That's right, I'm bringing it back. I haven't update this blog in at least an eon but I'm going to go ahead and do so RIGHT NOW by doing a game of the year post.
I'm not going to waste a lot of time, I'm going to get right to the nitty gritty.
2014 was an interesting year for games. There were a lot of good ones, but I'm not sure any 1 title really just blows the rest away and stands out as the best game of the year. I played a lot of games throughout the year and each one had some merit so here is a list.
BEST GAME TO RENT BUT NOT BUY
Titanfall - Xbox One
I had a ton of fun with Titanfall for about a week. Then the lack of content started to show. It's a damn fun game, calling down giant robots and piloting them for mass destruction is fun, jumping on a Titan's back and shooting out it's guts is exhilirating...however, there is only so many times I could do this online before I got bored. The idea of an online campaign was intriguing but it really didn't work. There is no story to be heard of and absolutely no single player. I'm the kind of guy who buys Call of Duty for the single player first, and the multiplayer second. I know that probably makes me a minority, but Titanfall choosing to completely ignore the single player was a mistake. It was such a great concept for a game and if they just had added more content, it could have been a GOTY contender, but as it is, it's the best game I could have rented all year because after a week, I played all of it.
Runner Up: Destiny - Xbox One/PS4
BEST REMAKE OF A GAME FOR A PREVIOUS GENERATION
Last of Us - Playstation 4
When Last of Us first came out I played it on the PS3 and it quickly became of the best games I've ever played. When they announced an HD remake for the PS4 I became very, very interested. It did not disappoint. The game is absolutely gorgeous, hell it was gorgeous on the PS3. On the PS4 it is gloriously beautiful. The higher resolution graphics take a fantastic game and just put it over the top. The story and gameplay remain unchanged and that was the highlight of this game upon it's original release. If you didn't play this on PS3 you absolutely owe it to yourself to play this on PS4. If you already played it on the PS3 and loved it, then go ahead and play it again. It holds up through multiple playthroughs and the enhanced graphics are excellent.
Runner Up: Final Fantasy X HD - PS Vita
BEST HANDHELD GAME
Bravely Default - 3DS
I almost put Smash Bros. here but I'm a nut for a great JRPG and they are so rare these days that I get pumped for every single one of them. Bravely Default was not a perfect game, some of the characters where borderline offensive, and the story was a little bleh, but the game itself was just aces. Being able to manually increase or decrease random encounter rate is an act of absolute genius. Being able to speed up combat to make fights shorter was brilliant. This game played to every bit of me that loved grinding for more power and more levels. I miss the days when JRPG releases were common but at least we're still getting some. If you're an RPG fan at all you should give Bravely Default a shot.
Runner Up: Super Smash Bros. 3DS
BEST ROLE PLAYING GAME
Child of Light - Multiplatform
RPG has been my favorite genre since I was a kid. I'm sad to see the state of the genre be as weak as it currently is. Child of Light is an incredible game, but I'm still a little sad that the best RPG of the year was a downloadable game instead of a full retail release. Child of Light is a game of whimsy, the dialogue is all presented in rhyming form, and the graphics are relatively simple and cartoonish, but they create a very distinct atmosphere. The gameplay is also simple but at the same time, unexpectedly complex. It's not a difficult game, but it's an entertaining game. For an arcade release, there is a lot of content here. It's a sad game that reminds me of an old fairy tale and everything about it is beautiful. Play this game.
Runner Up: Bravely Default - Nintendo 3DS
GAME THAT INTRIGUES ME THE MOST THAT I DIDN'T PLAY
Never Alone - Multiplatform
Another arcade downloadable title. It's amazing how many of these are becoming the games I'm most interested in when compared to marquise releases. It's become similar to the movie industry in that you watch the HUGE releases and enjoy them, but you're true loves are found in the independent game industry. Never Alone looks gorgeous. The little wolf sidekick is super adorable and the gameplay looks like platforming at it's finest. I know the game received relatively average reviews but I don't care. I'll play it soon enough and I'm thinking I'll love it. Only time will tell.
