We are the warriors that built this town / From dust.

OH hi. Would you look at this I'm still alive. And studying! That's new. -ish. So life happened and it's been almost 2 years since the last update. And now I'm back! back to bring you, ladies and gentlemen:

Games of 2014 that I played and loved, top 3

So I actually think that year 2014 may have been the best year for gamers everywhere, and not just because our new and dear next generation of game consoles that I can't afford and hence scoff at. Is it just me or is there more variety and interesting ideas in gaming than ever before?

So I thought to take a break from playing all these marvellous games and write about them a word or two. 

#3: Child of light

This platformer / rpg game tells a moving story of Aurora, a child who ends up in the world of Lemuria and has to find the moon, stars and sun to come back home. During her quest she meets many interesting personalities and learns new skills. The whole game has a definite storybook-feel and is the prettiest game ever oh my god would you look at this game.

 Aside from it's unique looks, I think that the rpg element worked really well in this game and I liked how each of your party members had unique talents and uses - you can use two party members at a time and while you can beat the game and the boss battles without breaking out the tactics guide it was definitely loads of fun trying to figure out the best character combinations to beat each boss. 

The writing in this game is also something to write home about: the whole game is rhymed, which plays well into already fairy tale-like athmosphere, The story is not without it's darker elements, like all the best fairy tales. 

Aurora is a sweet protagonist, a resourceful and kind but not without her own bite which makes her more reminiscent of Ronia the Robbers daughter and other Astrid Lindgren girls than a Disney princess. Child of Light is definitely the sort of game I'm looking forward to seeing more of: something new that tests the boundaries between video games and art.

Image source kotaku.com

#2 Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!

I have mentioned in this blog before that I usually dislike playing in 1st.person. Well, Borderlands would be the exception. The Pre-Sequel is the third game in Borderlands-series, though it's storyline takes place between the first and the second game, explaining lot of plot points that went unanswered in the second part of the series. Whole game series is best described as shoot-and-loot action game, but beyond that simple basis these games actually have pretty convoluted plot to keep gamer like me interested (Can't get off without character development and complicated back stories) I'm actually not that far into this game yet, but for anyone who has played and loved the previous series in the game, there is only one thing that you need to know in order to loose your shit over this game: CLAPTRAP IS PLAYABLE CHARACTER.

Not ashamed to admit that I love claptraps. I love their hyper-annoy-you-to-death-while-unaware-that-everyone-hates-you-manner. I usually research all the character skill trees before making informed decision about the character I want to use, but this time around I couldn't care less. Because CLAPTRAP IS PLAYABLE CHARACTER. Game actually tries to warn you off of picking Claptrap, like three times, which is a good example of the brilliant humour that's integral part of the game series. As is the Claptraps action skill, which basically steals action skill from one of other characters, often messing it up somehow. I once ended up bouncing around on a rubber duck in a middle of a boss battle.

The unique humour, good characters and absurd and plentiful guns make this game super fun, hour-swallowing loot extravaganza. Also if you're into plentiful DLC:s? Pre-Sequel got you covered, as they released a series of reference-packed additional game content making sure to keep us addicted for hours and hours more.

#1 Dragon Age: Inquisition

I've spoken about my love for Dragon Age series before, and last year you can bet your ass I pre-ordered this long awaited ARPG as soon as I could. I had high expectations and man did this game deliver.

The story begins about ten years after the ending of the second Dragon Age game with brand new wold threatening crisis and brand new hero. As with previous games, Inquisition gives loads of options in character creation and brings back the option to play as one of non-human races in Thedas. Elves and dwarfs are familiar options from Dragon Age:Origins, and for the first time you have the option to pick Qunari character, Qunaris being the grey-skinned-horn-headed warriors from overseas.

My favourite part of Bioware games has to be companion characters you meet and befriend along the way, and Inquisition definitely has a cast of lovely (some of them almost criminally lovely I mean holy fuck Dorian turn it down for fucks sake) new faces. We also see the return of few old favourites.

Inquisition is the first Dragon Age game to have an open world that I for one enjoyed exploring for hours at a time. I think the open world really brings forth the extensive fantasy world of Thedas with all it's warring factions, religions and cultures. The best part of this is that you get to choose your allegiance and have a major part in deciding the destiny of the whole country. 

Image source: http://www.gamecrate.com