GregHorrorShow: Game Awards 2017

2017 was a stand out year for games, with some amazing titles hitting shelves. Whether hunting robot dinosaurs in Horizon: Zero Dawn or teeing off on the 18th hole in Everybody’s Golf, there were plenty of great games for all types of players.

As usual there were some games I didn’t get to, Assassin’s Creed Origins and Wolfenstein II to name a couple. Also I hadn’t played enough of Persona 5 to judge it on much beyond graphics and music.

So here are my favourites from 2017 but first another awesome title from 2016…

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MISSED GEM OF 2016

I got this for Christmas 2016 so it wasn’t until early last year that I really got going with it. A follow up to Arkane Studio’s 2012 title, it picks up some time after the end of the first game. Once the opening scene plays out you are given a choice of whether to continue as the original games hero Corvo or as Emily Kaldwin. Both have different powers and I’m really looking forward to going back and replaying this with different abilities. A mixture of stealth and action, the game has a wonderful sense of style and the soundtrack gives it a distinctive flavour as well. Plus one of the levels, The Clockwork Mansion, is a true feat of design, seeing the entire level shift around you depending on which levers you pull. Great stuff.

WINNER: Dishonored 2

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MOST IMPROVED GAME

As games become more of an ongoing service than ever, I thought it might be worth keeping an eye on which titles have evolved over the last 12 months. On the single player front No Man’s Sky is almost unrecognizable from the game it was at the time of release, with base building and a more detailed story now featured. It also features lots of ways to play the game, whether you want a punishing survival adventure or a more relaxed, exploration based experience. It’s worth checking out if you haven’t been back to it for a while. One surprise was The Division‘s recent update which added a ton of more content including a horde mode and more player v player options. This is in addition to the extra end game content and systems already added during the year. There were also a few paid for DLC packs that added more scenarios and areas. Battlefield 1 added a handful of more free maps and an awesome mode called Operations, which is a sprawling battle across numerous areas – definitely something for players looking to get into longer, more intense matches. Most of the Operations are available to all but some are locked behind the Battlefield Premium pass, along with a good number of maps. Overwatch continues to change as time goes on, alongside balance changes players have also received 5 new characters and 4 new maps. In addition the game has added tons of new modes in the arcade rotation, including Deathmatch, Elimination and Duels. There were also the event related modes like Junkenstein’s Revenge, Capture The Flag, Lucioball and Yeti Hunter, which all added to the variety of content. Uncharted 4 delivered more arenas and a huge of amount of characters and customisation. The addition of a horde mode and a much requested ‘Classic’ mode were most welcome and the game still feels great to play. All of these games have shown a strong development over the last year but I feel like Overwatch by adding, for free, such a big amount of heroes and new areas alongside balancing and entirely reworking existing characters gets the nod here. The fact you can buy the game now and have access to everything in the game content wise is fantastic and it has continued to suck up a lot of my time in 2017.

WINNER: Overwatch

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THE JOE DANGER AWARD

I really enjoyed Everybody’s Golf on the Vita so I was looking forward to the PS4 version, thinking it’d be fun to play with friends and just online in general. I didn’t imagine the single player, with it’s golf carts, fishing and quizzes would draw me in but it did and I spent a lot of time working my way up the rankings and challenging the ‘boss battle’ style golfers to unlock more progress. It’s also a really relaxing game and can be great to play to just unwind a little.

WINNER: Everybody’s Golf

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MOST ANTICIPATED GAME OF 2018

Could it be anything else? Without doubt one of my favourite games of the PS3 era, Red Dead Redemption was a stone cold classic that delivered an epic story and a really solid multiplayer offering. As much as I can’t wait to see the story Rockstar have planned for us it’s the multiplayer I’m most excited about. I loved it before but seeing what Rockstar have done with the online for GTA V makes me hope that this could really be something special.

WINNER: Red Dead Redemption 2

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BEST TRAILER

I’m still not entirely sure what Death Stranding is even about but with each trailer Hideo Kojima reveals a little more of the characters and setting. His next project post Metal Gear Solid is shaping up to be like nothing else we’ve ever played. The trailer shows a world in disarray and people trying to protect a baby from supernatural forces. Graphically it looks great and he has both Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelson on board, so I’m really hopefully he will continue his run of amazing, and amazingly crazy, games. Watch the trailer HERE.

