I just wanted us to sit back and appreciate how good TV has been so far this year. For the previous couple years, I was pretty much despising all that came on because it seemed TV stations were trying to appease the lowest common denominator with nothing innovative or clever. I feel 2014 has been an indicator of change, and with that, I want to recognize ten TV shows that premiered this year I personally enjoy. I have put them in alphabetical order with no numerical rankings. Check them out:
BoJack Horseman
Broad City
Fargo
Halt and Catch Fire
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Review
Silicon Valley
The Strain
True Detective
With that, what are some of your favorite new TV series'?
With recent releases on the PlayStation Network store such as: Rogue Legacy, Surgeon Simulator, Hotline Miami, CounterSpy and a slew of others including the fact that my personal game of show from E3 2014, No Man’s Sky, will make its console debut exclusive to the platform, it’s difficult to deny we’re in a golden-era where indie games are really spicing up the ecosystem of video games in a world that was previously plagued by only top tier, AAA releases.
Near the end of the last console generation, sometime in 2011 or 2012, I was unsure how I felt about the future of games. I simply found myself bored playing shooter after shooter because that’s what sells. With the current generation of consoles, I’ve really been seeing some diverse, different games that have given me a newfound optimism toward the future of the industry (truly starting with the launch PS4 game, Resogun, in my mind).
The prime advantage of indie titles is that they are developed and funded by, very much obviously stated, independent studios. With that, these small teams can craft a game that really embodies a certain tone and voice that may not appeal to the greatest common denominator, but will gather attention from like-minded individuals who enjoy that type of entertainment. For example, a publisher such as Activision or EA would never publish a game like Surgeon Simulator, but Bossa Studios sure would. And since that game is targeted at people who have a warped sense of humor like me, there very well may be enough of us out there to recoup the lower-than-standard production costs.
I recently had a conversation with someone who said they didn't pay $400-500 for a next-gen console to just play indie games. Now that’s understandable, but this takes me back to my original point about diversity. Had I just wanted to play indie games, I would have bought an Ouya or even stuck specifically with Steam, but being the eager console-gaming man I am that does indeed enjoy big-budget titles, I bought both Sony and Microsoft’s new machines at launch.
Considering they will undoubtedly have AAA releases launch on the platform as well as indie title after indie title, the current diversity of games and the plethora of choices (which also helps that Sony and Microsoft will often give these games out for free on a monthly basis to their subscribers) has really made me confident about what’s to come. The game industry is changing, and with the newest, functional game streaming services available...it is an exciting time to be a video game enthusiast and tackle that change head-on.
-Eli
10. Halo: Reach
9. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
8. Rock Band 3
7. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
6. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
5. Fable III
4. Fallout: New Vegas
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops
2. Mafia II
1. Dead Rising 2
5. Assassin's Creed II
4. Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
1. Borderlands
5. Gears of War 2
4. Fallout 3
3. Left 4 Dead
2. Grand Theft Auto IV
1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
5. Dead Space
4. Guitar Hero: World Tour
3. Fallout 3
2. Resistance 2
1. Far Cry 2
(Note: I do not mention any 360 games, because I do not own one at the moment. I really want Gears of War 2, though.)
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