I won't preface this with some self-aggrandizing thing about how bad of a year 2017 was and how I found solace in video games or whatever. I think we've all heard enough of that and I've got nothing particularly profound to add but I will preface by saying that over the last couple years my time and my drive to play games has severely diminished. I attribute it mostly to just getting older and other things taking preeminence in my life. I haven't even written one of these top 10 lists in three years and last year, I was lucky if I played through five games all year, let alone 10. But this year, I was able to get through just enough games to scrap something together. There's still plenty of stuff I wish I played. NieR: Automata is downloading on my PS4 as I type this, I don't have a Switch to play Super Mario Odyssey or Breath of the Wild and I'll be sure to play Divinity II as soon as there is a console version that I can play. But until then, here's my top 10 games of 2017.

10. What Remains of Edith Finch

Usually when it comes to smaller, independent games like this, they keep the scope small and that's what makes these simpler, more personal stories more effective. What Remains of Edith Finch is a deeply personal story but where it differs from other games of its ilk is in its multi-generational scope. Through it's brief two hour playtime, What Remains chronicles the history of the Finch family from 1880 to 2017 and as the scope of storytelling expands as does the various gameplay gimmicks that the game throws at the player. This isn't your average walking simulator where you're exploring a house looking at various knick knacks and mementos that fill in the holes of a story, What Remains of Edith Finch transports you through time and place, putting you in the story of the entire Finch family throughout history. While it didn't hold the same emotional resonance with me as something like Gone Home or some of the other games that appear on this list, it was a concise and powerful trip that is sure to stick with the player in some way.

9. Life is Strange: Before the Storm

If I had written one of these lists in 2015, Life is Strange would be somewhere near the top of it. It was an extremely powerful coming of age story that overcome a time traveling gimmick that easily could have overshadowed and derailed the emotional core of the story. When a prequel was announced, it seemed unnecessary in a lot of ways. We know how this story ends and add that to the fact that none of the original voice talent was returning because of a voice actor strike, it was easy to feel a little dirty about the whole thing. So, I was shocked to find that the emotional highs of Before the Storm actually ended up exceeding those of the original game.

The relationship between Chloe and Rachel Amber feels real and resonants in a way that not many, if anything, other relationships in games ever have. Episode 2 of Before the Storm, in particular, has moments that brought up feelings in me that no other game ever has. It's a relationship that's so well done that it almost makes you forget that you know the ending of it, which makes it all the more disappointing that episode 3 all but abandons the relationship in favor of an unrelated, much less interesting storyline. But the accomplishments of Before the Storm before that point are still impossible to ignore and are an incredible feat for a game that still has no business being as good as it is.

8. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Wolfenstein: The New Order was a game that I really wanted to like but could never get over the fact that I just hated actually playing the game. Wolfenstein II carries over a lot of the same problems that New Order had in this regard but once you put the game on the easiest difficulty and just take the game as the nazi murdering roller coaster it is, these gameplay failures become a lot easier to overlook. Wolfenstein II is, at its core, an amazing moment generator. There is multiple instances throughout New Colossus' campaign that leaves your mouth agape at the pure audacious nonsense that's happening on your screen. The storytelling unfortunately can pale in comparison a lot of the times and the writing stumbles a bit when it tries to get into more serious topics.

For as much as New Colossus was hyped up before and immediately after its release as a game that was willing in go places that other games weren't, it disappointed me that this story of resistance was still so couched in nationalistic hoorah. But where Wolfenstein II failed in its subtlety, it more than made up for in its memorable cast of characters, extraordinary moments and pure fun.

7. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is, in a lot of ways, the perfect Uncharted game. It trims all the fat and filler away to deliver a expertly paced, concise campaign with all the things you love about Uncharted. The character interactions, the set pieces and the exploration are all there, just in a more cohesive, easily digestible package. Lost Legacy does miss the environment variety and globe trotting of the previous Uncharted games but the environment that is there is varied and gorgeous enough to be plenty satisfying. You would think that after years of Uncharted games the impact of their graphical achievements would have some diminishing returns but some of the vistas in Lost Legacy are so breathtaking that they stop you in your tracks.

But it's the human element of Lost Legacy that really makes it stand out. The characters of Uncharted have always been one of its strong suits and it's never been better than here, thanks to the undeniable chemistry between Chloe and Nadine. The writing is, as always, top notch and while there's not much in the way of innovation beyond a few minor improvements, the sum of its parts creates the video game equivalent of a great summer blockbuster. Easy to enjoy escapism that's amazing to look at and even more fun to play.

6. Cuphead

I know for a fact that I will never see the end of Cuphead or even get all that close to it. I'm just not good enough at it. So it says a lot that despite me slamming my head against the wall for hours and not getting much of anywhere that I still enjoyed Cuphead as much as I did. It's been a long road for Cuphead from the "wait, what was THAT?" E3 reveal so it's pretty amazing that even after years of seeing glimpses of the game that the impact of actually loading it up for the first time still hits so hard. Graphical advancements in games can often just feel like refinements of the same idea over and over again but Cuphead is something wholly unique. There's no game that looks like Cuphead and there probably will never be another game in the future that looks like it. As frustrated as I got with the difficulty of the game, I powered through as much as I could simply because I had to see what the next boss looked like and time and time again, I was blown away by what I saw.

All this would mean nothing if the game didn't play well so luckily, it plays just about perfectly. An extreme precision and tightness is necessary for the challenges that Cuphead throws at you and it's a testament to how finely tuned the controls are that you almost never feel like dying was the game's fault and not yours. I wish I was better at Cuphead so I could see the rest of what the game has to offer but even just based on what I have seen, it's an unforgettable experience alike any other.

5. Sonic Mania

Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2 on the Genesis are two of my first gaming memories. As a kid, I don't think I ever beat either game but I played through the first few stages of each countless times. I'm not sure that there's many games that I would call "important" to me in my life but those two are definitely among them. So, it's easy to see why I immediately fell in love with Sonic Mania. The music of Green Hill Zone has been engrained into my memory since I was a toddler so when I loaded up Sonic Mania for the first time and that music started, all the pleasure endorphins in my brain started pulsating and I was hooked. As someone who generally hates nostalgia and finds art that preys on it to be uninspired at best and emotionally manipulative at worst, this is a rare feeling for me. It's also a feeling that probably would have worn out its welcome and dissipated pretty quickly if the game wasn't that good.

But Sonic Mania is that good. I maintain that there aren't many better feelings in games than really getting your momentum going in a Sonic game and rocketing through a stage like its second nature. The game's recreations of the classic Sonic 2D stages are great in their own right but the new stages here are just as inventive and thrilling as the old. Tough but fair in all the right ways, Sega has finally delivered the 2D Sonic that I waited 20 years for.

4. Yakuza 0

This feels like the story of most people that played Yakuza 0 this year but I never thought I'd play a Yakuza game, let alone love one as much as I did. I've been vaguely aware of the existence of the series for years but never really understood what these games even were. Even after playing through Yakuza 0, it's still kind of hard to describe what kind of game it is simply because there aren't very many experiences like it. Yakuza 0 is a open world adventure game, it's a dating sim, it's a brawler, it's a management sim. It's one of the most thoroughly unique games I've played in a long time. The story is both irreverent and hilarious while still managing to have genuinely effecting, impactful moments throughout.

In its own way, Yakuza 0 has everything. The open world of Yakuza 0 is far from the most ambitious or fully realized open world of this year but it is chock full of amazing little rewards for poking around inside it. In fact, no one part of Yakuza 0 really feels particularly crafted in the same way a lot of AAA games do but what it has that those other games lack is a heart beating at its center. Yakuza 0 is far from perfect but it doesn't attest to be and it doesn't try to be anything other than what it is. What exactly that is, I'm still not sure but what I do know is that Yakuza 0 is one of the most purely fun experiences I've had with a game all year.

3. Horizon Zero Dawn

From a gameplay perspective, Horizon Zero Dawn is as close to a perfect game as I played this year. Every aspect of playing this game feels expertly crafted from the combat to the exploration to the open world. Guerrilla figured out how to make everything about Horizon just feel good. There's a great variety to the weapons and enemy designs that make each killer robot dinosaur encounter feel unique in its own way. A lot of games promise all the different ways that the player can approach combat scenarios but it really feels true in Horizon. There's a vast array of weapons that allow you to go loud or go quiet, to attack from long range or short and all of the uniquely different robot designs, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, also give different twists on how each encounter needs to be approached. This all sounds like stuff you've heard before but it's put together so effectively in Horizon in a way that makes it feel special.

