The Top 10 Video Games Of 2013 (January - June)

The very best video games of 2013 all in one handy list.

This has been a good year for video games, and 2013 promises to remain a very interesting year as both the Sony SNE +0.79% PlayStation 4 and the Microsoft MSFT +0.07% Xbox One prepare for holiday release.

A reasonably long list of games for both these systems, the Nintendo  Wii U and 3DS, and the rest of current-gen systems and PC will land later this year.

Still, in just six months we’ve seen many quality games—far too many to list here.

As always, this list is non-exhaustive; only titles I played personally are included. This is a console/handheld/PC list—I’ll talk about my favorite mobile games at another time. Same goes for Indie titles, which I think deserve their own separate list.

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, while one of my favorite games of the year, remains too similar to last year’s Dragon’s Dogma, and will thus remain absent from this list as well.

The games are listed chronologically by launch date. Only the top three are given ribbons.

If your favorite games of the year (so far) didn’t make the cut for whatever reason, feel free to sound off in the comments.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch January 22nd (PS3)

For the first good chunk of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch I thought that maybe this charming JRPG would be my Game of the Year.

Unfortunately, combat grew more and more tedious the longer I played, even as the story and magnificent, magical world remained well above average.

It’s a shame that the combat became such a drag, because every single other thing about the game is rich with creativity and beauty.

And even with the combat issues, this is a game no PlayStation 3 RPG fans should miss. I desperately hope we see a sequel which smooths out the wrinkles and make combat as fun as the story itself.

Fire Emblem Awakening Febuary 4th (3DS) (Yellow Ribbon)

Fire Emblem: Awakening earns the Yellow Ribbon for Q1/Q2 2013.

Nintendo’s handheld, turn-based strategy fantasy game is one of the most addictive games of the years.

It combines tactical combat with RPG elements and a great story filled with great characters who can marry one another and, in Classic mode, face permadeath if you screw up in a battle.

I did leave the game wishing I could play a crossover of Fire Emblem and XCOM, with greater use of cover and terrain and some non-battle resource management. And yet, I still have Frederick’s words echoing in my head in a way that none of XCOM’s chatter ever did: “Pick a god and pray!”

This was actually my introduction to the Fire Emblem franchise, and while I would love to see even deeper combat with greater use of terrain, I had an absolutely fantastic time from start to finish.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time February 5th (PS3/Vita)

It’s been an entire generation since the last time we got our hands on a Sly Cooper game, and Thieves in Time brings the franchise to PS3 just before the dawn of the PS4.

Sly Cooper is back in gorgeous cell-shading style graphics with his animal pals, Bentley the Turtle and Murray the pink Hippo (and the rest of the clever cast.)

It’s a colorful, largely stealth-oriented game with big open stages and tons of challenges both for the main missions and on the side.

I suppose it might be too “kiddie” for some, but as much as I enjoy the many blood-drenched, “mature” games that made this list, the humor and stealth and cartoonish skullduggery of this game are exactly what I find refreshing about it.

One of the really cool things about Thieves in Time is the PS3/Vita cross-play and cross-buy feature. One purchase gets you both games and cloud-save allows you to play on either your PS3 or Vita and login wherever you left off.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance February 19th (PS3/Xbox 360)

Challenging, fast-paced, and brutal, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeancecombines a thoroughly ludicrous and over-the-top story with some of the best action combat I’ve encountered in a video game in quite a while.

Even the QTEs in this game work, which is something I thought I’d never say.

Raiden was far from a fan favorite when he first showed up in Metal Gear Solid 2, but he’s a pretty terrific protagonist in Revengeance.

And his moves are gloriously fun to play around with. No button mashing, either, as this will almost certainly leave you dead over and over again. This game very nearly earned the Yellow Ribbon; if its campaign had only been a bit longer I think it might have.

Tomb Raider March 5th (PC/Xbox 360/PS3)

I didn’t warm up to Tomb Raider for quite a while. Its worst features were most apparent and off-putting toward the beginning. QTEs, for instance.

And some of these problems persisted throughout the game.

The combat was great but there was simply too much of it. I wish we’d spent more time platforming and exploring and raiding tombs: the stuff that makes these games so great.

Despite its flaws, Tomb Raider was an exciting, adventure-filled game with simply stunning graphics (at least on the PC.) I found myself enjoying it more and more the further I played—especially the puzzles and tomb-raiding bits.

