Become enthralled by one thing long enough and regardless of whatever the thing itself may be, the same set of questions tends to present themselves when you began to look back on it.

While the questions are too varied to cover in full, a host of them will inevitably concern comparing that thing as it once was, to how the thing is now. When doing so it’s often essential to use your experience to properly separate the past as it actually occurred, and the past as you perceive it through the eyes of nostalgia.

That’s a distinction that’s been running through my mind recently as I look at how games have changed from both the day one origins of the medium, and from my personal start as a gamer, to where they are now. In doing so, it’s interesting to discover and distinguish the things that have actually changed, as opposed to the things that you heart tells you are different.

Specifically, lately I’ve been wondering if the gaming community really is more hostile to each other and divided than it has been ever before.

My heart tells me the answer is yes. After all, it seemed like the cultural divide among gamers when I was young didn’t extend far past Sega v.s. Nintendo. Now, though, we have issues like AAA v.s. indies, Digital Rights Management, the treatment of women in video games, the validity of YouTube gaming as a career, the ethics of micro-transactions, gaming as art, and many, many, more. All of those issues cause a nigh infinite series of divides among the gamers of the world, and that’s before you even get into the traditional Xbox, PS4, Wii U, and PC debates.

The question then is, are we really more divided as a gaming community than ever before? Is there really more of a hostile environment between gamers everywhere than there was back in the old days? Or instead, has this always been the case and its only the rapid speed the internet carries information and opinions at from all corners that causes the perception that there is more arguments than ever before?

Even when you approach that topic from an unbiased perspective, the answer will almost always be yes. Gamers are more divided and hostile than ever. The once popular idea of a community of gamers united against the rest of the world’s upturned noses at the very idea of gaming, has given way to a civil war with infighting on nearly every front. While you could argue if the embodiment of a gaming community with an “us against the world” mentality ever did truly exist at all, there’s little doubt that certainly isn’t the case now.

And you know what? In many ways we’re better off this way.

Well…Most of the Time Anyway

Oh sure from time to time I see a topic or viewpoint that I personally consider to be outlandish get very heated, and want to cite the always popular (yet rarely practical) “Can’t we all just get along?” belief, but for the most part I’ve come to accept the constant presence of various heated debates to be a good thing for gaming, and not a detriment.

The reason being is that complacency in any industry is never a good thing. No matter what else you can say against the average gamer, one this that’s for sure is that they are not a complacent lot. Not only are they quick to turn against something the moment it becomes a little too commonplace and comfortable, but they are always seeking out and confronting hot button issues without much in the way of fear hindering them. These may not always lead to the most sophisticated and intelligent debates mind you, but they are debates nonetheless.

It’s that constant stream of debate that ensures that developers, publishers, journalists, bloggers, websites, and anyone else on the creation side of the industry can never rest on their laurels. If there weren’t the dissension that exists on so many topics that we currently enjoy today, it’s possible that many of those in gaming wouldn’t feel the pressure (or even obligation) to create a variety of experiences that can cater to any number of personal tastes, preferences and beliefs.

There is a real passion behind many of the various viewpoints in the gaming world that is more and more leading to gamers from all walks of life getting creative and making something that perfectly represents their own particular set of thoughts. That not only serves as great entertainment for those that agree, but  fuel for those who do not to do the same and create something of their own in opposition.

Sure its a general attitude that doesn’t really lead to a perfect gaming world (and there are, perhaps, some topics we would be better off being unified on), but its never really been a perfect world has it? The one we have now, though where gaming is essentially forced to constantly mature, re-invent itself, and provide a variety of experiences precisely because the role and image of a gamer is no longer a caricature, but rather a group of  increasingly outspoken and discerning individuals is a pretty damn exciting one to live in, at least in lieu of perfection.

If there is one warning that all divided gamers need to heed though, its that we should all be careful to remember that at the end of the day, games are first and foremost meant for enjoyment and to be experienced. In that regard, it’s important to never be afraid to challenge your own views by actively seeking a variety of games in order to ensure that your beliefs (whatever they may be, on whatever topic or whatever style) are ones formed by trying all of the different experiences that games have to offer, and not limit yourself at all times to those that only serve your particular notions, thus undoing all of the good the current sometimes hostile and divided culture we enjoy as gamers is actually doing.

Is there a certain appeal to a utopian world where gamers come together to form a “Pleasantville” like community based on shared essential beliefs? Perhaps. But there’s also an appeal in a more gotham like gaming community where hostility and divided beliefs may rule the day, but they ultimately come together to form an impressive world that can only be forged from the fires of such a variety of passions.

Whether that’s your idea gaming world or not, it’s time we all stood back and appreciated the beauty and quality that world can so often lead to.

That being said, though, its important to remember that there is always more ground to cover. While everyone’s personal industry wide wishlists for the future are sure to vary wildly, here are five goals both minor and major that I feel that gaming as a whole still has left to achieve.

Establish a True Comedy Genre

Comedy, as a genre, has been around for essentially as long as the act of storytelling has. While it rarely gets the same level of critical or artistic praise that drama does, anyone who knows even the basics of storytelling knows that the two have a yin and yang relationship where the absence of one tends to throw the other out of balance.

Gaming’s relationship with comedy is somewhat less traditional. While there have been funny games before, and there have been plenty of funny moments in video games, there isn’t really a recognized independent comedy genre in gaming, as there isn’t really a steady enough stream of pure comedy game to justify its existence.

While you can’t fairly make a blanket statement on why that is, in general I feel that the underlying issue is similar to the one that faces the pure horror genre. By that I mean that there is a growing feeling among major publishers that comedy games aren’t viable financial investments. In the increasingly more expensive world of AAA game design, that’s pretty much the kiss of death.

It’s also an incredible shame as comedy is one of the most essential aspects of any entertainment medium, and gaming seems to be trending in a way that is discouraging the pursuit of it as a primary concept more and more. While modern titles like “The Stanley Parable,” give hope that indie developers may give new life to the creative pursuit of this idea, should that prove to not be the case then you have to consider gaming’s inability to really establish a true recognized comedy genre to be among the industry’s more notable failures.

Make Sports Announcers Sound Human

Man, this one just irks me.

We’ve come a long, long way in the world of gaming technology to the point that the law of diminishing returns is becoming a more and more popular citation when addressing the subject. Yet despite those innovations, modern sports game announcers still sound like a group of particularly antisocial robot reading lines off the sweaty palms of someone just barely in their range of sight.

