2014 - Best Video Game You Played This Year!

[J T]

Prettiest Video Game
Frogatto & Friends - So much love and care was put into the pixel art, it makes me sad that hardly anyone has heard of it...

Agreed! I played an early build of the game when it was free. It looks like a lot of heart was put into it. I don't know much about the recent release though.

[laurenhiya21]

Prettiest Video Game
Frogatto & Friends - So much love and care was put into the pixel art, it makes me sad that hardly anyone has heard of it...

Agreed! I played an early build of the game when it was free. It looks like a lot of heart was put into it. I don't know much about the recent release though.

I have the game on Desura, and honestly it was a huge surprise on how good it was. I can't remember all the details (since I beat it in April), but I remember the platforming felt really good, and it had an interesting little story and main character. I remember that using a controller was a little odd, but that's the only problem I had with it. But it has been greenlit on Steam, and it sounds like they are fixing a few things, so maybe they'll fix that and more people will give it a look.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Worst Video Game
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys

Nooooooooooo.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Worst Video Game
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys

Nooooooooooo.

I thought that might make you sad. I just played a lot of very good games, and while I enjoy the other games in the series, there really is not much to recommend the SNES port of Ys III.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Interestingly enough, I played the SNES and Genesis ports back to back this year and found the Genesis port to be worse. It's way more grindy.

[Blu]

Best Video Game - Super Smash Brothers Wii U; It feels like riding a bike this one. I love the series and so far it's been a blast! Haven't unlocked everyone yet, but I soon will. We need to do an 8 player Racketboy Brawl

Worst Video Game - Uncharted - It wasn't horrible by any means, but I think it is overrated and lacks a great control scheme like other games who play very similarly. I took it with a grain of salt, since it was one of the first, and I loved the storyline, but overall it left me with a mediocre feeling.

Most Challenging Video Game - So far I'd have to say Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call. Challenging because there's so many songs to explore, the later difficulties require some practice, and it's not easy to master. A lot of fine tuning from the first game as well. Gotta love it.

Most Fun Video Game - Diablo III Reaper of Souls. It's easy to pick up and play a rift or two with friends, and I've enjoyed the updates the game has provided.

Prettiest Video Game - In 1998 Standards, Final Fantasy VIII still is gorgeous with its graphics and cinematics.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I started working on a Top Ten-ish list earlier this year, so I think I'll post that and some additional superlatives after. Note that for the Top Ten-ish I'm only listing games that were at least (somewhat) new-ish to me this year. Old favorites that I annually replay are omitted.

Honorable Mention #2
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Game Boy Advance)
I'm still shocked by how much I ended up enjoying this one. Hated it as a kid. I, like many, found it to be the "black sheep" of the series and unworthy of the same sort of praise that's heaped on the original or Link to the Past. After finally pushing ahead and finishing it I am changing my tune. This is a good game. A damn good one. It's hard, yes. This is what turned off many gamers back in the day, myself included. You can't plow through this one. It's meticulous and fussy but once it clicks it all just feels perfect.

Honorable Mention #1
Sonic CD (PC)
I have a somewhat rocky relationship with the Sonic series. 1 & 2 = love 'em. 3 & Knuckles = you'd have to pay me to get me to play them again. Thankfully this one feels more like 1 & 2. It's smooth and fluid and above all else - FAST. The music is stellar and difficulty is fair and well-balanced. My next mission: play this on an actual Sega CD.

#10
Shock Troopers (PlayStation 2)
Ah yes, Neo Geo. Never been a huge fan of this stuff. I feel as if some folks overrate these games, perhaps to justify spending an insane amount on AES carts. But Shock Troopers is a fine game. I'd say it's not only the best Neo Geo game I've ever played, but also the best overhead Commando-style shooter. The strafing controls are so very well implemented. And Milky is my waifu.

#9
Popful Mail (Sega CD)
Is there a bad Falcom game? No. The developer created some brilliant sidescrolling action-RPGs back in the 80s/90s and this is one of them. The #1 reason to own a Sega CD.

#8
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Wii)
Can't believe I hadn't played this until now. Kirby 64 is, thankfully, 2D (okay "2.5D", whatever) unlike so many of its compatriots. There's a fun system of combining power-ups and the introduction of some cutesy human(?) characters. But above all else the game just has that Kirby charm. It's a joy to play and easily ranks right up with Adventure and Super Star.

#7
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Xbox 360)
I knew I would dig this. One million people on the internet can't be wrong. One of the best examples of a Metroidvania I've ever seen. Thrilled to have finally finished a Castlevania game, but kinda sad about the fact that I may have already completed the best of the bunch.

#6
Metroid (Game Boy Advance)
Speaking of Metroidvania, I finally got through Metroid! What can I say about this one? The exploration, the controls, the alien monstrosities - all brilliant. But what gets me every time I play is that incredibly atmospheric and ominous title screen. One of the most impressive things I've seen in a video game of any age.

#5
Magic Knight Rayearth (Saturn)
I love the manga and anime and now I love the game. It's like a cross between Link to the Past and Secret of Mana. Some of the best-looking 2D graphics on the Saturn, or any 5th gen system for that matter. The whole experience is just like a nostalgia overload and could charm the pants off anyone.

#4
New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U)
Is it that much different from the Wii Mario game? Nope. Do I care? Nope. Nintendo has a Mario formula and that formula works. They could crank out 10 more games just like this but with new levels and I would buy every single one.

