After the train wreck that was the VGX 2013 Awards, I'm glad we're doing our own sort of thing.
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Game of the Year: The Last of Us
Don't get me wrong, all the other games nominated for GOTY this year--Bioshock Infinite, GTA V, Tomb Raider, AC4, etc--are all amazing games and have made this year in gaming so damn good, but, to me, they all pale in comparison to The Last of Us. The Last of Us was just everything I hoped it would be and more. I was completely sucked in and enthralled with the game from the amazingly cinematic opening to the much debated ending of the game, and it just left me wanting more. The mark of a great game is that its aesthetics make the player feel and experience the same feelings and emotions the characters are depicting in-game, and this game did that to me the whole way through. I've played through the game multiple times and am currently working on a playthrough of the hardest difficulty.
Doesn't hurt that the game's multiplayer, while I still felt was unnecessary, was actually pretty pineappleing fun and addicting. It wasn't bad at all.
Overall, I feel like The Last of Us earns the GOTY title for me, hands down.
Runner Up: Rayman Legends
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Best Handheld Game: Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
I'm going to be honest here... this was going to go to Pokemon X/Y (with New Leaf not too far behind), but A Link Between Worlds came in last minute and absolutely pineappleing blew me away. I thought the notion of a "sequel" to a previous Zelda installment that was made YEARS ago was ridiculous, but they not only nailed it, they perfected it. I haven't enjoyed or been as excited with a Zelda game this much since... pft, bloody Majora's Mask. It did EVERYTHING right.
As has been noted in this thread already, the game does lack the replayability of New Leaf or X/Y, only having a secondary play mode--Hero Mode--but despite that... I've already played through almost 3 times now. It's just so good and I just want to keep playing. My only, and I mean, ONLY, complaint for the game is one that most people also agree on: it was just a tad bit too short, but besides that fact, it was essentially perfect.
Runner Up: Pokemon X/Y
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Best Indie Game: Terraria
I know, I know! Technically Terraria came out wayyyy back in 2011, but it was basically revived from the dead this year and, pineapple man, boy it didn't just come back to life, it came back to life rocking our socks off. The update brought so much new content that it was basically a game in and of itself, combining that with Terraria's already expansive amount of content, it was amazing. It's actually sort of embarrassing how many hours I've put into this game... it's. just. so. good. And on top of all this, they're continuing to update the game--already with an expansive Halloween patch--and soon a Christmas-themed patch that looks just as great. I'm excited for Terraria's future... will it be usurped by its upcoming rival, Starbound? It's possible, but not for a long time and not without a tough fight. As far as I see it, Terraria is king of its particular genre/game-type.
Runner Up: BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm
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Best Rogue-Like(-Like): Spelunky
Spelunky IS what makes a good rogue-like(-like). Sadly, there's not a lot of competition to fight for this title, but that's quite alright, considering how addicting Spelunky is... and how frustrating it can be. I've put nearly 90 hours into this game and I'm still trying to get everything (I'm a completionist). Hell, just last night I was SOOOO close to getting the 500,000 achievement, but--like most cases in this game--a simple mistake led to another, which led to another, which culminated into my death; I was only 30k away, and I was so angry when I ended up dying, but instead of being just pissed off and never playing again, I instantly started up another game and continued to play. THAT is a sign of a well-designed and addicting game.
Who knew anger could be so fun?
Runner Up: Risk of Rain
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Best Co-operational Game: PAYDAY 2
Now, I have to put this out there before continuing on: I do have a number of problems with the PAYDAY series and especially PAYDAY 2. Despite this, though, I don't really think any game has done it better this year. There is such a rush of energy, excitement and badassery when you and your friends successfully pull off a big, difficult heist perfectly without a hitch... having each guy handle a specific job--hacking, crowd control, bagging and trafficking, lookout, etc. it's just great. It nails those aspects of a co-op game so well.
Runner Up: Super Mario 3D World
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Best Simulation Game: Cook, Serve, Delicious!
...Why. can't. I. stop. playing. this. game?! I don't understand why it's so addicting! I picked this up on a whim after seeing it being played on the Northernlion Super Show on Twitch, and whenever I find I have some free time to waste (not enough for serious gaming), I instantly start this game up. I spend time fixing up my menu for that day, planning accordingly to the weather, who is going to show up, whatever, and then I start cooking and serving up delicious foods to fund my 5-star restaurant! The game gets so hectic as you have to cook for more and more patrons, with recipes that grow more and more complex, but it's so fun. I feel so awesome, gliding my fingers across my keyboard perfecting every action and recipe, cooking the foods to perfection, and ending the day with a perfect run.
Runner Up: Game Dev Tycoon
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Biggest Game Surprise: Hearthstone
Wow. I would've never thought I'd be playing a virtual card game, let alone a card game that is built around the lore of World of Warcraft. Aside from the Diablo series, I have never played anything else from Blizzard; I tried WoW once and absolutely despised it, but here I am, playing so much of Hearthstone that it is absorbing my very life essence. I'm a card game addict (I played a pomegranate ton of Yu-Gi-Oh! back in the day, and I still keep myself informed with the game, even though I don't play as much now), so this game drew me in with its smooth gameplay, beautiful aesthetics and design, and addicting card game play and collecting element. I'm loving every bit of Hearthstone and hope that it continues to grow in popularity and sticks around for a good long while to give me a card game to be active in for the foreseeable future.
Runner Up: Saints Row IV
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Best DLC for a Game: XCOM Enemy Within
This year has had some pretty decent additional content for games, but none of them, NONE, can compare to how good and expansive Enemy Within was. It added so many new mechanics, weapons, content, maps, story content... there's really nothing more I can say about this, this DLC just absolutely triumphed this category. It was a bit spendy, a 30 dollar DLC, but it added so much that it was essentially just a full game expansion.
Runner Up: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
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Best Game Studio: Naughty Dog
I love these guys, man. I've loved them since the early years of playing Crash Bandicoot when I was 6-years old. They have remained my favourite studio since then and have also fueled my aspiration to become a game developer myself (which I am currently going to school for, actually). I love their outlook on video games, I love their games, I love how much love they put into their titles... I hope one day I get the privilege of joining their team and making great games alongside them.
Runner Up: Rockstar Games
I was considering doing a category for every day of December or up to Christmas or something, but I haven't decided yet. If I do, I'll end up editing my post or something I guess.
