Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 180

The Next Ace Attorney is Revealed, and it's Set in the Meiji Era

This morning, I found out that one of my short stories, "Sand," has been accepted for publication at the Mad Scientist Journal. While I was still bouncing around the room in excitement, I decided to get a little freelance writing done and write a news article on Dragon Age: Inquisition's release date, when something else caught my eye.

It said "Ace Attorney" and "new" and "unveiled," and after that, everything else kind of faded away.

As my loving discussion of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies suggested, I really love the Ace Attorney series. So if it seems ridiculous that details about a video game overwhelmed me more than one of my own stories being published, keep in mind that these were just details about some game--they were details about a new Ace Attorney game.


Famitsu, a Japanese magazine, provided new details on the Ace Attorney project being worked on by Shu Takumi--which isn't to be confused with the Ace Attorney project being worked on by the Dual Destinies/Investigations team, which means we have TWO new Ace Attorney games in our future. ...Or at least, in Japan's future, but with any luck, they'll localize them.

Dai Gyakuten Saiban, or Big Turnabout Trial, is set in the Meiji era of Japan's history, and stars a character who seems to be an ancestor of series protagonist Phoenix Wright. The Meiji era lasted from 1868-1912, and it sounds as though the historical context will be important to the game. Since previous Ace Attorney games have been localized for the USA in such a way as to pretend they're set in California (or Japanifornia, as some fans say), I'm not sure whether they'll want to do something similar here. Really, what harm is there in having Phoenix's ancestor living in Japan?

You know, when I first heard the news, I was a little uncertain. I mean, if it's set in the past, that means I won't get to see any of my favorite characters. It'll all be different. Will I still like it? Then I remembered three things:

It's Ace Attorney.It's Shu Takumi.I was uncertain when I first heard that Dual Destinies had a convict prosecutor, and we know how THAT turned out.So... I'm excited.
Turns out a convict prosecutor is just about the best thing ever.
Very excited.

Did you see Phoenix's ancestor?? He looks awesome! And he's carrying a sword! (I have a slight suspicion that Capcom's real goal is to continually add to the list of characters more suited for a fighting game than Phoenix Wright.)

Now, my only concern for this game is that it won't be localized. But hey, until the day Capcom says it won't be localized, I'll remain optimistic that it will be--and do my best to make sure they realize how much we want this game!

And Gyakuten Kenji 2, also known as Investigations 2. I'll spend all of E3 waiting for news of its localization. It stars my favorite character, has a showdown I just have to see (if you've played the first game, it's those two facing off in that disastrous case), and includes a returning character who... well... if you've played Justice for All, yes, he returns.

(If you've played the first two games, and you have no idea what I mean by those two hints, ask and I'll tell you.)

But let's not forget what else we have to look forward to!

Professor Layton vs. Ace AttorneyThe future looks bright.

Join me, and let's make sure Capcom knows these are all games they should bring to the West!

Secrets, Puzzles, and a Spoiler-Free Look at Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy

If you ever see my iPod, with its Professor Layton case... or my Professor Layton T-shirt... or my Professor Layton plushie... you probably wouldn't believe that there was a time I didn't care for the Professor Layton series. See, for years, I was convinced I didn't like puzzle games, so I really had no interest in learning about a game series focused on puzzles.

Then I became an Ace Attorney fan, shortly before Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney was first announced for Japan. I was a bit perturbed, because now this awesome new series I'd fallen in love with was getting a crossover with some weird puzzle thing. But that very week, three of my friends independently told me I should try the Professor Layton series. I finally gave in, borrowed Professor Layton and the Curious Village from a friend, and tried it.

Within a week, I had it finished. I'd solved all the puzzles. And the next two games were on my list. By the time Professor Layton and the Last Specter was announced, Layton games were immediate preorders for me.

You see, it's not just about mind-bending puzzles, although there are plenty of those. There are excellent stories, memorable characters, and some truly cool moments.

Back when I first heard about the series, I wouldn't have expected sword fights. Turns out our gentleman archaeologist puzzle master is also an expert duelist.

In fact, it might be best to just say the Layton series has its own special atmosphere and loves insane twists, and leave it at that...

