The official have been ranked by GamesRadar+, meaning 12 months' worth of titles are in the books. BUT WAIT - THERE'S MORE! The year isn't over until we indulge in this annual tradition. Established all the way back in 2006, these are the ninth annual Platinum Chalices, gaming's most important awards.

These honorary accolades are too special, too unique to be pigeonholed into a typical end-of-the-year feature or list. The Platinum Chalices gives our staff a chance to honor the moments, trends, and characters that truly made 2014 what it was. So read on to see what took the Platties in 2014...

This year, Ubisoft pulled one of the greatest cons in video game history. They released a game called - an open-world action game with an emphasis on hacking and vigilante justice - but failed to include ANY ACTUAL DOGS. Are you kidding me? You can’t release a game called "Watch Dogs" and not include at least one scene with some puppies rolling around on the floor. Or how about this: you play as police dog Scruff McGruff, taking ample bites out of crime with ferocious impunity. You’re only two weeks away from retirement when an explosion at the Kibbles 'n Bits factory reignites your old rivalry with the Kitty Kat gang. Come on, Ubisoft, this stuff writes itself.

Runner-up - Despite going through all the trouble of being ported to PS4/Xbox One, this game is still lacking in man’s best friend.

Unbelievably, this spinoff somehow makes Mario's already-saccharine world even more adorable. You waddle through the game’s many puzzles as , the continually smiling, indefatigable fellow that’s always ready for adventure. Just seeing him and his partner Toadette waddling around is enough to inspire an “Aw” from even the most grizzled of gamers. This vibrant, cartoonish world may be filled with peril, but you’ll always be playing with a big grin on your face, eagerly anticipating the next pastel challenge.

Runner-up - This virtual dollhouse features existential nightmares, random dance numbers, and daily rap battles, all acted out by the cutest Miis your 3DS has ever seen.

Call us monsters, but we've spent nearly 30 years fantasizing about murdering the dog from Duck Hunt. It's the way he teased players back in the day for the slightest failure, increasing our urge to kill with every painful cackle at our incompetence. And just when we thought we were rid of his mockery for good, Nintendo goes and brings the mutt back - now with a mallard pal in tow - for the newest games. Lord knows how Sakurai can sleep at night knowing that a whole new generation of players will be emotionally wrecked by this pup’s derisive laughter.

Runner-up - ’s Honey Badger This internet meme comes to life in the Nepalese battlefields, tearing apart anyone that questions its ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude.

Thanks mostly to HBO’s Game of Thrones, mainstream viewers are finally aware of Peter Dinklage’s stupendous acting skills (though that should've already been the case after Elf). Dinklage does a great job reprising his role of Tyrion Lannister in Telltale’s , drinking ale at formal events and carefully ruining his sister’s day. He has the same charm and biting wit as he does in live action, mostly covering up his avatar's occasional forays into the uncanny valley.

Runner-up - is memorable.

Shinji Mikami made as a way to return to the survival horror genre he helped pioneer with Resident Evil. He also made it contain an olympic swimming pool's worth of gore. Within minutes of starting the game, you're splashing through chest-deep blood and viscera, and it only gets more delightfully grisly from there. You’ll see heroes and enemies alike getting pulverized at every turn, earning The Evil Within both an M-rating and our admiration for that level of stomach-churning commitment. They’re really going for it on the violence angle - or should I say GORE-ing for it?

Runner-up - Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Protagonist Talion is so skilled at decapitating Uruk, you’d think that the goons' necks are made of tissue paper.

This recurring Platinum Chalice was pratically invented to be awarded to a Smash Bros. game. It may look like a chaotic fighter on the outside - but that’s just a ruse, a mere cover to stealthily sell gamers an interactive gaming museum. Dozens of notable Nintendo character are playable, and those that aren't appear as one of the hundreds of collectible trophies/encyclopedia entries. Even non-Nintendo characters like Mega Man and Sonic get the royal treatment here, packing Smash Bros. near to bursting with love for video game history. And don’t even get us started on the voluminous, NOT-EVEN-COMPARABLE soundtrack. It’s hard to think of any Nintendo fan that’ll be disappointed with this one - unless they really loved the Ice Climbers.

Runner-up - This dense dungeon crawler brings together the casts of the two most popular Persona entries, much to the delight of Persona fans and fanfic writers everywhere.

Most matches in don’t last longer than a couple of minutes - which is good, because its intense brand of archery can lead to high blood pressure and chronic controller smashing. The chaotic, pixelated battlegrounds are home to some incredibly tense tussles, and being an eighth-of-a-second too late with an attack often means the difference between victory and defeat. Knowing you were that close to winning - and that the offline-only multiplayer ensures the REAL winner is in the same room - makes it hard to resist doling out a friendly punch (or five) to your pals between rounds. As long as you don't draw blood, it's all in good fun.

