This year, even more so than others, I’ve valued novelty. I get tired of seeing the same things, shooting the same guns, casting the same magic spells cast at the same goblins. Like many of my favorite games of 2015, I’ve never seen anything quite like The Beginner’s Guide. Part autobiography, part short-fiction story, Davey Wreden’s follow-up to The Stanley Parable shows that he’s not ready to rest on his laurels.
So we’re close enough to the end of the year…how about some of that dumb listy goodness? I’ve echoed the fact that I think making Top 10 lists or whatever is dumb, almost as often as I’ve said how much fun I have making them. Quantifying things against each other is a waste of time blah blah blah, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying doing it, and having a nice snapshot to look back on as the year as a whole. As always, I could totally fall in love with something not in my Top 10 years down the line, or regret the placement of some of these within minutes of making the decisions. That’s all part of the game, baby. People change, opinions sway back and forth, and nobody stays in the same mindset forever. Like…I used to say Zelda: Wind Waker was my favorite game of all time. Is it now? Probably not! Maybe! Who knows? Who cares?
It’s never too late for a year end wrap up, right? Though we’re a little bit into 2015, I think there’s still time to take a look back and digest 2014’s games. While it may not have been the most exciting year in gaming history, there were a few standouts to make it bearable amidst GamerGate’s toxic bullshit. While 2014 may not have had it’s share of Gone Homes an Papers Pleases, it definitely had its less-talked about but still deserving Mibibli’s Quests and 2s. Before we get into the why’s and what’s that made 2014 unique, here was my prediction of what my end of the year list might look like, as of January 8th of last year:
Hearthstone is a game I can’t stop coming back to. I’ve put a disgusting number of hours into this silly card game in the last year. No week has gone by where I haven’t played or at least thought about Hearthstone, or more likely found myself awake at 4am begrudgingly taking down another Handlock deck. Hearthstone is a very special game to me, and it brings back a genre I never thought I’d find myself interested in again.
Most card games are hard to get into, with hours of preparation needed before you can want to play competitively. In Hearthstone, once you’ve completed the 30 minutes tutorial, you know the rules. Sure, there’s way more to learn, but you can understand the basics. It’s digital, so all of the math and keeping track of card abilities is always done for you.
Everything you need to know is easily visible and comprehensible. Where something like Yu-Gi-Oh manages health in terms of 1000s, a game of Hearthstone uses only one and two-digit numbers. Magic players build 40 and 60 card decks, while all Hearthstone players use only 30 cards. While Hearthstone may seem more limited at a glance, there are seemingly infinite possibilities that can still come from this smaller set of rules.
You can play Hearthstone with a room full of friends, online against strangers, or anything in between, and you’re almost guaranteed to have a good time. Cracking open new packs with friends had led to some of my favorite gaming moments of 2014, and seeing the golden glow of a legendary card is exciting even when it’s not your own. I’m always a fan of local multiplayer, and Hearthstone has been there many times when friends come to visit.
The community is great as well. As with Dark Souls, the game is so substantial that it supports multiple discussion forums and podcasts, and I’ve spent a fair share of time with them as well. The Angry Chicken and Happy Hearthstone shows have become regular listens during my daily drive, and I look forward to new episodes each week. There’s just so much to discuss, and I’m happy to engage in Hearthstone as much as I possibly can.
I’ve spent more time with Hearthstone than any game in 2014, the year before, and possibly any other game ever. I’m still constantly having great experiences with it, and I can’t stay away. There’s so much personality in every card, every menu. Every card’s voice acting is just as memorable as the outstanding soundtrack. Hearthstone colorful, full of joy, and every piece of design has a reason to exist. Blizzard has poured a lot of love into Hearthstone, and I haven’t seen a better crafted game in a long time.
Hearthstone is a thing I didn’t see coming. I haven’t been into collectible card games since middle school, and have never been a Blizzard loyal. But it’s just so damn good. Hearthstone is a master at never getting old, and even when it feels like you’ve fallen into a groove, they announce a new expansion. Just in the first year, the game has grown by over 150 cards, and there’s no way they’ll be stopping anytime soon.
Hearthstone is an astounding success, and I’m glad to have had been able to play it all year long. Here’s to another.
Since 2003’s The Wind Waker, no Zelda game has given me the sense of freedom I want from the series. Twilight Princess is bogged down with boring fetch quests (literally, because you’re a dog), Skyward Sword has the worst travel system and the most boring filler of any of them, and the DS games just aren’t up to par with even the other handheld games. They’ve all had great parts, I enjoyed a lot of Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, despite having to force my way through the terribleness. But, what if, Nintendo made a new Zelda game without any of the garbage that comes with them? (more…)
Super Mario 3D World is probably, minute to minute, the most fun I had with any game in 2013. The level variety constantly keeps things interesting, and I was always more than ready to see what was coming next. The team behind the Galaxy games and Mario 3D Land is one of the most talented groups making games right now, and they never feel like they’ve gotten stale. (more…)
hippochippies 