This is a series about solving puzzles.Right now, there are six main-series Professor Layton games, one movie, one spin-off, and one crossover (which, as of the time of this post, is not yet released in North America):

Original trilogyProfessor Layton and the Curious Village (Nintendo DS)Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (Nintendo DS)Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (Nintendo DS)Prequel trilogy Professor Layton and the Last Specter (Nintendo DS)Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (Nintendo 3DS)Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy (Nintendo 3DS)Movie
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (set between Last Specter and Miracle Mask)
Other
Layton Brothers: Mystery Room (iOS spin-off)Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Nintendo 3DS)I love all of these, some more than others, and I can't wait until the crossover comes out. I'm also hoping for a sequel to Layton Brothers, but that's a topic for another time. Today I want to talk about the sixth game, which is supposed to be the final adventure starring Professor Hershel Layton, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy.


In addition to puzzles, the Professor Layton series is very narrative driven, so I won't reveal any spoilers in this post. Really, I just want to go on and on about how much I love this game.
As the conclusion to the prequel trilogy, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy promises to reveal the secrets of the Azran, an ancient civilization important to the plots of the previous two games and the movie. The story kicks off when Professor Layton gets a letter from Professor Sycamore (no, not the Pokemon character), who has discovered a "living mummy" frozen in ice. She is Aurora, the emissary left by the Azran, and so Layton, his apprentice Luke, his assistant Emmy, Professor Sycamore, and Aurora go off in search of the answer to the final Azran puzzle.
But of course, they aren't the only ones after the Azran legacy. A criminal organization known as Targent is determined to get there first!
Some people have taken issue with the pacing of this game, but I had no problems with it. It does slow down  significantly near the middle, but it worked for me. While there was less action, it gave me a chance to get to know the new additions to our team, and it really made me like Sycamore and Aurora. In a game like this, that's important. My love for the characters invested me in their story. I had to play more to find out what was going to happen. I couldn't bear not knowing how it would all work out.
And then there were moments that gave me the terrifying feeling that this game was going to do its best to destroy my emotions...
Until I played Azran Legacy, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future and To the Moon held the distinction of being the only two video games to actually make me cry. ...After I made it through all the twists and turns of Azran Legacy, there are now three games with that honor.
The story was fantastic, the characters were wonderful, and the puzzles were as good as ever. There are 165 puzzles in this one--150 in the main game itself and an additional 15 bonus puzzles to unlock. I've already finished all of those, making great use of my hint coins, but I'm not done yet, because I have daily puzzles to look forward to! For an entire year, one new puzzle will be released each day.
And I'm going to solve them all, because every puzzle has an answer.
Even if some of them drive me crazy.
If you see me glaring at my 3DS, I'm probably stuck on a puzzle.
I'm glad I have all of those puzzles to look forward to, because as excited as I was for the story, a part of me was sad to finish Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy. This is supposed to be the last game in the main series... the last game starring Professor Layton. The little I've seen of "Layton 7" doesn't look like it has the same style at all. There's still the crossover, and I'd welcome a Layton Brothers sequel, but what will I do without another wild adventure filled with insane twists and characters who can be in the middle of an enemy base and still pause to say, "Hey look, a hidden puzzle"?
Personally, I hope the Professor will pass the torch to another character in the series. There are several likely candidates, and I see no reason why the Layton series should end so soon.

A brief update

This is just a quick post to say I'm still around--and I haven't forgotten about my blog! With an increased amount of freelance work and other stuff, I haven't had as much time to post lately, but I should have things under control soon.

Besides, I must share my thoughts on Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, if nothing else. :D Expect that post to be coming soon.

My Time with A Hat in Time (alpha)

Back in June, I gleefully gushed about the Kickstarter for a collect-a-thon platformer called A Hat in Time and implored anyone who would listen to me to back the project so that it could make all of its stretch goals. It did (check out the Kickstarter page for more details on the content planned for this game), and after months of progress, the developers finally had an alpha build ready.

As a backer, I am one of the people who got to play the alpha. When I started it up, it warned me that it was just an alpha, not a finished product. There would be bugs and incomplete areas. So with all that in mind, I stepped in to give it a try. And I gotta say, it blew me away.

