Now that 2014 is done, it gives us an opportunity to look back and think about what’s been great and not so great about games during the year that was. Being the first year of two new consoles certainly had opportunity to set new standards but it didn’t always work out the way we had hoped.

Best games

Backed by excellent production values, Alien Isolation brought a new experience to the venerable franchise.

The best thing I’ve played this year has to be Forza Horizon 2. I am no car enthusiast but this game just nails that joy of taking a car for a spin along beautiful roads and taking in the experience. And it does it in a way that allows even the less skilled of is to enjoy the ride.

As a shooter, Titanfall started slowly but after numerous updates has become an a game that packs a lot of value. Even after nine months on the market there is still a lot there for players.

– The Night Owl

With the rocky new gen console launches, there weren’t any really outstanding games for me for 2014.

– Kitarakae

Shadow of Mordor on Xbox, Path of Exile on PC and the Star Wars RPG.

– TheDarkElf007

The best game for me this year would probably have to be Alien Isolation. Perhaps it was because I was fearful the Alien license was going to be mistreated again but playing Alien Isolation reminded me how good games can get.

Two worthy mentions would be Dragon Age Inquisition and The Crew. Dragon Age Inquisition gets the nod because it does the Dragon Age trilogy a lot more justice than Dragon Age 2 and was the first real RPG for the current consoles (XB1 and PS4). The Crew gets a nod because I truly do appreciate what Ivory Tower were trying to achieve with the MMO and huge open aspects of the world.

– Grocs

Worst games

Seems that in the realms of bad games there was a lot of agreement on the biggest offender of 2014.

Hype got the better of many games; Watch Dogs was one where it could backfire in the long term.

Watch Dogs was so incredibly average for a sandbox game I struggled to finish it. In fact I forced myself to play it just to get my money’s worth as I made the mistake of buying it digitally with no chance of trade.

– Grocs

That would have to be Watch Dogs. The marketing for such a poor game was phenomenal. I hope Ubisoft have learnt that great hype must include a great game.

– Kitarakae

How on earth Ubisoft could turn such an interesting early concept with Watch Dogs and make it into a generic Grand Theft Auto clone is incredibly disappointing. This was meant to be the next big franchise for the next generation… will it survive?

– The Night Owl

Halo The Master Chief Collection for not having multiplayer working at launch.

– TheDarkElf007

Underrated games

Not everything that is released gets its fair share of hype from marketing or word of mouth. Sometimes though a handful of titles exceed their own marketing budgets and become much more popular than anyone expected.

In Sunset Overdrive, the apocalypse has never looked so bright and cheerful.

Path of Exile. It’s free to play and more fun than a lot of retail games I own.

– TheDarkElf007

I think a lot of the indie titles featured here. On my pile of shame is Valiant Hearts: The Great War. While I have not played this yet, the depth of the game play and the content particularly on the eve of the 100 years of World War 1, it seems fitting that this title should be given its fair due.

– Kitarakae

That one is easy. The Crew for me is by far the most underrated game for 2014. It seemed quite a few people just didn’t get it. I’m not saying it was perfect but it was a good start and I certainly hope it makes enough money to justify a sequel.

– Grocs

Early on Sunset Overdrive seemed like an interesting title that reminded gamers of games like Crackdown or Jet Set Radio Future but it didn’t totally gel with anyone. However Microsoft continued to show an incredible amount of faith in it which proved to be correct as the game turned out to be one of the best games on the platform this year.

– The Night Owl

Overrated games

Once again a recurring theme… if you had asked any of us to pick it a year ago I’d wager this wouldn’t have been the one.

In Destiny, we’re sure you can find a story… somewhere…

Bungie was telling everyone within shouting distance that Destiny will be the biggest and best shooter they have ever made; a franchise that will last a decade. What we ended up with is a game whose shooting mechanics show that Bungie still know how to make a great shooter but then they bundle it in a pile of loot grinding and MMO trappings that exist only to hide the fact that the core content within the game is sadly lacking. That they missed the mark so badly made me feel a lot better that I bought this game cheaply and avoided the season pass.

– The Night Owl

Destiny. Bungie’s biggest ever budget and it still lacks a story.

– TheDarkElf007

Destiny, Dinklage down.

– Kitarakae

Have to agree with everyone else. Destiny was the most overhyped overrated game of 2014. It wasn’t a bad game, just not up to Bungie’s usual excellence.

– Grocs

Pile of shame

Valiant Hearts: The Great War has a compelling game behind its amazing art design.

Valiant Hearts – I really want to play this.

– Kitarakae

Dragon Age Inquisition, Valiant Hearts, Far Cry 4, Sunset Overdrive and Assassins Creed Unity. Yes, I bought too many games last year.

– Grocs

Elite Dangerous. Only launched a couple of weeks ago and has already convinced me I need to upgrade my PC in 2015.

– The Night Owl

Just about every game I own. 😉

– TheDarkElf007