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[Cheesemeister]

It's time! Voting for GAF's Games of the Year 2014 has begun.

Your hosts are timetokill and I. The rules have been adjusted this year for clarity and focus. You can read a breakdown of the rule changes here.
The official rules and sample ballot are below. If you do not follow the rules, your vote may not be counted. You have been warned.

2014 Voting Rules

• You may vote for any playable content released in 2014.
• The current spreadsheet of nominated games can be found here.
• You may list up to 10 games for your ballot. The games must be numbered, and consecutively listed in numerical order from 1 to 10.
• Games must be listed using their full name. Abbreviated entries will not be counted.
• You must have at least one comment in your ballot or it may not be counted. The comment must be more substantial than "GOTF lol" or what have you. Posting without comments may also subject you to a ban.
• Comments on games must begin on the same line as the game title itself, following a semicolon (
• You may list any number of honorable mentions in your ballot, and these must be indicated by an "x."

Voting Ends: Friday, January 16, 2015 at 8:59pm PST / 11:59pm EST. No extensions. No exceptions. Here's a countdown clock.
​

Sample Ballot
Ready to vote? Get started quickly by copying and pasting the ballot below into your reply.
To ensure the parser correctly tabulates your ballot, please follow this format as closely as possible.

1. Game A ; Your thoughts on Game A.
2. Game B ; Your thoughts on Game B.
3. Game C ; Your thoughts on Game C.
4. Game D ; Your thoughts on Game D.
5. Game E ; Your thoughts on Game E.
6. Game F ; Your thoughts on Game F.
7. Game G ; Your thoughts on Game G.
8. Game H ; Your thoughts on Game H.
9. Game I ; Your thoughts on Game I.
10. Game J ; Your thoughts on Game J.

Honorable Mentions
x. Game K ; Your thoughts on Honorable Mention Game K.
x. Game L ; Your thoughts on Honorable Mention Game L.

Ballot Scoring
Note that while all points will be tallied, only NEW playable content will be eligible for GOTY and Genre Award consideration.
All content is eligible for Platform Award consideration. Re-releases, ports, and other content will be awarded in their own category.

1. Game A ; 4 points
2. Game B ; 3 points
3. Game C ; 3 points
4. Game D ; 2 points
5. Game E ; 2 points
6. Game F ; 2 points
7. Game G ; 1 point
8. Game H ; 1 point
9. Game I ; 1 point
10. Game J ; 1 point
x. Game K ; 0 points
x. Game L; 0 points

Honorable mentions will not receive points, but they will be tracked and used for tiebreakers, assuming you list them appropriately.

----- Game Eligibility Rules -----

Eligible games:

• Playable content released this year is eligible. This includes new games, remasters, ports, and so on.
• DLC, including expansion packs, are eligible to be voted on as long as it's playable. Mario Kart DLC Pack 1 is eligible. Horse Armor is not.
• Episodes of games released this year are eligible.

Queried Eligible Games: P.T.
Queried Ineligible Games: Broforce

Please note that Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U are counted separately, while Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are counted together.

----- FAQ -----

Is (insert game here) eligible?
1. First, check the spreadsheet list of eligible nominated games. Note that this list isn't necessarily comprehensive, but if it's on there, you're good.
2. Not on there? Check the confirmed eligible and ineligible games listed above.
3. If a game you want isn't listed there either, and you're SURE about it, just post it in your ballot. We'll automatically add it to the list. If you're not sure, shoot me or timetokill a PM and we'll get it sorted out.

Can I talk about somebody else's list?
Discussion is encouraged! Want to talk about another poster’s list? Quote it. Any unquoted ballots (those outside a quote block) will overwrite your own previous vote.

Can I use images in my ballot? I want it to be BEAUTIFUL!
Absolutely you can, but all numbering and formatting must happen as indicated in the sample ballot above, meaning your numbers cannot be within the image itself. Here are some examples of beautiful, law-abiding ballots from last year: TheBigG753, Xilium, megalowho. Or check out Stumpopakow's wonderful list of wonderful ballots.

My ballot is too long! Can I split it into two posts?
You should NOT split your ballot into two, because the parser won't read it correctly. What you should do is make sure that your "official" list is somewhere in your posts, and that the rest does not conflict. For example, check Dark Schala's short novel from last year's voting. The official ballot is appropriately listed at the end.

I want to change my list. Do I have to make a new post?
No, you can simply edit your original vote up until the deadline.

My ballot was disqualified! Why?
Most likely, you didn't follow the rules above. What you probably did: You didn't number things correctly. You didn't write any comments. You listed the same game more than once. You didn't follow the formatting rules.

What happened to LTTP voting?
It's been discontinued. We weren't getting particularly useful data from this. If you want the best games of last year, check last year's GOTY Awards thread here.

Can I order my list from 10 to 1?
Yes, but this may increase the chances of you accidentally skipping a place and invalidating your ballot.

Happy voting, everyone!

 

[TheMoon]

Wait, what happened to the other thread?!

NVM I confused this with the "most anticipated" voting thread

 

[Brydo0]

Very excited to see how this all shakes out, will be making slight tweaks until deadline date.

Wasn't overwhelmed by AAA games this year but was surprised by some really solid smaller gems like Shovel Knight, Child of Light and Transistor. Honourable mentions listed below, mainly these are games I've yet to finish which I may add before the January 16th deadline.

1. Sunset Overdrive ; I think I'll echo many others on here but Sunset Overdrive was just plain fun. Once all the gameplay mechanics started to click I was having an absolute blast with Sunset Overdrive's missions. The mix of humour (when on point), colour palette and spot on soundtrack made for a game world I didn't want to leave when the credits rolled. Honourable mention to the Boss Fights that ACTUALLY made me use the mechanics I had learned through the playthrough.

2. Shovel Knight ; Shovel Knight is one of the best visual love letters I've experienced in Video Games. From the trial and error platforming, right down to the superb soundtrack and witty character dialogue, Shovel Knight was an absolute blast to experience throughout. Each world felt unique and offered up new ways to use the mechanics at hand; this included memorable boss battles that evoked major "memorize and repeat" nostalgia.

3. Dragon Age Inquisition ; As of December 16th I'm 30 hours in and still nowhere the end of this beast of a game (could be the biggest shaker on this list by completion). Inquisition has been a romp so far due to the multiple pocket worlds and what feels like endless content to explore. When challenging the combat shines and I've truly enjoyed some of Inquisitions first half story missions. Orchestral soundtrack all the way to the bank.

4. Child of Light ; Child of Light had equal parts whimsy/charm mixed into a touching adventure that moved me this spring. Few other games this year hit those emotional chords while offering entertaining combat and heart-warming character interaction.

5. Transistor ; The mix of Transistors visually impressive art style and unique combat mechanics were enough to hook me early on; what I ended up staying for was the Transistor's mysterious world and engaging storyline. I'm a pretty big fan of ambiguity in storytelling, Transistor's starts along this path but unveils it's secrets piecemeal throughout it's campaign. New game + was worth a visit as the ending bled into the beginning and held a lot of light for earlier actions in the tale of what the Transistor exactly was.

6. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; From it's humour to it's surprisingly entertaining RPG mechanics, I had a blast interacting as the "new kid" with the people of South Park. I never knew I wanted an interactive episode of South Park til I experienced the Stick of Truth.

7. Mario Kart 8 ; It's been a while since a Mario Kart has really engaged my interests, 8 changed that pattern. Maybe it was the superb graphics or modified mechanical changes, whatever it may be I was left coming back again and again to play more Mario Kart this year.

8. The Wolf Among Us: Episodes 2-5 ; Although Episode 1 came out in 2013 I couldn't help but list the final 4 episodes upon seeing it as an available option for voting.The Wolf Among Us offered an unfamiliar setting (hadn't read the comics) mixed with the now patented Telltale gameplay formula. The art style was superb and I felt a unique sense of agency choosing the way Bigby Wolf reacted to the events that took place throughout the episodes.

9. 80 Days ; 80 Days proved to be the best on the go experience I had this year. In simple bite sized format 80 Days is fantastic in conjuring up a sense of adventure and choice with the multiple avenues available to you during your playthrough. Simply put 80 Days was an interactive novel that made me want to see every nook and cranny it had to offer.

10. inFamous: Second Son ; The inFamous series has been one of my favourites over the past 6 years on PlayStation, Second Son didn't change the formula but offered up a fun playthrough during a bleak early 2014 game log. Second Son offered up my first visual wow moments of this generation which I'll never forget, I didn't fully enjoy the story of Delsin Rowe but I still came out feeling relatively positive about my experience with inFamous: Second Son.

Honorable Mentions
x. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; Have yet to finish, from the first hour I've enjoyed it quite a bit.
x. Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze ; Have not started but am about to dive into very soon!

 

[Cheesemeister]

Wait, what happened to the other thread?!

The rules discussion thread? It said voting was starting today.

 

[The Elite]

It begins!

It feels early this year.

 

[Zalman]

Disclaimer: I won’t buy a PS4 until next year, so 2014 was (for the most part) a Nintendo year for me. Please understand.

1. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; The release of a new Smash game is an event. After all, it only happens every six years or so. It’s a celebration of video game history, and it reminds me why I play these things in the first place. They really did a great job of adding new features. Amiibo support is neat. Being able to draw your own stage is cool. Final Destination version of each stage is a big deal for me. And, of course, 8-player mode. The fact that you can play with GameCube controllers is still a crazy thought. And man, I would be lying if I didn't spend hours in the My Music section of the game. There is so much here. You can tell the developers put their hearts and souls into developing this, and I always respect that.

2. Mario Kart 8 ; Just like Smash Bros., this is a game that will last me a very long time. There is no doubt in my mind this is the best the series has ever been. The new zero gravity sections and the gliding/underwater parts from Mario Kart 7 each add a little more to the excitement. I was never that impressed with the music in this series, but Mario Kart 8 ups the production values by a huge amount. That’s the case with the visuals too. Some of the best on the platform. I haven’t even talked about the DLC yet, which is by far the best value I’ve ever got out of downloadable content. I can’t say enough about this game.

3. Bayonetta 2 ; I loved Bayonetta 1 when it came out. It was my favorite hack-and-slash game of all time, so you can imagine my reaction when Bayonetta 2 was announced. This game exceeded every expectation I had. It improves on everything that made the original so great. It’s like one long boss battle. Non-stop action. Non-stop fun.

4. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; This game, man. This game. Colorful, gorgeous visuals. Smooth framerate. Flawless controls. Challenging levels. Absolutely insane soundtrack you will listen to for years to come. This game was labeled as ”just another Donkey Kong game”, but it’s much more than that. It’s the best one yet.

5. Kirby: Triple Deluxe ; This game is overlooked even by Nintendo fans! In my opinion, Triple Deluxe is the best traditional Kirby game. Or, it’s at least very close. Despite being a 2D platformer, it takes advantage of the 3D effect pretty well. Actually, it’s hard to think of anything this game does wrong. It does what it needs to do without any hurdles.

6. Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire ; I have been fairly vocal about my opinions on the third generation of Pokémon. It is by far my least favorite. This game didn’t change that, but there is no such thing as a bad mainline Pokémon game. It’s still a polished and incredibly deep RPG.

7. Hyrule Warriors ; The biggest surprise of the year for me. I had played Dynasty Warriors multiple times, but this is the first one I’ve actually bought myself. I never thought I would like it as much as I do. It’s fast-paced, fun, and there’s a ton of content. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for an action game, and if you’re a Zelda fan (of course you are), then that’s a plus!

8. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ; This is a really great crossover. I will admit I’m not as familiar with the Layton universe, but as a huge Ace Attorney fan, I just had to pick this up. Professor Layton himself is such a great character – in fact, I even bought the first Layton game after I beat this. I really enjoyed this game, even if the story was a little weird here and there.

9. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; I decided to buy a Vita this year, and this game was one of the main reasons why. It did not disappoint. While I don’t think it’s groundbreaking in the visual novel genre, it certainly had me intrigued all the way through. Great cast of characters with a memorable story to boot. Highly overlooked.

10. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call ; I skipped the first Theatrhythm game, so this was a brand new experience for me. I’m a big fan of rhythm games, and this was right up my alley. Just like Smash Bros., this game celebrates the history of its franchise, and I always appreciate that. It’s cool to go back and listen to decades of Final Fantasy music. And, most importantly, it’s fun!

 

[EhoaVash]

Hmm my game of the year is smash bros wii u. Very competitive game

But i should give tropical freeze a nod too great game with fantastic soundtrack


3. Would be Mario kart 8. I had fun playing it with friends online but vitvhas a bare bones single player

4;would be bayonetta 2. Dazzling game ... If only i knew how to do better combos

 

[Linkyn]

Another year gone by. When I compare my most anticipated list from last year to my games of the year 2014, there are some glaring discrepancies. No fewer than 3 titles (Zelda (although technically, it didn't count at the time because nobody really expected it to be released this year), Witcher 3 and Xenoblade) managed to get delayed to 2015. Several others ended up falling short of expectations, which sadly seems to have become somewhat of a trend for some high profile developers. Nevertheless, the majority of my anticipated games still managed to come through, and they are joined in my list at the end of this year by some very, very pleasant surprises. Overall, I have to admit that I did not end up buying / playing as many new games this year as might be the norm for me, and I find it hard not to compare 2014 to 2013 (although that is horribly unfair), but the quality of the few titles I've managed to dedicate some time to still kept me going without any trouble, and it is thus with this list that I'll let the year 2014 in video gaming ring out.


Disclaimer: The list is tentative for now, and things may change as I play a few of the smaller releases over the holidays (hoping for some good deals on Steam). I'm also still filling in the blanks for the as-of-yet non detailed spots.

1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; The 2D platformer to end all platformers? While some might argue the exact spot Tropical Freeze takes among its peers, there is absolutely no denying that it is one of the most phenomenal experiences involving running, jumping, rolling, climbing and swimming I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. The people at Retro are tremendously talented, which they'd already proven with the Metroid Prime trilogy and Donkey Kong Country Returns, and their work, combined with David Wise's masterful soundtrack, makes for one of the greatest spectacles of the year. It may not be epic, it may not be cinematic, and my heart may still bleed at the continued uncertainty of Metroid's fate, but this is just about as good as it gets.

2. Mario Kart 8 ; I feel like there isn't much that needs to be said. It is Mario Kart, which should be fairly self-explanatory, but at the same time, something does need to be said. We always knew it was going to be good, but coming off the Wii version and not having played 7 a lot, there was some lost ground to be recovered for the franchise. This, however, Mario Kart 8 did with ease. I am a person that tends not to like multiplayer, and generally speaking, the only way multiplayer can keep me hooked is if it is local. This being the first generation I spend largely away from home, I was a bit worried kart racing might lose its charm. Thankfully though, it didn't. Half a year in, I still play it every now and then (which is a big deal for me) and the so far amazing DLC is bound to keep it that way. Now, with Christmas coming up and the family getting together, my hands are starting to itch for some couch action.

3. World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor ; I can't exactly say I'm surprised I jumped back into the game with Warlords. Since I first started playing WoW (about 7 1/2 years ago), I've always had an on-again, off-again relationship with it. I've had great raid experiences and breaks, but ultimately, my feelings were always positive. I've been playing semi-casually for close to a year and a half now (an exam break before Throne of Thunder turned into a longer hiatus once I noticed how far I'd fallen behind), but Draenor has given me new energy. Today, after the first few raid IDs, I know that I've made the right decision getting back into the thick of it. WoW is really what you make it, and it is the most fun when you play it with friends, or generally people you care about. That plays a huge role in the shaping of my opinion about this expansion, but even if I would just be strolling around, the lore, the design, the music, and so many more things would have still drawn me into playing for an hour or two a day.

4. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; Same as Mario Kart. You kinda know what to expect, but when you finally do get to play it, it still blows you away. I'm not incredibly intense about Smash Bros. (I mostly just like playing tournaments or the infamous 99 stock games with friends & family), but even I welcome the return to form. I was initially planning on putting this lower on my list because I deemed it unlikely to actually surprise me, but the sheer amount of things to do eventually managed to sway me. I've never really been able to enjoy Smash much by myself, but after spending nearly three weeks completing challenges, events, unlocking characters, trophies, songs, etc. I think it's safe to say that Super Smash Bros. for Wii U / 3DS hold plenty for everyone to enjoy. Still, I am a console player at heart, so I'm giving the nod to the Wii U version.

5. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; I love Origins, and I still like to play it maybe once a year. As for Dragon Age 2, while I did enjoy my initial playthrough, I now find trying to get through the game a little frustrating (it's really more of a chore, something yu do in order to see the story unfold). In that sense, Inquisition had both the poential to be great and the potential to be disappointing, and for a long time, I didn't feel secure about a purchase. In the end though, I decided to trust Bioware and went ahead with buying it. Turns out Inquisition is great. I should note that I haven't actually finished the game (a bug with the keep gave me a wrong world state, which sadly I only realised after about 20 hours, and forced me to go back to the original to rebuild the world from scratch), but after wandering through the Hinterlands for a substantial amount of time, I feel like I have a good idea of the game at its core. I like it. I'm a sucker for RPGs, and I've always been a fan of Bioware's work. Inquisition makes me hopeful for future installments, as well as other future Bioware games (looking at you, ME4).

6. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; The big surprise hit of 2014 for me. I had close to no expectations for SoM before it came out, largely because I didn't follow it due to it being a licensed game. I bought it on a whim and was swiftly taken away by its open world design, combat / stealth and the now almost infamous nemesis system. The campaign wasn't too long (about 20 hours with achievements), and the story was mostly toss-away for me, but what's there is so refreshing and fun that it was absolutely worth it.

7. Bayonetta 2 ; Full disclaimer: I don't usually like action games. I didn't play the original Bayonetta, nor any of the games it drew from. The main reason I bought Bayonetta 2 was to support Nintendo and Platinum. I still can't say that I feel particularly comfortable trying to execute combos, but the game makes even my pathetic attempts at more skillful combat look stylish. The premise is ridiculous, but who cares? The combat is fast-paced, insanely over-the-top, and always manages to just look nice and fluent. Bayonetta 2 isn't for everybody, and it certainly isn't quite for me, either, but I simply cannot deny how fine a job the people behind it have done.

8. Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Edition ; I've always been torn between Gen I and Gen III when trying to decide on my favourite Pokémon game. I've played Blue / Red more often, but Sapphire boasts an enormous commitment to a single playthrough. I was honestly more excited about this remake than the Gen VI games, and I think I am probably enjoying it more, although perhaps largely because of nostalgia. Still, this doesn't change the fact that Alpha Sapphire combines the improvements and additions of systems from recent games with my favourite generation, which makes it one of the most worthwhile purchases of this year for me

9. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ;

10. South Park: The Stick of Truth ;

 

[Megatron]

1. Sunset Overdrive ; So many games these days seem to try to stress player freedom and choice. They want to let you play their game any way you want. Want to play the game guns-a-blazin'? Stealth mode? Pacifism? A lot of games allow for any of these and more. And the result of this, at least for me, is I wind up playing pretty much every game the same way, which is kind of a cautious, semi-stealth approach where I carefully look for items and ammo as I make my way through the map. That's part of what made Sunset OverDrive such a breath of fresh air. The opening hour or so is very uncomfortable as the game tells you how you will have to play the game. That style I just described, you won't last ten minutes trying to play the game that way. After the first hour, everything clicks and you are genuinely enjoying traveling through the world. Everything the game has to offer: Combat, item collection, exploration, it's all fun because of the system that Insomniac has put together. The humor grows on you and becomes really funny. (I actually didn't know about the

Spoiler

NeoGaf shoutout

until I found it for myself which was a great moment and instantly compelled an 'XBOX RECORD THAT' from my lips. Everyone wants to try to compare it to Ratchet and Clank because of the pedigree, but I found it to be more of a cross of Jet Grind Radio and Sonic the Hedgehog. I think the secret to making a good 3D Sonic game could be found here, in a game that encourages you to never stop moving. It's a shame that this game is an exclusive, because it would be a heavy game of the year favorite if only more people could play it. Hopefully it comes to other systems in the coming years, everyone should get to play this gem.

