Game of the Year Awards 2014

“The backbone of the story is a murder mystery with you needing to interrogate suspects and make snap decisions about what line of questioning to take, or at several points, decide which suspect to chase. Making the wrong choice or heading to one area first can have direct effects on the story and change who lives and dies. It’s impossible to go into much detail without ruining even the first episode. The fresh -and very dark- take on many familiar characters is a revelation though, and I imagine many gamers will be keen to check out Willingham’s comics after playing this.” – Brendan Griffiths

Honorable Mentions: The Walking Dead: Season 2, The Banner Saga, Dragon Age: Inquisition

“The art of game is absolutely gorgeous, capturing epic landscapes and intricate character details with equal precision and skill. Each location and person you talk to is completely unique, helping add to the epic scope of The Banner Saga’s vision. Seeing the dredge slowly crowd in around your resting screen as you prepare for large scale battles adds tension to each passing moment, demonstrating the desperateness of your situation.” – Josh Hinke

Honorable Mentions:The Wolf Among Us, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Transistor

“The stylized comic book-like cutscenes have been reduced to a minimum for this entry, instead replaced by the usual modern exposition scenes. These are expertly acted out however, and help immerse players in the world. It helps that this is the best PS4 looking title to date. It features the same great high resolution textures and effects like those in Killzone: Shadow Fall, but what helps the game stand out is the attention to detail. Water reflections while it rains look incredibly accurate, the particle effects are the best you’ve ever seen, and power abilities all look fantastic.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions:

Ryse: Son of Rome, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

“Martin O’Donnell’s Destiny score threatens to surpass his own classic work on Halo. The soundtrack shows off the composer’s range, effortlessly switching between subtle undertones for exploration and epic themes for climatic battles. If there is any fault in O’Donnell’s magnificent score, it might be that the work is so good you’ll find yourself swept up in it’s grandiose and lose track of the dozens of enemies your trying to blast away.” – Josh Hinke

Honorable Mentions:Transistor, The Wolf Among Us, The Banner Saga

“The crippled station will lurch and rumble, suffering through collisions and system malfunctions. You may walk down a corridor, enveloped by flashing lights and klaxon alarms, only to react at the faintest sound or shadow. Or you may admire the reflections on the floor before receiving a telltale blip from your motion tracker.” – Ben Thomas

Honorable Mentions:Titanfall, Far Cry 4, Transistor

“The Sevastopol Station is rich with atmosphere and based heavily on the design of the first Alien movie. Aesthetics from the movie are preserved with a retro sci-fi design and padded walls. The atmosphere is perfect for the Alien threat and the retro design is a refreshing change from the sterile modern approach to sci-fi.” – Ben Thomas

Honorable Mentions:

Far Cry 4, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, The Banner Saga

“When compared to the developer’s previous games, there seems to be a better distribution of dialogue. Nine companions and three advisors each have important story arcs that culminate into specific missions. Companion variety is excellent, from the driven warrior Cassandra to the comedic mage Dorian. You are rewarded with BioWare’s silky dialogue in the personal cut scenes.” – Ben Thomas

Honorable Mentions:South Park: The Stick of Truth, The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead: Season 2

“Set in 1980’s New York, you play as Bigby Wolf, the Sherriff of a district of the city known as Fable Town. Cast your minds back top all those childhood stories of fables like Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella and now imagine all those characters were real. All of these characters, some of whom are centuries old, had to leave their homelands and are trying to make a new life in New York. Those that don’t have a human appearance (think Toad and the Three Little Pigs) must pay for a Glamour, an expensive spell that provides a temporary human appearance. It’s the only way they can leave the house without facing the wrath of the original Big Bad Wolf, you. There are a few light-hearted moments, such as Colin the pig crashing on Bigby’s sofa, using the fact the wolf blew his house down as guilt-tripping leverage. The voice acting is also suitably impressive, with a collection of New York and further afield accents proving to be a great match for many of the characters.” – Brendan Griffiths

Honorable Mentions:Iron Bull (Dragon Age: Inquisition), Jane (The Walking Dead: Season 2), Blazkowicz (Wolfenstein: The New Order)

