Top video games of 2014

2014 offered dynamic choices for all ages

With so many dynamic games released in 2014, it’s difficult to narrow down the many choices. Here is a list of my top 10 picks that is sure to please every member of your household this holiday season.

SKYLANDERS TRAP TEAM

Available on: Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android, iOS Entertainment Safety Ratings Board (ESRB) rating: E for everyone over 10 Story: It may have started as a gimmick, with strangelooking toys that come to life when placed on a special portal, but it works and the minds behind the Skylanders franchise have delivered another smash hit.

Skylanders Trap Team brings all of the cartoon action fans love and added more dynamic puzzles and a mini-game that has the player setting up defences to protect a treasure chest. The best addition is the ability to “trap” your enemies in colourful crystals and turn them into your allies. With multiple game modes, an entertaining storyline and fun collectible toys that players will be inclined to display as well as play with, Skylanders Trap Team delivers a complete package sure to satisfy gamers of all ages.

LEGO BATMAN 3 : BEYOND GOTHAM

Available on: Xbox One, PS4, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, Sony Vita, Nintendo 3DS, PS and iOS. ESRB: E for everyone over 10 Story: If you created an aggregate that contained humour from the campy, 1960s, Adam West Batman and mixed in colourful bricks, some popular comic book characters, great video game design and music from classic superhero films, you’d end up with Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.

Thanks to these ingredients, the Lego franchise’s latest instalment is rock solid. It offers fantastic game play that continually changes with bonus levels and extra content that will keep you playing well after the story is complete. In addition, there are more than 150 classic DC Comics heroes and villains to play with.

From the first glimpse of Brainiac’s skull-like ship, players will be hooked. With levels such as the Watchtower and Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, the spellbinding pages of DC Comics come to life onscreen. This is one title that video game and comic book fans shouldn’t miss.

DRAGON AGE : INQUI S I TION

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC ESRB: M for Mature, over 18 Story: This is really the ultimate gift for fans of roleplaying and fantasy games. The title is beautifully rendered, with lush scenery and an expansive world. It has an intricate combat system, which requires the player to control multiple units on the battlefield and an incredibly complex, detailed story, which will keep the attention of even the most diehard fantasy fan.

The game allows the player to create a character. Four different paths are then presented along with four different races (human, elf, dwarf or Qunari). The choices here set up the direction the game takes. For example, the Qunari are not trusted by most residents of Thedas, the world in which the game takes place. So choosing this race makes things more difficult right off the bat. Humans, dwarfs and elves have their own issues to overcome.

Think Game of Thrones in a video game. If that appeals to you, then Inquisition is what you’ve been waiting for.

CALL O F DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE

Available on: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3 and PC ESRB: M for Mature, over 18 The story: The title takes players 50 years into the future where exosuit-wearing soldiers can jump higher, use rocket boosters to propel them over great distances, lift and throw heavy objects and survive long falls, which would have killed them if not in the high-tech gear.

The suits, and the other technology the futuristic soldiers carry with them, lend a layer of complexity to gameplay, allowing players to drop on enemies, scale walls and dodge attacks in superpowered fashion. Couple that with Call of Duty’s furious pace and players end up with one serious adrenalin rush.

Even for people who have complained about seeing “more of the same” when it comes to Call of Duty’s annual game releases should find something to like about Advanced Warfare. Between the sci-fi story, the technologically aided soldiers and the new multi-player maps, there really is something for everyone, both experienced first-person shooter fans and newcomers alike.

DONK EY KONG COU NTRY: TROPICAL FRE EZ E

Available on: Wii U ESRB: E for Everyone over 10 The story: Everybody’s favourite ape is back with a host of new zany adventures that is breathing new life into this popular 33-yearold franchise. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze revives the formula that made the previous versions of the game so enjoyable. Thanks to a few new tweaks, as well as some seriously ingenious game design, even the most advanced video gamers will be thumping their chests and begging for more.