I understand that as many sports announcers are pre-recorded personalities its incredibly difficult for them to account for the many variables that can occur during a typical game. However, you can’t convince me that the quality of video game sports announcers today is the apex of the technology.

What’s really needed is greater incorporation of  some dynamic commentary elements. For instance, if my quarterback in “Madden” is having a bad year and throws another interception, it’d be nice to hear the announcers mention a potential QB controversy brewing. Similarly, if a QB is in a contract year and putting up career numbers, there should be some acknowledgment of the situation.

Regardless of the specifics, the general idea is that announcers need to start occasionally sounding like human beings. Some games are better than others (the WWE games are a great example of video game announcers at their worst), but in general this is a flaw that has plagued gaming for far too long.

Mature the Incorporation of Sex In Games

See, gaming has actually done historically well with the subjects of romance and relationships over the years. However, once things start to go beyond a platonic level, the quality of the subject gets more and more murky.

Historically speaking many games have either treated the subject of sex with the maturity of a particularly horny teenage male, or with the prudishness of a wasp couple. There haven’t really been many attempts to incorporate sex into a game (even one that would seem to naturally include it) in a way that feels organic.

It’s a bit of an embarrassment, honestly. There is still an unfortunate perception amongst the casual observer regarding the maturity and social skills of the average gamer, and the fact that there haven’t been many titles that handle such a basic topic in a mature, non-exploitative, yet still entertaining way does that image no favors.

Now, I could be wrong on this matter and there could be some game, or games, out there that actually covers sex in a way similar to what I’ve described. However, even if that is the case, the absence of that approach as a standard is the larger issue as it concerns gaming and sex.

Create or Discover the “Citizen Kane” of Gaming

I’m hesitant to include this entry because of the vague nature of the entire idea behind it. However, since this is among the most popular topics of discussion as it concerns the advancement of gaming, I’ll play devil’s advocate and give it a shot.

The basic idea behind the “Citizen Kane” of video games is that a game will come along that will make the average game fan (and society at large) recognize games as a legitimate potential art form, in the same way that “Citizen Kane” is recognized as the film that helped movies get established as a legitimate potential art form.

It’s a fundamentally faulty notion, but the spirit of the idea does have an air of truth to it. The average person doesn’t typically view gaming as an art form, and elements of gaming in mass media coverage tend to be about gaming controversies, or are otherwise cheap and insulting attention grabbers like the VGX awards, which actively harm the idea that there is a higher calling in gaming as a potential art form among more casual, or even indifferent, users.

Of course, what people tend to forget is that “Citizen Kane” was not an overnight game changer for many. Instead it would only fulfill that role in hindsight after a flood of ambitious, artistic, and financially successful titles that were directly influenced by it would make “Citizen Kane” the generally accepted turning point.

So perhaps instead the question of whether of not gaming will get its “Citizen Kane” shouldn’t just be a lookout for an individual release on the horizon, but a careful examination of the past to see if it’s already been released.

Improve the Current Video Game Property and Licensing System, or Create a New One

Have you ever wondered why a certain favorite game has never seen a sequel, or why that original game no longer seems to be available for digital download? Well it could honestly be for any number of reasons, but more often than not the problem is one of licensing.

Gaming has long had serious issues with property licensing. While this is sometimes tied into the inclusion of a third party property (like the one that faced “The Simpsons” Konami games), there are a disturbing amount of completely independent properties that are handcuffed by archaic, or even non-existent, laws.

The entire system regarding property video game rights and license acquisition is one of the most convoluted and mysterious in all of entertainment. While many might think it’s a simple matter of contacting the right party and offering the right figure, the truth is rarely so simple.

Good Old Games shed some light on this issue earlier in the year when they revealed that the process to acquire “System Shock 2” for digital distribution took years of concentrated effort, most of which involved navigating a system shrouded in confusion where even the people who were the right ones to contact, didn’t know they were the ones who should be contacted. During the course of their lengthy legal battles they were often working without a net, as precedent for such an effort is almost non-existent.

In some cases, the situation surrounding property rights of games would be hilarious if they weren’t so sad. For example, the popular “No One Lives Forever” series has long been unavailable to modern users due to the simple fact that no one knows who has the rights to it, even among the small group of people that potentially could. In other words, under the current system, entire game licenses can be lost as easy as a set of car keys.

It’s an embarrassing mess of bureaucracy and incompetence. Recent years have seen some major improvements in this area, but unless a concise and through overhaul of this entire system is undergone, we run the risk of making a sizable part of gaming history inaccessible.

We may never know what exactly is up the collective butts of Australian video game censors, but that hilariously misinformed and outdated group of do gooders is at it again.

The target this time is “South Park: Stick of Truth.” Specifically the censors rejected the game on the basis of a scene involving penis shaped anal probes, and an abortion scene involving vacuums and a wire.

On a side note, isn’t it nice when game adaptations stay so true to the source material?

Anyway developer Obsidian tried re-submitting the game under some slightly toned down conditions, but were rejected at each turn. Finally they submitted an impressively sarcastic version of the probing scene where the image of the scene is replaced with a crying koala while on screen text informs you as to what is actually happening in the original scene.

Unsurprisingly, considering the board’s traditionally misinformed interpretation of comedy, this version was accepted.

So it looks like the fair Australian gamers of the world will get to play “Stick of Truth,” albeit with more static images of Koalas in place than were originally intended, as well as some minor mini-games axed entirely, thanks to some creative skirting of the censors.

Seriously though, what is the logic behind the extreme censorship of gaming in Australia? Considering it’s the year 2013 and I can probably pull up a YouTube video of mass genocides set to a dubstep soundtrack and intercut with images of “My Little Pony” fan porn on my phone, does a cartoon video game character’s anal probe encounter really constitute the ultimate line of morality?

Personally I think it’s about time that Nintendo starting merging their established properties with other incredibly random, yet oddly appropriate, gaming franchises. In fact, as long as the door to the entire concept is kicked in now and anarchy reigns, I can think of  at least six lazily titled Nintendo crossovers I’d like to see.

Bushido Emblem (Fire Emblem/Bushido Blade)

If it weren’t already established that life isn’t fair, I would eternally wonder why the “Bushido Blade” series has not seen a proper follow up in years. A truly original entrant into the fighter genre that’s capable of effortlessly producing intense match ups, “Bushido Blade” revolves around a combat system where one hit can end it all. Think “Dive Kick” with more strategy.

