Year of the local multiplayer
What a magical year this was! It’s hard coming up with a GOTY list, especially if you force yourself to pick only 10. That’s why I didn’t, I picked as many as I needed to! It’s thirteen; I picked thirteen games.
There would probably be even more if I had played some of the games I really wanted to. But hey! Splitting time between fun and work is part of life, and it’s a part we all strive to perfect. So anyway, here’s the only list that matters this year: mine.
Games I did not play enough of or at all oh god I’m so sorry: Bayonetta 2, Captain Toad, Hyrule Warriors, The Talos Principle, Shovel Knight, Super Time Force, Alien: Isolation, This War of Mine
1. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U
Well, this isn’t really a surprise. I’ve been a hardcore Smash Bros. fan ever since that fateful day I discovered that there were advanced techniques in Melee. I LOVE highly competitive game with high skill ceilings, and Melee fit the bill! When Brawl came out, most of my friends and I were in college, and the online wasn’t too stellar, and so it didn’t see as much playtime.
But with Smash 4, we play all the damn time! The online is really good, the core mechanics are wonderful, and we can have up to 8 players! With the best roster in the series, Smash 4 is my favorite Super Smash Bros. game to date. I really do miss Fox’s “Shine Spike,” but I’ve learned to love all that is currently in Smash 4.
2. Sportsfriends (+TENNNES + Get on Top)
First of all, since I backed Sportsfriends on Kickstarter, I received Get on Top and TENNNES as part of the package, so I’m including them in this spot. Sportsfriends is such an amazing collection of local multiplayer games that I don’t even know where to begin.
Hokra is a minimalist sports game that boils competition down to it’s more pure form and runs with it. Super Pole Riders seems like it has wonky controls at first, but they’re actually easy to master, which then leads to some really amazing (and hilarious) rounds! BariBariBall is my least favorite of the bunch, but still puts an exciting twist on what would otherwise be a fighting game.
And then there’s Johann Sebastian Joust. While I can’t play this on my Windows computer (not that I’d have the controllers to anyway), I have played JS Joust at E3 before. Playing (and even winning, once!) Joust is easily one of the most memorable moments in my gaming career. It’s a game with no rules, and all fun. Whenever you have a chance to, PLAY IT!
2. Towerfall Ascension (a tie!)
I can’t in good faith call Towerfall better or worse than Sportsfriends, since I consider them of the same, amazing ilk: that of the local multiplayer party bash. Towerfall is an incredible game. It has singleplayer components that really scratch an itch, and is one of the best multiplayer games ever created. Every game is exciting and intense, or hilariously quick.
The first night I introduced Towerfall: Ascension to my local multiplayer night, it dominated the entire night. People who started the night getting no kills and stomped on round after round were eventually winning rounds with confidence. It doesn’t take long to “get” how to play Towerfall, which is a large part of its beauty.
3. Valiant Hearts: The Great War
As a history teacher and videogame lover, I am obligated to put this game high on my list. Plus, it’s a flippin’ amazing game! Easily the best World War I game available, because it truly does give a sense of dread and hopelessness that came with “The Great War.”
It’s strongest aspect is the fact that it’s a war game without being a shooter. Plus, it has a dog and dogs are the best.
4. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Maybe it’s because Murdered: Soul Suspect came out earlier and was literally the worst game I’ve played all year, but Ethan Carter blew me away. It’s a mystery game that actually involves the player, with an ending that isn’t complete bullshit (I’m looking at you Heavy Rain).
Placing events in order takes critical thinking and has a sense of accomplishment to it that many games lack. It’s realistic at times, bizarre at others, and always completely gorgeous.
5. 1001 Spikes
1001 Spikes is one of the most well-designed games I have ever played. It is a game about learning and execution. The player is constantly learning throughout the entirety of the game, even the bonus levels! Each stage introduces something to the player, even if it’s a small idea.
The result is that the player constantly feels a sense of skill progression, which leads to more confidence to take on the harder levels. I really can’t say enough about how perfectly 1001 Spikes‘ design is.
6. Kentucky Route Zero Act III
Anyone who has played through Act III of Kentucky Route Zero knows exactly why this is on my list.
And to them I’ll just say: wasn’t that part AMAZING?!
7. Legend of Grimrock 2
A perfect sequel. Grimrock 2 takes everything that made the first game amazing, brought it up a notch, and put it in a beautiful new world with intensely hard puzzles.
The fact that I can bring a Farmer with me on my adventure, and then to have him be the HIGHEST LEVEL CHARACTER is simply amazing.
