Most Underrated Title of 2013?

[the_great_cessation]

With the majority of gaming media releasing their annual "GOTY" lists, discussion has largely shifted to reflecting back on 2013 in gaming. While The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite, GTA V, Gone Home, Papers Please and the like are all VERY much deserving of all the praise and discussion they have been generating, I thought it would be novel to reflect on those titles that while not the best of the years, were interesting or engaging enough for them to have some sort of impact on you.

For me, the title that best exemplifies this would be The Cave. The Cave is an adventure / puzzle platformer game from Ron Gilbert and Double Fine Studios and is noteworthy for it's dark humor and inventive puzzles. While the game was far from perfect, I found the game undeniably charming and worth a lot more praise and attention that what it got. Another of such titles for me would of been Suda 51's Killer is Dead . In many ways, this game is awful. It's blatantly misogynistic, fairly shallow and is littered with technical problems like frequent screen tearing and graphical glitches. Yet despite this, I found myself enjoying the game. I guess I find it's bat-shit insanity and sheer audacity admirable to a degree. I mean, what other games this year featured a homicidal Russian steam engine, a motorcycle dual against a master samurai riding a tiger, the perfect egg recipe and an over-the top sword fight with a half-naked man on the moon?

 

[Zhukov]

Y'know, I can't really think of one this year. All the games I really liked were among the ones that lots of people liked.

Maybe The Wolf Among Us. But that kinda doesn't count since it's really only one fifth of a game.

Remember Me gets the Wasted Potential award. I'm sure there was a fantastic game lurking in its design docs, but the execution was awful on almost every level.

Tomb Raider gets the Solid Game award. I certainly wouldn't call it great, too safe and unimaginative for that, but it was basically enjoyable in a easily digestible but evidently forgettable kind of way.

 

[The Crispy Tiger]

Hmm...
Xcom should have a lot more fans then it actually does.

 

[Wickatricka]

Starbound (even though its gaining popularity very quick now)

 

[MysticSlayer]

No One Has to Die

This is mostly because not many people have heard of it, but that seems standard for a lot of flash games. It wasn't that great of a game mechanically, but it still managed to be engaging enough to make me play through it in one approximately 1.5-2 hour sitting, and I don't regret doing it. To me, it deserved more attention than it got, and it is probably the only game this year that I would say that about.

 

[Zarkov]

I'd say Europa Universalis IV.

While it isn't as accessible as GTA, it is however (like its medieval counterpart) become much easier to enjoy. The game hinges on its ability to convey to the player that it is the ultimate historical sandbox, and that there are many reasons to play the game. To conquer, to role play, and best of all, to just fuck up history. Crusader Kings II is the game that got me interested and Europa Universalis IV is the game to make me stay.

It won't end up on many people's game of the year lists (actually, I do think some guy at Kotaku had it on his list), but the game does exemplify old game design clashing with an (almost) intuitive GUI. We don't have many developers these days that do what Paradox Interactive does.

What I'd really like to see is a Paradox game that sacrifices a bit more of the simulation for fun gameplay. It'd easily be the best grand strategy of the year.

 

[nogitsune]

Shadow Warrior

I found this to be one of my favorite games this year, a great action game that had me laughing hard while playing it and just having a great time with it's terrific sword and gunplay. But the critics seemed pretty harsh on it, perhaps they didn't like the multiplayer, Total Biscuit seemed to be the only critic that was possitve about the game that I noticed.

 

[The Wykydtron]

I suppose Persona 4 Arena. I know I really, really, really, really, really, really, really love Persona 4 and an expansion to that is like the best thing ever anyway but Arena is brilliant on a purely mechanical level too.

All the screbs can learn the game through autocombos and there is a GTFO button for everyone along with a Burst so the BlazBlue problem of just fucking locking someone in the corner and continue mashing buttons until they die is immediately resolved. Yeah the corner pressure is there but you can actually deal with it here. After months of BB i've learned practically nothing through immediate corner death. People say you learn from your losses but come on there are limits.

