• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Was 2014 the worst year for AAA releases ever?

meanspartan

meanspartan

Member
BOMBCAST GOTY WINNER SPOILED BELOW











So just finished up listening to Bombcast's very entertaining and long game of the year discussion. They gave the big prize to Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, and it seems entirely likely that at least some other sites will as well.

I have no problem with the game, I expected nothing from it and it ended up being a pleasant surprise. The world was kind of boring and the Batman style combat is wearing a bit thin for me, but the Nemesis system was cool and innovative (and I bet soon to be copied) and it did Assassin's Creed better than Ubisoft has managed of late. A good 8/10 game for me all in all.

But GOTY? I think Shadows of Mordor taking the big prize from the Giant Bomb crew says less about how great that game was, and more about how horrible 2014 was in regards to AAA releases. Broken games and disappointments were everywhere, people were let down enough that a merely pretty good game could actually win.

Let's look at previous Giant Bomb GOTYs:

2008- Grand Theft Auto 4
2009- Uncharted 2
2010- Mass Effect 2 (funny way to spell Red Dead Redemption)
2011- Skyrim
2012- Xcom: Enemy Unknown
2013- The Last of Us

And if we go beyond Giant Bomb to look further back, you see games like Bioshock, Shadow of the Colossus, God of War, etc. taking the top award from most places. Can anyone really argue that Mordor is in the same league as games like that?

Shadow of Mordor just doesn't hang. If there were a "Game of the Year Legends" tournament, Shadow of Mordor would be at or near the bottom. 2014 was kind of a bummer for AAA.

/rant I guess.

So, if you disagree, let me know what year you think was worse, or why you think 2014 was actually good for AAA releases. And when I say "Worst year ever", I am using my frame of reference as someone who was born in 1989 and began gaming on an SNES in '93. So if 1981's big Atari releases let you down old timers, let me know why.
 
It was a pretty meh year overall but in 2012 most sites awarded Journey or The Walking Dead GOTY so that was also a weak year for large budget productions. But I don't think this year was really that bad. I just think it shows you how publishers are consolidating releases, taking fewer risks overall, and how next-gen development is causing some titles to be delayed.

Also, don't forget Nintendo. They had 3 or 4 very high quality AAA releases this year covering a number of genres.
 
Depend what you qualify as AAA games.
There were some very good games released on PC and WiiU the past year.
 
Nintendo definitely wins 2014 in the AAA space

I can barely argue for the other side at this point

2015 is looking much better though.... like across the board
 
Y2Kev said:
It was a pretty meh year overall but in 2012 most sites awarded Journey or The Walking Dead GOTY so that was also a weak year for large budget productions. But I don't think this year was really that bad. I just think it shows you how publishers are consolidating releases, taking fewer risks overall, and how next-gen development is causing some titles to be delayed.

Also, don't forget Nintendo. They had 3 or 4 very high quality AAA releases this year covering a number of genres.
Click to expand...

2012 was a weaker year, but it had Dishonored, Far Cry 3, Max Payne 3 (I stand by that game being awesome), Mass Effect 3, and Xcom.

And ya, I did kind of forget Nintendo :-/ Really gotta get a Wii U lol.
 
No no no, ive got so many great games to play that I feel like selling my Xbox one.

But seriously, I don't know where to begin, more so then last year.
 
It sure seems like it, despite Nintendo's best efforts.

I strongly agree about Shadow of Mordor. It seems like it was the least lousy big budget game of the year (not made by Nintendo, because, y'know...) so everyone just shrugged and said "yeah, I guess it's the best."

They could have done the right thing and given GOTY to Shovel Knight, but that's not their styyyyyyyyyyyyyyle.
 
meanspartan said:
Let's look at previous Giant Bomb GOTYs:

2008- Grand Theft Auto 4
2009- Uncharted 2
2010- Mass Effect 2 (funny way to spell Red Dead Redemption)
2011- Skyrim
2012- Xcom: Enemy Unknown
2013- The Last of Us
Click to expand...

I'm used to being "out of the loop" of the popular games and genres, but as it happens I haven't owned any of those games. I'm probably not a reference for quality evaluation then (or at least, not one that could apply to the majority), but I've been quite satisfied with the 2014 production. Titanfall alone made it worth it, and even if I haven't had enough time to play them, the quality of WiiU games has been very impressive indeed.

