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IndieGAF Community GOTY Voting

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Voting CLOSED
4hW7ix3.gif

Voting CLOSED

Welcome! This is going to be a really hard task, I know. I suggest reading this post carefully because this voting is a bit.. different than the usual ones. Let me explain how we'll handle this:

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| Which games can we vote on? |
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This is a community vote, so we'll vote on the PC games (yes, restricted to PC, as other platforms, like iOS, doesnt make sense if 90% of us havent played games on that platform) we, as a community, played last year. This means you can vote for any game in any of these threads:
... or any other PC Indie game that released in 2013 up until December 1st, in case we missed including a particular favourite game of yours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Why is this thread in the Community section? |
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I will not advertise this thread outside of the Indie thread, but I will post the banner of the voting thread and a short text on the top of every page of the Indie thread to steer Indie thread regulars into the voting thread. Additionally, I will make a list of every user who voted during a monthly voting in the last year and write them a PM to let them know of the open voting. The reason for this and the creation in the community section is that I want to steer people to the voting thread that actually read the threads/participated in the past monthly votings, and avoid being flooded by the very sizeable amount of users who only played the "biggest" Indie Games.

This is not a general GOTY voting, but a community voting, so I think this should help better represent the opinion and favourite games of the users over in the monthly threads.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| How will the voting work? |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The only thing you need to know:
You need to provide a list of 20 games, among which you will automatically share 210 points based on your ranking. You dont need to give any points, you simply rank the games. You are free to give multiple ranks to the different games, which in turn means that you skip the following places that would normally correspond to these ranks, like in this example:
1.lkjasd
2.gaksjd
2.gfsa
2.asdh
5.lkjasd: Reloaded

Additionally,you are free to include a second list of up to 30 more games, which will not directly get "points", but only Honor points, which will decide any draws these games might have. Consider it rank 1-50, divided into two lists.

If you want to know more anyway:
The reasoning for this voting system is to allow people freedom over how to judge their games, if you want to rate 20 games in the first place, that is perfectly fine but they will share the total amount of points you will give to your voted games.
The first 20 games will get proper points, like in this example:
1. 20 points
2. 19 points
3. 18 points
4. 17 points
5. 16 points

If you decide to give the same rank to multiple games, these games will get the average amount these ranks would correspond to, like in this example:
1. 20 points
2. 18 points - (19 + 18 + 17) / 3
2. 18 points - (19 + 18 + 17) / 3
2. 18 points - (19 + 18 + 17) / 3
5. 16 points

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| What are we going to use this thread for? |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two main things:
1. Your voting posts. Feel free to post an incomplete list with games you keep track of and edit that post until the end of the voting period. Do not post more than one voting post, but please edit your voting post if you already created one.

2. Posts about games you think deserve a mention. If we look at this thread, it should be preferably filled with lots of posts about what makes all these Indie Games so good and why others should play them to include them in their lists. It is fine to post an older post about a game if you consider this post still representative of your current opinion and think it properly expresses why the game is as good as you think it is.

Any posts about the regular december voting, general Indie talk and similar issues still go into the current Indie thread:
Indie Games [December]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| What are we going to do after the voting? |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once the voting and vote tallying is done, I'll create a proper thread in the Gaming section, showing off the result as a "Best Indie Games last year we think you should be playing." with proper descriptions and pictures/gifs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Who the hell made that awesome banner? |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A round of applause for Chainsawkitten, everyone.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Example voting list (I simply took our april thread voting results)

List 1
  • 1. Papers Please
  • 2. Factorio
  • 3. Kentucky Route Zero
  • 4. Slave of God
  • 4. Gorogoa
  • 4. The Sea will claim everything
  • 7. Cesure
  • 7. Jelly no Puzzle
  • 7. Maldita Castilla
  • 7. Starseed Pilgrim
  • 11. Back to Bed
  • 11. Bientot
  • 11. Zineth
  • 11. Proteus
  • 11. Thirty Flights of Loving
  • 16. Cognition
  • 16. Steam Marines
  • 16. Melodisle
  • 16. Mirror Moon

List 2:

  • 21. Kyoto
  • 21. StarDrive
  • 21. Tower of the Gorillion
  • 24. 6180 the Moon
  • 25. Planet Explorers
 
Just listing out what I can remember, to be sorted and ranked later
Edit: getting there, got my top 20 separated and I think my top 5 are set. Now that hard part is ranking the rest

1. Project Zomboid
2. Outer Wilds
3. NEO Scavenger
4. The Stanley Parable
5. Doorkickers
6. Broforce
7. The Swapper
8. Papers Please
9. Spelunky
10. Fez
11. Running With Rifles
12. Assault Android Cactus
13. One Finger Death Punch
14. Full Bore
15. Prison Architect
16. Mirrormoon EP
17. Sang Froid
18. Gods Will Be Watching
19. SuperHOT
20. Westerado

21. Teleglitch
22. Sir You Are Being Hunted
23. FTL
24. Beyond Perception
25. Tower of Guns
26. Volgarr The Viking
27. Towerclimb
28. Constant C
29. BLEED
30. Pid
 

Hofmann

Member
I might as well post my WIP list. I believe the top 5 is set in stone.


  1. Kentucky Route Zero
  2. Little Inferno
  3. Shelter
  4. MirrorMoon EP
  5. 18 Cadence
  6. The Stanley Parable
  7. Papo & Yo
  8. Kairo
  9. Papers, please!
  10. Slave of God
  11. Proteus
  12. Paradis Perdus
  13. Bientot l'ete
  14. Antichamber
  15. Fjords
  16. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  17. Starseed Pilgrim
  18. Postmortem
  19. Gone Home
  20. Waking Mars



I had a great time with you too, so no hard feelings.

21. Thirty Flights of Loving
22. Gorogoa
23. Memory of a Broken Dimension
24. Paradise
25. Fez
26. Irrational Exuberance
27. Full Bore
28. Souvenir
29. The Swapper
30. Drei
31. Ergon / Logos
32. Icefishing V
33. Remembering
34. Blues for Mittavinda
35. Katabasis
36. GeoGuessr
37. Gods will be watching
38. Outer Wilds
39. Oknytt
40. Outdoor Camping for Deboned Poultry
41. Sluggish Morss
42. Anonyma Kroppar
43. Kyoto
44. We Are in the Woods
45. Time Frame
46. Fuaim
 
This is just a bunch of crap I'm dumping, so don't take it seriously right now until I figure out which ones are eligible.

  1. Papers Please
  2. Zeno Clash 2
  3. Kentucky Route Zero
  4. The Novelist
  5. Gunpoint
  6. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  7. Guacamelee
  8. MirrorMoon EP
  9. Gone Home
  10. Depression Quest
  11. Proteus
  12. Antichamber
  13. The Stanley Parable
  14. Volgarr the Viking
  15. The Swapper
  16. Full Bore
  17. State of Decay
  18. Rogue Legacy
  19. Bitch Fuck Tits
  20. Call of Booty: The Assinine Adventures
 

daydream

Banned
Reserving a spot and posting a bunch of games that'll end up somewhere on my list (or not, since I haven't played them yet, or they may not have come out this year).

Edit: Top 20 is almost there now.

Edit 2: Final stretch! Only a handful of games I need to spend some time with to place semi-accurately on the list.

Edit 3: Aaand.. done.

1. Kentucky Route Zero
2. Rogue Legacy
3. Gone Home
4. Gunpoint
5. Full Bore
6. La-Mulana
7. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
8. Fez
9. SUPER HOT
10. Volgarr the Viking
11. Papers Please!
12. MirrorMoon EP
13. Risk of Rain
14. The Swapper
15. The Stanley Parable
16. Ripple Dot Zero
17. Westerado
18. Tetrobot and Co.
19. RIP
20. Valdis Story: The Abyssal City

Honourable mentions:

21. Knights of Pen and Paper
22. Dust: An Elysian Tail
23. Shadowrun Returns
24. State of Decay
25. Super House of Dead Ninjas
26. Beyond Perception
27. Mercenary Kings
28. Postmortem
29. Ittle Dew
30. Paradis Perdus
31. Cart Life
32. Bleed
33. Nuclear Throne
34. Frogatto
35. Spuds Quest
36. Reprisal
37. DeioS
38. Soundodger+
39. Finding Teddy
40. Shelter
41. Fuaim
42. Super Puzzle Platformer DX
43. Fakteur
44. Case and Bot in Murder in the Hotel Lisbon
45. Maldita Castilla
46. Boson X
47. 1000 Amps
48. Cave! Cave! Deus Videt
49. Gods Will Be Watching
50. Speedrunners
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...

