After much fun-packed deliberation here are my top 3 gaming picks of the year. I’ve highlighted the features that make them good games for me…

1st place: Citadels

A card game that lets you choose different roles on each turn that each have different ways that they can influence play. This helps keep the game fresh and leaves room for strategy without being too heavy.

2nd place: Shinobi Wat-Aah!

The first thing that grabbed me about this game was the fantastic character artwork. But don’t be deceived… under the surface lies a game of power struggles and backstabbing. Each ninja clan has a peculiar power and you can have several under your control. So there’s many ways to victory but none of them honourable!

3rd place: Munchkin Deluxe

I think the thing that I love the most about Munchkin is the way that it fosters player interaction, both cooperative and competitive. You can be negotiating an alliance one minute, and the next turn be sticking it to your buddy. But inevitably you’ll need a hand as you fight tougher monsters. The question is… will your fellow players help or hinder you? There’s lots of social to-ing and fro-ing in Munchkin but as it’s all wrapped up in a light-hearted game there’s no hard feelings at the end of the day. Great stuff!

Honourable mention: King of Tokyo

Any game with a kaiju theme is going to catch my eye, but King of Tokyo is the best that I’ve played. It’s simple enough to be a good introductory game but provides good replay value with the sheer variety of cards that you can activate during your rampage.

Well that’s my favourite games of the year. Will any of them win the Golden Axe Award 2014? Only time will tell.