Thursday, January 01, 2015

My favorite games of 2014 (that were released before 2014)

As much as I enjoyed playing through the handful of titles discussed in yesterday's "favorite games of 2014" post, I found the ones addressed below--some of which were released in 2013 and some of which were released long ago--to be far more adventurous, unique and exciting experiences.


Attack of the Friday Monsters! (3DS)--One part "summer vacation sim" and one part rock-paper-scissors card game, this Kaz Ayabe-designed eShop title is the kind of release that causes some people to proclaim it the best thing since sliced bread (or the gaming equivalent, at least) and others to deride it as boring tripe. Can you guess which side I lean toward? Actually, I wouldn't call Attack of the Friday Monsters! a masterpiece, but it certainly deserves praise for providing the medium with a thoughtful and heartwarming story and for prompting feelings of nostalgia where they have no right to exist.


EarthBound (SNES)--Would you believe that I'd never "beaten" this classic RPG before this year? I'd played through bits and pieces of it before then, but none of those previous playthroughs got me even halfway through its story. I'm glad I finally got over that hurdle in 2014, as this is the rare digital adventure that somehow, someway gets more fascinating and thrilling with each and every step. In fact, I loved the time I put into Shigesato Itoi's second foray into the world of video games in 2014 so much that I'm considering devoting a similar amount of energy to it this year.


Final Fantasy Adventure (GameBoy)--Here's another game that I touched on as a teen but failed to complete until 2014. And just like the above-mentioned EarthBound, once I finally sunk my teeth into this portable endeavor I couldn't help but kick myself for not making my way through it earlier. Of course, it's kind of hard to believe I didn't make my way through it earlier, as it's basically a GameBoy-based precursor to Secret of Mana (which means it's equal parts Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda), a game that I all but offered my soul to in the early 1990s. Sadly, I still haven't seen Final Fantasy Adventure's credit roll, but I'm going to do my best to rectify that in 2015.


The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)--Speaking of games that have prompted me to kick myself in 2014, a good part of me wishes I could go back in time and purchase A Link Between Worlds earlier than I did, as it really should have been among my "favorite games of 2013 (that were released in 2013)." Oh, well, better later than never, right? Anyway, A Link Between Worlds is the best, most refreshing Zelda offering I've encountered since I first obsessed over Ocarina of Time back in 1998. The highlight of this tightly produced package, in the opinion of yours truly: the combat, which feels so good that it's easy to forget you're nudging a circle pad and pressing buttons rather than actually racing around and swinging a sword with all of your might.


Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest 3 (3DS)--Considering how much I loved (more like frothed at the mouth over) Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest 2, aka Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, it's almost unfathomable that I waited until just a few weeks ago to begin its 3DS-focused follow-up. That inexcusable feet-dragging can be blamed, at least in part, on this game's not-so-appealing aesthetics, although now that I've gotten used to them I can say without hesitation that they're less atrocious than they first appear to be. There are other flaws worth mentioning here, too, such as how Slime MoriMori 3's gameplay is nearly a mirror image of its predecessor, but none of them really matter thanks to the fact that the overall enterprise is just as fun as Square Enix's earlier effort.


Solitiba (3DS)--When I first heard that this Game Freak-developed eShop title would combine horse racing and solitaire, I was more than a bit disappointed. Granted, I was glad it wasn't going to be yet another Pokémon sequel or spin-off, but I wasn't sure this confounding mash-up would be a whole lot better. Boy, was I wrong. Every single element of Solitiba is so spot-on that the entire endeavor winds up being thoroughly entrancing. In fact, I've had a hard time putting it aside for other games since I started playing it a number of months ago--which goes a long way toward explaining how I could've put nearly 60 hours into it in such a short period of time.


Sweet Fuse: At Your Side (PSP)--To be honest, even after being convinced (by the overwhelmingly positive word of mouth attached to it) to pick up a copy of this portable visual novel, I wasn't at all sure I'd like it. My only prior experience with the genre involved playing through another PSP title, Hakuōki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom, and while I found that game to be surprisingly fascinating, I worried it would be difficult to replicate those feelings with this seemingly less serious counterpart. I needn't have fretted, of course, because Sweet Fuse is every bit as captivating as Hakuōki, if not more so. I'm still not a fan of how such games basically force players to use a walkthrough if they want to wind up with the men of their dreams, but even with that "requirement" in place Sweet Fuse is well worth a look if you find its premise at all intriguing.

Honorable mentions: Etrian Odyssey IV (3DS), Taiyou no Tenshi Marlowe (GameBoy) and Zoo Keeper 3D (3DS)

22 comments:

Kaze said...

