2014
has been a rather peculiar year for games. Youtuber 'Superbunnyhop'
noted that while last year was all about narrative innovations in the
gaming medium with games like Brothers and
The Last of Us, 2014
was the year where gaming got silly again. While there were still
some games this year that really pushed the envelop in terms of what
the form of games can accomplish, a majority of releases instead
focused on delivering more bombastic and rehashed experiences of what
we have come to expect. Being silly isn't necessarily a bad thing
however as many games on this list encapsulate experiences that offer
pure joy and entertaining game-play without any pretentiousness
getting in the way. The games on this list honour the best of a just
plain fun year.
Also please bear in
mind that I do not own an Xbox One or Playstation 4, I play a
majority of my games on the PC and the Wii U. I also have not had a
chance to check out many of the 'newer' games of this year like Far
Cry 4 or The Evil Within as they are a little too pricey
right now for my student wallet. With that said, lets dive right into
the list:
- Octodad: Dadliest Catch
If you took Surgery
Simulator and combined it with The Simpsons then you'd get an
experience pretty close to Octodad. The premise of the game is
simple: You are an octopus who is happily married with kids and
no-one is any the wiser to the fact you are an aquatic lifeform. The
main appeal of the game is the intentionally terrible controls, you
are in command of two arms and two legs which are horrendously
difficult to manipulate (and actually deliciously worse in
multiplayer). You are then asked to do everyday tasks like make
coffee and take your children to the supermarket but more often you
end up slipping over and breaking everything. And it's absolutely
hilarious while somehow managing to be heart-warming, because at the
end of the day, Octodad just wants to be a good father. Even when
he's flopping around the garden trying to mow the lawn.
- Broken Age
You play as Shay a
boy confined to a space station ruled over by your over-bearing
mother, routinely forced to save galaxies from ice-cream avalanches
and extremely slow train crashes. You also play as Vella, a bakery
girl from a village being terrorised by a monstrous deity. It's also
her turn to be offered as a sacrifice to the beast to save the
village, but she has other plans. Born from the brilliant mind of Tim
Schafer, who spawned other cult classics like Grim Fandango and
Psychonauts, this point-and-click adventure games remains one of the
most inventive and witty experiences of the year. While it may be
popular to scrutinise how the game was funded and produced the end
result is very impressive.
- Bayonetta 2
Leave it up to
Platinum Games to once again deliver a game with this much energy and
show-stopping power. Bayonetta 2 begins with you kicking and
shooting a legion of angels on top of a fighter-jet speeding through
a metropolis. So it's basically business as usual for this
ass-kicking witch. Armed with pistols, knives, chainsaw heels, a
shotgun scythe and a hammer bigger than Bono's ego, it is pretty hard
not to have a satisfying time killing enemies. And there are a lot of
enemies to kill. The action can seem pretty hectic at times, just
watching gameplay videos will make you wonder just how anyone can
actually play this game but it ends up being simultaneously simple
and oh-so rewarding to control Bayonetta on her journey to Hell.
- Walking Dead Season 2
While technically
the first part of this game saw an late 2013 release I am putting it
here because 80% of this game was released this year and it's not one
you want to miss. Season 1 of The Walking Dead was my number
one game of 2012 and Season 2 keeps that ball rolling. While it
doesn't offer much new over the original it does continue the story
and (for the most part) seal of quality the series is know for.
TellTale just have a knack for putting players in positions they
despise being in. Decisions you make in this game as big as who to
kill off in your party to the small lies you may tell your fellow
survivors build a remarkably involving experience that will keep you
doubting your decisions through to the very end.
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
The platformer is
one of gamings oldest genres, but leave it to Retro Studios to
produce a game that takes a concept that we hold so dear and just run
with it. Donkey Kong handles a little differently to Mario, and that
does take some time getting used to, but it gives DK a heavier style
which adds character. Other members of the Kong family also lend a
hand, providing temporary power-ups which you feel practically naked
without sometimes. But by far the most impressive thing about this
game is its great sense of place. As you move between worlds you
witness your environments evolve and throw some really gorgeous
looking worlds at you that are brimming with life. The challenge is
the other thing that will hook you, despite all their bright colours,
these levels will really test your mettle, dishing out crumbling
platforms and cruelly placed enemies at every turn. The difficulty
curves to well that although each new world can be tough at first,
you will rarely lose the will to press Donkey Kong through to the
end.
