GameCentral readers vote for their favourite games of the last year, but will Mario Kart beat Forza, and how many remasters will be in the top 20?
At the end of January we always ask readers to write in with a list of their top three games of the previous year, and the chart below is the result. Hundreds of you wrote in, with many also providing the explanations for their choices you see here.
In the end Mario Kart 8 got more than four times the number of votes of its nearest rival, and although the readers chart did end up similar to our own there were some notable exceptions. Alien Isolation was especially well liked, while Driveclub and Assassin's Creed Unity, neither of which we liked at all, sneaked into the bottom of the top 20. Although the biggest surprise for us was the relative lack of votes for Dark Souls II and Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Readers' Top 20 – 2014
1 Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
2 Bayonetta 2 (Wii U)
3 Titanfall (360/XO/PC)
4 Forza Horizon 2 (360/XO)
5 Alien Isolation (360/PS3/XO/PS4/PC)
6 Wolfenstein: The New Order (360/PS3/XO/PS4/PC)
7 South Park: The Stick Of Truth (360/PS3/PC)
8 Middle-Earth: Shadows Of Mordor (360/PS3/XO/PS4/PC)
9 Far Cry 4 (360/PS3/XO/PS4/PC)
10 Destiny (360/PS3/XO/PS4/PC)
11 Dark Souls II (360/PS3/PC)
12 Super Smash Bros. For Wii U (Wii U)
13 Dragon Age: Inquisition (360/PS3/XO/PS4/PC)
14 Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PSV)
15 Driveclub (PS4)
16 Sunset Overdrive (XO)
17 Assassin's Creed Unity (XO/PS4/PC)
18 Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U)
19 Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare (360/PS3/XO/PS4/PC)
20 TxK (PSV)
One and only
I don't want to list three as I feel there is only one game of the year and that is juggling people on my friends list thanks to Mario Kart 8.
Its hard to believe that it was all the way back at the start of May last year that I started a thread in the Underbox hoping to get a dozen or so NN IDs of GC readers to play Mario Kart with for a month or so until everyone moved on. Over the weeks leading up to Mario Kart 8's release there were numerous people asking where the list was and every time I re-posted it, it gained another 20 or so people before topping out at 140ish I think. Far more people than I ever expected, creating an issue that not everyone could fit on everyone else's friends list, forcing me to cull people that go dormant for more than a month to add others with pending friend requests, but as far as unnecessary issues go, I can live with that.
Various people created various cups and we all had a blast karting, chatting on Miiverse and giving each other some friendly abuse in the Underbox. I suspect the amount of Nintendo chat in the Underbox was getting too much for some, until about three or four months ago when Underboxer GC Poshrule created a Mario Kart Facebook group for us all to throw even more abuse at each other, only now with pictures too. That's since evolved into the GameCentral Nintendo Group with 175 regularly active members with more joining on a regular basis.
So here we are, eight months on and I've had my best years gaming ever with some great people. We've all had some epic battles, but the crowning moment for me was stealing first place off of Highflying Bird in the last two races of Noel McEvoy's epic two hour Mario Kart Finale just before Christmas and then seeing the photo posted minutes later showing dent in the wall HighFlying Bird's GamePad made… Luckily Nintendo made it though so it still works fine! I entered into that race hoping to make the top six and with no expectations of placing four let alone winning it. Despite planning to make everyone cups well in advance, I felt a bit self gratuitous making my own first place cup afterwards, but it was great to see the comments as others receive theirs.
Thank you all for a great year, for the effort everyone puts in to organising countless events whether it's the upcoming Maro Kart 8 – Easter Egg cup, for which over 30 people have put their names down for now, the weekly time trial challenge or the nightly Mario Kart Cups which regularly draw in 20-30 people and even 50 on occasion, Smash Bros. battles, Mario Golf tourneys and even the odd Monster Hunter Epic to keep me happy.
Thank you Mario Kart, my game of the year, for being the catalyst that's brought us all together. Now, I need to quickly go and do something overly manly after writing such a soppy piece.
Antony White
Canada's OK
I have probably only played around 10 to 15 games this year, but my picks are as follows.
3. Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 (PS4). Welcome return to form, Just feels more natural and fun compared to FIFA this year. Ten years ago or so you could choose from never-ending football titles. Despite only two left it does not seem to have harmed the genre, still hope this Pro Evolution sold well enough to give FIFA competition for a few years yet.
