Universal Gaming

-News on the hottest gaming trends

 With next-gen consoles on the horizon, many game companies wanted to make the most of their aging consoles. 2013 was a wonderful year for gaming. Hundreds of great titles were released, but this week Universal Gaming is going to pick out the top ten best games from 2013. (No specific order. Also, now remakes will be included in this list.)

10. Pikmin 3 (Wii U, Nintendo)

After half a year of nothing good on the Wii U, Nintendo finally released Pikmin 3. After a nine year hiatus, the return of Pikmin let Nintendo fans have a good reason to buy a Wii U. Though the game was short, the gameplay was heavy, the graphics beautiful and the music soothing to the ear.

 9. Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS, Nintendo)

Though the Fire Emblem series has been around for quite a while, not many gamers acknowledged it until just last year. The unforgivable challenges and Japanese styled characters alienated many players in the west. With Fire Emblem Awakening though, developer “Intelligent Systems” added a casual mode to increase sales. Usually making games more casual smudges up the ratings of a series, but in this case they stayed as high as ever. A wonderful, in depth story, realistic animation and an almost emotional connection with each and every character increased the value of playing this game.

 8. The Last of Us (PS3, Sony Computer Entertainment)

With Sony’s brand new console the PS4 arising on the horizon, many gamers were amazed with Naughty Dog’s decision to release a brand new adventure title on the 7 year old PS3. Receiving critical acclaim everywhere and winning countless Game of the Year awards, The Last of Us was a huge success. Along with great ratings came great sales, the game outselling many well known series on the Wii U such as Pikmin 3, The Legend of Zelda: the Wind Waker HD and Super Mario 3D World.

 7. Rayman Legends (Wii U/PC/PS3/XBOX 360, Ubisoft)

Colorful, inventive, genius and glorious are just some words used to describe how wonderful a game Rayman Legends was. The game followed in the footsteps of its’ also wonderful predecessor, Rayman Origins, though Legends completely re-imagined the Rayman series and proved not only to be one of the best platformers of 2013, but kicking its way into the top 20 ever.

courtesy of http://harrybana.deviantart.com/art/Rayman-Legends-v2-407447692

 6. The Legend of  Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS, Nintendo)

After seeing what the 3DS could do with The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D, Zelda fans were shocked to hear news that Nintendo would have Link and Zelda returning to their roots in the top down adventure game. The style used for this game was not hated at all though. In fact, it was a full on nostalgia trip. With critics claiming it the best Zelda since Ocarina of Time, many could call this a success. A classic gaming style infused with modern gaming techniques and some original twists special to this title, A Link Between Worlds was pure beauty and overperformed itself, even outselling Super Mario 3D World.

 5. Tearaway (PSVita, Sony Computer Entertainment)

Despite being extremely underrated and having a poor marketing campaign, Tearaway is by far one of Sony’s most beautiful games to date, probably the best game for the PSVita to date too. The wonderful environments, imaginative creatures and innovative gameplay left many wondering how this game didn’t sell very well.

 4. Grand Theft Auto V ( PS3/XBOX 360, Rockstar Entertainment North)

Though some critics found the game to be too realistic, many still enjoy this game with it’s cutting edge story and extensive amount of gameplay. Greatly expanding on every aspect from Grand Theft Auto IV, this game really hit the spot for GTA fans everywhere.

 3. Pokemon X/Y (3DS, Nintendo)

Many were predicting the Pokemon series would slow to a halt by this title, but all this did was increase the already mighty reputation of one of Nintendo’s most creative series. Being released in October, the game has already peaked ten million and claimed its’ spot as the highest selling 3DS game to date.

 2. Bioshock Infinite (XBOX 360/PS3/PC, 2K Games)

The latest title in the BioShock series proved to be nothing but a critical success. Complimented for beautiful graphics, complicated yet enjoyable gameplay and massive story, the game turned out wonderful. Too bad it didn’t sell too well, forcing its’ publisher to close.

 1 Tomb Raider (XBOX 360/PS3/PC)

Moving from an adventure game to an all out game based on survival, Tomb Raider proved to be quite a great game. With bugs hurting it at first, the game eventually shot out of some unplayable parts and made an enjoyable title to be placed on any Tomb Raider fans shelf.

courtesy of http://tombraider-survivor.deviantart.com/gallery/

So now that you’ve heard some of the best games from last year, what’s your favorite? Leave your comments below!