Best Games I Played in 2013

It should probably be noted that I'm actually writing this list in 2015, two years after I've played most of these games. But I wanted to subject the 25 games I played in 2013 to the same "best game" criteria I used in 2014. As a reminder, that criteria is:

Best Soundtrack - Awarded for games whose soundtrack not only stands on its own, but compliments its game to help create style and atmosphere.

Best Art Style - Awarded to games that have a striking and memorable visual presentation

Best Narrative - Awarded for games that excel in storytelling, have a gripping plot, raise important questions or otherwise can challenge the player to think

Best Mechanic Design - Awarded for best implementation of innovative, thoughtful or original game systems

Best Game You Probably Haven't Played - Awarded for excellent games that I think flew under the radar

Game of the Year - Awarded to my overall favorite games I played this year.
The games eligible for my GOTY awards don't necessarily have to have been released in 2013. My only criteria is that I played through these games for the first time in 2013. The 25 games that fit that criteria are:

Bioshock Infinite (2013)
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
FEZ (2012)
The Cave (2013)
Borderlands 2 (2012)
Guacamelee! (2013)
Journey (2012)
System Shock 2 (1999)
Ni No Kuni (2013)
Heavy Rain (2010)
FTL (2012)
Rogue Legacy (2013)
Divekick (2013)
Persona 3 (2006)
Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
Gone Home (2013)
Pokemon X/Y (2013)
The Stanley Parable (2013)
Tactics Ogre (1995)
To the Moon (2011)
Papers, Please (2013)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013)
Batman: Arkham Origins (2013)
999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (2009)
Super Smash Bros. Project M v3.0 (2013)

Let's get started:

Best Soundtrack Runner Up: To the Moon / Freebird Games - 2011

I'm sad that I forgot to mention the soundtrack to this game in the review I wrote back in 2013. It's also worth noting that the entire soundtrack (minus the main theme) was composed by the same dude who developed the game and wrote the story. It's mostly soft piano music so you have to be in the mood for that sort of thing. Highlights from the soundtrack are "Having Lived", "Lament of a Stranger" and the very memorable "For River"

Best Soundtrack: Persona 3 / Atlus - 2006

I also failed to mention anything about this game's soundtrack in my review either. Composed by Shoji Meguro, the soundtrack feature's Meguro's unique blend of orchestrial rock, pop and hip-hop. It's not my favorite soundtrack, but it definitely gives Persona 3 a very unique and distinct feel, which is exactly what a soundtrack should do for a game. My favorite tracks are "Mass Destruction", "The Poem for Everyone's Souls", and "The Battle for Everyone's Souls"

Best Art Style Runner Up: Persona 3 / Atlus - 2006

Huh. Back-to-back awards for Persona 3, a game I thought was mostly forgettable back when I played it. Apparently it is less forgettable than I thought. The art style is very Japanese anime influenced, but has a sort of underlying dark creepiness found in the level designs and character designs. I wish I liked this game more. It's a game that I found to be a total chore while playing, but kept daydreaming of the locations and aesthetic while I wasn't playing it. I really hope Persona 5 can deliver on a game with Persona 3's aesthetic, but with a more engaging, fast-paced and interesting battle system.

Best Art Style: Ni No Kuni / Level-5 - 2013

There was something about the character designs, artwork and animation that got me totally invested in this game. I loved the light fantasy setting with dark undertones and themes. I had never seen a Miyazaki film prior to playing this game and Ni No Kuni inspired me to go out and watch several of the Studio Ghibli films. Now that I've seen those movies, I can say that Ni No Kuni perfectly captures the essence of those films and that art style and conveys emotion just as well or better than the movies do

Best Narrative Runner Up: 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors / Chunsoft - 2009

I thought this game had some pretty glaring design issues, but as far as narrative goes it was near perfect. I loved the murder mystery setting, the wide array of characters and the mind blowing twists in the story. I heard the iOS version of this game actually strips out all of the puzzle gameplay and only features the text and pictures. While this certainly makes the game less "gamey", 999 probably benefits from this in the long run. The story is definitely what 999 does best and Kotaro Uchikoshi definitely has a talent for writing mystery thrillers

