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[Paulee]

1. Dark Souls II
2. Bayonetta 2
3. Shovel Knight
4. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
5. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
6. Mario Kart 8
7. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
8. The Evil Within
9. The Wolf Among Us
10. Wolfenstein: The New Order

 

[Soph]

1. Divinity: Original Sin - Beautiful game in every way, I miss the genre, glad it's having a rebirth. Goty would probably be Pillars of Eternity if it didn't get delayed.
2. Age of Wonders 3. The game Heroes of Might and Magic V / VI should have been. So beautiful, much more strategy. I don't even know why I still played a lot of HOMMV this year. Campaign was sadly a little lacking, I don't know why I expected more than two campaigns with 5 levels each. Maybe because HOMMV gives you 5 campaigns from the get go.
3. Legend of Grimrock 2: Less linear, more fun than Grimrock 1. Grimrock 1 was already a magnificent love letter to oldskool pc rpg's. Grimrock 2 is an update worth of the original
4. Faster than Light: I didn't know I would have this much fun fooling around with a spaceship, managing your crew and guns and fight other spaceships while avoiding the mighty rebel fleet!
5. Europa Universalis IV: The Art of War - Made the game more refined to play and added lots of new content to an alreadygreat game
6. Wasteland 2 - Too bad the initial release was buggy and made my questlog not update correctly. I'd still put this on the list since the 10 hours I did play were great. Tactical turn based combat in the spirits of Fallout 1&2 and Wasteland 1 itselves.
7. Banished - Indie game which actually sucked me in more than I thought it would, great to see your village grow and grow.. and grow too fast and die a horrible death due to a bunch of nomads suddenly residing in your caste.
8. Valkyria chronicles: Would have been higher on the list if not for that awful buggy tank movement which could just fuck up an A rank playthrough of a 2 hour mission. Lots of rage, might just be a pc issue. There were some great parts as well, and man did I love that Vyse and Aika cameo. I need more skies of arcadia in my life.
9. Starbound - Had so much fun screwing around with friends online in this 2D open world sequel of Terraria.
10. Mario Kart 8: Love the game, my acces to the game is not that great though since I have no Wii U, what I played of it though, about 10 hours at friends in total was a great experience worth repeating.

Honourable mentions:
x Blackguards - Fun rpg TBS
x Age of Decadence - Tough TBS RPG
x Might and Magic X - Too bad Ubisoft is only bringing this back AFTER Grimrock 1 showed them the ropes.

 

[weekev]

1. Bayonetta 2 ; over the top, non stop action with a likeable sexy protagonist with incredible visuals and a rewarding system that makes you want to play each second over and over again. There are no superlatives that can do this game justice, perfect in every way.

2. Mario Kart 8 ; This game was incredible then they dropped the DLC. The only reason it doesnt beat Bayo is the lack of a decent battle mode. If that had been included this would have been a tough choice.

3. Super Smash Bros WiiU ; My first ever Smash game (apart from 3ds) disappointed with myself for missing out on previous entries. Fantastic game, packed with content and full of nostalgia. Again could have battled with Bayonetta but Im still playing it so may need to edit it higher closer to deadline.

4. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze ; An amazing platformer, style, music, graphics, soundtrack and an immense difficulty level. Glad Retro gave us this.

5. Fantasy Life ; My surprise of the year, absolutely loved this game, charming graphics and story. Liked the way you could change your life and become a hero of fishing once you were done killing. Would have liked a little more variation in gameplay between lives.

6. Super Smash Bros 3ds ; Smash on the go is amazing

7. Child of Light ; Love the UbiArt engine. This game is beautiful and I like the twist on turn based RPG. The story and characters are charming.

8. Stealth Inc 2 ; Really fun little puzzle game with a dry sense of humour.

9. Hyrule Warriors ; Its a Zelda game crossed with Warriors game, whats not to love.

10. Bayonetta ; I never got a chance to play this last gen. I love it but not as much as the sequel due to the annoying instakill QTEs which undo all my work to give me a stonr award. Still an absolutely wonderful game.

 

[ciccione]

1. Mario Kart 8; Fantastic game, fantastic content. Best of the series.
2. Driveclub ; Best driving game ever. Period. Fluid, funny, addictive.
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; An instant classic. Amazingly great and fun.
4. Bayonetta 2; One of the best action games I ever played. Jaw dropping from the start to the end.
5. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze; I loved a lot. Very good and fun platformer. IMHO better than others 2D Marios on WiiU
6. Alien Isolation; a surprisingly good game. IMHO the best horror title of the year.
7. PES 2015; the return of the king. Very very good playability, so much fun, so muuuch better than Fifa!
8. Threes! (iOS) ; I almost forgot how many hours I spent on this. Pure jewel.

 

[impact]

1. Bayonetta 2 ; The game that got me to get a Nintendo console again. Tops the first in every way possible and then some and also adds some pretty fun online co-op! I'm anticipating some DLC for this before I go back and play on infinite climax.
2. Dark Souls 2 ; Disappointment of the year, still second best game of the year. That's how good FROM Software's janitors are.
3. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze ; Maybe the best 2D platformer ever made? I'm really hoping Nintendo does a 'Luigi'-esque expansion to this game featuring Dixie or something. I need more. Guess I should find a way to play DKCR.
4. South Park: The Stick of Truth
5. Driveclub
6. Toukiden: The Age of Demons
7. Divinity: Original Sin
8. Super Smash Bros Wii U

Honorable mention
x. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes ; Not long enough Kojima. Great gameplay though.

 

[Nestunt]

1. Transistor ; One of the most underrated games in recent years by this forum. I see a lot of people writing that this game is only looks and sound. Yes, the artstyle and the music by Darren Korb are amazing (and will probably survive a lot of tests of time). But dont say that those gameplay systems (and the way they are intertwined with story and character) are not innovative and lead to a lot of replayability. There are so much ways to explore the mechanics and have fun tweaking combinations of attacks/defenses and no major exploits since different situations require either slow paced tactics or fast paced mayhem. One of the few games in recent years where I felt that its duration was just ideal, and a rare occasion where I replayed it right after finishing it.

2. Child of Light ; FYI, I dont have a particular pervy attraction to redheads. But this game spoke to me since the first day it was announced. Grandia+Watercolor was just the correct type of homage. This game is not my number 1 because it is not as deep as Transistor in terms of systems (there is no real need to diversify besides switching characters that you optimized, and the jewels were kinda boring after the initial novelty) and the rimes were too much forced.

3. Valiant Hearts ; I should spoiler-tag this game because it only made my list because I had zero, ZERO, expectations since I hate point and click, adventure games. Man, I was surprised how much I loved what they accomplished with so little. Even my girlfriend, who is not a big fan of videogames, stood throughout the day watching me play this and actively commenting. Congratulations Ubi Montpellier.

4. Strider ; I think, besides the fact that I only have 5 eligible games in this list, that Strider is the best metaphor for the poor quality of AAA games in 2014. Strider is a very limited game, but its competent take on metroidvania and "color code" fighting system make it worthy of Top of 2014 simply by the fact that was much more fun than the majority of big releases this year.

5. Velocity 2x ; In the same vein of Strider, a game with not much depth, but what it does, does it very well. It is a game that makes you feel really cool (best sonic game in years)

 

[kinoki]

1. Threes ; The single best game of 2014. Tetris-like genius combined with a great presentation. A true gem of a game.

2. P.T. ; Horror has't ever been this great before. Seamlessly advancing gameplay to a community level like no other game before it.

3. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ; Blizzard has gone and made its best game in recent memory.

4. Hitman GO ; I had never played a Hitman-game before but watched the trailer. Was sold in a matter of seconds.

5. Driveclub ; I've always felt that Motorstorm has been more akin to action games than driving games. Evolution continues the tradition but takes on another form of action. The low-key stylish and cinematic car chase and the visuals are out of this world. No other game looks this good.

