2014 has come and gone, and for the most part, not much happened in the gaming world, save for one or two unbelievably exciting releases. I even had to cut out a few lists because there simply wasn't enough content to judge. However, that does not mean that it was a bad year. In fact, it was a pretty ok year, and a lot of the decisions that I made in these lists were hard to make. With that in mind, I have decided to include "Runners up" for categories where I had to make difficult choices, just so the things that I felt deserved shout-outs got them even though they didn't quite make the cut. The runners up will not be in any particular order. Also, I'm trying something new with picture sources. I will just be listing all the sources in no particular order at the bottom of each section, and if a picture doesn't have a source, it is either a screenshot, or can be found with the information on another review. These lists will be as spoiler free as humanly possible. Also, keep in mind that this is in no way an unbiased list. It is entirely opinion-based, and it will be limited to games that I have played. Games that I have not played include all the popular remasters released this year, shovel knight, every last thing Nintendo has put out (because I refuse to play any non-Pokemon Nintendo product anymore, unless they put out another Metroid Prime that isn't for one of the stupid new consoles they've made), Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Assassin's Creed: Unity (as I do not have any next-gen consoles), and Divinity: Original Sin. As a result, none of these games will be present on any of these lists. Without further ado, let us begin.
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Top 5 Artwork/Graphics
Video games are a visual medium. The stories that they tell are shown to us, not just told. While graphics are, by no stretch of the imagination, the most important part of a game, they are a vital aspect. It goes without saying that some games have better graphics and artwork than others, and these are the five games with the greatest visual displays of 2014.
#5): Dark Souls II
Admittedly, Dark Souls II's graphics are a step down from the artwork of Dark Souls, but nonetheless, some of the areas are rendered with stunning lighting. Heide's tower of flame, in particular, caught my eye every time I walked through it. Even though it is a downgrade, it still serves to show just how small you are in comparison to the world.
#4): Broken Age: Act I
The unique art style is what makes Broken Age stand out the most. It boasts a diverse color palette and an almost cloth-like texture.
#3): Telltale's Ensemble
We've pretty much just come to accept that Telltale's art style is pretty great at this point.
#2): Far Cry 4
Unlike everything else listed here, Far Cry 4's artwork and graphics are embedded in reality. Far Cry 4 has a stunningly realistic look to it, making the land of Kyrat seem not so fictional after all.
Artwork/Graphics of the Year: Transistor
Transistor is a fantastic experience, and its artwork is absolutely breathtaking at some points. It brings a variety of colors to its palette and uses them all in such a way that the science fiction world seems otherworldly without having to include a whole boatload of advanced technology randomly in the background.
Picture sources: www.neptunegames.ik, www.technobuffalo.com, www.oceanofgames.com
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Top 5 Weapons
A hero needs tools in order to accomplish whatever goals he must accomplish. Whether it is a bow and arrow or a gun or even magic, a hero without a weapon does not usually get much done. These are the top 5 weapons provided in games in 2014.
Runner Up 1: Air Rifle (Assassin's Creed: Rogue)
The air rifle allows Shay to shoot either darts or grenades, both of which are exceedingly useful for either causing damage and making combat a bit easier or avoiding combat altogether.
Runner Up 2: Skills (Goat Simulator)
While these don't really serve any practical purpose, it was always fun to explore how each and every skill set was used. I personally always played as the magician goat, because I found that being a goat that shoots fireballs out of its mouth was unbelievably fun.
#5): Daggers (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
In my first playthrough of just about any game, I play as a lithe rogue, and in the Dragon Age games, that manifests in using daggers. Inquisition has the best dagger gameplay of the Dragon Age series.
#4): The Bow (Thief)
The name of the game is the name of the approach you need to take in Thief. The goal is to remain undetected, but sometimes that isn't possible without a little bit of help. It is in situations such as this where the bow comes in handy. The bow comes with water arrows for putting fires out and reducing visibility, knockout gas arrows for putting large groups of enemies to sleep simultaneously, as well as blunt arrows for causing noise across areas.
#3): Greatshields (Dark Souls II)
Yeah, I know, these aren't actually weapons, but I found them to be the most useful items at your disposal in Dark Souls II. Greatshields in Dark Souls II devour damage, and as a result, only the strongest of enemies can cause damage to you when you block them with a greatshield. I owe a lot of my survival in Dark Souls II to the greatshield I got at the beginning and carried with me throughout.
#2): The Transistor (Transistor)
Also the major supporting character of the game, the Transistor comes equipped with all kinds of functions that you can use to beat enemies. I'll be going into more detail on the Transistor later, as it is kind of hard to differentiate the character from the weapon, considering they are one and the same.
Weapon of the Year: Recurve Bow (Far Cry 4)
I play Far Cry stealthily, so the recurve bow comes in handy, as it did in Far Cry 3. However, the recurve bow in Far Cry 4 feels more powerful and is easier to aim. In 3, I had to really work to make arrows hit from greater distances. But in 4, I felt much more in control of the bow, and as a result, I found myself using it more than any other weapon.
Picture sources: www.lightninggamingnews.com, www.youtube.com, www.twininfinite.com, www.elance.com
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Top 5 Locations
This year was, no doubt about it, a step down in terms of locations. Most of the items on this list will open up with "while this isn't as good as its predecessor," and I'm ashamed of the game industry for that. Come on, people, step up your game. Still though, the fact that this year wasn't as good in terms of locations doesn't mean it was a bad year. These are the five best locations that games of 2014 have been set in.
Runner Up: Drangleic (Dark Souls II)
Drangleic, though not as interesting to explore as Lordran, is still a compelling location. However, there are a lot of boring corners in Drangleic, so, while still compelling, it isn't good enough to make the cut.
#5): The City (Thief)
The City is not the biggest place in the world, but you know what? That is ok. The map of the city is just as big as it needs to be, and absolutely every corner of it is dark and moody, and you can feel the sense of impending doom with every step you take. In the City, it is darn near impossible to feel safe.
#4): Cloudbank (Transistor)
I've heard Cloudbank compared to Rapture from Bioshock, and that is an appropriate comparison to make. It is, after all, an Ayn Rand creative paradise turned Dystopia. However, Cloudbank takes an entirely different approach to this kind of world, boasting a bright color palette and appealing look instead of the typical black and gray gloomy world.
#3): Colonial America (Assassin's Creed: Rogue)
While not as interesting as the East Indies, the North Atlantic, river valley, and New York in which Assassin's Creed: Rogue takes place is plenty compelling. There are collectables to be found, gang hideouts to be conquered, creatures to hunt, and treasures to uncover everywhere you go. Like Black Flag, Rogue boasts a number of islands and coastal settlements to travel to, each with a different personality and set of things to do.