If you want to post write ups about individual games, please give each game an individual post and include a screenshot. Your list can still include short texts like the ones you have now however.
 
If you want to post write ups about individual games, please give each game an individual post and include a screenshot. Your list can still include short texts like the ones you have now however.
Okay, wasn't sure if you want 20 individual posts or not in the thread. No problem
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Okay, wasn't sure if you want 20 individual posts or not in the thread. No problem

Yeah, looking through this thread, it would be nice to have a collection of in depth explanations on why certain games deserve it.
 
Westerado
http://games.adultswim.com/westerado-action-online-game.html

Take one of my favorite genres, the western, and give it an atmospheric pixel art look, with gorgeous sunsets and windswept cemeteries. Then add an intriguing, randomly generated murder mystery set in an open world, and that Adult Swim humor and polish. That's why Westerado is worth playing

Defining moment: Hard to pick just one, yet oddly enough, I think the fast travel screen captures the essence of the game the best, as you ride on your horse past the setting sun in perfectly pixelated Spaghetti Western style
 

CzarTim

Member
1. Outer Wilds
2. Gunpoint
3. NEO Scavenger
4. SuperHOT
5. Divekick
6. Prison Architect
7. Fez
8. Mirrormoon EP
9. CardHunter
10. Spelunky
11. Full Bore
12. The Stanley Parable
13. Little Inferno
14. Cook, Serve, Delicious!
15. Papers Please
16. Starsector
17. Scrolls
18. Reus
19. Game Dev Tycoon
20. 7 Grand Steps
 

Hofmann

Member
I think I should drop Gorogoa and MOABD as they are just early demos. Now I need to think what to put in their place - FEZ, Brothers, Waking Mars or Full Bore. Gonna be hard.
 
SuperHOT - Free (Browser)
http://superhotgame.com

SuperHOT may not be that long or that deep, but it's an fantastic promise of what's to come. The minimalist visuals only add to the beauty of slow motion killing, as enemies crumple from your gunfire and blood sprays gracefully through the air; the red-white pallet makes every shot, every impact stand out. You have to constantly be on the move, be counting your shots, be positioning yourself, and be aware of your enemies and surroundings. SuperHOT is still merely just the genesis of a upcoming expanded game, but this early version is still incredibly well-designed, down to the slick slow motion effect, the minimalist visuals, and the puzzle-shooter gameplay.

Defining moment: The first time you sidestep between bullets as your own rounds blows an enemy away and the blood spray lights up the clean white rooms...all in wonderful slow motion
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
I think I should drop Gorogoa and MOABD as they are just early demos. Now I need to think what to put in their place - FEZ, Brothers, Waking Mars or Full Bore. Gonna be hard.

I had a hard time with Gorogoa as well. I am totally in love with it, but as far as full goty votes go.. other games probably deserved it more. Hard choice.
 

Wok

Member
Top 20 2013

  1. Spelunky
  2. Gone Home
  3. Antichamber
  4. Tetrobot and Co.
  5. The Sea Will Claim Everything
  6. SpyParty
  7. Out There Somewhere
  8. The Swapper
  9. Gunpoint
  10. The Stanley Parable
  11. Kentucky Route Zero
  12. Gorogoa
  13. Gateways
  14. Qasir Al Wasat: A Night in Between
  15. La-Mulana
  16. Tri
  17. Clairvoyance
  18. Scrolls
  19. Cook, Serve, Delicious
  20. Ironclad Tactics

Honorable Mentions

  1. Waking Mars
  2. FEZ
  3. Monaco
  4. Guacamelee!
  5. Pid
  6. Dust: An Elysian Tail
  7. Toki Tori 2
  8. Wooden Sen'Sey
  9. Cubicity
  10. The Bridge
  11. Full Bore
  12. Superhot
  13. Shelter
  14. Papers, Please
  15. 7 Grand Steps
  16. Ethan: Meteor Hunter
  17. The Yawhg
  18. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  19. Papo & Yo
  20. 1000 Amps
  21. Super Splatters
  22. Incredipede
  23. MouseCraft
  24. Anodyne
  25. Little Inferno
  26. Whispers of the Goddess
  27. Chess the Gathering
  28. Temple of the Water God
  29. Cave! Cave! Deus Videt
  30. Souvenir

Need to play

  • Teslagrad

Released after December 1, 2013 so not technically in

  • Tiny Brains
 
1. Super House of Dead Ninjas
2. Skullgirls
3. Gone Home
4. Volgarr the Viking
5. Starbound
6. Rogue Legacy
7. Divekick
8. Mercenary Kings
9. Speed Runners
10. Risk of Rain
11. Reus
12. Ironclad Tactics
13. Desktop Dungeons
14. Papers Please!
15. Card Hunter
16. The Stanley Parable
17. Guacamelee
18. Gunpoint
19. Surgeon Simulator 2013
20. Broforce

Edit: List altered
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Starbound, Mercinary Kings, & Speed Runners would have ranked highly on my list if they were out of beta.

Beta entries are fair game if you consider them good enough to be better than the other games on your list. We'll use the same rules as the monthly thread here.
 

rybrad

Member
  • 1. Spelunky
  • 2. Dust An Elysian Tale
  • 3. Risk of Rain
  • 4. Steamworld Dig
  • 5. Don't Starve
  • 6. One Way Heroics
  • 7. Rogue Legacy
  • 8. Guacamelee
  • 9. Sword of the Stars: The Pit
  • 10. Super House of the Dead Ninjas
  • 11. Desktop Dungeons
  • 12. 99 Spirits
  • 13. Dungeonmans
  • 14. Nuclear Throne
  • 15. Shadowrun Returns
  • 16. Mercenary Kings
  • 17. Full Mojo Rampage
  • 18. Bionic Dues
  • 19. One Finger Death Punch
  • 20. On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 4
 
My Votes:

1. BLEED
2. Mercenary Kings
3. Rogue Legacy
4. Volgarr the Viking
5. Guacamelee
6. Memory of a Broken Dimension
7. Monoco
8. Slave of God
9. Broforce
10. Spelunky
11. Jelly no Puzzle
12. SuperHOT
13. Speedrunners
14. Outer Wilds
15. Gorogoa
16. Gone Home
17. Qasir Al Wasat: A Night in Between
18. Ironclad Tactics
19. 6180 the Moon
20. Factorio
 
Gods Will Be Watching - Free (Browser)
http://www.deconstructeam.com/games/gods-will-be-watching/

My favorite flash/freeware game since Nitronic Rush and Facade, Gods Will Be Watching was like reading a short story. It was a confined and taut experience, laser-focused on delivering its bleak hopeless tale, but that only made its moral quandaries and tough choices that much more tense. Not only does Gods Will Be Watching sport a great pixel art style, it's just a bleak, dark game where every choice was grey, either bad or worse. Like SuperHOT, it's more of a snapshot of what the expanded game will offer, but when a snapshot is this affecting and unique, it deserves all the attention and acclaim it gets.

Defining moment: I think the first time you unceremoniously die because you forgot to deal with the campfire speaks volumes about the tone and bleakness of the game.
 

klinkcow

Neo Member
1. GONE HOME - Easily, one of the best experiences I've ever had on my PC
2. Stanley Parable
3. Antichamber
4. Gunpoint
5. Thirty Flights of Loving
6. The Swapper
7. Rogue Legacy
8. Proteus
9. Outer Wilds
10. Tesselation
11. Mirrormoon EP
12. Dys4ia
13. Against the Wall
14. King of the Wood
15. Little Inferno
16. Cart Life
17. Risk of Rain
18. 6180 the Moon
19. Slave of God - Though, I'm not sure I survived it :)
20. Beyond Perception

