Tag: Best of 2013

2013: An Alternative Music History

by DJAJSantini

Preamble: The obligatory year end list. Personally, I abhor most music blogs/publications’ picks because either they’re so blatantly obvious, or they lean heavily on the second half of the year and discredit songs played out in the first 6 months of the year, or they completely ignore the majority of the population’s tastes. So, without further ado, you may begin trolling now.

Pop music is eating itself. Are we out of ideas? Everything’s a sample, or a copy, or a rip-off… Just like the movie industry. I think the most original shit out there is EDM, but even that jumped the shark this year. There are only so many guitar chords, so many melody lines, so many words… But that doesn’t forgive the blatant disregard for originality in popular music today. Here’s 10 lawsuits waiting to happen that came out this year, followed by the song you should just listen to instead.

1. Flo Rida “I Cry”

Flo Rida is one of the worst offenders who really doesn’t have to exist. He’s done almost nothing original. He just raps boring, generic vomit over other people’s beats (most of the time) and gets millions of dollars for it. Another one is coming later in the list, but for now…

Listen to this instead:

Bingo Players “Cry (Just a Little)”

2. Ariana Grande “The Way (feat. Mac Miller)”

Granted, mini-Mariah has a good pop song here, but Big Punisher already had a smash with the piano riff. And Mac Miller just using Pun’s lyrics in the intro just comes across as lazy.

Listen to this instead:

Brenda Russell “A Little Bit of Love”

3. Lana Del Rey “Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Mix)”

I’ve been into Lana Del Rey (regardless that everyone keeps shitting on my head for it) for about 2 years. She really got no love on major music outlets like radio, especially after that perceived SNL fiasco, until Cedric Gervais remixed this track. The mood of the remix doesn’t even fit the lyrics…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz5hKW8BFCE

Listen to this instead:

Lana Del Rey “Summertime Sadness”

4. Anna Kendrick “Cups”

I get it. Pitch Perfect was hilarious. And this song is good. Glad it became more than just a YouTube sensation or a bit part in the film, and Anna’s a great singer… but I prefer the original.

Listen to this instead:

The Carter Family “When I’m Gone”

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xtxjd9_the-carter-family-when-i-m-gone-remastered-country-music-experience_music

5. Bruno Mars “Treasure”

I’m glad funk-sounding music is making a comeback. Something with instruments that you can dance to. I think I speak for everyone who doesn’t live by PLUR that EDM is getting out of hand and needs to go back underground and get a hold of itself. I have nothing against Bruno Mars, and I enjoyed playing this song at my DJ gigs this year, but even the video tells you it’s been done before.

Listen to this instead:

The Jacksons “Blame It On The Boogie”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzoElTAYUFY

6. Pitbull “Don’t Stop the Party (feat. TJR)”

Featuring TJR? Or just rapping over his song and making millions for saying the same shit over and over again? Pitbull is the other problem with music today (next to #1 Flo Rida). Someone neuter him. Or call the cops. This party’s been over for a while…

Listen to this instead:

Toots & The Maytals “Funky Kingston”

7. Pitbull “Feel This Moment (feat. Christina Aguilera)”

Obvious.

Listen to this instead:

a-ha “Take On Me”

8. Katy Perry “Roar”

This is anthemic and catchy and enjoyable. And I usually back up Katy on everything since we share a birthday and so I feel she is my brethren. But it’s pretty blatantly ripped off from a song that came out just months earlier that Katy herself tweeted about. Hmm…

Listen to this instead:

Sara Bareilles “Brave”

9. Florida Georgia Line “Cruise Remix (feat. Nelly)”

Seriously? There was NO NEED for Nelly to put his lame ass rhymes on this track. Or mess with the beat. It ruined a perfectly fine pop song. Notice, I didn’t say country song. Every “country” song is just a pop song about trucks and painted on jeans now. And Florida Georgia Line is the Ke$ha of country. But, leave it be. Nelly already tried his hand at country rap, but he did not in fact “turn it up” as he claims he wants to do at the beginning of the video.

Listen to this instead:

Florida Georgia Line “Cruise”

10. Robin Thicke “Blurred Lines (feat. T.I. and Pharrell)”

He’s getting sued for what everyone blatantly realized was a stolen bassline. It didn’t stop the song from being the biggest hit of 2013. The video was controversial, an X-rated Robert Palmer clip, made a minor celebrity out of Emily Ratajkowski (rivaling only Kate Upton and Jennifer Lawrence as hottest female celebrities of the year)… the song brought a much needed genuine sexiness back to pop music that Justin Timberlake failed to do with his two albums this year, regardless of feminists screaming about how it encouraged rape culture (which I can see, but was nowhere near as hideous as Rick Ross’ verse on “UOENO”). I’m torn…

Listen to this instead:

Geekscape’s Favorite Things Of 2013: Movies

by GeekscapeStaff

Can you believe that 2013 is nearly over? In less than 24 hours, we’ll abolish that dreaded three for ten more years, and a cool, clean, pointy four will take its place.

2013 has been a great year for all types of media, so as always, we rounded up our ever-growing pool of writers to share with you our favourite things of 2013. First up, movies!

Take a look at everyone’s top 5, top 10, or favourite film altogether below, and be sure to let us know yours in the comments!

MCDave

**** Disclaimer: I still haven’t seen Her, Lone Survivor, or August: Osage County

1. American Hustle – David O. Russell continues his reign with this smartly written and witty con-man drama that delivers the year’s best acting ensemble.

2. Rush – A surprisingly entertaining and adrenaline pumping real-life story about Formula 1 racing. Ron Howard returns to form with this memorable competitive sports drama.

3. About Time – “Love Actually” director, Richard Curtis, elevates his game with this delightful and charming tale of falling in love and discovering a new-found zest for life. Incorporating a mildly flawed, but still effective, sci-fi backdrop revolving around time travel, “About Time” is one of the year’s most sentimental features.

4. 12 Years a Slave – This freight train of an Oscar contender is visceral and unsettling to watch, but even harder to forget. It’s a real-life story of one man’s quest for freedom in the midst of a slavery-fueled 1860s Georgia.

5. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese’s satirical and over-the-top examination of a stockbroker’s greed and ambition is wildly engaging and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Jonah Hill gives a career best performance.

6. Trance – Danny Boyle’s unique style is a regular staple and it’s in tip-top form with his 2013 mind-bending thriller, “Trance”. Deciding who’s playing who, and differentiating between reality and subconscious has never been so much fun.

7. Short Term 12 – An eye-opening look at a state foster-care facility for at-risk youth serves as one of the year’s most compelling and moving independent dramas. A debut effort from director Destin Cretton, “Short Term 12” feels remarkably authentic.

8. Dallas Buyers Club – Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto give towering performances in this true story of Texas renegade Ron Woodroof’s battle with the pharmaceutical industry.

9. Gravity – This epic sci-fi adventure couples groundbreaking special effects with a captivating story of human survival. Superbly directed and well-acted on all accounts, “Gravity” is certainly a satisfying movie experience.

10. The Conjuring – James Wan’s “The Conjuring” has that rare classic horror feel. With genuine scares and a convincing story, we’re given a real horror movie gem.

Josh Jackson

Just to put this out there, I’m not a movie guy. I’ll go see the occasional film that catches my eye, but I’m the kind of person that’s perfectly happy with waiting for everything I want to see to hit my local Redbox before I see it. So for me to be compelled to contribute a movie piece for the end of 2013 is a testement to how much of an impression that Disney’s Frozen left on me.

I walked in knowing next to nothing about the movie, (which was intentional according to multiple sources citing Disney’s attempt to shy away from marketing princesses to attract a bigger audience.) The only reason I knew it wasn’t about Olaf the snowman as the advertisements would lead you to believe is because of the research I did for Disney Infinity at E3, but I never would have expected it to surpass Wreck It Ralph and Tangled. Once the credits rolled, not only would I have gladly place it above those two excellent movies, but I feel it deserves to be discussed in the same breath as the classics of the Disney Renaissance.

What made Frozen so great is that, because it’s so self aware, without being forced or preachy. The film’s first act is full of the typical Disney cliches; a princess who’s desperate for true love, meeting her prince charming, the two instantly falling in love, (with a musical number accompanying it,) and the eventual reveal that a curse that befalls the princess that can only be cured with an act of true love towards the movie’s conclusion. But once the second act starts, this whole concept is thrown on its head. The princess is the one who sets off to save her kingdom from its accidental plight caused by her sister and her uncontrollable ice powers, showing the bravery and assertiveness usually reserved for the prince. Along the way, Princess Anna meets Kristoph, an ice salesman who is an obvious secondary love interest, but acts as a reminder through most of the film that this fairy tale love is unrealistic. Despite this, both Anna and Prince Hans, her original love interest, seemingly go to great lengths to protect the kingdom and each other. It’s not until the final moments that the film’s greatest scene takes place that the film’s message becomes clear, redefining the meaning of “true love” in a fairy tale film while proving that two female leads can carry a movie without a “prince charming” to save them. It brilliantly sets the audience up with expectations that the writers are sure to have known their viewers would have, framed it in a way that exploits the typical Disney formula and takes a complete U-Turn half way through all the way up until the film’s climax, which deserves commendation in itself. And that twist! I can’t remember ever hearing a full theater audibly gasp before!

Once again, the message is strong without being forced, and unlike Enchanted, which dealt with similar themes, that film came off more as a parody. When I think Frozen, what I see is a huge first step towards redefining what a mainstream “princess” movie can achieve. With grand songs written by the people behind The Book of Mormon, recruiting broadway superstars like Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, who are led by a surprisingly strong vocal performance by Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell, gorgeous animation that’s highlighted by a breathtaking sequence showing the construction of Queen Elsa’s ice castle, and the incredible feat of making Olaf legitimately funny instead of painfully annoying, and it’s plain to see why I was left with such a strong impression by Frozen. Unquestionably, the film is one of the best I’ve seen in years, and definitely my movie of 2013.

Jonathan London

(In no particular order.)

