Game of the Year

[NeoCracker]

21 games I played this year have been good.

6 I've been indifferent too.

3 have been not good.

Overall I think this has been an absolutely fantastic year.

[Bolivar]

I played a lot of great games this year but my favorite was Advanced Warfare. The gameplay and setting are very fresh and exciting to engage with and the designers clearly knew what makes these games rewarding. I also think Kevin Spacey's performance and the advanced mocap and animation technology is going to entice a lot of creators from other mediums to take another look at gaming. The rest of the cast was truly excellent as well, the game is pretty much a buddy film starring Troy Baker and Balthier from Final Fantasy XII. Lastly, this is the game that set the new standard for this medium's technology. So far we've had a lot of great-looking games that run decent, and decent-looking games that run great, but this is the first next-gen title that both looks and runs fantastic. I had to adjust myself at first because I wasn't used to playing such a responsive game at such high visual fidelity.

Overall, a great year. It's never been easier to find new games that suit your tastes.

[Vyk]

...That is probably the first valid argument I have heard from someone for pro-CoD anything. Usually they're just addicted to multiplayer, and even they aren't quite sure why. And it makes me invalidate any argument they have for the games

[Skyblade]

So far we've had a lot of great-looking games that run decent, and decent-looking games that run great, but this is the first next-gen title that both looks and runs fantastic.

Which system do you play it on? Because the XBOX 360 version doesn't run native 1080p, and the PS4 version has noted framerate drops down to 40 FPS in intense moments.

Bayonetta 2 released earlier, runs at a solid 1080p 60FPS, and holds a significant edge in aesthetic design. Smash Bros. also holds the edge in technical performance and aesthetics, though it did release a few days later.

[Bolivar]

...That is probably the first valid argument I have heard from someone for pro-CoD anything. Usually they're just addicted to multiplayer, and even they aren't quite sure why. And it makes me invalidate any argument they have for the games

Thanks Vyk! Truth be told this one's an easy game to praise, it's one of those special titles where it's apparent what a labor of love it was for the team. Everything from the game design to the voice actors and audio is really stellar.

Which system do you play it on? Because the XBOX 360 version doesn't run native 1080p, and the PS4 version has noted framerate drops down to 40 FPS in intense moments.

Bayonetta 2 released earlier, runs at a solid 1080p 60FPS, and holds a significant edge in aesthetic design. Smash Bros. also holds the edge in technical performance and aesthetics, though it did release a few days later.

While those games are fair counterpoints, I think they fall under the "looks decent, runs great" category. You could argue they have the aesthetic edge but we're no longer talking about tecology at that point. It's also subjective; these games have completely different settings and I would argue Advanced Warfare is very highly stylized for its genre (the game director is actually a very talented artist).

I play it at full 1080p on PS4. As someone who spends a lot of time modding and tweaking games on PC, framerate dips during intense scenes are expected for me. If a game occasionally drops to the 50s and high 40s, while otherwise staying at 60fps, that's awesome performance in my book. Multiplayer is more or less locked at 60 and even the campaign dips never stood out to me.

[Tigmafuzz]

Oh, and I forgot Wasteland 2 also came out a couple months ago. Maybe not game of the year, but definitely a great title.

[metagloria]

I'm totally cool with Lightning Returns as my GOTY. I played it twice in a row and loved it.

[krissy]

flappy bird

[Bubba]

flappy bird

I had a few goes on this again recently whilst bored. Managed to beat my highest score!

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[Sephiroth]

0. Probably Drakengard 3 - I don't have it yet but it is the world of Nier I. Final Fantasy XIII-3 Lightning Returns West Edition II. Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX III. Final Fantasy X & X-2 HD Remaster West Edition IV. Atelier Escha & Logy The Alchemist of the Dusk Sky

[Ayen]

I only played two games that came out this year. Bravely Default and Telltale's Game of Thrones. Between the two of them I'd have to give it to Game of Thrones.

[NeoCracker]

Yeah, I ended up giving my game of the year to Dragon Age: Inquisition. It was a hard choice to rate that one over the newest Atelier release.

I think this is when Wolf is suppose to go off on how the Atelier series is terrible. ;P

[Wolf Kanno]

Man I didn't really play anything new this year. I still have Bravery Default and Persona Q lying on my desk begging to see some action. I may have to give this to JoJo's Bizarre Adventures All-Star Battle because I'm a huge fan of the series and it was nice to get this fanservice filled game State side even with the name changes. Unlike P4 Arena Ultimax, I didn't have any issue playing the hell out of this and unlocking everything or dropping money for the DLC either so kudos to them for that.

Other than that I've been too busy with my backlog or more important things to really pay attention to gaming this year.

[Del Murder]

Shadow of Mordor is my current GotY. It's awesome.

[Pumpkin]

I've played Bravely Default, Atelier Escha and Logy (barely), Final fantasy XIV, Record of Agarest War Zero (although that one says PC and I played the PS3 version, so that may have been released another year), Tomodachi Life, Tales of Xillia 2, Fairy Fencer F (barely)

Thoughts:
Bravely Default
Atelier Escha and Logy: Only played briefly, but so far
Final Fantasy XIV:
Record of Agarest War Zero:
Tomodachi Life:
Tales of Xillia 2:
Fairy Fencer F: Barely played, just got it for Christmas, but so far so good

The winner would have to be Tales of Xillia 2 for me