Games you feel are flying under the radar for GOTY so far

For me it's InFamous Second Son it seems like people forgot this game came out in 2014. I love the heck out of the game it's the only one I've ever gone for a plat on. It did well critically, but it seems like people are more focused on releases from the last few months.

How about all you sexy motherfuckers?

Luftrausers was a big one for me, had my GOTY spot in the early months. The gameplay is frantic and varied, and there's so much attention to detail in every aspect of it.

It's debatable if it's even a 2014 release, but what they've done in conjunction with the Diablo 3 expansion really made that game into what it should've been from the start, and then some. Not only is it a great game on it's own now, but it's even back on track of carrying the Blizzard tradition of breaking new grounds in genres. What they've done with the adventure mode pretty much sets a new standard for what similar games needs to reach for if they want to keep players interested.

I don't know... seems like racing games are always overlooked because they are racing games. I enjoyed the shit out of Forza Horizon 2, and I would say without hyperbole that it is probably my favorite racing game of all time. It probably places 2nd or 3rd in my overall list for 2014. Sounds weird to say it is overlooked, seeing as it had excellent reviews... but nobody seems to give these kinds of games much of a chance in end of year ratings.

Ether One. It's genuinely fantastic. If you have any interest in Gone Home and/or Myst you should definitely check it out.

The Wolf Among Us and - probably the only person to say this - Bound By Flame. It always makes me think of Mass Effect 1 in terms of potential for its sequel and its qualities outshining its flaws.

It's been an awesome year for racing games between Forza Horizon, Grid Autosport and Assetto Corsa coming out within a couple months of each other.

Shadowrun: Dragonfall Director's Cut

I'll post this title in each and every GOTY forum thread like this that's made!

This game had incredible writing and I found the turn-based combat to be just right - not too complicated, not too simple.

South Park? I feel that game is getting swept under the rug right now.

It has limited scope, sadly.

Transistor and Roundabout. They are both fantastic and yet they are basically polar opposites of each other.

Transistor and Infamous: Second Son for me, those were fantastic games. Also, not in the GOTY discussion, but Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition was a great early release for current gen.

Strider wasn't too bad.

For what should be in the Top 10 and probably won't be... uh...

Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall or the Director's Cut as mentioned by @whitegreyblack should be a Top 10 that likely won't make it.

I feel like South Park could either get a nod or be ignored. It came out really early in the year. Same with Dark Souls 2, actually.

Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze. Everything about that game is masterful.

Its rather disappointing to actually stop and think just how much quantity over quality this year has been, especially the latter half. I hope Shovel Knight makes it somewhere personally. Man it really is such a disparity between the beginning of the year and end, it doesn't end up being feeling like the same year cuz so much time has passed in between.

I do agree about the D3 expansion too, it has made the game (well the 2.0 patch intially made the game infinity better) what it should of been, and then some. Adventure mode and how that stuff is handled is done just great.

@ares42: This is likely my most played game of 2014, on Mac and PS4

Don't know about GOTY, but I'd like people to remember Infamous SS more, it was the first game to give me a next gen feeling and was pretty good (though could have used more content).

The Evil Within will also probably be remembered more in a few years then it is now, as it usually is with Shinji's games

Haven't played it yet, but I have this feeling that i will love Alien Isolation and some people agree it's underrated.

I will second Forza Horizon 2 as a really excellent racing game. It has been the game to make me not regret buying an Xbox One. Now if only Microsoft would let you run the damn Xbox Music app in the *background* so I can listen to my own tunes without having to snap 1/3 of my TV to show the cover art, it would be perfect. I know Jeff played a bunch of that game so it probably won't get overlooked, but the other racing guys might turn their noses up that it's not F1. ;) It's not GOTY but I keep coming back to it, and I normally get bored of racing games in a few hours.

So like a moron I also bought Driveclub on launch day and still jump into that game once in a while too. Just single player trying to get more stars, multi does work but it's not that fun. It's a lot more challenging, more "pure racing" without being insane like Forza 5. I think the physics are ok, I can drive in each game pretty well. I mean going from the DS4 to the plasticky XB1 controller is more of an issue than the car physics, honestly. Nobody should buy DC though, don't get me wrong. I do feel bad for that team, I have been there when a ton of new users show up and fuck your cloud servers, usually on Christmas morning. It's the absolute worst, and that's when it lasts for just one day or something!