Even the music on the menu screen made me nostalgic for Banjo-Kazooie (speaking of which, Grant Kirkhope is doing several songs for A Hat in Time), and it just got better from there.

Mafia Town: Banjo-Kazooie Meets Super Mario Sunshine

The first level took me to the wacky island called Mafia Town, where the humorous Mafia of Cooks hold the town in an iron grip. Although these guys are, well, thugs, it's impossible to hate them. As they talk about beating up barrels dressed like old ladies, punching seagulls with children, and similar wacky antics, you'll love them even as you beat them up with Hat Kid's umbrella.

Mafia Town has an aesthetic vibe similar to that of Super Mario Sunshine or The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, while its gameplay retained the promised reminiscence of games like Banjo-Kazooie. Although the game encouraged me to chase after Mustache Girl, who seems rather entertaining despite her planned role as Hat Kid's evil nemesis, I went off on my own to explore the island. I collected lots of things, including orbs, special ability-granting badges, and hats. The reason Hat Kid isn't wearing her signature top hat in these pictures is because I'd already collected a different hat by the time I thought to take screenshots. The alpha doesn't have an inventory feature yet, although the full game will allow players to switch between hats.

My time in Mafia Town was filled with exploration, collection, and laughter. I saw many hints of things to come in the full game, including a group of dancing Mafia. When I asked the Mafia in charge to let me join in,  he told me only Mafia are allowed to participate, although he mentioned that Geoffrey hadn't shown up yet. Of course, I claimed to be Geoffrey. He looked at Hat Kid and said he didn't believe I was Geoffrey, because everyone knew Geoffrey was a jerk, and I didn't look like a jerk. I attacked one of the dancers with my umbrella, and the Mafia guy relented--"You convince me. You Geoffrey." That was as far as I could go, but I can't wait to see what sort of mini-game or sidequest that is set up for.

Mafia Town just has a brilliantly goofy atmosphere. From a random Mafia who insists he "has a Ph.D in Mafia," to the weird graffiti on walls, it cracked me up and assured me I'd made a great decision in supporting this game.

"Wall now belong to Mafia"I eventually got back on track, followed Mustache Girl, fought some Mafia (and collected their ties to trade in at a bazaar, which isn't functional yet), and got my first hourglass. Although that opened up a new Mafia Town level with "no Act attached" (in other words, Free Play in Mafia Town) and three new hourglasses to collect, I decided to try the other area available in the alpha.

Queen Vanessa: RUNJUSTRUN!!!

I knew A Hat in Time had a spooky world called the Subcon Forest, and from what I'd seen, I expected a cutesy sort of horror like that of Banjo-Kazooie's Mad Monster Mansion or Super Mario 64's Big Boo's Haunt. You know, a dark little world that might have some startling moments, but nothing that could really be called scary.

The first thing I discovered was that I couldn't move the camera. I debated over whether or not it was a bug, correctly decided it was not, and smiled at the possible nod to survival horror's fixed camera angles. I snatched up some collectibles, unlocked the door leading up to the first floor of the mansion, and found myself in a dark hallway. As I looked around, Queen Vanessa screamed out in anger that I'd dared to enter her home and emerged into the hallway to chase me.
NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPEAfter one horrific game over, I made it to the safety of the next room, where the evil "ohgoshI'mgoingtodie" music faded into a merely unsettling melody punctuated by Vanessa's eerie calls that she would find me. I calmed down and got to work on solving the first puzzle, to get the key to the next floor.

Before long, I'd attracted Vanessa's attention again.

As I hid and prayed and listened to the terrifying music, it occurred to me that I was no longer in Banjo-Kazooie Meets Super Mario Sunshine. I'd veered off into Banjo-Kazooie Meets Amnesia.

In fact, the more Vanessa taunted me, and the more I read about her on my way through the mansion, the more convinced I became that I was in Banjo-Kazooie Meets Amnesia: Justine. (Thankfully, it is not that scary, as I still haven't managed to beat Justine.) Later on in the mansion, I had to deal with the Snatcher instead, which returned me to the tamer level of spookiness I'd expected from the game.

And then Vanessa chased me again.

