EWB Game of the Year 2014

[TKz]

I take it expansion packs don't count, either? Otherwise I need to bump everything down for Hearthstone. >_>

[Plubby]

Only if they change the core game. (See Civ V: Brave New World and XCOM: Enemy Within last year)

[Ruki]

1. League of Legends (Season 4!)

Sorry Ruki, I can't in good conscience allow that. It's not a new release, nor a re-release with new content. Any new content has been via patches.

I would say that the different between Season 3 and Season 4 are big enough to warrant a space. Just like the difference between Season 4 and 5! Similar game, but new!

[Plubby]

It's the same game. The changes mean that different things were emphasised and the therefore the intricacies are different for hardcore players like yourself (and bad ones like me) - indeed markedly different in some cases, but this is the same game. I knew that you meant the differences from S3 to S4 when you specified Season 4, and I did consider it on its own merits, but I've decided that the core gameplay was not altered sufficiently to be considered a different game. Again, consider BNW - you literally cannot do the same thing and win if you pursue cultural victory, and the introduction of Meld to XCOM fundamentally changed that game as well.

[Dan]

Not the best year for gaming personally. I've spent more time playing older multiplayer titles like LoL and Terraria on the Vita than I have playing new games, a lot of disappointments really, so a lot of this stuff wouldn't get near a top 10 usually. Most of it I haven't even finished the games yet but this is based on what I've played.

1. Banished

2. The Last of Us: Remastered

3. Sunset Overdrive

4. Pokemon ORAS

5. Titanfall

6. Shadow of Mordor

7. Mario Kart 8

8. EA Sports UFC

9. Football Manager 15

10. Madden NFL 15

Totally forgot Banished came out this year, such a great game considering it's built by one guy!

Edited December 21, 2014 by Dan

[Ruki]

It's the same game. The changes mean that different things were emphasised and the therefore the intricacies are different for hardcore players like yourself (and bad ones like me) - indeed markedly different in some cases, but this is the same game. I knew that you meant the differences from S3 to S4 when you specified Season 4, and I did consider it on its own merits, but I've decided that the core gameplay was not altered sufficiently to be considered a different game. Again, consider BNW - you literally cannot do the same thing and win if you pursue cultural victory, and the introduction of Meld to XCOM fundamentally changed that game as well.

Fine, I will edit

[Plubby]

I'd love nothing more than to vote for it myself, but to allow it because I wanna vote for it is just a bit self-indulgent

[Ruki]

I still think it should count, dammit.

[RoyWill Rumble]

1. Bayonetta 2 (10 Pts): Best playing game of the bunch. It's fucking bonkers, awesome to look at, has incredible enemy design, and is easily the best game of the year, bar fucking none.
2. Jazzpunk (9 Pts): This game is absurd and wonderful.

3. Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (8 Pts): Take the Captain Toad levels from Mario 3D World, make a game out of it, charge $40, and have some amazing bonus content and charm the pants offa people. SO GOOD.

4. Mario Kart 8 (7 Pts): This game is hella fun, and it was probably the most fun I've had all year. My ladyfriend and I loved it to bits. And the DLC was pretty rad.

5. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (6 Pts): I fucking hate LOTR, so this was a hard sell for me, but the Nemesis system was fucking incredible. This game also took the best bits of the Arkham and AC games and made them better. It was just kinda shitty that the story was completely forgettable, the final boss battle was horrid, the setting kind of drab, annnddd you didn't open up enough of the cooler abilities until much too late in the game's story. This could have been number one or two just from the way it played and its incredible Nemesis system, and I wanted to put it up there, but I just can't in good faith, despite it being almost neck and neck with Bayonetta 2 for games I enjoyed the most this year. I have a lot to say about this game.

6. Three Fourths Home(5 Pts): Basically, I'm a shitty kid and this game (read: interactive story, really) reminded me of that fact and it was wonderful and I don't wanna spoil much. It was wonderful.

7. Valiant Hearts (4 Pts): Wanted to put this higher, but the gameplay wasn't too amazing. Dat art style, story, and atmosphere doe.
8. Octodad: Dadliest Catch (3 Pts): OCTOOOOOOOO-DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD NO ONE SUSPECTS A THING..
9. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (2 Pts): Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh boy. Love it. Love it. Love it. The story that you can completely miss. The conspiracy theories. Fucking love it.