Oh, how about the biggest surprise: Call of Duty. Don't think I heard of any problems with their servers. I suppose they are quite pro at this by now, though. It's actually a decent game too!

Forgot to say it but my GOTY is probably Alien Isolation. Shadow of Mordor is WAY over-rated IMO.

The Wolf Among Us is way better than The Walking Dead ever was, it's a damn shame it's only receiving a fraction of the attention.

I'd also go with Sunset Overdrive. Excellent presentation, tight controls, great navigation mechanics, actual side quests, etc. What a great comeback for Insomniac

I was gonna say, not having launch window networking issues probably shouldn't be a qualifier for GOTY, heh. I can rant about games too though, so I forgive.

I don't really like GOTY conceptually, it's hard to compete across genres. I've been playing Shadow of Mordor and Dragon Age: Inquisition though, and just for sheer mass of unique content I'd say Inquisition, but they both have really fun gameplay so I don't know. Forza Horizon 2 is the most fun I have had in a racing game since Burnout 3.

I don't really think Diablo deserves to be on the list, because despite major improvements it's still a vapid game compared to Path of Exile or even Torchlight 2, affording little variety in character development. I played 900+ hours, so I think I can say that. The synergies are obvious and the builds tend to fall into a few categories with minor differences.

Although, my opinion is colored because Blizzard permanently banned me for accusing someone of "being a jew" (exact quote: "don't be a jew" - this was the exact reason given) which, while inappropriate I found less offensive than the tens of millions of gold the other player demanded for a String of Ears; and comparatively less serious than many online interactions I have had over the years.

You know what, I know it's "only" early access, but how could I forget... Gang Beasts is the absolute most fun I have had this year, both watching others play and playing with my kids. Totally came out of left field when Vinny found it, on Valentine's Day no less. Go back and watch that half hour UPF segment from 2/14, might be the best stream moment this year. But then of course there's the Velvet Sundown QL... Tough competition!

I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but Persona Q is really doing it for me. I thought it was just gonna be shameless fan service and a cash in on the P3/P4 cast before P5 comes out next year. And it is that, but the game itself is actually a really nice fusion of Persona and Etrian Odyssey. I'm having a great time so far and I think the writing does the Persona casts justice. Because it's so lengthy/obscure, I'm sure it won't make any of GB's lists, but that game deserves at least a bit of recognition.

Good call, I almost forgot about both. Granted it's been a busy end of the year for me but I really hope those two games get the recognition they deserve.

Divinity: Original Sin seems like one that most people aren't even mentioning enough. Fuck, that game was goddamn incredible! If there was any game that came out which made me feel like CRPGs were back in a big way, it was that one. Wasteland 2 was good, but Divinity was just fucking fantastic. Beautiful game, great writing, good voice acting, but the gameplay was so fucking strategic and well-paced. The combination of elements felt much better than even Magicka. GOD. DAMN. I love that game so much that it hurts. It was a beautiful return to form for Larian. They needed that to happen.

I'm also curious if This War of Mine is something that would be considered. I haven't played it, but I haven't met anyone that played it and didn't love it.

I would put Reaper of Souls into my Top 10 at least. I hadn't played D3 in forever after the 1.03 (?) patch that initially nerfed Inferno Mode, but Reaper brought me back in a big way. That is a FANTASTIC expansion. Now they just need to speed up their update patches and give us more reason to keep playing beyond just min-maxing.

I've also gotten back into Marvel Heroes and Warframe, and both of those games MASSIVELY improved in 2014...to the point that I've spent more time than I care to admit with both of them.

Also, while I haven't played it, I've heard nothing bad about South Park: The Stick of Truth from a single person I know, so I feel like maybe that game is just suffering from "early year release syndrome."

@dietlime: The only reason I wouldn't ever give Path of Exile praise is because the builds in that game are way more cookie-cutter than D3 IMO. They have this massive talent tree, but you are really only ever going one of a few ways, and it's always the same way to maximize it. They talked a lot about build diversity, and yet every time I go back to it, I feel like the build diversity is far less than what is now in Diablo 3. Not only did Reaper open up some crazy build possibilities that never would've worked before, but they are continually introducing new build possibilities with the seasons now. Hell, I remember how stoked I was to get the seasonal shield on my Crusader, then go Condemn spam build and laugh incessantly as I murdered everything in my path. Moreover, the Greater Rifts offered a new level of endgame. I just personally don't care about trying to get as far as I can, namely because I play a lot of other games.

