Into The Fray: The Year In Review 2013

We’re back for year two of the Into the Fray year in review. It’s been a wild year both in gaming and in life and I cant wait to share the highs from my personal gaming experiences. Since this is a new year I figured I would go with some new categories. We will look at Game of the Year, Indie Game of the Year, Best Character, Best PS+ Free Release of the Year and also look into the future with the Mot Anticipated Game of 2014. The winners in these catagories in no way reflect the voting or overall winners for LevelSave as a site, these are my personal winners from the games I have played and experiences that I have had in the past year.

Best Playstation Plus Free Release of the Year:

Borderlands 2

I know what you’re thinking. “Borderlands 2 hasn’t even been released yet for Playstation Plus”, and you are right but to me there has not been a title released in the US for PS+ that even comes close to matching the excitement I have to get this title. I watched as my friends and colleagues raved about this title and was dying to get my hands on it myself. I wanted to join them in their epic battles and loot gathering adventures but never brought myself to go out and purchase the game. Fellow LevelSave Editor Taryn Beach gave this title a 9 in her review and has spoken so highly of Borderlands 2 that I am salivating at the opportunity to play it for myself. The men and women at Playstation couldnt have given me a better Christmas gift and I plan to dump hours upon hours into the game.

Most Anticipated Game of 2014:

The Division

The Division is a game that I have had my eye on for a few months now. When we first saw it debuted at this years E3 I was in awe. This was far and away my favorite game that I saw at the conference and I backed that up by proclaiming it the Best in Show in my E3 Review. Tom Clancy games have long been off of my radar simply because I had grown tired of the same old thing over and over again. Whether it was Ghost Recon or Splinter Cell everything just started to feel stale and overplayed. Until The Division was announced and my draw dropped. To me this looks like a next-gen, realistic version of the smash-hit Borderlands series. A co-op title with incredible loot and action to spare. When you throw in the added plus of being able to have friends provide support from their tablet you have something that is altogether unique and special. This is the title that just screams next-gen to me and I couldn’t see anything else making me want a new console more than this.

Best Indie Game of the Year:

Terraria- Console Edition