[Question] The Gamingforce Game of the Year 2013: Heigh-ho it's off to Vote we go

I don't play many new games.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - 25

This really, really brought me back to a very latent love for the series. I have had zero interest in the console releases since the original iteration of Wind Waker and really despised the other DS games. This game, though, THIS GAME. I loved the 2D mechanic, I loved the music, I loved the changes to the world, and I know this might seem ridiculous, but I was really surprised when they actually included a mirror-world (albeit a different mirror world than A Link to the Past's). I felt giddy. I loved it.

And when I say I loved it, I mean it was actually too short. The dungeons where kind of tiny and quick to get through, my only gripe.

Also, barely any story. I really liked that!

Papers, Please - 25

Too real. There's a dark sense of humor behind a game about checking passports and related documents for legitimacy, being incentivized to come down harsh on those who are just desperate to get through, and being tempted, at the cost of your family's well being, to help people get through.

This game really moved me and made me feel dirty. I did get pretty good at it for a minute but decided to just walk away once I got through the entire story mode.

Fez - 30

I was very, very happy this was released on PC this year. I played it for a minute when it came to Xbox but, alas, I don't own one of those things and I really, really wanted to play this to completion.

This game invoked lost memories from my childhood memories playing NES and SNES games, imagining that there was more than what we saw, thinking there where secrets beyond what might seem reasonable. I remember hearing about strange, extremely difficult to recreate secrets in games that didn't exist and just imagining just how much a game could keep behind the curtains. Fez brought that back out of me by actually containing impossible at first glance puzzles, some legitimately out of my grasp, and the developer not being forthcoming with how and even if there's more to do that the community missed.

The look, the mechanic, the vague thread of a story, the feeling that every room has a long history, all of these things made it work for me. I liked it.

10,000,000 - 5

This is a silly dungeon crawler take on Bejeweled type games. It was really addictive and stole a lot of my time away. The music was pretty great as well, just simple fun.

Thomas Was Alone - 10

Great, great physics. The jumping felt so tight and each character's "abilities" played very well into each puzzle. The story, presented by blocks, was also extremely effective. The music complements it all, being melancholy and hopeful all at once. I can see how some people came to tears by this game, the last segment being the most emotional for me, anyway. It felt very real for me.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn - 5

Addictive game and a proper "I'm Sorry" letter from the company that brought you Final Fantasy XIV. I played the original, hated it, and quit after about a month of attempting to give it a fair shot. Version 2 really did an amazing job fixing just about everything with more to come. My only complaint here is that I have no idea where to spend my money. I can grind it out, and it flows, but I forgot to have a goal and a reason to have it. The game really focuses on drops from dungeons leaving crafted or items that can be sold in the dust.

Jam it back in, in the dark.