NE GOTY 2014 Member Top 10s

[Happenstance]

No idea if we'll have any GOTY stuff on the forum this year but I figured we could at least have a thread for members to post their own personal Top 10 from 2014.

 

Mine might have ended up a bit different but I am still missing a few games that I wanted to play this year and feel like I haven't actually completed all that many.

 

1. South Park: The Stick of Truth

2. Shadow of Mordor

3. Dragon Age Inquisition

4. Monument Valley

5. WWE 2K15

6. MGS V: Ground Zeroes

7. Trials Fusion

8. Watch Dogs

9. Danganronpa

10.Persona Q

[Goafer]

The sad thing is, I don't even think I played 10 games this year. At least not 10 that actually came out in 2014.

 

I am fail.

[Agent Gibbs]

my personal 10 GOTY?

 

Well not sure I could do 10

 

1. Alien Isolation

2. Destiny

3. Shovel Knight

4. South Park the stick of truth

5. MG ground zeroes

6. Hyrule Warriors

 

I can't think of anything else that came out this year that i bought

 

I got watchdogs, cool game but not a GOTY

[Jimbob]

Far Cry 4

Super Smash Brothers for WiiU

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Mario Kart 8

infamous: Second Son*

Kirby Triple Deluxe*

Watch Dogs

 

*Not yet completed, but are fantastic games

 

I don't think I can think of more than that so far. List may change, will be updated.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I'm going to push it to just 6 in terms of how much I enjoyed them and the quality of each title. I should have pushed it to 5 but went for 6 due to how much I really did enjoy Watch Dogs.

 

 

1. Alien: Isolation - best game I've played this year.

2. The Last of Us Remastered - Fantastic game and only second because of my love for the Alien franchise.

3. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition - amazing game. Only third due to how highly I rate the other two above it.

4. Drive Club - Fantastic game that is just getting better.

5. FIFA 15 - Pro Clubs, League nights, constant new challenges = excellent game.

6. Watch Dogs - I pushed this list to 6 instead of 5 because it would have done this game a huge disservice to not be included, considering I pumped so much time and effort into it. Under-rated.

 

Still to play: (games that I own and probably the order in which I'll play them)

 

Walking Dead Season 1 and 2 (started these)

Shadow of Mordor

GTAV

Metro Redux

Smash Bros.

Bayonetta 1 and 2 (if I get around to it)

[Cube]

I haven't actually played that many games this year.

 

1. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

2. Hyrule Warriors

3. Mario Kart 8

4. Super Smash Bros Wii U/3DS

5. Bayonetta

6. Shadow of Mordor

 

I have played more, but they're either not finished (like Broken Age) or others which I don't really think deserve to be on a top 10 list. There are others which I'll get around to playing next year like Bayonetta 2, Dragon Age, Alien and Far Cry 4.

[The Peeps]

The Wolf Among Us

Smash Bros Wii U

South Park: The Stick of Truth

The Walking Dead Season 2

The Crew

Shovel knight

Mariokart 8

The Stanley Parable

Speedrunners

Nidhogg

 

Loosely in order

[bob]

Let see what i played this year, and i'll try and cobble it into a list.

 

Far Cry 3 Came out in 2012

Assassin's Creed IV Came out in 2013

Assassin's Creed II: Brotherhood Came out in 2010

Bioshock Infinite Came out in 2013

Prototype Came out in 2009

Lego Marvel Super Heroes Came out in 2013

Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD Came out in 2013

Mario Kart 8

 

So it looks like my list goes:

 

1) Mario Kart 8

 

although it really wasn't that good, it gets top spot by default.

[Ganepark32]

I think I'm going to follow suit with others in saying that I don't think I've played enough this year to put together a proper top 10 as I've missed out on, or haven't gotten round to, playing quite a lot of good games. Until about September, I was catching up on a lot of games with one or two new releases and then once I bought a PS4 I've been playing bits and pieces. Anyway, lets see:

 

1) South Park: The Stick of Truth - Think many of us were worried this wouldn't turn out to be great but it ultimately lived up to its namesake and I loved every second of it. The humour, visuals, throwbacks to early episodes of the tv show and the gameplay, I thought, were spot on. Would definitely have liked to have seem some proper add-on DLC but would happily take a re-do on the PS4.

