Below is the remaster of "Games of 2014," which was originally published on January 11, 2015. This remaster has the least amount of changes to it. Screenshots and captions are the same. Most of the text is the same. I added as many stats as I could. I, also, had to re-order the games to match the sorting of the "Last Played" date. I removed most of the final paragraph and replaced it with a blurb about games that came out in 2014 that I did not have a chance to play.
As with the last year, this is a list of games I did play during 2014. This includes games released before 2014; I just got around to playing them in 2014. Again, I have separated the games into interesting categories.
Not Enough Time to Keep Playing
Titanfall (PC)
Release date: 03/11/2014
Date played: 04/06/2014
Hours played: 2.00
Completion status: Early
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 03/13/2014
Acquired from: Origin
Price: $79.99 (List $79.99 for Deluxe Edition)
Sic 'im, boy!
I do not play a lot of multiplayer games. I suck at them, and I do not have time to get good at them. I love playing Titanfall and I wish I could devote more time to it. The shooting is solid, but the movement is what makes it stand out from the crowd. You can wall run, you have a jet pack to get you higher, and you can hop into a mech, and move in a similar fashion. The addition of AI enemies mixed with player enemies helps people like me who are wet around the ears have fun and contribute to the team score. I never got a chance to finish up the "story" mode to unlock a mech; the servers are fairly empty on PC, especially for story mode. Everyone moved onto the regular multiplayer after the first week. The developers, Respawn Entertainment, are done with paid DLCs, and they have put out a few free DLCs, which is nice of them. The game is really fun, and I am hoping to revisit it one of these days.
Made the End Game the Best
Diablo III (PC)
Release date: 05/15/2012
Date played: 04/07/2014
Hours played: 249.00
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: 307/578 (53%)
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 05/14/2012
Acquired from: Battle.net
Price: $99.98 (List $99.98 for base game and Reaper of Souls)
I found this dude within one minute of entering the area; this is why I love this game now.
When Diablo III was first released, I had a lot of fun. Then I hit about 100 hours (I think), and I realized the game was a steaming pile of shit. End game was grindy, and was focused around the auction house. The auction house also ruined drop rates, because Blizzard had to balance the items since real money was involved. If you started a new character, you had to grind through the lower difficulties over and over. I could go on, but the moral of the story is Diablo 3 sucked ass when it was first released, and it took a long time to come to this conclusion. I retired Diablo 3 within a month or two from release. Fast forward to the release of its expansion, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. Blizzard shut down the auction house and fixed loot drop rates so you can find good items. They, also, redid the difficulties and made it so you can choose your difficulty, added a new act and a bunch of other neat things. Blizzard fixed every single one of my gripes about Diablo 3, except the story; however, they made it so you can basically go wherever you want with Adventure Mode. If you have not checked out Diablo 3 since release, I suggest you take another look. It is a great game, and I will end up going back to it from time to time.
The System Seller
Infamous Second Son (PS4)
Release date: 03/21/2014
Date played: 06/08/2014
Hours played: 18.25
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: 28/48(58%)
Screenshots taken: 37
Acquisition date: 03/23/2014
Acquired from: NA
Price: $59.99 (List $59.99)
So pretty...
I liked the first inFamous. I played a little bit of the second, but I got side tracked. It was fun, but more important things stole my attention. When I saw previews for inFamous: Second Son, I noticed how beautiful the game looked. It also looked fun, but the graphics is what sold me on it. So I bought a Playstation 4 after Second Son came out. It was a good choice. It is easily one of the most beautiful games I have played, especially for an open world game. I had a lot of fun playing as Delsin in Sucker Punch's Seattle. Each power is has its advantages, and they are each fun to play with. I spent most of my time with neon because it is more of a precision power. Also, running up buildings is fun.
The Replay
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)
Release date: 11/05/2007
Date played: 09/03/2014
Hours played: 14.50
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: 5
Acquisition date: 06/07/2011
Acquired from: Steam
Price: $14.99 (List $29.99)
Damn. The feels.
I know Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came out a long time ago, but I replayed the story this year. It was a good choice. When people discuss Call of Duty 4, they often forget the story. While replaying it, I felt a lump swell in my throat a few times; there are some very emotional moments. It is very good at set pieces, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Best Summer Game
Mass Effect 3 (PC)
Release date: 03/06/2012
Date played: 09/28/2014
Hours played: 48.00
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 05/17/2013
Acquired from: Amazon
Price: $20.99 (List $34.99 for base game and Citadel)
I'm sure all I'll need is that pistol...
