Review of 2014: Pretty Disappointing

2014 could have been such an amazing year. There was so much potential. We had the graphical promise of what could have been a true GTA rival (Watch Dogs), we could have had a spiritual successor to Halo (Destiny), we might have had the MMO that finally knocks WoW off its porch (Elder Scrolls Online). That is not even a tiny bit of the disappointments that gamers faced; think the botched launches of the Assassin’s Creeds,Titanfall or_ Sims 4_. These were all supposed to be amazing games that would build on their predecessors and push gaming boundaries. What we got were rushed games, that really didn’t offer much apart from lacking content, micro transactions, DLCs or bugs.

However, while the big studios all in all failed to deliver on the year of the next generation, the indies and smaller studios stepped into the limelight. Excellent games like Goat Simulator and 5 Nights at Freddies became viral, and made up for the other publishers failings. In fact, we also had a big shift in the gaming world with bigger companies buying into the success of the smaller companies, like Microsoft buying Mojang and Facebook buying Oculus Rift.

One big winner of 2014 was Nintendo. After getting a lot of flack for their Wii U and a lack of titles, Nintendo has been able to build some momentum, flying under most gamers’ radars. With excellent Pokémon games (especially the unexpected remakes of Sapphire and Ruby) as well as a new Zelda game they have driven up sales of their 3DS. The Wii U was aided by releases of Mario Kart and Smash Bros among others. Nintendo’s situation doesn’t seem as dire anymore, and 2014 once again proved that in terms of actual IP, Nintendo is king.

Worryingly 2014 has seen an increase in Day-One DLCs, Micro transactions and paytowin mechanics. This monetisation of gaming is frightening, and I hope that it is a trend that won’t continue into 2015.