Goty 2014

[Peanut]

Well, gang, we're closing in on the end of another year, so let's all get together and throw our 2014 GOTY lists out!

My personal list this year was very hard to nail down. It's been a really weird year for me when it comes to my gaming habits. I played a lot more old games this year than normal and I notice myself becoming more and more disinterested with current games as a whole. This list was actually surprisingly difficult for me to narrow down in the end, although my initial list of the 20 games I played through was actually way smaller than usual.

Anyways, here's my list! I've been trying to keep myself awake for the past two hours, so I spent waaay too much time on this sh*t. I wasn't trying to make super cohesive images or anything, either. Just kind of f*cking around for fun!


Although it's low on my list I truly believe this is the best Kirby ever made. I think Kirby games have always been cute, full of great music and simple fun, but they've never been terribly engaging. Kirby Triple Deluxe mixes the standard Kirby platforming fare with some great puzzle solving and addicting collectibles to create what was easily one of my favourite games of the year. Fine Field has somehow risen up to dethrone DeDeDe's Theme as some of the best Kirby music ever.


Ground Zeroes is almost barely a game. It's a glorified demo that Konami had the gall to charge $40 upon release, but god damn if it didn't catch me. The odd thing is that while I think Ground Zeroes is a decent little game on it's own, the game itself was not the reason it made the list. It was the potential it showed for MGSV proper and the excitement it caused for me. MGS games have never played great - let's get that out of the way. MGS4 made strides in the right direction, but didn't quite make it. Ground Zeroes showed that Kojima and co finally nailed the controls, which is what makes MGSV so potentially exciting.


Wolfenstein is probably my surprise game of the year. It was the absolute most refreshing shooter of the year and, somehow, managed to have one of the most engaging stories of any game this year. How? How did this happen? It's f*cking Wolfenstein! Solid core mechanics, fun scenarios and just enough exploration around an incredibly realized world and setting made Wolfenstein the best FPS I've played in years.


Fantasy Life became my life for a short period there. In the midst of some of my biggest projects of the year, when my time to play games was limited to lunch, bed and the sh*tter, I played Fantasy Life. I played the ever-loving sh*t out of Fantasy Life. There's something incredibly comforting about it that I can't quite put my finger on. It's very grindy, very MMO-ish in a lot of ways. It's a bit too chatty and the story is...well, it exists. It's also either far too straightforward and limiting or far too open and daunting, depending on who you ask, but I somehow found the balance between the two and loved every moment of it.


Captain Toad is what I love about video games and what's missing from video games today. It's quirky, it's bright and it knows what it wants to be. It isn't full of convoluted half-features, or worried about detailing every single moment-to-moment action to you. It just wants you to have fun playing it and I sure as hell did.


Child of Light is perhaps the most surprising game on my list. As I went back and thought about all the stuff I played this year it kept popping into my mind. It's a beautiful game, but it's also an incredibly rewarding RPG with a great battle system. The story also has some great twists and turns through out. It's a strangely endearing world and one I'd love to see revisited in a bigger way.


What is there to be said about Mario Kart 8 that we haven't already said here? It's polished, it's incredibly fun, has great music and killed it with DLC later in the year. It's vintage Nintendo and the first MK game I've really cared about since the DS. It's also one of those suuuuuuper rare games my fiance will actually play with me, which is a huge bonus.


I don't want to say I was surprised by how much I loved Sunset Overdrive, but I kinda was. I always expected it would be a pretty decent game, but I was afraid of the tone more than anything. Turns out it's actually legitimately funny and almost never delves into the kind of vile Internet level humor that makes my skin crawl. It takes awhile to get going, but when the traversal really clicks, it all falls into place in a way that's incredibly satisfying. It's also one of the rare instances where I got way attached to my created character, because the story and characters were so fun. Sunset City by The Bronx is also my song of the year.


Persona Q is more from my favourite game of all-time. Kanji gets all cuddly with a dog. Chie kicks monsters. This is all I need. <3


Well, this is a surprise to no one. I was hyped for Smash all year, but on 3DS and Wii U. The game is incredible. It looks amazing, it's tons of fun and it has a soundtrack to end all soundtracks. If they never put out another Smash, I think I'd be alright.

Games that didn't quite make the list include Hyrule Warriors, One Piece: Unlimited World Red, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, South Park and a few others and I'm probably missing something! Surprisingly hard to pull this list off in the end.

And I have a tie this year for "2014's Best Game Not Released in 2014" between Chibi Robo and Pirate Warriors 2. Loved them both.

Come on, gang! I want to see everyone elses list, too!

[The Stryker]

Well. Way to make everyone else's lists look like dookie!

No big explanations just yet since its sorta late but here goesssss.

