A good number of games came out in 2013. Some of them won awards and the hearts of gamers. Best of all, most of them are still available to play on modern consoles. We’ve put together a list of our top 10 games from 2013 that you should give a try.
As the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 era drew to a close, developers were doing a phenomenal job of squeezing out every last drop of power from these consoles. The result is some of the best games of the generation. So, which titles still rock?
Grand Theft Auto V
- Open world with mission based story line
- Jump, run, swim and use vehicles to navigate
- Use hand-to-hand combat, firearms or explosives to fight enemies
- Base jumping and scuba diving
- Metacritic 97 out of 100
It is hard to believe that Grand Theft Auto V launched in 2013. It’s easily one of the best games ever made. While you wait for a new game to come out eventually, you might as well give this a shot if you haven’t already. The game took aim at nearly every demographic and wasn’t made for the easily offended.
You get to take control of three distinct characters who each have vastly different backgrounds. These three characters’ stories overlap, and you experience how their worlds collide. Of course, you still get to do all of the typical Grand Theft Auto stuff, like driving around and completing side quests. But a real standout for the game is its online aspect which is still supported all these years later.
The Last of Us
- Developed by Naughty Dog, creators of the best-selling Uncharted series
- Genre-defining experience that blends survival and action elements
- Character driven story about a population decimated by a modern plague
- Explore a brutal post-pandemic world
The Last of Us has had a major impact on what a game really is and can be. More importantly, it takes on the overly-saturated zombie genre and creates a game with an engaging story worth playing. If you haven’t gotten a chance to play The Last of Us, now is a great time as it recently received a PlayStation 5 remake and has a TV show coming soon.
The world is filled with undead Cordyceps that you must either evade or kill as you make your way across the country. The game is stunning, to say the least, with outstanding scenes both indoors and out. Unfortunately, every time things seem to start going right, they take a horrible turn. It is easily one of the most engaging games ever made, and its story makes it hard to stop playing.
BioShock Infinite
- First-person shooter with role-playing elements
- New setting in the sky-high city of Columbia
- Set in 1912, help former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt rescue the mysterious Elizabeth
- Master a new arsenal of weapons and abilities
- Unlock the secret "1999 Mode"
Joining the ranks of top games from 2013, BioShock Infinite is the third entry in the BioShock series. However, the game takes a major departure from its predecessors. Instead of taking place underwater, this one is set in the cloud city of Columbia. This bright and colorful game is a nice departure from the usually gloomy post-apocalyptic worlds found in other games.
The game still looks fantastic, especially with newer hardware, as the game struggled to run on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. BioShock Infinite also has unexpected twists and turns, making its story much better. The gameplay is also excellent as you explore this awesome city packed with puzzles to solve and enemies to kill. The rail that runs through the world also makes traveling a breeze.
Super Mario 3D World
- Each character has unique abilities and play styles. For example, Princess Peach glides over gaps, while Luigi has his trademark extra-high jump.
- The new cat transformation allows players to run on all fours, pounce on enemies, attack in midair, or use their claws to scamper up walls and goal poles.
- Explore colorful 3D environments filled with obstacles and contraptions like transparent pipes and vertical conveyor belts, which add new puzzle elements.
- Use the Wii U GamePad Controller's touch screen to search for hidden blocks and freeze enemies in place.
- No. of Players: Up to 4 players
Super Mario 3D World is a loose successor to the Super Mario 3D Land game on the 3DS, which was released two years before.
The game is a standard 3D Mario platformer that feels like a mixture of a 2D Mario game and a 3D one like Super Mario 64. The levels are very well crafted, and overall feels like a 2D Mario game compared to recent titles like Galaxy and Sunshine.
The lack of an overall theme isn’t a bad thing here, as the game feels like it has more flexibility. Each level feels distinct, like in the 2D sidescrollers, with various ideas. 3D World also plays well, and the co-op mode is probably the best-multiplayer mode in the Mario series. The art style and graphics are also nice, with some of the most vivid colors from any Mario game except Odyssey.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- Take on the role of pirate captain, Edward Kenway
- Explore over 75 different locations
- Loot underwater shipwrecks
- Search for lost treasure
- Multiplayer mode
Black Flag is one of the best Assassin’s Creed games to date. What sets it apart is the setting which at the time heavily focused on parts of Europe.
This game opens things up, letting you set sail in a time of widespread privacy. It also takes a little lighter approach than past games by mixing in some jokes when interacting with the pirates.
