Game of the Year: The Last of Us
Jan. 19, 2014This was a landslide one and it’s a hard one to deny. Naughty Dog continues to outdo themselves, unbelievably creating a new franchise that stands with Uncharted. This is a game that would stand tall in even the most jam packed gaming year.
It’s really hard not to hand ND this award and not simply because they developed the game of the year. They continue to be an example of a video game developer who does things the right way, creating games that follow their vision while also engaging the fans. Those connections between fanbase and developer are crucial to a franchise’s success and create supremely high positive associations with the gaming experience. Bravo.
While not geared towards the typical FPS experience, Bioshock continues to be a storytelling standard that other games are held to. What is lost in the lauded themes explored are very tight and enjoyable shooting mechanics. The Bioshock series continues to create worlds that players can’t help sinking their teeth into.
I will save the hyperbole. Everyone knows what this game brings to the table whether they’ve played it themselves or know someone who has. Not only an engrossing and emotional story, this game has a watertight gameplay design that facilitates full story immersion.
FIFA continues to nail the sport with their entries, and their spreading addiction across the globe proves that. TONS of people are playing this game, and not all of them are followers or players of the sport themselves. That’s how good this game is made.
This was a close category with The Stanley Parable coming in at a close second. Gone Home is an interesting game, and a very different experience but very memorable even for those who couldn’t develop a taste for it. It is proof that the indie development model continues to show gamers new ways of looking at games and we continue to find challenges to the gaming conventions we all have internalized.
Good work on this one. It’s a blast seeing these seminal DC comic stalwarts battling it out in glorious 2D fashion. Marvel has had their presence in MvC for a bit and Injustice was a solid entry for DC. A companion mobile app game that was also well done really raised the consciousness of the game and there is a nice foundation to build on for the future here.
There were a few long time names on this list and Grid came out on top, just edging Forza. Falling more on the arcade side of the genre, Grid 2 did a solid job delivering a fun and addicting racing experience with its variety, detail and great sound.
This had to be decided via tiebreaker with Zelda: A Link Between Worlds pulling dead even with it. But Tearaway takes the cake and is the first Vita entry that really ties all of the powerful handhelds unique elements together. It makes use of the full range of input options and its heartwarming premise gives Media Molecule another indelible gaming experience to put on the shelf next to Little Big Planet.
Umm yeah. There was going to be no contest here and Dark Souls II won by the biggest margin, taking in about 75% of votes in this category. We’ve been waiting over 2 years for this and we are 2 months away. Equal parts anticipation mixed with apprehension as we see the release of a Souls series game to marketing and hype levels unlike anything afforded to the first 2 entries. This will be the series’ debut as a AAA launch title and all eyes around the gaming world will be on it.
And now for our community specific fun awards!
I must confess surprise at this. When it comes to pvp I fully expected the staunch SL120 crowd to make a statement but the increasing appealing and prevalent 100 stole the poll away and quite convincingly. It bears noting that 200 also made a game showing and was just a hair behind 120 for second place.
Dark Souls players love to argue. They really do. They either love an exploit or hate it. But not this one. As the only exploit on the poll that is both loved and hated (hurts so good) Fex’s Whip pulled away from the BB Glitch and Toggle Escape to take the Fexy and has become a symbol of this site. Was fealty responsible for the victory? Or was there some behind the scenes whipping that made it so? We may never know.
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Emergence
Editor at Fextralife. I look for the substantial in gaming and I try to connect video games to the emotions and stories they elicit. I love all things culture and history and have an odd fondness for the planet Jupiter. I think my dogs are pretty awesome too.
Killzone should’ve been fps of the year.
lol you’re never going to drop this
never!!!
I got last of us for Christmas, an while I’ve only played 10 hours of it (screw you exams), I can honestly say it blew me away, and is one of the best games I’ve ever played. Have to confess though, I think GTAV should have had game of the year. Even the mighty naughty dog doesn’t quite make a game the way rock star can do (though ND deserved developer award for such a fresh and brilliant IP to the table)
Also:http://www.memecreator.org/static/images/memes/2279537.jpg
While it will be a great game no doubt, I actually think that it probably won’t be the est game of the year. We’re seeing releases like the new Metal gear solid coming out, and it might even be beaten in the RPG category by the witcher 3 by many ‘professional’ journalists.
However, the one thing we can count on at least is that dark souls II will be the truest game released next year- the incessant emphasis on gameplay, skill and challenge is just nothing like anything else in the gaming world at the moment.
You can cut that biasedness with a potato peeler.
I’m really bad at keeping track at what games come out what year…
Wow I am like totally behind it all – I have’t got ANY of these games on the list and went for The Walking Dead instead of The Last of Us… I hear trade-in bouncing around my mind right now 🙂
Get The Last of Us, it’s a great gaming experience. Review here:http://fextralife.com/the-last-of-us-review/
Haven’t played any of them except NNK and Bioshock but both of them are great games.
Currently playing The Last of Us, and I gotta say it is one of the most engrossing and beautiful games I’ve played in a while. As for NNK, I just couldn’t get into it. I usually like JRPGs, but it just didn’t do it for me. It was pretty though
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