This is without even mentioning the world building and writing that further set Horizon apart from the countless other open world games that have come out over the last five years. The world of Horizon is so fully realized and manages to find new ground in a post-apocalyptic setting that is usually played out. The world manages to both feel familiar and new, creating a diverse new world with pieces of the old scattered throughout. Add that to the incredible presentation from the visuals to the voice acting and Horizon Zero Dawn is truly the total package.

2. Night in the Woods

Night in the Woods is the game with the most to say in 2017. Throughout the fairly brief playtime of this cute looking platformer starring a cast of anthropomorphic animals, there are statements about suburban America, capitalism and sexuality all tied together by the strength of the interpersonal relationships shared between a fully realized cast of characters. As unassuming as the game may look on its surface, Night in the Woods has some of the most mature and genuine writing that you’ll find in any game, regardless of year. The friendships of Mae, Gregg and Bea feel real in a way that I’ve never seen in other games. It’s a cast of characters that clearly care about each other but sometimes have trouble expressing it and have grown apart for various reasons.

Throughout the game, the characters come together to strengthen these relationships, sometimes through sharing a simple joke together and other times through uncovering a secret murderous cult secretly operating in their hometown. Though the scope of the story does expand near the end of the game, the most effecting and memorable parts of Night in the Woods are the simpler, honest moments between friends and the heartfelt messages of self-realization at its core. Growing up is hard and Night in the Woods knows the unique challenges that come with growing up in the world today. It completely nails the feelings of isolation of becoming an adult in the internet age as well as the emotional toll that personal failure can take on psyche of young adults. Together, it’s one of the most intensely personal and memorable games in years.

1. Pyre

Pyre feels like a game specifically made for me. A game with the structure of The Banner Saga, one of my favorite games of the last five years, and the attention to detail in the presentation synonymous with Supergiant Games. That there’s also a sports game element in there that’s some weird cosmic amalgamation of basketball and rugby that is super fun to play feels like an added bonus. The real star of Pyre, however, is its master class of world building. The purgatory world of Downside is so fully fleshed out and bursting at the seams with so many interesting characters that it’s impossible not to find yourself lost in it all. While the colors of Downside are bright and vibrant, the beings within it are filled with shades of grey. Everyone in Downside has been outcast from society for one reason or another and the villains they face are largely internal, coming to grips with guilt and grief in their own personal ways.

Pyre is a game about letting go in both the way that characters try to move on from their past and in a more literal sense of letting your teammates earn their place back in society, leaving behind Downside. The Rites, where characters win their way out of the Downside, present some extremely tough choices as the onus is put on you to decide who deserves their freedom. I even found myself contemplating throwing a match to let someone on the opposite side leave the Downside, just because I found their story so convincing.

There are so moving parts within the story of Pyre that it seems impossible that two people would play the game and end up with the same story. The diversity of the stories told mean that almost everyone will also walk away with a different favorite character and a different story that resonated most with them. There were so many great narratives told in games this year but the sheer volume and depth of the stories of Pyre set it a cut above everything else and make it a truly special and enduring experience.

Finally, it's the list you've all been waiting. Move over, John Carpenter. Get in line, Stardust. It's time to reveal the true games of 2014. But let's get something out of the way real quick. 2014 kind of sucked. It was a down year for playing games and it was a horrific year for anyone who enjoys talking about video games on the internet. Despite this and against all odds, there were some good video games this year and here they are.

Editors note: I don't have a WiiU but it's safe to assume that Bayonetta 2 is the best game released this year so just push everything back a number and pretend that's number one, if you want.

10. Threes!

I've never been much of a mobile games guy. There's no particular reason behind it. I just never felt like there were any games on my phone that really grabbed me. Threes grabbed me. It was the perfect mix of quick gameplay and an addictive quality that had me whipping out my phone to get in a game or two every time I had a free second to spare. Threes' simplicity was both its greatest asset and greatest flaw as it spawned a number of half-hearted, lazy (and unfortunately, much more popular) clones but none ever came close to the perfection of the original.

9. World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor

Hello, old friend. I've been playing WoW on and off since its launch 10 years. A year or two on, a year or two off. But Warlords of Draenor was the first time the game had really dug its claws back into and dragged me back into the abyss in a major way since Wrath of the Lich King. Suddenly, I was raiding again, something I thought I had left behind in a much earlier life. But the ease of access to the game's end game content is so flawlessly implemented that raiding is no longer the terrifying prospect of organizing 25 people to find a way to cooperate for hours on end and is as simple as clicking a button that might as well say "let me raid now."

The real star of Warlords of Draenor, however, is the new garrison system. Giving the player their own home base with all the supplies and needs they could ever wish for all in one place is such a simple but brilliant addition to the game that I'm surprised it took 10 years for Blizzard to think of it. I'm sure many WoW purists detest some of the "casual" aspects that seem to have infected the game more and more, down to the free to play like systems of sending followers out on a missions and having to wait (real life) hours for them to come back but for someone who has seen the nasty side of playing entirely too much World of Warcraft, the streamlined nature of Warlords of Draenor could not be more perfect.

8. The Walking Dead: Season Two

2014 was the year that I realized Telltale games are my comfort food. Is Walking Dead: Season Two as good as the first? Not at all. But then again, how could it be? Season One was a revelation. A evolution of adventure games and video game storytelling that is still uncompromised today. There was no way that Telltale could capture that magic again especially when the first season was such an unexpected surprise. Here's the thing, though. I didn't care. I was more than satisfied to return to world of Walking Dead and again the follow the story of Clementine. I was happy to sit back and watch the story unfold while occasionally chiming in with my own suggestions on where it could head. Despite knowing what's coming, the old tricks still worked. Anyone who played the first season knows that the player's choices are merely an illusion and just about everyone is going end up in roughly the same spot at the end of an episode. But the trick is still fun every time the magician asks, "is this your card?" I was still invested in the story being told and still cared deeply about Clementine as a character. When season three comes along, I'll be there with bells on, ready and willing to have my soul crushed in the way that only Telltale can.

7. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

I have a confession to make. I used to be way into card games. It's true. I had my Magic: The Gathering phase and on more than couple occasions boasted to my friends about the size of my Yu-Gi-Oh deck (not a euphemism). I thought those days were long, long behind and prior to 2014 if I would have said it's just about impossible to get me to give a shit about something like cards again. But as previously shown on this list, Blizzard has a way of making me do things that I thought I couldn't do anymore. In 2014, Blizzard made me give a shit about cards again and they did it through the trademark accessibility of their "easy to pick, difficult to master" design philosophy. People can and have gotten WAY into Hearthstone. I'm not that person. I'm never gonna build the perfect the deck. I'm probably not gonna research advanced strategies online but it's still ridiculously easy for anyone, whether you've played a card game before or not, to have an absolute blast with Hearthstone. I have gotten hours upon hours of entertainment out of Hearthstone and the best part is I never paid a cent.

6. Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Video games love war. So many games have attempted to perfectly recreate the glories and pains of war in intense, graphic, 1080p detail. But the game that has most richly and accurately communicated the unflinching power that war has over people was not the latest hyper realistic first person war simulator. It was a cartoonish 2D puzzle game. Games are so obsessed with showing the actual atrocities of war that they rarely ever examine war beyond the bullets and explosions of the battlefield. Perhaps the most poignant moment of Valiant Hearts comes at its very beginning. Emile, an old French dairy farmer, is drafted into a war against Germany that he surely knows nothing about but his country has asked him to fight and he has no other choice. Emile packs up his things and leaves his farm but he also leaves his daughter and his grandson. His daughter cries when she hears the news. Emile kisses her and leaves, not knowing if he'll ever see them again. That is war.

5. Jazzpunk

People have asked for years for video games' Citizen Kane. It's a stupid question and one that makes little sense. I don't think we saw the game that will satisfy those still looking for Citizen Kane in 2014 but I can say for certain that video games have found their Airplane! The ZAZ directed 1980 film is a movie that is almost overflowing with jokes. You would be hard pressed to find a 2 minute period in Airplane! where there isn't a gag or bit of some sort. It's almost like the movie can't help itself. You get a similar feeling playing through Jazzpunk. Every click reveals a new joke, unpeeling another near endless layer of absurdity. Comedy in video games is really hard. The player is unpredictable and it's almost impossible to guide them to the exact punchline you want without stripping away the feeling of actually playing a game. Jazzpunk's solution is to just stuff so many jokes in it that you can't help but stumble upon one.

