What Were the Top 10 Games You Played This Year?

[cha cha]

No real order, just games I have immensely enjoyed on multiple occasions this year. As you may have guessed, a lot of these are fighters and/or multiplayer games. The ones that aren't are the ones I actually got to play with what little time I leave to myself each week

Dragon's Crown
Tomb Raider
Tekken Tag 2
SoulCalibur 5
Bioshock Infinite
Last of Us
King of Fighters 13
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record (MP campaign)
Raskulls
Guilty Gear AC+R

Hey Duder, does Tekken Tag 2 have endings for each specific character?

Yes, amazingly it actually did (with exception of Tiger who just dances for a long time, lol). Most of them vary in quality from full on cinematic CG or full 2d animation, to partially animated stills and hastily put together slide shows. For over 50 characters, I am surprised they did so much to give every character closure.

Tag 2 was really just a big 'thank you' and homage to their long time fans, aimed at profiting off a prolonged asian arcade run (their real bread and butter for this franchise). They took very good care to include every playable character from past tekken games (minus Gon, since he was a licensed guest). The online netcode is pretty amazing for it and they had some great DLC music remix packs/ costume packs from past games, they added a ton of customization options (though not the best implementation of it) and it was a very pleasing overall experience.

Namdai stated they knew the game would not make much, since it catered to existing fans and kind of made it really hard for a new player to pick up and complete in (over 50 characters and a completely new engine to learn is daunting). But they put it out anyways.

If you have ever loved a Tekken, this game is essential to rekindling that love you once had. It has everything a casual to hardcore fan would want in a Tekken game... even though they made Tekken Ball Wii U exclusive >_<... I forgive them though.

LOL at my tl;dr response to a simple question, in which the answer was: yes.

[Luke]

Before I read your post I went to Game Stop and picked it up!

I "100 percented" Tekken 1-6 and Tekken Tag earlier this year, so getting Tekken Tag 2 was a must. One of my favorite gaming activities is to unlock all the Tekken endings and characters in one long sitting. Tekken 3 and Tekken Tag have the best endings imo, but I even love the crappy Tekken games where the ending is a still with text.

Of course since Tekken Tag 2 has 50+ characters I won't be able to get every ending in one sitting, but I do know how I'll be spending my Friday night once my guests leave.

Thanks Cha cha for reminding me that this game exists.

[Jmustang1968]

This one I can better answer as I am a bit behind the curve...

In no particular order...

1. Tactics Ogre (PSP on the Vita) - Playing it again but still havent beaten it on the PSP. Getting caught up in all the side-quest content. I am at end-game. One of my all time favorite games, I have talked about this one plenty.

2. Last of Us (PS3) - Awesome game that I enjoyed from start to finish. Great story and they did all the little details right. I looked forward to jumping back to finish it every day.

3. Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS) - Probably the best Fire Emblem entry yet. They really added some depth to the game and personalization to the characters that was absent in previous titles.

4. Dragon Age: Origins (PC) - Have played previously but lost my save. Restarted the game enjoyed it all over again. I still need to beat this one, but put in a good 20-25 hours.

5. XCOM Enemy Unknown (PC) - Amazing strategy game. As a theme with a lot of my games this year, it was another replay where I didnt quite beat my first time through. I blazed through this play through and was hooked all over again. Great strategic and tactical gameplay and one makes their own stories from the squad of characters.

6. Avadon 2: The Corruption (PC) - I am still playing this for a review. Very old school style PC RPG that reminds me of the old tactical AD&D games of the 90s. I am about 10 hours in, so maybe a bit premature, but despite its dated and barebones graphics and production values, the gameplay is solid.

7. Contrast (PS4) - This one really surprised me. I just loved the graphical style and art in this game. The puzzle/platforming can be frustrating at times, but usually avoids being rewarding and not annoying. If you own a PS4, you should check it out.

8. Final Fantasy XIV ARR (PC) - I played the original FFXIV beta and it was awful. This 're-do' is such a turnaround from the original. They do everything just right for a MMO Final Fantasy. The story is top notch, especially for an MMO, and could be a great single player game on its own. I wish I had more time to dedicate to this, but if I did, I wouldn't play anything else.

9. Hotline Miami (Vita) - Picked it up free on PSN+ and thought to give it a quick try to see what the gameplay was like. I was inevitably sucked in and plowed through it in a few play sessions. Very fun, fast-paced gameplay that is addicting as it can be frustrating. A lot of action but elements of strategy exist to tackling each room of enemies.

10. Shining Force II (Genesis) - Played it again for Together RPG. Another of my all-time favorite classics. 'Nuff said.

[Krejlooc]

Half life 2 VR is, hands down, the best game I played this year. Far and away, no contest, not even close. Hell, Half Life 2 VR was the most impressive game I've played in the last 10 years.

No clue on the other 9.

[Sload Soap]

Cool, I like the Bionic Commando reboot as well. Not a game of this gen or anything, but certainly not as bad as people make out.

My top ten is:

Monster World IV: Amazing game. Gorgeous graphics and a really personable protagonist combined with Wonder Boy's excellent action platformer/RPG hybrid gameplay.

