2014 is an odd year regarding the best of what gaming has to offer. In the first real year in the lifecycles of the PS4 and Xbox One, games were getting noticeably bigger but also more experimental. In truth, many of the year’s best games, especially ones that really changed the industry going forward, were neglected in the year-end awards.
A few of these games have much more cultural and historical significance to the video game industry than the majority of highlighted Game of the Year candidates. One title in particular got snubbed hard by most publications, and it’s quite shocking in hindsight.
2014 had a ton of stellar andinfluential horror games, but one acclaimed title that didn’t get imitated much afterward isAlien: Isolation. A hardcore horror title, Alien: Isolation makes you about as powerless as you may get. Most horror games of this nature have a plethora of tools you can use to survive, but not here.
If the Alien spots you, you’re screwed unless you have a flamethrower or Molotov cocktail. Plus, the game brought back the old system where save points double as checkpoints, a bold move at the time and even now. That system still exists in the recentResident Eviltitles, but only on the hardest difficulties. With its sheer nonconformity, you can’t help but love its bold, restrictive approach to horror.
One game that did earn plenty of accolades that absolutely deserved it wasHearthstone. It’s arguably the most important game of the year in terms of what it did to the industry. Hearthstone was the first massively successful original DCCG (digital collectible card game) because Blizzard perfected how to do a card game like this in a digital ecosystem.
There were earlier examples with Magic: The Gathering Online and a few fan-made Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG simulators, but Hearthstone was the first to knock it out of the park. A lot of the DCCGs you see today would not exist without Hearthstone. Even something likeYu-Gi-Oh!: Master Duelwould be so much different without it.
The Wii U had a big problem with system sellers. There just wasn’t a game that made you go out and buy the system. However, the Wii U did have good exclusives, and 2014 had some of its best.Bayonetta 2was a killer action title and a breath of fresh air at the time. Nowadays, there’s plenty of action games in the vein ofDevil May Cryand Bayonetta coming out, but it was barren in 2014.
The gameplay, combat, bosses, and enemy variety are all drastically improved. The only downside compared to the original is the clear lack of budget. You can tell Platinum is working with nickels here, and that isn’t how the first game came off as. Regardless, Bayonetta 2 remains one of thebest games in the Wii U’s library.
Wolfenstein: The New Orderrevitalized the stagnant series hard by adding sweet old-school elements and a great story to boot. The New Order kicks so much ass, and a large reason for that is dual-wielding. In 2014, you didn’t see dual-wielding in shooters that often.
In Wolfenstein: The New Order, you can dual-wield every weapon in the game, and it’s so fun blasting baddies with the heavy-duty arsenal. The story’s an alternative history tale where the Nazis won WW2, and the characters and writing here are great. New Order is a must-play modern FPS and the best of the current Wolfenstein games.
Right up there withPortalregardingbest first-person puzzle gamesisThe Talos Principle. Both games are incredible, but part one, in particular, is such a fascinating title with its story. You start clueless about what’s going on, but as you play more and more, you find added details and ultimately come up against some very thought-provoking questions.
For people who really dig deep into philosophy, Talos Principle will be one of your favorite titles. Besides the story, it’s also an excellent puzzle game, though more difficult than Portal. There’s not much help here, but that ultimately makes it more satisfying once you finally solve the puzzles.
Legendary developer Retro Studios, who created theMetroid Prime Trilogy, revitalized theDonkey Kong Countryseries with Returns back on the Wii. That game was already incredible, but the dial was turned even further with its sequel, Tropical Freeze. This time, you get two other characters to use in place of Diddy Kong: Dixie and Cranky.
All three have their own unique abilities and are better suited for certain levels than others. This creates quite a lot of depth, and you should think about it because Tropical Freeze is just as hard as its predecessor. Complete with an amazing roster of levels, Tropical Freeze is one of the greatest 2D platformers of the generation.
One title you may have forgotten that came out in 2014 isShovel Knight. Originally a Kickstarter game that grossed $311,502, Yacht Club Games put that money to good use to create an unforgettable indie classic. On the surface, Shovel Knight is an evolvedDuckTales, but it does a lot to enhance both the treasure aspect and action game elements.
Treasure hunting in DuckTales was more about discovery, while in Shovel Knight, much of the hard coin comes from skilled play. A good example is the destructible checkpoints, a baller money-making move for the experts. The action’s also far more intense than anything you’d see in DuckTales. Shovel Knight remains a defining indie game from this time period and the best one all year.
It’s hard to express just how importantFive Nights at Freddy’sis to thehorror genre, indie games, and gaming as a whole. With the use of video content such as Let’s Plays, indie games can have much more exposure than some triple-A titles. Yes, Slender was the first to take advantage of this, but FNAF used it to its fullest extent.
The game itself was a short but terrifying experience, originally priced at only $5. Despite its small nature, FNAF was the biggest horror game of the year, showing that you can do so much with so little. Inspiring to many, FNAF is the only 2014 title worthy of being inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
2P.T.
The Corridor Of Doom
While not as influential as FNAF,P.T.changed the horror zeitgeist. Many horror games afterward were suspenseful walking simulators, and judging by P.T.’s quality, it’s not hard to see why. The game map’s so small, but that’s what makes it great.
Every loop, you’re terrified when turning that corner. The graphics are gorgeous, like most Kojima games, and Lisa remains one of themost terrifying enemies in gaming. Like FNAF, sometimes, less is more. Unfortunately, P.T. was pulled from the PlayStation store about a year after launch, so you’ll most likely have to go the modding route if you want to play it.
Nowadays, many will argue thatMario Kart 8is the greatest racing game of all time. It’s the entry that went full force into the competitive aspect, and while a risky choice, the game’s all the better for it. All the luck nonsense of previous titles was diluted to the point where elite-level players would win virtually 100 percent of the time.
While it seems that casuals will be pushed away from this, it actually had the opposite effect. The playerbase of Mario Kart 8 ballooned to levels never before seen in the series, and the game’s still getting new support to this day. The title saw a few Game of the Year awards, but not as many accolades as you’d expect now.
