Winners: 2013 PlayStation.Blog Game of the Year Awards

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Winners: 2013 PlayStation.Blog Game of the Year Awards

PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards 2013

Your votes have been tallied; below lies the full list of the second annual PlayStation.Blog Game of the Year Awards winners as voted by you, plus Editors’ Choice picks from the PlayStation.Blog staff. Also, be sure to listen to our new episode of PlayStation Blogcast for more discussion and insight into our picks.

Read on to see the very best in PlayStation gaming for 2013 as chosen by PlayStation gamers worldwide. And please provide your feedback in the comments –- it’s always valuable.

PS4 Game of the Year 2013

PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards 2013: PS4 GOTY Platinum

Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag

Assassin's Creed IV
Ubisoft Montreal’s seafaring epic Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag scored the Platinum award despite fierce competition from Killzone Shadow Fall. Battlefield 4 and PlayStation Store shoot ‘em up Resogun also secured award positions, with Call of Duty: Ghosts and Knack seeing plenty of votes despite not making the winner’s circle.

PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards 2013: Editor's Choice Award

Resogun – Battlefield 4’s majestic multiplayer modes nearly stole the show for me, but ultimately I had to choose Housemarque’s brilliant shmup based solely on the number of hours I pumped into it. The game is almost impossible to put down.

Sid Shuman, US PlayStation.Blog

Resogun – Housemarque’s deliriously exciting retro-fabulous shoot ‘em up scorched my eyeballs and seduced my senses, taking up permanent residence on my PS4. Call me an old codger if you like, but this is gaming at its purest. Love it.

Fred Dutton, EU PlayStation.Blog

Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag — Black Flag has an almost overwhelming amount of content sewn into a breathtaking slice of the Caribbean. It satisfies every craving, from swordplay to stealth, from customization to crafting. And perhaps most importantly, your crew sings shanties as you sail. The coolness of this cannot be overstated.

Ryan Clements, US PlayStation.Blog

Resogun — The true genius of Resogun lies in its deceptive scoring systems. Just when you think you know the best route to the top of the leaderboards, you discover a new trick that forces you to completely rework your now-obsolete strategies. In Housemarque we trust.

Justin Massongill, US PlayStation.Blog

PS3 Game of the Year 2013

PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards 2013: PS3 GOTY Platinum

The Last of Us

The Last of Us
Naughty Dog’s blockbuster The Last of Us dominated this year’s PS3 category, with Grand Theft Auto V also finishing strong. Ni No Kuni and BioShock Infinite rounded out the list of winners, though it’s worth noting that Beyond: Two Souls and Tomb Raider both saw robust support.

PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards 2013: Editor's Choice Award

The Last of Us – A highwater mark for PS3, and a welcome shot in the arm for all of us after a little more sophistication and nuance from our AAA gaming. Along with Beyond: Two Souls and GT6 it might have heralded the end of a console era, but it also felt like the start of something — and if this is the direction our blockbusters take henceforth, count me happy.

— Fred Dutton, EU PlayStation.Blog

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance — Who knew that a cyborg samurai, action-RPG hybrid with stealth elements would rock so hard? Everyone. Everyone knew that, because it sounds awesome. In execution, developer Platinum Games crafted a blisteringly fast, endlessly satisfying combat engine with a fine, kung fu gloss.

— Ryan Clements, US PlayStation.Blog

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons — In only a few hours, Brothers explores the resilient human element that ties together the very best works of fiction in such a beautiful, fundamental way — and even more impressively, in a manner that only video games can accomplish.

— Nick Suttner, PlayStation Blogcast

The Last of Us – Naughty Dog did it again, surpassing everything we have seen in the industry thus far. Brutal and beautiful at the same time, with a soundtrack by Santaolalla soundtrack that’s almost too perfect. Joelbanderas.gif

— Lorenzo Grajales, Latin America PlayStation.Blog

PS Vita Game of the Year 2013

PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards 2013: PS Vita GOTY Platinum

Tearaway

Tearaway
In a tight race for the PS Vita Platinum award, Media Molecule’s highly reviewed Tearaway ultimately prevailed. Killzone Mercenary’s strong showing earned it a Gold, while Rayman Legends and Soul Sacrifice filled out the PS Vita winner’s circle. Dragon’s Crown and Guacamelee! also scored plenty of votes, but not quite enough to place.

PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards 2013: Editor's Choice Award

Velocity Ultra – Tough category! For my money, Futurlab’s classy, clever blaster just pips the delightful Tearaway, Spelunky and Hotline Miami. No other game I played this year so brilliantly layered mechanic-upon-mechanic, slowly transforming you from slow-witted cannon fodder to master thumb ninja. Bring on Velocity 2X.

Fred Dutton, EU PlayStation.Blog

Tearaway – One of the most creative games in the universe, with a lovable character, awesome level design, and the best use of the PS Vita features we’ve seen yet. Tearaway should be standard curriculum at videogame universities.

Lorenzo Grajales, Latin America PlayStation.Blog

Dragon’s Crown — Garbed in eye-popping fantasy art, Dragon’s Crown boasts a staggering degree of replayability. It invites return play, tempting us with glittering treasures and stage-searing spells. With six heroes to master and secret paths to traverse, Dragon’s Crown is as rewarding as it is beautiful.

Ryan Clements, US PlayStation.Blog

Spelunky — A game about dying in the jungle in a way you can’t imagine. A thrilling economy of risk, Spelunky trades in chutzpah as much as it does in skill and knowledge. Every one of Spelunky’s pieces fits together like it couldn’t have happened any other way; it’s a Perfect Video Game, as such things go, and beyond perfect on Vita. — Nick Suttner, PlayStation Blogcast

Best Digital Release 2013

PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards 2013: Best Digital Release Platinum

Resogun

Resogun
A tight race between Resogun and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon ultimately went in favor of Housemarque’s addictive shmup for the Platinum prize. The newly released Minecraft: PS3 Edition and Guacamelee! also scored highly, just outpacing critical hits Hotline Miami and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.

PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards 2013: Editor's Choice Award

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PS3) – At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Starbreeze’s daring new PlayStation Store title. Controlling two characters simultaneously, one with each analog stick, is novel. But Brothers backs it up with a story worth telling and characters worth caring about.

— Sid Shuman, US PlayStation.Blog

Guacamelee! (PS3/PS Vita) – Drinkbox threw a bunch of my favourite things into a blender – classic Metroidvania mechanics, primary colours, Mexican food, chicken punching – and came up with a predictably heady confection. In a year of cracking 2D platformers, this was el pijama del gato (thank you, Google Translate).

— Fred Dutton, EU PlayStation.Blog

Super Motherload (PS4) — There’s a special sort of fun in tunneling deep beneath the surface of Mars, collecting precious ores, and unlocking game-changing upgrades. Super Motherload encourages smart plays with ore combinations, special items, and puzzles. Highly recommended.

— Ryan Clements, US PlayStation.Blog

Spelunky (PS3/PS Vita) — Yep, more Spelunky. With the inspired Daily Challenge feature, I think I might slot it into my routine right after brushing my teeth before bed, until I’m stinky bones in the ground.

— Nick Suttner, PlayStation Blogcast

Most Anticipated 2014 Game

PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards 2013: Most Anticipated Platinum

inFAMOUS Second Son

inFAMOUS Second Son
Sucker Punch’s eagerly awaited inFAMOUS Second Son, out March 21st, handily scored the most votes, with Watch_Dogs, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, and Destiny duking it out for the remaining spots. Competition was fierce in this category, with strong showings from The Order: 1886, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Dark Souls II. One thing’s clear: the 2014 game lineup is looking bright indeed.

PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards 2013: Editor's Choice Award

Destiny (PS3/PS4) – “Well, duh. It’s Bungie. If the epic story and seamless co-op play don’t get me, the competitive play surely will. Also: Bungie.”

— Sid Shuman, Manager, US PlayStation Blog

Transistor (PS4) – “Everything about Transistor appeals directly to my interests: a surreal, futuristic painted art style, an ominous soundtrack backed by butterfly-inducing, melancholy vocals, a clever new battle system that mixes real-time action with turn-based strategy, and the coolest use of DualShock 4’s light bar we’ve seen yet (it pulses when the sword talks!). We don’t know a ton about Transistor yet, but I’ve got my gaze fixed squarely on it heading into 2014.”

— Justin Massongill, US PlayStation Blog

Dark Souls II (PS3) – “Just hook it to my veins.”

— Fred Dutton, Manager, EU PlayStation.Blog

The Witness (PS4) – “I’ve been bestowed with more of a sneak peek than most, so I can’t say too much, but you also don’t need to play very far into The Witness to see the brilliance behind its puzzle design and world-building (and stunning aesthetic, of course). It’s something truly special, and even in an indie paradise of Transistor, N++, Sportsfriends and Octodad (wow!), it’s still my most-anticipated game.”

