Hah, I like that Chris picked the DSII Beta. I didn't expect that but I should've seen it coming. 53 days till launch, Chris. Then we all dine in Hell together.
Personal Picks for GOTY 2013
Winners in our hearts.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
by Travis Hawks
Detractors of the big games of 2013 often found themselves shambling around in discussions of “ludonarrative dissonance.” Frustrated at how potentially powerful themes were weakened by hours of mindless and discordant shooting sequences, critics had lots of ammo to use on BioShock Infinite, The Last of Us, and a few other notable titles. Left out of every one of these attempts at high brow discussion is my personal game of the year, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.
Where other games try to squeeze in some thought-provoking social commentary, Blood Dragon revels in silliness and takes full advantage of the strong mechanics of its big brother, Far Cry 3. Most of the missions allow for varied and creative means of resolving them, with a few exceptions that are purposely linear to an extreme. There’s some chance that the humor of the game is going to chafe you, an inevitable risk with any comedy, but if the jokes hit your sweet spot there is nothing to dislike as long as your critical mind is powered down.
Whether you are sniping from afar, sending a dragon into an enemy outpost, or blasting through wave after wave of mindless charging undead, each moment of the game is pure fun without any pretensions. Even though I like to see the medium take new and expansive risks, we should never forget that one of the foundations of gaming is fun, and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is the embodiment of this principle.
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