2015 is just around the corner, which
makes for a good opportunity to reflect back on what came out during the year.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to see as many new movies or play as many new games
as I’d have liked, partly due to going through my first semester of college,
but I was still able to create a list for the end of 2014. Below are my
selections for the top movies and games which came out this year, as well as
the top disappointments. As always, they are in no particular order.
Top
Movies of 2014
From initial previews, I wasn’t really
sure what to make of The Lego Movie, but once I finally saw it I found myself
pleasantly surprised. In fact, as soon as the movie was over, I wanted to play
the tie-in game and spent months anticipating the next time I’d get to view it.
Unfortunately, I can’t really say anything about The Lego Movie since saying
anything about the story is a potential spoiler. In this case, you’ll just have
to take my word that it’s good and see it yourself. You won’t regret it,
especially if you’ve ever played with Legos.
Marvel Studios movies are generally
good, but Guardians of the Galaxy easily became one of their best. It’s
certainly one of their most fun movies and I haven’t gotten tired of watching
it yet. Guardians of the Galaxy is humorous and witty, but its lighthearted
atmosphere allows for the writers to sneak in very touching moments of pathos
now and then which don’t feel out of place at all. The villain is admittedly a
little flat, but the main characters are fleshed out very well (which could be
the reason for said flatness in Ronan the Accuser) and I’m now a fan of both
Rocket Raccoon and Groot. It’s simply amazing that Marvel was able to take such
an obscure comic and turn it into a fun ride that simply shouldn’t be missed.
As I said, Marvel Studios movies are
generally good, which can be said as well for Captain America: The Winter
Soldier, a movie that came out only four months prior to Guardians of the
Galaxy. Where Guardians of the Galaxy was a very fun experience, Captain
America: The Winter Soldier is much more serious in tone and centers mainly on
Captain America and his life in the 21st-century. The result is a movie
that’s very well-written and action-packed as it explores both the identity of
the titular Winter Soldier as well as the growing tensions between S.H.I.E.L.D.
and Hydra. As a bonus, this movie also doubles as what is perhaps the best
Metal Gear Solid movie we may ever get, with parallels between the two
franchises that Metal Gear fans will very much appreciate.
I’m not the biggest Tom Cruise fan, but
I wanted to see this movie mainly because I read the manga adaptation of the
source material, All You Need Is Kill, as it was serialized in the US edition
of Weekly Shonen Jump and became curious as to how the movie would handle the
story. When I finally saw the film, I was pleasantly surprised as to how good
it was. The plot moves along at a very good pace and Tom Cruise shows that he
can actually act pretty well when he’s not a total action hero from the start.
The Groundhog Day-style plot is also put to use to show great character
development and any deviations from the original story still fit in well with the
atmosphere. Fans of Tom Cruise and/or All You Need Is Kill are more likely to enjoy
it, but I would definitely recommend people to check this one out anyway.
Top
Video Games of 2014
Since my post about game demos at
Wondercon 2014, I really wanted to play JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star
Battle, though I’m glad I waited to see the David Production anime through
Crunchyroll before getting a copy at SDCC 2014. Though not perfect, and
certainly not something entirely tournament worthy, this game is definitely fun
due in part to its accuracy to the source material and variety of extraordinary
abilities not seen in any other fighting game I’ve played. The accuracy to the
source material is perhaps the most incredible feat, as every single animation
and line of dialogue is a reference to the manga, plus the art style manages to
reflect Hirohiko Araki’s evolving art style very closely without being unusual
in three dimensions. This is a game by JoJo fans for JoJo fans, though I’d
encourage fighting game fans looking for something original to give it a shot
as well. It’s an experience that’s very hard to put down.
Though I didn’t get to play Infamous Second
Son until a few months after launch, it was an experience I had been
anticipating since my time with Infamous and Infamous 2. The story is a little
short, but still written well and the gameplay is very much improved. With room
for multiple powers and pretty creative uses for abilities one wouldn’t
consider having, Delsin Rowe is a fun protagonist to play as and there is never
really a dull moment within the beautifully rendered Seattle. This game is worth
owning a PS4 to play, though the free Paper Trail DLC should only be attempted
at one’s own risk and only if they have a lot of time on their hands.
Top
Disappointments of 2014
Since I wasn’t really a fan of The
Amazing Spider-Man, Sony’s attempt at rebooting the Spider-Man property in
order to keep the rights, I had lowered expectations for Mark Webb’s second
outing and unfortunately found those expectations to be accurate. The origin of
Electro was far-fetched even for a comic book movie, Rhino hardly does anything
and Harry Osborn shows up out of nowhere while the movie expects us to believe
his supposedly pre-existing friendship with Peter Parker. Add in the hero’s
really cocky attitude, though not in the fun way, and you get a movie that made
me wish I had been watching Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 instead. I wouldn’t be
surprised either way if Sony goes through with its plans for this incarnation
of the webslinger or ends up rebooting the whole thing with a new actor.
After the huge disappointment that was
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, I had little hope for the sequel, Rainbow
Rocks, though I watched anyway in order to have a more informed opinion. As I
watched, I actually found myself more engaged with the movie in general, as
though Hasbro actually tried this time. However, there was still some wasted potential,
including a plot twist that would’ve actually made sense, and I still feel that
Twilight Sparkle had no reason to get involved and that the plot should’ve
focused more on Sunset Shimmer proving herself as a reformed character. Though
the sequel is marginally better and the original music was generally improved,
Hasbro will really need to pull out the big guns in the inevitable third
installment if they want something worthy of praise.
Watch Dogs is a great example of a game
that sounds good on paper, but is lackluster in its execution. The idea of
hacking in an open world is a very fascinating idea and I looked forward to
playing something with great potential, but in the end it feels more like a poor
man’s Grand Theft Auto. Hacking comes off as pretty unrealistic and its
potential is limited to screwing with traffic lights and blowing stuff up, plus
the driving controls are sort of loose and riches are insanely easy to come by.
The only real saving grace is the fun Digital Trips and the fact that Chicago
is rendered rather nicely. If you must play this game, do so at a bargain price
and be prepared to weed out the few good songs in the soundtrack for your listening
pleasure.
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