1. Smash Bros U and 3DS
2. Sunset Overdrive
3. Wolfenstein
4. Mario Kart 8
5. Fantasy Life
6. Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
7. COD: AW
8. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze
9. Shadow of Mordor
10. EA Sports UFC

(Just missing the cut is stuff like Pokemon which I'm enjoying a lot. More than X and Y actually and other handheld stuff that escapes me at the moment)

[snake]

10. SSB
9. SSB
8. SSB
7. SSB
6. SSB
5. Hyrule Warriors
4. SSB
3. SSB
2. Mario Kart 8
1. SSB

I haven't bought many games this year.

[Powder]

I unfortunately haven't experienced as many new games this year as I would have liked to, or normally purchased (tighter funds) but I did get/enjoy DKC Tropical Freeze, SSB, MK8, Hyrule Warriors, Tomodachi Life, Shovel Knight, & some others.

To pick just one, hmm... It's hard, man. Some I've played more than others, yet found to be less engaging than those I only ran through once. I guess I had the most fun with Hyrule Warriors, being a huge Zelda fan. Smash 3DS prolly got the most hours outta me, though that's partially due to the convenience of it. Flights, potty breaks, waiting rooms, etc.

Edit: Totally forgot Kirby Triple Deluxe. It's dope.

[CyberCubed]

Haven't played much besides Nintendo stuff this year:

1. Smash Bros U/3DS
2. Mario Kart 8
3. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
4. Captain Toad
5. Hyrule Warriors
6. Pokemon ORAS
7. Kirby Triple Deluxe
8. Bayonetta 2

I don't have a PS4 yet, so I haven't been getting any new current gen games. I do want to try Dragon Age, The Evil Within, Shadows of Mordor, Infamous 2, etc. but I'll wait till mid-2015.

[TheBlueTurtle1]

This is gonna be hard since I think the year has been slow, but here goes

1. Smash Bros
2. Donkey Kong tropical Freeze
3. Mario Kart
4. Pokemon Saphire/Ruby
5.Hyrule Warriors
6.South Park: The Stick of Truth
7.Disney infinity 2
8. The many adventures of Fox McDave

I am sure Treasure Tracker would be there but it's still a few weeks away from release here.
This year I have been playing alot of N64 titles through, so I can't make 10.

[Cure]

Not to be outdone by Peanut, here is my top 10, with banners just as good (if not BETTER) than his!



I know this is technically a 2013 game, but I never played the original version so the upgraded version was all new to me. And a Grand Theft Auto game! Who knew, right? The characters were actually likable to me and the game is much much more playable than Rockstar's past efforts. It's good!



I put so much into time Bravely Default. Admittedly, the end gets kind of repetitive, but it was still a lot of fun. Gotta get them jobs, man.



Shadow of Mordor is a more fun Batman game to me than Batman games. I think I did everything in this game, minus a few things here and there.



It's Pokemon.



Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze was a lot of fun. Great soundtrack, great platforming, just all around great!



This is my surprise hit of the year, too. It's way more fun than I ever expected. It's also a better stealth game than some games that are strictly stealth. On that note, Thief sucks, you guys.



I can see myself playing this game for a while. It's constantly getting updated and fo' free, so that's even better. It also a certain charm that I just can't get enough of.



Yo, while this game lasts, it's sooooo intense and nuts and crazy and insane. It runs so smoothly and controls pretty much perfectly.




F*cking Dragooooons. Needs more Griffins, though.



Yeah, you guys know what it is.

For some reason the banner for Pokemon isn't showing up, but it's number seven. Also honorable mention to Sunset Overdrive. It was a close one!

[sdp]

I'm not sure what games came out this year, I definitely got a lot of games but many of them were older titles. But from the top of my head none of the titles I played that were released this year really stood out for me. Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros are awesome entries in their series and as good if not better than their predecessors but I still feel its just another version of those franchises to really go "OMG GOTY", Layton vs Phoenix Wright was awesome (what I played of it) but it also didn't do much different. Tomodachi Life now that was an interesting new idea but sadly I kind of got bored of it, I'd love to see improvements on it. NES Remix was probably my GOTY now that I think about it. I probably had more fun re-discovering Brain Age when I got the DSiware games but those games came out a long time ago.

[PangolinFeets]

I'm just gonna mention some favs in no particular order.
By far, my fav game of the year was The Walking Dead: Season 2. It was the most gut-wrenching story I've ever experienced in media. Period. Clementine owns me forever.
SSB for Wii and DS were both pretty fun, but not a lot compares to the hilarity and chaos of 8-player Smash.
I loved Professor Layton v. Phoenix Wright. I'm def a bigger Layton fan, but it was a good balance of the two franchises.
Guilty Gear Xrd is probably the best reinvention of a fighter series ever. I prefer it even to Street Fighter 4. Its so damn beautiful. God, I love this.
Destiny, while its formula didn't hold forever for me, I still really enjoyed.
But not as much as Titanfall!!!! By far, my fav FPS. Funfunfunfun stuff. Def lived up to the hype.
And Warlords of Draenor is a great expansion to, what I thought, was a part of my past. Totally reignited my love for WoW.
Child of Light was a beautiful and unique adventure. I really love the soundtrack too.
The Wolf Among Us was another fantastic story. I'll tell ya, Telltale is killing it for me. Their GoT game is also shaping up nicely.
Shadow of Mordor was an unexpected pleasure. You don't get many franchise games of that quality.

