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GAF Games of the Year 2014 - Voting Thread [voting closed]
- Thread starter Cheesemeister
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AHA-Lambda
Member
1. Dark Souls 2; It may not be as good as the first game but even in an off year the genre defining gameplay of Dark Souls still puts everything else I've played to shame this year.
2. The Wolf Among Us; as some one who never read Fables but highly enjoyed The Walking Dead, I gave this a shot and wanted to see what TT could do. The result? Telltale's best game yet, one for which I eagerly awaited every episode.
3. South Park: The Stick of Truth; admittedly if you're not a South Park fan there isn't much here for you, the mechanics are simply not strong enough on their own, and the side content is mostly fetch quests. HOWEVER, if you are a South Park fan you have one of the best video game adaptations we've ever seen.
4. Alien: Isolation; a little too long and some dodgy saving doesn't detract from a very tense survival experience and one that is highly subversive for the AAA development scene.
5. Wolfenstein: The New Order; damn great shooting and a surprisingly enjoyable story gives you the best FPS of the year.
6. D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die; swery in another dose of his weird trademark style, I really hope we get more episodes.
7. Consortium; an interesting experiment if nothing else, it's like a cross between Telltale's conversation systems with the emergent choices of a Deus Ex. I was shocked to see how different and varied the outcomes for this were after I finished it, and anxiously await it's sequel.
8. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft; I've never played CCGs before, heck I've never been much of a Blizzard fan tbh either, but I really enjoyed Hearthstone after giving it a try. I sucked ass but I wanted to get better, easy to pick up and hard to master. If anything I need to set aside time to play more of this.
9. Wasteland 2; I do think the game uses it's combat as a crutch too much, but the world has such personality and character in a sea of brown and dirt. Bloody great writing.
10. Murdered: Soul Suspect; this is a soft spot for me. Is it short? Is it simple? Is it janky? Yes. Is it interesting? Does it have a surprisingly well paced and interesting story and good acting? Yes. Is it certainly more interesting than any of the other AAA games that came out around the same time.
2. The Wolf Among Us; as some one who never read Fables but highly enjoyed The Walking Dead, I gave this a shot and wanted to see what TT could do. The result? Telltale's best game yet, one for which I eagerly awaited every episode.
3. South Park: The Stick of Truth; admittedly if you're not a South Park fan there isn't much here for you, the mechanics are simply not strong enough on their own, and the side content is mostly fetch quests. HOWEVER, if you are a South Park fan you have one of the best video game adaptations we've ever seen.
4. Alien: Isolation; a little too long and some dodgy saving doesn't detract from a very tense survival experience and one that is highly subversive for the AAA development scene.
5. Wolfenstein: The New Order; damn great shooting and a surprisingly enjoyable story gives you the best FPS of the year.
6. D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die; swery in another dose of his weird trademark style, I really hope we get more episodes.
7. Consortium; an interesting experiment if nothing else, it's like a cross between Telltale's conversation systems with the emergent choices of a Deus Ex. I was shocked to see how different and varied the outcomes for this were after I finished it, and anxiously await it's sequel.
8. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft; I've never played CCGs before, heck I've never been much of a Blizzard fan tbh either, but I really enjoyed Hearthstone after giving it a try. I sucked ass but I wanted to get better, easy to pick up and hard to master. If anything I need to set aside time to play more of this.
9. Wasteland 2; I do think the game uses it's combat as a crutch too much, but the world has such personality and character in a sea of brown and dirt. Bloody great writing.
10. Murdered: Soul Suspect; this is a soft spot for me. Is it short? Is it simple? Is it janky? Yes. Is it interesting? Does it have a surprisingly well paced and interesting story and good acting? Yes. Is it certainly more interesting than any of the other AAA games that came out around the same time.
1. Destiny ; Yep. My game of the year. I've been having a lot of fun with this. I assume that some GAF members will discount my vote or be upset with this being number one. I'm not sure why people are behaving this way... but, that seems to be how it is. I realize the game has some major flaws and shortcomings. However, the game is awesome and fun to play. I absolutely love having goals to work towards, but I'm not simply "addicted to the grind." Having goals to work towards always encourages me to play. However, to be clear, I enjoy almost every moment I spend with this game. I still play other games. But, I keep wanting to come back to this one. I just enjoy playing it.
2. Far Cry 4 ; This game is like Far Cry 3. But more so. And better. That's a good thing. There is a lot in this game world. It's much improved over Far Cry 3. There is a lot to do and it doesn't feel repetitive. The NPCs are amazing. Every person walking around is interesting. The world they created is fantastic. This a great game and there is a lot of awesome in it. Destiny and Far Cry 4 are easy top picks - my list drops in quality and/or scope after this.
3. Titanfall ; My list drops in quality starting here. This game is seriously lacking in content and was lacking a lot at release. There isn't much to it, which can make it feel old fairly quickly. That being said, the game is so much fun!! The traversal is great and the game is just so much fun to play. I loved this game.
4. P.T. ; This was such an awesome experience. Not enough going on to be higher on the list, but, what is essentially a teaser, being on a GoTY list shows how outstanding it was.
5. The Last of Us: Left Behind ; Definitely not a drop in quality. This was an awesome experience. As far as "add-on" content is concerned, they nailed this one.
6. Velocity 2X ;
7. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes; Another thing that feels lacking on my list. Liked what was there, but it felt overpriced and seemed more like a very large demo.
Honorable Mentions
x. The Last of Us: Remastered ; Honestly, this is the best game I've played this year. However, I voted for this game last year. Having a game from a previous year win (or get votes) would just be silly and would make us, as a community, look silly.
2. Far Cry 4 ; This game is like Far Cry 3. But more so. And better. That's a good thing. There is a lot in this game world. It's much improved over Far Cry 3. There is a lot to do and it doesn't feel repetitive. The NPCs are amazing. Every person walking around is interesting. The world they created is fantastic. This a great game and there is a lot of awesome in it. Destiny and Far Cry 4 are easy top picks - my list drops in quality and/or scope after this.
3. Titanfall ; My list drops in quality starting here. This game is seriously lacking in content and was lacking a lot at release. There isn't much to it, which can make it feel old fairly quickly. That being said, the game is so much fun!! The traversal is great and the game is just so much fun to play. I loved this game.
4. P.T. ; This was such an awesome experience. Not enough going on to be higher on the list, but, what is essentially a teaser, being on a GoTY list shows how outstanding it was.
5. The Last of Us: Left Behind ; Definitely not a drop in quality. This was an awesome experience. As far as "add-on" content is concerned, they nailed this one.
6. Velocity 2X ;
7. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes; Another thing that feels lacking on my list. Liked what was there, but it felt overpriced and seemed more like a very large demo.
Honorable Mentions
x. The Last of Us: Remastered ; Honestly, this is the best game I've played this year. However, I voted for this game last year. Having a game from a previous year win (or get votes) would just be silly and would make us, as a community, look silly.
Hellshadow
Member
1. Destiny ; I need to move onto other games. Can't do it.
2. Dark Souls II ; Had alot of fun dying.
3. Shovel Knight ; Brought back alot of great memories, and created new ones.
4. Rogue Legacy
5. Velocity 2X
6. Lords of the Fallen
7. Mario Kart 8
2. Dark Souls II ; Had alot of fun dying.
3. Shovel Knight ; Brought back alot of great memories, and created new ones.
4. Rogue Legacy
5. Velocity 2X
6. Lords of the Fallen
7. Mario Kart 8
Succinct Verbosity
Member
1. Dragon Age Inquisition ; For somebody that didn't like the first two dragon age titles, lost faith in Bioware after Mass Effect 3 and had no interest in fantasy, Dragon Age Inquisition truly shocked me. I sprawling single player adventure that gives the player a true sense of power and imperialist expansionism, I can't think of another game this year that's as engrossing as this.
2. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; Licenced video games are rarely good. Creating a video game that is funny is even harder. South Park pulls off both by implementing the combat mechanics of Paper Mario and the writing of Matt and Trey to create a truly unique game that is as joyful to play as it is to watch.
3. Mario Kart 8 ; Rather than being a revolution, this entry was a refinement of the classic formula and ended up being a fun game that was beautifully executed in absolutely every department... Except Battle Mode.
4. Destiny ; I debated putting this entry so high on my list based upon its story, grinding and its absence of matchmaking for raids. However, the game manages to modernise Halo's combat mechanics whilst still retaining Bungie's unique brand of gunplay. A true diamond in the rough that, if capitalized upon correctly, will become the next big FPS franchise.
5. Last of Us: Left Behind ; Beautiful. Depressing. DLC done right, and a story worthy of last year's Game of the Year.
6. Super Smash Bros For Wii U ; As fun as it ever was.
7. Shadows of Mordor ; The nemesis system was -and still is- the most innovative use of the PS4 and Xbox One's hardware.
8. Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare ; Fun game that plays fantastically well. The micro-transactions are fair, making the game surprisingly balanced.
9. Call of Duty Advanced Warfare ; The first Call of Duty I've played in years, and it lived up to my expectations. The exo suit abilities leave a lot to be desired, but the boosting mechanics make it incredibly difficult to go back to classic Call of Duty.
10. The Evil Within ; This game would be far igher on my list if the engine didn't choke multiple times throughout the game. Still, it's a step in the right direction.
2. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; Licenced video games are rarely good. Creating a video game that is funny is even harder. South Park pulls off both by implementing the combat mechanics of Paper Mario and the writing of Matt and Trey to create a truly unique game that is as joyful to play as it is to watch.
3. Mario Kart 8 ; Rather than being a revolution, this entry was a refinement of the classic formula and ended up being a fun game that was beautifully executed in absolutely every department... Except Battle Mode.
4. Destiny ; I debated putting this entry so high on my list based upon its story, grinding and its absence of matchmaking for raids. However, the game manages to modernise Halo's combat mechanics whilst still retaining Bungie's unique brand of gunplay. A true diamond in the rough that, if capitalized upon correctly, will become the next big FPS franchise.
5. Last of Us: Left Behind ; Beautiful. Depressing. DLC done right, and a story worthy of last year's Game of the Year.
6. Super Smash Bros For Wii U ; As fun as it ever was.
7. Shadows of Mordor ; The nemesis system was -and still is- the most innovative use of the PS4 and Xbox One's hardware.
8. Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare ; Fun game that plays fantastically well. The micro-transactions are fair, making the game surprisingly balanced.
9. Call of Duty Advanced Warfare ; The first Call of Duty I've played in years, and it lived up to my expectations. The exo suit abilities leave a lot to be desired, but the boosting mechanics make it incredibly difficult to go back to classic Call of Duty.
10. The Evil Within ; This game would be far igher on my list if the engine didn't choke multiple times throughout the game. Still, it's a step in the right direction.
L4DANathan
Member
I rarely touch newer games (and I believe this year has given sufficient reason as to why), so this list will be fairly short, of the few I have played and think are worthy of votes.
1. Alien: Isolation ; As a huge fan of the first Alien movie, the sequels have never quite scratched that itch again and no games had touched upon it, until now. Playing through it on Hard was properly suspenseful, as I would hear the Aliens footsteps, be too paranoid to touch my motion sensor for fear of it giving me away, and begin screaming in my head as I saw the inevitable coming. Isolation is the first survival horror game to have me engaged to the level that Amnesia did all those years ago, and for good reason. I can't wait to get around to playing through on the new hardest difficulty.
2. Dark Souls II ; Really liked the first game, and finally got around to playing II, and I have to say it's mechanically superior to the original in every way. While I haven't enjoyed the environments/level design as much, the combat is significantly improved and I still feel like I'm exploring this strange foreign world.
3. The Walking Dead Season 2: Episodes 2-5 ; While Season 2 did retread a lot of the same ground as Season 1, it also had quite a few good moments of its own. The more minor characters were given better characterization, rather than being little more than life/death choices, and I felt the finale did as good a job as the first season in regards to embodying the moral quandaries of the world they live in. In addition, they've really done a great job with characterizing Clementine, she feels like the character you've been raising her to be over the two seasons.
4. Smash Bros. Wii U ; While I am a bit annoyed they didn't include more characters and levels in the base game, that doesn't change the fact that there are plenty. Combine that with less floaty characters and the removal of the fan, and you get the best Smash Bros yet. And remember: We Like Ike.
5. Kingdom Hearts II.5 Remix ; I normally wouldn't include a remaster, but this gets an exception due to all the extra Final Mix content that non-Japanese players haven't been able to play until now and I have been waiting years for.
6. Five Nights at Freddy's ; I can hear you all now. "Uhhh, what? Five Nights at Freddy's? You can't be serious." I completely understand where you're coming from, but I cast my vote on this not for the game itself, but more of what it represents. In a world saturated with AAA developers who will settle for nothing less than massive open-world games, this game demonstrated what you can do with simplicity. Only one room, only 15 degree head movement, no moving of your body, you just sit and watch, and yet it's still a suspenseful game. It's a short and focused game, it knows what it wants to do, it understands the genre it's in, and it understands the interaction between the player and the game world. So good job on the game design guys, please stop churning out sequels and bring your approach to a larger variety of games.
Honorable Mention (what I HAVE played):
x. The Last of Us: Remastered
Honorable Mentions (what I haven't yet played but think I'll like):
x. The Evil Within
x. Wolfenstein: The New Order
x. Dragon Age: Inquisition
x. The Banner Saga
x. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
x. Sunset Overdrive
x. Infamous: Second Son
x. Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire
1. Alien: Isolation ; As a huge fan of the first Alien movie, the sequels have never quite scratched that itch again and no games had touched upon it, until now. Playing through it on Hard was properly suspenseful, as I would hear the Aliens footsteps, be too paranoid to touch my motion sensor for fear of it giving me away, and begin screaming in my head as I saw the inevitable coming. Isolation is the first survival horror game to have me engaged to the level that Amnesia did all those years ago, and for good reason. I can't wait to get around to playing through on the new hardest difficulty.
2. Dark Souls II ; Really liked the first game, and finally got around to playing II, and I have to say it's mechanically superior to the original in every way. While I haven't enjoyed the environments/level design as much, the combat is significantly improved and I still feel like I'm exploring this strange foreign world.
3. The Walking Dead Season 2: Episodes 2-5 ; While Season 2 did retread a lot of the same ground as Season 1, it also had quite a few good moments of its own. The more minor characters were given better characterization, rather than being little more than life/death choices, and I felt the finale did as good a job as the first season in regards to embodying the moral quandaries of the world they live in. In addition, they've really done a great job with characterizing Clementine, she feels like the character you've been raising her to be over the two seasons.
4. Smash Bros. Wii U ; While I am a bit annoyed they didn't include more characters and levels in the base game, that doesn't change the fact that there are plenty. Combine that with less floaty characters and the removal of the fan, and you get the best Smash Bros yet. And remember: We Like Ike.
5. Kingdom Hearts II.5 Remix ; I normally wouldn't include a remaster, but this gets an exception due to all the extra Final Mix content that non-Japanese players haven't been able to play until now and I have been waiting years for.
6. Five Nights at Freddy's ; I can hear you all now. "Uhhh, what? Five Nights at Freddy's? You can't be serious." I completely understand where you're coming from, but I cast my vote on this not for the game itself, but more of what it represents. In a world saturated with AAA developers who will settle for nothing less than massive open-world games, this game demonstrated what you can do with simplicity. Only one room, only 15 degree head movement, no moving of your body, you just sit and watch, and yet it's still a suspenseful game. It's a short and focused game, it knows what it wants to do, it understands the genre it's in, and it understands the interaction between the player and the game world. So good job on the game design guys, please stop churning out sequels and bring your approach to a larger variety of games.
Honorable Mention (what I HAVE played):
x. The Last of Us: Remastered
Honorable Mentions (what I haven't yet played but think I'll like):
x. The Evil Within
x. Wolfenstein: The New Order
x. Dragon Age: Inquisition
x. The Banner Saga
x. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
x. Sunset Overdrive
x. Infamous: Second Son
x. Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire
Wrong thread
Formatting is wrong. The comment has to be in the same line as the title of the game.
formatting is wrong. the numbers should have a . instead of a ) after them like so
You're a good man, but every fourth post is in the wrong format. I'm starting to think if you can't even be arsed to read the thread, maybe your ballot shouldn't be counted.
