Games that should probably be on this list but aren't because i haven't yet played them: Shovel Knight, Jazzpunk, South Park: Stick of Truth, Wolfenstein; The New Order, Sunset Overdrive, Bayonetta 2, Super Mario 3D World, etc, etc, etc...
Despite my relative indifference to its story and the surrounding lore, Shadow of Mordor ended up being the most satisfying game I played all year. Its two maps were the perfect size considering the amount of things to do in the world, pretty much the opposite of my biggest complaint with Far Cry 4. The stealth, though a bit too forgiving, was perfectly competent. and the combat system, with all it's orc decapitating goodness, was super satisfying. The thing that made the game, of course, was the nemesis system. It was this mechanic that made a game that would've otherwise been an average average LOTR with mechanics borrowed from Assassin's Creed and the Arkham games to something awesome. I spent about 45 hours in the game and never did it feel like a chore. The seemingly endless flow on soldiers, captains, and war chiefs as well as the strengths/weaknesses associated with each provided a unique challenge and variety that I feel like is so often missing in games. The frustration felt by being repeatedly killed and then mocked by a captain or warchief after having slaughtered a dozen of his protectors is matched only by the pleasure experienced when you finally catch the yellow bastard alone and cut his friggin' head off.
I'm really surprised at how much i like this game. A large part of that is due to the fact that I haven't played a multiplayer COD since MW 2, but I'd like to think that its most largely due to the air of freshness brought on by the new exo abilities. It'll be very interesting to see where the series goes from here, and for the first time since 4, I'm cautiously eager about Call of Duty's future.
Though it's perhaps partly due to this year's overall lack of "great" AAA games compared to previous years, I'm surprised not only that I played but thoroughly enjoyed so many mobile games this year. Hitman Go was the first mobile game this (or any) year that truly enthralled me. Supremely fun and sufficiently challenging, it captured to spirit of the main games in the series, putting it in a more bite-size, accessible package. Hitman Go is the perfect example of how larger games should be translated to mobile.
Endless runner meets Frogger. Another quintessential, rich "I have five minutes to sit down and play something" game. The art in the game is colorful, vibrant and charming
Weaponized elephants and grenade launching from Gyro-copters? SIGN ME UP! It wasn't all that long ago (a year maybe?) that I'd played Far Cry 3 so that game, with all its merits and flaws, were still pretty fresh in my mind. I'd spent a good 30 hours or in the Rook islands, yet I couldn't bring my self to endure the god awful characters long enough to actually beat the game (or to see Vaas die, or unlock the wingsuit even.) Thankfully the characters in this one were a little less abysmal. Even with its similarities to its predecessor and the almost nagging nature of its side missions and random encounters, Far Cry 4 was fun as hell just managed to satisfy my craving for open world fps action. Here's hoping Ubisoft changes things up drastically for the next one.
Before its release, this game had me very nervous for a few reasons. I have been a huge Bioware fan since playing first playing Knights of the Old Republic just over ten years ago. In almost every way the Bioware of today is much different from the company that made one of my favorite games of all time. In many ways, Dragon Age: inquisition is the first solid indicator of what we can expect from Bioware going forth. Its the first game to be released since Doctors Ray and Greg left the company, the first since Casey Hudson decided to move on earlier this year. Additionally, Bioware at e3 this year pointed to this game as the indicator of what to expect from them going forward. A lot was riding on this game for me as a longtime fan of the company, and though i've only gotten about ten hours into the game (finals kept me from getting to it sooner), i feel like I finally have reason to calm my nerves. The game so far has been quite good. The combat is super simplistic, sure, and having so many characters thrown at me so soon leads me to feel the game suffers from pacing issues at least early on. Even so the story, the world and its politics, and the characters all feel very Bioware to me. Even though miss and mourn for the bioware of old, my experiences with Inquisition so far (as well as what I've heard from others) leaves me with reason to be optimistic.
I don't really have a lot to say about this game. Its the kind of dumb, simple fun that keeps me coming back. I don't care about my score or hitting the hole in as few shots as possible and that maybe what is so great about this game, its not there to judge you; its got so many holes that it basically renders whatever score you have obsole-HOLY SHIT THERE'S A CACTUS
Of course by the Last of Us I mean the PS4 reissue that came out this year. Even less than a year after playing it, even vividly remembering most all of the important moments in the game, i feel compelled to put Remastered on my list. Simply put, its one one of the most emotionally taxing and affective games I've ever played. The pacing in this game is like nothing I've ever experienced in a game. Trying and unrelenting, it rarely lets the player bask in the many emotionally heavy moments in the game. In refusing to let the player indulge and, in doing so, forcing them to quickly move on (much like Joel and Ellie had to), the game is rewarded with a nearly unrivaled maturity that prevents The Last of Us from becoming overly maudlin and self indulgent, as it so easily could have.
I didn't quite enjoy Threes as much as most of the Giant Bomb guys but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Its another small yet engaging game experience I've enjoyed this year. Certainly part of the reason I've been so enamoured with mobile games this year is due to how busy i've been with school, but also i feel they've really gotten good this year, and threes is a prime example of just that.
Oh, Destiny. Oh, Bungie. Oh, what could've been. I've never been the biggest Bungie fan to be honest, but everything I'd seen, heard and read about Destiny prior to it's beta left me hopeful that it would be the first truly great game of the new generation. Even with the growing doubts i had after seeing some of the Beta footage, i still figured it would give me a good enough excuse to get a PS4, the super sweet glacier white version, no less. What i feel i got with Destiny is a depressing, baffling enigma. The fundamentals--moment to moment gameplay, art design, hell, even the music--make the game enjoyable and are actually frustratingly good for how irritatingly mediocre everything else is. It would almost be better if everything about this game was mediocre; at least then you could say the game was consistent. Apparently the end game content is quite good. I honestly don't care. A game that i feel isn't fun or engaging enough to finish the sorry excuse for a story isn't worth the effort of slaving away for another couple dozen hours to finally get to some satisfactory content. I hear people say that Bungie will learn from their mistakes in this game and make Destiny 2 the game Destiny 1 was supposed to be. Even if that ends up being the case, I don't know that that will be enough to wash the taste of disappointment out my mouth left by Destiny.
I suppose all this begs the question, why is Destiny in my top 10? I couldn't think of another 2014 release I've played. So, Destiny takes the 10 spot.
