Favorite Games of 2014 (so far)

[Drummodino]

Honestly most of the big 2014 AAA releases have been thoroughly underwhelming. Titanfall, Watch Dogs and Destiny were all hyped to high heaven and inevitably fell short of expectations. They're all still good games, just not the revolutionary next gen experiences they were meant to be.

With that said I've played very few games released in 2014, I've mostly been playing slightly older titles. The 2014 games I have played and enjoyed are:

Dark Souls II - A very good game, but not a stellar masterpiece like it's predecessor. As a big Dark Souls fan I was disappointed.

Bravely Default - I'm about 24 hours into this but it feels like I'm only about a quarter of the way through the story. I like it a lot but I haven't been motivated to continue for some reason.

Transistor - My GOTY so far. A short but beautiful little game with a wonderful story and soundtrack. The gameplay is pretty unique and fun too.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax - Only got this a couple of days ago but as a huge Persona nerd I'm loving it. I still can't play it for shit but it's fun and the story is a good conclusion to the Arena arc. Seeing the other P3 characters like Junpei again is a blast.

The Walking Dead Season One - A worthy sequel to the stellar first season. The UI has been nicely polished and improved and while the story isn't quite as captivating as season one, it is still emotional and great.

There are a few titles being released between now and the end of the year I am keen for, hopefully they won't be disappointing.

 

[Rabbitboy]

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Just finished it 2 days ago. I couldn't play AC3 for more than 3 hours, it was just so fucking boring. Now compare the beginning of AC3 with the moment in AC4 where you first set sail for the Ocean. You take the helm, raise the sail and as you sail out of the bay a whale comes out of the water. That was the point that I knew I was going to love this game.

I don't think I will get unity though. Since I already found hard to get through Revelations.

Xcom: Enemy Unknown. Bought it in the steam sales before the summer. I love it.

And Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Just sitting in the garden with a beer playing this game. Very relaxing experience.

There was also a game from 2014 I played and wanted to mention. But I have forgotten which one.

 

[NoeL]

Still waiting for Shovel Knight to hit Wii U (I could get it on PC, but it's just so Nintendo it needs to be played on a Nintendo) but it could be a GOTY for me if it lives up to the hype.

Of the games I've played, Mario Kart 8 would have to be number 1, then Hearthstone very closely behind.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

1)The Wolf Among Us
2)Transistor
3)Metal Gear Rising Revengeance*
4)The Banner Saga

Those are all the 2014 games I played... so maybe the list is a bit unfair

But I did genuinely enjoy all of those games, even if this year has not yet received its' Bioshock Infinite/The Last of Us/GTA V mega-game moment yet!

Perhaps Dragon Age Inquisition will be that game, though I am not 100% on it yet...

[sub]*The PC version, which came out in January[/sub]

EDIT: Oooh, games I played this year too?

Well then!

-The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings: okay, okay, I did my alternate playthrough this time, which I guess doesn't count as much as a new game, but it might as well! It's still a stellar RPG, and a great example of Eastern European ingenuity in game design(grouping it with titles like the Metro and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series)

-Hotline Miami: another ingenious Eastern title! Tight mechanics, a good sense of flow, interesting albeit minimalistic story and a great soundtrack to boot! Can't wait for the sequel

-Super Meat Boy: same principle applies as with Hotline Miami. It has a great design philosophy and manages to take the old-school game design philosophy and evolve it!

-Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition: I think it goes without saying why I like this game, considering that The Escapist community has quite the following surrounding the Souls games. Great atmosphere, great controls, great level design, alluring story and the fairest game I have ever played(sans irony, this game follows its' own rules).

-Mark of The Ninja: A great exercise in stealth done right. This is the anti-thesis to the typical AAA game; the joy here stems from the detente, in the planning of the approach and the execution, not the action.

-PayDay 2:A great experience with other people! A game that is actually co-operative without leaning upon the idea as some sort of crutch. Provides great 'watercooler moments' and provides for some truly tense moments, as you and your friends try to co-ordinate a heist plan!

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Well, the actual 2014 games I've played have been really limited. Between Shovel Knight, Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros for the 3DS, Pokemon Battle Trozei, NES Remix 2, and Kirby's Triple Deluxe. So, which of those 2014 games were my favorite?

