TOKYO: Best video games of 2014: From Mario to Master Chief and beyond was PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and more.
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 may have struggled for truly great exclusives this term, save for PlayStation 3 upgrade The Last of Us Remastered, baseball sim MLB 14: The Show, the generally well-received Infamous: Second Son and PS3/PS4 crossover Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign-, but it does offer access to a good number of top titles available across PS4, Xbox One, PC and beyond.
Multiplatform
Among them stand Grand Theft Auto V, which was overhauled and re released this year for PS4 and XBO, fairy tale adventure Child of Light, mining mission SteamWorld Dig, the simultaneously brutal and innovative Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Wolfenstein: The New Order, tense survival quest Alien: Isolation, episodic graphic novel adaptation The Wolf Among Us, Himalayan action-adventure Far Cry 4, fantasy epic Dragon Age: Inquisition and annual sports franchises NBA 2K15, FIFA 15, PES 2015 and Madden 15.
Similarly, Assassin’s Creed Rogue picked up better scores on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 than the bigger budget Assassin’s Creed Unity on the newer consoles and PC.
Console sci-fi shooter Destiny remains one of the biggest launches of the year, even if it didn’t receive the rapturous critical reception that many expected, while Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare improved upon its predecessors.
Xbox One
On Xbox One, acclaimed retrospective Halo: The Master Chief Collection, exuberant driving game Forza Horizon 2 and the nimble athletics of city-saving park our title Sunset Overdrive are particularly good choices, in addition to the multiplatform selection above — the Halo collection especially, as it grants exclusive access to an early round of Halo 5 testing starting in January.
Titanfall, too, was a significant coup for Microsoft’s platforms (Xbox One, 360, and Windows PC), attempting to remould the first person shooter genre once again.
Wii U
On Nintendo’s Wii U, arcade racer Mario Kart 8 and party pummeler Super Smash Bros” became instant must-haves, Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker provided adorable 3D puzzle-solving, Bayonetta 2 remains one of the console’s best-rated exclusives and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze continued a tradition of exacting plat forming action, vibrant visuals and tremendous soundtracks.
Top tip for givers of Mario Kart 8: couple it with an eShop voucher so the recipient can purchase the game’s US$12 (RM42) bundle of extra tracks, characters and vehicles.
Windows PC
The PC was privy to many of the Xbox and PlayStation console hits, with a number of its own notable exclusives. Among them, Divinity: Original Sin provided a detailed and innovative twist on fantasy adventuring, the breathtaking Endless Legend came astonishingly close to usurping empire-building franchise regent Civilization, both Legend of Grimrock II and The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth proved immensely satisfying, brain-teasing puzzler The Talos Principle was an acclaimed volte-face from the team behind satirical shooter franchise Serious Sam, and the Visual Novel style of Steins;Gate championed the power of a story well-told.
Nintendo 3DS
This year’s two Pokémon games, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, rejig their ten-year-old ancestors and are in serious demand, adding elements and making online play a cinch.
On the role-playing front, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labrynth marked a rare and warmly received excursion on Nintendo for the long-running series, with two main characters (and their differing viewpoints) to experience, while Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call again leveraged the beloved soundtracks of its parent franchise, but as a music game rather than a fantasy adventure.
Talking of the fanciful, Fantasy Life was released internationally after becoming a cult sensation thanks to positive reviews following its 2012 Japanese release; meanwhile, coveted eShop download Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse awaits release outside North America but is already one of the best jump’n’run platform games on 3DS and Wii U.