4. Broken Age

I'll always have a spot in my heart for adventure games. Secret of Monkey Island was one of the most influential games as far as my gaming tastes go and that specific brand of point and click adventure games is one that I still hold dear despite if others may think it's gone out of style. Broken Age aspires to be nothing more than one of those games. It's a throwback in all the right ways while still boasting some truly incredible art design and top notch voice acting that merge all the things I loved about the old SCUMM engine games with a level of polish I expect from a Kickstarter that raised 3 million dollars. The parallel stories of Vella and Shay are engaging on their own but are then intersected in a way that raises questions about everything that happens before that moment of intersection. More importantly, it means there will be more Broken Age and more adventure games.

3. Kentucky Route Zero

There's something about Kentucky Route Zero that I can't quite describe. Even after playing through all three episodes that have been released so far, I still feel like KR0 is holding something back. That it still has some tricks up its sleeve that it's not willing to show. From scene one of episode one, there is something ominous of Kentucky Route Zero. Encountering a table of ghostly Dungeons & Dragons players within the games first five minutes sets a tone that permeates through the entirety of the game. You never know what will show up next on Zero. It could be something arrestingly beautiful beyond words or something spine tingling that makes every hair on your body stand up at once. Maybe it will be a combination of both. No matter what, not much times goes by in Kentucky Route Zero without experiencing something wholly unique and awe inspiring in one way or another. Perhaps the most exciting thing about Kentucky Route Zero is that there's still so much to explore. With two episodes still to come, I am more than willing to travel the Zero again in search of answers of exactly what's going on in this strange, foreboding world. And even if I never find those answers, just an excuse to spend some more time within it is good enough for me.

2. South Park: The Stick of Truth

A big problem with most licensed games is that they often up feeling like a bootleg version of what they're based on. The voices aren't quite like you remember, the writing isn't as sharp, it doesn't tell the same cohesive story that you're accustomed to because it has to make sacrifices for the sake of things like gameplay. South Park: The Stick of Truth has none of these problems. It feels like playing an episode of South Park. The Stick of Truth could be a new South Park movie and no one would be able to tell the difference. All the characters are just as you remember, the writing is just as funny and scenarios just as absurd and ridiculous as anything in South Park's seemingly endless array of episodes. The only difference is that you're controlling it and that part ain't too shabby either. The combat of Stick of Truth isn't going to light the world on fire with its complexity by any means but the simple JRPG inspired fighting systems at work here are more than effective enough to get the job done and push you forward to next story beat. It also holds the distinction of being the best game with a "vagina bomb" in it this year. We truly live in an amazing time.

1. The Banner Saga

Never underestimate the power of world building. The viking fantasy world that The Banner Saga transports you into is truly something to behold. Not just because of the stunningly beautiful hand drawn Heavy Metal inspired visuals, though that's a big part, or the incredible Austin Wintory soundtrack, that's a big part too, but also because the game goes out of its way to make you feel like a part of it. The combat in the game is bridged together with Oregon Trail-like survival management sequences of getting your ever growing army from one part of the world to another. Beyond managing things like food and morale, you never know when something horrible will be awaiting you fully capable of wiping out half your army or your favorite character. That is the world of The Banner Saga. An ever churning march to the next calamity or battle that threatens to end your very existence. Those battles themselves don't feature the most robust combat system you'll see in a turn based strategy game but a still satisfying system when combined with the game's beautiful world and characters create the best gaming experience of 2014.

When talking about sensitive issues on this site, I'm very careful in the way I choose my words. How you say something is usually even more than what you are actually saying. People don't like to be lectured. They don't like be mocked. If you want someone to listen to you, you have to try to understand where they're coming from. I think it's something that a lot of people in this industry get wrong. They're more concerned with talking at people than talking to them. I'm by no means perfect in this regard. No one is but I like to think that I try my best in this regard.

I say all this because I'm kind of done with this approach when it comes to GamerGate. I understand GamerGate all too well at this point (though I'm sure there will be plenty who tell me I don't) and have wasted way too much time slogging knee deep in this stupid movement. I know the correct approach to this whole thing is just don't engage and move on. You don't have to tell me. But despite all my better judgments telling me to just drop it, I still feel the need to let some feelings out about this whole mess.

Let's start by operating under the assumption that GamerGate is actually about exposing corruption in the games industry (spoiler: it's not but more on that later). What "corruption" has GamerGate actually exposed? A mailing list in which journalists talk to each other? Anyone with a basic understanding of any kind of journalism knows that the complaints of GamerGate are ridiculous. There are plenty of problems in games journalism and GamerGate is highlighting none of them. Homogenized opinions among the larger games sites, lack of diversity in who is actually writing about games, endemic advertising. All, in my book, big problems within games writing. But GamerGate has not only failed to highlight any of these issues, they, in fact, have seemed to actively strive to make them worse.

I can tell you what GamerGate is about. It's about making voices shut up. They do this under a few different veils. "Corruption" is their most popular one but a close second is "insulting the audience." The "Gamers Are Over" article from Leigh Alexander is one of GamerGate's favorites, despite it have absolutely nothing to do with corruption. They claim it's an insult to the audience, an attack on gamers everywhere. It made Alexander pretty much public enemy #1. It seems to be a real obsession among the GamerGate community. Being respected, not being talked down to. And hey, I got no problem with that. Everyone should want to be respected. However, that brings us to another figure within GamerGate, Total Biscuit. He's sort of the anti-Leigh and has been promoted to GamerGate messiah in recent weeks. He's a guy who must respect his audience, right? Oh, wait...what's that?

"You don't matter to me...you've already been replaced."

"Many viewers are children and should be treated as such..."

Now, there's a guy who respects the almighty gamer! I'm not gonna say that either Leigh Alexander or Total Biscuit are right or wrong in what they said but you can't have it both ways. If you want to be taking seriously as a movement or whatever, you have to have some sort of logical consistency to what you're preaching. GamerGate does not have this and never did.

The most substantial accomplishments of GamerGate thus far have been convincing Intel to pull their advertising from Gamasutra and causing Jenn Frank to quit game writing. Nevermind the fact the Intel pulling their money hurts not only everyone working at Gamasutra but also all the developers who use the site as an online resource for both development and job hunting. But these people along with Jenn Frank, one of the absolute best games writers we had and the absolute epitome of what's NOT wrong with games writing, are all just collateral damage in the war of gamer retribution. Because a lady wrote an article you didn't like. That may sound reductive but that's what it is. Whether you agree with the "Gamers Are Over" article or not, whether you think it's garbage or it's a masterpiece, trying to force voices out of this industry is wrong, wrong wrong. A thousand times, wrong.

If you cared about corruption, you would have abandoned GamerGate a long time ago. A lot of the "gaters" like to say that GamerGate isn't about harassment but whether it was suppose to be or not, that's what people see when they see GamerGate. But instead of trying to weed out these individuals, people are much more concerned with throwing up their hands and saying "welp, that's not me!" The thing is it is you. If your movement is giving these people a voice, if your movement is giving these people a reason to force writers like Jenn Frank out of this industry, then it is your fault. If you actually care about half the things you claim to care about, you would have refocused the cause to a more positive place weeks ago. But you don't because you don't care. GamerGate is, today, about the same thing it was since day one. Finding the people in games journalism who write things that you don't like and trying to make them go away.

I've played games pretty much my entire life. Despite this, I have never once called myself a gamer. I've never asked anyone to call me a gamer. I certainly never will now. And despite me still being being passionate about games, one of the things that seems to constantly drive me away is the gamers themselves. Time and time again, it becomes apparent to me that a lot of gamers don't actually care about games as much as they like to think they do. They care about playing with their toys. They want to sit in the sandbox and play with their toys but then when someone walks over with a new kind of toy that they've never seen before, that maybe confuses them a little bit, they kick sand in their face and chase them away. When what they should be doing, even if they don't like the new toys, is realize that the sandbox is for everyone. You can have your section of the sandbox, I can have mine. Maybe even once in a while, we can share but if you don't want to, that's fine. The point is that we're all playing together. You don't have to like the new toys but all I ask is that you let them play.