#2): Kyrat (Far Cry 4)
While not as compelling as Rook Island from Far Cry 3, Kyrat, a fictional Himalayan country, is filled with beauties to behold, animals to hunt, outposts to conquer, posters to tear down, mani wheels to spin, propaganda centers to destroy, convoys to blow up, cargo to hijack, packages to deliver, assassinations to carry out, bell towers to climb and hijack, personal gyrocopters to fly, elephants to ride, vehicles to drive, races to take part in, and much more. In case I haven't made it clear, Kyrat is a breathing location filled to overflowing with things for you to do.
Location of the Year: Thedas (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Contrary to what I've started most of the items on this list with, the location of this installment in the Dragon Age saga is better than in other installments. The world of Thedas has always been well-established and well-delivered, but in Dragon Age: Inquisition, we get to see this already fleshed out world expanded upon even more. As you explore various locations in the Kingdom of Ferelden and the Empire of Orlais, you are presented with a much more thorough picture of what Thedas looks like, and it is part of what makes Dragon Age: Inquisition so doggoned phenomenal in its ambition and delivery.
Picture sources: www.forbes.com, www.assassinscreed.ubi.com, www.allgamesbeta.com, www.ign.com
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Top 5 Quests
Quests are what give games purpose. That should be pretty obvious at this point. But needless to say, some quests are better than others. These are the quests that really stood out in 2014.
Runner Up 1: Just Around the Corner (Goat Simulator)
This quest is the embodiment of pure genius. In this quest from the Goat MMO simulator, you run across a man in need of help. This takes place a loooooooong way away from the nearest town. You meet a man named McSlowpants. McSlowpants asks you to escort him to the nearest town. He then proceeds to walk....slowly...oh my goodness, ever so slowly. It is an excellent commentary on the infuriating nature of escort quests. I left him to go do other stuff, and half an hour later, I found him again, not even a quarter of the way to the town. Pure. Genius.
Runner Up 2: Michael Bay (Goat Simulator)
This one isn't really a nuanced one...its just fun. The full quest name is: Michael Bay (You Know What To Do), and I did, in fact, know what to do. Essentially, this quest is just to start a giant explosion.
#5): Giants (Dark Souls II)
The giant quests in Dark Souls II have you go through the memory of a deceased giant. This takes you to some of the highlights of Drangleic's war against the giants. They are timed missions that discourage and encourage exploration at the same time, all the while presenting an entirely different premise for the game.
#4): In Hushed Whispers (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
In Hushed Whispers is the first time that you hear about The Elder One in Dragon Age: Inquisition, and it puts you in an interesting position. I can't really say anything without spoiling some of the plot. But ultimately, this quest gives you but a glimpse of the Elder One's power, and it shows just how thoroughly the odds are against you.
#3): The Chateau (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
If you don't go exploring, you might not end up coming across this quest. Essentially, while walking around an area in Orlais, the Inquisitor stumbles upon an abandoned Chateau that is obviously haunted. And for some reason, though this game is anything but creepy, this quest is darn creepy. This quest has you search around the chateau solving a complicated puzzle. It doesn't have a very good ending, but the journey is fantastic.
#2): Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
It is in this quest where your choice of race most comes into play. Concerned by rumors of an assassination attempt against the Empress of Orlais, the Inquisitor attends a masquerade ball held by said Empress. You are then forced to play "the game," which is essentially being very precise and vague with your words. In this quest, your court approval falls and rises in accordance with your actions and your race. If you play as an elf, for example, your court approval starts off incredibly small, because elves are the Native Americans of the Dragon Age world, and the humans hate them. It is a quest where you have to watch what you say at all times, otherwise your chances of succeeding fall drastically.
Quest of the Year: The Arbor Wilds (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
This quest brought back memories of the end run of Mass Effect 3, that is to say, it was anxiety inducing. In this quest, the Inquisitor goes head to head with the Elder One in a race against time. If you fail, then everything you have worked for doesn't matter. The stakes are unbelievably high in this quest, and I can't say much more, because it is one of the final quests. But let me just say that incredibly tough decisions are offered to you in this quest, and the consequences are not immediately clear, so it is hard to choose.
Picture sources: www.massively.joystiq.com, www.steamcommunity.com, www.giantbomb.com, www.dragonage.wikia.com, www.guides.gamepressure.com
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Top 5 Moments
In every story, there is a point that captures one's attention. This can be a shocking moment, a touching turn of events, or a jaw dropping plot twist. Even in tales that don't have your standard rising and falling action plot, such moments can normally be found. These are the five moments that were most impactful in the 2014 gaming year.
Runner Up: Betrayal (Assassin's Creed: Rogue)
Everyone knew this point in the plot was coming, as it was pretty much what the game was built around. Protagonist Shay Cormac realizes that the Assassin brotherhood will end up destroying the world if he doesn't stop them. And thus, he betrays everything he has ever known and joins the evil Templar order, because nothing, not even his surrogate family, will stop him from saving the world.
#5): The Choice (The Walking Dead Season 2)
In the final episode of the season, in one of the most hard-hitting decisions Telltale has presented us with, we are required to chose who lives and who dies, and the choice is difficult even for people such as myself, who have pretty much made up their minds about the characters involved in this choice. There isn't a lot I can say without spoiling the story, but let me just say that this moment is stomachache inducing.
#4): In Your Heart Shall Burn (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Prior to this moment, we have been hearing all about this "Elder One," about how he is more powerful than the Maker (God) and about how he is out to raise the Tevinter Imperium to its former glory and to rip the world apart and make himself into a God. But until this moment, we have no clue who the Elder One actually is. In this moment, we are shown just who this "Elder One" really is, and longtime fans of the series/people who know enough lore will let out a collective, "well...s***." Not only are we blown away by finally discovering the Elder One's identity, but we are also given a glimpse of just how commanding and powerful a presence he is, and we learn of his true motivations. Essentially, in this moment, we are shown a deeper picture of Inquisition's villain.
#3): Kenny? (The Walking Dead Season 2)
Yeah, I know, this is a little spoiler-y, but this is from the very beginning of the year, so if you haven't played it by now, then it has probably already been spoiled for you. This moment marks the return of fan favorite Kenny, from the first season of The Walking Dead. He was my second favorite character from the first season, so I was thrilled that he returned, and the way in which he returned was powerful and really hit hard.
#2): Bold Little Lord (Game of Thrones)
Game of Thrones is known for very suddenly making drastic plot twists, and Telltale's original story set in that narrative world does pretty much the same kind of thing. The moment I speak of is the very last moment of the first episode of this game series, where all of a sudden the entire thing is turned on its head. There isn't a lot I can say without spoiling the story, and besides, it is a twist that you have to see for yourself.
Moment of the Year: Epilogue (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
I can say so little about this that I'm having a hard time figuring out what I can say. Essentially, the after-credits epilogue to Dragon Age: Inquisition shows that a lot of what we thought we knew about Inquisition's story has a whole other layer to it...if that makes sense. Some of the characters that we have been presented with throughout the Dragon Age saga have a lot more to them than meets the eye...lets just leave it at that.