The “Fire Emblem” series diverse cast of characters and their appropriately large arsenal of weapons would actually fit nicely into “Bushido’s” mechanics. For that matter, so would “Emblem’s” consistently well done art style and the fact its characters are used to dying quick and unheroic deaths (at least when I play it).

Also…oh screw it I just want a new “Bushido Blade” game. It can take place in “Pokemon’s” world for all I care. Get on it Nintendo.

PokeSpore (Pokemon/Spore)

Of course since “Bushidomon” isn’t likely even by the new Nintendo crossover standards, maybe they could blend the famous monster catching series with the 2008 “could have been way better” PC classic “Spore.”

It’s a natural merger really. In “PokeSpore” you could design a world full of Pokemon, and watch them evolve and become prized by Pokemasters everywhere. Plus Nintendo could just scrounge “PokeSpore” player’s games to tap into a nigh infinite free source of increasingly uninspired “Pokemon” designs.

That’s a win-win people.

Silent Crossing (Silent Hill/Animal Crossing)

Anyone can get lost in the world of “Animal Crossing.” Besides being filled with a seemingly endless amount of activities and interior design possibilities, it’s lighthearted cartoonish nature makes for a very inviting setting that can make a 100 hours pass by in what feels like minutes.

However the real question is, can the “Animal Crossing” gameplay survive a trip to a more undesirable locale like “Silent Hill?”

The answer, of course, is shit yeah it can. In “Silent Crossing” you’ll play the new mayor of “Silent Hill” and are tasked with keeping up the town and interacting with its eternally tortured denizens, as well as redecorating the world to reflect the unique psychological horrors of its next outside visitor.

The Binding of Icarus (Kid Icarus/The Binding of Issac)

Look, most of the ideas on this are poorly conceived and lazily written jokes. A rouge-like “Kid Icarus,” though, is no joke. It would just kick ass.

After all, the original “Kid Icarus” was an insanely tough game that might as well of had perma-death in place, and even featured an upgrade and item system that’s not too out of place from the average rouge-like. Combine that with the diverse mythical elements of the Icarus series, and this isn’t hard to see as a highly entertaining possibility.

In any case a rouge-like is a more logical genre for the series to merge with than a 3D shooter was.

League of Smash (League of Legends/Super Smash Bros.)

Blitzcrank, Ahri, and Darius? Never heard of them. You want real heroes you’ve got to look at Link, Mario, and to a lesser extent Luigi. You’ve got to look at the “Smash Bros.” roster.

In “League of Smash” you would choose a team of classic Nintendo heroes with their own unique attributes and abilities, and pit them against an opposing team of Nintendo heroes in a MOBA setting. Minions are Pikmin, worlds are based on classic Nintendo environments, and…

Huh. Maybe it’s my 8 A.M bourbon and bourbon (that’s bourbon mixed with bourbon) kicking in, but that actually sounds like something I would buy the hell out of.

Mushroom Kingdom Hearts        (Nintendo/Kingdom Hearts)

Let’s be honest. At the end of the day crossovers are built on the philosophy of combining two or more popular properties to appeal to a wider, established demographic. Following that logic, the combination of Nintendo, Disney, and “Final Fantasy” would have to be considered the alpha crossover.

It doesn’t even come close to mattering what the actual game plays like. This thing could make so much money that it would completely undo the order and structure of the global economy.

As such, I’ve created a number of auxiliary awards in an effort to cover more ground. Some are good, some are bad, and some are so specific they could only be dreamed up after a six beer self medication session following another traumatic Dallas Cowboys loss on Sunday. These are those awards.

Game That Proves You Can Turn Anything Into a Videogame – Viscera Cleanup Detail

Are games about farming and driving a truck across Europe weird? Yeah but at least there is some potential for excitement in those scenarios, as they allow you to do something you may not otherwise get to in real life.

It’s “Viscera Cleanup Detail” that proves that no topic is incapable of being gameified, though. In it you play a janitor tasked with cleaning up the aftermath of video game levels, with gameplay consisting largely of mopping. At this rate I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a game about data entry where you are actually doing data entry for a company, but pay them to do it.

Most Overrated Game – Tomb Raider

I tend to shy away from this topic, as by its very nature it requires you to take shots at a game that’s generally well liked. It’s difficult to not sound like kind of an ass in the process.

However, the love train for “Tomb Raider” is getting a little too crowded this awards season. It’s by far the best “Tomb Raider” game made in years, but is also burdened by uneven action sequences, a meandering plot, a host of half implemented ideas, and not enough platforming, puzzle solving, and actual tomb raiding. It’s a very good game, but certainly not a great one.

Best System of The Year – Nintendo 3DS

Hey believe me, I’m just as shocked as you are.

The 3DS has still yet to really prove that its 3D capabilities are worthwhile, but when you look at the system’s murder row  lineup this year (“Fire Emblem,” “Pokemon,” “Zelda,” “Animal Crossing,” etc.) its hard to deny that the handheld provided better exclusive entertainment than any other platform in 2013.

Most Intriguing Developer Not Getting Enough Attention – Simogo

Mobile gaming is, by and large, bastardized by the “hardcore” gaming community. As such, many great mobile games tend to go unnoticed and unappreciated by that particular contingent.

In the case of Simogo that’s an incredible shame. From the entertainingly inventive “Beat Sneak Bandit” to genre, and even medium, defying experiences like “Year Walk” and “Device 6,” Simogo is proving to be one of the most inventive and original studios in all of gaming. It’s a crime that they aren’t getting more attention.

Best Crowdfunded Game – Risk of Rain

It seemed like every week in 2013 we were hearing about another crowdfunded gaming success. Where once the concept was something of a running joke, it is now becoming an exciting source for fresh ideas and worthwhile games.

Of the ones that came out this year, none entertained me more than “Risk of Rain.” It’s a top to bottom well designed rouge-like that features one of the best combat systems the genre has to offer, and a soundtrack that may be the year’s best. Unbelievably addictive, “Risk of Rain” will have you saying one more try until the early morning.

THE BEST GAME EVER! (That Hasn’t Been Released Yet) – Star Citizen

Speaking of crowdfunded successes, there have been none bigger than “Star Citizen.” With over $30 million in funds raised so far, all eyes seem to be on “Star Citizen” and its lofty goal of becoming the ultimate interstellar experience.