Rush – My favorite Ron Howard movie. There is so much energy in every shot, whether it’s the physical and kinetic movements of the races or the internal and interpersonal turmoil of the characters. This movie proves that Chris Hemsworth isn’t just Thor and Ron Howard isn’t just the guy who makes movies to take your parents to. And Daniel Brühl makes a big argument on why Hollywood should put him in more films to come. Rush felt like a newcomer arriving on the scene with the experience of a classic filmmaker. If you don’t like car racing or sports movies you’ll be surprised by it even more.

Pacific Rim – Geeks! This was our movie! A celebration of Japanese monster movies, anime and giant robot films? From the guy who brought us Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth? How was this possibly going to miss? Critics will argue that it had thin characters, a dull middle act and stretched running time. I’ll argue that none of the intended recipients gave a damn… and neither did the filmmakers! There was enough ridiculous spectacle to keep your blood pumping and enough shout outs and wink winks to let you know they they know that it’s all in the name of fun no matter how far this fun locomotive careens off the rails like a Coyote and Roadrunner cartoon. Made for us and approved by us. Sequel please.

The Evil Dead – If you’re going to do a remake/reimagining, this should be your blue print. This was as brutal, fresh and scary as you remember the original being way back when but it doesn’t alienate the fans or negate what came before. I loved every gross, brutal movement of this movie. Now let’s see the series continue!

Ang Nawawala (What Isn’t There) – This is the movie on the list that you probably haven’t seen (or heard of) but it premiered at Slamdance and hopefully the film’s distributor gets their act together so anyone outside of the Philippines can see it. My film school friend Marie Jamora made this movie about how fraternal loss and guilt can fracture a family over the course of decades. It’s also a pretty great movie about how that first true love in your life help begin the process of putting the pieces back together.

A Place Beyond The Pines – This one might end up overlooked on many end of the year lists and presents itself with a triptych act structure that might feel awkwardly paced for the unprepared but ends up being a pretty moving experience and meditation on legacy. The performances are all great and the film probably has the strongest tone of any movie I saw this year (Prisoners might be the other competitor here). The ideas that it presents about inescapability and responsibility will just stick with you as you watch the characters circle the drain of small town life.

This Is The End – The funniest movie of the year. As I talk about on the podcast, if we are moving past the current era of slacker improv comedies that started with Judd Apatow’s The 40 Year Old Virgin, This Is The End is a fitting cap. It’s vulgar, hilarious and doesn’t pull any of its punches. As nasty as it got at times, you welcomed it.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – In a year that offered up a darker Superman, a Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustles and loneliness leading someone to fall in love with their operating system, by the time it got to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty it just felt good to smile. I enjoyed all of those movies that I just referenced but Walter Mitty beats out Her, The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle for its level of positivity. By the time I watched it, I was done with watching a character’s self induced spiral over two hours and was ready for something that felt fresh. Ben Stiller finally finds himself making a movie on a bigger level, not necessarily a comedy and on a bigger scale than anything he’s attempted. The result is just something that is both inspiring and fun to watch. The argument against the movie could be that if you don’t like Ben Stiller it will be a long ride. He is in every scene. But at the same time let yourself be surprised by how innocent and likable the whole experience is. This really reminded me of another Christmas Day release that I enjoyed from years ago that played to the heartfelt moments but may not have been well received by theatergoers: Frank Darabont’s ‘The Majestic”.

Man of Steel – I’m ready to catch heat for this one but this was my favorite comic book movie of the year (sorry, Thor 2… I still love you for being a lot of fun). From the John Byrne style Krypton opening to seeing the apocalyptic results of super humans fighting it out for the real time on screen, Man of Steel was the cinematic relaunch that the character needed. Even though I missed John Williams score and dopey Clark Kent, this felt like the modern Superman that we needed to set the stage for what Warner Bros has in store. I’ll admit that it wasn’t perfect but it did the job it needed to do and I love arguing the merits of the film that a lot of people seem to overlook. Plus, when left with no choice Superman kills… just like in the comics!

Zero Charisma – I’d like to think that we were one of the first champions of this incredible film, having directors Andrew and Katie call in to the show prior to the SXSW premiere, then meeting and loving the film at SXSW and ultimately having them as guests on the show months later when Zero Charisma was released on VOD. I really do hope that you all have seen the movie by now because it is both the best movie about roleplaying culture and the best movie to ever portray geeks.

Prisoners – On top of this being Hugh Jackman’s best performance, Prisoners is just a really good mystery film combined with a revenge tale that twists and twists around itself like a snake. I hope this one doesn’t get overlooked by the awards but I’m worried that it. Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, Mario Bello, Terrence Howard… the movie is absolutely stacked and if it was released in November or December no one would question it being nominated in a few categories.

Gravity – Thin script? There’s just no pleasing Gravity’s detractors. Luckily, their easy to ignore… because you can’t hear their whining in the vacuum of space. As visually stunning as it is white knuckle stress-inducing, Gravity is also Sandra Bullock’s best performance. At times, the visuals felt informed by video games like Half Life (and some of the skin of your teeth escape sequences do too) but that’s not a detraction from the film but something it does well. You really are in the main characters shoes from beginning to end and from one spectacular panic attack to the next. What an incredible roller coaster.

Dallas Buyers Club – Can they give both Best Actor awards to Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto this year? Because Dallas Buyers Club contains the two best performances we’re going to see. This movie is as inspiring as it is heartbreaking and the main character’s journey, from being completely despicable to becoming a champion, is the most engaging story I’ve seen this year. This was probably my favorite film.

The Most Fun I Had In The Theaters This Year: This is a combined sub-category made up of two experiences… watching White House Down with my wife and brother Paul as if we were watching a prolonged South Park episode. Tied with watching Olympus Has Fallen a few weeks after watching Die Hard 5 and realizing Olympus Has Fallen was a much better Die Hard movie.

http://youtu.be/fvMPU0WaPcc

S.J. Borger

1. 12 Years A Slave — A must see. Bravura performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dwight Henry, and, well, the entire cast, combined with a compelling script and a gripping visual style makes this, if not the year’s best movie, certainly a contender.

2. Frozen — Aside from the fact that our Princesses eyes are bigger than their wrists (really, Disney??), Frozen hits all the right notes: story, acting, music, comedy and romance.

3. American Hustle — Batman, Rocket Raccoon, Lois Lane, Hawkeye and Katniss get together to play a FBI agent, a con man and a corrupt Mayor (and the women who fascinate them). What more do we need to say?

4. Fruitvale Station — The true story of Oscar Grant III, who was shot to death by BART police at Fruitvale Station. The movie explores Oscar’s last day. While some critics have taken issue with the film omission and manipulation of facts, it is finely crafted and still worth watching.

5. The Way Way Back—A sweet, quirky comedy/drama about a family vacation to Cape Cod, with a charming coming-of-age story surrounding 14-year-old Duncan. It manages to avoid becoming too saccharine or too schmaltzy, thanks mostly to its strong cast.

Matt Kelly

1. The Kings of Summer – There’s a chance that this is my #1 because it’s the most recent film I’ve seen (thanks Netflix) but I genuinely believe regardless when I saw this movie I would have enjoyed it the same. It mixes drama and comedy in a delightful way just like the previously mentioned Way Way Back the only difference is that I was immediately enjoying myself from the first shot while WWB took some time to warm up to. When The Kings of Summer wants to be funny it hits the right notes but it shines when it wants to be dramatic. It beautifully captures the joys of summer in a fresh way.

2. The Way Way Back – This movie was a slowburn at first. In the first 5 minutes all I knew was that I hated Steve Carrel’s character (as well as most of the other characters) and felt depressed by what I was watching. Then Sam Rockwell walked on screen and reminded us why he is one of the best (and most under appreciated) actors working today. Every line he deliveries hits beautifully. It’s his charisma (as well as the beautiful water park set) that brings Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s coming of age dramedy about adolescence and Water Parks to the top of so many other critics “Best of” lists this year. There was only one film that I believe captured the excitement of a great summer better…

3. Room 237 – When it played festivals last year this was the film I heard about in every podcast and festival summary. I could not wait to finally get around to seeing it. FINALLY it was available on DVD and it lived up to every single bat-shit crazy fan theory I was promised and more! The movie presentation is fairly simple. Footage from The Shining, random stock footage and voice over. It’s not a visually interesting film (although when they point out the source of people’s insanity it can sometimes be hilarious) the real star is the unseen narration. Every person is nothing short of crazy and I love them for it.

4. Monsters University – You gotta love how frequently Pixar writes movies like The Incredibles and Monsters University where their basic message are things like “Not everyone is special” and “Kids sometimes your dreams just don’t work out”. Beyond the fact the Pixar’s latest film dishes out some hard reality to its intended audiences, it’s also hilarious. Packed with fantastic voice acting, a great story and solid comedy Monster University turned into an enjoyable animated version of Revenge of the Nerds.

5. The First Time – My cowriter and I love the movie In the Land of Women. So the second writer/director Jon Kasdan’s follow up film came out we immediately watched it. Technically the film is from 2012 but since it was not available outside a few festivals screenings until this year I’m giving myself approval to include it (thank you me). It’s a charming little rom-com about high schoolers. I’m fairly confident that he and I are the only men in the world who love this movie as much as we do (much like our love of In the Land of Women) so I’m not even going to try to explain my insanity to you. I will say that after watching this movie with him, I watched it three more times alone and we began working on a script inspired by a conversation the movie started between us. So Jon Kasdan if you’re reading this thank you, and also please appear on my podcast (www.thesaintmortshow.com)

6. Maniac – I went into this with high expectations. Everyone was calling it the best horror movie of 2013. I was already pretty impressed by American Mary and Evil Dead but the fine people at r/horror were right (obligatory shout out to my Reddit peeps). This is what horror movie remakes should be. Franck Khalfoun, Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur took an infamous but pretty forgettable horror film from the 80’s and put a fresh vision on it to create a bizarre but fantastic viewing experience. I’m sure you’ve already read somewhere about how the film is shoot entirely from the serial killers perspective, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this going in but ended up loving the eerie effect it caused. Casting the otherwise lovable Elijah Wood as an uncontrollable killing machine also helps to drive home the message of never knowing the true person behind the mask.

