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The Best of 2014; v. 3.0
Topic Started: Dec 1 2014, 08:59 PM (361 Views)
Romanticide
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Y'all know how this thread works by this point. Discuss your favorite vidya, movies, shows, comics, or whatever else from 2014 comes to mind. It's all welcome here. It's up to you if you want to rank shit or not.


I think I'll list mine in no particular order. I'm too lazy for that anyway, plus most of these things are pretty awesome.

Vidya:

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

I already did a review for this, along with a pretty big post dissecting the plotholes in the XIII saga (there are plenty), so I doubt I can say a lot that I didn't say in those posts. This is the most "active" game of the XIII saga, in that it's less focused on the big picture and is more focused on actual battling. The Schemata system is a more action-oriented Paradigm system, and this change is for the best. I believe I said this is how it should have been in the first place and I still stand by that. As you'd expect given the previous titles in the XIII series, it's a beautiful game both visually and aurally. I love the game's artstyle, scenery, and music.

This isn't a game you just pick up on a whim. If you play it and ignore the first two games, it stands on its own as a video game, but the plot assumes that you played the previous two games in the series. Events make no sense otherwise and it's really hard to care about the characters without the vital context from those games. The characters are the XIII series' strong point, so jumping in at this point is essentially ignoring a lot of why you'd even bother to play this game. In spite of what is essentially a ~100 hour investment to enjoy the game to its fullest, I'd still recommend the series; it's pretty fun if you're into JRPGs.

The series is coming to PC, so it won't be a huge money sink. I'm waiting until at least March to replay the XIII titles; they'll all be out then.

The Stanley Parable

A brilliant satire of video games, mostly of their meh stories and the illusion of choice, though it also makes fun of some gameplay tropes. I think it works even if you're not a gamer, assuming you're familiar with storytelling tropes. The narration is amazing, oftentimes being laugh-out-loud funny and totally ridiculous. Even the achievements serve to make fun of achievements in other games, with one being (almost) totally unobtainable.

Sure, it'll only take you like 2-3 hours to experience everything this game has to offer, but it's well worth it if you can get it at 50% off or more.

Mario Kart 8

Do I really have to say a lot here? It's Mario Kart. You all know what it is: a zany kart (and bike) racing game with tons of OP items.

My biggest issue with MKW was the absurd amount of OP items like blue shells flying around. While they still fly around fairly frequently in MK8, you won't see them every lap or whatever. There are actually races without blue shells! It's a miracle! But yeah, I feel like the frequency of stupid items has been toned down enough to where the game isn't punishing you for being good at playing it, and that in and of itself makes this one of the most enjoyable Mario Karts, if not THE most enjoyable Mario Kart.

Bayonetta 2

10/10 10/10 10/10 9/10 10/10 9.5/10

You get the idea. I bought this earlier than planned because the demo was fucking hype (you can't listen to this without getting psyched to kick ass), and the reviews/corresponding scores hyped the game, but I was going to get it regardless.

Suffice it to say the game lived up to the hype. Bayo 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel because Bayo 1 was pretty good itself. Rather, it refines stuff that needed to be refined, namely the frequency of health drops and the relatively tight window for Witch Time. Given that this game is on a niche system, making it slightly easier makes both business sense and gameplay sense. The story is as ridiculous and over-the-top as you'd expect, if not more so, which is awesome in a series that is pretty damn campy. Characters are meh tier but who cares; you're beating a lot of them up anyway.

Bayonetta 1 also comes with this game, which is just good value. I replayed the first and found it probably was a bit easier than I remembered (WOO MORE BRONZE AWARDS!!!1), but that might be because I had just played Bayo 2.

Super Smash Bros for Wii U

Let's be real here: The 3DS version was an appetizer. The Wii U version is the main course. While I'm not sure of the wisdom of releasing two versions, I bought them both because I'm a sucker. Also, portability, the soundtrack offer, and Mewtwo lessen the blow.

Like Mario Kart, I don't have a lot to say here. To me, the appeal of Smash is that it's a crazy fighter in which Nintendo characters beat the shit out of each other on crazy stages with absurd items. Sm4sh delivers on that front. It has a wide cast of characters, many of whom I'd feel comfortable using even if only for fun, which is either more than I can say for previous Smashes or it just shows how single-minded I was in past iterations. The gameplay is typical Smash to me, which is all I really ask for (well, that and a decent cast) when buying a new Smash.

A Bird Story

This is one of those "you either love it or hate it" games. If you hate it, you probably feel that the game transparently tries to tug at your heartstrings, especially when compared to the transcendent To the Moon. If you love it, you probably love that it's completely bereft of dialog and doesn't hand the story to you on a silver platter.

