mothra on 23/12/2014 at 18:20

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If I have to pick just one:

Divinity Original Sin .... most fun combat i had in a long time, most fights a delight and/or pain in the right way

Runners up:
Dark Souls 2 .... a game where I love to stand infront of the bossfog and just look at the level scenery while I ponder if I REALLY wanna go in there ..... AGAIN
Path of Exile .... patches, updates, expansions, leagues, pvp, races, community-voted uniques, hideouts, masters, HOLY SHIT, this is for free ?
Wasteland 2.... didnt like the combat too much (and there is ALOT of it) but was delighted by the hard and wideranging decisions, felt really bad for some immediately or afterwards.

Honorable Mentions:
Dragon Age 3 ... not completely my cup of tea but Bioware decided to go full retard with the messaic worldsavior routine, no holds barred. I can applaud that.
Shadows of Mordor .... the OTHER full retard powerfantasy, notable for its really fun nemesis system and beheading never gets old, which makes you forget how bad everything else is

nicked on 23/12/2014 at 20:13

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I dunno about year of release, but here's some stuff I played this year:

* Dark Souls 2 - I can't put my finger on exactly why this isn't quite as good as the first one, but I've not devoured it as voraciously. Still really good, it's more Dark Souls so it could hardly be bad, but just not quite as perfect as the first.

* Assassin's Creed - Black Flag - Beautiful, lovely pirate atmosphere, nonsense plot, difficulty curve so flat you could play it in your sleep. Would like to see an open world pirate game with some actual challenge, and a plot that doesn't have Assassin's Creed's embarrassment of a continuity as baggage.

* Alien Isolation - only played an hour or so of this so far, but it takes the award for best AAA art direction I've seen in a while. Stylish, next-gen gorgeousness.

* Steamworld Dig - interesting mix of Terraria-ish digging and Metroidvania progression in a fun cartoony style, but a bit too simple and short to be very memorable.

* Shadow Warrior (the new one) - really solid first person shooter with old school level design and excellent melee combat. Would have liked more of the Serious Sam-level hoards of enemies that only came at the end of the game, but only because the combat is all so fun. It's just a shame the story is a bit naff and it's nowhere near as funny as it thinks it is.

* Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon - finally got around to this while everyone was talking about Far Cry 4. Funny with a good aesthetic, and crucially, doesn't outstay its welcome, which it definitely would have if it had been much longer.

* Octodad: Dadliest Catch - worked as a surreal gag in the initial free version. Works nearly as well in the full version, but could have done with being longer with more variety of gameplay.

* Shadowrun Returns - bought this on a whim after seeing the isometric graphics. Certainly not disappointed. Including Dragonfall, one of the most exciting RPGs I've played, and a worthy poster boy for Kickstarter success.

* Delver - pixel art first person rogue-like. I don't usually like rogue-likes, but I gave it a chance on the strength of the charming graphics. Short, sweet, fun, well worth the £3 I paid for it.

* The Fall - genuinely interesting sci-fi concept in a 2D platform puzzle setting. I need to go back to this and give it a proper go when I have more time.

nicked on 23/12/2014 at 20:16

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It's 100% designed for controllers. I'm sure one could get used to using a mouse and keyboard with it, but the difficulty curve would be a fair bit steeper. A wired 360 controller would be a wise purchase in my opinion. ;)

Renault on 23/12/2014 at 21:16

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Malleus may have something to say about that.

Starker on 24/12/2014 at 00:00

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Seriously, just get a controller. A Logitech F310 or a wired 360 are both affordable and make life so much easier. Playing it with a KB&mouse is a bit like trying to brush your teeth through your asshole.