Top 5 games you've played this year

So, we're halfway through 2014. There have been some great games to come out late last year and on through this point in the year, as well as plenty of games through the ages. What I'm asking here is for your top 5 favorite games you've played this year. They don't have to be released in this year though and I'm not asking for your top 5 games of all time or of 2014. I'm asking what games you've really enjoyed playing this year, whether they came out this year, last year, 10 years ago, or 20. I'm going to try to remember to post this again in December to see what you guys enjoyed during the latter part of the year...don't let me forget!

So...what are the top 5 games you've enjoyed playing this year? You can post less than 5 if you'd like, but don't exceed 5 if you can. Try to really narrow it down if you've played a lot of games. Makes it more difficult to choose. ;)

1. Dark Souls 2
2. Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution
3. Titanfall
4. Pokemon X/Y
5. Wolfenstein TNO

1. Mario Kart 8 - it's been so much fun playing this online and enjoying my new Wii U. I got to play online with a Let's Player recording on Twitch today and I was cracking up as I threw red shells at him while he chuckled and cursed at me.
2. ZombiU - I wasn't sure I'd like this one because it was sort of freaking me out. I finally got over the scariness and I'm really enjoying this one too. I've only died a few times so far!
3. Wind Waker HD - WW is one of my favorite Zelda games and I got this one for free with my purchase of Mario Kart 8. I still love sailing and exploring the world. It's been fun reliving a childhood favorite.

These are the only games I've really been playing. Not this year, but lately. I don't remember what I was playing earlier in the year, since I wasn't playing much - a 50 page thesis tends to take up all your time.

No explanation, O'aka? ;(

Anyway, let me see how well I can gather my thoughts, haha...

5. Jet Force Gemini
I haven't played this in a few months, but it quickly became my favorite RareWare game. I rented it as a kid, but I don't count that because I sucked at the game then, haha. It's an underrated 3rd person shooter and if you love your N64 as much as I do, then you should pick this one up. It's difficult, but just enough to keep you motivated.

4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
I haven't played too much into this, but something about it makes me feel really happy. I guess it has a simplistic feeling to it...I don't know. It's hard to describe this one, haha. Those that have played it probably understand.

3. Kirby Triple Deluxe
Putting this at #3 was pure coincidence. This is a fantastic addition to the series. If you like Kirby or platformers in general, it's a definite must-have. Actually, if you own a 3DS, it's a must have. I really enjoyed finding keychains and looking for the Sun Stones. It feels rewarding...but then again, I like collecting in real life, haha.

2. Bravely Default
Easily my favorite game that's been released this year and one of my favorite RPGs to date. You've probably seen it everywhere about how great this game is and the people saying that aren't lying. It's wonderful. There's a point in the game that gets tiresome, but it adds enough to where I don't feel it's too monotonous. Plus, it pushes you so that you actually want to finish it and see where things go.

1. Jak 3
If you expected anything less of me, then I'm disappointed. lol Yes, Jak 3. Easily creeped into my top 10 games of all time. I love the whole trilogy, but 3 stands out the most to me. It has enough platforming and enough shooting to perfectly combine the first two games into one. I enjoy the missions (the ones that aren't racing on lizard leapers because ♥♥♥♥ that) a lot, especially driving in the desert and shooting marauders. And that's something you don't see me say a lot. I enjoy a game where shooting is predominant. It's crazy, yes. I would say go play this game, but you already have...unless you were like me. In which case...go play it!

Time to dig through my memory banks! Games are actually ranked in order.

1. The Legend of Heroes: Ao no Kiseki Evolution - Not even done this game, and I'm already calling it my favourite so far this year. This is a port of a PSP game though, and I have played the original. Even then, it's been a exhilarating experience to play this game again. A lot of the additions the port has added has vastly improved upon the original, like the soundtrack which was already fantastic in the original has gotten even better with the port, the addition of fully-voiced cutscenes really brings out the best of the characters, and the visuals have been polished up on.

2. Bravely Default - Before Ao came along, this was easily the highlight of the year for me. This is a fantastic JRPG which definitely is a callback to the old JRPGs of the past. I mean everything about this game was superb, with the exception of Chapters 5 - 8 but even then they weren't too bad. Regardless, we have an extraordinary soundtrack, likeable characters, and a fun battle system. This game also heavily reminded me of FFV, which is my favourite FF game ever.

