Hello all, thanks for taking the time in reading what is likely my last blog of the year. I am sure to be pretty busy the next couple of weeks with holiday festivities and will still be logging in to read other’s blogs but I won’t have any time to write anymore. This being my last blog, there is a lot of ground to cover. I am going to jump right in with my top five games of the year:
TOP 5 GAMES OF THE YEAR
#5) Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 
The roster is solely why this game is on my list. Mega Man, Little Mac, Pac Man, Duck Hunt and Sonic added to the already great roster instantly makes this game a must buy. The HD visuals are beautiful, it’s great to see Nintendo games in HD, finally. I also like all the nods to vintage Nintendo games and systems as someone who grew up playing NES, although I really wish that this game had a single player mode like Subspace Emissary or Adventure Mode. Unfortunately, I don’t have the means to sit 8 people down to play this game locally. Playing against CPU players is fun, but gets old fast. Smash Tour is okay, I wish they would expanded it more though, maybe even have the story mode in this form would’ve been good enough for me. One more thing, I really wish Solid Snake made a return on this version!
#4) Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition (PS4) 
This was the first Diablo game I have ever played and now I realize that I have been missing out! I played Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath games for Playstation 2 back in the day and that is instantly what this game reminded me of because it is so similar to them. I am glad that I waited to the Playstation 4 release to buy it with the DLC being included and the updated visuals. Loot is the name of the game and your goal, bosses and enemies are means to that end. Hearing the chime for the legendary or exotic item drop is greatly satisfying. The gems were also pretty cool equipping them to your weapons/armor for stat bonuses. I heavily considered going for the platinum trophy for this game which entails fully leveling one of each character class to level 70 and one of those playthroughs has to be on Hardcore Mode (perma-death)! In the end my backlog is just too ridiculous to commit that much time to this game.
#3) The Last of Us (PS3/PS4) 
I actually played this game in 2014 despite it coming out last year, the PS3 version, and loved every minute of it. In fact I loved it so much, that upon completing it, I traded it in to put towards the PS4 Remastered Edition. You got the PS4 version for $25 by doing that, I bought the PS3 version for $25 as well. lol. The story and gameplay are equally as awesome in my opinion. It is a stealth game when it comes down to it and I have no problem with that since my favorite gaming series is stealth oriented (Metal Gear). This is simply a game that every Playstation 3 or 4 owner should play, a classic. What I liked a lot was the tension when sneaking through abandoned building from not only the “zombies” but the humans as well. Scavenging for supplies was also pretty awesome and choosing whether to use your supplies for healing items or weapons makes for interesting choices. Play this game!!
TIE
#1) Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4) 
I platted this game, that should give you an idea of just how much time and enjoyment I got out of it. This game deserves Game of the Year just for the Nemesis system alone in my opinion, which practically gives the game infinite replayability and brings something innovative and new to a tried and true formula of the previous generation. The visuals are gorgeous and it’s fun to play. A cross between the Batman Arkham series and the Assassin’s Creed series is basically how you could describe this game: “detective mode”, executions, parkour, towers to unlock, free flow combat and collectibles. I never got sick of playing this game, in fact I could probably walk in my room now, pop it in and start/end a new rivalry. The trophies for this game are interesting, having you manipulate the Nemesis system to your will. Awesome, unforgettable game.
#1) Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PS4) 
As a fan of the Metal Gear series, this is a no-brainer; the best playing Metal Gear Solid game to date. I love the dark tone this game is taking, it’s refreshing. I probably dumped 30 hours into this teaser so I definitely got my money’s worth and I could easily put a whole lot more. Come on Phantom Pain!
RUNNERS UP: Darksiders (PS3), The Walking Dead, Season 1 (PS3), Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT:
Destiny (PS4) 
Coming from the makers of the Halo games, I expected quite a bit from Destiny. I knew it was going to be a shooter MMO, but I didn’t it expect it to be so MMO-heavy if that makes sense; replaying portions of the game over to grind for levels and gear. I played this game for about a week, completed the story and then realized the remainder of my Destiny experience would be replaying the same missions over and over again. I then sold it….
RECENT PURCHASES:
Dragon Age: Inquistion (PS4): Amazon dropped the price to $40 and I jumped all over it. This game seems to be getting all around praise and I love the Mass Effect games, but have yet to play a Dragon Age game.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: This and Mario Kart are the main reasons I bought a Wii U. Read above about my thoughts on this game.
Grand Theft Auto V (PS4): I just started playing this game and it’s gorgeous. Looking forward to playing this finally.
Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix (PS3): This was an impulse buy. I was at my local supermarket and the last Limited Edition was sitting there on the shelf, I couldn’t walk away, lol.
The Evil Within (PS4): A Black Friday purchase, I bought this for $25 at Target.
CURRENTLY PLAYING
Grand Theft Auto V (PS4) 
Just started playing Grand Theft Auto V and on PS4 it looks gorgoues. I never played it on PS3 , so I am not sure how much it improved from there but I am impressed so far. The new first mode is cool, I pop into it every once in a while. I am only playing as Franklin at the moment, I know you eventually play as three characters though.
God of War: Ascension (PS3) 
This game has been on the backlog for a while and I keep telling myself to play it, so I finally am. I am a big God of War fan, I believe the original game is still my favorite though. All I know about this game is that it is a prequel, jumped in and beat the first boss of the game last night. I still love these games, I am curious to see where the story goes.
Hope you enjoyed reading and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! I look forward to reading everyone's end of the year thoughts!
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