Game of the year 2013

24. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

As you've likely heard at some point, 2013 was the Year of Luigi. Nintendo celebrated the green one’s 30th anniversary with a number of quality releases, and the unexpected sequel to a GameCube launch title was the best of the bunch.Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon's ghost-busting action still played great, as the search for ghosts and other secrets throughout five creeky old houses was expertly paced to work on a handheld. The stereoscopic 3D in particular gave depth and vitality to the many rooms we scoured to find some puzzle-solving doodad.

And Luigi deserves the gaming equivalent of an Oscar for how well he acts in Dark Moon. During the plumber’s solitary mission, it was a delight to watch the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways he expressed fear, happiness, and brief moments of pride. The perennial player two had to carry Dark Moon all by himself, and when the credits roll, you’re easily ready for another 30 years of Luigi.