Remy's 2013

You've already seen Geof and Andi's post on their titles of 2013, so now it's my turn. 

This is my year round up, my game of the year and my looking forward releases. I will also give you some insight of the projects i have in the pipeline for 2014.

First and foremost i want to thank Geoff and Andi for the possibility they gave me to join this blog. I have always been an avid gamer but my gaming taste isn't in line with most of my friends. After joining this blog i really felt like i finally had a place to talk about my favourite hobby. 

Secondly, i am happy to be your self proclaimed Sony/Vita editor. Since i was little i always felt at home at the Playstation side of gaming. My first console ever was a SNES and i was really into Nintendo. However, in 1995 Christmas eve my parents bought me a Playstation. It was love at first sight and till this day I'm turned in a fan of the playstation brand. However, i will always have a special place for Nintendo because it delivered the perfect handheld experience since the gameboy.

The projects i have in the pipeline for 2014 are :

I will do an article about the fantastic YS seven. I am currently playing YS memories of Celceta and want to spark some interest in this awesome series. Furthermore, i will review YS memories of Celceta. For people who can't wait for my review i can tell you all this game is a gem. 

Alongside that i will keep reviewing niche titles for the Playstation vita. 

My Final announcement is that I'm buying a Nintendo 3DS XL. After reading some reviews of our own Nintendo editor Andi my interest is sparked enough to justify a purchase. However, i will not review any game for this platform because that is Andi's territory.

My game of the year: YS Memories of Celceta

The Otaku team already knows i adore the YS series. Ys Memories of Celceta is action RPG featuring real time combat. YS Memories of celceta has an fantastic lore around it which connect this game with other YS games in a perfect way. Furthermore, it's a real fast past game with the most awesome gaming music you will ever hear in a game. Slashing through legions of monsters with some rock in the background can't be beaten by any game currently on the vita. It will keep you entertained for a lot of hours. For more information about this game you will have to wait till i drop my review.

Persona 4 Golden

For people wondering why i haven't put this game as my game of the year is because it's a re-release of the playstation 2's persona 4. However, the game has proven to be one of the best RPG ever. What i enjoyed the most in this game are the Social links. Every day i was looking forward to playing Persona 4 golden to increase my Social links. This game felt like i had second life and i really cared about the characters in this game. Furthermore, in addition to others on this blog i really liked the story. It's not as dark as Persona 3. I'm more into happy endings anyway.

For our readers we have something in the pipeline that will surprise you! 

Ni No Kuni

Just like Andi i have chosen Ni No Kuni. However, my feelings for this game are super positive. The game sparked interest for the JRPG genre in the west. Furthermore, i really enjoy playing this game. I'm 60 hours in and still not finished. The writing is good and i enjoy the combat a lot which combines turn based and real life action. I have the same complaint as Andi. The familiar capture is a real pain and tends to ruin the joy of catching new familiars and fulfilling side quests.

The Last of Us

The Last of us was a present given by my girlfriend for my birthday ( 26th of June). It was a game that was a complete surprise. After i have played Uncharted golden abyss and Uncharted drake's deception this game couldn't be more of a surprise. Where the Uncharted games felt great to play the story felt cheesy. Well, the Last of Us is the complete opposite of that. I felt like an emotional rollercoaster and it was something that you have to experience because it is the swan song of the playstation 3.

Tear Away

As i already mentioned in my review Tear Away is one of those games you will have to play to understand the hype around it. Media Molecule has made a game where You and Iota feel connected. You are the one who is holding this magnificent paper world in the palm of your hands. You are the godly being ! All of this makes this game a experience that is more than a simple 3D platformer.  The only negative is that the game really felt short. I was very sad when the game ended because it was such a wonderful experience.

