Funny how, people who are so enamored with their favorite game get so upset like someone just made fun of their mom. Cool the jets folks. Far Cry 3 is a great game and I love it. But the open world 1st person adventure has been done before (and better) in the past. Far Cry 3 has a large sandbox feel that ultimately might be the reason it got removed from the list. That can be a good thing or a bad. Depends on your playground. From the nominee list XCOM gets my vote, though if I could choose my own, Dear Esther is a hauntingly clear game of the year winner for me.