2013

For a game about nothing in particular, Animal Crossing: New Leaf manages to create a remarkably engrossing world -- one that remains inviting half a year later.

USgamer's staff and contributors celebrate Festivus with an airing of grievances over the things that sucked the most joy from their lives in 2013.

The cast and crew do some soul-searching to pick the single game they'd want to bring along if ever they became stranded on a desert island (one with power outlets).

The 3DS-based sequel to Luigi's Mansion shone brightly in both single- and multiplayer -- despite the two modes being markedly different from one another. Pete looks back on one of the year's best 3DS games.

One of 2013's most spectacular games was also one of its most disappointing for its failure to heed its predecessor's pivotal philosophy.

Pete Davison and Jeremy Parish look back at the ways this year's games succeeded and failed at telling great stories.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better example of gaming's ability to squander something wondrous on mean-spirited pettiness than the latest GTA. And that's OK.

Nintendo's strategy adventure was as brutal and violent as any video game in 2013. So why doesn't it seem as off-putting?

How has the last year treated role-playing games? Jeremy and Pete take a look back on a year of swords, spiky hair and too many zippers.

Square Enix updated Lara Croft for the modern age of games, but the end result barely resembles Tomb Raider as we knew it.

How has the year treated the games of eras gone by? Jeremy and Pete look at 2013’s news of the old.

Volition made its mark by casually skewering the medium's clichés.

We kick off our look back at the year that was with a discussion of how the Japanese side of the games industry has fared in 2013.