Review scores are the source of much internet rabblerousery, but they do serve a purpose beyond firestarting. They are, to us, an abstraction of a reviewer's feelings about a game—not a scientific measurement of success, but a convenient utility.
They're especially useful for cataloging, as we have here with our top rated games of 2014, a collection of all the games we scored 85% and up (with one 84% on account of its Editor's Choice distinction). No subjective numerating from multiple people will produce a flawlessly consistent scale, but what we chose to celebrate the most this year still represents our values and the games we most heartily recommend. Consider all of these excellent ways to spend your time.
Resident Evil 4 is still a masterful shooter nine years later. Occasional slowdown caused by the locked 60 fps framerate hampers an otherwise great port.
Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.