— Nick Suttner, PlayStation Blogcast

inFAMOUS Second Son (PS4) – Sucker Punch. That is all.

— Lorenzo Grajales, Latin America PlayStation.Blog

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109 Comments

12 Author Replies

  • Well, my favorites were Dragon’s Crown and Ys Memories of Celceta.

  • 2013 was truly an amazing year of gaming on the PS3, and the current and upcoming games on all the systems look to be intriguing. Can’t wait for inFamous and Dark Souls 2!

  • Cant wait for 2014 on PS4.

  • The Last Guardian didn’t win any Most Anticipated 2014 Game award :( That makes me a sad panda.

  • So close to being first. Oh well. Glad to see soul sacrifice got fourth! Hundreds of hours of fun and worth every penny! Wish tomb Raider had done better, seriously underrated game!

    Merry Christmas to all and to all long gaming nights!

  • Yo, no Ys: Memories of Celceta for us gamers to pick in the original poll? Kind of disappointed man…seeing as it’s also one of the best Vita games just recently released in 2013.

    Thanks to based XSEED for bringing it to us.

    Now Gio Corsi and Shahid…about that #jrpgvita list…

  • i’m glad my votes helped ACIV and inFamous win!!

  • Nice, all winners are as I voted :)

    Can’t wait to play inFAMOUS: Second Son

  • My personal picks
    PS4 Game of the Year 2013
    Battlefield 4
    PS3 Game of the Year 2013
    The Last of Us
    Best Digital Release 2013
    Resogun
    Most anticipated game of 2014
    Tom Clancy’s The Division

  • Oh yeah, Ni Nu Nana representin’ for PS3! And its a crime Dragon’s Crown didn’t make it for Vita

  • One of the best years for the PlayStation family. PS3 killed it, PS Vita had a strong, if not very original, lineup. PS4 was the weakest link, but it’s just the beginning and the most anticipated games point to that. For me PS3 still has a pretty strong upcoming year to go : DARK SOULS II, FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 collection, FFXIII-3, Tales of Xillia 2, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5, and also getting some good cross-gen games like MGSV GZ, and Destiny, Watch Dogs.

  • So the winners are gonna be on sale or something ?
    Whats the prize?

  • This year awesome. Naughty Dog truly killed! I am now happy that The Last of Us has finally received its GOTY award that it truly deserves. :)

  • Thanks for putting this together Blog Team, this is a great perspective of the amount of quality games that released in 2013, and makes 2014 even more exciting!

  • Well, none of my favourites came out on to top, but I can’t disagree with the winners either. Great year to be a Vita gamer. Had a lot of fun with a crazy variety of titles.

    Heck, I don’t think I played more than one game in the same genre.

  • Awesome results! I’m glad to see Ni No Kuni up there!

    Also, I don’t want to be rude, but the names are mixed up in multiple places, especially in the quotes.

  • Nice. Some of my choices are they like Tearaway :)

    I suppose the winners aren’t going to be on sale or something like that, right? (Excluding “Most Anticipated 2014 Game” of course)

  • good god. Minecrap got released last week .. and it got Silver ? UGH what is wrong with the Gaming Community these days. other games deserve it much much more then Minecrap besides the IP Owner of Minecrap don’t care about us Sony users i would award them anything but a Turd of the year if anything.

  • woo hoo tearaway !!!!!!!!!

  • There should be a Christmas Sale for the game winners. Or wishful thinking Plus members should have a 1 game free from the list that they wish to download……just my 2 cents

  • Castlevania Lords Of Shadow 2!! not even nominated!?!?

  • For me the best releases on PS3 were Gran Turismo 6 and Ratchet & Clank Into the Nexus.

    On PS4 Resogun. To be honest, the game of the Year for me is Resogun. It’s just ridiculous how addicting that freaken game is. It’s my childhood memories of gaming meshed with electronic music style I love, with amazing 1080p visuals running in flawless 60 frames a second.

    Next year my #1 game on list is Infamous Second Son. Then comes along my waiting for Driveclub, Destiny, The Order 1886, The Division, The Crew, Kingdom Hearts 3, along with hopes for at least an announcement of Gran Turismo 7, new Crash Bandicoot, and new Ratchet & Clank all for PS4.

  • No love for GTA V? For shame!

  • Almost all my picks were accurate =D
    Though Minecraft PS3 Edition got silver? Didn’t it just come out last week or so? Too short a time to judge it a GOTY in my opinion.

  • You’d better make a Knack sequel anyway!