I'm in the "love it" camp. It's great and it doesn't overstay its welcome. It tells the story it wants to tell and doesn't get in its own way with dumb gameplay shit that would detract, or at the least distract, from the core story experience. Plus, it's a story we can all relate to; who hasn't dealt with something like that in their life? I also can't wait to see how these events factor into the proper To the Moon sequel.

Other games I enjoyed this year, which are not necessarily 2014:
Civ: Beyond Earth
Remember Me
GAME OF THE YEAR: 420BLAZEIT vs. xxXIlluminatiXxx
Tales of Graces


On to animu.

Mushishi

The main themes are generally alienation and loneliness, which are themes I think a lot of us can relate to. Most of the stories in this show could be extended for hour-long episodes or even movies and they'd be as good/better, so it's kind of amazing that these stories are so poignant in 24 minutes. It's not really a character-driven show (I'd argue the main character is the mushi themselves), but in spite of that you generally come to empathize with the struggles of the people involved in this week's events.

Basically, this show brings the feels in a different way a lot of weeks, especially this season.

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

More like Unlimited Budget Works, etc. This is probably the best looking/best animated show I've seen, which is saying a lot when Fate/Zero was on almost the same level of quality and something like Aldnoah.Zero is up there too. The music is amazing too, with an incredible OP and an okay by Kalafina standards ED, but at this point I expect that of Fate anime.

Idk it's just a good action show. The characters are decent and the plot isn't what I would call original or innovative, but it's executed well enough so that you feel the epic moments are epic, the (later, I'd expect) emotional moments are emotional, etc.

But yeah, FSN/Mushishi are easily my shows of the year. Both are incredible.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

For simplicity's sake, I'm including both Bizarre Adventure/Stardust Crusaders here.

This shit is fucking crazy and that's what I loved about it. In a world that takes its masculinity bullshit super seriously, I feel like Jojo is aware that it's a hyper-masculine show and thus takes it over the top on purpose. Also, death is treated like it ain't shit. You don't really *know* when the deaths are coming, but they do and they feel natural because the story is just told so well. On that note, it's a typical "save the world" story, but the execution is on point and the series is so absurd that you can't help but love it.

Best arc is obviously Joseph's arc. The Pillar Men were far more compelling villains than this monster of the week shit in Stardust Crusaders. It's depressing they made Joseph way less badass in Stardust Crusaders, but make him too badass and Jotaro is overshadowed.

The Fruit of Grisaia

It's a bit fanservice-y, especially at first when the show isn't so damn serious. I'm not a fan of the types of fanservice that are aimed at male audiences because quite frankly, they're kind of creepy. Other than that, this is just a good character-driven show. Contrived as hell? Sure. Six people attending a school that's probably for rich as fuck parents to hide kids in is almost by definition contrived. Even so, each of the characters is interesting in his or her own way, which is what matters most, so I'm okay with the contrivances and absurd events that happen in this show. #TeamAmane4Life tho.

The artstyle is great except HOLY SHIT FUCK 21:9. I didn't buy my monitors so that 25% of them would turn into black bars because of a dumb as fuck aspect ratio. The music works for the show too.

Parasyte

This looked like it was going to be one of those 3edgy5me shows based on its premise, so I passed until I heard it was good. It's good.

Whoever draws the monsters in this show is on the best shit ever and I want some of it. The monster design is otherworldly and it's great. Other than that, the artstyle is pretty good. The music is... Weird but it works for the show, so I can't knock it. Story-wise, the main characters' evolutions seem to be interesting. Shinichi is becoming less human, whereas Migi is seemingly becoming more human. The characters are alright I guess, but outside of Shinichi, Murano, and maybe Kana (who I feel will have a bigger role as it goes on), none of them are really that interesting to me so far.

Other shows, again not necessarily 2014:
Haibane Renmei
Terror in Resonance
Kill la Kill
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun
Blue Spring Ride


Including books mostly so I can recommend awesome shit I read in 2014. Almost by default Amanda Palmer's book is book of the year. (should read it next week at the latest)

Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami
The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Unbroken, by Lauren Hillenbrand (the book is better)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson
Room, by Emma Donoghue
A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole
The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards
The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger (the book is better)

There might be some others that slipped my mind but whatever.
Edited by Romanticide, Dec 2 2014, 02:50 AM.
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BigMac
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There's still too much music and movies coming out in the next month for me to do a true top post for those, but I can do shows though! Here goes my opinion that no one cares about for best shows of the year!