1. The Wolf Among Us: Episodes 2-5 ; Like with most Telltale games your choices don't actually make much of a difference but the world and the characters in Wolf Among Us are really well fleshed out. I never read comics but this game made me go out and buy the whole run of Fables just because I enjoyed the story so much.
2. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; After Dragon Age 2 I wasn't sure how good this game would be but this is Bioware back on form, some great characters and lots of content kept me playing this for around 60 hours and I'll probably start another run soon.
3. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; The actual combat is okay but what really makes this game are the graphics and the writing it's exactly like the show, hilarious throughout I don't think I've ever laughed so much at a video game.
4. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; A mix between some of my favourite games, Persona and Ace Attorney with a great story to match. Lots of good twists and a really interesting universe I had a lot of fun playing through this one.
5. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ; I had a hard time trying to figure out if I liked this or the first game more, in the end I decided that the first game was better because the mini games you play during the trial somehow got worse. Still a great game though, I managed to avoid all the spoilers so the big twist blew me away.
6. Sunset Overdrive ; The game mechanics in this are so fun and Insomniac did a fantastic job in making traversal across the world really fun, they have a fast travel system in there but I never used it just because I loved how fun it was getting from A to B.
7. Jazzpunk ; I loved this, so much of it seems to be random but it all comes together in one hilarious and strange game.
8. Titanfall ; It could use a little more content but it was still my most played MP game of the year.
9. Infamous: Second Son ; A solid game but I hope the next one changes up the games formula a bit, Sucker Punch could definitely learn a lot about making the traversal a lot more fun by looking at Sunset Overdrive.
10. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition ; I don't usually like to include HD remasters on my list (Otherwise GTA V and the Last of Us would be up here) but I never finished Tomb Raider when it came out so I picked this up on the PS4 to give it another chance. I should have finished it sooner it's a great campaign and I look forward to the second game.
2. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; After Dragon Age 2 I wasn't sure how good this game would be but this is Bioware back on form, some great characters and lots of content kept me playing this for around 60 hours and I'll probably start another run soon.
3. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; The actual combat is okay but what really makes this game are the graphics and the writing it's exactly like the show, hilarious throughout I don't think I've ever laughed so much at a video game.
4. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; A mix between some of my favourite games, Persona and Ace Attorney with a great story to match. Lots of good twists and a really interesting universe I had a lot of fun playing through this one.
5. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ; I had a hard time trying to figure out if I liked this or the first game more, in the end I decided that the first game was better because the mini games you play during the trial somehow got worse. Still a great game though, I managed to avoid all the spoilers so the big twist blew me away.
6. Sunset Overdrive ; The game mechanics in this are so fun and Insomniac did a fantastic job in making traversal across the world really fun, they have a fast travel system in there but I never used it just because I loved how fun it was getting from A to B.
7. Jazzpunk ; I loved this, so much of it seems to be random but it all comes together in one hilarious and strange game.
8. Titanfall ; It could use a little more content but it was still my most played MP game of the year.
9. Infamous: Second Son ; A solid game but I hope the next one changes up the games formula a bit, Sucker Punch could definitely learn a lot about making the traversal a lot more fun by looking at Sunset Overdrive.
10. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition ; I don't usually like to include HD remasters on my list (Otherwise GTA V and the Last of Us would be up here) but I never finished Tomb Raider when it came out so I picked this up on the PS4 to give it another chance. I should have finished it sooner it's a great campaign and I look forward to the second game.
gingerbeardman
Member
- Mario Kart 8 ; you spin me right round, baby, right round. Mario Kart had never played so well, or looked so good. Streets ahead of the competition, I'd give it all 10 places if I could. (Wii U)
- Mario Kart 8 AOC Pack 1 ; this one goes up to 11. Never thought that I'd be so happy to hear the F-Zero music again. Inspired add-on content. (Wii U)
- Monument Valley ; Superb concept, superb execution. Restores my faith that somebody other than Nintendo can put as much polish on a game. (iOS)
- Monument Valley - Forgotten Shores ; one complaint of the original game was that it might have been a little too easy. These new levels take things up a notch, in terms of difficulty and surrealism. Superb, again. (iOS)
- Captain Toad Treasure Tracker ; Nintendo-level puzzles, pure bliss! Such so deep game that, like Super Mario 3D World, improves with every episode. (Wii U)
- December Problems ; this reduces the level count from 99 to 31, but they're all new. Plus, each New Game changes up the levels in subtle ways meaning you're encouraged to play through the game four times. Glorious. (iOS)
- Drift'n'Drive ; I never thought I'd have as much fun playing a top down racer. And more than that I never thought I'd be playing it in 2014 with touch controls on my phone. (iOS)
- 99 Problems ; the initial game. Amazingly good twitch/reaction game where you have to avoid patterns of abstract blocks using a flappy bird kind-of keep-me-up control scheme. Fiendishly difficult towards the end. (iOS)
- Pullblox World ; more Pullblox, I'll take that any year. (Wii U)
- Pix-the-Cat ; old school arcade action, a blend of classics, very nicely done. A shame it's not on more platforms. (PS Vita)
1-Ace attorney investigations 2. As crazy as ever even if less funny and inventive maybe. Still very good.
2-PES 2015
Best PES for years, pace and balls physics are perfect. But FIFA is still ahead in so many domains... neither football game is really fun this year as FIFA is awful and doesnt even deserve a point.
Only games I played this awful year from the list I browsed.
2-PES 2015
Best PES for years, pace and balls physics are perfect. But FIFA is still ahead in so many domains... neither football game is really fun this year as FIFA is awful and doesnt even deserve a point.
Only games I played this awful year from the list I browsed.
1. Ace Attorney Investigations 2 ; Best game of the series, which is a shame this was never localized. Great characters. Good new gimmick mechanic that never was frustrating. Fantastic OST.
2. Bayonetta 2 ; Improves on the original in about every way (although the final boss was noticeably less epic than the original). Better pace to combat, huge variety in moves, and way more pleasant color palette. Best Gameplay of the year for sure.
3. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; Games where you can pet the doggy can't be bad games. Loved all the historic tidbits in this game. Gameplay made me use my brain a bit, yet I never was frustrated. Pretty strong story with some pretty ghastly war aspects that came through somehow in this really beautiful graphic style.
4. 80 days ; Fantastic writing. Still blown away with how many options there are. No game this year where you can tell amazing stories of your adventures which can be entirely different from someone else's.
5. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; While I wish the character models looked a bit more different from Brawl, being able to play this in HD alone makes it worth looking into. 8 player local smash is fantastic. Having highschool friends back over the holidays playing 7 player smash for 6 hours straight in an age where halo is opting out of 4 player local... Great times. Solid online for when you are alone makes this about as good as a smash package as it gets.
6. Shovel Knight ; Fantastic platforming and graphics and music. Just really solid.
7. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; A game that focuses purely on the counter mechanic that is a late game upgrade in other Platinum games. While this game is a bit buggy for movements and camera, the core gameplay is there, music is there, awesome final boss fight is there.
8. Shadow of Mordor ; Favorite open world game of the year. Nemesis system was addictive. Shame the game fell apart when you got too powerful. Game was best when beating captains was an accomplishment. The story and final boss was awful too.
9. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy ; Solid update to the original trilogy. The 3D surprisingly adds a lot to fresh up the visuals. Also the highest bitrate audio for this series on handhelds makes this package worth checking out even if you own the original games on ds.
10. The Sims 4 ; Surprising decent game with some really lovely improvements to the decade old formula like multitasking. Liked how they scoped back from the huge open world of sims 3 that ultimately made the game quite easy to break. huge improvements to animations which aren't immediately apparent unless you play the series for a while.
2. Bayonetta 2 ; Improves on the original in about every way (although the final boss was noticeably less epic than the original). Better pace to combat, huge variety in moves, and way more pleasant color palette. Best Gameplay of the year for sure.
3. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; Games where you can pet the doggy can't be bad games. Loved all the historic tidbits in this game. Gameplay made me use my brain a bit, yet I never was frustrated. Pretty strong story with some pretty ghastly war aspects that came through somehow in this really beautiful graphic style.
4. 80 days ; Fantastic writing. Still blown away with how many options there are. No game this year where you can tell amazing stories of your adventures which can be entirely different from someone else's.
5. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; While I wish the character models looked a bit more different from Brawl, being able to play this in HD alone makes it worth looking into. 8 player local smash is fantastic. Having highschool friends back over the holidays playing 7 player smash for 6 hours straight in an age where halo is opting out of 4 player local... Great times. Solid online for when you are alone makes this about as good as a smash package as it gets.
6. Shovel Knight ; Fantastic platforming and graphics and music. Just really solid.
7. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; A game that focuses purely on the counter mechanic that is a late game upgrade in other Platinum games. While this game is a bit buggy for movements and camera, the core gameplay is there, music is there, awesome final boss fight is there.
8. Shadow of Mordor ; Favorite open world game of the year. Nemesis system was addictive. Shame the game fell apart when you got too powerful. Game was best when beating captains was an accomplishment. The story and final boss was awful too.
9. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy ; Solid update to the original trilogy. The 3D surprisingly adds a lot to fresh up the visuals. Also the highest bitrate audio for this series on handhelds makes this package worth checking out even if you own the original games on ds.
10. The Sims 4 ; Surprising decent game with some really lovely improvements to the decade old formula like multitasking. Liked how they scoped back from the huge open world of sims 3 that ultimately made the game quite easy to break. huge improvements to animations which aren't immediately apparent unless you play the series for a while.
Doctor Ninja
Sphincter Speaker
1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; A very fun and colorful 2D platformer that strikes a good balance between accessibility and challenge. I spent hours upon hours playing it on my Wii U and never got tired of it. It has one of the tightest controls I played in a video game and because of that the gameplay is a smooth ride and if you failed it's your fault. The music is incredible so much that it's one of the best soundtracks I heard in a long time and I am not saying that lightly.
2. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; While it does have it's share of problems but that doesn't deny that third installment of Dragon Age is an RPG I was glad to play. It got very beautiful environments that I loved exploring the hell out of them and the cast of characters are leagues above what we had in Dragon Age 2.
3. Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare ; Talk about not judging a book by it's cover, Garden Warfare is a fantastic FPS with great visuals and, creative weapons, tight map design, and tons of content. It's one of the very few multiplayer only games I liked so much that I have no problem paying full price for it, and I would love to see a sequel to this game rather than Titanfall.
4. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor; Yes it took a lot of cues from Assassin's Creed but it's surpassed Assassin's Creed by a country mile because the combat is challenging and well balanced and unlike Assassin's Creed you can never beat an army by yourself, if you made a stupid decision you will die quickly, which makes planing an integral part of the game. And the nemesis system is a great and innovative idea that plants organic storytelling in this game and I'd like to see it in future games.
5. Bayonetta 2; While it's just a refining of what we had in the original game that doesn't mean it's not a game worth playing. Baynetta 2 is as delightful experience as most of Platinum's output and I am thankful for Nintendo for making this game a reality.
6. Shovel Knight ; A great Nostalgia trip while managing to stand on it's own feet as well, even if you have no memories of the 8-bit era you're going to have fun with this game with it's tight controls and challenging level design.
7. Mario Kart 8 ; At first I didn't like it that much but it had grown at me after a while and I had way more fun that I anticipated, this is a great racing game for the Wii U and even if you don't like it's a great looker so you have a lot of fun with the replay mode.
8. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; This is a great FPS, it doesn't offer much in terms of innovation but but it does have a lot of fun in store for you! Fun to use weapons a long with really well made maps make for an FPS I'll replay a lot in the coming years. I wish more developers take cues from it in how to make a fun FPS in this day and age.
9. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ; Simplistic sure, but it still manages to be fun all throughout my time with it, even with such a simple game Nintendo's trade mark creativity is all over this game and I highly enjoyed it, though not enough to make me want a sequel.
10. Assassin's Creed: Unity ; It's riddled with technical problems for sure, but that doesn't mean there aren't some redeeming qualities in the latest addition in the Assassin's Creed saga. Unity has probably the best art direction the series ever had since the Ezio trilogy and the writing is leagues better than Black Flag and Assassin's Creed III. And maybe I am a minority here, but I enjoyed the co-op in this game, it's not a game-changing addition but it is still fun.
2. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; While it does have it's share of problems but that doesn't deny that third installment of Dragon Age is an RPG I was glad to play. It got very beautiful environments that I loved exploring the hell out of them and the cast of characters are leagues above what we had in Dragon Age 2.
3. Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare ; Talk about not judging a book by it's cover, Garden Warfare is a fantastic FPS with great visuals and, creative weapons, tight map design, and tons of content. It's one of the very few multiplayer only games I liked so much that I have no problem paying full price for it, and I would love to see a sequel to this game rather than Titanfall.
4. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor; Yes it took a lot of cues from Assassin's Creed but it's surpassed Assassin's Creed by a country mile because the combat is challenging and well balanced and unlike Assassin's Creed you can never beat an army by yourself, if you made a stupid decision you will die quickly, which makes planing an integral part of the game. And the nemesis system is a great and innovative idea that plants organic storytelling in this game and I'd like to see it in future games.
5. Bayonetta 2; While it's just a refining of what we had in the original game that doesn't mean it's not a game worth playing. Baynetta 2 is as delightful experience as most of Platinum's output and I am thankful for Nintendo for making this game a reality.
6. Shovel Knight ; A great Nostalgia trip while managing to stand on it's own feet as well, even if you have no memories of the 8-bit era you're going to have fun with this game with it's tight controls and challenging level design.
7. Mario Kart 8 ; At first I didn't like it that much but it had grown at me after a while and I had way more fun that I anticipated, this is a great racing game for the Wii U and even if you don't like it's a great looker so you have a lot of fun with the replay mode.
8. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; This is a great FPS, it doesn't offer much in terms of innovation but but it does have a lot of fun in store for you! Fun to use weapons a long with really well made maps make for an FPS I'll replay a lot in the coming years. I wish more developers take cues from it in how to make a fun FPS in this day and age.
9. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ; Simplistic sure, but it still manages to be fun all throughout my time with it, even with such a simple game Nintendo's trade mark creativity is all over this game and I highly enjoyed it, though not enough to make me want a sequel.
10. Assassin's Creed: Unity ; It's riddled with technical problems for sure, but that doesn't mean there aren't some redeeming qualities in the latest addition in the Assassin's Creed saga. Unity has probably the best art direction the series ever had since the Ezio trilogy and the writing is leagues better than Black Flag and Assassin's Creed III. And maybe I am a minority here, but I enjoyed the co-op in this game, it's not a game-changing addition but it is still fun.
Cheesemeister
Member
See the spreadsheet link in the OP.
You do realize that this post will overwrite any previous ballot of yours, yes? Put the sample ballot into a quote block to be safe.
I think I'm set on my top 10. I have a long backlog of 2014 games that I still want to play but for games that I played this year, this is my top 10. Comments for the top three. I'll add more if I have time.
1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Up until today DA:I was sitting at number 2 for me but I'm 65 hours in and have more desire than ever to explore Thedas. It's not a perfect game but it doesn't have to be. The world is begging to be explored and conquered and the gameplay is just plain fun. Dragon's Dogma is the standard I hold open world RPG games up to and Dragon Age: Inquisition certainly holds it's own in terms of gameplay and exceeds DD in story, presentation and world design.
2. Pokémon: Alpha Sapphire ; I never played Generation III of the Pokémon series so for me Alpha Sapphire was a completely new game in the series. After getting back into Pokémon after a long hiatus with Pokémon Y last year, I couldn't wait for a new adventure! Alpha Sapphire absolutely delivered and then some! The DexNav is the greatest thing ever, it brings so much to the Pokémon experience for somebody like me who plays mainly to fill the PokéDex. I've yet to beat the Elite Four and complete the Delta episode so I still have a lot to look forward to and beyond that I know that Alpha Sapphire is going to keep me busy for a long time yet.
3. Mario Kart 8 ; The best Mario Kart title yet and one that brings real change while refining the good old Mario Kart gameplay to what feels like utter perfection. I can't compliment this game enough! The gameplay is rock solid, the track design and selection is fantastic, the online is smooth and presentation is the best it has ever been. The added benefit of having the best DLC of the year is just the cherry on top. A proper battle mode would have been great but the game doesn't feel like it's any less complete. It may not be my GOTY but in five years time with the benefit of age it could definitely find itself a GOTG contender for me.