Picture sources: www.assassinscreed.wikia.com, www.ign.com, www.youtube.com, www.gamezone.com, www.dragonage.wikia.com,
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Top 5 Enemies
A protagonist never can quite reach his destination and defeat his nemesis without carving his way through enemies. In this section, I will be giving shout-outs to the enemies that I had the most fun fighting.
Runner Up: Orcs (Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor)
Considering these are the only things you ever fight in Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, they had better be fun to fight. The orcs are just dumb enough to make stealth worthwhile but not too easy, but just strong enough to be overwhelming in large numbers.
#5): The Venatori (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Lets face it: The Tevinter Imperium is the bad guy in the Dragon Age universe. Tevinter citizens have made appearances as villains in all the Dragon Age games. But with the Venatori, we finally get them as the main villains, and they are satisfying to slaughter by the thousands.
#4): Giants (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Giants have different tactics from other enemies in Inquisition. If you knock them down, unlike other large enemies, they will continue swatting at you, and if someone is doing a lot of damage to them, then they will grab a boulder and throw it at whoever is responsible. Ultimately, the giants were just a lot of fun, especially when more than one of them came to fight.
#3): Stone Guardians (Dark Souls II)
The major enemies in Heide's Tower of Flame, I had the most amount of fun in Dark Souls II fighting these guys. Even though they are fairly easy to kill, they require utmost precision in timing. If you are even a second off in your attack, they will stun you, and they may even be able to kill you because of it. And when many of them team up, you have to be especially precise in timing.
#2): Process (Transistor)
No two process types are exactly the same, and thus, different tactics are required to kill each type. They are never unhandleable, but they are almost always a terrific challenge to your critical thinking.
Enemy of the Year: High Dragons (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
The thing that I love about the ten high dragons in Inquisition (besides the obvious things) is that no two dragons have exactly the same tactics. Some dragons can periodically coat themselves in armor, some can summon dragonlings to swarm you, some can coat you and your followers in circles of lightning that cause damage if any two party members overlap, some can call forth fire from under the ground, some will fly away and try to missile-attack you, and different dragons have different weaknesses and immunities. There is also a lot of overlap in these traits, so every dragon fight is different and distinct. And they are all a challenge, no matter how much higher in level you are.
Picture sources: www.guides.gamepressure.com, www.eyeondragonage.blogspot.com, www.gamecrate.com, www.nerdist.com, www.gameplanet.com.au
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Top 5 Voice Actors/Actresses
As the people behind Two Worlds will tell you, if the voice acting in your game isn't good, then people are just going to laugh at it. These are the voice actors and actresses who brought the greatest performances to the table in 2014.
Runner Up 1: Brian Bloom as Varric Tethras (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
In Dragon Age: Inquisition, we see a side of Varric Tethras that is more noble and more emotional than the Varric Tethras we got in Dragon Age II, and Brian Bloom captures the deepened character flawlessly.
Runner Up 2: Michael Madsen as William Carver (The Walking Dead Season 2)
Michael Madsen's cold, stern voice makes his performance as William Carver bone-chilling. Listening to him talk, I definitely got the impression that this dude was one step away from having me killed on the spot.
#5): Daniel Kendrick as Gared Tuttle (Game of Thrones)
Relatively new to the voice acting scene, Daniel Kendrick leaves a pretty big impression in his role as one of the protagonists in Telltale's Game of Thrones series. He brings this pig farmer/squire to life in a way that one wouldn't typically expect of somebody so relatively new to the scene.
#4): Gavin Hammon as Kenny (The Walking Dead Season 2)
Kenny is a complex character, and Gavin Hammon brings out all of his qualities flawlessly. He brings out the arrogance, the love of family, and the willingness to do anything to survive as wonderfully as he did in the first season.
#3): Kathryn Cressida as Bloody Mary (The Wolf Among Us)
Cressida's high pitched voice makes the condescending nature of Bloody Mary all the more infuriating. She plays the character in such a way that we want to wring her neck every time she opens her mouth. What more can we ask of a voice actress's performance of a villain?
#2): Troy Baker as Pagan Min (Far Cry 4) and Talion (Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor)
Pagan Min and Talion are two entirely different characters, and the master of voice acting, Troy Baker, plays them both well. He brings out Pagan Min's love for Ajay's mother as well as his cruelty towards those who cross him. Talion is a boring, generic character, but Troy Baker plays him as if he were the most nuanced presence in video games this year...and it also doesn't hurt to say that Baker is from Texas, and yet he puts on that British accent quite well.
Voice Actress of the Year: Melissa Hutchison as Clementine (The Walking Dead Season 2)
I've known that I was going to give Melissa Hutchison this place ever since the final episode of The Walking Dead Season 2 came out. Hutchison has always played Clementine with passion and made the character not only believable, but touching as well. In Season 2, we are presented with a more mature Clementine, a less innocent Clementine, and Hutchison once again brings her A-game. It is in the final episode of Season 2, however, that Hutchison truly earns her stripes. Her emotional, tear-filled sob-speak makes the events of the finale hit home...hard. Life just hasn't been fair to poor Clementine, and in this final potential blow to her happiness, Hutchison succeeded in making me tear up, just as she did in the finale to Season 1. Truly, nobody on the face of the earth could play Clementine like Melissa Hutchison can, and for this reason and many others, the Right Trigger Voice Actress of the Year is Melissa Hutchison for her role as Clementine in The Walking Dead Season 2.
Picture sources: www.imdb.com, www.gameofthrones.com, www.fables.wikia.com, www.ign.com, www.walkingdead.wikia.com
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Top 5 Lamest Characters
Oh, boy, are there a lot of lame characters in video games. Developers just have this habit of making characters in order to fill up space, and it shows. It really, really shows. And unfortunately, this year there were a lot of lame characters. You will probably notice that most of the characters on this list are women. Yep, it has been an especially bad year for female characters. Let this be a lesson, developers, numbers aren't everything. It isn't good egalitarianism to just
stick a woman in a game. You need depth, you need nuance, you need actions to do some talking instead of just making them short haired and aggressive and having them say "I can handle myself". Lets get on with it, then. These are the lamest characters in video games in 2014.
Runner Up: The Thief-Taker General (Thief)
Look at that mustache. Just look at it. It says everything about this character. He walks around, twirling that mustache and saying things to the effect of, "boy, I sure do like oppressing the poor people because I am rich and therefore like oppressing the poor people because the poor people are poor and have less money than I do...bwahahaha!" Come. On.
#5): Mila (Game of Thrones)
I thought that I was going to enjoy Mila's character at first. In the first part of her introduction she seems like she will be a strong character, but then it all falls apart when you realize that she is just there to be an excuse for canon character cameos. She is a handmaiden for Margeary Tyrell, she talks to Queen Cercei, and shoots the breeze with Tyrion Lannister. Literally nothing happens in her entire storyline, she is only there to give us cameos, and it really shows.
