DDNet's Games of the year 2013: PC Game of the Year

A couple of months ago we asked you to vote on your favourite games of the year (up to the end of October, except for the blockbuster of the year award, which is still running now on the site). You've voted and now, in the coming weeks, we will unveil the results.

The process: Earlier in the year we asked you, our readers, to rank nine different games per category in order of preference (or how interested you are in a game, if you haven't played it before). We have taken those rankings, averaged them up, and the resulting list below are the top four games - three runners up and the winner.

Thanks largely to Steam, the PC has undergone a resurgeance in recent years. No longer is it for the most dedicated of gamers, and no longer is it the most niche of game developers that support PC over consoles; PC once again gets all the major game releases, and has a thriving indie and art scene backing the AAA-releases up. So what did you vote as your favourite games of the year for PC?

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DDNet's Games of the year 2013: PlayStation Vita Game of the Year

A couple of months ago we asked you to vote on your favourite games of the year (up to the end of October, except for the blockbuster of the year award, which is still running now on the site). You've voted and now, in the coming weeks, we will unveil the results.

The process: Earlier in the year we asked you, our readers, to rank nine different games per category in order of preference (or how interested you are in a game, if you haven't played it before). We have taken those rankings, averaged them up, and the resulting list below are the top four games - three runners up and the winner.

The Vita might not be setting the sales charts alight, but that's not from a lack of game quality. The Vita has some truly incredible games available on it... provided you're willing to look beyond AAA-grade games for smaller and independent releases.

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DDNet's Games of the year 2013: 3DS Game of the Year

A couple of months ago we asked you to vote on your favourite games of the year (up to the end of October, except for the blockbuster of the year award, which is still running now on the site). You've voted and now, in the coming weeks, we will unveil the results.

The process: Earlier in the year we asked you, our readers, to rank nine different games per category in order of preference (or how interested you are in a game, if you haven't played it before). We have taken those rankings, averaged them up, and the resulting list below are the top four games - three runners up and the winner.

The 3DS is a powerhouse of a console and has seen no end of quality games released in 2013. But there can only be one winner... the big question is whether it was a Nintendo-published title or a third party game that picked up the gong.

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DDNet's Games of the year 2013: iOS Game of the Year

A couple of months ago we asked you to vote on your favourite games of the year (up to the end of October, except for the blockbuster of the year award, which is still running now on the site). You've voted and now, in the coming weeks, we will unveil the results.

The process: Earlier in the year we asked you, our readers, to rank nine different games per category in order of preference (or how interested you are in a game, if you haven't played it before). We have taken those rankings, averaged them up, and the resulting list below are the top four games - three runners up and the winner.

Though some traditionalists continue to hold out, more and more people are realising just how good the iPad and iPhone is for a host of games. Sure platformers and FPSers are often still patchy, but RPGs and strategy games, as you'll see below, offer some killer quality gameplay at a cheap price.

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DDNet's Games of the year 2013: Indie Game of the Year

A couple of months ago we asked you to vote on your favourite games of the year (up to the end of October, except for the blockbuster of the year award, which is still running now on the site). You've voted and now, in the coming weeks, we will unveil the results.

The process: Earlier in the year we asked you, our readers, to rank nine different games per category in order of preference (or how interested you are in a game, if you haven't played it before). We have taken those rankings, averaged them up, and the resulting list below are the top four games - three runners up and the winner.

Indie games provide us with a wide range of experiences that the larger publishers would never take a risk with. And as a consequence the indie game industry provides us with some of the most creative an innovative experiences that you can find.

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DDNet's Games of the Year 2013: Arthouse Game of the Year

A couple of months ago we asked you to vote on your favourite games of the year (up to the end of October, except for the blockbuster of the year award, which is still running now on the site). You've voted and now, in the coming weeks, we will unveil the results.

The process: Earlier in the year we asked you, our readers, to rank nine different games per category in order of preference (or how interested you are in a game, if you haven't played it before). We have taken those rankings, averaged them up, and the resulting list below are the top four games - three runners up and the winner.

Games that make you think. Games that inspire you. Games that make you wish you could study games at university; arthouse games are a topic dear to the hearts of many of us here at Digitally Downloaded, and the below four games are the finest examples that we've seen this year.

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DDNet's Games of the year 2013: Best Visual Design award

A couple of months ago we asked you to vote on your favourite games of the year (up to the end of October, except for the blockbuster of the year award, which is still running now on the site). You've voted and now, in the coming weeks, we will unveil the results.

The process: Earlier in the year we asked you, our readers, to rank nine different games per category in order of preference (or how interested you are in a game, if you haven't played it before). We have taken those rankings, averaged them up, and the resulting list below are the top four games - three runners up and the winner.

A good visual style certainly enhances a game's experience. Whether to illicit an emotional response, charm us with cute character design, or draw us into an intense, realistic battlefield, it's the art style of the game that is our most immediate and obvious connection to any game that we're playing.

