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Inquisition: The Lone 2014 Masterpiece

The term "masterpiece" is very subjective, but I think it's fair to say that 2014 has been disappointing for most gamers.

Given the potential of the 2014 lineup, most would've predicted multiple masterpieces by the end of the year. Sadly, several games with the most potential disappeared into 2015 and a bunch of others fell shy in the eyes of critics and gamers alike.

inFamous: Second Son and Titanfall were good, possibly even great, games. However, I'd hesitate to call them masterpieces. Watch Dogs had a darn good shot at the lofty moniker but that didn't quite live up to our crazy high expectations. Same goes for Destiny and Assassin's Creed Unity . Perhaps ironically, the one franchise everyone bashed relentlessly heading into 2014 – Call of Duty – ended up with one of the year's best entries.

And then there's Dragon Age: Inquisition , which is arguably the only game this year that did live up to expectations. An argument could be made for Dark Souls II and I think Bayonetta 2 blew a lot of people away, but the hype for these games wasn't quite as high. On top of which, let's not forget that in the eyes of many RPG aficionados, BioWare had a lot to prove, which makes Inquisition 's success all the more impressive. On the one hand, it's a little depressing to say, considering the crazy potential for 2014. Still, one masterpiece is better than none, right?

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Temjin001
Temjin001
9 years ago

The aggregate at Metacritic for 2014 shows that the critics choice goes too….. drum roll…..
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
runner up: some Shadowrun game I never heard of.

93: Super Smash Bros. (Wii U)
92: Shadowrun: Dragonfall (PC)
91: Bayonetta 2 (Wii U)
89: Dragon Age Inqusition (PS4: highest listed)
88: Hearthstone
88: Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
87: Divinity: Original Sin (PC) turn-based still lives!
87: Middle-Earth Shadow of Mordor (XO: highest listed)
86: Titanfall
86: Forza Horizon 2
85: Far Cry 4
84: MLB The Show
83: Advanced Warfare
82: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (PC)
82: Sunset Overdrive
80: Watch Dogs (PS4: list highest)
80: Infamous Second Son
79: LBP3
76: Destiny
75: AC Unity
71: Drive Club

I eliminated everything that looked like expansion pack, indie or mobile or remaster.

So best exclusives by console for 2014 goes to
Wii U
XO
PS4


Last edited by Temjin001 on 11/21/2014 10:29:58 PM

matt99
matt99
9 years ago

Does super smash bros count? granted I haven't played the new one but I've played the others and they're all pretty much the same, same goes for mario kart. They are fantastic games but they're hardly new. I know that can be said for other games too, and I guess don't fix it if it isn't broken. But still, part of me thinks they shouldn't really count.


Last edited by matt99 on 11/21/2014 10:31:52 PM

Temjin001
Temjin001
9 years ago

did I get them all? hehe
I can only edit my original list for so long before time runs out =p

Temjin001
Temjin001
9 years ago

Dragon Age is hardly new, Matt. In terms of franchise life. I think most of that list comes from sequels really.


Last edited by Temjin001 on 11/21/2014 10:31:59 PM

Anonymous
Anonymous
9 years ago

"Granted I haven't played the new one" Honestly, there was no reason to keep typing after that statement. ….

Temjin you missed Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze i know that rated higher than Second Son..

Beamboom
Beamboom
9 years ago

Great post, Temjin. I love to make analysis like that. It usually corrects some common misunderstandings. 🙂
It's also worth mentioning that Shadowrun is turn-based too (since you mention it on Divinity).

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
9 years ago

I can't even think of a cartoon brawler as a masterpiece no matter the score.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
9 years ago

Yeah, no. Just because critics in this industry are physically incapable of giving any game with Mario in it less than an 8 (and oftentimes, anything less than a 9) doesn't mean anything anymore.


Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 11/22/2014 11:05:26 AM

Temjin001
Temjin001
9 years ago

Thanks Kid, missed that one.
Thanks, Beam, but I see now that Shadowrun is indie and $15 and it's score is based on 4 critics. It gets nixed and Bayonetta 2 steps up.

matt99
matt99
9 years ago

Kid, of course there was a point to keep typing, I wasn't talking about the new one specifically but the series as a whole. I think they're fantastic games but I'm wondering if those games should keep receiving such high scores when they are essentially the same every time. And I know many other series do this as well but they are penalized by critics for doing so, Smash Bros and Mario games always seem to get a pass.

Temjin001
Temjin001
9 years ago

Matt, you should write the 70 to 80'ish or so critics who inevitably review each Nintendo game and tell them how you feel. Tell them how they're wrong. Critics love that.

and if you feel real strong about it, go start your own site with your own values and tell everyone how you feel =p
Go give Nintendo what you think they deserve and let your voice be heard! ooh-rah!