“Everything in Chicago is connected to the Central Operating System (ctOS), and it controls almost every piece of the city’s technology. This plays into the central hacking gameplay of Watch Dog; by simply pulling out the smartphone, Aiden gets a glimpse into the life of every NPC citizen that is near him by instantly offering a profile with bits of info like their name, photo, occupation, or a secret of their life. When you see an interactive item either within range of your phone or through a camera, you can hack it. This ability to jump between cameras and different points of view not only allows for better exploration of the environment, but also acts as a puzzle of sorts in some missions where Aiden performs everything remotely. Hacking adds an unprecedented amount of choice to the players.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions:Titanfall, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Crypt of the NecroDancer

“Dragon Age: Inquisition has massive scope, both in world design and narrative. The comprehensive story is packed with astounding characters and riveting decisions. Old characters return, depending on the world state imported from Dragon Age Keep, and key decisions will shape the story. These difficult choices may kill characters or change the allies that join the inquisition. This framework plays to the strengths of BioWare, and gives the player control over an open adventure that is thick with narrative.” – Ben Thomas

Honorable Mentions:The Wolf Among Us, Transistor, The Banner Saga

“Modern Warfare changed the way multiplayer shooters worked when it released back in 2007. Titanfall is merely a progression of the foundations that were laid down by that game, but even so, you’ll have a great deal of fun while playing it. Titans are the obvious talking point, but there is a lot more besides. It features an intuitive parkour system, cool futuristic technology and the game is rife with small touches that add to the overall experience. As unique as the game is, it still sticks to the basic leveling up formula that FPS games have been using for years. However, it’s still remarkably engaging.” – Matt Porter

Honorable Mentions:Super Smash Bros, Assassin’s Creed: Unity, The Elder Scrolls Online

“I hopped between walls to reach the roof of a building, took out an enemy and then jumped from the roof onto the back of an opposing giant mech. I ripped open a panel and started shooting away at the electronics inside. The pilot, having been warned of my presence, hopped out and attempted to get me off. I called down my own titan from orbit, turned on my cloaking device, jumped off and clung to a nearby wall. I waited a couple of seconds. My titan dropped from out of the sky and crushed both the titan, and the player in front of me. Welcome to Titanfall.” – Matt Porter

Honorable Mentions:Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Far Cry 4, Bayonetta 2

“You can nitpick The Banner Saga to death, but despite its flaws the game is a joy to play. People who are looking for a fantasy world with weight and depth will fall in love with Stoic’s tale of man and varl pushed to the brink. This first attempt at a full single player campaign has demonstrated the studio’s skill, leaving me hoping there is more in store.” – Josh Hinke

Honorable Mentions:The Talos Principle, Wasteland 2, The Sims 4

“Following the success of the franchise on the PlayStation 3, expectations were high for the PS4 debut of Sucker Punch Productions. What they delivered with Second Son is an enjoyable, albeit brief experience. Once you’ve unlocked all powers, the combat is at its best with satisfying, open world brawls. You truly feel like a superhero. This is also the best PS4 looking title to date.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions:Transistor, P.T., Velocity 2X

“Forza Horizon 2 offers almost everything that arcade racing fans crave, and it does so with style. This is a very good looking game, from the cars to the environments. Yet another great soundtrack will keep players immersed at all times, like no other racing game can. Seamless multiplayer is a welcome addition. Car Meets are a great idea and online free roam is tons of fun. It’s a great time exploring the new, truly open world while completing Showcases, finding boards to smash, and taking photos of cars for the Horizon Promo.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions:Sunset Overdrive, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Titanfall

“Bayonetta 2 is a great continuation of a series many thought would be dead. It’s a non-stop, action-packed game filled to the brim with ridiculous characters and outrageous moments. In the first cutscene you’ll watch a black Santa Claus drive up the side of a building to deliver Bayonetta her guns while she fights angels on a jet. This game looks fantastic and really shows what the Wii U can do.” – Austin Clark

Honorable Mentions:Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

“Transistor is really smart, looks and sounds great, and will leave you wanting more when it’s all over. It features a smart and unique combat system, gorgeous visuals and superb audio design. People were looking for a really good follow up to Bastion, and that’s what they’ve got here.” – Austin Clark

Honorable Mentions:Valiant Hearts: The Great War, The Wolf Among Us, The Banner Saga

The Last of Us: Left Behind is a single-player DLC of The Last of Us. It acts as a prequel to The Last of Us and tells the story of Ellie and Riley. New light is shed on Ellie’s relationship with Riley, her best friend and sometime-mentor from a military boarding school they grew up in together. After disappearing for weeks, Riley returns with a surprising revelation on her whereabouts. Ellie and Riley sneak out of school for the last time, leading to a series of events that will forever change both of their lives. Left Behind features less combat than that of the main game, with the DLC focusing more on exploration and the narrative.