The hype surrounding this project couldn’t be higher, making the chances it’ll meet its oddly appropriate out of this world expectations slimmer every day. That being said, trying not to get caught up in the possibilities of “Star Citizen” gets harder with every new detail revealed.

Best Game With Serious Problems – Battlefield 4

Ask anyone who plays “Battlefield 4” a question about it that doesn’t have to do with it’s technical aspects, and you’re likely to hear gushing praise for its continuation and expansion of the “Battlfield” franchse.

Nah I’m kidding. They’ll only tell you about the technical problems. It’s hard to blame them, considering that the issues are so prevalent even EA has decided to back off of development on future DLC content until the game is fixed. Considering the source, that’s saying something.

Worst Game With Really Good Ideas – Ride to Hell: Retribution

On the spiritually opposite end of the “Battlefield 4” situation comes “Ride to Hell.” One of the most broken works of programming ever disguised as a video game, “Ride to Hell” is so bad it can cause you to involuntarily shudder just by walking by a copy of it.

Still the idea of a biker gang game set in a grindhouse film style atmosphere is a very interesting one, and could have easily served as the foundation of a good title if the development process had been more thorough. With the attention “Ride to Hell” got this year (even if it was for all the wrong reasons) don’t be surprised to see its set up used again in the near future.

Most Divisive Game – Beyond: Two Souls

Pick two people at random who played “Beyond: Two Souls” and you’ll be extremely lucky to get the same opinion on it from each.

That’s pretty standard for a David Cage game, but “Beyond” really had players split into camps of those who claimed it to be a brilliant work of cinematic excellence, and those who thought it was a laughable farce that’s among the year’s worst. Honestly, they may all be right.

Biggest Game With The Quietest Release – Gran Turismo 6

There was a time when “Gran Turismo” was the best racing series in gaming, and a legitimate system seller to boot. Now it’s lucky to get a YouTube commercial you skip five seconds in.

The games themselves may have seen better days, but this feels closer to an example of bad marketing.

The “Duke Nukem Forever” Award for Game that Is Shockingly Still in Development – The Last Guardian

Honestly, I’m stunned that this is still actually in the works. It’s becoming morbidly amusing to hear the developers refer to its lengthy development cycle as mere delays.

We all knew it would be hard to follow up “ICO” and “Shadow of the Colossus,” and the continuing “delays” that haunt “The Last Guardian” only serve to reinforce that belief.

Game That Makes You Want to High Five Someone – Blood Dragon

“Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon” is a game with the romanticized image of 80s pop culture running through its veins and seeping out its pores. It’s ready to explode at any moment and create a river of references in its wake.

It’s also incredibly awesome. You’d better hope you’ve got someone around to high five when you first man the turret of a helicopter while “Long Tall Sally” plays on the radio, or you’ll be left tragically hanging.

Best YouTube Gamer of the Year – John Bain (AKA TotalBiscuit)

John Bain does things a little differently than most YouTubers.

He doesn’t aim for the younger and more easily entertained audiences of YouTube by yelling and acting childish like so many of his contemporaries. Instead he is an honest to god game critic, and a damn good one at that. His “WTF Is:” series is one of the most reliable and entertaining sources for game reviews, and the man himself exerts a level of professionalism that is unusual for users of that format. He’s an all around great personality to have in the world of gaming.

Biggest Disappointment of 2013 – The Delay of Watch Dogs/South Park Stick of Truth

There were some games I looked forward to this year that let me down, but the biggest disappointment of the year to me were actually two games that didn’t come out.

Both “Watch Dogs” and “Stick of Truth” looked to be genuinely interesting properties that got delayed to next year at the 11th hour. While “Stick of Truth” had been playing footsies with a release date for some time, its the delay of “Watch Dogs” that’s the most shocking as the game was so near to completion it was being sold as a bundle with the PS4. We’ll probably get these games eventually, but their last minute delays really stung.

Best Game Worth Going Out of Your Way to Play – Artemis (LAN Party)

What is “Artemis?” It’s a spaceship bridge simulator in the style of “Star Trek” where six players get together and take on various roles on a spaceship that include weapons, engineer, navigation, and of course captain. Each has their own role to perform, their own computer screen to manage (except for the captain who gives all orders) and a main screen to view that largely serves as the bridge window.

To really get the full “Artemis” experience, you’ll need six people in the same room, with six copies of the game, and six computers. It’s no easy arrangement to make, but doing so yields one of the most inventive and enjoyable party games of all time.

Best Game That More People Really Should Play – Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

There’s no getting around the fact that “Brothers” biggest weakness is it’s length. Clocking in at a generous 3 hours, even at its reduced price there isn’t necessarily a lot of “value” here.

However, if you’re a fan of truly exceptional storytelling and creative platforming then “Brothers” is essential. It’s certainly not the biggest bang for your buck  in gaming, but the overall experience does justify the price point.

Free to Play Game That’s Better Than Most Full Priced Games – Path of Exile

I did a write up on “PoE” when it first launched as a full release free to play on Steam and found it to be extremely derivative of the “Diablo” series, but in a very good way.

Some time later I feel largely the same, but with almost a hundred hours of the game under my belt without a dollar spent, I find myself feeling guilty for having knocked it at all. In every respect “PoE” is free to play done right.

Game That Was Ridiculously Ahead of It’s Time Achievement Award – Rogue

Remember how I mentioned it seemed like every week we were getting another crowdfunding success? Of those games, it seemed like every other one was a rouge-like. A genre built around permant death, randomization, and the 1980 PC game “Rogue.”

While the rouge-like has been around for awhile, its the last year or two that has seen the genre explode onto the indie scene with a number of high quality entrants. With every great game the rouge-like produces, we should all take time to thank a 1980 title with ambition that would inspire over decades.

The Best Case for Video Games as Art 2013 Edition – Kentucky Route Zero

We’ve been extremely lucky to get a host of games in recent years that have really explored the artistic abilities of gaming, and pushed the limits of the medium in an attempt to mature our expectations of game design.

Of them, “Kentucky Route Zero” may be the best yet. It’s a new American folk tale in gaming form, and its graphical style and storytelling methods really know no peer. Revolutions have been started from lesser works, and should “Kentucky Route Zero” maintain this level of quality throughout its remaining episodes, it could very well ascend to a higher level of gaming greatness.