3. Blazblue Chronophantasma - I mean aside from Marvel, I don't play that many fighting games as much as I use to. The changes brought by Chronophantasma to the Blazblue series actually warranted me to sit down and learn the game all over again. I'm not gonna lie, it was slightly fun relearning some basic Blazblue fundamentals again, haha.

4. Mario Kart 8 - It's Mario Kart. I've been playing this game for at least three times a week since it came out. I mean, if that doesn't spell out that I really like this game, I don't what does.

5. Love Live! School Idol Festival - Umm... idols. That's it.

Prepare for J-games festival.

1) Hatsune Miku: Project Diva
Just Miku... just Miku. No need to say anything.

2) Ni no Kuni
I've been dying to play that game for some time so I was thrilled when it got to sale and I could buy it =D
I played it while learning for exams so it's kinda special :D
Plus the story is brilliant.

3) Danganronpa PSV
Remake of Dangan. I played the first one on PSP and enjoyed this one as well.
Dangan is awesome =D

4) Love Live School Festival
Another rhythm game. I'm pretty much addicted to it so... :D

5) Atelier Rorona
I finally started Arland trilogy and I immediately fell in love with characters :)

Allright... Here, we, go!

5 - StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
Shouldn't be a real suprise here, RTS nerd, SC2 being a RTS game yada yada yada, you get the gist. Great looking game with good mechanics and it drained hours and hours of time from my life :P

4 - Rise of Nations
The remake came out not too long ago on Steam and I instantly grabbed it and started to play it and this literally is how a remake should be. Improved everything on it, unlike Age of Empires did. Plus the fact that I just love RoN for it's complexity with resources and making a choice of either going agressive or a more economical approach.

3 - Terraria
138 hours on Steam. And I think at least 80 of those hours are from 2014. Terraria was love, Terraria was life for me in early 2014 and even in 2013 :P

2 - Borderlands 2
Not every game I love is a RTS game. Borderlands 2 is a great example to prove that statement. Hunting for good loot and leveling up my characters took a lot of time and effort, but the moment when you see that cyan rarity gun on the floor... priceless <3

1 - Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2
Hang on a sec. ShadowE's #1 is NOT SC2? BLASPHEMY!!
I am bloody serious with this choice. Nothing stops this game from being #1 right now, even though it is a game from 2000/2001. The game was funky and easy to pick up unlike many other games from it's genre and the music is just amazing (the expansion OST sucks btw). You won't get bored as there are many good mods for it avalible aswell which makes the durability of RA2 limitless. The game can derp out when played on Windows 8 however...

PLUS IT WAS MY CHILDHOOD and I still play it :D

This year I've been really getting into hardcore gaming and game collecting (mainly old gems I've missed playing in my childhood!), so I've been flying through a bunch of games. My list isn't in any order since I can't choose :x

Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) - this was one of those games that I began to appreciate the most AFTER I'd finished playing it. As frustrating as the controls were for me, the game was so beautifully simplistic and epic and was entirely memorable for me. Surprisingly, I was less content with the ending than I was with the overall experience.

Paper Mario (N64) - I loved TTYD for GameCube and I loved this game just as much. Mario + RPGs is the perfect formula imo. I also just finished playing SMRPG for SNES, which is a close contender.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PSN) - BEAUTIFUL game. And while short (~4 hours) every second of the game was packed with art and beauty. Take a few hours out of your time and play this game, I really recommend it. I might even put it in my top 10 of all-time.

Heavy Rain (PS3) - Also short, around 10 hours, but a very ambitious and intriguing game. I love discussing this game with my friends who've played it, as there are so many branching pathways and endings in the game that there is a ton to ponder over.

Final Fantasy I (GBA) - the one that started a revolution, but I played the remixed version for GBA. Really enjoyed it and it has aged well, despite the fact that, at some parts, the games give you no direction and leaves you to scavenge the whole world map for you to advance the plot >_> Otherwise, still a classic.

And runners up are Mega Man 1 and Ni No Kuni.

