It's close to the end of the year and for various reasons I don't see myself finishing any more new games, so I decided to go ahead and rank all the games I played for the first time in 2014. I played fewer games than I could have this year since I spent so much time replaying certain ones
29. Baldur's Gate - PC
Admittedly, I didn't play this very long before dropping it. I think you had to have been there to appreciate this game. The interface is puzzling, and I already am not big on D&D mechanics so I couldn't really get invested.
28. Soul Sacrifice - Vita
This game was being hyped up as one of the best titles on Vita, and it looked like it had some similarities to games I liked, so I gave it a try. What I got was an obvious Grimoire Weiss (from NIER) ripoff, generic action game combat, and a putrid atmosphere that probably appeals to some people but not me. Apparently the game is similar to Monster Hunter, which I have no experience with. Soul Sacrifice didn't sell me on MH or its own gameplay.
This game was being hyped up as one of the best titles on Vita, and it looked like it had some similarities to games I liked, so I gave it a try. What I got was an obvious Grimoire Weiss (from NIER) ripoff, generic action game combat, and a putrid atmosphere that probably appeals to some people but not me. Apparently the game is similar to Monster Hunter, which I have no experience with. Soul Sacrifice didn't sell me on MH or its own gameplay.
27. Spelunky - PC
Seems like a really dull arcade game from what I can tell. It didn't offend me or anything, but I couldn't see myself playing it a lot.
Seems like a really dull arcade game from what I can tell. It didn't offend me or anything, but I couldn't see myself playing it a lot.
26. Tokyo Jungle - PS3
Conceptually, I think this game is great. You control an animal in post-apocalypse Tokyo and try to reach the top of the food chain. The problem is that the game is so graphic and cruel in its depiction of violence that I was deeply shocked, even as a guy who thinks PETA is nuts. It doesn't help that you start out playing as a Pomeranian (I have one of these) and are likely to be viciously murdered within 10 minutes. I'm not saying games have to sugar-coat violence, but I also don't have to play games that are this graphic and tasteless if I don't want to.
Conceptually, I think this game is great. You control an animal in post-apocalypse Tokyo and try to reach the top of the food chain. The problem is that the game is so graphic and cruel in its depiction of violence that I was deeply shocked, even as a guy who thinks PETA is nuts. It doesn't help that you start out playing as a Pomeranian (I have one of these) and are likely to be viciously murdered within 10 minutes. I'm not saying games have to sugar-coat violence, but I also don't have to play games that are this graphic and tasteless if I don't want to.
25. Deadly Premonition - PC
I can't get this game to run worth anything, but the beginning is so intriguing that I'm ranking it above the last few choices. Kooky atmosphere, what appears to be a mystery game. I'm willing to try it again if I can get it to run decently some day.
I can't get this game to run worth anything, but the beginning is so intriguing that I'm ranking it above the last few choices. Kooky atmosphere, what appears to be a mystery game. I'm willing to try it again if I can get it to run decently some day.
24. Ecco the Dolphin - Genesis
It has a nice atmosphere, much spookier than I expected. I may go back to it in the future. The gameplay itself is sort of bland, though. Probably appeals more to people who enjoy exploration above all else in games.
It has a nice atmosphere, much spookier than I expected. I may go back to it in the future. The gameplay itself is sort of bland, though. Probably appeals more to people who enjoy exploration above all else in games.
23. Ys - PC
This is an action RPG so generic and straightforward that you don't even have to hit buttons to attack your enemies! I made it to near the end of this game, but ran in to a boss that requires pixel-perfect precision to defeat. I got bored trying to win the coin flip and moved on. Ys is an enjoyable game most of the way, but only really in a passive sense. There's no content you won't be expecting or anything like that, and it didn't give me the slightest motivation to play the other games in the series.
This is an action RPG so generic and straightforward that you don't even have to hit buttons to attack your enemies! I made it to near the end of this game, but ran in to a boss that requires pixel-perfect precision to defeat. I got bored trying to win the coin flip and moved on. Ys is an enjoyable game most of the way, but only really in a passive sense. There's no content you won't be expecting or anything like that, and it didn't give me the slightest motivation to play the other games in the series.