2. TxK (PS Vita). Takes me back to my childhood – looks, sounds and plays like a game should. Striking and starkly contrasted colour scheme, simple gameplay mechanic, well-judged learning curve building to a tough challenge – pretty much a gaming narcotic to me. My favourite game ever would probably be Rez, and this ticks many of the same boxes.
1. Driveclub (PS4). Lukewarm on this to start with, but I soon forgave the botched launch and PS Plus debacle against the pitch perfect intuitive handling (simcade?), breathtaking visuals (cars, scenery, weather effects and night time lighting) and the old school ‘one more go' gameplay pushing me to beat (more often fail) others' challenges. Loving getting to grips with the different cars (except X-Bow), courses (my initial dislike of Canada has passed) and conditions.
I won't argue against the view it lacks personality – if that is someone's experience fair enough, but for me the identity of the game is in the leaderboards, in race challenges and amazing visuals – I have not enjoyed a car racer as much as this since MSR (Dreamcast). Well worth a punt for anyone on the fence.
Albavar (PSN ID)
Process of elimination
I only played five of the games that were released this year, the best of these was Mario Kart 8. Amazing game and the DLC tracks were just as good as the original tracks, and I still have eight more to get. I'm also enjoying Forza Horizon 2 on Xbox One, great open world racer and I like the more arcadey controls.
I also got Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor for Xbox One and I really did not like it, I just thought the controls were rotten – it plays like the poor man's Batman. I may give it another bash as I gave up after only an hour or so but I just wasn't enjoying it.
The other games I have played are Shovel Knight and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, although I've only just started Captain Toad so I'll have to pick Shovel Knight, which I thought was a great game – a proper old school platform game.
I have enjoyed lots of other games this year on the NES and N64, which I started playing again this year leaving my Xbox One to gather dust and I got round to playing The Orange Box. The three Half-Life games are amazing and put Call Of Duty and the like to shame. So my top three are:
1. Mario Kart 8
2. Forza Horizon 2
3. Shovel Knight
Samfisherman
Just add dinosaurs
1. Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
Deserves serious consideration as being the greatest multiplayer game ever, says I. The handling is perfect, the variety of tracks and characters is mighty impressive, the weapons system has been pleasingly rebalanced… and with DLC you can even play as Link, which totally reeks of awesomeness! On top of all this, it's also a legitimate treat for the eyeballs. Genuinely one of Nintendo's best ever offerings, and the greatest Mario Kart game since the SNES.
2. Pix The Cat (multiformat – played PS4) This isn't an attempt to make a controversial pick in an attempt to go against the grain – I honestly, wholeheartedly adore this game! (And was pretty surprised that GC didn't give it a mention in its own best games of 2014). Boasting a retro presentation that will warm the soul of even the most-hardened gamer, it's a classic arcade puzzler that can be played at a blistering pace once mastered. Here, gameplay is king.
I take huge pleasure in participating in the Daily Challenges (once I'd unlocked that part of the game – no easy feat) and even managed to sit at number one in the global online leaderboard on one particular challenge just a few days ago. Go me!
Aside from the main Arcade mode, there's also ‘Nostalgia' and ‘Laboratory' modes thrown in for less frantic, but more puzzly shenanigans. The Nostalgia mode presentation is very reminiscent of the first ever Itchy and Scratchy cartoon Manhattan Madness, as an incentive to any Simpsons fans out there (‘Look out, Itchy – he's Irish!').
3. Far Cry 4 (multi-format – played PS4) As the rest of the gaming world has already pointed out, Far Cry 4 is pretty much just Far Cry 3 in new clothes. But when it's as fun to play as this, I'm more than than willing to forgive that. Besides, who doesn't enjoy new clothes? Now I fervently await to see how this hugely entertaining template can be expanded in Far Cry 5, which will presumably be a current gen exclusive. I join the throngs of fans eager to see dinosaurs thrown into the mix…
Bingo Rose
GC: We couldn't quite squeeze Pix The Cat into our top 20, but we did love it.
