The VG247 Games of the Year

The VG247 staff pick their favourite games of the year - did that one with the space guns make the cut?

You've already told us your games of the year and it was a very impressive top 10.

So now it's the turn of the VG247 crew, because believe it or not, we also play games for our own pleasure. We each pick three games of the year and then make wild statements about why they are VERY IMPORTANT and why YOU SHOULD GIVE A S**T.

Patrick Garratt, publisher

• Hearthstone

Considering Hearthstone is “just” a card-battler, Blizzard’s latest IP caused an enormous stir this year. Not only did it flatten Magic’s status in the genre with all the grace of a Tyson hook, but it signaled Blizzard’s arrival on the mobile scene with a superb tablet version. Hearthstone may be a simple concept, but its importance shouldn't be understated.

A game as playable as anything else Blizzard has ever released, Hearthstone is unequivocal proof that free-to-play doesn't have to be evil. Everyone I know has at least tried it. I have personally played this game for many, many hours, and have hopelessly addicted hardcore gamer friends. A lot of people play Hearthstone a great deal.

I was half-and-half. I loved it, and I have spent money on Hearthstone, but a flatness in the formula stopped my regular play. But, regardless, it’s one of 2014’s most significant releases, and one I doubt I’ll ever delete from my hard drive.

• Destiny

"How anyone can not look back on the middling review scores they pulled out of the air less than a week after release and not be interminably embarrassed is beyond me"

Destiny is an amazing, controversial game. When its elements correctly tessellate, it's a unique shooting experience capable of dragging millions of people through the same instances hundreds, thousands of times. Seeing Destiny as anything less than a phenomenal achievement is literally wrong. That is an objective statement.

I've said it before, but Destiny's second-to-second shooting is the most engaging and balanced I have ever seen. How anyone can not look back on the middling review scores they pulled out of the air less than a week after release and not be interminably embarrassed is beyond me.

I dropped 50 hours on it like small change, but that wall beyond level 25 was just too much for me. It’d be easy to say I’d still be playing every night if not for the new-gen GTA release, but that wouldn’t be true. I stopped because grinding unchanging content over dozens of increasingly difficult dailies and Strikes became dull. Destiny blew my mind, but there are only so many times I can listen to Dinklebot say exactly the same thing at exactly the same point in exactly the same mission. Something had to give.

I’m sure I’ll return in the future, but, as incredible as it is, I’m done for now. So there's no GOTY tick from me.

• Grand Theft Auto 5

GTA 5 is my game of the year. I knew it was good - you can't really sell 34 million copies of a bad game - but an investment of over 150 hours in both the Story mode and GTA Online has shown me a depth of vision and breadth of scope that has, in my experience, no equal. I'm not even close to stopping playing. No, of course it isn't perfect, but it's still the most obvious top-score game I've seen in recent years.

Many major franchises are capable of surviving hardware leaps, but there's only one able to span generations with a single game. That Rockstar was confident enough to launch the same title on advanced hardware only a year after the initial release, first-person cameras and a breathtaking visual boost included, is testament to the apparently unshakeable pole position of the publisher, the mythical development skills of Rockstar North and, of course, GTA 5 itself. The new-gen launches were a watershed console event, and I've no doubt we'll see similar activity surrounding the PC release early next year.

While the upgrades are yet to truly take effect - as highlighted by disappointing matchmaking in GTA Online's new versions - claiming GTA 5 isn't one of the greatest pieces of interactive software ever made is in the same area as climate change denial. You must buy it. This is a must-own video game. My winner of 2014.

Next: Brenna bleats on about her top 3.

Brenna Hillier, news editor

• Goat Simulator

Video games are at their best when developers take the medium seriously, and to me that means more than trying to make the “Citizen Kane of games” with a multi-million selling, multiplayer-enabled military shooter. It means experimenting, exploring and highlighting the qualities unique to video games rather than cynically ticking a focus tested list of design pillars.

Goat Simulator is a playful prototype turned April Fool’s Joke turned genuine phenomenon. Coffee Stain’s pointless sandbox is pure play. It doesn’t say anything about the state of the world. It just presents you with some assets, a way to interact with them, and a cheer when you do – well, anything.

This is gaming stripped of its trappings to reveal the pure core of joyous interactivity, and its tremendous fun. It also manages to poke fun at a whole range of other kinds of game, which is something this serious business needs. This is the kind of game that lays the foundation for that Citizen Kane to be.

• Dragon Age: Inquisition

"Inquisition speaks directly to the experienced RPG gamer first and foremost. This is not a game for people who can’t read tool tips and menu pages."

BioWare’s life-eater is a triumph both in terms of how much it improves on previous entries and how little it changes. The core tenets of Dragon Age: Origins remain firmly in place, unchanged by industry fashions, and so we get an ambitious narrative, a boldly enormous cast of diverse characters and old-school style RPG gameplay that takes no prisoners and performs little hand-holding.

In Dragon Age: Inquisition, we see what happens when a developer and a publisher learn from a misstep. Where Dragon Age 2 was rushed to market, Inquisition was delayed. Where Dragon Age 2 made a bit for accessibility, Inquisition speaks directly to the experienced RPG gamer first and foremost. This is not a game for people who can’t read tool tips and menu pages. I love it.

• Destiny

It will come as no surprise that Destiny is scoring so highly among the VG247 staff; we make no secret of our obsessions. Bungie and Activision have done something amazing with the first truly successful shooter MMO: take a core gameplay loop and not ruin it with the trappings of the connected future.

Destiny’s continuous evolution over the past few months has been a wonder to watch. The high-level, dramatic design changes Bungie has made to multiple systems is the result of direct interface with players, and unprecedented in a triple-A console game. What Bungie learns from its players, it enacts, so that with each patch and expansion we get closer and closer to a game that makes me seriously consider investing in an IV and a catheter, so I don’t have to leave the couch all weekend.

Destiny is not perfect, as nothing is, but I suspect it might be, one day. I’ve never believed that about a game before.

Next: Sherif's choice includes a brand new IP and a really old favourite.

Sherif Saed, staff writer

• Dark Souls 2

Dark Souls 2 was the first Souls game I’ve played. The game was so good I went back and played the original Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls.

I’ve always put off every attempt from my friends to get me to play those games, fearing what I thought would be endless frustration. The first time I started the game, I thought I would just put in an hour to see what the fuss is about. I ended up playing over six, losing all track of time like a child who has just been given his new favourite toy. And not once did I rage quit or get frustrated because I died. I welcomed it, each death taught me something and made me better at it.

The game’s combat is the best of any RPG I’ve ever played. It’s rewarding, violent, tactical, mostly fair, and more importantly, greatly satisfying.

I would later realise that Dark Souls 2 is maybe not the strongest Souls game, but it was my first Souls game, and for that, it earns a special place in my list of top games this year.

• Sunset Overdrive

"I wish Insomniac had called it Doing Cool S**t: The Video Game"

It’s one thing when a game tries to be “funny” or “edgy” by having an eccentric character, off-beat dialogue or a wacky weapon. It’s another thing entirely when the game embodies that vision, embraces it through and through, and delivers on every aspect of it without compromise. It’s this sheer consistency in Sunset Overdrive’s design that makes it one of the best games to come out this year.

The gameplay is a well-executed mix of Jet Set Radio and Dead Rising. It’s fun and frantic without being too overwhelming. Your corridor shooting experience will be of no use here, this is a game about pulling off stylish actions in a vibrant and treacherous world, all while mumbling obscenities and listening to guitar shredding. It’s an ongoing rave that doesn't let up.

Sunset Overdrive revels in its own nonsense, a game filled with writing, design, gameplay mechanics, characters, and entire levels dedicated to “the joke”. Nothing in it feels uninspired or formulaic. I only wish Insomniac had called it Doing Cool S**t: The Video Game.

• Wolfenstein: The New Order

Wolfenstein: The New Order is my game of the year. It’s the most pleasant surprise of 2014, and it’s proof that reboots of old franchises can be great, regardless of your preconceived notions of what they should or shouldn't be.

TNO delivers on all fronts. It brings back old-school shooting mechanics, level design and combat. How Machine Games managed to do all that in a game released in 2014 without it feeling outdated or pandering is but one of the few reasons that make it one of the greatest games to come out this year.

The game’s design is void of missteps or missed opportunities. There’s not a single boring character, unnecessary exposition, badly-designed level, half-realised mechanic, or ham-fisted attempt at telling a story. All the pieces, whether in gameplay or storytelling, come together and they stop to make room for a 20-minute shoot-out or an out-of-nowhere love scene when it needs them to.

All this while telling a simple story of revenge and killing Nazis, through whimsical characters and inner-monologues that would feel right at home in a Terrence Malick film. If this is a precursor of Machine Games’ future work, then I cannot wait to see what's next.

Next: Steph dusts off the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Stephany Nunneley, global news editor

• Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls – Ultimate Evil Edition

Diablo is one of my favorite game franchises of all time, so when Diablo 3 came out in 2012 and didn't live up to the hype for me, I was not only disappointed but saddened as well. I'd waited 12 years (12 YEARS!) for this game and come level 20 I quit. Between various launch issues and boredom, I stopped playing it and went back to Torchlight 1 & 2.

Not too long ago, the boyfriend brought home Reaper of Souls – Ultimate Evil Edition. He too had stopped playing the PC version having become disillusioned with it, and thought he'd give it another try.

Like some PC elite snob I rolled my eyes at the idea of Diablo on a console. Wow, was I ever wrong.