Runner-up - “I had you, I freaking had you! Then you cheated and threw that Bob-omb! ARRRRGGGGHHH!” - Henry Gilbert

Maybe Nintendo imagined that the replay-saving capabilities of Luigi’s new badass rep thanks to the unpredictable joys of viral video.

Runner-up - ’s "Surrender your mind!" We know that Sauron’s army is full of real jerks, but we still feel a tinge of pity when Celebrimbor grabs Uruk by the face and tears apart their minds without remorse.

Oh, if only ’s online had actually been playable for the majority of 2014, it could’ve had a chance at this. But, in its absence, Destiny runs away with this category thanks to the eminently playable Crucible PvP matches. Bungie kept all the gameplay fundamentals it pioneered and refined on Halo, and the three classes (six if you count the various specializations) add a lot more flavor to the multiplayer shootouts. And we dare say that Destiny even improves on the Halo formula, thanks solely in part to the constant quips from Lord Shaxx. "You're crushing them, guardian. Show them no mercy! Zone A captured! Zone C lost."

Runner-up - Another great online experience that takes cues from the high-flying action of Halo, with an added a dose of Call of Duty-style soldiers screaming and firing at one another for good measure.

Everything about Shadow of Mordor's combat is cast in the mold of the Batman: Arkham games, which is admittedly some pretty good source material to crib from. You may be leveling up a dagger instead of a batarang, but the addictive qualities of exploring the world (infused with some Assassin's Creed-lite climbing and stealth) feels just as fun and familiar. Plus, we don’t see the Arkham games doing anything like the impressive Nemesis system, so that’s one edge Talion has over the Dark Knight.

Runner-up - Child of Light It’s nice when you can tell that the developers played Final Fantasy on the SNES just as obsessively as we did.

Far Cry 4 imagines what would happen if you released a zoo into a warzone, with endangered species attacking everyone indiscriminately. The majestic elephants of Kyrat can either work for you or against you - and for the first time in series’ history, you can takes these animals for a wild ride. After hopping on the back of a pachyderm, trampling militia men and knocking over Jeeps with reckless abandon makes driving a car feel positively mundane. Of course, the fun of riding these majestic creatures dampens a bit when, deep down, you know you're just going to skin your long-trunked friend as soon as it dies.

Runner-up - Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's Graug When a Scottish dwarf teaches you how to ride bipedal monstrosities with the capacity to smash like Hulk, you know you're in for a good time.

You spend hours outfitting your aircraft with the perfect combination of parts to make your plane a well-balanced killing machine. You know that this time you’re going to take to the air and destroy every single enemy you see - even that massive, bullet sponge of a blimp. You start up your next round of , rocket off into the sky, blast away for a few dozen oh-so-satisfying seconds, and then BOOM! You get caught in the crossfire yet again, failing to top your high score for the umpteenth time. But no worries - you’ll be able to give it another go in no time flat.

Runner-up - Good thing you’re given just over a thousand lives in this game, because Aban Hawkins' average life span in this brutally challenging temple is roughly five milliseconds.

You get to know Ellie fairly well during . But not only does the downloadable fill one of the main campaign's biggest gaps, Left Behind gives some much appreciated context to Riley, Ellie’s best friend who only gets a passing mention in the core story. Seeing the pair’s realistic relationship rekindle as they have some teenage fun exploring a post-apocalyptic mall is more engaging than any number of the DLC’s firefights. Left Behind takes some real narrative risks, and its conclusion casts an interesting new light on the whole campaign, like all great expansions should.

Runner-up - This takes Infinite’s concepts of multiple realities in a clever direction, giving fans a whole new way to look at the doomed city of Rapture.

If you don't pay attention to history books, you may not be aware that World War 1 is one of the most horrific events in human history (two words: mustard gas). It would seem like a real downer to set an adventure game during these years of suffering, but developer Ubisoft Montpellier found a way to turn it into a very memorable, worthwhile campaign. tastefully captures the sorrow and sacrifice of WW1, weaving in multiple perspectives on the horrors of war and offering a constant ray of hope in the form of a loyal canine companion. You won’t feel like whistling a happy tune when it’s over, but you’ll appreciate the touching history lesson nonetheless.

Runner-up - This War of Mine If you prefer dark tales of horrifying war zones to be a little more current, this PC survival game sends you to the wrecked streets of Sarajevo. It plays just like The Sims, only fifty times more depressing.

