5. Thomas Was Alone
Don't think I'd forgotten about indie gaming, which has really kicked into gear in recent years with the help of Steam, Xbox Live and PSN. Though Thomas Was Alone hit PC platforms last year, it was released on PSN in April, and proves that you don't need millions of dollars to fashion an imaginative and brilliantly-executed game. Substituting high poly-counts for rectangular shapes, Thomas Was Alone has the player controlling anthropomorphic blocks that, as AI programs, have become sentient and are navigating themselves around a computer system. The goal is to guide them through the levels by making the blocks co-operate with one another; they each have not just different attributes, but also distinct personalities that make us feel like we know them, even if by appearances alone they are not even remotely personable. Much like last year's Journey, this game revels in and perfectly takes advantage of its minimalism, providing a surreal, unique experience that the most flush studio couldn't possibly dream of.