Game of the Year 2014: Rhys’ Top 5

3. The Walking Dead: Season Two

One of 2012’s more surprising hits was Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead, an episodic adventure title that allowed players to choose their own story in the universe of the popular comic book series. While the story of Lee and Clementine was one of the most engaging ones I’ve experienced in some time, I know I wasn’t alone in wanting more from the game, and thankfully, Telltale delivered with The Walking Dead: Season Two.

Picking up several months after the heartbreaking ending of the first game, Season Two depicts Clementine in a whole new way, showing how her character develops and survives in a world where she’s now more or less on her own. Telltale shows this story the same way as in the first game by allowing players to choose Clementine’s words and actions, which can ultimately either help or hinder her in the end as the story changes around her. While the game may feel more like an interactive animated film at times, it does encourage multiple playthroughs to see what different events can occur in the story. Telltale’s second outing in the world of The Walking Dead was definitely a hit for me, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it continues in the inevitable third season.

2. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Before I explain why I chose this game, I want to make it known that prior to actually playing the game, I was more than skeptical. Advanced Warfare‘s developer, Sledgehammer Games, was involved with Modern Warfare 3 (One of the most bland Call of Duty games in my opinion), and the less said about 2013’s Call of Duty, the better. When I first played Advanced Warfare though, I was more than pleased. The game features what is hands-down the best Call of Duty campaign since Black Ops (Or Modern Warfare 2, if that’s your thing), with an engaging story featuring characters portrayed by Troy Baker, Gideon Emery, and Kevin Spacey.

What really makes the game shine, however, is how it shakes up the classic Call of Duty formula. The game takes place far in the future, and it takes full advantage of that by way of exo-suits that give the player ways to double-jump, boost to the side, hover, become invisible, and more. While these features would break the game’s multiplayer balance in any other Call of Duty game, Sledgehammer did an outstanding job at making sure matches are still evenly matched. 2013’s Ghosts may have been “just another CoD,” but Advanced Warfare proves that the series still has what it takes to be the king of modern competitive shooters.

1. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Last year was a great year to own a Nintendo system. From classics like Mario Kart 8 to cult classics such as Bayonetta, the old-but-gold company proved that even in the modern era, its games are some of the most fun ones out there. As some expected, though, the year was capped off by a set of stellar releases on not just Nintendo 3DS, but also Wii U: Super Smash Bros. (… for Nintendo 3DS and for Wii U.) Featuring the same classic Smash gameplay we’ve come to expect for the past ten-plus years, the games expanded in several great ways, featuring new characters, stages, assist trophies, and game modes. To top it off, both games finally gave us a way to play Smash online with friends (and yes, I’m ignoring that Brawl had online multiplayer, because unlike Brawl, Smash 3DS/U‘s actually works). While bigger and better is certainly great for a game like Smash, its enjoyment comes down to its great fighting gameplay, and the way you can mix-and-match different Nintendo universes together– seeing Link, Mario, Duck Hunt’s dog and bird duo, and Wii Fit Trainer duke it out on Mute City will never get old. While they may not play very differently from past titles at their core, Smash for 3DS and Smash for Wii U are two of the most downright fun games I’ve played in a long time, which leaves me unable to name any other game(s) as my top game(s) of 2014.

And there you have it. As I said before, 2014 had us playing many memorable games (for better or worse). While there were some occasional blunders like Assassin’s Creed: Unity, the year still had some very fun and engaging games, with there being something on offer for almost everyone. What were your favorite (or least favorite) games of 2014? Let us know in the comments section.