#4): Talion (Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor)
"Raaaah! I'm a gritty protagonist and I'm out for revenge but I'm going to alienate all the other characters for no reason because I'm gritty and kind of an anti-hero but not really because who needs substance when you can just be an anti-hero! Raaaaah!" Talion is the protagonist in Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, and he is about as developed as the pictures from Summer Camp 2004 that are in the disposable camera that I lost. Talion simply exists, and that is all. But the thing that gets me about Talion is that he tries so hard to be a character without even remotely succeeding.
#3): Vivienne (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Vivienne is meant to be an elegant, powerful, holier-than-thou kind of character, and this much is accomplished...however, there really isn't much to her beyond that. The elegance and holier-than-thou pretty much just becomes indifference to everything, even when she is definitely not indifferent. The unfortunate side effect of this indifference is an inability to discern her character. There are two types of ambiguity: good and bad. Good ambiguity in character is when a character appears to be one thing when there is just a little more underneath that we don't know about. That little more underneath that we don't know about builds intrigue and allows us to discover more about the character for ourselves. Bad ambiguity, on the other hand, is when we don't know...anything about them. The only things I know about Vivienne are that she is pro-circle and anti-freedom. Beyond that, every little thing is met with an indifference, "my dear"...There comes a time in the story where you have the opportunity to backstab Vivienne in just about the most cruel, evil way you could imagine. If you choose to backstab her in this way, she finds out about it and is totally indifferent. What is supposed to be collectedness and power just becomes indifference, and the result is a character that had a lot of potential but fell unbelievably short. If I had done a list in the year that Dragon Age II came out, Varric would be on this particular list for this exact same reason. Not having opinions may seem like a good idea on paper for character development, but in practice, it seldom works.
#2): Sera (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Where do I even start with Sera? *Sigh* Alright. Let me start off this way: Everything about Sera is the embodiment of trying too hard. I don't typically like using that phrase, because its the kind of thing that the tan-skinned, amber-eyed, snap-up hat wearing, pick up a guitar for the first time and win the talent show douchebags that I went to high school with say when, heaven forbid, you show a little passion or enthusiasm for something. However, it applies well here. Sera is Bioware's attempt to throw in the obligatory Tali/Merill character, which is all well and good when done right. Sera is the bubbly, eccentric party member. However, unlike Tali or Merill, she is not the sweet kind of bubbly. She is the annoying child kind of bubbly. Sera's dialogue consists of butt jokes, fart jokes, sexual innuendo, and "if you disagree with me, you're stupid." The minute she walked on screen and started talking in that Fat Amy wannabe accent and talking about stealing people's breeches, my first thought was, "is Bioware this desperate to appeal to a younger audience?" Seriously. Everything about Sera seems like an attempt to connect with the millennial generation. I mean, come on, she even has the stupid, "Oh my gosh 500 Days of Summer is the best movie ever made!" haircut. The thing here is that Sera also had a lot of potential for character development. Her thoughts on religious practice are actually on the fringe of interesting, and she has a fun spirit that is pretty unique for a Bioware game. But in the end, the way that she was handled was lackluster and it felt like Bioware was trying too hard with her.
Lamest Character of the Year: Erin (Thief)
After my gigantic rant about Sera, it may seem impossible that I thought a character was even more lame. Well, my friends, let me tell you about a character who is lamer than Sera is. Her name is Erin, and she is a character in the Thief revival game. The minute she walked on screen, I though, "oh no!" She had it all: the short hair, the scowl on her face that said, "I'm cocky, because thats the only way people think women can be strong," the "try to keep up with me" attitude, the general arrogance, and then she uttered the line, "I can handle myself," and I knew there was no saving her. "I can handle myself," is truly shameful. It is the, "I'm going to throw this bone to the female demographic and hope that they bite," tactic that developers are using nowadays to try to write strong female characters. You know how in every animated movie nowadays, there is always a female character who is always two steps ahead of the male protagonist? It is the same kind of deal here. It is as if people are too insecure about looking like they don't have strong women in their games, and thus, in their mad rush to pander to the female demographic, they throw out a caricature without substance. The caricature then says "I can handle myself," so that the developers can say, "oh, look what a strong woman she is!" Wake up, people! Strong women are women with substance, who actually handle themselves instead of just cockily declaring that they are capable of doing so. I am so sick of this attitude that game developers are continuing and that consumers seem to be eating up, this idea that its ok for a woman to be a decoration as long as she is a decoration in a suit of armor that has a cocky catch phrase when you pull the right string. This is the kind of character Erin is, the kind of character that perpetuates the quantity over quality mindset that people seem to have nowadays. The big argument nowadays is that there isn't enough female representation in video games, and developers seem to be taking the wrong message from that. Representation is not just numbers. It is about having the same level of depth of character development as male characters. But developers seem to have this idea that representation means having the exact same amount of women as men by forcing female characters into the plot and not bothering to give them purpose or nuance. Here's a little wake up call for all game developers and consumers: News flash! Women didn't win their rights by sitting on a shelf in Rosie the Riveter costumes and saying, "I'm more than capable of voting," rather, they took action, they proved themselves to a stubborn mass that wouldn't listen. Likewise, you will not have a strong woman in your game if she is sitting on the shelf in a suit of armor and saying, "I can handle myself." Erin wins the lamest character of the year award because she is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with video game character writing these days. I hope you learned something about how not to make a lame character by reading this. *Drops mic*
Picture sources: www.loadthegame.com, www.shadowofmordor.wikia.com, www.dragonage.com, www.galleryhip.com
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Top 5 Supporting Characters
I'm going to avoid making my typical "Where would Frodo be without Sam" comment, just because Ride to Hell: Shadow of Mordor...I mean Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor...has left such a bad taste in my mouth. However, the message still remains: Sometimes, protagonists can't make it on their own. Sometimes, they need a strong supporting character to help them achieve their goals. These are the best supporting characters in games this year.
Runner Up: Varric Tethras (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Had I done a list in the year that Dragon Age II came out, I would have put Varric on the lamest character list, because he was a horribly developed character. However, in Inquisition, we see a side of Varric that is almost noble and definitely more emotional. Gone are the days of the opinionless, vague Varric. The Varric we are presented with in Dragon Age: Inquisition is one that is much more developed, and it was nice to see his potential realized.
#5): Lucatiel of Mirrah (Dark Souls II)
Lucatiel of Mirrah is, in my opinion, the Solaire of Astora of Dark Souls II. She is one of the people that you can summon to help you in boss fights, and she is the only npc who can heal herself in battle. She is useful, readily available, and also an interesting character if you sit down and talk with her for a while. What more could you want from a sidekick?