4. Super Smash Bros. For Wii U ;
5. Towerfall: Ascension ;
6. P.T ;
7. Shovel Knight ;
8. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ;
9. The Evil Within ;
10.Infamous: Second Son ;
1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Up until today DA:I was sitting at number 2 for me but I'm 65 hours in and have more desire than ever to explore Thedas. It's not a perfect game but it doesn't have to be. The world is begging to be explored and conquered and the gameplay is just plain fun. Dragon's Dogma is the standard I hold open world RPG games up to and Dragon Age: Inquisition certainly holds it's own in terms of gameplay and exceeds DD in story, presentation and world design.
2. Pokémon: Alpha Sapphire ; I never played Generation III of the Pokémon series so for me Alpha Sapphire was a completely new game in the series. After getting back into Pokémon after a long hiatus with Pokémon Y last year, I couldn't wait for a new adventure! Alpha Sapphire absolutely delivered and then some! The DexNav is the greatest thing ever, it brings so much to the Pokémon experience for somebody like me who plays mainly to fill the PokéDex. I've yet to beat the Elite Four and complete the Delta episode so I still have a lot to look forward to and beyond that I know that Alpha Sapphire is going to keep me busy for a long time yet.
3. Mario Kart 8 ; The best Mario Kart title yet and one that brings real change while refining the good old Mario Kart gameplay to what feels like utter perfection. I can't compliment this game enough! The gameplay is rock solid, the track design and selection is fantastic, the online is smooth and presentation is the best it has ever been. The added benefit of having the best DLC of the year is just the cherry on top. A proper battle mode would have been great but the game doesn't feel like it's any less complete. It may not be my GOTY but in five years time with the benefit of age it could definitely find itself a GOTG contender for me.
4. Super Smash Bros. For Wii U ;
5. Towerfall: Ascension ;
6. P.T ;
7. Shovel Knight ;
8. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ;
9. The Evil Within ;
10.Infamous: Second Son ;
ComputerMKII
Banned
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS4 version). Not the best game ever but it has good production values, fun and delivers on its ambition.
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes - Metal Gear finally gets the gameplay it deserves. The previous ones were so clunky and rooted on very old bases (basically iterations over the original MGS gameplay)
- P.T.
RibbedHero
Member
1. Divinity: Original Sin ;
2. The Talos Principle ;
3. The Walking Dead: Season Two ;
4. Titanfall ;
5. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ;
6. The Last of Us: Remastered ;
7. South Park: The Stick of Truth ;
8. FIFA 15 ;
9. Wolfenstein: The New Order ;
10. Dark Souls II ;
Thoughts to come...
2. The Talos Principle ;
3. The Walking Dead: Season Two ;
4. Titanfall ;
5. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ;
6. The Last of Us: Remastered ;
7. South Park: The Stick of Truth ;
8. FIFA 15 ;
9. Wolfenstein: The New Order ;
10. Dark Souls II ;
Thoughts to come...
Tyrant Rave
Banned
Not the most eloquent person, so I hope this is good enough!
1. Bayonetta 2 ; More than just a simple best game of the month or year, Bayonetta 2 is easily the best action game ever created. This one fixes most of the blemishes of the fantastic original game: the pacing is better, the boss fights are better, the weapon variety is better, and the minigame stages are actually fun to play! Bayonetta 2 is a modern classic and I simply can’t praise it enough. This is a game that will be loved for years to come. In the words of my man ViewtifulJC: “it’s like playing Virtua Cop with both handguns.” That's how good Bayonetta 2 is.
2. Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- ; The king of anime fighters is back and as fun as ever. Gone are FRCs, force breaks, and slashbacks and say hello to YRCs and Blitz Shield! Xrd drops a lot of more difficult mechanics in place of more accessible ones. The best part? It doesn’t ruin what makes the series so special to us fans. The roster is smaller than AC+R but the returning characters are as just as unique as you remember. Finally, you can play I-No without breaking your fingers!
3. Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS Full Boost ; I’m not a big Gundam fan. The only series I’ve watched to completion is the fantastic Build Fighters but I cannot stop gushing over this game. It is absolutely incredible and it’s a damn shame that it will never be released in the West. If you like fighting games, action games, or competitive games in general, you need to play this. This is one of the best multiplayer games I have ever played and now I am in day one on all future editions. The mechanics are all absolutely brilliant. There’s no crazy execution requirements for the game and simple acts like zunda combos and rainbow step combos are amazingly satisfying. Special shout-outs to donkey show for his amazing OT. It is probably the best English resource out there for game and he deserves mad props for his work.
4. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax ; Persona 4 is one of my favorite games and Guilty Gear is one of my favorite fighting game franchises, so P4A was kind of like a dream game for me in many ways. P4AU is just as good if not better. The new characters are all super unique and the changes to the old cast make them feel fresh again. Just a really solid fighting game again and deserves a shot if you love the genre.
5. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; It’s Smash Bros and it’s just as fun as the last three. The online is great and I really like the new additions to the roster. It may not feel as new as Brawl or Melee, but that’s fine. It’s a good sequel and there’s nothing wrong with that.
6. Mario Kart 8 ; A big surprise for me since I skipped 7. The new tracks are all amazing and the online is incredible. The new zero-gravity stuff is a great way to breathe new life into the franchise. The DLC has also been great so far and I can’t wait for the second pack to play more. Best Mario Kart ever.
7. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; So this is the best Donkey Kong Country game so far. The level design is wonderfully creative and challenging and the music is amazing.
8. Ultra Street Fighter IV ; I have a lot of things I don’t really like about the SF4 franchise, but I played a lot of this. For all the crap I like to give these games, I had a lot of fun with Ultra. The new characters were glitchy as hell but I really enjoyed relearning the characters I use again. I like SF4 again and I can’t wait to see more of 5.
9. Persona Q: Shadow of Labyrinth ; The only reason this game isn’t higher is because I haven’t finished it yet. With that out of the way, I absolutely love this game. The dungeon crawling is addicting and time-consuming and I love the battle system (but really, I think I say this about every modern Atlus RPG). The art style and general style of the interface is just as slick as 3 and 4 and the music is great as always. Oh yeah, it has the Velvet Room and all of the fusion mechanics from the other games. That’s enough of a reason to love this. Amazing game and I wish I could finish it before these lists are due, but I know I’m not going to. I hope the team takes some of these elements into Persona 5 because the gameplay in this game is phenomenal.
10. The Evil Within ; Another game I’m still working on finishing, but I really enjoyed what I’ve played so far. I don’t typically do horror games so I’m enjoying the atmosphere and all that. The combat is really satisfying and scratches an itch that The Last of Us just couldn’t do for me. The general flow of running, popping shots, and trying to set enemies on fire or lure them to traps is a lot of fun. I’ve read quite a few complaints about certain levels but I’m nearing the end of the game and I’ve enjoyed everything so far. Maybe I’m just weird, but I dig this game a lot. It may not be Vanquish or RE4 tier, but Mikami crafted another game with great gameplay and it’s worth a shot.
Honorable Mentions:
Shovel Knight - I don’t play many indie games but this game rocks
Arcana Heart 3 LOVE MAX!!!!! - First time playing an AH game and I’m in love. Once you accept that you’re playing a poverty game, it’s got some really cool ideas and it’s the only game that lets you fly around doing crazy combos like you’re in DBZ or something. It’s awesome.
Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus - Fun beat ‘em up and I’m glad to finally own this.
Bravely Default - I have yet to get to the part everyone hates, but somehow I doubt it will bother me so much. The job system allows for some really crazy and overpowered combinations and I really enjoy the Brave/Default system. Can’t wait for the sequel.
LTTP:
Battlefield 4 - I played like 200 hours during the year. I love this game.
Overall, I really enjoyed 2014. I simply can't agree with anyone saying this year was bad. This year was absolutely incredible and I played so many games that I loved.
1. Bayonetta 2 ; More than just a simple best game of the month or year, Bayonetta 2 is easily the best action game ever created. This one fixes most of the blemishes of the fantastic original game: the pacing is better, the boss fights are better, the weapon variety is better, and the minigame stages are actually fun to play! Bayonetta 2 is a modern classic and I simply can’t praise it enough. This is a game that will be loved for years to come. In the words of my man ViewtifulJC: “it’s like playing Virtua Cop with both handguns.” That's how good Bayonetta 2 is.
2. Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- ; The king of anime fighters is back and as fun as ever. Gone are FRCs, force breaks, and slashbacks and say hello to YRCs and Blitz Shield! Xrd drops a lot of more difficult mechanics in place of more accessible ones. The best part? It doesn’t ruin what makes the series so special to us fans. The roster is smaller than AC+R but the returning characters are as just as unique as you remember. Finally, you can play I-No without breaking your fingers!
3. Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS Full Boost ; I’m not a big Gundam fan. The only series I’ve watched to completion is the fantastic Build Fighters but I cannot stop gushing over this game. It is absolutely incredible and it’s a damn shame that it will never be released in the West. If you like fighting games, action games, or competitive games in general, you need to play this. This is one of the best multiplayer games I have ever played and now I am in day one on all future editions. The mechanics are all absolutely brilliant. There’s no crazy execution requirements for the game and simple acts like zunda combos and rainbow step combos are amazingly satisfying. Special shout-outs to donkey show for his amazing OT. It is probably the best English resource out there for game and he deserves mad props for his work.
4. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax ; Persona 4 is one of my favorite games and Guilty Gear is one of my favorite fighting game franchises, so P4A was kind of like a dream game for me in many ways. P4AU is just as good if not better. The new characters are all super unique and the changes to the old cast make them feel fresh again. Just a really solid fighting game again and deserves a shot if you love the genre.
5. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; It’s Smash Bros and it’s just as fun as the last three. The online is great and I really like the new additions to the roster. It may not feel as new as Brawl or Melee, but that’s fine. It’s a good sequel and there’s nothing wrong with that.
6. Mario Kart 8 ; A big surprise for me since I skipped 7. The new tracks are all amazing and the online is incredible. The new zero-gravity stuff is a great way to breathe new life into the franchise. The DLC has also been great so far and I can’t wait for the second pack to play more. Best Mario Kart ever.
7. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; So this is the best Donkey Kong Country game so far. The level design is wonderfully creative and challenging and the music is amazing.
8. Ultra Street Fighter IV ; I have a lot of things I don’t really like about the SF4 franchise, but I played a lot of this. For all the crap I like to give these games, I had a lot of fun with Ultra. The new characters were glitchy as hell but I really enjoyed relearning the characters I use again. I like SF4 again and I can’t wait to see more of 5.
9. Persona Q: Shadow of Labyrinth ; The only reason this game isn’t higher is because I haven’t finished it yet. With that out of the way, I absolutely love this game. The dungeon crawling is addicting and time-consuming and I love the battle system (but really, I think I say this about every modern Atlus RPG). The art style and general style of the interface is just as slick as 3 and 4 and the music is great as always. Oh yeah, it has the Velvet Room and all of the fusion mechanics from the other games. That’s enough of a reason to love this. Amazing game and I wish I could finish it before these lists are due, but I know I’m not going to. I hope the team takes some of these elements into Persona 5 because the gameplay in this game is phenomenal.
10. The Evil Within ; Another game I’m still working on finishing, but I really enjoyed what I’ve played so far. I don’t typically do horror games so I’m enjoying the atmosphere and all that. The combat is really satisfying and scratches an itch that The Last of Us just couldn’t do for me. The general flow of running, popping shots, and trying to set enemies on fire or lure them to traps is a lot of fun. I’ve read quite a few complaints about certain levels but I’m nearing the end of the game and I’ve enjoyed everything so far. Maybe I’m just weird, but I dig this game a lot. It may not be Vanquish or RE4 tier, but Mikami crafted another game with great gameplay and it’s worth a shot.
Honorable Mentions:
Shovel Knight - I don’t play many indie games but this game rocks
Arcana Heart 3 LOVE MAX!!!!! - First time playing an AH game and I’m in love. Once you accept that you’re playing a poverty game, it’s got some really cool ideas and it’s the only game that lets you fly around doing crazy combos like you’re in DBZ or something. It’s awesome.
Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus - Fun beat ‘em up and I’m glad to finally own this.
Bravely Default - I have yet to get to the part everyone hates, but somehow I doubt it will bother me so much. The job system allows for some really crazy and overpowered combinations and I really enjoy the Brave/Default system. Can’t wait for the sequel.
LTTP:
Battlefield 4 - I played like 200 hours during the year. I love this game.
Overall, I really enjoyed 2014. I simply can't agree with anyone saying this year was bad. This year was absolutely incredible and I played so many games that I loved.
Stratosphere
Member
1. Dark Souls II ; While admittedly not as great as the original, I still put more hours into DSII than any other game this year. Nearly everything that makes ‘souls’ what it is, is still here. I was disappointed in the lighting downgrade and the lack of a connected world. Nonetheless, I had a ton of fun with this game and experimenting with unique builds! It’s only the second game I have platinumed (You can guess the first).
2. Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls ; Combined with the 2.1 patch, RoS fixed a number of issues I had with the vanilla game. While the story continues to be a major letdown in the expansion, the gameplay was as great as ever. Meaningful loot actually drops now, and felt much more rewarding. I hope that another expansion is on the way.
3. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition ; I picked this up on PS4 early this year, after having passed on it last gen. I was pleasantly surprised with how much fun this game was. While the story and characters were not that interesting, I really enjoyed the gameplay with the small sandbox areas to explore. It sucks that I have to wait until 2016 (if ever) for a sequel on PS4. (Also bow ftw!)
4. Lords of the Fallen ; Being the first true ‘Souls clone’, I was immediately interested in this game from its first announcement. While a bit rough around the edges, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with LotF. I’m looking forward to a more polished and balanced sequel. I may actually get around to platinuming this game at some point.
5. Transistor ; Bastion was one of my favorite games of 2011, so naturally I was super excited for this title! Once again Supergiant Games nailed the art style and music in this game. While I preferred the combat from bastion, I appreciate the amount of freedom to experiment with the skills that are made available to you.
6. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ; A card game, really? Yes a freaking card game! As someone who never got into TCGs or ever played warcraft, I naturally blew this one off for most of the year. My curiosity was piqued when I saw it on so many GOTY lists, so I had to try it. And hooooly shit, I am officially hooked! Already bought Naxxrammas, and am starting to watch players on twitch to learn decks/techniques.
7. Driveclub ; With most of the social features not functional at launch, I was forced to put this one on the backlog and wait for things to get straightened out. Now that things has significantly improved, along with the photo mode and weather patches, I can proudly say that this game is a blast to play. It may be the best looking current gen game I have played. Season Pass get!
8. Destiny ; This is such a tough one for me to evaluate. It is probably my most disappointing game of the year, but I still did enjoy my time with it. The gunplay, customization, music, and world creation are all top notch. Unfortunately I was expecting much more from the story, and more variety in the gameplay. What could have been #1 is a reluctant #8.
9. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ; Considering MGS is my favorite game franchise, this one was a no brainer. I admit it was short of content for the initial price, but what was there was absolutely great. I was disappointed by the lack of the trademark Kojima humor or boss battles, but phenomenal gameplay nearly made up for it. Overall I enjoyed my brief taste of what is to come with TTP.
10. P.T. ; Kojima does it again! This ‘game’ was a nice little surprise for me this year. I had no idea what I was in for when I downloaded this after Gamescom. My few nights with this game was like a descent into madness. It was also a blast posting in the GAF thread while we were all trying to figure out wtf was going on. Oh yeah, and it doubles as a Kojima/Silent Hills announcement!
Honorable mentions
x. The Fall ; I was gifted this one for Christmas and just finished it last night. This is another one that kind of came out of nowhere to surprise me. I really got a Swapper vibe from this one, but the puzzles were totally different. I thought the combat could have been better, but the meat of this one was the eerie atmosphere and story/themes. I can’t wait for Ep. 2 now!
x. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ;
x. Metro 2033: Redux ;
x. Grand Theft Auto V ;
2. Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls ; Combined with the 2.1 patch, RoS fixed a number of issues I had with the vanilla game. While the story continues to be a major letdown in the expansion, the gameplay was as great as ever. Meaningful loot actually drops now, and felt much more rewarding. I hope that another expansion is on the way.
3. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition ; I picked this up on PS4 early this year, after having passed on it last gen. I was pleasantly surprised with how much fun this game was. While the story and characters were not that interesting, I really enjoyed the gameplay with the small sandbox areas to explore. It sucks that I have to wait until 2016 (if ever) for a sequel on PS4. (Also bow ftw!)
4. Lords of the Fallen ; Being the first true ‘Souls clone’, I was immediately interested in this game from its first announcement. While a bit rough around the edges, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with LotF. I’m looking forward to a more polished and balanced sequel. I may actually get around to platinuming this game at some point.
5. Transistor ; Bastion was one of my favorite games of 2011, so naturally I was super excited for this title! Once again Supergiant Games nailed the art style and music in this game. While I preferred the combat from bastion, I appreciate the amount of freedom to experiment with the skills that are made available to you.
6. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ; A card game, really? Yes a freaking card game! As someone who never got into TCGs or ever played warcraft, I naturally blew this one off for most of the year. My curiosity was piqued when I saw it on so many GOTY lists, so I had to try it. And hooooly shit, I am officially hooked! Already bought Naxxrammas, and am starting to watch players on twitch to learn decks/techniques.
7. Driveclub ; With most of the social features not functional at launch, I was forced to put this one on the backlog and wait for things to get straightened out. Now that things has significantly improved, along with the photo mode and weather patches, I can proudly say that this game is a blast to play. It may be the best looking current gen game I have played. Season Pass get!
8. Destiny ; This is such a tough one for me to evaluate. It is probably my most disappointing game of the year, but I still did enjoy my time with it. The gunplay, customization, music, and world creation are all top notch. Unfortunately I was expecting much more from the story, and more variety in the gameplay. What could have been #1 is a reluctant #8.
9. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ; Considering MGS is my favorite game franchise, this one was a no brainer. I admit it was short of content for the initial price, but what was there was absolutely great. I was disappointed by the lack of the trademark Kojima humor or boss battles, but phenomenal gameplay nearly made up for it. Overall I enjoyed my brief taste of what is to come with TTP.
10. P.T. ; Kojima does it again! This ‘game’ was a nice little surprise for me this year. I had no idea what I was in for when I downloaded this after Gamescom. My few nights with this game was like a descent into madness. It was also a blast posting in the GAF thread while we were all trying to figure out wtf was going on. Oh yeah, and it doubles as a Kojima/Silent Hills announcement!
Honorable mentions
x. The Fall ; I was gifted this one for Christmas and just finished it last night. This is another one that kind of came out of nowhere to surprise me. I really got a Swapper vibe from this one, but the puzzles were totally different. I thought the combat could have been better, but the meat of this one was the eerie atmosphere and story/themes. I can’t wait for Ep. 2 now!
x. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ;
x. Metro 2033: Redux ;
x. Grand Theft Auto V ;
1. Dark Souls II ; A worthy sequel to one of the best games of last gen. Some weaknesses in world design in comparison to the first but still a very engaging combat engine, satisfying character progression and cool enemy design.
2. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ; A very polished, accessible and usually fun card game. While I am often frustrated there is lasting satisfaction from beating an opponent even if you lost 3 games before that. Also something you can play if you just have half an hour or so to spare.
3. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Gratifying combat and excellent voice acting.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ; My first MGS game, but I can see why they are so lauded. A huge amount of polish and attention to detail with a stealth system that has enemies behave how you expect them to.
Actually all the games I want to vote for. I've also played Wolfenstein and Lords of the Fallen and while they seem good I don't vote for games I haven't finished. Plan on playing Far Cry 4 and Unity eventually. Also played Elder Scrolls Online and Watch Dogs but they aren't very good games.
2. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ; A very polished, accessible and usually fun card game. While I am often frustrated there is lasting satisfaction from beating an opponent even if you lost 3 games before that. Also something you can play if you just have half an hour or so to spare.
3. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Gratifying combat and excellent voice acting.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ; My first MGS game, but I can see why they are so lauded. A huge amount of polish and attention to detail with a stealth system that has enemies behave how you expect them to.
Actually all the games I want to vote for. I've also played Wolfenstein and Lords of the Fallen and while they seem good I don't vote for games I haven't finished. Plan on playing Far Cry 4 and Unity eventually. Also played Elder Scrolls Online and Watch Dogs but they aren't very good games.
ProfessorMoran
Member
1. The Last of Us: Remastered ; Best game even as a remake of a 2013 game.
2. Little Big Planet 3 ; New playable characters were a great addition to the already great lbp goodness.
3. Infamous: Second Son ; Still the best non cross-gen open world game
4. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Surprisingly fun.
5. P.T. ; Scary done right.
6. Drive Club ; Bad start but it redeemed itself MIGHTILY with DAT WEATHER PATCH.
7. GTAV ; Hey another remake!
2. Little Big Planet 3 ; New playable characters were a great addition to the already great lbp goodness.
3. Infamous: Second Son ; Still the best non cross-gen open world game
4. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Surprisingly fun.
5. P.T. ; Scary done right.
6. Drive Club ; Bad start but it redeemed itself MIGHTILY with DAT WEATHER PATCH.
7. GTAV ; Hey another remake!
1. Transistor ; The game started off a bit slow trying to figure out good combos for the attack system and trying to understand what was going on. By the time the end credits rolled I was ready to jump right back into NG+. Great art direction, an amazing sound track, and the combat system just got deeper as unlocking duplicate functions allowed for amazing new combinations. Running through a second time gave more context for the story and did a great job connecting me to it. To me it was the full package, art style, music, game play, and story.
2. Far Cry 4 ; I loved Far Cry 3 so its no surprise this is high on my list. The world looked amazing and absolutely dragged me in and swallowed my life for a week. Running around the wilderness, hunting animals, stumbling across outpost, getting an attacked by an eagle, competing in the arena, exploring Shangri-La, getting attacked by honey badgers, or throwing bait out for a tiger to maul my coop partner, I just loved it. That said the story was bit weak and there wasn't a whole lot new from its predecessor.
3. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; Executed the use of the license perfectly. It really felt like one long episode of South Park. I enjoyed roaming around and exploring South park (and Canada) and the humor was spot on with lots of call backs to the many seasons and episodes. The only downside was the combat system became a bit tiresome as the game wore on.
4. Infamous Second Son ; I had a blast with this game. I played both infamous games before hand and felt this was the best of both. The powers were unique and fun to use, the story was interesting, and the graphics were absolutely stunning. While some found it too short I found it just the perfect length. By the time the credits rolled I was still itching for more and hopped right into a second play through to catch the other side of the Karma tree. Something I never wanted to do with the previous games.
5. Titanfall ; It certainly didn't have a whole lot of content. A lack of campaign, variety of guns, and game modes is where this fell short. But aside from that I had an absolute blast with this game and hands down is my favorite shooter this year. The fast pace, nonstop action, and traversal felt amazing and got me through a very dry summer with lots of entertainment.
6. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; The game started off wonderfully. I really enjoyed the difficulty in the earlier parts of the game and slowly growing into my powers. This made the nemesis system a treat as orcs rose through the ranks through my early struggles making it all the more enjoyable when I got my revenge. However, by the end of the game combat was way too easy, the nemesis system lost its luster and the tail end of the story was very disappointing.
7. The Walking Dead: Season 2 ; I played this on the next gen systems and was happy to see it ran smoothly. The game started out strong and had some really great moments. I felt the story kind of got away from itself in the latter half of the season but I still really enjoyed it. I know some dont like that the decision dont have too much impact on where the story goes, but I felt this season, and series, does a wonderful job on presenting you with some tough choices which sets a great atmosphere no matter what decisions you choose.
8. Forza Horizon 2 ; My first Forza game and I have to say I was impressed. Just some pure fun, lots of cars to dig into, the driving felt wonderful and really has me looking forward to future Forza titles.
9. Dark Souls II ; I love the souls games and this didn't disappoint with some difficult but rewarding game play and as always some very interesting and intense boss fights. I wasn't a big fan of the curse aspects and the warping took a bit away from some really great world design like in previous entries. That said it scratched my souls itch.
10. Sunset Overdrive ; I didn't really dig the humor (although the female VA was miles ahead of the male option in delivering the lines) in this game and the controls took a bit too long to get a feel for (air dash made a huge difference) but i enjoyed myself as the game went on. The colorful jam packed world was a treat. The assortment of weapons, variety of missions, and the constant movement was a nice change of pace from many games.
Honorable Mentions
X. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Just started this and would most likely land a spot on this list if I had gotten a chance to spend more time with this game to judge it fairly against my other picks.
X. Mario Kart 8 ; I just picked up my first Nintendo system since the N64 and am happy to delve into all I have been missing out on. Sadly not enough time to fairly rate this despite it most likely deserving a spot on my list.
X. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; See Above.
2. Far Cry 4 ; I loved Far Cry 3 so its no surprise this is high on my list. The world looked amazing and absolutely dragged me in and swallowed my life for a week. Running around the wilderness, hunting animals, stumbling across outpost, getting an attacked by an eagle, competing in the arena, exploring Shangri-La, getting attacked by honey badgers, or throwing bait out for a tiger to maul my coop partner, I just loved it. That said the story was bit weak and there wasn't a whole lot new from its predecessor.
3. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; Executed the use of the license perfectly. It really felt like one long episode of South Park. I enjoyed roaming around and exploring South park (and Canada) and the humor was spot on with lots of call backs to the many seasons and episodes. The only downside was the combat system became a bit tiresome as the game wore on.
4. Infamous Second Son ; I had a blast with this game. I played both infamous games before hand and felt this was the best of both. The powers were unique and fun to use, the story was interesting, and the graphics were absolutely stunning. While some found it too short I found it just the perfect length. By the time the credits rolled I was still itching for more and hopped right into a second play through to catch the other side of the Karma tree. Something I never wanted to do with the previous games.
5. Titanfall ; It certainly didn't have a whole lot of content. A lack of campaign, variety of guns, and game modes is where this fell short. But aside from that I had an absolute blast with this game and hands down is my favorite shooter this year. The fast pace, nonstop action, and traversal felt amazing and got me through a very dry summer with lots of entertainment.
6. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; The game started off wonderfully. I really enjoyed the difficulty in the earlier parts of the game and slowly growing into my powers. This made the nemesis system a treat as orcs rose through the ranks through my early struggles making it all the more enjoyable when I got my revenge. However, by the end of the game combat was way too easy, the nemesis system lost its luster and the tail end of the story was very disappointing.
7. The Walking Dead: Season 2 ; I played this on the next gen systems and was happy to see it ran smoothly. The game started out strong and had some really great moments. I felt the story kind of got away from itself in the latter half of the season but I still really enjoyed it. I know some dont like that the decision dont have too much impact on where the story goes, but I felt this season, and series, does a wonderful job on presenting you with some tough choices which sets a great atmosphere no matter what decisions you choose.
8. Forza Horizon 2 ; My first Forza game and I have to say I was impressed. Just some pure fun, lots of cars to dig into, the driving felt wonderful and really has me looking forward to future Forza titles.
9. Dark Souls II ; I love the souls games and this didn't disappoint with some difficult but rewarding game play and as always some very interesting and intense boss fights. I wasn't a big fan of the curse aspects and the warping took a bit away from some really great world design like in previous entries. That said it scratched my souls itch.
10. Sunset Overdrive ; I didn't really dig the humor (although the female VA was miles ahead of the male option in delivering the lines) in this game and the controls took a bit too long to get a feel for (air dash made a huge difference) but i enjoyed myself as the game went on. The colorful jam packed world was a treat. The assortment of weapons, variety of missions, and the constant movement was a nice change of pace from many games.
Honorable Mentions
X. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Just started this and would most likely land a spot on this list if I had gotten a chance to spend more time with this game to judge it fairly against my other picks.
X. Mario Kart 8 ; I just picked up my first Nintendo system since the N64 and am happy to delve into all I have been missing out on. Sadly not enough time to fairly rate this despite it most likely deserving a spot on my list.
X. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; See Above.
ShockingAlberto
Member
Video version
1. Bayonetta 2 ; In the dreams I've had of a hypothetical sequel to Bayonetta - the kind of thing I'd be scrawling on lined notebook paper were I younger and just a little more dazed - I think what Platinum actually gave us may be close to what I had in mind. We so rarely get sequels to our favorite games and even more rarely do we get sequels that do the original game justice. Bayonetta 2 is not everything I wanted from a sequel to Bayonetta (the end was a little less than I desired), but it's everything I wanted from another Bayonetta game. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best game released in 2014.
2. Dark Souls II ; I had a somewhat nasty break up at the beginning of this year and one of the things I ended up throwing myself into to distract myself was the original Dark Souls. I had never ended up getting into the game at launch, but with sufficient motivation, I pushed through that barrier and really enjoyed it that time. So when Dark Souls 2 rolled around a few months later, I was impossibly excited. It is in every way an inferior sequel to the original Dark Souls, but it's like having a game be a 9/10 after its predecessor was an 11/10. While Dark Souls 2 isn't the best game I've ever played - or the best Souls game I've ever played - it's still so well-designed that almost nothing touches it. It's the most disappointed I've ever been in an incredible game.
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; It seems like I tend to forgive Smash Bros. more often than not, but the dirty secret is that I actually have ridiculously high standards for the games, I am just bad at articulating them. I won't say Smash Bros. 4 is perfect or the zenith of what can be done with the games - it's not. They clearly could have gone a lot further. But what's there is incredibly fun to me and I'm satisfied by something I had sky-high expectations for in the first place.
4. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Mordor was a game a friend told me he was glad was good, because video games were starting to be a bummer. I can't help but agree, in a year where we're marrying broken games to a total lack of gameplay ambition to excuse said problems, Mordor bucked that trend by employing the Nemesis system into its fundamental game design. The game feels good to play, it feels good to fight and move around, it's a strong game all around. I am excited for a Mordor 2 with a bit more design and a little more flesh around the bones, but the first stab is still incredible.
5. Sunset Overdrive ; I've never been a fan of Insomniac's previous games and I was really getting fatigued by open world games in general. I still took a chance on Sunset Overdrive because I wanted a new Xbox One game and I was taken aback by how much I liked it. Rather than trying to solve open world traversal by glossing over it and making the travel between points painless, they tried to make it fun. It's not perfect and mission design definitely needed quite a few more passthroughs before making it out the door, but it stands apart from the pack and feels fresher for it.
6. Mario Kart 8 ; I'm admittedly stumped how Nintendo can improve Mario Kart anymore than what MK8 has already done. They've gotten the formula so tight now that anything further will actually be the incremental upgrade people already lob at recent Mario Karts. Mario Kart 8 delivers a stunning amount of personality for what could have just been a by-the-numbers racer and shows why no one gets it quite right like Nintendo does.
7. Shovel Knight ; As a kid, Ducktales was my favorite game. To the point where I was still very forgiving of its flaws when I played it this past year. Shovel Knight takes those flaws and makes them even more apparent by taking the loving memory of those old games and fixing them. I don't remember the old games being unfair (they were) and Shovel Knight isn't unfair. I don't remember the old games being short (they were) and Shovel Knight isn't short. It goes on and on like this, Shovel Knight is my fond memories of the NES era made into an actual product.
8. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; DKCR is a bit of a chink in Retro's otherwise fairly nice armor. I don't dislike the game, but it didn't blow me away like I had expected (and hoped) it would. It was fairly by the numbers without a huge emphasis on excellent platforming or level design. Tropical Freeze definitely fixes that by being one of the tightest, most well-designed platformers around. The organic care that's put into the world is unmatched in any other platformer out there and Retro should be proud of this effort.
9. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; I wish I had more time to spend on this game before deciding GOTY. It's definitely a good game, but it's hard to shake the feeling that it's just not really what I think of when I think of Dragon Age. Maybe that's a good thing and a bad thing, though, and I've really enjoyed what I've played. It's just hard not to cling to the past sometimes.
10. Transistor ; I find Transistor to be interesting because it's clearly a game with a great set of ideas, fascinating ideas for the battle system, an incredible artstyle, an engaging story...but I just never really found myself having consistent fun. I feel like if the game were just a little more fleshed out, maybe a hub like Bastion had, maybe shorter areas or missions, it would have been a lot better. But the game that's there still made me fall in love with its world and its art and I have to respect that.