WINNER: Death Stranding

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BEST VITA GAME

Steins;Gate is an older title but was far and away the best Vita game I played in 2017. Unfortunately with support outside of the indies drying up for the Vita there wasn’t a huge amount of new stuff I played on the system. However I’d definitely recommend trying this title out, the tale of a time travelling ‘mad scientist’ who has to battle a series of other outside influences in an attempt to use his time travel for good and save his friends. This visual novel goes dark in places but man, what a ride!

WINNER: Steins;Gate

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BEST GRAPHICS

This was a crowded category in 2017 with plenty of amazing looking games arriving, whether it was the anime styling of Persona 5 or the photo realistic universe of Battlefront II. Naughty Dog delivered a wonderful looking game in Uncharted: Lost Legacy, with impressive vistas and Horizon: Zero Dawn‘s lush, beautiful expanses were a bit to play in. But I’m giving this to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, a mid price game that gave us a well paced 10 hour experience that looked stunning considering it was made on a much smaller budget than the other games mentioned here. It was a darker world than the other games here but still absolutely stunning.

WINNER: Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

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BEST STORYLINE

I really enjoyed playing through Senua’s troubled story in Hellblade, it was a difficult experience at times but the pay off was worth it and I’d definitely recommend giving it a shot if you haven’t played it already. Unfortunately I only had time for one playthrough of Nier Automata this year, so while I know I still have story beats to come, I felt the game deserved a nod even just for the first run through. Naughty Dog did an amazing job of giving us another Uncharted title but with different protagonists, Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, giving us a unique vibe. It worked a treat and I enjoyed the story here, the pacing was excellent. However, this year’s winner is Horizon: Zero Dawn which gave us a story told on several levels and with a few great twists along the way. Guerrilla Games did really well with this, especially after the story of Killzone: Shadow Fall, which didn’t really deliver.

WINNER: Horizon: Zero Dawn

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BEST MUSIC (SCORE)

There has been some wonderful music made for games this year, Henry Jackman’s score for Uncharted: Lost Legacy was sublime and really added to the atmosphere of the game. Likewise Horizon: Zero Dawn had a great score which felt like a real part of Aloy’s world, especially the contrasts between battle themes and more peaceful moments. I’d actually thought Nier Automata would take this category as Okabe Keiichi’s score is hauntingly beautiful but although I haven’t finished the game I’ve spent enough time with Persona 5 to know a killer soundtrack when I hear one – that end of battle sting brings a smile to my face every time! Wonderful stuff as usual from Shoji Meguro.

WINNER: Persona 5

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BEST MUSIC (LICENSED)

Full disclosure, as anyone who follows me on any socials will know, I helped to select the soundtrack for Dirt4 but I genuinely believe it’s a great soundtrack with a strong mix of old and new artists. Uncharted: Lost Legacy nabs a spot on the nominations list solely for a glorious and truly fitting use of M.I.A and FIFA 18 delivers another great selection of new music across genres. But the winner here is the absolutely brutal soundtrack put together for Devolver Digital’s cyberpunk title Ruiner. Featuring artists like Susumu Hirasawa and Zamilska I’d recommend giving it a listen if you’re not familiar. A perfect match to the dark, unrelenting action on screen.

WINNER: Ruiner

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BEST VOICE ACTING

Melina Juergens has rightfully earned a lot of plaudits for her voice acting as Senua in Hellblade, she made the character believable and vulnerable, while still maintaining a rough edge along the way. I also thought Ashly Burch was great as Aloy in Horizon: Zero Dawn, unfortunately she was the best of the bunch, although there were a few other good performances scattered among the rest of the cast. There was more story in Destiny 2, which of course brought more voice acting, though not from your mute character – I really do wish they’d go the Mass Effect route and have the character voiced but I digress… What you do have is great work from Lance Reddick, Gina Torres and Nathan Fillion. Is Cayde-6 a little overplayed? Yes, but having some extra personality is better for me than none at all. There was plenty of personality in Uncharted: Lost Legacy, which takes home the award. It was fantastic to see the development of the relationship between Chloe and Nadine as the game went on and you really did feel a bond established between them. Just the right mix of quips and seriousness meant I didn’t miss Nathan for a second.