Great list!! I still need to get back to my virtual console 2nd time play through of Earthbound! I'll be back to all my non portable consoles in a few days so I'll probably go on a gaming binge! I still need to pick up Sweet Fuse too!

thegaygamer.com said...

Yes, I highly recommend picking up Sweet Fuse, Marty. It's great! What console games are you most looking forward to playing, by the way?

Kaze said...

Definitely Bayonetta 2 and my Super Famicom copy of Dragon Quest III! Also, my boyfriend picked up a PS4 since I've been gone, so I'm excited to check that out! I'll probably try a bit of Dragon Age Inquisition and the Evil Within! lol I'm glad Santa was good to you!

thegaygamer.com said...

All of those sound great to me, Marty! I look forward to hearing what you think of them ^^ BTW, are you going to start blogging again soon? I hope so!

Junko said...

I say for me Link Between Worlds and Persona Q were my favorite. I spent
countless hours playing those two games, even now I am playing the hell
out of Persona Q.

RetroKingSimon said...

I'm sorry to say I haven't played any of these, although the fact that I don't have a 3DS accounts for about half of them :P They all look cool enough though :)

RetroKingSimon said...

I was thinking of making my own list like this... until I realised that I have not actually played any games that were released this year :P Nice selection though :)

Also, I have to post as a guest now as this bloody Discus thing wants to access my 'personal information' :|

thegaygamer.com said...

Yeah, I'm very 3DS-centric these days, Simon. Hopefully that doesn't piss off or bore too many people, but what can you do? At least I also like various retro systems, and soon I'll be adding a Vita to my "arsenal," so... :)

Justin Difazzio said...

It's a well-made list, Bryan. Knowing what you have and haven't played helps, too. Thanks for sharing that.

Justin Difazzio said...

I couldn't tell you how happy I am to hear you finished Earthbound and enjoyed it. That warms the cockles of my Snow Wood Boarding School heart.

thegaygamer.com said...

Thanks, Justin. Really, my point in publishing a post like this was to let people know which games, of the ones I actually played, I enjoyed the most this year. That's why I say "favorite" games of 2014 rather than "best" games of 2014.


I wish I could play more current games for more current systems each year, of course, but it's just not possible when you have a full-time job (that isn't "games writer"), when you don't get many free games and when you like retro systems and games.


By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what were your favorite games of last year?

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, it makes me happy, too, believe me! I really can't believe it took me so long to get through it. And like I said in this post, I enjoyed it so much I definitely want to go through it again this year. Speaking of which, I really wish Nintendo would put this game--and other SNES games, too--on the 3DS eShop already :|

diaglyph said...

Bravely Default was the stand out for me, even with its flaws

Monster_Hunter2882 said...

I'm hoping Earth Bound ends up being one of my favorite games I 1st play in 2015.

thegaygamer.com said...

That's great, Sam! I hope you like it. I really love how it offers players a different "feel" than your traditional console RPG.

thegaygamer.com said...

I agree, Igor, for the most part. What I mean is that, if I had to choose two or three favorites from among all of the games I played in 2014, Bravely Default likely would be included on that short list--along with Fantasy Life and Solitiba, I think.

thegaygamer.com said...

No, because I played a number of other "released in 2014" games last year, too. In fact, a number of them were listed at the bottom of the post (as "honorable mentions"). And then, of course, there were a few that weren't worth mentioning. That said, I definitely played more "old" games than "new" ones in 2014, although I think that's been true for a number of years now.

Justin Difazzio said...

That a toughie. I really enjoyed Bravely Default, as well. Smash Bros 3DS and ESPECIALLY WiiU would most definitely make my list. But so would Rogue Legacy (even though it wasn't from this year). I dunno...I played a lot of games. Super Mario 3D World, Captain Toad, Fantasy Life, Wind Waker HD...they were all fantastic.

Monster_Hunter2882 said...

I still haven't actually bought it yet though I did try the demo in Smash Bros. but it seems the only thing you can really do in it is talk to people. It's a timed demo at 5 minutes (really 4 minutes, the 1st minute is spent on a cutscene) and starts at the begging of the game.

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, that sounds weird. I mean, you really can't demo much of an RPG in five minutes, can you? Anyway, I'd say that if you have liked any other old-school RPG (Final Fantasy IV, V or VI, for instance), you'll like EarthBound. The story and setting are completely different from any/most other RPGs, mind you, but the overall/general gameplay (walk around, talk to people, battle enemies) is the same.

apricotsushi said...

Glad to see Sweet Fuse on here!

thegaygamer.com said...

I couldn't leave it off, Anne! Here's hoping another visual novel makes the cut in 2015. Maybe Steins;Gate?