Game of the Year Awards 2013

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"Open combat with human opponents has seen improvements, mostly in the form of an expanded arsenal and much tighter gunplay. Great weapon sounds and enemies which react well to being shot make firefights really intense; enemies will take cover and throw grenades, communicating with each other about your position. If you aren't dealing with levels filled with human opponents, there is a good chance you are fighting mutants. Steps have been made to improve the variety of these beasts, with the standout addition being giant spiders. There are some really tense moments where you have spiders coming in from multiple angles and you are forced to try and shine your light on them the entire time, all the while desperately scrambling to keep the flashlight batteries charged." - Tim Reid

Bioshock Infinite, Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger, Call of Duty: Ghosts

 

"Black Flag addresses the needs of fans of booty marvelously. Sailing across the vast Caribbean is freeing and captivating, with your crew’s collective singing helping add atmosphere. Steering your ship into position and firing on enemy fleets is exciting, and the naval warfare seemingly never gets old, as you try to outmaneuver the bigger ships and go for the killing blow. All of the classic gameplay elements are still present - any time you’re on land, whether it’s in a small coastal shack town or a major naval hub, the staple free running and melee combat are at the core of the experience. In combat, Edward is versatile and always dual-wields, lending him new finishing moves and animations." - Alex V

Grand Theft Auto V, Tomb Raider, DmC: Devil May Cry

 

"Gran Turismo 6 hasn’t missed a step as far as the gameplay is concerned. Taking to the track in your tuned ride is as enjoyable as usual. The physics and suspension engine have been tweaked to provide more realistic handling. The title offers new cars, tracks, and new career experience. A solid driving simulation is still intact, as is the game’s addicting nature of winning events and collecting cars." - Alex V

Forza Motorsport 5, Grid 2, MotoGP 13

 

"While winter weather is one of the most dramatic additions to the series, a number of tweaks have been made that improve the experience appreciably. The rock-paper-scissors gameplay of the first game returns and remains excellent, winter weather and a few tweaks make for a smoother and more varied experience. Company of Heroes 2 offers up a huge helping of high quality RTS gameplay for both multiplayer and singleplayer" - Tim Reid

Xcom: Enemy Within, Europa Universalis 4, Total War: Rome 2

 

"Gone Home is an important game. It has a superbly well written story about empathy, heartbreak, compassion, reconciliation and love, but the way in which it is told is unmatched in the medium. You are left to piece together the story on your own, rather than it being forced upon you. It looks great, with excellent use of lighting, and has a Riot Grrrl soundtrack related to the narrative discovered through cassette tapes. This is the kind of game best talked about after playing it, so you should check it out and share it with as many people as possible." - Matt Porter

The Last of Us, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Tomb Raider

 

"The game's combat system, which is divided into different forms of play. The wide variety of elements is ambitious, and offers some fun ideas. In addition to a charmingly unique graphical style, the game has an amazing soundtrack recorded by the renowned Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch offers a narrative experience that is commendable and, per Studio Ghibli tradition, unforgettable." - Eileen Murphy

Shadowrun Returns, Path of Exile, Tales of Xillia

 

"FIFA 14 celebrates the best of what the series has come to offer during this console generation. It plays and feels differently than last year’s version, mostly for the better. Real teams, players, and stadiums create a strong sense of atmosphere and authenticity. Graphical touch ups are most notable with arenas, which are brimming with life. It doesn't offer anything groundbreaking, but it's difficult to deny the level of quality and polish on display." - Alex V

NBA 2K14, NHL 14, Madden NFL 25

 

"In order to truly embrace a video game challenge, players are in need of tight controls, luckily Rayman feels as finely tuned as ever. Buttons are responsive, movements are exact, so the game is able to require millisecond reactions because it can accommodate them. Sure, the hardcore old-school platform lover is going to enjoy Legends on a whole different level, but even if you are just a casual player or just someone who likes to have fun, Rayman Legends is bound to be an amazing time." - Josh Hinke

Guacamelee, Puppeteer, Super Mario 3D World

 

"The puzzling in Antichamber goes above and beyond the call of duty. There’s a wonderful variety of puzzle types here, some using basic environment interaction like buttons and keyholes, and some using your trusty “block-moving gun” which you acquire early in your journey. The game includes excellent touches that give the puzzling great character and unity. Antichamber's synthesis of gameplay, environment, and philosophy make it a landmark in quality that deserves special notice and attention." - Evan Witt

Papers, Please, The Swapper

 

"As a simulation, Arma 3 is excellent. Gameplay is essentially everything the Arma series has led us to expect so far – that is to say, hyper-realistic first-person military combat in an environment roughly five times the size of the entire known universe. Arma 3 comes across as an impressive game: it's well-polished, changes things up often enough and is frankly frighteningly deep. I had bouts of genuine fun with the game and it fills the niche it's carved out for itself wonderfully." - David Will

Forza Motorsport 5, Rocksmith 2014 Edition, Gran Turismo 6

 

"While the game is new, the feeling of Resogun is that same ol’ twin stick action the developer is so famous for. Much like arcade games of old, watching someone take on Resogun’s challenge is almost as much fun as playing the game yourself. Resogun is a ferocious, mile-a-minute assault of twitch gameplay that sucks you in and seems to fast forward time, as you lose yourself by simply begging for one more go-round. Few games can elicit fist pumps and joyful screams quite like Resogun can." - Josh Hinke

Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger, Bit Trip Runner 2, Just Dance 2014