The 2013 Vidya Gaem Awards

"No one should be allowed to define what a video game is or should be" -David Cage This is a disturbing trend. Games try to be cinematic by shunning gameplay in favor of a compelling story, and then not making the story compelling at all.

IT'S QUANTUM PHYSICS, I AIN'T GOTTA EXPLAIN SHIT! Halfway through the game, Bioshock Infinite stops being about the characters and starts being about an increasingly-convoluted time travel story. In a game that's ostensibly a character drama, it FORGETS ABOUT THE CHARACTERS. Just wanted to stress that.

The story of Ghosts reads like a checklist of seventh-generation Call of Duty games. America invaded by terrorists? Modern Warfare. Hyper-advanced black ops squad? Black Ops 2. Brainwashing and mind control by the bad guys? Black Ops 1. But wait, there's a dog!

You fight and shoot the moon.

/co/ became antsy when it turned out David Way was the comics writer penning Deadpool's video game, for good reason. It's an excuse plot at its worst, wherein the joke is "Look at the random things Deadpool is saying to Wolverine!" repeated ad infinitum. It's a comedic game that's not funny.

DmC is a mess, and in no small part thanks to the writing. The protagonists come off as bland with a vague attempt at being edgy. The antagonists either have no personality. The plot could charitably be described as "things happen," and not much else. Playing Devil May Cry for the story is eating soup for the spoon, but this takes it to new levels.

For a game that's supposed to be all about the story, Gone Home doesn't bring much to the table. The flimsy plot was written as an excuse to deliver the emotional payload; the goal of the game is to give you feels, rather than tell a story, which is a cardinal sin in writing. Plus, we really just wanted to read The Accidental Pariah.

A very self-aware game that still wants to be taken seriously. Rising's nonsensical over-edgy plot might work for a mindless action game, but it can't settle on a tone, or on plot points, for that matter, as events are brought up and forgotten in the same mission. Nanomachines, son.

This title was all around a misery and melancholic, seemingly wanting to throw the player in an emotional ditch whenever it could. Joel made the wrong choice.

While Lara seems to be strongly characterized, the other characters of the game don't seem to make an impression. Additionally, Lara's reluctance with killing is unfittingly juxtaposed with a narrative and gameplay that encourages dozens and dozens of murders. Also, kooky island stuff.