Last edited by Temjin001 on 11/22/2014 3:23:11 PM

matt99
matt99
9 years ago

aha Temjin, I don't feel that strongly about it, and I don't necessarily disagree with those critics, it was more a passing thought that popped into my mind when I read this article, fit for a comments board but not a full article:P

Anonymous
Anonymous
9 years ago

Smash and Mario don't get a pass. Hell, Nintendo never gets a pass on anything. They have to fight for every ounce of respect. And even delivering a portfolio of exclusives that obliterate the competition in terms of quantity and quality, you have people hyping systems that have nothing to offer but remakes of the same games they bought last year. There's a proven bias and animosity against them in the media, the same people that do reviews. But reviewing their games with even a modicum of objectivity, one can't deny the craftsmanship and depth put into each title. I can run down why Smash Wii U is a league above Smash Wii buy why bother, since it is a mascot fighter it's essentially the same. Just like Gran Turismo is essentially the same since PS1, God of War is essentially the same since its inception and Uncharted has essentially been the same. But I'm aure these won't be met with the same doubts if they score above 90. I wonder why….

matt99
matt99
9 years ago

I think the new hardware raised everyone's expectations a little too high, to me it seemed like the biggest complaint for a lot of games (besides the ones with technical issues) was that it didn't feel next gen enough. And I think the reason for that is the technical leap from ps2-ps3 was massive and simply blew everyone away and people were expecting the same jaw dropping generation leap and it didn't happen. For me the most next gen of the games I've played has been Unity, despite its faults, I think it gave us a true glimpse at what lies ahead in next gen gaming.

I should mention that I haven't played DA:I yet, I have wisely decided to wait until the term is over to get into that one.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
9 years ago

I'm having fun taking territories for my Inquisition. I kinda wish someone had told me I had to use the dragon's keep website to set the backstory though, so I went with default cuz I wanted to play and it's a little out of sync.

It's a great game but until I see more story I can't say if it's a masterpiece. I'm a little irked that it's still behind in many spots (water doesn't even make you wet) (I can't switch between my bow and daggers in combat) and the Skyrimization has padded out the story with the need to do sidequests to level up. However, it is the updated Dragon Age that wasn't delivered last time. And it's a far sight better than anything else this year.

Corvo
Corvo
9 years ago

The GOTY candidates are:
Bayonetta 2
Dark Souls II
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Hearthstone
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Which is awesome. My hope is for either DS2 or Dragon Age to win it.

My personal GOTY is still up for debate because as it stands, I am in love with Dragon Age. The Evil Within is the sexy psycho ex girlfriend while dragon age is the new pretty cutesy one.

The Evil Within had its art in the feelings it created while you played it. Pushing one to the brink each and every fight, making you fight for your survival. Any game that causes me to panic is easily a winner in my book.

And Dragon Age… So far it's not even close to what I was expecting, in a good way. It's a vibrant world left for me to explore and discover the things in it. And any game that makes me feel like I've stepped through a barrier into a new and magical world is easily a winner to me as well.

As gamers we should focus on what we personally enjoyed and not what sold most or scored highest. In the eyes of the masses I could totally see Dragon Age being the lone masterpiece, but I saw both Evil Within and Silent Hills as masterpieces as well.

2014 wasn't the best year, sure, but I think its fair to say there was a ton of awesome games this year.

FAREEZ
FAREEZ
9 years ago

Some of my favorite game this year got 7 and below on metacritic, like the evil within and ac unity. Probably I just have terrible taste in gaming…

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
9 years ago

No it means you have good taste and are open to genres.

Beamboom
Beamboom
9 years ago

It only means metacores are not a totally bulletproof, no exception source for considering a game. Only a very, very good indicator. 🙂

Vivi_Gamer
Vivi_Gamer
9 years ago

Honestly, the only game I've genuinely had any interest in buying this year is Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII…. Yeah… While I didn't mind it, the game is hardly what I'd call a GotY… Certainly not after all 2013s strong candidates. The only other titles that have interested me are Ground Zeroes – which I am hesitant to put forward as GotY, and then HD remakes of FFX and Kingdom Hearts 2.5.

So I'm genuinely stumped at what to put forward… 2014 has been a very unremarkable year – rivalling 2012 even.

Broady
Broady
9 years ago

Guess we're looking at 2 yearly breaks between good games then vivi, 2013, 2015 for everything that was meant to come out this year, then 2017. Going to need those rpg's to fill that time

Vivi_Gamer
Vivi_Gamer
9 years ago

Maybe, mind you 2010 was a decent year, Final Fantasy XIII & Heavy Rain within the same month!

ethird1
ethird1
9 years ago

Destiny is game of the year and I mean by far.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
9 years ago

shooter of the year

AshT
AshT
9 years ago

Yes, its the most fun game this year.


Last edited by AshT on 11/22/2014 11:40:57 AM

wambo
wambo
9 years ago

Destiny is a great FPS in many ways but don't class it as a game of the year candidate, i really hope dragon age: inquisition gets it because the world is huge , and only playing little of the game as surpassed my expectations of what bioware could achieve.

PSDreaM
PSDreaM
9 years ago

Any Bioware games always top the list for GOTY.

Rachet_JC_FTW
Rachet_JC_FTW
9 years ago

yeah i'd say so driveclub was what many wanted it to be and well then i was a bit of a mixed bag but i have to say that shadow of mordor and fry cry and dragon age will be up there and just on reviews dragon age might win but then again LBP has come yet but then thats not really a masses game but for me i'll probably have a blast with it and i still haven't got watch dogs or infamous SS so i'd know wat to say about them yet so we'll see maybe dragon age might be the only "really amazing game this year"

happy gaming

Gordo
Gordo
9 years ago

Destiny is the game I have put the most hours into.

Alien Isolation is the one that I think is the most refreshing from 2014. The non-scripted alien AI is the stroke of genius and the utter terror and joy from covering under the table and wondering how you are going to get to the next save point is the best gaming moment for me in 2014.

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