Thoughts on 2014 So Far

I don't have much to write about because all I've been playing is Destiny and I don't want to write about that again. I will say I've been a little dissapointed with the games that have come out so far this year, with PT (which isn't really even a demo) being the most impressive thing I've played all year. Sure Wolfenstein was fun for a while and Destiny is certainly addictive but I'm still waiting for a truly fantastic game to get sucked into. Maybe it'll be Shadow of Mordor, in which case I dont have long to wait. The thought of a Lord of the Rings RPG taking up a lot of my time seems fairly unbelievable, but with Monolith at the helm it just might work out. Alien Isolation looks promising, but I don't think will warrant the full price tag. I don't want to be that guy, but if the game turns out to be terrifying, but only 4 hours long, I'll probably wait for a price drop. Dragon Age 3 also looks good, but that being said I didn't particularily enjoy the Dragon Age game that most people like the most. If the game nails the action-combat as well as tactical elements, I may pick it up.

What games are you guys looking forward to? Do you think 2014 has been slightly lackluster, or do you think the game output has been phenomenal? Let me know.

2014 has been super bland. I was really looking forward to Transistor and I did quite like it but not as much as I hoped. I picked up the Metro Redux and actually enjoyed those games way more than I did the 1st time around. Early in the year I made a big list of last gen games I wanted to replay and I ended up making it through a good bunch, so y'know, I've been keeping busy.

You said it though, PT was the best thing I played this year. It was kind of the PORTAL of horror games...

Personally I'm only banking on enjoying Far Cry 4 and hoping (against hope) that The Witness will actually come out this year/before I fucking die of old age.

There haven't been games that really drew people in for dozens of hours in a long time, not just 2014. This whole new generation of consoles has been mostly quick, explosive experiences. Games that tried to add length and content like Watch_Dogs fell flat because the content was fluff and boring.

I don't think this trend is going to go away. Companies want to sell more and more DLC to prolong the life of a game. So, it's going to continue this way. Short, 5-10 hour experiences (though sometimes longer) with DLC and expansions coming down the road. Just look at the release calendar for the next 6 months. It's all quick, fast-paced, BAM gaming moments. Nothing truly long like Skyrim or Fallout.

So basically, we're waiting for Bethesda to catch up.

It's been a bit of a low key year so far. A decent stream of pretty solid 3/4 star games, but nothing that really has blown the doors off on a big scale.

2014 has not been a great year for standout "This is why you should own a current-gen console" big games, at least thus far. It certainly hasn't been enough to convince me to get a PS4 yet, and at this point I might as well wait for a price drop or something. I'm "looking forward" to Dragon Age, in the sense that I have a morbid need to know for myself if that game is any good or not, yes or no, day 1, but I can wait and see on a lot of the big holiday games.

At the very least, between Divinity and now Wasteland 2, it's already shaping up to be a great year for Kickstarter classical RPG revivals, moreso if Pillars of Eternity is similarly great.

It's all in the eye of the beholder. I've had a great year in gaming thus far and have a number of games I am strongly looking forward to for the remainder of 2014. If you're not into the same games I am, then well, you're going to have a different year. For the remainder of the year, between Hyrule Warriors, Smash Bros., Bayonetta 2, Samurai Warriors 4, Fantasy Life, and the English release of Project Diva 2nd, I've got plenty coming up to keep me excited.

It has been a dull year with glimpses of greatness. Those glimpses being stuff like PT, Wolfenstein, and both Danganronpa games. but hey, we've still got two Persona games, Bayonetta, and Smash coming up. I know there's stuff I'm leaving out but I can't remember everything at the moment.

I'm ok with that though. Gave me a chance to catch up on some old games. I'm nearing the end of Chrono Trigger and I'm burning through some SMT games, 999(with Virtue's Last Reward coming after,) and I'm working on the Metro Redux collection. OH and I just finished Demon's Souls with the other two Souls games to go.

Basically, a year can be dull, but that doesn't mean there's not plenty of gold to dig up.

It's been a pretty plain year, which is usually expected as a generation struggles to die. But it's been a good time to catch up on stuff, so I honestly welcome a year like this once in a while.

Still, some really cool games have been released. Nothing mind-blowing, but a lot of fun, well done stuff.