7. Hotline Miami
Drugs and murder. An amalgamation of these things comprise the cold, black heart beating inside Hotline Miami.
A theme some have chosen to explore in games this year is questioning what we, as the player, do in games, and why. Out of all the titles that explore that theme, none rub it in your face while giving you the finger harder than Hotline Miami. It's puts it's harsh world view up to your taped-open eyeballs, and before you can even begin to understand what's happening, you're hooked. An amazing soundtrack. Responsive, fun, and repetitious twitch-game play. These are the tools Hotline Miami uses to get you addicted.
While the story is completely bat-shit crazy in a "what if Hunter S. Thompson, Quentin Tarantino, and Keiichiro Toyama made a video game?" kind of way, there is a logic to it, and if you let it, Hotline Miami will reveal itself to you over the handful of hours it takes to complete. All you really need to know going in is you're an instrument of death and destruction, and man, is your trigger-finger itchy. Who you're killing, why you're killing them, and if they even deserve it are all questions better left behind as you progress through the game.
More than anything, though, Hotline Miami hands-down wins soundtrack of the year. While not originally created for the game, the assembled collection of songs fit perfectly, and add to the experience of playing in a way that few other soundtracks do. You are death incarnate, and this is your playlist.
For what is an incredibly low price of admission, Hotline Miami offers players an experience entirely unlike anything else on this list, and anything in gaming as a whole. The fact that it is completely addictive and enjoyable is only the icing on this bloody cake.