I finally got around to playing Mass Effect 3 in 2014. I really enjoyed the first two, so I knew I would enjoy this one. I enjoy the characters in this series, and I wanted to experience as much as I could of them. I put in almost 50 hours into the third installment. I do not have any gripes with the ending. I have the free DLC ending, and I also have the Citadel DLC. The Citadel DLC brought a satisfying closure to a lot of characters, including older ones. I am not exactly sure what the ending DLC added, but I felt pretty satisfied. I am thinking that is mostly because of the Citadel DLC. Overall, it is a good ending to a series I spent a lot of time with.
Swearing at Your Friends Has Never Been So Fun and Best Value DLC
Mario Kart 8 (WiiU)
Release date: 05/30/2014
Date played: 11/15/2014
Hours played: 39.50
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: 169
Acquisition date: 07/21/2014
Acquired from: Amazon
Price: $60.60 (List $71.98 for base game and DLCs)
You know, since Roy is one of Bowser's minions, you'd think Bowser would cut him some slack during Mario Kart.
Mario Kart games are always gems. A new game comes out, I play it, and I have fun. It is a great equation. Mario Kart 8 is the shiniest of these gems. The graphics are stunning in HD. The gameplay is pretty much unchanged from the Wii version, but the track design creates a new spin in the old formula. You race on wacky courses that turn upside down and sideways, which might not sound interesting, but it really does create a neat effect while playing. Playing multilayer on the couch with friends will create rivalries, but you will have a smile on your face as you curse at your friend/nemesis.
This is just a ploy so I can share two screenshots out of the 169 I took from Mario Kart, instead of one screenshot.
The DLC for Mario Kart 8 deserves a special mention. There will be two DLC packs, and one of them has been released. You can order both DLC packs for $11.99, which is cheap for what you get. I would have spent that on the first DLC pack alone. The first DLC pack included eight new tacks, which includes tracks such as Mute City from F-Zero, and a Hyrule themed map. These are really cool, especially Mute City, which translates really well to Mario Kart 8's physics. The DLC also includes new characters, like Link, and new cars. There's a lot of stuff, especially for what comes out to about $6.00. I'm looking forward to the second DLC which comes out in May. Nintendo might be new to DLC, but they are doing it right.
Good, but Flawed
Destiny (PS4)
Release date: 09/09/2014
Date played: 11/24/2014
Hours played: 36.75
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: 16/42 (38%)
Screenshots taken: 32
Acquisition date: 09/09/2014
Acquired from: Playstation Store
Price: $59.99 (List $59.99)
I could've shown you some combat, or an enemy being vaporized. Instead, I give you this pretty scene.
I was hyped for Destiny. How could the studio that created Halo mess up a first person shooter? Turns out they can't mess up the "first person shooter" part, but there's more to a game then just the genre. Destiny tries to a do a lot of things. It's a first person shooter, RPG, and, technically, an MMO. The combat is fun, and it is the closest thing to perfect, at least right now. Shooting aliens in the face has never felt so good. Melee is the best melee from any game, period. You would think if Bungie would stumble anywhere, it would be on the MMO part, but they actually did a solid job at that. I enjoyed wandering around the worlds and seeing other people. Once you enter a "dungeon," you don't see any other people (unless you are in a party), which is nice since I'm a single player type person. I do have a lot of fun participating in public events when they randomly appear. Bungie ended up implementing poor RPG elements. It is fun getting loot, but the problem is, once you hit level 20, the game becomes a grind-fest. If you want to level, you have to grind for better loot. This requires playing the same old boring missions over and over again (disguised as weekly and daily events). I don't care if the story was terrible; the end game grind is the worst sin they committed. I finished up the story, got to level 23, and quit the game. I played a little bit for screenshots, and I was reminded just how pretty the game could be. It does so much right, but fucking up the end game in an RPG is the worse sin of all.
I Should've Spent Money for It
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (PS4)
Release date: 11/04/2014
Date played: 12/09/2014
Hours played: NA
Completion status: Early
Achievements: 3/27 (11%)
Screenshots taken: 28
Acquisition date: 11/04/2014
Acquired from: Playstation Plus
Price: $0.00 (List $14.99)
This little bastard cries a lot... but I think it's because I suck.
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth was free for Playstation Plus members a few months ago. I remembered reading praises about it, but it just looked weird to me; it still does. Free is free, and I downloaded it. One day, I was downloading another game, and I decided to give it a whirl, just until my other game finished downloading; I didn't play the other game. At first, Binding of Isaac was frusterating, but after dying eight times, I got the hang of it; I also got a really good weapon right away, and I was basically overpowered throughout the playthrough. It is difficult for me to explain. It is randomly generated, the story is bizarre, everything is weird (poop everywhere, gross looking enemies, God, and the list goes on). It is a fun game to pick up and play. I was doing my screenshots, and I ended up playing the game for over an hour, even though I had found the perfect screenshot early on... yes, that basically means I died within five minutes of hunting for screenshots.