#4): Blackwall (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
When Blackwall's character was first debuted, I thought, "oh, great, he's going to be boring." Some have, indeed, called him boring. But as I got started talking with Blackwall, I realized what a well-crafted character and all around cool dude he is. I ended up taking Blackwall on every mission I could, because in combat he has this habit of being hard to kill. Blackwall is a man who puts a lot of stock in honor, but he also manages to avoid the cliches that often come with character models such as that.
#3): Transistor (Transistor)
Transistor is a talking sword that you use for a weapon in Transistor. His character is a little hard to describe, but he is a character with anxieties and who has a heart for the lives of people. You'll just have to play Transistor to understand.
#2): Cole (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Cole is perhaps one of Bioware's greatest party members. He is essentially a demon who, for the longest time, didn't know he was a demon. Thus, when he found out what he was, he was horrified, and rather than try to destroy the world like most demons do, he sought redemption for what he was, even though he didn't have anything really to repent for. Cole's sole purpose in existing is to help people who are hurting. He eases physical pain and reads minds in order to find out what is causing people to be sad, and then he tries to help them with whatever he finds. This, of course, is not always welcomed by people, as having a demon constantly reading your mind is perhaps not the most comforting thought. This makes Cole somewhat socially impaired, as he really has no idea how to handle awkwardness, and he causes a lot of it. But did I mention the best part of all of his helping? The minute he finishes helping a person, he makes them forget that he helped them or that he even exists. He tells the Inquisitor, "I doesn't matter that they won't remember me. What matters is that I helped." Cole doesn't want the attention that comes with being a helper, he just wants people to be happy. And so, when he takes away a person's pain, he removes any real evidence that the pain existed, so people he helps are unshackled by the memory of their suffering. Cole is a phenomenally developed character, and also an unbelievably likable one.
Supporting Character of the Year: Kenny (The Walking Dead: Season 2)
Boy was it hard to choose between Kenny and Cole for this award. In the end, I decided that Kenny's place on this list has been long coming, and it is long overdue as well. Kenny is one of the most well developed characters in gaming history. He isn't always the most likable, as his plans often require committing morally unspeakable acts in the name of survival, but he is well-developed. The thing about Kenny is, he is your best friend...until you disagree with him. Anything you say that he even remotely doesn't agree with is taken as a personal affront, and he won't let you forget it, even if you end up agreeing with him every time after that. Sometimes, the best characters aren't the most likable, and this is proved by Kenny.
Picture sources: www.dragonage.wikia.com, www.darksouls2.wikidot.com, www.walkingdead.wikia.com
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Top 5 Antagonists
Life is never easy for a hero, as there is always an antagonist out there, whether it be a person or a force, who is trying to stop him. The villain of a story can make or break the narrative. If your villains are weak, as they are in every Marvel movie, then the story pays the price. However, if your villains are strong, such as in games like the original Bioshock, then the story is elevated to new heights. These are the five best antagonists in the 2014 gaming year.
#5): Samson (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Samson is on this list primarily because of the connectedness he brings to the narrative. Samson was a character in Dragon Age II. He was a slimy, sketchy dude who wasn't totally important to the plot, but who you met several times because you had to deal with some problem he caused. In Dragon Age: Inquisition, however (depending on your choices), he is one of the story's major villains. The slimy slaver guy from Dragon Age II now has motivations for what he is doing, and it gives some of Dragon Age II a purpose, it connects the stories nicely.
#4): William Carver (The Walking Dead Season 2)
Carver is unpredictable and charismatic. He is also very particular about who goes where and who does what. The Walking Dead has traditionally had a problem of weak, "survival of the fittest," villains, and Carver could have easily fallen into that pitfall. However, he avoids the Governor trap quite well.
#3): Pagan Min (Far Cry 4)
Pagan Min is a more developed character than Vaas from Far Cry 3 was, even though he is in the game for far less time. With Min, I experienced what I like to call, "The Downfall" syndrome. If you've seen the film about the final days of Adolf Hitler called, "The Downfall," then you know what I mean. The film paints a sympathetic picture of a leader who is losing a war and being humiliated by his losses...and then you remember that it is Adolf freaking Hitler. Pagan Min gives the same kind of experience. He has experienced a lot of pain and plenty of heartbreak in his life, so there are times when Min makes you feel sorry for him, but then you remember that he is an evil dictator who grows drug fields, tortures his enemies, and makes any religious practice punishable by death. He is a villain who, despite his insane demeanor, has motivations and feelings.
#2): The Elder One (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
I've heard the Elder One referred to as a weak villain, and in a way, I can see why people might get that impression. After all, he looks like a Marvel villain and his voice actor delivers that kind of performance as well. But if you know enough about his backstory, then you know that there is more to the Elder One than meets the eye. I can't say much more without spoiling an incredible amount.
Antagonist of the Year: Bloody Mary (The Wolf Among Us)
Bloody Mary is cruel, condescending, and constantly talking to you like you are a child. There has not been a villain this year that I have wanted to strangle more than Bloody Mary. The thing about her is that she is also pretty much always out of reach. She taunts you from afar, and there is nothing you can do about it. When she has power over you, she knows it, and she flaunts it. When she does not have power over you, she still treats you as an inferior. Bloody Mary wins the antagonist of the year award because she is infuriating and succeeds in thwarting you at every turn.
Picture sources: www.dragonage.wikia.com, www.vg247.com, www.gameinformer.com, www.telltalegames.com
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Top 5 Protagonists
The protagonist is the figure around which the action of a story revolves around. If you have a story in which a protagonist is used, then it must be a strong protagonist, otherwise the very lens that we view the narrative lens through is weak. These are the top 5 protagonists in the 2014 gaming year.
#5): Red (Transistor)
Red is a lounge singer who has had her voice stolen, and she teams up with the Transistor to hunt down the people responsible. As a lounge singer, it is fair to say that Red has not had an incredible amount of fighting experience. But she has a goal, and she is willing to put herself at risk in order to accomplish it. That is really all we can ask of a protagonist.
#4): Clementine (The Walking Dead Season 2)
The Clementine we are presented with in the second season of the Walking Dead is more mature than the one we met in the first season. After the traumatic events of the end of the first season, Clementine has officially been removed from any chance of being a kid again. The Clementine of season 2 is a girl who longs for a simpler life while still knowing that she will never have one. Poor Clementine has had to endure so much in this series, poor baby. But despite how completely unfair her life is, she still keeps on keeping on. She never gives up, and that is only one aspect of her character that puts her on this list.
#3): Gared Tuttle (Game of Thrones)
Gared Tuttle comes from a family of pig farmers, and he is a squire to the Lord of House Forrester. He is very much a Samwise Gamgee kind of character, only, he is a protagonist. He is loyal, kind, but he isn't against getting his hands dirty when the honor of his family is at stake.