BEST SHOWS OF 2014

Returning Shows:

4. Arrow. Technically only half of season 2 came out this year, and we're only halfway through season 3, so I had no idea which season to include, so I picked the whole show. Season 2 was a huge step up from season 1. The acting really improved (well, except for Laurel, but I think the writers just hate her), and Slade is the best villain ever. Even the CW-ish parts (the soap opera-esque storylines, the plot twists nearly every episode) were awesome. Also it gave us the Flash, which bumps the season even more. Season 3 started out strong, but has gotten kinda slow though. Hopefully the crossover episode and the introduction of Captain Boomerang and Ra's will kickstart it. Best episode: season 2 - "Birds of Prey" season 3 - "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak"

3. Doctor Who, season 8. This show is so different this season than last, in a very good way. Capaldi is almost a wholly different Doctor than Matt Smith or David Tennant. Of the NuDoctors, he's closest to Ecclestone, but more serious. A lot of this season honestly just felt like Classic Who throwback. Moffatt also decided to focus on characters for once, and Clara is finally fleshed out! Danny's also a wonderful addition to the show. The writing has really improved, mostly because Moffat stopped trying to create big, giant, fantastical arcs like in season 6. The overarching story is still there, but it's more subtle. Best episode: "Listen"

2. Game of Thrones, season 4. Damn. This season started with a BANG. The first three episodes were just massive event after massive event. It slowed down midseason, but that's fine. It needed to breathe before it unleashed the perfection that was "The Mountain and the Viper" and the ensuing chaos. Not much else I can say. Game of Thrones is Game of Thrones, and we know how good it is. Best episode: "The Mountain and the Viper"

1. Hannibal, season 2. I literally cannot recommend this show enough. Season 1 was so good and then season 2 did everything better. It's more serialized than the killer-of-the-week format of season 1, and the arc with the Verger family is amazing. Acting and writing are stellar, Gillian Anderson appears as a recurring role and is obviously flawless, and overall it is just one of the most beautiful shows ever. This show turns murder into a form of art, and certain sequences (such as the SPOILER ALERT part where Mason Verger cuts his face off) are just haunting. The finale may be one of the top episodes of television I've ever seen. Perfect. Best episode: "Mizumono"

Newbies:

3. True Detective. I know, I know, everyone this year has been like "AHH TRUE DETECTIVE BEST SHOW EVER" but is legitimately great. A lot of people were disappointed by the last couple of episodes, mostly because they ended the show like the dark buddy-cop show it was and not like the fantastical supernatural mystery everyone wanted it to be. McConaughey gets a lot of praise for his role (and rightly so) but Harrelson was easily as good, matching McConaughey's performance but in a different sort of way. The music selection was superb, the cinematography captured the mood perfectly, and of course there's the oft-talked about single-take from "Who Goes There" is great. Wonderful show, though it was a bit overhyped by people. Best episode: "The Secret Fate of All Life"

2. The Flash.This season hit the ground running (hurr), and easily outpaced (hurr hurr) Arrow in just a few episodes. It's goofy, fun, and true to the comics (except for Barry not being blonde). It's one of the most enjoyable shows of the season. Grant Gustin is manages to be dorky and say the cheesiest lines and yet come out genuine. Jesse L Martin as Detective West and Tom Cavanagh as Dr. Wells are the best parts of this show. Wonderful, can't wait for the crossover with Arrow. Also the Rogues. And Grodd. Ugh this show has me pumped. Best episode (so far): "Going Rogue"

1. Fargo. Easily the best show this year. I enjoyed the movie well enough, but the show really stepped it up. Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton and ESPECIALLY newcomer Allison Tolman all kill it. Everyone is great in this. The show manages to feel like a Coen brothers movie while still retaining its own identity. Plus, like True Detective, this season is fully self-contained. It has a beginning, a middle, and a satisfying ending, which means they didn't have to drag out the story for longer than necessary. Just. This show man. Best episode: "Buridan's Ass" followed closely by every other episode.
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Pwner
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OK, I think I've listened to everything that I want to at this point this year, so here goes nothing.

Hip-Hop

Honorable Mentions:
Open Mike Eagle - Dark Comedy
clipping. - CLPPNG
Flying Lotus - You're Dead!

5. Busdriver - Perfect Hair

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This album is quintessential Busdriver. His already disorienting flow is on-point and his quirkiness is as high as ever. Sticking to his usual tongue-in-cheek critiques of the music industry and the the public in general, he lays down song after song of layered yet clunky production and lyrics that you have to dissect with a magnifying glass. This record has a couple of great features, especially by Aesop Rock and Danny Brown on the pre-release single "Ego Death." Certainly gonna come back to this one.

Highlights:
"Eat Rich"
"Ego Death"


4. Mick Jenkins - The Waters

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This was the first time I had heard Mick Jenkins, and to be honest I wasn't super impressed with this mixtape when it first dropped. Upon further listening, however, I learned to appreciate Jenkins' cutting, straight-to-the-point lyricism and lush production. Every song on this tape evokes a feeling of water, be it cleansing or destructive. This is the type of music that you want to smoke to, just lay back and ease up. This young Chicago rapper is going somewhere, and with the truth he's spitting he's already fostered the following to do so.

