GTA V: Is It Guaranteed ‘Game Of The Year’?
Rockstar are enjoying a pretty successful launch this year. Grand Theft Auto V is not only the biggest entertainment launch of all time, but has already holding seven Guinness World Records. Many gamers are predicting that GTA V will be awarded the prestigious ‘Game of the Year’ title by websites like IGN, or the Golden Joystick awards, and for good reason.
However, 2013 has been a massive year for console gaming. With the imminent launch of the next generation consoles, we’ve seen the current generation being pushed to their limit, and some truly amazing games have been released as a result. Arguably, these other games have shown more innovation and development than GTA V.
The first quarter of 2013 saw the much anticipated reboot of ‘Tomb Raider’, a franchise that hasn’t had a full single-player release since 2008. This being a reboot of the series, the developers revisited the origins of Lara Croft, and we experience her developing from an academic to a survival explorer. Not only was the storytelling vastly improved from previous installments, but the gameplay mechanics and graphics are among some of the best on current generation consoles. The intuitiveness of the cover system is a welcome feature, and one can’t help but gaze at the many views in the beautiful semi-open world.
This summer saw the launch of the PS3 exclusive ‘The Last Of Us’ by Naughty Dog, a game that achieved perfect review scores from many gaming review websites. The storyline and the relationship between the characters is what drives this amazing game, but it should also be mentioned that the graphics are unrivaled. The immersion is unlike any other, and is the perfect example as to what a true gaming experience can be like.
Whilst reading the previous two descriptions, you may be drawing parallels with how one might describe GTA V. This is why ‘Game of 2013’ is not as predictable choice as some are suggesting, and will inevitably upset many when the winner is announced, as each franchise has developed their own fresh fan base since these games launched. The outcome will definitely prove to be an interesting one, and an appropriate way to summarise not only this year, but this generation of gaming.
Of course there are many other noteworthy games that have been released this year, such as Bioshock Infinite, Animal Crossing, Rayman Legends, Pokemon X & Y, etc . What do you think deserves the ‘Game Of The Year’ title?
About the Author George Barrett
I'm currently a Computer Science student from the UK, and am interested in technology, software, gaming, technical theatre and much more! To find out more, visit my website or my social links.
I'm currently a Computer Science student from the UK, and am interested in technology, software, gaming, technical theatre and much more! To find out more, visit my website or my social links. 
Michael
October 28, 2013, 11:06 am
The last of us wins hands down for me, by far the best game I have ever played. For some reason GTA 5 was a bit of a let down for me, I have played, completed and loved all the others but there was something about GTA 5 that made it difficult to like. It could have been that I played it just after completing the last of us (for the 100th time) or that my expectations were too high. Nice read by the way mate, good post.