Killzone Mercenary

Killzone mercenary deserves a place in my top games of this year. It was the first Playstation vita title that has realised a first person shooter on the go. I felt awesome to have a shooter that works in the palm of your hands. The multiplayer is fun and the singleplayer tells a story where a mercenary sees the dark face of war. The conclusion is that there is no good guys in war. The negative about Killzone mercenary is the whole money is our motivation part. This was a major pain because the story sometimes felt really bland.

Honourable mentions! 

Soul Sacrifice

After the PSP title Monster Hunter Freedom Unite i thought there never would be a hunting title that would interest me. Well, i was wrong. Soul sacrifice combines fast paced spell casting with an interesting save/sacrafice mechanic. Furthermore, the singleplayer tells a story of a wizard imprisoned by the dark wizard called Magusar. After discovering a book made out of flesh that can talk the imprisoned wizard could re-life events that happened in the past. The multiplayer is where the game flourish. With 4 people defeating a monster is something that takes team work. Without proper team work you will die fast.

The good news for 2014 is that a sequel is in the works. Soul sacrifice Delta will release this year in march in Japan. Western release has to be announced.

Muramasa Rebirth

Muramasa Rebirth was a real surprise for me. I never played the original wii version. After reading some information about the game i was intrigued. I bought the game and it was a blast to play. The Japanese lore and the gameplay where superb.  The graphics are the best you will have ever seen on the playstation vita. From wheat-laden fields and rural villages to dark cityscape's and eerie forests this game has it all. This game has better boss battles than most games in the dude bro society of gaming. The story is interesting and will keep your attention right from the start. The negative about the game was the repetitiveness in backtracking, and enemies. Furthermore, the game isn't that difficult. Sometimes i felt like a super ninja and that wasn't supposed to happen.

Looking Forward To

Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth:

I'm a die hard Persona fan so it is no surprise that I'm looking forward to playing this title. This is also one of the major reasons I'm buying a Nintendo 3DS ( Also thanks to Andi persuading talks about how much awesomeness is on the 3DS. He is a honest guy and no fanboy so i thrust his words more than any one else). Furthermore, to revisit the characters of Persona 4 Golden is a dream for me. I hope the social links return. The combat mechanics are interesting because it's more a crossover with Etrian Odyssey. I hope the gameplay will feel the same way as before. 

Freedom Wars

Monster hunter left an enormous gap for other publishers to fill . Sony Japan has done a really good job feeling that gap. First they made soul sacrifice which is an enormous success and now they are developing Freedom wars. Earth is over populated and destroyed. Abductors are kidnapping people and it is your task to save them from the abductors. The interesting thing about this title that this is the first hunting game with up to 8 people playing together. It will be interesting to see how this combines with online play. For me? It is a dream come true. I always dreamed of a multiplayer hunting game with up to 8 people.

Other Titles I'm looking forward to

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Conception II (Vita, also coming to 3DS)

Demon Gaze

Toukiden: Age of Demons

Borderlands 2 (Vita)

Final Fantasy X & X2

Soul Sacrifice Delta

Gravity Rush 2

Import

Swort Art Online : Hollow Fragment

To Love-Ru Trouble Darkness: Battle Ecstasy

In Conclusion

2014 is looking like a good year. The titles above aren't the only games I'm looking forward to. I'm buying a 3DS XL so i will buy other 3DS games for it like Bravely Default ( See Andi's Review) and will buy a game i never played: Project Diva F( See Geoffrey's Review). Furthermore, I'm buying a Playstation 4 and will be covering some news and releases for that too.  That's it guys ! Thank you loyal readers and new readers who are helping this blog. I also wanted to thank Geoffrey and Andi for having such an awesome time as friends and as gamers.

