For 2014’s best games, SideQuesting is taking a different approach than in the past. We’re not hosting a definitive Game of the Year for the site, instead focusing on the individual writers and their favorites. Hopefully, you’ll be able to connect a little better with the writers that make up this little corner of the web, as many of us will be posting our Top 5 lists throughout the next week. Enjoy, and bring on 2015!
As far as video games were concerned, 2014 was a weird year for me. Being in that weird in-between stage where I’m no longer a student but have yet to find full-time employment in my field, I had way more time to play games than I had for the four years prior. As a result, I played a lot of games. Pair that with my joining up with SideQuesting and having a reason to play more and I tried to play almost anything I was able to get my hands on. Even though most of the weirder, more obscure stuff I got to play didn’t make it onto the list, I’m really glad I got to experience them, and I’m looking forward to what 2015 has to offer.
Mario Kart 8
I don’t like Mario Kart. I mean, don’t get me wrong, seven-year old me was all about Mario Kart 64 for years after receiving it for Christmas in 1996. Despite that, I’ve harbored an active dislike of every game to follow for nearly two decades, which is why my love of Mario Kart 8 is such a big deal.
The driving is way tighter than I remember it ever being, the tracks are fantastic across the board, and the DLC marks the first time I’ve ever paid Nintendo for DLC and not felt instantly violated. Granted, the battle mode is the hottest street trash, but I’ve had more fun with friends who don’t necessarily play video games with Mario Kart 8 than anything since Rock Band.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was my big surprise of 2014, mostly because it’s much, much better than a Call of Duty game has any right to be. If you had told me last year that I would sink an ungodly amount of time into a Call of Duty game and gone so far to prestige for the first time in my life by the year’s end, I’d have called you a liar, but here we are.
Advanced Warfare has become my go-to game when I have 10-20 minutes to kill, which has never been the case for me. The changes they made to the player mobility managed to get me deep into it. My only concern is I’m not quite sure where they go from here. The change in mobility fundamentally changes the way competitive multiplayer works, so I was really concerned when recent rumors suggested a trip back to World War II for the next installment. Previous entries in the series just feel like they move at a snail’s pace in comparison.
Shovel Knight
The inclusion of Shovel Knight on this list should come as no surprise to anyone who read my review earlier this year, wherein I more or less gushed on about the game for 900+ words. It comes off as nothing less than a genuine and heartfelt tribute to everything I loved about playing games of that era on my cousin’s NES. Everything just feels right, even if not everything is technically up to that ancient spec. There were definitely prettier and more expansive games this year that I played for much, much longer, but Shovel Knight had the most heart of anything I played, hands down.
Jazzpunk
My only complaint about Jazzpunk is that I can only have one first encounter with it. Comedy is so incredibly hard to do in games, but Jazzpunk somehow manages to pull it off the majority of the time, and be genuinely funny to boot. I’ve gone so far as to watch my significant other play through it so I can live vicariously through her as she goes through the experience with fresh eyes. It’s a damn delight, and if you have yet to experience it, make a point to sit back and let the magic that is Jazzpunk wash over you. You won’t regret it, I promise.
Far Cry 4
When I was hacking away at my list to get it down to these five, I felt a little weird about putting Far Cry 4 on my list of the five best games of the year. After all, it is pretty similar to Far Cry 3. But I figured to hell with it, I really, really liked Far Cry 3, to the point that it was my personal Game of the Year in 2012. Everything I loved about the previous game is still there and greatly improved upon, and there’s more than enough variety to keep me interested. I can honestly say I never found myself bored in my 50+ hours with the game, which is saying a lot.
I’m currently on my second playthrough, dipping in when I grow tired of Dragon Age and Sunset Overdrive as I make my way toward 100% completion, something I haven’t done in a game in the better part of a decade. Ubisoft is really going to need to change things up for a Far Cry 5, though, as I feel this type of incremental sequel is something that they can only get away with once.
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