2013 is really the start Console Generation 8, but to me it's still Gen 7 because the Xbox One and PS4 came out late in that year, and I didn't get either one until maybe a year later. Yes the Wii-U was out in 2012, the 3DS and PS Vita in 2011, but it really felt like Gen 8 fully to me in 2014. So this is the last year I'll review until I get past all the Gen 7 systems in my retro journey this year.

Let's go down the list on Metacritic's top games of 2013. I'll note anything that I played relatively close to that year.

#1 - Last of Us (PS3) - I remember the previews of the game had me interested in the combat. It wasn't enough to get me to buy it day-one though. I read the comic Last of Us: American Dreams instead that summer. I've played the game several times since then but never to completion. I didn't realize how much stealth there was in it which always diminishes my interest. But, I bought it again recently to give it another shot. It's kind of amazing how the series has blossomed into TV shows recently.

#2 - Bioshock Infinite (X360) - I was very excited for this that Spring and got it day-one. I really wanted that collector's edition with the Songbird statue. I enjoyed it but I was a little disappointed the world wasn't as interactive as I wanted. It looked so great, I wanted to pick up and interact with everything but it felt like a couch with the plastic still on. There were only a few things you could pick up in the environment like coins and tonics. Still, the rail system was an interesting traversal element and the story was engaging. I've finished it may times since and will again. Too bad the series hasn't continued. What's with game series going three deep and then done?

#3 - Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS) - The 3DS had been out since 2011. I had one this year, not sure when I picked one up exactly but it was probably 2012. I got Fire Emblem Awakening day-one at the beginning of 2013 and was very excited for it. I enjoyed it but I found it ultimately too complex with all the relationship mechanics going on. I ended up liking Fire Emblem Echoes in 2017 much better since it was a remake of the second game in the series and had less busy gameplay. Still, I kind of want to try Awakening again, though, it's expensive.

#7 - Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD (Wii-U) - This was my main reason I wanted a Wii-U but I didn't get one. I think I got a Switch before I got a Wii-U, but this was the first game I got when I added the console to my collection. I always liked the cell-shaded graphics and the setting in this Zelda, my favorite of the series.

#11 - Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (X360) - I had never been a AC fan because of the sneakin', but when I saw this pirate setting and sailing ships, I was very excited. I have tried it many times and can't get through it ('cause the sneakin') but I keep trying. Maybe I'll try the remastered version that just came out sometime. Less sneakin'?

#16 - Guacamelee! Gold Edition (Xbox Live) - I'm not a big Metroid-vania fan but I tried this one day and fell in love with it. The colors, the music, even the gameplay really engaged me. It made me a fan of Mexican culture even though this was made by a Canadian studio. I still think about it, and I must get a physical copy sometime soon.

#21 - Tearaway (Vita) - I got a PS Vita this year because of Muramasa: The Demon Blade Rebirth. I got the OLED version because that screen is incredible, making me a fan of OLEDs. I also played Tearaway sometime soon thereafter and enjoyed it. I love the paper craft visual aesthetic. I only get so far in platformers though and never finished it.

#25 - Pikmin 3 (Wii-U) - The second reason I desperately wanted a Wii-U and the second game I bought after Wind Waker HD when I did get one years later. I just love sending my Pikmin army around to explore and pick up things to bring back to my UFO (less so, fighting). I got several Pikmin themed Amiibos when they came out a year or two later.

#27 - Gone Home (Xbox Live) - The digital-only world of gaming on console really dragged me in with titles like this. I don't mind the physical-free environment as long as great indie titles like this are made (I still want physical though). The term "walking simulator" entered my brain. Presented with a good story, I'll walk anywhere.

#31 - Saints Row IV (X360) - I really got into the standalone expansion Gat Out of Hell first in 2015 and then went back to this. It's my favorite Saints Row game by far. The humor is great, the character designer really detailed, and the world fun to explore and wreck. I still remember some of the wacky characters I created for this game. It was so fun to watch them rendered in the cut scenes.

#33 - Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep (X360) - MK and I being crazy Borderlands fans at this time, we both got into this expansion day-one. What fun running through a game of Bunkers and Badasses in the B2 engine. I still replay it from time to time.

#40 - Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3) - Graphics always pull me into games, and I loved what I saw of this. Studio Ghibli and Factor 5 is a match made in heaven. I was way into it (day-one purchase) but had some trouble with the battle system and never finished it. I enjoyed the sequel a bit more and finished that one. But, I will always have this first game around to revisit for its look and feeding my familiars.

#52 - Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan (3DS) - Etrian Odyssey had a good run of games on the 3DS, and I had them all at one point. I later went on a trading spree and lost them all and my 3DS. But now I have the handheld back and am rebuilding its library. Unfortunately this game is a bit pricey now. Thankfully I still have my DS EO games. But, I will reacquire this again as it is a must-have for me on 3DS.

#67 - The Pinball Arcade - Ever since Pinball FX, I've been into pinball simulations and reimagining's on console. The Pinball Arcade is by FarSight who did the Pinball Hall of Fame collections. This is a very good collection of accurate pinball simulations that I still play to this day.

#74 - Dragon's Crown (PS3) - I've followed developer VanillaWare since 2007s GrimGrimoire. That gorgeous art style draws me in every time. Also, I love old school side-scrolling brawlers. Add an interesting art style and I'm all in.

#89 - Skulls of the Shogun (Xbox Live) - This is an action strategy game - turn-based combat but with active movement during turns. I was all over this and am replaying it right now. It, like many strategy games, gets difficult and I've never beaten it. The art style reminds me of paper craft a little bit, characters seem cut out from the backgrounds. It is another example of why I'm so glad digital downloads happened in gaming. Indie games like this would never have been published with the need for physical copies.

#94 - Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (Xbox Live) - Spring of 2013 was a big year for digital downloads for me on console. So many great titles. I remember playing Far Cry 3 and not getting through it, even though I really liked aspects of it. But Blood Dragon was just what I was looking for with a zany premise and full on action. I still hold the 80s action movie spoof intro as one of my favorite cut scenes in gaming.

#95 - Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl (3DS) - This is the first of the remakes of the first trilogy of EO games. I was on it day-one like a fiend. It is another EO game I don't have anymore, sadly, and not easily replaced due to it's high cost these days.

#98 - God of War Ascension (PS3) - I started losing my interest in the series with GOW3 but Ascension solidified it. How many darn QTEs can one game have? Let me fight for Ares sake. Still, this fourth game in the series is essential to have on PlayStation in my mind.

And that's a quick review of the top 100 games on MC for 2013, all the ones I played fairly close to the time of release anyway.