7. Dear Mr. Watterson – One could argue that I’m slightly bias here as the director has appeared on my podcast. Some may even say this is another classic Matt Kelly way of plugging his podcast in a different article and while I’m certainly going to do that (click here and check out my interview) this documentary was a genuine delight. Joel Allen Schroeder appropriately captures the joy this comic strip has brought to countless people. The highlight of the film is the telling of Bill Watterson’s infamous anti-advertising speech from the perspectives of his peers who experienced it live.

8. Before Midnight – I still don’t quite know how I feel about Before Midnight. For that reason it has earned its place on my top 10. No film has felt as real as part 3 of Richard Linklater’s series of relationship analysis. If you’re a fan of the previous installments than you have learned to love Jesse and Celine. Until this point you’ve seen them strictly as people madly in love and constantly flirty. Before Midnight allows us to see those moments when even a perfect couple hits a rocky patch. As the film neared it’s end I remember feeling my heart hurting thinking ‘Please, it can’t end this way’. It’s an emotional roller-coaster unlike any other.

9. Inside Jaws – When I first heard about Inside Jaws I just assumed it was a documentary in the same vein as The Shark is Still Working. I was very wrong. Jamie Benning has compiled and created the ultimate viewing experience for not just Jaws fans but film fans. The movie works as a commentary track to Jaws compiled of interview clips over the years with people involved with Jaws as well a few interviews Benning conducted himself. Also included are outtakes, deleted scenes edited back into the movie and a few moments of instant replay to point out things you may have NEVER noticed before. I did not expect to stay awake until 3am watching it but I loved every second of it.

10. The World’s End – I genuinely thought this would be my number one film of the year. I was such a huge fan of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz that I could not wait to see the final pieces of their genre parody trilogy. I left the theater feeling indifferent. I didn’t hate it, but I certainly didn’t love it. I can honestly say that it was not going to be in my top 10 until I watched it last week for a second time. In typical Edgar Wright fashion, this is a grower. The second round I caught the fantastic foreshadowing that Wright has made himself known for. I wouldn’t be shocked if a few years from now this has climbed it’s way into my top 5 of 2013 in a retroactive article.

Top 10 Movies I didn’t seen in 2013 but hear are quite good and right up my alley: John Dies At the End, Spring Breakers, Downloaded, You’re Next, Bad Milo, Frozen, Saving Mr. Banks, Gravity, The Spectacular Now, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Derek Kraneveldt

My top five films for this year are not necessarily the best movies around, but simply the films that I enjoyed the most. That’s why you’ll see Pacific Rim in my top 5; not because it’s the best, but because it’s freaking awesome. Here goes:

1. Gravity – This is a film that you need to see in theatres if possible (it’s still playing all over the place, so get on it). Alfonso Caurón’s previous film Children of Men, in all of its post-apocalyptic, depressing as hell, incredibly shot glory remains one of my favourite films of all time, and Gravity sits right up there with it. Gravity is so believable that a reporter even asked the director what it was like to film in space. It’s the best 3D that has ever been released, and the only 3D film that has ever made me feel sick to my stomach (seemingly deliberately). There really isn’t anything not to love about Gravity, and its incredible cinematography and impossibly long takes are likely to leave you just as breathless as Ryan Stone is throughout the film.

2. Rush – I’m not a racing fan. I don’t even like sports. That being said, there were multiple moments throughout my first viewing of Ron Howard’s Rush that I though to myself “maybe I should start watching Formula One.” The film tells the incredible tale of the 1970’s rivalry of racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, and it may just be one of the best sports films that I’ve ever seen. Superbly directed, acted, written, and edited, Rush should not be passed up by anyone.

3. Pacific Rim – I saw Pacific Rim more than a few times in theatres. It’s far and away from the best film to release this year, and it had more than its fair share of problems, but it was so freaking bad-ass that I didn’t care. This is Power Rangers for adults in an unbelievably realized apocalyptic world, it’s easily the most fun that I had in a theatre this year, and it had me repeating Idris Elba’s epic speech for weeks. Pacific Rim all but bombed in North America, so I desperately hope that its stellar overseas performance leads to a sequel being greenlit.

4. Prisoners – In a year of unbelievably intense and terrifying films, Prisoners may just take the cake. The film follows the investigation of the kidnapping of two young girls, focussing in on both the police officer charged with the case, and the parents dealing with everyone’s worst nightmare. Prisoners may have a few too many red herring moments, but the intensity of the plot and especially the performances (Hugh Jackman’s definitely being the standout) more than made up for them. If you’re a parent, I could easily see Prisoners being your top horror film of 2013.

5. The Kings of Summer – This is a film that I had never heard of until just a few weeks back (thanks, dad). Simply put, The Kings of Summer is a coming-of-age drama/comedy that takes you right back to being a 15 year old kid, debating whether or not to run away from home because your parents suck and you’re smarter than everyone else. The movie is hilarious (Bellagio could easily star in his own spinoff), touching, nostalgic, and heartbreaking, all at the same time.

Josh Jackson’s Top 15 Gaming Moments Of 2013!

by Josh Jackson

2013 was a great year to be a gamer, wasn’t it? While we all look ahead to 2014, let’s take a look at some of the best gaming moments of this past year.

There are definitely spoilers below, so proceed with caution!

15. Rayman Legends music stages.

There were few moments this year that put a bigger smile on my face than Rayman Legends‘ music stages. Combining rhythm with platforming, these stages had you jumping and punching to the beat of some very strange song choices. What better way to reach your goal than by doing it to a mariachi version of Eye of the Tiger?

14. Saints of Rage.

Since Saints Row 2, the open world crime game has had no problem referencing other video games. For example, the not so subtle Mass Effect spoof that lets your character romance every member of your team sans Keith David, (he doesn’t want to ruin the dynamic between crime boss and awesome actor/Vice President you see.) But those pale in comparison to Saints of Rage, a three stage side scrolling throwback to the classic Sega brawler where your character and Johnny Gat relive the latter’s biggest nightmares in 16-bit form. It’s incredible stuff.

13. Disney Infinity Intro

Disney Infinity promised a world of limitless imagination rivaling the films that put the studio on the map. If all of the advertisements didn’t wow you, the developers at Avalanche made sure to do so in the first 15 minutes of the game. Initially controlling a “spark” of imagination, players are treated to a beautiful, ever changing world led by characters such as Rapunzel, Ralph, Vanelope, Anna, Elsa and most importantly, Mickey Mouse. The scene has to be seen to believe, and is one of the most gorgeous moments of any game this year.

12. Cat Bowser

Do you ever wonder why Bowser never uses the power ups Mario comes across? I guess he started to wonder too. In the final encounter of the main campaign in Super Mario 3D World, Bowser finally wisens up and uses the Cat Bell, transforming into one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen with Cat Bowser. To make things worse, this new, furry, more agile version of Mario’s greatest foe comes across the double cherry too, having multiple Cat Bowsers trying to take you out at once. Reminiscent of the excellent end sequence from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, it’s a mad dash to the top, and one of the most exciting stages in a while.

11. Louie’s an Asshole

In Pikmin 2, it was shown that Olimar’s lazy sidekick, Louie, was the one responsible for all the hardships the duo had to go through. Not one to pass up a great opportunity to attempt to murder a group of strangers, Louie takes his douchebaggery to a whole ‘nother level by stealing the new protagonist’s reserve food with about a quarter of the game left. Keep in mind that not only have you gathered this food for hours at this point, but this food is needed for your characters to survive. The worst part is that he’s not even sorry when he gets caught! Yeah, I hope he’s in the next Smash Bros. just so I can pay him back Falcon Punch style.

LouiePikmin

10. DmC: Dante Fights a Fetus.

DmC was full of controversial moments, but none of which come close to when Dante tries to get Mundus’ attention by killing his unborn son. Little doesn he know that the mother and baby have a bit of a… let’s say symbiotic relationship. The fetus would grow large and drag the mother around while she barked orders at him to kill their foe, all while electronic music played in the backround in a dance floor arena. Yeah… it was weird, but it was awesome. And I sure as hell will never forget it.

9. Lysandre’s “Death” in Pokemon X and Y

Early Pokemon games never shyed from violence. Red and Blue led to Team Rocket killing a Pokemon and Gold and Silver had them cutting off Slowpoke tales and selling them as a delicacy. Since then, the games got much softer, but that changed with Lysandre, Team Flare’s boss and the primary antagonist of Pokemon X and Y. His ultimate plan is to use an ancient weapon to kill most humans and ALL Pokemon in order to reshape this “rotten” world into the perfect image. After going all Doctor Octopus on the protagonists, he is defeated, only to pull a last ditch effor to either use Xerneas’ power to force eternal life on himself and everyone in the building, or bring upon death with the power of Yviltal, depending on the version. Either way, the building collapses and Lysandre is seemingly killed, becoming the first main character in a Pokemon game to die. What makes it worse is that Pokemon X implies that he received eternal life before the building collapsed on him, implying that he’s still alive after being maimed and crushed in the explosion. Harsh…

Lysandre

8. Michael Getting Drugged

Grand Theft Auto V had tons of moments that stood out. Maybe it was the hipster conversation between Michael and Trevor. Maybe it was the much talked about torture scene. But for me? It was when Michael, who was doing his best to repair his broken family and trying to bond with his son, Jimmy, is drugged by his own son. After waking up from his drug trip, Michael finds himself clothesless, carless, and wifeless as his family ends up leaving him after his wife finds out that he was “doing drugs.” If that wasn’t a big enough middle finger, Jimmy keeps the car. Out of all the scumbags that reside in the world of GTA, this solidified Jimmy as the biggest scumbag of them all, which was hard to do considering I grew up with Pete and Pete and Danny “Little Pete” Tamberelli plays him. Ugh… what a bastard.

