30 years of PC games: 30 years in 30 games – 2013 to 2015

One should celebrate the festivals as they come, so let’s stick to it: PC Games is 30 years old and most of us in the editorial team have been on board as readers for years, some even since the first issue 10/92 . Accordingly, we want to extensively celebrate these 30 years of gaming history in this series of articles. We take a journey through all 30 years, from the beginning of the magazine to today, with a focus on what really matters: the games. Therefore, every editor grabbed the years with which he associates special memories – the first game ever, discovering love for the genre, first attempts at online or multiplayer, the first contact with the favorite series. It continues with the eighth part of “30 years in 30 games”, which covers the years 2013 to 2015. Have fun browsing!

You are also very welcome to enter our big 30th anniversary competition, which we are holding in cooperation with Alternate! You can win complete PCs, gaming chairs, SSDs, headsets and much more!

The previous parts of “30 years in 30 games” can be found here:

2013: Passport controls, a jump and run masterpiece and pure heavy metal

By Christian Fussy

The most important titles of the year

• Bioshock Infinite
• Rayman Legends
• The Stanley Parable
• Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
• dota 2
• battlefield 4
• Rogue Legacy
• Tomb Raider
• The walking dead season 2
• Saints Row 4
• spelunky
• Path of Exile
• Papers Please
• Brutal Legend

Even before inventor Michel Ancel left the games industry, a continuation of the Rayman series was actually out of the question.

Compared to game series like Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed or even the spin-off Raving Rabbids, former company mascot publisher Ubisoft just wasn’t commercially successful enough. The platformer Rayman Legends, released in 2013, will therefore probably remain the last adventure of the jump & run icon.

In the world of Brütal Legend we meet the “Guardian of Metal” Ozzy Osbourne.

Source: PC games



It’s a bittersweet farewell in the highest degree because the game represents one, if not the definitive, pinnacle of the genre. With its smooth gameplay, thick scope, outstanding presentation and modern, comfortable game design, Legends puts even the other class leader Super Mario in the shade in the 2D area.

Especially the music levels, in which the beats of well-known rock and pop classics are jumped to, have always put a big grin on my face. Mainly because the pieces of music aren’t just the original versions, but atypical interpretations that fit the respective vibe of the levels.

Speaking of titles with excellent background music: The action-adventure/strategy hybrid Brütal Legend finally appeared for the PC in 2013, but unfortunately wasn’t bought enough there to justify a sequel either. Sure, the gameplay mix of hack’n’slash and tactical game was a bit half-baked and the open game world didn’t offer a huge variety either, but the audio-visual part was really fat.

Fat music, gripping boss fights and chaotic co-op: what more could your heart want?

Source: PC games



The art direction makes each landscape shot look like a record cover, the licensed soundtrack is substantial, and even the voice cast screams – and at times literally – “Metal.”

In addition to Jack Black, Jennifer Hale and Tim Curry, perfectly cast as the sadistic demon Doviculus, rock legends such as Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Halford can also be heard in supporting roles. In the end, the fact that the humor was applied a little too thickly for my taste didn’t bother me anymore, because the passion that undoubtedly flowed into the project is simply contagious.

The indie titles of the year proved how different video games can be in their narrative form. Season 2 of Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead returns as an adult virtual playbook, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons evokes emotion through game mechanics alone, The Stanley Parable takes a clever look at medium agency in general, and Papers, Please does simulated bureaucracy to the ethical dilemma.