At the beginning of each year, as a high-profile release makes itself known, we often find ourselves thinking in advance just which game will be Game of the Year. It’s about more than just the prestige of being the best. Game of the Year also represents which experiences you’d be foolish to miss. It’s about recognizing the hard work that developers put in, year-in and year-out to entertain us. As the industry develops, matures and molds itself to fit its audience – with next gen consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One poised for dominance – there will still be a select few games that we’ll never be able to forget. GamingBolt’s Game of the Year Awards 2013 looks back at the year that was and picks out the select few titles that both loved and loathed.
Most Underrated Game:
Let’s face it: In an industry that produces hundreds of games a year, across multiple platforms, something is bound to be ignored. It could be a question of preference or just that the game is far too niche or controversial to really make a dent at retail or even a combination of both. For that matter, it could be a game that is just so good and yet, no longer finds itself in the public’s eye, enjoying a good but horribly short stint in the sales charts while being pushed aside for bigger and better titles. You’d have to look hard to see what we mean – so here are our nominees for Most Underrated Game of the Year.
Nominees:
– Fire Emblem: Awakening
– Metro: Last Light
– Beyond: Two Souls
– Starbound
– Saints Row IV
– DmC: Devil May Cry
Winner: Fire Emblem: Awakening
Starbound may qualify as the most niche of the bunch but is still in beta and hasn’t seen a proper launch as of yet. But Fire Emblem games have never been the most popular, despite being nearly as old as Nintendo itself. The series has seen a renaissance since the GBA’s release and Fire Emblem: Awakening is perhaps the best offering yet. While it was the fastest selling game in the series till this point, it neither shifted millions nor really dominated charts for long. It’s a shame, because this is arguably one of the best games of the year. It’s so good it warrants purchasing a 3DS just to play it. The above games may have had their share of mixed emotions but at least they found great success and fame in some form (even if some were really good rather than great a la Beyond: Two Souls). Fire Emblem: Awakening? Not so much.