7. That Bioshock Infinite Ending

It’s been months since I finished Bioshock Infinite, yet the ending still feels fresh in my mind. After finally finishing off Comstock and escaping Songbird once and for all, Booker was ready to end it, making sure that Columbia and the horrors surrounding it would never come to fruition. Using her powers to traverse across alternate dimensions, Elizabeth shows Booker that there will always be a “Columbia.” There will always be a “Booker” and there will always be a “Comstock.” The universe is full of infinite realities, but with similar events unfolding in each one. It is at this point that Elizabeth from multiple dimensions converge on Booker and grant his wish, ending his stay in Columbia as it began with a baptism that washes him of his sins. After his death, each Elizabeth slowly fades away, seemingly erasing their realities and freeing Booker of his crimes by making sure they never happen. It’s incredible stuff.

6. Dying (Tomb Raider/The Last of Us)

Games as of late are striving for more and more realism, so it’s no wonder that this would eventually translate into the way characters die. With The Last of Us and Tomb Raider, they made sure to test this theory as much as possible. Glass through the throat, pikes through the skull, having your throat ripped out, getting your face ripped off… it was the kind of stuff that would make the most hardened gamers cringe. Worst of all? It made it so I couldn’t help but fail QTE’s on purpose just to see how far they would take it. Big, big mistake…

5. AZ (Pokemon X and Y)

Remember that ultimate weapon that Lysandre tried to use? You should, I just talked about it in entry number nine. Anyway, that weapon was made by AZ, an incredibly tall, incredibly dirty and probably incredibly smelly transient that is spotted multiple times throughout the game. It turns out that AZ was a king who lived with Pokemon hundreds of years ago and fought in a great war that cost the lives of humans and Pokemon alike. One of the Pokemon that was killed in battle was his best friend, a Floette that he treasured like no other. In his grief, he harnessed the power of Xerneas to grant himself and Floette eternal life while using the weapon, (presumably with Yviltal’s power,) to wipe out most of his kingdom. Ashamed and grief stricken, his Floette couldn’t live with being the reason for such destruction, so it left AZ, never to be seen again. After a very Return of the Jedi-esque award ceremony where you and your friends receive awards for saving the world, AZ appears and challenges you to a battle, claiming that your passion has helped him see the good in people again. After the battle is over, Floette senses the good in AZ’s heart return and is reunited with its friend, destined to live together for the rest of eternity. This is POKEMON GUYS! And it was one of the most touching, heart felt moments I’ve experienced in a game this year. And I won’t lie, a manly tear almost fell down my cheek. Almost.

Az

4. Ravio’s Reveal (The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds)

Did anyone like Ravio throughout A Link Between Worlds? He barges in your house, forces you to let him live there rent free, then has the audacity to charge you huge amounts of rupees for weapons necessary for your quest. But Ravio had an ulterior motive, one that surfaces at the closing moments of the game. He reveals himself as Lorule’s Link, a protector who was too cowardly to fight for his kingdom, which eventually fell to darkness. Knowing that his Hyrule counterpart would hold the courage he lacked, he snuck off and supported Link in secret, hoping that he could save both kingdoms. After the Triforce is restored, Link and Zelda wish for Lorule’s restoration, creating another touching moment that rewards Ravio’s hopes for him and his kingdom. Plus, he made enough Rupees to retire, so there’s that…

Ravio

3. The Reveal of The Phantom (Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies)

Over the course of the series, Phoenix Wright and his friends have had to go up against some of the most shocking foes the legal system has ever seen. In Dual Destinies, the big bad is an international spy who is a master of disguise, a person who has long forgotten his own face. But when it’s revealed that the spy is really Detective Fullbright, the bumbling detective that’s been present through most of the game, that’s when it really hits the fan. Apparently killing the real Fullbright months before, The Phantom takes the identity to keep a close eye on Prosecutor Blackquill, the prisoner who potentially held the secret that could blow his cover. When he’s finally cornered, an unseen sniper silences him for the rest of the game, all in the shadows to the pont where we never see his face. This was one of the most rewarding endings of a Phoenix Wright game yet, which is a tall order considering how amazing the stories typically are. I just finished it two months ago and I already can’t wait until the inevitable sixth entry. At least I’ll have Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney to hold me over.

http://youtu.be/HeuU2sZQV-o

2. Beyond: Two Souls Revenge Scene

I’m sure we’ve all wanted to go Carrie on a group of insufferable douchebags at some point in our lives, and thanks to Beyond: Two Souls, we finally get the chance. Early in the game, Jodie, the protagonist of the game, recalls a time where she was sent to a birthday party to try and get used to interacting with kids her age. As many an 80’s movie has taught us, these kids decided to bully her, including burning her with a cigarette and locking her into a closet. The moral of the story? You don’t mess with girls who might have psychic powers. The game gives you the option to unlock the closet and leave, but that’s no fun. Choosing to take revenge against the kids escalates as far as the player wants it to, which includes knocking them out with furnature, stabbing the would be boyfriend through the shoulder with a kitchen knife and setting the whole damn house on fire. The best part? Jodie just kind of sulks out of the house and rides home with The Green Goblin. Like a boss.

http://youtu.be/nVMKqVOHXXA

1. The Last of Us Intro

The Last of Us is a game full of memorable moments, from Tess to Joel’s interactions with Ellie and especially the controversial ending. But nothing, and I mean NOTHING came close to the opening moments of the game. After fighting through mass panic when the in game outbreak is first reaching critical levels, Joel attempts to escape the city with his daughter. It’s not until he comes across a lone soldier that is ordered to kill anyone on site in an attempt to quell the virus, that Joel tries to escape. He gets shot right before his brother kills the soldier, but not before realizing his daugther was fatally shot in his arms. Her cries of pain and fear while tears stream down both of their eyes is haunting, until she stops breathing, leaving Joel in a hysterical panic. And this is all in the intro.

I chose this moment because not only was it powerful, but it set the tone of the narritive and for Joel’s motivations throughout the game, making every distasteful choice he makes throughout the campaign feel somewhat relatable. He’s broken. He’s cold. And why shouldn’t he be? It’s not until he bonds with Ellie that he starts to open back up, which is where the heart of the game lies. But that heart wouldn’t be there without those pivital opening moments. This is why without question, I feel that the introduction of The Last of Us is the best gaming moment of 2013.

Josh Jackson’s Top 10 Gaming News Stories Of 2013!

by Josh Jackson

While all of us at Geekscape are busy compiling our “Best Of” lists of 2013 (check out our favourite games here, and Saint Mort’s favourite albums here), Josh Jackson has gone one step further, listing his top 10 gaming news stories of this past year.

Take a look at everything below, and let us know if you agree!

10. The Great Nintendo Network Crash of 2013

Why not start the list with a hot topic taken from gaming headlines over the past week. After an apparent influx of users logging into the Nintendo Network on Christmas Day, combined with the Japanese release of Pokemon Bank, brand new Wii U and 3DS owners got a taste of what the Nintendo online experience is all about. By that of course, I mean it didn’t work. This caused all those brand new adopters with digital copies bundled with their consoles unable to download their games and led to an indefinite delay of Pokemon Bank that’s still ongoing as of this writing. Since then, at least the Nintendo Network and store are back up, but this is surely a bad sign for a company who has a reputation of being clueless when it comes to online. Speaking of bad press for Nintendo, that leads me to…

Network

9. Nintendoomed

Throughout this year, you couldn’t log on to a video game website without some editorial, analyst prediction or angry blogger declaring that Nintendo is a sinking ship. Poor Wii U sales have led to the conception that the system has “no games” despite having some of the highest reviewed titles of the year. As they say though, perception is everything, and although this doom and gloom scenario tends to ignore the wild success of the 3DS and its software, Nintendo has done little to curb the negative image of their latest home console. It speaks volumes when the Wii U’s reputation of having a poor library helps keep it from selling while the PS4 and Xbox One, two consoles with fewer positively reviewed exclusives than the Wii U had at launch and tied to price tags that are $100 and $200 more expensive, manage to sell more. Regardless, this isn’t the first time Nintendo was declared dead in the water. As the saying goes, “Nintendoomed since 1889.”

Doomed

8. That Ducktales Trailer!

Be honest. How much did you freak out when the Ducktales: Remastered trailer hit the web? This classic NES title has been beloved for ages, but I can assure you that no one ever expected the game to get the HD treatment. But that’s exactly what happened thanks to Wayforward, Capcom and Disney Interactive. Bringing back the original voice cast with a faithfully recreated version of the nostalgic side scroller put us back in the top hat of Uncle Scrooge, but it all started with that incredible trailer. I had a smile on my face for a week after watching that trailer on repeat while trying to make sure this was still real life. Thankfully, it was very real. And it was awesome!

http://youtu.be/G6d1A2row6I

7. Tomb Raider Fails to Meet Expectations at 3.4 million units sold within its first month.

Remember those old N64 commercials declaring games a “greatest hit” once they sold more than 1 million units over their lifetime? Oh, how times have changed. But even by today’s standards where inflated budgets and big spending are commonplace in the game industry, one quarterly report from Square Enix turned them into the laughing stock of the gaming community. The highly anticipated Tomb Raider reboot somehow missed expectations after selling 3.4 million units in its first month. Let that sink in for a second… 3.4 million units in one month is a failure. How many did they expect to sell? This just goes to show that so-called “AAA” games are caught up in a spending addiction in the hopes that gamers will recoup their losses. When a game is a failure at that many units, the sales aren’t the problem, it’s the budget. But more on that later…

Lara

6. Deal With It: The Adam Orth Saga

Early in the year, rumors were swirling about what the next Xbox and Playstation would and would not do. One persistant rumor was that the next Xbox would not function without a constant Internet connection. Adam Orth, a Microsoft employee didn’t see what the big deal was, telling a friend who was upset about these developments to “deal with it” on Twitter. Considering how controversy spreads across the Internet like wildfire, outside parties started to question him on his stance, where he delivered retorts like suggesting that people still buy vacuum cleaners knowing the electricity might go out. But the real story was less with his ridiculous comments, (which he’s admitted to since this incident,) but more with how out of hand the Internet can get. After his resignation, Orth was bombarded with death threats, hate mail and even threats to harm his family, which led him to relocate partially out of fear. No matter how much someone disagrees with someone, I think we can agree that this is disgusting behavior. For better or worse, Orth has become somewhat of a meme for clueless gaming executives, but the price he paid was way heavier than any perceived crime.