As for worse years, I don't have a great memory for what released when. I don't remember being extra-thrilled by last year's production anyway (although it was balanced by the release of the new gen). So I suppose that as far as games are concerned, 2013 felt worse than 2014.
 
Taking a single outlet's choices an using that as the basis for making that kind of judgement seems like a huge oversimplification. Not that it can't spur discussion, but as was already mentioned, other sites will have vastly different choices from year to year than Giant Bomb, who are a smaller group, and their lists are more focused on their own personal favorites as they do not have the same "play everything" mantra IGN/Gamespot/etc. have.

From that list you posted of their past year GOTY I would argue that X-COM would have difficulty "hanging" with the others in regards to it being AAA. Not that it wasn't an awesome game, but in terms of it being a AAA release (a big budget, mainstream appeal title) I think that is certainly debatable.
 
It was a great year if you count Nintendo as AAA. Otherwise it was dismal. Then again, horrible AAA years might actually be a good thing, hopefully it rights the ship, makes people less infatuated with production values so they finally understand they've been playing the same polished up turds for ten years in a row only buggier, with weaker design and more filling bar bullshit as a harbinger of the macrotransaction armageddon soon upon us, and they will start craving new experiences and more meaningful games than glossy murder simulators and pigs can fly and the rapture is long past.
 
This year was basically the 2006 of last gen in a lot of ways. Everything we thought was going to be awesome and exciting about the new generation of consoles and such got delayed into next year, except unlike 2006 which did have some great games 2014's blockbusters mostly fell flat on their faces.

The thing is though, AAA isn't as important to the core as it used to be, so even though 2014's big stuff was all flair and fizzle it didn't really matter because there were a shitload of great little indie games and (on the PC anyways) a resurgance of the mid-tier thanks to alternative forms of funding like KS and simply that Steam has gotten big enough now that people can make /lots/ of money just putting games on there.

I expect 2015 will be a good year for AAA now that we've gotten past the bumpy points and are into the modern AAA release window for games fully developed on final retail SKUs (24-36 months of development), but unlike coming into 2007, I don't really care all that much anymore because the little guys who don't have to worry about selling a game that litterally everyone who buys it can reasonably complete in order to have workable profit margins will continue to pump out more dedicated experiences for people because they can make money doing so.


Like my most anticipated games of next year are Hotline Miami 2, Satellite Reigns, Pillars of Eternity, Torment 2, and Bloodborne. Only one of those games can even marginally be considered "AAA", and just barely. So honestly...

*shrug* @ AAA
 
Not the worst year ever, but, this year was pretty lousy. And, I think Shadow of Mordor being so high on so many lists is indicative of that. It's a good game, but, come on.
 
Let's look at previous Giant Bomb GOTYs:
Click to expand...

Let's not. Let's look at GAF Goty(2008: MGS4, 2012: Journey/TWD) and which got the highest scores on aggregate sites instead. Shadow of Mordor is not the highest scoring game of the year, Dragon Age Inquisition, Dark Souls 2, Bayo 2, Mario Kart8, Smash and probably a few more scored higher than it.

But yeah, 2014 was kind of like an off year like 2012. I felt it also on the very few retail exclusives and lack of blockbuster this holiday from Sony.

Relatively speaking, at this point of time in this gen we're still in 2006. Looking back at the AAA support back then, it wasn't much better. This gen has already produced more hits.
 
2 Slice Toaster said:
Taking a single outlet's choices an using that as the basis for making that kind of judgement seems like a huge oversimplification. Not that it can't spur discussion, but as was already mentioned, other sites will have vastly different choices from year to year than Giant Bomb, who are a smaller group, and their lists are more focused on their own personal favorites as they do not have the same "play everything" mantra IGN/Gamespot/etc. have.

From that list you posted of their past year GOTY I would argue that X-COM would have difficulty "hanging" with the others in regards to it being AAA. Not that it wasn't an awesome game, but in terms of it being a AAA release (a big budget, mainstream appeal title) I think that is certainly debatable.
Click to expand...

I was more using Giantbomb as a case study of sorts, but yes I see your point.
 
Heh, my buddy and I were talking about this last night.

Outside of nintendo, there were a lot of good but not amazing games.

Mordor is a good game but doesn't scream GotY to me.