I think thats most of my year. Good stuff.

[Netkeeper]

Okay okay here we go

10.
We're kickin off the list with Digimon All Star Dumble for PS3/360 and not Steam for bizarre reasons
This game is dumb and I was too lazy to pick out the boxart but I liked it so lets move on

9.

Five Nights at Freddy's, PC.
Insanely fun to watch, a thrilling challenge to play.

8.

Bravely Default, 3DS.
I didn't actually get v far I just listed it because I didn't play 10 games this year

7.

Goat Simulator, PC.
If you haven't played this yet, why the **** not

6.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2, PC.
WHAT THE **** WHY IS THIS GAME SO ****ING HARD JESUS

5.

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, 3DS
This game only got so low on this list because it's supposedly the last Layton game in the series and we still don't know what the **** is supposed to happen after that Unwound Future ending. This is ********

4.

Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, 3DS
Yes, I know, I'm attempting to remain unbiased by putting it in the number FOUR slot! You want to know why? BECAUSE LAYTON AND PHOENIX DIDN'T KISS AT THE END OF THE DAMN GAME

3.

Pokemon Omega Ruby/Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, 3DS
2 much water 4 me, lower ur rating score.

2.

Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS
I'm really feeling it.

Annnd Netkeeper's Definitely Not Biased Game of the Year is...

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric!







Just ****ing kidding it's Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, the game so good it got to be listed twice because I only got nine releases from this year.

Have a bigger image of this game's boxart so it knows its in the spotlight. I love this game. It's beautiful. It's soundtrack is an eargasm. It's the perfect game for people that like top hats, witch trials, Phoenix Wright's squeaky clean ass, women with suspiciously evil sounding names, utter decimation of the fourth wall, being tread on by hot women in stilettos, and car accidents. However, one must remember to not consume more than 17 cups of tea whilst playing this game. It is of utmost importance.

If you haven't bought it, buy it. Even if you don't have a 3DS. Just buy it and give it to the first person you see on the street that has one. If you have bought the physical copy of the game, buy the digital copy, and vice versa. Own both versions of the game so you will never be without it. Buy out every copy in the store. Just ****ing do it. This was the game I bought my 3DS for and it lived up to every expectation* and more. It's ****ing incredible and was well worth the wait.

[AT-Man]

I only played Dark Souls 2 and Bravely Default, so there are my picks.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

Have a bigger image of this game's boxart so it knows its in the spotlight. I love this game. It's beautiful. It's soundtrack is an eargasm. It's the perfect game for people that like top hats, witch trials, Phoenix Wright's squeaky clean ass, women with suspiciously evil sounding names, utter decimation of the fourth wall, being tread on by hot women in stilettos, and car accidents. However, one must remember to not consume more than 17 cups of tea whilst playing this game. It is of utmost importance.

If you haven't bought it, buy it. Even if you don't have a 3DS. Just buy it and give it to the first person you see on the street that has one. If you have bought the physical copy of the game, buy the digital copy, and vice versa. Own both versions of the game so you will never be without it. Buy out every copy in the store. Just ****ing do it. This was the game I bought my 3DS for and it lived up to every expectation* and more. It's ****ing incredible and was well worth the wait.

Man, I guess I'm really gonna have to play this game. My fiance has played a bunch of the Pheonix Wright stuff, but I've never touched any of it. Same with Layton. I guess I should get on it.

[Cure]

What's the thing with people saying the Pokemon games have too much water? Is that some kind of meme?

[Gunpowder]

Originally Posted by Cure

What's the thing with people saying the Pokemon games have too much water? Is that some kind of meme?

It was something IGN listed in their review as one of the game's problems - which people thought was so ridiculous that they turned it into a meme. Funny stuff.

Here's one of my favorites:

[sdp]

I definitely recommend the phoenix wright games or the Layton games, they're some of the most entertaining games I've ever played. The crossover is just both games put together so while not trying new things its still really fun, not sure if it'd be a good game for first timers though since it might leave a bad impression if you're not already familiar with the gameplay of both games, and both series are ones that you have to start from the first game.

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by Peanut

Man, I guess I'm really gonna have to play this game. My fiance has played a bunch of the Pheonix Wright stuff, but I've never touched any of it. Same with Layton. I guess I should get on it.

