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zackchase

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Game of The Year 2014 Users Choice

Despite adding a Wii U, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to my apartment's entertainment center this year, I found that most of my gaming still took place on my portable systems (though I guess when you host a podcast about handheld games, that's not really that surprising.)

I do feel bad that I never found time to play Sunset Overdrive, Far Cry 4 and Dragon Age: Inquisition this year. I imagine all three would land on this list if I had.

But you work with what you got, so here are the best 10 games I played this year:

List items

  • Despite the repetition that plagues the last third of Bravely Default, I undeniably had a blast playing this otherwise fantastic JRPG. Job systems always get me excited, and the one in Bravely Default is as deep as they come. This leads to an incredibly customizable party that makes for very strategic battles.

    Nice touches such as the ability to tweak encounter rates mid-game and the secondary town that opens up rare items for you as you progress made for an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

    If Bravely Second cuts out the repetition, you'll no doubt be seeing it on a future top 10 list of mine.

  • Even though I lost my main fighter (Lucas), this is one of the best-playing games in the series. Both versions of the game were great, but being able to plug in my spice orange Gamecube controller and retain all that muscle memory put the Wii U version over the top for me.

    The sheer amount of challenges and goals and trophies and modes and characters keep these games fresh even when trudging it out in single player, but experiencing the chaos of you and seven other friends duking it out is simply a joy that's unmatched by any other game of 2014.

  • If we're talking number of hours spent playing a single game this year, Threes! would surely be at the very top of my list. Simple, addictive and quick, there hasn't been a game that's captured more five minute chunks out of my day since Drop7. I'd be willing to bet I've played Threes! every single day since it released. And that's an impressive statistic.

  • I'd never played the original game, but watching The Binding of Patrick got me very excited to play Rebirth when it hit the Vita. While the aesthetic and themes are complete turn-offs for me, the design is so solid that I keep coming back for more.

  • For me, racing games are all about feel. While I love Burnout Paradise, I felt like it was a bit too loose. Same for Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. But then again, the mainline Forza games were too much sim for me (despite the huge amount of hours I sunk into Forza 3 and 4).

    Forza Horizon 2 nails the sweet spot in terms of feel and by doing so easily earns its place. In fact, it would be even higher if the new update for the Storm Island DLC hadn't broken the main game's progression for many players, including me. Here's hoping those issues get sorted out soon so I can go back to playing one of my favorite games of the year.

  • It's got issues. Major issues. But even so, I found myself enthralled by Destiny. Teaming up with two friends, each decked out in our own unique gear, and tearing through scads of enemies was one of the best game experiences of 2014, and no shortage of content or lack of variety could change that.

  • Vlambeer just plain makes games that I want to play. Luftrausers is no different, bringing an arcade shooter-like experience to my Vita. Having a wide array of options for how my plane flew and shot (and having unique challenges available for each loadout) kept things fresh for a long time. Now I just need Nuclear Throne to grace my portable Sony machine...

  • Having the guys from Yacht Club Games on my podcast was an absolute treat, but not nearly the treat that Shovel Knight was itself. How this game can feel both completely old school and completely modern, I have no idea, but Shovel Knight manages it at every turn. This is a game made by people who truly love and understand video games, and it warms my heart to see them succeed in such a way.

  • The best iOS series ever in my opinion got a third installment this year, and while I believe it pales in comparison to its older brethren, at the end of the day, it's still Kingdom Rush and therefore, still awesome. New heroes, new towers, new maps, new enemies. That's all we really ever need from this franchise.

  • A remake of my least favorite Pokemon game, ORAS manages to still be really damn good. Retaining a ton of the innovations from the overhaul that was X/Y, ORAS brings with it a few new bells and whistles while keeping what little nostalgia I have for the third generation of Pokemon intact.
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