It was a tough decision. The past year has been host to some amazing games, from the fantastic storytelling of The Last of Us and Gone Home to Grand Theft Auto 5's massive world and the impeccable tactics of Fire Emblem: Awakening.
In the end, the choice for game of the year came between BioShock Infinite and Super Mario 3D World, and Nintendo's plumber cleaned up at the awards.
Part of the decision came down to the fact that, while all of the games in our top 20 are special in their own right, they also have their fair share of annoyances and frustrations; runner up BioShock Infinite's inconsistent narrative tone and dual weapon combat is a step backward for the series, as just one example.
Super Mario 3D World, on the other hand, is a consistently joyous experience, from stomping the first Goomba to ascending the last flag pole. The game doesn't so much dip between highs and lows as it does highs and very highs.
Now, that almost makes it sound as if Super Mario 3D World earned our top honors by default, but to say that would be a disservice to a game that is bursting with creative design.
It starts with Super Mario 3D Land as a foundation, a game that reinvigorated the series by merging the focused challenge and linearity of Mario's 2D games with 3D freedom of movement and new obstacles to take advantage of more maneuverable space.
Super Mario 3D World builds on that foundation with inventive new power-ups like the cat suit, which gives Mario and friends air pounce and wall climbing abilities that facilitate some creatively vertical level designs.
The levels are the real stars of the game, whether it's a treacherous series of shifting platforms, subverting Mario tradition by carrying a piranha plant to devour foes or the little details like the sad sigh of a Koopa Trooper after you toss its shell into the sea.
Even the option to play as Mario, Luigi, Peach or Toad just further highlights the versatility in Super Mario 3D World's level designs, as each character's unique traits force you to approach each obstacle in slightly different ways.
The character options feed right into multiplayer which, thanks to the 3D levels, offers enough room for all four players to actually play through the level together instead of the impromptu Three Stooges routine of accidental deaths that accompanied any attempt at multiplayer in New Super Mario Bros U.
And yes, even the Captain Toad levels deserve special mention in Super Mario 3D World, breaking up the action with brief puzzle-filled interludes that offer some of the stiffest challenges in the game.
While many fans were, and still are, hoping for a return to Super Mario Galaxy's breed of platforming, Super Mario 3D World is far more than just a stopgap until Mario's next interplanetary adventure.
Super Mario 3D World is 3D platforming bliss. It's a game that's nearly impossible to play without an ear-to-ear grin the entire time, making it the best gaming experience of 2013.
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