"Humorous banter from an inanimate spelunkable location, whacky playable characters that still manage to bring the creepy, and intriguing yet accessible puzzle solving, The Cave is a small gem that delivers on many levels."
Arthur "Arturis" Orneck's pick: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
"To be completely honest, I had no idea that I would enjoy living the life of a pirate quite so much. I have always leaned towards the "Ninjas" side of that particular dichotomy, but AC4: Black Flag has really opened my eyes to how thrilling a life of swashbuckling and seawater could really be."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Fire Emblem: Awakening
"Because Fire Emblem... bet you all thought my vote would be Pokemon. Hue."
Best 2D Fighting Game
Aimee "Maevrim" Jarboe's pick: Divekick
"I played this first on what was supposed to be an entertaining drunken night with friends and a mindless game. We ended up abandoning the beer rather than lose to the surprising complexity of the two-button control "system". It's replaced Soul Calibur (x) as my go-to fighting game."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Salty Bets
"It's a fun interactive game on twitch.tv where you bet on which AI will win in a fight to the death. No real money involved, it's all for fun."
Best 3D Fighting Game
Martin "Mavlock" Brandt's pick: Injustice: Gods Among Us
"I played Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, I wasn't impressed. Still I gave Injustice a chance, and I was blown away. The fighters felt more like their characters should instead of just reskinned MK'ers of days gone by."
"I'm still impressed by the Free-to-Play aspects of this title, and while I don't own an Xbox One, what I saw of Killer Instinct at E3 this year cemented it as one of the must play games when I do receive my console."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: FFXIV Monk DPS rotation
"It's like Left 4 Dead, but you rob banks and perform various other nefarious activities. A fantastic romp in co-op gameplay but don't try to solo it, the AI is just as dumb as ever. "
"While the gameplay might be linear, the story is anything but. Infinite wraps up a BioShock trilogy in epic fashion, completing circles within the plot that no one knew were even there. The characters of Booker and Elizabeth are equally fascinating, and while Elizabeth sometimes ends up being little more than a coin-tossing irritation in combat, she is integral to the game's progression in more ways than one."
Arthur "Arturis" Orneck's pick: BioShock Infinite
"It is not often that I am emotional and mentally invested in a first person shooter. I tend to use them as stress relief - jump in, blast a few things, then move on to a more engaging game. But BioShock Infinite pulled me in and held me there. I played this game every night that I could find the time, because I had to see the story develop. It kept me ensnared from the very moment I set foot on the cloud city of Columbia to the very last scene of the deep, thought provoking ending. In the end, I was left with one overpowering thought: I want more games like this in my life."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Call of Duty: Ghosts
"Yes, I am going to be that guy. Without Call of Duty, there would be no other companies striving to make FPS games to take it down. Believe in CoD."
Best Third Person Shooter
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Playing Bard in FFXIV
"You know, I haven't played a real third-person shooter this year sooooooo.... I'm going with playing Bard in Final Fantasy XIV. The game is third-person and the Bard can shoot things. That's how this works, right?"
Best 2D Platformer
Aimee "Maevrim" Jarboe's pick: Fez
"The 2013 Windows port of Fez was my introduction to this actually-released-in-2012 platformer. I was immediately transported to childhood by the retro-inspired art and movement, then blown away as the 2D/3D story developed. Pure enjoyment."
Best 3D Platformer
Aimee "Maevrim" Jarboe's pick: Fez
"Spoiler alert, this incredible 2D platformer (ported this year to Windows, the only platform where I don't have to fight my children for access) is also a 3D platformer. The ongoing puzzle-solving revolves around perspective--if you've played, count the puns in that statement. "
Best Action RPG
Martin "Mavlock" Brandt's pick: Diablo III
"Specifically, the Console version. It's a port, but it's a port that made me fall in love with Diablo all over again. After the disappointing gameplay of the PC version this console port gave me that actiony feel I needed to breath new life into some very tired mechanics. Now I can't put it down, it's like 2000 all over again."