- Shovel Knight
It's strange to
think that a game modeled on software from the 1980's would appear
on a top ten list in 2014 but Shovel Knight is just
irresistibly excellent. Everything about this game just evokes
nostalgia thanks to several nods to games from our childhoods. From
everything that it borrows it gives back so much more through it's
stellar music, stages, boss fights and tone. Playing as the titular
knight is responsive and intuitive and you are on his side the entire
way as he battles towards his long lost love. His journey also lends
itself to one of the best and most unique after-level mini-games of
all time as you are forced to hopelessly forced to fend off waves of
enemies to catch your falling beloved, all while blending narrative
and gameplay seamlessly. Just experiencing this sequence alone is
worth the price of admission.
- Binding of Issac: Rebirth
The
original Binding of Issac was a game I picked up on a whim for £1, I
expected to enjoy it's gimmick briefly and then forget about it.
Instead I ended up racking over 70 hours of gameplay on it. Now that
this new and updated version (which almost feels like a directors
cut) has come out I have little reason to go back to the old game
since Rebirth improves on every single aspect of the game. The
controls are tight, the art-style is equal parts hideous and
mesmerising
but it is the
difficulty and random elements that makes this game more addictive
than any mobile app and more satisfying than many other triple A
releases this year.
- Mario Kart 8
I still can't
believe just how pretty this game looks and how well it plays. It is
apparent from the moment you start your engines that a lot of love
went into the craft of this latest entry in the Mario Kart
franchise. While it doesn't re-invent the wheel and the anti-gravity
mechanic is a wee bit underutilised, it is still a blast to knock out
your opponents while traveling up a waterfall or hanging
upside-down. And with the second DLC pack due to release in May there
is more than enough reason to keep coming back to the most complete
Mario Kart experience to date.
- Towerfall Acsention
If Mario Kart makes
you horribly competitive then steer clear of Towerfall Acsention. The
game pits 2-4 archers head-to-head in a battle to the death. And
death if frequent as a single arrow is enough to put you down but
since matches typically last less than 30 seconds you'll be quickly
thrown back into round 2 for a chance at revenge. A series of
inventive and fun to abuse power-ups like exploding and ricocheting
arrows are thrown into the mix to keep players on their toes and the
core mechanics are simple to pick-up but have a lot of depth to them.
It's laughably cheap as well compared to other games on this list.
Once you invite a couple of friends over to play 'this cheap little
indie game I picked up' it becomes clear that your money was well
spent on this cracking game that will make you and your friends
scream 'One more game!'
- Smash Bros
The number one spot
was very heated this year in my mind, like a phoenix from the ashes,
the local multiplayer genre made a comeback this year and in that
category no game boasts the sheer content and fun factor of Super
Smash Bros for Wii U. The roster is expansive and balanced featuring
characters spanning all of Nintendo's most popular IP's and even
including some great outsiders as well. It's exhilarating seeing all
these characters fight one another in a way that so beautifully
uncharacteristic it's hard not to smile when you see Mario unleashing
destruction on Princess Peach. The fighting feels tighter than ever,
and while you can't take advantage of the wave-dashing mechanics seen
in Melee, everything feels responsive. Including the online
which is near flawless if you have a good internet connection but
this is a game that is begging to be played on a sofa with friends in
yelling distance. Landing that one killer blow on a friend you never
thought you could beat provides a rush you will tell you grand-kids
about. Plus there is an absolute shed-load of collectable trophies,
music tracks and special moves ensuring that OCD types will always be
coming back for more.
In a year full of
slightly silly, maybe less respectable games, Smash Brothers
at least gives us the chance to share the best of that sillyness
with friends.
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