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The Guiding Principles and New Rules
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Let's talk about VIDEO GAMES WE PLAYED IN 2014
Posts
The Gameplay was fine.
The story felt contrived and contradictory to previous rules established.
I think the games I am looking forward to the most next year are Witcher 3, Bloodborne and this
9. FFX / X-2 HD Remaster – Re-release of the year
I played some 60 hours of X-2 before I fucked up my 100% completion run at some point, and there’s little more demoralising than that. There’s so much new content in this international version that I want to get back to it though, and it’s still a blast to play.
8. Bravely Default – Grudging praise
With that said, its gameplay and mechanics almost make up for those shortcomings. It’s always fun to mix and match abilities from different classes, and the Brave/Default systems are great. Taking future turns immediately opens up many possibilities, such as charging and unleashing attacks instantly, or resurrecting and healing a character all at once. If it has a failing, it’s that the Spiritmaster class is OP as fuck.
7. Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls – Most improved
There are still balance issues that mean my monk has hit a wall, and bemusing design choices around Hellfire Amulets, but ultimately I had a great time with it and I look forward to coming back with their next patch.
6. Banner Saga – Late entry
I love tactical RPGs, and there’s a surprising amount of depth to this one. I love how armour and health play off one another, and how you need to balance stripping the former with lowering the latter to lower incoming damage. Eliminating enemies changes the turn order, but even with low HP you don’t want them chipping away at your armour. It makes for engaging gameplay despite the limited variation in encounters.
The strategic layer is also great; balancing morale, supplies and levelling your party is incredibly difficult, particularly on Hard. Routing an enemy increases morale, but may leave you with more injuries and health penalties. It’s a game full of difficult decisions, some with long-reaching consequences. If I have any criticisms, it’s that Chapter 3 is overlong and Chapter 4 resets your supplies to 3 days’ worth.
5. Dark Souls 2 – Heavy burden
The game itself, however, just isn’t as good as its predecessor. It’s a little too sprawling, a little too sparse, a little too linear. In DS you spent your first time in an area exploring it, but once you were familiar with it, you could sprint through in minutes. You could break sequence in interesting ways, and powerful items were available to you literally within seconds of arriving at Firelink. Having the ability to warp from the beginning of DS2 really compromised the level design. There are too many bosses of little consequence, and it drags on just when you think you’re nearing the end.
Story-wise, it’s interesting. It explores futility, obsession, and the nature of sequels. It’s very sombre and understated, in a different way to Dark Souls. Ultimately though, it never feels like its own thing. It has nods that tie it to the first Dark Souls, but it never gets you invested in Drangleic. The companions you cross never have the charm of Solaire, nor the awe inspired by Beatrice and Tarkus. It’s lacking in pathos as a whole: no Maiden Astraea, Sif or Priscilla here. There’s no ambiguity around whether to believe Kaathe or Frampt, just a sense of futility.
Finally, changing online matchmaking from soul level to souls collected was asinine, and did a number on the game’s longevity. It scratches an itch, but it doesn’t do anything new.
4. Transistor – Almost Perfect
The game was at its best in the challenge rooms where you were given a limited set of functions and had to survive for a number of rounds (read: when they took away Void and Cull/Tap); I thoroughly enjoyed improvising different strategies for survival, and those were the only times I ever had a function overload. Transistor was still one of my most complete gameplay experiences this year, and I enjoyed getting 100% completion on it.
3. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft – Most time
Hearthstone is a wonderfully polished, well-designed, captivating experience. Constructed and Arena are both engaging in different ways, and daily gold keeps me logging in and adding to my collection without spending any additional cash. On the other hand I’ve lost 500+ hours to the game in a single year, and as the goblins added in their latest expansion would tell you, Time is money, friend.
They’ve not been too quick about adding new cards or balancing existing ones, and I hope they get better about that next year, but I’m very satisfied with what we’ve got so far.
2. Super Smash Bros for Wii U – Best multi
I’ve been playing Smash since the Gamecube era, and for those eight years I’ve always been worse than the other three who make up our core group. (For the curious, we play 4 minute matches, first to 100 stars, no smash ball, items on.) Our first real Smash session on the Wii U, I came top by some 17 stars. It’s rare for me to be so in the zone, but I was absolutely killing it for those couple of hours.
Then our fourth guy showed up, we wiped the scores and I promptly slipped straight to last place. For a brief shining period though, I was the best. We also had some incredible moments, like using the homerun bat to reflect a super scope shot. I don’t know how much longer we can keep playing Smash together like that – we managed a full weekend for Brawl’s release but could only do one night for Wii U – but I sincerely hope it’s for another eight years.
