GotY - Most Improved Sequel/Reboot

2013 was the comeback year for many a major franchise, with series like Pikmin and Zelda emerging after years of slumber, and yearly franchises like Assassin's Creed and LEGO delivering some of their best entries yet. Yes, 2013 was a fantastic year for major game series; Super Mario made a comeback after last year's dreary duo of NSMB 2 and NSMB U, Square-Enix and Eidos put out a wonderful reboot of Tomb Raider, and even smaller series like Call of Juarez saw sequels that took things in an interesting new direction. 

But out of all these fantastic games, we've whittled it down to just three. These are the most improved sequels and reboots of 2013. And keep in mind, when we say "most improved", we don't necessarily mean best - these are the series that have made the most progress in terms of mechanics, visuals, or storytelling since their last interation, and potentially turned entire franchises around.

3. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Assassin's Creed III wasn't bad, per se, but it took way too long to get going, and removed or obfuscated many of the mechancis that series vets had come to know and love. Black Flag rights the franchise's ship in many ways, then, by blending the best elements of last year's game with the classic gameplay options we missed in III. The game starts off with a bang - literally - as your ship is assailed by an assassin. It's mostly uphill from there as you quickly obtain your hidden blades, a new ship, and a crew. You'll be off and sailing across the Carribean within 20 minutes or less - a marked improvement over the 5 or so hours it took to get into the rhythm of Assassin's Creed III. Then there's the return of hire-able prostitutes and thugs, who you can use to distract or attack enemies, and weapons that you can pick up frmo dead enemies. These elements were sorely missed in the last game and significantly reduced the number of options at your disposal when approaching a mission. 

The mission design itself is much improved, too. You'll be able to do a lot more sneaking if that's your style, thanks to an expanded stealth arsenal. But you can also fight your way through missions if you'd rather, as most are flexible and open enough to allow for a variety of playstyles.

The biggest improvement, though, has to be the ship combat. I daresay it's actually more fun to sail around fighting other ships than it is to assassinate targets on land. 

2. DmC - Devil May Cry

DmC - Devil May Cry

Ninja Theory's re-envisioning of Capcom's cult brawler couldn't have been more of a step forward from 2008's middling Devil May Cry 4. Bold and brash where its predecessor was safe and straightforward, fresh and focused where DMC 4 was meandering and repetitive, DmC marked a complete turnaround for a series that had begun to fall victim to its own legacy. From the beautifully rendered, twisted worlds of the demon realm to the heavy-hitting swordplay at the game's heart, everything about DmC was a marked step up. It's just a shame we likely won't be seeing another sequel.

And The Winner Is...

Pokemon X/Y

Finally. Pokemon X & Y was the massive step forward that the series has needed for at least three years now, and it tasted just as sweet as I'd imagined. The lush 3D graphics were the most immediately noticable improvement, but the colossal visual upgrade was far from the only one. EXP Share affecting your entire party as opposed to just one Pokemon was a stroke of genius, although it did tend to make the late game too easy if you stuck with the same party for most of the game. Luckily, you could turn it off if the going got too easy for your liking. 

The online features were another big step forward. Swapping Pokemon online has never been easier, and storing up to 3,000 Pokemon from past games using the upcoming app is a great idea (albeit one that requires a subscription.) 

Even the story and writing of X & Y were noticeably better than that of their predecessors. It felt like the team at Game Freaks was enthusiastic for Pokemon again, and that came across in quirky dialogue and lots of new customization options.

Other additions include a new generation of Pokemon, the new Mega Evolutions mechanic, and a large suit of minigames in which you could train your Pokemon. There was even a Nintendogs-like minigame where you could pet and feed your Pokemon to strengthen your bond with them, in which you could check out the bright and detailed models for each of the game's hundreds of critters. 


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