 

2) Dragon Age: Inquisition - I haven't played this as much as I want to as I know it's going to be a massive time sink but I've played enough to know it's fantastic so far. I only ever saw a tiny bit of DA2 and didn't like what I saw and loved DA:O but was worried how they'd handle the combat here. But concerns more or less quashed; a nice happy medium and the tactical view is a nice touch. Looks great, sounds great and is really interesting so far.

 

3) Hohokum - As soon as I heard the soundtrack for this, pretty much went and downloaded it on the PS4. And again, it's brilliant. Some will find the lack of objectives and direction and turn off but the relaxed atmosphere, superb soundtrack (Tycho and Christopher Willits was enough to sell me but it's just brilliant throughout), gorgeous art style and intriguing puzzles have kept me coming back time and again when I have half an hour to spare and want to chill. Definitely recommend this one.

 

4) Rayman Legends - PS4/Xbone versions came out in February IIRC so inclusion justified. That and it's just a brilliant game. I absolutely loved Origins and still contend that even Nintendo themselves could learn a thing or two from that game ala level design and this one is no different: gorgeous to look at and incredibly fun to play. Enough said really.

 

5) Infamous: Second Son - This was a bit of a slow burner for me but the more I played, the more it clicked. Particularly liked the neon powers. But yeah, having never played an Infamous game, and after getting over the hill at the start, I really enjoyed this. Need to go back and finish it though. Maybe in the new year, just in time for First Light being on PS+.

 

6) Watchdogs - Yeah, it wasn't perfect. Far from it and far from living up the hype of the original unveil but that being said, I still got a lot of enjoyment out of the game and enjoyed doing all the side missions so much that I put a huge amount of time into it to more than justify the lacklustre main story. Definitely a case of taking the rough with the smooth but definitely enjoyable.

 

7) Destiny - Even 3 odd months since launch, I'm still coming back (despite not even having the expansion yet). There's much to dislike about the game, and a lot of it and some of the recent changes to the game still irk me majorly, but I still enjoy playing it. Particularly now as I set about building up my character properly and enjoy the strikes. If there'd be more to the game, and if they'd included the lore to read in the game (which is superb, just baffling why it's not put into the game more as opposed to the stupid grimoire cards) then it'd be higher. Looking forward to House of Wolves though, Kaliks Prime is going down!

 

That's really all I can feasibly put to my list. If I had to make up to 10, I'd include at 8) Steamworld Dig, 9) VelocityX2 10) CoD: Advanced Warfare (can tell I'm really struggling to make 10 there with that).

[flameboy]

Here is my GOTY list, going to flesh it out with descriptions of them all. For me the top 3 are pretty much interchangable...it could be any one of them depending on the day you ask me.

 

GOTY 2014

 

1. Sunset Overdrive

2. Dragon Age Inquisition

3. Middle earth Shadow of Mordor

4. FIFA 15

5. Jackbox Party Pack

6. South Park Stick of Truth

7. Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions

8. Metal Gear Ground Zeroes

9. Jazzpunk

10. The Novelist

 

Old Game of 2014: Mafia 2; Felt it didn’t benefit from being an open world game but it kept me gripped throughout due to some fantastic writing.

 

2015 Game of 2014: #IDARB Not officially out until Feburary as part of Games with Gold. I was lucky enough to get a free card and already had a hell of a lot of fun hashbombs are the future. Up there with the Nemesis system as a real innovation of the current gen machines.

Edited December 22, 2014 by flameboy

[Glen-i]

Sure, I'll post my top 10.

Fair warning, I only own a WiiU and 3DS, so it's gonna be quite heavily sided with those consoles.

 

1. Hyrule Warriors - I've never played a musou game before, so I really only played this for the Zelda influence, but I've ended up sinking hour after hour into it since.