1. Tales of Xillia 2
   I knew I'd like this game going into it, but despite it tearing my heart out and smashing it to pieces I love it a lot more than I thought I would. There's a lot of problems with it and, honestly, a lot of places where it pales in comparison to the first Xillia, but I enjoyed it anyway. It's still a lot of fun to play and despite the fact that I've nearly Platinum'd it, I'm still going to be itching to play it again once it's out in English, too.
2. Tales of Asteria
   I FEEL REALLY LAME PUTTING A CELL PHONE GAME ON HERE BUT... alas... I've been playing it daily since it came out on Android back in... April...? So I figure it belongs on this list. I still find the story interesting and the gameplay is simple and fun.
3. Broken Age
   Only Act 1 is out so far, but I was so captivated by it. The art style was SO beautiful and it felt very lovingly put together. I hope Act 2 doesn't take too long. :(

I think those are the only games I've played this year that really stood out to me. Everything else was alright (or I wouldn't have bothered playing it) but I set them down so quickly or just didn't feel as hooked as I did playing those.

1. The Last of Us - Just got this game a few months ago and I can honestly say this is the best game I've played in quite a long time. The gameplay is great, the graphics are realistic, and the story is very emotional. I really loved the stealth aspect of the game, it made it that much more terrifying when I was spotted. Overall my best gaming experience this year.

2. Fire Emblem: Awakening - The story was actually really good. The ending was one of the best I've seen. Gameplay-wise, it was a great tactical RPG. I really loved the relationship building aspect of the game. I spent way too much time trying to force marriages between characters.

3. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - I'm really into stealth games. The whole series is amazing, but this one stood out in terms of gameplay. The boss fights were really well done. I really love how the story ties the past games together.

4. Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando - I had this game when it first came out, but I recently bought the HD collection, so I've been playing it over again. The gameplay is still solid. It's still super fun obliterating everything with the RYNO II.

5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - I got this on launch day in 2011, and I'm still finding new things in the game. The world is just so huge, and there are so many things to do. Trying different combinations of melee/archery/magic is super fun.

1. Xenoblade Chronicles - I've barely played 12 hours of this game and I already agree with everyone saying that this is one of the best RPGs of last-gen. And to think, if it wasn't for Operation Rainfall, I probably would never have even heard of it!

2. Shovel Knight - Another game I haven't played much of yet that is one of my favorites this year. I really don't even know what it is that I like about this game so much. Really I guess it's almost everything - the music, the difficult but not 3DS-smashing difficulty, etc.

3. Bravely Default - Really, while this game was great, I couldn't get myself to put it higher on the list just because of the last couple chapters. I won't go into detail because of spoilers, but while the concept of the events interested me at first, it went on for a chapter or two too long. I'm still very excited for Bravely Second, despite that, since I'm not expecting Square Enix to pull anything like this again.

4. Mario Kart 8 - It's Mario Kart. What else can I say?

5. Kirby Triple Deluxe - Really, this game is very underrated. Most reviews give it bad scores because of it not changing the Kirby formula, but why change something that isn't broken? Also, Kirby has been changing a lot recently, what with Epic Yarn, Mass Attack, and Canvas Curse/the upcoming Rainbow Curse, so it felt good to get a fresh portable classic Kirby.

1. watch_dogs
2. titanfall
3. rayman legends
4. pokemon y
5. child of light

also have had a lot of fun with skyrim and sleeping dogs

1) Pikmin 3
So much good in this. At long last, after maybe close to a decade, I finally get to play this long announced game that I've been looking forward to for so long. I loved the original, but wasn't too thrilled with the sequel. And this game reverted a lot of what I didn't like about Pikmin 2. It was the first game I played on the Wii U and thought it made good use of the touch screen. It also looked great in HD. It was funny. I thoroughly enjoyed this game.

2) Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
I'm behind on this series a bit, I know. But I really enjoyed playing this game, which was surprising as I didn't like the previous entry in the prequel entry. I thought the 3D effect was used well. I liked the characters.

3) Mario Kart 8
Brilliantly fun game. Must play. Looks gorgeous. Can't put it down. Three starred all the cups and bested the time trails. But I still return for local and online multiplayer. Let's race ;D

4) Batman: Arkham Origins
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this, but I did. I thought it refined a lot of what I didn't enjoy about Arkham City.