I bought the DLC for Mario Kart 8 which is a game that I really enjoyed. I spent a lot more time with Shovel Knight than I expected to as well. That being said though, my favorite game so far has been Super Smash Bros for the 3DS and I know I'll like the Wii U version even more. I know we're still in the honey-moon period for Smash 4 but I had the demo early, I played through it long enough to get thousands of coins and, I see myself dumping Animal Crossing-levels of time into Smash for the 3DS. Pokemon Battle Trozei was not what I was expecting...I need Puzzle Quest...and NES Remix 2 annoyed me because when I bought it I wasn't expecting both versions to be packaged together and sold as a stand alone disc, Dammit.

 

[JagermanXcell]

Only pleasant surprises so far have been:
Mario Kart 8
Persona 4 Ultimax ULTRA SUPLEX HOLD
Shovel Knight
and Alien: Isolation

4 great games that have been scratching my satisfaction itch that some of 2014s other games just couldn't do. They're doing a fine job at tiding me over until the eventual favorite games of 2014, Bayo 2 and SSB WiiU, come out. (I have played some of SSB3DS, and while it is fantastic, i'm holding out more so for the definitive version to officially brand it as a fav!)

 

[SmallHatLogan]

Ooh, I just remembered Shovel Knight was released this year. Definitely a favourite of mine. About time I gave it another play through I think. Maybe a gold armour, no sub weapons run.

Also I predict The Binding of Isaac Rebirth will be a GOTY contender for me.

 

[Trunkage]

Transistor is my GOTY - it is short but I think it just refines Bastion to a new level

Walking Dead (s2) - There are some moments that you cannot get anywhere else, but I'm tired of your decisions not making any impact on the storyline (til the ending, which you know wont make difference in the long run anyway.)

Not much else have been worth talking about. As for those from previous years that I've just tried Kingdoms of Amalur is pretty good. It tried EYE Divine Cybermancy - its okay but it has some big issues. Still way better than most things that have come out this year.

 

[FPLOON]

I would be better for me to just list the games I've bought this year and just go from there:

Tales of Symphonia ChroniclesSouth Park: The Stick of TruthBlazBlue: ChronophantasmaTales of Xillia 2Persona 4 Arena UltimaxPokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha SapphirePersona Q: Shadow of the LabyrinthKingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX

I know those last two(?) are not out yet in the US, but I already know that I'm going to enjoy them to the point of calling them one of my favorites of 2014... So, overall, every game that I bought this year when it came out, basically, is already one of my favorites of 2014... I guess it doesn't happen that often per year, but whatever...

 

[mysecondlife]

I haven't devoted much money on videogame this year.

But Velocity 2X gets my whole-hearted recommendation for PS4/Vita owners

 

[Kingjackl]

Funnily enough, the best games that have come out this year for me have been:

The Wolf Among Us
The Walking Dead Season 2
Shadow of Mordor
Alien Isolation
South Park Stick of Truth (one of these is not like the others )

What they do have in common is they're all licensed games. It's interesting because once upon a time, being a licensed game usually meant a terrible, unfinished cash-grab with a few exceptions. Now all the best games seem to be based on something else. Again, I haven't played that many this year, and my favourite overall would probably be Metal Gear Rising, which came out last year.

 

[steodosic]

The only two types of games that I play are strategies and simulations. So, in the category of strategic games, Football Manager (although you might say it is simulation too?) and Civilization V. And when we talk about the simulation games, Wind of Luck: Arena is my 2014 favorite so far.

 

[wasabinewt]

I've been pretty bad with playing games (and finishing them) this year as I sort of upped my reading game. 80 books so far this year, yeah...

The games I have played and finished for the first time are:

The Last of Us
Dreamfall Chapters: Book One
Always Sometimes Monsters
Monster Loves You
Magical Diary
Long Live The Queen
Far Cry 3
Game Dev Tycoon
Fallout New Vegas
Fallout 3
Bully

So out of those my favorite would have to be The Last of Us. The gameplay was fluid, the world beautiful, it was scary and unsettling and I loved the relationship between Ellie and Joel.

Although this might be because I'm in a post apocalyptic mood at the moment as my favorite novel from this year would have to be Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.