Lists. I love 'em. You love 'em. I have 'em. You have 'em. I try to summarize my thoughts on music every year around this time for a few reasons. For one, I really like music but I also do it because it's difficult. I find expressing why a song or album is great to be really hard sometimes. Saying why something sounds good to you is a very personal and interesting thing. So, I challenge myself and try to tell others (and mostly myself) every year WHY I liked the music I did. This whole thing was written in one go at around 4 in the morning and was a struggle at times so forgive me if I ramble or don't make much sense at times but here's my list.

Top 10 Songs of 2013

10. Earl Sweatshirt - Hive

The hype surrounding Earl Sweatshirt's hotly anticipated debut album reached near astronomical heights this year. On top of the internet's general fascination with the now 19 year old rapper after his return from Samoan exile, Earl released three jaw dropping singles before the album's release, all of which could easily be featured on this. It may have ended up hurting "Doris" when all was said and done because those three tracks ("Hive", "Chum" and "Whoa") may very well be the best three tracks on the album. Regardless of all that, the standout among a trio of standout tracks is "Hive", featuring some of the best lines spit by any MC the entire year. Earl's second verse in particular is maybe the most on-point he's ever been. And the whole thing is topped off by a star making verse by frequent Odd Future contributor Vince Staples, who threatens to steal the entire show.

9. M.I.A. - Come Walk With Me

Between getting sued by the NFL and having her previously laughed at government surveliance conspiracy theories become a reality, M.I.A. had a real interesting, "told ya so" kind of year. The first half of "Come Walk With Me" is everything the haters...well, hated about M.I.A. It's an obnoxious (though incredibly catchy) and obvious sing-a-long lamentation about government outreach and invasion of privacy. And everything explodes into a insane, pounding club beat. The whole song is much more powerful middle finger than any Super Bowl performance.

8. Janelle Monae - Q.U.E.E.N.

2013's verse of the year isn't from a rapper. "Q.U.E.E.N." plays out like a pretty typical Janelle Monae song for most of its 5 plus minute runtime, meaning it's a great, funky pop song. However, near the end of the song, Monae feels like her message isn't completely clear so she decides to take a new approach. The result is a jaw dropping verse that tackles both race and gender issues head on, pulling zero punches and calling people of all wakes to creed. "Be the change you want to see" is not a original statement but it has never been delivered so definitively.

7. Rustie - Slasherr

Oh, the mighty power of the drop. We wait for it. We brace ourselves for it. But we always end up never quite ready for it. The drop most likely to have you spasming out in front of your computer screen comes from UK producer Rustie, who had himself a pretty damn good year and branched out into some interesting directions. (More on that later.) "Slasherr" is a pure club, dance track through and through but there is a lushness to the sound that only Rustie can produce. It's a track designed to make you dance but that doesn't mean there aren't layers to peel back here, if you're into that kind of thing. And even if you're not, that drop is still so good.

6. Majical Cloudz - Childhood's End

And now for something completely different. First things first, yeah, Majical Cloudz is a goddamn terrible band name. It's just the worst. But this song is really, really good so bear with me. The mission statement of Cloudz (ugh) is to do as much as possible with as little as possible. They make very minimal, sparse music and "Childhood's End" is the perfect example of that. The synthesized backing track sounds like something out of Mass Effect and the ambiguous, subtle lyrics can take any number of meanings. This is not feel good music. It's downright haunting and it's only enhanced by one of the most genuinely upsetting music videos of the year. Like the song, it never makes clear why you should be upset but sometimes letting you feel in the blanks is even more frightening.

5. Neko Case - Man

Neko Case has been doing this for a long time now. But her most arresting and powerful statement yet may have come nearly 20 years into her career. "I'm a man." To Neko Case, being a man isn't a matter of biology. It's a state of mind. She's more of a man than you'll ever be and she is not ashamed of that for one second. It's one of most declarative "I am who I am" songs I have ever heard and an inspiring sentiment no matter what gender you happen to be.

4. Sophie - Bipp

You may have heard the term "bubblegum pop" before. Well, "Bipp" is pure distilled sugar straight to the brain. Seriously, you may need to go to the dentist after listening to this. But like anything that's bad for you, it's delicious and dangerously habit forming. By far the catchiest song of 2013, there is no way that "Bipp", love it or hate it, won't be bouncing around in your head for hours to come to. Just make sure to floss afterwards.

3. Arcade Fire - Reflektor

Arcade Fire, James Murphy and David Bowie all got in a room and made a great song. Who would have guessed it? "Epic" is one of many words ruined by the internet but there's really no other way to say it, this song is epic. There's just a ridiculous amount of stuff going on here. Arcade Fire have never really done "small." They have always been the band with the biggest aspirations and "Reflektor" may be one of their biggest accomplishments to date. There's a near countless amount of things to like here but my personal favorite is around the time Bowie enters the song and the horns kick in. God, those horns.

2. Kanye West - Blood on the Leaves

Let's be honest, not many people can get away with "Blood on the Leaves" Combining Nina Simone with a TNGHT beat should be straight blasphemy and to some people, it was. Using a song about the oppression of an entire race of people and rapping lines like "when you tried your first molly" over it? It's downright insulting. But as he almost always does, Kanye makes it works. He knows exactly what he's doing and he does it, like he does everything, with such a brazen cockiness that you can't help but respect in some weird, twisted way.

1. A$AP Ferg - Shabba (Remix)

Ridiculous. Absurd. Preposterous. These are all words that I could use to describe the remix to A$AP Ferg's "Shabba" but none of them even begin to do it justice. Where do you even begin with this thing? This is a song just made up of incredible moments. There's Shabba Ranks, the man himself, getting things started, Ferg's Yeezus impression, when Ferg just starts barking at the end of his verse, Migos topping off their incredible year with a pair of great verses. But my personal preference has to be Busta Rhymes' impression of an air horn. Just ridiculous.

Top Albums of 2013

10. Speedy Ortiz - Major Arcana

Honest to god rock bands are pretty hard to find nowadays. But Speedy Ortiz may be one of the purest and best of a dying breed. There's something almost quirky about a band with just a guitar, a bass, some drums and a voice. Major Arcana transports you back to the 90s when that was all that mattered and proves that front woman Sadie Dupuis would have taken her rightful place among the grunge greats of the era. It's simple music that anyone can enjoy and sometimes that all you need.

9. Drake - Nothing Was the Same

A lot of people have a lot of strong opinions about Drake. It's probably safe to call him the most polarizing member of Degrassi at this point. A lot of people seem to have a problem with his "started from the bottom" mantra, which is fair. The idea that Aubrey Graham started from the bottom is pretty ridiculous, to be fair. But Drake is a kind of ridiculous guy. Underneath it all, the dude is just a giant dork. He's not very self-aware, he's not really cut out for the cut throat rap world. So when he yelps about how "muthafuckas never loved us", you kind of laugh and nod but at the same time, it's kind of refreshing. There's nothing ironic about Drake. Take it or leave it, he is who he is. And while it's definitely fun to see show that other side on songs like "Worst Behavior", he is at his best when he embraces the real him. A sappy, sentimental, dork. Perhaps the best example of this comes on "Hold On, We're Going Home", a perfect sticky sweet pop song that's hard not to sing along to and harder still to hate. Even the music video is so corny and ridiculous but it's clear that Drake either doesn't care or doesn't even notice.

8. DJ Koze - Amygdala

DJ Koze, out of Germany, isn't exactly a new face in the techno/house scene. He's been producing remixes an singles for years but think of Amygdala as his coming out party. This isn't the pulse pounding techno you're expecting. It's restrained, understated and most of all, beautiful music. Koze brings in a cavalcade of other musicians to help him out, including Caribou and Matthew Dear but his real power lies his uncanny ability to blend these other artists seamlessly into his tracks making them part of the beat, not featured on it.

7. Chance the Rapper - Acid Rap

With the explosion of popularity rappers like Chief Keef, the Chicago rap scene goes hand in hand with violence but Chance the Rapper is different. He's a breath of fresh air to a city that desperately needed one. But he doesn't just differ in subject matter of his Chicago brethren. Chance abandons the trap beats for a much more 90s influenced production, clearly influenced by early Kanye, A Tribe Called Quest, among others. Chance laments the memory of the lives the violence of Chicago has taken throughout Acid Rap but it's also a record full of just fun tracks. It's a rap record about positivity and love, which is becoming rarer and rarer.