Wonder Boy III: Dragon's Trap: As above but more emphasis on obtaining various monster forms and using them to further your progress, similar to Metroid's progression, except more obvious and more satisfying.

Mega Man X: Yes, I hadn't played this until this year. It's a masterpiece, enough said.

DoDonpachi: Sublime shooter, manages to be both inviting and hardcore at the same time.

Crash Bandicoot 2: A rare early polygonal game that has aged very well graphically. Marry this with the best level design and secrets in the series and you have a great game.

Super Mario Galaxy 2: The most mechanically perfect game I've played this year. When I got to throwback galaxy I felt like the game had been made for my 13 year old self.

Lost Odyssey: Beautiful JRPG that harks back to the glory days of the PS1. Thematically and aesthetically the real evolution of the Final Fantasy series.

Hotline Miami: Some indie titles bring interesting visual or audio flair but lack the gameplay. Hotline Miami is the complete package. It's the meat boy of murder.

Civilization V: I can't get enough of Civ anyway, but the overhaul of the "battle" mechanics and the move to hexagonal tiles seems like a modest change but greatly effects gameplay.

Grand Theft Auto 5: Still my favourite sandbox series. A game where one minute you can be robbing a store in downtown, then move to tipping cows over in a forklift before trying to land a cargo plane in beverly hills. And the missions actually have some variety again!

[dogman91]

Oh man, this is gonna be tough for me as I loved practically all the games I played this year for different reasons. I'm gonna rank them just to be more interesting.

1. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. One of my favorite games of all-time so this one is a clear #1 right off the bat; the most fluid-controlling 2D platformer I've played. The music, atmosphere, and variety are top-notch. Feels like a real adventure. I have no idea how some people can truly hate this game(?); I find that puzzling.

2. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. Holy crap this blew me away. Like DKC2, the dark atmosphere and variety pulled me right in. The puzzles are all unique and never feel like repeats. New gameplay elements get introduced the whole way through and it never got boring. The art is also incredible and inspired. Music is "okay" though. Kick-ass cinematic platformer all the way and a must play for fans of the genre.

3. GoldenEye 007. I specifically held off on modern FPS games just so that this doesn't feel dated to me while playing it, and as such it never did while playing through this; I had a blast! The music from Grant Kirkhope and Graeme Norgate is incredible. I finished all the fast-times and 00 Agent difficulties in this. Don't have anyone willing to try out the multiplayer with me unfortunately. :/

4. Resident Evil. My first real foray into the survival horror genre; tried Alone in the Dark at first and hated it TBH. This however was simply awesome. Loved the cheesiness and atmosphere most of all, and I also love the pre-rendered backgrounds. I especially appreciate the limited supply of ammo you get; it makes the game really feel like survival and involves some strategy. The puzzles made it feel like a point-and-click game, except with shooting zombies; pretty sweet. My overall impression of the survival horror genre so far is that it's awesome. Finished as Chris.

5. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. First time playing a SRPG, and I was hooked. I basically did everything there is to do and maxed out all my characters; finished it on the hardest difficulty. I think this is the first time I was ever truly addicted to a game... I was losing sleep over it just to play it until I notice its 4 in the morning with classes the next day(!)

6. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!. I played the first one and loved it, and then played this one to find that it was way too "cluttered" in comparison (at first). Every time I tried to glide and run around aimlessly like I did in the first game I always ended up crashing into some random NPC wanting me to do something. However I stuck through it anyway and found that this game offers a MUCH deeper experience than the first Spyro. More minigames in the levels, quests, variety of enemies, variety of special attacks, better story, better music... just everything is better with the exception of the vast open spaces being missing, but even then there's some of that like in the hub worlds with the peaceful music. Highly recommended.

7. Metal Gear. The MSX game. I thought this might be hard to get into thanks to it being 8-bit but it turns out it's a streamlined, awesome game. Way ahead of it's time.

8. Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty. DOS version. For the first real RTS game I played I decided to start off with a genre-setter, and it didn't disappoint. I hooked up the music with an MT32 emulator and it sounds amazing, as well as a hack that also allows sound effects. It looks great on my CRT... (had it output the original 15khz resolution through a VGA to component converter, and that's basically how I'm going to play all DOS and MAME games). Another addicting game.

9 & 10. Uh... Pikmin, Streets of Rage, Contra, Castlevania... I'm finding it really hard to decide my preference with these.

[Luke]

7. Metal Gear. The MSX game. I thought this might be hard to get into thanks to it being 8-bit but it turns out it's a streamlined, awesome game. Way ahead of it's time.

How was it "way ahead of it's time"?

[Fragems]

1.Catherine(PS3)
2.The Last of Us(PS3)
3.Lunar: Silver Star Harmony(PSP)
4.Star Ocean: First Departure(PSP)
5.Tomb Raider(PC)
6.Sleeping Dogs(PC)
7.Far Cry 3(PC)
8.State of Decay(360/PC)
9.Skyrim(PC)
10.Xcom Enemy Unknown(PC)

[dogman91]

Before stealth in games really became huge. I'm sure there's other examples.

[Violent By Design]

Should this include games that I've replayed or play annually?