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This had to be my number one choice this year. I spent so much time playing and replaying this game whether it was on New Game Plus or not. I am already eagerly awaiting the release of this game on PS Vita just for another excuse to play this on handheld. The game to me redefined what it meant to grind, and how fun grinding can be. Sometimes I didn't care if I was working toward any goal. Just the sheer challenge of seeing how long and how big of a run I could get on as I tried to clear out every area was just a blast.
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I showed up to this late after watching Patrick play the demo. Wow. What a game. Can you even call it a game? Sure it's hilarious, sure it completely destroys your expectation on what you think you know about video games. But just how in touch Parable is with the current state of the video game industry and how it executes blew me away.
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Another game I came to late. I had to wait until the holidays until I had a proper quality gaming PC to dig into this but was the wait ever worth it. Fantastic sequel to easily one of the most fun I've had in video games in a long time. The pseudo Mass Effect/Matrix rip off mixed with tons of different mission choices and gameplay elements really nails this home.
Although great as this game is it sadly nearly makes it impossible for me to go to other open world games. The ability to have radio on whenever and traverse through that would with such speed and precision is kind of something I wish was in every open world game.
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Damn you Nintendo. I was so sick of you for the longest time. New Luigi U was about when I felt the Indy market was doing everything you weren't. But you go and release one of the most creative and free flowing Mario games since Super Mario Galaxy. 3D world goes all over the place, has some of the most crazy and interesting level designs that combines good challenge with quality fun. It also looks exceptionally pretty and proves that you don't need a "realistic" look to make a great looking game.
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Haven't beat it completely yet so it may of ended up higher on my list. But I love Naughty Dog. Like most on this site I took a break from this after what happened in the summer because I didn't want to dig into anything too gritty. But once I returned and got a good way through I knew I was in love with this game. Or I wasn't? This reminded me of some of the best gritty dark films I have seen in that it was amazingly done, but kept my stomach in knots and kept me on the edge of my seat for all my time with it. Naughty Dogs commitment to trying to do more gameplay wise is something that goes completely under the radar as well. They stayed true to presentation but tried to make a game that was more of a game.
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Screw the hate for this game being just a cash in. Yes they throw the Joker nonsense back at us, yes it doesn't do much to revamp the gameplay of previous incarnations but I'll be damn if this isn't a fun as hell video game. Why reinvent what works? The story was still interesting, the Joker/Batman dynamic despite being redone was still done amazing well in this game and the open world stuff is still great. I don't know if I can ever get tired collecting riddler trophies and doing challenges around Gotham while I occasionally drop down and engage in the great combat system.
Oh did I forget to mention the boss fights? This game has some of the best of the series and maybe some of the best in all of video games!
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Played tons of this when it released and it was the first time I turned on my Wii U in a while. The Quick Look sold me on this being basically charming Japanese Power Rangers that has some fun unique combat, a bit of a challenge and doesn't take itself too seriously. It ends up being a all around fun experience while I experienced some frustrations with how deep the mechanics can get and how much can happen at one time. A very busy game, but a very fun one.
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I had to put this on my list. As an avid hockey fan all I need to say is that I skip every second NHL and buy it once every 2 years to allow enough changes to happen to actually make the games feel more worthwhile. But the sheer amount of time I played NHL 14, specifically Be A GM make this on my list.
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As someone who loves Uncharted I was worried that Tomb Raider may be trying too hard to capitalize on the success of the great Naughty Dog franchise to justify relaunching this remake. Boy was I wrong. Unlike Uncharted, Tomb Raider is loaded with tons of varying gameplay elements. All of them don't always come together to create the best game, but it ends up creating a fresh and memorable experience that I can say certainly deserves to exist. I am excited about the future of this franchise for sure!
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Best fighting game of the year? Screw you Divekick! I guess I'll say I suck at fighting games. Mostly because I don't have the time to dedicate to the crazy amount of depth fighting games require to get good at the competitive aspect of them. But as with Mortal Kombat a few years ago Netherrealm knows how to throw story into fighting games in a dynamic and interesting way. Add in the fact that I'm a huge DC fan, the inventive super moves, the crazy awesome interactive level combat encounters and I really dug this game. I hope that after another MK sequel we see Netherrealm continue to do more with the DC franchise.
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