Best Narrative: Heavy Rain / Quantic Dream - 2010

This game had been on my radar for a while and I'm so glad I finally got around to trying this. I absolutely loved this game. Yes, there's some silly filler in this game, and yes it takes a while to get going, and yes this game is probably not for everyone. But when Heavy Rain starts to hit its marks, it really hits its marks. There are some unbelievably gripping and intense moments in the story that really make you empathize with the main character and ask yourself how much you'd be willing to go through to save someone you love

Best Mechanic Design Runner Up: XCOM: Enemy Unknown / Firaxis Games - 2012

This is tactical strategy, squad based RPG combat at its finest. Once you get into XCOM, the hook of the gameplay is so strong. XCOM's loop of making a better base that can produce upgrades to make better units that can get more materials to make a better base is quite addicting. I kept finding myself saying "one more battle" over and over until I realized I had been staying up way too late playing this game. The "enemy within" expansion added a lot of variety and new mechanics to an already excellently designed game. I'm now looking forward to what XCOM 2 will bring to the table

Best Mechanic Design: FTL / Subset Games - 2012

If you even remotely like strategy games, FTL is a game you must play. Each play session of FTL is an entire game, you either win or you lose. Every encounter is randomized. You can have good luck and you can have bad luck, but if you understand this game's systems and make smart decisions, you can usually come out on top. Each ship plays differently and carries a different inherent playstyle. Achievements and accomplishments on a current run can also unlock new ships for a future run, so even if you don't beat the final boss, you can still unlock new playstyles. Very well designed.

Best Game You Probably Haven't Played Runner Up: Rogue Legacy / Cellar Door Games - 2013

Another very smartly designed game. I loved that each death was simultaneously frustrating, yet rewarding. Even though you die, you get new unlocks, weapons, armor or abilities, assuming you had enough gold. And you're also guaranteed to have a slightly different playstyle with the randomized classes and abilities on each death. If you're up for a challenge, this game is highly recommended.

Best Game You Probably Haven't Played: Super Smash Bros. Project M / PMDT - 2013

I love this game, I've been playing it constantly since version 2.0 back in 2012. A lot has changed about this game even since I wrote the review, and all of the changes are pretty sweet. The developers now refer to themselves as the Project M Development Team (PMDT) and as of this writing, we're on version 3.6. Lots of new play modes have been added, along with new stages and balance adjustments. I love Smash and have played all of the Smash Bros. games, and this is the definitive one for me. At least it's the one I have the most fun playing. It doesn't have the prominence or exposure that Melee or Smash 4 have, so I feel it necessary to promote this game as hard as I can. What makes it the definitive Smash game for me is that I find it to be more balanced, polished and refined than Melee, and more fast paced and deeper than Smash 4. Even if you play it casually it's a ton of fun. Download it for free here if you like the Smash games. All you need is an SD card and a copy of Brawl. Or check out the Dolphin Emulator if you have an awesome PC. Then get good and fight me.

Game of the Year Runner Up: FTL / Subset Games - 2012

Seriously, check this game out. It's awesome. There's tons of replay value. I love the different ships and weapons which force experimentation with different playstyles. The free advanced edition expansion has been released since the time I wrote the original review which adds even more ships, weapon types, scenarios and different playstyles. Pro tip: the teleporter is amazing. Even in the advanced edition

Game of the Year: The Stanley Parable / Galactic Cafe - 2013

Like I mention in the review, going into detail about what this game is and how it works is kind of a spoiler in of itself. Just trust me that this game is smart, fresh, funny and deserves to be played. Or if you don't trust me, there's a free demo of this game that's on Steam. In true Stanley Parable style, the demo isn't even a demo of the actual game. Confused? Curious? Go download the free demo and see what I'm talking about