Avatar

Joystick Monkey

@markthecanerdian / markthecanerdian.tumblr.com

Video games, tech, and other geeky stuff I find amusing.
PostsLikes
Avatar
reblogged
thecooltrashcat
me looking at my game collection: wow look at all these awesome games i own
subconscious: bro you have a massive stack of unfinished games you need to work on please quit being lazy and stop buying even more games your backlog is literally piling up
me: wow look at all these awesome games i own
Avatar

2014 Gaming Year in Review

2014 was a great year for games! I really wouldn't even know where to start if I had to pick my favourite game (although I'd probably land on Smash Bros if I had to). I didn't play all of the big games that came out, but I tried to get to as many of them as I could. I'll list a few standouts here, then talk about what I'm looking forward to in 2015. 

Let's start with Nintendo stuff, because software-wise, I think they had the strongest exclusive lineup this year. 

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) - I've always loved the Mario Kart series, and this is probably the best entry yet. It looks absolutely amazing, showing off just how good the Wii U can look, even compared to its higher powered competition. The controls are tight, there are plenty of characters and customizations, the tracks are fantastic, the anti-gravity gimmick doesn't feel like a gimmick, and the online has been solid every single time I've played. DLC keeps me coming back to this title as well, including dressing my Miis up in Amiibo costumes, and I see this being a game that I keep playing for years to come, just like others in this series. My only real gripe is the crappy battle mode stages. Give me an N64 DLC battle pack and I will literally just be throwing dollar bills at my Gamepad. 

Shovel Knight (3DS) - Holy crap this game was good! It's a great retro throwback, but benefits from modern advances by running silky smooth and controlling like a dream. Shovel Knight 2 can't come quickly enough. I really wish there was a cross-buy option, or at least a slight discount if I wanted to get it for my Wii U. I chose 3DS because I was always on the go when this game came out, but I would really love to play it on the big screen now and am too cheap to pay full price again.

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag (Wii U) - I know this game came out in 2013, but I didn't get to it until this year, so leave me alone. I love this series, and enjoyed AC3 even though I didn't find the setting or characters as interesting as the first few games. Black Flag had great characters, a cool story, and just felt awesome! It was like a gritty Wind Waker with parkour. I want more pirate themed games, not just in this series. I'm waiting until AC: Unity is fully patched and working before really diving in to it, so thoughts in that game are going to have to wait until next year. 

Bayonetta 2 (Wii U) - An out-of-left field reason to buy a Wii U if I've ever seen one, this game is fantastic so far. I'm admittedly not very far in, but from what I've seen so far it's one of the best action games I've ever played. The story, gameplay, characters, and action are as over-the-top as they come, and I love it! Seriously, just go get this game.

Smash Bros (3DS) - I really wasn't sure how this was going to work. The 3DS (even the XL) is a small screen, and a lot of fast action can easily get lost. Somehow Smash pulled it off and quickly shot up my list as one of my favourite games on the system. It's also climbing my list of most time spent playing on my 3DS, quite the feat for a system I've had since close to launch (Ambassador Program FTW!). I'm not sure if it'll top Animal Crossing's 150 hours or whatever ridiculous amount of time I spent with that addicting digital crack game, but it's broken the top 5 and I have no plans of stopping, even though it's big brother on Wii U is probably my favourite game of the year.

Smash Bros (Wii U) - Holy crap this game is good. I don't even know how to condense how good it is in to a paragraph, but I'll try. The game has been balanced, in my opinion, to a perfect level between Brawl and Melee. It caters to both pros and newbies, and there's just so much to do and collect that it hurts my brain. I love collecting Amiibo as well, not just because they look great and I'd collect them even if they had no in-game function at all, but because they make really great sparring partners that are bettie than the generic CPU players. If, for some reason, you haven't picked up a Wii U for Wind Waker, Mario 3D World, New Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart, Shovel Knight, Pikmin 3, or any of the other great games that are out on the system, this is the reason to go get one. 

