Bioshock Infinite had some stunning visuals and a weird alternate history plot.

Apparently October and November were in a real rush to get out of here because it is already a week into December. But that means just one thing: LISTS! Lists and lists about lists. This list will be about my personal favorite games of the year. Perhaps favorite is not very apt, maybe I should call them my most noteworthy games of the year. When looking back at what I played in 2013, these games really stood out. I was going to include games that I played this year but did not necessarily release this year. However, my list happens to include only games that actually DID release this year, so forget I mentioned it. Good. On to that list!

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

I already made mention of this once before, but it is worth repeating. Since my initial time with the game I have progressed quite a bit and the game still holds up. As I mentioned in my other article, this is my first MMO. And I gather that it is probably one of the best MMOs to start with. The game at times plays very much like a console style JRPG but with some multiplayer instances sprinkled in. This is particularly evident in its masterful controller support. Having dabbled a bit in the keyboard and mouse setup, I can comfortably say that the controller scheme is for me. I would argue it is even superior in some ways, but that may just be my own failings with a keyboard setup talking. From my now more extensive experience, I can say it is of little consequence to pull off important tasks in a pinch. Switching hotbars, marking targets, changing target filters and cycling between targets all while moving works like a dream. As a level 50 Paladin about to embark on the tough endgame content I feel very well equipped to do so with a controller at my side. In fact, I find the game so compelling that I have an alt character on another server that I play solo so I can enjoy the game’s story at my own pace. And that all goes without mentioning the phenomenal soundtrack. After listening to it regularly during gameplay I assumed I would be weary of it, but not at all. FF14 really is a complete package of story, gameplay, visual effects, longevity, and audio.

The Last of Us

The Last of Us

Another game I mentioned in a previous article, The Last of Us was a real standout thanks to its stellar story. The gameplay was also quite to my liking since it mixed well with the light survival horror and stealth elements of the game. But the story is what I remember when I think back on this game. The game’s ability to get me to care about Joel and Ellie is helped immensely by the game’s stunning visuals and facial animations. At key points the game changes up the relationship between these two characters and these changes were greatly affecting to me because of the amazing ground work built between them in the beginning. The ending of the game came as a slight weak point to me. It almost felt as if the developers were unsure as to how they wanted to finish the game. But it was not enough to spoil the the experience, especially since it took so long. Something AAA games are trending toward is a shorter campaign, and The Last of Us stands in opposition to that trend. As well, it features a very technical and unique multiplayer mode that avoids being just another third person shooter deathmatch. I only spent a limited amount of time with it, but it was clear that the focus was always meant to be on the single player mode.

Bioshock Infinite

This is a game I seem to care less and less about as time goes on, and yet here it sits on my list for games of the year. Though the game’s flaws, and there are many, only seem more apparent as time goes by I feel obligated to give it a spot on this list because of how I felt while playing it. Simply put, the game is a visual roller coaster. And a really impressive roller coaster at that. From the intense opening at the lighthouse, the picturesque scenes of Columbia in the clouds, and then the creeping eeriness of a recently abandoned utopia, Infinite offers a wide array of stunning visuals that had me just stop and stare. I found myself intentionally taking the time to just watch the world before I carried on with my tasks, even though those tasks were continually prodding at me most of the time. The faults of the game, however, become the only things I initially recall when thinking back it. The story once again happens everywhere BUT where the player is as I constantly came upon captured or dead NPCs and found recordings of interesting events happening elsewhere or at other times. The Bioshock trope of an implausibly built city wears thin at the sight of Columbia being blatantly diametric to Rapture with the story and logistics seemingly filled in later. The Songbird is Rapture’s Big Daddies all rolled into one just as Elizabeth is the Little Sisters in a more attractive package. The story’s odd twist, and for the uninitiated it is VERY odd, adds a nice wow factor by the end but it seems to overshadow the nature of Columbia in a way Rapture’s nature and purpose were not overshadowed by Bioshock‘s own twist. So, too, does this entry seem to foretell of a trend that includes an outlandish locale, a blank everyman protagonist, a female to protect or rescue, and a big plot twist or deception at the end. That was a lot of awful to write about a game I put on a list like this, but I really did enjoy myself at the time. I promise!

