XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Dishonored(+DLCs).
The reinstallment of the series is not as unforgiving as the original game was, but still urges the players to plan their movements carefully, both strategically (hmm, do I research alien materials or experimental warfare? I need tougher armor, stronger weapons, better interceptors, but what do I need ASAP and what can be put off till later?) and tactically (the heavy's down and will bleed to death in two rounds, should make a break for him with the support, but that would leave the assaults without medical aid for some time and the mutons still have a grenade or two they can throw). You try out different combinations, see which ot them work best for you, do what you can to keep the squad safe and end up with a pack of weathered veterans, each of whom you remember by (code)name.
The second game lets you play an assassin who keeps his hands unstained by blood. Yep, you read that right, a game with the tagline "Revenge solves everything" doesn't require Corvo to kill anyone at all. Oh, sure, you can storm through the streets, guns ablaze, carving your path to those who did you wrong. Or you can be more discreet, navigate your way through the rooftops and waterways, avoid being seen, reach your targets and do some poetic justice (there's even an achievement with this name). Then there's the story of a city sinking into the depths of chaos, two assassins standing at the very heart of it. Will Dunwall be able to recover from the disaster and prosper once again or will it perish? It's up to you.

Even though I first played it last year when it came out I'm still yet to come across a game that comes close to Telltales The Walking Dead season 1. Hopefully I'll change my mind when I play season 2 ep 1 on Christmas day.

I'd say Howling Dogs by Porpentine, a fantastic freeware Twine game. It didn't come out this year, but it was only this year that I played it.

Hmmm... I guess Dishonored, because of the amazing DLC I played this year and the ghost playthrough I did this year.

If we limit it to games I played for the first time in 2013 though, it's probably Bioshock Infinite, just because I didn't play much else new this year and would hold up.

Don't have a favorite, but I liked FEZ when I first played it. It's still nice.

In my opinion is Rise of the triad 2013, I am fan of first person shooters, This year I've played Call of Duty Ghost, Bf4, Metro Last Light and Killzone ... they have an excellent story, graphics, stunning cinematics, frankly enjoy these games, they are magnificent games ... but something is missing ...... they lack stupid fast action, these games are more movies than game. I really miss, only kill everyone on my way ... I miss the Old school shooters ...I feel that current companies prefer follow the legacy of half-life than the Doom legacy. one things I liked of Rott was the brefing ... is Humor is than another thing, powerfull weapons, secrets, no linear maps, gibs everywere, traps, Score board... damn it this game is perfect! ...

Just make sure you never run out of ammo or batteries, and you'll be fine .

Hmm... *takes a look at the Games Finished in 2013 thread* ... right!

It would have to be Duke Nukem 3D.

Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines was definitely my game of the year last year (and it's perhaps my favorite game of all time). For being a somewhat linear game, you can get AT LEAST three unique feeling playthroughs out of it. It's worth playing for the story/dialogue alone.

It's a little harder to choose my favorite game of this year, the top two are definitely The Cat Lady and Batman: Arkham City GOTY Edition.

Overall I'll have to choose The Cat Lady. It as a stronger story, better atmosphere and mood, and (for lack of a better term) it doesn't overstay it's welcome. I would say that Batman: Arkham City GOTY Edition does have the clear edge in gameplay for gameplay's sake, but it feels (poorly) padded in too many areas for my taste.

From 2013 releases it would probably have to be Papers,Please tho. I loved The Stanley Parable and Gta V almost on the same level.

From games I only got to play this year it's probably Shadow Warrior:Classic Redux.Just an utter joy to play.

If you don't have a particulary powerful PC, Dishonored actually plays great with a controller. So well that I use my controller instead of M+K when playing it.

The gameplay itself wasn't all that I loved, the game impressed me in many other areas - including the absolutely awesome UI costomization. Wanna play without objective markers? Turn them off. (I have seen one objective that was extremely difficult without the objective marker, so that's a black mark, otherwise you really don't need them. Ever.) turn off button prompts that are extremely popular for some reason nowadays (I only need to be told that I can use X to open door once, thank you very much), disable some indicators etc. etc. Playing with minimalistic UI is extremely immersive, and I love that the game allows it.

I also love controller integration - the game switches between console and PC UI (yes, it changes the UI layout!) based on which control method you use at the time. So if you grab your mouse and move it around, you get PC prompts and UI, if you grab a controller and use that, everything changes accordingly. Simply amazing.


Oh, and as the close second comes the new Shadow Warrior game.

Morrowind with overhaul mod

Crysis 1

For me it would have to be Planescape: Torment and Deus Ex. I played both games for the first time earlier this year and i had a blast playing them to the end. :)

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. It's one of my favorite games of all time, actually, managing to achieve an almost perfect balance of characters, story, humor, seriousness, and combat mechanics.

nvm