Claiming 2014 as the "best year for gaming" seems a bit silly since we seem to do that every year around this time. But as we've proven throughout the week with our lists of best "exclusive" games, there's no denying it sure was a hell of a good year. While you've (hopefully) looked through our list of best Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and PC exclusives, you might have noticed something — quite a few other games were missing. Like, some of this year's biggest and best titles.
Don't worry, we didn't forget about games like Dragon Age: Inquisition; we were just saving them for our final look back. I present to you the best multiplatform (aka non-exclusive) games of 2014.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition offered players an expansive world filled with tons to do and tough decisions to make. In fact, there's so much to do in this game that our reviewer warned it "will take you away from your job, wife, kids and responsibilities, and it's totally worth it." So what made Dragon Age: Inquisition so good? It's impossible to pinpoint one single thing, but the combination of an epic, immersive fantasy setting, memorable plot, rich content, and sheer massiveness all play a role.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
I think Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor surprised a lot of people. Our own Lance Liebl called it "the best Lord of the Rings game" he ever played in his review. Borrowing gameplay mechanics from franchises like Assassin's Creed and Batman: Arkham, Shadow of Mordor had an added wrinkle: the Nemesis system which remembers your interactions with specific types of characters and adjusts the manner in which these characters will react to you throughout the game.
Shovelknight
Perhaps the "smallest" of all the games on our list, Shovel Knight may not have the razzle dazzle of a AAA blockbuster, but it's got it where it counts. For those unfamiliar, Shovel Knight is a 2D side-scrolling, platform game — one that "makes 'NES hard' look easy," wrote our reviewer, Joe Donato. Shovel Knight pays homage to the 8-bit generation, combining elements and style from Mega Man,Castlevania, Ducktales, Zelda II, and Mario 3, in an original premise that carefully balances mechanics and difficulty.
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
Admittely, I'm not much of a collectible card game type of guy, but there's something to be said of Blizzard Entertainment's Hearthstone: Heroes of the Storm which has racked up more than 20 million registered accounts since its initial release on March 11, 2014. The game received mixed reviews at launch. Some praised its simplicity in design and mechanics, while others lamented its lack of competitive support at launch. Nonetheless, Hearthstone has grown tremendously in popularity, so regardless of what the reviews say, it's one of the top games of 2015.
Far Cry 4
Following an absolutely dreadful Assassin's Creed Unity, Ubisoft redeemed itself with Far Cry 4. Sure, it may borrow quite a few elements from Far Cry 3, but is that necessarily a bad thing? Set in the expansive Himalayan country of Kyrat, Far Cry 4 offered a dense world with plenty of options. Whether it's the actual campaign or side-quests, co-op, or competitive multiplayer, Far Cry 4 will always have something fun for you to do.
Like I said, 2014 was a great year for video game lovers. In fact, so many good games came out this year that it was hard to narrow it down, so don't be offended if your favorite game didn't make this list. Instead, let us know in the comments which multiplatform games you found to be the best this year.
If you want to continue looking back at 2014, check out our other top lists:
- Best Xbox One Exclusives of 2014
- Best PlayStation 4 & Vita Exclusives of 2014
- Best Nintendo Wii U & 3DS Exclusives of 2014
- Best PC Exclusives of 2014
- 2014's Biggest Moments in the Video Game Industry