BioShock Infinite March 26th (PS3/Xbox 360/PC) Red Ribbon

BioShock Infinite gets so much right that its shortcomings are even more disappointing. Then again, it gets so much right.

The flying city of Columbia, the surprising story of Booker and Elizabeth and the way the world ties in to earlier BioShock entries, the truly terrific acting and writing, all make this one of the most unique experiences I’ve had in video games this year.

But there’s no doubt that the gameplay is flat compared to the setting, or that its action pales in comparison to its commentary.

So many opportunities for better puzzles, more intriguing use of the game’s magic system, and more varied combat existed and were squandered. On yet another game focused so fiercely on killing people.

And yet, without a doubt, Infinite remains one of the more fascinating gaming experiences I’ve had in ages. I give it the blood Red Ribbon for its ambition and artistry, even if it fumbles at times during the execution.

Metro: Last Light May 14th (PS3/Xbox 360/PC)

Following in the footsteps of Metro 2033, Metro Last Light continues the dark, post-apocalyptic story of a future overrun by demons.

The atmosphere and stunning vistas—a burnt out metropolis cast over by grey; demons lighting on rooftops—were my favorite things about this game.

But it also has an interesting story about the tribes who’ve formed in the wake of the world’s destruction, and what it means to be truly alone in the universe.

As a survival-action shooter it’s quite good but not great or particularly innovative.

Still, a worthy follow-up to its predecessor and one of the best-looking games of the year without a doubt.

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D May 24th (3DS)

Donkey Kong and his crew are headed back to the Wii U in an all new game soon enough, but in the meantime we have this excellent port of Donkey Kong Country Returns in some of the best-looking 3D I’ve seen on Nintendo’s handheld 3DS.

Of course, caveats apply: the 3DS is a wonderful little machine, but the 3D can be twitchy unless you hold it just so.

In a super-tough platformer like Donkey Kong this can be beyond annoying; it can spell a quick and agonizing death.

But if you can manage, the 3D is amazing, and the game itself is a rush of color and challenge, with or without 3D turned on.

It also has one of the best video game original soundtracks ever. And it’s just pure, good, old-fashioned fun.

The Last of Us June 14th (PS3) Blue Ribbon

Maybe this is too conventional a choice: The Last of Us, after all, received gads of perfect scores, rave reviews, and Game of the Year predictions. Perhaps I should be edgy and pick something more avant-garde.

But I won’t. The Last of Us has been the most powerful gaming experience of the year, to date, and while I have quibbles—which I go into detail on in my review of the game—I still can’t shake just how much this game affected me.

Beyond the story, The Last of Us had great stealth mechanics, reasonably challenging combat, and some of the best graphics I’ve ever seen on the PS3. (I fired up the first Uncharted just to check, and the difference is astounding.) If I had to recommend just one game to play this year so far, it would be this.

Neverwinter June 20th (PC)

Then again, if I had to pick just one game to play for a very long time I might send you over to Neverwinter, the new Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG.

I don’t normally care much for MMOs. In fact, I usually find myself gravely disappointed in each and every one. But Neverwinter is a different story.

It has fantastic action-oriented combat, tons of user-generated content thanks to the unique Foundry system, and is just far more fun than any other MMO I’ve played.

It may not be the prettiest out there, or the most diverse, but it does what it does exceedingly well. And it’s free-to-play, so there’s really no risk in giving it a whirl. Which, if you haven’t already, you should go do.

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And that’s the list. I admit, the Yellow ribbons could go many ways. Fire Emblem wins because it gave me the most pure enjoyment, but Neverwinter is a close contender. So is MGRR and Guacamelee! and even Ni No Kuni, which is a wonderful game but for the tedious combat.

Any of these games is worth checking out, and should give you hours and days of fun, and it may all come down to which type of game you prefer.

Not a fan of shooters, or seriously violent games? Check out Fire Emblem.

Want some good old-fashioned Metroidvania? Check out Guacamelee! A more standard 2D platformer? Go with Donkey Kong.

Want an online RPG? Go for Neverwinter. Single-player only? Stick with Ni No Kuni.

And so on and so forth.

Keep an eye out for my Best of Mobile and Best of Indie lists, and let me know if there’s anything I should be playing.