GameSided Top 10 Game of the Year 2014

10 – Hearthstone (19 points)

Digital card games are nothing new, but Blizzard somehow found the magic formula to strike gold last year with Hearthstone. Combining historical figures within the lore of the Warcraft universe with a free-to-play card arena game that sees players bring down an opponent’s health from 30 to 0 using offensive and defensive cards, it has gathered quite a following. Plus, it does a fair job of avoiding pay-to-win trappings by offering a multitude of ways to compete without having to pay a dime. What you get out of Hearthstone is directly what you put into it, whether it be time or otherwise.

When reviewing the game this past year, former editor Michael wrote: “Ultimately, HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft is a game that plays exactly how a digital card-battle game should play…HearthStone is one title that will have longevity simply for the wide array of deck styles you can build with cards they have in place right now. The best part of it all is that the game requires absolutely no money in order to enjoy its full wonders.”

Next: #9 Is A Slice Of 1989, in 2014.