Then again, the last time I played PoE was, like, three months ago? Something like that. Maybe some of that has changed since then?

I feel like it's kinda shocking how little the bombcrew seem to remember Dark Souls II at the moment. Thank god Vinny will be around for GOTY discussions as I can always count on him to hold the torch for that series. I'm not even sure anyone from GB has beaten the game yet (probably not remembering it correctly), but I mean I'm pretty damn sure Patrick decided to wait for the PC release (then I think he didn't play it), Brad's only got around to playing it now, I hope Vinny played much of it.

I'll shout it from the heavens in every topic, but Lighting Returns. Also Curtain Call got completely ignored, which was disappointing.

That's because Dark Souls 2 was a huge bummer. This was THE year a Souls game could've won GOTY. All it had to do was execute...and it failed. Shame because it finally had the numbers game on its side for once, with Vinny, Brad, and Patrick being on board.

I enjoyed Wolf Among Us and Southpark The Stick of Truth quite a bit but like most games that come out that time of year, I totally forgot they were 2014 games and Im guessing GB will too. Maybe Vinny brings up WAU, but will he even be on the podcast?

It was no Dark Souls 1 for sure, but what else is, aside from Demon's Souls? It was a pretty good DS game and better than most of the other games this year. And there were plenty of people that called Dark Souls 1 a big bummer compared to Demon's Souls last time.

Dark Souls II was far from a bummer, it is the best Souls game to date. It will be my GOTY.

I feel like saying Hearthstone flies under the radar is an understatement. Great game. Amazing game even.

Dark Souls 2, Binding of Isaac: Rebirth are the standouts for me. I understand why Rebirth won't get a lot of attention since the only person on staff who likes it is Patrick. Dark Souls 2 deserves to be on any top 10 list this year, IMO.

I didn't play any games in the series but people seemed to really like Lightning Returns.

@zevvion: I have to vehemently disagree about Hearthstone. That game is just typical, addictive, grindy free to play trash. They should have called it "How to Make Someone an Addict". I'll admit that I'm in the minority on that one.

I really believe that Senran Kagura Shinovi versus is the best game nobody has played this year. It however has got two major strikes against it. One its a vita game and two there is a ton of fan service.

I really believe in the game though. And its been one of my biggest surprises all year. I figured I was going to get it play it for a week giggle at some boobs and be done with it. But its kept me turning back on my vita since I got a copy. And the writing has at times been very good and has gotten me invested in the characters.

So many but mostly Wolfenstein The New Order. It's the best FPS since Half Life 2, which I feel should be a bigger deal but people don't care for how it differs from most modern FPSs (well-developed characters, deals with tough topics well like racism and the holocaust, hipfire better than aim-down-sights, dual wielding, flanking and sandbox combat encounters, most of the storytelling not in cutscenes, not corridor level design, encourages run-and-gun versus stop-and-pop).

Alien Isolation seems to be doing well though in post-release commentary.

From the indies, Jazzpunk, Ether One, This War Of Mine, Lovely Planet, or Never Alone. That's just me. The Talos Principle could be amazing.

That's because you are wrong. Calling it the typical free to play game makes it clear you haven't played it much or just don't understand how to play it. There is nothing grindy about it. It's about competing in matches and having fun. You do that for free if you want. You should watch Trump's video's. He has several series where he plays ladder to Legend rank without spending any money. He does this within 30 days. Besides that, you can see him play on his own account where he has all the cards and is using decks just to compete. This is what people like about Hearthstone. It is the only free to play game I know that is any good.

I wanted to like Hearthstone but the iPad version is a broken mess and its not the sort of thing I would want to sit at a PC to play

Would just crash constantly mid game, real shame becuase everything in between thr crashes was pretty fun.

I hope South Park gets a good fight from someone, I dont expect it to do super well but it deserves to be fought over.

I honestly feel like people who didn't like DS2 constantly tried to compare it to Dark Souls in their head when they played it and forgot to enjoy playing it. Just because it had different world design and a bit different mechanics compared to DS doesn't instantly make it a huge bummer. And while some thought that the bosses were boring and simple, I had fun while fighting them.