22. Dragon Quest II (SFC version)
The first half of Dragon Quest II is great. You're just three inexperienced warriors exploring a vast map and trying to put the pieces together in order to access the final area. I enjoyed how free-form the game was; you get a ship very early and can travel to most of the towns available, finding keys and such. It reminded me of the (good parts of the) original Legend of Zelda. Where Dragon Quest II becomes the awful game I have always been told of is the final two dungeons, which are a huge kick in the crotch. There is no gradual increase in difficulty; the monsters simply become capable of wiping out your entire party with no effort. I muscled through all that and made it to the final boss, only to find myself completely walled. Even with savestate abuse, I simply lacked the stats to fight it, even with all the best gear and a proper strategy. People complain about Dragon Quest games being grindy a lot, and they are wrong about every game except this and the original. You can finish Dragon Quest III and all its sequels without fighting a single unnecessary battle as long as you don't run from every encounter like a coward. In the first two, though? Brute force is the only way forward, and brute force is the most boring method of doing anything in a game.
The first half of Dragon Quest II is great. You're just three inexperienced warriors exploring a vast map and trying to put the pieces together in order to access the final area. I enjoyed how free-form the game was; you get a ship very early and can travel to most of the towns available, finding keys and such. It reminded me of the (good parts of the) original Legend of Zelda. Where Dragon Quest II becomes the awful game I have always been told of is the final two dungeons, which are a huge kick in the crotch. There is no gradual increase in difficulty; the monsters simply become capable of wiping out your entire party with no effort. I muscled through all that and made it to the final boss, only to find myself completely walled. Even with savestate abuse, I simply lacked the stats to fight it, even with all the best gear and a proper strategy. People complain about Dragon Quest games being grindy a lot, and they are wrong about every game except this and the original. You can finish Dragon Quest III and all its sequels without fighting a single unnecessary battle as long as you don't run from every encounter like a coward. In the first two, though? Brute force is the only way forward, and brute force is the most boring method of doing anything in a game.
21. Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright - 3DS
Disappointment of the year! I was never a big fan of Layton, and unfortunately this game, even in its court sequences, feels much more like Layton than Phoenix. Don't expect any complexity to the characters, just get ready for some bland puzzles. Cross-examining multiple witnesses is a pretty neat addition to the trials, but it's implemented in a way that makes the answers obvious in every single scenario, so it never has time to shine. Oh, and spoiler: in the end, nothing the characters did here had any real consequences. It enraged me that I slogged through this game only to be smacked in the head with "congratulations, you just wasted all that time!" If you like Professor Layton, I would say just stick to the main Layton games over this; none of the puzzles here are that engaging and you don't learn anything new about the characters from that series. If you're strictly an Ace Attorney fan, stay far away.
Disappointment of the year! I was never a big fan of Layton, and unfortunately this game, even in its court sequences, feels much more like Layton than Phoenix. Don't expect any complexity to the characters, just get ready for some bland puzzles. Cross-examining multiple witnesses is a pretty neat addition to the trials, but it's implemented in a way that makes the answers obvious in every single scenario, so it never has time to shine. Oh, and spoiler: in the end, nothing the characters did here had any real consequences. It enraged me that I slogged through this game only to be smacked in the head with "congratulations, you just wasted all that time!" If you like Professor Layton, I would say just stick to the main Layton games over this; none of the puzzles here are that engaging and you don't learn anything new about the characters from that series. If you're strictly an Ace Attorney fan, stay far away.
20. Live-a-Live - SFC
Another neat game conceptually, but it's plagued by poor battle mechanics. You choose from a list of characters (and they are all cool things like robots and cowboys) and play a unique scenario about them, then they all meet up at the end or something. I didn't finish all the scenarios because I ran in to a weird stalemate at the end of a really long scenario and didn't feel like redoing it, but I got my fill of the game regardless. It's great that Squaresoft was willing to pump out quirky games like this one back in the day, and I wish they were as open-minded nowadays.