If she catches you, it's all over.Thoroughly shaken by the experience, I collected the hourglass feeling happier than ever. I mean, I thought Mafia Town was great, but Queen Vanessa gave this already-awesome game the sort of heart-pounding tension I love in my horror games.

Several Hours Later...

Of course, even if I decided to only play through the scary level once (you're joking, right?), I still had my Mafia Town free play to check out. More collecting and exploring! To put it simply, even the alpha of A Hat in Time has a great amount of content. There are hidden platforming levels very similar to those found in Super Mario Sunshine, with rotating platforms, and a balloon race that feels like a large shout-out to the boss races in Diddy Kong Racing. All in all, Steam reports that I've played the alpha for 6 hours, and I've loved every minute of it.

And on top of everything--collectibles, goofy Mafia, terrifying chases--the one thing that keeps getting me is that this is just the alpha. I can't wait to see what the beta build will look like...and the full game after that!

So read up on A Hat in Time, let me know in the comments if you have any thoughts or questions, and always remember... if it's not Mafia, then it's not quality!


...And if it is Mafia and not quality then YOU ARE LYING!

Drabble Dates and Dernier

I love alliteration.

Anyway, my main reason for this post is to let you know that I've received the schedule for when my drabbles will appear at SpeckLit.

Scarf - April 1
Numb - April 21
Cursed - May 9
Monsters - May 21
Across the River - June 18
Magic - June 26

So we have three months of drabbles to look forward to. Remember, a drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words, so you can head on over to the site now to see what sorts of things they publish.


Also, this past weekend, the wonderful people at Horror Books posted about The Book at Dernier.

Have you read The Book at Dernier yet? Let me know your thoughts on it in the comments below.

6 Drabbles to be Published at SpeckLit

A few months ago, I learned about SpeckLit, an online publication devoted to drabbles. Drabbles are complete stories--with a beginning, a middle, and an end--told in exactly 100 words.

Until then, I hadn't done much with drabbles. The only one I know for sure I wrote is the 100-word story about Sarah the ghost, which won me a spot on the midnight ghost tour of my college's haunted library. All the difficulties of writing flash fiction are magnified, as you only have 100 words--and then you have to stick to that word count exactly.

Well, I experimented with some drabbles until I came out with several that I liked. Most of them were horror, or at least horror-themed, although near the end I challenged myself to actually write some drabbles with happy endings. (It was hard, but I managed.) I submitted 10 drabbles to SpeckLit to see what would happen, and this week I heard back from them!

Six of my drabbles are going to be published! Keep an eye out for them--their names are:

CursedNumbScarfMagicMonstersAcross the River"Across the River" is one of the ones with a happy ending, believe it or not, even though it's set in the Greek Underworld. Ah... I'd almost forgotten... now I want to write more Greek Underworld stories...
On a separate note, all three of my initially contracted "cold and twisted romance" stories are now available! More may follow in the future. I'll keep you posted.

Halo 4, Serena, and the Lightning Returns demo

Hello all! Today we won't be talking about writing (although my second twisted romance story is out, and this one closer to horror than the last one was), but about a few video games. I hesitate to call these "reviews," as they're more like my personal ramblings.

First up: Halo 4

Even though I preordered the game and started playing it immediately when it was released in 2012, it took me this long to finish it. This is because, shortly after I saw the Didact for the first time, my Xbox 360 opted to freeze and make horrible screeching sounds instead of actually playing any games. It took me a while to replace it, mainly because I was hoping its successor would have backwards compatibility. It doesn't, so I finally replaced my Xbox 360.

It was easy to return to Halo 4's story, and I enjoyed the rest of the game. I'm not the best shooter player in the world (some might say I'm awful), but I have a lot of fun with the Halo series. I'm also a lore nut, so one of the best things about finish Halo 4 is that now I can read Silentium! On the other hand, I still haven't made up my mind if I'm going to read the third book in the Kilo-5 trilogy. I want to know how the story goes, but I'm not sure I can take another round of Halsey-bashing...