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
Personal scores
Last year I attempted to complete 52 games. However due to a mild Destiny addiction I fell a little short at just 48*. I ranked each as I completed them based purely on enjoyment and six received 9/10. These games were:
Walking Dead: Season One
The Last Of Us: Left Behind
FEZ
Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes
Destiny (Beta)*
Danganronpa
However I believe only two qualify for the best of the year:
1. Danganronpa. This game is completely bizarre and full of very weird characters who end up killing each other. There is also a demonic teddy that has declared himself headmaster. During the course of the game you make friends in a way similar to Persona and then investigate gruesome murders in a sort of Phoenix Wright type manner. Although describing it as a bit like Phoenix Wright makes it sound a little off the wall. This is a misrepresentation of Danganronpa; it is not a little off the wall. It is so far from the wall that even the world's greatest sniper can no longer see the wall. Suffice to say it is awesome and deserves to be played.
2. Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes: This game is essentially a demo for the full game later this year. However as a standalone title it is the best sandbox game I have ever played. The small size of the game world means that repeated play is possible and is this replay that I enjoyed so much. It was getting to know the guards' routines and finding better ways to approach the missions which really added to the game. It also helped that for the first time in a Metal Gear game the controls did not have to be fought against and Snake did precisely what I expected of him. (Apart from sounding like Jack Bauer which was off putting).
As for the third title I ranked 12 games at 8/10, although I believe only the following were released in 2014:
The Wolf Among Us
Watch Dogs
Wolfenstein: The New Order
The Walking Dead: Season Two
Destiny*
Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited (PS Vita)
Papers, Please (iOS)
Although it does not meet GC's criteria for number three I am going for:
3. Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited. I love the Disgaea series. The games are strategy game where you are actively encouraged to bend the rules and the fourth outing is the best I have played so far. This game centres around a vampire who has decided not to drink human blood due to the titular promise. Instead Valvatorez has become mildly addicted to sardines and has decided the Netherworld is corrupt and wants to discover why. He is accompanied on his quest by a servant who appears to be manipulating him and a range of other odd but well written characters. The cast is slightly weaker than the first game in the series but the game as a whole is superior.
PazJohnMitch
PS: * As you can tell from the lists my definition of a ‘game' was not particularly well defined. And yes, I enjoyed the Destiny Beta more than the whole game even though the best bit, Vault of Glass, was not included in the Beta.
GC: A Promise Revisited counts, it was released in 2014.
Boners and PSers
Just my 2p for the year and more a swansong to the previous gen rather than a list of what was hot on the PlayStation 4 and Xbone (almost exclusively nothing of note…).
1. South Park: The Stick Of Truth. This to me was the perfect tie-in to an existing franchise (maybe barring X-Wing and TIE Fighter from years gone by). The graphics were indistinguishable from those found in the TV show, the story was tied into the Game of Thrones trilogy episodes and above all it was fun. I've done three and a half playthroughs but didn't find the thief character fun enough to make it all the way through number four.
2. Mario Kart 8. Xbone and PS4ers regularly argue over 1080p@60; this game is the best incarnation of Mario Kart so far (apart from the woeful battle modes – BRING BACK THE ARENAS), with gameplay to die for and a surprisingly nuanced handling engine, with graphics that are to die for. But show it to the same boners and PSers and the gorgeous graphics and gameplay are derided ‘because its Nintendo'.
3. Wolfenstein: The New Order. This is how first person shooters should be. Innovative all-action set pieces, enjoyable story and characters, a feeling of being the lone hero saving the world and a gorgeous game world to boot. I had broken my ankle and was sofa-bound for two weeks, this game made that time enjoyable. Most of all it felt like a proper first person shooter instead of most of the watered down, casual gamer rubbish that usually passes for an first person shooter. Some genuinely difficult enemies and situations, great guns and you get to go to space. It also gave a look back at the design details of yesterday, the most notable being the removal of regenerating health and showed that games are very often better for the removal of this lazy game design practise. Not every step of progress is a good one…
Honourable mentions go out to Dark Souls II and Bayonetta 2.
Peter James
Eighth time's the charm
Hello GC, here are my top three games of 2014 for your reading pleasure.
3) Bayonetta 2. Quite simply, one of the best sequels I've ever played. The visuals are absolutely gorgeous and proves the Wii U is perfectly capable at holding its own in the graphics department. The gameplay is completely over the top nonsense. I don't think I ever stopped smiling once throughout. It's just one absolutely insane set piece or boss fight after another. I'd say it's the gaming equivalent of taking ecstasy.