6. Monument Valley ; Simple and charming, is how I'd describe it.

7. The Wolf Among Us ; All the tell-tale signs of a good noir adventure. The source material is put to life and the actors and writers sell it.

8. The Banner Saga ; Slow, methodical and rich. I enjoyed every second of it. As dull as wood and wonderful for it.

9. Destiny ; I could list a pretty long list of everything I don't like with Destiny but I keep coming back. I love the pacing of the action. The encounter design is superb and the minute-to-minute gameplay is amazing.

10. Broken Age: Act 1 ; @TimofLegend Your game is great! Where is act 2?!

 

[upselo]

1. The Last of Us Remastered; Left Behind was a great follow up to the main story, with focused gameplay (Ellie's knife is a bit overpowered but works well as she can't melee, handgun and bow only with no upgrade bring the focus rightly towards even more stealth) and great twists on the formula (waterguns fights, window breaking contest, and arcade game sequence). Of course, characters steal the show and are as impressive as ever. I hope The Last of Us strengths find themselves in Uncharted 4, as appears to be the case.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the stellar multiplayer I have been playing almost daily. Requiring cooperation tactics and stealth beyond mere reflexes, each match is tense and hugely rewarding to play with friends.

2. Spelunky; just released to PS4 so I'm including it here, even though the bulk of my runs were on the seemingly crafted-for-it Vita. Its procedural generation algorithm is pure genius, the daily challenges keep me coming back day in day out, and the coop makes it more friendly to newcomers. A long way to go before mastering it (still can't face angry shopkeepers with any kind of regularity), but it's going to be a pleasure trying.

3. Metal Gear Solid V : Ground Zeroes; after MGS 4, goofy epic in a very japanese way, and the trailers for the Phantom Pain, I was ready to write off Kojima as an artifact of the past. Ground Zeroes renewed my faith with a superbly polished game, brought up to speed in terms of mechanics and maniability. The concise nature of the game makes it perfect for experimentation, allowing us to truly master the depths of the gameplay. A delight to play through, and an invaluable training ground for Phantom Pain.

4. Valiant Hearts The Great War; on the casual side, but moving, wonderfully paced and engaging.

5. Sherlock Holmes Crimes and Punishments; it may be too guided, but I geneuinely had to pause and reflect on the clues collected, weighing different options. It made me smile to play Sherlock as a kind of fraud, winging it on a hunch Cool recreation of London and the era.

6.Shadow of Mordor; on the dumb side narrative wise, it stll was an enjoyable romp with satisfying stealth and superpowers. But god is Talion's face ugly.

 

[Percy]

Deciding the order these went in was really hard... as was omitting certain titles.

1; Mario Kart 8. Simply the best pure arcade racer released in many years.

2; Super Smash Bros for Wii U. Not without some minor issues, but still a fantastically fun party game that offers a local multiplayer experience no other game can touch.

3; The Last of Us Remastered. Counting this and Left Behind as one thing as I don't want to list DLC on here. TLOU R was a great package though. Massively improves on the original release in every way.

4; Destiny. Yeah yeah, I know... but I've had so much fun playing it that I don't really give a shit how much of a disappointment you think it is, brah.

5; Binding of Isaac Rebirth. Super addictive stuff. Not really much else to say tbh.

6; Littlebigplanet 3. Has been a real blast to play along with the little 'uns and looks superb. Not all that much new added to the formula though.

7; Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. Not the best DK, but still a ton of fun.

8; Bayonetta 2. Yes, it's truly great, but much too short lived, as usual for Platinum.

9; Wolfenstein The New Order. A fantastic single player shooter. Couple of boring levels held it back a bit but otherwise it was really good fun.

10; Dragon Age Inquisition. Great world design and accessible gameplay marred by a sub-par central story and overdose of pointless filler shit. Still had a lot of fun with it though, can't deny that.


Honorable mentions: Super Smash Bros 3DS, Infamous Second Son, Tales of Xillia 2, Infamous First Light, Theatrythm Curtain Call and Velocity 2X.

 

[sephiroth7x]

1. Mario Kart 8;

Unbelievable in almost every way. Enjoyed every minute of it.

2. This War of Mine;

Feels man.... just too many feels.

3. Broken Sword Serpents Cruse;

Part two was released this year so hope it counts. Bloody wonderful game with an initial slow pace that kicks in in part two.

4. Dragon Age Inquisition;

Huge game. Bummed myself out by staying in the hinterlands, now I am out I am re-loving the game.

5. Terra Battle;

Found myself addicted to the Mistwalker Gem.

6. MGS Ground Zeroes;

I know it was short as shit but my god I loved playing it. Got so much enjoyment out of such a little piece of magic.

7. PT;

I don't care that its not a game but I haven't been that scared/happy in such a long time.

8. Smash Bros Wii U;

What more can be said that hasn't already been said. Brilliant.

9. South Park Stick of Truth;

Made me laugh more than anything else this year even if it is a tad easy!

10. Driveclub;

I don't care what other people have said, I have thoroughly enjoyed this racer. The most I've enjoyed a racing game since Burnout 2.

 

[Cov]

1. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls; This expansion pack added so much more. More items, more gameplay options, and the newly added seasons mode increased the fun of the game ten-fold. I played mainly on PC, but also on console. Both versions were great in their own way, which for me, demonstrates a great game.

2. Grand Theft Auto V; just as the Diablo III expansion expanded on an already great game, Grand Theft Auto V’s re-release also improved on an already great game. Although it didn’t add as much new gameplay options as Reaper of Soul did, the improved framerate, graphics and increased multiplayer player count really helped to improve the overall experience. Can’t wait for the PC release.

3. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor; bored of Assassin’s Creed & bored of Batman, the added nemesis system in this game really helped differentiate this game from the others it ‘borrows’ many of its mechanics from. A really fun game I had a great time.

4. World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor; although there are flaws, for the first time in at least two expansions Blizzard have created a solid expansion. Still a long way to go, but a WoW expansion for me hasn’t started this strongly since Wrath.

5. Dark Souls II; exactly what I expected. More Souls. Awesome game.

6. Company of Heroes 2: The Western Front Armies; added two new factions and a lot more maps. Also functions as a standalone product. Building a better game upon solid foundations that I hope only increases this games popularity. For me, the series is the best RTS out there right now and has been for a long time.

7. Destiny; a game with major flaws. Art direction and the shooting gameplay really propped this game up. I’ve no interest in the expansions, but looking back, I had a lot of fun playing this game with friends.

8. FIFA 15; more FIFA.

9. Cid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth; this game is the most disappointing for me, more so than Destiny. This game lacks personality. It really feels like a total conversion mod of Civ 5, which it essentially is. I feel that with more time and expansions this will be a brilliant game.

Noteworthy:
Didn’t finish these games yet, so can’t really list them. South Park, Far Cry 4, Driveclub, Divinity: Original Sin, MGS and Dragon Age.

 

[Montresor]

1. Sunset Overdrive; very colourful, fun, doesn't take itself seriously, good humour, lots of funny references, unique and dazzling weapons, and most importantly, great game play. Traversal in the game is very satisfying.

2. D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die; lovely art style, cel-shaded graphics, quirky story and universe. I loved walking around as David Young trying to solve the his wife's murder.

3. The Evil Within; incredibly scary game in my opinion - I usually hate scary games but this one has been satisfying to play. The game's greatest strength is its variety in level design.

4. Titanfall; this game has pretty bland graphics but the game play is superb. You have almost unimpeachable mobility on foot (with double jumps and wall running). The matches are always chaotic - you have people dashing in Titans, ejecting out of Titans, in corners fighting each other, in a corner attacking a Titan with an anti-Titan weapon, or someone rodeo-ing on top of a Titan, etc...

