You have already seen the games and industry related issues I felt were the "Biggest Disappointments of 2013." Now, it's time to share the list of games that I feel were the most enjoyable to me in 2013.

Now, we usually had some sort of a "top 10" list around here, be it in written format in 2011 or video format (2012) from previous years. This year, I decided to give an unsorted list of the games I most enjoyed. Yes, there are more than ten games here. This is simply because I felt that while 2013 was a great year of really enjoyable titles, there really wasn't one game that stood out amongst the rest. Thus, making a list that culminated in a "#1 game of 2013" seemed like a really stupid idea to do.

With that said, here are the games I enjoyed playing the most in 2013. The only order you'll find here is alphabetical.


Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Despite the rather lengthy list of shortcomings in Assassin's Creed III, it still ended up being one of my favorite games of 2012. Assassin's Creed IV not only capitalizes on the strengths of its predecessors, but it also addresses a lot of the complaints gamers had as well. The tutorial stuff is quite minimal, especially compared to the hours of tutorial nonsense that last year's release included. Sure, it's still an Assassin's Creed game, but it's the best one out there so far. Plus, you are a pirate! That alone is quite awesome. Set sail for fun! (I'm so sorry. (No, I'm not.))


BioShock Infinite
I absolutely love BioShock Infinite, which is amazing given how bored I felt in the first BioShock and how I never finished BioShock 2 after a bug prevented story progress. Infinite had an amazing setting, music, voice work, and even gameplay to keep me interested from beginning to end. Irrational also managed to somehow make an entire game based on a glorified escort mission, but not once did it ever feel like a chore or annoyance. This is, perhaps, due largely to how great and likable a character Elizabeth is. And wow, that ending! My jaw is still on the floor.



Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
This one is a late entry. I only decided to play it near the end of December, and I'm rather glad I did. It's short, sweet, and quite touching. Puzzles are solved and adventures are had between two siblings all without a single word of English uttered between the two. Brothers is a great example of interactive storytelling that other developers should take note of. As two characters are controlled with two analog sticks (older brother on the left stick, younger on the right stick), I never really came to terms with the controls when the on screen characters switched sides with respect to the stick designations. A very minor complaint for a short but touching experience.



Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Blood Dragon is what happens when someone takes the already fantastic Far Cry 3 gameplay with its open world "do anything" mentality, and decides to go completely nuts with the story and setting. Blood Dragon is just pure 80's cheese and I loved it. For God's sake, they got The Terminator's Kyle Reese himself, Michael Biehn, to be the voice of main protagonist Sgt. Rex "Power" Colt. It has the flash, the feel, and the humor to back up the gameplay you already know and love.


Grand Theft Auto V
Hold the phone! How can this game be both on the "Most Enjoyable List" and the "Biggest Disappointment" list? The answer is simple. While Grand Theft Auto Online may be one of 2013's biggest disappointments, the single player component of Grand Theft Auto V is still immensely enjoyable. I already gave my lengthy list of complaints about the single player in my review, but I still pulled hours of fun from that world and I wouldn't trade that for anything.



Injustice: Gods Among Us
Here is another late entry to the list, having only started to play it in late December. Injustice combines some of your favorite heroes and villains of the DC Universe into one really enjoyable fighting game. Sure, the multiplayer is where the bulk of players will immediately gravitate to, but nobody should pass up the incredibly well done story mode. Yes, the story mode in a fighting game can be good and Injustice is proof of this.


Click here to continue to page 2 for the rest of the list!