The gameplay is exactly what you would expect from an Assassin’s Creed game, with a lot of fighting and puzzle-solving. However, you do get weapons that are appropriate for the time. You also get to do other tasks, such as sailing and hunting. Black Flag looks amazing on the water or land with a mix of different locales, which helps break things up. The main character is also unique and stands on his own.
Pikmin 3
- Command a legion of adorable Pikmin in a fight for survival
- Enlist armies of Pikmin to solve puzzles and defeat monsters
- Explore a beautiful, living world through a pint-sized perspective
- Challenge a friend in a frenetic battle mode
Pikmin 3 is an adorable game that is a lot of fun to play. You play as an explorer who must search an alien planet for fruit to feed their people back home. However, the game is strategy-based, so you will have to navigate between three characters and manage your time and food supply. The story is really good, and fans of the original Pikmin games and new players will enjoy it without feeling lost.
Gameplay involves more than just managing time and players because the game does involve some battle sequences and combat. However, most of the game involves commanding the fruit that you collect. This is done primarily through puzzle-solving and exploration of the world. Unfortunately, Pikmin games aren’t as well-known as other Nintendo titles, but you can now pick up Pikmin 3 on the Switch.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
- Embark on a unique adventure in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
- This time, Link can move across walls as if he were painted on them
- The 3D visuals of Nintendo 3DS add new depth to the game world
- Decide which items to rent or buy, depending on which dungeon you're heading to next
- Tackle challenging dungeons in your own way
Shifting over to the 3DS, we have The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. This game uses a top-down perspective that should be familiar to longtime fans of the series. However, it uses a 3D art style that is slightly different from previous Zelda games. Therefore, A Link Between Worlds feels like a fitting tribute to its predecessors rather than a bold new game with its direction.
With that said, there are some minor changes to gameplay, such as being able to purchase items early on instead of trudging through dungeons to find them. Of course, dungeon crawling is back and better than ever. One of the most interesting abilities in A Link Between Worlds is that Link transitions to 2D to complete certain puzzles. Speaking of puzzles, this game is packed full of them and exploring the land of Hyrule is a blast.
Pokemon X and Y
- NTSC version with World Edition packaging as shown
- For the Nintendo 3DS
- Explore a new region filled with new Pokémon
- Train new Pokémon and returning favorites
- Connect with players around the world
Pokemon X and Y is the next evolution in the series, and this is its 3D debut. Not only is the game 3D thanks to the 3DS, but the world is also the first three-dimensional, unlike its simpler 2D predecessors. The 3DS console allowed for some great improvements over previous iterations. These titles also feel a bit faster-paced, with numerous abilities and Pokemon unlocked earlier on.
Customization is also important in Pokemon X and Y because you can customize your avatar and Pokemon. The gameplay is exactly what you’d expect in a Pokemon game with lots of battles and trading. One reason to pick Pokemon X and Y rather than previous titles are these games still look great and, more importantly, have faster pacing that doesn’t feel like a chore.
Rayman Legends
Rayman Legends is a 2.5D, sidescrolling platformer that looks like Nintendo could have made it. However, this Ubisoft game is one of the best multiplatform platformers. It follows much of the same cycle as previous Rayment games and adds some abilities. The art and graphics are also good, as the game looks like an animated movie.
One of the best things about Rayman Legends is how interactive the levels are. Each is packed full of puzzles to solve with various gameplay elements. Each level is also well-themed, with backgrounds that help set the theme. Overall, Rayman Legends still offers excellent gameplay and graphics that are still worth playing today.
Beyond: Two Souls
- Psychological action thriller with voice acting from Academy Award nominees Elliot Page and Willem Dafoe
- Play as Jodie or the incorporeal entity, Aiden, with whom Jodie has been psychically linked since birth
- Impressive animations and graphics
- Cinematic gameplay with unique controls
Closing our list of games from 2013 is Beyond: Two Souls, a well-done narrative-driven drama. It heavily relies on the main character’s flashbacks to various points in her life. While this works well, it can sometimes make the story confusing and hard to follow. That said, it is still a really good game with some of the best acting in a video game.
Beyond: Two Souls features some sub-genres as you make your way through the game’s story. Parts of the game are very horror based, while others focus on the protagonist’s early childhood. The gameplay has different mechanics, such as puzzle-solving and even combat. Switching between different stages of life gives you a chance to understand the character better.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©eldar nurkovic/Shutterstock.com.
