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Ladies and Gentlemen of the academy, this is your first (probably not) annual Games of the Year awards as voted on by you, the lovely people of Halforums. The method of voting, probably imperfect. The game that won was a surprise for me but nearly everyone voted for it. Here are your top 5 games of the year Hal!

NUMBER 1!



With a whopping 18 points, we all decided that this nearly perfect adaptation of the incredibly long running cartoon was our favorite game of 2014. Who could blame us? It was the funniest game ever made without a shadow of a doubt and it is your Game of the Year.

Number 2!



With 15 points, Shovel Knight was the runner up. This new age classic was definitely one of the first of the current absolute glut of pixel art wannabe old school games that actually understood what made a lot of the games in the 8 and 16 bit eras so magical. Super tight and precise controls with challenging gameplay and just enough character to be perfectly charming. Shovel Knight is your number 2 Game of the Year.

Number 3 (and 4)!

We have a tie!

Number 3.5!



and



Both games tying with 12 points a piece we have Nintendo's seminal racing series and the remarkably excellent copycat licensed game. Mario Kart, as ever and despite the fucking blue shell, is an excellent and most importantly fun racer and is, for once, a game with an excellent DLC setup that's worth every dime.

Shadow of Mordor looked at first like a game that would come from the Peter Molyneux school of presentation. Nobody thought the Nemesis system would live up to it's promises. It did, and more, and created it's own narrative for each player. What people thought was going to be a rote knockoff of the Arkham games and Assassin's Creed ended up being (in my opinion) more fun than either series. Also, it pairs Nolan North and Troy Baker as the main character and his possessor, creating some sort of singularity.

Finally, Number 5!



With 9 points we have more proof that Blizzard can take pretty much any genre (in this case the collectible card game), zazz it up in presentation and make it plainly more fun than it's competition. Easy to learn, hard to master and a good time for anyone who is into the style of gameplay, Hearthstone is Halforums number 5 game of the year.

RUNNERS UP!

Dragon Age Inquisition with 7 points.
Alien Isolation and Octodad Dadliest Catch with 6.
And finally, Blackwell Epiphany, Goat Simulator and This War is Mine with 5 points a piece.

I'm perfectly happy with this list.

Agreed, this list is reasonable.

Frank said:

Nobody thought the Nemesis system would live up to it's promises.

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*meekly raises hand* But what about when I said --

Frank said:

Nobody

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Okie.

Count me in on the reasonability of this list. It's also probably the only GOTY list where I've played all but one game (Hearthstone) and have firsthand experience with their quality. 2014 was a lousy year for gaming, but these were all solid, enjoyable games.

3, 2, 1 for Jay's dismissal.

Zero Esc said:

*meekly raises hand* But what about when I said --



Okie.

Count me in on the reasonability of this list. It's also probably the only GOTY list where I've played all but one game (Hearthstone) and have firsthand experience with their quality. 2014 was a lousy year for gaming, but these were all solid, enjoyable games.

3, 2, 1 for Jay's dismissal.

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Hearthstone is free... get on that.

The fact that Alien Isolation isn't in the top 5 is pretty sad.

You fucking pussies.

Mario Fucking Kart 4923498234

Mario Kart is life changingly good!

I'm more surprised about the lack of Sid Meiers's Alpha Centauri 2...err, Beyond Earth.

Bubble181 said:

I'm more surprised about the lack of Sid Meiers's Alpha Centauri 2...err, Beyond Earth.

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I'm not

Note that I haven't played it

Bubble181 said:

I'm more surprised about the lack of Sid Meiers's Alpha Centauri 2...err, Beyond Earth.

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The problem is we were expecting a new Alpha Centauri and we got Civ 5 in space.

...I'm really the only one in the world who liked Civ V, huh?

(I do understand it not featuring much in "best of" lists since it's considered so derivative, by the way)

@HCGLNS loves it too. I was just not a fan of the game's style. Now, Civ 4 in space? Bring it on!

Bubble181 said:

...I'm really the only one in the world who liked Civ V, huh?

(I do understand it not featuring much in "best of" lists since it's considered so derivative, by the way)

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I liked it too, I'm just tired of it.

Alpha Centauri might have been a 4x game like Civ, but it was also much different.

Jay said:

The fact that Alien Isolation isn't in the top 5 is pretty sad.

You fucking pussies.

Mario Fucking Kart 4923498234

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The only reason Alien Isolation wasn't in my personal top 5 is because I haven't actually played it. It's yet to drop below $20

Did you vote for anything on that list that was over 20$?

Jay said:

Did you vote for anything on that list that was over 20$?