2) Donkey Kong Countery: Tropical Freeze. One of the finest 2D platformers of recent times. Every level packs in a huge amount of imagination and gameplay mechanics. It also really shows off Nintendo getting to grips with HD graphics because there are truly some beautiful eye sights to behold across the game. And last but most certainly not least, a truly fantastic soundtrack from the genius, David Wise.
1) Mario Kart 8. Who would have thought that the eighth game in a series would be the best one Boasting the most smooth, fun and frantic gameplay I've played all year, this game never fails to leave me immensely satisfied. Playing with the GameCentral folk has been a true highlight of the year for many nights. The game has a stonkingly great soundtrack, the best visuals of the year, online multiplayer that works effortlessly and truly superb dlc. Simply flawless.
Jonny H
Interim choices
A tough one this one as I have quite a few games in my backlog that could potentially be in my top 3 but I have just not had enough time to even start them. Potential candidates include Bayonetta 2 and both Danganronpa games. The games I did make time to play must of done something right to grab and keep my attention, so the top 3 from the selection of games I played are:
1. South Park: The Stick Of Truth
As a fan of the TV show this game was amazing. It was just like playing through an episode, it looked spot on and all the humour was there. The series has a wealth of characters and jokes it used in the game. Underneath the gameplay was fun too, from farting on enemies in turn based battles to probing Randy in a rhythm action style game section. I also caught all the chinpokemon too! This is my favourite game of the year, I'm super duper serial!
2. Mario Kart 8
Pure fun, quick and simple to pick up and play in a short gaming session and plenty of content. The gravity effects added a new dimension and set of tactics. The graphics were amazing, I found them better than most of the PlayStation 4 games I played. The DLC was also excellent and provided great value for money, it's good to see Nintendo doing what they think is best and not ripping off their customers like many other publishers (such as the Destiny DLC). My only regret is not playing online that much yet, sorry fellow GameCentral readers.
3. Far Cry 4
The scope of this game impressed me. The game world of Kyrat is huge and was very pleasing to explore the varied and beautiful landscapes. I particularly enjoyed flying about it using the glider. You could tackle missions as you wanted or just go off and do your own thing in Kyrat. Pagan Min was an entertaining character, I have not played Far Cry 3 with Vaas yet so he seemed more novel to me.
The only thing I did not really like was having to kill animals in the game. You need to do it for material to make pouches to increase how much ammo you can carry, etc. The developers made a lot of the animals far too aggressive, they often attacked without provoking leading to unfortunately killing them in self defence. At least it's not real life I guess!
Shafzilla
Round of applause
1st) The Golf Club (PS4)
In some ways The Golf Club still feels like a work in progress with what should be basic features, such as a career mode or online matchmaking, completely missing. Fortunately however The Golf Club does get the two most important things right. The course editor is superb, allowing for great freedom when it comes to designing your own courses and, perhaps even more importantly, the actual gameplay is great fun. Anyone that has become frustrated with the Tiger Woods series increasingly unrealistic gameplay will enjoy The Golf Club's more measured approach and I hope HB Studios continue to support this game as, even with the missing features, The Golf Club is the best golf game ever made.
2nd) Dark Souls II (Xbox 360)
Every bit as difficult and addictive as its predecessor with the majority of the changes, such as being able to warp to any discovered bonfire from the outset and a more reliable online aspect, are mostly positive. Exploring the game world, never knowing what may be around the next corner, is what Dark Souls is all about and From Software have delivered again in an adventure that offers well in excess of 50 hours of gameplay.
3rd) Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 (PS4)
I've never been a fan of the FIFA series and so was delighted with Pro Evolution Soccer's return to form. A big improvement over any of the Xbox 360 instalments PES 2015 comes so close to greatness only to be held back slightly by a few niggling issues, such as a rainbow flick skill move that is too easy to pull off and referees that constantly fail to book or send off players for late or off the ball fouls. With a bit more evolution for next years game PES could once again become something very special.
drlowdon
Welcome return
My favourite game of 2014 was Assassin's Creed Unity. I played post updates and found it a brilliant experience from start to finish. I think the attention to detail is staggering. But I didn't play an Assassin's game since the second one so maybe that helped.
