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USgamer Community Question: Which Fall 2014 Game Have you Enjoyed the Most?

It's been a good Fall for video games, with some of the best titles of the year being released in the last month or two. Out of all of them, which one is your favorite?

This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.

This year's Q3 has been a pretty solid one for releases. No matter which platform you own, there's been something great to cheer about - and in some cases, much to. And that's our question this week.

Out of all the Fall titles available this year, which one have you enjoyed playing the most and why? Or is there a game that's not out yet that you're more excited about than any game released so far. Either way, we'd love to hear your thoughts.

While you decide which of your most recent purchases you've enjoyed - or are enjoying - the most, here are Team USG's favorite Fall titles.

Jeremy Parish, Editor-in-Chief

It's not the best game of the year by any standard measure, but it's certainly the one I've been enjoying most. Alien: Isolation impressed me deeply, and heck, I even think Assassin's Creed Unity does an amazing job of presenting a game world. But Fantasy Life is the one game I keep itching to play more of and absolutely would be if it weren't for all these pesky reviews.

My affection for Fantasy Life comes from the same place as my enjoyment of Skyrim: It lets you do your own thing your own way, yet it never feels totally unstructured. It offers a central narrative, then opens up its world to allow players to pursue that story at their own pace. Meanwhile, countless quests and side objectives branch off from the central game. It's very much a game I can tackle on my own terms, while allowing others to take their own decidedly different approach to the adventure. It's great stuff all around.

And, unlike Skyrim, Fantasy Life's world is small and dense enough that I feel like I will actually eventually come to a satisfying conclusion in this particular adventure...

Jaz Rignall, Editor-at-Large

This is an easy one for me - Forza Horizon 2. That's the game I've put more time into than anything else. Big surprise to me is that I'm clocking up big hours on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare too, although at this point, my time invested is a mere fraction of the man-hours poured into Sumo Digital's superb racer.

I called it one of the all-time great racers when I reviewed it back in September. At that point I was a little hesitant to give it such an accolade, as I'd only been through the game and finished one championship. However, in the weeks following my review, I just still kept playing. The way the game works is great, and ensures that the racing always feels fresh and exciting - essentially letting you choose what kind of racing you'd like to do, whether it's stock, underpowered econoboxes, or top-spec hypercars.

The other thing I love about the game is the sheer variety of cars on offer. There's virtually every kind of auto you can think of, from track toys and exotics through classic cars to family sedans and vans. That helps ensure when you come back to the game, you've always got an interesting choice in terms of what to race next.

It's funny, really. I've been thinking all year that DriveClub was going to be the game that I'd end up racing through Fall and into Winter. Unfortunately, that game suffered pretty grim technical issues when it launched, and has ended up feeling rather empty and devoid of choice. Forza Horizon 2, on the other hand, continues to feel fresh and fun - and looks fantastic at the same time.

I think I'll likely be playing it on and off all the way through Spring too...

Mike Williams, Associate Editor

I'm as shocked as you are. I enjoyed a great many games I reviewed this Fall, but I had the most fun with Sunset Overdrive. Insomniac Games Xbox One exclusive intrigued me early on, but I didn't expect it to be my go-to title for this holiday season (I have yet to play Dragon Age Inquisition).

Sunset Overdrive combines Infamous with Jet Set Radio to create a game where tricking around the city is something you want to do. Movement is just so simple and easy and combat is helped out by a host of excellent and unique weapons.

Yes, the game does try too hard to be funny at times, but it did make me chuckle and I found the supporting cast to be rather endearing. By the time I finished off the story campaign, I was in love with Sunset City. Here's hoping that Insomniac gets a chance to revisit the franchise. At least we'll probably get a new Crackdown while we're waiting.

Kat Bailey, Senior Editor

As should be pretty obvious from the review that went up yesterday, I'm really partial to Dragon Age: Inquisition. I was pretty skeptical at the start, but the lovely world, the enjoyable exploration, and the strong story eventually won me over. As with the best games, it does a lot of the little things right, from getting the crafting right to allowing me to judge my enemies (spoiler: death). It's ultimately a very nice mid-level RPG for those who might be a bit intimidated by the genre and are looking for a good entry point.

Of the rest of the games that I've played this fall, I've continued to enjoy Super Smash Bros. on the 3DS (even with the Wii U version looming), and I'm in the middle of my fifth career mode season in FIFA 15. Beyond that, I'd still like to jump into Alien: Isolation and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, but both have been temporarily backburnered as I wrap up my current review responsibilities.

I'll admit, I never expected Dragon Age of all games to top my list for fall reviews, but it's been a pleasant surprise from pretty much start to finish. I'm glad I played it. You should too.

Bob Mackey, Senior Writer

Yes, Dark Souls came out in March, a good six months away from the cider-sipping, pumpkin-carving, turkey-stuffing festivities of autumn. But its Lost Crowns trilogy of DLC, which stretched from late July to late September, definitely qualifies Dark Souls II for my favorite game of the season. (So there.)

To be honest, I would have been happy if the trilogy just brought me more Dark Souls, but FromSoftware used this new content as a means of addressing criticism leveled at the core game. The environments offered a greater degree of density and verticality, enemies with brand new tricks, and AI invaders equipped with behaviors much more varied than the series had ever offered before.

If you found Dark Souls II lacking in any way, the Lost Crowns trilogy set out to prove that, even without the direct guidance of Dark and Demon's Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki (currently slaving away on Bloodborne), the development team could definitely hold their own, and learn from their mistakes.

I've had to move on from my regular Dark Souls-ing now that we're in the midst of review-heavy November, but, even with 200-plus hours of Dark Souls II under my belt, there's still so much I have yet to try. And while I won't have time to experiment for a while, I could honestly see myself putting another 50 hours or more into the game: Hell, I've barely touched all of the strange and beautiful weapons, armor, items, and spells found in the DLC.

If From wants to squeeze out one more chunk of content before the just-delayed Bloodborne lands in March, I'd buy it without question.

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