It's getting to be that time of year where gaming publications all over the world are picking their favorite games of the year. While there still has yet to be any sort of universally recognised awards, the same handful of games generally tend to pop up on different lists and there's usually not too many surprises as to which games show up. Miiverse is continuing this trend, too, and the results of votes from users all over the world have finally been tallied.
For the Wii U games, Splatoon took number one, while Super Mario Maker took second, and Xenoblade Chronicles X took third. It really isn't much of a shock that Splatoon and Super Mario Maker were at the top, though it was a rather pleasant surprise to see Xenoblade X get rated so highly.
For 3DS games, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D took the top spot, followed by The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes at number two, and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate at number 3. While it was a bit disappointing to see a remake take the number one spot - especially considering how good MH4U was - Majora's Mask 3D was pretty great. As for Tri Force Heroes, we'll just pretend that the guy who tallied the votes miscounted.
What do you think? Do you agree with the lists? What were your top three games for each platform? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[source miiverse.nintendo.net]
Comments 109
@MitchVogel It's very unprofessional of you to say "As for Tri Force Heroes, we'll just pretend that the guy who tallied the votes, miscounted."
Between stats like these and their alleged Smash poll winners ... I'm starting to think they just make things up to suit them. Surely MH4U is the top game?!?
Shenanigans!
By "Tri Force Heroes", you mean "Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon", Right?
@Moon Right? No Yo-kai Watch?
These votes come from everyone core, casual, kid, and adult. If you don't understand why something won then put the past sentence into perspective.
I like Triforce Heroes, no matter what anyone says.
it was my personal favorite 3ds game this year.
@Moon why do you guys think that everyone who owns a wiiu is a core gamer who frequents miiverse?
Author didn't like Triforce Heroes.
Obviously that makes them the majority and the votes were obviously wrong.
@Moon The Miiverse and Monster Hunter audiences don't exactly have a large overlap...
And, even then, the core audience on the 3DS has been split between a large number of releases - even more than 2014, really.
@MitchVogel Yo-Kai Watch failed to crack 100k in its first month of sales in America. The marketing certainly isn't helping much, that's for sure.
@faint To my knowledge, Tri Force Heroes didn't even sell well in America in the first place, so I'm not sure why it's up there. I'm pretty sure Yoshi's Woolly World outsold it in its first month according to NPD in America, so that should say something.
@Moon The Smash "ballot" was more of a suggestion box than an actual vote
Triforce Heroes are not that surprising at all, actually. There was barely anything worth giving a single crap about for 3ds and Zelda sales on name alone.
They're all good games! I'm just glad MH4U and XCX made the list.
@TheWPCTraveler you didn't read my post. Kids are voting. It has link. They don't need to play it to vote. It just needs to be fresh in their minds. Don't believe me? Go to the original post where they took votes. It's littered with children voting for these titles.
@faint I gained some respect for Tri Force Heroes when I saw that it was near the top of the poll. Now that I've seen that you don't need to play the game to vote for it, well, it explains why it's up there, that's for sure.
Thank you, if you hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have known this wasn't a rough approximation of a game's overall success.
WiiU results > 3DS results.
@LztheQuack Okay wow that changed my perspective on the ballot. I was blind and took it for what they advertised it as, and that it was somehow an actual ballot but of course it would be more like a suggestion box. I've been trying to understand.
Tri Force heroes? There were a lot of games better than Tri Force Heroes! Majoras Mask 3D was really good though.
@rsanchez1
Triforce heroes has the luxury both online multiplayer and being a Zelda game.
Lots of people seem to have taken to it.
Triforce Heroes is a well made game that is only fun if you have 2 people to play with that actually play honestly.
I'm surprised XCX and MH4U both charted.
But it is no surprise that no "hardcore" game charted on Miiverse.
All these games listed are anything but "hardcore" and could easily fit the definition of "casual".
The Wii U one seems good. Not exactly matching my opinion perfectly, but thats to be expected.
The 3DS one seems a little bit off to me. Not that any of the winners are bad games.
What's up with the 3DS winners? I'd like to think I'm not the only hardcore 3DS player that plays something besides Zelda.