1. Assassin's Creed Unity
2. Titanfall
3. Alien Isolation
Emmet
Narrow win
For a year that many claim has been so awfully bad for games, this is probably the toughest top three I've ever had to decide. Even now I keep changing my mind so I'll just write it down before it changes again.
3. Sunset Overdrive
I haven't played a game that has made me smile so much for a long time. The thing I like about it most is it knows it's a game and makes no apologies for it. The brightly constructed playground of Sunset City is superbly designed so that you can traverse the game world without ever needing to touch the ground. It may be silly bouncing on cars, umbrellas, plants and grinding on buildings, power lines, guard rails, etc. but who cares.
There is a genuine skill to performing these actions effectively and when you throw in switching from one bizarre and ingeniously designed weapon to another and trying to shoot at tons of enemies, it can be quite challenging. I also enjoyed the boss fights which are probably some of the best Western boss battles ever. Still not a patch on my number two game though. A game that can be best described as Dead Rising on acid kept me thoroughly entertained from start to finish on a roller coaster ride of colour, humour and silly over the top madness.
2. Dark Souls II
The sequel to one of my favourite games of all time had a lot to live up to. It didn't quite manage it but it is incredibly close. Sure the world of Drangleic is not quite as mesmerising as Lordran and the boss designs aren't quite as impressive but then not many games have ever come close to those things in my opinion. Dismiss this game at your peril though. It still has many surprises and fantastic places to visit. It's still brutally difficult but fair mostly. The bosses are still imposing and quick to kill you.
The combat is still so satisfying and far more advanced with dual wielding and power stancing newly introduced, although the backstab and parry ability doesn't seem quite as satisfying. With so many more weapons, spells, pyromancies and hexes in the game, the choices for builds is seemingly never ending. With a New Game+ that doesn't just make things hit harder and have more health but throws in new enemies and items to find too, the game is overflowing with depth. I still haven't seen everything or beat every boss or finished all the DLC so this game still has a lot more to give and I bought it day of release. I know it hasn't received half the love in the Inbox and Underbox that the original got but I would recommend giving this game your time. I'm sure it will not disappoint.
1. Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor
After seeing the footage of this and the claims of stolen assets from Assassin's Creed, I immediately ruled this game out. I have serious fatigue of Ubisoft's flagship game and the fact it was a licensed game set alarm bells ringing. After seeing many positive reviews and feedback from friends and fellow GCers, I decided to take a punt. I received this for my birthday alongside Far Cry 4. I decided on playing this first as I was knee deep in Covenant corpses at the time on Halo so didn't want to play another first person shooter at the same time.
I only finished this the other day but wow, what a game. Clearly taking inspiration from Rocksteady's Batman games and the aforementioned Assassin's Creed, Monolith Studios crafted something so compelling and fun to play. I've been doing absolutely everything I could in the game. Every side mission, main mission, sword, bow and dagger mission had to be finished before the final battle. Decapitating uruks never got old and the more I levelled up, the fresher the game seemed to get.
The cherry on the top was the Nemesis system. Meeting an uruk who had run away from me after I set him on fire for a second time and him remembering this incident with some disdain for me in his voice was one of those stay with you forever gaming moments. Not many uruks had an encounter with me that they lived to tell the tale but the few that did put a huge smile on my face as they mocked me or threatened revenge against me. Then I'd chop their head off and that would be that.
Taming a caragor and riding it into the middle of an uruk camp to take them out is another fond memory I'll take from this game. Then I tamed a graug and that surpassed this memory as I rode this giant beast and completely destroyed masses of uruks, commanding it to eat some to top up it's health. The combat was instantly satisfying but I would be wary of taking on too many uruks at a time to begin with.
Towards the games end, I was looking for fights with the biggest amount of uruks I could find. Well, I had to give them some sort of a chance after all! What with carving my way through the uruk ranks and later bending their minds to work for me, it was all so epic. Being set in Middle-Earth with some references to events that are mentioned in the films all seemed to fit so well. This is probably the best licensed game I've played since Batman and just by the narrowest of margins, my game of 2014.