Honorable Mentions:The Western Front Armies (Company of Heroes 2), The Legend of Zelda (Mario Kart 8), Burial at Sea (BioShock Infinite)

“Titanfall is a multiplayer first person shooter in the vein of Call of Duty. Does it live up to the hype? Yes. Is it the FPS revolution everyone was hoping it would be? Probably not. It all comes together superbly. It seems that almost every match something happens which I would describe as ‘awesome’, and that’s not a word I throw around lightly. There’s not a lot wrong with Titanfall, other than it not being the revolution some people were hoping for. If you’re bored of the standard multiplayer FPS formula, Titanfall might not hold much lasting appeal, but that doesn’t stop it from being a fantastic game.” – Matt Porter

Honorable Mentions:Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, The Banner Saga, Sunset Overdrive

“Combat is a mixture of the mechanics from the previous two games in the series. This means there is tactical combat, from Origins, and the more action-orientated approach from the sequel. The merger between the action and tactical mechanics proves highly successful. This is not the only reason why combat is better balanced with the story. The density of enemy encounters is looser and battles can be circumvented or abandoned. You can dictate when and where the action occurs, largely because of the world design, and this is the biggest improvement for the combat.” – Ben Thomas

Honorable Mentions:Wolfenstein: The New Order, Risen 3: Titan Lords, Van Helsing II

“Video games surrounding the lore of Middle-earth have always been hit or miss, with most falling in the latter category. But, Monolith Productions has created a new standard for Middle-earth games with Shadow of Mordor. The combat is gratifying, the visuals are gorgeous and the unique features such as the nemesis system combine to create a great action game experience. Fans of either the lore or action games should definitely take an interest in Shadow of Mordor.” – Peter Hoey

Honorable Mentions:South Park: The Stick of Truth, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare

“Unlike previous games, Unity doesn’t really involve Arno in the historical events. The parkour does feel vastly improved when it works, but at the same time, there are many frustrating occasions where the game refuses to cooperate and flings our hero to his death, or right into a group of foes. The new engine also struggles noticeably in many areas, including wildly inconsistent visuals, unstable framerate, and various environmental and physics glitches. There are moments of excellence here, but the overall experience is very familiar and brings its own set of problems.” – Alex V

Dishonorable Mentions:Destiny, Watch Dogs, Thief

“The gameplay is stiff, inorganic, and burdened by some truly underwhelming level design. Generally a mockery of the greatest positive features of the Thief series. The least you can say is that it’s functional. Sound bugs, dodgy cutscenes, optimization issues and magical vanishing save files only serve to apply another layer of grime to an already-disappointing game. A poorly-designed outing that might, in another continuity where the previous Thief games never existed, have earned itself the heady accolade of ‘barely average’. Unfortunately, we all know that it could be – and has been done – so much better.” – David Will

Dishonorable Mentions:Grid Autosport, Assassin’s Creed: Unity, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark

“Titanfall features an intuitive parkour system, cool futuristic technology and of course the big robots themselves. The Titans are tough, but not invulnerable, and a good amount of sustained fire will bring one down. Although there are only three types of chassis, there is a surprising amount of variety in play styles to be found here. There are weapons to be unlocked as you level up, and you also have a tactical ability, such as the cloaking device or a stimpack to increase your running speed. You can carry standard grenades, or mines, or projectiles which interfere with electronics. Then you have a couple of Kits like being able to detect the AI minions on the minimap, or an enhanced parkour kit. When you lay it all out on paper it seems infeasible that it will all come together into a coherent experience, but it does, and superbly.” – Matt Porter

Honorable Mentions:Wolfenstein: The New Order, Far Cry 4, Destiny

“The over-the-top zaniness of Bayonetta 2 never lets up. While you begin the game with Bayonetta’s classic guns on her hands and feet, it won’t be long before you unlock more weapons like scythes, swords, and whips. Each weapon has its own strengths and weaknesses but the fun part is figuring out how to mix and match. Many weapons can be placed either on Bayonetta’s hands or her feet and this will change how her attacks behave. While the game’s plot leaves a lot to be desired, the way in which it is presented is more than entertaining and the action is so fun you’ll forget about why anything else is happening.” – Austin Clark

