The Clayton Awards 2013

Best Game of 2013 - Dark Souls

I knew little about Dark Souls going in. It was a somewhat hesitant purchase, even at the reduced price of £4.99. I really wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. But Dark Souls rapidly won me over, sucking me in and not letting go. It proved to be one of the most refreshing and unique games I’ve played in a long time. It’s not a game I’d recommend to everyone, but that’s one reason why it’s so great. It has a purity of design and focus. This is Dark Souls, like it or not. It doesn’t attempt to cater to everyone, nor should it.

If only more games took this approach. Too many get watered down these days in an attempt for mass appeal. A very polished, but generic and bland game will be forgotten. Dark Souls may be a little rough around the edges, but it’s a game you won’t forget any time soon. And so it claims the award for Best Game of 2013.

 

Most Disappointing Game of 2013 - Total War: Rome 2
 

Rome 2 is certainly not the worst game I've played this year. It was, however, the most disappointing. After several patches, the game has certainly improved since release, but no amount of patches can fix some rather dodgy design choices. And the AI remains as schizophrenic as ever.

That said, I still don’t think of Rome 2 as a bad game as such. But it’s far from the definitive Total War experience fans of the series were hoping for. As such, it takes the award for Most Disappointing Game of 2013.