Wow. The author hating on triforce heroes still. seriously just because you dont like it doesn't mean no one else does. Lol. Anyway. I agree with the Wii u solt. No really surprise seeing XCX on the list. To me Yoshi woolly world should be on there but oh well. As for the 3ds title I loved Triforce heroes and Majoras mask mask sense regardless whether its a remake or not. And Monster hunter. A lot if people seem to love that game and it was the best seller mh on the 3ds so it makes sense.
>Triforce Heroes
lol
Miiverse people have no taste in games. The number 3s in both lists should've easily been number one.
Kid Icarus Uprising would hands down be my number one for 3DS, but I'm not sure how many would share that opinion. MH4U and Majora are solid, though. Completely agree with the Wii U choices.
@Xenocity Xenoblade Chronicles X, casual? This isn't a game you can just pick up and play for a few minutes every other week. This one needs the player to be committed and put in massive hours to actually learn the huge amount of game mechanics, and requires your undivided attention or you will miss a lot of split-second battle cues and get slaughtered in a tough fight. It is definitely not for a casual player looking for a quick easy romp. I'd call it hardcore, myself, unless the hardcore you mean is the gritty M-rated sex, blood and gore kind of hardcore. That it is not.
@AVahne If they really had no taste, then those number 3 games wouldn't even be in the top three.
Xenoblade Chronicles X and MH4U were easily the top Wii U and 3DS games of the year.
I can't really knock Splatoon or Mario Maker- they're two of the finest Wii U games to date. But Xenoblade X is better, plain and simple.
I'm guessing if you asked someone who has played every game this year, they'd tell you a different story. But how many people play every 3DS and Wii U game? This list is just the most people bought. Slightly surprising XCX took 3rd from Yoshi, but there's little else that is a big enough game out this year to bother the top of either platforms list. Good to see Lego, Skylanders and Infinity aren't included.
@Crimzonlogic
Just because the game takes time to learn and complete, doesn't stop it from fitting the "casual" label.
Many games that take time to learn and take 20+ hours to complete can be labeled "casual".
Many games that have pick up and play style can fit the "hardcore" label.
"hardcore" games can be shallow and short, while "casual" games can be long and deep.
Man, that's some impressively self-important editorializing on the part of the author of this article. I don't think anyone expects strict professionalism from this site, but they do expect some.
Glad Tri-Force did well after all the try-hard reviews. As long as people are enjoying it.
It's not surprising to see games that heavily use miiverse win the Wii U poll. Splatoon and Mario Maker both deserved to win, but the poll being on miiverse would have gave them an advantage.
@MitchVogel I'm actually enjoying Triforce Heroes a lot more than Yo-Kai Watch recently and think Triforce deserved to place in the poll much more. However, that's mostly because Yo-Kai hasn't been released in Europe yet. There's no way Yo-Kai was going to win this vote if a big part of the 3DS user base can't play it yet.
Man, this site really hates Tri Force Heroes! It's probably my favorite game of the year.
No Xenoblade 3D? As Shulk said when Fiora died...
"I'LL KILL YOOUUUUUUU!"
@Xenocity I define casual as something that is easy to pick up and play for a little while every once in a while, and hardcore are games that are best played often and long due to deep game mechanics, which is what Xenoblade Chronicles X is. So we obviously have different definitions of hardcore/casual. What is yours?
I just really, REALLY wouldn't want to recommend XCX to someone who is looking for something "casual".
@Xenocity I'm not trying to say your points about hard-core games are wrong at all. However when it comes to xenoblade few would argue it's anything other than hard-core. It could even be described as the very definition of a hard-core game in many ways, niche demand, massively complicated, long time to learn game mechanics, massive world with very little linier direction and of course massive commitment of time to complete at 100hrs+
Needs more Woolly World on Spot 3.
I assume it is for this calendar year so:
My top 3 WiiU would be Splatoon, Mario Maker and Bayonetta 2 (special mention for Project Zero)
My 3ds would be Majora's Mask, Xenoblade 3D and SMT.DS2.RB
Not sure why so many hate on Tri Force Heroes, honestly, that game is my best moment of this year on 3DS (when you played with good peoples). Of course, single player is a 6 game, but multiplayer is easily 8 or 9 game. Anyway, I'm glad it's on the top, and obviously many have good time with that too.