The game I clearly need to play but haven't: Papers Please

The game I am not seeing on enough lists: Antichamber

I loved the concept of this game, but it was too hard for me: La Mulana
 
Top 20 2013

1. Risk of Rain
2. Skullgirls
3. Fakteur
4. La-Mulana
4. Fullbore
6. Dust: An Elysian Tail
6. Valdis Story
8. Little Inferno
8. Proteus
8. Gods Will Be Watching
11. Papers, Please!
12. Long Live the Queen
13. The Stanley Parable
14. Sentinel
15. Lathe de la Lune Somniis
16. Westerado
17. Toki Tori 2+
18. A Dark Room
19. Assault Android Cactus
20. Unholy Heights

Honorable Mentions

21. Ballpoint Universe
22. Love+
23. No One Has To Die
24. Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos
25. Speed Runners
26. Paradise
27. Icarus Proudbottom Teaches Typing
28. Ripple Dot Zero
29. Ergon/Logos
30. Lilly Looking Through
31. SUPERHOT
32. Naya's Quest
33. Boson X
34. Blues for Mittavinda
35. 2x0ng
36. Hope: the other side of adventure
37. Fleish & Cherry in Crazy Hote
38. Fuaim
39. Beyond Perception
40. Chester
41. Anodyne
42. Demon Drum
43. Gorogoa


Need to play

pid
Shelter
Waking Mars
 
Sang Froid

www.sangfroidgame.com

Behind the stylized look is a tense game that mixes tower defense elements, strategic combat, and the scariest wolves since The Grey. The action phase is where the fun begins. You must balance your stamina and watch the fear level of the wolves surrounding you. Your rifle fires one shot at a time, takes like precious seconds to reload, and you're stationary while aiming. Traps must be triggered at the right time and enemies must be lured into range. All these factors combined make each night a very intense, very difficult challenge

Defining moment: Your bonfire is moments away from whittling to embers, you’re frantically reloading your one shot as the pack circles around you, eyes glinting in the light of the fire, one prepares to attack...and then darkness falls...
 
Mirrormoon EP - Early concept demo (PC, Mac)/$9.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

www.mirrormoongame.com

Mirrormoon EP is not about story or complex gameplay or moral choices or brain-twisting puzzles. It's about discovery. From the moment you start, you're immersed in an abstract universe that begs to be explored. It's hard to talk about Mirrormoon's gameplay, for some aspects are best discovered on one's own, but the puzzle, while slightly repetitive, are not the focus. The highlight is exploring and in that aspect, Mirrormoon is a resounding success. The game is a visual masterpiece that, combined with the wonderful yet alien soundtrack, invokes a sense of awe every time you explore and witness a new abstract landscape.

Defining moment: Moving the moon for the first time and watching the landscape shift as you turn night to day and vice versa
 
I hope it doesn't seem like I'm hogging up the thread. Giving it a bump too, because no one's posted here since yesterday afternoon
----
Prison Architect

www.introversion.co.uk/prisonarchitect/

Like Project Zomboid and NEO Scavenger, Prison Architect is a game where emergent narratives and moments breathe life into the already deep and complex mechanics. Every choice matters, and some consequences won't become evident until days layer, when your prisoners are rioting, dead bodies bleed on the grass, and your guards are too tired and overworked to hold them back.

Defining moment: Getting attached to your wards, providing them with amenities and rec time, only to realize the sneaky bastards have been digging an escape tunnel the whole time and someone got shanked when your attention was elsewhere
 
Full Bore - No demo/$8 (PC, Linux)

www.wholehog-games.com/fullbore/

You're just a lonely boar who finds himself trapped in the mysterious mining operation deep beneath the earth. Weird machinery and logs of anomalies hint at some unnatural happenings in the tunnels and bored out caverns and as your adventure progresses, the pieces slowly come together. The world of Full Bore is sprawling and expansive and quite pretty, stretching from dark lava filled depths to the sunny green surface; doorways found throughout the world lead to puzzle filled rooms and other areas. And while the sense of exploration and discovery is fantastic, the puzzles, charming graphics and animations, and just the sheer amount of gameplay is even better.

