The 2014 oprainfall Awards: Part 3

We have one more category to go before we get to the Game of the Year. That of course is the award for Best Multiplatform Game. Remember, this is for games that appeared on multiple consoles with versions that were deemed relatively equal. To present the award, we welcome back Assistant Review Manager Tyler Lubben.

	BEST MULTIPLATFORM GAME
Previous Winners 2012: Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward 2013: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

TYLER: Everyone loves a good console-exclusive, but those titles that bridge the gap between different systems are just as good. Whether they’re games that emphasize different features depending on the platform, or even if there’s virtually no difference regardless of which system you choose, these are the games that are meant to reach the maximum number of people. Here, we honor the games that even the most rabid console fanboys can enjoy together… if they can shut up about which one had the better frame rate for two seconds.

Shovel Knight

If you have had any interest in playing Shovel Knight, but haven’t yet, you really have no excuse. Appearing on 3DS, Wii U, PC, Mac and Linux, there are plenty of ways to get your hands on this fantastic action platformer. Taking on the role of the titular Shovel Knight, players run, jump and dig their way through fantastic pixel-based environments on their quest to defeat the evil Enchantress and discover the fate of his lost love, Shield Knight. Loosely following the formula of the Mega Man series, players will have to fight eight boss knights on their way to the final battle with The Enchantress, though, rather than receiving powers from each defeated boss, players will have to find hidden treasure chests in each level to unlock new abilities. Great graphics, music and gameplay just make this a complete package that any lover of retro games owes it to themselves to play.

Transistor

Following the release of Bastion back in 2011, Supergiant Games struck gold again with the action RPG, Transistor. As the singer Red, players fight through a futuristic city to escape the clutches of the evil Camerata. Using the same isometric viewpoint as its predecessor, players will combat robotic enemies known as The Process with gameplay mechanics similar to those found in Bastion, though the ability to temporarily freeze gameplay allows for a bit of planning before continuing a fight. With a great art style and soundtrack, Supergiant Games has added another wonderfully memorable title to their collection. And, honestly, more games could do with a “hum” button.

Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars

Conception II was an interesting case depending on your platform. It basically came down to whether you liked crisper graphics and a great frame rate on the Vita or if the 3DS’s unique visuals were more your style. Either way, Conception II offers a unique experience for anyone looking for something a little different in their RPGs. Players will need to nurture their relationships with seven different girls in order to create special “Star Children” with them. These magical kids will act as additional party members to complement the skills of your main character and the “mother” you choose to go questing with. It’s an interesting system, to be sure, and I appreciate seeing a developer trying something new to shake up the old RPG format.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

BioWare titles almost always seem to find their way onto the maximum number of consoles possible, and Dragon Age: Inquisition was no different. Picking up almost immediately where Dragon Age 2 left off, Inquisition throws players into an even bigger world (and more than makes up for the shortcomings of its predecessor). With enormous landscapes that you can literally spend hours exploring and a seemingly endless amount of side-quests, getting immersed in the world is all but guaranteed. Plus, updated battle mechanics and a fairly robust crafting system allows you to outfit a team that works best for your play style. Personally, my faith has been restored in this franchise, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

First announced back in 2013, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor had an interesting premise: on the Dark Lord Sauron’s doorstep, take on the role of an immortal Gondorian ranger as he cuts a swath through the Uruk-hai forces on a quest for revenge. With climbing and stealth mechanics similar to the Assassin’s Creed franchise and combat reminiscent of the recent Batman: Arkham Asylum games, Shadow of Mordor offers a fun, but very challenging experience for action and stealth fans alike. Plus, with a familiar setting and characters (albeit some more obscure ones), the game might feel a bit more accessible to fans of Tolkien than the games it was clearly inspired by. It’s always great to see a licensed game come out the right way.