1. Bayonetta 2 ; In the dreams I've had of a hypothetical sequel to Bayonetta - the kind of thing I'd be scrawling on lined notebook paper were I younger and just a little more dazed - I think what Platinum actually gave us may be close to what I had in mind. We so rarely get sequels to our favorite games and even more rarely do we get sequels that do the original game justice. Bayonetta 2 is not everything I wanted from a sequel to Bayonetta (the end was a little less than I desired), but it's everything I wanted from another Bayonetta game. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best game released in 2014.
2. Dark Souls II ; I had a somewhat nasty break up at the beginning of this year and one of the things I ended up throwing myself into to distract myself was the original Dark Souls. I had never ended up getting into the game at launch, but with sufficient motivation, I pushed through that barrier and really enjoyed it that time. So when Dark Souls 2 rolled around a few months later, I was impossibly excited. It is in every way an inferior sequel to the original Dark Souls, but it's like having a game be a 9/10 after its predecessor was an 11/10. While Dark Souls 2 isn't the best game I've ever played - or the best Souls game I've ever played - it's still so well-designed that almost nothing touches it. It's the most disappointed I've ever been in an incredible game.
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; It seems like I tend to forgive Smash Bros. more often than not, but the dirty secret is that I actually have ridiculously high standards for the games, I am just bad at articulating them. I won't say Smash Bros. 4 is perfect or the zenith of what can be done with the games - it's not. They clearly could have gone a lot further. But what's there is incredibly fun to me and I'm satisfied by something I had sky-high expectations for in the first place.
4. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Mordor was a game a friend told me he was glad was good, because video games were starting to be a bummer. I can't help but agree, in a year where we're marrying broken games to a total lack of gameplay ambition to excuse said problems, Mordor bucked that trend by employing the Nemesis system into its fundamental game design. The game feels good to play, it feels good to fight and move around, it's a strong game all around. I am excited for a Mordor 2 with a bit more design and a little more flesh around the bones, but the first stab is still incredible.
5. Sunset Overdrive ; I've never been a fan of Insomniac's previous games and I was really getting fatigued by open world games in general. I still took a chance on Sunset Overdrive because I wanted a new Xbox One game and I was taken aback by how much I liked it. Rather than trying to solve open world traversal by glossing over it and making the travel between points painless, they tried to make it fun. It's not perfect and mission design definitely needed quite a few more passthroughs before making it out the door, but it stands apart from the pack and feels fresher for it.
6. Mario Kart 8 ; I'm admittedly stumped how Nintendo can improve Mario Kart anymore than what MK8 has already done. They've gotten the formula so tight now that anything further will actually be the incremental upgrade people already lob at recent Mario Karts. Mario Kart 8 delivers a stunning amount of personality for what could have just been a by-the-numbers racer and shows why no one gets it quite right like Nintendo does.
7. Shovel Knight ; As a kid, Ducktales was my favorite game. To the point where I was still very forgiving of its flaws when I played it this past year. Shovel Knight takes those flaws and makes them even more apparent by taking the loving memory of those old games and fixing them. I don't remember the old games being unfair (they were) and Shovel Knight isn't unfair. I don't remember the old games being short (they were) and Shovel Knight isn't short. It goes on and on like this, Shovel Knight is my fond memories of the NES era made into an actual product.
8. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; DKCR is a bit of a chink in Retro's otherwise fairly nice armor. I don't dislike the game, but it didn't blow me away like I had expected (and hoped) it would. It was fairly by the numbers without a huge emphasis on excellent platforming or level design. Tropical Freeze definitely fixes that by being one of the tightest, most well-designed platformers around. The organic care that's put into the world is unmatched in any other platformer out there and Retro should be proud of this effort.
9. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; I wish I had more time to spend on this game before deciding GOTY. It's definitely a good game, but it's hard to shake the feeling that it's just not really what I think of when I think of Dragon Age. Maybe that's a good thing and a bad thing, though, and I've really enjoyed what I've played. It's just hard not to cling to the past sometimes.
10. Transistor ; I find Transistor to be interesting because it's clearly a game with a great set of ideas, fascinating ideas for the battle system, an incredible artstyle, an engaging story...but I just never really found myself having consistent fun. I feel like if the game were just a little more fleshed out, maybe a hub like Bastion had, maybe shorter areas or missions, it would have been a lot better. But the game that's there still made me fall in love with its world and its art and I have to respect that.
This is for stuff like this that I check out this thread, thanks.
1. Bayonetta 2 ; the most fun I've had with a single player game in a long time, Bayo 2 is the platinum standard for action games.
2. Super Smash Bros for Wii U ;
3. Shovel Knight ;
4. Mario Kart 8 ;
5. Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition ;
6. Super Smash Bros for 3DS ;
7. Legend of Zelda Hyrule Warriors ; My first foray into the musou genre, this was the surprise hit of the year for me.
8. Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham ;
9. Bayonetta ;
10. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea: Episode 2 ;
2. Super Smash Bros for Wii U ;
3. Shovel Knight ;
4. Mario Kart 8 ;
5. Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition ;
6. Super Smash Bros for 3DS ;
7. Legend of Zelda Hyrule Warriors ; My first foray into the musou genre, this was the surprise hit of the year for me.
8. Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham ;
9. Bayonetta ;
10. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea: Episode 2 ;
oh, thing loaded really slow for me, that's why I couldn't find my picks there.
1. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; I love South Park and this just was like one big episode of it.
2. Metro Redux ; great games with awesome visuals. really liked the gameplay. nice stealthing.
3. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ; only a demo, but fun to play. you can really put a lot of hours into this. so many ways to do the missions.
I'm a man of few words.
and always funny, how many don't get the format right and will probaply get their votes disqualified.
1. Bayonetta 2 ; It would have been hard to improve on the perfection of the original Bayonetta's controls, so Platinum, smartly, didn't really try. Instead they removed some of the originals bloat while increasing the spectacle. Bayonetta 2 might not be the prettiest game of the year or the most innovative, but it is without a doubt is the best controlling and most fun to play.
2. Dark Souls 2 ; Is it as good as Dark Souls or Demon's Souls? Nope. Does the world feel as tightly tuned and the bosses as epic? Nope. Is an inferior Souls game still better than 99% of the market? Yep.
3. Super Smash Bros. Wii U ;
4. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth ;
5. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; The sequel might have the better surprises and cast of characters, but the first game has the better story and less annoying set of minigames.
6. Far Cry 4 ;
7. Sunset Overdrive ;
8. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ;
9. South Park: The Stick of Truth ;
10. Shovel Knight ; A retro indie game done right. Shovel Knight doesn't just try to ape and pay homage to the platformers of the past, it aims to improve upon them. And it succeeds.
2. Dark Souls 2 ; Is it as good as Dark Souls or Demon's Souls? Nope. Does the world feel as tightly tuned and the bosses as epic? Nope. Is an inferior Souls game still better than 99% of the market? Yep.
3. Super Smash Bros. Wii U ;
4. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth ;
5. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; The sequel might have the better surprises and cast of characters, but the first game has the better story and less annoying set of minigames.
6. Far Cry 4 ;
7. Sunset Overdrive ;
8. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ;
9. South Park: The Stick of Truth ;
10. Shovel Knight ; A retro indie game done right. Shovel Knight doesn't just try to ape and pay homage to the platformers of the past, it aims to improve upon them. And it succeeds.
BananasWithGuns
Member
1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; I went into Inquisition with insanely high expectations. I can say without any doubt that BioWare not only met every expectation I had for the game but exceeded them as well. Inquisition is phenomenal from beginning to end and has one of the best cast of characters in any BioWare game. Dragon Age: Inquisition is the runaway choice for my game of the year.
2. Sunset Overdrive ; Sunset Overdrive is a game that took me by surprise a little bit. I was excited for the game going in but I never expected I'd have as much fun as I did with it. The traversal system might be the best in any game ever to the point where just moving from place to place is a blast. Combined with good mission design, a great sense of humor and a plethora of character customization, Sunset Overdrive truly stands out as one of 2014's best games.
3. Assassin's Creed Unity ; Unity's technical issues have been well documented but they didn't stop me from enjoying the game itself. Exploring Paris was incredibly fun and the missions themselves were better than ever thanks to some of the new changes, most notably the blackbox assassination missions. It also doesn't hurt that the game is absolutely beautiful to boot.
4. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Shadow of Mordor is another game that surprised me. I knew it had the potential to be a good game but I'm not sure I ever expected it to be this great. The gameplay, especially the combat, is excellent all around and the source material made for a really interesting story. Then there's the nemesis system which is definitely one of the more innovative things I've seen in recent years.
5. Child of Light ; Child of Light was everything I had hoped it would be. Great combat inspired by the JRPGs of yesteryear, an interesting, engaging story, absolutely beautiful visuals and an incredible soundtrack. I really couldn't have asked for more from this one and I hope it sets a precedence for Ubisoft to create more games like it.
6. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; I'm not sure a game has ever used its source material so perfectly. It just can't be overstated how true to the show that the game really is. Matt and Trey's work and influence can be seen in every corner of the game and the story and combat are both hilarious and engaging from beginning to end.
7. Mario Kart 8 ; Probably the most fun I've had in an online game this year and lo and behold it's a Nintendo game. With super tight controls and an abundance of tracks, characters and parts Mario Kart 8 is a blast. Twelve player online is just the cherry on top.
8. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; Valiant Hearts might be the most unique game on my list in terms of the way the game approaches its source material and the way it tells that story. Even though it's a somewhat simplistic game it's still very enjoyable and incredibly touching.
9. Titanfall ; In terms of fast-paced and chaotic gameplay I'm not sure anything this year measures up to Titanfall. While the story leaves a lot to be desired the gameplay itself feels like a considerable step forward in evolving the competitive first person shooter genre and the potential for a sequel is through the roof.
10. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; This was a game that massively flew under the radar for me until I picked it up on sale but after playing it I think MachineGames crafted something pretty remarkable. In terms of all games released this year, Wolfenstein might have the best pure shooter gameplay. Being able to approach combat scenarios in different ways also made for a very rewarding experience.
Honorable Mentions
x. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; It was tough to leave this one off the list. I've had quite a bit of fun with Smash but I just can't say it had the impact on me that the other games did.
x. The Walking Dead: Season Two ; While it may not have had quite the same impact as season one, it's still hard not to mention how great of a job Telltale did with this follow up. Playing Clementine was both exciting and nerve-wracking and it still manages to tug at your heart strings.
x. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII ; Seeing this game on my list of honorable mentions might make people do a double take but I really do feel like it deserves a mention. Despite its' obvious flaws I really appreciated the unique take on the combat system and found myself getting a ton of enjoyment out of the game overall.
2. Sunset Overdrive ; Sunset Overdrive is a game that took me by surprise a little bit. I was excited for the game going in but I never expected I'd have as much fun as I did with it. The traversal system might be the best in any game ever to the point where just moving from place to place is a blast. Combined with good mission design, a great sense of humor and a plethora of character customization, Sunset Overdrive truly stands out as one of 2014's best games.
3. Assassin's Creed Unity ; Unity's technical issues have been well documented but they didn't stop me from enjoying the game itself. Exploring Paris was incredibly fun and the missions themselves were better than ever thanks to some of the new changes, most notably the blackbox assassination missions. It also doesn't hurt that the game is absolutely beautiful to boot.
4. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Shadow of Mordor is another game that surprised me. I knew it had the potential to be a good game but I'm not sure I ever expected it to be this great. The gameplay, especially the combat, is excellent all around and the source material made for a really interesting story. Then there's the nemesis system which is definitely one of the more innovative things I've seen in recent years.
5. Child of Light ; Child of Light was everything I had hoped it would be. Great combat inspired by the JRPGs of yesteryear, an interesting, engaging story, absolutely beautiful visuals and an incredible soundtrack. I really couldn't have asked for more from this one and I hope it sets a precedence for Ubisoft to create more games like it.
6. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; I'm not sure a game has ever used its source material so perfectly. It just can't be overstated how true to the show that the game really is. Matt and Trey's work and influence can be seen in every corner of the game and the story and combat are both hilarious and engaging from beginning to end.
7. Mario Kart 8 ; Probably the most fun I've had in an online game this year and lo and behold it's a Nintendo game. With super tight controls and an abundance of tracks, characters and parts Mario Kart 8 is a blast. Twelve player online is just the cherry on top.
8. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; Valiant Hearts might be the most unique game on my list in terms of the way the game approaches its source material and the way it tells that story. Even though it's a somewhat simplistic game it's still very enjoyable and incredibly touching.
9. Titanfall ; In terms of fast-paced and chaotic gameplay I'm not sure anything this year measures up to Titanfall. While the story leaves a lot to be desired the gameplay itself feels like a considerable step forward in evolving the competitive first person shooter genre and the potential for a sequel is through the roof.
10. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; This was a game that massively flew under the radar for me until I picked it up on sale but after playing it I think MachineGames crafted something pretty remarkable. In terms of all games released this year, Wolfenstein might have the best pure shooter gameplay. Being able to approach combat scenarios in different ways also made for a very rewarding experience.
Honorable Mentions
x. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; It was tough to leave this one off the list. I've had quite a bit of fun with Smash but I just can't say it had the impact on me that the other games did.
x. The Walking Dead: Season Two ; While it may not have had quite the same impact as season one, it's still hard not to mention how great of a job Telltale did with this follow up. Playing Clementine was both exciting and nerve-wracking and it still manages to tug at your heart strings.
x. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII ; Seeing this game on my list of honorable mentions might make people do a double take but I really do feel like it deserves a mention. Despite its' obvious flaws I really appreciated the unique take on the combat system and found myself getting a ton of enjoyment out of the game overall.
Earthpainting
Member
1. Bayonetta 2 ; Follow-ups on some of your favourite games are always tricky. Good sequels should serve a point in the overall world, improve mechanics, yet also keep everything you loved about it before. Bayonetta 2 does all of that and then some. Playing it revealed to me just how much polish the original could have had. An absolute blast to play and a master-class in its genre. This game almost did not get made, but I'm thrilled that it did.
2. Shovel Knight ; A faux-retro NES style indie platformer is not exactly a rarity these days. We have a sea of those every single year and very few of them are able to capture the spirit and creativity to do it justice. I'd even say most of them don't even look the part. Shovel Knight on the other hand manages to not only feel authentic, but also incredibly inspired and fun. Had this been released during the time it tries to evoke, it would still stand out and stand proudly amongst the juggernauts of the days of yore.
3. Half-Minute Hero: The Second Coming ; Similar story to Bayonetta. Another sequel to an all-time favourite game of mine. This one however makes some bold changes to the formula and presentation that do not always hit the beats the overall package demanded. It dances too close to the topics it parodies that the joke can easily get lost, and the pacing of the game is quite slow early on. Slow is definitely not something you want in a game about rushing. That said, the game is still very fun and incredibly creative. I had to take several week-long breaks while playing this, but looking back to it, it's definitely some of the more memorable moments I had all year. I'd say that's still pretty impressive for a game stories are told at a Gatling gun pace.
4. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; I'd say this one is my "surprise of the year" and also has the "soundtrack of the year" for me. The DK franchise and me never got along too well, and I never considered the DKC games to be much more than a B-tier series that always survived on its production values. Tropical Freeze however managed to bring actual level design and creativity on the table that got me hooked.
5. Don't Starve ; One of my two time wasters of 2014. While far from perfect, and often feeling unfair, Don't Starve is a game that kept pulling me back in. Its mechanics, structure and unlockable characters kept coaxing me to try again and do better each time. For the longest time, this was the only game I would turn my PS4 on for, and for a "free" indie PS+ game, that's not half bad.
6. Hyrule Warriors ; I never thought I'd ever give a Musou game another shot, especially not after that lacklustre reveal of Hyrule Warriors. Yet here we are and I'm also putting it on my list of favourite games of the year. There's a simplistic type of joy where you can put yourself on auto-pilot and just feel time melt away around you. The game's mechanics may not have changed dramatically over the years, but they have been polished up considerably. The only real thing I was missing was an online multiplayer mode, but given by how much content was already in the game, it feels silly to complain about.
7. Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ; I love Layton, I love Feeny and I simply put love them together. While this game definitely leans harder towards the Ace Attorney side of things, this collaboration worked out quite well. Both styles of game complemented each other in a way that should influence the future of both series. I don't think it has a lot to offer if you're not a fan of both franchises, and it does resolve in a typical Level 5 bullshit type of way, but I'd by lying if I didn't admit to being glued to the little screen every evening.
