1. DanganRonpa 2 ; Improved on every front from it's already fantastic predecessor. Great characters, wonderfully intriguing story, lovely OST and a ton of amazing and mind blowing twists. A joy ride the entire way through that I couldn't put down and stuck with me for weeks after competing it. My favorite new series of the year and the best time I've had with a game in 2014.

2. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; It's Smash Bros in HD!!! It's super fun to play with others or by myself! It looks amazing and has an amazing OST! Wowowow it's amazing! Still playing it today and will be playing it for years to come.

3. DanganRonpa Trigger Happy Havoc ; It's pretty weird having two games from the same series come out in the same year abd have both occupying spots in my personal top 3. But what can I say? I love this series to bits. Great game that I though was inferior to it's sequel but still so good that it deserves it's spot on my list.

4. Mario Kart 8 ; The most satisfying Mario Kart yet. I still think DS to be the best MK overall but MK8 is such a close second. The entire experience is just so joyous. After the disappointing MK7 this is a glorious return to form, and I'm eager to see if they can outdo themselves after 8.

5. Ace Attorney Investigations 2 ; A really great Ace Attorney adventure and my favorite one that wasn't written by Takumi. If I didn't accidentally spoil myself on who the big bad was this probably would have placed higher. Oh well, it was still a great romp the whole way through and a massive step up from the thoroughly mediocre AAI1.

6. Vib Ribbon ; Thank you Shawn Layden for bringing this out onto PSN. Such a simple yet masterful little rhythm game that I'm always coming back to with new CDs and songs to try out. The game is relentlessly genius and it's a crime it took so long to make it's way over here. Sublime rhythm gaming.

7. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze ; Still playing through this. Only just finished World 3 but what I played thus far is more than good enough to deserve a spot. I can only hope the game gets even better from World 4 on. Also that OST man, by far the best I've heard this year.

8. Pokemon Omega Ruby ; Hoenn is one of my more favorite Pokemon regions and the remakes definitely did it justice. The single player romp was great and I had a much better time with it compared to XY. I wish there was more to do post game though.

9. Yoshi's New Island ; It's more of that Yoshi's Island gameplay I know and love. It's very iterative though and doesn't do much new, but there isn't much out there quite like Yoshi's Island, so more of the same isn't necessarily a bad thing in my eyes. Fun times with this one.

10. Captain Toad ; I barely played much of this one but what I did play was really good. I'm running out of choices here so Toad will do at #10.

Honorable Mention:
x. Smash Bros. for 3DS ; best game I played on 3DS but I didn't want both it and Wii U on the top 10. Still amazing though.

Pretty good year. Probably forgetting some good stuff too. Nintendo killed it.

1. Destiny ; The game had serious flaws, and in any other year, it would have found itself much farther down the list. Its lack of matchmaking for key end-game content is its greatest crime against gaming. However, at Destiny's core is a remarkably crisp shooter, with absolutely breathtaking graphics. PVP is polished, and has some of the best netcode I have experienced in FPS multiplayer. Here's hoping Bungie can break away from its hubris for the inevitable sequel.

2. Dark Souls 2 ; So close to taking my 2014 GOTY. Unfortunately for DS2, DS1 was still clear in my memory. When judged with its predecessor in mind, the world of Dark Souls 2 never meets the same level of wonder as DS1. Kudos to FROM for taking a big risk in changing up the bonfire mechanic.

3. Geometry Wars 3 ; Beautiful and still as chaotic as ever, GeoWars 3 marks the first time Playstation console owners have the opportunity to dive into this franchise. I can't think of a better welcome mat than this sequel, crammed full of more content than I have ever seen in a $15 title.

4. Sky Force ; This Android game was my first foray into bullet hell, and I loved it. While it does get grindy near the end-game, overall it was a reasonably fair free-to-play title.

5. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth ; I feel like a criminal for not having to pay for this, but I have to admit, if this wasn't a PS+ game of the month, I probably would have never tried it. I would have missed out on endless gameplay that's simultaneously simple and difficult.

6. The Room 2 ; The sequel to the best-looking Android game was released a few months after its iOS sibling, making this *just* eligible for the 2014 awards. The Room 2 builds on the strengths of the original, all the while pushing the Android gaming engine to new benchmarks.

7. Watch_Dogs ; The first third of the game is pure trash. But if you can push through that, there's a solid 7/10 game waiting for you. Be forewarned, however, the writing remains hilariously awful throughout.

8. 2048 ; This game is very similar to Threes, but since I find multiples of 2 easier to keep track of, I went with this Android experience instead. Addictive like no other game this year, and was responsible for burning several subway rides. Thanks, 2048!

9. Titanfall ; So much potential. Kudos to the team for making a game that runs on older PCs. I was starting to worry that my Q6600/GTX460 combo was worthless. This game breathed a bit more life into my ancient setup.

10. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ; Way too short. I felt that I *just* got my money's worth, and I snapped this up for $7 during the Christmas sale. Despicable decision to charge $40 for this. Regardless, GZ is the best-looking video game I have ever played. Here's hoping TPP affords the same level of flexibility in each of its levels.

1. Destiny ; Let's just get this out of the way first: yes, the game is flawed. Flawed, but so freaking good. The thirst for better loot just keeps me logging in everyday and playing with friends makes me forget about the otherwise dull grinding. A game that had me spending almost 400 hours in 4 months has to deserve the number one spot.
2. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ; Easy to learn, difficult to master and addictive as hell. My enthusiasm towards card games died after primary school because my friends "grew up" and stopped playing. Hearthstone finally rekindled the flame and totally blew me away. Best F2P game ever.
3. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; In my books this game had all the potential to be the biggest flop ever. I'm relieved to say that my worst fears didn't come true. TSoT is a license game and a fanservice done right. It's simply one of the funniest and best games I've ever played.
4. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Evil Edition ;
5. FTL: Advanced Edition ;
6. DRIVECLUB ;
7. Papers, Please ;
8. SteamWorld Dig ;
9. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare ;
10. WATCH_DOGS ;

Honorable Mentions

x. The Wolf Amongs Us ; I was really excited for this one but it just fell flat towards the end. I enjoyed it a lot though but it could've been so much better.
x. InFAMOUS Second Son ; Felt like a lite version of an InFAMOUS game that's just made to showcase the powers of PS4. Like the game above, this could've been way better.
x. Threes ;

16.1.2015: Final standings.

1. Titanfall ; I never had so much fun with so little frustration on any MP game I can remember, Respawn truly created the next generation of multiplayer.
2. Alien Isolation ;
3. Sunset Overdrive ;
4. Forza Horizon 2 ;
5. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare ;
6. Assassin's Creed: Unity ;
7. Wolfenstein: The New Order ;
8. Middle-earth Shadow of Mordor ;
9. Guacamelee: Super Turbo Champion Edition ;
10. Never Alone ;

ChefRamsay said:

8. 2048 ; This game is very similar to Threes, but since I find multiples of 2 easier to keep track of, I went with this Android experience instead. Addictive like no other game this year, and was responsible for burning several subway rides. Thanks, 2048!

Click to expand...

This makes me sad

1. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; Without any hesitation, I proclaim this my game of the year. It's a game that delivers absurdity such as robotic attack dogs, and a secret nazi moon base, but also a surprisingly earnest story with memorable characters; somehow neither sensibility really clashing. The pacing and variety are both stellar, and despite running longer than most contemporaries, it never wore out its welcome for me. The New Order doesn't set out to break new ground, but it's a phenomenal product, and one where the love behind it is easily visible.


2. Bayonetta 2 ; I don't have a hope in hell of topping ViewtifulJC's comments, so lets just keep this brief. Bayonetta 2 is a beacon of light, in bleak times, for both feeling like a complete and whole package day one, and for relying on its stellar gameplay to keep players invested, rather than arbritary incentives. Bayonetta 2 is a thrill ride you'll want to keep powering through, and is just a constant rush to experience.