@Xenocity if XCX, MH4U and an N64 era Zelda game fit the definition of 'casual', then the "definition" has lost all meaning.
@Crimzonlogic
I use the official definitions from NPD, EEDAR and NeoGaf use which is based on market research from surveying, interviewing those who buy and play games.
They obviously also track purchases and purchasing habits of those who buy games.
Though this means they have identified 8 types of gamers.
This includes "hardcore"/core (which according to the data play mainly on Xbox and PS systems), "casuals" (which according to the data traditionally play on Nintendo systems and PCs. The data reaches back into the early 90s counting NES and SNES).
Free and Mobile (those who are biggest group and play on their smart devices).
Omnigamers (those who play on multiple platforms)
Family Gamers
Social gamers
https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/the-npd-group-free-and-mobile-gamer-segment-is-the-largest-group-of-gamers-in-the-us/
Granted this from 2013, but they have been using these segments officially now for over 5 years.
This is also the data that 3rd parties use when developing games.
https://twitter.com/kenwongart/status/507667047443341312
You can download the 2014 numbers here, since this guy uploaded them to Twitter.
No way Triforce Heroes was up that high.
@Kid_Sickarus
Gaming definitions and tastes have changed over time as the gaming population has changed.
That is why the definitions of "hardcore" and "casual" keep changing and why NPD gets paid to do all the tracking and analysis of the definitions and games.
@kiigu Yeah, I definitely came across as too harsh on that. Tri Force Heroes really is a decent game, I'm just getting antsy due to this lengthy wait for more Zelda U info!
@Xenocity thanks for the links. Interesting reading, by applying the casual gamer definition nice and broadly (the PC platform part and RTS part) then a tournament level Starcraft player becomes a casual.
I'm not really certain why we need to bother labelling ourselves like this anyway
@MitchVogel hang in there dude, we're all in this together.
It's not just about sales. Games can sell well and still be not as enjoyable as games that sold less.
The people who frequent Miiverse enjoyed these the most. That's all there is too it, and it's very nice too see XCX getting recognition too. Tri Force Heroes is a surprise to me but that just goes to show we can't underestimate a game just because it's casual or online reviews don't take to it.
@Xenocity Pardon my brain imploding here...
I don't think any of those links says anything about what a casual/hardcore game is supposed to be. It says what different groups tend to play, but what are these groups? How are they defined? How are the games defined? PC gaming is considered casual? Liking puzzle games makes you a casual gamer? I don't understand, it's a really broad and vague set of definitions they've got there. And it says nothing about what "hardcore" is. Is "core console" hardcore? Last I knew, PC gamers were the "hardcore master race", or whatever the heck they call themselves. Can't omnigamers be either casual or core?
...This seems really pointless and dumb. but I will never say something like XCX is fit for casual gamers looking for something light and quick to jump into. That would be bad advice. D:
There were no great games to choose from this year, especially for the single player.
A better question than list your top games would be, list how many of the six have you spent your money on.
Ooh, a Miiverse poll, the system through which (if i remember correctly) Splatoon, Mario maker and Triforce heroes are played, at least it's a totally representative group of people... :3
Mind you, i'm not saying they're bad games, but polling in a multiplayer-centric place does skew results a tad.
@MitchVogel Triforce Heroes is a superb game. . . . so much fun when you play with friends on local multiplayer. . .please don't knock it. . .
@Xenocity
Monster Hunter is anything but casual.
@MysticX It's not skewed at all. It's a Miiverse poll, thus it's totally representative of what Miiverse users like. It's not claiming to be anything else. You might as well say the Nintendo Life GOTY poll is skewed, because by the same logic it is.
@Crimzonlogic
NPD regularly surveys gamers and at the last two years they've excluded Nintendo games and systems as an option for "hardcore" gamers
See Nintendo isn't part of the "hardcore"/core gaming group according to NPD data.
http://venturebeat.com/2014/05/13/34m-hardcore-gamers-play-an-average-of-22-hours-a-week-but-nintendo-isnt-core-enough-to-count/
This was from the publicly released survey in May 2014.
Some PC/MAC users fall under "hardcore", but they are in minority.
"hardcore" are in the minority on smart devices too.