Best Japanese RPG
Martin "Mavlock" Brandt's pick: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
"The story and the collectables keep you coming back if you can swallow the pill of combat. So many people ignored the combat issues in their reviews so it was a shock to me when I was confronted with it."
Best Subscription MMO
Amanda "Mandifesto" Orneck's pick: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
"Sometimes stubborness pays off, and Square Enix gets high marks for their tenacious commitment to FFXIV. With A Realm Reborn they destroyed the world and rebuilt it anew, providing players with the sort of experience they expected when the game first launched. It says a lot about the company that they listened to their players and instead of giving up on the game, instead gave them a game worth playing."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
"And then from the fire rose a new treat for the world to enjoy. A frosty goodness that covers the world in a sweet, indulging experience that no other can provi-- Oh, sorry I was reading the back of this chocolate bar I'm eating."
"Dragon riding, customizable player housing and beautiful graphics? That's all I needed to know. Even playing briefly at E3 this year I was hooked on this little F2P and recommend it to anyone who loves a good, solid, Asian MMO."
Best Simulation Game
Martin "Mavlock" Brandt's pick: Steam Seasonal Sales
"The Steam Sale, that monster of madness. It was said when the young man came to town you were to hide your daughters. When Steam comes calling one best hide their wallet before they get sucked into flash sale after flash sale. Don't even get me started on the cards."
"Bringing everyone's favorite block sim to the PlayStation 3 might seem a little tardy in view of the new consoles coming out, but for those of us still playing our old Sony consoles, this is a lovely December surprise. Considering this is the game I played most this year, I am happy to see it proliferate onto every gaming system in my living room. Next up, Minecraft Android, please?"
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Throw trucks with your mind
"There's nothing more satisfying than crushing your opponents with your mind, literally."
Best Motion Controls
Amanda "Mandifesto" Orneck's pick: Device 6
"Swiping on your iOS device counts as motion controls right? Yeah I thought so. This little mobile treasure blends gaming and reading, two of my favorite passions. It's also a stellar mystery story in its own right -- a total bonus."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Kinect 2.0
"The Kinect 2.0 is vastly superior to its predecessor and actually accurately reads motion. "
Best Puzzle Game
Martin "Mavlock" Brandt's pick: Plants vs Zombies 2: It's about Time
"I was skeptical that this would just be a reskinned and rehashed game right out of the gate. Not like I hadn't been burned before by some birds that need a little anger management. Within the first few minutes of gameplay it caught me off guard and showed me there is still something worthwhile in this franchise."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Pikmin 3
"Pikmin 3 was an awesome game. The puzzles were great and the overhead map on the WiiU pad was an really nice touch. I've waited for this game since the dawn of... Pikmin 2 so there's that too."
Best Sports/Racing Game
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Forza Motorsports 5
"I'm not big on racing games... ok, I'm not big on realistic racing games but I looove the new Forza. The cars are so shiny and the gameplay is so fluid, it just feels good to play."
Best Indie Game
Martin "Mavlock" Brandt's pick: Don't Starve
"Don't Starve, what an odd title. How friggen true it is though. I've never scurried for food and fire so much in my life. This makes Minecraft look like Disneyland. This was a nice foray into the survival space and felt like a science experiment, but one I gladly participated in."
Aimee "Maevrim" Jarboe's pick: Player 2
"Player 2 is a simple story game that effectively pulls its player one to victory in both gamespace and meatspace. The game's unique take on dealing with conflict has been taking notice on many corners of the Internet. I'd love to see this Twine-based game take on even more life in a graphical environment."
Amanda "Mandifesto" Orneck's pick: Gone Home
"I'm not sure what I was expecting from such a lauded game, but what I received was a thought provoking, elegant story that seeps into the very marrow of the player. In only a few short hours and with very little direct story elements, the game manages to provide a compelling experience every gamer would appreciate."