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Other than Mario Kart 8, everything up there was also on my list.

Ravenpoe said:

The only reason Alien Isolation wasn't in my personal top 5 is because I haven't actually played it. It's yet to drop below $20

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I'm willing to pay $30 myself, but I have to finish Shadow of Mordor and/or Dark Souls first.

By then, Evolve will be out. mmmmmm Evolve ...

Zero Esc said:

I'm willing to pay $30 myself, but I have to finish Shadow of Mordor and/or Dark Souls first.

By then, Evolve will be out. mmmmmm Evolve ...

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Can't wait for evolve.

The only games on my list not on that one were Dragon Age Inquisition and Wasteland 2.

So, let's play more repetitive as fuck Nintendo games at full price instead of awesome new IPs that we supposedly have wanted and craved in the form of Alien : Isolation that is AMAZING.

Mario Kart is not > than Alien Isolation.

IMHO?

If you haven't played Alien Isolation, you shouldn't even vote.

Sorry folks.

The fact it's not EVEN on the top 5, sorry Frank for wasting your time.

Lastly, Jay being Jay.... everyone here who didn't play it a PUSSY. Blame the cost, other games you "have to play" first, the economy, bla bla bla... this game runs smooth as fuck on my rig... no rig issues. No gameplay issues. No bugs.

Runs like a dream.

I bet you can't play this on hard like I did. Hell, they can't even play it on Normal.

Don't believe me? This is a guy playing on Normal. On Hard, he'd have died so many times playing like that.



This is TOP 5 game of the year.

For so many reasons...

But ultimately for being probably the only REAL GOOD Alien game... EVER.

A CHALLENGE : Any of you doing a Let's Play of this game... on HARD.

Jay said:

But ultimately for being probably the only REAL GOOD Alien game... EVER.

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I haven't even played it and I know that's true.

1. Being hard does not make it a better game.
2. How the f*** is "Alien" a new IP? It's a new take on an old IP. Otherwise, Sid Meier's Beyond Terra is also a "new IP". Which it isn't.
3. There's a million valid reasons not to play a game. I'm sure there are other games that you haven't played. That your personal favorite isn't on the list may be unfortunate, but saying "anyone who hasn't played it shouldn't vote" is just arrogant and condescending.
4. I do, however, agree that....Mario Kart? Meh. Don't care for it, it's been done roughly 75,523 times before.

Bubble181 said:

3. There's a million valid reasons not to play a game. I'm sure there are other games that you haven't played. That your personal favorite isn't on the list may be unfortunate, but saying "anyone who hasn't played it shouldn't vote" is just arrogant and condescending.

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Welcome to the Jay.

4. I do, however, agree that....Mario Kart? Meh. Don't care for it, it's been done roughly 75,523 times before.

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People who haven't played Mario Kart 8 shouldn't vote.

If this was Mario Kart Wii or Mario Kart 7, I wouldn't have put it on my own list. But Mario Kart 8 really is a top-notch racing game. That said, it likely wouldn't have been on this list in a stronger year.

Though I intend to play Alien Isolation at some point (possibly a rental; it's just too short to warrant $60 purchase), I suck at stealth games so the fear will probably give way to apathy. I've had Dark Souls be scary at times. Silent Hill 2, of course. Eternal Darkness was the scariest, like when it told me it was deleting my saved game ... just to fuck with my head.

Jay said:

So, let's play more repetitive as fuck Nintendo games at full price instead of awesome new IPs that we supposedly have wanted and craved in the form of Alien : Isolation that is AMAZING.

Mario Kart is not > than Alien Isolation.

IMHO?

If you haven't played Alien Isolation, you shouldn't even vote.

Sorry folks.

The fact it's not EVEN on the top 5, sorry Frank for wasting your time.

Lastly, Jay being Jay.... everyone here who didn't play it a PUSSY. Blame the cost, other games you "have to play" first, the economy, bla bla bla... this game runs smooth as fuck on my rig... no rig issues. No gameplay issues. No bugs.

Runs like a dream.

I bet you can't play this on hard like I did. Hell, they can't even play it on Normal.

Don't believe me? This is a guy playing on Normal. On Hard, he'd have died so many times playing like that.



This is TOP 5 game of the year.

For so many reasons...

But ultimately for being probably the only REAL GOOD Alien game... EVER.

A CHALLENGE : Any of you doing a Let's Play of this game... on HARD.

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Because you were so excited about it back here https://www.halforums.com/xenforo/threads/alien-isolation.30873/

Ravenpoe said:

Because you were so excited about it back here https://www.halforums.com/xenforo/threads/alien-isolation.30873/

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I want to rate this funny, but I don't know what this means:

Jay said:

TB or Bust.