Adam

5. Capcom is Broke.

On Twitter, Yoshinori Ono stated that Capcom didn’t have the resources for a next gen fighting game, which was puzzling considering how successful Street Fighter IV has been. Roughly a month later, the news broke that Capcom as a company only had $152 million in the bank. With the way gaming budgets are even on current gen consoles, $152 million would be bad for any company, but especially one as big as Capcom. So where did they go wrong? Some people point at the drastic changes in established franchises like Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. Some site the company’s recent DLC controversies, such as selling the ending of Azura’s Wrath seperately or locking off completed content in Street Fighter X Tekken to sell at a later date. Others even blame the gaming giant’s recent shift in focus to mobile games, (which enraged their fanbase when the long absent Breath of Fire series was announced as a free to play mobile game.) Most seem to blame them for flat out ignoring their fans when it comes to releasing more Mega Man content, forcing their most loyal fans to give up on them. The worst part? Capcom’s apparent solution is to increase focus on mobile games and DLC, all while Mighty No. 9 is off raising $4 million from crowdfunding and winning over the Mega Man fanbase by providing something that people are eagerly waiting to throw their cash at. Let’s hope that Capcom can turn things around, but it’s hard to have sympathy for their situation.

capcom-logo-black

4. Feminist Frequency

With the Adam Orth story, the idea of people threating the man over comments he made about an imaginary console at the time was ridiculous. But how about being attacked for doing nothing but being a woman with an opinion? It seemed like the media got much more vocal about their distaste for how women are portrayed in the medium, and time after time they were met with disdain from a very vocal segment of the gaming community. It ranged from Carolyn Petit, a reviewer at Gamespot who happens to be transgendered, getting threatened and accused of “trying too hard to be a woman,” because she didn’t like how women were portrayed in GTA V, to gamers being accused of being called “white knights” for being offended at mini games where you can rub a squirming woman who’s tied down by the wrists in a touch screen segment from the Vita version of Dragon’s Crown. Leading the charge was Anita Sarkeesian, a feminist blogger who decided to tackle the subject of female tropes in gaming with her “Feminist Frequency” videos. Since then, a quick search for her Kickstarter or YouTube page shows how much bile is thrown her way simply for challenging potentially negative gaming stereotypes, and she’s gone on record saying that she’s received death threats… JUST FOR MAKING YOUTUBE VIDEOS! While I don’t often agree with her stance personally, this reaction is embarassing, but it kept her in the news for most of the year to the point where saying her name on forums is treated like some kind of dirty word. To get this many people talking about her, she has to be doing something right.

3. Mega Man Invades Smash Bros.

The Super Smash Bros. reveal was always expected to be exciting, but we didn’t quite expect what we got. There was a small glimmer of hope that the impossible would happen and Mega Man would be added to the cast, but we all approached that with cautious optomism. But after the official trailer had ended and a “New Challenger” approached, NES gamers had their collective dreams come true the moment the blue bomber’s eyes lit up. Between Mighty No. 9 and Super Smash Bros. building up so much hype for Mega Man, (literally and in spirit,) it’s bizarre that Capcom has yet to capitalize on this obvious demand. Capcom’s loss is Nintendo’s gain for now, because the collective screams of excitement on that day show that Mega Man is still a software seller. Even months later, Mega Man comes to mind more than any other character when talking about Smash Bros. for myself and many others. The worst part is that we have to wait another year to play it.

2. The Xbox One Saga

Oh boy. Where do we start? This event took so many twists that you would think M. Night Shyamalan wrote it. First, the Xbox is revealed, but hardly focuses on games and answers none of the questions gamers had about the hardware. Then various Xbox executives gave conflicting information on what kind of restrictions it would have, but most of which, including from Xbox head Phil Harrison, pointed at what everyone feared: console DRM. No renting or borrowing. Discs would be registered to the console unless you “gifted” it to a friend, which could only be done once and couldn’t be returned. A “family plan” would later surface as a possible solution, but much like the initial reveal, specific details were non existent. Most of this information would be confirmed at E3, which gamers HATED! Cue Sony who would hold their press conference a few hours later, and pretty much turned it into an Xbox witch hunt, undercutting everything from their DRM policies to their price and their ability to rent and borrow games. The backlash would lead to Xbox pulling a 180 and reversing nearly every unpopular feature of the console, essentially turning it into a PS4 with Kinect. This drew the ire of many in the gaming industry, including former Epic head Cliffy B, who would go on a Twitter rant stating that used games were killing the industry and DRM is necessary. As stated earlier, I think there’s something wrong when muilti million selling games are considered failures, and pirating, renting and borrowing has next to nothing to do with it. With that said, whatever side of the debate you were on, it’s undeniable that these events completely dominated the gaming world for most of the year. There’s only one piece of news that’s big enough to top the start of the next console war…

Swith

1. The Steam Box

Rumors of a Valve home console had been swirling for a long time. The popularity of their Steam service was growing every day, so we all figured that it was a matter of time before it would attempt to make a mark on the home market. After a long wait, Valve finally revealed their console, which will run digital Steam games from the comfort of your couch. Why is this so big? Because Valve might make this generation of consoles turn on its head. Let’s face it, Xbox has next to no exclusives worth playing since the Kinect came out, and PS3’s exclusives aren’t typically high sellers, forcing both companies to rely on third party support for the majority of their AAA library. This Steam Box could potentially undercut this third party advantage completely, especially since the service is known for its crazy good sales. This would also introduce DRM to the home market, but most people would agree that not being able to share your 6 game bundle that you paid $15 for is much better than being forced to pay $60 for a game you can’t try before you buy. And to top it all off? This could potentially turn Valve into a first party developer, making games like Portal, Left 4 Dead and… *gasp* Half Life 3 excluve to their console. Sony and Microsoft have fired the first shots, but Valve just might be the ones with the final victory. Only time will tell, but this news might be looked at one day as the news that changed the industry forever, which is why this story was the top story of the year.

Steambox

Saint Mort’s Top 10 Albums Of 2013

by Saintmort

While we’re all busy compiling our favourite things of 2013 (take a look at our top games here, with more to come), Matt Kelly has come up with his list of the top 10 albums of this past year.

Read on to learn his top picks, and be sure to let us know if you agree, and what your favourites were!

10. The Lonely Island: The Wack Album – The SNL trio has released their first album since leaving SNL and it’s arguably their best. The thing with comedy groups is relistenablity, and this is where Lonely Island manages to always shine. The jokes are funny all the time, but more importantly the beats are great and they’re solid rappers. Packed with great guest verses and bizarre concepts, this is a record you’ll listen to over and over again.

9. Chords for Cures Comp Volumes 2 & 3 – I’m not gonna lie, this is super biased. Chords for Cures is my charity organization. Twice a year I release a free “pay-what-you-want” comp featuring amazing musicians of all genres. Hit up our Bandcamp and discover a new favorite band. Sorry for my shameless advertisement (but for real, I love these bands and you should give them a shot).

8. Barenaked Ladies: Grinning Streak – When Steven Page left Barenaked Ladies I was kinda concerned. While I preferred Ed’s vocals. to me Barenaked Ladies was all about the various voices. Their first album without Steven was pretty good and I enjoyed it greatly, but Grinning Streak was the first album where I saw this band could survive without their lead singer. It was the soundtrack of my summer this year.

7. Streetlight Manifesto/Toh Kay: The Hands That Thieve – If there’s anything I’ve learned over the last 15 years it’s that Tomas Kalnoky hates writing new songs. This is mostly a shame for us because lyrically he’s one of the best in the business. When he does finally get around to pumping out 10-12 songs he’s proud of they’re always super satisfying. This year we got the same album twice the ska version of the songs and the acoustic folk versions from Toh Kay (or at least that was plan) In my personal opinion the Toh Kay versions were the superior versions but both are fantastic.

6. John Fogerty: Wrote a Song For Everyone – John Fogerty is one of America’s most legendary musicians. His group, Creedence Clearwater Revival was quite literally the soundtrack of the Vietnam war. For his first album is almost 5 years Fogerty recruited a group of musicians to cover those classic songs. The cameos range from Foo Fighters to Alan Jackson. Each artist does a fantastic job covering the songs with Fogerty and his two original songs actually are pretty good as well really showing off his songwriting skills all these decades later.

5. Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP (Part 2) – I was very vocal in the past of my disappointment by Relapse and Recovery. I found both albums musically and lyrically disappointing compared to the incredible past of Slim Shady. Then in the summer I saw the music video for Bezerk. Immediately I started to think “this album is gonna be pretty amazing” and with the exception of one or two forgettable tracks it’s a fairly perfect album. That being said, I agree with the opinion of my younger brother “Eminem should definitely return now before he makes another album that makes us forget why we loved him.”

4. Queens of the Stone Age: …Like Clockwork – I never knew what to think of Queens of the Stone Age. All I knew was that they were bizarre and I liked it. This years album had them reunited with David Grohl (who drummed on arguably their best album, Songs for the Deaf) and was weirder and heavier than ever before. Queens of the Stone Age will never be a big name band but they will continue to have the massive cult following they’ve acquired over the years if they keep making albums like this.

3. Spose: The Peter Sparker Mixtape – Spose exploded onto the music scene because of a youtube video. The comedic video “I’m Awesome” helped propel him into the limelight and while Spose is still an indie artist (by his own choosing) it doesn’t make him less of a talented rapper. His free mixtape this year (one of two) was amazing filled with songs both serious and comedic.

