Man, I'm kinda bummed about the lack of an LTTP category. Metal Gear Rising (consoles) and Tearaway are two games that I would have loved to right about.
I guess MGR is saved for SOTY LTTP haha.
Unfortunately, I'm only doing a top 3 because I haven't been able to play many new games this year; what with me only having a Wii U, 3DS and Vita and all. I have played more than that, but I didn't like them enough to feel they even deserve to be on the top 10. (I'll write about them in the Honourable Mentions)
Anyway, without further ado, my rather underwhelming and Nintendo heavy GOTY list...
1.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ; The platformer genre is my absolute favourite, and the DKC series is one platforming series that I'm a huge fan of. Thinking back, I called that it was going to be my GOTY the moment of reveal. DKCTF met my expectations and reminded me of my love for the series. DKC games are truly unique platformers with emphasis on dynamics and fast paced, linear platforming, and TF was an excellent entry that is arguably the best of them all.
Is it the best platformer ever? In my opinion, no. Honestly, it's not even the best on the Wii U depending on the time of day, as NSMBU was a game that I also love. I can't even tell if I prefer it over DKC2 or DKCR. I will say, though, that it is incredibly consistent and well paced. The game captures your attention from the very first level, and gradually gets more and more interesting as you progress through the game, from its impeccable level design to its superb art direction. I was hooked right from the beginning, and even replayed it again right after because I enjoyed it that much. I can't say the same for any other game, actually.
What sets it apart from other games in the genre is the sheer enormity and diversity of its world. Each level is like its own story, with so many details in the art direction that are so easily missed but yet strangely gives the game some replayability. When I was on my second playthrough, paying more attention to the backgrounds and such, I found so many things that are new, and it felt like I was re-exploring the world. It really made me appreciate the game a lot more. It doesn't seem to me like there's even any reused asset at all, compared to say NSMBU. The background is an indicator of your progress of a level. The beginning of the level is nothing like the end of it. The sense of progression of this game is simply amazing for a 2D platformer. Granted, DKCR did this too, but it's not as evident as in DKCTF. Every level is thematically connected to the last one in some way, all while still not feeling repetitive. You traverse through mangroves and , and eventually end up in a factory of large fruits. It's a surreal and memorable if not emotional journey, and it's one about a damn ape wearing a tie. I don't even need to touch on the music.
The game is exactly what you'd want out of a DKC title. Filled with brisk and dynamic level design that is challenging yet fair. An exciting game that leaves you on your toes constantly, one that demands you to play by its own rules and kongquer it. For some, it's unappealing, and that's fine. But for me? It's wonderful. A perfect complementary to NSMBU's open toy box level design that allows freedom for the player to approach a level, DKCTF is a game that isn't afraid to do things how it wants to do it. In return, this makes levels much more varied and different from each other. Normally other platformers stick with one gimmick throughout the level, but TF combines three, and switches it up, so that levels never drag or overstay their welcome, despite their rather long length. (Compared to NSMBU).
But the level design truly shines when you realize just how engrossing and addicting it is to control DK. This game is momentum platforming at its finest, and you can feel the weight of the big ape right in your hands, yet it isn't slow - on the contrary, speedrunning this game makes it seem a bit too fast. Levels are DESIGNED with the controls in mind, from the platfrom layouts to enemy placement, everything is perfectly put into place so you can bulldoze your way through the level at a speed where you can't help call him Sonic the tie-wearing Gorilla.
All in all Tropical Freeze is an enjoyable platformer. I'd call it a complete package, even. Everything just flows perfectly in the game. I can't like it enough, it was GOTY the moment I finished it. No, the moment I played it. I knew exactly what I was in for and I'm very glad I got to play this game.
2.
Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire ; Truth be told, I've been very harsh on Pokemon lately. It's one of my favourite childhood series but yet the last installment that I truly enjoyed was Platinum. Gen 5 nearly made me quit the series all together, and while I enjoyed X/Y, it was completely forgettable. (HG/SS made me realize how frustrating gen 2 was, more than anything.) I even got bored of competitive battling entirely by gen . The moment this remake was announced, I didn't care. I was done. I didn't see any reason to buy it.
But the original games are far and away my favourite in the series. While my first Pokemon game was Gold, it wasn't until Ruby that I finally got into the games after years of watching the anime as a kid. I have never, ever been so engrossed to a game in my life like I have with Ruby. It's a game that is very special to me, and to my friends and family as well. It wasn't even near the first game I ever bought, but it's the one that I'm very nostalgic towards if that makes any sense. In a way, I felt like I might as well visit Hoenn again.