It's not really about just destroying every enemy in your way, (OK, it is at first), it's more about management. Should you focus on taking keeps to protect your allied base, or try and finish the mission before it falls? Should you go rescue that Hylian captain, or would it take too much time?

It really makes you think on your feet. I love the challenge of trying to A rank things on Adventure Mode. (Not to mention the DLC is very good value for money)

Hyrule Warriors is a game that's gonna keep me coming back for more well into next year.

 

2. Bayonetta 2 - Just barely missing out on top spot. I'm someone who thinks The Wonderful 101 is pretty OK at best. So I was pleasantly surprised with how much I was smiling throughout this game.

It has so much polish, so much humour and just the right amount of challenge. It only misses out because of the slight lack of replayability.

But what is there is truly beautiful.

 

3. Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS - Yes, 3DS. They're both fantastic, don't get me wrong. But I'm only choosing one version for this list, so I'm going for the one with better stages and Smash Run. Sure the controls are not ideal, but I cope with them just fine. Even with WiiU out, I still play this one more.

Other than that, do I really need to explain why I like Smash? It's Smash!

 

4. Bravely Default - Yes, I know it came out December 2013! But I feel any game released in December leaves nowhere near enough time to properly decide whether I like it. So deal with it!

Bravely Default gets a lot of slack due to it's "weak second half". Personally, I thought it was OK, sure it's the lowest point, but I still enjoyed it. So that says volumes about the rest of the game.

A battle system so awesome, it might even give Earthbound a run for it's money. Music that is consistently fantastic, great usage of the features of the 3DS and 3D effects that really makes the game look great. I've played it 4 times, and I still loved every second. RPG fans really do need to give it a go, despite the negativity you may see.

 

5. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call - The original Theatrhythm was a fun Rhythm game with RPG elements celebrating the music from the first 13 Final Fantasy games. So you know there's going to be some great music. It had over 70 songs plus 50 more as DLC. So there was quite a bit of content to play with.

 

Now take those 120 or so songs, add another 100 songs (Including FF14 and some of the spin-off games) with 50 more downloadable songs with the possibility of more to come (Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana and Bravely Default being some of the new titles), over 30 new characters, an online Versus mode and Quest Medley. You end up with Curtain Call. A smorgasbord of what makes Final Fantasy music so damn great!

 

6. Shovel Knight - Probably the most known Indie title this year. Shovel Knight is a love letter to old NES games. And what a love letter it is.

Tight controls, fantastic music, awesome sprite work and levels that provide a tough but fair (mostly, stupid kickback...) challenge that is sure to make old-school and new fans grin from ear to ear. For Shovelry!

 

7. South Park: The Stick of Truth - I don't play a lot of games on PC, mainly due to not having a PC. But being a huge South Park fan, the idea of having a South Park RPG that had a story written by the actual writers and visuals that you could mistake for an actual episode. I had to give it a go.

I was not disappointed. Gameplay reminiscent of Paper Mario with the typical humour you expect from South Park. What's not to love. It is a little easy, but I wasn't playing it for the difficulty. And neither should you.

 

8. Child of Light - If I had to sum up this game in one sentence, it would be "The perfect RPG for when you want to relax" It's definitely slow-paced with a focus on exploration and it's fairy tale setting. And it's not challenging at all (That's what hard difficulty is for).

The dialogue is a "love it or hate it" affair (I personally love it).

Child of Light is probably my surprise hit of the year. Considering how Ubisoft has been this year.

 

9. Pokemon Art Academy - Yeah, OK, it's not really a game. Not even gonna bother to argue that. Even if you're not a fan of Pokemon, it still provides the most useful tools for drawing you'll find for the 3DS.

The lessons were surprisingly well made, even compared to the more technical lessons found in previous Art Academy titles.

It's not for everyone, of course, but if you have an interest in improving your drawing skills, give it a look.

And remember, you don't have to draw Pokemon.