3. Alien Isolation ;


4. Sunset Overdrive ;


5. Dragon Age: Inquisition ;


6. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ;


7. South Park ;


8. The Evil Within ;


9. Velocity 2X ;


10. Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) ;


Honorable Mentions
x. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ; While disappointedly small in scope; Ground zeroes is a hugely fun game, and one that shows massive promise for what The Phantom Pain holds in store.


x. Infamous: Second Son ;

Just putting the list before I forget, may come back and add a few comments later.

1. Alien Isolation ; Your thoughts on Game A.
2. Driveclub ; Your thoughts on Game B.
3. Transistor ; Your thoughts on Game C.
4. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth ; Your thoughts on Game D.
5. P.T. ; Your thoughts on Game E.
6. Destiny ; Your thoughts on Game F.
7. Rogue Legacy ; Your thoughts on Game G.
8. The Last of Us: Left Behind ; Your thoughts on Game H.
9. Don't Starve ; Your thoughts on Game I.
10. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; Your thoughts on Game J.

Honorable Mentions
x. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ;
x. Plants Vs Zombies ;
x. Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes ;

1. Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor ; I never though this would end up at the top of my list, but I was sucked into this game like no other this year. Awesome combat and love that Nemesis System.
2. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; Everything I hoped it would be and more. What a fantastic final game to play on my Xbox 360.
3. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. ; I have a soft spot for Blizzard, and this game just really felt right on the Xbox One. So awesome to see them hit 1080p with it.
4. Forza Horizon 2 ; This is the driving game done right this year that you don't have to make a lot of excuses to justify why it's good. You just simply play it and have fun. Graphics are great and the racing is tight.
5. World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor ; The only MMORPG worth my time, and that time is very limited right now. I just got to dabble with it this year, but if I played like I did several years back then this would probably be at the top of my list.
6. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; I'm really enjoying this one, but I put it a few spots lower on my list than I thought I would because it's just a little too generic at times.
7. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ; Very few mobile games get my attention, but this one did and in a big way. Love it on my PC and my tablet.
8. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ; First time in awhile that I actually played through the campaign on a Call of Duty game. Was very pleasantly surprised on this one.
9. Halo: The Master Chief Collection ; I like the Halo single player, so for me this game has been super fun. Would probably be higher on my list, but I haven't had a chance to put as much time as I want with it. Planning on jumping into it big time later in the year.
10. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare; A very nice surprise earlier this year. I figured I'd get into Titanfall more, but this game was just super fun. Again, my time is limited so I didn't get to go to deep with it, but from what I did play it was a fantastic game.

I haven't played that many new games this year, but here goes:


1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; an enormous, beautiful world, incredibly likeable and well-written characters, huge amounts of content. Some will argue that much of the content isn't meaningful, but I've already plugged more than 150 hours into this and am still enjoying it. BioWare took on board almost every criticism about DA2 and delivered what could become one of my all-time favourite games.


2. Dark Souls 2 ; sure, it's not quite as good as DS1. It's still an incredible experience and its undeniable flaws don't even come close to dampening my enjoyment of the game.


3. The Evil Within ; as a survival horror fan, this came along at just the right time. It isn't perfect by any means, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride (up until the ridiculous final boss). I loved the fact that there were obvious Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill influences but that the game still managed to be its own thing.


4. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call ; it feels more like an expansion than a true sequel, but I still love it.


5. Lords of the Fallen ; a very worthy Western attempt at the Souls formula. Beautiful visuals and satisfying combat, but it's far too short and struggles to find its own identity.

1. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky ; This game has nice characters, enjoyable chatter, good story, interesting sidequests for the most part, good soundtrack too, varied and enjoyable battles. It's one of those games that are born to be GOTY.
2. The Room ; Fresh, atmospheric, plays nicely and is probably the best puzzle-adventure game to this date.
3. Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky ; I really liked two protagonists back yet again after long time, alchemy was incredible and time to mess with it plenty.
4. Lyne ; The most zen game of them all, also the one of this kind that I'm aware of.
5. One Finger Death Punch ; This game makes you feel cool and powerful, in way that your fu is as awesome as you make it, not to mention it's joy to play.
6. Banished ; One of most balanced and realistic builders I ever encountered, not without some faults, but must have for any fan of a genre.
7. Divinity: Original Sin ; I wish I had time this year to tackle this game as deep as it deserves, a huge old school RPG that is new, fresh and interesting, coop aspect is worth mentioning too.
8. Hexcells Infinite ; It's minesweeper meets Picross and then goes wild, very enjoyable, and worthy last game of series.
9. Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster ; Why remaster is on this list? The monster catching changed everything! it's like a whole new game and even old one was very good.
10. Hatoful Boyfriend ; This visual novel was not what I expected at all, for surprising me time and again, it deserves a place on this list. I can't go into details, as that would be spoilers.

Honorable Mentions
x. Child of Light ; Nice and mild RPG everybody can enjoy, looks good too.
x. Final Fantasy X HD Remaster ; It was old good Final Fantasy X and looking even better.
x. Letter Quest ; Another original game, that is RPG-word scramble genre starter?
x. Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae ; Very enjoyable character action-musou game.

1. Dark Souls 2
2. civilization: beyond earth;
3. Middle-Earth : shadow of mordor;
4. Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes ;
5. Broken Sword 5;
6. Heroine's Quest: The Herald of Ragnarok;
7. south park: the stick of truth;

1. Titanfall ; The team that basically defined the entirety of the previous generation with "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" rose from the ashes like a damn Phoenix and delivered one of the best first person shooters in the history of the genre just from a mechanics and gameplay standpoint. Sure, there wasn't a ton of meat on the plate at launch, but after many sizeable game updates, Titanfall came into its own with a more than respectable amount of content backed by amazing gameplay. No game delivered the same fun this year.
http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/6/6/1/4/6/1/Titanfall2.jpg.jpg

2. P.T. ; P.T. is the best "experience" I had this year. Maybe even one of the best experiences I have ever had with a video game in my entire life. While the other games on this list (well, with the exception of the next one) are great games, P.T. was beyond that. The sense of community, the intrigue, the thread (oh my God, the thread) and as a big Silent Hill fan, reaching the conclusion in unison with hundreds, maybe even thousands of other players at once and seeing the announcement of a new Silent Hill game backed by Koji. was an unbelievable experience.
Oh yeah, it was also the scariest damn thing I've ever seen OR played.
http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1544/15443861/2644400-nvfbj9x.jpg

3. Alien: Isolation ; I have to be one of the biggest "Alien" fans out there. I'd been burned badly by Aliens: Colonial Marines, I needed a good horror game, and come on, every Alien fan has dreamed of a survival horror game based solely on the original film. I got that, a great story, a beautiful recreation of the environments I had seen on screen billions of times and some amazing, genuine scares.
http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/0/30/2587792-7_1389089751.jpg

4. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; The Nemesis System is one of the most innovative features in a game I have seen in ages.
https://mattbrett.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/middleearth-shadowofmordor-01.jpg

5. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; Bloody, funny, brutal, over the top, and with some fluid, punchy action. Hell, even the 4 Disc Xbox 360 version ran at a fluid 60 fps. It's impressive on nearly every level.
http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads...333573/2537941-wolfenstein_lobby_20140520.jpg


6. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare ; It was Battlefield but brightly colored, cute, and it actually handled DLC right, it was free! It was a true curveball and it's a game I still frequently enjoy.

7. Assassin's Creed: Unity ; I know, it's a technical mess when it comes to frame rate and pop in, Jesus the pop in, but it's fun. It's a truly beautiful game and it actually renewed my love for the series.

8. Assassin's Creed: Rogue ; Any fans of the series, fans of Black Flag, or fans of, well, fun action games should pick up Rogue. I haven't had this much fun with an installment in the series since Assassin's Creed II and with the addition of more refined naval combat, Rogue stands out.

9. Bayonetta 2 ; Did anybody expect this game to happen? If your answer is yes, did you expect it to be a Nintendo published Wii U exclusive? If your answer was yes again, you're a liar. But regardless, it happened and it topped the original in every way.

