Well my reasoning is because:
1. I might not have time to make this list another day, and
2. I have probably played every game I wanted to play this year, and there is nothing new that I might play or complete by the end of this year.
So keep in mind that I did not play every game that is released for it, so if certain games are not in this list, it's cuz I did not play it (but I might play it another time, and it may appear on a future post). Also, not including game I have not beaten, and Virtual Console games.
Before we start, here are some honorable mentions. There were many great game that I've played this year, and so making this list was very hard, and these were the games that barely made the top cut.
Mighty Gunvolt - An 8-bit goodness platformer, but it game with Azure Striker Gunvolt, and its actually a pretty solid and short game.
Super Mario 3D Land - A really solid platformer. I like how they make use of the 3D effects and as a person who never played a Mario 3D-platformer, I quite like the game and the final boss fight with Bowser.
Shovel Knight - There were many good platformers I've played this year, as you can see from the honorable mentions (in fact, I also played Gunman Clive this year, as well as gotten myself the Mega Man Zero Collection). Shovel Knight is yet another platformer that was close to making up this list (I mean, very close). It had a very solid track, precise platforming, and tons of achievements, and homages to many classic 8-bit games. The reason why it wasn't in the list is cuz of my preference over 16-bit style platformers than 8-bit styled (which is why I like the Zero series of all Mega Man series due to this style).
5. Shin Megami Tensei IV (SMTIV)
This was a game I completed a few weeks after making the list for last year. SMTIV wasn't a game I got on launch, and so I went in with an optimistic outlook since I got it 2nd hand for a rather low price. Despite being difficult and me dying many times due to sheer bullshit, I still really enjoy the game. I felt that the story was alright (cuz I wasn't expecting much I suppose) and the battle system was interesting. There were customization mechanics that are severely broken if you knew how to use it properly, which allows you to make most of the game a cakewalk with the exception of certain boss fights and surprise encounter with demons. I heard of the multiple endings this game has based on your alignment and I was able to get to the ending I wanted (which was the True Ending), so I finished the game immensely satisfied. Music of the game was good too, especially the boss themes.
4. Super Smash Bros. 3DS (SSB3D)
The Nintendo fighting game made its way to the handheld system and it's pretty darn good. Due to shitty connection, I had to resort to playing the game locally, but it's still a fun experience. Controls are tight and all, but due to it being an unconventional fighting game, I can't master the controls as well as I expected (being used to traditional 2D fighters instead), but I'm not saying the game is bad or anything, it's just my inability to master Smash controls, that's all. Music for this game is good, and it is packed with content. One of my main gripes over Brawl is how the main theme sounds ridiculously annoying to me after hearing for it in the long run (and with Smash's habit of remixing the main theme, some of it really irritates me for some reasons), but the main theme for this game sounds alright, and I don't get irritated hearing the same track remixed over and over again.
3. Azure Striker Gunvolt (ASG)
This was the game that made the list instead of Shovel Knight. I bought the game even though I had mixed feelings about the game being very slow paced (compared to Zero, you will see me making a lot of comparisons to Zero), but after beating the game, I have come to realize that this game isn't Zero, and for a game that is similar to it, it's actually vastly different (but in a good way in some aspects). The scoring system takes account many factors, but it does not require the speed of Zero, while it does require you to take out everything in sight if you're aiming for a high rank, unlike Zero where there is only a set amount of enemies to kill in a stage to hit the maximum score for enemies killed. One thing about Gunvolt is that getting the highest rank, S+ requires a lot of planning as it requires you to basically not get hit for the entirety of the stage and then finish the boss of with a special move. It's as hard as consistently scoring 100 points in every mission in Zero (though it is debatable that Zero is harder to score 100 points on certain missions).
The customization options for Gunvolt is quite plentiful in this game, and GV levels up too, though that makes the game slightly easier as you have more health with each level up. My only main gripe with this game is how easy this game can be if you use Anthem and abuse Prevasion all the time, but it becomes ridiculously hard when you try not to use them a lot. Most of my gripes come from the game being super easy with those mechanics abused unlike Zero, which is hard all around. Maybe it's just me for liking my platformers with immense challenge from the get-go. The music of this game is rather meh, but the Lumen songs are rather catchy though. Regardless, ASG is a great game. While it isn't the sequel of MMZ I hoped for, it is still a fantastic game, giving a new perspective on the 16-bit sidescrolling platforming genre.
2. Bravely Default (BD)
This game is amazing. I am a sucker for games with class-based system like Bravely Default. I was actually contemplating on buying the game at first, but I got it on launch in the end. It took me a while to complete the game (4 months after I bought it) cuz I took a long break from playing it, and continued playing the game during June. One thing I can say about the game is that the music of the game is one of the best I've heard, period. The composer of the game is Revo from Linked Horizon, who is the person in charge of the ridiculously popular opening songs of Attack on Titans. In BD, the music works so well for everything that is going on. And each piece is beautifully crafted as well. My personal favourites are the Theme of Eisenberg, the Civil War Country, the main theme Overture of Hope, the ending theme Ballad Moving Towards Hope, and finally the best track of the game - the Asterisk boss battle theme 'That Person's Name Is'. There are many more tracks in this game that are amazing (in fact, I do believe the entire soundtrack qualify as spectacular).
