4. Metro: Last Light
Metro: Last Light may not be a crowning achievement of the year for gaming, but it is far better than anyone expected it to be. For starters, theres actually some strategy to its horror centric mechanics that have you finding gas mask filters just to survive the apocalypse, and if you run out you may have to restart a chapter or two. Its biggest strength is also its Achilles Heel though in that its another sci-fi story driven FPS released amidst the craze of the breathtaking Bioshock: Infinite experience. Its when you break down the harsh working conditions that 4A was forced through, that you begin to see the extent to which Last Light succeeded against all odds. They did not have normal and stable working environments, but developed this game sitting elbow to elbow at folding desks and sitting on standard steel chairs. If they needed extra hardware for testing, they actually had to send someone overseas to get the equipment and then smuggle it back into Ukraine. Often times they worked through power failures that resulted in freezing working conditions too. Couple what we got - which is actually better than what most development studios are even capable of under comfortable working conditions- with the fact that the game was built on a shoestring budget. I give 4A Games maximum respect for developing one of the best shooters of the year under these inhumane conditions, and look forward to their future projects.