2. Destiny ; When new games are announced, I read very little about them. I don't like having things ruined, I like to save the game and experience it when it's released, and not have to try to fit it around my expectations. Clearly not everyone does this, and Destiny seems to be a game that suffers for it in many people's minds. Bungie released an incredibly fun, compelling game, just not the game that everyone necessarily thought they were getting. If you didn't have those expectations though, the game was wonderful. I loved traveling the planet on speeder bikes, the compulsion to hunt for loot was very strong. I spent hours in the official Destiny threads (13 OTs and counting!) especially on Hawkian's wonderful posts where he explained all the game's systems to me. I felt like there were tons of cool moments in this game, the types of stuff I always used to fantasize about as a kid, and now it's real (things like imagining all the NPC's I encountered were actually controlled by other kids on their Nintendos around the world). I put off playing the final mission as I was too busy farming and leveling up my character. When I finally did it, I set the difficulty higher and then attacked it. In the middle of my fight with the final enemies, a friend of mine I hadn't spoken to in months jumped into my game and helped me out. I didn't have a headset on as I wasn't planning on this, but we took down the final enemy together and then celebrated by dancing and waving at each other. Great stuff, and really memorable. I see so much potential for this series and cannot wait for Destiny 2. Sure there are issues with the game, largely regarding the amount of content, but the stuff that is there is a lot of fun to play and it was one of the games that really held my attention this year.

3. Shovel Knight ; As a gamer raised on 8 bit platformer NES games I wasted no time in kickstarting this game as soon as I heard about it. We have seen a lot of retro games over the years. Even critically lauded games like Capcom's Megaman 9 and 10 didn't do a lot for me because they just felt like more of the same, kind of a pointless recreation of something I enjoyed years ago. Shovel Knight could have wound up being a half-ass attempt to cash in on nostalgic gamers like myself. Instead it wound up being a phenomenal original game that preserves the best parts of those 8 bit games while adding its own spin on the genre to create something new and worthwhile. Instead of just being a simple recreation, it's a merging of ideas to create something that is both new and evokes memories of the past. It's an impressive debut from Yacht Club games and I look forward to seeing what's next. Hopefully that something will be Super Shovel Knight in a 16 bit style.

4. Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze ;

5. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ;

6. Far Cry 4 ;

7. SouthPark: The Stick of Truth ;

8. Mario Kart 8 ;

9. Infamous: Second Son ; Last January in anticipation of this game, I went back and finished infamous 2 and just adored that game. I was so hyped for this game it was my most anticipated game of the year http://m.neogaf.com/showpost.php?p=94881691 When I finally got to play it, I found it to be good, though not as good as the second game. I really appreciated how nuanced they got with the powers and had fun exploring all the different ways to use my lightning abilities. With this game, since they let us use four different power sets we never got that kind of depth, the powers seemed more superficial and a little interchangeable. The game is also super short. I platinumed it and then traded it in- the only game on this list I traded in. But I fully expect this to be a ps plus title and to be honest when I need my infamous fix I will get it by platinuming the second game.

10. Hyrule Warriors ; Okay sure, this game is shallow fan service. But I happen to be a fan. It's mindless fun and an absolutely great game to play with children or my significant-non-game-playing other.

 

[Cudder]

1. The Evil Within ; As a huge survival horror fan, this game did almost everything right for me. The excellent art direction, environments, pacing, enemies and controls really pulled me into the world. There was so much diversity in the chapters that I couldn't wait to see what kind of twisted, weird environments I would be trudging through next. The game could've been scarier, and the story could've made a little more sense but overall, this game brought me back to when I was a teenager, playing through third person survival horror games on the PS2.

2. The Walking Dead Season 2 ; This game had terribly big shoes to fill, considering Season 1 was my GOTY 2013. And I almost loved it as much as that game, but for different reasons. I loved the fact that you play a hardened Clementine that has history in this terrible apocalyptic world. The new relationships that you formed with the new cast were engaging, and I loved where they went with the story. I admit that while the game does give you a number of routes to take to get different endings, a large number of them don't seem right. That said, the ending I got on my first playthrough was the perfect end to the Season, and I spent literally minutes on the final decision prompt screen, deciding which way I wanted to go.

3. Grand Theft Auto V Remastered ; What can you say about this game that hasn't already been said? I loved the game on PS3, but I really loved it on PS4. The updated graphics and first person mode literally changed the game for me, making me love playing through it more than I did last year. Rockstar's level of detail in Los Santos is absolutely mindblowing, and the new first person mode made it clear that no one in the industry comes close to Rockstar when it comes to building worlds.

4. Alien Isolation ; Kudos to Creative Assembly for having the balls to come out with a AAA survival horror game based on the incredible world put on film by Ridley Scott so many years ago. The attention to detail to keep the game in line with Alien in terms of set design, aesthetic and sound design is astonishing.

5. NHL 15 ; I'll admit I feel weird putting this game on my list given how much content was taken out this year. But this is the game I've played the most this year, and this is the game I play year round. The updated graphics and physics really changed the gameplay this year. Something as simple as shooting the puck from the point can be an intense moment thanks to the new puck physics. You never know which way the puck will bounce. This unpredictability is exactly what the game needed. Hopefully EA can come out with a really great NHL 16 now that they have a solid foundation to work with.

6. Driveclub ; A racing game that is purely about the car on track experience. The best looking game of the year also handles like a dream. The environments are arguably more beautiful than the cars themselves. The first person mode is visceral and intense. And the weather, ohhh boy the weather...

7. Outlast + Whistleblower ; This game came out at a perfect time; when the novelty of the launch games had worn off and people were looking for something new to play. Being a free PS+ game I was especially excited to try it. It offers a simple playing game, but the scares were for real. The nightvision mechanic was nerve wracking and intense. Playing this game on Twitch was even more fun. I thought it offered a pretty good story, too. Whistleblower is one of the most fucked up games I've ever played.

8. Metro Redux ; Having never played these games before (but wanting to), I was so happy when this was announced. Both games have a terrific, dense atmosphere that makes you claustrophobic and nervous. Some incredible monster designs and encounters too.

9. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; From an outside perspective, it looks like just another FPS. Actually playing it reveals it's something entirely different. The game looks like a typical blow-everything-up shooter, but that would be looking at it on a surface level. There's a heartfelt story underneath all of that destruction, which is in and of itself a more commendable and impressive than all of these high budget shooters coming out lately with absolutely zero story. The game plays like a dream too.

10. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; I don't think there's been a more faithful adaptation that made it's transition from TV to video games more successfully than South Park does with The Stick of Truth. It feels like you're playing a long lost episode of the TV show. Laugh out loud funny, incredibly offensive and distasteful, and surprisingly great gameplay. I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Alcoholikaust]

1. Dragons Age Inquisition ; Massive in scale and scope this will be a game I will be playing well into the next year. From the character creator to the closing of your first rift, you know the game is something special when you can literally spend a couple dozen hours on sidequests. Everything is well thought out-and well written. Best RPG in the last 5 years, and easily Bioware's finest work.
2. Bayonetta 2; Sets a new standard for what Action games should strive to become. From the moment you start to the over-the top climax (lol) Bayonetta 2 sinks its teeth into you and never lets go.
3. Wolfenstien:The New Order ; The best "Remake" I have ever played-incorporating great weapon handling and classic exploration
4. Alien Isolation ; The finest survival horror game of the year-visceral, difficult and oozing with atmosphere- it was an Alien Fans dream.
5. FarCry 4 ; Ubisoft Montreal outdid themselves, Kyrat is an amazing area full of beasts and men all who need to be dealt with via a full arsenal atop elephant back.
6. Shadows of Mordor ; Easily best new IP, taking best design decisions from the Batman arkham games and Assasins creed games, set them in the LOTR universe and add the Nemesis system (the first true next gen gameplay feature IMO) and you have a phenomonal experience that should not be missed.
7. Super Smash Bros. U ; Years in the making -worth the wait
8. The Evil Within ; Mikami can do no wrong and TEW was a RE fans true RE6
9. Diablo 3:The Reaper of Souls Ultimate Evil Edition ; A fantastic upgrade to the Diablo series incorporating excellent use of the controller and cool social gifting and their own nemesis system. best version of Diablo to date.
10.Divinity:Original Sin ; One of the best Indie RPGs to be released, the dual main character gameplay was awesome.

Honorable Mentions:

x. Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare
x. Grand Theft Auto V Current Gen
x. The Last of US Remastered

 

[Kriken]

1. Bayonetta 2; Simply put, this game feels amazing, it took one of the best action games of last gen and improved upon it in nearly every way. More weapons, more enemies, more bosses, heck it took bosses from Bayo 1 and treated them like mini bosses, and it worked. Overall, it was the most fun I had with a game all year and definitely my GOTY.

2. Smash Wii U: Been a big fan of the Smash series since Smash 64 and that memorable commercial. Brawl had its moments, but felt less fun than Melee in terms of speed and mechanics. Heck, even in college, my friends would want to play Melee over Brawl when we went to play. Smash Wii U is a good balance between the two, and while lacking in certain content like Melee (Even mode, adventure mode, etc), it more than makes up for it with 8 player Smash, smooth online play and new mechanics for old fighters. I really like this iteration of Smash and it's some of the most fun I've had all year.

3. Shadow of Mordor: I honestly had no hype or knowledge of this game whatsoever before launch. I honestly wanted to try out my newly made PC on a newer game and while looking for recently released games, I saw that Shadow of Mordor was a hybrid of Assasin's Creed and the Arkham series. I loved Asylum and City and thought AC1 had some cool mechanics, so I decided to try this out. After 24 hours of playtime, it was one of my favorite experiences of the year and a purchase I do not regret. This would probably be higher if the difficulty of the game was more balanced as the first half was a bit difficult, but became a joke after branding was introduced.

4. South Park Stick of Truth: A licensed game that doesn't suck? What year is this indeed. I went into this cautiously as my love of South Park had been wavering in the past few years, but man am I glad that I got it. Paper Mario mechanics combined with South Park humor makes for an excellent game. My only complaints is that the game is fairly short for an RPG and outside of achievements, there is no replay value. But the value in that one playthrough is enough for me to land it as my #4 GOTY.

5. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze: Right next to Rayman Legends as my favorite 2D platformer in years. This is really one of those games that tests your reflexes and rewards the players who go out of their way. When you take the time to learn the mechanics properly, you'll understand just how amazing the level design is, there was no single level where I felt like my failure was the result of the game. Combine all that with the amazing OST and you've got my #5 game of the year.