6. Danny Brown - Old

Compared to most of other rappers releasing their debut commercial album in 2013, Danny Brown is downright ancient. Largely unknown until 2011 when he released XXX, Danny Brown is 32 years old and just now hitting his stride. Like XXX and Danny Brown himself, Old is dual sided. Side A is filled with introspective tales from the Detroit hood where Danny grew up while side B erupts into a flurry of druggy club tracks. Danny Brown is a complex character and "Old" is a perfect self-reflection. He's a smart dude with a fantastic ear for all kinds of music, which evident by the perfect beat selection throughout the album. Listening to Old is like walking through a hip hop museum taking in the influences and production that got the genre to where it is today.

5. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

Like most people reading this right now, I miss Ryan Davis. Everyone has got their own ways of remembering Ryan. Going back and watching old videos and podcasts doesn't really work for me, personally. The best way for me has been Random Access Memories. I don't know of a single piece of media that more showcases the spirit of Ryan Davis than this album. That's obviously a very personal reason for the album being on this list but it's also just a great record in its own right. Random Access Memories is both a nostalgic love letter to the past as well as an ode to the future. The album wears its influences on its sleeve. Hell, most of time they just cut through the whole "influences" part and feature them on the record itself. It's luxury that many artists don't have but it's one that Daft Punk thankfully doesn't pass up on.

4. CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe

The bands of the future are going to look a lot like CHVRCHES. A bunch of dudes (in this case, two dudes and a girl) with synthesizers instead of guitars but if they're all even half as good as The Bones of What You Believe then we're in good shape. It's the best pop album of the year but it's more than just mindless superficial shallow pop music. The Bones of What You Believe is an emotional and personal record. It's an ambitious album that aims high and reaches its goals in seemingly effortless fashion.

3. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels

Killer Mike and El-P individually released two of the best rap albums of the year in 2012. It only makes sense that the two would come together and release one of the best rap albums of 2013. Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music and El-P's Cancer 4 Cure were very rich with themes and cynical messages about race, government and just about everything in between. As Run the Jewels, they say fuck that. The duo are in full blown scorched earth mode, eradicating everyone and everything in their path. And the whole time they barely seem to break a sweat.

2. Waxahatchee - Cerulean Salt

It's hard to imagine a person who listens to Cerulean Salt and doesn't hear something that strikes a cord. It's a record that so incredibly truthful and real that it can sometimes feel like Katie Crutchfield is plucking these songs right from your own life. There's not a whole lot to the music on Cerulean Salt. A lot of the songs are just Crutchfield and a guitar, sometimes with a backing drum track but the emotional honesty behind every song elevates the album to one of the best of the year.

1. Kanye West - Yeezus

Yep. I racked my brain real hard. I really did. I tried to figure out if there was any album this year that I could put at this number 1 spot instead of Yeezus but putting anything else in this spot just seemed disingenuous. There's no album that I went back to more this year than Yeezus. It may not be the best rap album of the year. It may not have the best lyrics or flow but no other album this year could top the visceral experience of the 40 wild minutes in Kanye West's insane mind. It's an unrelenting, pounding, no holds barred assault on your senses. Say what you will about Kanye (and many have) but no one can say that the guy doesn't have a vision and he's intent on sticking to it and accepting no compromises. They say you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Well, last I checked Kanye is still breathing so that can only mean one thing.

First off, sorry for another long weepy post about Ryan. I know the forums have been overloaded with them and I hope that I can offer some sort perspective worth reading but no promises. I couldn't just write nothing though. I'm sorry if this sounds corny or overly dramatic or whatever. I'm fairly sure it does but oh well.

I've got a couple ways of dealing with stress or sadness in my life. One of them over the last five years has been Giant Bomb. I could always count on the site having a new Quick Look for me to watch, a podcast to cheer me up and an upcoming live stream to get me excited. I spent my formative teenage years on Giant Bomb. When the site launched five years ago, I was right in the middle of high school, still trying to figure out who I was. I fully believe that Ryan and the rest of the Giant Bomb guys helped make me the person I am today. When I first came to this site, I was a complete goddamn idiot. I had no idea how the world worked and I thought I was way too cool for all these "internet people." Five years later, I'm still pretty stupid but I've grown immensely as a person. Some of that just comes from moving through life but I truly believe that I owe so much to these guys. They taught me so much more than just what video games to buy.

Yesterday, I was on my lunch break when I looked at my phone and saw a tweet from IGN's Greg Miller that read "So sad. @taswell will be profoundly missed." My first thought was "oh jesus, first Patrick moves to Chicago, now Ryan is leaving the site too?!" The thought of death never entered my mind. These guys don't die. That's stupid. They just play video games. How could Ryan Davis die? When I clicked the link and saw the headline, I felt my heart shatter. There was the initial feeling of disbelief, the feeling of "this is a joke, right?" It didn't make any sense and it still doesn't.

I spent the rest of the work day numb. Just staring listlessly, not getting much done at all. When I got home, I watched Harmonix's tribute stream and shed my first tears. It was when I saw a picture of Ryan and John Vignocchi at the wedding.

Two people who were always so full of energy and who were so genuine. It killed me to know their friendship was gone. It just doesn't seem right. The tears came in waves the rest of the day and when I woke up this morning, it felt like I haven't slept at all. I'm lucky enough that my job allows me to work all day with my headphones in. I knew I couldn't bear to go back and listen to old Bombcasts so I went to my secondary coping measure: music. But it wasn't helping. Everything was going in one ear and out the other. I still couldn't focus. Then, inspired by Harmonix's tribute stream, I put on Daft Punk's Random Access Memories. From the opening chords of "Give Life Back to Music", it just felt right. Every song reminded me of him. Access Memories is an album about celebration. Celebration of music, of life, of good times. I can't think of a person who embodied that more than Ryan Davis.

We are so lucky that Ryan left us so much to remember him by. Hundreds upon hundreds of hours of podcasts and videos. If I ever want to remember his voice, his laugh or his incredibly foul mouth, I have those and that's truly a gift. But remembering a person's spirit is a much harder thing to capture. Remembering the happiness that they enriched your life with. Remembering not just what they were but who they were and how they were. I'm going to have that with Random Access Memories. I'll never listen to a song from this album without thinking of him. And while right now, remembering Ryan hurts, time will go on and those memories will become celebrations.

It's crystal clear that I don't ever want it to end

If I had my way, I would never leave

Keep building these random memories

Turning our days into melodies

But since I can't stay...

I'll just keep playing back

These fragments of time

Everywhere I go, these moments will shine

In some ways, Kanye West’s 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy seemed like a giant, lavishly produced, bombastic apology or as close to an apology as Kanye would ever get (i.e. he’s made some mistakes but let’s face it, he’s still the shit). It was an intensely personal look into the life of Kanye West, albeit a fantastical version of it. In between his usual brags like “I don’t need your pussy, bitch/I’m on my own dick”, there was a lot of self-doubt and regret scattered throughout the record. And while it was an extremely personal record, it was also a star studded affair with huge artist features on almost every track. From Jay-Z to Rick Ross to Rihanna, the gang was all there. It was just about everything that Yeezus is not. There are no apologies and there is certainly no Rihanna. Kanye’s GOOD Music brethren are almost entirely missing from his new album. While Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon is still a major contributor , the Swizz Beats and Fergies of the world are replaced by young, hungry up and comers, specifically Chief Keef and King L, from Chicago’s violent and controversial drill scene. Lights and fame were running theme on Dark Fantasy but Yeezus is an album about darkness. It’s crude, it’s vulgar, and it’s extremely misogynistic. If MBDTF said “I’m sorry”, Yeezus says “fuck you, not sorry.”

It seems almost poetic that just two days before Yeezus would drop, Kanye’s foil and “big brother” Jay-Z would announce his new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, during Game 5 of the NBA Finals in a partnership with Samsung. This being the extreme turnaround from Kanye’s most recent Saturday Night Live performance, where he repeatedly flashed the words “NOT FOR SALE” and proudly shouted “fuck you and your corporations” to an audience of millions. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Jay-Z is 43 years old, one of the most widely acclaimed rappers of all-time and much more than just a musician these days. He’s earned the right to be on cruise control at this point. But while Jay seems perfectly content with the “suit and tie” life, Kanye refuses to be complacent. He is intent on reinventing himself with every album he produces and just as he had five times before this, he succeeds.

