Japan's 4Gamer.net polled 151 Japanese game developers and found that Naughty Dog's The Last of Us was the most praised game of 2013.
Responding to the question "Which game released in 2014 did you most admire, or which shocked you the most?", 14 Japanese game creators chose The Last of US.
Grand Theft Auto: V and Dragon's Crown tied at second place with 12 votes each and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn followed with 11 nominations.
The list of respondents include some of the industry's most influential icons such as No More Heroes visionary Goichi "SUDA51" Suda, Bayonetta and Wonderful 101 director Hideki Kamiya, Puzzle & Dragons house GungHo Online Entertainment CEO Kazuki Morishita, former Capcom R&D head and Mega Man and Onimusha creator Keiji Inafune and Shadow of the Colossus director Fumito Ueda.
The Last of Us has been generally well received in the West, but it has been also criticized for its lengthy cut scenes and its linear gameplay. If Metal Gear, Final Fantasy and JRPGs have taught us anything, it is that Japanese don't mind that all.