Gonna go with Bayonetta 2. That game really demonstrated to me what the genre could do and seemed more 'next-gen' than pretty much anything on the PS4 and XB1.

MK8 was also mind-blowing, and if it released the way it currently is on Switch it would win easily, but the original 2014 release had that terrible battlemode and needed to start getting DLC packs to reach its full potential. Smash 4 was great fun at the time, but it lost its sheen very quickly compared to other Smash games because of the lack of good single-player content and because it was missing that element that brings it all together that the other games in the franchise have.

Shoutouts to Wolfenstein the New Order for just being such a fun shooter and Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor for having an actual innovative mechanic in the nemisis system that showed the 8th gen didn't have to be as boring as it was in 2014.

This looked like a very lackluster year to me. Smash for WiiU was ok but ultimate makes it redundant.

Other Divinity: Original Sin get my vote.
In fairness I should make room for that game and/or the second installment in my top 50. The strategic battles and freedom of solving problems in many different ways set this apart from other RPGs at the time. But it was the excellent multiplayer that won me over. Played it with my at the time long distance girlfriend and had a blast. We sank over 100 hours into it.

Divinity: Original Sin

Dragon Age Inquisition. Screw the haters. I've put 1200 hours in that masterpiece.

I probably would have put less if they were allowed to actually continue making games in the series instead of EA getting in the way mind you.

Tough choice since I love both DKC: Tropical Freeze and Mariokart 8.
I think I'll vote 'Other' Tropical Freeze and at least get that one in the running.

Not a very exciting year, though this was the only decent year for WiiU.

I only played Mario Kart 8, South Park The Stick of Truth, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker and Hyrule Warriors from the OP lists. Mario Kart is good of course, and Captain Toad was a treat, but those other two are really just 'okay'. Besides those I only played Total War Shogun 2 and Child of Light. Shogun 2 is fine, like any Total War, but I wouldn't play it as much because I was still very much enjoying Rome 2 at this time.

Child of Light however was quite the surprise, the watercolour look was great and so was the story. I was hooked from start to finish. Child of Light, so Other gets my vote.

For me it's either Alien: Isolation or Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Either way my vote goes for "other"

I was a competitive player and Smash 4 is my favorite Smash game.

Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze is probably my favourite 2D platformers (along with Celeste)
It needs to be on the list!

I just want to give a shoutout to my favorite indie game ever made. In 3rd place for me behind Bayo 2 and Strider but holy shit this game is amazing

I’m kicking myself for forgetting this came out in 2014 (I played it on Switch in 2018). What a gem of a game. One of the best shoot-‘em-ups I’ve ever played.