Whether playing on PC, handheld or consoles old and new, 2014 has been another sensational year for role-playing games. Over the past twelve months we’ve seen the return of several modern mainstays alongside some new blood, making for quite a diverse roster of finalists. Still, that hasn’t stopped one game in particular from romping home to victory.
What’s great about being a fan of the genre is that, no matter what time of year, you’re bound to stumble upon something suited towards your tastes. What’s more is that, in true RPG fashion, these games stretch way past the usual eight to ten hours we’ve come to expect from new releases, often littering our backlogs long after that initial purchase.
Heralding the new year, we finally witnessed the launch of Stoic Games’ The Banner Saga on PC, the gorgeous SRPG due for console release next year. Soon after that came several more anticipated titles, including Dark Souls II and South Park: The Stick of Truth. A few months later came the divisive Bound By Flame just before the regular Summer slowdown. The release schedule soon picked up again, however, with role-playing/shooter hybrid Destiny leading the vanguard.
In its wake came a cluster of more traditional RPGs, including yet another Pokémon sequel as well as new kid on the block, Lords of the Fallen. Still, no matter how fresh or inventive any of these titles are, BioWare’s Dragon Age: Inquisition has taken the award with a staggering margin. Boasting an gargantuan fantasy universe, compelling characters, and refined combat mechanics, the sequel gobbled up 43.9% of the total votes, more than twice that of second place runner up, South Park.
Inquisition’s success won’t as a surprise to everyone. Although expectations were lowered following Dragon Age II’s mixed reception, BioWare really threw itself behind this fantasy sequel, branding it as a template for the studio’s future releases. What worked especially for them was the combination of traditional and modern genre tropes, allowing players to tackle the game however they wished. Whether blitzing Inquisition head-on or fully immersing yourself in the world of Thedas, either way it proves just as accommodating.
On top of that, the latest Dragon Age looks divine on current-gen systems. Though plagued by the raft of minor glitches role-playing fans have come to expect, the sheer vastness and beauty of its open world has granted Inquisition a degree of reverence enjoyed by few games in what is still a hotly-contested genre.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is TheSixthAxis’ Role-Playing Game of the Year 2014.
Carrot381
Well deserved.
Lieutenant Fatman
Shame about all the bugs in Dragon Age, but despite them it’s an excellent game and a real contender for game of the year.
bunimomike
Didn’t have many bugs here (on both PCs for Hannypoppie and myself). A few which were a little frustrating but nothing more than that. Sounds like the consoles might have suffered more? I’m not sure.
However, well earnt and easily one of the best games I’ve played in a very, very long time. I can see this becoming my GOTY along with many other folk.
Graphically, the title is pure heaven at times. Here’s a screenshot I took. Ooo, and another.
Carrot381
The only major bug i had on the PS4 was only letting me run intermittently.
It nearly made me give up on the game but a nice vigourous blow down my controller’s left thumb stick proved it to be a hardware vs a bit of muck issue.
I’m very curious what bugs people are experiencing in this game though.
Lieutenant Fatman
Certainly possible. Thankfully no where near as bad as what’s been reported for AC Unity though. And to be fair I’d say the majority of triple A releases in the past 3 months have been buggy on release. Seems to be a trend at the moment.
cam_manutd
Not the choice I would have gone for but then again I know many gamers would not abstain long enough to complete Dark Souls 2.
psychobudgie
Any of the top 3 would have been deserving winners. Really enjoyed them all. Personally I would have given it to Dark Souls 2 but as it can be a bit marmite for some I certainly wouldn’t argue with the winner which is in itself a wonderful return to form for Bioware.
Starman
Dark Souls 2 was awesome and I’ve only just got going on Dragon Age though I know it’ll be getting a lot of hours.
Forrest_01
Meh. IMO Stick of Truth should have taken this just for the fact that;
a) It was something different
&
b) It was a game based on a successful TV show that actually turned out to be a good game!
However, as I am not that into RPG’s in general, I am just happy it placed… & that I played it. :)