Runner Up: Murdered: Soul Suspect - Multiplatform
MOST DISAPPOINTING GAME
Watch_Dogs - Multiplatform
Now, I'm going to start this off by saying that I liked Watch_Dogs. However, the feeling I had when this game was shown at E3 compared to how I felt while playing it was night and day. When they showed it at E3 it looked revolutionary, like it was going to change the industry. When it finally came out, it was a sort of nifty sandbox game with a bland protagonist and a mediocre story. It wasn't at all revolutionary. The hacking stuff was pretty cool but it didn't really do much. The main character was so forgettable that I can't even remember his name and I have a 12" statue of him in my theater room. Watch_Dogs was not a bad game, it just could not live up to the hype created at E3. I'm not surprised it didn't, but I was still disappointed.
Runner Up: Transistor - Multiplatform
BEST SPORTS GAME
MLB THE SHOW: 14 - Playstation 4
The Show is the best representation of a sports game in video game form ever. It's beautiful, the graphics are good enough to fool an old man into thinking you're watching an actual game. The gameplay has been finely tuned every year and now it is nearly perfect. It's the culmination of years of devlopments. MLB is so good that they've basically wiped the competition off of the map. The Show is the only MLB release and that doesn't make them lazy. They capture everything great about baseball and distill it down until it becomes a very playable game, No matter what level of prowess you possess when it comes to the sport, The Show allows you to tweak the game to meet your skill. If you've ever had an interest in baseball, you'll find something to love about The Show.
Runner Up: NHL 15 - Multiplatform
BEST DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX Alpha - Xbox One
Good DLC will take a game that you might be done with and extend it for a little bit longer. Super Ultra Dead Rising...blah blah blah did just that. I was done with Dead Rising 3 when this came out and it immediately piqued my curiosity. It takes a really good game and makes it better. Instead of just adding a level or some new weapons, it changes the entire game. It turns Dead Rising 3 into an arcade game and gives you scenarios that score points based on kills and gives you new characters and outfits to play with. The outfits allow for special powers, if you dress as Ryu you can Hadouken for example. It's not super deep but it's the perfect complement to Dead Rising 3.
Runner Up: Forza Horizon 2: Storm Island - Xbox One
GAME I'VE SPENT THE MOST TIME PLAYING
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth - PS Vita
I never played the original Binding of Isaac so this was completely new to me. The concept of roguelikes has always intrigues me but oftentimes I just find them frustrating. Something about Binding of Isaac clicks with me. I don't know if it is the massive amount of items and randomly generated maps, but I keep wanting to play more. The game can get boring, I've spent hours accomplishing nothing because I kept getting bad runs, but when you get beefed up to a God-like super badass, the game is awesome and all of the boredom is worth it. I'm still playing it on and off and I probably won't stop for a long time. It just sucks you in and doesn't let go. I could do without the kind of disturbing story and character design but I don't even notice that after awhile.
Runner Up: Forza Horizon 2 - Xbox One
BEST WIIU GAME THAT I PLAYED
Mario Kart 8 - WiiU (duh)
I didn't get a WiiU until later this year and I really only played 3 or 4 games for it. Mario Kart 8 is the one I spent the most time with and had the most fun so it's winning this category against minimal competition. It's Mario Kart...nothing new really. They haven't done much with the basic formula of Mario Kart for a long time. Sometimes they add a second person on the car, or a flying section, or some other gimmick but in the end it's all just Mario Kart. If you're reading this blog then I'm assuming you play video games and if you play video games you've played Mario Kart in one of it's forms. Mario Kart 8 is nothing special or new, but it's a ton of fun and that's what matters.
Runner Up: Wind Waker HD - WiiU (duh again)
GAME OF THE YEAR
Rayman Legends - Multiplatform
Yeah, this is it. My game of the year. Rayman Legends is incredible. Some of the finest platforming I have ever experienced. The graphics are pretty and colorful and the music is absolutely stunning. There are levels that go along with the music in perfect rhythm and they are breathtaking. Content is endless, you'll be playing this game forever to try to get everything and it never gets boring. I'm guessing this is not a popular pick for game of the year but it is without a doubt the best game I played in 2014. When I started preparing this article I made this decision knowing that if I thought of something else it could usurp it, but nothing came close. If you like the platforming genre even the tiniest bit you need to play this game.
Runner Up: Sunset Overdrive
There it is, folks. Is this the beginning of a new era of Game Beard posting? Only time will tell. I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I enjoyed writing it.