#2): Lord Inquisitor Lavellan (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Lavellan is the elven Inquisitor, and is but one of the four Inquisitors you can play as (Lavellan, Cadash, Trevellyan, and Adaar). Lavellan (who I will be referring to as a "he," even though Lavellan's gender is up to you) is a Dalish elf (a Native American, essentially), who is elevated above the stature his race typically puts him in. There isn't a lot I can say without spoiling the story, but there is a reason that I chose to list the elven Inquisitor for this slot instead of just the Inquisitor in general.
Protagonist of the Year: Shay Cormac (Assassin's Creed: Rogue)
Shay Cormac is the best protagonist in the Assassin's Creed series since Ezio Auditore da Firenze. He is the kind of person who questions everything and doesn't let his ties with people get in the way if he believes that such people are doing works of great evil. He even goes as far as to join the organization that is the ultimate evil of the Assassin's Creed universe because he believes that by joining them, he can rid the world of evil. Shay is determined and wants only to make the world a better place, even if his methods are questionable.
Picture Sources: www.dragonage.wikia.com, www.wq0326.tumblr.com
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Top 5 Gameplay
This was a pretty good year in terms of solid gameplay, so much so that I needed three runner ups in order to be satisfied with this list. Gameplay is the defining aspect of video games, it is what sets them apart from other mediums, and as a result, it is imperative that it is done well. These games had the best gameplay in 2014.
Runner Up 1: Goat Simulator
People like to complain that gaming has gotten too serious, that we have forgotten that the root of gaming was simple fun. I don't like people like that. I believe that, yes, we have sort of forgotten gaming as it was in the days of pong, but that it has evolved into something more nuanced, something greater. That is why I can't stand Nintendo. They may be bug free and they may have polished gameplay, but there is no substance to anything they do, there is no passion anymore. At this point, all Nintendo does is grind out the same old crap knowing that people will buy it. For some people, Nintendo represents what gaming should be, but I disagree. Goat Simulator is the kind of thing that returns gaming to its roots of simple, raw fun.
Runner Up 2: Thief
Thief was a very flawed game, but one thing that I give it is the fact that its stealth and larceny gameplay were fantastic.
Runner Up 3: Assassin's Creed: Rogue
Rogue is pretty much a copy and paste gameplay model from Black Flag, but in a less interesting setting. However, that does not mean that its gameplay was bad. On the contrary, its gameplay was still pretty good, though not as good as Black Flag's.
#5): Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Stealth and executions in Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor feel incredibly powerful, and that is pretty much the only thing that this game has going for it. It is because of this powerful-feeling gameplay that I was thinking about putting it on the best games list on my first night playing it. Even though the game was pretty much a train wreck, the gameplay is a strong point.
#4): Far Cry 4
You can approach situations in a number of ways in Far Cry 4: You can stealthfully kill everybody without ever being noticed, you can run in guns blazing with grenade launchers and rocket launchers and assault rifles, or you can ride in on a flipping elephant and take down everybody in your path with the power of the elephant's mighty trunk. No matter which way you choose to handle combat situations, it is always fun, and I experimented with each of them. Far Cry 4 is a game that lets you off the leash and allows you to make your own fun however you want to make it.
#3): Dark Souls II
Take the exceptional timing-based gameplay of Dark Souls and add just a little bit more polish to the whole system, and you have Dark Souls II. With the addition of fewer estus flasks and more nonrenewable health-regenerating resources, Dark Souls II forces you to think before you act. Additionally, your maximum health goes down every time you die, so death has even more consequence in Dark Souls II than in the original.
#2): Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition allows people such as myself to once again be able to micromanage their party. So extreme is the extent to which you have control that you can craft weapons and armor specifically for your party members. In combat, there are certain fights that you will have a hard time surviving without the use of tactical thinking. Once you get the hang of it, things get significantly easier, but this is a game that grants you tremendous freedom in how you want to handle things.
Gameplay of the Year: Transistor
Other games could really take a page from Transistor's book. It is a game that forces you to adapt and experiment. When you lose all your health, you lose one of your attack types, handicapping you for a decent amount of time. As a result, you have to make do with either the remaining attacks you have or with one of the attacks you have in storage. Each attack has three uses: active, utility, and passive, and it does something slightly different in each use. Alone, this would have been enough to encourage experimentation, but you also have the added benefit of only learning more about the city and its citizens by using each attack in each kind of use. Transistor is truly a beacon of how games should think about structuring their gameplay. It encourages and indeed forces you to adapt and experiment, so like it or not, you will be getting creative, or you won't win.
Picture Sources: www.gamespot.com, www.youngmanblog.com, www.gameinformer.com,
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Top 5 Stories
People like to say that story doesn't matter in video games. If you're the kind of person who only plays video games because you want to virtually shoot things, then more power to you, and best of luck with that. But you're wrong. Games have evolved past just blinking lights on a screen, they have become a medium for interactive storytelling that is often under appreciated. These five games had the best stories of 2014.
#5): The Walking Dead Season 2
The Walking Dead Season 2 picks up where season 1 left off. Clementine finds herself in the care of a group of survivors, and they go through hell trying to get north to a place called Wellington. There are supposably no walkers in Wellington, so it would appear to be an answer to their prayers. But along the way, the group is imprisoned by a psychotic group leader, William Carver. Season 2 details Clementine's journey through adversity of all kinds, and it is powerful.
#4): Transistor
Transistor tells the story of Red, a lounge singer who has had her voice stolen. She teams up with a talking sword called "The Transistor," to take down "The Process," an army of machines that has taken over the city of Cloudbank.
#3): Far Cry 4
Ajay Ghale returns to Kyrat, the Himalayan country he was born in, to scatter his mother's ashes. But upon his arrival in Kyrat, he is intercepted by the country's dictator, Pagan Min. Min knows exactly who Ajay is, because he was in love with Ajay's mother. Ajay is rescued by freedom fighters called "The Golden Path," and he decides to help them in their struggle to overthrow Pagan Min and reclaim Kyrat. But choices need to be made, and it seems that there may be no happy endings for Kyrat.
#2): Assassin's Creed: Rogue
Shay Cormac, an assassin, is sent on a mission that results in the deaths of thousands of innocents. He then turns against the assassin brotherhood, joining the templar order and hunting down every last assassin in the colonies.
Story of the Year: Dragon Age: Inquisition
In the aftermath of an explosion at a conclave for peace between the rebel mages and the templar order (not to be mistaken for the templar order from Assassin's Creed), a giant hole is torn in the sky, and this hole leads to the fade, the land of demons. A human, elf, dwarf, or qunari is placed in charge of an Inquisition to restore order to Thedas. But in the midst of the Inquisition's efforts, a self-proclaimed deity known as "The Elder One," appears, and it is clear that he is responsible for the hole in the sky as well as various pockets of chaos in Thedas. Dragon Age: Inquisition is the story of the Inquisitor's struggle against The Elder One, of the greatest threat that Thedas has ever faced.