REBROCK
Shooting for the top
1. Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4) – I only played two first person shooters last year, Wolfenstein and Advanced Warfare. Whilst I enjoyed Advanced Warfare I thought Wolfenstein was much better. It was great to go back to old school shooting mechanics with non regenerating health and the ability to hold as many weapons as you wanted. The game was really fun to play and was excelled to my number one spot by the great story that made me care about the characters and presented a great alternative history that was fun to explore. The only bad thing about the game was the final boss battle which took me a week to complete and had me biting the controller.
2. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4) – This probably would not have made my top 10 had it not been for the fact that I ventured online for the first time last Saturday and have been thoroughly enjoying it ever since. The single-player is great but I had finished it before on PlayStation3, however I never went online on PlayStation 3. I probably joined at the best time given all the content being made available, the other enhancements Rockstar included to the remaster though have made a 10/10 game even better and their effort should be rewarded.
3. Velocity 2X (PS Vita) – After discovering the delights of Velocity Ultra earlier in the year, I was excited to see Velocity 2X being released so soon after I had finished Ultra. Whilst I prefer Ultra, 2X did improve and introduce new gameplay elements that made it feel similar yet new at the same time to the Velocity series. I believe it is a masterclass in game design in that it can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be.
It is easy enough for most gamers to get through each stage but can become one of the hardest games if you are trying to perfect every level but very rewarding when you do so. The only game I can compare it to is the Mario 3D platformer games in that you can just breeze through the game and get your fill, but by trying to perfect everything a whole new game is revealed. Finally, the skills I developed on 2X helped me to then go back and get the Platinum on Ultra.
Truk_Kurt (PSN ID)/Angry_Kurt (Twitter)
Obvious choices
As only owning a Wii U it was quite easy to pick my top three of last year (well I also own a 3DS, but didn't buy a single new release for it last year – Sorry Mario Golf!), so here we go….
1) Bayonetta 2 – Definitely my highlight of the year. I have put well over 100 hours into the single- player on this and whenever I turn it on it constantly makes me smile like a Cheshire cat. This game is just so much fun, and I enjoy nothing more than just playing around with it when I'm slightly inebriated. Even with all the hours I've ploughed into it I still feel there's loads left to do (only last night I used the Chernobog weapon for the first time (and what fun it was) and still not tried it online. This game has become possibly my favourite game of all-time.
2) Mario Kart 8 – Another game all about fun (well, and immense frustration too). In my opinion the best Mario Kart yet. Great online community (especially the nightly GC tournaments), stunning to look at, and no matter how ‘so unfair' it feels at times I always press ‘A' for another go. Long may the GC tournaments continue. Oh, nearly forgot the two new cups coming in May – cannot wait!
3) Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – Loved this series ever since the SNES originals, and to me this sequel didn't disappoint. I know a lot of people wished that Retro were working on a new Metroid (as did I), but with gorgeous graphics, possibly the best soundtrack of the year, and a formidable challenge (finished all the KONG Temple levels, but still not managed the very last level), this title kept me glued to the screen from start to finish.
I must admit, even if I did own a PlayStation 4 or an Xbox One, I don't think my list would have been any different.
AntMol69 (NN ID)
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
No favourites
My top three games from 2014, in no particular order would be:
Far Cry 4
It might not have re-invented the wheel, but Far Cry 4 was still one of the most enjoyable games I played last year. Most of the gameplay was cut and pasted from the previous game, but trying to sneak into an enemy camp without being spotted was always a thrill, and using wildlife and fire to give you a tactical advantage never feels old. The open world of Kyrat was a joy to explore, and there were lots of secrets to be found if you spent the time looking. Pagan Min may not be quite as memorable a villain as Vaas from Far Cry 3, but the gameplay was top notch. The addition of two player co-op added greatly to the experience, and the map editor gave you an unlimited supply of maps to play if you fancied some competitive multiplayer.
Mario Kart 8
Nintendo have had a major resurgence in the past year with lots of highly-rated games landing on the Wii U. Mario Kart 8 was a top notch racer with the addition of anti-gravity adding an extra dimension to the gameplay, and returning features like hang gliders, underwater racing and the ability to customise your vehicle making a welcome return. The tracks were well designed as you'd expect, and there were some nice redesigns of series favourites like Rainbow Road and Donut Plains 3. With a total of 32 tracks, 16 of which were new, there was plenty of content to keep you racing for many months, with the online racing adding even more longevitiy, to what was a generous, and highly-polished package. With many racers failing to impress in 2014, Mario Kart 8 brought the fun back to the genre.
