Top 10 Video Games of 2014 - Part One

As in years past, I’ve compiled a list of the best games I played in 2014. While some might say 2014 was a slump year for gaming, I felt the case was quite the opposite – granted, some of the titles on this list were not released in this year, but a large chunk of the titles I played this year were released in a window between late 2013 through 2014. In each year prior to this one, I narrowed my ‘games of the year’ down to a select five. However, I felt that doing so this year would serve a great injustice to many of the titles I found to be simply exceptional this year. As such, this year’s list will consist of the ten best games I played in 2014, and will be split into two parts. Keep in mind that the order of these games on this list is not necessarily representative of the score I gave each of them in my reviews, rather a ranking based on which games were the most enjoyable and impressed me the most.

#10) Persona 4: Mixing up many staples of the JRPG genre, Persona 4 offers very deep and rewarding quests both inside dungeons and Inaba’s small town locales like the market, high school, and riverbed. Persona 4 requires you to choose your path wisely, as the social links between characters which will grant you the ability to summon stronger Personas attributed with specific Arcana as well as pave the way to a greater understanding of your friends and party members, cannot all be completed in a single playthrough. There are plenty of ways to boost your stats, from sports and after-school activities, to visiting a local restaurant during one of their rainy day promotions, and each player will naturally prefer certain party members based on skill set and personalities. The game’s greatest flaw unfortunately arrives during the endgame stretch, wherein the story and gameplay become so streamlined and uninvolved on the part of the player, that it becomes a dry, monotonous routine of highlight segments, with no downtime to specialize or focus on specific characters or tasks in-between – perhaps this lull would have been less jarring if the game provided any implication that it was coming.

#9) Grand Theft Auto V: My first proper exploration of Rockstar’s long-running open-world series, GTA V provided me with hours of entertainment, whether it was Trevor’s off-the-wall psychotic antics, Michael’s spiral back into the criminal lifestyle, Franklin’s dreams of grandeur, or simply barreling through downtown Los Santos in a newly-acquired sportscar. The radio chatter and classic rock and hip-hop tunes give Los Santos and its surrounding areas as much in the way of specific flair and identity to the experience as conversations with NPCs and the crazy drug runs, heists, and assassination gigs do. These elements not only steer the direction of the gameplay, they shape the satirical cast of characters and story. While there is a ton to do in GTA V and its easy to get lost in side missions, races, or simply the adventure of exploring this fictional world, Rockstar has done a maginificent job in providing a solid balance of both quantity and quality in what is believed to be their biggest game yet.

#8) Kid Icarus: Uprising: The hybrid between on-rails flying/shooting sections and ground-based action/adventure segments comes across as a bit strange at first glance, but both portions of game design handle quite well, if not with some notable differences. Kid Icarus: Uprising is a game that offers plenty of freedom in selecting and upgrading weapons, and incorporates a smart risk/reward system through its higher difficulty settings. The aesthetic of Greek and Roman mythology is apparent from the outset, but the real charm comes from the humorous interaction between the characters and references to other retro Nintendo properties. Kid Icarus: Uprising could have been a quick and enjoyable experience had it capped out at its initial false ending, but the fact that its lifespan is extended nearly three-fold and it manages to incorporate so much variety into its level and enemy designs makes this 3DS exclusive a real treat – its biggest hindrance being the tax that the frenetic gameplay and somewhat unorthodox control scheme takes on your hands after playing a few stages in succession.

#7) Kirby: Triple Deluxe: Of all its design points, I never expected to be so thoroughly impressed with the manner in which Kirby’s latest outing utilized the 3DS’ internal gyroscope. Puzzles are more immersive as a result, while the 3D effect enchances the implementation of foreground and background items and foes immensely. The story of Kirby: Triple Deluxe is not terribly complicated, though I do wish it had been just a tad longer. Still, its visual presentation is superb, its soundtrack more experimental than what fans might expect of the series, and the final battle intense and challenging, albeit more in line with the tones and aesthetic of something like Final Fantasy.

#6) DmC: Devil May Cry: A bold reimagining for the Devil May Cry series, this new entry, handled by Ninja Theory, boasts what is easily the most fast and fluid combat in the series. Enemies sport varying grotesque statue designs, and the entire world drifts back and forth between a punk Eastern European metropolis and an ethereal realm where the forces of hell sport their true colors. This new, younger Dante spouts profanities left and right, along with cheesy insults, and the dialogue from his more calm brother Vergil as well as any given one of the demonic bosses is similarly cliché, but it is nonetheless entertaining and works well for a series that always opted for the spectacular and over-the-top.

DLC review: DmC: Devil May Cry - Vergil's Downfall

Following the endgame events of DmC, Vergil finds himself trapped in a chaotic realm that seems to give physical form to all his inner turmoil. Still failing to understand how Dante and Kat could deny him his vision of a new Nephilim-governed world, Vergil’s calm and composed demeanor begins to deteriorate as he chases down apparitions of Dante, his mother, and plenty of monsters similar to those he and Dante faced in the city of Limbo. This DLC pack – which includes multiple chapters in a similar, albeit considerably shorter format as the main game – recycles some environmental assets, placing them against a red nebulous backdrop where floating platforms and blue vortex doorways are commonplace.

Vergil’s attacks are considerably faster than those of his brother, and can be upgraded in the same way to increase damage and offer a wider variety of ways to take down foes. Aerial juggles and charged power slashes prove practical for dealing with a handful of weaker grunts, while Vergil’s airborne daggers stand in for Dante’s Ebony and Ivory handguns. A couple of key abilities unlocked late in the DLC as part of the story’s progression prove a real treat, though their fanfare is unfortunately short-lived. Whereas Dante had both Angel and Demon weapons he collected during his missions for the Order, Vergil’s sword Yamato can take on either form with the press of the left or right trigger respectively. Angel attacks do less damage, but allow Vergil to dash about the stage at ridiculous speeds, while the slower Demon slashes do considerably heavier damage that is ideal for quickly boosting the combat ranking from D to S.

Vergil’s Downfall lasts a couple of hours, and while most of what lies in wait is rather predictable, the story does hold a couple of unexpected twists that provide greater insight into the antagonistic brother’s outlook on those around him. The dialogue is rather lazily scripted, but the game doesn’t get too bogged down with telling it, opting instead to let you enjoy the combat and seek out hidden health crosses and lost souls as much as possible. Vergil’s Downfall also takes a curious approach to its cutscenes, with most bearing a thickly-stenciled noir motion comic style instead of fully-rendered 3D character models and environments. Though a stark contrast to the core gameplay of this DLC package, it does not feel out of place, just somewhat lazy, given how stiff the motions are of each and every character rendered in these sequences.

Though the finale of DmC gave us something of a teaser of what might lay in store in a possible sequel game, Vergil’s Downfall would appear to be more concrete indication that Capcom and Ninja Theory intend to continue with this boldly reimagined vision of the Devil May Cry series. There is little complicated about the direction of Vergil’s Downfall – it’s not terribly lengthy to burn through once, though it does offer all the same variable difficulty settings as the core game. Vergil’s Downfall is an epilogue that plays out as a short and streamlined version of the core gameplay familiar to anyone who has already completed DmC: Devil May Cry.

My rating: 6.75 (out of 10)*

*(rating applies solely to downloadable content, not its inclusion with the content on the original game disc or other downloadable content)

Top five video games and anime of 2014 - Spring contenders

There have certainly been years past where I posted my predictions for my end of the year ‘top five’ contenders and many of the anime and video games I mentioned therein did not make the cut, so I suppose I ought to encourage you to take the following with a grain of salt. On the video game side of things, I feel that there is still plenty of room for variation, as some of the 2014 releases I am most excited for are not yet available (Watch Dogs, Ghost Song), while others may follow in the footsteps of Killer7 as older titles that I have not yet properly experienced. As far as the anime side of things is concerned, however, I anticipate that all of the titles mentioned below will end up on the top five list, unless some truly magnificent and mind-blowing release sneaks up on me later this year.

- Video Games –

Killer7 – Weird even by Suda51 standards, Killer7 is something of an antithesis to his Wii cult classic, No More Heroes, as it deals with a dark and serious story of six assassins given corporeal form by one aged Harman Smith, and their intermediary known as Garcian, all of whom are tasked with stopping the mutated walking time bombs known as Heaven’s Smiles and getting to the bottom of a global conspiracy. It’s a game that pays an insane attention to detail as it weaves as thinking man’s story, all the while presenting an odd yet surprisingly well-designed gameplay that combines on-rails shooting with action and puzzle elements, wrapped up in a hyper-cel-shaded package.

DmC: Devil May Cry – Admittedly, this reimagining of Dante and Vergil’s story is a bit on the short side, but what it lacks in length it makes up for with a grungy modern European art style and far and away the smoothest gameplay the series has seen yet. Dante is foul-mouthed, brash and impulsive, but an entertaining anti-hero nonetheless. The boss fights are quite nicely varied, and the demon and angel weapons as creative in design as they are fun to lay a smack-down with.

Grand Theft Auto V – The series that really brought sandbox gaming into the limelight, Grand Theft Auto’s fifth installment sees two men whose glory days have long since passed team up with a young up-and-coming hustler to revisit their criminal tendencies in a gaming world that truly pushes the limits and expectations of what modern gaming is all about. There is so much to see and do in GTA V, and while the heists are intense and thoroughly enjoyable to plan and execute, it is easy to find yourself spending hours on end exploring the metro of Los Santos, stealing cars, planes, ATVs, boats, shooting up rival gang members, purchasing properties for a weekly income, biking to the tops of mountains, taking a submarine to the depths of the bay, base jumping off a skyscraper, or any of the other multitude of activities available. It’s crazy just how much content is crammed into this single game, and even harder to believe just how smoothly it all runs.

- Anime -

Puella Magi Madoka Magica – One of the last genres I expected I would ever watch with such anticipation, Madoka takes the tropes of magical girl anime and turns them on their heads. It’s a dark tale, one that dares to be bold and original, one that dares to provide a practical yet interesting explanation for each plot point, one that dares to follow in the footsteps of Neon Genesis Evangelion without identifying too closely with the pseudo-mecha classic. And while the series does introduce a couple of plot points late in the story that seem a tad out of place, the overall product is a brilliant realization of a heavily-stylized story that gradually layers its relevant information, and one that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure – I’m a bit late to the Jojo's party, I’ll admit, as the 2012 anime provided my first proper exposure to the long-running series. Still, its combination of wacky fighting styles, somewhat darker tone, and classic rock references make for a one-of-a-kind action comedy. Whether it is the first season’s lovable Joseph Joestar that lands the first season on my end-of-the-year top five list, or Stardust Crusaders' incorporation of Stands that secures the second season the title of the superior Jojo’s tale, I can almost guarantee that one season or the other will end up near the top of the stack for 2014.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn – I’ve mentioned a number of times how much I appreciate the time and effort that has been put into this OVA, and while I’m sad to see it go, it has been one heck of a ride over the past couple of years, with each episode being at the quality of a theatrical release. The pacing is spot-on, the balance between mobile suit action scenes and exposition perfect. While it is true that I have yet to view the final episode before writing up a proper review on this, Unicorn Gundam would have to fall flat on its face to make me consider it anything less than one of the very best entries in the long-running franchise.

Xbox 360 review: DmC: Devil May Cry

Swapping out medieval castles and old European townscapes in favor of a more contemporary urban punk Eastern European setting, DmC: Devil May Cry does as much to build upon the standards set by previous Devil May Cry games as it does to reimagine and reinvent one of the most popular action game series out there. While the initial debut trailer of DmC was met with harsh criticism over the presentation of protagonist Dante, veteran fans of the series ought to give this title a second look, as it is far and away the smoothest-playing title in the series. Ninja Theory has decided to cut much of the fat from the upgrade system, and while there are still plenty of new combos and abilities that can be unlocked, they are simultaneously more practical and less complicated than in previous Devil May Cry games. Earning these upgrades is by no means a cake walk – you’re still going to have to put forth the effort into chaining combos in order to gain more points and a better overall score on each mission. But the game does loosen up a bit on the long-standing tradition of pushing for multiple playthroughs by making it so that you can earn enough points on a single run of the normal ‘Devil Hunter’ difficulty setting to fulfill a well-rounded and decently powerful arsenal. That said, a second or third playthrough on any of the seven difficulty settings is required in order to gather all the hidden collectibles.

The secondary weapons have also be retooled for the sake of practicality, but are still visually pleasing and a blast to use. The scythe Osiris and throwing star Aquila stand in as Angel weapons, dealing lower damage, but doing well to stall enemies or keep them at a distance. The gauntlets Eryx and axe Arbiter are slower Demon weapons that deal significant damage, but also leave Dante more open to enemy attacks, as he cannot recover as quickly after striking in order to perform a dodge. These weapons have variable ranges, and can all be incorporated into sky attacks in order to further chain combos. Dante can maintain his chain via his trademark pistols Ebony and Ivory, but as with previous DMC games, these effectively only serve that lone purpose. Meanwhile, two new guns, Revenant and Kablooey, deal notably greater damage with a more frequent reload rate, as a shotgun and sticky bomb launcher, respectively. Dante can also use chains to latch onto foes, whether they are airborne or groundside, and either pull himself toward them or drag them close to him to strike. To top this all off, Dante still has his signature sword Rebellion, which is the default main weapon, still plenty effective at dealing medium levels of damage to foes at a moderate rate.

DmC does well to incorporate many themes from the older Devil May Cry games into this new vision of the game world. At the outset, Dante believes himself a loner who has he unfortunate habit of drawing the attention of Demons and being sucked into Limbo, a plane of existence unseen by the public, but one that nonetheless influences their day-to-day life. It is not long before Dante meets Kat, a young witch who informs him that she knows of Limbo and that her boss, a man representing an organization known as ‘The Order’ wishes to meet with him. The problem is that it is difficult for Dante to lay low for long, and has his fair share of run-ins with demons before Kat is finally able to introduce Dante to the head of The Order, Vergil. Vergil helps Dante to restore his memories, and Dante comes to the realization that they are brothers, both Nephilim, the sons of an Angel mother and Demon father. Dante also remembers that Mundus, the demon who now reigns over the city where they now live, killed his mother and imprisoned his father, and has been hunting Dante ever since. However, the brothers hold one major advantage over Mundus: the demon does not know of the second Nephilim, Vergil, and thus the two hatch a plan with the help of Kat to strike at Mundus’ resources – his propaganda, his poisonous drinks, all that he holds most precious and important – in order to anger him and draw him away from the demon gate, his source of power, long enough that it might be shut.

While DmC boasts but a handful of boss fights, each is moderately intelligent in its design, providing Dante with a different challenge to tackle. They are nowhere near a rounded-out or in-depth as the likes of boss encounters from more adventure-driven games like The Legend of Zelda or even other contemporary action titles like No More Heroes. Still, the majority of DmC’s boss encounters handle about as smoothly as the rest of the experience, and are more a test of Dante’s endurance and adaptability to new threats than anything else. Occasionally, Dante will encounter weapon-specific enemies, which can only be fought with Angel or Demon weapons respectively. This adds an extra degree of tension to combat, if only for brief periods.

Challenge stages make their return, and are divided into different levels of difficulty that correspond to the color locks that bar access until matching keys are discovered. These stages include combat scenarios that limit the damage Dante can deal with certain weapons, and races against the clock to reach the end of a series of platforms. These race-style levels are decidedly more adventure-oriented in their design, and appear a number of times during the main game (sans the time limit) when Dante travels to a dream-like setting to unlock more of his memories. The variation in level design in DmC is one of the game’s greatest strengths, and while you spend the majority of your time in the warped version of reality known as Limbo, the game does pull a few clever punches generally reserved for game series boasting more complicated plots such as Metal Gear Solid or Bioshock.

DmC is surprisingly smart with regards to its scripting. Considering how abrasive and cocky Dante initially comes across as, it’s impressive to see his character progress into an anti-hero players can actually get behind, and to have some genuinely funny bits of humor sprinkled throughout. Much of this is due to the way that the voice actors portray their respective characters, a delivery which comes across as being very natural across the board for Dante, Vergil, Kat, etc. The soundtrack, comprised primarily by tracks written by Combichrist and Noisia, retains some of the metal thrash sounds of older Devil May Cry titles, while adding some electronica into the mix. Yes, there is some dubstep worked in, and while it comes across as a bit silly in the moment, it never steers the atmosphere of the game too far from its roots.

My rating: 9.25 (out of 10)

Gaming Update: Welcome to Los Santos

Due to the fact that I wrapped up most of the games I wanted to complete in 2013 right at the end of the year, my early 2014 playthroughs are still currently underway. Grand Theft Auto V is easily one of the more expansive and longest-running of this early slew of titles, and should be one of the first games I post a review for this year, alongside The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Aside from those two titles, I received Super Mario 3D World and Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition for Christmas, and still have Pokémon Sapphire, the original NES Legend of Zelda, Persona 4, and a couple of Final Fantasy titles I intend to return to this year. I’m actually quite a ways into Persona 4, and feel like that game will become higher priority during this winter/spring season than some of the others, due in part to the fact that I haven’t very far to go before completing it, and the fact that the game has been on loan to me from a friend.

As far as the outlook for the rest of the year is concerned, I really can’t throw out a whole lot of concrete details, simply because I don’t really know what to expect from 2014 with regard to new games. I do intend to pick up Watch Dogs day of release for the Wii U, and I’ll definitely get Kirby: Triple Deluxe. The new Smash Bros. is also a guaranteed purchase for me, though currently, signs point toward that being a quarter three or quarter four release. Bayonetta 2 (as well as a playthrough of the first) stands as a moderate possibility – the game looks cool, no doubt, but I really haven’t been particularly impressed with Platinum as of late, as evidenced in most of my posts from 2013 detailing hands-on experiences with some of their games and demos.

I would like to pick Final Fantasy VII back up later this year, as I truly did enjoy what I played in early 2013. Final Fantasy X did not impress me nearly as much, primarily due to the displeasing battle system and lack of many useful characters. I own copies of both Final Fantasy V and VI that I have yet to start files on, and I clocked a few hours into Final Fantasy IV: The After Years at the end of the summer. Though I realize it isn’t classical RPG in any sense of the term, I’m quite a ways into Paper Mario, and have simply been taking my time with that game, picking it up and clocking in a couple of hours here and there, as I feel like it. There’s a very good chance that title will see a review from me by the end of 2014.

The only other game that currently comes to mind as a potential purchase for this year is Killer7, which is a game I’ve wanted to experience in proper for quite a few years now. With that one, it’s really just a matter of finding a reasonable price for a used copy. I have absolutely zero intention of purchasing either the Xbox One or the Playstation 4, so I will write off any potential reviews from those consoles here and now. From this point out, my reviews of new-school games will be fueled by the Wii U and 3DS, as well as the Xbox 360 and Wii for those odd titles I never got around to playing in proper when they were first released. I suppose DmC might be worth mentioning as having a better-than-decent shot at seeing a review later this year, and Ghost Song is one indie title I've had my eye on since Two Best Friends Play made mention of it on their Facebook page. As for the rest of the year, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what lies in store.

DmC: Devil May Cry E3 trailer

The new Devil May Cry is looking so much cooler with each new trailer. I get the sense that a lot of people have warmed up to this new game over time. Granted, it's still not the same Dante from the older games, but I never felt that was necessarily a bad thing. I think this new direction for the series will prove quite entertaining. And thank goodness, we finally have a release date confirmed - January 15, 2013. Smokin'.