10. Far Cry 4 ; It's not as enjoyable as Far Cry 3. It isn't as colorful, the villain isn't as prominent, and the story isn't as interesting or fun. But hell, I rode an elephant into an outpost filled with enemies and charged a jeep and flipped it over, rode on the bottom of a gyrocopter, strapped C4 to a little car and ran it into a cave filled with wolves and jumped off a cliff mid-avalanche and soared with a wing suit through the icy debris.

How do you not love a game like that?

1. Bayonetta 2 ; This game is a masterpiece in the character action genre that had me hooked from the Prologue onward. Without doubt, the most fun I've had with a game all year.

2. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; Just when I thought I was getting exhausted with side-scrolling platformers, this game released, and with it's level design, soundtrack, and difficulty, it quickly reminded me why I loved the genre to begin with.

3. Divinity: Original Sin ; As a fan of Baldur's Gate I and II, I found myself getting more and more disappointed with the direction of the Dragon Age games. Thankfully, this little gem was released and I found myself almost immediately absorbed as I explored the first town and picked up quests. It's refreshing to see quest design revolve around interaction and investigation as opposed to the EA and Ubisoft template of seeing and collecting x number of things.

4. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; An impulse buy on release day, since I had been craving a good FPS for a while and hoped this would scratch the itch. It did that and more, delivering a story and characters that were more enjoyable than most games out there. And the fact I'm saying that non-sarcastically about a Wolfenstein game still surprises me.

5. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; One of the first games I beat this year, I was eager to have another Platinum experience after enjoying The Wonderful 101 so much. It was a bit too short, and I wish the mechanics were explained a bit more clearly, but once it clicked, there was no turning back. And it made Raiden tolerable.

6. Strider ; One of the best Metroidvania games I've played in recent years. I've noticed a lot of my list centers around fast movement and mobility, and this game fits into that bucket nicely.

7. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ; Probably the first Call of Duty game I've enjoyed since Black Ops 1. I'm not a big MP guy, but the campaign delivered a strong enough campy story, surrounded by great set pieces and great feeling controls.

8. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; Humor in games tends to be pretty terrible, but this game captures the humor of the show perfectly and integrates the jokes successfully into the gameplay and world. Can't believe they pulled it all off so well.

9. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; I am not a big fan of open world games. I usually tire out and either give up or force myself to finish them. This even goes for highly regarded games like GTA and Saints Row. However, this game had a mix of strong combat and strong traversal, and I enjoyed it pretty much to the end. It would be higher if it weren't for terrible story tacked onto the game.

10. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; After being enormously disappointed with the 3DS iteration, thankfully the Wii U version made me interested in the series again. While I wish we had seen another attempt at a Subspace Emissary mode, the Events mode served up some great single player content, while online kept me busy with Team 2v2.

Honorable Mentions
x. Fantasy Life ; The game has a lot of pacing problems and the story is laughable, but it does a great job on serving up content and rewarding exploration. I spent much more time than I thought I would with this Fall surprise.
x. Kirby Triple Deluxe ; I'm typically not a Kirby fan outside of the more experimental games like Canvas Curse. However, I had a ton of fun with this title and it utilizes the 3D well.

1. The Fall ; It's the kind of sci-fi I love: A wild mix of quirky characters nimbly navigating past the snags of linguistics and metaphysics in a strangely appealing and discomforting place, slowly reconciling themselves to a life in an ever-expanding world void of meaning.

2. Escape Goat 2 ; There's a beautiful sense of mystery to this game, a sense somewhat blurred by how straight-forward the puzzles along the critical path are. The secret levels is where this game really shines and I'm not ashamed to admit that I sometimes figured out the solution just by banging my head -- you're more of a ram than a goat -- against the wall, preserving my sense of superiority (of mind or forehead thickness).

3. Legend of Grimrock 2 ;
4. Capsule ;
5. Endless Legend ;
6. 1001 Spikes ;
7. Divinity: Original Sin ;
8. The Banner Saga ;
9. Road Not Taken ;
10. Shovel Knight ;

1. Destiny ;
2. Dark Souls 2 ;
3. Elite Dangerous ;
4. Assassin's Creed Unity ;
5. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ;
6. Driveclub ;
7. Wolfenstein: The New Order ;
8. Dragon Age: Inquisition ;
9. Fifa 15 ;
10. Infamous: Second Son ;

1. Divinity: Original Sin ; I knew I would enjoy the game as I enjoyed the original Divinity games, but I never thought they were GREAT. It was a game I knew i wasn't going to pay full price on. What I ended up playing was so far beyond my expectations. Honestly, I put it just behind Planescape: Torment in terms of my favorite RPGs. Great tactical turn based combat (something I honestly didn't expect to enjoy much) a great setting and an adequate storyline. I can't wait to see what Larian does next. I think thanks need to go out to all who helped kickstart this gem of a game!

2. Hearthstone ; I hate MTG style games. I won't sugar coat it. Which is why it boggles my mind that I can love this game as much as I do! Blizzard has a knack of taking complex gameplay mechanics and making them 100% accessible without stripping out the depth. I find the game to be extremely well balanced and I haven't felt like I need to spend money to stay competitive. (I look forward to arguments sparking from this choice)

3. Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls ; I spoke very highly of Diablo 3. I am a supporter of Vanilla D3, I didn't care for the AH, but I didn't feel like it affected the game until you reached Torment difficulty (not the popular opinion I know). That being said, Reaper of Souls (and the Loot 2.0 update that came just before) made Diablo 3 into the game that it should have been from the start. Act 5 was a solid addition, the Adventure mode and Rifts offered an incredible amount of replayability, and the Crusader was a great character to play. If I had one complaint, it would have been that the legendaries still felt useless because they dropped to often! I often found myself salvaging them.

4. Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor ; On the surface this is nothing more than Assassins Creed with Arkham style combat, but the longer you play, the more you realize that this game has a lot more to offer. This is the only game in recent memory where I feared dying. So many games today take pride in making death meaningless, but here if you die, you actually make the game harder because the enemies get stronger and move up through the ranks. All of a sudden, button mashing through mobs doesn't work and you actually have to pay attention and use your skills.

5. The Walking Dead: Season 2 ; Like Season 1, this was a fantastic interactive experience. Clementine's journey is a harrowing experience and while the episodes don't reach the emotional heights of Season 1 (despite the raised stakes), there are still some incredible moments to experience and intense choices to make. Despite an underwhelming finale, it is hard to not anticipate what Season 3 will bring.

6. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel ; This shouldn't surprise many considering my self professed love for Loot games (and Borderlands in general). While not as good as BL2, I feel like this was a great continuation. Despite what most say, I actually enjoyed the O2 mechanic, the story was clever and the new weapon options were quite fun. Also... Claptrap's randomness is pretty awesome. My biggest complaint about the game is that it feels designed with Co-op in mind where as previous Borderlands felt very easy to solo.

7. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ; What is there to say about this franchise that hasn't already been said? I feel like the Exosuit keeps the game fresh while still maintaining the franchises frenetic pacing. As has been my opinion with this franchise for years, the guns continue tol feel solid, the new game modes are pretty fun, and unlike the other big arena FPS this year, they didn't skimp on the content.

8. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; I originally felt like this game would be higher on my list, but every hour or so I encounter a bug that just drops it lower, whether its losing a party member under the world in Tactical view or the random UI elements that get stuck on screen, the game feels unpolished at times, but when it works, I find it incredibly fun. The combat, while not as good as Origins, is still fun and flashy. It starts out pretty button mashy, but the further you get the more you realize the need for Tactical view and planning your attack. Also, there is so much content in this game that I have never felt bored. I can see how you can spend hundreds of hours in this game.

9. Destiny ; I bought my PS4 for this game. I was super hyped for this game that I broke my own rule... Never buy a system for 1 game. I thought to myself, "Borderlands with the polish of a Halo game? How bad can it be?" And don't get me wrong, it isn't "Bad". Disappointing is the most appropriate word i can give for Destiny. There is a fantastic game under it all I think similar to the pitfalls that plagued Diablo 3 Vanilla, a loot 2.0 style gameplay overhaul could do so much to help this game reach its potential, but the lack of content and satisfying combat hold the game back.