Now 2015 seems like it will be very special. Metal gear, bloodborne, zelda...

Not to mention a new Star Wars, avengers on the movie front.

2015 looks like something special.
 
Idk, I don't ever agree with giant bomb guys, wolfenstein felt like the best choice to me for game of the year strictly because no one thought it was going to be that good.
 
Every year has been weak compared to 2011, and the delays to games supposed to release this year didn't help. 2015 looks to be amazing -- as long as delays don't hit.

While not the best, it definitely wasn't the worst. I had fun with some AAA games this year: Infamous SS, Dragon Age, UFC, GTAV, TLOU, MGSV, COD:AW, Far Cry 4, Watch_Dogs, AC Unity, and I'll even throw in P.T. If I had a Wii U, I'd throw in MK8, too.
 
It was a disappointing year, I mean if I summed up 2014 it'd be "everything is 2015".

A lot of titles got delayed, but there were still some stand outs for me--mostly Nintendo lol.

- The Last of Us Remasted (I never played the original)
- Bayonetta 2
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
- Shadow of Mordor
- Super Smash Bros WiiU/3DS
- Mario Kart 8

I'm a good chunk in Shadow of Mordor, but I can confidently say I still had the most fun with Bayonetta 2. It's my GOTY, I think even if a lot of games next year came out this year, Bayonetta 2 would still be a fairly high contender for GOTY. It's very, very good--more enjoyable than the first by far.

Honestly, I think 2012 was worse.
 
Spoiler, OP! :p

But anyway, I don't disagree. I mean, Nintendo pretty much was the only consistent AAA publisher this year. And the unacceptable nature in the big autumn releases make it sound like they're finally collapsing onto themselves (see: delays in Hardline, Witcher 3, Batman). Finally couldn't get away from the public's wrath. At least COD Ghost was just dull last year. ACU, MCC, The Crew, Drive Club, WWE, NHL were straight up busted or just bad.

A few gems here and there as there is every year, of course, but I've been disappointed more often than not this year.

Here's to 2015!

/SaveUsUncharted4
 
Worst year?

Bayonetta 2
Wolfenstien The New Order
Dragon Age inquisition
TitanFall
The Evil Within
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Smash Bros. U
Shadows of Mordor
FarCry 4
Sunset Overdrive
Alien Isolation
*MarioKart (forgot sorry) haha
DriveClub
Forza Horizon 2

edit:Divinity OS!

not to mention some amazing remasters: TLoU, GTAV, Metro Redux and TR:DE

AAA games had a pretty great year.
 
Jigorath said:
2014 was an awful year for gaming. Easily the worst in recent memory.
Click to expand...

No way. So many brilliant games. Yes, the big publishers - Nintendo excluded - disappointed, but gaming was on fire otherwise.

As for the question, define AAA. I just like to think in terms of games anyway, and not make the distinction.
 
My personal game of the year, from the sheer fun I've had from it and the amount of time I've played it: Driveclub. Horrible launch period but it's a shining diamond now, and if you like intense racing games that are primarily concerned with how fast you can drive round a track, it is in a class of it's own.

Destiny may have been second if it only had a campaign mode with a coherent story rather than be as highly repetitive as it was. Ridiculously fun and addictive FPS but could have been so much more.
 
It was a bad year for the FHD twins full of delays with only some remastered games to hold the tide. Next year seems to be really great though..


Wii U on the other hand had a pretty good year, if you only count Nintendo software and 1 or 2 third party games.

PC is PC as usual.
 
Alcoholikaust said:
Worst year?

Bayonetta 2
Wolfenstien The New Order
Dragon Age inquisition
TitanFall
The Evil Within
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Smash Bros. U
Shadows of Mordor
FarCry 4
Sunset Overdrive
Alien Isolation
*MarioKart (forgot sorry) haha
DriveClub
Forza Horizon 2

not to mention some amazing remasters: TLoU, GTAV, Metro Redux and TR:DE

AAA games had a pretty great year.
Click to expand...


Point taken. Maybe I didn't mean worst year, but worst fall season, which is usually my most hyped time of the year. :(
 
The only two AAA games I purchased were South Park & Alien and both knocked it out of the park. So I'd say it's been a fantastic year for me (generally don't play big-budget anymore).

