Welcome to the final Press Start of 2013! We look back at the games that came out this year that left an imprint on us. Which games stood out to you that you played in 2013? Did you revisit any classics or stuck with the current generation? Were you able to dive into the next generation of gaming in 2013 with Wii U, PS4 or Xbox One games? The Game Fanatics take a step back and reflect on some of the games that we played in 2013, be it new games or old. 2014 looks bright so raise a glass to the New Year!

Darrin:

The Walking Dead, both Season 1 and the newly-released Season 2. Such magnificent storytelling. Also, The Last of Us made me both entertained and depressed, and Super Mario 3D World reminded me what it was like to be a kid, just having fun.

Jeff:

2013 was the year I tried something new, and a year of finding my (current) favorite ways to game. I took my first steps into RPGs with the Mass Effect, Fallout and Elder Scrolls series. Telltale’s The Walking Dead introduced me to adventure games. Shadows of the Damned has given me insight as to why Suda 51 is so often brought up when discussing gaming’s weirdest moments. And I’m finally catching up with Rockstar’s numerous releases from the past few years, and learning why their games are some of the most well-received titles out there.

But my favorite thing from 2013 has to be finding my love for handhelds again. The Vita has been a welcome breath of fresh air, and its library, paltry as it may be, is teeming with brilliant titles. The Walking Dead, Injustice, Rayman Legends, Killzone Mercenary, Uncharted, Wipeout, Batman, and LittleBigPlanet have added up to hundreds of hours so far, and I have many more to go. Looking ahead, it’s going to be another good year for gaming.

Jen:

I played a lot of Star Wars the Old Republic in 2013. Sadly, I won’t be playing much of that MMO in 2014. I finished every story arc and now I feel that SWTOR has nothing left to offer me. My paid subscription will expire in January and I will not be renewing. I might revisit since it is a F2P game but I’m not holding my breath. I still would like to see a Knights of the Old Republic III game for the PC.

I had a lot of fun with Grand Theft Auto V, despite my complaints on the lack of a female lead. I did enjoy all three guys and switching between them both. The interactions between Trevor, Michael and Franklin came off as genuine. I was debating on which game was better for me, GTA V or Saints Row IV and GTA V beats it by a hair. Saints Row IV felt rushed and I enjoyed Saints Row the Third more and even though I did have fun with Saints Row IV, it should have been more like Saints the Third. Back to GTA real quick, I hope we get to see Vice City again. Just saying.

Deadpool was a fun game to play thanks to the voice talents of Nolan North. The game was repetitive and could have used a lot more tweaking but with it being Deadpool, the dialogue alone was worth the time.

The Wolf Among Us and a new Walking Dead episode both had my jaw on the ground. I am really looking forward to playing new episodes from both games next year. Now that is some good storytelling right there. And I cannot forget about 400 Days. Nice little teaser that one was.

Forza 5 and Killer Instinct for XBO has taken up a lot of my time during the end of 2013. Driveatars piss me off and getting beat by my husband in KI has the same effect but I still enjoy playing both games. I’m pretty sure I’ve played Forza 5 the most out of all the Forza games.

Legend of Dungeon and Skullgirls were both fun to play on the PC. Gave me the chance to hook up my 360 controller to the PC once again. Memoria is another game on Steam that I enjoyed. It is a simple game with an interesting story. Project X Zone I got later on in the year and I really should get back to playing it again, fun yet frustrating game.