Picture Sources: Blog, Screen, www.ign.com, www.gameinformer.com, blog.
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Reader's Choice
There isn't a lot to say about this category, because it is the reader's choice category. I'm just going to get right to it, then. The 2014 Reader's Choice Game of the Year is...
Dragon Age: Inquisition
I'm proud of my readers. So very proud.
Picture source: Blog
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Honorable Mention
There were a few things I wanted to give shout outs to this year, so I decided to do an Honorable Mention section. Here is how this section is going to work. The game or thing will be announced, and the picture I use for it will have a seal on it. I will then explain the meaning of the seal. It will be like actual awards (the Phyllis B. Blahblahblah Award for least caring last name, or whatever). Credit for the actual seals goes to my brother, Hunter Wilkins. I put them on the pictures of the games getting them, but he made the seals themselves.
Depression Quest
The Spec Ops: The Line Award for Most Important Game goes to Depression Quest. Depression Quest is a game that seeks to educate its players about life with depression, because it is a condition that is highly misunderstood. I wanted to give it a shout out because it is an important game with an important purpose.
Goat Simulator
The Gears of War Award for Most Raw Fun goes to Goat Simulator. I have spent quite a long time this year playing Goat Simulator, not for any nuance, because that doesn't exist in Goat Simulator. Rather, I have played Goat Simulator so much because it is just plain old raw fun, and it was the most plain old raw fun game released this year.
Cassandra Pentaghast (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
The Samus Aran Award for Strongest Female Character goes to Cassandra Pentaghast from Dragon Age: Inquisition. Upon realizing that my Lamest Characters list was pretty much entirely dominated by women, I figured, "credit where it is due," so I decided to give a shout out to the strongest female character in a video game this year. Cassandra has short hair and is aggressive, so at first glimpse it might look like she would be an Erin-esque character, but she is anything but. She is confident, not arrogant, and when she makes a mistake, she acknowledges it. I never got the impression that Cassandra was trying to prove anything, she simply had oodles of respect from the rest of the world because of her long list of accomplishments. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is how you write a strong woman character, you write her as a human being, and Cassandra Pentaghast is not only a human character (in more than one sense), but she is also a complex and well-developed human being.
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
The Borderlands Award for Most Yawn-Inducing and the Kingdoms of Amalur Award for Worst Writing go to Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. I feel that these awards are pretty self explanatory. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor was boring, and its writing was terrible. I will go into greater detail in the next list.
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Top 5 Worst Games
Unfortunately, for every good game or aspect of a game, there are a few bad ones to go along with it. This was going to be my "top disappointments" list, the list that is a bit more broad in terms of bad aspects and games. But there were enough bad games this year to fill up a list, so I decided, for the first time, to do a top 5 worst games list. There have definitely been worse games than these released this year, such as Rambo or Sonic Boom, etc., but I didn't play those, so they won't be on this list. These are the 5 worst games released this year, and they will probably raise a few eyebrows.
#5): Only If
Only If showed a lot of promise, especially for a free game fresh out of development. Its visuals appeared to be pretty decent, given the circumstances, and on the outset it seemed pretty well-developed. But in the end, there was just too much that was wrong with it from a mechanical and technological perspective for me to be able to complete it. It is really a crying shame, because I really enjoyed most of what I was able to get through. Only If was a creative idea with creative execution, but it was simply too flawed at its core.
#4): A Bird Story
A Bird Story is a miniature episode that is meant to be a prequel type thing to the next game in the "To the Moon," series. Those of you who read my "best and worst of the generation" list know that "To the Moon" is one of my favorite recent games, and that it was a high point in video game storytelling. For this reason, I was excited for A Bird Story. Now, A Bird Story was never meant to be like To the Moon, it was supposed to be a lot smaller with a different perspective. However, I was expecting quality out of it, and there was none to be found. There wasn't a quality story to it, the relationship between the bird and the boy wasn't well-crafted, and the soundtrack was just about as mediocre a soundtrack as it could be. A Bird Story let me down, and I just hope that developer Ken Reeves gets his act together for whatever project he is currently working on.
#3): The Wolf Among Us
If you read last year's Top 5 lists from me, then you know that I gave the first episode of The Wolf Among Us a pretty solid position in the top 5 games list. That was because the first episode was phenomenal and it showed a great deal of promise for the rest of the series. But The Wolf Among Us got progressively worse and worse as the series went on, and ultimately it had an unfulfilling "sequel-bait" ending that didn't leave me wanting more, but rather, wanting my money back. I'm not joking. I want my money back for The Wolf Among Us. It wasn't really worth the $20 that a season pass costs. I mean, it was an ok game, one that I gave an 8 out of 10, but that doesn't mean it was entirely worth it.
#2): The Last of Us: Left Behind
If you've talked to me for any length of time and/or read my top 5 lists from last year, then you know that I named The Last of Us as Game of the Year. With that in mind, it is obvious why I was looking forward to playing the story-based DLC, "Left Behind." It places us in the shoes of Ellie, before the events of The Last of Us proper. It details a trip that she took to the mall with her best friend shortly before she got bitten and fell into her story role for The Last of Us. But the DLC was an utter failure. It was boring, slow, and meaningless. We already knew how Ellie got bit, as she tells Joel in the game proper, so why did we need to play through a DLC about it? It seems to me that, if you're going to make a DLC for the story, it ought to tell us something we don't know. Also, this DLC suffered from major "DLC syndrome." This means that it obsesses on an aspect of gameplay from the game proper and makes only little tweak, and it drives me nuts. Ultimately, I played through The Last of Us proper over ten times, and I had to struggle to suffer through Left Behind a single time.
