1. The Wolf Among Us - It heartens me that games are taking this form and direction in 2014 and beyond. Telltale are master story tellers and it was super pleasing to see zero hangover from The Walking Dead when it came to their point and click adventures. My knowledge of the Fables comics was minimal, so I came in with a pretty clean slate, and was more than impressed by the beautifully crafted dark noir setting. Superb voice acting and score, convincingly ambiguous characters, and significantly, from the moment you enter 1986 Manhattan, it felt like I was solving a mystery. You had an objective. Everyone had a secret and it was my job to uncover the truth and make sense of it all, all the while dealing with Bigby's internal conflict - maintain composure and buck the BBW reputation, or embrace the tough guy mantra and verge on wolfing out at any moment. Each episode felt fresh and unique, and of course the replay value is high. If The Last of Us wasn't so fresh in my mind, I'd consider giving this a perfect score, but given that bar is incredibly high, it's a 9/10 for me, and GOTY honours
2. Wolfenstein: The New Order - This game surprised me. Having never played Wolfenstein on previous consoles, this was another title I went into without any preconceived expectations, apart from knowing it was a FPS. World War I & II are profound environments to begin with, however, the 'reshaping of history' mechanic to create a fictional world was an intriguing concept. As the game progressed, it felt like more than a shooter, such was the strength of the story, and the fun I had playing through it. There were some really strong narrative points as you progressed, most notably; the hospital time lapse, the conversation/test on the train and highlight to reveal --> learning about the underground resistance in Berlin Extra points for encouraging me to use stealth tactics in a shooter as well. 8/10 for a game that gave me more than I was hoping for.
3. Shadow of Mordor - It's always bewildered me that game developers haven't pumped more resources into exploring Middle Earth, especially with it being so ripe with lore, and characters that are so easy to support or despise. The opening sequence of SOM instilled high hopes for a compelling story, and who'd have thought the Mordor wasteland could look so beautiful? The combat and finishers were fluid, and the nemesis system was a welcome addition, but looking back, the narrative just didn't quite meet what was promised in the early scenes. It just didn't quite hook me in, and the final scenes/boss fight in particular were disappointing, which left a sour taste. Additionally, I found parallels to my criticisms of the GTA series, in that apart from a few cut scenes, you seem to be carrying out the same rinse + repeat formula, with some exceptions. Even as I type this up, I feel I'm being too harsh - as I did genuinely have a good time playing through SOM. Perhaps it's the lack of replay value, but I just can't put this any higher than third on my list. 8/10
Hon Mentions
Even with all it's short comings, Destiny was unlucky to miss. You're always going to struggle though when my number one criteria is strength of narrative. Peter Dinkledge's phoned in, mono-toned delivery, coupled with unexplained and unfinished story archs, and reliance on Grimwore cards to fill in the blanks, made for a messy execution. That being said, the game still looks and plays extremely well, and the Venus and Crota raids are up there with my most enjoyable gaming experiences of 2014. At this stage, I've pumped a staggering 16+ days into all the game modes on offer, so they must be doing something right. Though I'd suggest this is largely has to do with the studs in the BigFooty community
I'm yet to get my hands on Dragon Age: Inquisition and AC: Unity, and I expect the former to feature in my top three, once I can devote some time to it.
Last edited:
