Gaming had a pretty tough year this year, what with the whole #Gamergate saga that tarnished a large section of the fan base. But we were also blessed with a lot of great moments and reveals that reminded us just why we all love gaming so much in the first place.
The new generation of consoles came into their own – bringing with them some outstanding HD remakes – and the level of storytelling in video games continues to push them towards the realm of art. We may have a few controversial choices, but here are our top 5 gaming moments of 2014. After all, it wouldn’t be a conversation about games without some controversy.
5. Grand Theft Auto V on Next-Gen
Source: Wolf’s Gaming Blog
You wouldn’t think that adding a first-person view and enhancing graphical details would make such a big difference, but Rockstar managed to prove us all wrong. The graphical capabilities of current-gen consoles are apparent in the tiny details, from the textures of grass and boulders to the explosion of a vehicle – next-gen GTA V looks incredible.
This is only enhanced by the first-person view; it somehow squeezes an entirely new experience out of a game released just a year earlier. Riding a bike while rain pelts the environment, viewing the world through the lens of a pair of sunglasses, flying around in a plane or pulling stunts in your vehicle provide a fresh perspective of San Andreas.
Despite the controversy the re-release saw after complaints arose over the extremely violent nature of the game, it still stands as a fantastic game that should be played by anyone who owns a new generation of console.
4. Kevin Spacey in COD
You cried over his backstory in ‘Pay it Forward’. You were creeped out by his mid-life crisis suffering antics in ‘American Beauty’. You sat in awe as he manipulated his way through ‘House of Cards’. And now, for the first time, you can experience the greatness that is Kevin Spacey in video game format.
In 2014 we saw Spacey lend his likeness and voice to the latest Call of Duty instalment with pretty awesome results, the only mishap being facial emotions not matching up with the intensity of his performance on occasion. The incredible detail of Spacey’s character proved the powerful capabilities of current-gen consoles, while his acting talents led to a blockbuster-style campaign.
Love it or hate it, the Call of Duty franchise knows what it’s good at, and it’s going to be around for a while longer yet. So what better way to reinvigorate a stale franchise than to use the likeness of a well-loved actor channeling one of his most intense characters?
3. Final Fantasy XV – English Trailer
We first heard of Final Fantasy XV (or back then, Final Fantasy Versus XIII) in 2006 during the announcement for Final Fantasy XIII and Type-0.
I know, we can barely keep track anymore either.
Little was known about the game for a long while, until the first trailer was released to an eager audience. Many years and a couple more trailers later, the game was left in gaming limbo, with promises of its completion following the development of Kingdom Hearts III.
In 2014 we finally saw an English trailer for the game, solidifying its continued development. Final Fantasy XV is finally close to release and it looks absolutely incredible.
2. Portable Super Smash Bros.
Source: Flickering Myth
What’s better than sitting around a console with your friends, beating the heck out of each other with Nintendo characters? Sitting wherever the hell you want with your 3DS, beating the heck out of your friends with Nintendo characters, is what.
Add in some random strangers and you achieve mobile gaming perfection.
After three console iterations of the much loved franchise, Nintendo released their acclaimed all-star fighter on the 3DS as a companion to its bigger brother on the Wii U. It holds true to the chaotic spirit present in all Smash Bros. titles, and provides yet another reason to get yourself a 3DS.
Despite the limitations of the 3DS, it’s proven to be a worthy title in the franchise. The game has a large character roster, a ton of great and innovative stages to fight in.
1. Open World Zelda
Source: Gamespot
The Legend of Zelda series – while undoubtedly brilliant – is often criticised for rehashing the same gameplay mechanics with every release in the franchise. In recent years they have attempted to tackle this criticism by adding things to spice the gameplay up a bit, but it has never really seemed like it made enough of a difference.
Enter the Legend of Zelda for Wii U, the series’ first modern open world game.
Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto showed off gameplay footage recently and it looks absolutely stunning, and is on par with some of the better open world environments you usually see in Western games.
I personally can’t help but reminisce over ‘Shadow of the Colossus’ when I see Link traversing across the vast lands of Hyrule on Epona and I couldn’t be more excited to see what Nintendo bring to this new instalment in the franchise.
No Comments