Another neat game conceptually, but it's plagued by poor battle mechanics. You choose from a list of characters (and they are all cool things like robots and cowboys) and play a unique scenario about them, then they all meet up at the end or something. I didn't finish all the scenarios because I ran in to a weird stalemate at the end of a really long scenario and didn't feel like redoing it, but I got my fill of the game regardless. It's great that Squaresoft was willing to pump out quirky games like this one back in the day, and I wish they were as open-minded nowadays.
19. Rogue Legacy - PC
Rogue Legacy isn't really bad, but it's also not as exciting as it initially seems. It's a platformer with randomized dungeons. When you die, your descendant gives the dungeon another shot with different abilities. My biggest problem with the game was that the abilities descendants have seemed to have nothing to do with their ancestors. As far as I could tell, the choices seemed random, so what was the point of framing the game this way? You could have just had it been a bunch of clones and made the same concept. The gameplay itself feels like a number of old 2D platformers, mainly Castlevania, and didn't seem to bring anything new to the table (nor did it seem to do anything particularly well). I dunno, I think this game is pretty average. Not bad for the price, but not fantastic either.
Rogue Legacy isn't really bad, but it's also not as exciting as it initially seems. It's a platformer with randomized dungeons. When you die, your descendant gives the dungeon another shot with different abilities. My biggest problem with the game was that the abilities descendants have seemed to have nothing to do with their ancestors. As far as I could tell, the choices seemed random, so what was the point of framing the game this way? You could have just had it been a bunch of clones and made the same concept. The gameplay itself feels like a number of old 2D platformers, mainly Castlevania, and didn't seem to bring anything new to the table (nor did it seem to do anything particularly well). I dunno, I think this game is pretty average. Not bad for the price, but not fantastic either.
18. Tsukihime - PC
Visual novel about vampires. The story was all right, though not remarkable. Selling point of the game was its atmosphere, especially a very unsettling soundtrack. I would not particularly recommend this game other over romance VNs.
Visual novel about vampires. The story was all right, though not remarkable. Selling point of the game was its atmosphere, especially a very unsettling soundtrack. I would not particularly recommend this game other over romance VNs.
17. The Walking Dead: Season Two - PC
A pretty big disappointment after the original, and it even managed to make me like the original less somehow. Clementine was a good character in the first game, but all this game did was try and destroy her, almost in a creepy fetishized way. Of course, because she's a little girl and a main character they wouldn't actually go through with anything permanent happening to her, so you knew she'd be fine by the end of the game, removing any and all tension. I didn't like any of the new characters much, and found myself disliking the one that came back by the end of the game. A different team made this season and it shows. There were a couple of powerful moments and the visual style of the game is still very good, but I am in no rush to see Season 3.
A pretty big disappointment after the original, and it even managed to make me like the original less somehow. Clementine was a good character in the first game, but all this game did was try and destroy her, almost in a creepy fetishized way. Of course, because she's a little girl and a main character they wouldn't actually go through with anything permanent happening to her, so you knew she'd be fine by the end of the game, removing any and all tension. I didn't like any of the new characters much, and found myself disliking the one that came back by the end of the game. A different team made this season and it shows. There were a couple of powerful moments and the visual style of the game is still very good, but I am in no rush to see Season 3.
16. Final Fantasy Dimensions - Android
This game was sort of overshadowed by Bravely Default, but I'll give Square-Enix some points here. Making a brand new game with an improved version of FF5's job/ability mechanics was a lot better than just remaking FF5. For the most part, FF Dimensions works, but between terrible encounter rates, enemies that take forever to beat, and extremely formulaic dungeon design, it got exasperating quickly. The story and characters are basically non-existent, so the gameplay really has to pull through, and it would have if it were less of a slog. I want to defend this game more, but it feels a little pointless to recommend, especially since Bravely Default exists and basically does the same thing better, which is to say nothing of FF5, which I think is a better game than both in the end.