WINNER: Uncharted: Lost Legacy

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BEST SINGLE PLAYER GAME

First off a shout out to Call Of Duty: World War II which was, admittedly, dire and relentlessly depressing for the most part but delivered one of my favourite levels of the year with a great set piece that sees you infiltrate a Nazi base as a Resistance member. Fun and different. Again, I’ve only played through Nier Automata once but I really enjoyed what I did and thought the story was interesting – I know there is more in store for me on further playthroughs so I’m looking forward to seeing what’s on offer. Uncharted: Lost Legacy gave me exactly what I was hoping for, a story in the Uncharted universe that didn’t revolve around Nathan Drake (as much as I love him, Uncharted 4 rounded out the arc perfectly). It was really well paced and looked absolutely gorgeous. But I have to give it to Horizon: Zero Dawn. What an amazing game. Robot dinosaurs was the premise, hunting them and having to take them down. The developers really delivered on that promise and then some. There is so much more to the game. So much in fact that a hint on the loading screen after I’d finished the game told me about a type of weapon I hadn’t even known existed! Horizon really is a game you can lose yourself in, if you haven’t already grab yourself a copy now.

WINNER: Horizon: Zero Dawn

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BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME

2017 was a weird year for multiplayer. As I mentioned in an earlier category, a lot of big games from the last few years stepped up and gave us more, sometimes different, content. I played more Overwatch, Rocket League and Battlefield 1 this year than I did any of the games on this list. Everybody’s Golf turned out to be a title that I stuck more time into offline than online. But I had great fun playing with friends and doing the online challenges. FIFA came back with a bang and I reignited my Ultimate Team career after barely touching it the previous year. The only issue is that it’s very easy to pay-to-win using real money so sometimes it’s just not that fun if you haven’t spent cash yourself, I’ve been on the end of a fair few 7 or 8 goal thrashings that I imagine might infuriate more volatile players. Speaking of pay-to-win, I was tempted to give the award this year to Battlefront II. I don’t think it’s a popular opinion but putting aside the loot box shenanigans (at the current time you can’t actually pay real money to win) I’ve genuinely enjoyed the time I’ve spent with the game. It handles well and, for the most part, has felt fair to play. Having said that, Destiny 2 handles like a dream. Being able to play through the story with friends and then get online for some crucible action has been more than enough of a value proposition for me. I loved the PvP in the original Destiny and I love it here. The mix of weapons and abilities gives a flexibility you don’t always see in online shooters. And the shooting feels so good you won’t want to stop.

WINNER: Destiny 2

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BEST OVERALL GAME

When Guerrilla Games announced they would be making something completely new after our Killzone titles, I was caught in two minds. I love Killzone (and hope it comes back at some stage) but something fresh could be great. Then they announced Horizon: Zero Dawn and I was blown away. Blown away and a little worried. I had faith in Guerrilla but moving from a gritty, first person environment to a third person, open world RPG? Added to that was the fact that, while the multiplayer delivered, the last Killzone’s game story was a big let down. Could they give us a story over tens of hours that would stand up? I need not have worried at all because they smashed it out of the park. Horizon: Zero Dawn is up there with the very best open world games I’ve played – GTA V, Metal Gear Solid V, Red Dead Redemption, Aloy’s wondrous journey is on a par with these gaming masterpieces. The robots themselves are so brilliantly designed that I loved working out ways of taking them down. The story is fantastic, the world building is great and I always felt like I was doing something and not just grinding for XP. Aloy’s character is subtle and, as a rare female lead, treated in exactly the same way a male version of her character would have been. It shouldn’t be impressive but it can hopefully pave the way for more games with female leads. I can’t wait to see what Guerrilla Games do next but I’m there day one.

WINNER: Horizon: Zero Dawn

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So there you go, another fantastic year done and 2018 looks to be another good one with Red Dead Redemption II, Far Cry 5, Anthem, Detroit: Become Human, the God Of War reboot and a title I’ve been looking forward to for months – VA-11 Hall-A, a cyberpunk game in which you play a bartender. I can’t wait!