1. Dragon Age: Inquisition – Game of the Year
First off, the Keep is a fantastic tool. As someone who used Gibbed’s save editor to go through four complete runs of ME2, I love that Bioware’s given players a simple way to change outcomes, flagging conflicts and enhancing replayability.
I think Bioware games generally have ambitious but relatively weak stories. Inquisition plays it safer than the other DA games and is honestly a bit generic at times, but I never felt I had my actions thrown back in my face, which is something that I felt explicitly of the previous two games. I also think it’s greatly elevated by its emphasis on faith, and the wonderful wrinkles being a Dalish elf add to the plot.
DA:O was a snoozefest to the point where I bumped it down to Easy for the last 20 hours and it was still a slog. DA2 was good fun on Hard, but the friendly fire and poor encounter design meant that Nightmare was a chore that I promptly abandoned. Inquisition makes friendly fire a separate option (that no one checks, because why would you), improves encounters, and strikes a balance between DA:O’s methodical approach and DA2’s over the top action that really struck a chord with me.
The tactical camera is garbage and the programmable AI routines are missed, but I found there was just enough customisation in setting preferred skills to make the game a fun challenge on Nightmare. I’ve beaten the game once as Reaver and again as Knight enchanter, and it was a blast both times (though KE is OP).
As for content, there’s too much of it. It’s an odd complaint, but I like a challenge and it’s impossible to experience even 50% of this game’s content without trivialising it. Combined with mundane fetch quests and filler trash like requisitions and they really could have excised a great deal and still had enough meat for multiple 60 hour playthroughs.
The characters are the best part of all Bioware games, and goddamn but they’ve gotten good at writing them. Garrus and Mordin may still hold the top spots, but they had multiple games to make that connection. Most of the DA:I companions are easy to like, and the ones you have to work a little harder with have excellent payoffs. My personal favourite is Vivienne; she’s an incredibly intelligent, charming, shrewd woman, and I adore her. It’s a little disheartening to see her be so polarising, but as she wouldn’t let it bother her, I’ll try to do the same.
It’s a shame Inquisition’s multi isn’t a patch on ME3’s, but I’m not sure I could handle having that game knocked out of my top three, so maybe it’s for the best. DA:I is a fantastic experience only slightly marred by a dubious choice of first zone, too much filler and a so-so ending.
Notable absences
Persona Q – I burned out playing Etrian Odyssey: Untold this year and didn’t want to jump right in to another game with a similar formula, and from what I’ve heard about the game there’s a fair bit of exaggerating character traits rather than actual development. I’ll pick it up eventually; I just wish they’d stop milking the characters that I love so much.
Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns – this marks the first offline FF game I do not own. I really enjoyed playing FF13, for all its faults, and found myself quite invested in the story 13-2 told despite myself. Because of this, I was incredibly disappointed that LR decided to do away with both of those things in favour of focusing on my least favourite character from those games in an odd action hybrid. I may check out more of the story besides the ridiculous ending, but I have no desire to play it.
Also major props to Gunpoint, Rogue Legacy and Bastion, which I finally got around to this year.
I still pop in Diablo 3 whenever I get the itch.
I have started but not finished
Tomb Raider - ps4
Last of Us - ps4
Sunset Overdrive - xone
Call of Duty:AW - ps4
Watch_Dogs
Games I'm always just kind of playing
NBA 2K15
Madden 15
NHL15
Forza Horizon 2
Binding of Isaac
Mario Golf World Tour was my go to lunch game all summer
Pokémon X well I am ashamed to say I got bored and started to play Monster Hunter 3G instead
World of Warcraft Warlords of Draenor even though I feel Pandaria was a meh I will play it anyways kind of game in WOD I still am getting that TBC vibe from it.
Payday 2 I got this from the Ghost that gifts on steam and well I could not put it down I would take breaks because I was getting awful runs
Hearthstone I play it now and again I don't like how it's a free to play pay to win type of game
Bravely Default I was a late comer to and I only play it on my weekend
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call is tons of fun and is not the game I should be playing as I am going to bed
Persona Q again I only play it on my weekends. I only knew of Persona from what people talked about. A lot of Tensei style games came out last year
Rocksmith 2014 the original rocksmith got me to start playing the guitar again this improved upon it {still not going to play anything by Jack White I can't hear you pissed me off that much}
Super Smash Brothers 3ds I only played the Demo and well I wasted those 30 tries with pride
Mario Cart 8 now I and my brother are playing with the WIIU game pad and a WII chuck so I am being harassed to get a decent game pad.
Senran Kagura is one fine boob them up
Fantasy Life I feel bad I got bored and put it down a few weeks ago.
Now I bought the Prof Layton games expect for Layton/Wright and have not played them
Nor have I played the Dual Destinies.