Thanks be to Anu because Blizzard got it right this time. I never encountered technical issues; the graphics on PS3 weren't too shabby, the inventory was less cumbersome and the new Crusader class was a blast to play and made me take back every negative comment I made regarding the game.

With the release of the Ultimate Evil Edition, I feel that Diablo fans such as myself were finally given the game they had waiting over a decade to play. Thank you Blizzard. Don't take so long next time.

• South Park: The Stick of Truth

"Not the best RPG in the world but it is the most hilarious one I have ever played."

This game isn't the best RPG in the world by far, but it is the most hilarious one I have ever played.

It has some really irritating performance issues such as the sound not syncing up with the on-screen action, but aside from a few glitches and getting frustrated (especially at a higher level when weapons were no longer effective and magic became king) I spend the majority of the time laughing my ass off.

As a long time South Park fan I have to say this is my second favorite Game of Year. If you have yet to play it here's a hint regarding companions: Kyle kicks ass, and Butters? Well, how can you not like Butters?

• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

I knew going into this it wasn't a Lord of the Rings game despite having Middle-earth attached to it, which means I fired up the game with an open mind – leaving my Tolkien snobbery at the door.

The reason I picked SoM as my Game of the Year? The depth. Yes, it's a hack n' slash at its core. You are basically going around killing orcs and monster in the most painful way imaginable like any action games in the same vein. But the various ways in which you can pull of a hit – the stealth, kill combos, Wraith mode – were a refreshing mix into an otherwise tired genre.

The nemesis system is top notch, and extremely frustrating. If you do not actually kill an orc by cutting the bastard's head off he will come back. Looking worse for wear, granted, but he's pretty p**sed at you. These orcs are no picnic either, some are rather difficult to dispatch as each has its own strengths and weaknesses. This adds multiple layers to battling your enemies so you have to think about how to approach each enemy ahead of time. I like the idea of planning an attack.

Two things frustrated me immensely when I first started playing Shadow of Mordor: the PC controls and the difficulty level. Both frustrations were abated when I purchased a wired Xbox 360 controller for my PC. Because of this I went from borderline loathing the game, to loving it and dubbing it my Game of the Year.

Next: Matt talks some more bullshit

Matt Martin, editor

• Destiny

"The sense of community around the game is incredible. I've had some of the best co-op moments in any game ever."

I only got to level 23 in Destiny but I enjoyed every minute of it. I was dismissive of the whole idea of this space MMO before it went live, but once I got going I didn't want to stop. I've never really played an MMO before and I'm glad Destiny was my first real experience of one.

The sense of community around the game is incredible. I've had some of the best co-op moments in any game ever, and I've been sharing them with other players. Even now I've stopped playing it there's always someone on my Friends list exploring the Moon or other place, and I get little flashbacks.

If Titanfall gave me a taste of how much fun always-online multiplayer would be, Destiny convinced me this is how I'm going to be playing a lot of games in the future. It's also one of the few games I know I'll go back to after a gap of more than a month. I've been getting tingly over The Dark Below and once a certain other game is out the way I'm going to gear-up and head back in.

• Outlast

When this hit PS4 I barely knew anything about it but it quickly took me back to Silent Hill, The Suffering and Siren; games that have scarred my mind as the best horror experiences I've ever played. There's been a steady renaissance of horror games over the past 24 months and it's a trend I'm happy to get behind. The PT demo really freaked me out and gives me hope for Kojima and Del Toro's future horror. The Evil Within kept me entertained for a short period, but its emphasis on action over scares left me bored by chapter 10. I keep telling myself I'll go back but I doubt I will.

But Outlast? Outlast made me jump throughout and kept the feelings of repulsion (particularly in add-on Whistleblower) going until the bitter end. A man with a chainsaw doesn't freak me out any more, but a naked seven-foot dude with his cock swinging and teeth bare? Yep, that still puts the willies up me.

• Grand Theft Auto Online

I'm aiming to hit Rank 100 by Christmas, because you need to have goals in life. Last year was all about GTA V for me. Franklin, Trevor and Michael are like family.

This year - at least from June onwards when we had a bit of a mid-year crisis on VG247 - has been all about GTA Online. I came to VG247 after years of writing about Very Serious Video Game Subjects and it sucked the fun out of gaming for me. After a few months of poking around it was GTA Online that slapped me around the cheeks and reminded me of the absolute belly laughs and high-end thrills you can find in games.

I have two constants in my day now. One is work, the other is GTA Online. It helps me live out my hiphop and American gangster fantasies. I can't get enough of thrashing vehicles around Los Santos, spraying bullets across the map, swooping choppers under bridges, cranking the radio up and exploring one of the most detailed and beautiful places every created in a video game.

I see a difference between GTA V and GTA Online even though they're on the same disc. They honestly feel like different games to me. GTA V was a wild ride in the shoes of three great characters (and I do believe they are great characters), but Online is personal. It's all about me, and being self-obsessed, it's why GTA Online is my game of the year.