6. Mario Kart 8: I'll be honest, Mario Kart Wii didn't click with me and I missed out on MK DS. Mario Kart is a series where very few things can actually hinder the enjoyment of the game. And Mario Kart 8 did almost everything right. The tracks were great, the new items were fun and online is a blast. I still have gripes over the lack of a proper battle mode, but that aside, MK8 is a fun game to play with friends and family.

7. Hyrule Warriors: I honestly did not expect to like this, when I first saw the announcement in 2013, I was scratching my head as I had never played a Dynasty Warriors game. I was on the fence up until August where I convinced myself to at least give it a try, worst case, I'd trade it in and call it a day. What resulted in the end was pure bad-ass joy that reminded me of why I'll play CoD every now and then; Even good mindless entertainment is entertainment.With the DLC extending the playtime of this, I see a lot of value in this for mindless playtime after a long day.

8. The Evil Within: I am retroactively lowering TEW because at the time of original posting, I had not beaten the game. While The Evil Within is still a great game, the final boss was massively disappointing and soured my whole experience. But, to give this game credit, the combat is pretty good and unlike the Resident Evil series of late, this game actually makes the enemies feel threatening and can cause split second decisions to be made. Overall, I like this addition to the survival horror series and hope RE7 is closer to TEW than RE5.

9. Smash 3DS: It's Smash Bros wherever you want. Basically copy and paste my Smash Wii U statement and you've got my #9 game.

10. Captain Toad Treasure Tracker: While not a long game, it wasn't marketed as a large game and I'm okay with this. What it is though is a case of quality over quantity where the short game rarely has a bad moment. combine that with the replay value for completing every level and Captain Toad ended up being another delightful surprise for 2014.

Honorable mentions: Wolfenstein: The New Order, Kirby Triple Deluxe, Shovel Knight

 

[Acquiescence]

Guess I'd best reserve this then.

 

[bathsalts]

1. Divinity: Original Sin ; The herald of crpg's return. No hand holding, brilliant combat mechanics and real choice had modern game design looking like Linda Hamilton when Arnie steps out of the elevator in T2, the magic is back.

2. The Talos Principle ; The best puzzler since Portal cements Croteam as one of the greats and I hope it gets the mainstream attention it deserves with the ps4 release.

3. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ; Blatantly over the top, a short and very distilled experience pulled together by one of the best soundtracks ever heard was able to leave me with an experience I was very fond of.

4. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth ; I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, not being a rogue-like fan or particularly enthused by the visual style but the content here is very compelling.

5. Legend of Grimrock 2 ; One of the best iterative sequels I've seen, improves on the original in such giant strides that I can't imagine what a 3rd game will bring.

6. Valkyria Chronicles ; come for the cute anime girls. stay for the deep tactical combat.

7. Styx: Master of Shadows ; Pure stealth is hard to find these days after Splinter cell and Thief put crayons up their nose so this was very welcome.

8. Elite Dangerous ; Dropping from hyperspace in front of a star is one of the most humbling experiences I've ever felt in a game, the scale of our galaxy is terrifying.

9. Transistor ; The enchanting art and music took me through the first playthrough and the solid gameplay becomes more evident in new game+.

10. Dark Souls II ; Despite being disappointed with the step back in level and world design it remains dark souls and the unparalleled weight based combat is rock solid as ever.

 

[Arion]

1. Dark Souls II ; The souls series has become a shining example of quality game design over the last generation. Souls 2 only adds to those achievements. The gameplay, music, art style and story all come together to create a rich experience. The game demands the utmost engagement from its audience and thus the experience becomes truly uncommon. Beautifully designed and exceptionally satisfying this game stands heads and shoulders above anything that has come out this year.

2. Transistor ; Expectations were high after Bastion and Super Giant has proven it was no fluke. Transistor is deeply innovative in both the gameplay and the narrative. The combinations and permutation possible with its array of different abilities is incredible and despite its short length the replayabilty is astounding. The world and story of Transistor is the best bit science fiction to come out in over a decade.

3. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ; It is safe to say that Shadow of Mordor is the first truly next gen game that has come out this year. Despite having a last gen port the Nemesis system is only possible on current gen machines. I have never been able to interact with a game and its characters like I have in Mordor. I have never felt the way I have for these Uruks in any other game to date. A dark horse in this years contenders but easily the most memorable one.

4. Shovel Knight ; SK is not just a call back to games of yore but also stands out as an exceptional title in its own way. The art, gameplay, music and charm is all there. The main characters themselves have become over night icons. The game is an absolute delight to play and one can feel the love and care of the development team in every second and pixel of this game.

5. Ultra Street Fighter IV ; I have only become interested in fighting games very recently. Although it is a very difficult genre to get into SF4 has made it very compelling to keep pushing myself. Every beat of this game is filled with awesome detail. The music is hype, the art style is splendid and the game play is outstanding. Every punch, special move and combo feels satisfying. This game has awakened a competitive side of me and I am all the happier for it. All this without mentioning the hours of fun I had with this game and my friends.

6. Far Cry 4 ; FC4 is very similar to FC3 but also better in almost every way. The game is a medley of various mechanics and systems which come together to crescendo as the best 80's action movie simulator ever created. Except it is more than a movie can ever be. The action, stunts and set pieces are conceived, directed and played by the player. From start to finish for over 50 hrs the game is an absolute wild ride without a single drop of tedium.

7. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; A perfect example of a licensed game done right. Bring in the original creators at the ground level and build the game with their vision in mind. The humor, the look and the personality of the show is intact. Not only that but SoT is also a great rpg in its own right. The game features varying play styles available with the different classes and partners, something a lot of rgps have failed to recreate. Obsidian has proven that given the time and resources they can create exceptional titles.

8. The Evil Within ; TEW truly feels like the rightful successor to RE4. There are parts in this game the fully realized what true survival action is. The game play is intense and strikes a perfect balance between power and vulnerability. At no point in the game I felt overpowered as every encounter, from single grunts to Cronenberg-ian bosses, filled me full of adrenaline. I had to claw out every victory out of the game's grasp. At the same time, however, I never felt weak. The game gives you a lot of options and they all feel satisfying and effective, if used correctly. The main character, no matter how bat-shit insane the game became, kept cool and confident. Parts of the game gets real crazy and weird which is always welcomed. Nevertheless, some poor design choices (letter-boxing, certain levels) and technical difficulties holds the game back from greatness.

9. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; Smash has a low skill floor and a high skill ceiling, which is the testament of it's impeccable design. It is full of depth and nuance to make it worthwhile experience for the competitive/hardcore audience yet it is also straightforward to understand for newcomers . It is a ton of fun with friends, it looks fantastic, the music is awesome and most importantly it feels good to play. There is a mountain of variety in stages, characters and game modes. Smash Wii U is a must have for any fighting game enthusiast.

10. Terra Battle ; Even I find it surprising a mobile game has made its way to my 10 favorite games of the year. But Terra Battle deserves the spot. It is equal parts strategy and hand eye coordination. Being able to line up your entire team to take out a whole row of enemies while healing and buffing your entire squad is very enjoyable. It has proved that with the right design a hardcore game can exist with the touch interface.

 

[Baleoce]

1. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy ; The OG trilogy back on 3DS, and its as good as ever. You owe it to yourself to play this if you haven't already.

2. Mario Kart 8 ; Perhaps now my most played-online Mario Kart. With the DLC that's already added, and more on the way, this game is going to have long legs. It's also absolutely gorgeous to look at.

3. Shovel Knight ; A beautiful trip down memory lane, but also fresh at the same time. Gameplay is tight, and virts OST is sublime.

4. Bayonetta 2 ; Took all the good things about the first, and amplified them. Throw in some awesome easter eggs and you have yourself the perfect recipe for action.

5. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls ; Took what was initially a subpar game with an awful auction house system, and salvaged it into what is now a really enjoyable game with friends. I love the depth in the item customization and job builds.

6. Alien: Isolation ; Finally somebody delivered on bringing us an authentic feeling Alien game. Survival horror was the perfect choice because that IS Alien.

7. Divinity: Original Sin ; As a fan of games like Planescape Torment and Baldurs Gate series, this was a really neat surprise this year to be able to play a game of this quality in this genre.

8. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; The Wii U version got the nod over the 3DS simply because there's an impossible amount of content in here and all of it is fun. Also the OST for the console version is huuuuuge. This really is my favourite Smash experience so far.

9. Ace Attorney Investigations 2 ; Finally got to play this game through some means or another. It's better than the first game overall I feel, and it once again acts like one big case over the period of the game, starting strong and ending extremely strong. If you can work out how to play it in your language, then I suggest you do so. Just.. try and push through the tedious new information extracting mechanic.

10. Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse ; Another classic being brought back to its roots. I'm sensing a theme this year! I've loved this franchise since the start, and I think they did a very good job on this.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Yuck - including remasters?

 

[ViewtifulJC]

someone explain the reserving thing to me

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

 

[ViolentP]

1. P.T. ; If games are meant to invoke emotion, there has never been a game to scare me as much as this.

2. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth ; Hours and hours spent on this. Rarely is victory as sweet as it is here.

That's all I got.

 

[Interfectum]

1. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; I expected a decent, generic shooter but what I got was a story driven FPS with a ton of soul. I loved every minute of it!
2. World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor ; Blizzard basically created WoW 2.0. New graphics, great quests and your own base!
3. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ;
4. South Park: The Stick of Truth ;
5. Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls ;
6. P.T. ;
7. Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes ;
8. Alien: Isolation ;
9. Divinity: Original Sin ;
10. The Last of Us: Left Behind ;

 

[Einbroch]

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ;

Not since Skyrim have I pumped this many hours into a game. The story was a bit light and not very exciting, but the characters were likable and the world was fully imagined. Gameplay was a blast, and even though the tactical aspect of it was severely lacking, it simply was just a ton of fun.

2. Dust: An Elysian Tale ;

Pure gameplay bliss. Art wasn't a turn off to me, as it was to some people. Perfectly paced. So glad I played this, will definitely look forward to Noogy's next project.

3. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ;

Nemesis system. That's pretty much all I have to say. Fun (if not a little brainless) combat with a system that really makes you feel invested in the world. My enemy was MY enemy.



That's really all I want to mention. Everything else was an okay time but nothing I'd like to give points to.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

1. Bayonetta 2 ; The best action game of all time, everything about the game is amazing and playing it in higher difficulties makes you appreciate everything about the game, every weapon is amazing and completely changes the game which makes the game so replayable. Even the multiplayer mode is great.
2. Mario Kart 8 ; They finally nailed it, I've played every single Mario Kart game but I was never really a fan, with 8 they finally made me a fan, the game is beautiul, the tracks are great, the music is fantastic, and the DLC made it even better.
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; The best Smash game of all time.
4. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; The best 2D Platformer of all time, and with one of the best OSTs of all time too!
5. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ; Chapter 5, nuff said.
6. Legend of Grimrock 2 ; It improved everything about Grimrock 1 and gave us one of the best games I have played in recent memory, everything about the game is fantastic, I don't even know what I'd change and that shows how great it is.
7. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth ; Etrian Odyssey meets Persona, and for some reason it works perfectly.
8. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ; One of the most adorable games of all time, I loved my time with this cute little game.
9. Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky ; Atelier was starting to bore me and the lack of JP VAs made me skip Ayesha so I wasn't that excited about Escha, then I got it oh man, what an amazing game, I feel bad about doubting Gust at all. The alchemy system is better than ever and I think it's the best game of the series easily.
10. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX ; I can't believe how good KH2: FM is, the extra content and the fantastic Critical mode that we never got really are a game changer; if only the game had better loading times and it didn't take forever to go into drive mode then the game would be perfect.

Honorable Mentions
x. Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star ; This is a game that didn't get into my top 10 because I haven't finished it, but I believe it deserves a mention, I can't believe how underlooked this title is as I don't think even niche JRPG fans noticed it came out, it's a really interesting game with a truly amazing setting, OST, and fun battle system.
x. Azure Striker GUNVOLT ; A bit more polish, more enemy variety, several more stages, and this game would be in my top 10. I really hope we see more of Gunvolt because the tag system and story was really interesting. Also a super underlooked game even by Mega Man fans.

 

[anexanhume]

I've played very few new games this year. Still a massive backlog.

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Easily the most massive Bioware game I've ever played. The combat is the most fun I've had in any DA game. The characters are the most varied and most interesting I've seen in a while. The side quests rarely feel like chores and almost always have a greater overall tie to the game via rewards.
2. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; It was good to see this deliver and not be a re-skinned AC or Batman clone.
3. Infamous: Second Son

 

[Altima]

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Haven't finished yet but have a lot of hour put into the game. I like the story, the gameplay, a lot of codex and a lot of easter eggs for old Dragon Age fan.
2. Shovel Knight ; I have just finish it. The dev make this game right. Good gameplay, good story, good characters and good music.
3. Destiny ; I spend most time on this game. It is very fun. Its gunplay satisfies me and playing this game with friends is never boring.
4. Bravely Default ; The first half of this game is very good. It can be my GotY if the second half is not terrible.
5. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; A shit load of funny joke and quite good gameplay. I hope we will have the sequel of this game.
6. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ; Best card game in digital format IMO. I have a lot of fun at first but I feel it depends on RNG too much and some cards are poorly balance.
7. The Banner Saga ; One of the most beautiful game I have ever play. Combat system is good and deep but still easy to understand. Making decision is very tense. The game really do not let me have something without sacrifice anything and sometimes I have to pay a lot more and get nothing. Despite a limit of presentation this game did a very good job for indy game.
8. Diablo 3 Reaper of Soul ; Also have a lot of fun at first until I do not know what do I grind for. I love Act V but I feel that story content is too short.
9. Titanfall ; A lot of fun for multiplayer but I feel that it become repetitive very fast.
10. Valiant Hearts ; I'm not the fan of puzzle but I love story of this game.

 

[backflip10019]

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; The only game on this list that I haven't come close to finishing. I haven't seen a world this immersive with so much to see and do since Skyrim. It's so much fun discovering a random corner of a map where you would expect there to be nothing... instead, there's a gigantic hand with a dungeon and puzzle beneath. While the story is solid so far, I'm having the most fun on my own just discovering all the things in the world. I'll be playing this over the next few months.
2. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Shadow of Mordor is the Assassin's Creed game I've always wanted. The combat feels fresh but familiar, and there's nothing more satisfying than beheading an orc who's killed you once before in battle.
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ; Smash is my multiplayer game of the year. While I don't have a Wii U, I played a ton of it on my brother's console. Couch multiplayer is where this game shines, and I was also impressed by the way that Nintendo introduced online battles. While I wish it had more online features (such as stock instead of 2 minute time matches), playing 2v2s against randoms is a blast!
4. Sunset Overdrive ; I'm so glad this game turned out great. The game was surprisingly funny, and the fun of traversing around the vibrant world in Sunset Overdrive can't be topped. The diversity in weapons and upgradeable amps were also a treat.
5. Far Cry 4 ; Yes, it's more Far Cry, but FC4 added a lot to the mix. I had so much fun riding elephants into outposts and just tearing bad guys up. The story was decent, but the open world is where this game shined.
6. Mario Kart 8 ; I had my doubts about MK8, but it really stood out after playing for a few hours. I didn't spend as much time with it as I would have liked, but the time I did spend with it was golden. Shame about the dip in framerate during splitscreen.
7. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; This game was a surprise. It had no right to be as good as it was. While the RPG mechanics weren't the best in the world, I'm a big South Park fan, so this scratched an itch I had for a SP game for a long time.
8. D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die ; SWERRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY! Play this game.
9. Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare ; I spent a ton of time with PvZ. With a varied roster of playable characters and a ton of upgrades, I couldn't stop playing. I also love how Popcap released multiple free updates with new content. Definitely the direction developers should be heading.
10. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ; I also didn't think I'd have a CoD game on my list this year. While I haven't picked up the multiplayer in a while, I thoroughly enjoyed playing through the campaign. I love the changes that the exosuit adds to the game. And virtual Kevin Spacey ain't bad.

Honorable Mentions:
x. Super Time Force ; Great small puzzle/action game.
x. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls ; Fantastic iteration of the game. Would probably be higher up on my list if I had more time to devote to it.
x. Forza Horizon 2 ; One of the best racing games I've ever played. Similar to Diablo, wish I had more time to play it.
x. Halo: Master Chief Collection ; I can't put it on my list because I can't support 343 in how utterly broken this game was at launch, but I can't stop playing it. I'm a huge Halo fan at heart, and this collection (when it works) is my dream.

 

[Rosur]

1. Shadow of Mordor ; - Really enjoyed this game, easily my favourite of the year. Yes the story could have been better especially without Gollum being added in… Though that said combat and innovative Nemesis system and decent amount/ well-done of side content.
2. Dragon Age ; - Still need to complete this but its Bioware's return to form possible be number 1 if I had completed it. That said story isn't bad and better than Mordor's.
3. Smash Wii U ; - The usual great smash gameplay but with 8 players why not. Also my favourite fighting game and only one in the top 10.
4. Last of Us Remastered ; - The PS4 version of the Last of Us finally got me to play it. Great story and gameplay, and unique mp mode.
5. Sunset Overdrive ; - Fun game with lots of movement which I enjoy, though making it hectic sometimes. Seem to be one of the only people that like the 4th wall humour and music. Though with the music I do wish the music just played all of the time rather than when you moved about.
6. Mario Kart 8 ; - Great music, and the usual great Mario Kart gameplay with gorgeous graphics. Also a nice selection of tracks both new and old.
7. Final Fantasy X HD ; - Favourite Final Fantasy game and game I spent the most time with this year (125hrs and got the platinum) but great story and turned based software.
8. South Park: Stick of Truth ; - Massive fan of south park and this IP based video game was good for a change, enjoyed the Super Mario RPG style combat as well.
9. Valliant Hearts ; - One of the most unique games I've played this year. Good story and unique information about WW1
10. Destiny; - Addictive and well done combat but lack of actual story content and lack of non-vehicle pvp playlist is why its number 10 in my Top 10.

 

[lt519]

1. Mario Golf: World Tour ; I just can't resist arcade golfers and it also had one of the best Season Passes of the year. The GAF community was fantastic.
2. Transistor ; Great story and phenomenally deep combat.
3. Mario Kart 8 ; Just always brought a smile to my face, except against GAFcc
4. Child of Light ; One of my favorite RPG combat systems to date.
5. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls ; Just a blast to play with a great new act and toys to play with
6. Infamous: Second Son ; A fun, albiet short, entry to my favorite series
7. South Park & The Stick of Truth ; Combat was a little broken but I was laughing my ass off with the nostalgia trip
8. Infamous: First Light ; A great continuation of Second Son with an amazing Combat Arena
9. Hohokum ; I had no clue what was going on half the time but I loved it
10. Never Alone ; Too short and no replay value but a huge step in bringing culture and learning into games


Honorable Mentions
x. Counterspy ; Had to many things wrong with it but I still loved it all the same. The potential was through the roof.
x. Destiny ; Playing raids may have been the highlight of the year for me but just not a good enough package overall

 

[brau]

1. GTAV PS4 ; I know this is from a previous year, but the tech step up and the amount of work that went into this overhaul just blows my mind. The game looks even better and it competes once again to show why R* are at the top of their game.

2. Dragon Age Inquisition ; Been having a blast with this game. Its storytelling, and characters are interesting. The world is full of things to do, and the art is great. Been an addicting experience.

3. Destiny ; Say what you will, but the times i do get to play Destiny i have a great time. specially when i have friends or family to play with. I think the game is fun, and it just needs more fun things to do if you are not playing with people you know.

4. Middle Earth Shadows of Mordor ; I was very surprised and happy at how good this game was. Combat was fluid and exciting, the nemesis system is amazing. I just hope they can build something bigger and more grand next time.

5. The Evil Within ; Loved this game. It was creepy with its mix of RE and Silent Hill

6. CoD Advance Warfare ; The first CoD game that i get their story and characters and felt involved. It was fun, cliche but well done. I enjoyed the single player a lot, and had fun shooting in MP. I hope this becomes the norm.

