(33) My favorite games of 2013 (and the top ten games worth replaying in 2013)

It's that time of year, when anyone who has any kind of interest or hobby in anything that produces 10 items or more gets to reminisce about the ten best whatevers they did/played/listened/watched and choose what were the best for them.

I am one of those people who will also participate in one of these self serving events, because well, any excuse to talk about games on a blog about living and working in Korea is an endeavor worth taking.

This list is going to be a little different, as the amount of time and money I had this year really had an impact on the games that I played, meaning that this isn't exactly a comprehensive list but I like to think I was able to include a good mix of titles.

Also along with my top ten, I've included 10 games that I replayed this year, and still find excellent in terms of quality. Some of these games I have not played in over 8 years, and the fact that they still hold up well now deserves mention and in some cases, phrase.

TL:DR The 10 Best Games I Played in 2013 (and the 10 best games worth replaying in 2013)

10. Killer is Dead- Pure Suda 51 inspired weirdness with an anime veneer. Not his best but still a lot of fun with that dark and sinister anime vibe combined with excellent cell shaded visuals.

9. Grand Theft Auto V- Everything GTA IV should have been. Strong characters, huge world, tight controls, creative missions and a great soundtrack. Despite the online portion being flawed, the single player kept me playing for a very long time.

8. Battlefield 4- There are many, many issues with BF4, but even with its slew of problems, I find myself returning to this game more than any other this year. When it does work right, when everything clicks, there's simply no other modern FPS that can compete.

7. Fire Emblem: Awakening- Great turn based gameplay. An incredible story and tons of replay where generations of family are raised to fight on the battlefield. Fire Emblem is my favorite handheld game of the year and quite possibly one of the best strategy rpg's I've ever played.

6. Metal Gear Rising: Revengence- Super slick and frantic gameplay from the action masters at Platinum Games with the crazy military/sci fi settings of the Metal Gear universe. The best hack and slash title this year, performing leaps and bounds better than its rivals, DmC and Ninja Gaiden 3.

5. Papers Please- Not quite sure what genre this would fit in, but I do know Papers Please is one of the most compelling games I've played this year. Requiring memorization, repetition and moral choices without being forced, the game constantly keeps you on your toes by changing the rules and forcing you to weigh the heavy decisions of keeping your family alive and staying loyal to your job.

4. Bioshock Infinite- While I was slightly disappointed about the watered down combat, the two weapon limit and the lack of combat options from Elizabeth, once I put my expectations aside, Bioshock Infinite turned out to be incredible with one of the most ambitious stories and endings I've seen in a modern game. In the end this puts Infinite at number 4 and makes it one of the best games this generation.

3. Assassins Creed IV- While I was a big fan of Assassins Creed II, I skipped the other titles in the series due to a lack of interest. I'm glad I decided to check out the latest in the series because it turned out to be one of the best open world titles I've played in recent memory. An interesting world and setting with likable characters, incredible navel combat and a cool ARG style portion of the game where you play as an employee of Abestigos Entertainment helping to "make" the very game you are playing. Now that next gen is here, I cannot wait to see a truly next gen Assassins Creed.

2. The Last of Us- There is little to be said about this game that hasn't already been said but for the sake of being complete, The Last of Us was presented with high expectations and in my opinion, met all of them. Excellent stealth and survival gameplay where every single tool and item can be used effectively and smart enemies who flank, hide and scream out in pain. The world is a compelling zombie apocalypse setting that takes the tired old zombie trope and turns into something new and refreshing. The characters are complex, complicated individuals who aren't in the game to be cool or likable, but rather make you believe these individuals are bitter and tired people trying to survive in a world where everything wants you dead. Heck, even the visuals are fantastic, proving that the PS3 still has a few tricks up its sleeve. Without a doubt, I can say that this is Naughty Dog's masterpiece.