10. Titanfall ; I had high hopes for this game. A twitch based shooter with movement beyond the limits of even a Tribes game spoke volumes to me, and while the combat and movement were fantastic this game sorely lacked the content to keep me playing after a month or so. It is disappointing because I feel like this game could have been so much more with more diverse game modes, more diverse arsenal of weapons and Titans. I think the biggest issue I had though was the idea that REMOVING game modes was a good thing for the PC version.

Honorable Mentions
x. Lichdom: Battlemage ; I don't feel like I have given this game a fair amount of play time to rate it in my top 10, but what I have played, I actually really like. The story is garbage, but the concept is great. I love the idea of a gunless FPS. You instead focus on magic abilities and you upgrade those abilities by crafting sigils you collect along the way. Its a clever mix of hexen and borderlands and it just works insanely well. It isn't as polished as any of my top 10 for sure, but if I put more time into it and actually complete it before the deadline, I may knock out Titanfall (or maybe destiny... both of those games are interchangable i think)... i feel like Lichdom deserves the attention though.

1. Alien: Isolation ; The best horror game in years, bar none. If you care about Alien, horror, or superbly constructed games, check this out.
   
2. D4 ; Delightfully quirky and has single handedly validated my Xbox One purchase.
   
3. Mario Kart 8 ; A celebration of all things Mario Kart. Beautiful, smooth, and Nintendo’s best online outing to date.
   
4. The Walking Dead Season 2 ; Season 2 is just as captivating as Season 1 and even genuinely surprised me at times. Hopefully Season 3 can hold its own.
   
5. Smash Bros. for Wii U ; A Smash game deserving of its title. Fixed most of the issues I had with Brawl, plus, it has an amazing roster and tons of content. I wish more modes were playable online or with amiibos but that's about it.
   
6. Bayonetta 2 ; Fixes most of the lows of Bayonetta 1 without reaching the same heights. Tag Climax is a riot and should become a genre standard.
   
7. Hyrule Warriors ; The game that finally scratched my beat 'em up itch. This love letter to the series has a huge amount of content and is still getting more!
   
8. Driveclub ; The closest thing I'm getting to a Project Gotham game in the near future. Just plain fun.
   
9. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F ; This game is pure joy. The graphics look nice, the gameplay is addicting, and the soundtrack is quite eclectic and enjoyable. Going in blind, it made me a fan.
   
10. Shovel Knight ; Far from the most innovative title, but who says something needs to be innovative to be good? Rock solid and entertaining throughout.

Looking at everyone else's lists, I'm disappointed I haven't tried some games yet (Diva f 2nd, Drakengard 3, Danganronpa, Wolfenstein, Freedom Wars, Evil Within, Talos Principle, etc.) as I'm sure some would have made it on my list. Oh well.

2014 was a weird year. There were a lot of great games that I really enjoyed, but nothing really stood out as the clear "game of the year" in my mind. I won't waste and honorable mentions ragging on games that disappointed me this year; all of these games are great.




1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; An incremental improvement on a fantastic game. I didn't really expect this to be at the top of my list, but nothing else really stood out as a genre-defining, all-time great this year. The craftsmanship on display here is really impressive. It's easily one of the best 2D platformers ever made.
2. Dark Souls 2 ; A great game that didn't quite live up to my (admittedly unrealistic) expectations. I don't want to criticize it here, so I'll just say that the improvements to online play made it my most played game this year.
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; Another great game, but one that's hard to fully enjoy now that I'm (far) removed from college life and don't have an easy time getting lots of friends together to play it. The online play is leagues better than Brawl; if not for that I'd have a hard time enjoying it much at all. The pre-release buildup was almost as much fun as the game itself, which says a lot about Sakurai's genius for hype.
4. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth ; I love Etrian Odyssey, and this is basically one of those with a completely different flavor and some decidedly light SMT trappings. It's a little on the easy side, which I didn't expect after how brutal Strange Journey was. I haven't really played much Persona, so maybe this is par for that subseries.
5. Mario Kart 8 ; Great game; lots of fun online. I didn't get a lot of mileage from the singleplayer modes, which is probably not surprising. Looks fantastic.
6. Bravely Default ; A great RPG that's vastly improved from its previous incarnation, Four Heroes of Light. The job and combat systems are fantastic. The weak endgame is less onerous than in the previous title, but still a little aggravating.
7. Bayonetta 2 ; This game is fantastic, but I have trouble getting in to it as much as I should. I've never been very good at this genre; Bayonetta 2 is actually the first one I've ever finished. Ridiculous, spectacular fun... with a lot of game overs because I suck at it.
8. Hearthstone ; A great, ultra-streamlined take on the classic CCG. You know the one I'm talking about. If this game had a "real game" price point (i.e. buy once for $40-60 and get card unlocks at a sane pace) it would squash my only reservation about it. As it is, I struggle along without spending money and just don't enjoy it as much as I feel that I could. Hearthstone is a blast to play with friends, even with suboptimal deck options.
9. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call ; Remember how great Theatrhythm was? Turns out, it's still pretty great the second time out. More songs, more characters, less EMS... everything is better. Here's hoping the Dragon Quest version makes it to the West.
10. Hyrule Warriors ; Exceeded my expectations. I'm sure it helps that I've never played a Dynasty Warriors game before, but this is simple, solid fun with nice riffs on classic Zelda characters. Has surprising longevity thanks to Adventure Mode.



x. Shovel Knight ; Great game. Nice retro mechanics, graphics, and music. Charming characters and writing. Nothing against the game; I just didn't get as much mileage from it as I did from the others on this list.
x. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls ; A fantastic turnaround from the original Diablo 3 release, which deeply disappointed me. This expansion put the series back on the right track.
x. Broken Age Act 1 ; A very strong opening act. Great art and voice work. Really looking forward to Act 2.
x. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ; Really charming, simple fun. Looks great.

1. Smash Bros for Wii U ; It may just be the best smash bros game to date, something that I do not say lightly as melee defined an entire system.

2. Shadow of Mordor (Next-Gen) ; Shadow of Mordor is the first taste of what next gen can do. Sure it takes very familiar pieces, but it recombines them around the most innovative game concept of 2014.

3. Last of Us Remastered ; My first experience of last gen's masterpiece. It's the truth, the closest descendant to Resident Evil 4.

4. Rogue Legacy (PS4) ; Pure metroidvania greatness, with a souls-esque emphasis on death that really sets it apart from other 2d platformers.

5. Kentucky Route Zero Act III ; Contains the most memorable set piece in what has to be one of the greatest modern adventure games out there.

6. Mario Kart 8 ; Mario Kart 8 is master class on iteration. It incorprates some of the best things in the franchise, while polishing it all together with smart vision and great online play.

7. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ; Once a horse pegged for death, Sledgehammer comes back from the dead with the biggest change to the formula since COD4

8. Shovel Knight ; The best nostalgia platformer of 2014 also transcends straight copying the classic and becomes special and distinctive on its own.

9. OlliOlli ; This really is Tony Hawk filtered through Hotline Miami. It takes the joy of with the precision, challenge and style of Hotline Miami and it's wonderful.

10. Destiny ; This game is flawed, deeply so. A ton of small issues and some big ones. That said, I can't stop playing it. The core shooting is the most satisfying shooting available in 2014. It nails mechanics, aesthetics and despite a trash story and baffling design decisions; it's quality cannot be denied.

1. Bayonetta 2 ; this is the best action game in 2014 and number 2 action game of all time (I still love my Wonderful 101 >.< ).

2. Super Smash Bros for WiiU ; and this is the best fighting game in 2014, hands down Sakurai and Namco Team for making a great Super Smash Bros game

3. Super Smash Bros for 3DS ; this been one of my dream come true, a smash bros portable and a great one too

4. Mario Kart 8 ; i think this is the best Mario Kart with all the balance game, superb track, superb OST and great online experience

5. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze ; this is the best 2D platformer ever, Retro really know how to design impressive 2D levels and bosses fight. And this game also has the best soundtrack in 2014.