8. Binding of Isaac Rebirth ; Binding of Isaac, but better and more. I'm not sure if there's a lot more to add. This was my second time-waster game this year, and it's still as fun as it ever was.
9. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; This is where my list sort of loses its lustre. While I didn't hate Stick of Truth, I can't say I super loved it either. While it has plenty to offer, and it does provide an authentic South Park experience, it did feel like a rather sloppy game at times. I encountered quite a few bugs, and balancing was nowhere to be seen. I could recommend this to anyone that enjoys the joy, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to an RPG fan that doesn't.
10. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; This was a game that I liked more in theory than actually playing it. Definitely interesting and full of character and emotion, but its mechanics and weirdly cartoonish take on certain things provide a sharp contrast that can draw you out of the experience. All in all I do not regret playing it though, and think we should definitely make room for more games like it.
2. Shovel Knight ; A faux-retro NES style indie platformer is not exactly a rarity these days. We have a sea of those every single year and very few of them are able to capture the spirit and creativity to do it justice. I'd even say most of them don't even look the part. Shovel Knight on the other hand manages to not only feel authentic, but also incredibly inspired and fun. Had this been released during the time it tries to evoke, it would still stand out and stand proudly amongst the juggernauts of the days of yore.
3. Half-Minute Hero: The Second Coming ; Similar story to Bayonetta. Another sequel to an all-time favourite game of mine. This one however makes some bold changes to the formula and presentation that do not always hit the beats the overall package demanded. It dances too close to the topics it parodies that the joke can easily get lost, and the pacing of the game is quite slow early on. Slow is definitely not something you want in a game about rushing. That said, the game is still very fun and incredibly creative. I had to take several week-long breaks while playing this, but looking back to it, it's definitely some of the more memorable moments I had all year. I'd say that's still pretty impressive for a game stories are told at a Gatling gun pace.
4. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; I'd say this one is my "surprise of the year" and also has the "soundtrack of the year" for me. The DK franchise and me never got along too well, and I never considered the DKC games to be much more than a B-tier series that always survived on its production values. Tropical Freeze however managed to bring actual level design and creativity on the table that got me hooked.
5. Don't Starve ; One of my two time wasters of 2014. While far from perfect, and often feeling unfair, Don't Starve is a game that kept pulling me back in. Its mechanics, structure and unlockable characters kept coaxing me to try again and do better each time. For the longest time, this was the only game I would turn my PS4 on for, and for a "free" indie PS+ game, that's not half bad.
6. Hyrule Warriors ; I never thought I'd ever give a Musou game another shot, especially not after that lacklustre reveal of Hyrule Warriors. Yet here we are and I'm also putting it on my list of favourite games of the year. There's a simplistic type of joy where you can put yourself on auto-pilot and just feel time melt away around you. The game's mechanics may not have changed dramatically over the years, but they have been polished up considerably. The only real thing I was missing was an online multiplayer mode, but given by how much content was already in the game, it feels silly to complain about.
7. Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ; I love Layton, I love Feeny and I simply put love them together. While this game definitely leans harder towards the Ace Attorney side of things, this collaboration worked out quite well. Both styles of game complemented each other in a way that should influence the future of both series. I don't think it has a lot to offer if you're not a fan of both franchises, and it does resolve in a typical Level 5 bullshit type of way, but I'd by lying if I didn't admit to being glued to the little screen every evening.
8. Binding of Isaac Rebirth ; Binding of Isaac, but better and more. I'm not sure if there's a lot more to add. This was my second time-waster game this year, and it's still as fun as it ever was.
9. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; This is where my list sort of loses its lustre. While I didn't hate Stick of Truth, I can't say I super loved it either. While it has plenty to offer, and it does provide an authentic South Park experience, it did feel like a rather sloppy game at times. I encountered quite a few bugs, and balancing was nowhere to be seen. I could recommend this to anyone that enjoys the joy, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to an RPG fan that doesn't.
10. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; This was a game that I liked more in theory than actually playing it. Definitely interesting and full of character and emotion, but its mechanics and weirdly cartoonish take on certain things provide a sharp contrast that can draw you out of the experience. All in all I do not regret playing it though, and think we should definitely make room for more games like it.
1. Alien Isolation ; I actually didn't expect this game to be as good as it was. The lighting is probably the best I've ever seen, the sound design is impeccable, the alien AI is surprising and challenging, the adherence to the original film's tone and horror is unmatched, and I liked the protagonist's journey throughout this game. Definitely the best Alien video game adaptation to grace the medium.
2. Elite Dangerous ; Took me by surprise. There's a ton of depth in this game with little to no hand-holding. It is a true simulation of a space sim and I seriously can't believe the amount of star systems in this game. Like space itself, this game is overwhelming.
3. The Last of Us: Left Behind ; This was just an experience that reminded me why I play video games. Such a great experience to go through these two different characters and their relationship. Very organic writing and acting with a lot of subtleties that don't come across as forced or anything.
4. Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall ; A huge step-up from the original Shadowrun Returns campaign. Great characters, decent plot, good writing, enticing art style and pleasing cyberpunk ambience. I wish I had played the Director's Cut though.
5. Wasteland 2 ; It was like playing a game from the 90's again. Really entertaining and the writing respects you.
6. Dark Souls 2 ; Other people have said it better than myself - the game is still really good as what you could expect from a followup to one of the best RPGs ever created, but unfortunately it lacks the magic and mystery that the previous game had.
7. P.T. ; Swept me away and it's a really fun and quick game to go through with people unfamiliar with what the game's about. A really refreshing experience and genius marketing.
8. The Banner Saga ; Audio and visuals are really really good. Gameplay is serviceable, but it unfortunately suffers from some arbitrary and meaningless mechanics such as population numbers.
9. Nidhogg ; Extremely entertaining local multiplayer.
10. Assassin's Creed Liberation HD ; Mechanically it isn't the best game, but there is some really interesting commentary on the time period through the game's social mechanics. I also really like the setting and the protagonist is a rare sight in games.
x. The Wolf Among Us ; Kind of straight forward Telltale game in a sense, but Fables is a cool comics series and I thought they did a good job with it in this game.
x. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; Good characters, interesting setting, and nice information on the world war that is rarely talked about.
I still need to play and finish some other games, so my top 10 haven't taken into account the following games
Danganronpa 2
Dreamfall Chapters Book One
Jazzpunk
Lara Croft & Temple of Osiris
Never alone
The Evil Within
The Unfinished Swan
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Wolfenstein: The New Order
South Park: The Stick of Truth
This War of Mine
2. Elite Dangerous ; Took me by surprise. There's a ton of depth in this game with little to no hand-holding. It is a true simulation of a space sim and I seriously can't believe the amount of star systems in this game. Like space itself, this game is overwhelming.
3. The Last of Us: Left Behind ; This was just an experience that reminded me why I play video games. Such a great experience to go through these two different characters and their relationship. Very organic writing and acting with a lot of subtleties that don't come across as forced or anything.
4. Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall ; A huge step-up from the original Shadowrun Returns campaign. Great characters, decent plot, good writing, enticing art style and pleasing cyberpunk ambience. I wish I had played the Director's Cut though.
5. Wasteland 2 ; It was like playing a game from the 90's again. Really entertaining and the writing respects you.
6. Dark Souls 2 ; Other people have said it better than myself - the game is still really good as what you could expect from a followup to one of the best RPGs ever created, but unfortunately it lacks the magic and mystery that the previous game had.
7. P.T. ; Swept me away and it's a really fun and quick game to go through with people unfamiliar with what the game's about. A really refreshing experience and genius marketing.
8. The Banner Saga ; Audio and visuals are really really good. Gameplay is serviceable, but it unfortunately suffers from some arbitrary and meaningless mechanics such as population numbers.
9. Nidhogg ; Extremely entertaining local multiplayer.
10. Assassin's Creed Liberation HD ; Mechanically it isn't the best game, but there is some really interesting commentary on the time period through the game's social mechanics. I also really like the setting and the protagonist is a rare sight in games.
x. The Wolf Among Us ; Kind of straight forward Telltale game in a sense, but Fables is a cool comics series and I thought they did a good job with it in this game.
x. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; Good characters, interesting setting, and nice information on the world war that is rarely talked about.
I still need to play and finish some other games, so my top 10 haven't taken into account the following games
Danganronpa 2
Dreamfall Chapters Book One
Jazzpunk
Lara Croft & Temple of Osiris
Never alone
The Evil Within
The Unfinished Swan
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Wolfenstein: The New Order
South Park: The Stick of Truth
This War of Mine
T.M. MacReady
NO ONE DENIES MEMBER
1. DriveClub ;
2. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ;
3. Far Cry 4 ;
4. Destiny ;
5. Infamous: Second Son ;
6. Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition ;
7. MLB 14: The Show ;
8. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ;
Honorable Mentions
x. Hitman Go ;
x. The Last of Us: Left Behind ;
Didn't get to play Alien, DKC:TF, and a few others, unfortunately.
2. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ;
3. Far Cry 4 ;
4. Destiny ;
5. Infamous: Second Son ;
6. Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition ;
7. MLB 14: The Show ;
8. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ;
Honorable Mentions
x. Hitman Go ;
x. The Last of Us: Left Behind ;
Didn't get to play Alien, DKC:TF, and a few others, unfortunately.
1. Destiny ; Flawed but best shooter mechanics on console in a decade.
2. Driveclub ; Now approaching the game it always threatened to be.
3. Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes ; How a new gen MGS should play.
4. South Park The Stick of Truth ; Possibly best licensed game ever.
5. Diablo 3 Ultimate Evil Edition ;
6. Infamous Second Son ;
7. Monument Valley ;
8. Fantasy Life ;
9. Trials Fusion ;
10. Velvet Sundown ;
2. Driveclub ; Now approaching the game it always threatened to be.
3. Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes ; How a new gen MGS should play.
4. South Park The Stick of Truth ; Possibly best licensed game ever.
5. Diablo 3 Ultimate Evil Edition ;
6. Infamous Second Son ;
7. Monument Valley ;
8. Fantasy Life ;
9. Trials Fusion ;
10. Velvet Sundown ;
1. Bayonetta 2 ; It took one of the great action games of the last generation, made it better, smoother and all around more badass. The online MP was great, but the single player alone makes this the only game I could justify giving GOTY to. Plus, it's the greatest Christmas game ever.
2. Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth ; I've been interested in Etrian Odyssey games for years, but recent character design decisions have put me off the solid gameplay. Adding in the Persona characters and making me think of them in different ways, plus a lot of little quality of life improvements make it that I don't even miss the social links.
3. Hyrule Warriors ; Stop laughing. I come to Zelda games for the combat, so clearly I'm doing it wrong, but a Zelda game that's pure combat is going to come in really high. As it turns out, there's enough content to unlock that it's probably the most replayable game of the year. And you get to use the Great Fairy as a weapon. What's not to love?
4. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ; Both Danganronpa games are among the most intense games of the year, and they're so closely linked it's hard to separate them. Honestly though, the thing that puts it above 1 is the ending is (to me) a little more satisfying, and although they changed my favorite minigame to suck royal the changes to the others make up for it.
5. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze ; Retro's best game ever. The game is challenging enough to make you want to keep going but straddles that line of frustration perfectly, the graphics are breathtaking and DAT SOUNDTRACK. Retro, please. Finish the fight.
6. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; Really, if the creepiest (bad way) character didn't survive as long as he did, this might've hit the podium. Both DR games are games that everyone should experience after they've been given spoiler amnesia, because there's no series that kept me up late so many times turning over in my mind what it did.
7. Shovel Knight ; I wasn't a backer for the game, so I didn't really care much for this game until a friend reviewed the game and gave it a super-rare perfect score. Because of that, I bought it twice (Wii U, then 3DS). Shovel Knight is what everyone thinks games of the NES/Famicom era were, and it brought back the cheat code with the classic Butt Mode.
8. Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney ; As someone who doesn't have a lot of experience with the Phoenix portions, I found the trials to be really enjoyable and I'm glad elements like the mob are sticking around (even if SIIIIIIIIIR can die in a fire). As a Layton fan, I loved the quality of life improvements and the game almost reaching Unwound Future levels of story craziness.
9. Kirby Triple Deluxe ; There's just something amazing about being able to suck up giant trees, planets, etc with Hypernova Kirby, but Triple Deluxe shines in both its ability to be relaxing and challenging with the shine sprites. Even a close friend of mine who's a Kirby hater liked this game.
10. Mario Kart 8 ; I will give this game full credit for making me upload my first Youtube video and for having very good track design in its initial release, but this wasn't going to be in the top 10 until the DLC - that Nintendo indirectly paid me to buy - that this landed in the top 10. The new courses are very technically challenging even if you put aside the copious amounts of Nintendo fanservice, and it brought the game back to mind later in the year.
2. Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth ; I've been interested in Etrian Odyssey games for years, but recent character design decisions have put me off the solid gameplay. Adding in the Persona characters and making me think of them in different ways, plus a lot of little quality of life improvements make it that I don't even miss the social links.
3. Hyrule Warriors ; Stop laughing. I come to Zelda games for the combat, so clearly I'm doing it wrong, but a Zelda game that's pure combat is going to come in really high. As it turns out, there's enough content to unlock that it's probably the most replayable game of the year. And you get to use the Great Fairy as a weapon. What's not to love?
4. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ; Both Danganronpa games are among the most intense games of the year, and they're so closely linked it's hard to separate them. Honestly though, the thing that puts it above 1 is the ending is (to me) a little more satisfying, and although they changed my favorite minigame to suck royal the changes to the others make up for it.
5. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze ; Retro's best game ever. The game is challenging enough to make you want to keep going but straddles that line of frustration perfectly, the graphics are breathtaking and DAT SOUNDTRACK. Retro, please. Finish the fight.
6. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; Really, if the creepiest (bad way) character didn't survive as long as he did, this might've hit the podium. Both DR games are games that everyone should experience after they've been given spoiler amnesia, because there's no series that kept me up late so many times turning over in my mind what it did.
7. Shovel Knight ; I wasn't a backer for the game, so I didn't really care much for this game until a friend reviewed the game and gave it a super-rare perfect score. Because of that, I bought it twice (Wii U, then 3DS). Shovel Knight is what everyone thinks games of the NES/Famicom era were, and it brought back the cheat code with the classic Butt Mode.
8. Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney ; As someone who doesn't have a lot of experience with the Phoenix portions, I found the trials to be really enjoyable and I'm glad elements like the mob are sticking around (even if SIIIIIIIIIR can die in a fire). As a Layton fan, I loved the quality of life improvements and the game almost reaching Unwound Future levels of story craziness.
9. Kirby Triple Deluxe ; There's just something amazing about being able to suck up giant trees, planets, etc with Hypernova Kirby, but Triple Deluxe shines in both its ability to be relaxing and challenging with the shine sprites. Even a close friend of mine who's a Kirby hater liked this game.
10. Mario Kart 8 ; I will give this game full credit for making me upload my first Youtube video and for having very good track design in its initial release, but this wasn't going to be in the top 10 until the DLC - that Nintendo indirectly paid me to buy - that this landed in the top 10. The new courses are very technically challenging even if you put aside the copious amounts of Nintendo fanservice, and it brought the game back to mind later in the year.
1. Dark Souls II; Game was great, and the DLC was an unabashed love letter to the fans.
2. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter; Breathtaking visuals, imaginative and very atmospheric, great music, pretty straightforward puzzles, and a world that is a lot of fun to explore. Scratched my Dear Esther/Gone Home itch this year.
3. Transistor; Surprise pick for me. Cyberpunk & noir settings tend to be my least favorite, and I'm not a big fan of Bastion-style combat. However the music and story rocket this game to the top of my list, incredibly beautiful and affecting. Also really appreciate the freedom and smart design of the combat system.
4. Bayonetta 2; Bayonetta.
5. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc; Without a doubt the most interesting VN game I've played. I really liked the character design, and those cutscenes at the end of the chapters really knocked my socks off for some reason.
6. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair; I'll say I'm only halfway through but I know without a doubt something is up with those characters and I can't wait to find out what it is.
7. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth; The game I've put hundreds of hours into watching and playing gets an enhanced update with new characters, items, and synergies. And it's free on PS and Vita?!
8. Dragon Age: Inquisition; Great MMO-style exploration areas, and story sections of a caliber you won't find in any MMO. The scenery is pretty damn incredible too.
9. Tomodachi Life; http://youtu.be/0y4pXFPVM4s?t=31m20s
10. Driveclub; Incredible visuals, meticulously designed scenery, and a mind-blowing sense of speed. Somehow reminds me of Outrun which as a kid I always wanted to play more of. I might be the only person on the planet who wasn't bothered by the online issues, but hey those on-the-fly challenges are actually pretty neat too.
2. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter; Breathtaking visuals, imaginative and very atmospheric, great music, pretty straightforward puzzles, and a world that is a lot of fun to explore. Scratched my Dear Esther/Gone Home itch this year.
3. Transistor; Surprise pick for me. Cyberpunk & noir settings tend to be my least favorite, and I'm not a big fan of Bastion-style combat. However the music and story rocket this game to the top of my list, incredibly beautiful and affecting. Also really appreciate the freedom and smart design of the combat system.
4. Bayonetta 2; Bayonetta.
5. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc; Without a doubt the most interesting VN game I've played. I really liked the character design, and those cutscenes at the end of the chapters really knocked my socks off for some reason.
6. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair; I'll say I'm only halfway through but I know without a doubt something is up with those characters and I can't wait to find out what it is.
7. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth; The game I've put hundreds of hours into watching and playing gets an enhanced update with new characters, items, and synergies. And it's free on PS and Vita?!
8. Dragon Age: Inquisition; Great MMO-style exploration areas, and story sections of a caliber you won't find in any MMO. The scenery is pretty damn incredible too.
9. Tomodachi Life; http://youtu.be/0y4pXFPVM4s?t=31m20s
10. Driveclub; Incredible visuals, meticulously designed scenery, and a mind-blowing sense of speed. Somehow reminds me of Outrun which as a kid I always wanted to play more of. I might be the only person on the planet who wasn't bothered by the online issues, but hey those on-the-fly challenges are actually pretty neat too.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
I feel like this is a list of games I played more than a top ten, but here we go.
1. Titanfall ; One of the most exciting shooters I've played in probably the last 5 years, if not more. Server problems stopped me from playing and I haven't been back since the player base seems to have unfortunately dwindled, but playing Titanfall was the closest that I've come to feeling like I was playing a game of Quake since... well, I played Quake. Amazing mobility, great shooting... oh and the Titan thing was okay too.
2. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; I feel like the game is saved more by its writing than by the actual game part of the game, but that's fine. There were some really sharp and amusing moments in the game, and it delivered on the promise of "playing an episode".
3. Love Live: School Idol Festival ; This game should have everything going against it. A free to play mobile game based on an anime license. But it's a game that I simply enjoy playing and it's shocking how this Japanese company I have never heard of managed to put out a better mobile game than Harmonix this year. Hell, I even like the songs in the game now.
4. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII ; Although I never finished the game, mostly because I was stressing myself out by chasing a platinum, I still enjoyed the time I put into the game. I loved the previous iterations of the battle system and switching from monsters to costumes in this game was a nice way to iterate on the system without repeating it too much. And hell, I think it has perhaps one of the stupidest/greatest endings to a game that I've seen in a long time. That alone is compelling me to pick up the PC version so that I can play through it again and finally see the ending myself without having to stress out about the platinum trophy.
5. Rocksmith 2014 ; I blame myself for stopping after two weeks because life got busy and I started playing other games, but 2014 improves on almost all the complaints I had with the original Rocksmith. It is still really finicky on PC, and there are still some UI elements that I think could be further improved, but if you really want to learn how to play a guitar but don't want to make the commitment of finding someone to teach you, then Rocksmith 2014 is a great alternative. It's what I wish Rock Band 3's pro-mode turned out to be.
6. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls ; Blizzard managed to fix Diablo III, and I had fun going through the game and chasing for loot again. But a combination of hitting a RNG wall and all the people I knew dropping the game made me move on.
7. Destiny ; I really hate this game, yet I'm still playing it. It's a game where the people you play with make it worth playing more than anything else. But the thing is, I can't imagine being in a situation where you are playing this game alone. Content starved, grindy, and apparently all of the worst aspects of MMO design put into one overhyped package. But unlike Diablo III, I'm still playing it, so... what can I say?
8. Forza Horizon 2 ; I don't think this game hooked me as much as the first one, and outside of some frustrating time trial-type races, I really had fun driving through the open world. I wish I played enough to find a group of people to drive through the world with, but even on my own, I had fun just driving around. I will say that although I understand the game design decision to lock fast travel, I still find it annoying that I can't just go anywhere I want in the world without driving to it.
9. Sunset Overdrive ; Speaking of open worlds, this is another game where I liked traversing through the world. It's just really fun to try to your skills to try to chain together a high combo run. It's just too bad that I didn't really enjoy the combat or leveling all that much. The fact that you have to collect a billion collectables to unlock various perks doesn't help either. Oh, I should also mention that while the writing is really obnoxious at the start, the game becomes amusing by the time you reach the end. It still feels like a tame version of Volition's writing in Saints Row 3/4, but at least it's not Borderlands 2.
10. Bravely Default ; This is more to fill out my list more than anything. I enjoyed my time with it, but once I learned about the "twist", I decided that I couldn't do that to myself and stopped playing the game. But I really did enjoy the time I put into it at least, and I hope the second game doesn't make the same mistake.
Honorable Mentions
x. Valkyria Chronicles ; I don't know if I'm going to finish the game again, but it was a pleasant surprise to have it come out on PC and to revisit the world for a few hours. It's tremendously disappointing to know where the franchise went after this game, and while a part of me would love to see 2 and 3 ported to PC, I also know that they aren't as fun to play.
x. Valiant Hearts ; Although the puzzles ended up being fairly simple, I appreciate this game for trying to tell a serious war story. It's something we just don't see in games, where you are typically a generic white guy who runs around murdering Nazis or Russians or foreigners without a second thought. I think the weird History Channel branding is a bit off putting, but if that sponsorship was what it took to get this game made, then I can't really complain about it too much.
1. Titanfall ; One of the most exciting shooters I've played in probably the last 5 years, if not more. Server problems stopped me from playing and I haven't been back since the player base seems to have unfortunately dwindled, but playing Titanfall was the closest that I've come to feeling like I was playing a game of Quake since... well, I played Quake. Amazing mobility, great shooting... oh and the Titan thing was okay too.
2. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; I feel like the game is saved more by its writing than by the actual game part of the game, but that's fine. There were some really sharp and amusing moments in the game, and it delivered on the promise of "playing an episode".
3. Love Live: School Idol Festival ; This game should have everything going against it. A free to play mobile game based on an anime license. But it's a game that I simply enjoy playing and it's shocking how this Japanese company I have never heard of managed to put out a better mobile game than Harmonix this year. Hell, I even like the songs in the game now.
4. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII ; Although I never finished the game, mostly because I was stressing myself out by chasing a platinum, I still enjoyed the time I put into the game. I loved the previous iterations of the battle system and switching from monsters to costumes in this game was a nice way to iterate on the system without repeating it too much. And hell, I think it has perhaps one of the stupidest/greatest endings to a game that I've seen in a long time. That alone is compelling me to pick up the PC version so that I can play through it again and finally see the ending myself without having to stress out about the platinum trophy.
5. Rocksmith 2014 ; I blame myself for stopping after two weeks because life got busy and I started playing other games, but 2014 improves on almost all the complaints I had with the original Rocksmith. It is still really finicky on PC, and there are still some UI elements that I think could be further improved, but if you really want to learn how to play a guitar but don't want to make the commitment of finding someone to teach you, then Rocksmith 2014 is a great alternative. It's what I wish Rock Band 3's pro-mode turned out to be.
6. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls ; Blizzard managed to fix Diablo III, and I had fun going through the game and chasing for loot again. But a combination of hitting a RNG wall and all the people I knew dropping the game made me move on.
7. Destiny ; I really hate this game, yet I'm still playing it. It's a game where the people you play with make it worth playing more than anything else. But the thing is, I can't imagine being in a situation where you are playing this game alone. Content starved, grindy, and apparently all of the worst aspects of MMO design put into one overhyped package. But unlike Diablo III, I'm still playing it, so... what can I say?
8. Forza Horizon 2 ; I don't think this game hooked me as much as the first one, and outside of some frustrating time trial-type races, I really had fun driving through the open world. I wish I played enough to find a group of people to drive through the world with, but even on my own, I had fun just driving around. I will say that although I understand the game design decision to lock fast travel, I still find it annoying that I can't just go anywhere I want in the world without driving to it.
9. Sunset Overdrive ; Speaking of open worlds, this is another game where I liked traversing through the world. It's just really fun to try to your skills to try to chain together a high combo run. It's just too bad that I didn't really enjoy the combat or leveling all that much. The fact that you have to collect a billion collectables to unlock various perks doesn't help either. Oh, I should also mention that while the writing is really obnoxious at the start, the game becomes amusing by the time you reach the end. It still feels like a tame version of Volition's writing in Saints Row 3/4, but at least it's not Borderlands 2.
10. Bravely Default ; This is more to fill out my list more than anything. I enjoyed my time with it, but once I learned about the "twist", I decided that I couldn't do that to myself and stopped playing the game. But I really did enjoy the time I put into it at least, and I hope the second game doesn't make the same mistake.
Honorable Mentions
x. Valkyria Chronicles ; I don't know if I'm going to finish the game again, but it was a pleasant surprise to have it come out on PC and to revisit the world for a few hours. It's tremendously disappointing to know where the franchise went after this game, and while a part of me would love to see 2 and 3 ported to PC, I also know that they aren't as fun to play.
x. Valiant Hearts ; Although the puzzles ended up being fairly simple, I appreciate this game for trying to tell a serious war story. It's something we just don't see in games, where you are typically a generic white guy who runs around murdering Nazis or Russians or foreigners without a second thought. I think the weird History Channel branding is a bit off putting, but if that sponsorship was what it took to get this game made, then I can't really complain about it too much.
charlequin
Banned
1. Super Smash Bros for Wii U ; You can always trust that Sakurai will deliver on Smash. I’ve played this almost daily since its release, and have yet to finish even half of the content. Expanded online options with mostly smooth gameplay resulted in my most enjoyable gaming moments this year.
Highlights:
Amiibo are great sparring partners
Revamped classic mode shakes of the feature’s dust
Great balance between Melee and Brawl
Expansive soundtrack
FD versions of all stages
2. Bravely Default ; When I think of BD, I think of the final boss battle, using the best strategy I cobbled together from trial and error while listening to a soaring, dynamic, and dramatic score. While many found the second half tedious, BD has done more to reduce the tedium in grinding than any of its JRPG contemporaries.
Adjustable encounter rate
Excellent soundtrack
Top notch job battle system
3. Mario Kart 8 ; I was pretty down on the Mario Kart series after lackluster Wii and 3DS entries.Thankfully, 8
fixed this solely by having a level of polish most games now lack. The coordination between the soundtrack and lap in Mount Wario is a textbook example of using all parts of a game - sound, visuals, and gameplay, to achieve an experience that cannot be found in any other medium.
4. inFamous Second Son ; SS is a first generation new console game in many regards. It has some very high points (great mix of powers) and some infuriating low points (tailing missions, destroy cameras).SS
is at its best when traversing this stunningly beautiful version of Seattle.
5. Azure Striker Gunvolt ; Mega Man X was my introduction to action platformers. Like Shovel Knight, (but with a different set of colors), ASG is a game that is right at home with SNES/PSX action platformers. The unrelenting 16-bit-ness of it makes me grin when I’m not cursing out an accidental pitfall.
6. Transistor ; The seamlessness of the music and its gameplay integration is sublime. You can tell that so much attention was paid to how the soundtrack and sound effects interact. This is on top of a fun battle system that reminded me of Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter in parts.
7. Freedom Wars ; While I’ve owned a Vita for a while, most of my time on it has been playing PS1 games. FW finally offered a compelling game that took advantage of Vita’s technical prowess. FW’s grim dystopian setting (and its unwavering commitment to the universe’s rules) immediately drew me in.
8. Shovel Knight ; SK taps into veteran gamers’ tiny nostalgia wells without drowning us in overt references, while still crafting its own lore - the gaming equivalent of a Tarantino movie.
SK so perfectly captured its intended vibe that on my first time playing, I attempted to create a virtual console save point, absentmindedly thinking that it was an NES game.
9. Destiny ; Destiny was completely off my radar in 2013, but the Alpha and Beta convinced me to buy a console FPS for the first time. Destiny is at its best when on a mission with a couple of friends, laughing about dumb mistakes or yelling at difficult bosses.
The post level 20 grinding ultimately ended the fun for me, but it was a blast while it lasted.
10. Dragon Age Inquisition ; I’ve searched near and far for a suitable Phantasy Star Online replacement (sega plz). Never thought it would arrive from Bioware and EA. Four player squad based combat + customizable controller hotkeys + distinct classes = a very satied recovering PSO addict.
Honorable Mention:
Bayonetta 2 ; Bayo 2 is a gaming coelacanth - a stellar game from a genre that many think is dying, if not already dead. It’s gameplay brought me back to the genre’s PS2 heydey, but now taking advantage of the jump to HD.
Captain Toad Treasure Tracker ; Fun puzzle game, just not as impactful as some others this year.
Super Smash Bros for 3DS ; the best $40 demo I’ve ever bought. I put over 100 hours into the game in the short time between its launch and the Wii U version, but I’ve barely touched it since. While it’s good to be able to play Smash anywhere, the loss of Ice Climbers (RIP) and superior Wii U controls will leave this game unplayed for the foreseeable future.
Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire - The annualization of Pokemon is starting to wear on me. Haven't even fully digested X/Y.
1. Kirby: Triple Deluxe ; The best non-remake Kirby in over a decade. The music, the level design, the minigames, everything just meshes together well enough to make it a 3DS must-have.
2. World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor ; Blizzard truly delivers off the bat with a WoW expansion for the first time since WotLK. Probably could've used some more playtesting, but this expansion is all I needed to be reminded why I love WoW.
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; Needs no explanation. Best Smash Bros. since 64 (yes, I loved 64).
4. Mario Kart 8 ; Almost as good as Double Dash. If only it had a decent battle mode...
5. Bayonetta 2 ; It's the original Bayonetta without the clutter, but unfortunately also without some of the grand scale. As a game it's great fun with perfect difficulty, but as a sequel, surprisingly underwhelming. But hey, more Bayonetta.
6. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ; So very burnt out on this at this point. It's fun and addicting; I just wish there were fewer decks that nearly give me aneurysms.
7. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS ; It did its job for me as a stopgap until the Wii U version released. It's Smash, but the bizarre lack of options cements it as the inferior version.
2. World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor ; Blizzard truly delivers off the bat with a WoW expansion for the first time since WotLK. Probably could've used some more playtesting, but this expansion is all I needed to be reminded why I love WoW.
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; Needs no explanation. Best Smash Bros. since 64 (yes, I loved 64).
4. Mario Kart 8 ; Almost as good as Double Dash. If only it had a decent battle mode...
5. Bayonetta 2 ; It's the original Bayonetta without the clutter, but unfortunately also without some of the grand scale. As a game it's great fun with perfect difficulty, but as a sequel, surprisingly underwhelming. But hey, more Bayonetta.
6. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ; So very burnt out on this at this point. It's fun and addicting; I just wish there were fewer decks that nearly give me aneurysms.
7. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS ; It did its job for me as a stopgap until the Wii U version released. It's Smash, but the bizarre lack of options cements it as the inferior version.
Magic Mushroom
Member
Classy list, but use correct formating chap.
Dragon1893
Member
I'm having a way harder time than I thought I would. Played a lot of great stuff this year and I don't even own a current gen console. Really hard to make a top 10, a lot of great games wont make the list.
1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; I've not even finished this yet, but wow. I've spent over 60 hours in this world and I'm sitting here at work wanting to be done so I can go home and play some more because I have a personal quest for Leiliana to do. Nothing has sucked me in like this in 2014, nothing has even come cose
2. Bayonetta 2 ; Why can't games control as tight as this normally? It's astonishing to go from this to any other game with high action and have everything just feel wrong. I'm just happy I got to experience a sequel to the original masterpiece.
