Best of 2014!

Since we are into the new year, I figured I would take a look back to some of the good games I played last year.  Some I reviewed on the site, others I did not.  I limited it to games that came out in 2014.

Bravely Default
This is old school RPG goodness.  It has a robust class system, even bordering on too many classes.  The story isn't too bad, but like others have said, it gets too lazy and repetitive in the last third of the game.  Still a solid choice for RPG fans with a 3DS, as you can still get 50+ hours until it takes a dive.

Fairy Fencer F
While not the best game I've played, it was certainly very fun.  The combat is based off the Hyperdimension Neptunia games.  I started off not liking the characters, but they grew on me.  I found myself wanting to play it more and more.  It will be coming to PCs later in 2015, and I'm hoping the PS4 sequel comes to the states.

South Park: The Stick of Truth
There's a reason two out of three XGR people choose it as their RPG of the year.  It's a great turn based RPG with a lot of humor.  There are references to just about everything from the show, so even if you haven't seen them all, there is stuff you will get.  It's a fun game, but short, and all RPG fans owe it to themselves to try the game out.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Easily the best plot in a game from 2014.  I got sucked into the story quickly and completely.  The game is a fun mix of Phoenix Wright and SAW.  The game may be bleak, but it should keep you engaged for the whole ride.  Even if the sequel took some missteps, the first Danganronpa is a great game, and easily one of the best I played last year.

Toukiden: Age of Demons
Tecmo Koei's foray into the monster hunting genre is a really solid action game.  It has enough similarities to the famous Capcom series, while adding new and welcome additions.  I played it for 50 or so hours for my review, and continued to play for 25 more.  I'm still not done and I'd love to play more.  Japan is getting an enhanced version with more content in the future, and that may come to the US as well.  So even though the game is good, and worth your money, you might be better off waiting for the "G" version... or whatever they call it.

Shovel Knight
Probably the zenith of an original game that is obviously inspired by the NES era of games.  It's difficult, but fair, and fun to play.  It's a great mix of Mario, Ducktales and Castlevania.  If you played games on the NES back in the day, make sure to try out Shovel Knight.

There's still more reviews to come in the next year.  While my current class will take a lot of time away, I will still be putting up reviews.  Coming soon is Funk of Titans, Citizens of Earth and Neptunia ReBirth 2!