5. Rayman Legends; this was a 2013 game but it came out on PS4 and XB1 this year. A great platformer with solid visuals and wonderful music. Music levels were the highlight.

6. Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition; this was a last-gen game but it came out on PS4 and XB1 this year. It easily became one of my favourite Metroidvania games. I loved that you weren't forced to grind with combat, because there is no leveling up in this game, unlike other Metroidvanias! I loved the references to both old and new games, like Donkey Kong, Majora's Mask, and Super Meat Boy. The music was also beautiful.

7. Wolfenstein: The New Order; The best thing about this game was its pacing - rarely do you see a big budget first-person shooter come out with chapters that have you doing nothing but exploring in isolation. I liked that the game mixed up its heavy action with the slower chapters at home base quite frequently. The voice acting was great too. And there was no tacked-on multiplayer.

8. The Wolf Among Us; only 1/5th of this series was from 2013 - the rest can essentially be called a 2014 game, plus the XB1/PS4 version came out this year anyway. I loved the story and characters in this game. I loved the gritty, adult-oriented content. This game really took fairy tale characters and churned them out into the gutter - almost everyone was impoverished, corrupt politicians kept people down, the fairy tale characters had to resort to unsavoury and dangerous life styles to pay the rent, etc...

9. Thomas Was Alone; another oldie but released this year in PS4/XB1. Fantastic puzzle game with crisp, clean, simple graphics, and soothing music. And surprisingly, although this game's characters are nothing but simplistically shaped squares and rectangles, I felt emotionally invested in their plight.

10. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare; big, blockbuster action game, looked amazing, and had a nice roller-coaster ride of a story with Kevin Spacey's compelling character. Disclaimer: I don't play, and I will not play, this game's multiplayer. I have always disliked COD multiplayer - I usually only play the campaign in these COD games.

Honourable mention:

x. Watch Dogs; I liked how your smart phone was used as a puzzle mechanic throughout the entire game. I enjoyed this game from start to finish, including the Bad Blood DLC. A shame that Ubisoft followed up this gem with AC Unity.

 

[graffix13]

1. The Last of Us Remastered; My 2013 GOTY (and GOTG) was, by far, the best game I played this year. Again. The story, gameplay, graphics....pretty much perfect IMO. A true classic.

2. Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor; This game took the best elements of the AC series and Batman series and added the nemesis system to create a really fun game. Just a blast to play.

3. The Evil Within; Although not quite as good as Mikami's masterpiece which is RE4, this game reminds me a lot of it. I liked the pacing and the stealth/action blend. The story is a mind fuck. Good game.

4. Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls UEE; I skipped this last year for PS3 because I was waiting for it this year on PS4. I was not disappointed. This game was addicting and I played all the classes up to 70. Since each class was special in it's own way, it really kept the game from getting stale.

5. Wolfenstein TNO; I probably would have skipped this if not for all the GAF hype. But I'm glad I didn't. I'm not really a FPS guy, but this was really really fun. And good. My surprise of the year.

6. Strider; I love these type of Metroidvania games and this was the best one I've played in years. I loved the original Strider on NES but this was even better.

7. Tomb Raider: DE; Another game I skipped last year in 2013, so I picked this up earlier this year when it released on PS4. I had a lot of fun with this as it blended action and adventure to create a good game. The death animations also provided some amusement.

8. GTA V; I did play this on last year on PS3 but I wanted to play this again for the First person mode. I still think it's a good game, it's just more of the same GTA-ness (which isn't bad).

9. The Wolf Among Us; My favorite TellTale game and I even liked the story better than TWD game.

10. Transistor; I had fun setting up new functions and combos. My only complaint was the game was too short.

 

[FriedConsole]

Were "Reserved" and "Reserving" good titles ? Haven't heard of them but they have a lot of votes already.

Yeah the sad thing is that they will be read a lot less because I know I am not starting over on my page I am reading.

Not the best year and I played a lot of the wrong games but I still had a good time with games.

1. Rouge Legacy ; (Vita) Perfect game. Runs perfectly on the Vita and the gameplay of doing a 10 minute run works great for on the go. Cross save is transparent without manually uploading it. Controls are nailed. Best Vita game ever.

2. Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions ; (PS4) There is nothing revolutionary here with the mechanics but it happens to be the best twin stick shooter I have ever played. Controls, gameplay and graphics are all excellent. Mixes things up a lot in adventure mode and really keeps you wanted to progress. Only knock would be that it could use more music tracks as after hours of playing you really don't want to hear the songs anymore.

3. Watch_Dogs ; (PS4) I really liked the tone of this game. GTA is too snarky and vulgar for me. The hacking concepts were limited but it was a lot of fun.

4. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare ; (PS4) You know multiplayer shooters don't have to be dark and gritty. Games can have a light and fun look and still be a lot of fun. Game changes a lot by being a different class and the first one where it matters what side you are on.

5. Destiny ; (PS4) Blah Blah this game has problems. Still kept me playing for a long time and I had a lot of fun. I am done with it but I sure did get my money's worth. I even like the multiplayer a lot.

6. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; (PS4) I like single player shooters. This is a great single player shooter.

7. Pure Pool ; (PS4) It is a well done pool game. Nothing gets me to relax like this game with some smooth jazz playing in the background.

8. Super Mega Baseball ; (PS4) This game was made with love. This is what the new R.B.I. Baseball should have been instead of that turd that was released by the MLB.

9. Luftrausers ; (Vita) Amazing game. Remarkably the game becomes a totally different game based on the configuration of your ship.

10. OlliOlli ; (Vita) Best skateboarding game ever. Tony Hawk should have gone 2D and it would still be relevant.

Honorable Mentions

x. Fibbage ; (PS4) One of the best party games that everyone can play. Really great to flex your creativity on finding a good lie. Only problem is the limited sets of questions.

x. Jet Car Stunts ; (Vita) WARNING: Game is hard. "Very Easy" may frustrate you. This is not really a racer but more like Trials where you are practicing your way to get through to the end in a good time. The visuals are bare bones and looks like the video for Dire Straits Money for Nothing video. Still couldn't stop playing until I nailed the race despite having to figure out the wonky crazy physics in this game where apparently we are playing on a planet with a low gravitational pull.

x. Don't Die, Mr. Robot! ; (Vita) I really like this game despite it's graphics looking like it was pulled from a Leapster game. It is basically pacifist mode in a twin stick shooter. There is no shooting and the only way to destroy enemies is to collect fruit. Really satisfying to trigger huge combos destroying the screen. Takes a little time to get use to the super sensitive controls but once you get it and once things get frantic it can be lots of fun. There is an arcade score chasing mode and an objective based adventure mode. This game should have had better aesthetics because everything about it screams cheap phone game. Wish people would play this game but they probably won't get passed the horrible screenshots and one of the worst names for a game ever.

x. inFamous: Second Son ; (PS4) Worst inFamous is still a lot of fun.

x. P.T. ; (PS4) Most scared ever during a videogame but figuring out progression was not fun.

x. Peggle 2 ; It is Peggle. Nothing new here. It is just fun.

x. The Evil Within ; Probably changes too much from chapter to chapter but was very interesting.

x. Race to the Sun ; (Vita) This game is like an endless runner in 3D. Object is to avoid obstacles as long as you can. Really good in short bursts as the levels change daily. Gets a little deeper with powerups and special abilities but this isn't something you will play for hours. Can get frustrating and sometimes you get screwed by the environment in unavoidable no out paths unless you have a jump left. Very addicting.

 

[His Majesty]

1. Divinity: Original Sin ; Best RPG of the last few years. Exhilerating combat, no hand-holding and an immersive world to explore.