Best DLC/Mod
Martin "Mavlock" Brandt's pick: Thaumcraft 4
"Thaumcraft 4, what have you done to me!?! My Minecraft addiction was bad but then you added all these secrets to discover. When will I be able to escape this game? This is the MOD of the year as far as I'm concerned."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
"While this is definitely a little bigger than the typical definition of "DLC" but we don't seem to have a 'best expansion' category, so I plug this in right here. Heart of the Swarm adds a ridiculously good chunk of story as well as additional balancing to multiplayer."
Game of the Year
Martin "Mavlock" Brandt's pick: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
"Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, you surprised me. I missed the initial release but when this came out I couldn't ignore Art's call to check out this title. Collecting all these pawns, leveling them and getting my but kicked. This action RPG is amazing, dark, and brutal."
Arthur "Arturis" Orneck's pick: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
"As much as I wanted to give this one to BioShock Infinite - I truly loved how that game made me think and feel - the final factor that tipped my hand in Ubisoft's favor was a simple one: When I finished BioInf, I stopped playing. I haven't felt the need to start the story over, because I feel I have completed the experience on the first go-around. With Black Flag, however, I am still finding myself returning to it most nights - sailing the seas, sinking Man-O-Wars, and gathering up treasures from the various cracks and crevices of the game world - even though I beat the game weeks ago. I have a feeling that I will be playing this game well into 2014."
Amanda "Mandifesto" Orneck's pick: Noob Wrangling
"By far the hardest game I played this year, and the most rewarding, was the first full year of motherhood. Every hour is a new minigame, some with several quite evil quicktime events. While it was a limited release (in fact only one copy was received, and only two players were accepted into the alpha) it still has been the most profound, and the most frustrating, of my gaming career."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: BioShock Infinite
"I'll be giving Bioshock Infinite my game of the year simply because Arturis did not. Though, It was between this and Last of Us, both of which, to me at least, have one time play-throughs, however, both kept me entirely engaged from start to finish and kept me wondering once it finally ended. Sometimes, those experiences just hit you."
"Yes, they are making a game I am simply drooling over, but more than that, Carbine won me over with their Dev Speak video series. In addition they are planning to release a game where players can earn money to pay for their subscription. Play to Pay? You will win the Internet with that my friends, and you won my vote."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Carbine Studios
"The Dev Speak videos are best videos. #win #lol #Carbine #Videos
On the other hand, while I like the look of Wildstar, the streams I've seen made the game look under-rated. Can't wait to see (more) of what they have in-store for endgame and lore though. However, since this is the 'company of the year' award, how there game plays is not relevant when compared to their customer support, fan interaction, and public content."
Most Anticipated Game of Next Year
Martin "Mavlock" Brandt's pick: Broken Age
"I'll be honest, I thought I'd have this game in hand already. All the content they've provided leading up to the release of the game makes me want it even more. Hopefully we'll see this title next year, I could always use another great Schafer Adventure game."
Arthur "Arturis" Orneck's pick: EverQuest Next (and Landmark)
"I've made no attempt in the past to hide how disappointed I was in EverQuest2; mostly because I wanted so much out of the game and what they delivered was flashy and plastic, but devoid of personality. Which is why the announcement of EverQuest Next and it's "let the players build" Landmark precursor really caught my attention. From what little they have shown, it looks like SOE has finally started to learn from the innovative trail that World of Warcraft has blazed before them, opting to bring in a sense of personality in it's character design, and pulled in some Minecraft-inspired player creativity to boot. With so much potential awesomeness, am I being setup for another fall?"
Aimee "Maevrim" Jarboe's pick: WildStar
"I don't know that Wildstar will dislodge the hold Rift has on me currently, but I'm looking forward to giving it the chance. If nothing else, the developer updates are hilarious and entertaining."