So I have told you how amazing the music is, how about the gameplay and story. The gameplay is pretty standard old-school JRPG with a twist. I also really like how they blend it character themes with their special attacks, it's a nice little touch. In short, gameplay is pretty solid. As for the story, I actually enjoy it a lot. I know a lot of people's main gripe of the game is the middle of the game where many of the things you need to do are really repetitive. But to me, I didn't really find them repetitive at all, and I was able to plow through the game rather quickly without feeling bored of it. All it all, this game is fantastic in terms of story, gameplay and music, and I hope that Ryo from Supercell, being is the composer of Bravely Second deliver in terms of providing an equally good soundtrack for the game. It's a shame Revo can't return as the composer of Bravely Second due to his busy schedule. I can't wait for the sequel though. This is one game I highly recommend to everyone who is a fan of JRPGs.
This year has been great for the 3DS as well. But there is one game that beats all the games I've played this year. No, make that two, as the best 3DS game I've played this year is a tie between:
1. Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire (ORAS)
Since I gotten myself both copies of the game, and well there are almost the same game (with some differences here and there), I might as well put both games here. This game is probably placed here due to my bias towards the Gen III Pokemon games since I have very fond memories of them. So ORAS was a game I have quite high hopes for since it's riding on all that nostalgia, and it delivered quite well.
The first thing I shall talk about the game is the music (of course). The Hoenn games are very well known for it's music. While many think it has too much trumpets I still think their music is pretty darn good. Most of the remastered tracks of ORAS met the expectations of many players of the older games (including myself). While more instruments are used this time around, they do make some of the older tracks more fitting to the setting. Trumpets do still make a return though. Route 110 sounds much better now due to more trumpets. But I do wish that they gave an option to play the original RSE tracks in all its GBA glory (like what they did in HGSS). One thing I like was that some of the newer tracks in this game sound amazing, including things like Zinnia's themes, and especially Wally's theme (the one you hear when you face him in Victory Road).
So we've talked about how good the music is, how about the story and gameplay? Is this game considered a good remake or RSE and a good sequel to X and Y? The answer is Yes. While the game lacks character customization like in X & Y, I would argue that this was done to cater to people who wanted to play as Brendan and May back when there aren't any. Not a strong argument to be honest, but I wasn't really bothered by the lack of customization. There isn't any city in Hoenn that is as large as Lumiose City in Kalos (which is so big that you can get lost if you're not familiar with it). While the newly improved Mauville City is the largest city in Hoenn, it's not to a point that you will get lost in the city, so that's good. I also liked the fact that the Berry Farm area in Hoenn is filled with one of each berry very nice for people who play competitive like me as I do not have to hunt for every berry or play the PGL. There are significantly more legendaries in ORAS than in XY, so that's another way to sink in some time. The Delta Episode post-game is also better than the Looker missions in my opinion. What Zinnia does is rather questionable in the episode though, but the Delta Episode does give an homage to fans of Pokemon Emerald, having Rayquaza as the centerpoint of the episode. You also get to fight Wallace (with his Champion team in Emerald) and Deoxys, so that's really nice.
As for how it has improved over the originals, the evil team's purpose of reviving the mascot legendaries seems more legit now than last time. The rivals for this game has a huge improvement too. May/Brendan actually evolved her/his starter when you battle at Lilycove City, and he/she has the starter in it's Mega Form in the battle after defeating the Champion. Wally, on the other hand had ridiculous amounts of improvements. Not only were there tiny hints here and there on how hard he's pushing through the gyms, when you eventually fight him at Victory Road, he has a Mega Gallade this time instead of a Gardevoir (btw, his Gardevoir back in RSE has always been male, so it's nice they gave him Gallade instead this time around) and the scenery, along with the music, and what happens after, makes this battle so good. Rematching the Elite Four also brings out their ace Pokemon in their Mega forms, which is neat.
While the game uses the same graphics engine as X & Y, Hoenn looks very beautiful, much more beautiful than Kalos. There were more cutscenes this time around, as well as more viewing angles to show off the engine better. Another thing is that secret bases in this game are pretty awesome as well, and you can use it to do a bunch of stuff like running your own gym or an exp farm (like the Blissey farm used to help people level up their Pokemons). Contests also makes a return, and its just like the Hoenn contests, which I like as I find the Sinnoh ones a bit complicated and not as fun. Battle Resort is the replacement of Battle Frontier, and its the only thing lacking in the game for now, as it only has a Battle Maison, which has the exact same building structure as the one in Kiloude City. But it is hinted that Battle Tower will make a return. Hopefully we will see it one day, along with the other battle facilities that make up the Battle Frontier of Pokemon Emerald.
All in all, ORAS has surpassed my expectations, which is why it's the best game I've played this year.
Anyways, we will see what games will make the list next year. Until then, that's all for now.
