This past year will go down as a weird one for the gaming industry. We saw a lot of ugly stuff within the community towards the end of the year, and a lot of big releases failed to live up to their promises. That being said, there were still plenty of great games to be released in 2014, and these are 10 games that I enjoyed throughout the year.
#10 – FIFA 15 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – As someone who enjoys each iteration of the FIFA series, FIFA 15 is a release within EA’s flagship series that I will remember for a long time. With a lot of improvements to the control of the game, along with many changes to the visuals, FIFA 15 is a great addition to the already storied franchise.
#9 – FRACT OSC (PC) – FRACT OSC‘s biggest draw to me was the idea of creating music inside of a world that resembled electronic music. As you solve puzzles by creating beats and melodies, the world comes alive with color, and it is one of the more profound experiences from 2014.
#8 – This War of Mine (PC) – War games are popular within the gaming industry, but it is rare for a game to put the people being affected by the war in the spotlight. This War of Mine puts you in control of a group of civilians stuck in a city under siege. It is one of the more intense games I’ve played in a long time. I’m hoping to make it to that ceasefire sometime!
#7 – Threes (iOS, Android) – Since getting a new phone this past year, I dived into a new frontier for myself known as mobile gaming. Threes was one of the first games I downloaded onto my new phone after hearing so much about it, and I’m glad I did. I’ve spent hours playing Threes, always trying to beat my high score. Threes is what I consider a great game for phones.
#6 – Hitman Go (iOS, Android) – Oh look, another mobile game! One thing that makes Hitman Go stand out is that while it is a huge departure from what we know as a Hitman game, it still feels like a Hitman game! That is what grabbed my attention with the game. Hitman Go has been one of the more satisfying games of 2014.
#5 – The Wolf Among Us (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mobile) – The Wolf Among Us continued the recent tradition of great adventure games from Telltale. I love the idea of fairytale characters living in New York City in the 1980s. The story that Telltale told had me hooked from the beginning, and I really hope they continue with a season two.
#4 – Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC) – I was pleasantly surprised with Wolfenstein: The New Order. I loved how the game felt like a throwback to old school FPS games, while also having many modern shooter tropes as well. It was a fantastic blend of the two, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game.
#3 – Shovel Knight (PC, Wii U, 3DS) – There are many indie games that try to replicate NES platformers, and many fail. But Shovel Knight does such a good job of replicating that feel that I wouldn’t be surprised if some mistook the game for a NES release. Everything about it feels like games from years past, and that is why I love it so much.
#2 – Valiant Hearts (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mobile) – Very few games are set during World War I. The few that are set in World War I do not stand out from other war games. But with the story, artwork, and feel of Valiant Hearts, it isn’t just the best game based during World War I, it is one of the better war games I’ve played. I don’t know what else to say other than play Valiant Hearts if you have any interest in World War I.
#1 – South Park: The Stick of Truth (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) – There was little hope that South Park: The Stick of Truth would ever see the light of day after THQ went down. And after Ubisoft picked it up, there was a feeling that the game would just be a mediocre licensed game, like the South Park games before it. But what was released was incredibly surprising, and the most enjoyable experience I had with a video game in 2014. The game feels like a 13 hour long episode of the TV show, and it is the best game I played in 2014.
