Earthbound

BEST

2013 has been incredible. Firstly, Zelda is back. After the horrors of Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword, A Link Between Worlds is born. It’s almost symbolic, like a lotus flower growing out of mud. Then we have Mario. Super Mario 3D World is what happens when artistry and craft reaches a level of perfection. It makes the whole industry seem drunk in comparison to the sheer relentless creativity on display. To head away from Nintendo, Deadly Premonition was something that really struck me this year. The Director’s Cut on PS3 was phenomenal. The interaction and story and genius soundtrack all melded together to form an incompressible form of art. Other games that I significantly enjoyed were Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101, Persona 4, Killer is Dead, Luigi’s Mansion 2, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Ultimately, the best game that I played this year was not from this year. Originally released in 1994/5 in other countries, Earthbound had its first official release in Europe on July 18th 2013. By far the experience this game granted me was unparalleled by all. No film, no book, no anything affected me as much as Earthbound. The game is superb, and the best game of the 2013 (and probably forever and ever).

WORST

By no means the worst game of the year, but in a year when everything I managed to play was amazing, Runner 2 was easily the worst. A great game that I enjoyed, however compared to the original, it was forgettable. Maybe the first was put on a pedestal for me, but 2 was a huge let down.

– Shaun

Shaun Roopra
Written by Shaun Roopra
My mission is to eradicate the life form you humans call pizza. I'm also an artist and writer at The Dangerous Kitchen.