The album kicks off with the Daft Punk-produced “On Sight”, a twisted take on Graduation’s Daft Punk-sampled "Stronger.” On “Stronger”, Kanye said “I need you right now.” With “On Sight”, he just needs. Tonally, it sets the stage for what’s still to come but musically, the record is just as volatile and unpredictable as Kanye himself. Every track seems to incorporate a new genre and you never know when Daft Punk’s acid house beat will suddenly morph into a gospel choir sample and then without warning, back again. Right on cue, the next track, “Black Skinhead”, (also at least partially produced by Daft Punk) features an industrial rock style beat that would make Trent Reznor proud. The theme switches now from Kanye’s explicit sexual escapades to his loud, outspoken anti-establishment bellows. Lyrically, nothing on Yeezus is really breaking new ground. Kanye’s subject matter has remained mostly static throughout his career but he’s able to keep it interesting by ratcheting up these lyrics to the next possible extreme while also sonically creating the most compelling records on the market today.

Unlike Dark Fantasy, Kanye is on his own for much of Yeezus. When guests do drop in, they are either relatively unknown or the appearances are mostly understated. Frank Ocean quickly hops in for a few (mostly unrecognizable) bars on “New Slaves” and even Chief Keef only gets hook honors on “Hold My Liquor”, though he does deliver the closest thing we've seen to an introspective verse from him. The only people who actually get proper guest verses are dancehall deejay Agent Sasco (“I'm In It”) and Chicago driller King L (“Send It Up”). Some will complain that more could have been done with the guests that Kanye had at his disposable and they may be right. At the same time, the condensed list of invitees insures that no one overstays their welcome and we are spared another “redickalis” appearance from Swizz Beatz or another unnecessary four bars from Rick Ross.

Yeezus comes to a head at the one-two punch sitting six and seven in the track listing. The first punch coming from the ridiculously filthy “I'm In It”, where he manages to compare both a women whipping out her titties and fisting to the civil rights movement. It’s the most blatantly misogynistic song that Kanye has ever produced and it does features some groan-inducing lines like “eating Asian pussy/all I need is sweet and sour sauce.” But it is so unrelentingly absurd that you can’t but get caught up in Kanye’s ludicrous fantasy. That’s followed by the album’s magnum opus “Blood on the Leaves.” The unholy fusion of Nina Simone’s “Strange Fruit” and TNGHT’s “R U Ready” comes together to create an absolutely gargantuan track showcasing the best of Kanye’s ambitions in an insane and thrilling six minutes.

Then before you know it, it’s over. The album wraps up in a brisk 40 minutes over just 10 tracks. However, in that short time, Kanye covers plenty of ground, resulting in a dark, twisted racially and sexually charged record that holds nothing back. The catalog of albums amassed by Kanye is nothing short of spectacular. To produce six albums that are so different but still all great in their own way (depending on how you feel about 808s and Heartbreak) is unlike almost any artist that has come before him. The conversation of him among the greatest of all-time has already begun and will surely only intensify from here. One of the more common comparisons being thrown around is calling Kanye this generation’s Beatles. Both are artists that incredibly critically acclaimed but also obviously possess an outstanding mainstream appeal. No matter how apt the comparison may be, it’s sure to anger some. After all, John Lennon never did talk a whole lot about fisting on their records. Maybe the world isn’t ready for that association just yet. After all, what is a black Beatle anyway?

5/5

So, my rap game awards blog post from a few days ago got a pretty okay reception on here, despite it not being as fleshed out as I planned. I was hesitant to write too much because I wasn't sure if anyone was willing to read it but now it seems like there's a least a couple people on these forums willing to talk hip hop so let's try something new. I don't want to bite on Big Ghost's gimmick here but the idea is to review some rap records track by track and if people like it, I'll do some more. We'll start with probably the most anticipated rap album of 2013. It won't be officially released until January 15th but of course, it leaked as everything tends to do.

1. Long Live A$AP

This track (and its video) was released at the very end of last year and seems destined to be the album's third single. A$AP hasn't got much of anything new to say here but it serves as a great introduction for what's to come. He's pretty, he's purple sipping, he gives his shout outs to Houston and Memphis. The song really serves as a primer for Rocky's entire body of work and if you want to know what he's all about look no further. It helps that he says it all over an unreal beat produced by Jim Jonsin and Rico Love, which could possibly go down as the single best piece of work either one of them has ever produced. Rocky isn't reinventing the wheel or anything here but he knows his strengths and he plays directly into pretty much all of them here.

2. Goldie

Released way back in April, this is the album's lead single and goddamn, it deserves that distinction. A pure banger in large part to hip hop's hottest producer Hit-Boy, who you'll know from Jay-Z & Kanye West's "Niggas in Paris", "Clique" and "Cold" from Kanye's GOOD Music collab, Kendrick Lamar's "Backstreet Freestyle" and countless other gladiatorial beats over the past 12 months. We're only 2 songs into his debut album and A$AP is taking his victory lap right now. He's rocking the Margielas with no laces, his Ferrari is the latest model, he's drinking Cristal or Aces but doesn't matter which because he's chasing it down with a 40 ounce anyway. He already made it but he's gonna keep going anyway.

3. PMW (All I Really Need) (feat. ScHoolboy Q)

ScHoolboy calls himself A$AP-Q on his verse, which seems appropriate considering these two collaborate more than Rocky does with the A$AP Mob at this point. The two first got together on Rocky's "LiveLoveA$AP" mixtape for "Brand New Guy" and then again on Q's great "Habits & Contradictions" for "Hands on the Wheel", which just so happened to be the best track off the album. PMW (pussy, money, weed, if you haven't caught on yet) is pretty much exactly what you expect from the two. It isn't quite on the level of Hands on the Wheel and probably ranks third as far A$AP-Q duets go but that's not to say it's bad. It simply meets the expectations that these two have created for themselves over the last couple years and continues the album's incredibly strong start.

4. LVL

The reunions continue with Rocky hooking back up with his long time producing partner Clams Casino and delivering a track that would feel right at home on "LiveLoveA$AP." These two are a perfect mix and compliment each other in almost every way. Casino's spacey beats and Rocky's slow southern flow combined to create something both beautiful and raw at the same time. Thematically, A$AP isn't veering too far from what he knows but he does get some nice lines in there, including a little dig at Raider Klan, declares himself "Trill-Maluminati" and asks his haters to kneel before Lord Pretty Flacko before he starts to behead people.

5. Hell (feat. Santigold)

Clams Casino on back to back tracks here and unsurprisingly, he's 2 for 2. Rocky is joined by Santigold this time, who is still trying to prove that she's not just a poor M.I.A. imitation and she goes a great job here providing an awesome hook that really takes the track to the next level. Lyrically speaking, besides a nice shout out to Socrates, this is probably the weakest effort so far on the album but Santigold's vocals and Casino's production save it from being a dud.

6. Pain (feat. OverDoz)

The first track on the album that I'm likely the skip from here on out. I'll admit that I'm not at all familiar with OverDoz and this isn't really inspiring me to go check them out either. Not a bad song or anything but just kind of there compared the incredibly strong start.

7. Fuckin' Problems (feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar)

And here's the radio song. Everyone knows you can't make a high profile rap album these days without a useless 2 Chainz appearance, who comes in for literally two lines on the hook. It's pretty clear that this song is just a vehicle to get some high profile names on the record and generate some buzz, which it has, I guess. As a song however, it's among the weakest that Rocky has ever produced. There is such a thing as coming off too strong. We get it, you like fucking bad bitches and you got a fucking problem. It's certainly not the first time a group of rappers have had this "problem" and it definitely won't be the last but they go about it in the absolute laziest way possible. It's an extra bummer because Rocky is good enough that he doesn't need to do this shit. If it gets some college girl listening to Z100 turned on to A$AP's music, I guess it's a success but for everyone else, this is trash.

8. Wild for the Night

This should be terrible. There are literally zero reasons why this song should be any good. A lot was made of Rocky getting together with Skrillex for this track prior to release, which was mostly people saying "holy shit, that sounds horrible." At least that was my reaction. But lo and behold, they pulled it off remarkably well. It not only works but it ends up being one of the strongest songs on the album. I'm sure this track is going to generate a lot of backlash simply because it's Skrillex and believe me, I want to hate it too but I just can't. Rocky's "Me and my nigga, Skrillex" line will never not be hilarious, though.

9. 1Train (feat. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T.)

Six of the hottest rappers in the game (and Yelawolf) with Hit-Boy on the beat? Instant classic, right? Not so fast. The track is far from bad but at some point, it's just too much. Hit-Boy's production is good but it can't quite hold up for 6 minutes. With a couple less heads, this could have been great but as it stands, it's just a little too over-stuffed and a little too under-produced. If you want a great posse rap, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire's "The Last Huzzah" is still the song you're looking for.