6. Shovel Knight ; This one surprise me, i never expected it become a platformer game with great gameplay, great story, great music with retro looks.

7. Tomodachi Life ; besides Smash Bros this is the game i play most in my 3DS in 2014. This game so bizarre its entertaining, you can make anyone sing, dance and other silly thing even married and have children. There are so many weird things happen in this game it makes you always wondering around to see what happen in tomodachi island.

8.Captain Toad Treasure Tracker ; this is the best puzzle game in 2014 and also the most charming game in 2014. Toad and Toadette treasure hunt while facing dragon and giant bird truly fascinating with great art direction, great puzzle, great music and still challenging enough (espcially those maze mummy levels)

9. Kirby Triple Deluxe ; One of the best kirby game with great level design and boss fight.

10. Rusty Real Deal Baseball ; i think this is the only game where you can bargaining dlc price. This is a unique mini game with baseball theme where you must help an old dog. This combination of wacky story, unique baseball mini game, unique dlc price makes Rusty Real Deal Baseball a game to remember in 2014.

What a difference a year makes. For 2013 I had trouble even making it to 10 games until doing some last-minute box checking right before the vote. 2014 was probably the shittiest, most unpleasant year I can ever remember for gaming as an industry, as a hobby, as an institution -- but for myself, I had an embarrassment of riches, well more than 10 new games that I enjoyed enough to speak positively of. I ultimately just tacked on a pretty long runner-up list, but if I hadn't forced myself to make the images today I'd probably still be tweaking the bottom half of the list for weeks. Let's get to it.


1. Octodad: Dadliest Catch ; MOTHERFUCKING GAME OF THE FOREVER. Nuff said.


2. Shovel Knight ; Retro platformers are pretty much a cliche these days, with a lot of people rightfully criticizing the way so many abuse their nostalgic appeal to disguise underbaked design and crummy mechanics -- but Shovel Knight is the game that actually delivers on those promises. Most developers leave off with a superficial attempt to make a game "8-bit" -- a vague visual similarity, some beepy music -- but Yacht Club delved deep into the inspiration, and it pays off in the details of this game. From the visuals and music designed based on actual NES restrictions, to the artfully balanced movement and weapon systems, to little touches like the powerups hidden inside the username selector, every detail of the game is lovingly crafted from the best parts of classic games, tempered by the wisdom from decades of experience. People are gonna look back on this in ten years as a classic just like many of the games that inspired it, and I'm not sure I could come up with higher praise.


3. Divinity: Original Sin ; I almost didn't play this game based on the reputation of Larian, the developer -- previously known as the maker of janky, awkward Euro RPGs that people have been picking up in random bundles for a few years now. Compared to their previous work, though, this game is a revelation. D:OS was built with the ambition of reviving a style of classic-fantasy Western RPG that's been distressingly absent, and it accomplishes it far better than most people seem to have expected. On a story level, the game trades tedious exposition for a huge volume of individually entertaining quests with a surprisingly wide range of possible solutions. The game's character system provides clear class roles but provides a huge amount of flexibility to customize your PCs into whatever mix of them you want, with a good mix of combat and utility abilities. The place it excels the most, though, is in its combat system -- a turn-based, action-point system that has the deepest and most intricate system of environmental interactions I've ever encountered; I put 100 hours into this game and never got to the point where I stopped finding cool new ways to engage with the system. This is undoubtedly the best RPG of 2014, and one of the best of its kind in years.


4. Game Center CX 2 ; The first game in this series (released here as Retro Game Challenge) was one of my favorites way back in 2009 on its initial US release, and after it became clear the sequel would never make its way here I've cursed XSEED's name ever since. Finally this year some dedicated fans have brought an incredibly refined translation patch to this game, and it was well worth the wait. Where Shovel Knight takes the most universal elements of classic games and combines them into a seamless new whole, RGC2 is much more about capturing the in-the-moment experience of playing these old games, rough edges included. The litany of puzzle games, platformers, shmups, and even a full-fledged RPG and adventure game all capture oddly specific details of their source material, and the surrounding structure of game magazines, game store game tryouts, and special challenges captures something ineffable about what it was like to play these games as a kid. This game expands and exceeds its predecessor in every way, and we're lucky to finally be able to enjoy it in English.


5. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; This game is maybe the prime example of a game that's more than the sum of its parts. When people ask me what Danganronpa is, I have a pat answer ready: it's Ace Attorney x Persona 3 x Battle Royale, an over-the-top anime game where hot teens murder each other and your intrepid hero has to identify the killers to stay alive. Superficially it sounds like a cynical, exploitative piece of fanservice, but scratch the surface and it's much more underneath. The game's story takes a cast of 15 anime cliches and gives them surprising depth, finding ways to tap into universal themes and create real pathos in between the absurdity of a sociopathic stuffed animal forcing students to murder each other. None of the individual game systems are as deep as they might be in other games, but they fit together well to immerse you in the bizarre setting and keep your attention as the twisty, turny story plays out. (The sequel also came out in English this year, and I still enjoyed it, though it ultimately can't stand up to the burst of novelty that comes with the first entry.)


6. Kero Blaster ; It's gotta be hard to be Daisuke Amaya, the dark-horse auteur whose heartbreaking work of staggering genius Cave Story blew people away and helped kickstart the indie boom we're all enjoying today. Wisely, rather than try to one-up the branching exploration and epic storyline of his breakout game, Pixel decided to bring us something that's far simpler in concept, but not any less polished or nuanced. This game has the same gorgeous music and pixel-art visuals that endeared audiences to Cave Story, but trades in the Metroidvania structure for a classic run-and-gun, and the elaborate sci-fi story for a bizarre, surreal frame. The game's controls are rock-solid, the levels and bosses tough but fair and expertly designed, and the range in weapons gives skilled players some great toys to play with. It's a short, dense game, but one that's very rewarding to keep playing in pursuit of mastery.


7. Hexcells Plus ; I played all three Hexcells titles this year, but I picked out this one as my narrow favorite. The game is deceptively simple: a mathematical logic puzzle, in the style of Sudoku or Picross, in 36 unique puzzles per title. That simplicity belies the difficulty here: these puzzles get fiendish, with a wide array of mechanics and some puzzles that can take hours of banging your head against them before you can push through. Whenever we got one of these, my wife and I would be glued to our PCs for a week afterwards, groaning and complaining about how tough individual puzzles were, but still driven to complete every one -- the mark of a truly great puzzle game.


8. Bravely Default ; This game has a bad rep on GAF, and not without any reason: a bizarre design choice renders its back half far more tedious than it should be, and serves to flummox any player unlucky enough to encounter it without a guide or warning. But even with that, what's left was enough to seriously endear this game to me: beautiful visuals, classic RPG dungeons, a compelling soundtrack, a brilliant and innovative implementation of turn-based JRPG combat, and a fascinatingly intricate job system. If you can push through the challenges in the back half, you unlock a long sequence of side quests that contain some of the best RPG boss battles I've ever encountered -- tough, multi-enemy fights that push you to use everything you've learned about the combat to its absoute maximum if you want to survive. For that, this game will always have a bright spot in my mind.


9. Monument Valley ; Monument Valley is the final realization of what was just a concept a few years ago: a game with stunning audiovisual design and engaging mechanics, perfectly designed to fit the contours of the mobile platform, without sacrificing anything of its concept or gameplay in the process. Monument Valley is a gorgeous, elegant puzzle game that isn't just engaging on its own, but also shines a light on what mobile gaming can be when people care enough to make it so. It's a brief playthrough, but worth every second and every dollar.