This game was sort of overshadowed by Bravely Default, but I'll give Square-Enix some points here. Making a brand new game with an improved version of FF5's job/ability mechanics was a lot better than just remaking FF5. For the most part, FF Dimensions works, but between terrible encounter rates, enemies that take forever to beat, and extremely formulaic dungeon design, it got exasperating quickly. The story and characters are basically non-existent, so the gameplay really has to pull through, and it would have if it were less of a slog. I want to defend this game more, but it feels a little pointless to recommend, especially since Bravely Default exists and basically does the same thing better, which is to say nothing of FF5, which I think is a better game than both in the end.
15. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft - PC
As a former CCG enthusiast and Dominion nut, I was pretty excited to play me some card games. Hearthstone is a neat variant on the Magic: The Gathering formula, taking advantage of the computer medium to make some cards that make use of RNGs and other effects you can't replicate well with real cards. The presentation of the game is top-notch; it looks great, it plays fast, and there's little ambiguity about what's going on, which is something that a lot of computer board game implementations struggle with. I stopped playing Hearthstone because I wasn't interested in pursuing it competitively and I also didn't want to spend money getting good cards. One thing I dislike about games like this is that it taunts you by being free then requires you to pay bank if you want to compete. The nice thing about games like Dominion is that the same cards are available to everyone anyway. In short, if you enjoy CCGs, Hearthstone is a neat game to try. There's a reason it's been so successful.
As a former CCG enthusiast and Dominion nut, I was pretty excited to play me some card games. Hearthstone is a neat variant on the Magic: The Gathering formula, taking advantage of the computer medium to make some cards that make use of RNGs and other effects you can't replicate well with real cards. The presentation of the game is top-notch; it looks great, it plays fast, and there's little ambiguity about what's going on, which is something that a lot of computer board game implementations struggle with. I stopped playing Hearthstone because I wasn't interested in pursuing it competitively and I also didn't want to spend money getting good cards. One thing I dislike about games like this is that it taunts you by being free then requires you to pay bank if you want to compete. The nice thing about games like Dominion is that the same cards are available to everyone anyway. In short, if you enjoy CCGs, Hearthstone is a neat game to try. There's a reason it's been so successful.
14. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - PC
An adventure game where you control two brothers, one with each analog stick, and try to make your way through the environment to find a cure for your father. Brothers has a few cool things going on, mainly its lack of language, which means anyone around the world can play the game and enjoy it. That's neat, though it's an obvious homage to ICO (like almost everything in the game). The main thing that bothered me about this game was how the world is laid out perfectly for the brothers' limited abilities to allow them to progress. There are questionable locations of switches, arrows sticking out of giant corpses in really convenient places, that kind of thing. It took me out of what was otherwise a pretty immersive experience. I think this game is worth playing through since it's short and relatively inexpensive, but I didn't leave it thinking it was a masterpiece or anything.
An adventure game where you control two brothers, one with each analog stick, and try to make your way through the environment to find a cure for your father. Brothers has a few cool things going on, mainly its lack of language, which means anyone around the world can play the game and enjoy it. That's neat, though it's an obvious homage to ICO (like almost everything in the game). The main thing that bothered me about this game was how the world is laid out perfectly for the brothers' limited abilities to allow them to progress. There are questionable locations of switches, arrows sticking out of giant corpses in really convenient places, that kind of thing. It took me out of what was otherwise a pretty immersive experience. I think this game is worth playing through since it's short and relatively inexpensive, but I didn't leave it thinking it was a masterpiece or anything.
13. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call - 3DS
In this game you hit buttons in time to Final Fantasy songs and collect chibi characters. It's a sequel to the original and it's basically the same game but better. The new controls are better, but some songs are still borderline impossible without basically cheating or being a god of timing. It's good stuff.
In this game you hit buttons in time to Final Fantasy songs and collect chibi characters. It's a sequel to the original and it's basically the same game but better. The new controls are better, but some songs are still borderline impossible without basically cheating or being a god of timing. It's good stuff.