7. Lords of the Fallen ; Great entry to a dark soulesque game.

8. Diablo 3 PS4 edition ; I played D3 on PC quite a bit, but didn't feel it was as fun as on PS4. Couch co op and nice controls. It was great.

9. Infamous SS/First Light ; I honestly didn't care for SS as much. But the world is amazing looking. First light actually made the game great for me. It was more fun, and interesting. So i bundled them both as the same.

10. MGS Ground Zeroes ; MGS at its finest. Its not at the top of the list because it was so short. But i am waiting for MGSV for that.

 

[Timeaisis]

someone explain the reserving thing to me

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

Stealth reserving post?

OT, excited to see the results this year. Should be very varied!

 

[KooopaKid]

1. Mario Kart 8 ; Simply the best kart racer ever. Out of a whopping 48 tracks (Including DLC), only 2 or 3 are lacking (Two of them being from Double Dash). The antigravity theme allows for phenomenal track designs, varied and creative courses. The curves and ramps are perfectly placed. The attention to detail, the fluidity of the animation and the perfect handling makes it a joy to play turns after turn after turns. The online simply works, it's fast, easy with almost no wait time, plus it's free . One of those rare games released earlier this year I still play regularly. I logged in more than 80 hours and that makes it my GOTY. 5/5.

2. Bayonetta 2 ; The sequel to the best character action game of the previous generation. Flawless execution from start to finish. Perfectly paced, god-like controls, you are in control 100% of the time, the best enemy designs of the year by a long shot, epic battles, smooth as butter animations, gorgeous colors and effects everywhere. The new combat scenarios are interesting and the new weapons a welcome change. Other than a slight lack of freshness and original situations compared to the first, I can't find much flaws in this game. It might be one of the last games of its kind, you have to play it for historical purpose . 5/5.

3. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ; Nicest surprise of 2014, wasn't expecting it until 2015 in Europe. Cute puzzler where you must shift the camera angles to find your way and hidden gems. Lots of variety in the 70+ levels. Almost every level introduces a new idea, a trademark from EAD Tokyo. Perfect length for 100% completion too. 5/5.

4. The Last Of Us: Left Behind ; Although it's a bit short, it tells its story admirably. This is the proof video-games can develop compelling stories and characters while remaining playable without dumbing down the controls. A lot of very memorable, funny and touching moments. Well played Naughty Dogs. 5/5.

5. Stealth Inc. 2 ; A masterfully designed puzzle game. The interconnected overword is a great addition improving the pacing greatly, making it difficult to stop playing. The designers came up with a lot of different and clever situations for every gadgets. If not for the samey backgrounds, weak story presentation and world building, I would have no problem comparing it to Portal 2 in 2D. 5/5.

6. Shovel Knight ; What if NES games had continued evolving until now? Shovel Knight is the answer. It's more than just a homage, it's a great and original game in its own right. Nothing feels borrowed too heavily from other games. Its only "flaw" is that its relative shortness stops it from feeling like a big adventure like Super Mario Bros 3 was in its time. 4/5

7. The Swapper ; Fantastic art, sound, world building and puzzle design. Unfortunately it's over too soon. 4/5.

8. Pullblox World ; More of the same but still great. A real shame the new mechanics are so underused. 3/5.

Other games I played this year are Scram Kitty And His Buddy On Rails (3/5), Steel Diver: Sub Wars (3/5), Super T.I.M.E Force (3/5), Valiant Hearts (3/5), DKC : Tropical Freeze (3/5), Strider (2/5).5), Strider (2/5).

 

[JimPanzer]

1. Dark Souls 2 ; I was hyped as fuck, unfortunately it didn't deliver completely, but was still the most fun I had with a game this year.
2. Binding of Isaac: Rebirth ; I probably wouldn't even have tried this if it weren't for PS+ - so thanks Sony, I guess.
3. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls ; The switch to console made it for me. I was bored of the vanilla PC version after 10 hours, but spent 80 hours and counting on PS4.
4. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; too many fetch-quests for my taste, but the incredible writing made up for it
5. Destiny ; first 40 hours were awesome, still going back to it once in a while because the shooting feels so good

Honorable Mentions
x. The Evil Within ; sadly too inconsistent, probably would have been my #2 if everything were as good as some of the levels

 

[thequickandthedead]

1. Ace Attorney Investigations 2 ; I've been waiting for this title to be playable in English for a long time now and it certainly didn't disappoint when I finally got to play it in the Summer. I loved how it had the most tightly focused narrative of the entire series while also shedding light on the Ace Attorney lore as a whole. I also loved Logic Chess and feel that it's definitely a mechanic that should be re-introduced in one form or another in future Ace Attorney releases.

2. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ; Absolutely loved it. The story somehow manages to be even more batshit insane than the last game. There's one particular stand-out moment that I will remember for the rest of my life.

3. Binding of Isaac: Rebirth ; Probably my most played game this year despite it coming out so late. Wasn't really in to it on PC but playing it on Vita really made the game click with me. Every single play through really is different and when you finally find a combination that works well, well that's when the game really comes into it's own.

4. Never Alone ; Despite the sometimes frustrating control and platforming issues, playing this game really gave me valuable insight into a culture that is very rarely portrayed with any sort of depth and for that alone I feel this game deserves to be in my top 3.

5. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; While the story may not be all that, the combat is pure ecstasy is just want to feel an invincible badass mowing down entire armies.

 

[ElectronicOldMen]

1. Jazzpunk ; Hooolllly crap this game. I don't even know where to start. You'd be hard pressed to find a game which reflects the sense of humour of its individual creator any more than this one, and while that particular style might not click with everyone who plays it, it clicked so fucking hard with me. Incredibly dense with acid-fueled weirdness and hilarity, it only lasts about 3 hours if you stretch it but those were definitely my 3 favourite hours spent playing any game this year.

Spoiler

Wedding Quake. That fucking vacation map screen. The Scottish tiki hotel receptionist. Everything about the Director. Pigeon degaussing. The action-roll you do into the window of the Soviet Consulate. Pillow-fighting a woman out the bedroom window of a penthouse apartment. The final boss of the game being a Virtual Boy Mario Tennis game where you beat the antagonist to death with a chair.

This fucking game.

2. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; An excellent return to form, reminding you just how engrossing a good Bioware RPG can be in case you ever forgot. They clearly took a lot of pointers from one Skyrim in terms of the amount of content and the exploration possibilities, and it certainly scratches those Bethesda RPG itches damn well - much better than any previous Bioware game. Also helps that the story and characters are great, the environments are beautiful to look at and the combat is rather enjoyable, too. I've already sunk an awful lot of time into this game, and I'm quite happy to sink an awful lot more in. If this is the template Bioware are working from on their future games, I'm really looking forward to the next Mass Effect.

3. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; Definitely my favourite FPS of the year, one of my favourite single-player FPSs in the last few years as well. The combat is very old-school in its sheer pace and brutality in a way that very few games pull off well, it plays fast, hard and incredibly satisfying. It's very well paced, the level design is particularly good, it has a unique and interesting art style, it sounds great and, quite surprisingly, it has a fantastic story, some great writing and acting, unique and in some cases genuinely unnerving characters and a really interesting central concept. The cutscenes have some of the best cinematic direction I've seen in a game, too, they're really quite incredible in that regard. Love it, totally was not expecting this to be as good as it was.

4. Alien: Isolation ; AAA games haven't done horror like this in an awfully long time, if ever. I can't say I'm incredibly invested in the Alien universe, but this game seems incredibly faithful to the look and more importantly feel of that first film in a way that very few licensed games succeed at being, using a single, basically invincible enemy as a driving force behind all of the game's tension and horror is very unique to AAA horror games and works really well. The android and human enemies are fun to fight/sneak around, too, and the level of resource management and some incredibly clever design choices add to the general tension and atmosphere too. Looks and sounds amazing, too. It's far too long and draws itself out to a ridiculous degree in the back third or so, but it's still very impressive.

5. Transistor ; Keep doing what you're doing, Supergiant. Absolutely stunning to look at and to listen too, surprisingly fun to play with some interesting and well thought out mechanics, great voice acting and narration, just generally excellent. I think I preferred Bastion, this lacked some of the emotional punch that game had, but that was one of my favourite games of last generation so that isn't such a bad thing on the grand scheme of things.

6. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; Yes, it's derivative to the nth degree, and doesn't really do a whole lot with its license, but the skill with which all of the borrowed gameplay mechanics from AC, Arkham, etc. are stitched together here with the addition of the unique and rather brilliantly executed nemesis system really makes this particular open world action-adventure stand out among the rest. Cohesive, well made, detailed and an awful lot of fun.

7. South Park: The Stick of Truth ; So many licensed games on this list, damn. You can't really get much better at using a license than this does, though, it looks and sounds absolutely perfect, and the writing and humour of South Park translate so well into this game. Very dense with gags and content, mechanically basic and probably a bit simpler than ideal but still a very good, cohesive whole.

8. Shovel Knight ; I feel to some extent that this is a game I would have enjoyed more had I been older, it trades off a nostalgia towards a very particular time and style of game (Megaman 2, mostly), far more successfully than the thousands of other indie games that trade off nostalgia but it slightly misses on fucking millennials like me. Still really enjoyed my time with it, mechanically tight and fun to play and very well put together.

9. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; Setting games in time periods no-one else would ever set a game in is one of the main attractions to me of the Assassins Creed series, so it's really nice to see Ubisoft going further down that hole on a completely different scale with this. Tells an incredibly touching story and teaches you some very interesting things about WWI, and while the puzzles - the actual gameplay - weren't especially good, I still really liked the experience as a whole. Jesus Christ the ending, too.

10. Far Cry 4 ; Rounding out the back of the list, Ubisoft. Far Cry 3 was probably my 2nd or 3rd favourite game of 2012, and Far Cry 4 is just the same fucking game. It's frustrating, in quite a lot of ways, especially where it starts falling into the same writing and storytelling traps as 3 (for christ sake maybe give your brilliantly written and acted antagonists some proper screen time for once), it also constantly reminds you just how fun this formula can be.

x. GRID Autosport ; For a variety of reasons I won't get into, I played this game more than any other one on this list bar maybe Dragon Age. I have quite a weird personal connection to my experience with it and the head space it put me into, and it's by all accounts a damn solid driving game, but it has enough actual issues as a game that I don't feel comfortable saying that I think it's one of the 10 best of the year.

x. Kerbal Space Program ; It's still not technically out yet, hence I'm still not allowed to put it on the list. But this game is fucking amazing, and you're crazy if you don't give it a try. Easily the best early access game, just so well made and so much fun.