Is Divinity: OS AAA? I kind of think it's AA, but I'm not sure. Anyway, you can add that to my 2014 list as well.
 
Also I think people are forgetting about Dark Souls II. It wasn't as good as Dark Souls or Demon's Souls but it is still very high quality.
 
Y2Kev said:
Also I think people are forgetting about Dark Souls II. It wasn't as good as Dark Souls or Demon's Souls but it is still very high quality.
Click to expand...

That.....that was this year? ._. Why did i think it was last year...
 
Nah, it was a great year. I played a lot of FUN games. I had such an excellent time with Mordor and am happily waiting for more of the DLC.
 
Eh. Nintendo kicked ass this year and Dark Souls 2 was superb. Shadow of Mordor was also a solid game that I loved playing.

It wasn't a bad year at all IMO.
 
Aaron D. said:
The only two AAA games I purchased were South Park & Alien and both knocked it out of the park. So I'd say it's been a fantastic year for me (generally don't play big-budget anymore).

Is Divinity: OS AAA? I kind of think it's AA, but I'm not sure. Anyway, you can add that to my 2014 list as well.
Click to expand...

in my opinion the best PC release of the year- im ashamed i left it off my list as well- ;(

*will add
 
DrROBschiz said:
Nintendo definitely wins 2014 in the AAA space
Click to expand...

i've only got the wii u at this point, but it felt like a 'best year ever' basically. I did get the thing this year though, so I think some titles like pikmin might have been last year. not sure...
 
Giant bomb getting it right until 2013 there.
'The Last of Us' is a funny way of spelling Saints Row IV for their 2013 entry.
 
Y2Kev said:
Also I think people are forgetting about Dark Souls II. It wasn't as good as Dark Souls or Demon's Souls but it is still very high quality.
Click to expand...

Dark Souls 2 was my most played game this year, and I still say that it was wildly disappointing compared to the first one. Didn't help matters any that they started off on a bad foot with the downgrade and the following shady marketing, either. Bad bitboxes, cheating Red Phantoms NPC galore in NG+, glitched fights, really wonky level design filled with one off areas that make no logistical sense (almost like they were haphazardly thrown together at the last minute so the game would meet end of FY...), and overall just felt like a game that was only 50% done when they pushed it out the door. I mean this becomes blatently obvious when you take a step back and realize how so rushed the game is that they removed an entire mechanic underneath the eyes of everyone and left basically everything corresponding to that mechanic in as was at 1.0, regardless of how broken it was. I mean just look at Lost Sinner. That fight was so mindlessly broken when the game came out it was literally impossible for you to solve the solution without someone telling you about it beforehand because the ambient lighting change made it so that you could see the entire arena at the same pitch regardless of where you were standing, so to 90% of the people who played it on release day it appeared as if the fight had broken targeting.
 
It has certainly been a very poor year outside of Nintendo consoles, that's for damn sure.

It's shocking to be going from such a high quality 2013 to such a poor 2014, but I guess the fact that 2013 was so good could be a big contributor towards why 2014 looks so bad in hindsight.

Just glad 2015 is shaping up so well at this point (For most platforms anyways).
 
AAA gaming was all over the place this year.

You had some excellent titles like Wolfenstein: The New Order and Dragon Age: Inquisition, but also some absolutely questionable games by Ubisoft.
 
Is Alien Isolation a AAA game? Doesn't matter if it is or it isn't, because this game is the bomb. Fuck what you heard from IGN and other reviewers, this game single-handedly made 2014 awesome.
 
DrROBschiz said:
Nintendo definitely wins 2014 in the AAA space

I can barely argue for the other side at this point

2015 is looking much better though.... like across the board
Click to expand...

Odds are that most 2015 big name releases will have the same broken status/critical bugs as 2014 games did.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Was 2013 Nintendo's worst year?
47
191
CentralScrutinizer replied
What's the worst tech advice you've ever received?
46
568
icecold1983 replied
Sisyphus's Worst Day Ever - Official Trailer
Trailer Indie 
0
89
IbizaPocholo replied
New Tencent Studio TiMi Montreal, Was Working On AAA Open-World Games, Closes Without Ever Releasing Anything
Business Game Dev 
48
1K
mdkirby replied
  • Poll
2014 might be the worst year in gaming
2 3
106
3K
Touch fuzZy. get BizZay replied
Top Bottom