It’s a real challenge to try and recreate the lonely, claustrophobic look of Ridley Scott’s Alien. But makes that task seem easy, dropping players into a terrifying, futuristic setting that embraces the film’s style and makes the most out of the new-gen power on offer. The result is an unshakable sense of terror, making the familiar Xenomorph feel exactly as real and horrifying as it needs to be. It’ll also make you freak out and fall out of your seat every time the phone rings while you’re playing.

Runner-up - Mario Kart 8 The Wii U might not have the raw horsepower of the PS4 or Xbox One, but the raceways of the Mushroom Kingdom have never looked more vibrant and alive than in Mario Kart 8.

is one part Mega Man, one part DuckTales NES, and one part Dark Souls, with a ton of retro-tinged nostalgia piled on top. Even those fatigued by the many recent indie games with old-school flair will be impressed by the skill and refinement of Shovel Knight. Its demanding platforming pushes you to be better and feels challenging rather than cheap, with each boss beaten and gem earned through sheer skill and persistence. And if you want to simulate the hilarity of bad NES-era translations, just activate Butt Mode.

Runner-up - 1001 Spikes If you enjoy Spelunky, but wish it was more 8-bit and that even more things could instantly kill you, this is the title you’re looking for.

’s opening chapter involves fighting a giant angel while standing on the back of a jet, then hopping on a train to duel with a monstrous dragon, and eventually scaling a skyscraper to summon a hell beast that eats said dragon alive. Most games’ climaxes aren’t as over-the-top as Bayonetta 2’s beginning, and thing only get sane from there. If you played the original and worried that the Umbran Witch would be toned down for a Nintendo system, know that every balls-to-the-wall battle and risque moments on offer here will prove your fears entirely misplaced. Now, flock off, feather face!

Runner-up - Why don’t more open-world titles play like Tony Hawk and require you to shoot explosives at armies of energy-drink-infused zombies? Actually, we probably just answered our own question there.

Yes, modernized America’s favorite pastime on the PS4, but Lethal League took the sport a step further and weaponized it. This deliciously unique fighting game finds two-to-four players smashing a baseball back and forth in an enclosed arena. The ball moves at blazing speeds with each new volley, making for increasingly intense exchanges, until it finally knocks one of fighters into the stratosphere. If real baseball were more like Lethal League, it’d be more popular than football, NASCAR, and pornography combined. Also, one of the characters is a robot on a skateboard.

Runner-up - Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball Shh! Don’t tell your jock friends, but this cute 3DS downloadable is actually an addictive rhythm and memory mini-game collection that’s dressed up to look like a sports title.

You can count on Ubisoft’s 2D games to possess a distinct brand of whimsy, but this one took the developer’s artistic chops to new heights of preciousness. Inspired by classic RPGs of the ‘90s, ’s dialogue is all expressed in lovely rhymes, with players exploring explore an eccentric world set to an impressive soundtrack. It’s like a college student’s artsy indie game, but with the financial backing of a mega-publisher. Sadly, it seems that support couldn't prevent this heartfelt release from being largely overlooked. If you missed it, now’s the time for you to correct that mistake.

Runner-up - This indie release comes from the team behind Bastion, and while it’s almost as good, Transistor didn’t garner nearly as much acclaim. For shame!

Those are all picks for Chalices for another year, but that doesn't mean we're finished. Let us know what oddball award you'd give to your favorite game in the comments!

And if need more end of the year coverage, check out the official.

When summing up a year in gaming and what makes it so special (as we've done with our ) it's hard to really talk about the games we love without a few spoilers slipping through. Some of the best moments in games are so impactful because you don't see them coming, and blindsiding you is what makes them memorable for years to come. You certainly don't want to blow the experience for everyone else by throwing out spoilers willy-nilly, which makes really talking about these great games frustratingly difficult.

Well you know what? I've had enough of this tiptoeing around, censoring myself and picking through my words to make sure I don't reveal that the ultra special secret character in Super Smash Bros Wii U is actually [SPOILER REDACTED]. See, right there! Enough of that. In fact, to show how done I am with carefully avoiding any mention of who dies or who's secretly a robot, I'm going to put the biggest spoilers of 2014 right here. The very same ones you've been hiding from all year long. Go on, click through! I dare you.

There they are, readers: the biggest, most heinous spoilers of the last year. Was I too brazen in revealing these critical and unforeseen plot twists? Did I completely ruin this year's big reveals for you, and now you've got a bone to pick? Expel your hate in the comments below.

Need something to soothe your spoiler-induced wounds? Still want to know more about 2014, like a recently arrived space alien attempting to catch up on human pop culture? Well, feast your many eyes on to test what you've already learned. We've got you covered, my intergalactic friend.