1. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
A prime example of how a remake should be handled - Firaxis made a great job at paying a tribute to a classic while maintaining their own identity and imprint. The end result is a game so addictive and satisfying, it not only tops my GOTY list but also can easily stare in the original's - a game widely considered as one of the best of all times - eye without a flinch in my opinion. The bug fixing by the devs is a little slow, but that's my only noteworthy gripe with this game.

2. Thomas Was Alone
Somewhat clunky mechanics, relatively easy puzzles (and only a limited amount of truly interesting ones), short time span and little replayability - these are the things I am apparently willing to sacrifice in favor of a well thought, well written, exciting and engaging narrative. A journey everyone should experience.

3. Mark of the Ninja
What can be said about the poor man's Dishonored really? Be prepared for a remarkably engaging and deep gameplay and a truly fancy design. The story has a promise as well, which sadly falls somewhat flat due to lack of proper leverage (the transition from the grindhouse silliness of Shank 1 and 2 to something more serious proved to be a harder task than expected I guess).

4. Dark Souls
Yeah yeah, I know it's been out for a year on consoles, but I don't own one so I only got to experience it just recently, so fuck off. DaS is another game I adore despite its flaws and some terrible design choices (a.k.a. the stuff people usually praise it for because I'm a hippie). The absolute high points of the game, in my opinion, are the meticulous attention to details and the profoundly thought out, incredibly morbid and fucked in the head lore and overall design; if only it was more streamlined, no one would be as much as mentioning Spec Ops: The Line these days. I also praise it for being different, a quality that's highly rated these days. Tends to switch places with #3 on a whim.

5. Max Payne 3
Some reviewers regard it as the epitome of the shooter, and I can't say I disagree. I'm also perfectly fine with one of the most popular criticisms of this game - its long and unskippable cutscenes, since I do enjoy focusing on the story when present. The story itself gets very stupid very quick, but at the same time feels sufficiently rounded (the interaction between Max and Passos felt more believable and interesting than the one between Max and Mona in MP2, for example). The game also look gorgeous but who cares really.


Honorable mentions:
Spec Ops: The Line - lost the tie-breaker to Max Payne 3 and comes at a close sixth place while conveniently avoiding the incongruity caused by #4 in my list. The story, while somewhat bursting at its seams and indecisive about what it's trying to accomplish, evokes a very palpable atmosphere of discomfort, and is basically the one key feature that sets this otherwise competent shooter apart from the rest of the herd.

Hotline Miami - here's a challenging game done mostly right; despite its knack for cheap shots (pun totally intended), its challenge/difficulty is mostly optional yet extremely satisfying once you decide to embrace it; nothing feels as good as the hubris of patting your self on the shoulder after an intricate, lightning fast spree that started with a cue in one's face and culminated in an A+ rating at the end of the level. Super Meat Boy would be proud. It's also worth noting the perfectly tailored soundtrack and the outlandish plot that constantly keeps taking sharp turns just when you think you had everything figured out (although the true potential of the premise remains largely unfulfilled).

We, the super advanced ethereals, are going to terrorize humans as an experiment, just to find out if they're strong and psionically gifted and hope that they won't kill us in return when we show up and lecture them...???