Presenting the Game of the Year for 2013 and now the most awarded game in history:



Total Game of the Year Awards from publications around the world:

Most Awarded Game in History:

The Last of Us - 229
The Critics' Picks - 181
The Readers' Picks - 48

Runner-Up:

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - 226
The Critics' Picks - 163
The Readers' Picks - 63

I was going to compile all 229 awards here, but this blog does it perfectly.

Quote:

it’s a masterpiece of mature, gameplay-driven narrative, stunningly well-realised world-building, and uncompromising but intelligent systemic game design. The final product is complete, cohesive, and affecting--it's the pinnacle of intelligent, powerful, artistically-minded gaming in the triple-A sphere.

- GamesRadar

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Not only is The Last of Us deserving of being call “Game of the Year”, but it quite possibly could be the game of a generation. The writing, the pacing, the dialogue, the world, the characters, and their relationships—everything is as perfect as it can get.

- Game Revolution

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The Last of Us is more than the sum of its parts. It's a moment, an instant classic, and the most important video game released in 2013.

- Yahoo

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If there's one game you should play this year, it's this.

- MTV

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Video game storytelling was at its best through 2013, but no game told a more deeply moving story than Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us.

- New York Daily News

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For all of Rockstar Games’ technical showboating and RAGE-engine implemented carnage, The Last of Us is a work of the finest gaming art.

- WhatCulture

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Wow. Epic. Intimate. Insane. 5 stars. An utter masterpiece. I’m addicted, life over.

- Guardian Liberty Voice

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It was clear upon release and even more so six months later how important of an achievement The Last of Us is for the medium. Most importantly, however, The Last of Us proved how far video games have evolved and gave hope for where the medium would go — and managed to do so on seven year old hardware.

- HardcoreGamer

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Naughty Dog has done something rare in the medium and that is tell a mature tell in a mature way. For as raw and grotesque as it is, The Last of Us is an exercise in subtlety and subdued story-telling.

- Destructoid

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Naughty Dog has proven itself with cartoonish action and theatrical thrill rides in the past, but it was a pleasure to watch their first effort at deeper, more meaningful work. They made an instant classic.

- Giant Bomb

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It will remain a noteworthy accomplishment for years to come, not because any one of its accomplishments was all that remarkable on its own, but because together they made it seem possible that blockbuster games this good might one day become regular—though never ordinary—occurrences.

- Kotaku

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Naughty Dog’s apocalyptic road trip has rightly won plaudits for its cinematic and narrative qualities, with terrific visual direction, writing and performances from its central pairing of Joel and Ellie.

- Telegraph

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We gave it a 10. It's not flawless, by any means. But it gets so much right in ways games often get them wrong, as well as excelling in many other areas, and as such it's our game of the year.

- VideoGamer.com

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They've worked hard to make a world that looks blandly real and as a result you feel completely grounded in it, and crafted a story that'll happily kick you in the heart multiple times. And you'll thank it for the experience. This is a masterpiece: play it as soon as possible.

- Gamereactor UK

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The Last of Us did gunplay better than any survival horror has done in this – now coming to an end – generation.

- DarkZero

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As you prepare to say goodbye to your old consoles, don’t miss the experience of playing The Last of Us. The game, available now on the PlayStation 3, represents the very best of what video games can be.

- VentureBeat

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The grueling journey is at its most elegant in the end, where stealth, disgust, panic, resourcefulness and heart combine into a major, polished game that does not need you to lower your expectations.

- Joystiq

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The Last of Us, more than any other game this year, convinced that what we did, actually mattered.

- GameTrailers

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Naughty Dog continues to impress. After setting the bar pretty high with Uncharted 3 (getting rave reviews), they deliver once again with The Last of Us.

- CheatCodeCentral

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It was a dark tale that showcased some of the best storytelling in the medium, with characters you believed and felt for. Easily the game of the year.

- Toronto Star

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For a big budget game available on just one platform it was a huge risk - and it totally worked.

- The New Zealand Herald

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The Last of Us feels complete in almost every single way, presenting a meaningful tale the medium rarely achieves. An astounding accomplishment and worthy winner of Thunderbolt’s Game of the Year 2013.

- Thunderbolt

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From its tragic opening sequence to the open-ended finale, The Last of Us was an emotional roller coaster that moved the bar for narratives in interactive entertainment. We applaud Naughty Dog for its achievement, and can't wait to see what Sony's premiere studio delivers next.

- Game Informer

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This is the final argument in the debate over video games as art. Ellie and Joel are two of the most well-rounded, human characters in modern popular fiction. The blend of quality cinematic storytelling, a compelling plot and characters, and tight control mechanics clinches The Last of Us the best game of 2013 spot, securing its place in history.

- Amazon.com

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This is a game that will stand the test of time. When we talk about video games that helped shape the industry, and changed the way we told stories, and changed the way people thought of this medium, they're going to talk about The Last of Us.

- IGN

Congrats to the Game of the Year, Game of the Generation, and now the most awarded game in history! The Last of Us has created a legacy that will surely live on forever in the industry. Although very well received on initial release, other games proved to have higher initial acclaim. However, these awards evidently prove that unlike those other titles who lost their hype and acclaim by the end of the year, The Last of Us had an unmatched impact that would preserve its place throughout 2013 and ultimately throughout history. It challenged the importance of narratives in gaming, challenged the importance of video games in popular culture, broke barriers for complex characters and women in gaming and prevailed without the massive sales, hype, and budget that its greatest competitors had. It has clearly resonated and impacted critics and gamers more than any other game in history, and these awards prove that.

Good luck topping this masterpiece Naughty Dog.