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In-Progress Game of the Year List for 2014

It worked out well last year, so I'm doing it again. Over the course of the year, I'll add and remove games from this list, creating an eventual top ten of the best games I've played all year.

Showing 1-10 of 10 items

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

1. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

I've waited for this game since the day it was announced. Since I started playing it, the game has been on my mind constantly in a way that only a very few games have. Games that I've come to consider my all-time favorites. From its fun gameplay to its story, which wraps up Lightning's tale, I love it through and through. For all its rough edges, I couldn't be happier with the end result.

Hyrule Warriors

2. Hyrule Warriors

Dynasty Warriors meets Zelda? Zelda meets Dynasty Warriors? Like chocolate and peanut butter, it's a fantastic combination. Not just one of the best Warriors games ever made, but a worthy spin-off of the Zelda franchise that was obviously made by a team with great reverence for the source material.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

It's a late 2013 game, sure, but I didn't play it in earnest and beat it until this year. And I'd rank it as my favorite Zelda game of all-time, easily.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/Nintendo 3DS

4. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/Nintendo 3DS

Another fine entry in the Super Smash Bros. series, with some excellent new roster additions. As with other Smash games, there's a lot to see and do, and a lot of crazy four-player fighting!

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd

5. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd

Well worth the import, Project Diva F 2nd is fantastic, and has a number of my favorite Vocaloid tracks, old and new.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call

6. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call

Better than the original Theatrhythm in every way, it continues to provide a nostalgic trip through the extensive and diverse soundtracks of the Final Fantasy franchise, but this time explores games outside the core fourteen.

Bravely Default

7. Bravely Default

Though I haven't finished the game (due to non-game-related, real-life stress and burnout that consumed me while trying to power through it), Bravely Default is still a fantastic RPG that hits all the right notes for anyone looking for a modern game in the vein of Final Fantasy III or V. The back half of the game is overloaded with boss fights, but the characters and story are filled with all sorts of charm, and the battle system's twists, with the Brave/Default system and the StreetPass/internet features puts a unique stamp on its gameplay.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

8. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Short, but with a lot of side content, and an intense, bite-sized chunk of what to expect in The Phantom Pain. And what I'm left expecting is really damn good.

Mario Kart 8

9. Mario Kart 8

Easily one of the best Mario Kart titles ever made, and definitely the most beautiful to look at. The online features have never been better, either!

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

10. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

As much as I don't like (OK, despise) Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy X is still an excellent game, and the overall effort that went into producing this compilation shows a lot of care and dedication.