10. 80 Days ; 80 Days, on the other hand, takes a familiar form for a mobile game -- a textual travelogue, interspersed with basic travel and logistics mechanics -- and elevates it purely through craft. This game puts you in the shoes of Passpartout on Phileas Fogg's ill-advised trip around the world, and relies on its writing to engage you with that concept. It succeeds to an astonishing degree. As you play through, the text runs you through a long series of vignettes and adventures -- some self-contained, others impacting the larger journey -- with a tone that brings you immediately into your hero valet's shoes. The choose-your-own-adventure mechanic seems simple, but the way it lets players both shift the narrative and build their own model of what kind of person Passpartout makes it an invaluable part of the experience. The game's narrative accommodates a surprisingly broad volume of human experience, and it begs to be replayed -- a typical first run might visit 15 of the 130+ cities in the world, and future runs are partially randomized differently to help the user have a unique experience every time. This game kept me up until 3:30 AM the night I first discovered it, and I think a lot of people would find it similarly compelling.

x. Ace Attorney Investigations 2 ; Another sequel that fans brought us when the real publisher couldn't be bothered. It improves dramatically on its predecessor and probably ranks above at least one main-series entry. Edgeworth is a boss.
x. Broken Age ; The critiques of this game (too easy, too short) are very real, but the presentation is charming and the story intriguing, so I'm still all on board to find out how Double Fine finish it up.
x. 7th Dragon ; The missing link of the Etrian Odyssey family. Niinou's (largely successful) attempt to take what worked in EO and port it into the world of NES-style JRPGs.
x. Super Time Force Ultra ; I'd been drooling over this game for years and the final product did not disappoint. The Time mechanic is mind-bending but incredibly satisfying once you figure it out; the dumb idiot humor is actually pretty funny.
x. Escape Goat 2 ; More of the same, but what it's more of is the engaging and unique puzzle game that is Escape Goat. If you enjoyed the first one, this is a whole lot more.
x. Persona Q ; I feel like I'd been waiting for this for years -- melding EO's dungeon-mapping chocolate with Persona's endless-fusion peanut butter. It delivers exactly what you'd want that combination to, with a fanservice story that isn't too stupid and aggressive to enjoy.
x. Mario Kart 8; An MK game that looks, feels, and plays great. Customization and added content give it a lifespan that previous entries haven't enjoyed; the elegant balance just makes it extremely fun. Probably the best entry in just about a decade.

1. Driveclub ; Great looking and really fun driving.
2. Dragon Age: Inquisition ;
3. Velocity 2X ;
4. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ;
5. Far Cry 4 ;
6. Transistor ;
7. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare ;
8. InFamous: Second Son ;
9. Littlebigplanet 3 ;
10. Mario Kart 8 ;

played soooo much Smash during the holidays, considering moving it to the top (that is, above Bayonetta 2 (2nd) and MK8 (1st)), but not sure if I'm just too caught up in the moment to be honest.


Also playing the new Wolfenstein sometime this week.


Octodad is real gud game, huh? Maybe it's time to pull it out of it's misery way down in my digital backlog. Also congrats to charlequin for being the first with a top 5 title I haven't even heard of (game cx center 2)

1. Grand Theft Auto V ;
2. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ;
3. P.T. ;
4. DriveClub ;
5. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls ;
6. Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 ;
7. infamous second son ;
8. Wolfenstein The New Order ;
9. Last of Us Remastered ;
10. South Park The Stick of Truth ;

Honorable Mentions
x. Destiny ; You should have been Game of the Year.

1. Destiny ; I still play it, every day. It’s my Hearthstone.
2. Far Cry 4 ; The most FUN game this year.
3. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; Great old school arcade shooter!
4. Alien: Isolation ; Alien game finally done right.
5. Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition ; Best Diablo experience on a console.
6. Driveclub ; Most next-gen game this year.
7. Shadow Warrior ; Another oldschool shooter!
8. P.T. ; Great experiment and a “demo/trailer” done in an amazing way.
9. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ; Mandatory MGS fanboy vote.
10. Luftrausers ; Best new indie game this year.

1. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; Always thought this game would turn out to be utter garbage. Then the promotion campaign started. Slowly but steadily my intrigue rose as more of those cheesy, yet fun alternate WWII-outcome commercials appeared. I decided to take a gamble and buy this game. It's one well made, old school, run and gun shooter. With interesting characters and a decent story to boot. It's got great pacing, some novel ideas and the best gunplay I've seen this year. Above all though, it's so incredibly fun to kill ( ) Nazi's. Never even dared to think a modern Wolfenstein game would be any good, let alone my GOTY.
2. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Another one that came out of nowhere. A combination of copy pasting from other games, improving on those aspects, while adding an intriguing nemesis system, topped of by gorgeous presentation. Too bad that ending sucked.
3. Alien Isolation ; Sure, this game could've been a tad shorter, but it's still one hell of a ride. Staying true to the spirit of the first Alien movie, this game is tense. Super tense. It's been a while since I've played a decent horror game and this one is set in the Alien universe. Developed with an unmeasurable amount of respect for the source material everything oozes atmosphere. Alien fan's all over the world owe it to themselves to play this game. It's that good.
4. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; Wow. This game got made. And it's actually good. And hilarious.
5. Metal Gear Solid V : Ground Zeroes ; A great warm up to what I probably one of my most anticipated games of all time. Kojima Productions brought MGS' gameplay to the present while keeping the spirit intact. There's not much to go on stoy-wise, but what's there is dark and full of despair.
6. Nidhogg ; AAAAAAHHHHH FUCK. STOP RUNNING YOU COWARD.
7. The Walking Dead Season 2 ; Novelty might have worn of, but I find TWD S2 to offer some more great storytelling and even more difficult choices with real consequences.
8. Dark Souls II ; Many improvements have been made, but FROM fails to bring the same level of sheer despair and mystery with this sequel. Still played this game for an ungodly amount of time.

Drago said:

1. DanganRonpa 2 ; Improved on every front from it's already fantastic predecessor. Great characters, wonderfully intriguing story, lovely OST and a ton of amazing and mind blowing twists. A joy ride the entire way through that I couldn't put down and stuck with me for weeks after competing it. My favorite new series of the year and the best time I've had with a game in 2014.

2. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; It's Smash Bros in HD!!! It's super fun to play with others or by myself! It looks amazing and has an amazing OST! Wowowow it's amazing! Still playing it today and will be playing it for years to come.

3. DanganRonpa Trigger Happy Havoc ; It's pretty weird having two games from the same series come out in the same year abd have both occupying spots in my personal top 3. But what can I say? I love this series to bits. Great game that I though was inferior to it's sequel but still so good that it deserves it's spot on my list.

4. Mario Kart 8 ; The most satisfying Mario Kart yet. I still think DS to be the best MK overall but MK8 is such a close second. The entire experience is just so joyous. After the disappointing MK7 this is a glorious return to form, and I'm eager to see if they can outdo themselves after 8.

5. Ace Attorney Investigations 2 ; A really great Ace Attorney adventure and my favorite one that wasn't written by Takumi. If I didn't accidentally spoil myself on who the big bad was this probably would have placed higher. Oh well, it was still a great romp the whole way through and a massive step up from the thoroughly mediocre AAI1.

6. Vib Ribbon ; Thank you Shawn Layden for bringing this out onto PSN. Such a simple yet masterful little rhythm game that I'm always coming back to with new CDs and songs to try out. The game is relentlessly genius and it's a crime it took so long to make it's way over here. Sublime rhythm gaming.

7. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze ; Still playing through this. Only just finished World 3 but what I played thus far is more than good enough to deserve a spot. I can only hope the game gets even better from World 4 on. Also that OST man, by far the best I've heard this year.

8. Pokemon Omega Ruby ; Hoenn is one of my more favorite Pokemon regions and the remakes definitely did it justice. The single player romp was great and I had a much better time with it compared to XY. I wish there was more to do post game though.

9. Yoshi's New Island ; It's more of that Yoshi's Island gameplay I know and love. It's very iterative though and doesn't do much new, but there isn't much out there quite like Yoshi's Island, so more of the same isn't necessarily a bad thing in my eyes. Fun times with this one.

10. Captain Toad ; I barely played much of this one but what I did play was really good. I'm running out of choices here so Toad will do at #10.

Honorable Mention:
x. Smash Bros. for 3DS ; best game I played on 3DS but I didn't want both it and Wii U on the top 10. Still amazing though.

