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Matt’s End of Year list 2014 |
It’s the start of the new year and the perfect time to look back on 2014 and think about the best games that I had played. Normally this means sifting through a half-dozen pile of titles, trying to remember how they made me feel and whether they deserve to be a “game of the year” winner.
Unfortunately, gaming in 2014 was lackluster and ultimately disappointing. For the first time I felt no anticipation for any big AAA titles, and only found post-release solace in a few titles that were surprisingly good or that received unexpected acclaim.
Unfortunately, gaming in 2014 was lackluster and ultimately disappointing. For the first time I felt no anticipation for any big AAA titles, and only found post-release solace in a few titles that were surprisingly good or that received unexpected acclaim.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - Nintendo 3DS
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I received The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds in September and the Nintendo title did a great job at keeping me company on a flight to New York as well as a train ride to Edinburgh. ALBW has plenty of new ideas while keeping the “Zelda” formula intact. As Link, you’re still asked to enter dungeons, collect treasure, find keys and save Hyrule; but the changes to the inventory system introduced in A Link Between Worlds mean that you can tackle these tasks in your own order.
While older titles in the series use items to gate entry or progress, this game leaves the options up to you, giving the player the choice in which order they play through the game. This is the most open a Zelda title has ever felt, and it appears that this feeling may be transferred into the upcoming Zelda title on WiiU. |
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Wolfenstein: The New Order - Playstation 4
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The original Wolfenstein is the godfather to the modern first person shooter, but I was genuinely surprised when MachineGames released Wolfenstein: The New Order, because this game is fantastic.
I’ve shot plenty of Nazi’s in my gaming career. Normally the player is given a gun, told these are the bad guys and asked to shoot at them through multiple levels of pretty much the same thing. This is where Wolfenstein: The New Order is different. You’re still battling the Nazi scourge, but this is set in an alternate history where the Nazi’s won WWII and now rule the world, and the way the story is told and the events of the game made me feel something original. The game makes you feel that you truly are doing good; that you are fighting pure evil. You are the savour of the world you’re fighting for, and you feel uplifted by the people you are defending; the world you’re trying to save. |
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - Windows PC
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I’ve probably spent more time playing Shadow of Mordor than any other AAA game this year (I’ve clocked a respectable 22 hours with the game). This was also the first big test of my newly built PC, so some of the time playing was used to experiment with settings and configurations on my computer.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor feels like someone built something amazing, then threw whatever paint they had in their garage over the top. This isn’t supposed to be a huge knock to the game, as it has some of the best combat and AI systems I’ve ever played, but could have just as well been set in Mordor as Mos Eisley. With rumours that developer Monolith could have produced a Batman title out of such a well made skeleton, I hope that Rocksteady have been paying attention. |
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Next-gen boredom
As a launch day Playstation 4 owner, I’ve felt annoyed with the lack of truly next-gen experiences. None of the above games are Playstation exclusives, and the graphical and technical power of my computer means that if I was given the option today I wouldn't play any of these titles on Playstation.
While I look for potential buyers for my unused PS4, I wish you all a happy new year. I hope the gaming gods will smile on us this year.
While I look for potential buyers for my unused PS4, I wish you all a happy new year. I hope the gaming gods will smile on us this year.