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; 8 player smash. 8 PLAYER SMASH
4. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ; "It's only a demo", they cried. Yet I got 50 hours out of this because it is just so much fun.
5. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth ;
6. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call ;
7. Infamous: Second Son ;
8. Hearthstone ; I've actually bought a tablet specifically to play this easier. I have no other use case for it.
9. Half-Minute Hero: The Second Coming ;
10. Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 ;
2. Bayonetta 2 ; Why can't games control as tight as this normally? It's astonishing to go from this to any other game with high action and have everything just feel wrong. I'm just happy I got to experience a sequel to the original masterpiece.
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; 8 player smash. 8 PLAYER SMASH
4. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ; "It's only a demo", they cried. Yet I got 50 hours out of this because it is just so much fun.
5. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth ;
6. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call ;
7. Infamous: Second Son ;
8. Hearthstone ; I've actually bought a tablet specifically to play this easier. I have no other use case for it.
9. Half-Minute Hero: The Second Coming ;
10. Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 ;
Burgess_101
Member
This year no one game has really stood out to me, definitely for me one of the less memorable years in my gaming tenure
1. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; Loved everything about this game, fantastic music, interesting characters and most importantly fun gameplay.
2. Super Smash Bros. For Wii U ; I have really missed playing Smash, everyone that comes out is like second nature to me, whilst I am not very good for the first time I am starting to see how competitive this game can really be and I am rather interested in getting better myself.
3. Hotline Miami ; Though I never played it on PS4 it is my favourite game of all time so I will throw it in for that, everyone needs to play this.
4. D4 ; Never played it myself (dont have an XB1) but it looks right up my alley, deserves a lot more attention.
5. Hyrule Warriors ; Not a massive fan of Zelda but my wife is but I love my Musou games so we picked this up and are having a fantastic time, even though the frame rate can really tank and hinder the experience it still has that Musou charm.
6. Super Mario 3D World ; Just a fantastic coop game, I'm not all that much of a platforming player but just every aspect of it is spectacular.
7. Octodad: Dadliest Catch ; A wonderful charming game, I loved the first one and the sequel expanded in a way that didn't make the "gimmick" boring.
8. Game H ; Your thoughts on Game H.
9. Game I ; Your thoughts on Game I.
10. Game J ; Your thoughts on Game J.
I will do the rest later, I must go...
1. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; Loved everything about this game, fantastic music, interesting characters and most importantly fun gameplay.
2. Super Smash Bros. For Wii U ; I have really missed playing Smash, everyone that comes out is like second nature to me, whilst I am not very good for the first time I am starting to see how competitive this game can really be and I am rather interested in getting better myself.
3. Hotline Miami ; Though I never played it on PS4 it is my favourite game of all time so I will throw it in for that, everyone needs to play this.
4. D4 ; Never played it myself (dont have an XB1) but it looks right up my alley, deserves a lot more attention.
5. Hyrule Warriors ; Not a massive fan of Zelda but my wife is but I love my Musou games so we picked this up and are having a fantastic time, even though the frame rate can really tank and hinder the experience it still has that Musou charm.
6. Super Mario 3D World ; Just a fantastic coop game, I'm not all that much of a platforming player but just every aspect of it is spectacular.
7. Octodad: Dadliest Catch ; A wonderful charming game, I loved the first one and the sequel expanded in a way that didn't make the "gimmick" boring.
8. Game H ; Your thoughts on Game H.
9. Game I ; Your thoughts on Game I.
10. Game J ; Your thoughts on Game J.
I will do the rest later, I must go...
A Huge Battleship
Member
Even though video games are my main hobby, I was too preoccupied this year to play through that many new releases. I'll definitely do better in 2015... I think.
1. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ; We've met with a terrible fate, haven't we? I'm not proud to say this, since I can't approve of friends killing each-other under any circumstances, but this was my favourite gaming experience of the year. The compelling story, gripping mysteries and outstanding cast propelled it far beyond any of the challengers on this list, with one related exception. Theres nothing for me in gaming quite like the nail-biting apprehension when you know youre about to stumble across a body, potentially of your favourite character. It also had what was probably the most affecting moment for me from anything I've played to date.
2. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; ... I'm sorry, but given the horrible things that happened in these games, I don't feel comfortable talking about them any longer. It was a similar experience to its sequel, except with a less likable cast and far less intrigue in its murders, but with a superior setting due to its oppressive, claustrophobic nature.
3. Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus ; Would you look at the size of those? I can't say that the 'life and hometown' factor has any great appeal for me, but fortunately there's more substance than you'd expect underneath the fanservice, in both the gameplay and the characters themselves. The combat mechanics were developed enough to make this an enjoyable alternative to the Basara games, and I was also pleasantly surprised by the attention to detail and (niche) charm in the presentation. The multiplayer was a welcome addition, even if I bought this too late to get much mileage from it. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Estival Versus.
4. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F ; Huh, this whole Vocaloid thing is more entertaining than I gave it credit for. The songs here are pretty hit and miss, but when they hit they're a real blast. The accompanying videos were also impressive in their variety and scope, even if many of them are (I believe) taken from the Arcade game. If every track was on the same level as some of the standouts, this could have been a strong contender for my favourite rhythm game to date. The buzz when youre about to score a Perfect on a challenging song is a difficult feeling for other games to match. Again, Im looking forward to playing the sequel.
5. Love Live! School Idol Festival ; If I set my alarm for 3AM, my LP will be fully recharged and I'll get enough EXP to level up. Yep. And so it went for about 2 weeks, before control issues ultimately caused me to drop the game. But for those 2 weeks, it was a hugely enjoyable rhythm game with some inspired (and exploitative) team building mechanics. Though I would've preferred it to be a regular priced game rather than using the F2P model.
6. Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium Duels ; You've activated my trap card! I can't give this much credit as a game, since it's just a fairly bare-bones extension of the TCG with poorly functioning online. But I also can't ignore the number of hours I've sunk into it. If only theyd included a few more card sets.
Necron
Member
1. Bayonetta 2 ; Fly me to the moon! Bayonetta 2 improves on an already great original. The tight controls, gameplay, music and overall stunning presentation confirms it as my favourite game of 2014. Well done Platinum Games!
2. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; After Dragon Age 2 everything was going against this one even though I had fun times with my overly sarcastic Hawke. The longer development time, the new engine and characterisation from Bioware have crafted a stunningly huge game. The third entry is fantastic and I really hope to see more of this franchise in the coming years.
3. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; Machine Games's first output is really good. The former talent of Starbreeze studios is in here and it shows. Great gameplay and an interesting alternative history setting.
4. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee – New 'n' Tasty! ; The true remake of the year. Just Add Water could have been lazy and just made a HD port but no... they went all the way - recreating the entire first game from scratch! The team did a great job with this one. Now... give us Abe's Exoddus: New 'n' Refreshing!
5. Velocity 2X ; Through PS+ I got to try this one out... and I was hooked. Couldn't put my vita down whilst playing this. Fun and addicting gameplay made this title stand out.
6. Alien: Isolation ; They said survival horror was dead... they were wrong! The thick atmosphere and superb sound design make it one of the best of this year.
7. The Swapper ; great puzzle gameplay. Playing this on holiday on the vita was great and mind bending to figure out the later puzzle rooms.
8. Metro Redux ; great visual improvements in the 1st game and an overall great package.
9. Grand Theft Auto V ; Finally got to play this one on a PS4. The first person perspective is neat. Rockstar's talents to build worlds definitely shines through. Don't like the characters that much... but I guess that's the point. A good improvement on GTA IV but still doesn't touch the greatness of Vice City for me.
10. The Evil Within ; Great game from Mikami and the team at Tango Gameworks but melded together with some horrible characters and story. It's still a fun ride though.
Honorable Mentions
x. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; Just started this game so I thought it is too early to make the list.
x. Transistor ; Still have not finished it. Love the art design...
x. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea: Episode 2 ; there will never be another Irrational... I know a lot of people hated the story elements they added. But seeing Rapture one last time from Irrational Games was great. Best DLC I played this year next to Left Behind.
x. The Last of Us: Left Behind ; DLC like this or the aformentioned Burial at Sea EP2 is the kind of DLC I want...
Will edit out spelling mistakes later... hope the formating is ok.
ZettaiSeigi
Member
I haven't been able to play a lot of new games this year (again) and most of my gaming time has been dominated by two of the games I'm listing below.
1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Much has already been said about this game so I won't repeat them again. This game ate most of my playing time since the day it released and I'm still playing it (now on my third playthrough). Yes, it has a lot of annoying bugs and the sidequests can be tedious, but the fact that I still continue playing it says a lot about how much I enjoyed this game.
2. Driveclub ; I don't drive, I don't really care much about fancy cars, and I don't really play racing games. Yet this game managed to make me buy it on the first week it came out. Sure, the launch was a nightmare but it didn't really matter much to me since I didn't intend to play online anyway (only because I know I'm not going to win much.) LOL The game had what I was hoping for it on release: gorgeous graphics (possibly this year's graphics crown winner), handling that is suited for my skill level, and a very decent single player tour mode. The recent addition of the photo mode and dynamic weather system just makes this game a whole lot better. And for those who really care for the social aspect of the game, multiplayer appears to be working fine now.
3. The Last of Us: Remastered ; It was a great game last year, it's a much better game now. This is the reason I bought a PS4. I've only played the Factions mode (multiplayer) so far but I'm sure to go through the campaign and the Left Behind DLC once I got more free time next year. The only reason I'm not picking it as my GOTY is because it's only a remaster.
4. Transistor ; I have only started playing this game a couple of days ago and, wow, am I really enjoying it! So much that I'm listing it so high on my list, ahead of some games that I have spent more time on and finished. It's just that good. The plot is really intriguing and the battle system is so much fun. And hearing the Transistor speak to you through the DS4's speaker is a very nice touch.
5. Infamous: Second Son ; Finally an Infamous game I was able to play without getting motion sickness.I really wanted to play and finish the earlier games on the PS3 (I bought all of them), but there's something about how Cole "handled" that just made me feel sick every time I play as him. I'm so relieved that Sucker Punch made the changes they did with Delsin. This game is probably the very first PS4 game that actually looks like it can't be replicated on the PS3. Seattle looked so amazing! Going around the city using your powers was a lot of fun. The only complaint is that it needs more mission variation and the city can use more life.
6. Child of Light ; The little game that could. Child of Light succeeded to pay homage the JRPG genre of yore and it is a lot of fun to play. The storybook-style graphics was so well-done and the battle system is just too good. If Child of Light is up against FF XIII for the RPG of the Year award, I won't has any second thoughts of giving it to this game. I hope we won't see the last of games similar to this.
7. Final Fantasy X HD Remaster ; I haven't really finished playing this yet but it's a very good remaster of the very first game I played on the PS2 (yeah, I'm that late). I'm definitely going to play this again soon.
8. Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition ;
9. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ;
10. 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil ; I was going to put FIFA 15 on here until I realized that I enjoyed playing this game more. I'm not really liking the direction that the FIFA franchise is going (towards the Ultimate Team) so I was delighted to find out that there's no such thing here. But then again, I'm not sure how they could have implemented a thing like that on a World Cup game.
Honorable Mentions
There are clearly a lot of games that came out this year that piqued my interest but didn't have the time to buy and play them. The following are going to be added on my ever-growing backlog list:
x. The Banner Saga
x. Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster (already in my library but never played)
x. Freedom Wars
x. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4)
x. Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition (already purchased but never played)
x. Hearthstone
x. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix
x. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
x. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (already purchased but never played)
x. Resogun (already in my library but never played)
x. Shovel Knight
x. Velocity 2X (already in my library but never played)
1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Much has already been said about this game so I won't repeat them again. This game ate most of my playing time since the day it released and I'm still playing it (now on my third playthrough). Yes, it has a lot of annoying bugs and the sidequests can be tedious, but the fact that I still continue playing it says a lot about how much I enjoyed this game.
2. Driveclub ; I don't drive, I don't really care much about fancy cars, and I don't really play racing games. Yet this game managed to make me buy it on the first week it came out. Sure, the launch was a nightmare but it didn't really matter much to me since I didn't intend to play online anyway (only because I know I'm not going to win much.) LOL The game had what I was hoping for it on release: gorgeous graphics (possibly this year's graphics crown winner), handling that is suited for my skill level, and a very decent single player tour mode. The recent addition of the photo mode and dynamic weather system just makes this game a whole lot better. And for those who really care for the social aspect of the game, multiplayer appears to be working fine now.
3. The Last of Us: Remastered ; It was a great game last year, it's a much better game now. This is the reason I bought a PS4. I've only played the Factions mode (multiplayer) so far but I'm sure to go through the campaign and the Left Behind DLC once I got more free time next year. The only reason I'm not picking it as my GOTY is because it's only a remaster.
4. Transistor ; I have only started playing this game a couple of days ago and, wow, am I really enjoying it! So much that I'm listing it so high on my list, ahead of some games that I have spent more time on and finished. It's just that good. The plot is really intriguing and the battle system is so much fun. And hearing the Transistor speak to you through the DS4's speaker is a very nice touch.
5. Infamous: Second Son ; Finally an Infamous game I was able to play without getting motion sickness.I really wanted to play and finish the earlier games on the PS3 (I bought all of them), but there's something about how Cole "handled" that just made me feel sick every time I play as him. I'm so relieved that Sucker Punch made the changes they did with Delsin. This game is probably the very first PS4 game that actually looks like it can't be replicated on the PS3. Seattle looked so amazing! Going around the city using your powers was a lot of fun. The only complaint is that it needs more mission variation and the city can use more life.
6. Child of Light ; The little game that could. Child of Light succeeded to pay homage the JRPG genre of yore and it is a lot of fun to play. The storybook-style graphics was so well-done and the battle system is just too good. If Child of Light is up against FF XIII for the RPG of the Year award, I won't has any second thoughts of giving it to this game. I hope we won't see the last of games similar to this.
7. Final Fantasy X HD Remaster ; I haven't really finished playing this yet but it's a very good remaster of the very first game I played on the PS2 (yeah, I'm that late). I'm definitely going to play this again soon.
8. Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition ;
9. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ;
10. 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil ; I was going to put FIFA 15 on here until I realized that I enjoyed playing this game more. I'm not really liking the direction that the FIFA franchise is going (towards the Ultimate Team) so I was delighted to find out that there's no such thing here. But then again, I'm not sure how they could have implemented a thing like that on a World Cup game.
Honorable Mentions
There are clearly a lot of games that came out this year that piqued my interest but didn't have the time to buy and play them. The following are going to be added on my ever-growing backlog list:
x. The Banner Saga
x. Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster (already in my library but never played)
x. Freedom Wars
x. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4)
x. Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition (already purchased but never played)
x. Hearthstone
x. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix
x. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
x. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (already purchased but never played)
x. Resogun (already in my library but never played)
x. Shovel Knight
x. Velocity 2X (already in my library but never played)
1. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; I skipped Brawl (and the Wii) completely so it's been a while since I had spent so much time on a Smash game. Played Melee like crazy and people kept saying Brawl was garbage but after all the Nintendo Directs etc. there was no doubt in my mind that Smash Bros. for Wii U was going to be great. While it is a great couch game I'm glad that the online works pretty good too which was my only worry, 'cus Nintendo.
2. Mario Kart 8 ; In my opinion the definitive Mario Kart. DLC is mad good too and it barely cost anything.
3. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth ; I was surprised at how much I liked this game, never played an Etrian Odyssey game before so I wasn't too sure what I was getting into but as a big Persona fan of course I was going to buy this, and I'm happy I did.
4. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS ;
5. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ;
6. Dark Souls II ;
7. Hyrule Warriors ;
8. Transistor ;
9. The Walking Dead: Season Two: Episodes 2-5 ;
10. Trials Fusion ;
2. Mario Kart 8 ; In my opinion the definitive Mario Kart. DLC is mad good too and it barely cost anything.
3. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth ; I was surprised at how much I liked this game, never played an Etrian Odyssey game before so I wasn't too sure what I was getting into but as a big Persona fan of course I was going to buy this, and I'm happy I did.
4. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS ;
5. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ;
6. Dark Souls II ;
7. Hyrule Warriors ;
8. Transistor ;
9. The Walking Dead: Season Two: Episodes 2-5 ;
10. Trials Fusion ;
- Status