1. Tomb Raider- No other game surprised me with its overall quality than the Tomb Raider reboot. Taking everything that didn't work with the old series and giving it a fresh new coat of paint, this new Tomb Raider took my expectations and gave me one of the most exciting and compelling action titles I've ever played. This new Lara is a interesting character who's growth from scared survivor to unstoppable killing machine and skilled acrobatic was a non stop action journey from beginning to end. Despite some issues of narrative having a disconnect with gameplay in terms of emotion, the story was still a compelling tale of survival and serves as a fitting origin story for Lara. With word of a new title in development, I can only hope it expands further and gives us more to do, because as of right now, the game is near perfection and the reason why, without a doubt, is my favorite game of 2013.

Honorable Mentions: Ducktails Remastered, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Deadly Premonition (PC)

The Ten Games Still Worth Replaying in 2013

10. Castlevania-  Still difficult. Still has clunky controls. Still feels great to advance to the next level.

9. Amnesia: Dark Descent- Still one of the scariest and atmospheric horror games I've ever play. On my second playthrough, I'm still afraid of going into the dark.

8. Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando- To me, this is still the closest you can come to a quality action platformer without Mario in the name. The guns, the levels, even the Saturday Morning cartoon-esque story are still entertaining and hold up remarkably well today.

7. Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped- It's amazing that a decade old PS1 platformer is still better than 90% of what is offered today. Tight controls and a great level design still make this a great game to play.

6. The Marvel/ Capcom Vs Series- After playing through MvC 1 and MvC 2 again with a better controller, I can now see the full potential of these games and love the frantic fighting combat combined with colorful 2D backgrounds and huger roster of characters.

5. Nights: Into Dreams- It's been a long time since playing Nights, and playing again is like jumping into a pool of ice cold water. You're not sure what to do, you awkwardly flail around for a bit, but finally you find your grounding and eventually have a blast. Nights still has some of the tightest controls, a memorable soundtrack and some of the best levels I have ever seen in a video game (including the best Christmas themed level ever). Even today, there is no other game like Nights.

4. Super Mario World- My go to game to play on long train rides to Seoul. SMW still impresses today with its incredibly tight and responsive controls along with great levels with a ton of secrets to discover. It often goes back and forth for my favorite Mario platformer with this and the next title.

3. Super Mario Brothers 3- Great levels, a cool world screen, awesome power ups and great music still make this one of the best Mario games ever, and one of the best platformers ever. When you have debates between Super Mario World and Mario Brothers 3 as the best Mario platformer ever, you know you've done something right with you franchise.

2. Duke Nukem 3D (with High Resolution Pack)- Trying to get away from all the gritty and multiplayer centric FPS titles of today, I found myself revisiting old gems on PC with the latest in visually enhancing mods. Despite being crass and stuck in the "tude" times of the 90's. Duke Nukem 3D still has some of the best levels and most satisfying weapons in any FPS ever. The new HR pack brings the old 2D sprites into full 3D, keeping the same fast paced gameplay with a new, shiny coat.

1. Brutal Doom - If Doom I and II were considered the best FPS's ever made. Brutal Doom takes it up to eleven in every singe way possible. Brutal gory combat. with full 3D movement and all new devastating weapons makes this more than worth it to go back and play through the old Doom titles in a whole new way.  I held the Doom series in high regard before, but the insanity of gameplay makes Brutal Doom, the best FPS mod I have ever played and quite possibly the best FPS ever.

Honorable Mentions: Chrono Trigger, Unreal Tournament  

That's All! It's been a good year for gaming and a reminder that my favorite hobby just keeps getting better and better ever year. Happy gaming everyone! Here's to great games in 2014.

(31) What has happened to youtube? Part 2

In my previous post I talked about just how broken the youtube comments system has become and my frustrations with it. Despite being only one part of youtube, it was something that involved everyone who uses youtube, whether you were a big content channel or just someone who likes to watch videos like myself.

The latest changes that began sweeping over youtube do not have an immediate effect on me as I have stated before that I do not collect any kind of payment from my videos on youtube, but rather the people that do collect payment. The people that create content for us to watch. The people that give us content to enjoy.

With Google's and youtube's new method for detecting copyrighted material, it sent out a massive amount of copyright notices from a slew of third parties. A majority of the people that were affected were the ones who had game-related channels which included let plays and music.