Back to Halo 4! The story was great, although a bit confusing... then again, I haven't watched the Halo 4 terminals yet, despite unlocking all of them, due to needing to use Waypoint. I might just look them up online. And I've heard Silentium should also clear up some lingering issues, like questions about the Didact. (For those of you who haven't read the Forerunner Saga, there are two of him. They're sort of the same person and sort of not. I think the Halo 4 Didact is the Ur-Didact, but I'm not sure which was the one from the Halo 3 terminals.) Regardless of its confusing points, the story was great, it tugged at my heart, and my only regret is that the next Halo game will be for the Xbox One (and the rumored Halo 2 Anniversary probably will be, too). C'mon 343, how about a PC release, hmmm?

Also, I miss my favorite characters. I want the next game to involve the Arbiter, or at least his Sangheili (again, for those of you who haven't read the books, the Covenant Elites you fight in Halo 4 are a crazy splinter group), aaaand I'm not saying I'd run around the room squealing in delight if a freakish parasite hive mind started rhyming at me in Halo 5, but I'm not saying I wouldn't, either.

Halo 5 is what I want, and for PC is welcomeFear the dangers of the Flood and show Sangheili's spectrum
...Moving right along: Serena
You might recall me gushing over a horror point-and-click adventure game called Scratches. I'm still eagerly awaiting the developer's next game, Asylum (Lovecraftian horror in a creepy insane asylum--what could be better than that?), but in the meantime, they've released a short adventure game called Serena.

Serena is available for free on Steam. If you have any interest in horror stories, point-and-click adventures, and narrative-focused games, give Serena a chance. It's short, about an hour or so long, and has the feel of a Poe story put into game format. Gameplay itself is limited to interacting with items in your cabin to hear the narrator's thoughts, but as it changed, I found myself unsettled by the story and anxious to follow it all the way to its dark conclusion.

It's really hard to talk about such a short game without giving away spoilers, so I'll just say that it's simple, creepy, and definitely thought-provoking. Go try it out and let me know what you think.

Onwards: Lightning Returns demo

If you've ever said the words "Final Fantasy XIII" to me, I probably 1. made a sarcastic remark about "Final Hallway XIII," 2. ranted at length about everything I hated about its gameplay and story, or 3. both. So you might be surprised to know that I even downloaded the demo for the third game.

I have yet to play XIII-2, although I have it. After hearing about its gameplay changes, I wanted to play it, and I happened upon a deal in which the original XIII was included for free. I probably would have tried out the improved (?) sequel by now, except for the little matter of my broken Xbox 360 that I mentioned earlier. My understanding is that the gameplay is vastly improved, the story is extremely convoluted, and that playing it won't make the trailers for Lightning Returns make any more sense. Fair enough.

Lightning Returns also looks like a great departure from the first game, and since you get an additional costume (costumes, or schemata, all have different battle properties, so they're basically job classes) for Lightning if you post your battle score against the demo's boss to your social media, as well as an additional one if you play the demo on the PS3. So, I fired up my PS3 and downloaded the demo.

I think that's one gold star, which is better than silver stars.
Either that, or the game lied to me when it said I beat my record.The demo left me feeling cautiously optimistic. There wasn't a whole lot to it, and I didn't get to explore the world, but I enjoyed the battle system. It's more action-based that past Final Fantasy games. You only control Lightning, and different attacks are mapped to different buttons. These attacks change when you change Schemata. When your ATB gauge depletes for one setup, you can switch to another. (I went with Savior, Dragoon, and Black Mage for most of the demo.) Staggering has also returned, along with a couple other new twists to combat, such as a special mode that sends everything except Lightning into slow motion.

There also seem to be some interesting social features, as I saw other players as NPCs in my game and had the option to post a message and/or sell an item to other players. There's some sort of Facebook app integration as well... I'm not big on online play and social media links, but this could have some potential.

I'm a little nervous about the fact that other than Lightning, Snow and Hope are the only returning characters I saw--I didn't like any of the three when I played the first game--but Lightning and Hope seem more tolerable, and the demo ended with a teaser that promised Sazh and Fang.

Here's what I know about the story so far: the world is going to end, and Lightning is the Savior sent by God to save people's souls...apparently by killing them. Lots of weird stuff at work there, and I have no clue how this fits into the same universe as all the Fal'Cie stuff going on in the first game, but at least it sounds interesting.

In short, I haven't made up my mind yet, but I've seen enough to consider buying Lightning Returns. Maybe I'll try XIII-2 before I decide for sure.