These two doors will be encountered a lot throughout The Stanley Parable

The Stanley Parable

Much fuss had been made about this game, with claims like “do not listen to anything, just buy it.” Well, after more than a few sources made this claim I decided to buy the game with very little foreknowledge. The result? I am not disappointing. In fact I have never played a game like it. The biggest problem with the game is how to recommend it because going in completely blind likely is the best way to experience it. Yet I can picture a few people I know not enjoying it for what it is. I would stop reading here if I had any intentions of getting this game, but to explain the premise simply: the player is a man who is directed by a disembodied voice to do specific tasks for odd and unclear reasons and the player can choose to obey or disobey those directions intermittently to some comedic result. There is very little beyond walking to do in the game. No jumping, no running, no weapons, no HUD or menus are in the game at all. In many ways it is a kind of critique on the choices players make in games as well as game design itself and in other ways it is just a fun ride narrated amusingly by British actor Kevan Brighting. At a budget price that has been discounted a few times already on Steam, I think the game is well worth a spin. Even after reading this and diving in with some expectations I would wager it to still be worth the plunge.

Honorable mention should also go to Fire Emblem Awakening for being another fine installment in the series as well as one of the key reasons I bought a 3DS XL (my first handheld system since the Game Boy Color). As well I should mention Rogue Legacy for being a very competent indie platformer with RPG and roguelike qualities that kept me hooked all the way through.

So what games did you enjoy this year? They need not have released this year. For instance, if you had only gotten into Borderlands 2 this year then that would make a fine example. Let me know what games really made you take notice this year right down there in the ol’ comments.

Nothing says Thanksgiving better than a bacon-weave turkey.

Turkey Day is upon us, at least, for those of us that live in God’s country, America. Unfortunately, between a promotion at my other employer (the one that actually pays) and an increasingly sick dog, my time for all things gaming has evaporated over the past week. Instead of writing a cliché Thanksgiving post, I am going to borrow (steal) from Ethos and share some thoughts on the few gaming related items that sneaked into my busy life.

I Finally Beat Pokémon Y

It took me a few weeks longer than the site’s feature allowed, but I finally conquered the Elite 4 to finish the main story of Pokémon Y. My battle with the Elite 4 was harder than it should have been, mainly because I relied on two Pokémon, Blaziken and Reuniclus, rather than developing a balanced team. I enjoyed Pokémon Y more than the previous two entries into the series, but a few issues with the game prevent it from overtaking Heart Gold/Soul Silver as my favorite in the series. The drop in framerate during battles, especially double battles, is my biggest issue. At first, I only noticed slowdown while playing with 3D on, but later battles that involved larger monsters would slowdown even without 3D enabled. I expect that this will be fixed by the time Z gets released, though.

My other issues are pretty minor, but I do hate not being able to catch both legendary mascots in either game. I know that connecting with other players has always been a key part of the series, but most other players are very protective of their Yvetal or Xerneas and will only give them up if they are getting the other in return. This is not the first time this has happened, but it still is pretty annoying. It is a losing proposition for a person like me that enjoys attempting to catch every last monster. A perfect Pokémon game would allow me to find all 718 creatures between a pair of games, but my hopes of that being an actual release are pretty low.

My overdue return to Final Fantasy XIV

My time with FF XIV: ARR should have been unimpeded, but I allowed games like Grand Theft Auto V and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag to steal my time from this excellent MMO. There is not much I can say about A Realm Reborn that would not be an echo of the praise that Lusipurr, Mel, and Blitzmage have heaped on the game. It really is that good. Looking back at the mess that Final Fantasy XIV was makes A Realm Reborn seem like an even greater accomplishment for Square Enix. FF XIV: ARR represents a growing threat to World of Warcraft and, while it may not dethrone the king, it at least gives the genre a healthy competition which has been absent for some time.