A majority of the reason I watch youtube channels is because of gaming related content. I enjoy watching reviews of upcoming games, watching some of my favorite personalities play through games and discuss them while the game related video and audio is on screen. I can credit some of my favorite channels with guiding me to making purchases and also providing me with hours upon hours of entertainment and useful information that I simply cannot get from any other source. The very best thing about youtube this generation was allowing these people to create content tailored to the interest of different people.

This is now all at risk with the new automated copyright system. Not only do footage of games and music catch the attention of the system, it means that these videos cannot exist, also meaning what these people can create will also be crippled, not through creativity, but through laws and copyright. It also means that these channels will not be able to receive payment through youtube,meaning the creators will no longer be able to make youtube videos as a full time job.

I realize there has been a lot said about the people no longer making money from youtube. You have some people believing that making videos and p[laying for fun shouldn't be a job, and suggest that these people get "a real job". You have another group of people who believe that the copyright laws of the US are now painfully outdated, and not able to accurately take into account the changing landscape of digital content, ownership and fair use.

As it stands right now, my favorite gaming related channel on youtube, Classic Game Room has left youtube behind over what was most likely a slew of copyright claims. Mark Bussler, the creator has moved onto his own website and will most likely continue to post future videos on dailymotion. Other channels like have also recently released statements saying that if this new rule sticks around, most of the channels will most likely either severely cut the amount of content they make or quit making new content entirely as their focus will have to shift to new jobs in order to survive.

As I said before, personally, this has no personal effect on me at all. I can still continue about my daily life and I can still watch videos without worrying about having a source of income coming in to support myself. However, I still can't help but feel sad by what has happened and by what will continue to happen to some of my favorite youtubers.

I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of copyright laws and fair use is not completely extensive, and that my legal understanding of the matter is not an expert opinion, but I will say that this comes across as sad, as a majority of the youtubers I religiously watched and even some that I only occasionally watched never seemed to be in it to milk dollars from their channels, nor did they ever seem to want to take more than what was given to them. They were just ordinary people that wanted to make videos, wanted to entertain people and sometimes even wanted to educate people. These were people who were doing no wrong to anyone and were just having fun.

I do agree to an extent that the laws that exist for fair use and copyright are dated, and do not accurately take into account the new way products and goods are shared and sold through a digital medium. The times have changed and it only seems appropriate that the laws do as well to reflect the times. With the way they exist now, the seem to only hold back and stifle the creativity and forward progress of technology.

I also suppose one could tell them to get a real job, as just sitting around playing games and making videos about it isn't exactly the most backbreaking of labor, but in this day and age with a constantly changing and dynamic job market, who is to say what is a real job and what is not? Does sitting at a desk punching numbers in a computer make it less of a job than heavy construction. Should I look down at the barista at Starbucks and admire the brain surgeon? It's silly to compare and contrast jobs. If you work hard, if you're good at what you do and you do it on a regular basis, its a job like everything else, and like all work that takes time and effort, deserves compensation.

Its clear that youtube is not going to ease up on their rules and its clear that the new rules and regulations are going to keep being added on through the next year. I don't know what this means for the future of some of my favorite channels and their respective entertainers, but I do know that is will severely affect just how much time I put into youtube. If some of my favorite youtube people jump ship and go somewhere else, what is the point of me staying on the site and using their service?

I know that this will make little difference, and I know that even with a massive amount of backlash and protest, youtube will not loose a single night of sleep over this because of the still massive amount of people who continue and will continue to use youtube in the future. However, this only proves the point of what happens when a cool little service gets swallowed up by a huge corporation. Money and bottom lines replace the community and ingenuity of what makes services like these so great to begin with, and if the people. the community, the very heart and soul are the ones to be punished, its no longer what it used to be.

If anything, these videos, these reviews were the best thing going for each of the publishers behind the titles. It gave indie games a platform to be heard and to be noticed allowing them to grow and capture the massive audience they have today. They offered unbiased looks at big name titles, letting the consumer have a no corporate look at whether that next big game that's been hyped up for months is really worth your hard earned cash.

Youtube is no longer the youtube I loved. Youtube is just that, a name, a shell of its former self and its sad to think that that its gone too far past the point of return and the possibility of it returning to its former self is pretty much non existent.