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DDNet's Games of the year 2013: Best Narrative award

A couple of months ago we asked you to vote on your favourite games of the year (up to the end of October, except for the blockbuster of the year award, which is still running now on the site). You've voted and now, in the coming weeks, we will unveil the results.

The process: Earlier in the year we asked you, our readers, to rank nine different games per category in order of preference (or how interested you are in a game, if you haven't played it before). We have taken those rankings, averaged them up, and the resulting list below are the top four games - three runners up and the winner.

Narrative is such an important part of a good game. It can enhance the gameplay to create a truly emotional experience, or indeed even be the very core of the experience. A good narrative can make a bad game bearable, or a good game truly memorable. And so, for many of us at Digitally Downloaded, this was the most important category of all.

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DDNet's Games of the year 2013: Australian Game Of The Year award

A couple of months ago we asked you to vote on your favourite games of the year (up to the end of October, except for the blockbuster of the year award, which is still running now on the site). You've voted and now, in the coming weeks, we will unveil the results.

The process: Earlier in the year we asked you, our readers, to rank nine different games per category in order of preference (or how interested you are in a game, if you haven't played it before). We have taken those rankings, averaged them up, and the resulting list below are the top four games - three runners up and the winner.

First up is Australian game of the year. Digitally Downloaded is an Australian games publication, and we like to support the local industry wherever possible. The local industry has gone through some interesting times in recent years, but one thing is certain - where innovation is key (especially on mobile platforms) Aussie developers know what's what.

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Last chance! Vote for your favourite games of the year!

It's the last week before we close our game of the year awards voting, so if you haven't cast your vote yet, be sure to do it now!

Now, I know what you're thinking "why so early in the year? The really big games haven't been released yet!" That's true, but 2013 has been such a strong year for games that we felt the need to basically split the year in two.

In other words, this survey is for all the games up to Grand Theft Auto V. In December we will be opening up the "Blockbuster of the Year" award, and that will include games like GTA, Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed and Zelda: Wind Waker. We haven't forgotten about those games, we promise!

(The blockbuster of the year award will be opened mid-late November)

So for a game to qualify it needs to have been released for the first time somewhere in the world in 2013, between January 1 and mid-September. Re-releases are OK, as long as it's the first time the game has appeared on that platform. Therefore Persona 4 on the Vita has made the list this year because it's the first time the game has appeared on the Vita.

And of course we want to thank people for participating in the survey. We have game packs up for grabs. For now, there are 20 copies of indie PC title, Irridium, and two lucky winners will also nab a code for Lone Survivor: Director's Cut on PlayStation Vita (US code). We will have more prizes to offer in coming weeks. 

So here's how voting works this year; for each category there are nine games. These have been selected by the DDNet staff as the games we think have been the most impressive in their respective categories for the year.

Your job is to order them, from 1 (the best game) to 9 (the least impressive) based on your own thoughts of the games. If you haven't played the game, that's OK, just list them in order of which you would like to play them.

Each question is mandatory, so if you don't have an Xbox 360, please still fill out the Xbox 360 section.

At the end, be sure to drop your information in to be in the running for the prizes. That data is kept completely anonymous and there is no way that we can link your responses to your name.

If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments, but otherwise thank you in advance for your participation, and good luck to your favourite games!

- The DDNet Team. 

Click Here To Cast Your Vote

(Results will start to be published on the Digitally Downloaded site in December)

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Vote for your favourite games of the year! Win free games!

It's that time of year again! As we get close to the end of the year we take the votes to figure out what the best games of 2013 were.

Now, I know what you're thinking "why so early in the year? The really big games haven't been released yet!" That's true, but 2013 has been such a strong year for games that we felt the need to basically split the year in two.

In other words, this survey is for all the games up to Grand Theft Auto V. In December we will be opening up the "Blockbuster of the Year" award, and that will include games like GTA, Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed and Zelda: Wind Waker. We haven't forgotten about those games, we promise!

So for a game to qualify it needs to have been released for the first time somewhere in the world in 2013, between January 1 and mid-September. Re-releases are OK, as long as it's the first time the game has appeared on that platform. Therefore Persona 4 on the Vita has made the list this year because it's the first time the game has appeared on the Vita.

And of course we want to thank people for participating in the survey. We have game packs up for grabs. For now, there are 20 copies of indie PC title, Irridium, and two lucky winners will also nab a code for Lone Survivor: Director's Cut on PlayStation Vita (US code). We will have more prizes to offer in coming weeks. 

So here's how voting works this year; for each category there are nine games. These have been selected by the DDNet staff as the games we think have been the most impressive in their respective categories for the year.

Your job is to order them, from 1 (the best game) to 9 (the least impressive) based on your own thoughts of the games. If you haven't played the game, that's OK, just list them in order of which you would like to play them.

Each question is mandatory, so if you don't have an Xbox 360, please still fill out the Xbox 360 section.

At the end, be sure to drop your information in to be in the running for the prizes. That data is kept completely anonymous and there is no way that we can link your responses to your name.

If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments, but otherwise thank you in advance for your participation, and good luck to your favourite games!

- The DDNet Team. 

Click Here To Cast Your Vote

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