The Bar None, Absolute, No Questions Asked, Worst Game of the Year – Final Fantasy: All the Bravest

Where do you possibly start with this one? Featuring the most blatant in-app purchase fishing scheme of any video game to date and gameplay so basic you don’t have to look at the screen for the entirety of its duration, “All the Bravest” is best viewed as a parody of bad mobile games if you hope to maintain any respect for the “Final Fantasy” franchise.

I’ve seen honest-to-god scam games on the app store with more design integrity than this irredeemable embarrassment to a once proud name, and gaming in general.

I hate “The Big Bang Theory.” Understand that I don’t use hate often to describe something, but such is the case with that particular show. As an “out and proud” nerd such as it were, every time someone tells me that I must naturally love “The Big Bang Theory,” I tend to involuntarily cringe.

For the most part, I feel the way about many popular gaming YouTube personalities for largely the same reason. I find the quality of their content to be creatively cheap, and a bad image for the culture they have become the most vocal representatives of.

Of course please understand that isn’t meant as a blanket review of all gaming YouTube personalities. For instance, John Bain (better known by the handle TotalBiscuit), is one of  my most trusted gaming critics. For the most part though, the popular path to YouTube gaming fame of yelling at games and making cheap jokes along the way (let’s call it the PewDiePie effect) just doesn’t appeal to me, and quite honestly I don’t think it is meant to.

It’s what has me somewhat conflicted about the recent YouTube content ID incident, which is threatening the livelihood, and in some cases very existence, of many of those YouTube personalities and their channels.

On one hand, I think that the literal implementation of archaic property and copyright laws that just don’t easily apply to video games is yet another in a shameful line of examples of the “world at large” not being sure exactly how to incorporate the medium properly into everyday life, business, and culture. I also do truly feel that these sanctions (many of which are completely bogus mind you) are just a taste of the world that is forming, in which the power and abilities of the individual is overshadowed almost entirely by that of the conglomerate, making it closer to impossible every day for that individual to shape their own fortune and make their own mark regardless of their current position in the world.

On the other hand, in terms of the content that we are potentially losing, I’m by and large unaffected. While there are some people hurt by this that I will miss, in the grand scheme of things from an entertainment perspective, I’m not ranking this occurrence with say the untimely cancellation of “Firefly.”

Maybe you share that opinion. Maybe you don’t. To be honest, I don’t really care. That’s not because I don’t respect your right to have an opinion on that particular subject, but rather because I feel that subject is very much worthy of debate, and of differing opinions.

However, if your stance on this topic is one of joy because you feel that the role of YouTube personality shouldn’t be considered a real job, and that these people have been just coasting along off of a broken system, then I’m here to call you out for being wrong. On that subject, I leave no room for debate.

What you have to understand is this. The people who are potentially most affected by these policies (and the ones still to come) are the people who work hardest at what they do. They are not the ones that throw on a webcam, get a cheap mic, record their game play, and hastily throw it online with some poorly chosen metal music as bookends and call it a day. They are people who have learned genuine skills and talents, and have put forth 70-80 hours a week for years of their lives to get where they are today, which is a position to do what they love for a living.

It’s true that many of them were using pre-existing content as the crux of their works, but since when was that a crime in and of itself? Many of those who are being harmed most by this had the proper permission to use the content they were featuring at the time they used it. To criticize them for doing so is not different that criticizing the “Mystery Science Theater” cast for just piggybacking off old movies, or to criticize “Siskel and Ebert” for just judging original works and making a living off of it. Hell, while you’re at it, you might as well damn every gaming website and blog who make their livings by reporting on the industry as opposed to solely creating original content.

Many people don’t do that, though. Why? What is the difference? Is it the YouTube format? Is that what makes people completely disregard the genuine hard work that went into these people getting to where they are at in life and instead dance on the grave of their dreams while its slowly being dug?

If so, that’s a real shame. Yes I admit the concept of a grown person essentially playing video games for a living doesn’t really qualify as the most practical, or certainly noble, of pursuits. However, it is what they love doing, and through a combination of ambition, luck, skill, ability, persistence, and most importantly hard work they found a way to use the very slim opening that YouTube afforded them, and turn it into a something they could not only live off of, but take pride in.

There was a time when that kind of ambition and recklessness was admired and rewarded. It wasn’t always rewarded with financial gain mind you, but spiritually it was the kind of action treated with respect and looked upon for inspiration to make more of yourself and to retain the belief that with the right combination of work and passion you too could make something better for yourself, and maybe even achieve your dreams.

And now that same effort is being mocked. Maybe by only a minute portion of the jaded and uninformed (or possibly just the usual trolls), but even then that is too many. The idea that you are not a master of your own fate, and rather a slave to some idea of how things may be is a mental poison that is corrupting this world a little more each day and can in no way be tolerated by anyone with a shred of hope and life left in them.

Call out these YouTube personalities all you want for the quality of their work. Critique them, question them, or just ignore them entirely if you choose. But never, ever, deny those that truly deserve it respect for the work they put in to get where they are and their willingness to aim for something greater regardless of whether or not it was through traditional means.

Do that, and you might as well deny all of those born without a silver spoon in their mouth the right to eat.

I feel that everyone putting together a best of 2013 list that truly cares about gaming only does so after slamming a recently emptied bottle of whiskey down on their desk and sighing deeply.

2013 was one of the most packed years in gaming history. From every available outlet poured titles that are without comparison, even when weighed against the entirety of gaming history. Sure, there was the usual flood of crap and frustration, but it seemed that bi-weekly we were getting one of those games that you just had to play. Of course, that’s because we were.

Even if you don’t take into account the launch of two next-gen systems and all the other major industry occurrences and just focus on the quality of the games themselves, you’d be hard-pressed to name to many other years ahead of 2013.

A lot of hard decisions had to be made when putting together this list, but I feel that this is as comfortable with the honors as I’m ever going to be. Just note that if you don’t see your favorite game, it’s either because I didn’t play it, painfully had to cut it, or just didn’t like it. The curious can ask in the comments below.

Without further ado, here are the best games of 2013.

10. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Let me get “Assassin’s Creed IV’s” biggest problem out of the way first. It’s still an “Assassin’s Creed” game. Therefore, it carries all of the faults of that series, including a far too simplified combat system, some seriously uneven mission quality and obligatory futuristic plot elements that are getting more and more superfluous.

