Games of 2013


New

Motorstorm RC by Evolution Studios [PS Vita]
Quite the crappy Micro Machines clone. Free download with the purchase of a Vita memory card (those still cost an arm and a leg).

Michael Jackson The Experience by Ubisoft Montreal [Xbox360]
Eh. Well. I'm a Michael Jackson fan, so I bought it. It's, eh, not that great. Buy Moonwalker instead for your MJ gaming fix.

Lego City Undercover by TT Games [Wii U]
Brilliant kiddie version of Grand Theft Auto. I loved it. The Switch version (released in 2017) is even better.

Battlefield 3 by DICE [Xbox360]
War is not a game. A very unpleasant experience.

Geronimo Stilton In The Kingdom of Fantasy - The Videogame by ?? [PSP]
Looks promising, colourful and charming, but haven't sampled it yet, so no opinion.

The Last of Us by Naughty Dog [PS3]
A mindblowing masterpiece, and a definite proof of the controversial adagium 'Yes, video games are an art form'.

New Super Mario Bros U by Nintendo [Wii U]
Truly excellent 2D Mario platformer. Took me quite a while to find everything. Well worth the hunt.

Tron: Evolution by Propaganda Games [Xbox360]
Average, very average. Still, atmospheric and cool world to get lost in. Tron is good, Tron is life.

Mario Kart 7 by Nintendo [3DS]
Yowza, super addictive. I had to have three stars on every course and every cup. Many rage and anger issues ensued. The CPU is even more of a cheating bastard.

New Super Mario Bros 2 by Nintendo [3DS]
Not as good as the first part, and I never felt the need to collect 1,000,000 golden coins, but yet another classy first-party Nintendo title. I can't fault it, it just didn't grip me like its predecessor did.

Uncharted 3 by Naughty Dog [PS3]
Well played, Naughty Dog, well played. Yet another truly excellent game from your catalogue. You deserve all the accolades and praise.


Second-hand

Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb
by The Collective, Inc. [Xbox]
Great game! But that second-to-last level, grr. So many sore throats, screaming at the top of my lungs, in pure fits of rage.

Treasure Planet by Bizarre Creations [PS2]
Haven't sampled it yet, so no opinion. Based on the underrated Disney animated movie.

Sega Bass Fishing by SIMS Co., Ltd. [DC]
The PAL copy of the game. I already had the Japanese game, and the Japanese fishing rod controller that's compatible across the globe.

Shenmue by Sega-AM2 Co., Ltd. [DC]
Haven't sampled it yet, so no opinion. Well, to be honest, I played it for about an hour. The graphics still hold up, but the controls are a little clunky.

Jurassic Park - The Chaos Continues by Ocean Software [SNES]
Haven't truly sampled it yet, so no opinion. I did try it once, and subsequently died 15 times on first screen. RIP.

Ghostbusters - The Video Game by Terminal Reality [Xbox360]
Fantastic, true-to-the-movies adventure. One of the very best licensed games in the history of ever, featuring the four original actors (including Bill Murray!) reprising their iconic roles. This is gaming and fan service combined, and done right. A true 'Ghostbusters 3'. Buy it now. Check my 2007 interview with Ernie Hudson, back when the game was still mostly a rumour.


Hardware

PS Vita by Sony
Sony's triumphant console (hardware-wise, not sales-wise). The game library is lacking (I only bought Uncharted - Golden Abyss), but video and audio capabilities are fantastic. The OLED screen offers killer picture quality, so I use my Vita for movie playback. Lovely machine, pure class. One downside, though: the proprietary memory cards cost $7,999 per piece. What was Sony thinking!?



Julian De Backer, 8 September 2017