[–] AllNamesAreGone 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Xenonauts is my favorite release of 2014. Old-ass X-COM with some of the dumber micromanagement (like having to stock your inventory down to ammo counts for pistols) removed and the game made a bit updated in general. It's the perfect complement to the 2012 XCOM.
Honorable mentions:
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is something I'm probably obligated to mention.
Luftrausers is a kickass 2D dogfighter that I'm still getting mileage out of.
Niddhog joined Liero and Ur-Quan Masters as things that I can play with someone else on the same computer and keyboard.
[–] spencerflem ago
I've been eying up Xenonauts, after playing and loving a run of enemy within.From what I've seen its had mixed reviews, what did you like about it that wasn't in enemy within?
[–] AllNamesAreGone ago
Xenonauts is much closer to the old XCOM style of gameplay than the new. That means time units, free-fire, lots of troops, no superpowers, a completely different geoscape setup, and more detailed inventories.
What I liked in the geoscape was the ability to have more than one base and the changes to aircraft. You can free-deploy them if you'd like, as well as send them after certain targets and give orders to aircraft in flight. You can also send up to 3 out at a time, rather than having to send them out individually (which is actually an improvement over the old X-COM, if I remember correctly). Missions also are actually affected by whether it's day or night at the site, with night missions being more difficult due to restricted visibility.
On the battlescape, your troops use time units instead of a two-move system. It gives you more freedom over how they act. There's also more choice over who gets what weapons, since classes aren't really a thing. Free-fire is allowed on all weapons, and friendly fire in non-panic situations is possible. You can also select fire modes for weapons, trading accuracy for time, or putting down bursts of fire rather than single shots.
[–] Deathcrow 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
There haven't been many great games in 2014, but I'd probably have to go with Divinity Original Sin. Haven't played Wasteland 2 yet, but I hear it could be a contender. Shadow of Mordor was pretty fun, but the paper-thin plot really didn't do anything for me - tedious pseudo-drama.
[–] devilstwosome ago
I really enjoyed Divinity: Original Sin. I ended up getting pulled away from it though and might need to start a new save because I'm lost. The game doesn't hold your hand whatsoever and the game journal is not very descriptive - you really have to learn about the world. And after some time away from the game, I feel a little lost whenever I load my save.
Doesn't matter, I loved the game enough that I'll probably have another go.
[–] graphconnect ago (edited ago)
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Reminded me a lot of the Myst series, and it's absolutely beautiful. The minimal gameplay suits it perfectly.