My list may be a bit limited as truthfully my only gaming platforms these days are my PS4 and occasionally my Mac as I don't really buy much for my PS3/360 anymore and I have no gaming PC. Even so, here's the top 10 games I enjoyed playing in 2014.
In every way this feels like an answer to all the criticism of Dragon Age II. It does everything I could want a Dragon Age game to do and does them all damn well. The characters and companions are grounded and believable in their motivations which allows you to legitimately care for them and their personal stories. As in any good Bioware game the main plot, even though it is engaging, takes a supporting role to the well-developed relationships of the supporting cast. Combat is fun and character progression is rewarding and that's important, but the main draw remains the incredible world that has been lovingly crafted. Even in it's fantastical nature, this is the most "real" world Bioware has ever created.
It's more Far Cry, but who said that was a bad thing? Far Cry 3 was my #2 game in 2012 (right behind XCOM) and this one is more of the same in the best way possible. The breadth of content is impressive and the wildlife really help this to feel like a truly open and living world. This game is chock full of one off, unbelievable moments that you just have to tell your friends about.
For all it's issues, this has to be one of my top games. I've put more hours into this game and had more fun with it than any other game on this list. Sure, it has problems, but that hasn't stopped me from thoroughly enjoying myself.
Update: I have over 100 hours played, but the Dark Below expansion magnified many of Destiny's problems and has really marred the experience for me. I'm finding myself not wanting to pick this game up anymore and it's hard for me to say a game is number one on my list if I don't actually want to play it.
This was a surprise to say the least. I had some small glimmer of hope for this game, but it exceeded my expectations. It's a strong open world game that borrows heavily from its influences (Batman, Assassin's Creed, etc), but where it breaks away with the Nemesis system is wholly unique. That alone grants it a high spot on this list.
After Bastion, I had a pretty good idea I would like almost anything Supergiant Games created. I was not disappointed. Transistor married a deep and tactical combat system with a stunning art style. Still need to finish recursion mode though...
I was a huge fan of the previous inFamous games so to say I was anticipating this would be an understatement. Although the side quests and such felt a bit lacking, I really enjoyed the flow of movement and combat. Oh and the visuals, my god! The fidelity is just insane. Definitely has me looking forward to what Sucker Punch will do in the future.
If you look at my past lists, you would normally find any AC game in the top spot. There have been exceptions (Revelations, III) and this is one. I really enjoyed Unity, but it felt it was in spite of some of it's issues. I appreciated a lot of the changes made, but their "rebooting" of the franchise in some ways came off as a "stripping down" instead. I did enjoy playing it though and I love AC so it makes this list, but just a bit lower than I had hoped for.
As a backer I guess I feel obligated for this to be on here. Regardless this game was crafted with a level of quality and care that I couldn't help but love it. The puzzles were fun, the characters where interesting, the art, animation and voice acting was superb. Very much looking forward to Act 2!
This is the Definitive Edition that was released on current gen early in 2014. I had missed this game in 2013 and boy was I glad I did. It's a very strong game that was helped even more by a graphical upgrade. It did a lot to help me get through those early months when current gen games were slim pickings.
Glorified demo it may be, but this got my fire for a new MGS going like no trailer ever could. The modern control scheme and impressive graphics and performance (60fps!) really made a mark and have me chomping at the bit to get into something with more substance.