12. Suikoden 2 - PS1
It's about as good as Suikoden 2, which is to say it's a fun RPG, but plagued by aging problems, especially insane encounter rates. Like Suikoden 1, I enjoyed recruiting new characters and building up my castle, even if the rest of the gameplay wasn't up to snuff. The game looks as bland as the original, and the story was pretty average, though it started out exciting when the first villain, Luca Blight, was still wrecking villages and being a jerk. I feel like the game thought I was more attached to the characters than I actually was--there were several moments that seemed to be trying to tug at heartstrings, but I didn't care much about Jowy, Namami, or Ridley. I'm sure Suikoden 2 was a lot better back when it was a new game.
It's about as good as Suikoden 2, which is to say it's a fun RPG, but plagued by aging problems, especially insane encounter rates. Like Suikoden 1, I enjoyed recruiting new characters and building up my castle, even if the rest of the gameplay wasn't up to snuff. The game looks as bland as the original, and the story was pretty average, though it started out exciting when the first villain, Luca Blight, was still wrecking villages and being a jerk. I feel like the game thought I was more attached to the characters than I actually was--there were several moments that seemed to be trying to tug at heartstrings, but I didn't care much about Jowy, Namami, or Ridley. I'm sure Suikoden 2 was a lot better back when it was a new game.
11. Bravely Default - 3DS
I would not have been disappointed if Square-Enix had called this 'Final Fantasy 15,' but alas. Bravely Default is the game a lot of us veteran fans were looking for: 2D, turn-based Final Fantasy style game with a more developed version of the battle system seen in previous FF games. Between that and the excellent soundtrack, BD works well. The improvements made to the game from its original release, chief among them the ability to select encounter frequency and game difficulty at will, polish things further. BD's greatest flaw, the one that kept me from getting fully invested and ranking this higher, is that the second half of the game involves a time loop that you have to actually play through several times, and it literally just has the same bosses and content X times in a row. It's one of the worst moments of padding I have ever seen in a video game, and it really did sour the experience. Nonetheless, Bravely Default is a must-own for fans of JRPGs. You will probably have a good time; just don't be surprised when the game makes this awful decision later on.
I would not have been disappointed if Square-Enix had called this 'Final Fantasy 15,' but alas. Bravely Default is the game a lot of us veteran fans were looking for: 2D, turn-based Final Fantasy style game with a more developed version of the battle system seen in previous FF games. Between that and the excellent soundtrack, BD works well. The improvements made to the game from its original release, chief among them the ability to select encounter frequency and game difficulty at will, polish things further. BD's greatest flaw, the one that kept me from getting fully invested and ranking this higher, is that the second half of the game involves a time loop that you have to actually play through several times, and it literally just has the same bosses and content X times in a row. It's one of the worst moments of padding I have ever seen in a video game, and it really did sour the experience. Nonetheless, Bravely Default is a must-own for fans of JRPGs. You will probably have a good time; just don't be surprised when the game makes this awful decision later on.
10. Super Smash Bros for 3DS
In this game you beat up Nintendo characters with Nintendo characters on your portable system. The controls are bad, but that's ok because you can make Wario fart on Rosalina.
In this game you beat up Nintendo characters with Nintendo characters on your portable system. The controls are bad, but that's ok because you can make Wario fart on Rosalina.
9. Super Mario 3D World - WiiU
In this game, you play a 3D Mario game with the characters from SMBUSA (Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad). There, that's what you need to know. Also, the co-op is fun even if it makes a lot of levels harder than they should be. I could not finish the final two levels; they are super frustrating. The rest of the game was pretty good on the level of previous 3D Mario games. It was great to have power-ups that can be used EVERYWHERE again instead of being context-based like in 64/Sunshine/Galaxy. Side note: Captain Toad is a terrible mini-game that uses bad camera controls as its gimmick (somehow Nintendo thought this was a neat innovation, and their fans are totally buying it for $40).