2. Shadowrun: Dragonfall ; A succesful return to the Shadowrun Universe. Great story and characters, amazing atmosphere.

3. Alien: Isolation ; I'm no fan of horror games but this game has it all. Superb atmosphere, excellent gameplay and intriguing exploration.

4. The Wolf Among Us ; Telltale's best series so far. The neon lights, the gritty characters, top-notch story, it's all there.

5. Wasteland 2 ; Another fantastic entry in a great year for RPG's. Great C&C.

6. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; Everything in this game screams South Park. Too bad it's a little short.

7. Dark Souls II ; Not as good as the first one but still an amazing game.

8. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Great gameplay. Not much else to say.

9. Lords of Xulima ; Grindy cRPG with excellent turn-based combat. It's the complete package of what a cRPG should be.

10. The Walking Dead Season 2 ; A worthy successor.

 

[ViolentP]

After further consideration, P.T. is eligible due to not being a part or demonstration of the future game it's promoting. It's certainly an odd case.

You're a good man.

 

[OnionPowder]

1. Shovel Knight ; A lot of people will talk about how Shovel Knight is the best "indie" game of the year. Personally Shovel Knight hit all the rights spots out of all games released this year. Perfectly designed platformer that, if released on the original NES, would be on the top of every best NES games list. Also ends up with my favorite OST this year. Everything about this game was perfect for me.

2. Super Smash Bros for Wii U ; Even though I suck at this game, I'm having a ton of fun with it. You can really see the love for all the Nintendo franchises when playing it. I've been playing this game more and more and I'm just not getting sick of it. I'm now putting it at my #2

3. Dark Souls 2 ; A worthy successor to Dark Souls, which was one of my favorite games of all time. A beautiful and dreadful world at the same time, this game brought a new challenge for me with having to learn new techniques to get through the beginning of the game. Just as cryptic as the first one and just as much fun to go through with friends and try to find new secrets. From managed to capture that same schoolyard spirit of the days before the internet with the community working together.

4. The Wolf Among Us: Episodes 2-5 ; As a fan of the Fables comic series this one easily makes my top 5. Telltales best game yet beating The Walking Dead Season 1 even.

5. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; Finally picked this up. This is the first DK game I've actually played outside of DK64. My brother and I have been going through co-op and it's a blast. Perfect difficulty makes us just itching to get to the next level. Level design and music are some of the best of the year.

6. TowerFall Ascension ; This is the game that made me buy more PS4 controllers. One of the best couch vs game I've ever played.

7. Shadow of Mordor ; The nemesis system alone makes this worthy for a top 10. It's a truly "next-gen" feature and something I hope is implemented in future franchises. The story telling created through fans from just using the nemesis system was great. The actual gameplay resonated well with me, being a huge fan of the batman games, so this game was just a total joy to go through.

8. Bayonetta ; Missed this when it was on 360 so this is my first time going through it. I'm still new to character action games but this game is the one that will sell me on them from here on out. I haven't played Bayonetta 2 yet so this will be the only one in my GOTY.

9. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls ; The Reaper of Souls expansion has made Diablo 3 a worthy successor to Diablo 2. Every change in this expansion was for the better. Playing on PS4 with 4 player local co-op provided some great times and I'm still ready to jump back in play some more.

10. Infamous: Second Son ; A nice showcase of the PS4. Such a beauty and a lot of fun to boot. The first Infamous game I was able to finish and the most focused one yet.

x. The Last of Us: Remastered ; The Last of Us is one of the greatest games I've ever played so I figured the amazing re-release deserves a spot on my list. Playing in 60FPS was a serious game changer. The bonus of having the commentary tracks and a full photo mode showed that this was a serious remaster. Great effort from Naughty Dog to help make one of the best PS3 games shine on PS4. Doesn't deserve to take a spot in the GOTY since it was my GOTY last year, but I would like to give it an honorable mention

 

[fek]

My GOTY is Love Live! School Idol Festival.
As a rhythm game it has a lot of songs, good difficult levels that makes me feel how much I'm progressing and the best gameplay in a mobile rhythm game. In-app purchases are not necessary in any way to beat the hardest songs.
As a card collecting game, it's always getting new cards and while it does have a gambling aspect (which can get addicting), there's also events with guaranteed cards. The cards are very cute and I love the themed side stories that you can get if you fuse two of the same card.
Events through the year made me want to login every day and not waste any LP. I particularly enjoy the multiplayer competitive Score Match and the recently released Medley Festival, but token collecting events are a good opportunity to try to get full combo on EX songs.
It's a game that by nature is always getting updates so it's also very nice to enjoy it with the community in the OT.


Now here's my list:

1. Love Live! School Idol Festival ; In the end, it's the game that took the most of my time this year, both playing and also talking about it in the GAF community, and I'm glad for that.
2. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye despair ; Enjoyed it more than the first game in every aspect. Chapter 5 was specially amazing and surprised me.
3. Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire ; It's a nice improvement from XY, both in the main game and in the post game with now even easier breeding mechanics thanks to the Battle Resort.
4. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; Lots of fun in the best Smash game IMO. Love the character roster.
5. Utakumi 575 ; Makes good use of the Vita touch controls in a very creative rhythm game.

 

[F-Pina]

1. Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition; What a return and what a blast! Me and my brother pick this game up to play a few times over some September weekends and we ended up playing it every weekend from the moment it launched on PS4 up until now. The game is perfect in every way and it never let us down. Co-op on the same screen continues to dominate the most fun I have with games but in this case it became the best co-op game I have played in a long time. My game of the year.
2. Driveclub; If Diablo III is my co-op game of the year, then Driveclub is my single player game of the year. The best driving game since Burnout3. Quick and fast to get in and out of the game, simple, direct and to the point. Awesome graphics and the most fun I had with a racer in a long time.
3. Dark Souls 2; Not as good as Demons Souls but better than Dark Souls and altogether in a world of it's own, Dark Souls 2 continues to be the type of game that old hardcore players like me dwelve into for hours on end... into the night... eating away my time... hummmmmm
4. South Park: The Stick of Truth; How about the full South Park cast + great story + visual equals to the show? Bam! Fans of the show NEED to play this asap. Everyone else needs too.
5. Infamous: Second Son; Awesome start for next-gen! Great graphics, great character and fun gameplay. And the powers! Awwww yssss!
6. Transistor: The type of game that dares to try something different and suceeds. A talking sword and a crazy experience system with a combat tactics that I love.
7. Child of Light; Ubisoft and their 2D experiments continue to bring us that kind of Indie feel with the powerhouse of a TripleA publisher. Please just remove the UPlay stupid shit next time around. Please?
8. Sunset Overdrive; Oh man! Oh man! OH MAN! Insomniac returns to form with a 3rd person shooter that is absolutely fantastic! Now bring back Ratchet and Clank on PS4!
9. Mario Kart 8; It's the sequel WipeOut should have been. But done by Nintendo! And with awesome DLCs! Whaaaa?
10. Detective Case and Clown Bot in Murder in the Hotel Lisbon; I had to give my own game at least a 1 point vote. It feels wrong to vote on my own creation but I have to get it up on the list. It's like giving a pat on the back of your own son when he does something right. Feels good to be a game developer.

Honorable Mentions
x. Resogun; I am still playing this and trying to beat the Survival leaderboards. Comeeee onnnn! I CAN DO IT!
x. P.T.; Oh, Kojima, you old dog! AWESOME! The best surprise out of E3 this year was a strange demo that turned out to be the anouncement of Silent Hills! MAN!

 

[molnizzle]

Why do these threads always encourage/force people to generate a giant ass post of comments that nobody cares to read? I just want to see how the collective membership of GAF ranks the year's releases. Threatening to ban over list posts only discourages people from voting and skews the list.

The data is all that matters... nobody gives a shit about the comments.