#3
Ys Origin (PC)
Within the Ys series there are three games that all use the same engine and play very similarly. The first, Ark of Napishtim, is quite good but suffers from some awkward controls and painful dungeon design. The second, The Oath in Felghana, is a marked improvement but still had a couple of dull stretches. With the third one, Ys Origin, Falcom finally nailed it and all of the flaws are ironed out. It's fast and streamlined. No backtracking. No padding. No BS. Just incredible amounts of action-RPG sexiness. I'd probably rank this as the second best Ys experience available, after the godly Ys Book I & II on PC Engine CD. Ys Origin is on Steam and is the first game canonically. Good place to start for series neophytes.

#2
Phantasy Star Online (Dreamcast)
I've always scoffed at anyone who describes a video game as "addictive." Video games are fun. They can be be artistic and memorable and joyous and tragic. But I've never felt an incredible physical compulsion to give up everything I'm doing to play one. Until PSO that is. This game had its claws in me and I couldn't stop playing the damn thing until I saw it through. It's hard to define what made me so devoted to PSO. On the surface it's quite a simple game. Four dungeons. One town. Hack 'n' slash combat. But there's something magical here. It's either the futuristic setting, or brilliant Dreamcast control scheme, or unbelievably satisfying quests, or some combination of everything. And I played this on single player! Thank GOD I didn't have access to this back when you could actually play online. I would have never left my room.

And now - drum roll please...

#1
Exile (Genesis)
One part retro action-RPG. One part insane religious parable. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one. It's weird. It's offensive. The game is easy because it wants to be beaten just so it can confuse and confound the player. I want to play this again on Turbo CD but the thought of it makes me nervous. Game of the year.

And now some superlatives for fun!

I Can't Believe People Pay $200 for the AES cart
Burning Fight (PlayStation 2)
SNK's shockingly mediocre take on Final Fight. You walk to the right and punch shit.

Eats the Most Quarters
Total Carnage (Xbox)
Well, virtual quarters at least. I think I continued once every 45 seconds. I love Midway.

Looks Crappy But Is Actually Not That Crappy
Shadow Blasters (Genesis)
It's a bit generic, but the controls are solid and levels are pretty interesting. Unlimited continues too. Try it out.

Most Overrated
Crusader of Centy (Genesis)
"Sega's answer to A Link to the Past" is directionless with loose floaty controls and a bunch of chipmunks running around. I think there's also a fox that says "poop." Do not pay $100 for this.

Best Port
Muramasa Rebirth (Vita)
Compared to the Wii original this version features a more fleshed-out plot with (debatably) improved controls. My favorite part is simply the fact that I can now play this excellent game on a handheld.

Most Butchered Port
Ys (Famicom)
Virtually unplayable. Choppy scrolling, massive amounts of forced grinding, unbearably slow HP recovery, wildly inconsistent difficulty, terrible dungeon design. Avoid.

Best Game Called "Ys IV"
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys (PC Engine CD)
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys is vastly superior to Ys IV: Mask of the Sun.

Best Game That I Own Only Because I'm an Idiot
Gorf (VIC-20 / Commodore 64)
I purchased it because I thought it was called "Golf."

Best Romance Between a Young Man and His Adoptive Sister
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (PlayStation)
Ewwwwwwwwwww......

[Exhuminator]

Is there a bad Falcom game?

To be fair, considering about 80% of their games never came out in English, it's hard to really know.

kinda sad about the fact that I may have already completed the best of the bunch.

Overall Symphony Of The Night is the best, but every "metroidvania" styled Castlevania is worth playing, and this is coming from someone who's beat all of them. But if you only play one more, make it Order Of Ecclesia, that game was amazing. And unlike the cakewalk Symphony, Ecclesia is actually challenging at times.

Also BoneSnapDeez, you oughta give these a shot next year:

[RyaNtheSlayA]

This isn't particularly comprehensive. I'm tired and it's late and after work but here's my thoughts.

Most fun game I played this year
Catherine - It was absolutely strange in the most wonderful of ways. A beautifully done narrative combined with a rather well built puzzle game. It certainly has its flaws but I had a lot of fun with it.


Best story I experienced this year
Danganronpa 2 - I haven't beaten it yet, but Danganronpa 2 takes what little was wrong with the story in the original and fixes it all up and makes it grand. An absolute must play for those into visual novels.


Game that came out this year that has no business being as good as it is
Wolfenstein: The New Order - Good story, frenetic fast paced gameplay, absolutely killer weapon and sound design, and nazis in space all at a (mostly) silky 60fps on every platform.


Most underrated game to come out this year
DriveClub - The online issues, the lack of PS+, and generally negative critical reception killed this game. It's a damn shame, because it is exactly the game those who love Project Gotham have been waiting for. It's absolutely beautiful, handles like a dream, and has many months of free DLC and support to come. The start was rocky and it's a real shame this game wont get the attention it rightfully deserves.

Edit: And the prettiest game I played this year was Bioshock Infinite. All I gotta say about that is DAAAAMN.

[alienjesus]

Shock Troopers ...Milky is my waifu.

Its all about Marie Bee.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Wii) - the introduction of some cutesy human(?) characters.

Ripple was a fairy and Adeleine (the painter girl) actually first appeared as a boss in Dream Land 3 under the name of Ado. Dream Land 3 also had some other human characters as part of it's sidequests, as well as lots of Nintendo cameos.