Christmas 2019 is now over and only a few more days are left in this decade so if I was ever going to do a ‘games of the decade’ article now is the time! But picking a top 100, or even a top 10 across the entire 10 years is tough and personally I was more interested in how many games I actually played that came out this decade. So that’s what I have done.
Using a mix of Steam, what I have in my own cupboards and a Wikipedia list of games that released in each decade I compiled a list of every game I have played and picked out my top five for each year. Just to explain my methodology a little first, only games that first released in this decade. No ports so the likes of Final Fantasy VII releasing on Switch in 2019 would not count. Now remasters like Wind Waker HD and collections like the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection I am counting in my total new games played list (with collections being counted as simply one game) however neither are eligible for my top five of each year. Those have to be new.
I am also going by the western release date unless it doesn’t have one of course, and I am also judging on the year they came out, not the year I played them. For example, I played Hollow Knight in 2019 however the game came out in 2017 so if it does end up on this list it will be under 2017.
So with that out of the way let’s cover my top five games of 2014 with every game I played listed at the bottom. It goes without saying that if I didn’t play a game then it won’t be on this list. Simple.
2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019
5) Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse – Nintendo 3DS/Wii U/PX/Xbox One/PS4/Switch – October 23rd 2014
My first exposure to the Shantae series was the DSi game Risky’s Revenge and it was alright. I enjoyed playing it but never beat the last boss and wasn’t motivated to go back and try. Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse , however, is a vast improvement over the others and is still the best Shantae game made so far. It’s a Metroidvania with a great story, interesting power-ups and the first real look into the series lore. While Half-Genie Hero might be a better starting place for newcomers, Pirate’s Curse is the best Shantae experience on the market.
4) Mario Kart 8 – Wii U – May 30th 2014
Mario Kart can always be relied on for enjoyable multiplayer action and Mario Kart 8 is one of the best in the series. Everyone has a favorite Mario Kart and for me that was Mario Kart DS. As good as Wii and 7 were I didn’t feel like they managed to top all of the features DS added but 8 does. The antigravity is a simple mechanic that allows for much more unique track design. The online has been greatly improved and the addition of DLC is brilliant to keep the game going. While the roster could have been better it was always inevitable that the Koopalings eventually get added so I can’t be too mad about it, especially as we eventually got non-Mario characters like Link and Isabelle.
3) Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS – Wii U/Nintendo 3DS – October 3rd / November 21st 2014
This was, of course, going to be on here. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS was the Smash Bros game that was the focus when I joined Source Gaming and I felt it was a great improvement of Brawl. Now, even though Wii U and 3DS are separate games, as confirmed by Sakurai himself, I can’t deny how linked they are and it’s only really together that they feel like a real game. The single-player content on 3DS like Smash Run and its rendition of Classic Mode are fantastic additions to the series while the multiplayer aspect of Wii U, like the addition of 8-player smash, added new options for play which helped to boost the game up as a party title. The one downside to the game is that in hindsight, Smash Ultimate blows it out of the water and so I struggle to see a reason to come back, but that doesn’t stop it from being a fantastic game.
2) Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze – Wii U – February 21st 2014
I love the Donkey Kong Country series and have played through the original trilogy many times. While Donkey Kong Country Returns was a neat return to the series after so long I don’t think it was quite as memorable as the originals, or quite as well designed. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze , on the other hand, could possibly be the best game in the series with set-pieces that give Donkey Kong Country 2 a run for its money. With four playable characters, fantastic music, great level-design and actually interesting villains Tropical Freeze is a great direction for the series future.
Honorable Mention) Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure All Star Battle – PS3 – April 29th 2014
Another personal pick for me. I am a big fan of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure but that alone isn’t why this game is my honorable mention, although as a fanservice title nothing does better for its series. No, this game is my honorable mention for not only being a good fighting game but also because it was through this game that I got to meet many good friends. Much like with Streetpass this title helped me meet new people when I had just moved away from home and so it will always have a special place in my heart.
1) Hyrule Warriors – Wii U – September 19th 2014
I could not justify putting any other title at first place for this. Hyrule Warriors was my World of Warcraft, Overwatch, League of Legends – it was the game I played hundreds of hours of, over 400 in fact. It was not my first Warriors game but it was the first I got really into and I managed to level-up every character to their max level. I use to play it every night as a way to relax and get ready for sleep as it was so simple to play but also really fun and I really hope we get a sequel soon.
2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019
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honestly the Wii U had some good games on it
I was aware of the original game but I also was introduced to the Shantae series through Risky’s Revenge, beat the game and enjoyed it somewhat but it wasn’t enough to make me wanna replay it. Thankfully Pirate’s Curse was an huge improvment, without a doubt one of the better Metroidvania games I ever played that year.
I only played the demo version of 3DS Smash 4. Borrowed a friend’s copy of Wii U Smash 4 and completed/unlocked most of the modes and fighters. Gameplay was of course a huge improvment over Brawl in many areas (such as loss of random tripping XD). And yes, I know Sakurai and most of the SB community calls them “Smash 4” and “Smash 5” respectively, but I will always be calling both versions “3DS Smash 4” and “Wii U Smash 4”. I’m sorry, not trying to start an argument here, but I will never truly understand why he felt the need to ‘officially’ consider the titles separate installments, as they both have the same amount of playable fighters and the same ‘main’ gameplay, almost everything else that are new were version exclusive.
I like many titles in the Mario Kart series but I don’t think I have a personal favorite, atleast not just one. If I have to chosse it would be Double Dash (dunno about anyone else but I really loved that two riders per kart mechanic), DS and Wii. Of course I also love MK8, easily the best racing game the Wii U ever got.
I never got around to play the original Wii U version of DKC:TF for various reasons, got the Switch port instead and had a blast with it. Imo, of the two modern Country games TF is the one that is the closest to date to being as good as the classic Country games.
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