But, sweet Jesus, this game is just pure fun. A lot of that fun derives from the perfect implementation of its pirate elements. “AC:IV” is the absolute greatest pirate game ever made. It gives you nearly everything you could ever want from the romanticized pirate experience many of us are familiar with, and does it with sheer glee. It certainly doesn’t hurt that this is also one of the best written and best acted games I’ve played in some time.

Were this game developed from the ground up as an entirely new series called “Black Flag,” it may be even higher on this list. As it is, though, there are few games more entertaining than “AC:IV” regardless of your feelings towards the series up until this point, or any specific video gaming turn-ons and peeves you may have.

9. Outlast

The age of the true survival horror game seems to be coming to a close as a growing number of developers pussy out and implement more and more action elements into the genre in order to make it more appealing to a larger crowd.

That’s a true shame, as a game like “Outlast” shows the tremendous amount of life left in the traditional horror style. This is quite simply one of the most terrifying games ever released, and at no point does it give a damn if you are enjoying yourself while playing it or whether or not you feel safe. It’s an uncompromising realization of the potential gaming has in terms of conveying pure horror, and you’ll love every minute you hate playing it.

I’m so very thankful the new generation of YouTube players have spread the gossip of “Outlast” and all its terrible wonders and helped let the people know that for all the waves of shitty action games with occasional jump scares that dare label themselves horror, there are still some games that do it right.

8. The Last of Us

Developer Naughty Dog earned a reputation among gamers as a developer that can, at times, seemingly do no wrong. It’s a reputation built upon a history of titles ranging from incredibly fun, to all-time classic, with very few misses on any level. It’s a reputation that made “The Last of Us” almost destined to be a success.

That “The Last of Us” ascended to the throne before its release by virtue of its birth right could have been its undoing, but the game easily carves a legacy of its own dependent on nothing else but the quality of the final product. Its blend of stealth action, environment, character development, and above all else, story, is so effortless at times that you really have to step back from the title to force yourself to appreciate the work that went into making “The Last of Us” possible.

I do have some complaints about certain elements of “The Last of Us” as it pertains to decisions made in its gameplay and storytelling (which is very important to distinguish from just the pure story) that keep it from being game of the year, but the sheer craftsmanship of the game makes it impossible to not distinguish as a highlight in a year absolutely full of them.

7. Super Mario 3D World

Have you ever stopped to consider the nigh impossible level of consistent quality that is the “Mario” series? The natural cynic in me keeps expecting every major release to finally be the one that doesn’t get it right, but without fail, once I actually play the game, I hang my head in shame for daring to doubt it.

“Super Mario 3D World” is a celebration of everything that makes the series great. It’s colorful and lively, it’s got some of the best level design you’ll see in any game this year (or any other), and it’s capable of pumping an almost childish level of joy into your entire being that you thought the world had stomped out long ago.

You’ll find that an important characteristic I use in distinguishing which of the many great games available this year are worthy of being singled out for this list is just how much fun they are. That’s important because, far more important than any critical analysis I can divulge regarding “Super Mario 3D World” is the simple fact that it is just great fun from beginning to end.

6. BioShock Infinite

The original “BioShock” was just such a punch-in-the-gut great game that you were forced to bow to it out of mere reaction. In the world of 24-hour gaming coverage, it’s rare that you play a game that catches you off guard with its excellence, but such was the case with “BioShock.”

Many (rightfully) questioned how you follow up such an experience considering that everyone is now anticipating greatness. “BioShock Infinite” answered that question by providing a game that felt every bit worthy of the “BioShock” name in terms of its mechanics and style, but at no point felt like a $60 retread down memory lane. It used the best parts of “BioShock” as a foundation (because why wouldn’t it?), but really only took advantage of them to allow the team to focus more on creating a story and world worthy of the “BioShock” universe, but never derivative of it.

In that regard, it is a wall-to-wall triumph, and one of the best examples of how to do a proper video game sequel.

5. Gunpoint

Put a gun to my head and force me to classify “Gunpoint” as one specific genre, and I suppose I’d label it a puzzle game. After all, it gives you a series of levels that you are asked to manipulate and navigate through in order to succeed, similar to a game like “Portal,” which I’d also tentatively consider a puzzler.

Where “Gunpoint” gets the idea so very right, though, is in its organic approach to the puzzler genre. Puzzles in “Gunpoint” are not there as mere obligations and hurdles, but rather as genuinely interesting challenges with multiple solutions. The usual satisfaction in any puzzle game is when you finally solve the puzzle. In “Gunpoint,” the satisfaction comes from the process of solving the puzzle, and finding all the different ways to approach it. It makes the work you put into it as thrilling, if not more thrilling, than the eventual payoff.

“Gunpoint” became a runaway indie hit and deserves every dollar thrown its way. There are few games that manage to balance visceral satisfaction and genuine cleverness in equal measure, and “Gunpoint” does it with ease.

4. The Stanley Parable

I’ve never heard an explanation of “The Stanley Parable” that I’ve ever been completely satisfied with when it comes to conveying the full idea of the thing. After all, how do you describe a game that so openly defies nearly every gaming convention?

Fortunately, there is a free “Stanley Parable” demo available that does far better justice to the experience than words ever could. While I’d like to say to just go play that, and come back if you don’t agree with its placement here, in the interest of defending its lofty ranking over other high-profile titles, I feel compelled to tell you that every kind word you’ve heard about this game and how it is smarter, more engaging and more surprising than just about every other game out there is 100% the truth.

“The Stanley Parable” questions the very structure of gaming as we know it and presents a fully realized visual walkthrough of an alternative to those tropes. Once you are done with it, you’ll never catch yourself saying you played it, but rather that you experienced it.

3. Gone Home

As a fan of gaming my whole life, I tend to feel that the medium is capable of anything. However, before “Gone Home,” I never would have thought the next great American novel would come in the form of a video game.

However, lets not call “Gone Home” a video game, because that doesn’t really give an accurate indication of it. It’s an interactive digital expression of humanity and family. It turns the camera on the user, so to speak, and asks us to really take a look at our shared community and everything that makes us, well, us. Not as gamers, mind you, but as people.

A subtle yet profound look at family, life and all the little things that make up the bigger picture, “Gone Home” won’t last you long, but it’ll cling to your soul and forever alter the expectations you have concerning this medium and storytelling.