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Tom Clancy’s The Division – Review (PS4)

It seems like an absolute age ago that The Division was revealed at E3 2013 and gamers everywhere marveled at the footage released. Then we all remembered that Ubisoft’s previous title Watch_Dogs didn’t look quite as good as the promo materials and sighed. Over time though it felt like The Division might end up being a great game, a mix of cool story beats and multiplayer co-op.

Let’s start with the story stuff. The Division opens strongly, with an interesting video about the virus that has decimated New York. Essentially Smallpox, it was transferred to bank notes on Black Friday in an attempt to spread the virus as quickly as possible. Soon enough the city is on quarantined lockdown and the government calls on The Division – a set of sleeper agents in place for exactly this sort of emergency. You are a Division agent and your first port of call will be creating your agent. I managed to make an avatar I was happy with but the selection of faces and hair etc. is pretty limited compared to most other games, which was disappointing. Add to that the fact that your character never speaks and it means you end up not really investing in your character at all.

Despite that strong start, the story ends up being almost non-existent. A lot of it is buried in side missions and collectibles which, excluding a few interesting side missions, felt like effort for nothing. A good example of this are the missing agent missions – essentially following a set of arrows to a point where you pick up a file and get a written paragraph about the agent. Unless I missed it these aren’t agents you ever see/interact with during the story and it was a case of wondering why I was actually bothering doing the missions, which is never a good sign. The story told by the main missions isn’t particularly interesting either and when the majority of bigger ‘boss’ enemies are just the same guys you’ve already fought with an extra bar of health, it makes things a lot less dynamic.

And that’s the real disappointment of The Division because the game itself is pretty brilliant. The control of the characters and the feel of the weapons are great. It’s a super fun, third person shooter that requires elements of teamwork to excel. You can play the game on your own and matchmake with random people to play missions (something I did a few times with no problems) but The Division is best when played with friends. It’s been compared to Destiny more times than I can remember but it’s a valid comparison, especially in the sense that playing with others makes a huge difference to the overall experience. I had a massive amount of fun in my time with the game but the lack of story really did sting, especially by the end of the game when I had no investment in either my own character or the events that were unfolding.

As well as story content there is also a Player v Player arena called the Dark Zone, in which players defeat AI enemies for loot that needs to be extracted via helicopter. The twist is that players can turn on one another and steal each others loot. Doing so will mark you as a Rogue Agent for everyone else though, so you need to weigh up whether it’s worth it! It reminded me of the great heist mode in Kane and Lynch 2 and gives each moment spent waiting for the helicopter to arrive a large dose of tension. It was good fun, perhaps not enough to keep me playing but it might be the thing that brings me back from time to time.

Graphically I’m pleased to say that the developer got pretty damn close to those initial promo shots. The game looks gorgeous and the amount of detail is stunning – there seemed to be a wealth of different environments without reusing a ton of assets. It made every new arena feel like a different place so it was always a shame when the enemies turned up and were one of a set of generic types we’d seen hundreds of times before. I suppose that is a drawback of setting the game in the current time – you’re limited by enemy appearances unless you head further down the Warriors gang style of enemies.

Overall The Division is a really great game in terms of how it handles and the feel of the moment to moment gameplay. It’s wrapped in an impressive representation of New York that, at times, can be jaw-dropping. The problem is that it all feels like it’s for nothing in terms of story and character. I’m really hopeful that we will see another installment of The Division because I believe there is a really solid base here to build on. They don’t need to change the gameplay much, if they can get a more involving story around it and find a better way to tell that narrative, Ubisoft might have something very special on their hands.

Rating: 7/10

GregHorrorShow: Game Awards 2014

Now that everyone has had time to digest their turkey and Christmas pudding, it’s a good opportunity to look back at last year’s game offerings and dole out some awards.

