By the IWG Games Team
There's no denying that 2014 was a fantastic year for gaming. Many things were brought to our attention, such as Ubisoft's apparent inability to hire competent beta testers and the fact that Sonic the Hedgehog turned 23 (and got another makeover), but overall it's been a fun ride. Here are some of our personal favourites.
There's no denying that 2014 was a fantastic year for gaming. Many things were brought to our attention, such as Ubisoft's apparent inability to hire competent beta testers and the fact that Sonic the Hedgehog turned 23 (and got another makeover), but overall it's been a fun ride. Here are some of our personal favourites.
Assassin's Creed: Rogue
Ubisoft
'It's no secret that Ubisoft have had a bad year. Both Watch_Dogs and Assassin's Creed: Unity turned out to be critical flops which totally overshadowed at least one major success in Far Cry 4, but in the shadow of their failure hides the Assassin's Creed sequel nobody asked for. Rogue, unlike the aforementioned, was designed exclusively for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and works as a direct sequel to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Carrying over the core gameplay elements of all those which preceded it, Rogue succeeds where Unity fails for bringing the best of the series to the table. It also features a wider range of environments and gameplay mechanics, as well as a far more interesting story much more relevant to the ongoing Assassin/Templar feud, making it one of the finest achievements of the entire Assassin's Creed saga by a surprising stretch.' - Ben Mapp
You can read our full review for Assassin's Creed: Rogue here!
You can read our full review for Assassin's Creed: Rogue here!
Dragon Age: Inquisition
BioWare
'I’m very biased, like so biased that there really is no argument on the game of the year to really be had. I spent 3 years watching, waiting, fangirl-ing. Dragon Age: Inquisition was my dream, and it's been a dream come true let me tell you. Dashing hero goes about saving the world from a genuine baddy along with a very tense political environment. Toss in amazing graphics, loveable companions and a super expansion on the lore of Thedas and you have a winner. Also stick through the credits for a Marvel-esque end scene. Seriously…. Things just got real.' - Anne Marie Beach
'My favourite game of 2014 would have to be Dragon Age Inquisition. Whilst I enjoyed other titles (and haven't yet fully played others), besides being a huge BioWare fan in general, Inquisition was the title that really felt worth it for me this year. With brilliant characters and voice acting, good LGBTQ representation, a strong story and a return to its RPG roots; Inquisition for me went above and beyond anything else this year.' - Vanessa Hague
You can check out our full review for Dragon Age: Inquisition right here!
'My favourite game of 2014 would have to be Dragon Age Inquisition. Whilst I enjoyed other titles (and haven't yet fully played others), besides being a huge BioWare fan in general, Inquisition was the title that really felt worth it for me this year. With brilliant characters and voice acting, good LGBTQ representation, a strong story and a return to its RPG roots; Inquisition for me went above and beyond anything else this year.' - Vanessa Hague
You can check out our full review for Dragon Age: Inquisition right here!
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Monolith Productions
'Entering 2014 I was hearing a good bit about Shadow of Mordor. It interested me, yet I couldn't help but think it would just be an Assassin's Creed clone. And to quote The Hobbit here, I have never been so wrong. I mean sure, the climbing and stealth mechanics are similar but Shadow of Mordor has brought the Nemesis System, a revolutionary system of combating enemies throughout a game. The Nemesis System allows for an ordinary Uruk to move among the ranks to become the most dangerous and most feared Orc in all of Mordor. This, combined with the truly gripping storyline of Sauron and Ceribrimbor. But truly, in my opinion, Shadow of Mordor is the game of the year.' - Stephen Hyland
Vanessa gets more in-depth with Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor here!
Vanessa gets more in-depth with Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor here!
Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Nintendo
'In the short amount of time that it has been released, the re-imagined games of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire have managed to make me swoon. These games took me back to a corner from my childhood filled to the brim with adventure, as I explored one of my favourite regions in the series, Hoenn. Whilst the game allowed me to imagine the evolution of locations I once visited way back in the Gameboy Advance era, it also allowed me to reconnect to my old team I used in those games. It is a beautifully nostalgic trip and fully justifies its transformation onto the newer technology of today.' - John Jennings
Super Smash Bros. 3DS
Nintendo
'Not only is it a solid, unique fighting game, but it expands on the recipe that has been refined since the Nintendo 64. With new game modes, more balanced fighters, and some new fighters that really add more unique play-styles to the game. Having a Smash Bros. game for a handheld system also makes it more of a pick-up-and-play type game, and the multiplayer is much more open. Overall, this is the best Smash bros. game yet, and easily favourite game released for the 3DS.' - Jamie Lambert
The Wolf Among Us
Telltale Games
Though it came out in 2013 (but shut up because it was the first episode and every other came out in 2014) The Wolf Among Us has been a highlight of my gaming experience. Developed by Telltale games, and based on Bill Willingham’s Fables comic book series, The Wolf Among Us has an interesting narrative, great character design and well thought out dialogue making the 2-3 hour episodes enjoyable all the way through. Also the fact that it’s episodic had me yearning for each new release just to see how the story progressed and what else I could learn about the myriad of characters starring in this fantastic game.' - Luke Kirby
Mahesh discussed his thoughts on one of the episodic installments of The Wolf Among Us in this article from June!
Mahesh discussed his thoughts on one of the episodic installments of The Wolf Among Us in this article from June!
Happy 2015!
With the upcoming releases of Batman: Arkham Knight, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, Evolve, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, The Order 1886, and countless more, 2015 certainly has a standard set for its gaming experiences. Only time will tell whether or not it lives up to the consistent quality of its predecessor.
From all of us here on the IWG Games Team, have a very happy new year!
From all of us here on the IWG Games Team, have a very happy new year!
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