This year's crop of indie and arcade games was one of the better lineups in years. From OlliOlli, to Super Mega Baseball, to The Golf Club, and perennial favorite Out of the Park Baseball -- there was something for everyone. 

Both the readers and the staff chose The Golf Club as the winner this year. However, when it came to the rest of the podium we diverged a bit. Here are our thoughts on 2014's Indie/Arcade lineup:

The Golf Club

Chris Sanner: I love it when games come out of nowhere and really surprise you and give you tons of enjoyment. This year, both Super Mega Baseball and The Golf Club did that for me, the latter on a much higher level (which is why I voted it Indie/Arcade GOTY). The Golf Club did a fantastic job giving players an authentic and fresh take on a sport it is really easy to mail it in on. The course creator idea, along with giving player the power to define their experience, shows a lot of trust and confidence by the developers. 

On the other hand, the perennial heavyweight in this field is Out of the Park Baseball and this year's edition was once again strong. I was disappointed to see the game launch somewhat incomplete, but you can now enjoy what is a thriving baseball sim, that is if you want to get a head start on the 2015 MLB season. There's a lot to love about the OOTP series, and as long as its released, it'll probably find its way onto the podium most years.

Matthew Coe: I can't find fault with any of our staff choices for Indie Game of the Year. The Golf Club is a seriously good sports sim, the kind that usually doesn't find it's way onto consoles. So kudos to HB Studios for that.

My personal pick was Out of the Park Baseball 15, which continues to be completely underrated by sports gamers everywhere. OOTP 15 plus MLB The Show equals baseball nirvana. No text based simulation comes close to matching what OOTP does and it does it every year.

OlliOlli

Jayson Young: OlliOlli likely wouldn't have made this list if it hadn't been ported this past summer onto several systems with proper controllers. When it originally appeared on the PlayStation Vita in January, and I had finished writing my review, my fingers came out looking like John McClane's feet at the end of the first Die Hard.

But with a DualShock 4 in hand, OlliOlli perfectly translates the challenge and technicality of actual skateboarding into a trick system that's utilizing just one joystick and two triggers.

I haven't had this much fun with a skateboarding game since the original Skate, and I'm hoping that OlliOlli 2: Welcome to OlliWood, which is scheduled to show up sometime in 2015, will be as great of a sequel as the legendary Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.

Bob Kollars: All three staff choices I feel are extremely warranted, because honestly, they are all great games in their own way. I actually had the Golf Club as my second choice, right behind Super Mega Baseball, but literally had them as 1-A and 1-B, so with I have no issue with the Golf Club taking first place.

The Golf Club simply does so many things correctly, and while not without faults, it has earned every accolade it has/will receive this year. From the course creator, to the free and constant updates, and the constant community involvement and engagement, HB Studios has shown almost every other developer out there how to handle themselves. That it is possible to to treat the community fairly, and still make a profit.

Not only has HB Studios tweaked and update the Golf Club substantially already, they now have a full career mode set to drop early in 2015. This is what happens when you set out to create a solid sports game, involve the community, and have a transparent and honest dialog throughout the process.

I cannot disagree with OOTP 15 being in the top three either, as I had a wonderful experience with that title also. Like others, I have not had the chance to play Olli Olli yet, but if one chooses to believe critical and community feedback, than it also is well deserving of the recognition it has received.

The Golf Club

Ben Vollmer: The Golf Club achieved something that every sports game should strive for: it established a relationship with its players. Instead of focusing on flash, it allowed its players to invest in the game via its course creation feature. Past that, the gameplay is realistic enough to keep players trying out new courses -- which is good, because there are plenty of them.

HB Studios dedicated itself to improving the game instead of focusing on a future iteration, something that's become rare in modern day development. It isn't close to being the flashiest sports title of 2014, but does it matter? Instead, it decided to be the most thorough. For that, The Golf Club is most certainly deserving of its Indie Game of 2014 award.

Glenn Wigmore: The folks at HB studios deserve massive props for creating a game that's almost by fans and for fans. The community creations absolutely make the game, but then those are bolstered by the tremendous "Greg Norman" course creator and fun online play. Even things that could have been a detriment, like the play-by-play commentary, end up being charming. I love how they just leaned into how cheesy that stuff is ("greaaazzy double bogey," "very nice!!" and "YES! YES! YES!")

One of the biggest revelations of the game is the power of the Unity engine, as it allows for good-looking courses that are created in a flash. With no load times, you're actually given time to consider your shot, and you aren't left waiting around when surfing between menus, playing the game or creating courses.

Still, what brings me back is the fact that you are playing as a good golfer who is capable of failure. It's up to you to execute on your shots and learn the gauges, carries and feel of each shot. That's really exciting. It's not just some silly game in the Tiger Woods series where you can just bomb it 350 yards and bypass most of the course design. I like those games, too, as they are almost more of a golf power fantasy, but The Golf Club strives for realism and achievement in a way that's rarely seen nowadays.

Out of the Park Baseball 15

Caley Roark Good choices, and certainly some praise for a relatively overlooked category/genre of game. My preference leans toward the indie darling of Out of the Park 15, but I can't fault anyone for choosing The Golf Club.

For me OOTP just does it right every year, even though they don't necessarily make huge improvements or add in splashy new features. This series grabs my money and my time each summer, and despite the familiarity, never gets old.

Dustin Toms: Jayson is practically pulling the words out of my mouth. OlliOlli was great on the Vita, but once the game "ollied" onto multiple platforms to put the sticks back in your hands is where the skateboard magic erupted.

But you can see my praise for The Golf club here. When a new developer can come out of the wood work to revitalize a dead genre with a golf game that could possibly be the best ever, the awards were surely to follow.