Remember multiplaform owners are not considered "hardcore"
As of September 2014 the "casuals" were majority female and made up the biggest segment of PC gaming by far, with "hardcore"/heavy core making up 1/5th of the total PC players.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/137348-NPD-Survey-Shows-Core-Gamers-Are-Male-Casual-Gamers-Are-Female
Most of NPD's data is kept private to the subscribers.
@MysticX
Actually Miiverse users were asked to post their favorite game on Wii U and 3DS to Miiverse.
Nintendo then tabulated the posts to get the list.
@amiiboacid
I agree. It's a fun multiplayer title no matter what they say.
I'm glad Majora's Mask 3D won, it's such a great title and in my TOP 10 games of all time list.
Splatoon won, nice! I´d switch the places of Xenoblade Chronicles X and Super Mario Maker and we're done.
Glad Nintendo dangled out the Triforce Heroes demo and nobody ever got to play it because ITS A BIG TEASE.
The text seems surprised Majoras Mask took first place being a remake, but no one there has played the original game on N64, c'mon
@vonseux yeah, despite being a big Nintendo fan in the N64 days I missed Majora's Mask first time around. For me the remake was like an entirely new 3D Zelda.
@Xenocity your comments on what defines a "core" gamer have singlehandedly forced me to set up an account just so I can repudiate the bovine excrement you are spewing forth.
Since XCX was released (a grand total of 18 days ago) I have spent over 100 hours immersing myself in the game world; this is on top of any mobile gaming I've done on my 3DS. These are not the actions of a casual gamer, despite what you might be told by NPD.
Gaming is my hobby, the majority of my free time and my disposable income gets spent on videogames. Just because I only do that on Nintendo does not make me a casual gamer, your concept is ridiculous and I'm sure plenty of PC gamers would also have something to say about this lunacy.
@Xenocity Wow. I'm very impressed at this haphazard distinction they made.
I can't really complain, though. At best, my tastes take up one two-hundredth of the entire 3DS install base (ignoring people who own multiple 3DS units).
Someone who's finished three SMT games over the past year is a casual. Now that's something I don't hear every day.
For me MH4 is top, then MM. Didn't play triforce heroes jet. And for Wii U it's not surprising Xenoblade is on the list. This game is huge by all means and it gets better and better as you play it. Really one of the best RPGs I've ever played.
@Otoemetry It is absolute lunacy, that's why I don't believe in categorising/generalising meself.
Triforce Heroes is a simply well-crafted game that is very fun to play . . . not exclusively, but especially when paired with competent players.
Splatoon is my game of the year.
Fire Emblem Awakening should've won the 3DS poll.
The fact that lots of people can not post screenshots for MH4U can play a role too.
All the Wii U ones are spot on.
@MitchVogel So, because you didn't like it you expect the majority of people to share your opinion and let you get by with suggesting it was a miscount?!
I guess professionalism isn't something games journalists tend to be familiar with nowadays.
@Xenocity
So, from what I can gather, their data which is used to form the definition of a casual gamer utilizes information gathered from 25 years ago, when Nintendo dominated the console market (the only alternative that is still around being the PC, also relegated to "casual") - does this not suggest that their data is horrifically skewed by historical sales data?
Combined with the Wii and DS being the highest selling consoles of their generation, I can see how casual gamers are more likely to have owned as Nintendo console in their lifetime, but that doesn't mean all Nintendo games are casual. That's as asinine a definition as I've seen in a long time.
Also, I think you're using the terms "hardcore" and "core" interchangeably which doesn't seem right. Again, from what you've shared with us, "core" seems to be referring to a core market - as in, which group will spend the most money on certain high-selling genres over a sustained period. This is NOT the same as "hardcore" gamers, who will spend hundreds of hours playing games, often regardless of genre and platform. PC owners are lovers of Steam, for example, which is known for delivering hardcore games at low prices which wouldn't fall under the "core" definition. I don't think you can use the 2 terms as 1, in the way that you have been,
In summary: XCX seems pretty much a game for hardcore gamers to me, not something I'd recommend to a casual gamer. I therefore disagree with you
@Moon If you're skeptical count them yourself. It's not like it's impossible.
@Moon I would agree that MHU4 was the best 3DS game this year too but I think the Zelda series is far more popular.