Defining moment: Due to the freeform nature, it was tough to pick one that encapsulated the whole game, but for me, no moment was more exciting than that first fall in the beginning, as you plummet deep underground and pass all the different layers and levels you'll come to explore later.
 
One Finger Death Punch

http://www.silverdollargames.com/ofdp.html

Visually OFDP doesn't seem like much. But sometimes what matters is the gameplay and in that aspect, OFDP is king. It's one of the most addictive games I've ever played and the simple controls hide a surprising amount of depth. The smooth animations, the number of upgrades, variety of round types, the sheer over-the-top spectacle of every fight, and the feeling that you're an utter martial arts badass grants OFDP that one-more-go appeal.

Defining moment: OFDP is a game that really needs to be played to see the appeal, but what’s better than finishing off a perfect round by punching the last enemy’s heart out of his chest?
 
Risk of Rain


I remember reading about Risk of Rain in one of the monthly indie threads but for some reason I didn't pay much attention to the game besides a simple comment how good and interesting it looked mainly because of the time mechanic, for those who don't know there is timer in the game and as the time increases harder the enemies become. When the game was near to be released I tried the demo and it got me hooked and wanting the complete experience.

The controls are tight and precise and considering how much you need to jump and evade in this game if they were bad I couldn't have enjoyed the game like I did.
My firsts attempts were fruitless, I couldn't even finish the first boss but once I understood that I needed to manage my abilities and what items to buy and look for I started to progress in the game, be it unlocking new items, classes, logs or finally finishing it.

Defining moment: Reaching the second stage and being constantly crushed by the "Parents" and "Children", I was worried I could never progress in that stage and when I was able to reach the teleporter, kill the boss and the remaining enemies the sensation of reward was immensely satisfying.
 
Assault Android Cactus

www.assaultandroidcactus.com

Dual stick bullet hell chaos. That's what you find when you play Assault Android Cactus. Enemies and bullets flood the screen from every angle. Levels shift and change at a moment's notice. Turrets emerge from the floor. Bullets and missiles fly everywhere. It's mayhem, but you're always in control, thanks to the tight responsive controls and the different character loadouts that offer new and varied ways to take on the mechanical hordes.

Defining moment: The thrill of threading your way through a horde of enemies and countless bullets to snag a battery moments before you die.
 
It's good to see that this voting thread has a bit more sense than the main one. I'll continue to add as I make up my mind.

1. Kentucky Route Zero ; Before I played this I didn't like the idea of an adventure game without traditional puzzles and inventory management. But this game has such a strong atmosphere, story, and such interesting characters that it doesn't bother me at all. It's made me seek out other minimalist adventure games and I'm really starting to prefer them over the point-and-click type that I've been fond of for so long. The Walking Dead left such a sour taste in my mouth with its QTE's and lack of any real gameplay mechanics (and for other reasons) that I didn't think that kind of adventure game would work but Kentucky Route Zero proved me wrong. It showed me that exploration and discovery can be valid mechanics as much as puzzles typically are and that it's ok for the story and world to be the focus of the game.

2. Shelter
3. MirrorMoon EP
4. Proteus
5. Oknytt
6. The Cave
7. Soundodger+
8. The 39 Steps
9. Morphopolis
10. Experiment12
11. Gunpoint
12. The Novelist
13. Gone Home
14. Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
15. Monaco
16. Risk of Rain
17. Sang-Froid - Tales of Werewolves
18. Shadowrun Returns
19. 86856527
20. Super Hot

21. The Sea Will Claim Everything
22. Kairo
23. Botanicula
24. Fez
25. Thirty Flights of Loving
26. BasketBelle
27. Dear Esther
28. Swift Stitch
29. Thomas Was Alone
30. Papo & Yo
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
It's good to see that this voting thread has a bit more sense than the main one. Anyway, here are my first ten. I'll add another ten once I've made a final decision.


More sense? Whats the issue over there?
 
More sense? Whats the issue over there?

Kentucky Route Zero is ineligible. I'm not entirely sure why but it's probably because it's not finished yet. Only two of the five chapters have been released but I think it's silly that what is available can't be counted.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Kentucky Route Zero is ineligible. I'm not entirely sure why but it's probably because it's not finished yet. Only two of the five chapters have been released but I think it's silly that what is available can't be counted.

They did that to avoid having the same game win 5 years in a row, which happened with minecraft. I think its a sensible rule, I might handle it the other way round and only allow games for their first appearance in the yearly voting. Or maybe like the normal threads where I allow it once for their first appearance and another time for their full release.
 
They did that to avoid having the same game win 5 years in a row, which happened with minecraft. I think its a sensible rule, I might handle it the other way round and only allow games for their first appearance in the yearly voting. Or maybe like the normal threads where I allow it once for their first appearance and another time for their full release.

I can understand not wanting the same game voted for again but I think a game should be counted for the year it was released. So, it and Telltale's stuff should count for 2013 since they started this year but not count next year or however long they take to finish.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
I can understand not wanting the same game voted for again but I think a game should be counted for the year it was released. So, it and Telltale's stuff should count for 2013 since they started this year but not count next year or however long they take to finish.

Yeah, that will be more like what I would plan on doing, but I can understand their reasoning for going the other route.
 
1. Brothers A Tale of Two Sons
2. Gunpoint
3. Verdun
4. Steamworld Dig
5. State of Decay
6. Sir, You are Being Hunted
7. Betrayer
8. Zeno Clash 2
9. Door Kickers
10. Don't Starve
11. The Dark Mod
12. Wrack
13. Gone Home
14. Outlast
15. Rise of the Triad
16. The Wolf Among Us
17. Kentucky Route Zero
18. Stanley Parable
19. Teleglitch
20. Sword of the Stars: The Pit

List is done. Quite a few Early Access (and a couple of episodic) games on my list, 2014 is going to be awesome.
 
Running With Rifles

http://www.modulaatio.com/runningwithrifles/

Running With Rifles proves that an indie title can portray the chaos of war better than AAA shooters like Call of Duty and Battlefield. You are not special. You are not the super soldier who's going to defeat the enemy single-handedly. You're a no one, just another soldier who can get killed in an instant by a stray bullet or mortar fire.The battles in RWR are hectic and ruthless, but also tactical and offer depth and strategy. Set on a sprawling map across forests and towns and beaches, in bases and streets, you wage war on a living battlefield. It's these elements that make RWR superior to the myriad console "military shooters" and an worthwhile experience

Defining moment: Inching up the street as gunfire and grenades go off around you, your fellow soldiers dying at your side, feels like victory is close at hand...and then a tank rumbles around the corner
 
Running With Rifles


http://www.modulaatio.com/runningwithrifles/

Running With Rifles proves that an indie title can portray the chaos of war better than AAA shooters like Call of Duty and Battlefield. You are not special. You are not the super soldier who's going to defeat the enemy single-handedly. You're a no one, just another soldier who can get killed in an instant by a stray bullet or mortar fire.The battles in RWR are hectic and ruthless, but also tactical and offer depth and strategy. Set on a sprawling map across forests and towns and beaches, in bases and streets, you wage war on a living battlefield. It's these elements that make RWR superior to the myriad console "military shooters" and an worthwhile experience

Defining moment: Inching up the street as gunfire and grenades go off around you, your fellow soldiers dying at your side, feels like victory is close at hand...and then a tank rumbles around the corner

Very cool...looks like they are coming to Steam early access soon too.
 
Fez - No demo/$9.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://polytroncorporation.com/61-2

Mechanically Fez isn't a very difficult game. Death or failure doesn't have much consequence. But when playing Fez, perhaps it's best that you're not thinking about pixel-perfect timing and precision jumps. Because then you wouldn't be able to fully appreciate the unique art style and the perspective shifting mechanic that, at least for me, never gets old. What's more, Fez's depth is more cerebral than most, due to its weird ciphers and language to interpret and solve.