You really should! The crossover has simpler gameplay, probably to ease people that might have only played one series into playing the other, so if you care more about gameplay than narrative it might be a good start. But if you care more about narrative, play both series in release date order [which I'll stick under the spoiler] before even touching the crossover. If this does end up being our last Layton, it's a better send-off than Azran, I feel, and the events that happen to Phoenix have a little more significance if you've played his trilogy.

Spoiler:

For AA, the order would be Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Justice For All, Trials and Tribulations [all three of which are now on the 3DS eshop in HD, combined together]

Then there's Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney and Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth which can be played in either order. When I play through the series, I tend to pick AAI first. The last game is Dual Destinies, on the eshop only unfortunately.

For Layton, the order is Curious Village, Diabolical Box [US] or Pandora's Box [EU], Unwound Future [US] or Lost Future [EU] WHICH IS THE BEST GAME IN THE SERIES I MIGHT ADD...

And the final Layton games are prequels. Last Specter [US] or Spectre's Call [EU], Miracle Mask, and finally Azran Legacy. Before playing Miracle Mask, it's recommended one watches Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, the movie. It's very cute. The last two Layton games are 3DS, everything else is DS.

There's also an Ace Attorney movie but it's mostly an adaptation of the first game. Optional but good, silly fun.

Originally Posted by Cure

What's the thing with people saying the Pokemon games have too much water? Is that some kind of meme?

IGN rated it down for having "too much water" as if Hoenn having a lot of water was some kind of surprise. Also a ****** reason for downvoting a great game.

[PangolinFeets]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

http://i.imgur.com/WQVP8tx.gif
You really should! The crossover has simpler gameplay, probably to ease people that might have only played one series into playing the other, so if you care more about gameplay than narrative it might be a good start. But if you care more about narrative, play both series in release date order [which I'll stick under the spoiler] before even touching the crossover. If this does end up being our last Layton, it's a better send-off than Azran, I feel, and the events that happen to Phoenix have a little more significance if you've played his trilogy.

Spoiler:

For AA, the order would be Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Justice For All, Trials and Tribulations [all three of which are now on the 3DS eshop in HD, combined together]

Then there's Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney and Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth which can be played in either order. When I play through the series, I tend to pick AAI first. The last game is Dual Destinies, on the eshop only unfortunately.

For Layton, the order is Curious Village, Diabolical Box [US] or Pandora's Box [EU], Unwound Future [US] or Lost Future [EU] WHICH IS THE BEST GAME IN THE SERIES I MIGHT ADD...

And the final Layton games are prequels. Last Specter [US] or Spectre's Call [EU], Miracle Mask, and finally Azran Legacy. Before playing Miracle Mask, it's recommended one watches Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, the movie. It's very cute. The last two Layton games are 3DS, everything else is DS.

There's also an Ace Attorney movie but it's mostly an adaptation of the first game. Optional but good, silly fun.

IGN rated it down for having "too much water" as if Hoenn having a lot of water was some kind of surprise. Also a ****** reason for downvoting a great game.

Yea, Layton is one of my favorite characters. Honestly, I'm still pissed at Smash for not having him in it. I have serious problems with that. He stars in...6 Nintendo-exclusive titles. That rivals anyone on that roster. WTF does he have to do?!
His games are insanely entertaining and the cutscenes are gorgeous. And they're really gotten better as the series has gone on.

And he's not just a brilliant, fabulous, dapper gentleman in a top hat that solves puzzles. He's a supremely badass mofo.
Eternal Diva spoiler gif, but its cool as ****.

Spoiler:

Two great loves here. <3

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by PangolinFeets

Yea, Layton is one of my favorite characters. Honestly, I'm still pissed at Smash for not having him in it. I have serious problems with that. He stars in...6 Nintendo-exclusive titles. That rivals anyone on that roster. WTF does he have to do?!
His games are insanely entertaining and the cutscenes are gorgeous. And they're really gotten better as the series has gone on.

And he's not just a brilliant, fabulous, dapper gentleman in a top hat that solves puzzles. He's a supremely badass mofo.
Eternal Diva spoiler gif, but its cool as ****.

Spoiler:

http://i.imgur.com/OcnZ37Y.gif

OH MAN, THOUGH, AN EVEN BETTER EXAMPLE?
PL VS PW:AA spoiler:

Spoiler:

Look at this. HE TAKES ALL OF THEM DOWN, BY THE WAY.

These ****ing skills are Smash-tier for sure. If he wasn't third party, he'd be in, no question.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by PangolinFeets

Honestly, I'm still pissed at Smash for not having him in it. I have serious problems with that. He stars in...6 Nintendo-exclusive titles. That rivals anyone on that roster. WTF does he have to do?!

He's third-party and isn't even slightly iconic. He doesn't belong in Smash.

[Netkeeper]

Eh, it could be argued that he's a bit iconic on the DS, but yeah. Third party. Sob.