Highlights:
"Jazz"
"514"


3. CunninLynguists - Strange Journey Volume 3

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While they are from the city of the Wildcats (FUCK UK), this trio knows exactly what they are doing when it comes to their music. Sampling a cornucopia of obscure, older songs while adding their own contemporary tinge, CunninLynguists take another unique step forward in their already diverse discography. Da lyrics ain't half bad neither. This tape is infectious, I never wanted to stop listening to it after it dropped earlier this year.

Highlights:
"Castles"
"In the City"


2. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2

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Anyone around here into hip hop had to know that this would be on here. Killer Mike and El-P dropped another insane album, which is basically RTJ1 but better. This album feels way more fleshed out than the first, like the duo approached every song with more of an idea than they did on the first release. Most notably to me is how El-P gives much more of an impressive selection of beats on this tape than on the first, simply for the fact that they are more layered and less barren. Both emcees keep the energy high from out the gate, spitting verse after verse of real shit. A must-listen from this year for any hip hop fan.

Highlights:
"Jeopardy"
"Blockbuster Night Part 1"
(Also "Close Your Eyes (and Count to Fuck)" but there were no studio versions available on YT).


1. Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Pinata

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When I first listened to this album way back near the beginning of the year, I was already calling hip-hop AOTY. And here we are now, with it still reigning supreme. RTJ2 was the release that came closest to stealing the throne, but Madlib's smooth, groovy production coupled with Freddie's voice and critical caricature of a thug just gel too well to be removed from the #1 spot. So many good songs on this release, I don't even know where to start. Everything just works. You just have to listen to it. Go ahead.

Highlights:
"Harold's"
"Deeper"
"Thuggin'"



Non-Hip-Hop

Honorable Mentions:
FKA Twigs - LP1
Sun Kil Moon - Benji
Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams

5. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Give the People What They Want

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R&B has never really been a genre of music that has resonated with me, but this throwback album is just what I needed to get an appreciation for the R&B of the past. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel or anything, it's an extremely solid release. Driven by a fast pace, horn sections, and Jones' voice, this album is pure fun from the beginning to the end, evoking a sort of James Brown-esque feel. You'll find yourself inadvertently bobbing your head or tapping your foot throughout this record, and you'll love every second of it.

Highlights:
"People Don't Get What They Deserve"
"Retreat!"


4. Ariel Pink - Pom Pom

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This is definitely the most interesting album that I listened to in 2014, and that fact becomes evident from the beginning of the record. Ariel Pink has a weird way of varying and messing with song structure, but still making songs that are relatively catchy and poppy. The song topics range from quirky to weird to slightly vulgar, but the record isn't any worse off for it. I enjoyed the experimentation and concepts in the album, but this record isn't for everyone. Still, overall a memorable and quirky release.

Highlights:
"Black Ballerina"
"Lipstick"


3. Perfume Genius - Too Bright

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On his newest release, Perfume Genius slightly forgoes his usual somber and heart-wrenching piano ballads for more a more experimental effort, and he passes with flying colors. Although I still prefer his ballads, this album demonstrates the versatility that Mike Hadreas possesses. Hadreas also writes a few longer songs on this release, which is an another way in which he steps out of his comfort zone and delivers. From pretty to dark to sad to happy, this album has it all. Highly recommend.

Highlights:
"Queen"
Fool


2. tUnE-yArDs - Nikki Nack

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This year I discovered that I really like pop music if it is done correctly. And here, it is done very correctly. Not only is every song layered and colorful and bold, but there is a certain hint at Merrill Garbus' (the lead singer) love for African music through the drum grooves on the record. This album is silly and fun, and the instrumentation and feeling it evokes is that of childhood wonder and enjoyment. I found myself coming back to this album over and over throughout the year, and it is very deserving of its spot on my list.

Highlights:
"Wait For a Minute"
"Water Fountain"
"Hey Life"


1. Thee Silver Mt. Zion - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything

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This album is unique. An offshoot of Godspeed You! Black Emperor (a band of which I admittedly have not heard any full records), Thee Silver Mt. Zion relies less on barren-feeling soundscapes and more on actual instrumentation and song development. There's even singing! How do I describe this album? three adjectives that come to mind are lush, heartfelt, and vivid. There is a certain quirk factor that is present (one of the songs is a tribute to Capital STEEZ, for instance), and although it may not be for everybody, it's not completely inaccessible. Every note is played with such emotion that you can feel the band's passion vibrate throughout your body. I don't know how to accurately describe this record, but just know that it is good. It is very good, and you should listen to it.

Highlights:
"What We Loved Was Not Enough"
"Fuck Off Get Free (For the Island of Montreal)"


This was a great year for music, and it was pretty hard narrowing down a top 5 for both sections. Here's hoping that next year can top this one!
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