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Wolfenstein: The New Order was a fantastic first person shooter, that was a nice amalgamation of the old style shooters with the new. It was good to go back to a World War setting, which has been neglected recently in favour of the modern day and futuristic themes. I really enjoyed the story as well, which was well written, with some memorable heart-wrenching and stomach churning moments. It also had a great selection of characters, and an unforgettable villain in Deathshead.
The set pieces were also fantastic, and The New Order gave Call oO Duty a run for it's money with some pretty spectacular sections. I didn't really expect much from the game when it was announced, but MachineGames delivered a fantastic first person shooter, that had me hooked right up to the end, and I look forward to venturing back into it's world in a sequel (hopefully) in the near future.
Cubes (PSN ID)/Cubes73 (NN ID/Steam ID)/Cubes1 (Twitter)/Kevin M
Warts and all
My top games of 2014 are as follows:
1. Destiny. I acknowledge all the flaws with this game, but it was without a doubt the most fun title I played last year. I have never really played online multiplayer before, this was brilliant for me. The beta weekend was fantastic especially the Sunday I played with fellow GC readers nuttyredevil and thrashingmonkey. I played with so many new and old friends from GC after launch. The social aspect of it was really the best part, thanks again to everyone who shared the experience with me.
2. Far Cry 4. More of the same? Definitely. I really had a blast though. I will admit I didn't even come close to completing the game, but that's because I was having a great time just messing around. I especially like the outposts and radio towers, after I liberate them steathily I say the John Turturro line from Mr. Deeds – ‘Yes Sir, I am berry berry sneaky!'
3. Driveclub. OK, I only played this in 2015 for the first time. Also, I have only played it for like a week. But I have played it everyday for extended periods and it is my favourite racing game since Need For Speed: Underground 2. I would like to thank everyone who made positive comments in the Inbox and Underbox, as I genuinely had no intention of buying this game.
Deceitfularcher (PSN ID/NN ID)
Smaller is better
My top 3 for the year are:
3) Alien Isolation. Alien Isolation has many faults; It's too long, the gameplay is fairly repetitive, there isn't enough variety in the enemies, etc. But what it does brilliantly is what all good horror games should do and that is get the tension and atmosphere spot on. You cannot kill the Alien, you can only run, hide and survive and even then running will probably get you killed.
Special mention must go to the graphics and audio as well. The graphics are phenomenal and replicate the original Alien film design perfectly while the sound effects add to the fear by masking the noise of the enemies and leave you guessing where the Alien is. The level in the reactor was a stand-out and is possibly the most tense I've ever been in a game. With a few tweaks a sequel could be even better.
2) Far Cry 4. It's basically Far Cry 3 in different clothes but that's by no means a bad thing. From the lush forest to the snow swept temples, there wasn't any part of Ubisoft Montreal's sandbox that wasn't fun and it was made even better when you played in co-op. OK, the story was a bit weak and the mystical stuff felt forced but that's missing the point. Having said that I did really like Pagan Min and the ending was excellent, at least the one I chose.
1) Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc & Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Alright I'm cheating a bit here but the games should be played as a pair and both are equally excellent. Equal parts Phoenix Wright, Persona, and Battle Royale, the Danganronpa games prove that games can tell interesting stories and with characters you genuinely care about. Though each character tends to be fairly clichéd they all have a level of depth to them that many other games lack.
The games revolve around murder trials where the outcome is literally life and death. You will care who has been murdered and the reasons behind them and the outcomes are never black and white. Then there's Monokuma, the game's antagonist and one of gamings best villains. The sequel adds some slightly ill-advised gameplay elements but they aren't anything major and if you have a PS Vita then get them as soon as possible. Like a good book you won't want to put them down.
On the whole, and contrary to popular belief, I think 2014 was actually a pretty good year for games. Most of the triple-A titles were a bit underwhelming and if your interest in gaming is primarily the blockbusters then it would be hard not to be disappointed, but there were a lot of smaller titles that really hit the mark. 2015 will be better but, like for like, the best of 2014 is certainly no worse than any other year.
Andy_b720 (PSN ID)
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The post Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: Readers Top 20 of 2014 appeared first on Presshook News.