 

[MRORANGE]

Reaerved

 

[Az]

Whats up with the reserves? Is there a limit to how many people can vote?

 

[1st Course]

1. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls ; thinking about I think this might've been my favorite game released this year. I wasn't big on vanilla Diablo 3 but this expac fixed most of my issues with the game. Loot and customization all been improved too and the game is very fun when played with friends.
2. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Great game. Was my no.1 but thinking about it the game does have its flaws. Quests specifically could've been designed better.
3. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
4. Far Cry 4
5. FIFA 15 ; the good old football game
6. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

edit: changed Diablo to 1

 

[DPhentom]

1. FTL: Advance Edition ; I have never backed a game on Kickstarter and this game makes me wish I could have backed it. I love the rouge-like elements in the game and the music is some of the best out there.

2. Titanfall ; The FPS genre is one of my favorites, and Titanfall to me is the best in the genre. Call of Duty with Mechs? Sign me up!

3. Rogue Legacy ; I have played many rouge-likes from Nuclear Throne to Binding of Isaac and none have been more fun than Rogue
Legacy.

4. Transistor ; The music in this game is top notch and has an even better combat system to go with it.

5. Killer Instinct Season 2 ; The inclusion of Tj, Maya, and Kan-ra was such a great start for season two, but with the release of raptor I feel like IG/MS need to slow it down before they end up releasing complete unfinished characters. Still the best fighting game I have ever played.

6. Sunset Overdrive ; The world and transversal in this game is some of the best in the open world genre. Its the only open world where I have never fast traveled in.

7. Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition; Better than Metroid :0, on a serious not I really enjoyed the humor and the platforming in the game.

8. The Talos Principle ; I think this could have been higher in my list if I had played more of it. If I had the time I would have liked to dig in more into the terminals and see the entirety of what the game had to offer.

9. Mercenary Kings ; I truly hope this game gets a sequel since I believe it has so much potential. I think its the only game I played through all the missions more than once. I know it has a couple of problems and if it gets a sequel I hope they get rid of the grinding aspects.

10. This War of Mine ; I really enjoyed playing this game but man does it need cheetah mode.

x. Bayonetta 2 ; 0 points
x. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; I wish this game had multiplayer to see their take on it.

Spoiler

My true GOTY:
DOTA 2 : I started playing in December and have close to 200 hours played. I also work and go to school full time to put that number in to prospective. I have been a console gamer my entire life and always scoffed at the idea of MOBA's. 200 hours and I still haven't scratched the surface.

 

[Revan]

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition
2. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
2. The Last of Us: Remastered
3. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
4. Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate
5. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeros
6. Minecraft
7. Madden 15
8. NHL 15

Will add thoughts later...

 

[Dawg]

1. The Last of Us: Remastered ;

I didn't play The Last of Us when it originally released in 2013, I am ashamed to admit this. I'm used to playing Naughty Dog games day-one, so it's not something I was happy to do either. I was just tired of last gen consoles and by the time this game was released, I had already sold my PlayStation 3 in anticipation for the PlayStation 4. I had to suffer the insane praise this game received without being able to experience it for myself. Because of this, I still consider it a miracle I was able to play The Last of Us: Remastered in 2014 without having things spoiled for me. I had to avoid any TLOU-related threads for a full year and it isn't something I'd like to do again. That said, finally being able to play the damn thing with a decent framerate and a 1080p resolution kinda justifies the wait for me. I don't have a clue how it looked on PlayStation 3, but the Remaster looks wonderful and plays wonderful. It was an amazing experience and easily the best story I've played all year. There simply was no competition. So picking my #1 this year wasn't exactly difficult. There's a great many games I enjoyed in 2014, but nothing came close to The Last of Us. Nothing. Was it worth the wait? We endure and survive. I guess.

2. Dragon Age: Inquisition ;

2014 was supposed to be the year where my most anticipated RPG would finally release: The Witcher 3. Unfortunately, the game was delayed. Multiple times. The game I was looking forward the most was suddenly dropped from 2014 and I had to do with Dragon Age: Inquisition. Considering how much I hated its predecessor, this wasn't something I was looking forward to. I knew the game had more ambition and I knew BioWare wanted to fix the mistakes from Dragon Age II, but I was still very skeptical. When I finally received the game, it would end up being the game I'd play the most in 2014. Over a 100 hours, that's how long I spent in Thedas. I slowly became addicted to the combat, the many different locations and the huge amount of sidecontent. I'm an experienced MMO player so the "fetch quests" didn't really bother me that much and I still think a lot of the sidequests had an entertaining storyline. That said, the main storyline did disappoint me. The game started off great, but it's a shame I can't say the same about its ending. It's a safe ending for sure, but the main villain was reduced to a little threat and I missed his presence throughout the game as well. That's about the biggest disappointment for me, because I enjoyed everything else. Definitely worthy of a second place.

3. Wolfenstein: The New Order ;

I'm going to be honest here. I've never been a fan of the Wolfenstein games. When I was younger, I used to play the old Wolfenstein 3D game but that was about it. I've never played any of the other games. So when my editor-in-chief asked me to cover Wolfenstein: The New Order at Gamescom '13, I wasn't exactly excited. I knew nothing about the game except that it was a first-person shooter without multiplayer. After doing some research, I found out a lot of the ex-Starbreeze guys were working on the game and that was probably the turnaround for me. I'm a huge fan of the old Riddick games and knowing the same guys were working on this game had me excited, even if I didn't really care about the IP. Once I played the Gamescom demo, I knew this game would be good. I still remember the reception to this game being mixed because it looked like a regular FPS game, but once I played the demo, I knew it would turn out to be a good game. I just knew. Once the full game came out, it turned out I was right. It ended up being my favourite FPS game of 2014. It's not even close. Wolfenstein: The New Order is proof that there is still room for more FPS games.

4. Metal Gear: Ground Zeroes ;

It's easy to criticize Ground Zeroes for its length. Technically, you can finish the game in less than an hour and call it a day. People who do that and complain about it afterwards, well, I can't really blame them. If you're not an experienced Metal Gear Solid player, you won't understand the appeal. At face value, you have just one tiny location where you can do a few different missions over and over... and over. Sounds boring. But for the real fans, it's essentially a small playroom to test out all the new mechanics we can expect in the full game. Because you have just one location in which you can do stuff, players get crazy original. I've seen the most hilarious ways to complete a mission and to this day, people still find new stuff to do. For me, that's a great testament of the amount of detail Kojima puts in his games. For that alone, it's worth a spot in my top 10.

5. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor ;

Shadow of Mordor is one of the best surprises of 2014. Its Nemesis system delivered on what it promised and went even further than that. It's probably one of the best AI systems I've experienced in quite a while. Enemies remembering you and their appearance changing based on last fight with them is quite cool. The combat system starts off slow and simple, but once you unlock a few skills and get further into the game, there's a lot more variety and difficulty. That said, once I finished the game I was basically a god-like warrior who could defeat hundreds of enemies without a sweat. It became a little too easy. The reason I'm not putting this game higher on my list is the disappointing story. It's just... there... but does nothing more. And the ending, including the final boss fight, is just not good in my opinion. I hope they work on this for the sequel which I'm sure is coming after the success of this title.

6. The Evil Within ;

7. Warlords of Draenor ;

8. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ;

Never thought I'd list a Call of Duty game in my top 10, but here we are. To be fair, this year was fairly weak in terms of great games and Call of Duty was fairly good, so it's only normal I'd mention it. While the core gameplay is still same ol' CoD, I really did appreciate all the new things. Stuff like threat grenades and the exoskeleton were things I really liked using. And the story with Kevin Spacey was quite entertaining, especially after the awful Call of Duty: Ghosts from last year. The multiplayer also feels fresh and the dynamic maps is something I can appreciate. Beyond that, it's still the same old Call of Duty to me with a few changes here and there. Worthy of a mention, but nothing more.

9. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls ;

I didn't expect I would like Diablo III again, but Reaper of Souls managed to surprise me. The series went back to its roots, back to the dark and eery feeling from the original games. I really liked the darker atmosphere from the expansion and story was all right too, but the most important bit was the gigantic update that changed a lot of the core gameplay. Loot was drastically changed and we finally got more legendaries. Random dungeons were introduced with the Rifts & Adventure system. The shitty Real Money Auction House disappeared. And I really liked the new Crusader class. It was the expansion that made me like the game again, but at the same time it arrived a little late. Once I was done with the expansion and I got some decent gear, I quit. I just couldn't get into it anymore. I'll probably get the next expansion again, but I don't see myself becoming an active Diablo player ever again.

10. Driveclub ;

I really wish I could put Driveclub higher. The game deserves praise and it's a shame it didn't score that good with other critics. Unfortunately, I can't ignore the online issues. No matter how much I love the core gameplay of this game, the online issues took way too long to fix and I ended up not playing the game for a good month. That's a damn shame, because it's one of the best racing games I've played in years. I've seen some people complain about the handling and the driving itself, but I love it. The sense of speed I feel in this game is something I have never felt before. It feels so realistic. And the game sounds so good as well. It's all tied up perfectly with the most impressive graphics you can imagine. I've seen screenshots of this game that could probably fool me for real-life shots if I didn't know it was Driveclub. If it wasn't for the disastrous launch, I would certainly rate this game higher. I do hope Evolution gets another shot at a racing game, they certainly deserve it.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

1. Bayonetta 2; easily the best game I've played all year. One of the best action games I've ever played, really.
2. Mario Kart 8; polished, fun, great soundtrack. Great DLC value.
3. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor; innovative Nemesis system that keeps things fresh.
4. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze; one of the best platformers in recent years.
5. Alien: Isolation; scariest full game this year. P.T. was scarier, but I'm not going list a demo. Doesn't seem right.
6. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U; what can be said? It's Smash Bros. Online is quite good this time around.
7. Divinity: Original Sin; a great Kickstarter success. Best RPG of the year.
8. Destiny; gorgeous, great music, amazing FPS gunplay. The gear grind keeps this from being higher than it should.
9. Shovel Knight; best indie game of the year.
10. Wolfenstein: The New Order; excellent FPS campaign that harkens back to old school shooters.