8. Divinity: Original Sin
Any game where my buddy tells me “make sure you talk to the dog!” is a game worthy of making a GOTY list.
Especially when I respond “you know I already did!”
9. Jazzpunk
So I just finished Jazzpunk yesterday, and I am completely blown away. Everything about Jazzpunk oozes style and uniqueness. From the moment I picked stuff off a guy’s face until I was spinning records in a penthouse suite, I loved every single moment of Jazzpunk.
If I had more time to process it all, this game would likely be higher on this list, but for now, I just need to give it a mention. This is a game, like The Real Texas or FEZ, that will stick in my mind forever.
10. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
I hate open-world games, which is a strong testament to how great Mordor really is. The beginning kind of just throws the player out there with a vague sense of what to do, and lets them go nuts. Soon after descending from the starting tower I came across a group of orcs. “No biggie,” I say to myself.
Well, wouldn’t you know it, two named orcs show up and kick my ass. Seeking them, alongside many others, out in order to murder them in the most gruesome ways possible is one of my favorite ~*memories*~ from 2014. This is the kind of emergent gameplay I can get behind!
11. Dragon Age: Inquisition
Hooray! Another Dragon Age game worthy of the title! While the “Tactical View” leaves a bit to be desired, Inquisition is a great PC RPG.
It starts off a little slow, with characters I’m not a big fan of and very MMO-esque quests, but soon picks up into a Dragon Age game I can easily recommend to anyone.
12. Mercenary Kings
Apparently I’m one of the few people who enjoyed Mercenary Kings? At least, according to Metacritic I’m one of the few “critics” who enjoyed it. Mercenary Kings really is likeMonster Hunter mixed with Metal Slug, though people don’t seem to appreciate revisiting the same locales. People easily dismiss this as “lazy” or “uninspired,” but just like Dota 2, the map is a character that needs to be understood and learned.
Learning how the map is structured and how the enemies move and attack is crucial to success in Mercenary Kings. Sure, maybe they’re revisited a little too much, but as someone who’s spent countless hours in Monster Hunter over the years, I can appreciate the design decision behind it. Plus, it looks freaking beautiful!
Mobile Games I Actually Enjoy Playing from 2014
Monument Valley
It’s not overly complex, it doesn’t make me wrack my brain, but Monument Valley is an experience that is worth having a million times over. It is relaxing and it is interesting, two qualities that don’t come up too often on the mobile side of things. The musicality of the game really makes it stand out from everything else.
Threes
I think I may have spent more time defending Threes than actually playing it this year. Threes is a wonderfully deep game, rewarding players who plan their next move and punishing those or swipe all willy-nilly, unlike the cheap knock-off 2048. This is the game that launched 1,000 clones.
Crossy Road
An endless Frogger doesn’t really sound all too appealing, but Crossy Road proves that it is. It’s free, but the “BUY STUFF” can certainly get annoying at times, althoughit’s too intrusive.
Plus, every 6 hours it gives me free coins to use and entices me to play a few more rounds, which I always do. I just gotta collect all the characters!
Desert Golfing
Leigh Alexander said words about Desert Golfing way better than I can say words about Desert Golfing.
I’ll just say that I got three hole-in-ones in a row, had no fanfare, and I flippin’ loved it.
Top Three Games from past years I’m still playing
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Let me update you on Tobytown. I finally got Queenie to move out; her personality just wasn’t appreciated here. It took MONTHS of ignoring, but she finally got the hint. Now I have some awesome new villagers like Ribbot and Lucky!
Also, Axel has been wearing the shirt I designed for months now! I figured he’d take it off pretty quick, but me and him are homies now because of his excellent fashion taste. My town is in a good spot, but I still need some Public Works Projects that aren’t yet suggested!
Team Fortress 2
Every update brings me back. New game modes, new movies, new weapons, NEW HATS, everything is still appealing to me.
The recent Demoman changes are a perfect way to bring the class in line with the others. Running around with a Loch ‘n’ Load doesn’t feel useless now, and in fact it might be my new favorite way to play Demoman!
Dota 2
Yup, my game of the forever. I’ll take any chance I can get to talk about Dota 2. Constant balance changes that shake up the meta is what I live for. The new Lifestealer is definitely intruiging, but I am sad that Ogre Magi (aka Ogre Magoo) was hit hard with nerfs.
This is a game that keeps on giving and even when I don’t feel like playing, I can always simply watch. Dota 2 isn’t going away any time soon, and that makes me incredibly happy.