Nintendo 2015

With all the crap with the "next gen" systems this fall (unfinished games, downed networks, etc), I think Nintendo really killed it this year and showed why it's worth having a Wii U in your collection. Even if, like me, you get a PS4 or Xbox One to make sure you don't miss any of the AAA games that need that extra horsepower, the Wii U probably has the strongest quality game lineup out there right now, and it doesn't look like it's slowing down. I can't wait to jump in to Hyrule Warrios and Captain Toad. I still need to get in to DK: Tropical Freeze and I just grabbed Lego Batman 3 because my fiancé and I had so much fun playing Lego Marvel split between the TV and the Gamepad. I'm curious to see what newcomers like Splatoon bring to the table, and it's cool to see Miyamoto grooming a group of developers to try out new ideas. And then Zelda... oh the next Zelda game. I'm sure it won't come out until the very end of the year, but I'm already excited for it. I'm sure the House of Mario has a few tricks up its sleeve as well and I can't wait to see what they bring with Nintendo Directs and at E3 this year.

PS4

2014 marked the first time I ever picked up a Playstation product. After jumping on the 360 wagon last gen, then being completely underwhelmed by everything they said about the Xbox One before launch (it's a great system now, but it took too damn long) I decided it was time to try something new. I've been a distant admirer of some of Sony's games for a while now, especially Uncharted, which calls to the Indiana Jones fan in me like a lost treasure, just barely out of reach. The Destiny bundle sold me and I grabbed one when they hit the shelves. While I'll miss Master Chief, Destiny seems to be fulfilling my space battle lust for now, but Xbone certainly has some tempting games out and in the pipeline. Will this be the first time in my life I'll get all three major consoles? We'll see. 

Destiny (PS4) - The game I got the system for (white console - so pretty!) has certainly had its share of controversy. You can't throw a rock without hitting two people that have completely different opinions on the game. While it may not have an incredibly deep story mode, I've certainly enjoyed my time with Destiny, and have been taking time to read things online and read every card I collect. It's really a game that lets you create your own enjoyment, and I can't wait to see how the series expands. I keep going back to it, so they had to do something right.

Shadow of Mordor (PS4) - I wasn't sure what to expect from this game. To be honest, when I saw and read things about the way the world worked, with bad guys that grew and remembered you and the ranking system and all that stuff I felt like it would be overwhelming. While there is a LOT to take in, it never felt like too much, and that's an impressive feat in a game with this much going on. The combat is awesome, and it doesn't take long to learn the system, level up a bit, and start feeling like a total badass that can stumble across an Orc encampment and walk out leaving nothing but a trail of destruction in your wake. Awesome!

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4) - I had grown a little tired of the CoD franchise, having picked up the last couple of games on sale or through trade-in offers, put a bit of time in them, then mainly forgetting about them. CoD: AW feels fresh though. Maybe it's the new weapons, maybe it's the new console, maybe it's Kevin Spacey... I don't know, but it felt damn good. 

Disney Infinity 2.0 - I enjoyed the first Infinity game because I'm a 6 year old trapped in a 30 year old body. 2.0 bringing Marvel in to the mix should have been an easy home-run, and while the Avengers game was fun, it never grabbed me. I tried the Guardians pack as well, and that was even worse. For every improvement they made with combat, controls, etc. they took major step backs in gameplay diversity and all around fun. Unless they make some major strides with 3.0, I think that'll be our last foray in to the Infinity World. 

Trials Fusion (PS4) - I know this game's been out for a while, but I didn't get it until recently and I've been so hooked I felt I couldn't not mention it. Damn this game is hard, but oh so satisfying when you actually pull off a perfect run. Definitely my new go-to game when I only have to burn off a couple of minutes. 

Playstation 2015

I picked up so many games that I didn't get a chance to put a decent amount of time in this year, 2015 is already packed. I've just started Dragon Age: Inquisition, Far Cry 4, and want to get in to Assassin's Creed Unity. I also have some back catalogue stuff like Infamous and Wolfenstein that I picked up on sale and never put much time in. I've done a couple of missions in DC Universe Online and really want to kick more ass in that game. Games like The Order look to be shaping up nicely, and there are expansions for Destiny that I will definitely spend some time with. I doubt Uncharted 4 will make it out this year, but since I missed the rest of the series I'm really REALLY hoping they announce a trilogy bundle to come out this summer or even next fall. It's going to be a great year for gaming, I'm sure! 

What was your favourite game of the 2014 and what are you looking forward to this year?

#zelda#playstation#sony#wii u#video games#smashbros#nintendo
You are using an unsupported browser and things might not work as intended. Please make sure you're using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.