10. Fashion Killa

Eh. Kind of just a boring track. I can't really be bothered to say all that much.

11. Phoenix

After a bit of a mid-album slump, Danger Mouse puts everything back in focus. Danger isn't a really a name that anyone has associated with hip hop since he collaborated with MF Doom years ago but he produces an absolutely gorgeous beat here and Rocky gets back to his bread and butter, delivering some of his best rhymes on the whole album. He talks about leaving Harlem behind and how, although a lot of rappers want to say that they have love for their hometown friends who they grew up, Rocky doesn't want to associate with a bunch of fake people who want to capitalize on his fame. It can be hard to leave behind your home because loyalty is such an important aspect of hip hop but A$AP has risen above the projects and is shining like a phoenix, brighter than ever.

12. Suddenly

Wow. On first listen, this track absolutely floored me. That's Rocky himself on the barely there but still incredibly soulful production to which he delivers some of the poignant rhymes of his career. A$AP is all on his past life in the hood and the harsh realities until near the end when, well...suddenly the beat and the rhymes amp up to represent Rocky's sudden rise to fame for a brief free bars before coming back down. It's a rare human look at A$AP that I'd love to see more of.

13. Jodye

The rest of these are technically bonus tracks so I'll check it short. Rocky gets on his Odd Future shit here in a SpaceGhostPurrp diss track without ever explicitly referring to him or Raider Klan. The beat implies a much more vicious lyrical murdering than this actual is but Rocky has said in the past that he doesn't really want to participate in any kind of blood feud with Purrp.

14. Ghetto Symphony (feat. Gunplay & A$AP Ferg)

I have no idea why this is a bonus track but this is awesome. Some absolutely unreal production and Rocky and Gunplay both tear it up. Gunplay is a rapper who we should hear a lot more from in the future so it really sucks that everything he does outside of the studio pegs him as a total fucking idiot. Between the swastika tattoo on his neck and the life in prison charge he's currently facing, it's almost too bad that he's as talented as he is. As for Ferg...uh...you'll get 'em next time, kid. But even despite that, this is definitely one of the hottest tracks on the entire record and it's a shame that it's buried in the bonus section.

15. Angels

Now, this sounds like a bonus track. Not bad, just kind of unremarkable and screams b-side.

A$AP Rocky has made a career out of defining expectations. When he signed a $3 million record deal with Sony before he even had a mixtape out, people said there was no way he could live up to the hype. Then he did with LiveLoveA$AP. When his debut studio album was mired with delays, people said it was doomed to fail. But then it didn't. LongLiveA$AP isn't a perfect album but it lives up to any expectations that I could have had. Don't be fooled, Rocky is making pop rap and he's not the east coast Kendrick Lamar but as long as he keeps putting out hits, people will remember the name A$AP.

FOUR HUNKADUNKS OUT OF FIVE

Stand-out tracks: Long Live A$AP, Goldie, Suddenly, Ghetto Symphony

So, here's a dumb idea I had. I like rap music and I like Giant Bomb's GOTY awards. So, what if I combined the two and created a bunch of arbitrary categories to talk about my favorite rap music of the year? Dumb, right? Well, let's do it.

BEST NEW CHARACTER

RiFF RAFF

The future Jody Highroller got his start back in 2009 on MTV's From G's to Gents as "MTV Riff Raff." Not only did he have the television channel in his name but he also had it on his neck in form of a tattoo. He also has a BET logo on his chest, so maybe his allegiances are a little fishy. You know, he also has Bart Simpson and the NBA logo permanently etched on his body as well so maybe he's just fucking insane. I could sit here for hours and tell you all the insane things about RiFF RAFF from his amazing Twitter account to his constant referring to himself as "RAP GAME (INSERT CELEBRITY/HISTORICAL FIGURE NAME)" to his rap group Three Loco, in which he's joined by Andy Milonakis and Dirt Nasty AKA Simon Rex from the early 2000s sitcom "What I Like About You." But none of that would do any good. You may look at him and on first thought think he's a ridiculous idiot. And hey, maybe you're right. I mean, how could anyone look like that? However, the truth is that, whether you like it or not, RiFF RAFF is a genius. He's just signed a deal with Diplo's label Mad Decent, he has collaborated with real, honest to god rappers like Action Bronson and Harmony Korine is making a movie about him starring James Franco so he must be doing something right. If his persona is genuine and he really thinks that his Bart Simpson chest tattoo is rad then he's the most absurd man that ever lived and he deserves all of our money. If it's all an act, he's the greatest real life troll in mankind's history and he deserves all of our money. I don't know if the facade (if there is one) will ever be broken but I sure hope not. RAP GAME ANDY KAUFFMAN.

Runner-ups: Chief Keef, Lil B

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

El-P

There aren't many people in rap who had a better 2012 than El-P. Pushing 40, he not only released his own fantastic solo album, Cancer 4 Cure but he also collaborated with long-time friend Killer Mike entirely handling the production duties for his newest album, R.A.P. Music. On his own album, he paints a dystopian future straight out of a Philip K. Dick novel. Think Blade Runner, starring Chuck D. While on Mike's side of things, he takes a more "N.W.A. from the future" approach. The running theme across both works is this feeling of cynicism. Don't trust the government. Don't trust your neighbor. Don't trust yourself. And when you've seen the shit that El-P has seen, you'd be cynical too. P's been around the game for a long time now but at age 37, he seems like he's still got plenty to say and plenty of hits to make.

Runner-ups: Hit Boy, TNGHT

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Killer Mike - Big Beast (feat. Bun B, T.I. & Trouble)

Big Beast features almost zero of what makes Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music so great. It has none of the poignant social commentary of "Reagan" and none of the religious undertones of the album's title track. It's a straight up hoodrat track and it opens the album like a Tec-9 fired out of a moving vehicle. And while great on its own as just a banging track, the music video is what sells the song as the ultimate gangsta fantasy. Full disclosure, Drive is one of my favorite movies of the last 10 years so if you tell me something is even slightly related to it, I'm probably going to like it. The fact that Killer Mike pretty much created a 10 minute hip-hop version of Drive felt like he inceptioned the idea straight from my wildest dreams.

Runner-ups: Danny Brown - Grown Up, A$AP Rocky - Long. Live. A$AP.

GROUP OF THE YEAR

Black Hippy

Here are four guys who couldn't be more different. You got Kendrick Lamar, he doesn't drink or smoke, had a chart topping single this year about the dangers of alcoholism. You got Schoolboy Q, all he does is drink and smoke, had a single in which he declares on the hook that life to him is just weed and brews. Then you got Jay Rock, who just wants to tell you about his struggles in the hood and Ab-Soul, who just wants to tell you about his Sega Saturn. And yet these four not only get along but have flourished. Three of the four released solo albums this year, all of which can be found on top album lists across the internet. While Tech N9ne's declaration of Black Hippy as "the new N.W.A." may be a bit pre-mature, there's zero doubt that you're going to be seeing all of their faces in the hip hop scene for a long time to come.

Runner-ups: Progressive Era, Odd Future

MIXTAPE OF THE YEAR

Action Bronson - Blue Chips

Like Giant Bomb's Best Download Game category, this is one that seems to be losing its meaning. Some of the best hip hop is now being released for free on websites like Dat Piff, meaning that any of these downloads could easily be the best album of the year. I mean, when Rick Ross is releasing mixtapes better than his certified gold albums, what the hell does the word mixtape even mean? Either way, the best mixtape of the year belongs to the pro wrestling loving, Albanian food connoisseur, Action Bronson. Bronson is probably most well-known for sounding like a white Ghostface Killah, a comparison that he's tired of over the years. As he should because he's much more than a Ghostface knock-off. He's the kind of rapper who isn't afraid to "pat himself on the back like Barry Horowitz" or sample Ron Simmons' "DAMN" catchphrase in a song. Anyone who's spent anytime on these forums can figure out why I can appreciate that. But it's more than the wrestling references that attracts me to Bronson. It's the dirty, gritty feeling to all of his music. Bronson fancies himself a mafioso and his tracks feel like they were scavenged from the seedy underbelly of his native NYC. There are multiple instances on Blue Chips where Bronson blatantly fucks up a line and has to repeat himself but he doesn't cut it because he wants you to know that he's real. And in a scene that is now dominated by Gucci and expensive watches, it's nice to find a rapper who's actually willing to admit that he's human.