 

[Welfare]

Why do these threads always encourage/force people to generate a giant ass post of comments that nobody cares to read? I just want to see how the collective membership of GAF ranks the year's releases. Threatening to ban over list posts only discourages people from voting and skews the list.

The data is all that matters... nobody gives a shit about the comments.

Is it hard to write a comment on why you like the games you picked? If you want to see what everyone picked, wait until the official results thread.

 

[molnizzle]

Is it hard to write why you like the games you picked? If you want to see what everyone picked, wait until the official results thread.

I suspect that many people just avoid submitting their choices because they can't be bothered to write a novel explaining why. Especially since nobody is ever going to read it. So the data is skewed... which defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

 

[Nyx]

I suspect that many people just avoid submitting their choices because they can't be bothered to write a novel explaining why. Especially since nobody is ever going to read it. So the data is skewed... which defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

I read the comments, they all do it just for me.

 

[opticalmace]

Why do these threads always encourage/force people to generate a giant ass post of comments that nobody cares to read? I just want to see how the collective membership of GAF ranks the year's releases. Threatening to ban over list posts only discourages people from voting and skews the list.

The data is all that matters... nobody gives a shit about the comments.

I enjoy reading the comments, and I'm surely not the only one. It piques my interest in games I had otherwise not really considered.

edit: it's not like you have to write much. Some people are doing one sentence per game.

 

[Krafter]

1. Alien: Isolation ; I have wanted this game for 35 years. Creative Assembly stepping out of their wheelhouse and making this quality of a Survival-Horror game shows their talent. They nailed the atmosphere, nailed the Alien itself in both looks and behavior, and treated the player as an adult letting you die again and again if you are not careful. Just an overall tremendous experience that will stay installed for many years to come.

2. Destiny of Spirits ; Very simple and addicting free-to-play Vita game. Collecting and leveling up your spirits and then conquering the globe in real-time. Absolutely stellar artwork. I have put in a ton of hours, playing twice a day, and still have 80% of the world to go.

3. Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth ; Pretty disappointing after a single playthrough, admittedly, but I will wind up playing BE for 200 hours and love it. Could be the worst mainline game in the series (counting all Civs and SMAC) but still better than most everything out there. Hopefully BE gets a meaty expansion before they go all in for Civ 6.

4. P.T. ; Brilliant reveal, probably my favourite of all time, another Kojima moment of greatness. The game itself is so detailed, and this is a sideshow to what we will get down the line. Giddy as hell thinking about a possible return to the Team Silent glory days, but P.T. earns its way on this list due to it's own horror merits.

5. FIFA 15 ; Playing this with my brothers, more of the same, which is just fine by me. We will play through an entire EPL season during Christmas week, great fun.

6. Five Nights at Freddy's; My oldest daughter's favourite game, most fun I've ever had opening and shutting doors. Creepy and tense game, without blood and guts hitting the wall, but you still very much fear for your life.

7. Aliens: Armageddon; My wife and I played this through on vacation this year, had a blast. Twin guns arcade game, in the vein of earlier Aliens / Terminator games. This was not on the list, but I'm pretty sure it just came out this year.

8. Freedom Wars ; A bit of a stretch, as I have not put many hours into this, but I can totally see myself playing a lot of raids this Christmas season. Excellent graphics and customization, and the constant sentence looming over you head is cool too.

9. Minecraft ; Vita version with same old addictive sandbox gameplay. Haven't even touched Survival mode yet, too busy building my snow fortress. Infinitely replayable.

10. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft; Card battler with that Blizzard polish and free-to-play to boot. Have forsaken all other tablet games for this.

 

[Jisgsaw]

V
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc [...]
I originally bought it because it was made by the same people that made the Zero Escape series.

Actually, it's not.
Both studios merged together, but they where two different developper at the time.

This is really looking like a toss up between Dark Souls 2, Bayonetta 2, and Dragon age Inquisition. Inquisition seems to be on top so far though.

Yeah, Dragon Age seems on top.
I'm happy to see all the mentions of South Park though, great game. And I'm not the only one voting for Atelier Esha!

Why do these threads always encourage/force people to generate a giant ass post of comments that nobody cares to read? I just want to see how the collective membership of GAF ranks the year's releases. Threatening to ban over list posts only discourages people from voting and skews the list.

The data is all that matters... nobody gives a shit about the comments.

Why do the comments in the lists encourage people to rant about comments in the list?
I like to read the opinions of people on some games I played, and I'm not the only one. Too bad you don't.

I suspect that many people just avoid submitting their choices because they can't be bothered to write a novel explaining why. Especially since nobody is ever going to read it. So the data is skewed... which defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

Is it really that hard to write one sentence on the games you liked most during the year?
And it's not even like you have to do it for every game, just at least one.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

I suspect that many people just avoid submitting their choices because they can't be bothered to write a novel explaining why. Especially since nobody is ever going to read it. So the data is skewed... which defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

The comments are what makes this thread. Otherwise it would just be a drab list thread. They give meaning to the lists.

 

[molnizzle]

The comments are what makes this thread. Otherwise it would just be a drab list thread. They give meaning to the lists.

A "drab list thread" is the best way to ensure maximum participation and the most accurate data. I personally don't see any value in the individual lists, the collective total is all I care about.

Guess that's just me though. You guys are weird. =P

 

[Lan Dong Mik]

1. Dragon Age: Inqusition ; Simply one of the best RPGs I've ever played. The scope of this game just seems so much bigger than other console rpg I've played and I absolutely loved the gameplay and story. 9.8/10

2. South Park; The Stick of Truth ; A modern timeless classic as far as im concerned. Funniest game I've ever played and it was an absolute blast from start to finish. 9.7/10

3. Madden 15 ; Best sports game of all time. Online runs better than it ever has and the gameplay improvements were a huge difference maker this year. Online franchise is beyond amazing when you have a full league. 9.5/10

4. Bayonetta 2 ; best action game of year. Absolute insanity on the screen and the amount of enemy diversity is the best I've seen in years. Not even a weak story could ruin this game. 9.5/10

5. Super Smash Bros Wii U ; best fighting game of the year and most fun I've had playing with my kids all year long. Just an absolute blast to play and it looks stunning. 9.5/10

6. Forza Horizon 2 ; Best racing game of the year and possibly my favorite racer ever. Everything from the graphics to the gameplay and handling feels like what a next gen game should be. Online racing has never been this much fun. Personally I think it's the greatest looking game on console I've ever seen. 9.5/10

7. Call of Duty Advanced Warfare ; Best CoD campaign in the series. Online is better than it ever has been. Graphics are beyond stunning especially during the campaign. My favorite shooter of the year. 9.3/10

8. Mario Kart 8 ; easily my favorite mk game in the series. Game has the best racing tracks of the year and it looks beyond stunning in motion. Online ran flawlessly for me too. 9.1/10

9. Infamous Second Son ; my favorite open world game of the year. Felt like the ultimate bad ass in this game with the amount of superpowers and the way you move throughout Seattle with ease. One of the best looking next gen games. 9.0/10

10. Destiny ; damn right I've got destiny in my top 10. Sure it was a bit disappointing with the repetitive mission design and not much of a campaign story but the shooting and online crucible made up for it. I put a lot of time into this game and I still play it from time to time. I had a lot of fun with this game. 8.5/10

Honorable Mention: Driveclub ; this game had its issues when it first came out for sure. Took a while for it to get fixed but with all of the updates/patches it really seems to shine now. The weather update was a huge game changer. I still prefer FH:2 over this but I still really love Driveclub for what it does as a traditional old school track racer.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

A "drab list thread" is the best way to ensure maximum participation and the most accurate data. I personally don't see any value in the individual lists, the collective total is all I care about.

