So ends another year. This was a busy one for me. Between finishing school, major life changes, and a few other crazy happenings I did not get as much time to play games as I would have liked. Also Dota 2, lots and lots of Dota 2 probably took away some time from other deserving games that could be on this list (The Last of Us comes to mind). To them, I apologize, maybe next year. So here we go, my top 10 games that I actually played this year!
I kind of knew this was going to happen as soon as Bioshock Infinite was announced. The original Bioshock stands as one of my favorite games of all time and while 2 was good, I knew Infinite was going to be special. Irrational created an engrossing world that is so unique and fully realized that I dare you to find a game that drops jaws as easily as when you first get sight of Columbia (oh wait, Rapture). The gameplay is very fun, with interesting enemies and fun weapons and plasm... vigors, but the characters and environments make this game truly special. Elizabeth is incredible and so believable in just about every way shape and form and Booker is the kind of protagonist with believable motives and real human traits and curses. The story goes a little off the deep end towards the finale, but that didn't detract one bit from the incredible and unmatched experience I had exploring the detailed and beautiful world of Columbia.
I had heard the hype for this game but could not imagine that it would be more than a short fun experience, let alone crack my top 10. Not only did it crack it, but it damn near topped it. This game took me 90 minutes to complete and I don't see myself ever going and replaying it, but I feel like I got my moneys worth 10 times over. Gone Home is a unique and moving experience that literally can bring tears to your eyes. I will not spoil it at all but I really feel like everyone owes it to themselves to experience this game. It's just that good.
I know this game has been in Beta for a few years, but technically it came out this year so I'm putting it on my list. It is my list after all, I'll do what i want! I played more Dota 2 than any other game this year by a very large, unhealthy margin. Between my time with the original mod, Heroes of Newerth, and this I'm sure I have played more DotA than any game of all time actually. The game is insanely balanced, great looking, hyper competitive, and incredibly fun. Best of all, totally and completely free. Watch some professional matches to see what you're getting into, and definitely try and play with friends. The learning curve is incredibly steep and the community is vile, but no game gives you more bang for your nonexistent buck than this.
This series has traditionally been one of my favorites of this generation. Assassin's creed 2 is one of my favorite games of all time and Brotherhood just solidified an already great gameplay experience. Then Revelations came out and bored the hell out of me, and 3, while gorgeous and full of interesting ideas in a rarely explored world in the medium, was a chore to get through. I was not looking forward to Black Flag, but figured it would be nice to play on my PS4. Every expectation I had was instantly blown away. The character was reminiscent of Ezio, the world massive and interesting, the ship combat incredibly fun, and of course PIRATES! The bizarre present day story was funny and the Pirate story filled with interesting characters and fun albeit expected missions. This definitely revitalized my love for this series and I can't wait to see the first true next-gen Assassin's Creed.
Confession: I hated every single Devil May Cry game before this one. I could never get behind the character or combat in them and I lost interest with the story instantly. This game changed everything. This game just dripped style, with a fantastic presentation mixing with jaw dropping visuals. The combat was fluid and easy to pick up. The story, while simple, was interesting and well told with characters that I cared about. And that level design, my god, the fantastical environments got me killed more than I can remember just because I would sit and stare at them without paying attention to my goal. It also had one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard in a game. Play this even (or especially) if you never got behind the old games in the series.
Drums were always my instrument of choice. I could never wrap my head (or fingers) around playing the guitar. Then this game(?) came out and I finally feel like I'm getting a grasp on creating somewhat pleasant sounds with a guitar. I'm still terrible but the way Rocksmith 2014 smartly changes difficulty and presents you with exactly what you need to know to get better is amazing and intuitive. I genuinely feel like I am getting better while having a blast playing, and that is the sign of a great game. Maybe next year I'll be playing some Slash solos.
I haven't played a whole lot of Battlefield since 2, until I got a PS4 and figured, why not try it out. I'm glad I did. Yes I know, it's buggy to the point of feeling like a beta at times, but that doesn't stop me from having unmatched experiences and fun with it when it works. That unique sense of scale mixed with unpredictability just works so well, and no two matches are ever the same. The game also looks great on PS4 and has the same feature list as the PC version without some of the Origin annoyances that drove me nuts in in Battlefield 3.
This is probably the only game that has caused more expletives to slip through my lips than Dark Souls, and just like the Souls games I loved every minute of it. It was the perfect game for me to just pick up and play a few bloodlines in between working and even in 5 minutes I could feel like I accomplished something. It took the best parts of metroidvania and mixed it with some Super Meat Boy-type mentality. The humor, ridiculous enemies, hilarious deaths, and awesome customization mix with super tight controls to make a total package worth keeping installed for months even if you only play it here and there.
I'm a sucker for horror, and for me Outlast topped all other games in the genre this year (yes, even Amnesia). Not only did it have a terrifying atmosphere that creeped me out from the second I booted up the game, but it also was filled with heart pounding, bowel clearing moments that literally made me fall out of my seat. It may be more of a roller coaster ride than a haunted house at times, but to be honest I think that's what I loved about it.
Had to do it. I'm capping off my list with my favorite sports game. I love Baseball, I grew up playing it and would still be if and injury hadn't cut that short. This game is about as close I can get to playing Baseball now without icing my shoulder for the next week.
HONORABLE MENTION: I absolutely loved the first episode of this game, so much that I ended up reading just about every volume of the comics right after playing it. I was instantly more attached to the characters in this world than I ever was with The Walking Dead making the twist at the end a real jaw dropper. The only reason it isn't on my actual top 10 (and very high up at that) is because only episode 1 came out this year. For all I know the game could go totally bonkers and turn into an apartment management sim for the Fables over the next few episodes. I have faith that it will continue to be amazing though and I'm sure it will make my list next year.