In this game, you play a 3D Mario game with the characters from SMBUSA (Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad). There, that's what you need to know. Also, the co-op is fun even if it makes a lot of levels harder than they should be. I could not finish the final two levels; they are super frustrating. The rest of the game was pretty good on the level of previous 3D Mario games. It was great to have power-ups that can be used EVERYWHERE again instead of being context-based like in 64/Sunshine/Galaxy. Side note: Captain Toad is a terrible mini-game that uses bad camera controls as its gimmick (somehow Nintendo thought this was a neat innovation, and their fans are totally buying it for $40).
8. Dangan-Ronpa - Vita version
A Visual novel/mystery game that is a pastiche of Zero Escape, Ace Attorney, and the social links in Persona 4. If you enjoy all of those games, then great, get this one. if you dislike any of them, you should not play Dangan-Ronpa. It's a very strange little game, one that is dark and grim, but also doesn't take itself seriously and constantly tells jokes. You're playing a student in a "who will kill who" contest inside a boarded-up high school, run by a deranged robot teddy bear. Like in other games of this type, you'll discover the secrets of the setting as the game goes, and to Dangan-Ronpa's credit, it gets to the revelations in a quick enough fashion that the game doesn't have time to get dull. The game has court sequences like Ace Attorney, but they involve shooting words on the screen by tapping them and reloading your bullets; it's very confusing and I didn't get the hang of it for a while. If this blurb sounds intriguing to you, you are probably the kind of person who'd like Dangan-Ronpa, otherwise probably not.
A Visual novel/mystery game that is a pastiche of Zero Escape, Ace Attorney, and the social links in Persona 4. If you enjoy all of those games, then great, get this one. if you dislike any of them, you should not play Dangan-Ronpa. It's a very strange little game, one that is dark and grim, but also doesn't take itself seriously and constantly tells jokes. You're playing a student in a "who will kill who" contest inside a boarded-up high school, run by a deranged robot teddy bear. Like in other games of this type, you'll discover the secrets of the setting as the game goes, and to Dangan-Ronpa's credit, it gets to the revelations in a quick enough fashion that the game doesn't have time to get dull. The game has court sequences like Ace Attorney, but they involve shooting words on the screen by tapping them and reloading your bullets; it's very confusing and I didn't get the hang of it for a while. If this blurb sounds intriguing to you, you are probably the kind of person who'd like Dangan-Ronpa, otherwise probably not.
7. Super Smash Bros for WiiU
In this game you- OK you know what it is. It's great, buy a WiiU. The online works great once you get it working! Custom stages! CUSTOM STAGES!
In this game you- OK you know what it is. It's great, buy a WiiU. The online works great once you get it working! Custom stages! CUSTOM STAGES!
6. Hanabi - Tabletop
A card game where you can't see your hand but everyone else can. The goal is to put down colored, numbered cards, in the correct sequence using teamwork and limited hints. It makes for a very interesting, unusual experience. It's pretty satisfying to get a good score, but some players might not like how it's cooperative instead of competitive. Personally, I think it's a very cleanly, cleverly designed game that does a lot with just a few components. Highly recommend playing this with some friends who dig board games, and it's really cheap. You can also play it for free on Board Game Arena.
A card game where you can't see your hand but everyone else can. The goal is to put down colored, numbered cards, in the correct sequence using teamwork and limited hints. It makes for a very interesting, unusual experience. It's pretty satisfying to get a good score, but some players might not like how it's cooperative instead of competitive. Personally, I think it's a very cleanly, cleverly designed game that does a lot with just a few components. Highly recommend playing this with some friends who dig board games, and it's really cheap. You can also play it for free on Board Game Arena.
