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

The Gamingforce Game of the Year, back by demand (maybe? I honestly don't know any more), is forcing its way back into our lives once again. So yes, it's the end of another year and the new one is waiting on our doorsteps ready to happen; and so for a handful of people at GFF who read this it is the time to look back at the year that was 2013 and the games we played. As ever the real question is what does Gamingforce consider the best of 2013? No gimmicks this year to try and get you to vote, just a simple request for you to take part and encourage others to do so.

As with the previous years' voting here's how this is going to work: each person has 100 points to vote for games released in 2013 (doesn't matter where, but games have to have been commercially released in 2013) and you can allocate them to as many games as you like as long as it totals 100 in the end. The only rule is that you can't award any single game more than 40 points. So you could vote two 40s and a 20, or a 40 and six 10s, or any other combination of points as long as it adds up to 100.

To vote all you have to do is post a reply with your top games of 2013, how many points you're giving each, and a brief explanation of why you feel the game deserves your points.

Example:

GAME A - 40 points
Man I loved game A because...

GAME B - 20 points
I ended up playing so much of game B that...

GAME C - 15 points
Game C gets some points because...

GAME D - 15 points
I couldn't decide between this and C, so gave both points, but D rocks because...

GAME E - 5 points
Good, but not necessarily great, but I figure E deserves some points because...

GAME F - 5 points
Like E, F gets a few points because...

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Voting will close on Saturday 25th January at 18:00 GMT (that's Englandland time), at which point I'll add all the points together and work out GFF's top 20 games of 2013, posting the results in a new thread for discussion/people to complain about. I'm allowing a little extra time this year so you've got a chance to go try and squeeze in any contenders you wanted to try before voting.

So, go on, get voting.

Oh, and get other people to come vote too.

Disclaimer/Rules:
1. If you allocate any game more than 40 points your vote won't be counted.
2. If your points allocation totals more than 100 points your vote won't be counted (totals less than 100 are fine).
3. Votes for games not released in 2013 will be ignored.
4. Only official commercial releases in 2013 count.
5. No negative points. I'll point and laugh and then ignore your vote.
6. Whole integers only. Fractions and decimal places will also lead me to ignore your vote.
7. Any other such idiocy will also probably lead your vote not being counted.

And as ever, I take no responsibility for Skills fucking with stuff, which if you ignore these points he almost certainly will do somehow.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Whilst there’s still a good number of 2013 releases I didn’t get around to this year, some of which could likely have been contenders for my list (titles like Tomb Raider and Mario 3D World spring to mind), I did manage to play a decent number of games from the year and reflecting back on those games made me realise how good a year it was for great gaming experiences.

I was able to get my list down to a top 10, but then actually working out how to divide points up between those games proved to be bloody difficult, and my points are spread about as thinly as I have ever gone, and here are the 7 titles that I felt demanded some of my allocation:

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - 20 points
There was me thinking I had my ‘best of 2013’ locked down with the next game on this list as my favourite experience from 2013. And then I finally got around to playing A Link Between Worlds. From the point this game was announced to finally starting it I was equal parts excited and terrified; A Link to the Past is one of my all-time favourite gaming experiences and LttP is the game that turned me into a ‘gamer’, so a sequel to that title could so easily fail on numerous levels. The fact that A Link Between Worlds not only succeeds but is fantastic in its own right is astounding. Somehow they managed to make a game that feels like how it felt to play Link to the Past for the first time, whilst also bringing new things to the table with. The design is great, the art is gorgeous and the music, oh man the music is so good. Everything about this game clicked and it felt like pure joy distilled and turned into a game. If you have any love for the Zelda series this is worth your time.

Fire Emblem: Awakening - 20 points
If any further proof that the 3DS had a ridiculously good year was required than look no further than Fire Emblem: Awakening. Here is a game that collects together a sizeable cast of some of the most likeable and interesting characters I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with for a while, it builds and strengthens the core Fire Emblem battle gameplay, offers some fantastic ways to build and spec units, and delivers just one of the most fantastic packages you could hope for. Beautiful, funny, challenging and just oodles of fun. Another fantastic reason to own a 3DS in 2013.

The Last of Us - 20 points
This is possibly the game a lot of people might have predicted as being my number 1 pick for 2013 based on how I gushed about it after I finished it, and it was certainly a strong contender. I’ve loved Naughty Dog’s work on the Uncharted series, but this took elements of that series, a fairly over-used setting (zombie apocalypse) and turns them into something dark, emotional and fantastic. Now I know there are people who had issues with how this game played where some of the immersion was broken, but I never experienced anything like that and this ended up feeling like a great book where you just want to know what happens next. The ending was close to perfect and ultimately this has been an experience that has stuck with me since those closing moments.

Papers, Please - 10 points
Another game with a bit of a dark edge to it, though one that might not look that way from the screenshots. On paper (no pun intended) this game shouldn’t work: you’re playing as a border crossing checkpoint guard in an 80s fake eastern block country where you have to check passports, permits, visas and the such like to ensure you only let in the ‘right’ people. But it’s not that simple, because you need to feed and clothe your family, and so when an opportunity for a quick buck comes along that might help pay for medicine for you sick son do you really turn it down? And how about the wife pleading for entry lest she be split from the husband you just let through? This game shouldn’t work, but is incredibly satisfying to play and I would recommend it to anyone who thinks the premise is at least the tiniest bit intriguing.

Tearaway - 10 points
Media Molecule certainly know how to put together worlds full of charm, and Tearaway on the Vita is no exception. This is an endlessly creative and enjoyable game and one I wish more people with kids owned as I couldn’t recommended it highly enough. The papercraft world is fantastically realised and Tearaway is a game that makes full use of everything the Vita has to offer without it ever feeling gimmicky. Every use of the Vita’s tools serves to immerse you more in the world and story, which is just as charming as the world that lives inside the Vita. The platforming is inventive and if you go for 100% completion takes a bit of thinking and skill to get everything. Wonderful game that is a must have for any Vita owner.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - 10 points
If you’ve been in chat at all over the last few weeks you’ve probably heard a fair bit about Revengeance, and with good reason: it’s a cracking game. Platinum Games have crafted another game where the moment to moment interactions and gameplay are incredibly satisfying. The ‘slice anything in any direction’ sounds like a gimmick but they put it to great use and you will never not turning things into as many tiny chucks as possible. Factor in the fact that there’s tactical reasons to slice people up and rip out their cybernetic spines and it starts to transform the way you play. Absolutely cracking game that’s wonderfully over the top and silly, but in the best of ways.

Gone Home - 10 points
I did not expect this game to have quite the impact on me it did. I was mild intrigued by the premise - a game where you’re just exploring a house - and the positive buzz it was getting, though to avoid spoilers I didn’t read much about it (don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything here). I picked the game up and gave it a go, not quite sure what to expect, but really fell in love with what they delivered. I’m not sure I could argue it’s worth at the full price, as it is only a 2-3 hour experience, but definitely worth a look.


Honourable Mentions: Grand Theft Auto V, Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine, BioShock Infinite, Rogue Legacy, Hotline Miami, Resogun, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Voting closed. Results are in the works. Keep an eye out for the new thread appearing soon.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.