Honorable Mentions
x. Driveclub ; incredible driving experience brought down by a terrible launch.
x. Dragon Age: Inquisition; I'm only a dozen hours in, so my I might end up liking this more down the road, but it doesn't quite stack up to Dragon Age: Origins. Still an excellent RPG.

 

[sploatee]

I'm leaving this at the top as a testament to how suggestible I am: "I'm only reserving because everybody else is and I want to be like them."


1. Mario Kart 8 ; Mario Kart 8 is just like the essence of what makes Nintendo games great distilled into one handy package - attention to detail, solid and proven mechanics, beautiful art and sound design and a sense of lightness, colour and fun in every single aspect of it. It plays so well and it's just so "smooth" - not just in the 60fps graphics, but in the way it plays, the way the online works, the unlocking system, the time trials...everything just works and gets out of your way so you can get on with having fun.

2. Titanfall ; I've only played 4 hours of it so far, but that 4 hours feels like 40 hours of action condensed ten-fold. The game is so preposterously chaotic and so damn fast my heart is in my mouth from the moment I drop into the warzone. For all of its flaws (the campaign is pointless and, no matter how well designed the game is, there's not £50 of content here), each match is just joyous mayhem from start to finish. It's such a shame that it's not gained the traction it deserves.

3. Destiny ; I can't imagine ever playing it again and I still feel that it's an exploitative mess, but for 150 hours I lived, breathed, slept Destiny. Even at work I couldn't stop thinking about playing it. I feel slightly bitter now towards the game and the attitude that Bungie have towards it - I even feel conflicted about putting it in here, but the way it addicted me was been like nothing else. I began to understand how MMO players sometimes disappear from real life in favour of the 'other place'

4. Counterspy ; A simple and fun take on PS1-era stealth games with a wonderful Pixar-esque aesthetic. it's only short, but I replayed it four or five times to unlock all of the various toys the game gives the player. The barely above-average reviews it got were deserved (it's glitchy, it's shallow and there's a lack of variety), but I had a lovely six or so hours with it over the course of three weeks of lunchbreaks and it always sent me back to work with a smile.

5. Metal Gear Solid 5 : Ground Zeroes ; Length isn't everything. I may not have enjoyed replaying the side missions too much, but the base mission was atmospheric, eerie and intense. The way - and the extent to which - it indirectly referenced Guantanamo Bay was braver than anything else I've played this year and gave the mission an intensity and relevance far beyond the other Metal Gear Solid games I've played. It looked beautiful, too, and had the best use of a song in a game I've seen this year (or maybe ever).


Honorable Mentions

x. The Last of Us: Remastered ; It doesn't feel right listing this in the main list, but the remastered version was my first encounter with the game. It's ever-so-slightly overrated, but I've never played a game before with such an absorbing and moving "cinematic narrative". The gameplay - while secondary - isn't half bad either.

x. Fez; Again it doesn't feel right listing this in the main list, but Fez is my favourite game, ever. I won't go into it in detail as everybody already has done that for me, but it's a true masterpiece and has stayed with me like no other game has.

(oh and in case anybody is reading this, Bayonetta 2, Wolfenstein and Dragon Age were all good - but just haven't really stayed with me)

 

[Servbot24]

Work in progress:

1. Dark Souls II
2. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
3. Super Smash Bros Brawl
4. Bayonetta 2
5. Pix the Cat
6. Mario Kart 8
7. Transistor
8. Freedom Wars
9. Infamous Second Son
10. Wolfenstein

 

[Captainbojanglesiii]

1. Super Smash Bros. for WiiU ; Smash WiiU takes what was done in the 3DS version and improves upon it all. The events in this game are great, but I can't speak for co-op events as I haven't really tried them out yet. Classic mode is more akin to what we saw in Melee or Brawl, but still retains elements from the 3DS version of this title. All-star mode is the same thing, but it is still fun to run through the entire roster with your limited health regen supplies. The minigames I don't particularly care for, but I did play cruel smash once again on WiiU and it is still very much a challenge. I was sure to use each character in some mode, as well as play each gametype. In terms of the online, the netcode seemed superior to that of its 3DS counterpart, but honestlly, I'm unsure if there is a major difference. What really makes this game though is how much content there is, as well as just how much fun you can have while playing. This is very easily my 2014 GOTY, and I don't want to stop playing it now, or anytime soon.

2. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor ; The nemesis system is great. The main story is not. Most of my enjoyment of this game came from taking down Sauron's Army in unique ways, be it through stealth, or fighting through a huge crowd of enemies. I had a lot of fun with this one, but it's main story holds it back.

3. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS ; Is it worse than Smash WiiU? Obviously, but I'm not going to ignore this title. I have played Smash 3DS for 90+ hours, and have had some great online experiences. The game is fun nonetheless and it's not fair of me to ignore it despite there being two versions of this game.

4. Velocity 2X ; Take the originality from Velocity Ultra, and then add in platforming levels. Everything is better. The soundtrack, level design and polish are all better than the original title, which itself was already a great game. The game is so good, and is just a blast to play.

5. Dark Souls II ; No, it's not as good as Dark Souls, but it really is a great game. The lore isn't as solid, the atmosphere is weaker, the bosses are more generic, but it's still really good. Maybe once I play the DLC the game will move up a few spots, but for now it's not as good as the other games.

6. Mario Kart 8 ; Yet another great Mario Kart. This game is gorgeous in movement. The character roster is awesome and the track selection even more so. The lack of battle maps is a bit concerning, but everything else has the capability of making up for it, leaving the game at a respectable number for me.

7. The Wolf Among Us - Episodes 2-5 ; Telltale did a lot better with this one than I expected. I fully expected this game to be a bust, but honestly it might be almost as good as The Walking Dead: The Game. Bigby was a great character to play as, and the overall tone of this game really appealed to me. I hope we get to play more The Wolf Among Us in the coming years.

8. Towerfall Ascension ; This game is very high quality despite not being the biggest title on my list. The multiplayer is awesome, even if I have to use SharePlay to play with a friend online. The quest mode is awesome and very challenging if you're alone. The sprite work looks beautiful and the OST is arguably one of the best of the whole year.

9. Valiant Hearts: The Great War ; Ubisoft messed up all year long, but they delivered on one game for me. That game is Valiant Hearts. The gameplay is simplistic, but I like it. The Ubiart engine is awesome and the graphical style works well. The story is where the game shines, and makes you really feel for the characters. Surprisingly great game.

10. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare ; When EA revealed this game back at E3 2013, I assumed it was going to be terrible, but a bit humorous to play. EA actually proved me wrong on that one. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is actually really fun. Is it the best third-person shooter? Of course not, but it has a ton of charm and surprisingly good map design that makes it a blast to play in the competitive multiplayer, or Garden Ops, which is similar to horde modes seen in other games.

 

[Uno Venova]

someone explain the reserving thing to me

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

It's really weird, but I guess people love being on the first page.

 

[Slixshot]

1. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ;
2. Super Smash Bros Wii U ;
3. Transistor ;
4. Mario Kart 8 ;
5. South Park The Stick of Truth ;
6. Wolfenstein: The New Order ;
7. Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls ;
8. inFamous: First Light ;
9. Sunset Overdrive ;
10. The Last of Us: Remastered ;

 

[Sub_Level]

someone explain the reserving thing to me

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

Gonna reply to you but have to do errands around the house right now.

Reserving in the meantime. Will reply in a few years.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition ; Completely redeems BioWare for Shit Mountain. Beautiful game, good combat, amazing story. It answered so many questions and made many more. The replay value is almost infinite.
2. inFAMOUS: Second Son
3. Sniper Elite 3
4. inFAMOUS: First Light
5. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
6. The Legend of Korra

 

[JetBlackPanda]

JetBlackPanda's GOTY 2014

1. Destiny; Best multi player game I have ever played, Countless memories already with my friends. The raid alone is worth the price of admission.
2. The Last Of Us Remastered; Breathtaking, harrowing and moving experience. Do I need to really say more?
3. Wolfenstein The New Order; Amazing game that took me by surprise it has flashes of half life 2 and the gunplay is excellent.
4. Grand Theft Auto V; The technical side of this game is mindblowing, single player has an amazing narrative and online is some of the most fun you can have with your buddies.
5. Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition; The Console version of this game runs amazingly well and the controls are perfect for a console loot game. What else can you say? its couch co-op Diablo.
6. Bravely Default; Some minor annoyances with end game grinding but the overall game and battle system is fresh and enjoyable. I loved the art style.
7. Hearthstone; Hours lost on the couch with friends battling it out. Its almost replaced my MTG time. typical Blizzard polish.
8. Dragon Age: Inquisition; Bioware back to their old form. Simple as that.
9. Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes; I had flashbacks of playing the MGS Demo on PSX while playing this prologue and that's a good thing. The graphics are mind blowing and really show off what the FOX engine can do.
10. Transistor; While the narrative is a little hard to follow the gameplay and soundtrack is amazing.

 

[ElTorro]

1. The Last of Us: Left Behind ; Best DLC of all time. Adds another great layer to Ellie's story.
2. The Last of Us: Remastered ; The game is just too good to not be played again.
3. Destiny ; The hottest 3/5 of the year. A love/hate relationship.
4. Driveclub ; I liked the game before it got weather-patched. Awesome tracks, great balance between simulation and arcade, and very engaging time trials.
5. Grand Theft Auto 5 ; brings the open-world sandbox to a new level.
6. Infamous: Second Son ; For the inner douche in you. Great visuals and sound track.
7. Mario Kart 8 ; It's Mario Kart.
8. Titanfall ; Wall-running, son.
9. Alien: Isolation ; it claimed my man-card, but I refused; barely.
10. Wolfenstein: The New Order ; sex-scene of the year.

 

[Jigorath]

1. Dark Souls 2
2. Shovel Knight
3. South Park: The Stick of Truth
4. Lords of the Fallen
5. Titanfall
6. Infamous: Second Son
7. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
8. The Last of Us Remastered
9. Wolfenstein: The New Ordor
10. GTAV