Logo for Byte Magazine at Ball State University

Kelsey's Top Five Games of 2014


5. Goat Simulator


I first heard about this game when Byte either reported about it or they reviewed it. When I first went to check it out, it wasn’t available yet. The next time I went to check it out, it was available for PC only. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but for some odd reason I bought a Mac because I was told it was required for my major. In June it was finally available for the Mac, and I was able to pick up a copy of it on Steam for $10. So I bought it, and it was pretty good. For playing as a goat, running into people, flying, and the fact that nothing could kill you, it was a pretty good game.


4. Civilization: Beyond Earth


Since I have Goat Simulator on my list, this one was probably a pretty big surprise. Civ? A strategy game? Yeah. I play those sometimes. This one improved on a lot of things, and it has the added awesomeness of building a country in space. IN SPACE! The interface is completely new. The tech tree is more of a web, but I kind of like it that way. I don’t play Civ a whole lot, but when I do, I can usually expect a good game, even when I get frustrated.


3. Pokemon: Omega Ruby/ Alpha Sapphire


Pokemon is the game that I first played. Granted that was way back in 1998 when Pokemon Blue and Red came out, but I fell in love with the games. Before X and Y came out, I really hadn’t played any of the other games because I didn’t have the funds, and my funding machines (my parents(mainly my mom)) didn’t want to buy me a game about fictional animals that fight themselves. So I was stuck with Pokemon blue until my game died in 2010. Pokemon X is the one that I played, and it brought back all the Sentimentality that I had from my childhood. I had played a little bit of SoulSilver, and I kind of wish that it had the ability for your Pokemon to be able to walk behind you. It was a fun experience for me when You had a 50 ft. tall Pokemon walking behind you. I liked that you could ride Pokemon in this game, but I was highly disappointed when it was only in like three places. If they would have the option to ride your Pokemon around the map

2. Borderlands: The PreSequel


This is my number two because EXPLOSIONS! And because of plot holes in the story. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Borderlands franchise, and this one is a strong contender in the series. I love that this franchise gives us the reason that Jack became the person that he did, and why he hated the vault hunters so very much. Perhaps my favorite part of this game is the fact that if you try and choose the Fragtrap class, it pops up warning you that this character is terrible and very annoying.


1. South Park: The Stick of Truth


This is my number one because I am a huge fan of South Park, and for me this was amazing. It felt like I was playing a long episode of South Park, and all the cameos and side quests added to the overall experience. The story was what you’d expect from Matt Stone and Trey Parker, but that didn’t detract the fact that they tied into the game very well with their Black Friday Trilogy last Christmas. Overall this game was one of my favorites to play, and the gameplay wasn’t too hard for someone like me who isn’t really that good at video games.
----------
Kelsey Hayes is the Assistant Editor for BYTE

Comments

Comments