GOTY 2014
This year, it can be said that this year, there is a video game for every kind of player under the sun. I play lots of them every year, but there has never been as much variety as there has been before. However, the flip side of this coin is that the stakes for video games as a medium has never been greater: with all sorts of games coming out and new players being introduced into the fold, more games come out broken on release, the higher profile games, when they flop, flop hard, and the sometimes introverted nature of most people who are fans turns the community into a destructive, hateful, and hostile place to outsiders. Is that a price worth paying? Is this a phase that all mediums go through as mass adoption happens? Are there enough player customers who can support all the developers and creators making all this stuff? These are questions that need to be answered if video games are to continue being a popular and powerful form of media.
The WiiU has finally come into its own and finally has a library worth owning the system for, but I can't help but feel like Nintendo is planning on releasing another home console within the next year or two. The games they've released this year finally feel like they are answering fans' requests, and there are more on the horizon, but how much longer can they keep it up before returning to mediocrity?
The PS4 and Xbox One both also have games that are good, but the number of new ideas on these consoles is weak. Many of the later last generation's games are being ported up and for, as much as there is some excitement around the new hardware, the games don't all feel like instant classics. In fact, with the exception of my #1 pick this year, none of my other top 10 games feel like games I'll revisit once I'm finished with them.
There are games not appearing on this list, games I'm still actively playing, that are all updates on some dated ideas (eg, Destiny, Far Cry 4, Forza Horizon 2, Sims 4, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mario Kart 8). Worse, some higher quality games come out that still feel a little half-baked (eg, The Banner Saga ending so abruptly, Azure Striker Gunvolt's lame and nonsensical final sequence, Transistor's beautiful world that feels unfairly empty, Titanfall having a quick shelf life thanks to easy progression, Metal Gear Solid V:Ground Zeroes having gross child rape subplots).
Still, there's hope yet for good games and the people who play them. I hope next year brings more of the good stuff to the forefront.