5. Dark Souls 2 - PS3 and PC (PC is vastly better)
It feels weird placing Dark Souls 2 this high on the list because it's a pretty disappointing game. It's Dark Souls only more manufactured and with less care for the setting and less respect for the player. Drangleic is a painfully dull world compared to Lordran and Boletaria, and with all the patches that took place this year, only a few builds are even viable anymore online. The boss designs are bad, which is sad because they were a high point of the last two souls games. There are too many sequences of the game that rely on having tons of enemies instead of a legitimate challenge, too. In spite of all this, I can't deny that Dark Souls 2 is a fantastic game in its own right. If I had not played the other Souls games, I would think it might be a second coming of action RPGs. Believe me, I say this in praise of the last two Souls games: Dark Souls 2 only feels bad to me because I love the other ones so much. The main thing Dark Souls 2 has going for it is quality of life improvements, like extra rolling directions, quicker menus/item usage, and fast travel via bonfires. None of that is good enough to make up for what it lacks, but it still shows that polish could have made the previous games even better, which is a little scary considering how good they are. I played through Dark Souls 2 approximately seven times this year, so hopefully that gets across the fact that I think it's a great game in spite of its problems.
It feels weird placing Dark Souls 2 this high on the list because it's a pretty disappointing game. It's Dark Souls only more manufactured and with less care for the setting and less respect for the player. Drangleic is a painfully dull world compared to Lordran and Boletaria, and with all the patches that took place this year, only a few builds are even viable anymore online. The boss designs are bad, which is sad because they were a high point of the last two souls games. There are too many sequences of the game that rely on having tons of enemies instead of a legitimate challenge, too. In spite of all this, I can't deny that Dark Souls 2 is a fantastic game in its own right. If I had not played the other Souls games, I would think it might be a second coming of action RPGs. Believe me, I say this in praise of the last two Souls games: Dark Souls 2 only feels bad to me because I love the other ones so much. The main thing Dark Souls 2 has going for it is quality of life improvements, like extra rolling directions, quicker menus/item usage, and fast travel via bonfires. None of that is good enough to make up for what it lacks, but it still shows that polish could have made the previous games even better, which is a little scary considering how good they are. I played through Dark Souls 2 approximately seven times this year, so hopefully that gets across the fact that I think it's a great game in spite of its problems.
4. Temporum - Tabletop
A new game by Donald X, the creator of Dominion. This time, you travel along timelines, change the direction time is heading, earn money and try to rule the current age while the other players are trying to do the same thing. I will have to play this hundreds of times to come close to knowing it as well as Dominion, which shows not only how much depth Temporum has, but how much mileage you can get by adding random set ups to board games. I am very excited about this game, and like that it plays very swiftly, but I'm worried it will be swept under the rug too soon since it didn't get a lot of initial buzz upon release. That is death in the board game industry, even moreso than the computer game industry.
A new game by Donald X, the creator of Dominion. This time, you travel along timelines, change the direction time is heading, earn money and try to rule the current age while the other players are trying to do the same thing. I will have to play this hundreds of times to come close to knowing it as well as Dominion, which shows not only how much depth Temporum has, but how much mileage you can get by adding random set ups to board games. I am very excited about this game, and like that it plays very swiftly, but I'm worried it will be swept under the rug too soon since it didn't get a lot of initial buzz upon release. That is death in the board game industry, even moreso than the computer game industry.
3. South Park: The Stick of Truth - PC
JSH's Game of the Year 2014!
I almost didn't get to playing South Park this year, but a timely Steam sale got it to me just in time to round out the year, and man, I saved the best for last. Now, obviously, if you aren't a fan of South Park you aren't going to get much out of this game, but for those of us who are, I can say without hesitation this is the best licensed game I have played, even better than The Walking Dead. The amount of love for the source material without pandering in a bad way is staggering. Having the original creators on board not just for voice acting but for PLANNING worked wonders. Stick of Truth feels like South Park, looks like South Park, and most importantly SOUNDS like South Park. Matt and Trey's voice acting was just instrumental in making the whole thing work. I should warn anyone going in that there are some parts of this game that are R-rated even by South Park standards (the less spoken of the abortion clinic segment the better), and those parts did harm my enjoyment of the game, but not nearly enough to knock it down too hard. The developers of the game show a lot of love not just for the show, but the classic games they are imitating. The battle system is a nicely done Paper Mario clone, and there are shades of various RPGs, including Earthbound that got a smile out of me. I don't want to spoil too much out of the game since surprises improved the humor a lot, but needless to say, any fan of South Park owes it to himself to get this game. It's pretty short, and it's well worth your time.