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On other matters ...

Ravenpoe said:

Hearthstone is free... get on that.

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There was a day I was about to try it, but then had flashbacks to Magic the Gathering and stopped.

Zero Esc said:

I want to rate this funny, but I don't know what this means:



On other matters ...



There was a day I was about to try it, but then had flashbacks to Magic the Gathering and stopped.

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TB is Total Biscuit, he was saying he would wait for his review. It was the second post I wanted to point out, where he says he has other games to play instead.

Opinions on games are still 100% subjective.

People liked Mario Kart. Therefore, it was voted.

If you wanted it on the list, Jay, you could've sent in your own list. At the very least, it could've been an honourable mention/runner up.

ThatNickGuy said:

Opinions on games are still 100% subjective.

People liked Mario Kart. Therefore, it was voted.

If you wanted it on the list, Jay, you could've sent in your own list. At the very least, it could've been an honourable mention/runner up.

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Yeah, it's funny to get this complaining from someone who didn't vote. Jay knows how to be an American after election day.

Jay voted.

Ah, and it WAS a runner up, too. My bad on both accounts.

Frank said:

Jay voted.

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Oh, okay. Never mind then, I can understand being pissed when your top pick isn't even in the top 5. Mine wasnumber 2, so I'm good.

I knew my top pick (Blackwell Epiphany) wasn't even going to scratch 5's arse.

Now to cement my peasant gutter-licker status, I'm gonna mention the games I've enjoyed the most in 2014 regardless of what year they came from or what system they're on:

- Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call: the only thing I've enjoyed from Square-Enix in the last couple years is also the only rhythm game I've played. I've bought more DLC for it than I care to admit. While originally I loved it for feeling like I was taking part in the music, it's actually a good mental stimulus before I get to work in the morning, and is a game that distracts my senses enough to calm my stomach. I don't know why it works, but it does, so I'll probably play at least a song a day for the forseeable future. Also, Chrono Trigger DLC.

- Persona Q: Etrian Odyssey feels flat for me, but throwing in combat mechanics and characters from the Persona series and I'm in love. I'll admit this is essentially half a dungeon crawler and half fanservice ... I don't care. I laugh at least once at every conversation and it's just nice to be able to play another RPG with these characters. It's purely for fans of the franchise, and while I'd love a new "real Shin Megami Tensei" game to come out, this still makes me happy.

- Dark Souls: Don't know why I couldn't get into this before. Don't care, it's worked its magic on me now and I've absorbed. I don't know if I'm going to try the sequel considering some things I've heard, but I will be all over Bloodborne at some point this year. I'll give up on a task at night, and then have that failure gnaw at my brain the next day until I can get home and try again. It's fucking addicting.

- The Mega Man series: Never tried them before this year. Now I've a slavering fanboy. I've eaten through six or seven of these this year, bought a couple more, have more I want to buy, have my fingers crossed that Legends will show up on PSN so I have more excuse to use my PS3, and maybe Capcom will get their heads on straight. I adore this. I only ended up getting excited for Shovel Knight because of it, and that ended being fantastic. I only regret that I haven't been playing these games since I was a kid, considering they've been around since I was a 3-year-old. What was just a franchise I ignored has become one of my top three favorite game series, right behind Zelda and Shin Megami Tensei. I can't thank you guys enough for introducing me to this.

Zero Esc said:

- Dark Souls: Don't know why I couldn't get into this before. Don't care, it's worked its magic on me now and I've absorbed. I don't know if I'm going to try the sequel considering some things I've heard, but I will be all over Bloodborne at some point this year. I'll give up on a task at night, and then have that failure gnaw at my brain the next day until I can get home and try again. It's fucking addicting.

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I'd wait until Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin Edition hits on PS4 before you pick up Dark Souls 2. You'll get all the DLC, HD graphics, -6 man multiplayer-, and an expanded story that finishes the original story and ties it into the Lost Crowns.

AshburnerX said:

I'd wait until Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin Edition hits on PS4 before you pick up Dark Souls 2. You'll get all the DLC, HD graphics, -6 man multiplayer-, and an expanded story that finishes the original story and ties it into the Lost Crowns.

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But should I bother at all with Bloodborne coming out this year? While the problems with Dark Souls 2 are few, they hit against a couple of the things I really love about the first game (cohesive world, set design, bleak atmosphere). Not to mention, my weapon comes close to breaking as it is (I took your advice and got the samurai sword--we are in a relationship).