Pretty good year. Probably forgetting some good stuff too. Nintendo killed it.

Click to expand...

I have and greatly enjoyed all games you've listed, bar Smash Bros. Wii U (have 3DS though, Wii U will follow later) and Vib Ribbon, which I haven't heard of yet, maybe I should play Vib Ribbon?

1. Grand Theft Auto V ;
2. Road Not Taken ;
3. FRACT OSC ;
4. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare ;
5. Crimzon Clover WORLD IGNITION ;
6. inFAMOUS: Second Son ;
7. TxK ;
8. P.T. ;
9. FTL: Advanced Edition ;
10. Binding of Isaac: Rebirth ;

1. The Evil Within ; I'm a big survival horror fan, haven't play a good one since maybe RE4, game has its faults but for the most part it was wonderful, challenging, great gunplay and mechanics, Mikami ultimately delivered on his promise.

2. OddWorld: New n' Tasty ; Classic game that's been wonderfully recreated, still beats most of the games in its genre.

3. The Last of Us: Left Behind ; Yea It's only a DLC but it's a DLC to one of my favorites games of all time and it's a damn good DLC on its own , actually it's probably the best DLC that I've ever played as well.

4. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; Great old school fun, wonderful gunplay, I'm not a huge fan of the shooter genre and this is definitely the best game I've played since COD4 in this genre.

5. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Nemesis system is the most interesting new mechanic that next gen has brought us.

Hey Bayonetta 2 might win it after all.

1. Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls ; One of the best examples of how you can correct mistakes made and transform a flawed gem into one of the best modern looters. I actually liked the vanilla Diablo 3 with it's meaty combat and mindless grinding, but it was obviously limited by numerous strange game design decisions and terrible story (which you had to experience again and again). Reaper of Souls removed the story and added a proper end game with various activities - it's not a perfect game still, but something I can easily return to from time to time.
2. Mario Kart 8 ; I am not a multiplayer kind of person and MK8 is seriously lacking on single player content. Fortunately enough, it's one of the few games my girlfriend is eager to play with me. It's bright and colorful and fun and oh boy did that DLC deliver! Lack of antialiasing aside, Nintendo really nailed the visuals here - it's basically Pixar movie in a game form.
3. Fantasy Life ; My surprise of the year. Pre-release footage did not impress me in the slightest and it was impulse purchase. Turns out, the game is actually great - it's the single player MMO simulator with lots and lots of content - with mighty bosses (the combat is simple but not that simple) and fun crafting and cute art style.
4. Valiant Hears ; Encyclopedia of World War I, heartwarming story and simple gameplay. What made the game memorable to me was "european comics" alike art style with its beautiful colors.
5. The Last of Us: Left Behind ; It was nice to return to one of the best game of the past gen again. The story didn't strike me as hard as the main game, but it was good nonetheless. It was a pure bliss though - to play the game that didn't poke you with numerous tutorials, empty dialogues and metajokes etc. The Left Behind considers the player to be an intelligent individual capable of thinking - something that not many games are brave enough to pull off.
6. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ; I'm still playing it, so my impressions might change. So far - it's a cute puzzle game with lots of attention to small details. It seems to be a perfect game for quiet days.

Honorable Mentions
x. Destiny ; Yep, it's flawed, with its flaws being incredibly obvious. Destiny is my disappointment of the year, yet still I return to it from time to time - maybe because of its amazing artstyle, maybe - because of solid gunplay. I could only hope that the supposed expansion will improve Destiny as much as Reaper of Souls did to Diablo 3.
x. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ; What's worth mentioning is Nemesis system - something that I immediately wanted to see in every other sandbox game. What's not worth mentioning is everything else - completely mediocre Assassin's Creed / Batman clone.
x. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; While undoubtfully a very solid game, I felt that Tropical Freeze was too much of a sequel to Country Returns. Much more polished and prettier sequel - but still only a sequel. I do plan to revisit it someday, maybe second run through will change my mind.

1. Destiny
2. Pokemon ORAS
3. Mario Kart 8

I have not played enough of Dragon Age or Shovel Knight yet.

1) Grand Theft Auto V: I know it's technically a 2013 game, but i played it just this year on Xbox One, and for me it's been the best gaming experience of this year, almost a perfect game.
2) Wolfenstein The New Order: One of the best FPS i've played since long, great mix of old school and new gameplay mechanics, great story and characters, and a lot of fun.
3) Dark Dreams Don't Die: Wonderful crazy game, great story, music and epic characters, can't wait for the new episodes.
4) COD Advanced Warfare: after years finally a new good COD, i liked a lot the campain full of epic moments, good story and characters and a new gamplay.
5) The Evil Within Simply the best Horror game of the year, not cause it's tha scariest, but for its overall gameplay, story and madness, a great return of Mikami.
6) Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes
7) Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
8) Far Cry 4
9)Assassin's Creed Unity
10)Titanfall

1. Dragon Age Inquisition
2. Donkey King Tropical Freeze
3. Youkai Watch 2 (any version)
4. Smash Bros Wii U
5. Mario Kart 8

1. Shovel Knight
2. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
3. The Fall
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order
5. Destiny
6. Broken Age





p.s. Games of the year? It took me weeks to find this thread with that title.

jett said:

1. Shovel Knight
2. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
3. The Fall
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order
5. Destiny
6. Broken Age





p.s. Games of the year? It took me weeks to find this thread with that title.

Click to expand...

i thought it wasn't even made. Now i check this it went live the 16 of december XD

Is this page trying to break the record for poorly formatted and incomplete posts?

1. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; Wolfenstein is everything that I used to love about first-person-shooters that’s been slowly eroded by a constant stream of mindless modern military shooters that play like they’re on autopilot. Sick of first-person shooters that are so reliant on scripting that they won’t even let you open a door? The New Order is not afraid of letting you open a door. The New Order gives you an arsenal of weapons and says: “Go nuts.” Wolfenstein is more than everything I used to love about first-person-shooters. I love the gunplay, I love the characters, I love the romance, I love that Jimi Hendrix is in this game and goes out playing a sick guitar riff. I love Machine Games’ remarkable characterization of B.J. Blazkowicz. I love their version of alternate history and their faux-pop songs. I love that those songs are actually really good. I love that Machine Games made a game with depth and heart out of something that was literally flat.

2. The Evil Within ; It took me a long time to understand what The Evil Within really is. It is in equal parts Resident Evil 4 and Anti-Resident Evil 4. The game gives you a set of weapons that are very comparable to RE4’s but you’ll rarely have more than 5 bullets for each gun at any given time. Resources are scarce, enemies are numerous and bosses are tough. If Resident Evil 4 was two thirds empowering and one third tense, TEW’s ratio would be the other way around. Wether I was chased through a maze of poisonous gas by a butcher with a locker for a head, or fought my way through a hazardous carnival basement, this game had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The Evil Within is not particularly scary but it its gory, messed up and extremely imaginative. And it's about as close as any game will ever get to Shinji Mikami's magnum opus.

3. Bayonetta 2 ; Platinum Games just make it seem easy. There are few games as complex and elegant as Bayonetta and there are even fewer that ease you into that complexity without you even noticing it. The game is so dense with absolutely crazy shit that you might not even notice that you are fighting on the underside of a bridge that has just been torn to pieces by a giant angelic sword, or that two screen-filling hair monster are duking in out in a vortex of demonic manta blood. This game is crazy. These moments don’t just happen in flashy cutscenes or barely interactive quick time events either, they are beautifully framed set pieces that just kind of play out while you’re fully in control of the action. Speaking of action, did I mention that the combat in this game is more finely tuned than a Swiss watch?

4. Velocity 2X ; This is the game I wanted to make. At least that’s what I thought in the first dozen or so chapters. After that, it became something much less pure and introduced too many elements that betray the title that seemed so appropriate in the first few chapters: Velocity. Even if it’s not exactly the game I wanted, Velocity 2X is still an outstanding hybrid of the platformer and shoot-em-up genres that offers (mostly) fast and (mostly) thrilling gameplay.