A great game that is hampered by a bit of poor programming.

Xbone vs. PlayStation 4 vs. Mario

The new console generation has begun. The hype and anticipation for the new pieces of hardware from Sony and Microsoft is a thing of the past and now it is action time for all three gaming companies. With many titles being delayed for both the PS4 and Xbone, the launch libraries for both consoles were quite lackluster. The graphics for games specifically designed for these current-gen consoles like Killzone: Shadow Fall and Ryse: Son of Rome are quite breath taking, but neither game interests me. I get a yet-another-FPS feeling with Killzone and Ryse was developed by Crytek, a company that makes beautiful graphics and fucks up everything else. As for the microtransactions that are plaguing Xbone games, I will leave it to the brilliant Australian, Julian Taylor, to report on them in his post this weekend.

A new console was not the only thing released on November 22nd though. Nintendo began its plan to sell Wii U’s during the holiday season with a bang, releasing Super Mario 3D World the same day as the Xbone. The release of 3D World finally gives Nintendo the must-have title that the Wii U has needed for a year now. My expectations for 3D World were not very high, partly because of time I recently spent playing the utterly terrible Paper Mario: Sticker Star, but I am happy to see that it is receiving positive reviews by other websites and other gamers. Now I wait patiently for Nintendo of America to make a good decision and bring the Mega Mario Bundle over here.

The Obligatory “Thanks” Section

Well I lied, but it would not be a true Thanksgiving post if I failed to include this section, so tough shit. I must give thanks to Emperor Lusipurr, if it was not for his kindness, I would not be able to infect the minds of the readers of this website. In fact, without Lusipurr, I would have never been introduced to gaming. Please note that the Great Leader forced me to include that in this post, something about all the staff members having to give thanks to him first and foremost on Thanksgiving.

To all the American readers, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving. To all non-Americans, it is about time that you immigrate to our broken country so that we can squeeze tax money out of more people.

An eleven out of five experience.

Download: Produced 2013.09.22

Lusipurr is in a hurry to play some more Final Fantasy XIV in his meagre free time, and so he instructs SiliconNooB and Gyme to roll all of their collected news stories into a giant news Katamari. Then, the panel gives away games to attentive listeners!

My main character on Lamia is working toward becoming a paladin, like this fine fellow.

Despite being a dedicated gamer who has followed game news stories for many years now, I have never once gotten into an MMO. I put a great deal of blame, if that is even the right word, on the shoulders of console gaming as compared to PC gaming through the 90s and into the early 2000s. Without a gaming PC or any desire to obtain one, I was without the primary means to experience an MMO. With that lack of means came no small sense of intimidation. From the outside, the MMO world looked like a hardcore realm that demanded a great deal of time to learn and play as well as sometimes requiring strict coordination with people all around the world. Though some of these things are true to varying degrees, the ultimate excuse truly remained the lack of availability as PC gaming had yet to feel the resurgence it did in 2008. As such I remained very much an offline local-multiplayer man for a great while until about a year or two after the PS3 launched when the realm of online gaming was opened up to me.

This is where Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn really nailed it: it appealed to console gamers. In the past other MMOs have attempted the same, like Square-Enix’s own Final Fantasy XI, but the time was not exactly right. XI launched on the PS2, which is hardly remembered for its online capabilities, and was later ported over to the Xbox 360 where it was met with no great uptake of new players. XIV:ARR, by comparison, launched at the end of August 2013. With a long and well received public beta period and, of course, the much more online oriented world of console gaming, XIV:ARR had lined itself up perfectly to strike gold. Not only would this MMO release on the PS3 but it would also tie together the PC community which in turn means more opportunities for people to play together which is the lifeblood of any MMO. In its appeal to console gamers, the makers of XIV:ARR strove to be as inclusive as possible and the response, as is easily gauged when attempting to hunt down a copy of the game for PC, has been overwhelming.

