It's quite a surprise for me...but I have to go with Mario Kart 8. I don't traditionally have a lot of love for the series, but this iteration far exceeded my expectations.

It's a very fun game when played with friends.

Stop believing everything you read on the internet.

When a site gives a game a high score it is done by one person. When a site gives a GoTY award it is decided by the entire staff. This is why you have games that don't have the highest overall scores on the site getting the GoTY award, like how Demon's Souls did in 2009 for Gamespot. It scores a 9 while a game like Dragon Age: Origins scored a 9.5.

How exactly were they underrated? For the most part people have been gushing about both games since they launched. Especially as there is a surprise factor for both, being that rthere is finally, after a loing hiatus, a LOTR game that is actually good, and that after Colonial Marines Isolation was met with much trepidation before it launched.

What is interesting is that all 3 games came from a base of low expectations. Dragon Age 2 is a much maligned (unfairly IMO) game, and as mentioned Colonial Marines tainted people's minds for Isolation, and the only decent LOTR games in recent years have been ones with Lego in the title. So at least it's good to see each game being judged on its own merits rather than being haunted by the legacy of their names. Of course one might argue that low expectations leading to games which are actually good potentially inflates the early regard for the games and hindsight a year or so down the track might lead people to conclude that actually those weren't the best games of 2014 despite initial reactions. 

This is true. But I still find it surprising that it's getting such a low number of GOTYs.

I can't believe Destiny has won the same amount as MK8...

If you count remasters/remakes: Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMix

If you do not count remasters/remakes and don't mind that this hit Japan and Europe before 2014: Bravely Default

If you DO mind BD being out previously in JP/EU: Transistor

Transistor! Not only it's an amazing game, but it's also the only new game I played this year! *Cries*

For GOTY consideration, I believe many voters keep in mind the sheer quantity of enjoyment they've experienced with a game, something which critics don't really compare between genres when they're scoring for a review.

If you spend 9 hours having fun on Bayonetta 2 then 100 hours having fun on Dragon Age, Smash, Mario Kart, or Destiny, and you take the GOTY question as "which title has brought you the most enjoyment," it's very easy to see why people might vote in that direction.

Besides that, though I can't speak for Bayonetta 2, I thought the characters, story, and universe in Bayonetta 1 were tacky, shallow, and forgettable. I think that's where a lot of the separation occurs down the line, months after people have played it, especially compared to something that sticks in your unconscious like a TLoU or a Dark Souls.

Dragon Age, Far Cry 4 and Smash Bros for me. Hu dafuq gave Destiny GOTY awards? ... Sure it's nice (mp), but I don't see it as the game of games for 2014. Ah well ... opinions.