Best game in 2014 you felt was next gen?

[lucifer-mnm]

Alien Isolation for me also - graphically they nailed the feel of the movie, the sound was fantastic (and your best defense against the alien) and the Alien AI on hard was spot on imo.

 

[BuffetSlayer]

Nothing really felt so advanced to make it stand apart from other games graphically or gameplay wise. Put simply, I think this is indicative of the safe marketing strategies of every developer (not to mention the purposeful restraint of the PC platform to make cross platform development easier). Release the same game with slightly better graphics......rinse and repeat. It has been a good while since I felt like a game was really breaking boundaries, or treading new ground.

That said, one game that did stand out for me due to the mind blowing atmosphere, directing and detail was Alien Isolation.

The gameplay mechanic was nothing new in terms of survival horror, but the detail of the environments, the AI, the directing and the atmosphere added up to make it my stand out game of 2014. Indeed, one of the best games I have played in a long time.

But I think this is the crux of the argument - these days 'next gen' simply means better graphics bolted on to the same recycled gameplay. Alien Isolation, for me, was a complete package. True, I think it helps that I am a fan of the Alien Trilogy (can't count 4 as that was awful, and even 3 was pushing it!), but even so - it was a game that dared to be a little different in a market full of recycled Assassins Creeds, CoDs and Farcrys.

I think they nailed it perfectly, and whilst it wasn't as graphically good as other games, it was my best game of 2014

 

[Dirk Diggler]

I'm surprised at the amount of rave reviews Alien Isolation gets. A frustrating, repetitive game if ever I saw one. SOM tanks it IMO.

 

[spoffle]

I think we have been at a plateau in terms of PC graphics for a couple of years.. not much stands out to me. AI did but was it what we really want next gen to be?

The term next-gen is such a generic marketing term now it may as well translate to 'average to above average graphics with variable game-play that we can sell millions of copies of.'

*And in the case of GTA V - twice!

How can an improvement in graphical fidelity be considered "average"? If a game comes out that has better visuals than the last lot then it's above average. The most common level of graphical fidelity would be the average.

 

[ICDP]

Nothing for me. Elite Dangerous comes close but needs a lot of work on the immersion side of things.

 

[Ayahuasca]

Nothing, superb graphics don't do much for me, games need to start incorporating more realistic movement, destruction, facial expressions, interaction with environment. A truly "next gen" game in my opinion would have to incorporate everything to create that level of immersion. It's probably a long way off.

 

[Kippered]

For me Archeage seemed like it was the most amazing sandbox type game to date.

Then they released it and shattered my dreams with P2W type mechanics.

It felt like it was "next gen" then it crashed and burned.

 

[Jegethy]

Skyrim fully modded with all types of gameplay, graphics, sound, and immersion improvements is really the only game I could truly call next gen at the moment. It's astonishing it really is. Next gen isn't just about visuals to me, it's how a game pulls you in on so many different levels.

Couldn't agree more. Skyrim is an amazing game with so much potential.