So let’s start at the very beginning – well, 2013 to be precise…

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MISSED GEM OF 2013

WINNER: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (PS4)

Black Flag missed out on a place in last year’s list as the PS4 launch was too late in 2013 for consideration. I was burned out on Assassin’s Creed by 2012’s title which I felt had a poor lead character and not a particularly great story. Black Flag throws the Assassin’s Creed rule book out of the window (well, not the whole book) and gives you a fun character and interesting world to explore, along with decent gameplay to compliment it. The sailing aspect is excellent and I never got bored of my crew striking up a shanty 🙂

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BEST GAME INNOVATION

WINNER: Nemesis System (Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor)

There were some cool new ideas in games last year. The prospect of a single player game being online and full of people isn’t a new one, we’ve had quite a few of those trailers over the last few years, where the game pulls back and reveals the other characters are real players (The Division etc.). Despite it’s faults Watch_Dogs was the first game that I thought handled it quite well, with other players able to hack your game and you having to force them out. Photo Mode is one of those things that you can’t believe wasn’t in games before – the ability to pause the action and be able to set up a photo opportunity might not sound that ground-breaking but it changes how you play the game and has led to some amazing in-game shots of titles like The Last Of Us: Remastered, DriveClub and Infamous: Second Son. For me though, the biggest innovation has to be the Nemesis system in Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor, which gives personality and meaning to the enemies you encounter throughout the game. Essentially enemies are named and remember the previous times you’ve met in battle. They can also be promoted through the ranks of the opposition army and it’s fun to have some history with opponents. When you clash with them the camera pans in and the enemy will taunt you or threaten you. The other cool thing about this feature is that it isn’t limited to specific characters or events – you can sometimes find yourself in a battle with two or three of these named enemies if they happen to be in the same area you’re fighting in. It’s a great addition to an open world title and gives the game world a huge boost.

RUNNERS UP:

• Invasion Multiplayer (Watch Dogs)
• Photo Mode (Various PS4 Titles)
• Shadow Gameplay (Contrast)

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BEST DLC (CONTENT)

WINNER: Last Of Us – Left Behind (PS3)

The Last Of Us was my game of the year for 2013 and February saw the release of the long awaited story DLC ‘Left Behind’ in which you played as Ellie. Set before the events of the main game it was a look at Ellie’s relationship with her close friend Riley. Well written and with some truly memorable moments this is quite possibly the best DLC I’ve played. Wholly recommended and for you lucky folks who have picked up The Last Of Us Remastered on PS4, this DLC is already included on your disc – enjoy!

RUNNERS UP:

• Second Assault (Battlefield 4)
• Intercept (Killzone Shadow Fall)
• Ignition Pack (DriveClub)

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BEST DOWNLOAD ONLY GAME

WINNER: Transistor

I’ve never played Supergiant Games previous title ‘Bastion’, although I always loved the art style. So when the studio’s follow up for announced as a PS4 exclusive it was a title I was really looking forward to. At that stage I had no idea how much I would fall in love with the world, art, music and gameplay of Transistor. I also thoroughly enjoyed the second season of The Walking Dead and I certainly wasn’t expecting to get as much out of Resogun as I did – I’m looking forward to picking that up on Vita as well when it arrives. A title that didn’t technically land this year but arrived on Vita was the superb Rogue Legacy – if you haven’t checked that out yet then make sure you pick it up!

RUNNERS UP:

• The Walking Dead: Season Two
  
• Resogun
• Rogue Legacy
  

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MOST ANTICIPATED GAME OF 2015

WINNER: Uncharted: A Thief’s End

While 2014 might’ve been a little disappointing, with lots of top tier releases being delayed into 2015. On the flip side it means that this year is already full of quality titles just waiting to jump into your PS4 as the months progress 🙂 For me the biggest of these is Uncharted: A Thief’s End. I *love* this series, which never fails to keep me entertained and I can’t get enough of the characters created by the wonderful folks at Naughty Dog. The gameplay reveal in December has left me even more psyched than ever, so roll on November! It was hard to narrow down the runners up to just three when factoring in titles like Batman: Arkham Knight, Bloodborne and No Man’s Sky. However the other three games I’m most excited for have to be Hotline Miami 2, Metal Gear Solid V and the new Rainbow Six game, which I think could be amazing if they nail it.