Well, that's all for now! Feel free to chime in with your own thoughts on these games in the comments!

Farewell, Dernier - Hello, Twisted Romance

In the days since my last post, Paul's dark experiences in The Book at Dernier have come to an end. The fifth and final part is now available at the Red Penny Papers, although newcomers are welcome to start from the beginning and experience this horror novella in its entirety.

What's up next, you ask? What horrors await you now that you've escaped the Dernier's clutches?

Romance.

Twisted romance.

The people running the site LoveMe.eu are in the market for flash fiction and hired me to write at least three romance stories in the "cold and twisted" category.

I'll be honest, in my mind, there is a very fine line between "cold and twisted romance" and "horror stories about relationships." So, on January 24, January 31, and February 7, you can visit my page on the site to discover the sorts of warped stories I came up with.

And if those three go over well, who knows? You could see more twisted romance on a regular basis.

Episode 3 is Out (The Book at Dernier)

I hope those of you who began reading the previous episodes of The Book at Dernier have been enjoying it. Episode 3 is now live, and it's time for things to get crazy. Crazier, that is. Little bits of insanity began to appear throughout the story before this, after all.

Speaking of insanity, I've noticed that I really like writing from the point of view of insane characters. I need to do more of it, because it's so much fun!

Other than that, I don't have much to say today. This is just a little update to keep you posted on the status of The Book at Dernier, especially since my wonderful writing residency is almost here, so I won't be blogging then!

Finally, if you're unfamiliar with The Book at Dernier, it is my serial horror novella published by the Red Penny Papers. It's filled with cults, secrets, and--as this post might have indicated--insanity. If that sounds like a fun story to you, check it out!

Top 5 Games I Played in 2013

Since 2013 is coming to an end, I thought I would take some time and look back over some of my favorite video games I played this past year. Note that I did not exactly say these are my favorite games from 2013--I've gotten a little behind on my gaming, so if I made a Top 5 list of games that actually came out in 2013, I might have to list every one I played.

Of the games listed here, some might have come out in 2013 and others have not, but they are all games I played in their entirety this year. I've probably missed your favorites...and I've even had to overlook some of my own favorites, because I played a lot of great games. So before we get into the list proper...


Honorable Mentions

Pokémon White 2

If I made a blog post like this a couple of years ago, there's no doubt that Pokémon White would have made it on the list. Although I took a long hiatus from the series when I decided I was too old for Pokémon, I eventually came to my senses, realized that was absurd, and dove back into the series in time to be suitably excited when the new generation came along. Pokémon White had the best Pokémon story I've ever seen, so when I heard White and Black were getting direct sequels, I was ecstatic. For me, Pokémon White 2 was not quite as impressive, and I even took a long break from it because I felt like it was a more generic Pokémon game, rather than building on the plot-heavy nature of  Pokémon White. For one thing, I disliked the changes made to Team Plasma.

   Once I got deeper into the game, however, I realized the story was still there. If anything, the story was more focused on Team Plasma, and less on the player character. There were some genuinely awesome moments, and I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it.


Layton Brothers: Mystery Room

This one was really mixed for me. I found myself unable to resist from making it an honorable mention, even though in general, I'd say it was a mediocre game. Layton Brothers: Mystery Room is a spin-off from the Professor Layton series, which I love, but the two don't have much in common besides the game. Instead of a puzzle-solving adventure, the iOS game took me into the Mystery Room as rookie detective Lucy Baker, who solves special cases with Inspector Alfendi Layton. More than anything else, the gameplay reminded me of a very streamlined Ace Attorney game. With fairly simple investigations and a lack of penalties--the worst thing that ever happened to me for getting an answer wrong was an insult from another character--it was hard to consider it a good game. On the other hand, there were some very funny moments, a few excellent plot twists (excellent both in nature and in execution), and enough depth given to Lucy and Alfendi to make me love them. Despite its flaws, I think Mystery Room has great potential, and I would love to see a sequel.


Now, let us move on to...


The Top 5 Games I Played in 2013

5. The Stanley Parable

It really hurts to put The Stanley Parable this low on the list. It is a great game, an amazing game--some would even question whether it's a "game" at all, and that's part of what makes it so entertaining. I played this game in the past week, and while I consider it complete, I know I haven't found all of its secrets. This game made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions.

