Ken Levine's Top 10 Games of 2013

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Sn4ke_911

If I ever post something in Japanese which I don't understand, please BAN me.
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Ken Levine is the creative director and co-founder of Irrational Games, makers of one of this year's most oft-listed games, BioShock Infinite.

So I really don’t think in terms of lists. Sometimes there’s a game I adore which I never think about after I finish, and sometimes there’s a game I’m lukewarm on that has certain influence that influence me for years. So, in short, don’t waste your time reading this list because it doesn’t mean much. However, if I had to name 10 games of 2013, I’d go with these. (P.S., they’re not in any order of importance.)


10. XCOM: Enemy Within

Hey, it’s XCom. And it's awesome, adding in rather than adding on. A great design gets better.

9. Sid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New World

Hey another expansion pack! From the company I work for. I’m either a sellout, or am the biggest Civ Whore of all time (Hint: I’m the biggest Civ Whore of all time). They will take my Civ when they pry it out my cold, dead hands.

8. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Pirates. Sword fighting. Sailing ships. Or as Churchill described the life of the old timey sailor, “Rum, sodomy and the lash.” Great game, great characters. Bravo.

7. Lords of Waterdeep (iOS)

A Euro game posing as a Dungeons and Dragons game posing as an iOS game. If I had any friends I’d play it with them, but the AI will have to do.

6. Rocksmith 2014

Yes, it really, really teaches you to play guitar. Or, it teaches me at least. I live for three things now: my career, my wife and playing the bass line of "Creep" at 4 in the morning in my bath robe.

5. Fallen Enchantress

An older game I didn’t to play until this year. Master of Magic for the modern day. Nuff said.

4. Dishonored

Was too busy shipping Infinite to play it properly when it came out, but wow. Amazingly tight, incredibly tuned, full of options, a cool looking world and around 16 tons of fun.

3. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

A magical game about a floutist. What else do I need to say that hasn’t been said, except I was never one of those haters who didn’t like the way it looked on the GameCube, and it’s even better now.

2. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

Why? Because M.O.D.O.K., that’s why!

1. Unity of Command, expansion #3? 4? Who knows.

All I do know is that I’m spending more time thinking about supply lines in the Caucuses than any human adult who’s not actually on the Eastern Front should.
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http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/ken-levine-s-top-10-games-of-2013/1100-4823/
 
Unity of Command! It's secretly a great game but most people don't know it exists.

I love how it takes a traditionally impenetrable genre and crosses it with the interface simplicity of something like Advance Wars. It's ridiculously playable even if it's a billion times more difficult.
 
Very easy to see who doesn't own a 3DS.
 
I didn't consider Unity of Command for my list because I thought it came out late last year? I've played it and the Red Turn DLC this year, didn't get the newest expansion which I heard is really good.
 
Out of his list, I only played wind waker HD, kind of want Lego Marvel but heard the wii u version is really really buggy =/

I liked wind waker but man the game has some of the worst dungeons and bosses in zelda game history/ near the end of the game, the triforce quest is something so unmotivating, it becomes such a chore, even in HD, I'm on the triforce hunt and I feel so unmotivated to finish the game because of it. But damn does it have a good overworld, looks gorgeous and has a wide variety of great likable NPC and is great for those who like exploring the sea.
 
Bronetta said:
Very easy to see who doesn't own a 3DS.
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I own one, and have nearly ever big game(minus Pokemon X/Y) that came out this year. ALBW is the only one that would be in my top 10. I guess it's easy to see who doesn't own a 3DS......or maybe some people care about things the 3DS doesn't offer.
 
Intheflorsh said:
Dishonored came out in 2012...
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So did Fallen Echantress. He's talking games he played this year rather than games that came out this year.

oSoLucky said:
I own one, and have nearly ever big game(minus Pokemon X/Y) that came out this year. ALBW is the only one that would be in my top 10. I guess it's easy to see who doesn't own a 3DS......or maybe some people care about things the 3DS doesn't offer.
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I kind of agree with this. I've played most of the beastly 3DS library this year and would only put Zelda, Ace Attorney 5 and possibly Bravely Default (although not finished that one yet) into consideration for me personally.
 
I hope Ken returns to making games like Dishonoured. I say this because the latter was very much influenced by Deus Ex, System Shock etc. Dishonoured was basically Harvey Smith returning to his routes, it would be awesome if Ken does the same.
 
2. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
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My man.

More people need to play LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. It's fucking awesome and has the most insane Marvel roster ever. You can play as Howard the Duck. Howard the mother fucking Duck.
 
My respect for Mr Levine has jumped up considerably for listing Unity of Command. That game is rock-solid awesomeness.
 
This forum would be slightly better if people understood that not everyone enjoy playing third person action games. And if you don't enjoy them, then it's ok to not include them on your GOTY lists.
 
3. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

A magical game about a floutist. What else do I need to say that hasn’t been said, except I was never one of those haters who didn’t like the way it looked on the GameCube, and it’s even better now.
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Wind Waker isn't about a floutist.
 
styl3s said:
My man.

More people need to play LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. It's fucking awesome and has the most insane Marvel roster ever. You can play as Howard the Duck. Howard the mother fucking Duck.
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The demo was pretty frustrating. Change to hulk, do something, change back to dude, do something, change back to hulk again, do something, change back etc, etc.

I thought it was a pretty terrible way to try and sell the game to be honest. I hope the actual game is less monotonous.
 
I don't know what he even means by "floutist" - is that even the actual spelling? Link doesn't even actually play any instrument in the game, it's clearly a conductor's baton so it's hard to imagine he's actually played the game in depth if he thinks the main instrument is a flute, haha.

That said, it's a pretty good list of games, whether they were released in 2013 or not.
 
BibiMaghoo said:
The demo was pretty frustrating. Change to hulk, do something, change back to dude, do something, change back to hulk again, do something, change back etc, etc.

I thought it was a pretty terrible way to try and sell the game to be honest. I hope the actual game is less monotonous.
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Most demos are.
 
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