It's now nearly a year since the end of last year, which means that for many whose phone operating systems use the Gregorian calendar, it's a time for reflection. Or, you know, to talk about our favourite games of 2014. Here's Adam...
I'm sure it’s not something that would spring to mind for most as Game of the Year 2014, but my pick is free-to-play online action RPG
Marvel Heroes. No it’s probably not the best or most polished game of the year. And it’s not the absolute most fun I’ve had with any game all year. But it has been a constant staple of my gaming all year round, repeatedly pulling me back in even when I’d stopped playing for a while.
That’s not to say that I’m choosing it just because I’ve played it more than anything else - it’s not without other merits. Despite launching nearly two years ago as a rough and unremarkable
Diablo-lite, it’s now a very solid game in its own right. Two years of weekly updates and patches will do that I guess.
Aside from just regular fine-tuning and bug-fixing
Marvel Heroes also enjoys an incredibly regular stream of new content. New gameplay modes and story chapters have been implemented throughout 2014, and we’ve seen brand new playable characters being added each month from Marvel Comics’ massive library of lycra-clad titans.
Staples like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America and the Hulk have been included since launch and this year has seen less mainstream characters like Doctor Strange and Nova introduced alongside fan favourites like the Silver Surfer and – capitalising on the popularity of the
Guardians of the Galaxy movie – Star-Lord. If you’re a fan of any aspect of the Marvel Comics universe, whether you’re into the Avengers, X-Men or Fantastic Four, you’ll probably find something that appeals to you in this big fan-servicey game.
Perhaps the most admirable aspect of the game is how well they’ve stuck to the free-to-play principle. While there is obviously the option to spend real money on unlocking new characters it’s perfectly possible to save up in-game currency and buy them that way instead, though obviously this takes a lot longer and with the ever-increasing number of heroes it’s unlikely you’ll be able to catch ‘em all this way without some serious commitment. Personally I’m happy to spend a little every now and then as long as the game keeps delivering, and with I definitely prefer this model to having a subscription fee.
So yeah. Even if it all boils down to just keeping my interest for longer than any other game this year, I’m going to go with
Marvel Heroes as my Game of 2014.
