Top 5 Games I Played This Year

Note:  There are several games that could have been on this that I did not get my hands on early enough to finish in time to make this list.  I imagine a game like A Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds probably would have made my list, but I've only played it through the first dungeon.  I don't have any of the new consoles yet either, so none of those appear here either.

A couple honorable mentions:

DMC: Devil May Cry:  A really fun hack and slash action game with some wacky scenery.

The Stanley Parable:  I just finished this game today and it comes highly recommended.  I've never played anything like it.

Now, for the list!

5.  Dragon's Crown (PS3 and Vita)

Dragon's Crown blended side scrolling beat em ups with western style rpgs in a way that only Vanillaware could have made work.  With the addition of co-op multiplayer that has cross-play between the Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita versions, this one is really hard to put down.

4.  Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)

The best entry is a series already filled with greatness, Fire Emblem: Awakening took the route of perfecting the strategy rpg, rather than reinventing it, and it paid off.  There are hundreds of hours you could put into this game, and it's easily the hardest game of the year to put down.

3.  Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS)

Not only is it a long time coming for a new game in the main series, but it feels like a return to it's classic jrpg roots, after playing all the spinoffs for the past 10 years or so.  Considering the game is huge and could easily be billed as Pokemon for adults, it's a wonder why more people aren't latching on to this series.

2.  Bioshock Infinite (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

A twisting and emotional story, frantic gunplay and a beautiful world make Bioshock Infinite a hard game to ignore for anyone's best game of the year list.  First person shooters like this make you wonder how other franchises can churn out the same game every year and get away with it.

1.  Final Fantasy XIV:  A Realm Reborn (PC, PS3, soon to be PS4)  

I could write pages about how much I love this game.  It's everything the original game was not.  While you could criticize the game for not doing very much different for the MMORPG genre, the game has managed to perfect nearly everything it borrows.  With a huge world, gorgeous landscapes and tight controls, any fan of MMORPGs or Final Fantasy will feel right at home in Eorzea.

So what games did you like this year?  Anything I overlooked?  Something I didn't play and need to?