 

 

 

10. Mario Kart 8 - If you've played a Mario Kart, you know what to expect from 8. And that is no bad thing. It's not without it's flaws, battle mode is an embarrassment, but it's still solid. It also looks just fantastic, showing off that glorious Nintendo lighting.

 

And in case some of you are really adamant that Bravely Default shouldn't be part of that list...

 

11. Pokemon: Omega Ruby - Despite the absolute disappointment of the post-game and the other flaws I've pointed out in it's thread, it's still Pokemon. It's still good fun. Pokemon probably always will do what Pokemon does best.

 

Other games I played this year, but didn't quite make it. (Honourable mentions)

 

Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Mario Golf: World Tour

[Dcubed]

Right! Before I start, I have to preface that I have not yet played Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 2, Fantasy Life or Captain Toad (amongst others) due to a sheer lack of time this year (plus I was playing a lot of games from retro consoles this year, which obviously wont be counted in this list). I am also not counting re-releases (Sorry Bayonetta Wii U).

 

With that being said, here's my top 10 across all platforms for 2014...

 

10, Mario Golf World Tour

 

 

The image says it all really. It's as colourful as a bag of skittles and just as fun as it looks! It also has an utterly ridiculous amount of content on offer, that utterly dwarfs every previous game in the series. It's not my favourite in the series, but it's still an essential entry that plays a mean round!

 

9, Sayonara UmiharaKawase

 

 

A game that I'm sure that 99% of you have never heard of and one that has gone tragically overlooked; it's actually a 3DS sequel to a game that first came out on the Super Famicom back in 1994 that by some divine miracle, actually got a digital only EU release! (It was a retail title in Japan).

 

Imagine Bionic Commando if your bionic arm was replaced with a bouncy fishing rod, complete with realistic elastic physics, and you're on the right lines. It is simply speed running bliss! And open to completely mad skillz!

 

Videos are kinda hard to come by, but there's a good one I found that demonstrates some of the skills you can put to the test in this game... (Yumi's Odd Odyssey is the name for the US version of the game)

 

 

It's quirky as hell, tough as nails (though nowhere near as punishing as the original, in fact, it actually has a pretty smooth difficulty curve) and ridiculous fun!

 

8, South Park: The Stick of Truth

 

 

I haven't actually completed it yet myself, (though I have seen it played through to the end) but Glen-i is pretty much spot on. It's a playable South Park episode in RPG form with a battle system ripped straight out of Paper Mario. Matt and Tray wrote the script themselves and boy does it show! It is SPOT ON!

 

It's basically the South Park game that you always wanted. My only real complaint is that the gameplay outside of battles is a bit dry and basic, but the writing alone is enough to carry the whole thing (let alone the excellent battle system!) If you're even slightly a South Park fan, buy it without hesitation! (In fact, why the hell don't you own it yet!? RESPECT CARTMAN'S AUTHORITAH and play it ASAP! : peace: )

 

7, Hyrule Warriors

 

 

This is my real surprise hit of the year by far! I absolutely HATE Musou/Warriors games for their mindless button mashing gameplay, but I had a good feeling about how this was turning out...

 

... and I ended up not being wrong! The Zelda elements (such as the lock-on combat, the giant boss enemies, the equipment items, the fairy barriers etc) go a long way towards spicing up the gameplay, while the stronger focus on time management alleviates the problem of repetitive button mashing against hoards of braindead enemies and instead focuses the gameplay around managing the battlefield as a whole; an aspect of gameplay that is FAR more interesting than just killing swarms of enemies (and is made doubly fun in co-op! It really works very well and I urge you to try it if you can!)

 

And of course it would be impossible not to mention how utterly ridiculous the fan service is. It takes a real cold heart of stone to not cry tears of laughter as you pull down the moon from Majora's Mask to smash Argorok in his face!

 

A ridiculous amount of content (and very generously priced/sized DLC!), globs of fan service and (mostly) satisfying gameplay. What's not to love? : peace:

 

6, Kirby: Triple Deluxe

 

 

Continuing in the same vein as the absolutely stellar Kirby: Return to Dreamland/Kirby's Adventure Wii is another stellar entry in the traditional Kirby series. A fantastic showcase for the 3DS' S3D effect (that is actually taken full advantage of for gameplay purposes), KTD is meticulously polished, with a fabulous soundtrack and the series' trademark high NRG action!