  • I know this is based on user votes but why are we rewarding a PS4 game that, while great, has some of the glitchiest trophies that blocks out users from two Trophies only because they have more than 100 friends? Even though they are aware, and despite the multitude of complaints and tickets issued (I had to delete over 40+ friends) – I never got to enjoy the 100+ PSN friends feature and made meeting new people on PSN a daunting task?

    Some issues are expected at launch, but to have a game 40 days after release without a fix of problems that lock us out of the Trophies is just not GOTY worthy. You can’t access the Kenway Fleet and, without buying an add-on for Elite upgrades, upgrading your ship to max is out of the question. Ditto for Sharing is Caring, and thirty hours of gaming, and a trophy glitching out on me no less, I had to start anew, so there goes my progress.

    Is it a good game? Absolutely. Did they work hard on it? Definitely. But what was supposed to be a fun game turned out to be a source of frustration for many Trophy hunters.

    My point is: we shouldn’t reward games that have glitchy Trophies that, 40 days post launch, still continue to exist.

    But at the same time, it’s what was voted for, I guess.

  • Sid Shuman r u Okay? Cause I’m Not

  • I’m so happy Ni No Kuni was chosen as one of the best PS3 games of the year, it really was an unforgettable experience.

  • Little surprised and disappointed Dark Souls 2 didnt make the top for most anticipated. GT6 and Dark Souls are the main reason I have kept my ps3 after I bought my ps4.

  • My picks:

    PS4 Game of the Year – Resogun

    PS3 Game of the Year – Hatsune Miku Project Diva F

    Most Anticipated 2014 Game – Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix

  • Even though I own most of these, any word on whether you will do a “2013 Best Of” sale? I feel like in the past, the winners of these GOTY were on sale the next week…

    Either way happy holidays to the whole blog crew!

  • Wow! Im glad I picked up Tearaway during the flash sale , I was pretty certainy KZ: Mercenery would take that Platinum.

  • last year there was a sale on every winner. Nothing this year. Sony are getting so lazy is not even funny

  • Can we have music on the PS VITA, when we launch a game? Just like the PS3 and PSP menu?
    it’s way “cooler” than the boring depressing devastating PS Vita background music

  • Destiny is way more anticipated and Watch Dogs

    but it’s the majority ..

    PS
    Can we have music on the PS VITA, when we launch a game? Just like the PS3 and PSP menu?
    it’s way “cooler” than the boring depressing devastating PS Vita background music

  • 1886 ’nuff said. Once people see more of this game, they will regret their choice.

  • I can’t believe The Order didn’t place on the most anticipated.

  • Exactly the games I voted for… looks like a lot of PS users have good taste too ;) 2013 was great… now I’m ready to see what you can do in 2014.

  • Lovely collection. Now reward your beloved Plus Members and make these games hit IGC. <3

  • Best vita game should have been killzone mercenary its the first game to push vita to its limits i dont understand why tearaway won for ps vita to survive we need more games like killzone mortal kombat need for speed uncharted assassins creed batman origins ect stop focusing on kiddy games like tearaway the vita has power USE IT!!!!!

  • Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was my favorite game this year.

  • The Last Of Us, great choice and one of my favorites but Far Cry Blood Dragon was horrible and Minecraft PS3 was just released six days ago so I call BS there.

  • Finished Tearaway yesterday… such a perfect little game… goin’ for the platinum now

    Tearaway, The Last of US, Ni No Kuni, Beyond Two Souls, Journey, Flower and so much more… are the reasons why I choose to play Playstation most of the time… Those games are made with extra love and passion…. things that you don’t see so often elsewhere…

    Thanks for such awesome experiences, Playstation guys

  • I oddly 100% agree with everything BUT “Killzone Shadow Fall”
    This game was the BIGGEST disappoint BY FAR! how it got 2nd best game is beyond. Did it look amazing? Of course, what happened to the gameplay. It was such a step backwards from Killzone 2 and 3. Killzone Merc for Vita was such a better game and the MP was so forgettable next to BF4. The story was contrived and predictable. ]

    Also, pernaonly I would swap Watch Dogs and Infamous… but get that Sony would “put” an elusive in 1st place.

  • So glad to see The Last of Us get the love it deserves! It’s my personal game of the generation. GTA V was excellent as well but it’s essentially the same excellence they’ve been delivering since GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas on the PS2.

  • Best Digital Game = Guacamelee!

  • I’m happy to see PlayStation fans picked Tearaway as the Vita Game of The Year for 2013. Every Vita owner needs to buy this amazing game!

  • Awesome! All the games I voted for won. =D.

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