Something went wrong. Try again later

kreeztoff

Goodbye Giant Bomb. I’ll miss the good times, but they are far behind us now.

215 0 13 1
Forum Posts Wiki Points Following Followers

Game of The Year 2014 Users Choice

Despite what some may say, it was a fantastic year for games across platforms old and new. This year is the longest I think I've actually spent playing games in quite some time due to just the sheer number of quality games and their tendency to be friggin' huge. There are so many big and awesome games that I feel it necessary to start with some honorable mentions that didn't make the cut. These include: Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, Destiny, Watch Dogs, Wolfenstein The New Order, Titanfall, Dark Souls II, Bayonetta 2, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Hyrule Warriors, Super Smash Bros, Danganronpa, Freedom Wars, Persona Q, Hearthstone, Kingdom Rush Origins, and I'm sure more than a few others. These are games I either enjoyed but maybe not quite as much as a top 10 game (Destiny, Watch Dogs), or I didn't get to play enough of to weigh in properly (Bayonetta 2, Persona Q). At any rate, on to the actual list of my top 10 games for 2014!

List items

  • This game completely blew me away with its over-the-top style, wild and colourful visuals, and buttery-smooth gameplay. It is a perfect blend of Ratchet & Clank, Dead Rising, and Tony Hawk, and it's magical. I recommend this title to anyone with an Xbox One and a desire for all things rad. It's exceedingly rare to find a game that is this obsessed with raw fun outside of a Nintendo platform.

  • I consider myself a Tetris connoisseur of sorts, so when I heard Japan had a new Puyo and Tetris fusion title that I could import for my Vita, I jumped on it. It took some fumbling through the menus, and I'm still not particularly great at or fond of Puyo Pop, but this is still the best looking, best playing, most fully featured Tetris game I've played in quite some time. It's hard to describe exactly what makes a Tetris game "feel" right (It probably has something to do with movement acceleration, input lag, visual feedback, etc), but this game just does. It feels perfect, and I couldn't tell you the countless hours I've spent playing Endless or VS against top level AI this year. It's just a shame that this wasn't (and probably won't be) released in North America, as it would be nice to know what's happening in the cutesy story or what some of the less important menu options mean. Still completely worth it and I'd buy an English version all over again.

  • Shadow of Mordor is a fantastic game that blends the open world structure and navigation of Assassin's Creed, the combat and stealth of the Batman Arkham series, and the universe of The Lord of the Rings. The story falls pretty flat and none of the characters are particularly interesting, but the gameplay, including the incredibly unique and functional nemesis system, really brings this package together into one of the best of the year.

  • Forza Horizon 1 was the perfect racing game. It had fantastic visuals, a massive selection of cars and events, an incredible soundtrack, and it split the difference effortlessly between arcade and simulation racing. Horizon 2 is everything the first game was, but way more and way prettier. They made perfect perfect-er.

  • Infamous Second Son is the first "next-gen" game that made me really gape at its visuals. Between the fantastic lighting and weather effects, to the stunning performance capture, this game is drop dead gorgeous. I also happened to get way into the fast and fluid combat, enough to warrant four playthroughs and the collection of every trophy, which is saying something because I 100% do not care about trophies or achievements.

  • Diablo III was already a fun game, but this updated console release brought it home. They removed the online requirement, included the fantastic new expansion content, brought up the visuals and performance very close to PC levels, gave it four player local co-op, and implemented a control scheme that not only works but puts the PC m/kb setup to shame. As the name implies, this is the ultimate version of this game, and I've spent (and continue to spend) countless hours slaughtering its demonic hoards and scouring its infinite dungeons.

  • Far Cry 4 takes the formula set by Far Cry 3 and completes the picture. You still climb towers, clear outposts, go hunting, and collect various bits and treasures, but the story, scale, graphics, and variety have been improved in all respects. I also very much like its mountain setting better than the tropical islands of Far Cry's past, and its spin-off Shangri-La missions are some of the coolest things I've played this year.

  • Fantasy Life is an adorable blend of Animal Crossing and MMO gameplay. Between all the different jobs and their unique stories, objectives, and upgrade paths, and the ways they all intersect and complement each other, there's a ludicrous amount of content in this game. WARNING: There's definitely some grinding involved.

  • Mario Kart 8 is the best game in a fantastic series. It looks incredible, runs super smooth, and has a massive variety of tracks and characters that only continues to grow as Nintendo implements incredibly well-valued DLC. Nintendo's been doing some of their best work on Wii U and this is the cream of the crop.

  • Talk about massive. Dragon Age Inquisition very much feels like a direct rebellion against the complaints of Dragon Age 2 being too short and repetitive. The sheer number of environments to explore is staggering, and within each is hours upon hours of deep tactical combat and intriguing conversations and politics. It also helps that the game looks great and has one of the best character creators I've seen for a game of this type.
Load Comments