brought a better story, better visuals, modern FPS gameplay and an overall package that felt much better than its predecessor, Metro 2033. So much better, in fact, that it’s worthy of a GOTY bronze medal.
2.) Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Assassin’s Creed games are kind of like that one so-so pizza place down the street. Most of the time the pizza is just barely acceptable, but once in a blue moon the cheese is rich and thick, the sauce is hearty but not too thick, and the crust is fluffy and seasoned. Black Flag is that once in a blue moon pizza. With ship battles to put every Pirates of the Caribbean movie to shame, Black Flag is a sprawling, triple A title that finally puts Ubisoft’s budget to good use.
1.) Aliens: Colonial Marines
… Just kidding!
REAL 1.) GTA V
Now, my actual review of this game (the whole three sentences) was pretty brief and dismissive. But at the end of the day, a game with this scope, quality and content is unheard of. The narrative is one of the best in gaming history, the characters are fully realized, the gameplay is solid and the multiplayer is about as immersive as it gets. Rockstar takes the gaming cake yet again with their GTA franchise, and I can’t wait to see where the series goes next.