The Witcher 2 (the shitty path)
The Witcher 2 (the good path)
Kentucky Route Zero act 3
Transistor
Bastion
Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes ("game")
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Infamous: Second Son
Assassin's Creed Rogue
Games I played but did not complete
Was this the year I played Dark Souls or last year? I can't remember. It seems like that disc has always been at the bottom of the river, where it belongs.
Thief (abandoned, boring as hell)
The tutorial of Injustice (abandoned, holy shit awful garbage fire)
Brutal Legend (liked it a lot but just could not slog my way through one of the later RTS battles)
Assassin's Creed Unity (in progress)
Far Cry 4 (in progress)
Shadow of Mordor (in progress)
Destiny. This is kind of a weird case because I finished the story missions but I have no plans to buy the expansions and all of the post-20 grind is just the worst and I'm not going to play it anymore.
Games I'm going to kick off 2015 with!
Nidhogg
Jazzpunk
Infamous: First Light
that thing is fucking dangerous
steam | xbox live: IGNORANT HARLOT | psn: MadRoll | nintendo network: spinach
3ds: 1504-5717-8252
New games I played this year:
Guacamelee Special Edition
The Fall
Broken Age Act 1
Octodad
Wolf Among Us
Bravely Default
DKC Tropical Freeze
Tales of Xillia 2
South Park Stick of Truth
Dark Souls II
Hearthstone
Titanfall
Luftrausers
Mario Kart 8
Kirby Triple Deluxe
Wolfenstein
Divinity Original Sin
Freedom Planet
Shovel Knight
Shadow of Mordor
Alien: Isolation
Bayonetta 2
Dragon Age Inquisition
Mech Warrior Online
Depth
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Abyss Oddyssey
Gunpoint
Diablo III expansion (literally can't remember the name)
Transistor
Smash Bros
It was my completely unexpected runaway success for this year
Civ 5 is really fucking good
http://www.audioentropy.com/
I was hesitant to get Transistor at first, but I ended up enjoying it even more than Bastion. Now I'm very interested in seeing more from Supergiant.
To see if I'd like Second Son I finally played the first Infamous and went on to enjoy the whole series. 2 was kind of weird but fun, while Second Son and First Light are just excellent.
Hearthstone and Diablo 3 continue to improve and are fun games to keep on the backburner.
Otherwise, I still need to finish Wolfenstein, Mordor, Advanced Warfare, and probably play more Destiny, but those have been enjoyable as well.
My only big disappointment was in Final Fantasy XIII-3, after really liking the second.
Chincy I know I didn't knock Smash Bros. off your list as well as your heart
Maybe! There's a lot to do and a bunch of worth while catch up mechanics that don't require a lot of beating your head against the wall.
Unless you like that.
it could be a little more precise and have a bit more variety, but given how it made it to an EVO showcase and it's presently one of the top best reviewed games on Steam, I'd put money on a sequel happening before long
Most Detestable Characters and Writing:
Bravely Default
Money I flushed down the Toilet Award:
Abyss Odyssey
Most Disappointing:
Edit: Oh god its Transistor its transistor so hard, I nearly forgot
Octodad/Shovel Knight runners up (both good games I wanted to like much much more than I did)
Most Novel Multiplayer:
Depth
Best Surprise:
Freedom Planet
Most improved (game that made the most meaningful improvements on the previous iteration):
Dark Souls II
Best Worst Voiceover:
Wolfenstein
Best Idle Timewaster:
Hearthstone
You Got Me Back Award
CoD: Advanced Warfare
Ms. Chilla Guest Award for Favorite Game
Wolf Among Us
Top Ten of the year
Honorable Mention:
The Fall: I fucking love this game, its incredible. And when the other episodes complete the story you bet your ass it will be on my top ten of whatever year that happens in.
10. DKC Tropical Freeze: Really Strong Platformer. Great look, feel, and sound. Want to go back and 100% this this year.
9. Guacamelee: I am late to this one, but the art style, combat, and platforming were all great. Fun jokes, good metroidvania.
8. Wolfenstein: Excellent shooter, fun atmosphere. Some frustrating padding and the characters weren't fleshed out enough but I loved the whole tone.
7. Tales of Xillia 2: Another great tales game. Incredibly strong child character that I didn't expect, good closure from the previous game. Some serious heartbreak at the end.
6. Bayonetta 2: Really great sequel. Breezy and fun, thought the characters and story were better than the first except for Loki.
5. Freedom Planet: This was my Shovel Knight this year. I plaid mostly genesis as a kid and this captures the look and feel of games like Sonic and Ristar so fucking well. Good challenge and handles so, so very well. If you have ANY genesis Nostalgia you MUST get this game.