Worst Game of the Year: Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Oh, boy. If I'd had more faith in Shadow of Mordor from the beginning, then I would be as angry about it as I was about Bioshock: Infinite. You'd think that, after the trainwreck that was Bioshock Infinite, I would have learned that just because every reviewer on the face of the earth calls a game GOTY material doesn't mean that it is actually the case. I did not learn that lesson, it would seem. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is undoubtably the worst game I've played this year. Granted, many worse games were released, I just didn't play them. Where do I even begin with Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor? Its cringeworthy name? Its horrible execution? Let me put it this way: When I heard about this game, I rolled my eyes and laughed, because what could it be other than fanfiction? But then, it started getting all these game of the year nominations and "best action game" nominations, so I was intrigued. Ultimately, my first impression was not wrong. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor amounts to little more than fanfiction with good atmosphere. The gameplay is a mix between the Assassin's Creed saga and the Batman: Arkham series...if both of these games were less responsive and much less fun. Stealth and executions feel powerful, which is what secures it a spot on the best gameplay list this year, but everything inbetween is just clunky and awkward. The climbing mechanic is unresponsive and it isn't always clear what you can or cant climb. The story is nonsensical and relies heavily on characters from the canon to drive its events forward, and even Brink had better story exposition than this game does. Now, the major thing about Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor that people have been talking about is its "Nemesis system," and the first time I came into contact with this system while playing it, I thought it was pretty cool. And it is a fantastic idea, it really is, but its execution is absolutely horrible. What it amounts to is a five-minute wait before you get to play again every time you die. You watch the random name generator orc that killed you increase in power, you watch unresolved power struggles play out, and then you have to wait for the LOADING SCREEN THAT POPS UP WHEN YOU CLOSE THE PAUSE MENU to go away. That was one of the nails in the coffin for me, that loading screen. I dreaded having to open the map or look at my upgrades in the nonsensical, illogically arranged upgrade menu, because when you open up either of these menus or just the pause menu, you have to wait through a loading screen before you get back into the game. It is inexcusable to make me wait as long as a minute to get back into the game after getting out of the pause menu. But back to the Nemesis system. Yeah, it was fun to take down captains and mess with the Uruk hierarchy, but there wasn't any point to it. Kill an orc, and another one will just end up taking its place. It never felt like I was actually doing anything other than busywork, and not even the addition of having sleeper agents in the ranks did anything to make me feel like I'd done anything. I might have been able to look past the fact that this is one of the ugliest games I've ever played (texture is only present about a quarter of the time, and even when it is there, it isn't impressive at all), the fact that it has just about the least interesting open world map since Borderlands, or even the fact that the writing was cringeworthy and fanfictiony the entire time, were it not for all of the things I've mentioned thus far. Oh, and by the way, the final boss fight is a quicktime event. Thats right, in this game where you fight multiple bosses in legitimately challenging encounters, the big bad final boss fight is a quicktime event. I don't understand how anyone in their right mind can call Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor anything other than Lord of the Rings fanfiction crap #1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. It isn't even remotely game of the year material, it isn't even remotely a good action, rpg, open world, or even fantasy game. It fails at all the things it sets out to be, and for that, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor wins the award for worst game of 2014.
Picture sources: Blog, www.onlysp.com.
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Top 5 Games
The time has come, people. This is the moment we've all been waiting for. There are no runner ups for this category, as it is far too important. Every year there are undoubtably disappointments, but unless the year is totally horrible, there are good games as well. This year, with the exception of the first place winner, this list was difficult to make. This list has been rearranged more times than you can imagine, and it was difficult, but I finally decided on the order. Ladies and Gentlemen, the time has come, these are the top 5 best games of 2014.
#5): Assassin's Creed: Rogue
The concluding chapter to the America trilogy, Assassin's Creed: Rogue boasts the best story and protagonist since Assassin's Creed II. There is a lot to do in the North Atlantic, River Valley, and New York. Ubisoft truly places us in the time period with Rogue, as taverns are constantly filled with folk songs from the time period and constant reminders of the seven years war are tossed out in the open. This game introduces one or two new tricks as well as an entirely different premise than any other Assassin's Creed game.
#4): Transistor
I don't normally play games like Transistor, just because they normally feel pretty pretentious. But I had heard great things about Transistor, and so I decided to give it a try. Friends, it is worth every penny you spend on it. The gameplay is original, unique, and challenging in a number of ways. The story is also a pretty original concept, if a little vague. It also boasts a beautiful bright color palette and a unique art style that makes the world of Cloudbank stand out. If you haven't given Transistor a try, then get on it, because you are missing out.
#3): Far Cry 4
I like a game that I can get lost in for hours upon hours at a time and end up with somewhere around fifty hours under my belt by the end. These last three games all had that effect. Far Cry 4 was a joy to play. Stealth gameplay was fantastic, explosive guns blazing gameplay was fantastic, and it brought to the table a variety of new weapons and ways to traverse the map (i.e. gyrocopters and elephants). There were hundreds of collectables around the nation of Kyrat. The story was complex even if some of the actual plot missions were forgettable, and character development was greater than in Far Cry 3. Ultimately, Far Cry 4 was most of the fun of Far Cry 3 with a bit more nuance to it and much fewer quick time events...namely, zero.
#2): Dark Souls II
Until the next item on this list came out, Dark Souls II was absolutely going to be the Game of the Year award winner for me. It took me much less time to get into Dark Souls II than it did to get into the original. It was a difficult game, but it was not unmanageable, and unlike the original, I felt that I learned something every time I died. Dark Souls II also had a fantastic sense of pacing. Even if I died hundreds of times in an area, it never felt like I was stuck. In other words, there was a sense of difficulty hand-in-hand with a sense of at least some progression. Getting into PVP situations was easier to do, and even I ended up voluntarily taking part in PVP duals and summoning people I came across. Dark Souls II requires that one be open to silent teamwork, and it rewards your playing it with a constant sense of getting somewhere, even if you actually aren't. People have called it a step down from the original Dark Souls, and in some ways that is true, but ultimately I had more fun playing this one and spent much less time cursing like a sailor about the difficulty.
Game of the Year: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Anyone who knows me well knows that Dragon Age: Origins, the original Dragon Age game, is my favorite game of all time. When Dragon Age II came out, I, like many other people, felt betrayed and insulted. That is part of why Dragon Age: Inquisition was such a welcome addition to the saga. With Inquisition, Bioware has taken an already unbelievably fleshed out narrative world and expanded on just about every aspect of it. In Inquisition, Thedas feels more like a living, breathing world, like a world that continues to exist even when you aren't in a certain area of it. Inquisition is perhaps Bioware's strongest gameplay example, as it is just action based enough to make it entertaining and just strategy based enough to not make it totally mindless. It also allows for you to micromanage your party like there is no tomorrow, thanks to the fantastic new crafting system that Inquisition brings to the table. But there is another thing about Inquisition that speaks to its quality. Normally, if I spend around 50 hours or more on a game and do just about everything there is to do, I can't do another play through. That was the case with Oblivion, Skyrim, Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, and both Far Cry 3 and 4. However, I am on my fourth play through of Dragon Age: Inquisition, and I have done just about everything there is to do in all of my play throughs. That is quality that I don't come across very often. Dragon Age: Inquisition is so compelling that I have been able to dedicate Elder Scrolls degrees of time in it across multiple play throughs, and I plan on doing at least four more play throughs within some degree of time. Ever since I started playing Dragon Age: Inquisition and knew that it wasn't going to be like Dragon Age II, I knew that it was probably going to secure this spot, and it would seem that I was right. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Right Trigger Game of the Year for the Year 2014 is: Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Picture sources: www.youtube.com, www.videogamesblogger.com, www.laps4.com, www.blog.eu.playstation.com, www.dragonage.wikia.com
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Well, ladies and gentlemen, that is it. I hope you have had as much fun this year as I have in the gaming world, and I'm looking forward to seeing what 2015 has in store for gamers.
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