2. Cossbysweater – This is a slighty biased pick (listen to my interview with Cossbysweater) but in all sincerity this album touched me on an emotional level. Cossbysweater is a weird musician who exists in a world of “comedy” while still being very touching and beautiful. While it’s easy to simply look at her song titles and write her off as a pop culture junkie comedian, the reality is that Allison Goertz (Cossbysweater) uses various pop culture icons as a way to express herself. While a few songs are genuinely funny it’s songs like “Good Kid” (inspired by Freaks and Geeks) or “Things Are Coming Up Milhouse” that open a door into Allison’s personal life and allows the listener to connect with her songs of lost love and being an outcast. Check out her BandCamp here.

1. Five Iron Frenzy: Engine of A Million Plots – I was so excited for the return of my all-time favorite band that there was a chance this would have been my number one even if it was unlistenable. Thankfully it was not. After 9 years of absence Five Iron Frenzy returned with a massive album following in the steps of their underrated FIF2: Electric Boogaloo album. This is not a ska album, this is a hard rock album with an amazing horn section and great backup vocals. Reese Roper proves again why he’s my all-time favorite singer/songwriter. It almost manages to be both their most spiritual and least christian album at the same time. If you were a fan of this band and you weren’t one of the people who helped them have one of the most successful music kickstarters of all time then you are missing out, if you never heard them before, perhaps it’s time to discover them.

Geekscape’s Favorite Things Of 2013: Video Games

by GeekscapeStaff

Can you believe that 2013 is nearly over? In less than 24 hours, we’ll abolish that dreaded three for ten more years, and a cool, clean, pointy four will take its place.

2013 has been a great year for all types of media, so as always, we rounded up our ever-growing pool of writers to share with you our favourite things of 2013. This time, video games!

Take a look at everyone’s top five or top ten games below, and be sure to let us know yours in the comments below!

Jonathan London

1. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch – This was the runaway hit for 2013, a game that seemed to have been made perfectly for me (and probably many others). As a lifelong fan of Studio Ghibli and a longtime fan of Level 5, Ni No Kuni was the best way to get me back into JRPGs (after more than a decade). From the incredible score (the best of the year) to the familiar controls and beautiful visuals, there wasn’t a moment of Ni No Kuni that I didn’t enjoy. Even the large amount of grinding, which some could point out as the game’s only drawback, gave me flashbacks to playing the original NES Dragon Warrior and grinding for hours before venturing into a dungeon (and if you don’t like the grinding… the game gives you Tokos!). It will be a while before another game comes along and feels this perfect.

2. Grand Theft Auto 5 – As Lauren said in her initial piece upon the game’s release, every Grand Theft Auto game since III has been on that generation’s elite level, but with GTA 5 the writing and the characters took a big leap forward. Combined with a much bigger and more immersive open world map, reminiscent of the West and beautiful vistas in Red Dead Redemption, and everything just seemed to work. In fact, GTA 5 did for the Grand Theft Auto series what GTA III did. It brought everything to another level and now with the next generation of consoles there is no going back.

GTA5cast
Top 2013 Gaming Moment: That time Jonathan ran into Lamar (Slinky Johnson), Michael (Ned Luke) and Trevor (Steven Ogg) at Comikaze 2013!

3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – I would argue that any site that gave this game a bad or mediocre review was blatant doing two things: Nintendo fan trolling and shock posting for publicity. There’s nothing mediocre about this game and after the beautiful fetch quest that Skyward Sword was this was the game that the Zelda series needed, introducing a new dynamic to the gameplay with it’s more open world approach. As a sequel to Link To The Past, Between Worlds makes a fantastic companion piece (and update) and as the first true Zelda game on the 3DS the wall painting mechanics bring back the sense of exploration that is crucial to the series. This is one of the rare games that I immediately wanted to replay as the credits were rolling. Now let’s bring on the 3DS Majora’s Mask!

4. Super Mario 3D World – Yes. The cat suit is awesome and gives New Super Mario 3D World a fresh energy… but that happens every time a new suit is introduced in each game. It’s fun. It’s fantastic. But it shouldn’t overshadow the real stars of this entry: the fantastic 3D level designs and the fact that it’s just fun to run around in this world and discover new places. It’s almost redundant to keep naming the level design as the strongest thing in each Mario entry (because it always is) but New Super Mario 3D World’s stages had a personality to them that wasn’t quite there in New Super Mario Bros U (although they were strong). Seeing Goombas lounging in the water and throwing baseballs at enemies, or blowing them away with the Gamepad microphone, gave a sense of a bigger game with much more to do and discover, like the random 8-Bit Luigis that would pop up when discovered.

5. The Walking Dead: 400 Days – This is an easy one for me. Telltale Game’s The Walking Dead: Season One was my favorite game of 2012 and 400 Days came as a welcome surprise when it arrived this fall. I love how it furthered the Walking Dead story from Season One, and in turn the Walking Dead comics, introduced fresh characters (although some had played directly into Season One’s events) and contained a few action sequences (like running through the cornfields while being chased by a rival group of survivors). It felt like the epilogue we didn’t quite get after the final, inevitable heartbreak at the end of Season One and did a great job of setting the stage for Season Two (literally, as you will see in the opening moments of Season Two, Chapter One).

The game that would have made this list if I’d allowed myself the time to play it: The Last of Us – Hands down this is the game that I stayed away from like a good grade schooler avoids the drug alleys on his way home from school. The second that Game of the Year edition shows up, you won’t be seeing me no more…

http://youtu.be/jDQiyD5zotE

Shane ‘Rarity’ O’Hare

1. Bioshock Infinite – This was the perfect game. The immersion, the storytelling, the voice acting and the overall narrative was literally perfection. I didn’t think I was going to get pulled in as much as I did, but as soon as the game started I didn’t want to stop. I literally fired up the game and played through it straight; almost playing for 24 hours without a break. The parallel to modern social politics was palpable, and the game did not suffer for it. This is the best video game I have ever played, and that ending. OH DAT ENDING!

2. Grand Theft Auto V – I feel a little cliched putting this here, as everyone else on the planet will be saying this is game of the year, but I cannot give this title more praise. The whole package was really a giant step up for Rockstar. Unlike games in the past this one was a true sequel. Best part for me was playing it with my Dad. He would just sit there and take in the story and the goings on and watched me play through the whole thing. He was actively engrossed and treated it like a film.

3. DmC: Devil May Cry – I was never a huge fan of the previous DMC games, but when the screenshots and trailers for this one started coming out I was blown away by the presentation. The new Dante was a problem for a lot of long time fans, but I fell in love with him the moment I started playing. The graphics are dark, but not in a way that makes it too over whelming. The Raptor News Network level was a stroke of genius.

4. DuckTales: Remastered – Whoa boy! When I saw this trailer come out I flipped the fuck out. DuckTales 1 and 2 were my favorite NES games growing up, and seeing the remastered version gave me a nostalgia explosion. The levels are all there, and besides the tedious tutorial level, it was exactly as I remembered. The best standout was the music. THE MUSIC! The classic songs from the previous games were faithfully and magically redone and updated. The Transylvania theme blew me away.

5. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate – This was the year of the 3DS for me. I got my first 3DS right before Comikaze (STREET PASS BABY) and grabbed MH3U and a couple other games. I cannot put it down! It is really overwhelming at first, but once you understand everything it just becomes a fucking blast. It is a huge grind to get materials for gear, but it never really feels like work. The world is alive, and the monsters really are monstrous. Couple it with the Circle Pad Pro (Thank you Juan Carlos!) and you have an amazing gaming experience.

Gaming Honorable Mention: Battlefield 4 – OK, so you’d expect me to put BF4 on this list but I cannot in all good conscious put it on my top 5 List for 2013. After playing the beta, and seeing how unbearable the game was I opted to wait a few days instead of getting it on launch. I am glad I did. Server crashes, client crashes, glitches and hacks were all over the place for the first few weeks. With all the leaks coming out about how it was rushed to beat CoD: Ghosts to market, and the multitude of bad choices being made (Can we talk about that hideous Client Side Hit Detection?) I am not impressed. Yeah I’ve played it, but it’s not the Battlefield I know and love. It is some weird bullshit Battlefield Test Bed. Let’s hope in a month or two this gets sorted because I honestly want to love this game so much more than I do.

Juan Carlos Marquez

Top Wii U games of 2013

1. Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo) – Nintendo, for all the criticisms it gets from journalists and gamers alike (some deserved, some not) will always do something to remind the industry, its fans, and critics that they are the best at what they do—making video games, and just when it seemed unlikely that a title would come along that would rival the brilliance of Super Mario Galaxy, along comes Super Mario 3D World.

The game is everything those who love Mario games and platformers in general could ask for—homages to World 4 in SMB3, a boat load of power-ups from previous Super Mario titles (Kuribo’s shoe!), levels littered with secrets, challenging landscapes to traverse, and next to Rayman Legends, one of the best soundtracks in gaming this year. Koji Kondo just hit it out of the proverbial park with the music in the game. Additionally, the last encounter with Bowser is by far one of the most memorable moments in gaming I’ve had all year. As a single player experience or a romp with friends, Super Mario 3D World is damn near perfect.

One of my favorite pro wrestlers once said “if you truly know me, then you’d know better than to doubt me.” Nintendo has once again shown the entire video game industry that they can not only make good video games, but create masterpieces. Super Mario 3D World is yet another jewel in Nintendo’s jewel-riddled crown.

Mario’s latest adventure is a proper way to end the year for Nintendo; they may have struggled throughout the year, but just as it was with the 3DS, Mario and company may have very well turned the tide in Wii U’s favor. With Bayonetta 2, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros. Wii U, Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails, Shovel Knight, and more surprise announcements, there’s a lot for Wii U owners to get excited for in 2014. Here’s to a wonderful new year and may your body always be ready.

2. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Nintendo) – I made the grave mistake of thinking this game would be nothing more than Wind Waker with a fresh coat of paint, but I have never been so happy to have been so wrong.

While the world found within Wind Waker HD was breathtaking, I was surprised just how much more fluid the gameplay was with the Wii U Game Pad allowing me to change weapons and items on the fly without interrupting gameplay, making my treks through my favorite dungeons all the more enjoyable. And of course, Wind Waker HD has given Link the most powerful ability of all: the pictograph box. It’s good to know that the legendary hero not only knows his way around a sword, but can take mean selfies while doing so. All kidding aside, Nintendo has perfected one of the greatest Zelda games ever made.

3. Rayman Legends (Ubisoft) – The follow-up to the brilliant Rayman Origins started 2013 with a bit of a thud. After Ubisoft announced that the game would be delayed from its original February release to September, gamers became irate. Twitter and Miiverse were flooded with messages from angry gamers proclaiming they are cancelling their pre-orders and/or they would never buy another Ubisoft product again, feeling that Wii U gamers are being punished for purchasing a system which was originally to be the exclusive home to Rayman Legends only to see it released across all major consoles. While the wait was painful, it seems that the months of extra time allowed the team at Ubisoft to perfect and polish what has become one of my favorite platformers ever.

Rayman Legends is gorgeous to look at and even more of a pleasure to listen to. Once again, Christophe Heral and Billy Martin have produced one of the most beautiful video game soundtracks I’ve ever listened to, and it makes jumping and running through the worlds in the Rayman universe an incredible experience. The varied levels (over 120 of them!) are cleverly designed and it challenges the most hardcore gamers around, giving anyone who can make it to the end of each stage a true sense of accomplishment. Rayman Legends deserves a spot on every Wii U owners shelf.

4. BIT.TRIP Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (Gaijin Games) – The BIT.TRIP series from Gaijin Games was one of the best things to grace the Wii, and the announcement of a sequel to BIT.TRIP Runner thrilled me. Not surprisingly, BIT.TRIP Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien became an instant ‘must buy’ title when it released back in March. Commander Video never looked better and the challenge issued by Gaijin Games in the form of grueling obstacles which demanded perfect timing and reflexes sang like a love letter to old school gamers everywhere. I constantly found myself playing courses multiple times in order to beat my own high score, or better yet, destroy a time set by one of my Wii U friends.

BIT.TRIP Runner 2 is a joy to play and nearly impossible to put down once you get started. It is for the countless hours of practice, the numerous failed attempts, the sheer agony and jubilation Gaijin Games have caused me this year that I place Runner 2 among the Top 5 Wii U games of 2013.

5. Pikmin 3 (Nintendo) – With the cheers and cries of despair from the hundreds of different Pikmin players will meet, the exchanges between newcomers Alph, Brittany, and Charlie, there’s no denying how infectiously charming Pikmin 3 truly is. The environments are stunning (Twilight River, anyone?) and beg for exploration. Unlike most video games today which make one sit through arduous tutorials, Pikmin 3 offers the basics and allows gamers to explore the landscape freely with little to no handholding except when time’s running out. With a wide assortment of challenge maps, multiplayer modes, and downloadable content, Pikmin 3 not only is the best in the series to date, but a title that will make players say ‘just one more game” time and time again.

6. The Wonderful 101 (Platinum Games) – For anyone who complains that today’s video games are way too easy, may they pray that Hideki Kamiya never finds them. Through the humor and bright costumes, The Wonderful 101 demands respect. In the same vein of Bayonetta, the controls take some time to learn, but when mastered, the game is an absolute blast to play. The boss fights are some of the most cinematically grandiose found in any title this year, and anyone who grew up with Kamen Rider, Power Rangers, or Voltron will be quick to point out the many homages Hideki Kamiya and his team have embedded in what easily is one of the most original and fresh new intellectual properties of 2013.

7. Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate (Capcom) – If Wii U owners want a game that will easily eat up hours upon hours of your life, look no further than to the latest instalment of the Monster Hunter franchise (at least to those of us here in the United States). It’s pretty much a port of the 3DS title, but the incorporation of the Wii U Game Pad makes the experience better than its handheld predecessor. Of course, the heart of Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate is found within its multiplayer mode, and it does not disappoint. MH3: Ultimate boasts one of the most active online communities on the Wii U and anyone looking to hunt with other players will have little to no trouble finding a game to jump into.

8. Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games) – I couldn’t stop playing Batman: Arkham Origins for two huge reasons: the gameplay and combat system were rock-solid and, more importantly, my wife couldn’t stop watching me play through the story. Any time Batman truly got into his detective mode and tried to recreate the crime scene in order to determine at which angle a bullet pierced a victim, which object was used to cause blunt trauma, or figuring out the height of the murderer by the angle at which the gun was fired, my wife was glued to the television. After learning all of Batman’s tools, she started giving me advice as to what I should do next. Not only did WB Games allow me to play as Batman, but they inadvertently transformed my wife into Oracle.

9. Ducktales: Remastered (Disney/Capcom/WayForward) – Leave it to Wayforward to take a beloved platformer and make it even better. The production value in DuckTales: Remastered is nothing short of impressive. Hand-drawn sprites, an updated soundtrack (The Moon Theme never sounded better!), expanded leves, challenges, fun little additions such as diving and swimming in Scrooge’s Money Bin, unlockable content, and every single member of the original voice acting cast reprising their role for the game makes DuckTales: Remastered one of those rare titles which met and exceeded all of my expectations.

10. New Super Luigi U (Nintendo) – The ‘Lost Levels’ of New Super Mario Bros. U is coated in green paint. New Super Luigi U offers some nasty levels to get through (albeit a lot shorter than those found in its predecessor) and allows those who fancy themselves a hardcore gamer to challenge their skills with Mario’s younger brother. It’s as if Nintendo heard the cocky bragging of gamers on Miiverse and said “oh, so you think you’re good, do you? That’s cute. Try getting through this.”

Josh Jackson

1. Pokemon X and Y – It’s true that GTA V, Tomb Raider, and to a lesser extent, ALBW all represent a series renaissance for their respective franchises, each of which are iconic in their own way. However, there’s no greater representation of perfecting an existing franchise than Pokemon X and Y. With the latest adventures, the Pokemon series was refined to the point where I can’t think of very many ways it can be improved. Sure, the usual expectations such as new Pokemon, a new region and new badges are all here, but brand new content like the Fairy type, Mega Evolutions that bring a completely new dynamic to competitive battling, the entire roster of 720 creatures being reanimated in full 3D, a retooling of how leveling up and training are accomplished, (eliminating the tedium of level grinding,) and new features like Pokemon-Amie give trainers so much more content to work with. On top of that, so many tools have been added to make getting that perfect Pokemon that much easier. Featuring the largest roster in franchise history, (454 are native to these two games alone,) one of the most emotional stories the series has ever seen, a renewed focus on playing with friends thanks to random trading through Wonder Trade and the Friend Safari that awards more Pokemon for every friend on your friend list, and about 70 brand new creatures to experiment with, I seriously can’t think of a way to improve on this legendary franchise beyond X and Y. Aside from a few great features that were strangely ommitted, these games are the new benchmark in which future titles in this 17 year old series will be judged. But most importantly, out of all the great games on this list, this is the only one that I’m still playing daily with no signs of stopping. A great story? Perfected game play? Fantastic visuals? Tons of practical online features? Hundreds of hours of content? Even in a year of tough competition as a console generation ended with a huge bang, this choice just shows how much of an accomplishment X and Y was. How else could it not be my game of the year?

2. Grand Theft Auto V – Let me get this out of the way first. I HATED GTA IV. In fact, GTAIII was the only game in the series that really blew me away. I kind of just picked this game up as a formaility, with cautious optimism towards the praise it was getting, but still unable to get the bad taste of Niko and friends out of my mouth. What I got however, was one of the craziest, most entertaining rides I’ve experienced this generation. The three protagonists, Michael, Trevor and Franklin, each brought so much individual flair to the story that I often felt like I was playing three intersecting campaigns. The story was gritty, offensive and violient, but it’s always tongue in cheek, which is what we’ve come to expect from Rockstar. Game play refinement made traveling and fighting through Los Santos an absolute joy, with new features like heists, special abilities and character specific missions putting a particular touch to GTA’s storied history. If messing around in the 30 plus hour campaign wasn’t enough, Grand Theft Auto Online launched about a month later, where would be criminals are still pulling off jobs and hunting each other down for as much cash as possible. GTAV is easily the highlight of the series, and one of the best games of the entire generation. Besides, what other game can you wake up stranded on a beach wearing a dress?

3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – A Link Between Worlds had a ton of strange expectations going in. As the first Zelda game that takes place in the exact same world as one of its predecessors, which was none other than the beloved SNES classic, A Link to the Past, Nintendo set the game up for failure. After all, how can reusing a map and setting it in direct comparison to what many consider one of the best games of all time be anything but? However, A Link Between Worlds not only manages to fill the large Pegasus Boots of its predecessor, it surpasses it in nearly every way. ALBW is the first modern Zelda to allow players to tackle dungeons in nearly any order, thanks to a focus on Rupees since tools now need to be rented or bought instead of found. Link’s ability to turn into a painting acts as one of the most creative abilities I’ve seen in years, and the boss fights are some of the most creative in franchise history, which is saying a lot in comparison to other Zelda games. The amazing story with a touching ending tops off what is a timeless experience that any 3DS owner should experience. If it wasn’t so easy or short, this definitely would have made number 1.

4. Tomb Raider – I’m pretty sure that this is the third reboot that Tomb Raider has gone through over the decade and a half since Lara Croft enchanted gamers everywhere. Unfortunately, the decline in quality combined with a comfort level that the developers settled into after the early success of the series turned the brand into an afterthought in the minds of most. With the latest Tomb Raider, that trend seems to have changed. Giving Lara another fresh start, this origin story strands the adventurer on an island full of cultists who will stop at nothing to bring their would be prophecy to light. It’s a fight for survival at every turn, with improved combat, a large island to explore with plenty of hidden areas and a fun story that brings a level of humanity to Lara that’s been missing since her inception. Combining the best of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Uncharted, it seems like the series has found a winning formula. Back in March, I was sure this game was going to be my game of the year after I was so blown away, but that just goes to show how amazing the end of the year has been.