RUNNERS UP:

• Metal Gear Solid V
• Rainbow Six Siege
• Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

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BEST GAME TRAILER

WINNER: Uncharted: A Thief’s End

As mentioned above I’m a huge fan of Uncharted and boy was this reveal trailer impressive. Giving a glimpse at what might be possible for PS4 in the future, even if the gameplay only looks half as good as this it’ll be a huge step up for the series. Cuphead isn’t even scheduled to come to Playstation platforms but I adored this trailer, which reminded me of all the old cartoons I used to watch as a kid – what a great artstyle! If you needed an excuse to get excited for Velocity 2x then this trailer was it, showcasing the new platforming sections as well as the ship based gameplay… and THAT music! Sadly Assassin’s Creed Unity didn’t live up to the hype but the series continued it’s great run of trailers with this gem, scored by Lorde’s version of Tears For Fears.

RUNNERS UP:

• Cuphead
• Assassin’s Creed Unity
• Velocity 2x

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BEST PS VITA GAME

WINNER: Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

The Vita has had some great games this year, original titles like Murasaki Baby, Freedom Wars and Luftrausers as well as excellent ports like Fez and a solid version of Football Manager. I enjoyed the super addictive Rogue Legacy and Velocity 2x, both requiring a different set of gaming skills while I thoroughly enjoyed the cold war setting and espionage gameplay of CounterSpy. That being said it was a more unusual title that ended up being the one I got the most out of – Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. Yes, that is a real title and yes, it’s a fantastic game! The story of a group of students who wake up to find themselves trapped in their school. The only escape is to kill another student and get away with it by beating a courtroom judgement. All seemingly masterminded by an evil, robotic teddy bear. Crazy, for sure, but a great gaming experience.

RUNNERS UP:

• Rogue Legacy
• CounterSpy
• Velocity 2X

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BEST GRAPHICS

WINNER: DriveClub

Just look at that picture. Click it to see the full size version. That isn’t a press shot or some PR trick, I took that screenshot during a race using DriveClub’s Photo Mode. It is insane how good this game looked before the weather update added different conditions. And now? Well, it’s certainly one you could show to friends and family to show what the PS4 can do. Big shout outs to Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare for some ridiculously good facial animation, Destiny for a wonderful art style and Alien: Isolation for an almost perfect recreation of the original film’s world. But this year’s award goes to the DriveClub – possibly the best looking game I’ve ever played.

RUNNERS UP:

• Destiny
• Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare
• Alien Isolation

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BEST STORYLINE

WINNER: TellTale’s The Walking Dead (Season 2)

The return of Clem, and the fact that you were controlling her, in the second season of The Walking Dead had me in two minds about the direction the game was taking. I loved Clem and felt that maybe she was better left behind in the first season and that the new run of episodes should feature just new characters. How wrong I was, while it stumbled at times, this season of the game was superb and I found myself with a decent resolution by the time the final credits rolled. I really enjoyed the story of Transistor, delving into the back story there was great – although I felt that game was more about the characters than a specific storyline per se. I ended up liking the story of Murdered: Soul Suspect as well, which had some interesting twists and turns. The closest game to beating The Walking Dead though was the superb DLC for The Last Of Us ‘Left Behind’, which as I mentioned earlier looks at the relationship between Ellie and Riley.

RUNNERS UP:

• Last Of Us – Left Behind (PS3)
• Transistor
• Murdered: Soul Suspect

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BEST SOUNDTRACK (SCORE)

WINNER: Transistor

The music in Transistor is a huge part of the game and what an amazing soundtrack. The excellent Darren Korb delivers a brilliant score, with some help from vocalist Ashley Barrett and this is one of those games where you’ll be raving about the music for a long time afterwards. Destiny‘s score had some wonderful moments and the recreation/remix of original music from the Alien film gives Isolation a really strong score element. Child of Light was another title that I thought music played a big part in and the score is definitely worth checking out. Special nod to Velocity 2x as well which I thought was also a great soundtrack.

RUNNERS UP:

• Child Of Light
• Destiny
• Alien Isolation

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BEST SOUNDTRACK (LICENSED)

WINNER: Grand Theft Auto V Remastered

Adding 162 new tracks to an already huge and impressive soundtrack is a great way to help flesh out some of the radio stations in your game. Doing it with quality artists like Jackson Sisters, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Chvrches and Lorde just increases the richness of your world no end. Good lord even Bobby Brown’s ‘On Our Own’ from Ghostbusters II is in here! Just, wow. Watch_Dogs had a good soundtrack but was hampered by the fact you had to unlock tracks in game rather than them all just being on the radio. FIFA 15 delivered again, for the sake of clarity I did help shape the soundtrack to that one a little, but even the stuff I played no part in was great. And Battlefield 4 technically shouldn’t be in here but it missed out last year based on time constraints and deserves a nod for ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’.

