We’re in the final week of 2014, and we’re continuing our compilations of the Fandomania staff’s favorite releases of the year. Yesterday we talked about our favorite movies of 2014, and today we’re taking a look back at our favorite video games.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
“Where to even start with this game? It was pure fun from start to finish. It has an incredible cast of characters and an epic story which impressively not only incorporates events and lore from the previous games (which may vary from player to player based on choices they made) but re-frames it to give it more depth. Then there’s the varied gameplay that’s not only fun but rewards the player in ways that affect the main storyline, so nothing feels tacked-on. And the graphics are absolutely stunning, with gorgeous — and expansive — environments of just about every type you can imagine. All this made Dragon Age: Inquisition an easy choice for my game of the year.” – Celeste Monsour
“I was one of the few who really liked DA2, so I was excited for DA:I and I still am. It’s packed full of things to do and characters to romance. I love how characters from the other two games are in this one, it just makes the Dragon Age world tighter. Although I am still sad I can’t romance Varric.” – Nikki Day
“After being disappointed by both Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3, I had low expectations for Inquisition. As it turns out, this massive fantasy epic ended up blowing me away and won back a lot of my respect for BioWare’s signature RPGs.” – Jason
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
“The best Assassin’s Creed game of 2014 was a Lord of the Rings game. Who knew? From its familiar but refined stealth and fighting gameplay to its deep dive into Tolkien lore to the immensely addictive Nemesis system, Shadow of Mordor is one of 2014’s very best games.” – Jason
Transistor
“This was the first game I’ve ever pre-ordered (in this case, meaning that I supported the Kickstarter), based on Supergiant’s amazing game, Bastion. I like the way that Transistor has a somewhat similar feel to Bastion (with the isometric POV and some of the same voice actors, for example) but is also very different in many ways. And of course the soundtrack is awesome!” – Chad Walker
BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode 2
“The final installment in the BioShock universe — at least from Irrational Games — ties together the stories of the first game and Infinite in a reality-twisting way that befits the series. Elizabeth’s stealth-based gameplay was a nice contrast to Booker’s, and being able to see parts of Rapture we didn’t get to in previous games (as well as revisit some from a new perspective) was the perfect send-off from Ken Levine and co.” – Celeste Monsour
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor
“WoW is 10 years old as of November this year, but Warlords of Draenor has revitalized the MMO. The quests flow in every zone and the garrison is addictive. With raiding just recently released, it will be interesting to see where this new story goes.” – Nikki Day
Sunset Overdrive
“Microsoft made a big push to reclaim gamers’ trust and loyalty in the latter half of 2014, and Xbox One owners reaped the benefits. At the spearhead of that movement is Sunset Overdrive, a completely ridiculous and completely fun third person action game filled with varied mission types, frantic combat, and awesome traversal.” – Jason
The Last of Us: Left Behind
“It’s not quite as grim as the main game, feeling instead like a nostalgic look back at one of Ellie’s happiest memories, but manages to be just as heart-wrenching. Playing as Ellie was one of my favorite things in The Last of Us, so being able to experience her scrappy survival tactics and love of puns again was a delight. I played this as part of the remastered version of the game, and it looked stunning on PS4. Plus, photo mode was a lot of fun to play with and I hope it becomes a standard in the future.” – Celeste Monsour
Super Smash Bros for Wii U
“An exhilarating, awesome game to play either alone or with friends. It’s more fun with others, and this version allows up to 8 players at one time. What they like best are the customizable features for characters and the choices of stages, modes and characters. The player can control the world, adding stage hazards and items falling from the sky. The variety of characters has helped them discover other games they love.” – Ava DiGioia
Forza Horizon 2
“The latest entry in the Forza series is the best driving game of the year. Layered on top of a superb racing engine with an assortment of cars and customizations are all the collecting and progression hooks to keep players playing.” – Jason
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!
“If there’s one thing you can count on with the Borderlands games, it’s FUN. This installment — which takes place between the first two games, hence the title — is no exception, with new environments, baddies, allies, and abilities, but the same hilarious shoot-and-loot gameplay and vibrant, dynamic graphics that make the series so great.” – Celeste Monsour
The Wolf Among Us
“The first episode came out in 2013, but the last four episodes were released in 2014, so I’m counting it. It’s based on the comic Fables, and quite frankly, I can’t wait for a season 2. The story was gripping, the characters were great, and I loved being able to choose how to make Bigby act. The final episode was just amazing — the cliffhanger definitely leaves the story open.” – Nikki Day
Kingdom Hearts 2.5 Remix
“This is a collection of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix, and the cinematics from Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. It’s all in HD and just updates everything in time for Kingdom Hearts 3, whenever that comes out. I’ve always liked the Kingdom Hearts story and was glad to see this updated for the PS3.” – Nikki Day
Hearthstone
“Hearthstone was an Honorable Mention pick for me last year while it was in beta, and I’m moving it to a full fledged favorite after its official release in 2014. Blizzard’s free-to-play collectible card game is deep, addictive and, most importantly, fun, making it my favorite card game to release in the past decade, digital or otherwise.” – Jason
It just occurred to me that I’m mixing up my games. I didn’t support the Kickstarter for Transistor because there wasn’t one, although I did actually pre-order it. I was thinking of Shadowrun Returns for some reason. Not that anyone cares, I guess, but I wouldn’t want anyone to think I was a total idiot.