The story modes were all decent but the quality scale rockets from godlike to sleep inducing on a character to character basis. Yosuke's story is hands down the best as anyone who has played the game will tell you whereas Yu is still feeling the effects of being the former main character as such he's not allowed to have a personality so he's saddled with the job of explaining the basics of the plot and fuck all else. BlazBlue had more consistent entertainment per story mode but that might be because they could write whatever bad fanfiction they wanted into a story mode and just go "Continuum Shift lol"

I have to point out that Labrys pulls off being the new addition to the story perfectly, I was really cynical to start with but she ended up being my main online, what with Labrys being my #2 favourite fighting game character ever. (#1 being Mu "legit clothing" -12 of course) Also the chick who voices Shabrys (I assume the same chick who voiced Labrys with an Evil Filter overlay) deserves like whatever medal you give to good voice actors.

 

[sextus the crazy]

I was kinda sad that Fire Emblem: Awakening and SMT: IV weren't on the list. Seems like none of the games I played this year were AAA console games, just like last year.

 

[GladiatorUA]

Deadpool. It was almost exactly what a Deadpool game should be. Very good writing, if that kind of humor is your thing. Yeah, it's a bit short, doesn't have a huge variety of monsters and a bit lazy in some cases, but it's fun. Grabbing it at 50% off is a very good idea. Unless you live in Europe. It's crazy overpriced in Europe.

 

[Dalisclock]

I agree with the OP on the Cave. I really enjoyed it and felt it didn't really get the attention or love it deserved. Even Yahtzee bashed it. Then again, I got a bit of a kick out of Brutal Legend as well, finally getting around to playing that this year.

Aside from that I'll throw in my two cents for the Stanley Parable, which does a lot with so little and feels really interesting despite have little actual "game" in it. I also think it's one of those games that everyone who is interested in game mechanics or "choice" should explore.

 

[Racecarlock]

Saints Row IV. Anyone who says it's just a DLC they made into a full game doesn't know what they're talking about. Sure, they might have done that, but there is a pretty good amount of mini games and missions and side missions here. The super powers are all nicely varied and they make both mayhem and simply getting around fun and fluid.

And if you say "Well, it's too wacky." that's more of a subjective thing. I mean, so are the sentences I have written above, but "Too wacky" is even more subjective. I can't tell you you're wrong on that one, that's taste. What I do know is that I enjoyed Saints Row IV immensely and I do think people should give it more of a chance. That being said, if you have played the whole game and didn't enjoy it, there's nothing I can do. Again, it's all a matter of taste.

 

[BreakfastMan]

I gotta agree with Racecarlock, and go with Saints Row IV. The game didn't get nearly as much critical praise as it should have and barely appears on any of the "best-of" end of the year lists. Yet, the game was absolutely brilliant. Incredibly enjoyable, it was a game that was amazing in a number of small, subtle, enjoyable ways, and was much smarter than it wanted you to think it was. Hopefully time will vindicate me on this.

 

[Hawkeye21]

I second Shadow Warrior. It was one of the best games of the year, and best/most fun FPS I've played in years. That game deserved a lot more attention than it got.

 

[SillySam]

Call of Juarez Gunslinger, it's such a fun little shooter
Such a shame that no one seems to remember it existed this time of the year

 

[Someone Depressing]

No One Has to Die

This is mostly because not many people have heard of it, but that seems standard for a lot of flash games. It wasn't that great of a game mechanically, but it still managed to be engaging enough to make me play through it in one approximately 1.5-2 hour sitting, and I don't regret doing it. To me, it deserved more attention than it got, and it is probably the only game this year that I would say that about.

That game melted my brain. Passcode turkeys... *collapse*

But yeah, I agree. The game didn't get as much attention as it should have.

And I suppose Pokemon fans still haven't quite realised that their beloved franchise is heavily inferior (flameshield) to the game series that started the whole genre, so SMT:IV went mostly ignored by the general gaming community.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus

A real return to form for the series. Short, but very, very sweet.

Fun guns, fun gameplay, even fun Clank sections.

 

[Alhazred]

Anodyne, a Legend of Zelda-inspired inspired indie game that I actually thought was better than the last actually Zelda game I played.

Part of the reason for that is Anodyne's often extremely creepy atmosphere; imagine Link's Awakening as directed by David Lynch and you'll have a small idea of what to expect.

 

[Chester Rabbit]

Rayman Legends can I say that? The game did pretty well with critics and fans but...not a lot of people are buying this game which is just overwhelmingly tragic.

If that doesn't count then.....*shrugs* I got nothin.