It's a pity that Divinity will likely be lost in the shuffle of bigger (and much shorter) games. I believe only Patrick played it to completion? Not that I blame games writers for budgeting their time, but there sure was a lot of complaining going on about how dry the summer release season was when stuff like Divinity was readily available.

100% true. I still remember the video which complained about Dark Souls II by demonstrating how you couldn't use your shield effectively in the exact same way for every single encounter unlike how you mostly could in Dark Souls. When the answer is simply: 'stop insisting on using your shield in a very specific way for every single enemy in the game', it sounds more like a knock against Dark Souls in hindsight than DSII.

I argue Dark Souls II is a far superior playing game than either two previous installments. The world is less interesting, I agree. But it is still well realized and I come to Dark Souls for the gameplay and that was just so much better in II.

@arbitrarywater Yeah, I have seen some Let's Plays on Divinity and if you're into that type of game, it seems really cool. It's not for me though. I never thought ingame logic was very logical at all and Divinity seems to forgo waypoint and objective indicators and asks you to figure them out based on the world and reading things and whatnot. Not my thing, but genuinely respect it though.

Oh, certainly. Divinity is not a game for everyone, nor is it trying to be. While I'm enjoying Dragon Age (a game that is pandering towards a more mainstream audience), there's something to be said for Divinity's willingness to aim towards a more niche, hardcore audience.

In regards to Dark Souls II, I can understand some of the criticisms leveled at it in regards to structure and boss design, but on a purely mechanical level I think it's better than the first game or Demon's Souls.

Somehow my post didn't post or maybe accidentally deleted it: Dark Souls II is going to win a ton of GoTY awards still, Mordor might win slightly more. Nothing Dark Souls II could have done would have made it win on Giant Bomb; it could have been better than Super Metroid and it would not have won GoTY here; every fight could have been Darklurker/Smelter/Ivory King/Artorias/Manus/Gwyn/Ornstein and Smough/Flamelurker/False King and Jeff still wouldn't have let it win.

Darklurker is easily the best boss fight in the series, exploration value is top notch even if the over arching world doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Best "playing" game of the generation; tossup with the Last of Us whether it's the best game altogether, depends on your point of view/mood on that day. Sure there's no Solaire or Siegmeyer but Navlaan is pretty fucking great.

Divinity had some problems for me --namely the by-the-numbers story, and having a bit of an identity crisis-- but overall I'd say it's pretty comfortably my GOTY. The gameplay and mechanics are pretty much best in class imo. All of it is so well thought out, and it manages to make levelling up interesting and not just the usual rote min/max exercise. Overall it was a real breath of fresh air, and a great example of what Kickstarter can help achieve.

Inquisition could have taken it, but the FUBAR control scheme and simplified / actionised combat just holds it back too much.

CoD 2013 sold 13 million fewer copies than CoD 2012. With CoD 2013's poor reception CoD 2014 was even less popular on launch day. It's not surprising that they can handle the load considering how high the series had peaked in recent years.

@mosespippy: Suppose it's worth noting that Mordor has been 4 spots above CoD on amazon throughout this week; would not shock me if it sold the most out of PS4/XBone releases (presumably something with a dual release that didn't suck will sell the most overall).

Hoping there's room for Forza Horizon 2 in Giant Bomb's list. Probably the one major release of the season that made good on all of its pre-launch promises on day one.

Saying it was better then most games isn't saying much, since this year was kind of weak. And I feel like I've seen way more disappointment in Dark Souls II then the first game.

Like I said it's not a bad game by any means. I just wasn't nearly as into the lore, environments, bosses, story, etc. as I was in the first game.

I'd go with these three:

• Wolfenstein: The New Order
• South Park: The Stick of Truth
• Divinity: Original Sin

Wolfenstein was the most fun I'd had with an FPS in years. Just a really well made game. South Park was amazing if you're still into the show, as it does all sorts of callbacks to previous episodes, and it brought back Super Mario RPG memories with the combat. And Divinity was a fantastic surprise in that it was a Kickstarter-backed game that somehow managed to get almost all of the features they wanted, plus more. Definitely the best of the CRPGs that came out this year at least. I'm guessing Wolfenstein will take the top spot in my list.

I wish Valiant Hearts got a bit more recognition. I found the art style to be fantastic, and thought the story it told was really well done. Obviously not as grandiose as South Park or Shadow of Mordor, but its one of my favorites of the year.