Amanda "Mandifesto" Orneck's pick: WildStar
"The future of MMOs is coming, and it actually isn't from Blizzard Entertainment -- sort of. Carbine Studios aims to bring fresh blood to the subscription MMO scene, with a Sci-Fi MMO toting big guns, even bigger laughs, and even biggerer gameplay innovations. I simply cannot wait until I get my time on Nexus."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Destiny
"You guys.... have no idea... *garggllleee splurgee*"
"There were a lot this year, but the latest is by far the most hazardous to the gaming community: YouTube's bot attack on gaming journalism videos. Over and over again we are seeing our game content brethren banned from YouTube for showing clips of games that have a copyright claim attached to their footage, artwork, or even worse, music within the footage. The result is that hundreds of people who rely on YouTube for their livelihood have had their lives turned upside down in the name of free speech. This current debacle will have far reached consequences for years to come and may even open the door for other video providers such as Vimeo to grab a segment of market share amongst gaming vloggers."
Aimee "Maevrim" Jarboe's pick: SimCity launch
"The launch of SimCity 2013 may not have been such a colossal disaster had it not been the product of such a veteran publisher. Tough launches aren't so out of place, but this is one for the gaming history books on multiple fronts."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: League of Legends Season 4
"RIIIOOOOOOOTTT... MAKE MY FRIENDS LIKE YOUR GAME AGAIN!!!!! Yes, I again, had to be that guy."
Most Desired Site Sponsership
Arthur "Arturis" Orneck's pick: Code Red Mt. Dew and Emergan-C
"A combination of Code Red Mt. Dew, Emergan-C and Orange Juice (what I like to call the "Code Red Emergan-C") is what has kept me alive and moving this flu season. If I could only convince both companies to start sponsoring us, I bet my monthly beverage costs would finally break even."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Starbucks
"Arthur's Code Red Emergan-C is a pretty sweet idea, but a Starbucks sponsorship would save me a ton of money... It would also keep me from extending my practically 10-year Starbucks Gold membership."
Game Most Likely To Kick Your Ass
Martin "Mavlock" Brandt's pick: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
"It's my game of the year, and it'll kick you in the ass. It's rare when this game forgives a misstep, and that's one of the reasons I love it. It's no Dark Souls, but it'll take you down a peg."
Arthur "Arturis" Orneck's pick: Hearthstone
"Blizzard's virtual card game, set in the Warcraft universe, is an impressive example of the old "simple to learn/difficult to master" adage normally applied to checkers or chess. Until you get a good deck of cards built, and some strong strategies under your belt, you *will* get your heart handed to you on a silver platter by other players. Repeatedly. And without mercy. Fortunately, the player on the other side can't hear you cry."
Amanda "Mandifesto" Orneck's pick: DOTA 2
"If League of Legends is the MOBA for every man, then DOTA 2 is the MOBA for the hardcore. Not only is the game brutal for first time players, the community is unrelenting in their hazing. Get ready for a serious learning curve guys. But if you can die your way through your training, the world (of Valve) is your oyster."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Just Dance 2014
"Don't you be tellin' me you can dance Lady Gaga till you show me you can, mhmmm."
Most Disappointing Game
Amanda "Mandifesto" Orneck's pick: Contrast
"I have to say, this game was at the top of my anticipated list this year. When I first heard of it, I was charmed by the artistic style and the promise of a heartwarming yet dark story about innocence, family, and growing up. What I played was none of that, and felt like a flimsy tech demo horribly implemented rather than an actual game. This is definitely one I shouldn't have set my heart on, because in the end, it was just a shadow of what it could have been."
Arthur "Arturis" Orneck's pick: SimCity
"As a long time SimCity fan, I was shocked and dismayed at how EA handled the latest iteration of the franchise. From a disastrous and unplayable launch all the way until the barely stable glitch-fest of today, the game has been a horrible train wreck and a mockery of all things Sim. And yet EA still has the gall to charge $60 on Origin for an always-online yet mostly broken shell of shattered memories and broken promises."
Ken "Chaobo98" Serra's pick: Watchdogs
"And let it be known, the PS4 box will forever scar me for life... It was a launch title they said... It'd be here they said... YOU'LL LOOOOVVVVEEE WATCHDOGS THEY SAID!!!!!!
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