5. Super Mario 3D World – Like with Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World once again shows how Nintendo has a knack for milking insane amounts of creativity out of concepts that they’ve been working on for years. Taking the 3D platforming of Super Mario 3D Land and blending it with the four player co-op of the lastest New Super Mario Bros. games, on paper, the game sounds like a mash up of old ideas. However, thanks to brilliant level design that feels brand new, power ups like the cat suit and double cherry and five playable characters with unique abilities, and you have a rare sequel that’s completely unique while being fun as a single and multiplayer experience.

6. Project X Zone – If I told myself last year that I would be putting a strategy game on this list, I would think I was lying. But to my surprise, Project X Zone was a game that provided so much fun, there’s no way I couldn’t put it on this list. Bringing together both well known and obscure characters from Sega, Capcom and Namco franchises into one huge grid based RPG, and there’s sure to be plenty of fan service and tongue in cheek writing to go around. Street Fighter, Mega Man, Resident Evil, Tekken, Endless Frontier, Sakura Wars, Virtua Fighter, Space Channel 5, Valkyria Chronicles… you name a franchise, and it’s likely represented. But what carried me through close to 60 hours of play was the addicting combat that puts control directly in the player’s hands to maximize damage. Acting much like a fighting game, simple commands can be entered to combo and juggle enemies within a certain amount of commands. The better the combo, the more effective the turn. Even if you’re terrible at strategy games, anyone with an interest in these properties should give PXZ a shot. If nothing else, it’s probably the only way we’ll see Tron Bonne again.

7. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies – I have to admit, I was skeptical of the fifth Phoenix Wright game. After all, it seemed like Capcom was bringing Phoenix back despite his story being long over, and all because the forced him into AA4 and made the new protagonist an afterthought before he had a chance. Once I actually got the game in my hands however, everything changed. The new lawyer in town, Athena Cykes, as well as Apollo Justice, have huge amounts of focus placed on them, all while bringing their own gameplay tricks to the court room. While Phoenix himself is the character that gets the most play time, it’s only for good reason story wise, and is firmly in the mentor role rather than the main focus of the story. And speaking of the story, it’s an incredible one, complete with some of the best cases and characters in series history, all brought to life with the first game in the series to feature 3D animations. The ending alone is one of the best in the series, and is one of the best reasons to buy a Nintendo Points card. Now, if only we could get a physical copy…

8. Pikmin 3 – After a nine year wait, the long awaited third Pikmin game finally hit the Wii U. Nintendo used that time to work their 1st party magic that only they can. Despite being the third game in a series, so much of Pikmin 3 feels completely original. Whether it’s the new Flying and Rock Pikmin that create new situations for fighting and gather materials, the three protagonists that can be used simultaniously for traveling across the larger terrains faster or the numerous new abilities that make game play more exciting and efficient, Pikmin 3 was a godsend during a long Wii U drought.

9. Bishock Infinite – As one of the most hyped games of 2013, Bioshock Infinite had huge expectations to meet. After all, the original set a new standard for storytelling, gameplay through the creative use of Plasmids and a complete reworking of what the 1st Person Shooter genre could be. While Infinite isn’t nearly as groundbreaking as its predecessor, what really could be? What we get instead is an incredibly well told story spanning time and space with some of the most memorable characters you could meet in a game. The names Booker, Elizabeth and Comstock are irreplacable in my mind, which shows how memorable they were through the tale, (while I must commend Booker in particular for being a strong protagonist in a genre that typically has none.) Combine this with a fantastic early 1900’s setting in a city in the sky, and you get an unforgettable setting that complements the tried and true game play to a tee.

10. A Realm Reborn: Final Fantasy XIV – Most of the appeal of Final Fantasy XIV comes from how much more accessible the game is than its predecessor. It’s so much easier to jump in and do fairly well by yourself, which is important when trying to get the hang of a new MMO. More importantly however, is that the game is so fun and accessible that it made most people forgive the travesty that was the original FFXIV. Square Enix had a lot to prove with this massive reboot of their latest attempt at an online game, and I’m happy to say that they were successful in almost every way. They’ve earned my monthly subscription fee.

http://youtu.be/S5FG63P8kmE

S.J. Borger

1. The Last of Us — Lie down. Curl up. Feel all the feels.

2. Bioshock Infinite — So good. So good. Play it. Because it’s SO GOOD.

3. Gone Home — The little indie game that could. Put together clues and find out what happened to a family in their abandoned home.

4. Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag — Solid story and improved gameplay gave the franchise a much-needed breath of fresh air with this expansion.

5. Grand Theft Auto V — Not for kids! Not for kids! Do not buy for your eight-year-old! Adults, however, will enjoy the trademark GTA balls-out insanity.

6. Dead Space 3 — Some fans had issues with the fact that our hero could talk in this one. Others didn’t like the human-on-human fighting. Still, the game played well, the story was compelling and the final twists and turns worth the hours of playtime.

7. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds — A direct sequel to “A Link to the Past,” the games bright colors and retro-feel delighted fans of the 1990’s Zelda games.

8. Tomb Raider — A complete reboot, harder puzzles, and more intriguing gameplay. Fans and critics alike couldn’t find enough good things to say about it.

9. Beyond: Two Souls— Ellen Page and William Dafoe, digitally captured and ported into your console to tell a subtlety wrought, but moving, story.

10. SimCity (eventually)— Ok, ok, there were problems. So many problems. Problems that probably resulted in quite a few computers being thrown across rooms and even more rage-posts on forums. However, nine months later, SimCity is playable, enjoyable—and with updates and changes to the maps, definitely a time sink.

Derek Kraneveldt

I’ve had so little time this past few months that I have a few games still sitting on my shelf that would have definitely made it on this list. Super Mario 3D World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, I cannot wait to play you. Also, The Walking Dead: Season Two and The Wolf Among Us both had excellent first chapters this year, but seeing as 4/5ths of these titles fall into 2014, look for them on this list next year.

1. The Last of Us – I’m not sure if The Last of Us is the best game of the year, or the best game of this generation. I still recall experiencing the game’s incredible finale for the first time; after the credits finished rolling, I couldn’t bear to move for upwards of 30 minutes; I was upset at what had just occurred, I had just finished the most incredible gaming experience that I could have possibly imagined, and I still don’t know if I’ll ever have an experience like it.

Yes, The Last of Us lives up to the hype. Yes, The Last of Us is worth buying a Playstation 3 for. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, The Last of Us is my game of the year.

Fun fact: The voice of Joel in The Last of Us is the same voice actor as Booker in Bioshock Infinite. Not to mention The Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins and a million other roles.

Coolest moment: Visiting the Los Santos Observatory, and then standing in the Los Angeles Observatory in real life… It was EXACTLY the same!

2. Bioshock Infinite – This is the shooter that I’ve been waiting years for, and I loved every single second of it. The game didn’t quite change the shooter genre like Bioshock did, but it did take plot, storytelling, narrative, and mystery to a whole new level. Seriously, the game is so interesting that my mostly non-gamer girlfriend played through the entire title, and made me take the day off of work when the first chapter of Burial at Sea released. Seeing this alternate 1912, the parallels to our world, and the corruption of Comstock is an absolute treat, and its one that I could see myself playing over and over again. Playstation Plus members, you’re getting the game for free in January, and at this point it’s under $20 for everyone else. Again, even if you’re not a gamer, even if you’ve never touched a first-person shooter, the plot of Bioshock Infinite makes it worth a play through.

3. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch – I’ve had numerous conversations with Jonathan about Ni No Kuni over the course of 2013, and I really can’t state it better than he already has: this is a nearly perfect JRPG, and one of the first that’s been able to draw me in for a number of years. Level 5 and Studio Ghibli have done an incredible job crafting this these worlds, and it has resulted in what is arguably the PS3’s best RPG. With quick, clever combat, creature collection a lá Pokémon, incredible animation, and plenty of tear-jerking moments turned hilarious by Mr. Drippy’s crazy antics, if you have ever enjoyed an RPG before, you owe it to yourself to play this one.

Seriously, it’s Studio Ghibli AND Level 5, how can you not have already played this one?

4. Tearaway – Since the Vita’s release almost two years ago, I’ve owned two of them. The first, I bought on launch day, and sold months later (at a huge loss) because there really were no great games for it, and nothing worthwhile seemed to be coming down the pipeline. This February, I received a second unit as a gift (thanks John); it was white, looked way cooler on my shelf… and that’s where it sat until Tearaway‘s release. Sure, there are a few great titles on Playstation + (Gravity Rush is killer, and I’ve been having way too much fun with Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed), and remote play via the PS4 is useful (though still way too inconsistent), but with the plethora of amazing 3DS titles coming out consistently, what reason did I have to play my Vita?

Tearaway changed all that. Media Molecule, the creators of LittleBigPlanet have built a wonderful, heartfelt papercraft world with this game, and used the Vita’s superb hardware in a completely not cheesy or tacked on way; a feat that no other developer has really been able to achieve at this point. The platforming gameplay and simple puzzles are a welcome change from the plethora of action titles and bad first-person shooters on the console, and the game’s simple, intriguing plot (starring YOU) is one that you won’t want to miss. Tearaway is the Vita’s best game yet, bar none, and I can only hope that the console can continue to receive more quality titles like this one.

5. Grand Theft Auto V – I’ve never been a huge fan of the Grand Theft Auto Series. It’s often hard for me to get into open world games, and the extreme openness of the GTA franchise has always turned me off after a few hours of play. Grand Theft Auto V was completely different. The three sprawling, interlocking, far more down to Earth plotlines changed everything. In previous games it was easy to get tired of a line of missions or an area, and now with a simple-tap of the D-pad you can do something completely different (or head into the insanity that is Grand Theft Auto Online). Nearly everything is improved from previous GTA iterations (the shooting mechanics were something that always bugged me, and in GTAV they’re awesome), and I simply cannot praise Rockstar’s efforts here enough. Even if you’re not a Grand Theft Auto fan, you’re going to love this game.

Honorable mentions: Contrast, Gone Home, Pikmin 3, The Walking Dead: 400 Days.