It's pretty safe to say that the first full year for the PS4 and Xbox One left a bit of a sour taste in many gamers' mouths - even if the struggling Wii U had its best year to date. The year that was supposed to be a watershed time for consoles saw numerous delays, seemingly unfinished games, and flat-out disappointments and while there were some great games, there were plainly way too many poor ones too.
In a market missing the usual number of tent-poles, Watch Dogs and Destiny disappointed; Assassin's Creed: Unity and Drive Club were very broken upon release; Batman: Arkham Knight and The Order: 1886 were delayed, leaving precious little in big name terms to get too excited about. And yet, amidst all the turbulence, there were still games that exceeded expectations or seemingly exploded out of the blue.
From high-octane AAA blockbusters to quiet, emotional indie games, 2014 may not have been as awe-inspiring as fans had probably hoped, but it still provided many memorable games and moments. And there were more than a few games that delighted the critics - the 20 highest rated of which (excluding iOS and remastered versions - because that's just cheating, even when it's GTA V on XBox One and PS4) - according to MetaCritic - follow here in celebration of their achievements.
20. Super Smash Bros. - Wii U
Rating: 92/100
The ultimate party game is STILL the ultimate party game! Super Smash Bros. on Wii U was - inevitably - a smash hit.
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Similarly to Mario Kart, Nintendo have a winning formula with Smash Bros. and simply iterate where need be; more characters, better level design/detail, 8-players, and more modes. Super Smash Bros. Wii U is the best in the series and the game of the year.