 

While I don't feel that it quite hits the same highs as its Wii predecessor, it is nonetheless a very solid entry in an underrated series and one that will no doubt bring a smile to even the most cold hearted of faces

 

5, Theatrhythm Curtain Call

 

 

It's Theatrhythm with three times the amount of music! It's nuts!

 

Take an already great game, pull in music from the spin off games (MYSTIC QUEST AND CRYSTAL CHRONICLES!? YES!!!), make the Chaos Shrine even MORE awesome and add a VS mode with crazy powerups and you have Theatrhythm Curtain Call!

 

You'll be playing for hundreds of hours and STILL be unlocking new content! And if that's not enough, there's even MORE songs via DLC! (and more still to come, including music from Bravely Default, Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana!)

 

It's a celebration that just keeps going on and never gets old! : peace:

 

4, Super Smash Bros for Wii U

 

 

You knew it would be here and here it is! What is there to say that you don't already know? 8 PLAYER SMASH!!! YES!!! Just... YES!!!

 

It's polished to perfection, with everything and the kitchen sink thrown in for good measure.

 

Oh and Smash Tour is ridiculously underrated! If you don't like it, then you don't like fun! : peace:

 

3, Mario Kart 8

 

 

After the disappointing Mario Kart Wii and the better-but-not-the-best Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8 was a HUGE return to form. Probably my favourite driving mechanics in the series; the handling is just right, no set vehicles/characters are overpowered, every item is useful and balanced just right (except the star, stars pretty much suck now lol!), the courses are some of the best designed in the whole series and they finally removed the ability to hold two items at once! The best thing they have ever done since Super Mario Kart! No more will you see one person zoom ahead of the pack with 6 bananas where it's simply impossible for you to catch up to them!

 

If there's a complaint to make though, I can't really let the dismal battle mode slide. No mincing words, it's just terrible. Thankfully the main racing gameplay is just so good that it really makes up for it!

 

An essential entry in a stellar series. The best Mario Kart game in a long, long time! : peace:

 

2, Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS

 

 

Oh what's this? Another person putting Smash 3DS over Smash Wii U? You betcha! Can't really argue this one. The Wii U game might have Event Match, Master/Crazy Orders, 8 Player Smash and Smash Tour, but the 3DS game simply has the better and more interesting stages (sorry, but nothing on Smash Wii U tops the likes of Magicant and Tortimer's Island) and the better exclusive multiplayer mode (As good as Smash Tour is, Smash Run is just better. It is just simply THE DOG'S! )

 

While both games are absolutely essential, I have to give the nod to Smash 3DS over Wii U. They're absolutely separate games that stand apart as much as they stand together, but the 3DS game is just a little bit more special for me!

 

 

 

WHAT A GAME!!! It was every bit as amazing I was hoping it would be and absolutely worth the long, gruelling wait! A perfectly crafted tribute to everything amazing about the 8 bit generation of games, while also a groundbreakingly bold new take on the familiar sidescrolling platformer concept. The checkpoint system is an absolute stroke of sheer genius, the boss battles are amazingly well designed and all innovative in their own right, new concepts are constantly introduced and discarded as quickly as in Mario Galaxy (with most of them being all new to the platforming genre; it doesn't just ape what came before it!), the economy system is balanced and polished to a mirror sheen that has never shone so strongly in a platform game like this before and everything about the game is fine tuned to perfection.

 

The soundtrack is the stuff of legends, as are the beautifully crafted visuals (adhering closely, but not strictly so, to the NES' limitations - incidentally, the music was actually composed using the NES' sound chip; well, the enhanced VRC6 chip anyway!). The game is packed with globs of content and more gameplay depth than a mineshaft!

 

Even the lightly told story is actually very well crafted, with just enough characterisation to make you feel for your shovelbound protagonist and his shield at arms and told in a unique (and gameplay driven!) manner that you never really see in a platformer!