Guess that's just me though. You guys are weird. =P

The great thing about comments is that they can point you towards games you might have missed. I just like to read why people like these games. And you'll get your collective total all the same.

 

[Sir Garbageman]

Why do these threads always encourage/force people to generate a giant ass post of comments that nobody cares to read? I just want to see how the collective membership of GAF ranks the year's releases. Threatening to ban over list posts only discourages people from voting and skews the list.

The data is all that matters... nobody gives a shit about the comments.

Disagree 100%. Well articulated comments in this thread and on GAF in general often convince me to try games I wouldn't pick up otherwise.

 

[Mr. RHC]

Why do these threads always encourage/force people to generate a giant ass post of comments that nobody cares to read? I just want to see how the collective membership of GAF ranks the year's releases. Threatening to ban over list posts only discourages people from voting and skews the list.

The data is all that matters... nobody gives a shit about the comments.

I care for the comments.

 

[Deleted member 125677]

Why do these threads always encourage/force people to generate a giant ass post of comments that nobody cares to read? I just want to see how the collective membership of GAF ranks the year's releases. Threatening to ban over list posts only discourages people from voting and skews the list.

The data is all that matters... nobody gives a shit about the comments.

I care a lot more about the comments than the data

 

[CosmicQueso]

I suspect that many people just avoid submitting their choices because they can't be bothered to write a novel explaining why. Especially since nobody is ever going to read it. So the data is skewed... which defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

If people are unwilling to take the time to put down at least one thought about a game they are claiming to be one of the 10 best games of the year, their choices aren't worthy of the time to aggregate and consider.

 

[Cheesemeister]

Okay folks, before this thread gets derailed, I should note that list-only voting threads aren't allowed by forum policy.

Topics which exist only to ask a yes/no question with no room for actual discussion, or topics which exist only encourage subsequent replies consisting of lists or rankings are generally discouraged. Note that this category also includes unsanctioned "Vote for your favourite" threads

Stop making voting threads.

Yeah. Please stop. Outside of GOTY and Soundtrack of the Year threads which we get annually, just stop. Voting threads are not about discussion, they are about lists. We don't want them to be a frequent pollution of Gaming Discussion.

If you want to discuss about games in a series, you can open a discussion on that. You don't need some e-peen voting system where people just endlessly posts lists. If you want to talk about who you favorite furry character is in a videogame series, you can talk about that in a Community thread, that's what those are for.

In future all non-sanctioned voting threads in Gaming Discussion will be locked if we see them. Thank you.

Alright, then?

 

[Screaming_Gremlin]

Put me in the camp that finds this thread fun due to the comments. While I certainly appreciate the effort that goes into compiling the results, due to the size of NeoGAF the top games tend to be somewhat predictable. After all, a game has to be played by a large amount of the population here to get to the top, which means it is probably going to be large AAA game.

The comments on the other hand are great. I like to look through the data, find other members with tastes similar to mine and see what games they are loving that I might not have played or even heard of in some cases.

Edit - Sorry, for continuing the derail. Didn't notice Cheesemeister's reply.

 

[phoenix296]

1. Dark Souls 2 ; While many believe that the second entry in the Dark Souls series is weaker than the first (which I agree with), Dark Souls 2 was the most fun I've had with any game release I've played this year. I leveled 5 different characters into NG+ and reached NG+++. The world and creature design may not be as inspired as the first Dark Souls but the PVP is some of the most fun I've had with a game in a long time.

2. Valkyria Chronicles ; I bought the original release on PS3 and purchased it again day one on PC. Valkyria Chronicles is a gem in turn based strategy with a good story and great characters. The PC port was fantastic and the game looks great running downsampled from 4k resolutions.

3. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; My first Platinum game, what a ride. The combat system in the game is in a class of it's own. It felt great to be pulling off such wild combos and the rush you feel when you S score a section of the game is unmatched. The story is typical metal gear fluff but that really doesn't matter when you're jumping on missiles and throwing giant robots.

4. World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor ; My current addiction. WoW has returned to form. After duds of expansions such as Cataclysm and Pandaria, Draenor feels amazing. As a WoW lore nerd, the time travel nonsense is a bit hard to swallow but in the end it gets down to the basics of what makes warcraft Warcraft. Orcs Vs Humans. The revamped systems that they've been iterating on through all the expansions so far are great. There are some growing pains with the new stat squish and spell trim but hopefully those get worked out eventually.

5. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd ; The first game I've imported from Japan, project diva is a great rhythm game with popping music and colourful backgrounds. The tracklist has many repeats from previous Project Diva games but I've only played F and F 2nd so that doesn't bother me. The F 2nd is harder than the first with many fast transitions between different button presses and rapid tapping. The chained star notes are difficult to interpret without playing a song a few times but they're easy to get used to.

6. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; Despair. Thank you to Hugstable for introducing this to me. Danganronpa is an engaging Visual Novel with interesting characters that you feel pity for when despair finally finds them.

7. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; While I haven't played Smash on the WiiU as much as I would like (damn WoW), Smash on the 3DS was great and it feels so much better on the WiiU.

8. Mario Kart 8 ; The first Mario Kart I've played in years. A fantastic iteration with impressive graphics. The anti-gravity system felt good and fit within the gameplay. However it makes me wish Nintendo would give some love to a certain other racing franchise.

9. Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire ; Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are great remakes to my least favorite Pokemon generation. The new DexNav feature was fantastic and I really hope they keep it in future generations.

10. Hyrule Warriors ; For a spin-off Zelda game from the creators of Dynasty Warriors, Hyrule Warriors is pretty good. It can get repetitive at times but swinging the master sword into a group of enemies is an experience we won't likely find in any mainline Zelda game. The huge cast of playable characters is also fantastic.

Honorable Mentions

x. Love Live! School Idol Festival ; An Honorable mention because people are making me.

 

[Canucked]

1. The Last of Us Remastered; Spent the most time with it. Loved the upgrades.
2. Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition; first exposure. Best coop I've played this year.
3. Infamous: Second Son; loved moving around that city. Was wowed by the powers effects.
4. Dragon Age Inquisition; most epic experience for me this year.
5. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition; played it twice. Thought it was beautiful on A next gen system.

X. Assassins Creed Unity; would have loved a more stable version.

 

[Himemiya]

WIP unless I forget.

1. Love Live! School Idol Festival ; Play it all the time and it got me to join GAF. Fun rhythm game with some great beat maps, but what really makes it for me is the character aspect. I don't do mobile games except this one. Got the best idol Hanayo greeting me every time I open the game, and motivating me in the events to kick everyone's ass to get more cards of her. You don't. That's the draw I think you need to willingly play and/or spend money on this f2p game (although devs are getting more generous with giveaways this month). VoteHanayo (Android and iOS)

 

[Spieler Eins]

Why do these threads always encourage/force people to generate a giant ass post of comments that nobody cares to read? I just want to see how the collective membership of GAF ranks the year's releases. Threatening to ban over list posts only discourages people from voting and skews the list.

The data is all that matters... nobody gives a shit about the comments.

Not everyone is too lazy to read, just because you are. I'll read the lists that catch my eye through interesting picks (and the lists that are computed to be similar with mine after the voting ends). And with a board as big as Gaf, you can be sure that at least a couple of people will look at your comments...

A "drab list thread" is the best way to ensure maximum participation and the most accurate data. I personally don't see any value in the individual lists, the collective total is all I care about.

Guess that's just me though. You guys are weird. =P

Data from people that care so little about actual games, they don't even wanna write a sentence about it? Not interested.

 

[opticalmace]

This thread made me realize I hardly play games the year of their release. Regardless, I will list some now and update the list after Christmas break:

1. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; This game made me laugh my ass off. Someone summarized it as a 15-hour SP episode and I completely agree. Easily my GOTY thus far, even though the combat is not super deep.