AND THE WINNER IS…

Shovel Knight

In the face of AAA action titles, quirky RPGs and epic high fantasy games, retro graphics and gameplay win out. I was surprised to find that a game that got most of its funding on Kickstarter was able to dig its way into our hearts better than the other bigger-name games on the list, but it just goes to show that you don’t need to have a huge studio with hundreds of employees to make a fantastic game. All it takes is a great idea and ingenuity. Plus, if you don’t happen to not be a Nintendo or PC gamer, Shovel Knight will be making its way to Sony systems later this year with Twitch support and God of War’s Kratos as a playable character. Something tells me Yacht Club Games is only just getting started.

JEFF: Before we move on to the memorial, I want to take you back to the early part of 2014. On January 23rd, 2014, the gaming community lost a good friend in Justin “JewWario” Carmical. Justin had a long battle with depression, which is something that wears down even the strongest of people.

Of course Justin wasn’t the only person lost this year due to a mental illness. On August 11th, Robin Williams passed away after battling severe depression, paranoia, and Parkinson’s disease. As you may know, Robin was a fan of gaming, naming his daughter Zelda after the Nintendo game and even appearing with her in multiple ads for the series.

As someone who has experience with bipolar depression — not me, specifically, but living with those that have it — the mentality of people with severe depression isn’t the same as those without it. They can have stretches where they are contributing members to society but that can quickly change to times where they are sloth-like and don’t want to do anything or, in more severe mental states, they can become a danger to both themselves and those around them. Medicine helps, but even that doesn’t stop the negative thoughts — and sometimes, it can make things worse.

There are things you can do to give yourself a better shot at helping those with severe depression. Simply saying something like “Are you okay?” can help let someone know that someone in the world cares. Something else you can do is check with your local suicide prevention hotline. I can’t speak for other countries, but for the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can give you tips on how to deal with a loved one you think may be contemplating suicide. If you think a loved one may be in this mental state or you’ve been thinking about it yourself, please take the time to contact your hotline.

And with that, it’s time to say goodbye one last time to those we lost last year. If I missed someone in this list, please feel free to let me know in the comments below.

I would like to personally dedicate this to my great aunt, Mary McCarl, who passed away Thursday morning at the age of 89.

IN MEMORIUM

Ichirō Nagai, Japanese Voice Actor

Notable Gaming Credits: Cid Pollendina in Final Fantasy IV, Philoctetes in the Kingdom Hearts series

Seizô Katô, Japanese Voice Actor

Notable Gaming Credit: DreamMix TV World Fighters

Masaaki Tsukada, Japanese Voice Actor

Notable Gaming Credit: Gol Acheron in Jak and Daxter

Campbell Lane, Voice Actor

Gaming Credits: Rainforest Elder in Frogger Beyond, The Narrator in the Homeworld series

Geoff Edwards, Game Show Host

Host of the video game show Starcade.

Joe Lala, Voice Actor

Notable Gaming Credits: Kun Lan in Killer7, Vittorio Buchelli in Gabriel Knight 3

James Rebhorn, Actor

Gaming Credit: Bigfoot in Grand Theft Auto V

Kōji Yada, Japanese Voice Actor

Notable Gaming Credits: Dr. Gero in the Dragon Ball Z games, Raidou in Dead or Alive

Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Voice Actor

Gaming Credits: Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: Vengeance, Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man

Bob Hastings, Voice Actor

Notable Gaming Credits: Commissioner James Gordon in Batman games (1994-2003), Mayor Manac in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

Dave Legeno, Voice Actor

Notable Gaming Credit: Fenrir Greyback in the Harry Potter games

Dennis Lipscomb, Voice Actor

Gaming Credit: Spycraft: The Great Game

Douglas E. Smith, Video Game Designer

Creator of Lode Runner

Ralph Cosham, Voice Actor

Notable Gaming Credit: Jauffre, Vincent Valtieri, and Male Bretons in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Iemasa Kayumi, Japanese Voice Actor

Notable Gaming Credits: Verdelet in Drakengard, Khalia Chival VI in Final Fantasy Type-0, Dark God Zophar in Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete, Verner Von Bluecher in Mega Man Legends 2