GOTY Mid 2013
 

I know, I know, short list...

I'm in the middle of the Last of Us, already completed the other two. I think the three games should be in any Top 20 list (maybe even Top 10) this generation.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Tough call, but I'm going Bioshock. Ultra-original, good graphics, compelling storyline. Did love Tomb Raider too though...

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I voted for Bioshock Infinite, but I'm jiggy with Tomb Raider too. I haven't finished Last of Us yet. Fun game, but I'm not understanding where all the 10/10 "OMFG GOTY SQUEEE!" talk comes from. It has a lot of problems.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I agree. I'm about 50 percent complete and its a good game, but the gameplay is nothing new. Combat isnt great, I dont think its as good as the uncharted games. The first 20 minutes had me thinking this game was going to do something amazing. Those first 20 minutes were intense, scary and just done so incredibly well. After that its been pretty formulaic.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Tomb Raider. All 3 were good to great experiences, Tomb Raider was the only one that was actually fun at a gameplay level.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I'll save my vote since I just started TLoU but TR by a wide margin. Bioshock fell flat for me. Plenty of thoughts on that in the BI thread, no need to rehash it here.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I voted Bioshock Infinite. It's also one of my top 10 for the entire generation. Tomb Raider was really good too, and I agree with Groucho as far as Last of Us goes; I'm 60% through and its been a bit underwhelming.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

No option for Aliens: Colonial Marines? Sheesh.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I went with The Last Of Us. But Tomb Raider is a close second.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Tomb Raider, easy.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Tomb Raider was the most fun I've had with a game in a long time. Just perfectly paced, entirely fun to play, with an engaging character and story.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Tomb Raider by a mile. Bioshock was great, but I never had as much fun while playing as I did with TR. Last of Us is an average stealth/action game at best, which I give a 7.5/10.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Not to call you out, but can you give some (spoiler-free) reasoning?

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Bioshock Infinite is an easy choice for me, though I really enjoyed the other two as well.

Here's a question I'd like to get everyone's thoughts on: should the fact that Tomb Raider included a crappy, dead-on-arrival multiplayer count against it? It does in my mind, as it's part of the whole package that was presented to us.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

That can also be said about The Last of Us then ;) To answer your question, no it doesn't. It delivered an excellent single player experience in spite of also having a shitty MP one. Lots of games fail when they cram MP into the mix, this one actually did not.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I felt I got my money's worth from Tomb Raider's single player mode.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Tomb Raider - hands down

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Same.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

So do I. I guess my question was more along the lines of "If you were a professional reviewer, would the multiplayer affect your overall score of the game and consideration for GOTY awards?" I think it should. It's part of the game.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

it looks like i need to give Tomb Raider a try.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I'm not a professional reviewer, but in my mind if one part of the game stands alone, and that part of the game is worthy of 10/10 and GOTY accolades, absolutely. I may mention that other parts are shit, but because the player doesn't have to avoid them, no reason to have them influence my score.

Same would go if Tomb Raider's MP was the bomb, but the single player was shit. I would give it a great review and caution readers to avoid the campaign mode.

Now, if I was forced to play MP in Tomb Raider to complete the single player campaign, this would be a whole different story. But I can pop in Tomb Raider and do everything in SP without having to mess about with the MP mode.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I loved Tomb Raider, so I voted for it even though I've yet to open my copy of The Last of Us

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I haven't played any one of these. Vote negated.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I would have voted Tomb Raider after finishing Bioshock the first time. Then I played it again on 1999 mode and the game went from great to something special. Bioshock for me.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

1. Bioshock Infinite
2. The Last of Us
3. Tomb Raider

Though, honestly, all 3 were so good that I really don't like ranking them.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

TR had multiplayer? huh...

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

TR multiplayer didn't make the awesome single player game any worse so no. This applies to Uncharted 2 as well.

This.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Tomb Raider easily. And also my game of the generation.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I'm very close to being in the same boat, and quite frankly, who the hell saw that coming?

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Tomb Raider for me. Such an incredibly amazing game. As for being game of the generation, it would definitely be out of it and Red Dead Redemption so far.
To be fair, I haven't started Last of Us yet and have no interest in Bioshock.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Tomb Raider is the only contender. I would be (happily) surprised if a better game came out this year, period.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I'm genuinely curious -- what is it about Tomb Raider that makes it game of this generation? Name something other than "it's super fun!" (meaning the gameplay and controls).

I'm asking this as someone who had a blast with Tomb Raider and think it absolutely deserves consideration as GOTY. I just haven't seen this much love on any other video game site or forum, and I read a lot of them. My impression, even here, was that people were disappointed with the incredbly simple puzzles, and the predictable, cliched story and characterizations are certainly nothing to write home about.

I'd be very surprised if any major outlets or reviewers name it Game of the Year.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

For me it's because Uncharted 2 was my favorite game of this generation despite the shitty gameplay. Tomb Raider fixed the gameplay despite having far less interesting characters and overall storyline. Similar settings and much like Uncharted it had perfect pacing.

So while Uncharted made for an excellent interactive movie, Tomb Raider took the concept and made it an actual excellent game.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

There kinda' doesn't need to be another reason beyond "super fun!", which is what a lot of game developers are forgetting.

For example, Last of Us, while a great game, is not particularly fun, which is why I feel TR crushes it, as a game. As an "interactive experience" though, that's a different matter.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

Lara's tank top.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

For me it was a combination of everything. Great visuals, story kept me interested, cool side quests/hunting and leveling up system. The entire package was like an upgraded, better version of the Uncharted games, and those are pretty good games :)

As far as major gaming outlets naming it GOTY, you are probably correct. However, I don't think I have ever agreed with a GOTY choice before. I pretty much hate The Walking Dead game and everyone swears it's the best game ever...it's so boring and nearly impossible to make myself finish it (I'm finally on Episode 5 after a year). Same with Journey, that "game" sucked ass especially after playing through the excellent "Flower" twice.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

It's the immersion. That and you feel like a bad ass without being ridiculously overpowered. TR was an experience while Bioshock relied on video game tropes that remind you at every turn that you're playing a game. It was the opposite of immersion.

Re: GOTY Mid 2013
 

I was at the edge of my seat through most of the game. I felt connected to Lara, and concerned with what happened to her and the other characters (even if they aren't the most original, as has been pointed out in the Bioshock thread). The gameplay was brilliantly balanced between open world and progressing the narrative, and the mechanics were spot on. It wasn't innovative, but it was the most refined third person adventure game I've ever played.