The 10 Best Video Games of 2014

Image via Complex Original

Platforms: ​PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360

Destiny came in with an incredible amount of hype, and like Watch the Throne in 2011 it was impossible to satisfy everyone. Now that it's had time to settle, it's time to admit Destiny was a fantastic game and its critics were overzealous. Bungie created a familiar feeling for fans of its long-lost Halo serious and made it evolve with a skill-based progression system. This hybrid FPS/MMO proves the developer isn't just trying to recreate Halo—it's trying to make another forward-thinking juggernaut. This first new success has us optimistic for the future.

Platforms: PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC

Far Cry 4 is the most challenging, most immersive, and most satisfying game yet in the series. Exploring the enormously scaled and minutely detailed island of Kyrat, the birthplace of our protagonist, it's a seemingly endless experience that dwarfs the actual campaign. Your time is best spent exploring the wild and wreaking havoc—using an array of weapons, explosives, and even animals—at enemy outposts instead of hanging around with the underdeveloped characters and storyline.

Platforms: PS4, PS Vita, PC, Mac, Linux

Yes, this a reboot of the beloved 2011 PC game. But its move to the PS4 and PS Vita introduced it to a new and much wider audience; for them The Binding of Isaac might as well be brand new. Unsatisfied with the look and feel of the original, the indie developers at Nicalis moved to a new engine and eliminated a plethora of bugs.

Oh, and we almost forgot: This game is weird. Really, really weird. But that bizarre factor is what makes it so charming. You play as a naked child trying to escape his home, where his hardcore Christian mother is trying to murder him to prove her devotion to God. Who says a little blasphemy can't be fun?

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Video games aren't usually our go-to source for humor, but The Stick of Truth's strength is in a category most video games don't even touch, let alone thrive in. That's not to say the game uses jokes as an animated crutch.

Like all elite RPGs, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's collaboration with Obsidian Entertainment drops users into a new and fascinating world, which, in this case, is essentially an extended episode of their show. Nowhere else could we find ourselves in a fantastical battle against Nazi zombies, aliens, and gnomes. Thank the game-playing gods Matt and Trey have blasphemed—The Stick of Truth overcoming its four years of woes and finally making it onto our consoles.

Platforms: PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC

Unlike the other games on this list, Dark Souls II is going to kick your ass. Don't let this dissuade you, though. Degrees of difficulty are what separates the gaming men from the boys, and if you fancy yourself a hardcore gamer, this is the game for you. By the time you figure out what the hell you're doing and trial-and-error your way through the campaign, you'll feel a true sense of accomplishment. Be smart, tactful, and, most importantly, patient, and the world of Drangleic is all yours.

Platforms: Wii U, 3DS

Let's just cut to the chase—you need to get seven of your closest friends together to talk shit and pummel each other in the biggest and baddest iteration of Super Smash Bros. yet. Seriously, if you don't have seven friends, start pulling in randos because maximizing the orgy of chaos is the best way to experience this game. That and having a screen big enough to drink it all in are what sets apart the Wii U version from the 3DS, which is no chump itself.

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC

Xbox One has mostly taken a shellacking from the Playstation 4 this year, but Titanfall is an Xbox exclusive capable of inducing FOMO. Had the sci-fi shooter been available at launch, the Xbox One might have even had a better start.

Titanfall sheds the single-player campaign, which many shooter fans find superfluous anyway, and focuses solely on online multiplayer. The battles feel larger than life, and not just when you hop into a titan and light up our enemies with heavy gun-power, or simply crush them with your feet. The six-on-six team battles are all-out war, complete with NPCs to carry out the grunt work.

This is just the very beginning, but Titanfall can become one of Xbox One's signature franchises.

Platform: Wii U

Damn, Nintendo, how you gonna keep Bayonetta 2 for yourself? Unlike the original, which was available across consoles, the sequel is exclusive to Wii U. It's a shame because the second game is even better than the first, refining its absurdly stylish combat that makes you feel like the baddest motherfucker alive. Put in the hours of practice required and your technique will become god level, a mastery that's more satisfying than simply doing what it takes to complete the campaign.

Platforms: PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC

This poorly named release finally gives us a proper chance to explore an open-world Tolkien universe. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor essentially plays like a superior version of Assassin's Creed, carrying out the revenge quest of Ranger, who was wronged by Sauron's army.

The impressive mechanics and ambitious Nemisis System make each clash with the Orcs memorable. Should you fail to kill an opponent, you may just see homeboy later on, nursing the very wounds you gave him. This feature, which is greatly reduced for Xbox 360 and PS4, is the crowning achievement that helps propel Shadow of Mordor into game-of-the-year territory.

Platform: Wii U

We didn't know we needed an update of this childhood favorite, the original SNES game having been converted into a drinking game staple now that we're adults. But now that Mario Kart 8 is here, we can't imagine life without it.

Both old favorites and new courses have been given a sparkling HD treatment rich in color and detail. And the opportunities to humiliate your friends have drastically increased, thanks to new weapons, a defense against the dreaded blue shell, and a new highlight reel feature that allows you to relive your triumph like a gloating FIFA opponent and uncover the shade Luigi has been hiding from us all along. When you're having this much fun it doesn't matter if Nintendo is sticking with a formula.