JSH's Game of the Year 2014!
I almost didn't get to playing South Park this year, but a timely Steam sale got it to me just in time to round out the year, and man, I saved the best for last. Now, obviously, if you aren't a fan of South Park you aren't going to get much out of this game, but for those of us who are, I can say without hesitation this is the best licensed game I have played, even better than The Walking Dead. The amount of love for the source material without pandering in a bad way is staggering. Having the original creators on board not just for voice acting but for PLANNING worked wonders. Stick of Truth feels like South Park, looks like South Park, and most importantly SOUNDS like South Park. Matt and Trey's voice acting was just instrumental in making the whole thing work. I should warn anyone going in that there are some parts of this game that are R-rated even by South Park standards (the less spoken of the abortion clinic segment the better), and those parts did harm my enjoyment of the game, but not nearly enough to knock it down too hard. The developers of the game show a lot of love not just for the show, but the classic games they are imitating. The battle system is a nicely done Paper Mario clone, and there are shades of various RPGs, including Earthbound that got a smile out of me. I don't want to spoil too much out of the game since surprises improved the humor a lot, but needless to say, any fan of South Park owes it to himself to get this game. It's pretty short, and it's well worth your time.
2. Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Path - DS
I was not a fan of the first Ace Attorney Investigations game, so I went in to this one with lowered expectations. What I got was perhaps the best game in the series, though there's still room for debate on that. One thing that a story-heavy game like Ace Attorney needs is for its main character to have an arc that feels meaningful, and while most of the Ace Attorney games have done this, AAI2 does it particularly well. It is a story about Edgeworth questioning whether walking the path of a prosecutor is helping him find true justice. This was a dilemma brought up in past games of the series, but here you face it head on. Edgeworth solves five cases where his position either gives him an advantage or gets in the way, and the final resolution of the game, while predictable, feels earned. I can't get too much in to the complexity of the characters (If there's one fanbase not to spoil it's AA fans), but rest assured AAI2 has some of the most satisfying villains the series has seen as well. This game is also quite funny, and the fan translators did a great job matching the style of the other games' US localization. In fact, they wrote Gumshoe better than the real team did in the first AAI. If this game has passed under your radar as an Ace Attorney fan or you didn't even know it was translated, you should give it a whirl. Just download a completed save file so you can get through the text boxes faster. They are mighty slow.
1. Dark Souls - PC, PS3
I talked about this game plenty at the start of the year. I have played it at least ten times this year (I lost count) and enjoyed myself during most of that time. Lordran is a fantastic setting, the characters are interesting, the combat is great, the bosses are tough and unforgettable, and almost everyone bothering to read this post all the way already knows this. I like Demon's Souls a little bit more, but the two are so close it almost doesn't matter. Dark Souls is a deep game. You are meant to play it multiple times, taking different approaches as you get more skilled and discover new things. Not a lot of games take this approach to design anymore, and bless FromSoftware for fighting the good fight in an era of games that are slowly resembling one another more and more each year. I paid $5 for this game in a sale. $5 for one of the greatest computer games ever made. Umbasa.
I talked about this game plenty at the start of the year. I have played it at least ten times this year (I lost count) and enjoyed myself during most of that time. Lordran is a fantastic setting, the characters are interesting, the combat is great, the bosses are tough and unforgettable, and almost everyone bothering to read this post all the way already knows this. I like Demon's Souls a little bit more, but the two are so close it almost doesn't matter. Dark Souls is a deep game. You are meant to play it multiple times, taking different approaches as you get more skilled and discover new things. Not a lot of games take this approach to design anymore, and bless FromSoftware for fighting the good fight in an era of games that are slowly resembling one another more and more each year. I paid $5 for this game in a sale. $5 for one of the greatest computer games ever made. Umbasa.
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