2. Papers, Please

Can you imagine the looks developer Lucas Pope must have gotten when telling people about “Papers, Please?” How many awkward silences and bit lips followed the explanation of a game where you, from a gameplay perspective, do little more than review paperwork for discrepancies?

Clearly, though, Pope was a man with a clear vision and I’ll be damned if he didn’t make the perfect realization of it. Let’s put aside how strangely compelling it is to go over documents and try to single out any of a number of errors while under a strict time limit, and talk about the real contribution of “Papers, Please?,” which is its unique approach to morality in gaming. Rather than doing what most other games do and give you cut and dry choices on which moral path to pursue, “Papers, Please?” presents one unified experience that is driven by your natural instincts and personality morality. This is in opposition to those other games which solicit morality from you point blank and give you plenty of chances to consciously examine your choices before making them.

“Papers, Please?” is certainly entertaining, but I would in no way call it fun. I understand that goes against an earlier outlined philosophy regarding the selection of this list, but “Papers, Please?” is the type of game that causes you to reexamine a lot of preconceptions you have regarding not only gaming, but yourself. It is one of the most immersive experiences in the history of gaming.

1. Grand Theft Auto V

The beauty of “GTA” selling millions and making billions is that I don’t have to go into too many details about it here, since you’ve probably played it. Instead, I only need justify its appearance at the top spot ahead of some very worthy competition.

Here’s the thing: AAA gaming is in seriously bad shape. Far too many of them have become this sort of futuristic nutrition paste. All of the substance, none of the flavor, and beneficial only for survival. Worse than that, they are becoming plagued with such horrors as micro transactions, an over-reliance on outdated gameplay mechanics, and a growing interest in filling the coffers of their publishers as opposed to using the considerable resources at their disposal to pursue something a little different and take the occasional risk.

Into that world comes a game like “GTA V.” It’s a game that cost somewhere north of $200 million to make, and feels like it. In exchange for $60, it gives you hundreds and hundreds of hours of well-produced content. It feels like nothing was left on the cutting room floor in order to save for a future DLC you’ll be charged for, or to save for the next yearly installment.

It is, in so many ways, the polar opposite of nearly everything that makes AAA gaming so incredibly frustrating these days. Yes, it has its problems, but none of them feel like they were put in the game with malicious intent or out of laziness. It’s a game that shows what happens when a large studio with a considerable budget aims to make a game that the developers can genuinely be proud of — not because of how much money it made, but because of the the quality of the thing itself.

Of course, it would also go on to make all the money in the world anyway. Go figure.

At the end of the day, though, “GTA V” is simply more entertaining and packed with more content than any other game released this year, which is why it snags this honor.

Ever since their acquisition of the “Sam and Max” license, Telltale has garnered a reputation as a studio that does things a little bit differently.

It was with that series that the studio kicked off their unique episodic format, where a series is released in monthly or bi-monthly installments over the course of a season. While the quality of their individual installments varied from great to “meh” with some regularity, for the most part the approach was viewed as a gimmick by many.

That was until the release of “The Walking Dead.”

With that series Telltale finally made it all click. The series of choices and consequences in those games made the episodic format actually matter, while the quality of the writing and direction made “The Walking Dead” the first series from the studio to maintain a standard of excellence throughout. The general consensus winner of the 2012 game of the year awards, “The Walking Dead” was a runaway success.

Much like the runaway success “Walking Dead” TV show, however, its increased attention also drew increased criticism. Many gamers lashed out against “The Walking Dead” games for not actually being games. Instead they saw them as a series of story sequences loosely strung together by the occasional dialogue choice or QTE section. As a result, “The Walking Dead” became one of the most cited titles in the growing debate of whether or not the term video game is still appropriate when describing the state of the medium today.

Regardless of where you stand on that particular issue though, the sales numbers don’t lie, and the numbers tell us that “The Walking Dead,” was a success. It was such a success, in fact, that it allowed TellTalle to not only continue “The Walking Dead” series, but begin entirely new series within the high profile worlds of “Fables,” “Borderlands,” and “Game of Thrones.”

And that’s what worries me.

See, I’m firmly in the crowd that loved “The Walking Dead.” While that’s mostly due to the quality of the game’s storytelling, I also attribute that to the fact that there wasn’t really anything like “The Walking Dead” series, even in the TellTalle canon. It was a breath of fresh air in the gaming world, and made the choice to buy “The Wolf Among Us” a no brainer.

By the end of the first episode of that game, though, it became pretty obvious that Telltale had no intentions of abandoning the gold mine of design they stumbled on during “The Walking Dead.” I don’t want to sound like I’m writing off “Wolf” as a re-skinned “Walking Dead,” but rather want to point out that if the appeal of “The Walking Dead” lied in it’s uniqueness and quality storytelling, the appeal of “Wolf” lies just in its storytelling.

That’s fine, but it does raise the question of whether or not TellTalle can justify releasing several high profile series in succession that all follow that “Walking Dead” style. After all, how many times can you hope to catch lightning in a bottle?

Now it’s not like I think Telltale should look at the success of “The Walking Dead” and say “Well, we made a good game so its time to shut down production,” but they already have both “The Walking Dead Season 2” and “The Wolf Among Us” releasing concurrently and now apparently have “Game of Thrones” and “Borderlands” titles in the works as well.

There’s no studio in the world that can possibly handle that amount of production and maintain a consistent level of quality, especially if the games they are making all follow the same basic template. We’ve seen before what happens to studios who feel the obligation to make annual releases of the same series and, with few exceptions, the results are not pretty.

In the case of Telltale, however, it’s even more tragic. Here’s a studio that made their namesake by releasing a game that shook the foundations of gaming and had some questioning the validity of the classification gaming itself. Going from that, to just continuing to do that but in new worlds reminds me of the executives from “South Park” who surmised that if saying shit in a TV show was popular and revolutionary, then saying shit even more and in different episodes is sure to be just as popular and revolutionary.

I believe that TellTalle is a great developer, and will never intentionally start banging out games routinely in the “Call of Duty” style. However, whether it is their intention or not, unless they start exploring a style beyond that of “The Walking Dead,” or at the very least limit their releases to a series at a time, they run the risk of overexerting themselves and learning a lesson that entertainers everywhere have learned the hard way for years.

