Nothing like the end of the year – it’s a time for looking back at all the awesome games we played and have lavish award shows to celebrate them. Over the weekend, Spike’s Video Game Awards and Machinima’s Inside Gaming Awards rewarded the games they (and their viewers) picked as their best games of the year. This weekend also gives us cause for celebration thanks to the new looks we get at the most anticipated games of next year. This year was no exception, as trailers were unveiled for Dark Souls II, The Last of Us, Bioshock: Infinite and Tomb Raider, just to name a few. So sit back, relax, and put on a bib to catch all of that drool, because here they are:

New Trailers

The Last of Us (PS3, Naughty Dog)

In case you’ve been living under a rock or actively ignoring any and all video gaming press, then you’ve probably heard of Naughty Dog’s gorgeous post-apocalyptic survival action game The Last of Us, which comes exclusively to PS3 on May 7th, 2013. A dystopian nightmare-future has never looked this good, and this Story Trailer from the VGA’s shows us that The Last of Us is more than just a pretty face. Don’t worry – there are no spoilers for those of you who like to experience your games fresh-faced and dewy-eyed. May has never seemed further away; we’re champing at the bit to try our hand at surviving in the ruins of the old world with Joel and Ellie.

Although there’s still no details on the multiplayer, Naughty Dog did confirm two pre-order bonus packs: the Sight & Sounds Pack will be available at select retailers and includes an official soundtrack of the game, a PS3 dynamic theme featuring the game’s cover art, and two avatars for your PlayStation Network profile – Winter Joel and Winter Ellie. The second pack, the Survival Pack, is a GameStop exclusive, which nets you the goodies in the Sights and Sounds Pack plus bonus experience points in multiplayer, a multiplayer melee attack booster, special customizable character items for multiplayer, bonus skins for Joel and Ellie, and extra in-game starting cash. Hey, when it comes to surviving the post-apocalypse, we need all the help we can get.

BioShock Infinite (PS3/Xbox 360/PC, Irrational Games)

Oh, BioShock, how we’ve missed you. All this talk about Rapture and December 21st has kept us in a vicious cycle of excitement and immediate disappointment. Thanks for nothing, Mayans. Though we have to wait until March 26, 2013 to experience BioShock Infinite in all its much-delayed glory, this world premiere trailer from the VGAs will tide us over until then. Unlike the claustrophobic underwater environments of Rapture, this game finds our intrepid heroes – former Pinkerton Booker DeWitt and bad-ass damsel in distress Elizabeth – traversing the massive, open-air city of Columbia. We haven’t seen this many brutal high-speed murders since that dubstep Dishonored video made the rounds. And zip lines. So many zip lines.

Gears of War: Judgement (Xbox 360, Epic Games)

The last time I saw Gears of War: Judgement footage was in a small, overly air-conditioned room with former Epic Games guru Cliff Bleszinski and several other journalists and developers at a private showing during E3 2012. It looked good then, but it looks even better now. Set 30 days after Emergence Day, the game follows Kilo Squad, led by our ol’ pal Lt. Damon Baird, after they are accused of treason by Col. Ezra Loomis after stealing classified documents from the Coalition of Ordered Governments during a battle against the Locust at Halvo Bay. Featuring old favorites like Damon Baird and Cole Train as well as newcomers Garron Paduk and Sofia Hendrik, Gears of War: Judgement looks like it’s shaping up to be an exciting look at the downfall of the Coalition of Ordered Governments and may shed further insight onto Baird’s seemingly endless well of sarcastic remarks.

Tomb Raider (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Square Enix)

Lara Croft has seen many different incarnations since the halcyon days of booty short, locking your poor butler in the freezer, and hunting for fabled “nude codes” like a pubescent Ahab’s white whale. This latest version of Tomb Raider from Square Enix sees Ms. Croft as less of an eye-poppingly proportioned sex symbol and more of a survivalist-in-training. This isn’t the Lara Croft we’re used to; she’s younger, rawer, and less experienced. This is her origin story, and it’s never been more fun to play. Shipwrecked on an island? Check. Mysterious group of mercenaries trying to murder the survivors? Check. A heady blend of Lost, The Hunger Games and Uncharted? Dear lord, yes, please! After our hands-on time at San Diego Comic-Con, we are nervously whittling makeshift spears and carving arrowheads until March 5, 2013 when we can hop into Lara’s shoes once again.

