1. The Swapper. Combine Metroid, Portal and the movie Moon and you get The Swapper. Without doubt this was one of the games that left a big impression on me because it tackles deeply philosophical issues; for example what is consciousness, can it be transferred, what is the value of life. Of course the game doesn't provide answers, but I'm glad that it asks them and that it's the gameplay that poses those questions. The atmosphere in this game is simply incredible thanks in great part to the unique art style and superb ambiance soundtrack. The feeling of isolation this game evokes reminds me of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. This game is above all a great puzzle game and it stands in the same company as Portal in originality and mind-bending mechanics.
2. Brothers. Just finished this wonderful game, two days before the year is over, and it has forced me to change my list. "Wow" is all I can say. We need more games like Brothers in this world! Brothers is a perfect example of why I believe videogames can surpass film as a storytelling medium. It uses a extremely simple form of control that is tied to the narrative. This is what makes a great game, having its rules and mechanics communicate to the player the story, and allow interaction with the world and its characters. I'm completely blown away and was seriously considering making Brothers my number 1 game of 2013. Every single environment in this game was a work of art and the gameplay although on the easier side was very effective. There are so many moments that are Beautiful. Not to mention here is a game that didn't overstay its welcome and it used every single second to deliver a very condensed, focused, story.
3. Guacamelee. Managed to squeeze this game in the last two days of the year and I had a really great time (It was actually a steam gift from one of my good friends). This is the only game this year that I couldn't put the controller down, and I actually wanted to play more when I was away from my computer. Guacamelee has superb game mechanics and extremely responsive controls. Although you can fail a lot of times at a given mission, there is zero frustration. There is no point where the game cheats, and every error is due to the player not mastering the controls. Being Mexican, this game had me smiling at a lot of things, the humor, the surprisingly authentic portrayal of a lot of Mexican folklore, the subtle way that is was playing with telenovelas tropes. Drinkbox clearly did their homework. It is also by far the funniest games since Psychonauts.
4. The Last of Us. I like games that have quiet moments and this game has an abundance of moments like that. There is a serenity that leaves me in awe. In that respect, Naughty Dog is following the Valve approach to action. Having a big battle followed by exploration and interaction with other characters. Sure it's not perfect, but there have a few times where I'm completely immersed in. The gameplay is solid, and feels gamey enough. I highly recommend playing through TLOU on hard difficulty.
edit: After some consideration, I think TLOU has a very big flaw, its gameplay. The story is wonderful but it is just too disconnected from the gameplay loop. I know that Naughty Dog tried very hard, but it just didn't work for me.
5. Bioshock Infinite. Actually I struggled a lot putting Infinite behind The Last of Us. In terms of pure entertainment value, I think Bioshock has the edge. The story has a lot more layers than TLOU, and the world of Columbia is the best new gaming world created this year. These two aspects make Infinite campaign more replayable than TLOU I really don't understand the hate this game has been getting lately. The only reason why this ranks below the TLOU for me is that the game fails to take advantage of all the vigors, and that the emotial arch of its characters wasn't as strong as TLOU. Also, Irrational needed a lot more unique enemy types for a game of Infinite's length. Furthermore, here is another game, like TLOU, where a lot of people complained that it's gameplay doesn't fit the story. I disagree. Infinite's gameplay is a much better game than the TLOU mechanically.
