End of the Year Awards!

I've been thinking about how to go about a Game of the Year list for a while since I played a lot of games this year that didn't come out this year and don't really like the idea of ranking games. It'd also be too hard to choose from just a few to talk about. Then Merritt Kopas compiled for her curation site Forest Ambassador a game award list featuring every game posted on her site this year with awards given out by anonymous users via Google Docs. I thought that was a really cool, fun way to do an end of the year list for a ton of games. Since I kept track of all the games, regardless of release, I played since January, I've decided to shamelessly copy the format to that list of games. And of course, these awards are all ones that I've given out personally because selfishness, the biggest reason this list could never be as good as the Forest Ambassador one. Forest Ambassador has been a hugely important source of great games for me this year, so a lot of games on this list I first found through the site. You should consider supporting Merritt Kopas and her work here.

The Last of Us - Best Use of the Tired Zombie Apocalypse Trope and Accompanying Themes

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons- Best Bros/Best Button Press

Animal Crossing: New Leaf- Snarkiest Citizens

GTA V- Most in Love with Itself/Best Social Media Simulation

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon- Best Vacuum/Best Game to Actually Turn on 3D function on 3DS

The Last of Us: Left Behind - Best Photobooth

Assassin’s Creed II- Most Distrust of Authority/Weirdest Mario Reference

Dark Souls II - Most Improved Multiplayer/Best Dragon Level

DmC: Devil May Cry - OMGWTF Award for Outrageous Nonsense/Provolone Award for Cheesiest Writing

Valiant Hearts: The Great War - Best Treatment of Soldiers as People/Most Loyal Doggie <3

Child of Light - Coolest Hair Physics

Dys4ia - Best Imagery as Speech

Alpaca Run - Best Song/Most Uplifting

Talks with My Mom - Best Use of Text in Dream Bubbles

Patatap- Most Mesmerizing

Nihilistic Acid Oppression- Most Oppressively Nihilistic/Lowest pH

The Citizen Kane of Games- Best Search for Games as Art

Catachresis - Best Walking Animations/Scariest Apocalypse

Sacrilege - Sexiest Gospel Evangelists

Oh No! - Best Escape from Hostile Disembodied Head

On August 11, A Ship Sailed Into Port - Silliest Listicles

Other Side- Loneliest Game

Mainichi - Most Uncomfortable Walk to a Coffee Shop

Problem Attic - Best Glitches

Probe Team - Best Robot Noises

Electric Tortoise - Best Cyberpunk Game

The Faeres’ Curse - Most Orange

Bite Me - Funniest Attempt to Escape Death

I’m Really Sorry About That Thing I Said When I Was Tired and/or Hungry - Best Daydreams/Most Recollective

Social Justice Ice Cream Shoppe - I Need It Award for Game I Want to Become a Thing in Real Life or Place I Can Go in Real Life/Best Ice Cream Flavors

brick [brick smash] smash - Coolest Meta-bricks

Last Chance Supermarket - Most Dangerous Shopping

Enviro-Bear 2000 - Smartest Bear Driver

BrokenFolx - Loveliest Hearts

Curtain - Best Use of Space

Glitchhikers - Most Interesting Strangers/Most Introspective

Gone Home - Most Riot Grrl/Most Joyful Ending

Quing’s Quest VII: The Death of Video Games - I gave the award at Forest Ambassador “Best Dancing that Kills Video Games,” which is unwieldy, so maybe “Best Weaponized Dance Moves” is better

Coming Out Simulator 2014 - Most Clueless Parents

Realistic Kissing Simulator - Most Tongue-y

Dee’s Big Night - Best Toying with Player Expectations

How do you Do it? - Best Childhood Confusion

Five Nights at Freddy’s - Scariest Animatronics

Chef - Best Eyebrows

Tampon Run - Best Weaponized Tampons

Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U - Best Game to Play While Listening to the Isometric Show/Best Fanservice

Super Meat Boy - Best Wall Jumps/Most Meaty/Most Spinning Saws

Wunderheiler - Best Investigative Medical Care

reProgram - Best Look at Self-Care

The Uncle Who Works for Nintendo - Most Disastrous Sleepover

Sonic Adventure 2: Battle - Sonic the Hedgehog Award for Best Sonic the Hedgehog Game/Weirdest Replay

10 Seconds in Hell - Most Urgent

Parable of the Polygons - Most Educational

Creatures Such As We - Best Metanarrative

Queers in Love at the End of the World :) - Most Upsetting/Most Short-lived Moment

Pornography for Beginners - Most Rules About Pornagraphy

Cis Gaze - Best Use of Colored Text

Capitalism - Most Coins/Least Apples

A Pretty Ornament I Made - Most Stressful Christmas

A Bird Story - Biggest Paper Plane

Okami HD - Most Inciting Anger at Education System for Leaving You in the Dark about Eastern Culture/Cutest Animals You Can Feed <3