Smoothest Game/Game of the Year
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4)
Release date: 09/30/2014
Date played: 12/14/2014
Hours played: 48.75
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: 50/52 (96%)
Screenshots taken: 59
Acquisition date: 09/28/2014
Acquired from: Playstation Store
Price: $59.99 (List $59.99)
I was trying to recreate this screenshot, except with more pink and orange.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is my personal Game of the Year. It has all of the elements that I love: brutal stealth, smooth combat, and huge mounts. Everything is smooth about this game: traversing the world, combat, the animations. The best part about Shadow of Mordor is the nemesis system. I started the game, and the first map is completely open to me. I jump from my safe little tower and see an orc whipping some slaves. I cannot have any of that happening on my watch. I sneak up on him, and cut his throat, because that is the cool thing to do to slavers. I am pretty proud of myself, until the screen cuts to an orc yelling "Ranger!" and then he threatens me. His name does not deserve to be mentioned anymore. But at the time, he kicked my ass. I died. I did not have any special skills, and I had not mastered the combat system. I respawn, and encounter him again. I die. He keeps getting stronger. I avoid that part of the map on my next respawn. However, this fucker is persistent and finds me while I am in a middle of a mission. I die again; it is personal now. I browse my skills, and find the ones I need. I work towards getting those skills. I get them, and I hunt my nemesis down. I find him. I do not die right away. I put up a good fight. I'm low on health and my hands are sweaty. Finally, I am able to execute him. He dies. His rune becomes a trophy. All is right in the world. I have several stories like this one. That is the beauty of the nemesis system, and a huge reason why Shadow of Mordor is my favorite game from 2014. I am one trophy shy from earning the platinum trophy. I might get it one day.
Most Played Game
Minecraft: Java Edition (PC)
Release date: 11/18/2011
Date played: 12/31/2014
Hours played: 412.25
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: 94
Acquisition date: 12/26/2013
Acquired from: Minecraft Store
Price: $28.03 (List $28.03)
The amount of time it took me to build this has been blocked out from my memory, most likely for my own sanity.
I bought Minecraft at the very end of 2013. It did not make the cut for "Games of 2013," but here it is now. I started a server with a few friends, and I have poured over 200 hours into it... it's disgusting. I throw on something from Netflix on in the background, and I play Minecraft. I watched House of Card, Orange is the New Black, Parks and Recs (twice), Ghost Stories, Games of Thrones, a few other anime titles, a few movies, and a few other TV series. In Minecraft, I have built a big ass island, rail bridge system, skyhouse, and a weird winterland area. It does not sound like much, but I put a lot of detail in all of it. Minecraft scratches my creative and nitpicking side of me. It amazes me how much time I can spend in Minecraft, but I enjoy every second.
2014 Summary
Games played: 10
Total hours: 869.00*
Oldest game played: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC) - 11/05/2007
Newest game played: The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (PS4) - 11/04/2014
Most achievements earned: Diablo III (PC) - 307
Most hours played: Minecraft (PC) - 412.25
Total spent: $484.55
Game of the year: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4)
*The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (PS4) is not included in total hours.
The year 2013 was difficult to top when it came to video games. There were a ton of fun games released, and I had a lot of fun with them. There was a lot of hype going into 2014. I ended up purchasing both the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One. I, also, updated my PC to run the latest games. I was ready to play! However, 2014 saw a drop in the number of games I played. Turns out, I spent more time with the games I did get around to playing. There were a few releases I did not get around to playing in 2014.
Dragon Age: Inquisition. I am a big Mass Effect, but could not get into the first Dragon Age. Honestly, this one looks like something I would be interested in.
Alien: Isolation. I watched Marikiplier play this one. It is too scary for me, but the game was fun to watch.
The Evil Within. I, also, watched Marikiplier play this one. It, too, is too scary for me, but the game was fun to watch.
Watch Dogs. The infamous next-gen trailer game from E3 2013. Looks like a standard Ubisoft game, but the hacking element does sound right up my alley.
Sunset Overdrive. I am a big fan of Insomniac Games, and this is their debut on a Microsoft console. It is highly rated and looks like a lot of fun.
Thank you very much for reading. I hope your 2014 was filled with enjoyment, and I hope 2015 brings you more.
- Royfuss
