10: Kerbal Space Program
I absolutely adored playing with Lego
when I was growing up, happily spending hours designing blocky
spaceships and vehicles with my brother. Kerbal Space Program is one
of those things I've always wished for: A virtual Lego set, that
allows me to design and play with spaceships of my very own.
Attempting to build working rockets by stacking giant fuel tanks to a
cockpit and hoping for the best made for some of the funniest moments
I've ever had playing any game. I'll never forget triumphantly taking
twenty minutes designing a rocket in front of my friends and proudly
launching it, before watching in despair as it fell to pieces a
hundred feet off the ground and had us literally crying with laughter
for the rest of the night. I've yet to master its surprisingly deep
physics engine and have lost count of the number of poor Kerbins I've
shot to their doom in deep space, but any game that can make me feel
ten years old again is a winner in my book.
9: Pokemon X/Y
I fell out of love with the Pokemon
games a number of years ago. Though I did play through Ruby/Saphire
and Diamond/Pearl I was thoroughly put off by the creaky mechanics,
which hadn't changed much at all since Red and Blue back in the day,
and the lack of inspiration behind the design of the newer monsters
left me cold. X and Y have attempted to freshen things up a bit, and
are a good step back onto the right path for the series. The graphics
have been spruced up nicely, some of the shonkier design flaws have
been ironed out, and there was a very welcome focus on the older
monsters that I know and love. It isn't perfect, but at least shows
that Nintendo are willing to shake things up a little with one of
their most important IPs. I'm just hoping that we'll see that big,
online, console edition we've been waiting years for sooner rather
than later.
8: Kami
You're not short of options when it
comes to puzzle games on IOS, but Kami stands as one of the best of
the lot. A papercraft tile flipping game, Kami has you attempting to
transform its patterned screens into one colour with as few moves as
possible. This is no high-octane puzzler that’ll keep you on your
toes and stress you into frustration. Rather it’s a more
considered, patient, calming affair. The lack of time limits and
freedom to experiment makes Kami a relaxing pleasure, a Zen-like test
of problem solving skills. The ability to dip in and out of levels
and mull over possible solutions makes it feel ideal for train
journeys or commutes. Kami may be a relatively lightweight
experience, but it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable on.
7: Fez
While Fez first saw release on the Xbox
360 back in 2011, it finally came to PC this year through Steam, and
as such I'm qualifying it here. It's one of indie gamings biggest
success stories, having just recently broken the million copies sold
mark and propelled its developer Phil Fish to perhaps unwelcome
stardom. The success is completely deserved too; Fez is without a
doubt one of the most inventive and charming games of the generation.
Its dimension-spinning mechanic makes for some properly fiendish
puzzles, as well as more than a few moments that had me actually
laughing in delight. Combine that with the gorgeous retro visuals, a
wonderful soundtrack, and so many secrets that I know I'll never see
them all, and you have a truly wonderful game that deserves all the love
it gets.
6: Papers, Please
Video games are about escapism. Playing
the hero, saving the world, beating the baddies, and all that jazz.
Papers, Please makes a point of turning that rule on its head,
putting you in a mundane job in a drab setting and forcing you to do
bureaucratic paperwork for hours on end. The glorious Republic of
Arstotzka may not be somewhere you would want to escape to, but for
the lines of immigrants waiting outside your border control booth
every day it certainly is. Their stories, and that of your hapless
paper pusher, are part of an incredibly inventive and intense puzzle
experience. It's one of the most gripping and surprisingly moving
games I've played in years, and further cements my notion that the
most interesting work in the industry at the moment is being done in
the indie development scene. Glory to Arstotzka.
5: Animal Crossing- New Leaf
You'd be hard pressed to find a company
with a greater handle on charm than Nintendo. In fact, you'd probably
be hard pressed to find a more charming series of games than Animal
Crossing. Since the first game on the Gamecube (Or the N64, if you
were lucky enough to live in Japan) countless people have happily
made a simple second life for themselves in their own little village.
The series hasn't changed very much in the last ten years, and New
Leaf doesn't add anything particularly revolutionary, but the 3DS has
proven itself to be the ideal home for the series. It's perfect for
dipping into every day, seeing what happens to be new, meeting a few
friends, or just tending to your plants. It's been a couple of months
now since I last visited my town of Lordran, but I know that when I
do I'll still be welcomed back with a smile by whichever residents
still happen to be there.
4: Gone Home
For all their unique qualities, video
games are still all too often derided for their limitations as a
medium for storytelling. This is a perception that is going to change
sooner rather than later, and we'll have the likes of Gone Home to
thank for that. Set in 1995, Gone Home puts you in the shoes of
Kaitlin, who returns home from months of travelling to find her
parents' house empty and her sister gone. You unravel the story by
exploring the house, finding hints and audio cues that slowly unravel
the story of your family. It's a brilliantly compelling piece of
interactive fiction, one that treats the player with a level of
respect. There are no real puzzles, no dangers hidden around the
house, but it boasts a wonderful atmosphere, helped by the little
details of home life and the excellent use of period trappings that
will delight anyone who grew up in the '90s. At just over two hours
it's perhaps a bit too brief, with little incentive to go back and
play again, at least immediately. But I prefer to treat it more like
an interactive novella, one you can read through on a rainy afternoon
or a quiet evening, and happily keep it on the shelf to revisit again
another day.
3: Grand Theft Auto V
It's difficult to know where to begin
with Grand Theft Auto V. It's certainly big. A big world, with an
almost-endless list of things you can do and places to see without
even thinking about the actual missions. A big story, with three
characters whose lives you can dip in and out of at will, each with
their own stories to tell and people to meet. It's big on ambition,
as Rockstar again push the boundaries of just how much they can cram
into one game world, from the single player to the amazingly generous
multiplayer modes. It's evidently big business too, having already
sold more copies and made more money than any other game in the
series. But most importantly of course it's big, big fun. From the
perfectly executed heists to the numerous side missions, the anarchic
online mode and the joy of just making your way around its world. You're never left wanting
for something to do, with a vast county there for you to explore
right from the start, and a handy vehicle is only ever a carjacking away.
It's an important release as well, arguably one that has brought
games closer to the forefront of cultural relevance and acceptance
than ever before. That might be its greatest legacy in years to come,
by which time I imagine plenty of us will still be playing it anyway,
having failed to run out of things to do in the vast and brilliant San Andreas.
2: The Last of Us
When I first caught sight of The Last
of US during E3 2012 I was left a little cold. In fact, that's
exactly what I wrote in my round-up of Sony's conference on this very
blog. If only I'd known then that it would end up becoming one of the
most powerful and impressive games I've ever had the pleasure of
playing through. Enough has been written about The Last of Us by now
that I can only cover old ground. I could go on about the fantastic
narrative it leads you through, horrifyingly bleak and worthy of
plenty of analysis. The protagonists Joel and Ellie are two of the
best-written, acted, and developed characters I can recall from any
game, their story utterly compelling from start to finish. The world
is startlingly beautiful as well, with an absolutely astounding level
of detail in every location you visit. It squeezes every last drop of
power from the PS3, managing to produce some sights that literally
had me stunned into silence. It even produced a riotously
entertaining and brutal online multiplayer mode, which was the source
of a fair few late nights playing with friends. But what made The
Last of Us special in my eyes was the sheer tension it evoked. I
found it difficult to play for too long at any one time, always
terrified of where the next death might be coming from or just what
might be waiting around the next corner. I can't remember the last
time I felt so emotionally involved while playing a game, and for
that reason it's an experience that will stay with me for a long
time.
1: Salty Bet
I've yet to really write at length
about my love for Salty Bet. Some might think it's a bit of a cop-out
to top a list of games with what basically amounts to an interactive
stream, but if Charlie Brooker can get away with announcing Twitter
as one of the most influential games ever then I'm sure as hell
claiming Salty Bet. Effectively a round-the-clock Twitch stream of
the fighting engine M.U.G.E.N, which allows you to import character
data from other games, Salty Bet randomly matches fighters from a
database of thousands and allows you to bet imaginary money on the
outcome of the fights. Since discovering it a couple of months back
I've lost track of the number of hours I've spent with it, and am
becoming more convinced than ever that it's one of the greatest
things ever. But this certainly isn't a mutual feeling: I may love
Salty bet, but it sure as hell doesn't love me back. It delights in
sucking up every imaginary dollar I offer up, teases me with the
glimmer of success before swiftly knocking me back down to size with
a string of upsets. I could mention the excellent playlist, backing
each fight with an eclectic soundtrack that ranges from classic game
OSTs to hip hop to metal, but somehow just works perfectly. I could
mention the chat bar, where the stream viewers talk up a storm that's
equal parts offensive and tear-inducingly hilarious.
But really the
magic of Salty Bet comes from its sheer variety. Tune in any time of
day or night and you're guaranteed to be seeing something new. I've
won thousands betting on Dan Hibiki in a fight against a dog, and
lost it all by foolishly presuming that Piccolo could batter fuck out
of Sub Zero. I've watched The Flash beaten senseless by a giant
squid, seen Mario forced through a mincing machine, and bet on more
Dragon Ball Z characters than you could possibly imagine. There's
always something different right around the corner, and any fight
could be the one where you finally make your imaginary fortune. I
haven't even mentioned the weekly Shaker Classic tournaments, the
dizzying reams of stats on all the fighters available to paid-up
“illuminati” members (a privilege I just couldn't resist), or the
brilliant streak of humour that runs throughout. It shouldn't be as
maddeningly compelling as it is, but I still come back to it almost
every day. That I'm playing it while I write this, and have been
non-stop since this morning, should say it all.