The game centres on the famous ape family; Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Cranky Kong and Dixie Kong, teaming up to stop an invading army from the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Evil penguins, walruses, polar bears and other icy invaders have taken over the islands that make up Donkey Kong Country. Donkey leads his furry friends through various obstacles and perilous situations to restore his beloved jungle home.

MARIO KART 8

Available on: Wii U ESRB: E for Everyone over 10 The story: Fans know the drill: Mario and his friends gather for a race in a Formula One-like environment against Bowser, his minions and other characters from the Super Mario titles. This time the race is different because you can bump, shoot, blind and even shrink other racers. There’s also tracks full of pitfalls, livestock, various booby traps and other headaches specifically designed to throw you off your game.

This time, the title’s developers added another dimension to the off-the-wall hilarity. Racers now have the ability to hover, scale walls by driving straight up them and traverse roller-coasterlike loops. Your cart is also equipped with a hang-glider or parachute allowing you to soar through the air as needed, passing over obstacles and other racers after coming off of any one of the game’s numerous ramps.

There’s a lot going on in this version of the classic slapstick racing game, and fans of the franchise will love all of it.

DE STINY

Available on: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4 and PS3 ESRB: T for teens The story: Destiny is giving gamers a glimpse into the evolution of gaming. The just-released game is not a derivative romp through a fantastic world, building on every science-fiction cliché. It’s communal, it’s entertaining, it’s mysterious and above all, it’s addictive. Players can easily expect more than 20 hours of gameplay, and that’s before multi-player or downloadable add-ons come into play.

The game follows a small flying robot “Ghost” as it frantically searches a burnt-out, war-torn landscape. What it finds is a person and that person is the player. Gamers are able to customize their character as they wish. The robot tells the player that they are a guardian, one of many, who has been chosen to push back a terrifying Darkness that is taking over the universe. Expansion packs have already been released, expanding the game beyond its initial release. This is one title that’s worth watching.

FAR CRY 4

Available on: PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC ESRB: M for mature, over 18 The story: Far Cry 4 is a tense, gritty and emotion-filled game that grabs players by the throat and holds your attention for hours on end. The game starts out innocent enough with young American Ajay Ghale returning to his mother’s fictional country of Kyrat to scatter her ashes.

It isn’t long before players are introduced to Pagan Min, an evil dictator who has a tight grasp on the country and the people who live in it. Ajay is forced to take up arms alongside the rebel group, The Golden Path, which his mother helped to create.

Like others in the series, the title is a mix of missions and free play, allowing players to explore the country of Kyrat on their own. With everything from bows and guns, through to wing suits (allowing characters to glide through various terrain), there is a lot to see and do. Far Cry 4 is sure to be a hit with action-game fans.

FORZA HORIZON 2

Available on: Xbox One, Xbox 360 ESRB: E for everyone over 10 The story: An open world racing game where players can pick their dream cars and tear off in any direction, along open roads, through crowded city streets or even go cross-country. There is a lot to see and do in the game, which centres around the Horizon Festival, which is held in Italy and France, so you know the backdrops and visuals in this title are mind-blowing. Really, this is a title built by driving fans for driving fans and if that’s your thing, then you can’t go wrong with this title.

KIRBY TRIPLE DE LUXE

Available on: Nintendo 3DS ESRB: E for everyone over seven The story: Everyone’s favourite vacuum-sucking, bad-guy smashing, pink blob is back in an adventure that’s sure to please all-comers.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe is a fairly easy and amusing romp that has a few added twists and surprises thrown in to keep players interested. The game starts out with Kirby napping as a giant beanstalk appears and hoists his house high into the clouds. When Kirby wakes he finds that it’s not just his home that’s been elevated by the beanstalk, the king’s castle has been hijacked, too. A big beast called Taranza attacks the castle and kidnaps the king. Kirby has to stop Taranza and rescue the king.

It’s a portable adventure that’s not to be missed.