<p>2014 is almost over. Although I am looking forward to the games due out in 2015 than what has come out this year, there were still a good chunk of great video games released in 2014. This list recognizes my top games of the year. Before you read and ask why a certain title failed to make the list, recognize that this list is purely based on my opinion. Opinions are subjective and greatly differ. So, sit back, relax and enjoy.</p>
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<p><strong>HONORABLE MENTION: Mario Kart 8</strong></p>
<p>[youtube url=&#8221;http://youtu.be/BcL6JYR5eFs&#8221;]</p>
<p>There is almost a perfection in Mario Kart 8&#8217;s simplicity. The Mario Kart franchise always offers a ton of fun. It is a great game to play with friends or at parties. The courses had some fun new depth, between the underwater and anti-gravity portions. More than anything, I am fond of the mix of the battle and action in the races. Mario Kart is back and better than ever.</p>
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<p><strong>5. Far Cry 4</strong></p>
<p>[youtube url=&#8221;http://youtu.be/04z45SOAH5k&#8221;]</p>
<p>Far Cry 4 offered a ton of depth and gameplay. The game had an amazing new setting with the country of Kyrat. The story, pitting a returning prodigal son in Ajay Ghale against a tyrannical despot in Pagan Min, is not all that it seems. The game featured a massive single-player campaign and some amazing visual set pieces in an open-world sandbox.</p>
<p><strong>4. Alien: Isolation</strong></p>
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<p>[youtube url=&#8221;http://youtu.be/trPIYFR-zAk&#8221;]</p>
<p>Creative Assembly did the unthinkable. The developer created an amazing video game experience, based on the Alien movie franchise. Such a feat was almost unbelievable after the release of Aliens: Colonial Marines. Alien: Isolation was a visceral experience. As a first-person survival horror game, it was quite challenging. The game did not constantly hold your hand and spell everything out for you as sub-par, modern games tend to do these days. No auto-saves and a dynamic Xenomorph creature added to the game&#8217;s heightened sense of fear.</p>
<p><strong>3. Super Smash Bros. Wii U</strong></p>
<p>[youtube url=&#8221;http://youtu.be/j0BBGzfw0pQ&#8221;]</p>
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<p>I love Smash Bros. and Nintendo. Super Smash Bros. made a glorious return on the Wii U this year, and it was better than ever. Finally getting to play as Mega Man in a Super Smash Bros. game was a dream come true. I am a big fan of toys-to-life games, and Nintendo finally saw fit to exploit this idea for Super Smash Bros. with the Amiibo. With 2014 coming to a close, things are finally starting to look up for Nintendo.</p>
<p><strong>2. Wolfenstein: The New Order</strong></p>
<p>[youtube url=&#8221;http://youtu.be/ENTC-mAQ0tI&#8221;]</p>
<p>I almost get the sense that people are forgetting about this game and how MachineGames really hit it out of the part with Wolfenstein: The New Order. The New Order offered great first-person shooter gameplay, but also a fantastic post-modern narrative. The game had a great sense of style and a wicked sense of humor. The game came off like a subtle commentary on modern first-person shooters by placing an old-fashioned video game protagonist BJ Blazkowicz in a more modern video game scenario.</p>
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<p><strong>1. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor</strong></p>
<p>[youtube url=&#8221;http://youtu.be/2TUWPqiBHjw&#8221;]</p>
<p>As a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings franchise, I have been let down by the type of video games to come out of the series for the last decade or so. It has been a long time since the underrated entries, such as the movie-based versions of The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was a fantastic change for the better. Shadow of Mordor looked and felt somewhat familiar. The open-world sandbox and gameplay was reminiscent of Assassin&#8217;s Creed and the Batman: Arkham franchise. The combat especially was comparable to the free-flow combat of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City. However, Monolith Productions really made the game ingenious with the advent of the Nemesis System. In many ways, the game&#8217;s success hedged on how well the Nemesis System came out, and it worked quite effectively. The game came out smooth and polished, not to mention the release of a good deal of free DLC content by Warner Bros. Interactive. Triple A game publishers and developers should take note.</p>

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