Some of the best experiences of 2014 came from independent developers, free-to-play games and Nintendo's Wii U. In fact, three quarters of the games I played during 2014 were on either Wii U or 3DS and it definitely shows in this list. While I personally like to play a diversity of games throughout the year, nothing really sunk its claws into me like the offerings on Nintendo's systems during the last calendar year. Before we dive into the games I consider the best of 2014, there are some great games that just missed the cut: Azure Striker Gunvolt, Bravely Default, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition and Infamous: Second Son.
While the games on this list are the best games I played in 2014, there is still on more article in this Year in Review—the Game of the Year. Stay tuned for that article in the coming week and enjoy my favourite games of 2014.
The initial response to the reveal of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was not favourable. During a dire time for Nintendo and the Wii U, fans were hoping for Retro Studios to reveal an epic new title like a new Metroid or whole new IP to turn around the bad situation. Despite their pedigree, nobody wanted Retro to make another Donkey Kong and resentment towards Tropical Freeze ensued. Nintendo and Retro would make the haters eat their words upon the game's release this past February.
Much like Donkey Kong Country Returns, Tropical Freeze brings back pixel perfect 2.5D platforming to the fore front. It is one of the most difficult games available on the Wii U as each level will test the limits of one's reflexes. In being difficult, Tropical Freeze isn't cheap or punishing. With each death, you learn about the intricacies of the gameplay and controls which will help in overcoming the obstacles ahead. In addition to the platforming and difficult, Tropical Freeze adds more Kongs outside of Diddy to accompany DK on his adventure. Each Kong, Diddy, Dixie and Cranky, has their own moves and special abilities to help DK avoid death, collect items and reach secret areas. The option of which Kong to use adds for more experimentation and replayability to Tropical Freeze over its predecessors.
After the slew of great releases for the Wii U in 2014, do not lose Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in the shuffle. It may have come out very early in 2014, but Tropical Freeze is worth it no matter what.
After such a strong 2013, the 3DS had nowhere to go but plateau in 2014. There were a good number of great titles released for the system during the past year, but nothing could compete with the frequency of the releases in 2013. Despite a lighter year for the 3DS, Nintendo and Camelot produced one of the finest titles in the system's history and the Mario sports game period.
Mario Golf: World Tour perfectly blends the superbly tuned gameplay and mechanics from console Mario Golfs with the popular RPG systems of the portable entries in the series. Speaking of the gameplay, World Tour has made the controls more approachable than in past installments. I was adding top spin and back spin to shots with ease, something I found unnecessarily difficult in previous games. In blending styles, World Tour brings the single and multiplayer modes closer than ever before. Everything you do in the single player Castle Club mode prepares your Mii avatar for competition in local and online multiplayer. In particular, the online multiplayer is where World Tour truly shines the brightest as the connection is incredibly smooth and allows players to post scores at their own pace.
Everything in Mario Golf: World Tour comes together to create a cartridge that will stay in your 3DS for months on end.
As great of a game Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was, it didn't turn around the Wii U's struggling sales. That honour goes to Mario's return to kart racing. Mario Kart 8's huge sales were not the result of name alone as the newest Mario Kart is easily the best entry since Mario Kart DS less than a decade ago.
Mario Kart 8 quite literally flipped Nintendo's kart racing franchise on its head with the addition of anti-gravity sections pulled from F-Zero. The use of anti-gravity injects new life into Mario Kart's track design as they twist and turn in intricate ways, contain a plethora of shortcuts and offer plenty of opportunities to gain race-changing speed boosts. Another addition to the Mario Kart formula comes in the form of new items, which improve the game's balance especially the Super Horn. Using the Super Horn to stop a Blue Shell at the last minute is one of the most exhilarating experiences in video games this past year. As great of a game Mario Kart 8 is, the lacking Battle Mode and inclusion of too many clone characters hold it back from being the best Mario Kart ever.
Despite Mario Kart 8's shortcomings, Mario Kart 8 is a ball to play. Along with being loads of fun. the game is the first step in Mario Kart's next major evolution.
Insanity is the best word to use in describing Bayonetta 2. Everything from the story to the characters to the combat will have you laughing hysterically due to the game's over-the-top nature.
With Bayonetta 2, Platinum Games improves on every facet of the original title. The controls are streamlined, combat feels smoother, combos are easier to pull off, levels are better paced, action sequences are more varied and quick-time events are better utilized. On top of all the improvements, Platinum has included a plethora of Nintendo costumes which actually change aspects of the game—even adding an Arwing from Star Fox to one of the vehicle sections—and an online multiplayer mode to tackle waves of enemies with others.
All in all, Bayonetta 2 is one of the finest action games on the market today and a major reason to own a Wii U.
You can't include one of the new Smash Bros. games without the other. While the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game share certain modes, features and the character roster, both offer different experiences.
The 3DS version is naturally focused on shorter, fast-paced sessions of play. In turn, all the modes in the game are balanced for the shorter sessions as rounds of Classic, All Star and the new Smash Run modes can each be completed within 10 minutes. Speaking of Smash Run, this 3DS exclusive mode is just incredible. Smash Run mixes the best parts of the Subspace Emissary and Adventure modes from past Smash game with the core of this series—the fighting. You have five minutes to collect as many power-ups, trophies and other secrets strewn across a ginormous map populated with grunts from different Nintendo franchises. When the five minutes are up, you and your three opponents compete in a Smash Battle or Race to the Finish with enhanced stats.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Wii U version is made for longer play sessions as it is packed to the brim with content. In addition to including all the modes in the 3DS version except Smash Run, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has 8-Player Smash, Event Mode, Master and Crazy Orders, Stage Builder, Amiibo support, Gamecube controller support and Masterpieces. While Smash for 3DS is the appetizer, Smash for Wii U is the full course.
I can go on for hours about all the finer details of these two titles, but we don't have the time or space. Both Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS are among the top tier for their respective systems. Due to both games offering different experiences, I encourage everybody to pick them both up. If you can only choose one, you're getting a stellar game either way.
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