LOL @ XCX = casual!
@MitchVogel
I'm glad you enjoyed Yo-kai Watch too at least.
I think people might be more open to it when the 2nd game releases as it'll have been around longer then and it improve on a lot of the issues people have with the original game.
I agree with the Top 3 for Wii U. That's exactly how I would rank them. As for 3DS, I would have certainly prioritized Pokemon Shuffle.
I'll agree with the Wii U votes, though I'd switch Splatoon and Super Mario Maker's spots (Super Mario Maker is excellent while Splatoon is...just good, in my opinion) and replace Xenoblade Chronicles X with Yoshi's Woolly World (honestly, it was excellent to play a Yoshi game that is just as good as its SNES game, if not better. Haven't played XCX, so...eh).
I don't care about the 3DS votes, though I am enjoying replaying the living droppings out of The Legend of Dark Witch Episode 2, which is pretty much my personal 3DS GOTY.
@amiiboacid the game is just bad, Nintendo keeps pretending its good when its clearly not
TriForce Heroes is not better than MH4U at all lmao.
@Xenocity
So you're saying that XCX isn't a "hardcore" game because an organisation, that is based solely on the American market thus ignoring the different sales & trends in Europe, Japan and the rest of the world, doesn't consider Nintendo consoles part of the "hardcore gamers" group? That is an incredible statement to make.
So what happens if XCX was suddenly available on the PS4, would it then become "hardcore"?
Oh, some of your quotes make no sense. You say NPD doesn't include Nintendo part of the "hardcore" gaming group, but yet you say some "hardcore" gamers exist on mobile devices, albeit a minority, but yet mobile isn't on the "hardcore" list. How can a mobile be considered to have hardcore gamers but not Nintendo consoles"?
@Moon Because it wasn't the person YOU voted for?
Quality 1,2,3 in any order!!
@mjc0961 @shinokami I have not played Triforce Heros myself, as I am not a fan of multiplayer games. I have, however, watched a review of the game made by a popular youtuber. He said the game is a fun game to play with friends and to have a good time, when he played it with his other popular youtuber friends. I personally trust him for games I want to play. Although that is his opionin. And you may have your opionins. But the author isn't allowed to express his opionin. The writers here often use the term "humble writers", as they are very humble. He is not humble. He made a very harsh opionin when he isn't supposed to. I don't think Triforce Heros should be on the list. I think Xenoblade Chronicles 3D should be on it. Even if I played it and I hated it so much, I would still complain about the author. I think he should be fired and then join WiiUDaily.
@LztheQuack That's what they said it was at the beginning.
@Xenocity MH4 and XBX.
Xenoblade X should have won. However I knew that Splatoon was going to win just because. -_-
I like Splatoon but it's not my Wii U game of the year, mainly because of how the game launched. Nobody wants to wait until August just to play private friend lobbys.
@Xenocity Okay. So if I played Xenoblade Chronicles X, Bayonetta 2, or Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate for seven hours a day I am a causal gamer. But if I play Disney Infinity, Skylanders, Little Big Planet, or Just Dance for 43 minutes a day, I am a hardcore gamer?
The Splatoon fans are so blind to the fact that they got a half decent shooter with a whopping 4 online gamemodes and a 5 hour campaign for $60 and the DLC ends in January. The praise Splatoon gets is completely unjustified as it's one of the most barebones shooters released this year. I would go back in time and slap myself for pre-purchasing it if it meant that I could spent my money on a more deserving game. Sure, you're entitled to your own opinion for disagreeing with this, but it doesn't make you any less wrong.
@Moon You have no proof to back up that statement what soever but ok
@Mr_Diabolical You can't be wrong about an opinion. For me Splatoon had the best possible release keeping me coming back when I would've otherwise forgotten about it. Yeah it only has four modes but think about other shooters where tons of extra modes go unplayed by anyone. Free DLC starting in June and ending in January is nothing to laugh at. The campaign is never the point of any multiplayer shooter and is almost always skipped so I don't know why you brought that up. And it being half decent and barebones are all your opinion. Don't tell people they're blinding because they enjoy a product more than you, and don't say a product is unjustifiably praised because you didn't enjoy it.
But then again your name and lacking profile picture lead me to believe you are trolling.
