I know this list is way overdue, but I thought I may as well do it. Anyway, these games will be on sale soon, so anybody who missed them can pick them up. It saddens me that this list is so short, but it really shows how far gaming has come in the past year, as I know my 2015 list will be much longer.
3 – Five Nights at Freddy’s
FNAF reinvented horror. You are the night security guard for an establishment not unlike Chuck Cheese’s. As you settle in for the night, you get a phone call from the previous night guard, telling you that the animatronics are able to walk on their own at night. You have a limited power supply, so cannot be constantly shutting the doors or looking in the cameras. It is terrifying. The later games in the series take out much of the build up and atmosphere that made the first game so utterly terrifying. If you play the game to much, you get used to the scares and it becomes a game about clicking buttons at the right time. I have only played one hour of the game, but in that time; my payment of $5 was justified, I was scared to the core, and the game made it into the number 3 spot of my favourite games of 2014.
2 – Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor seems like a generic fighting game set in a boring open world, with the Middle Earth name slapped on it. At the start of the game the combat is extremely boring a stripped down system from the Batman Arkham games, it is also unnecessarily hard. The story doesn’t make much sense either as your soul merges with an elven archer, so you can come back to life. At first this seems like a lame excuse to add in a bow and ‘see objectives, and through walls but not in combat’ vision mode. At first the world seems boring with randomised and repetitive objectives spread through the world. The game is not bad, it’s OK at this point.
There is one system that saves the game: the nemesis system. This means that orcs who have killed you before could get promoted in the ranks on Sauron’s army, and they will be more powerful next time you see them. The stories you make with this system will keep you playing the game until it gets good. Throughout the game you are unlocking new combat abilities, and it gets better and better. At one point, the combat gets so good that all the open world activities turn from repetitive side activities to chances to experiment with the combat. At around the point where the game turns from OK to great, you unlock the ability to turn orcs to your side. When you turn an orc, it stays turned, and they will wander around the world, hiding in enemy ranks until you see them again, when they will start fighting for you. As for how the story gets better, well you just stop caring and just think it’s awesome how you are an invincible fighter killing thousands of orcs. This game is really, really fun.
1 – Far Cry 4
I love the modern Far Cry’s. They are amazing open worlds with incredible gunplay. Although I like Far Cry 3 slightly more than 4, Far Cry 4 is still one of my favourite games. See my review for more.
Totem Toast 