10. Fibbage/Jackbox Party Pack (yeah I fucking went there) (1 Pt): Most fun I had with a game all-year, no doubt about it

Honourable mention to The Banner Saga and This War of Mine. I really liked it, but haven't played enough to include it in this list. Same with Shovel Knight. And GTA V would have been on there if we were doing re-makes, 'cause it is fucking fantastic on the PS4.

Also, Depression Quest is awesome, but it came out last year.

[RPS]

1. Super Smash Bros

2. Mario Kart 8

3. The Walking Dead - Season 2

4. Civilization: Beyond Earth

5. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze

6. Monument Valley

7. Pushmo World

8. Hyrule Warriors

[Sousa]

This is a bullshit list but I don't even care.

1. Super Smash Bros.

2. Shovel Knight

3. Mario Kart 8

4. Fantasy Life

5. Banished

6. Octodad: Dadliest Catch (nobody suspects a thiiiiing)

7. Bravely Default

8. Child of Light

9. Tomodachi Life because why not

[Plubby]

3 days and 7 hours from timestamp to vote!

[Brody]

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition (10 Pts)
2. Shadow of Mordor(9 Pts)
3. Alien: Isolation (8 Pts)
4. The Wolf Among Us (7 Pts)
5. Titanfall(6 Pts)
6. Assassins Creed : Unity (5 Pts)
7. Wolfenstein (4 Pts)
8. WWE 2K15 (3 Pts)
9. Sunset Overdrive (2 Pts)
10. Far Cry 4 (1 Pts)

Shadow of Mordor and Dragon Age were very close to me but the sheer amount of content in Dragon Age pushes it over the edge for me. Great games this year. Seriously, November was horrible to my wallet.

[Skummy]

1. Mario Kart 8

2. Octodad: Dadliest Catch

3. Bravely Default

4. Super Smash Bros

5. Shovel Knight

6. Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition

7. Bayonetta 2

8. Game & Wario

9. Scribblenauts Unmasked

10. Max Gentlemen

[apsham]

1. Dragon Age Inquisition

2. Pokemon ORAS

3. Persona Q

4. Fibbage/Jack Box Party Pack

5. Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley

6. Pokemon Art Acamedy

7. Far Cry 4

8. Fantasy Life

That's about all that I can say at this point. I played a lot and I enjoyed a lot more, but few games made an impact on me this year and these are the ones that I really got into and have been playing for quite a while.

Only two games, and they're pretty recent, for my One which is a shame. There are a ton of games that I really enjoyed but when I think about going back to play them I just kind of shrug. If possible I would've put GTA V for the One on there because I've dumped a load of time into that since it came out. Far Cry 4 is a great brain dead time waster as well, I can just fly around and do a bunch of crazy shit and it all works well.

Most of my favorite titles are handhelds.. and that's odd because looking back I can't believe the amount of time that I've put into my 3DS. It comes in spurts, addictive little spurts.

And Fibbage itself or the larger Jack Box Party Pack is fucking perfect. I've used it three times since buying it a couple of weeks ago and everyone had fun with it. GET IT.

[Avenged Probably]

1. Wolf Among Us (10 points)

2. Outlast (9 points)

3. Final Fantasy IV (Steam release) (8 points)

4. Watch_dogs (7 points)

5. Pokemon Alpha Sapphire (6 points)

6. Octodad: Dadliest Catch (5 points)

7. South Park: Stick of Truth (4 points)

8. Assassin's Creed Rogue (3 points)

9. Elder Scrolls Online (2 points)

10. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (1 point)

[Plubby]

Last 12 hours!

[RoyWill Rumble]

HOLY FUCK I JUST PLAYED CAPTAIN TOAD AND IT'S LIKE NUMBER 3 NOW GOTTA CHANGE MY ORDER

[Plubby]

I've had a busy weekend so won't be totalling votes until this evening. Feel free to change! Or vote if you haven't. Up until when I post in ~12 hours that voting is closed.

[RoyWill Rumble]

CAPTAIN TOAD SAVED BY PLUBBY'S SOCIAL LIFE YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY