I increasingly hate the idea of “best”, and the idea that when you evaluate anything, separately or together, there is a background process in your mind ready to decide whether this thing is eligible to be “best”.

But I continue to believe that audiences benefit from the careful work of people invested in bringing them educated and experienced opinions, and curation remains an important job for people like me to do. So when I’m telling you about my favorite games, I might as well admit it — I think they’re best. I mean. It’s just my opinion. But I’m right.

My personal top five list is now live at Gamasutra for your perusal. I wrote that it’s in no particular order, but come to think of it, it’s actually in ascending order, with my most-favorite game of the year listed first.

Go see. And when you’re done, read the rest of this post for the rest of my top 10. Links to my coverage on each are provided where available/relevant.

6. Device6 (Simogo): One in a million, that is you!

7. The Stanley Parable (Davey Wreden): Should be taught in any game design class setting. Probably any class setting to do with designed interaction in general.

8. Hundreds (Adam Saltsman & Greg Wohlwend): Lives in a beautiful, sexy marriage with its device.

9. BioShoot Infinite (Cryptic Sea): Skip the real game and play this. It’s better. It was recommended to me by someone working at Irrational.

10. The Last of Us (Naughty Dog): A commercial game that could righteously join the canon of other pulp apocalypse fiction. Nice characters, nice moments.