 

Really, the game is a true treasure (and to think it was unearthed by just a mere team of six!) It's a real miracle of a production and an absolutely stellar game that truly stands tall alongside the 8 bit classics that it was inspired by. I'm easily comfortable in saying that it's every bit as good as the likes of Mega Man 2, Castlevania and SMB 1-3! The controls, the level design, the pacing, it is all just absolutely SPOT ON!

 

It's pretty much a perfect game really. It's tough, but amazingly accommodating to less skilled players thanks to an incredibly well thought out series of assistance tools like the checkpoint system and the various armour/health/magic upgrades and the many items that you can pick up along the way; all balanced by a carefully crafted economy system that always encourages exploration and always feels rewarding. It's a game about shovelry and doesn't let you forget it!

 

If you haven't dug into it yet, stop what you're doing right now and get stuck in!

 

 

Overall, while I would consider this to be one of the weaker years for the industry overall, I can't deny that what's good was REALLY good this year!

 

Still, 2015 looks to be better still already. High hopes for what's to come!

Edited December 22, 2014 by Dcubed

[Esequiel]

Well.... i started the year with an Xbox 360, then a Wii U and then a PS4. My top 10 reflects this, and im listing games that i played this year and may have been out earlier...

 

10)Tomb Raider PS4

 

 

I really got into this game after the first half ish. It started really slow and i didnt get "it" to start with. I stuck with it and would recommend it to anyone, great finish to the game. I was torn between this, Dont Starve and Murdered Soul Suspect for the 10th space but this game just beat them out.

 

9) Stick it to the man

 

 

Picked this us for free on the PSN network, fantastically quirky game, completely deranged and strange! Download it now!

 

8) Shadow of Mordor

 

 

Great start to the game, the game changer half way through gave it the legs to make it just about to the end. A little bit samey by the end which knocks it down, it would have been a real contender for the top spot if not for that.

 

7) Diablo III PS4

 

 

What do i need to say, its Diablo. Highly addictive, if more people had been online it would also have been contending for top spot but single player only stayed interesting for so long.

 

6) FIFA 15

 

 

Its FIFA. Not ground breaking, nothing really new. But the amount of forum members playing and the nights of banter and laughs we have had puts it up there for me.

 

5) Lego Movie The Game

 

 

The lego game based on the movie. Its great fun, lots of collectable items and loads of replay value. I loved it and you can pick it up cheap if you are yet to play it.

 

 

4) Watch Dogs

 

 

I was super hyped for this game and it didnt dissapoint. It is the first real open world game that i loved. I played it pretty much non stop from start to finish. I didnt really understand people hating on it, and considering its £10 in CEX on PS4 right now.... Its got to be worth a punt if you dont have it yet!

 

3) Minecraft PS4

 

 

I didnt really get minecraft at first, my kids slowly got me into it and now im hooked. My world has grown from a tiny dirt shack to a huge town with its own well, animal farm and automatic food harvester! The new update now includes more redstone items to make complicated electric circuits with which adds another element to the game!

 

 

2) InFamous Second Son

 

 

This was a real 50/50. It was number 1, then 2, then 1 again. I have left it at number 2 as my number 1 probally kept my attention for a little longer for reasons explained soon.

 

I had not played another infamous so i was a virgin going into this game. It kept me hooked from start to finish and i played both good and evil. My first platinum game and i look forward to the sequels.

 

 

1) Lego City Undercover

 

 

Between me, the 2 kids and the wife we sank weeks and weeks into this game. So many unlockables, so much to do, such a huge game with a proper open world. Chase Mcain is a great main character and the whole thing reeks of quality. I know it came out last year but i played it in 2014 and it because of the time spent with the family on this game it hits number 1. You should totally get this game if you have a Wii U. If it came out on the PS4 i would buy it again.

 

 

[flameboy]

So I only just picked up Shovel Knight today and have busted through it nearly finished and have to say that may also be in my top 10. Such a solid Mega Man esque game.