2. Trials Fusion ; I actually feel the game is a bit weak when considering the content it ships with, but it's really the user-created tracks that give this game life. I've spent many hours playing tracks in Track Central. I highly recommend this game if only for all the great tracks people make. Even if the game has been a bit Ubisoft'd.

3. Final Fantasy X HD ; It's not my favourite RPG by a long shot but it's nice to see the remaster treatment. RPGs and the Vita are a perfect combination. I simply had a good time with it this year.

4. Infamous: Second Son ; Ultimately somewhat of a disappoint for me after the first two, mainly in terms of story and the balance between light/dark. However, it's still a fun game, the graphics are great and the enrivonments are put together well . At the $20 price point it's very much worth it IMO.

 

[shiba5]

1. Sunset Overdrive ; colorful and just plain fun. Amazing traversal across a great environment. Seriously the most fun I've had with a game in a long time.
2. Alien: Isolation ; the Alien game I have always wanted. Fantastic sound design and detailed environments straight out of the 1979 classic. Play by the game's rules and you'll have a good time.
3. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; huge, stunning world. 80 hours in and I still haven't finished this one, but Bioware has a winner.
4. GTA V remaster ; Rockstar are the masters of detail and they upped themselves again. Los Santos is trashier and dirtier than ever!
5. Valiant Hearts ; touching puzzle game with a great story and some interesting history on WW1
6. Monument Valley ; just beautiful Escher-like puzzles
7. Tales from the Borderlands ; probably doesn't count because it's 1/5th of a game, but I loved it. Great humor and characters.

 

[pariah164]

1. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PS VIta) ; Ahhhh this game. I have not experienced anything like it since Virtue's Last Reward. A simple premise gets twisted and turned on its head; even mentioning any of it here would be sacrilege. This is my top GOTY for the story, the characters, the music, everything. It is sublime from start to finish. Sub. Lime. If you have not played it, do not look it up. Do NOT Google it. Just buy it. Play it. Be BLOWN THE FUCK AWAY by it.

2. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye, Despair (PS Vita) ; Naturally, the runner up for my GOTY is the sequel of my GOTY. Usually, sequels of games don't do well. This is an exception to that. DR2 is full of just as many twists and turns, and the story packed just as much of a punch as the first one. It had a minor weakness in its characters, but overall, still excellent. Still worth your money and time. Again, do not Google this game. The internet is not a safe place for despair.

3. Shovel Knight (3DS) ; Shovel Knight is the love letter to all the 80s games I didn't get to play because I was born in 1985. And it's wonderful. The soundtrack is boss, the world is beautiful, the gameplay is challenging, yet tight, the controls fluid. It's everything a retro indie game should be, and every indie developer needs to take notes from Yacht Club Games. A fun ride from start to finish. All hail the Troupple King.

4. Fantasy Life (3DS) ; Just when I didn't need another time sink, this game came along. Animal Crossing meets Final Fantasy, and it will suck your time away like no other game. There is SO much to do; you can even feel overwhelmed by quests sometimes. But that just means you're never idling about, bored. Stores never close, unlike SOME games. (Looking at you, New Leaf.) If you want a game with diverse jobs, memorable characters, and a a massive way to kill time, snag this.

5. Love Live! School Idol Festival (Mobile) ; I never thought I would put a mobile game on this list. For the most part, mobile games are free-but-expensive timesinks with terrible micro-transactions and little substance. And I thought the same thing with this game, just some company trying to feed off of anime fans' desire for idol waifus. Well, the joke's on me, because this game is great. A nice little rhythm gem that, despite some of its technical flaws, proved to be one of the most fun, most addicting games of 2014. I don't even want to think about how much time I spent playing, only to despair because I ran out of LP and didn't want to waste a Loveca. Seriously, if you are a fan of anime/Japanese idols/rhythm games and have a tablet, download this off the play store and have a ball.

6. Bravely Default (3DS) ; This game took me by surprise. It's not perfect by any means, but it has charm, a decent story, characters I like to play as and interact with, inventive combat, and cute graphics. It was a mix of old and new, and it was a refreshing game that I want to go back and play again, just to see if I missed anything. A throwback to classic Final Fantasy with a twist.

7. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd (PS Vita) ; My significant other introduced me to this game when the very first one came out for the PSP in Japan, and I've been faithfully following the series since. I never expected Sega NA to localize PDF, or for PDF to do so well that the sequel got a localization green light, but to my shock, it did, and I couldn't be happier. PDF 2nd is one of the best rhythm games on the Vita, and definitely the best in the series as far as the portable versions go (at least till the next one). The graphics are gorgeous, the songs are catchy, and the gameplay is both simple, yet challenging.

8. Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus (PS Vita) ; When Senran Kagura Burst came out on 3DS, I didn't touch it for a few weeks, not sure it was for me. Then I bought it on sale, and after playing it, I immediately mentally smacked myself for not getting it sooner. When the sequel was announced, I was immediately sold, and not disappointed. 22 characters, all with different quirks and fighting styles, all shinobi, all fighting for their own beliefs and desires. It's a solid musou game, and yes, there is plenty of fanservice, but it also has depth. An action-packed game where the best girl has green hair.

9. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call (3DS) ; The first Theatrhythm game was great, a musical love letter to Final Fantasy fans. Then this one came out and blew the first game out of the water. All the DLC from the first game, an online battle mode, an RPG-like mode, button controls... This game has value in absolute spades, and if you love rhtyhm games and/or Final Fantasy, this game is a must.

10. Child of Light (PS Vita) ; I didn't NEED another game to smack me right in the feels, but Child of Light came around and pretty much took care of that. This is one of the most beautiful games on the Vita. The environments are gorgeous, the story touching, the characters unique. The fairy companion in this game is nowhere near as annoying as Navi, and the titular Child of Light is a character you WANT to succeed; you will find yourself rooting for her constantly. Like I said, prepare to go on a feels trip.

Honorable Mentions:

x. Freedom Wars (PS Vita) ; I don't usually play games with guns, because I am terrible at aiming. However, Freedom Wars came out amid much hype, and once I managed to snag a copy, I was hooked into the character customizing and the story. I really got into the game, making a comment along the lines of 'oh, that is bullshit' whenever I got penalized and years got added to my sentence. The combat is intense, the gameplay tricky, and if you don't pay attention, you will be penalized dearly.

x. Kirby: Triple Deluxe (3DS) ; The Kirby series has always been a playful, whimsical romp, and Triple Deluxe is no exception. This is probably the most colorful game on the 3DS, and everything is adorable. There's minigames beyond the story mode, and the keychain collecting is an addictive little addition that made me actually want physical versions of the pixellated accessories. A wonderful game, and I daresay an essential addition to anyone's 3DS collection.

 

[adj_noun]

n/m

 

[SeanTSC]

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Easily my GOTY. I loved every minute of the 123+ hours I spent on it and Bioware's DA team managed to put out a huge and amazing combination of all the best parts of DA 1 & 2.

2. Child of Light ; If there was still any doubt that games could be art and still be amazing games then Child of Light completely blew that doubt away.

3. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; Best Shooter since Half Life 2? Best Shooter since Half Life 2! God damn this game is great.

4. The Last of Us Remastered ; If this had been the first year of its release it would be my #1 without question, but it's not. Still, it's such a fucking masterpiece and the improvements to the PS4 version are so good that it absolutely deserves to be up high here.

5. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; For perfectly nailing South Park in a way that few thought was even possible in a video game.

6. Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star ; I absolutely *adore* the AT series from Gust and this game was no exception. I didn't love it as much as AT2, but it still charmed me for every minute of it.

7. Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition ; Diablo was meant to be played with a gamepad and this just blew away the PC version for me. D3 on the PS4 is basically playing an entirely different game and so much more fun.

8. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Holy shit, not only did they make a good Middle-earth game, they made a GREAT Middle-earth game. Plus the Nemesis system has been the only real "next-gen" thing anyone has done so far and it really made the game something special.

9. The Evil Within ; Sure it's marred with a lot of technical problems and the black bars are awful bullshit, but it's still easily the best Survival Horror game since Resident Evil 4 and I loved this game. Shinji Mikami still has it and he delivered it. I think a lot more people would have enjoyed it as much as I did if not for its crappy engine.

10. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ; Absolutely *darling*. What a beautiful and cute game. It's a little shorter than I'd have liked (or I'd rank it much higher), but the level design and gameplay are just perfectly tight.


Honorable mentions and games that I loved:
x. Bayonetta 2
x. Infamous: Second Son
x. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
x. Bravely Default
x. Transistor
x. Dark Souls II
x. Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky

 

[Omotesando]

A "drab list thread" is the best way to ensure maximum participation and the most accurate data. I personally don't see any value in the individual lists, the collective total is all I care about.

Guess that's just me though. You guys are weird. =P

Since when is discussing your favorite games on a online message board about games 'weird'?

 

[entremet]

someone explain the reserving thing to me

just fucking come back when you have something of worth to post

Yep. It's so damn stupid.

 

[jacobeid]

1. Shovel Knight ; Easily one of the only games released this year that we'll still be playing 10 years from now. The game is an instant classic with the best soundtrack all year and truly inspired gameplay. I absolutely cannot wait to have this thing on my Vita with me at all times.
2. Bayonetta 2 ; I'm beating a dead horse because this is GAF, but Bayonetta 2 is one of, if not the best, action games of all time. Packed with content, Platinum achieved some real glory with this game.
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; Smash Brothers in HD. How could this possibly be a bad thing?
4. Forza Horizon 2 ; The sequel to my favorite racing game of generation 7, Forza Horizon 2 absolutely did not disappoint. Great open world, awesome cars, great soundtrack, and beautiful to boot.
5. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PC) ; I didn't play this game until it saw a PC release in January. The gameplay is awesome and that soundtrack.
6. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; One of the funniest games I've played. Matt and Trey deserve credit for working so hard on this project and for how well it sticks to the show.
7. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; The best shooter of the year, Wolfenstein is a throwback to the shooters of old that I loved so much and rarely get to experience anymore.
8. Mario Kart 8 ; Again, Mario Kart in HD. How could this possibly be a bad thing? The DLC is an excellent value as well.
9. InFAMOUS: Second Son ; If nothing else, inFAMOUS gave us photo mode as a standard feature, paving the way for other games. I enjoyed the game much more than most people on GAF. It looks beautiful and it plays great. The story is ok, but that's alright.
10. Sunset Overdrive ; Fun, fun, fun. Sunset hit a lot of notes that I enjoy in games and I'm hopeful for a sequel.

Honorable mentions:
1. The Last of Us: Left Behind; I really enjoyed Naughty Dog's take on Ellie and Riley's story.
2. Far Cry 4; More Far Cry is always a good thing IMO, but some of the bugs really took me out the experience.

I've yet to play Dragon Age: Inquisition or Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze even though I own them both (damn backlog). I could see either of those replacing some of the games in my top 10. Alas.

 

[ShodanMAN]

1. BAYONETTA 2

Well what can I say that GAF doesn't already know?... It's Bayo, it's 'Platinum Games'. A character action game that looks
insane and plays like a dream. Like many would agree, the first Bayonetta was something very special, and given all the
circumstances surrounding a possible sequel, chances looked slim to none. But 2014 came, and low and behold we got
'Bayo 2'....and it was freakin awesome. Satisfying (your going to see a lot of that word in this list) gameplay from start to finish
with set peaces that left me rubbing my eye's (that's ''eye's''!) numorous times. A definite Platinum Star from me.

2. DARK SOULS 2

The 'Souls' games are known for many great things. Beautiful set peaces and characters, intelligent and intricate level design,
an indepth combat system that supports player individuality and game ''replayability''. Not to mention a difficulty barrier that is tough
to overcome, yet insanely satisfying when you do. Dark Souls ll isn't the best in the 'Souls' franchise, however because it still
shares these same elements, it is still (in my eye's) head and shoulders above most other games that came out this year.

3. THE BANNER SAGA

Due to having a relatively quiet release, not to mention it coming out at the start of the year, this game could have very easily slipped under a lot of peoples
radars this year, so it makes me happy to see several others here have the game on their lists. 'The Banner Saga' in basic terms is half your traditional
turn-based tactical RPG mixed with 'Oregon Trail'. One side of the gameplay is your typical grid based combat (with some interesting new mechanics.)
The other coinsides with the narrative, in which you lead a group of travellers, soldiers, drunks and giants cross-country.
Making decisions that could both improve or hinder your chances of reaching your goal, all taking place within a beautiful backdrop and some of the most
visually pleasing animations and art design of 2014. The Banner Saga 2 can't come soon enough.

4. TRANSISTOR

'Bastion' gets a lot of love here on GAF and rightly so, it's clearly a brilliant game. However what wasn't as clear was whether or not
the game was simply just a fluke by new developers 'SuperGiant Games'. In comes Transistor.., a cool cyber-punk themed action RPG with a
breathtaking presentation of a wonderfully imaginative setting. As you'd expect the music and narration are top drawer, not to mention the very
clever mechanics implemented in the games combat. Transistor is a well crafted and tight gaming experience, and goes to show 'Bastion' was no fluke.
I very much look forward to whatever new title comes out with 'SuperGiant Games' attached.

5. WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER

Okay so this is the point in my list where it starts to get hard in regards to placement, however I'm pretty happy with placing this game here. I think it's fair to
say as a genre first person shooters have become rather stale. Developers try their best to add interesting new mechanics to make their games feel different
(which isn't easy.) Wolfenstein: TNO doesn't even try to do this, which ironically works in it's favor. By focusing more on what makes a good shooter rather than
a ''different'' shooter, Wolfenstein became a stronger game, both in terms of gameplay and tone than other similar games this year.

6. SOUTH PARK; THE STICK OF TRUTH

Not only was this one of the best titles this year, it was also one of the biggest surprises. I almost always shudder when I hear the words ''licensed game''.
However South Park: TSOT left me feeling warm with happiness, rather than cold with despair. Having an exprienced developer at the helm (Obsidian), not
to mention the creators of the show; Mark Stone and Trey Parker along side, really helped to create probably the best licensed game ever! Yes
'Telltales: The Walking Dead' was a fantastic game, however South Park: TSOT was able to represent it's source material far better, in my opinion.

7. MARIO KART 8

Still working on my list.

 

[LX_Theo]

1. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ; Amazing game, amazing story, good gameplay. Builds off the first game and just ramps it up from there.

2. Dragon Age Inquisition ; Only real flaw I can think of (to me) is the glitchiness at launch. Gameplay is fun both tactically and real time, and everything compliments the narrative excellently

3. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; Introduction to the most despair inducing series around. Love it.

4. Persona Q ; Very Persona while doing its own thing. I'm surprised by how fun drawing maps can be.

5. South Park: Stick of Truth ; Someone successfully made a South Park video game? And its an RPG? Hell yeah.

6. Child of Light ; Small, artistic title that hits the right notes.

7. inFamous: Second Son ; Great introduction to me to next gen. Fun, fluid and good characters.

8. Towerfall Ascension ; As fun of a local co-op game as Smash without all the annoying stupidities of Smash

9. Bravely Default ; Good game hampered by its second half

10. Freedom Wars ; Very fun game, bad endgame design

Honorable Mentions
x. Transistor ; Unique take on turn based combat
x. Minecraft Vita ; Minecraft on the go is a great