Honorable Mentions:Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Watch Dogs, Far Cry 4

“Forza Horizon 2 offers a much more accessible open world compared to its predecessor. No longer are you tied to roads that the developers have carved out, and in fact many gameplay elements rely on taking risks and shortcuts. Off-road races, likely inspired by the Rally DLC for the first Horizon, are absolutely exhilarating. The game definitely steps up in the vehicle selection. Over 200 cars are on display here, from manufacturers across the globe and throughout different time eras. All of the cars have wonderfully unique handling, as the trademark Forza simulation engine continues to work behind the scenes while presenting players with a more arcade style of gameplay. This title offers almost everything that arcade racing fans crave.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions:Mario Kart 8, Trials Fusion

“Blending Oregon Trail’s journey-simulation with strategy RPG, the game does an effective job of giving players an unrelenting challenge as they desperately try to lead their people away from the dredge threat. Battles all take place on a grid, with turn-based, tactical combat. While the combat is not earth-shattering in its brilliance, it adds a nice twist as each enemy has an armor rating that must be reduced in order to do more damage to their actual life. This adds spice to the fray, as you will have to decide when to weaken an enemy’s armor and when to go for the kill. From internal struggles to external threats, players will have to decide who they will protect as more and more people begin to ask you for assistance. Playing the hero and villain lead to equal amounts of reward and punishment.” – Josh Hinke

Honorable Mentions:Transistor, The Western Front Armies, Banished

“The backbone of the story is a murder mystery with you needing to interrogate suspects and make snap decisions about what line of questioning to take, or at several points, decide which suspect to chase. Making the wrong choice or heading to one area first can have direct effects on the story and change who lives and dies. There are no dull scenes to pad out the runtime and every conversation helps to flesh out characters or provide information for your investigation. The dialogue choices do a better job of matching your intentions than the sometimes misleading suggestions offered before. You’ll really care about choices too as the feeling an investigation is getting away from you ensures you pay attention to every little thing.” – Brendan Griffiths

Honorable Mentions:Valiant Hearts: The Great War, The Walking Dead: Season 2, Jazzpunk

“As you overcome challenges and make crucial decisions, you become leader of the inquisition. As Inquisitor, the fate of the world is in your hands. These difficult choices may kill characters or change the allies that join the inquisition. With a different starting world state and branching choices, there is compelling reason to replay the game.” – Ben Thomas

Honorable Mentions:South Park: The Stick of Truth, Dark Souls 2, Wasteland 2

“Packing numerous improvements in team management options, FUT, and gameplay itself, this is a great sports package for any fan. Changes to tackling and goalkeepers will require players to adjust, and AI teams now behave more realistically than ever before. With the best and most authentic looking presentation in the franchise to date, FIFA 15 is a complete and enjoyable experience of virtual footy.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions:NBA 2k15

Shovel Knight is a fun platforming game with an 8-bit retro aesthetic. You play as the eponymous Shovel Knight, a small knight with a huge quest. Shovel Knight has come to this land with two goals: to defeat the evil Enchantress and quest for his lost beloved. He wields a Shovel Blade: a multipurpose weapon whose techniques have now been lost to the ages.

Honorable Mentions:Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Fenix Rage, Strider

“What initially looks like little more than a clever little puzzler with a bit of pretentious flair thrown in for good measure reveals itself as a genuinely really well-written work of sci-fi. Strictly speaking there are few (if any) puzzle elements in The Talos Principle that other first-person puzzlers haven’t already laid claim to. Some work iteratively, giving you a meager set of tools and providing an ever-mounting set of obstacles as you gain access to more options, while others force you to work economically, using what appear to be an insufficient number of items by cutting as many corners as possible. Others just play with the existing mechanics in new and unexpected ways. They’re the kind of puzzles that demand you be completely aware of your surroundings, and even in the small details you can see the game gently pushing you towards this state.” – David Will

Honorable Mentions:Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Monument Valley, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

“With Trials Fusion, RedLynx has raised the bar again, and it will be fascinating to see where the series goes from here. Precision is still key, and the controls are so intuitive that it’s only ever your fault if you fail. The progression through the campaign keeps you coming back for just one more try. The addition of challenges and tricks keeps things interesting. This is still a wonderfully fun and engaging game that will delight and frustrate you in equal measures. “ – Matt Porter

Honorable Mentions:Velocity 2X, Nidhogg, Geometry Wars 3