Until you've played it, you can't imagine how hard it is to explain just what this game is about. Therefore, I think the best way for you to understand The Stanley Parable is to see its personality for yourself. When the company received a disapproving email, they transformed it into the Raphael Trailer. Have a look.

If you enjoyed that and want to see what a demo is like, check out what happened to the Game Grumps when they tried out the game.

That should give you a good idea of how strange of an experience this is. It's incredible.


4. Dragon Age: Origins

As a fan of Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect, it was only a matter of time before I got around to playing Dragon Age: Origins. I loved it. I was pretty awful at the combat, but things improved quite a bit when I got Wynne, the healer. I also had the DLC, and I loved Shale. Except for when the plot forced or encouraged me to use a specific character, my standard party was Wynne, Shale, and Leliana. My Warden was a mage, and I enjoyed that as well. There were some tough decisions near the end, and I feel rather bad about one of the choices I made--but that choice let me get the sort of ending I really love.

Best golem everThe expansion, Awakening, was quite interesting as well. I liked the new characters and thought the story took some interesting turns. There was even a bit of a mad science thing going on, and you might know that I love mad science plots.

I have not played Dragon Age 2 yet, and I'm a little nervous because of the things I've heard about it. I'm super excited for Inquisition, though, so I plan to catch up soon.


3. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Kind of like with Dragon Age, I'm really behind on this series. As the third one was being announced, I was playing the first one. And it was so much fun! I loved being Batman, the story and exploration of the Asylum were interesting, and the Joker had some great lines, but what really blew me away were the Riddler's challenges. Collectibles, riddles, and little secrets to track down--I had so much fun as I obsessively hunted each one down. The audio logs were my favorites.

Of course, I'm going to play Arkham City. I'm a little wary of it, as it's open-world (I'm one of those odd people who doesn't really like open-world games), but since everyone praises it as being even better than Asylum, I hope to love it just as much.

Arkham Asylum also has the odd bonus of being a game I played while I was rather nervous. Playing it helped me calm down--and revisiting those same areas later on made me chuckle at the odd nostalgia attached to them.


2. To The Moon

My emotions... This game...

I started playing To the Moon in early January, because I knew the creator, Kan Gao, would be at MAGfest, and I wanted to at least have started his game before I went. It blew me away. In terms of gameplay, it is sort of a simple point-and-click adventure, in which you spend most of your time talking to characters and making your way through the story. And what a story it is.

The main characters are Dr. Neil Watts and Dr. Eva Rosalene. They work for a corporation that can alter a dying person's memories to grant them any one wish (only in their memories, of course), before they die. Their current patient is an old man named Johnny, who wants to go to the moon--except he doesn't know why. You travel back through his memories so you can implant his desire to go to the moon in his early memories, and lead him to strive for that goal his entire life. But there's a lot more to the story than that, including some hysterically funny moments (usually involving Neil).

 It also is one of the few games that has made me cry. There's a good chance it will make you cry, too. And for those of you who have already played the game... just remember, everything's alright.
There's even a special mini episode created in honor of the holidays, which is available as of today!


Finally, my number one game I played in 2013 is...........


1. Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies

Is anyone really surprised?

I blogged about Dual Destinies once already, so I won't rehash all of my points again. Besides, anyone who has talked to be over the past couple of months should be well aware of how much I love it. I will say that while it didn't make me cry, it still messed with my emotions about as much as To the Moon did, as well as giving me new favorite characters in the series. And yes, I'm still obsessed.

Very obsessed.

I even wrote a fanfic (warning, that link will lead you to major, major SPOILERS about the game) based on Dual Destinies, and it's through sheer force of will (and other looming priorities) that I've prevented myself from writing more fanfiction.

Yes, despite all of its competition, Dual Destinies is my game of the year. And since Capcom has announced that the next game is in the works, well... I think 2014 is going to be an excellent year.


There are so many more games I played and loved, and I'm sure you all have your favorites as well. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts in the comments--though do mark any spoilers you might bring up.

Happy New Year's Eve, and happy gaming!