1. Farming Simulator 15
In a shocking & unexpected plot twist (lol), FS15 ran away with my GOTY 2014. It's no secret that I'm a big geek for the franchise, and this latest entry was my most anticipated release of the year. In spite of the hype, FS15 somehow managed to exceed my expectations. Maybe it was the revamped physics and graphic engines. Perhaps it was the addition of the entirely new logging trade. Whatever it is, there was a palpable leap in presentation & execution that you just don't see too often in a franchise & genre so steeped in un-moving parts (farming is farming is farming). The game remains my go-to Zen simulator. Its not for everyone, but man does it deliver for the target demographic.
2. The Talos Principle
After noodling my way through
The Talos Principle Public Test demo (wait, this is from the
Serious Sam team?!), I was inspired to dive into the retail release. I love how smart the puzzles are in TTP. I love the exotic setting and sandbox nature of the maps, making the world feel open, cohesive & real. I love the log entries in the random computer terminals you come across. The variety of their structure (science-project emails, historical notes, real/published fiction narrative) gives the game this mysterious religious/philosophical atmosphere that is entirely subtle in execution. I totally appreciate that it doesn't beat you over the head with it, but rather offer up just enough crumbs to make you think for yourself in trying to parse out what is going on. This is so difficult to pull off in the medium where we're so often held by the hand. It makes me respect the developer and their confidence in the audience. The Talos Principle is one of those games that came straight out of nowhere and just knocked my socks off. It's a masterful blend of puzzle, philosophy & place.
3. Alien: Isolation
The industry just doesn't seem get most licensed IPs, the Alien franchise being a prime example. We've had tons of Alien games over the decades, yet none have captured the sweat-drenched anxiety of the original film. Most opt to go the empowered hero route introduced in the second entry, making the player yet another super-soldier mowing down dozens of Xenomorphs in a spray of alien goo, completely missing the setup that terrified moviegoers in the first outing. It may have taken 30+ years, but we finally have an Alien game that captures the claustrophobic terror of the first film. A single omnipotent, insta-kill enemy vs. a player reduced to victory via complete avoidance. In kneecapping and withholding the player's agency from the start, the cat & mouse gameplay that follows instills a hopeless fear that is a virtual first for game adaptations. The low-fi reproduction of the 70's classic permeates every fiber of Isolation's presentation. The look, the sound, the
feel of Alien is captured at a staggering level of fidelity. This is gaming Atmosphere with a capitol A and a joy (and bitter fright) to behold. The game can be tense to the point of overwhelming (I believe a big part of some middling reviews, that were rushed out the door at launch), but taken in chunks over time, it's easily one of the best productions of the year.
4. Car Mechanic Simulator 2014
Part of the Privileged 1% Club, CMS is a niche simulation title with actual gosh-darn production values, passion and polish. While not incredibly complex, the game is sophisticated in execution, offering a broad overview of vehicle systems and how they interact. There's a level of troubleshooting that makes the game feel puzzle-like in nature, along with the satisfaction that comes from intuiting the solutions. The game also sports the best one of the best
licensed soundtracks I've ever heard in a simulation game.
5. South Park: The Stick of Truth
Seems like 2014 is the year of Getting It Right. As noted above, Alien is an absolute first for nailing the licensed IP's core feel and sense of place, and South Park does the same by dropping us in that familiar little Colorado town and making us feel like we're in the middle of an entirely authentic television episode. SoT sports fantastic writing/voice work with 100% spot-on visual presentation complete with crazy-wild plot twists and tons of fan service. How easy would it have been for Trey & Matt to simply phone it in? Yet against all expectations, the duo are firing on all cylinders in this outing. Add to that a beefy campaign with a fun Mario RPG battle system. Bonus props for super-clean and inviting menu system. I haven't watched South Park in years, but Stick of Truth reminded me why the series is an absolute treasure.
6. The Sims 4
A troubled launch didn't quell my curiosity about this game. Many bemoaned the missing feature sets, but I decided to take the latest Sims entry at face value. I found an incredibly polished, smart and matured entry into the series that was a ton of minute to minute fun. Love the multitasking feature and streamlined push/pull building tools. Presentation is top notch, on a game engine that shockingly runs like butter. While there certainly are missing features, what actually is there is the best the series has seen to date. And even some of those omissions are quietly coming back in free updates (pools, ghosts, etc.).