Defining moment: The first time I entered a world and found a narrow tower to climb, only to rotate the level and realize that this "tower" was merely the side of an entire building
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
WIP List of games to consider:

December:
Fjords
One Way Heroics
Paper Sorcerer
Stasis
Westerado
Creeper World 3
Didgery
Risk of Rain
Serendipity
Two Brothers

November:
Secrets of Raetikon (If I manage to play it)
The Stanley Parable

October:
Full Bore
Hexcells
Impulse
Incognita
Ironclad Tactics
MirrorMoon EP
Nayas Quest
One Finger Death Punch
SUPERHOT
Timeframe
Tri

September:
Assault Android Cactus
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Gone Home
Guacamelee
Papers, Please!
Papo & Yo
Pid
Shelter
Sir, You are being hunted
Spelunky

August:
1000 Amps
Against the Wall
Gateways
Outer Wilds (Still need to try getting it to run)
Shadowrun Returns

July:
A Dark Room
Card Hunter
Chess the Gathering
Defenders Quest
Gods will be Watching
Magrunner
On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 4
Primordia
Super Splatters

June
Ballpoint Universe
Candy Box
Dust: An Elysian Tail
Gunpoint
Reus
Rogue Legacy
Sentinel

May:
7 Grand Steps
2x0ng
Burn & Turn
Cities in Motion 2
Draconian Wars
Eador: Masters of the Broken World
Fez
La-Mulana
Nonaco
Towerclimb

April:
A Nation of Wind
BroForce
Cart Life
Clairvoyance
Reprisal
Castle Doctrine
Teleglitch
Unepic

March:
Factorio
Gorogoa
Maldita Castilla
Proteus
Starseed Pilgrim
The Sea will Claim Everything
Underrail
 
Crikey. You guys play/buy a lot of games.

Is 20 the bare minimum for voting? I haven't played that many, but just in case I squeeze in a few more before voting is over, here is my list in progress:

1. Antichamber
2. The Castle Doctrine
3. Starseed Pilgrim
4. Risk of Rain
5. Starbound
6. Don't Starve
7. Naya's Quest
8. Fjords
9. Proteus
10. 10,000,000
11. Isle of Bxnes
12. Collapse
13. SuperHot

I want to get some time with Factorio, Outer Wilds, Gunpoint, and Papers, Please, but I doubt I'll have time to sink my teeth into those (and 3 others) before this is all said and done.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Crikey. You guys play/buy a lot of games.

Is 20 the bare minimum for voting? I haven't played that many, but just in case I squeeze in a few more before voting is over, here is my list in progress:

1. Antichamber
2. The Castle Doctrine
3. Starseed Pilgrim
4. Risk of Rain
5. Starbound
6. Don't Starve
7. Naya's Quest
8. Fjords
9. Proteus
10. 10,000,000
11. Isle of Bxnes
12. Collapse
13. SuperHot

I want to get some time with Factorio, Outer Wilds, Gunpoint, and Papers, Please, but I doubt I'll have time to sink my teeth into those (and 3 others) before this is all said and done.

Yeah, the 20 minimum was used to make sure people actually played a few games out of these threads to give a fair voting opinion. I hugely appreciate you coming here and posting your list, but in the end... I'd probably need to stick with the "at least 20" rule because of that.

Though to be fair, you are always free to fill it up with slightly less awesome indies, that you still liked even though they werent goty material. I mean in the end thats exactly what spot 18-20 would mean in your case.
 
Spelunky - Freeware version here/$14.99 (PC)

http://spelunkyworld.com/

I was late to the Spelunky party, but I was not disappointed. Its cute veneer hides a challenging game of quick reactions, strategy, and overwhelming odds. But like the best roguelikes, the difficulty only serves as the drive to improve and overcome. Adaption, flexibility, superior skills are keys to success in Spelunky's hazard filled depths. The platforming is tight, survival is tough, and it's the little details that make the game so memorable, from the human sacrifices and the shopkeepers to the infamous Ghost.

Defining moment: Spelunky loves to punish you, but for me at least, the first time the Ghost appeared because I was being too cautious and then my careful exploration become a frantic race for the exit was when I knew I'd love the game.
 
I'm actually having trouble making a list of twenty games I like enough. I've played a ton of them this year but I either don't think highly enough of them to vote, and I don't want to list a game just for sake of filling a slot, or I played it last year (or whenever it originally came out) and don't want to vote for it this year.
 
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