5. Dark Souls 2 ; Dark Souls 2 is not as good as the first game. The world is not as fun to traverse because it isn't laid out in a logical way. The bosses aren't as memorable because there are too many of them and most of them are pushovers. The animations aren't as beautifully weighty because, let's face it, From's most talented people were working on Bloodborne at the time. Combat was changed for the sake of change and ended up feeling worse. Leveling up was changed because the developers fundamentally didn't understand what separates Demon's Souls from Dark Souls. They also didn't understand that kicking trash mobs off of ledges is very pleasurable and taking it out of the game results in a lesser product. Dark Souls 2 has a lot of issues. And yet it still retains enough of the Souls DNA that I couldn't stop playing until the credits started rolling.

6. Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze

7. Mario Kart 8

8. South Park: The Stick of Truth

9. Shovel Knight

KingSnake said:

Is this page trying to break the record for poorly formatted and incomplete posts?

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i checked the page to see if anyone had an error, since it's important or their votes won't count. But all the formatting so far seems right to me.

1. Alien Isolation ; Needs some streamlining of the content (some times less is more), yet is amazing that a concept such as this got done with this level of production values.

2. Bayonetta 2 ; Hey, it Bayonetta and includes the first 1 2!!!

3. Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze ; Retro slapped some of the best 2D platform levels in existence then sub contracted Ubisoft Khazakistan studios to make the menus and extra features to the game. But boy this skeleton has some fine looking bones.

4. Stealth Inc 2 ; Take an already stablished and good concept like Stealth Bastards amplify it and add polish. This is the product of such devotion.

5. Art Of Balance ; Unexpected, simple concept that took over my attention for many days. The Wii Remote enhances the "feelback" of the game.

6. Door Kickers ; This is another game that translated a concept that ones thinks would only work in 3D to a 2D environment. And does so faithfully, it's like playing the old Rainbow Six games in 2 dimensions.

7. The Talos Principle ;from the makers of other classic puzzle games such as Serious Sam comes... From the makers that played other classic puzzle games comes this ambituous brain picker.

8. Transistor ; Yours eye will come when you play this game.

9. This War Of Mine ; Really like the interactive narrative aspects of this game. That's what people should began to ask from the other so called evolvers of videogame story telling.

10. Shovel Knight ; Blah, blah another guy that liked Shovel Knight.

1. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; What a surprise this game is, the environments are a bit flat, but the game still looks good and the gameplay is extremely satisfying. It is a brilliant blend of Batman and Assassin's Creed and the Nemesis system makes every death matter and allows for a dynamic world. Best game set in Middle Earth ever.

2. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Probably the best looking multi-plat released this year with some truly beautiful environments. The action RPG combat is good and the main story has a solid plot. There is so much to do in the world, albeit repetitive at times but there are also some really great companion quests.

3. Child of Light ; I love the ubiart engine and the combat is a brilliant twist on traditional turn based combat. It was an extremely enjoyable game to play.

4. Transistor ; A very high quality title with a fantastic combat system and a great soundtrack. There are so many different combinations of attacks which makes every encounter feel fresh. The story is told in an intelligent way and the songs really grab you.

5. Far Cry 4 ; An improvement upon Far Cry 3 with a brilliant villian. The mission structure is great and although there are the usual Ubisoftisms in the world they don't drag the game down.

6. Wolfenstein: The New Order; A great fps with throwback health system and the ability to dual wield everything. Also it has a great alternate history setting and is full of information.

7. Infamous: Second Son ; I liked this game but it just lacked that bit of magic that made Infamous 2 so great for me. I think traversing the map was more of a pain than in previous games. Nevertheless Sucker Punch have done a great job and I look forward to what they do next.

8. Velocity 2X ;

9. Borderlands: The Pre Sequel ;

10. FIFA 15;

I only play on ps4 so couldn't include what look like some fantastic looking games in Bayonetta 2 and Sunset Overdrive which are tempting me into buying another console. I also felt that including Remasters would have been double nominating as I voted for some of them last year.

1. Wolfenstein: The New Order
2. The Evil Within
3. Far Cry 4
4. Alien: Isolation
5. Strider
6. Destiny
7. Infamous: Second Son
8. Transistor

1. Legend of Grimrock 2

Improved on the already great original in almost eveyway.. Can't wait to see what Almost Human comes up with next.

2. Gabriel Knight Sins of Fathers 20th anniversary edition

Yes I know the technical execution left a bit to be desired but the game itself is still a masterful adventure game with excellent puzzles, story and atmosphere. Pretty much enjoyed it more than any new game this year.

3. Tex Murphy Tesla Effect.

Return of Tex.. Not the best game in the series but a good addition to the franchise nonetheless. Loved the multiple endings especially.

4. Bayonetta 2

The only character action game I've enjoyed since the first Bayo.

5. Trials Fusion

Skill based gaming at its best. Some amazingly good level design.

Refreshment.01 said:

i checked the page to see if anyone had an error, since it's important or their votes won't count. But all the formatting so far seems right to me.

Click to expand...

There are 5 posts without any comments on any game, in quick succession.

Edit: Also, does "1)" work instead of "1."?

1. inFamous: Second Son ; worthy sequel to two of the best games of last generation... beautiful open world, nice storyline/characters, cool powers.
2. Destiny ; gorgeous and a blast to play, this was my GOTY until I hit the late-game nonsense.
3. LittleBigPlanet 3 ; nice job by Sumo freshening things up with new characters/gadgets.
4. Rogue Legacy ; this game made it hard to put my Vita down.
5. Hohokum ; fantastic playground with best art and music of the year.
6. Game of Thrones: Episode 1: Iron from Ice ; very promising start (now fix the textures!).
7. Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited ; perfect for Vita.
8. Sportsfriends ; many laughs playing this with my kids.
9. Crossy Road ; best mobile time-killer of the year (sorry Threes!).
10. Luftrausers ; I wish I didn't suck at this.

FYI, about half of the last 20 posts I read are all improperly formatted and won't be counted. Check your formatting, guys. It would be a shame to throw out so many votes.

You need an semi-colon after each game title like this:

1. Game Name ; I'm voting for this game

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This is for the auto-polling purposes. Thanks.

1. Bayonetta 2 ; well, that's the game I enjoyed the most this year. Brilliant music, great graphics, around 50-60 FPS most the time, even better gameplay than the first one. Even decent online on top of that. It's a shame how often it gets ignored by those GotY lists.

2. Super Smash Bros. Wii U ; while I think it's still far from perfect, offline modes are lackluster (somehow even compared to older Smash titles), online still too laggy and characters pretty imbalanced again, there is still so much to do, it's fun, looks great most the time, runs very, very well and I see the 3DS version at fault for most of that game's cons while I understand Nintendo's decision to bring it to the 3DS, too. It's worth playing for just messing around and its soundrack alone, heck.

3. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; way, way too easy, barely enjoyed the combat anymore after I found out I'm basically immortal, not to mention the economy is broken, you always have more than enough money and can buy all the broken shit. I also absolutely hate the new South Park seasons while I love the first ~10 seasons to death. Still the funniest game I've ever played in my life.

4. Alien Isolation ; started this game right after I finished TEW which I found unique and OK but nothing more. Alien then simply blew me away, the 70s cinema atmosphere, the pacing, the non-linearity, how helpless I felt.

That's all that comes to mind.

Please note that Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U are counted separately

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So the game has almost no chance of becoming the GotY here, I guess. Whatever.

1. Alien: Isolation ; The best FPS I've played in years, very interesting and varied gameplay and level design. Plus it had the best art style and graphics of any game this year

2. Shovel Knight ; fantastic paltformer with lots of memorable and unique enemies and gameplay twists

3. Dark Souls 2 ; Overall not as good as good as DS1 but the core gameplay is just as good, this includes the DLC which is some of the best content in either game

4. Divinity: Original Sin ; Finally an RPG that's actually fun to play

5. Legend of Grimrock 2 ; Better than the original in every way, but still had some flaws (mainly the combat)