Well, it has been a pretty weak year for the 3DS.
@MitchVogel
"As for Tri Force Heroes, we'll just pretend that the guy who tallied the votes miscounted." Not only very funny, but its upset some people with no sense of humour. Bonus!
@amiiboacid
"But the author isn't allowed to express his opionin....He made a very harsh opionin when he isn't supposed to"
What in the name of all things good and pure are you on about?
Surely xenocity must be trolling, with such asinine comments.
"While it was a bit disappointing to see a remake take the number one spot..."
For many people, myself included, MM3D was their first time experiencing the game. That, combined with the extensive visual and gameplay upgrades it received, leads me to think that it's not a disappointment at all. For many of us, it might as well be a new game.
It's my favorite game of the year as well, among all of the consoles. It's also one of the best games I've ever played on my 3DS.
@electrolite77 He isn't supposed to be bias and insult everyone who voted for TFH.
@Mr_Diabolical Well I guess the professional team of game judges at the Game Awards were wrong twice.
@amiiboacid
He's allowed an opinion same as everyone else
@electrolite77 He's entitled to an opionin but isn't supposed be bias when making articles for a professional website.
@amiiboacid
How can you have an opinion without being 'bias'?
@electrolite77 He can have a personal opionin but should report about that opionin unless the article is an editorial. I see both sides of the argument but still think he shouldn't of insulted thousands of people.
@amiiboacid
Anybody 'insulted' by someone on a website having a different opinion on a game needs to develop a sense of humour and then develop a sense of perspective.
@electrolite77 He is entitled to an opionin. Everyone does. However, it is unprofessional to share that opionin, nonetheless insult people who don't share that opionin.
I do have a sense of humor. I don't, however, have the 'edgy' humor sense you have. I only have a good sense of humor.
@amiiboacid I agree with you there, I thought it was unprofessional too but hopefully something that can be learned from
That's usually something you'd find from someone ranting in the comments section.
What, no SSB in either of them? xD
@EmmatheBest SSB4 is a 2014 game. It just had DLC come out this year.
@electrolite77 He's right, to an extent. I'm not gonna take it out of the article, but the dig at Tri Force Heroes definitely belonged in the comment section and not the article itself.
That being said, it's been pretty entertaining seeing the way some people overreact. The internet never fails to dazzle!
@Xenocity If a game takes less than an hour to grasp all of it's concepts, it's a "casual" title. If it takes longer than an hour to grasp all of it's concepts, it is a "hardcore" title. It's as simple as that. No semantics or straw grasping needed.
Considering that the most "hardcore" (meaning the most amount of time needed to fully grasp concepts of play) of all titles are mostly PC titles, especially CRPG's, RTS, MMO's and such, with the exception of the fighting genre... I am inclined to believe those NeoGAF "reports" are just subjective musings of their members, rather than empirically gathered evidence. NPD barely gathers any data on PC metrics at all, due to their retail limited nature, which makes them a nearly useless judge of PC game statistics in this day and age. EEDAR is just a consulting company, whose members probably are not comprised of developer and manager veterans from the industry, so they're basically hired guns like Michael Pachter is.
@MitchVogel Sometimes, one must be provocative when the subject matter is objectively not ideal compared to alternatives. It doesn't speak well for the current generation for an old title to be on top of a new poll, even if it's REALLY good; and it doesn't speak well for the current generation for a decent multiplayer (or a mediocre single player) title to be on top of objectively greater entries.
@amiiboacid Fired? For what, stating a subjective opinion about a subjectively biased poll with no limitations or grounding for being legitimized beyond raw popularity of the moment? Holy crap, this isn't the New York Times, with an oath to complete journalistic objectivity. Get over it, chill out.
A bit off subject, but does anyone else going XCX's music to be rather annoying? I haven't gotten very far, so maybe it gets better... But so far, the music is really abysmal. The daytime overworld music is too intense and unrelaxing, the music for both night and day in NLA are absolutely terrible (weird off key female vocals, and RAP!? Ouy). And the battle music is also laced with aweful RAP vocals! It sucks!
Xenoblade 1 had MUCH better music IMO.
Sorry had to rant.
Will everyone chill? Seriously, it's just the guy's opinion.
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