Best of 2014 Selections

Alien Isolation

“A zombie dog crashes through a window.” That was status quo video game horror for almost two decades. There were others, say a bloody pyramid headed figure, but they existed outside of mainstream acceptance. Thus Alien Isolation which dramatically (and slowly) recreated a known cinematic threat and used it unexpectedly — not as a target for machine gun fire, but a genuine force of slithery anguish destined to split open chest cavities without warning. Actual fear, the type which races the pulse and rises blood pressure, is difficult. Isolation uses it as a central gameplay voice.

Bayonetta 2

In a year of intolerable blabbering about feminism and its supposed negative impact on video games, out slipped Bayonetta 2. Lovingly crafted. Bayonetta 2 was expressive with regards to its outrageous heroine. Easily ignoring the mordantly sexualized and decidedly foreign ideals from which Bayonetta herself was born, this generous sequel splatters the screen with satirical dialog backed by lush aesthetics. It’s golden, pretty, outlandish, and explicit. If this is femininity encroaching on hallowed masculine ground, bring more.

Desert Golfing

Where guns and blood once reigned, now there is a ball. And two shades of brown. Oh, and it is unfathomably good. Desert Golfing shows there is a place for shrewd simplicity in an era of ballooning development budgets. No, Desert Golfing is never satisfying. Rather it is irritating and unforgiving. It makes straight vertical lines maddening. Yet hitting the ball into a square cup is a sign of pointless accomplishment: There are still thousands of such holes waiting without end. Still, there is a driving force which says to continue for reasons unclear, but probably for the effortless way in which Desert Golfing fits the needs of the specific on-the-go platform just as Tetris did for the Game Boy.

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Edition

While Reaper of Souls intrudes on the traditional form of purchased video games with DLC and necessary server-side updates (Diablo III will never be as infinite as Diablo II), developer Blizzard shows an uncanny dedication to community requests, stretching a relatively minimal purchase into almost limitless gameplay possibilities. Diablo III barely represents the abhorrent “always on” anti-consumer mess it once was, altering an astonishing level of content to effectively remake their number crunching action RPG from the inside out. Diablo’s monster mashing has never been so fluid or new — again.

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse

Seemingly doomed after the retail failure of her inaugural Game Boy Color adventure, passionate developer WayForward has taken their superstar into another echelon with the spunky Pirate’s Curse. The game’s colorful enthusiasm and darling dialog enhance a vivid, almost perfect 16-bit era throwback with plentiful skill hunting. In-between the hair whipping and super human abilities, Pirate’s Curse becomes precious, where previous foes join forces to eliminate a scumbag zombie while enhancing the literal and metaphorical magic of the independently born Shantae universe.

Shovel Knight

With the Kickstarter scene overflowing with obnoxious, overly difficult 8-bit era reruns, Shovel Knight celebrates the artistry of the pixel, the gratification of a precision jump, and the freedom to do anything no matter how absurd. Utterly unreal, Shovel Knight’s kingdom is infested with oddball enemy forces which are a delight to dispatch. By using premium, well tested level designs, Shovel Knight shows how much artistic merit was left behind on aging hardware in an exchange for progress. Thankfully, someone still sees the necessity (and clarity) of 2D.

Valiant Hearts

After a fetishistic console era of World War II shooters, in steps Valiant Hearts, arguably the only thing uber-studio UbiSoft did right in their dismal 2014 output. While fictional, Valiant Hearts spies the crucial historical facets of the Great War through creative puzzles and meaningful companionship. Storytelling builds people and friendships whether the lines of warfare divide them or not. In the end, there is only one goal: survival. Valiant Hearts does not pander to dramatic influence or directly expose horrors; it thematically passes through them. Everyone is allowed to process the information on their own terms.