5) Nintendoland
I had a lot more fun playing this then I ever thought I would. The Zelda and Pikmin games were great and I would have bought them as stand along entries on the eShop

1. Vagrant Story (best plot in gaming history? Yep, if not one of the best for sure).
2. Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Toghether (best tactics game ever? Yep).
3. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (best level design ever? Yep).
4. Bayonetta (an awesome, fun as hell hack and slash? Sure!).
5. Persona 4 Golden (a fantastics JRPG? Of course).

All five truly masterpieces.

1.Assassin's Creed: Black Flag
It was the pirate game I've been dreaming about for years. Still some flaws that need to be worked out but overall it was the game that gave me the best experience so far this year. Hoping this is the start of other companies developing games in this really under used theme.

2. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst
I wasn't expecting much from this game when I bought it because (1. I'm not a fan of fighting games (2. I'm not really much of a Naruto fan. But god damn was this game good. Granted, only like 2 hours of the total 10 hours I spent in the storyline was actual game play but it was a really enjoyable experience for me.


Annnnd that's it. I haven't had any enjoyment out of any other games so far this year, or the last half of 2013. Everything I was excited about turned out to be a dissapointment (I'm looking at you ESO.) 2014 is looking like a 'replay the classics' year for me. Oh well, Red Alert 2 should keep me company until some good games are released again.

First, for me, would have to be Call of Duty: Ghosts. Some of might not quite enjoy shooter games like this, but I do; CoD is actually pretty entertaining! Its online community might not be greatest in terms of friendliness and respect, but it is indeed competitive, which it should be; shooters are made to be played in some competitive atmosphere, to prove how good you are at something, and how well you could do your tasks. Right now, I'm playing this game almost every weekend. My wi-fi isn't working, but I'm still able to play multiplayer by dragging my cable down into my Xbox.

As for second, I'd say Mario Kart 8. I've had chance to try this game out at my cousin's house while I was at California, and loved each and every of its minute; made sure to buy a copy of it on my way home. Right now, I'm able to play local only, but it's still fun. Once I get my router working, though, then I'll jump online. I'm really looking forward to balloon battles and coin-runners; those are extremely engaging.

Third, fourth, and fifth--they would probably have to go to Assassin's Creed III, Rayman Legends, and Super Mario 3D World. I know some of these had not been released this year, but to me, they're still pretty new, so I thought I'd be a good idea to throw them in here. There are plenty of other games that I've started playing this year, but haven't exactly finished them (or even progressed through mid-way), so they wouldn't really worth mentioning.

1) Bioshock Infinite

2) Team Fortress 2

3) Portal 2

4) Super Metroid

5) Mario Kart 8 for Wii U

1.NHL 14
Though not on the One, I have been playing a ton of NHL 14. It's such a huge step up from the previous 13 for gameplay and other details that are difficult to explain to a Pokemon board.

2. Borderlands 2
I spent hundreds of hours on the original Borderlands, which happens to be my Top 5 favorite of all time. My main game to finish this summer is BLands 2, and it is an excellent timesink with a ton of sidequests to complete. I waited until now to buy it because it was just $20, which is an absolute steal in my opinion.

3. NBA 2K14
I played this for both 360 and the one. The 360 version is identical to 2K13, but it's a whole new game on the One. And setting quick plays using the Kinect is so cash.

4. Pokemon Black
I waited to play this on emulators because I have no money and still have to keep Pokemon on the down low. It reminded me of the innocence of childhood, and made me reconsider how I've been treating my digital pieces of data in my fictional Pokemon game.

5. Fallout New Vegas
Another steal; $15 for the edition that included all of the DLCs. Its closeness to Borderlands, being an adventurous, free-roam, shooter RPG. Also: cool music. There is a station with patriotic songs such as "Battle Hymn of the Republic" that I enjoy.

1. God of Wars
2. Patapon
3. Little Big Planet
4. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
5. GTA

3DS @ LEGO Chima: Laval's Journey (Skinnet the Skunk farts to double jump)
Wii U @ LEGO CITY Undercover (skateboard + Lizard Guy (character) = Godzilla: Pro Skater)
Deadpool Xbox 360
LEGO Hobbit - Xbox 360
The Last of Us - PS3