Runner-ups: Rick Ross - Rich Forever, Joey Bada$$ - 1999

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city

West coast hip hop hasn't exactly been dominating the scene for a while now. The void left by artists like N.W.A. and Tupac were never really filled. The Game seemed like he was primed to conquer Cali for a little while but those hopes quickly evaporated and are now more of a punchline than a rallying cry. But Dr. Dre has a new protege and his name is Kendrick Lamar. good kidd, m.A.A.d city has that Compton feel that has been desperately missed in hip hop. Lamar reps Compton hard but he also wants you to know that, at the same time, he's left it behind. Kendrick made it out but he's here to tell you the story of those who didn't. Compton is the mad city that turned a good kid like Kendrick and many others into drug dealers and gang bangers. On "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst", Kendrick raps from the perspective of multiple individuals from his past but the trait they share is that they were lost to the system, whether it be gang violence or simply becoming another Compton hoodrat. It's not until he sees one of his friends die in front of him that he realizes he's worth more than this life. Along this journey into adulthood for Kendrick, he introduces a cast of memorable characters, who all have their own role in his transformation. It all ends with a victory lap alongside his mentor Dr. Dre, putting an exclamation mark on the resurrection of west coast hip hop and putting his stamp on the scene forever. good kid, m.A.A.d city is nothing short of a masterpiece, both a celebration and damning of the most famous city in hip hop, Compton, California and one of that will be remembered forever.

Runner-ups: Death Grips - The Money Store, Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

I know this is pretty late but for some reason, this year I felt compelled to write up something about my favorite albums of the year. It's not like it was a particularly stand-out year for music or anything but I never really attempted to write down my thoughts on music I like. So, I thought this could be an interesting experiment. Also, it's just kind of fun.

10. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Pretty much all Arcade Fire has done for the past decade is release great album after great album and The Suburbs, while maybe not their best work, is just another great all-around effort by the defining indie rock band. Yeah, sure, it's an Arcade Fire album through and through and this won't change your mind about the band if you weren't too keen to their other albums. They rarely extend out of their comfort zone and deliver pretty much the same indie rock style that they have for their entire careers. But that simply speaks to just how talented these guys are. They have a formula and they've stuck to it for three fantastic albums now with no signs of slowing down any time soon. They have no need to invent themselves with every new album because this band just know what they're doing.

9. Ghostface Killah - Apollo Kids

2010 was not a good year for rap music. I can count the number of rap albums that I genuinely enjoyed this year on one hand. But Apollo Kids is the clear stand out in that small group. Kanye's album was great but it never quite reaches the level that Apollo Kids does. Ghostface has maintained pretty much the same style for his entire illustrious career and his newest effort is more of the same hard hitting, profanity laden rap that he's famous for. Accompanied by his always impressive supporting cast of former Wu-Tang members, Ghostface delivers an album that can stack up with the likes of any of the best younger rappers in the game. There's plenty of terrible hip hop released every year so it's nice when we can have one of the veterans come through and show everyone how it's done.

8. Deftones - Diamond Eyes

For my money, Deftones are the best metal act going right now. They may not be the "hardest" band in the world but they can still produce some of the best pulse pounding and head banging riffs as anyone. Coupled with the emotion filled vocals of lead singer Chino Moreno, Diamond Eyes is just another fantastic outing for the masters of their genre. The band has come a long way since White Pony and have refined their craft with every ensuing album, resulting in their finest effort yet. Diamond Eyes is the Deftones' heaviest offering by far but it never overpowers the emotional lyrics that separate them from the rest of the metal world. As a result, Diamond Eyes is the best of both worlds, giving you the blast-beat riffs and poetic lyrics that come together as one of the best metal albums in years.

7. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

James Murphy knows how to make funky ass dance music. I didn't think that LCD Soundsystem could ever top Sound of Silver but here we are. Murphy still knows how to make you get up and dance around your apartment like a fool while maintaining that groove for sometimes up to 10 minutes at a time. This Is Happening contains Soundsystem's best pure electronic music that Murphy's ever produced, which sometimes doesn't even need his vocal work to be entirely listenable. But that's not to say that Murphy's vocal work isn't as great as usual because it is just as frenzied and catchy as its ever been with him sometimes hitting notes that don't even seem possible. There's a real shortage of good music that is just fun to listen to. You can tell that Murphy was having fun making this album and you're sure to have fun listening to it.

6. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks

There's not much you can say about just good rock music. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists is one of the last remaining great old fashioned rock 'n roll bands. There's nothing crazy or innovative going on with The Brutalist Bricks. It's just good music that literally anyone can appreciate. This might be the only album on this list that you can give to your dad and have him enjoy it just as much as you do. The Brutalist Bricks may be Ted Leo's catchiest work yet and that's saying a lot considering the catalog that these guys have accumulated. If you enjoy the sound of a guitar, you'll enjoy at least a few songs on this album. I guarantee it.

5. Stars - The Five Ghosts

For years, Stars has been an average indie pop band with a really boring name. I enjoyed their last album, In Our Bedroom After the War, well enough but it never really stuck out as anything but "pretty good" to me. But then The Five Ghosts came along. This album completely blew me away in every possible way. Female vocalist Amy Millan always seem to have a great voice but it was never really given a whole lot of room to shine in their previous albums. There were glimpses at the potential but it wasn't until The Five Ghosts that her voice seems to have really come into its own. Stars always has taken a more electronic approach with their instrumentals that works incredibly well. The real achievement of this album is that it makes so many swings from catchy, head bobbing indie pop to some of the most beautiful music that I've heard all year. The name is still really boring but this album is anything but.

4. Wolf Parade - Expo 86

Spencer Krug is the man. Seriously, this guy can do no wrong. Every band that he's ever been apart of has been nothing short of awesome. But it's his original project, Wolf Parade, that has always been his best. Expo 86 is just as deliciously weird as every Krug project before it. The whole album is such a mess of frenzied instruments that I just can't help but love. Wolf Parade has a real "throw everything at a wall and see what sticks" approach and most of the time, pretty much everything sticks. But even when it doesn't, you can't help but smile at just how crazy these guys dare to be. A big part of the band's craziness comes from Krug's absolutely nonsensical lyrics ("You'll never be born as a scorpion"?) that he belts out as his voice cracks and wavers in a way that's strangely beautiful. Expo 86 is the high energy insanity that you expect from Wolf Parade and I wouldn't have it any other way.

3. Girl Talk - All Day

The whole mashup thing was starting to feel a bit tired. It had been done with so many times with so many different styles of music that it felt like it had all been done. Then Girl Talk came around. DJ Greg Gillis meshes these wildly different forms of music in such crazy ways that you can't help but smile through out All Day's 70 minute run time. How much balls does it take to start your album with a mash up of Black Sabbath and Ludacris? And the point where Move Bitch kicks in over that War Pigs riff? Pure bliss. The real amazing part of All Day is how consistent the album is. You would think that after about an hour the trick would start to get old but there is never a dull moment and almost every mash up is a winner. Also, the album is free. How do you argue with that?

2. The National - High Violet

Now for something completely different. The National is back with their signature down trodden, sadness filled indie rock and it's just as impactful as ever. Boxer is one of my favorite albums of all-time and the fact that High Violet even came close to reaching the level of greatness that that album reached is one of the highest compliments I can give. The lyrics on High Violet may the most affecting that The National has ever been, even when they're talking about living in something called "Lemonworld". Lead singer Matt Beringer has the power to make any lyrics powerful and able to affect even the most stone skinned macho men. He's probably a bit of a downer to party with but there's no denying he makes some incredible music.

1. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

To be honest, this wasn't even a debate for me. The first time I listened to The Monitor I knew it was my album of the year. This is as close to a perfect album as I've heard in a long, long time. The Monitor is a perfect blend of rage fueled screams and amazingly poetic lyrics that demand that you get out of your seat and sing along. The album is ripe with instantly quotable lyrics that are can relate to anyone. The way the record transitions from track to track creates a seamless experience and it's extremely fitting that these guys take their name from Shakespeare. The album has a clear beginning, middle and end that culminates into a 14 minute epic ending of a song that perfectly sums up what Titus Andronicus is all about. Anyone who has ever been angry at anything can relate with what this album has to say. If you're ever fed up with everything and feel like you just need to break some shit, put on The Monitor and play it as loud as you possibly can.