End of Year Community Awards: Best New or Non-Yearly Game

The voting for various categories in the Pastapadre Community Awards continues with Best New or Non-Yearly Sports Game. This is a category that awarded no one in 2013 sadly – because there were none to consider – but in 2014 a few risks were taken and strong efforts emerged. The Golf Club, Super Mega Baseball, and EA Sports UFC vie for the award.

The Golf Club released digitally in August (earlier in the year for PC) and generally has been received very well. It’s a pure simulation experience that hasn’t been hampered by its unlicensed nature. In some ways it actually benefits from that. It includes one of the best new features of the year, The Greg Norman Course Creator, and has received excellent post-release support with tons of improvements and even major feature additions.

When EA Sports UFC released in June it was a game that missed the mark completely. It didn’t satisfy hardcore fight fans and couldn’t attract the casual crowd. However six patches later and it has become the game that it should have been on day one. Gameplay has become much more realistic, authentic, and balanced. Though it’s thin on offline content the online fights are the main attraction. The post-release support has included 18 additional fighters for the roster.

The latest release of the year having arrived in December may have been the biggest surprise. The sim-arcade hybrid Super Mega Baseball has turned out to be one of the most fun games of 2014 by combining smart design decisions with realistic baseball gameplay and arcade-style touches on top of that. For $20 it is arguably one of the best values of the year too.

Previously
♦Best Gameplay
♦Best Franchise Mode
♦Best Career Mode
♦Best Presentation
♦Best Online
♦Most Disappointing Game
♦Best Post-Release Support
♦Breaking Down the Awards Categories (Videos)
♦Best New Feature
♦Best Mobile Game