Dark Souls II (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, FromSoftware)

If you’re anything like me, you only recently recovered from your routine of playing Dark Souls to the point of weeping, throwing your controller at the television, going to buy a new television, then rocking back and forth while crying in a cold shower. That’s how brutal of a game it was. But damn if it wasn’t addictive as hell. Now, Namco Bandai and FromSoftware are back with Dark Souls II, a sequel to the punishingly pleasurable action-RPG. The trailer, which debuted at the VGAs, shows off a new hero, a new world, and new multiplayer to deliver what Namco Bandai is calling “an unrelenting challenge.” Challenge (and tears) accepted.

Spike VGA Winners: The world got its surprise on when, for the first time ever, an episodic DLC-based game won Game of the Year. Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead won GOTY in addition to 3 other prizes.

GAME OF THE YEAR
The Walking Dead: The Game (Telltale Games)

STUDIO OF THE YEAR
Telltale Games

BEST XBOX 360 GAME
Halo 4 (Microsoft Studios/343 Industries)

BEST PS3 GAME
Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment/thatgamecompany)

BEST Wii / Wii-U GAME
New Super Mario Bros. U (Nintendo)

BEST PC GAME
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2k Games / Firaxis Games)

BEST HANDHELD/MOBILE GAME
Sound Shapes (Sony Computer Entertainment/ Queasy Games)

BEST SHOOTER
Borderlands 2 (2k Games / Gearbox Software)

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
Dishonored (Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios)

BEST RPG
Mass Effect 3 (Electronic Arts / BioWare)

BEST MULTI-PLAYER
Borderlands 2 (2k Games / Gearbox Software)

BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
SSX (Electronic Arts/ EA Canada)

BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
NBA 2K13 (2k sports / visual concepts)

BEST DRIVING GAME
Need For Speed: Most Wanted (Electronic Arts/ Criterion Games)

BEST FIGHTING GAME
Persona 4 Arena (Atlus / ARC System Works / Atlus)

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME
Journey (thatgamecompany)

BEST ADAPTED VIDEO GAME
The Walking Dead: The Game (Telltale Games)

BEST SONG IN A GAME
“Cities” by Beck (Sound Shapes)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment/ thatgamecompany)

BEST GRAPHICS
Halo 4 (Microsoft Studios/ 343 Industries)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE
Dameon Clarke as Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE
Melissa Hutchinson as Clementine (The Walking Dead: The Game)

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME
The Walking Dead: The Game (Telltale Games)

BEST SOCIAL GAME
You Don’t Know Jack (Jellyvision Games)

BEST DLC
Dawnguard – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Softworks / Bethesda Game Studios)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
Grand Theft Auto V

CHARACTER OF THE YEAR
Claptrap (Borderlands 2)

BEST GAME OF THE DECADE
Half-Life 2

Machinima IGA Winners:

Game of the Year
Halo 4 (343 Industries)

Best Competitive Multiplayer
Halo 4 (343 Industries)

Best Co-Operative Multiplayer
Mass Effect 3 (BioWare)

Best Downloadable Game
The Walking Dead: Season One (Telltale Games)

Best Narrative
Spec Ops: The Line (Yager Development)

Best Animation
Max Payne 3 (Rockstar Vancouver)

Best Environmental Design
Dishonored (Arkane Studios)

Best Character Design
Lee Everett – The Walking Dead: Season One (Telltale Games)

Best Trailer
The Last of Us Gamescom 2012 Trailer (Naughty Dog)

Best Original Score
Fez (Polytron)

Most Original Game
Hotline Miami (Dennaton Games)

Best Indie Game
Fez (Polytron)

Best Additional Content
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (Blizzard Entertainment)

Best Game Cinematography
Mass Effect 3 (BioWare)

Best Art Direction
Journey (thatgamecompany)

Best Sound Design
Halo 4 (343 Industries)

Gamers’ Choice Award
Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft)

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Do you agree with the awards? What game are you most excited to play? Quemment below and let us know!