No small part of this inclusiveness is found in how the game was designed. In particular, the console user interface speaks volumes to how much the developers tried to make the game as easy to get into as possible. I play my copy on my PC and yet I still prefer the console UI layout. I find it relaxing and, more impressively, flexible enough to allow me to do a range of things all on the fly thanks to the wonderful hotbar setup. It would take someone further along in this game than I to vouch for the console controls closer to endgame content, but I can attest that at no time did I ever feel limited or handicapped by a lack of buttons or customizability on my wired Xbox 360 controller. However, I do feel the best experience of XIV:ARR is to be had on the PC and I say so only because of a marginal increase in flexibility and performance that this build has over the console version. Though doubtless some of those advantages disappear when a keyboard is connected to the PS3. Aside from a fantastic console style UI, there exist a great many other options and preference settings to help tailor the experience down to the littlest detail. Had I been further along in the game when writing this I would assume I would also speak about the seemingly dizzying possibilities the built-in macro system can offer, but alas I have had no cause to spend time with it yet.

I’m also working on a Lancer in Sargatanas that wants to become a Dragoon one day when he grows up.

To speak of this game’s current accomplishments is perhaps to overlook the biggest factor in its success: the relaunch of the game. It is perhaps not uncommon knowledge, but A Realm Reborn is the name of the relaunch of this MMO, where the original was titled simply Final Fantasy XIV. That original version launched to the exact opposite critical response that ARR is enjoying today. The worlds were called empty, the design and structure of the game and menus were labeled confusing and clunky. Even the overall graphical sheen that ARR exudes in every screenshot and video was missing from the original build of the game. It launched in 2010 only on the PC and proceeded to struggle from there on out. Eventually the problem became too big to ignore and Square-Enix, a company perhaps not best known for its quick responsiveness, decided to take drastic steps in righting the course of this doomed game. For a time it was made free to play while the relaunch was being worked on and a great deal of openness was expressed about the lacking quality of the game. But in such time as most of the original staff were fired to make room for a more experienced crew to remake the game, A Realm Reborn was produced and brought into its early beta phases. From there the game only continued to show up on more people’s radar as positive response and attendance of the betas grew and grew. By the time the game was ready for its public launch in late August, demand and public attention had ballooned beyond Square-Enix’s predictions causing server instability for the first week, sweeping character creation restrictions on most servers, long queue times and the removal of the downloadable PC version from all storefronts for nearly a month after launch making the physical copy of the game a great pain to procure after a time. To say the game was in high demand would be a laughable understatement. As of this writing the game has greatly stabilized, login queues are rare and short when they do occur, servers are only briefly closed to new characters, and the game is once again available for download. Which only serves to remind me that I have a level five Marauder who needs to level up so I can give some of his skills to my Lancer.

Reader, if you come here then you probably enjoy a good playing on those videoed games. If that is true then I implore you to try Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, even if you do not like MMOs very much. Right now it is $30 USD and the first month is free. Give it a good old try and tell me about it in the comments. If, however, you do not like games or MMOs or me or freedom, then give Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn a good old try and let me know in the comments.

We will never grow tired of this picture.

Produced 2012.10.14

SiliconNooB plunks down a bundle as part of the Academic Punchbeginner© and, as a result, Bup rises from the earth to wreak a mighty interviewing vengeance upon Lusipurr, revealing for once and all the deepest and darkest secrets of the black-caped man.

This is not a metaphor for the way in which Lusipurr.com is run.

Produced 2012.10.07

Lusipurr invents the Punchbeginner without any help at all from Blitzmage, much to the chagrin of the latter. Feeling that the Red Menace has grown too big for his boots, SiliconNooB puts his foot down and, with the aid of Deimosion, victory is a shoe-in.