Remy- Sony/Vita ( Self- proclaimed) Editor

I 

Geoff's 2013

You've already seen Andi's post on his titles of 2013, so now its my turn:

Game of The Year: Beyond Two Souls 
A GOTY award is a subjective thing. Not many people out there would agree with this choice or even understand it but there has been no other game this year that Ive actually felt much of an impact from aside from this. The journey of Jodie Holmes with which you take on Beyond is one of the most emotional Ive come across in any form of entertainment. I can see why it has its haters though. Beyond's gameplay mechanics are so far removed from the rest of the industry (telltale games work on The Walking Dead comes close though) that I can understand that issue, but for me it makes Quantic Dreams games feel unique in an industry that relies on tried & true mechanics. In my review I stated that its a perfect swansong for the Ps3 as the next generation kicks in, but I personally found it to be much more than that. The way Beyond split the industry at launch means there wont be many who will share this opinion, but all great pieces of entertainment get people talking & debating and Beyond: Two Souls did just that and more.

Notable mention: Project Diva F 
How could I not give this game a mention? After spending so long playing Japanese versions of the series on PsP, SEGA finally decided to give us a release of the latest entry in the US/EU. The game is as superbly playable as always but what makes it great for me is the editing options that were included as the amount of content available from fans to download means it'll take a while to tire of this entry. In my review i stated a Vita release would've been better which we will thankfully see next year, but the Ps3 version is still thoroughly playable.

Notable Mention: Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory
My love for this series started with Mk2, but its this release that I see as being worthy of mentioning to anyone that will listen. It takes everything the previous entries have done and improves things while also adding more aspects to its mechanics and structure. Even more parodies & the like ensure the game is even more of a laugh to play through as before, with the always amusing Neptune back taking center stage. The usual trappings of niche Jrpg's like Visual Novel-esque cutscenes & difficulty spikes mean most people overlook the game, but its become one of my favourite games of the year due to it seeming to have a unique charm not found in the more Mainstream Jrpg's.

Notable Mention: Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable
One of my favourite Niche series received a remastered version of its best entry on Sony's swanky handheld and soon became my most played game on said format. Interestingly, there was additions to the content instead of the usual 'streamlining'. Aside from a few extra missions & the inclusion of Pale Wing, Online co-op and Versus was also added to the fray. Gameplay has always been king with the series and theres nothing quite like blasting away at a huge fire breathing monster until it collapses into a heap of rubble that was a city. You wont find the EDF series many spectacles in other releases. Its Niche & Budget nature means not many will sample its superb gameplay, but that doesn't mean it should be cast aside due to lack of exposure.

Suprise of the Year: Black Rock Shooter 
I had been looking at giving this game a try for a while. It wasn't until a review of it was requested that I finally decided to bite the bullet. I went in expecting an average Jrpg and came away surprised. Very surprised. More than anything, its combat system just has to be sampled. The way it effortlessly mixes aspects of turn-based & real-time mechanics into its combat system is perfectly executed. The game isn't without it faults, but then what game is. If anything its a reminder to everyone that the PsP was, and still is for me, a great handheld platform for Jrpg's.

 and... 

Disappointment of the Year: Pokemon X & Y
In my review I gave the game a 7/10. I could see that it was a good game (not a great one) when playing it but I couldn't help but shake the feeling that I'd done all of it before. I hadn't sampled the Pokemon games on DS,so I'd had a nice break from the series and was hopeful of some worthy additions to the formula from the games GBA days. Unfortunately, I didn't find the additions to be good enough to overlook the fact that the game hadn't advanced in the time Id taken away from it in any meaningful way. Its a game I may go back to sometime and try again, but it left me so disappointed the first time I'm not sure if that would improve anything.

2014?
Next year is looking like a good year. Looking forward to EDF 2025 & Senran kagura Burst in February to kick things off but its the Vita that's caught my eye for niche releases with the likes of Hyperdimension Neptunia PP (Possibly Rebirth 1&2) Project Diva F, Demon Gaze, Dynasty Warriors 8 and much more. I'm looking forward to seeing what the WiiU can push out to try and entice me to bite (Hyrule Warriors is a good start Nintendo) but I will be purchasing a Ps4 as early as i can and covering some of the news & releases for that too.Theres so much to look forward to next year for all platforms that it could get even better than recent years.