EWB GOTY 2013 - The Results

[Avenged Probably]

I got Bioshock on my PC but I can't play it because the terrible FOV makes me motion sick as all hell

Good thing you're playing on the only console that can actually alter the FOV, then. >_>

Bioshock Infinite was okay. Combat was boring which didn't make it a great game, but the story was good. Not as great as the first Bioshock.

Really? I thought the fact that the combat was way more interesting was one of the reasons it was so much more fun the first game. The skylines, the vigors were way better than the plasmids (I know they were the same, just a lot more fun with Infinite) and the fact that headshots actually worked in this one.

[TKz]

I got Bioshock on my PC but I can't play it because the terrible FOV makes me motion sick as all hell

Good thing you're playing on the only console that can actually alter the FOV, then. >_>

Bioshock Infinite was okay. Combat was boring which didn't make it a great game, but the story was good. Not as great as the first Bioshock.

Really? I thought the fact that the combat was way more interesting was one of the reasons it was so much more fun the first game. The skylines, the vigors were way better than the plasmids (I know they were the same, just a lot more fun with Infinite) and the fact that headshots actually worked in this one.

Eh, every weapon felt the same pretty much and there was nothing really interesting to it. The first Bioshock's combat wasn't it's strength, but it made up for it with a variety of exploration that Infinite lacked. It tried to pretend it had it with the skylines, but you're really just going in a straight line most of the time. There's no cool secrets or hidden bits and pieces to find.

[Plubby]

#4

Grand Theft Auto Online

First released: Intermittently since 1 October 2013

On: PS3, XBOX 360

Weighted Score:

694.2307

13 Nominations, 7.3076 Points per Vote.

Thought of by some as a throw-in with GTA V, GTA Online was beloved enough by you all to take the vaunted #4 spot in our list. I'll keep this brief at the risk of talking too much about GTA with three spots left to go still (spoilers).

Next time: Two female protagonists still to come, and one of them is next!

[TKz]

Wait, seriously, we're counting GTA and GTA Online separately?

[Kaney]

Yeah I find that a bit silly, it'd be like ranking FIFA pro clubs separate from UT or career etc but I never voted so not really fussed

[Plubby]

I gave people the option to consider them seperate games. I think if people are going to consider BNW seperate enough to Civ V to be a "different" game (as I did when I voted for it) then I can't in good conscience tell people that they can't consider GTAO and GTAV to be "different" games.

[TKz]

I think my problem is more with the fact that GTA and GTA Online are both in contention this year. The BNW thing is really just an excuse to let people vote for Civ 5 when it wasn't actually out this year. >_>

Not a big deal, I just feel like something else could have placed instead and GTA/Online would still get the recognition it's getting.

[Benji]

I think it was the right call - the votes spoke for themselves, plus Plubby gave people the chance to argue the point. If people didn't want it that way then they didn't have to vote for it.

[METALMAN]

I think it is fair to keep them separate because I liked GTA 5 but hated GTA Online.

[apsham]

Brave New World makes Civ5 an entirely new game in most respects, and changes the way that it's played entirely. It's reasonable to vote for I think.

[King Ellis]

And Sousa was mad when he thought just one GTA was out ranking his beloved Fire Emblem...

[gunnar hendershow]

Wait til he finds out we included GTA: San Andreas for iOS also made the top 4.

[EddieG]

Pretty sure Rockstar themselves said they're different games as well.

[Colly]

That iPhone GTA dog training thing is number one isn't it?

[Sousa]

#1 is the Kindle Fire re-release of San Andreas (which apparently exists)

[Colly]

No joke on nothing, Vice City with a PS3 controller on my Nexus 7 is amazing.

[Bobfoc]

I can imagine a GTA game on a mobile phone without some kind of third party controller being almost impossible to play.

[Plubby]

#3

Tomb Raider

First released: March 5 2013

On: PS3, XBOX 360, PC (Available on Steam) (Coming to Next Gen)

Weighted Score:

742.5625

16 Nominations, 6.8125 Points per Vote.

It seemed appropriate that a franchise cloaked in controversy for its treatment of women would create controversy for its treatment of the titular (that was some of my best work) character in its latest installment. Yet by the end of the game you'd forgotten all about that in what was undoubtedly the strongest Lara Croft effort in quite some time. It's now available at mid-range price point online, so now's as good a time as any to jump into our #3 game!

EWB TALKS: Tomb Raider is a weird franchise. It seemed to get pretty big in the 90's by sheer virtue of being something to play on your new fangled NintendoPlaystation and because it had a woman with huge, polygon boobies on the front cover. Honestly, it started out pretty rough and going back and playing the games now, kind of leaves you wondering what the big deal was. Which is fair, because the story was never really all that well done in these games, even in the early PS3 generation games. So along comes Tomb Raider, 2013. In place of fairly generic dungeon puzzles and boobies in favor of story, we got a gritty, "realistic" and incredible retelling of the origin of Lara Croft. It really was the story that the game told that gained it such favor with fans and critics alike, making Lara a character that you genuinely care about. But there's also a ton of really fun gameplay behind that story to help keep things interesting. A beautiful "open world" Island to explore, filled with worthwhile collectibles, gorgeous and varied locations and tons of interesting puzzles. Throw in a little stealth action and a bow and arrow combat system... and this revitalized a franchise that really had no right being as big a name as it did.

I'm happy to say that Lara Croft now exists as a well explored, interesting and deep character, in a franchise that I can't wait to see expand, rather than a pair of breasts that you're more likely to purposefully drown in-game for stress relief than care about.

- TKz

Next time: There were some great games to make the list and we explore the second-to-last of us.

[Baddar]

Whether GTA/GTA Online should be considered separate or not, there's only one deserving winner of GOTY. I really want to play LoU again before upgrading to PS4.

[Benji]

I am happy to see it as #3, but I still can't believe that it's 2013 and Tomb Raider is one of the best games this year. Just goes to show that no franchise is truly lost.