And I have no regrets. I'm voting for this game on a very personal level, not only for nostalgia, but also because it provided me for something that I really needed the past weeks: a distraction. Without getting into detail about it, I suffer from chronic eczema, and I've been having some awful flare ups lately. However, playing Pokemon Omega Ruby has significantly eased the situation for me and made me forget about the pain instead of getting deeply depressed about it like usual, and for that, I'm really grateful towards the game.
But let's go the game itself. It makes some steps forward, but also steps backward. The biggest problem with this remake is that it hardly fixes the originals' flaws. The only things I could think of are the decreased encounter rate in water and the better narrative overall. The latter is honestly insignificant, but I did appreciate it regardless.
What the game did however was remind me of exactly why Hoenn was my favourite. Sure, it could be just nostalgia, but I don't really think I let nostalgia get in the way. After Kalos, it made me appreciate just how brisk the pacing of Hoenn was. There really aren't any moments that slow down the game. The region is just vast and fun, with tons of places to see and explore. The Pokemon selection is a bit underwhelming at first, but it opens up incredibly. Hoenn's Pokemon designs are also my favourite, or at least tied with Johto's. They're fantastically creative, ranging from a fire muay thai fighter, to a tree that has a Japanese tengu for its face, to a young Cicada that evolves into an adult one and also the shed husk of itself, to an interesting Pokemon styled mongoose/snake rivalry, and it gave us camels, walruses, sharks, and even sumo wrestlers. Personally, it's a region that I never tire of.
Unfortunately it has its flaws. Mainly that, and honestly my big one, trainer rosters are just underwhelming. They're mostly samey and repetitive. Emerald improved it a bit, but ORAS strictly follows R/S's...well, everything. It completely ignored a lot of Emerald's improvements, and honestly the Battle Frontier is the biggest omission of all.
But it does add a certain neat feature that really sells the whole game: DexNav. I love this so much because it brought back the rewarding sense of wonder in capturing wild Pokemon. It made me feel like I was exploring Hoenn all over again, since I always stopped to get the best Pokemon that I could find in each route. It made me take my time with the game instead of rushing through it like what I usually do with Pokemon games now, and it really made me feel like a kid again in a rather strange way.
Overall, I enjoyed ORAS. Revisiting my favourite region was a joy, and I'm glad I got to remember exactly what I loved about the series. I'm really glad that I didn't end up skipping over this game after all, and I also had a fun time at the OT with the rest of PokeGAF. Also bonus, my team!
3.
Super Smash Bros for Wii U ; This is Smash 4.
It is not focused on zero to death combos. It is not Smash 64. It is not an incredibly fast, aggressive and technical game. It is not Melee. It is not a slow paced game where safe, defensive tactics are highly dominant. It is not Brawl.
This is Smash 4. A game where footsies and spacing are more important than ever. A game where the neutral position is where most of the fights will be on. A game where every character can compete so far. A game where yomi is more rewarding and satisfying.
But perhaps it's too early to say, as the metagame hasn't developed yet. I'm focusing mainly on the competitive aspects of it, as it's too easy to say that this game is very content filled, that I feel like I don't need to just say anything about that. But at the same time it's such a young game to start talking about the metagame, so I'm kinda in a blank on what to say here.
I suppose I could say that in a lot of ways this game actually reminds me of Street Fighter 4. It's Smash Bros with heavy emphasis on footsies, and that's actually pretty awesome. Playing the Wii U version online lately, and watching videos of tournaments, it's really clear to me that whoever spaces better gets the win. Not constant shield pressure, not by being patient, but by outsmarting the other in neutral. The game is actualy incredibly fun and satisfying as a result. Getting a kill is such an amazing feeling in this game compared to others. Fundamentals really shine in this game.
And I guess that's really all I could say. I'm just really liking the current state of the game so far, and I'm really excited to see how much the metagame evolves. I feel like it has potential to be an incredibly engaging competitive game.
Shoutouts to SmashGAF for being a bunch of awesome people to talk and play against!
Honorable Mentions
x. Mario Golf: World Tour ;
x. Mario Kart 8 ;
x. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ;
x. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ;
I'll come back and edit my comments for my top 3 since I feel like there's more that I could say here, and as well as add to my honourable mentions. I might even add more games since I've got some that I've yet to finish or even play. I'm just really tired right now and had a long day lol.
I tried expressing my views the best as I could. Hopefully this is good enough.