RUNNERS UP:

• Battlefield 4
• FIFA 15
• Watch_Dogs

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BEST VOICE ACTING

WINNER: Infamous: Second Son

I enjoyed Infamous: Second Son, although I did feel a little let down that the characters weren’t more fleshed out. Having said that what was on display here was seriously impressive in terms of voice casting, with Troy Baker and Laura Bailey doing most of the heavy lifting. Matched with some superb facial animation, Infamous gave us the best voice acting of the year. Both ‘Left Behind’ and ‘Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare’ weren’t far behind though, the latter also helped by having the fantastic Kevin Spacey on board.

RUNNERS UP:

• Last Of Us DLC
• Transistor
• Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare

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SINGLE PLAYER GAME OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Transistor

The haunting quality that Supergiant Games gave to the world of Transistor was a big part of why I wanted to explore the world and discover more about the characters but if it didn’t have the gameplay to back it up, this game would not be taking this award. Taking the time to plan out your moves before erasing them and trying a different solution was an addictive process. As you hit ‘go’ to put your plan into action there was a rush of the unknown as you desperately hoped your plan would work as desired. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn’t but it almost always felt satisfying. Shadow Of Mordor’s main accomplishment is taking various elements from other titles, mixing in the Nemesis system and having everything work together really well. Sadly the story wasn’t up to scratch, a problem which also hampered Advanced Warfare. Again the gameplay in Call Of Duty was strong though and graphically it was excellent. Far Cry 4 delivered more of the same goodness from the previous game and it’s emergent world was great fun to be a part of. Also a quick nod to Dragon Age: Inquisition which I’ve been enjoying but haven’t spent enough time with for serious consideration here.

RUNNERS UP:

• Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare
• Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor
• Far Cry 4

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MULTIPLAYER GAME OF THE YEAR

WINNER: The Last Of Us: Remastered

2014 was a bizarre year for multiplayer games, with most of the year being taken up with last year’s titles like Battlefield 4, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Killzone: Shadow Fall. There just wasn’t anything that attractive in the multiplayer space on PS4 – Xbox and PC owners had Titanfall but judging from others comments, even the allure of that wore off fairly quickly. FIFA 15 was up to its usual tricks and I got pulled back into Ultimate Team mode again. Destiny had its hooks into me for a while there as I was really enjoying the multiplayer and more recently (now that it all works) DriveClub has been amazing fun – both in terms of time challenges and straight up races. For me though it was another 2013 title that I ploughed countless hours into. The Last Of Us Remastered hit PS4 this year and with the package containing all previous online maps and the extra Interrogation mode, there wasn’t a better online experience in 2014. The meta-game with your camp remains a really nice touch – meaning that everyone always has something to play for – even if you’re having a bad round the need to get supplies means that you’ll never just write a round off. Added to that the fact the game still looks glorious despite its gritty nature and you have one hell of an online experience on your hands.

Runners Up

• Destiny
• FIFA 15
• DriveClub

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GAME OF THE YEAR

Winner: Transistor

Well, who would’ve thought in the first full year of PS4 it would be a turned based strategy game that would take home Game Of The Year? The simple truth is I got lost in Transistor in a way I simply didn’t in any other game this year. The music, the art, the gameplay… the characters… the world. Wonderful stuff and much deeper, tactically, than you might originally give it credit for. The style of the cut scenes had me hammering the screenshot button again and again. My only complaint would be that I’d have liked a bit more story told through the game rather than unlockables but it’s a small gripe in the grand scheme of things. I can’t wait to see what Supergiant come up with next.

Runners Up:

• The Last Of Us: Remastered
• Far Cry 4
• Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor

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So that’s 2014 done and dusted!

I’d love to hear if you agree with any of the choices above and what your favourite games were from last year. Here’s to 2015!