After a while, the same act starts to get old.

Gaming, like so many other things, is not immune to trends.

With some regularity entire styles, genres, and concepts go in and out of fashion. Sure certain aspects of gaming remain consistently popular, and others remain consistently despised, but for the most part you really have to keep a finger on the pulse of gaming in order to hope to keep up with which way the winds of change are blowing.

Do that, and you’ve probably noticed that survival games have been growing in popularity over the years, and have become especially prolific throughout 2013.

Nowhere is this more true than the indie market, where it seems like every week brings with it the reveal of yet another title that cites sneaking, scrounging, and surviving as its main attractions. Sure there’s been a number of AAA games to use survival elements (“The Last of Us” is a great example), but if you’re looking for the heart of the survival movement, it’s into the indies you must go.

Now unlike some other trends in various walks of life, the emergence of the survival genre on the indie scene is one that’s fairly easy to understand and trace.

Simply put, survival games represent a marked departure from nearly everything that the majority of AAA games represent. They do not hold your hand, they allow for (and require) a healthy amount of creative freedom, and most importantly they present a very real chance of failure without glory. In a way they are becoming the James Dean of indie gaming. An icon that so perfectly represents the antithesis of the current cultural climate, that those with similar spiritual beliefs cannot help but be drawn to their magnetism.

Unlike James Dean, however, whose global impact only required a few films, survival as a stand alone concept has yet to really produce a champion to the masses that so perfectly represents everything it stands for that its presence can no longer be ignored.

Now I want to make myself clear on that point. Survival has been a part of some of the greatest games of all time, but only a part of it. For instance, “Resident Evil” was survival/horror. “Minecraft” was survival/crafting. “Fallout 3” was an FPS RPG with survival elements. Hell, while we’re on the subject, just about every video game incorporates at least some elements of survival.

The survival genre by itself, however, is still so young that it’s not even a recognized genre on Steam of all places. You can look and look, but you’ll have a hard time finding any games which classify themselves as strictly a survival game, and there’s a very good reason for that.

Without beating around the bush, survival games on their lonesome just don’t work at the moment. It’s a realization I came to when playing “Day One: Gary’s Incident” and “Sir, You are Being Hunted.” One of those games (“Day One”) is a complete abomination of game design that shows how developing a survival game is not recommended for those who intend to go in with anything but their full ass. I’ll refer you to the infamous Total Biscuit review of it for proof.

“Sir, You Are Being Hunted,” however, is a much more interesting case all around. It’s writing is crisp, it’s world and tone are simply brilliant, and the care put into ensuring its survival aspects are clever and well implemented is quite simply second to none. Yet even then, it’s a game that is hindered simply by the fact that survival (and survival alone) is not really a compelling incentive for long term play. It’s a sort of perpetual motion predicament. You’re encouraged to survive, just so you can continue surviving.

In so many respects though, “Sir” is the epitome of the survival genre as a standalone concept so far. While that isn’t to suggest that a better game can’t come along, the end result of it still being an overall unsatisfactory experience does place some serious doubts on the legitimacy of a survival only genre, despite the growing number of entrants to it on the horizon.

However, I still do believe that the next great trend in gaming is survival.

You see, ultimately it does not matter if a standalone survival experience comes along and stands as its grand champion, as the sheer amount of games that are beginning to incorporate survival elements into their design are already a victory for the concept. Every time a new rougelike comes out, survival gaming is victorious. With every game of the year award “The Last of Us” garners, survival gaming is victorious. With every bit of hype “The Division” generates, survival gaming garners some hype.

As mentioned, this is good for gaming if for no other reason than the fact survival games are radically different from so many other major releases today. Their presence then is beneficial for the simple reason that they offer an alternative to some gaming conventions that are quickly wearing out their welcome.

The reason I think that survival will ultimately prove to be more popular than that, though, is because developers have done such a great job in the later parts of this generation when it comes to introducing survival naturally into more and more games. It’s to the point now where if a game doesn’t have aspects of survival, it feels somewhat hollow. While you could make the argument that survival would more quickly become a necessity if a game came along that used it in a way that “Modern Warfare” made the incorporation of RPG character building elements standard in most games, the survival revolution has already gathered enough steam to plow straight ahead into the next generation.

Gaming is very much subject to trends and fads, and all indications point to survival as the next one. That may sound like a bad thing considering the negative connotations of those words, but in this case it is very interesting, as the incorporation of survival has the potential to alter the current creative direction of gaming on a very serious fundamental level.

Whether or not you actively seek out survival games may soon be irrelevant, as survival games will soon be finding their way to you.

While I have no problem calling “Just Cause 2” a good game, I’m hesitant when it comes to giving it praise beyond that.

See if you attend the open world game design school, there’s really only two classes you can go to. One preaches using the large in-game world to provide a more intensely cinematic experience, while the other teaches the idea of using that same space to let players just go nuts with few (if any) design boundaries to limit or guide them.

While neither is inherently a wrong pursuit, “Just Cause 2’s” firm attendance and devotion to the latter design philosophy meant that while the game was insanely large and incredibly fun to just mess around in, elements like mission quality and story structure were either limited or non-existent.

Some time ago, however, a dedicated group of modders found a way to capitalize off of the built-in strengths of the game and give it a longevity that even a more cohesive and engaging storyline structure couldn’t do by simply adding a true online multiplayer mode to the game.

It’s not an unprecedented occurrence for a single player only game to get a modded multiplayer component, but when you consider that this particular mod allows for up to 600 players at once within the absolutely gigantic world of “Just Cause 2,” and factor in the game’s already zany and ridiculously fast paced nature, perhaps you can see why this drew so much attention from users who would have otherwise most likely stopped regularly playing the game some time ago.

Now it turns out it was not only individual users whose attention was caught by the mod, but the folks at Valve as well as it was recently announced that Steam will soon be making the popular multiplayer mod available for download as an official Steam release. This not only makes the mod much more accessible to the average person, but rightfully legitimizes it as an essential component of the “Just Cause 2” experience.

While the only available release date is still 2013, regardless of whenever this does actually hit Steam it’s already a big win for everyone involved. This is especially true for us, the players, who will now get an even easier chance to experience a sandbox action multiplayer game that is without chaotic equal. Expect to see a popular new wave of insane YouTube videos and jaws on floors when “Just Cause 2’s” multiplayer mode is released by the end of the month