7. Jazzpunk
Quite simply a Hunter S. Thompson fever dream. Set in an alternate/futuristic mod-60's spy universe, Jazzpunk is an audio/visual feast for the senses with a twisted sense of humor that had me shaking my head in disbelief on a pretty regular basis. Jazzpunk sports a wildly creative presentation and world that's just fun to explore. My Purple Haze days are decades behind me, but damned if Jazzpunk doesn't take me back to those carefree, far-out times.
8. Firefighters 2014
Yeah, you know that Proud 1% mentioned above? This sim sits comfortably in the Bottom 99. Unpolished & janky, it's earned its bargain-bin reputation. But I can't stop playing it! FF14 has been rightfully lambasted (
funny 2-minute review is legit), but after getting hooked on a
Let's Play series, I had to try it out for myself. I was rewarded with a game that is inexplicably addictive in spite of its compromised delivery. In the end those warts developed a sort of charm that those who've watched The Elephant Man can appreciate. Against all odds, the game is fun in spite of itself. Or maybe because is such a jumbled mess. I can't quite figure it out. I guess we all need a little MST3K in our lives from time to time.
9. Crossy Road
It's been a while since I've been this addicted to an iOS game. I think it was 10000000. Anyway, Crossy Road is the perfect blend of quick, addictive gameplay & inviting presentation. It's a Frogger/endless runner mash-up, with a cute sense of humor (mainly in the variety of dozens and dozens of characters you unlock). What's weird is the game is free and the pay model is in buying new characters, but the game gives you 100 free coins every 6 hours (real time, not gameplay). Characters are unlocked for 100 coins. So I've been playing like crazy and unlocking all these characters completely free of charge. It's really strange. All that stuff aside, Crossy Road somehow manages to steal every free idle-waiting moment I've got. And I love it.
10. Spintires
Spintires is a bit of an odd duck. At times it feels like a tech demo. You pilot vintage Russian light & heavyweight trucks over a variety of mud-bogged maps, hauling logs from excavation sites to lumber mills. The tech on display is dutifully impressive. Full land deformation and churning mud between your wheels can get you stuck in the blink of an eye. You can then winch yourself out or nab another truck to help you out. This game is a bit of a sandbox title that is fun in short bursts. The visually are staggering and the physics system is authentic as heck. It winds of feeling like a strange arcade game of sorts that you dive in and out of for quick breathers in the midst of major game rotations. And it works just fine on that level.
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Honorable Mentions:
xx. Brutal Doom
By my latest count, I've owned Doom 1 & 2 ports on more than 6 platforms. It's been my bread & butter arcade-action/carnage franchise for years upon years. Yet...I've never tooled around with the mods. So strange. Well I guess I picked a good place to start as
Brutal Doom coupled with the
Doom Metal Soundtrack (v.4) has breathed new life into a franchise that was entirely rock solid to begin with. 360 Mouse-look, new weapons, improved visuals, kill animations, tons of gore...this package has had an incredible amount of TLC put into it. Yet it somehow manages to retain the liquid-vintage feel of the original games. Doom has been a constant part of my gaming diet over the years, and Brutal Doom offers a refreshing modern spin on the formula without losing an ounce of what made the originals a genre classic.
xx. Lovely Planet
Pure distilled joy in shooter form. With short, time-attack Leaderboard levels featuring insta-respawn, LP feels more like Trials HD than youd imagine. Simplistic & gloriously happy visuals combined with an equally infectious soundtrack betray an experience that is actually tough as nails. But you wont care because the whole atmosphere is so colorfully vibrant & whimsical, turning a genre so commonly grim in nature entirely on its head.
Drew & Dan sell the joy.
xx. Hitman GO
It's so rare that a known IP can get a complete structural makeover and still retain the essence of the source material. In shrinking the Hitman property to the mobile platform, we didn't get a poorly-controlling console port but rather a complete re-imagining that honored the IP and managed to kick ass by playing to the platform's strengths. It's a simple slide puzzle game, but delivered with enough TLC to make it stand out as one of the year's best. Each level set is a completely unique diorama board-game location. The players pieces on the board. The game gets increasingly complex as new gameplay elements are added regularly in the form of new baddies, traps, etc. It's an exquisite game of cat & mouse that quite frankly has no business being as good as it is for a simple mobile offshoot.