4. Dark Souls 2: A better game in every respect than 1, but not as big of an impact on me because, well, I played the first one. Still, a more fun multi experience and better controls with some great levels and bosses. Need to play the DLC.
3. South Park: So very, very good. Hilarious. Looks amazing, great voice acting, and more than anything the combat made me wish there was more of it. Love the LARPing aspect.
2. Dragon Age Inquisition: Super, super solid. it would have won if not for a few too many bugs.
1. Shadow of Mordor: Awesome batman combat, great traversal, nemesis system. One of my favorite of the past 5 years.
I forgot a couple, made some edits
I have played much, much less smash bros than I should have for a game I've spent 100 on
its really good but its not grabbing me as much and lack of local people to play with is a big part
What I've played a lot of:
Dark Souls 2 (didn't finish, but liked)
Wolfenstein: The New Order (liked a lot)
Smash Brothers for 3DS (super cool)
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (campaign was almost really interesting and cool but boned it all up in the third act; multiplayer is still Call of Duty)
Binding of Isaac Rebirth (good)
Last of Us Remastered (Need to go back and finish the campaign, but I played a lot of the multiplayer and thought it was really neat)
Dragon Age Inquisition (I mostly like it, but playing more of it makes me want to play less of it)
Warframe (I played this instead of Destiny--Oberon might be my player character of the year because of his sick Lord of the Hunt look)
SMITE (I have a fair amount of issues with this game but god damn if playing with @ThatDudeOverThere and the rest of the Smite crew isn't some of the most fun I've had this year)
WWE SuperCard (Don't play WWE SuperCard)
Blade Symphony (this game is alright but my friends and I stumbled upon a fuckin' WILD custom server that makes it worth mentioning)
Payday 2 (GET TO THE VAAAAAN)
What I want to play/play more of:
Endless Legend (this game seems SO GOOD)
Divinity Original Sin
Shovel Knight
Shadow of Mordor
Invisible Inc.
Kentucky Route Zero
Wolf Among Us
Game of Thrones
Massive Chalice
The Fall
I played Borderlands 2 early this year. I wish I could've played it more with other people, but I still had an okay time.
I played The Last of Us. It was pretty good, but it's not one of my all-time favourites or even game of the generation like it became for a lot of people.
I put a hundred hours into GTA V! That was a lot of fun. Though the writing was ehhh. I do regret putting all that time into the PS3 version when I knew that I was going to get it on PC. Could've spent that time on something else in my backlog.
Oh, I played Pokemon X/Y and Super Mario 3D Land! Mario was good, decent fun. Pokemon was uhh... okay? It was really easy and I didn't really care enough to get into nitty gritty of breeding or whatever I read people here talk about.
Then I went to school and six months later, I'm playing Metal Gear Solid 3! I'm really liking the game's vibe so far, though I still find myself wrestling with the controls occasionally.
so disappointing I forgot I played it!
Is the online multi in this decent? I played it in person and it was fucking amazing.
I barely played it. I think I put 2 hours into it and completely lost interest.
I played a lot of good games, some really good games, but I'm not sure I played anything that really stands apart from everything else I played.
I love Revengeance, too, as with DmC. It was a really good year for CAGs, not a great year for RPGs, though.
Or, well, until 4 I guess where the worst enemy becomes the series' depictions of female characters
I am so on board with this.
Also might get my most disappointing game of the year, after all the hype I was given for it, that for Valiant Hearts.
What was so detestable?
All right, put on your goggles
Me and Chincy are about to have a fight
Ringabell is a gross, disgusting misogynist, Tiz is a pathetic loser who whines a lot and Agnes is basically Frodo at his whiniest "only I can do this you all dont understand blah blah" bullcrap
All the enemies are cartoonishly evil who do horrible fucked up things for shock value
I hated it so much
WELL, I also got DKC: Tropical Freeze sweet jesus the music in this game is fantastic. Super Mario 3D World's too. And Mario Kart 8. Everyone else just outsource your soundtracks to Nintendo from now on, pls.
Not you, Wonderful 101. You are just perfect the way you are. Even if you're breaking my balls right now.
Inquisition, I really sunk a lot of time into you, and I enjoyed a good bit of that time. But you better be going somewhere good in the next game.
Switch - SW-7373-3669-3011
Fuck Joe Manchin
fading hearts
infinite game works
world end economica
magical battle festa
both agarest games
sakura spirit
backstage pass(early access)
planetarium: the reverie of the little planet
valkyria chronicles
rune factory 3 and 4
I don't have a problem
It's roughly comparable to one of the SNES Final Fantasies in terms of quality
The way the different characters change over the course of the game - especially Tiz - really took me aback.
Also it's a strong contender for best soundtrack in a year that had some bonker-ass soundtracks.