A look back at the past twelve months and my personal game of the year.

2014 has been a year of ups and downs for me, and as a result I have not done as much gaming as I would have liked. Nevertheless, lots of great games came out this year, and it is time for my annual end-of-year recap, including my personal game of the year! So let us get started, shall we?

Previous years: 2012, 2013

Going Independent

Last year, I named independent developers, as a group, as my developer(s) of the generation. This year, fifty percent of all the games I played and rated were developed by independent developers. Indies, I feel, offer a lot of the experiences that I love in video games. They are not afraid to experiment with new ideas and are usually short enough for me to complete in a few sittings – perfect for my busy collegiate schedule. In fact, I love them so much, I even wrote a weeklong feature about them, which you can check out here.

Here are just a few of the indie games I played this year, alongside a short blurb taken from my Steam reviews:

• VVVVVV – At first glance, VVVVVV may seem difficult, frustrating, and unfair. But as you begin to understand the game's mechanics, you will find yourself readily accepting the challenges in front of you, even ones that seem obviously unreasonable. Because you believe you can do it. And because it is fun.
• Dust: An Elysian Tail – The game shows obvious signs that it was created by amateurs, but at the same time, that is what makes Dust: An Elysian Tail so special. Beautiful environments, a satisfying combat system, and excellent pacing make this one of the best 2D action games around - even if they should have hired a better character artist.
• Knytt Underground – Knytt Underground is a massive game. Prepare to spend over a dozen hours exploring every nook and cranny, collecting every collectable, and completing every side quest. Its puzzles are challenging, and at times infuriating, but trekking through its fascinating world is rewarding enough in and of itself.

A full list of the games I played this year can be found at the bottom of this post.

The Gift of Giving

I love video games. I love helping others. Thus, it was only a matter of time before I ran my very own charity stream. Through the help of UCI Circle K, me and several other members planned a 24-hour video game marathon supporting The Eliminate Project, a service initiative that helps fund vaccinations that remove maternal and prenatal tetanus from the patient. This was especially exciting for me simply because I have always wanted to do something like this, and this was the first year in which I was given the opportunity to do so.

Over the course of 24 hours, we played an assortment of different games and performed some really questionable dares. At the end of the day, we raised over $525 towards eliminating tetanus, which is enough to cure over 291 families. To say it was a success is a massive understatement; we managed to more than double my personal goal of $240 (I figured $10 an hour would be pretty good)! Of course, I have you guys to thank for this; without your support, I probably would not have had the drive and courage to do so. A special shout out to the MyIGN Extra Life team for being the ones to inspire me to do this!

A Year of Nintendo

Ask anyone how Nintendo did this year, and mostly everyone will tell you that they absolutely killed it. Although the company is not doing as well as they have been in the recent past, some of my favorite games I have played this year were on Nintendo platforms, not to mention the many more that I currently have in my backlog. (Apparently, my father purchased The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D from Best Buy because “it was cheap.” Hey, I’m not complaining!).

Speaking of Zelda, this year was also the year I finally beat another Zelda game. Having purchased Mario Kart 8 during Club Nintendo’s free game promotion period, I got the opportunity to play The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. For those who have not been following my saga with the Zelda franchise, I rarely ever finish Zelda games, simply because I do not enjoy them as much as most others do. However, every once in a while, I find a game that rekindles my love for the franchise, even if that means purchasing two more that I may never complete. (I still need to beat A Link Between Worlds.)

My Game of the Year

And so the time has come to announce my personal game of the year. Interestingly, there were not very many games that, in my mind, crossed the line from “great” to “amazing” this year as have been in the past. That being said, my game of the year encapsulates everything I would have ever wanted from a game in that franchise – well, almost everything. It may not be in contention in most game of the year discussions, but it most certainly is deserving of some recognition.

My personal game of the year for this year is Mario Kart 8.

I cannot say enough good things about this game. Technically, it is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. The attention to detail is astounding, from the characters’ facial animations to the beautiful racing locales. The course selection is particularly impressive, as I have yet to find a track that I vehemently dislike (and trust me, that is not usually the case with this franchise). The DLC is great, but the game would still have been amazing without it. The only disappointment is, of course, battle mode, which is why I still think Mario Kart DS is the better game, but that is only a small part of an overall impressive package.

My Other Game of the Year

That said, I felt the need to pick a second game for my game of the year. Yes, I am doing two games of the year this year, simply because I feel both certainly deserve that title. The second game I would like to recognize today is Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

First, why not the Wii U version? One reason is because I just have not had the time to play that version as much. The second reason is that, well, I think I actually prefer the 3DS version over the Wii U one. I feel like Smash found an unexpected home on a portable console, and its pick-up-and-play nature fits into my lifestyle perfectly. It managed to shove everything I love about Smash into one tiny cartridge, and it plays and feels great. Some of my favorite experiences this year involved Smash for 3DS (including going to my first midnight launch), and Nintendo certainly surprised me with how much that game had to offer. Smash is one of the best games available on 3DS, and for those reasons and more it is also, alongside Mario Kart 8, my favorite game of 2014.

Every Game I Played in 2014

That was not all I played this year. Here is a list of games that I rated this year. If you have any questions about any of these, feel free to ask me in the comments below!

That is all for today. I am going to take a short break from blogging until New Year’s and spend the rest of my month with family, but here is to another year of blogging and great games. Cheers! *clink*