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E3 2014 – The GregHorrorShow Round Up

So another E3 has been and gone. 2014 was not quite as dramatic as last year’s XBox One Vs PS4 launch shenanigans but there were plenty of great games to see.

So in no particular order, here are my favourites from the show:

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RAINBOW SIX: SEIGE

I have been waiting years for a new Rainbow Six game and while we had seen (the now defunct) ‘Patriots’ game last year, Ubisoft have revealed their newest Six title in the shape of ‘Seige’. Looks very shiny and could be quite tactical if playing with the right people. I’m in!

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UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END

We knew this one was coming but we had no idea just how good it would look. The above was from in-game assets running on a PS4. Aside from looking amazing, Sully was *confirmed* which makes it a must buy for me immediately 🙂 They kept saying ‘one last time’, I’d love to see Drake go out with a bang. The series deserves an amazing send off.

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THE DIVISION

Another big hitter from last year, The Division is still a way off but this gameplay demo showcased just how great this title could be. Fingers crossed it can live up to the hype.

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NO MAN’S SKY

Speaking of hype, another title I’m hoping doesn’t drown under the hopes/dreams of the gaming community is No Man’s Sky. Initially revealed late last year it still looks super cool and different to most other stuff out there. The world is procedurely generated so there will be plenty of surprises in store!

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ASSASSIN’S CREED: UNITY

Black Flag won me back over after III’s poor showing and the switch to 17th Century France really appeals to me. Four player co-op will be awesome if implemented well and keeping this just on the newest consoles means we should see a big improvement in AI and graphics (hopefully).

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FAR CRY 4

This looks superb. More of the same in a different location and better graphics. That’s fine with me! Hopefully the story will last the distance this time out rather than collapsing in on itself half way through.

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THE WITCHER 3

The first two Witcher titles were very well received and this is the first time Geralt has appeared on Playstation – fortunately you don’t need to have played the other games to enjoy this stunning fantasy epic. I look forward to exploring the world CD Projekt RED have crafted.

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RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER

I thoroughly enjoyed last year’s Tomb Raider reboot – looking forward to more of the same and hopefully some more character development. Maybe skip the multiplayer though Crystal Dynamics?

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DESTINY

This one has definitely snuck up on me a bit as I wasn’t massively keen but Destiny had a good showing at E3. It helps that I got into the Alpha over the last weekend and that it was especially awesome 🙂 Coming on like a cross between Borderlands and Mass Effect… well, do I need to carry on?!

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BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT

I never played the non-RockSteady made Arkham game from last year, so I am definitely ready for a new Batman game and this one looks gorgeous. Hopefully RockSteady can keep the gameplay fresh and nail a great story as well.

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THE ORDER: 1886

Unfortunately this was a game that ended up delayed into early 2015 but I still think this will be a stand out PS4 title. Graphically it looks excellent and the seamless interchange between gameplay and cut scene is super impressive. Victorian London Steampunk? Yes please!

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BLOODBORNE

I never played the Souls games on PS3 so my hype for this game is mainly based on a combination of how great it looks and the fact that MisterOggy has been raving about the Souls games recently. Seems as good as time as any to jump in and this is being made by the guy who created the original ‘Souls’ title.

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There was plenty of other great stuff on show including Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor (a third person action adventure game set in the Lord Of The Rings universe), Dead Island 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition. I also thought Cuphead, with it’s old-skool cartoon vibe, looked fantastic. I was pleased to see Mass Effect 4 confirmed but there wasn’t much they could show. Same goes for Star Wars Battlefront. Ubisoft’s WW1 game Valiant Hearts continues to interest and is actually out in a few weeks.

Another one that looks great is 5 player Evolve, where it’s 4 v 1 but the 1 is a huge monster 🙂 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was as insane as ever but it looks great and I will definitely be picking it up. I thought Fetch was one of the best (and underused) characters in Infamous: Second Son so the standalone DLC ‘First Light‘ could be really interesting. I liked the look of Inside but I did feel it felt a bit too similar to Limbo for my liking, at least from that trailer.

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Overall I thought it was a pretty great E3, although it’s a bit disappointing that a lot of the best games shown are not going to be out until 2015. There is still plenty to look forward to though – what did you guys like the look of? Was there anything not listed about that you thought might be cool?