Games Played (2014) (Work in progress)
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2014 - 2
Dark Souls II was sort of easy. The world did not feel as fleshed out or as cohesive as Dark Souls. The various areas may not have all been tied together with genius shortcuts like DS I, but DS II blended the open world feel of DSI, and the hub of Demons Souls, into an easily traversable environment that allowed the player to explore much more quickly. DS II was DS I without the narrative, which some did not like. However, this had no effect on me. I was incredibly excited for this game, I waited hours to play the beta for about 2 hours, and I still sunk a significant amount of time into the full game.
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2014 - Worth Mentioning
I fell into the trap of only one mobile card game (Marvel: War of Heroes) since the emergence of free to play mechanics, and I regretted it. Hearthstone takes the idea, completely abandons awful, manipulative, free to play theory, and creates one of the most addictive and engaging card games I've ever played. I've since quit playing, due to the feel of wasting my time, but Hearthstone is easy to pick up, easy to play, and easy to enjoy. There is depth if you desire, and the Arena is an awesome new spin on deck building and competitive play.
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2014 - Worth Mentioning
It feels like I played a lot of Luftrausers this year, but my playtime on steam is barely 10 hours. Nevertheless, I love this game. Quick and to the point, a playthrough may last only a few minutes before jumping right back in to die again. The music in this game varies depending on the loadout of your plane, which is a seriously cool and unique touch.
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6
I played 3 Metroidvania games this year, spanning quite some time in video game history, from 1991 to 2013. I seriously adore the Metroid series, so it was tough for me to leave off Metroid II, but Circle of the Moon was just excellent. I hate myself for avoiding most of these games, having only ever played Symphony of the Night (at least it was a good one!), so I'm working to rectify that. This was the first step in that direction, and what a good step it was. I was surprised by the DSS card system, which allowed for a decent amount of customization in however I wanted to play the game. Circle of the Moon was challenging but rewarding, and I can't wait to continue through the Castlevania series.
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9
I still don't get why I enjoyed this game so much. I didn't even play 2033. But something about the atmosphere, and playing the game in the native language, really immersed me in this horribly bleak and scary universe. This is how a shooter campaign should always be done. There was never a dull moment, and even the slow sections allowed the player to get more entrenched in the culture of living underground after a nuclear catastrophe. I guess technically the remaster of these games count as a 2014 release, although that is not what I played. I highly recommend picking that up to see what the buzz is about surrounding this game.
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4
Blood Dragon took the fun shooting of Far Cry 3, wrapped it in 80's sci fi, and ditched the poor attempt at a plot. Rex Colt is my new favorite protagonist ever, and I laughed the entire game. This is probably one of the best expansions to a game I've had the joy of experiencing, and it was short, sweet and to the point. Do not skip this, even if you already played Far Cry 4 this year.
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2014 - 3
Shadow of Mordor introduced a new mechanic that was all the talk for some time after its release - the Nemesis system. While many thought the gameplay was trivial or too easy to exploit with the Nemeses, I personally felt like I was struggling to survive the entire game. Mordor borrowed a few ideas from other games, added a truly unique AI system, and wrapped it all in the lore of Tolkein. I had an absolute blast, even if the story left much to be desired.
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8
I was not old enough to play this at release. Being in the video game culture for my whole life, it was impossible to not hear about the legacy of System Shock 2. I couldn't resist grabbing it during a steam sale. I was shocked at how deep the rpg elements went, and became disappointed at the current state of shooters today. The golden age of the first person game came and went long before I even realized what I was missing. Believe the hype, System Shock 2 has many ways to approach gameplay, and has a really odd, mysterious and engaging campaign. Too bad the ending was seriously awful, but is that anything new, even 14 years later?
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Late to the party on the Witcher series, I played Witcher 1 in the fall of 2013 for the first time, and followed up quickly with 2 in the winter of this year. I felt the gameplay took a turn for the worse in some small ways, but what draws me to these games is the universe and story. Geralt, and the whole Witcher mystique in general, creates an engaging protagonist that isn't necessarily a good guy, or a bad guy, but something in the middle. Something that is easier to identify with. Also, one million bonus points for giving the player a choice at the end of the game to fight (or not fight), the final boss. I chose to have a conversation with him, and the credits rolled. I clapped.
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2014 - 5
I don't like military shooters. The last Call of Duty I played was the first Modern Warfare. I surprised myself by absolutely loving the campaign of Advanced Warfare. Whether it was the timing of buying a new console and needing something to play, or my lack of interest in the series for quite some time - Advanced Warfare was an enjoyable thrill ride. I still don't understand the allure of its multiplayer, though.
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2014 - 7
I flew through this game in a single day when it was offered for free for 24 hours through Xbox Live Gold. Sunset Overdrive took the word "fun" to a new level, reveling in its own humor while giving the player insane freedom of traversal. Avoiding literally all side quests and collectibles, Sunset Overdrive had a very focused story that was so off the wall that it was always surprising. Unfortunately this game did not have a lot of time in the spotlight, and was likely missed by many.
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2014 - 10
The shell of Destiny is the best shooter gameplay I've experienced in years. Too bad the core is boring, unrealized and repetitive.
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2014 - 1
Dragon Age had a lot to prove after the sour taste of DA II. Gameplay wise, Inquisition didn't do much to change, but that's a good thing. I loved the tactical play of Origins, but I also really enjoyed the faster paced direction Bioware took the series. This game has an incredibly engaging story, even if it's nothing we haven't heard before. The Herald of Andraste is a well written, personable character that is easy to identify with. There is an overwhelming amount of side content, with much of it not being very interesting, but I still did most of it. I love RPG epics, and Inquisition really delivered on that front for me, making it my Game of the Year for 2014.
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