Zero Esc said:

But should I bother at all with Bloodborne coming out this year? While the problems with Dark Souls 2 are few, they hit against a couple of the things I really love about the first game (cohesive world, set design, bleak atmosphere). Not to mention, my weapon comes close to breaking as it is (I took your advice and got the samurai sword--we are in a relationship).

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The Uchi has a low durability, which is why it almost breaks... though you should be repairing it at every bonfire anyway via repair box. But in DS2, that's really only a serious issue if you don't use bonfires when you can (weapons auto repair in DS2) or if you are on PC, where there is a bug with durability. It's definitely a different kind of story (I think it's more depressing than bleak).

As for Bloodborne... it's a different kind of game. You need to be highly aggressive in Bloodborne because you don't get shields and such. Whether or not it's BETTER doesn't matter because it's still pretty different.

AshburnerX said:

The Uchi has a low durability, which is why it almost breaks... though you should be repairing it at every bonfire anyway via repair box. But in DS2, that's really only a serious issue if you don't use bonfires when you can (weapons auto repair in DS2) or if you are on PC, where there is a bug with durability. It's definitely a different kind of story (I think it's more depressing than bleak).

As for Bloodborne... it's a different kind of game. You need to be highly aggressive in Bloodborne because you don't get shields and such. Whether or not it's BETTER doesn't matter because it's still pretty different.

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No worries for the Uchi, I repair it every chance I get. Also didn't know DS2 had auto-repair; I use bonfires plenty. Okay, I'll probably get the PS4 version sometime this year.

I didn't realize Bloodborne would be so different. I'll still check it out, but that's very different from my Dark Souls playstyle.

Honestly, Super Smash Bros kicks Mario Kart's ass when it comes to being fun to play.

Bowielee said:

Honestly, Super Smash Bros kicks Mario Kart's ass when it comes to being fun to play.

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I wish I agreed with you, but that just hasn't been my experience with Smash Bros this year. Then again, I think you have a group in-person to play with? So I'd probably feel different about it then.

I need to add more friends on my Wii U so I can at least have mic chat between matches, 10-minute matches, crazy item set-ups, all the fun stuff you can't do on general online. Maybe then I'll start having a good time.

On the flipside, I can enjoy Mario Kart alone, with someone with you, online with friends, online with randoms. Fun not just one way, but lots of ways.

Bowielee said:

Honestly, Super Smash Bros kicks Mario Kart's ass when it comes to being fun to play.

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In your opinion.

Frank said:

In your opinion.

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But what about Alien Isolation?

I didn't give Alien Isolation a try because of how bad Colonial Marines was. Maybe I'll change that when it gets to 75% off.

Am I the only one that liked "This War of Mine"?

LordRendar said:

Am I the only one that liked "This War of Mine"?

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No, I dug it too, but I forgot to vote. It and Alien Isolation would have been my picks.

Zero Esc said:

But what about Alien Isolation?

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Haven't played it yet. As I explained to Jay over Steam, I play survival horror games with my little brother. It's a tradition we've had since Silent Hill 2 and Fatal Frame and such.

He called me a pussy.[DOUBLEPOST=1420390237,1420390204][/DOUBLEPOST]

LordRendar said:

Am I the only one that liked "This War of Mine"?

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I saw that one and still need to give it a try.

I'm curious what Jay's other four were.

Zero Esc said:

I'm curious what Jay's other four were.

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2) Alien Isolation
3) Alien Isolation
4) Alien Isolation
5) Filthy casual crap Alien Isolation

ThatNickGuy said:

2) Alien Isolation
3) Alien Isolation
4) Alien Isolation
5) Filthy casual crap Alien Isolation

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You're not far off, but I'll let him share if he wants to.

Frank said:

I saw that one and still need to give it a try.

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It really is good. I seldom felt so powerless.

Alright guys... let's make it a good year... and remember..

GasBandit said:

Alright guys... let's make it a good year... and remember..

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Too late. I want that extra Evolve monster without having to pay for the DLC later.

GasBandit said:

Alright guys... let's make it a good year... and remember..

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B-b-but...Arkham Knight!

Dishonor on you both. Dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow.

GasBandit said:

Dishonor on you both. Dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow.

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No, Dishonoured already came out. No need to pre-order that.

Kickstarters are the only games immune to the pre-order rule. Go and pledge fealty to your Indie Dev of choice!

AshburnerX said:

Kickstarters are the only games immune to the pre-order rule. Go and pledge fealty to your Indie Dev of choice!

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Just remember that Double Fine is not indie.

In light of Nintendo Direct, I may have to get Evolve later.

For the record, I WANTED to put Alien: Isolation on my list, but I haven't bought any new games since SSB simply due to money concerns.