We're fast approaching the end of 2014 and I feel like either it's been a slow year for VGM or I'm just missing out on what's out there.  Any recommendations from the past year that haven't popped up in the soundtracks forum already?  I'd like to catch up on any best-of-year contenders before poll time comes around.

I feel like 2014 has been an incredibly slow year for video games in general, not just the music.
VERY few interesting releases, mostly just remasters and overhyped AAA games, and even with that, this Summer has been absolutely barren.

It gave me some time to catch up on my backlog and revisit some old favorites, as well as dig some deeper in new games that I DID like (something I hardly ever do these days), so I'm not really complaining, but yeah: slow year.

Slow year, although decent for retro releases. Sad reminder of how bad the Japanese market is for games and their music at the moment. Oddly and scarily enough, Nintendo is leading the way with Mario 3D World and Zelda and the Smash soundtrack release is upcoming. And I stand behind Blazblue Chrono Phantasma as being a great release...It's far better than what I've heard out of the new Guilty Gear (which is kind of lacking in melody, a lot of guitar meandering). I do need to hear the new Persona soundtrack though.

On the western front, no way I can argue with Shovelknight.

I kind of spent 2014 buying older albums I sold off in previous years but wanted to reacquire.

Some of those price tags hurt.... but that was due some old, bone-headed moves of mine

The only thing I've really gotten (or am getting) from this year is the Rockman Vol.2... but that music in that isn't from any 2014 release.

However, I don't play many newer games so I'm not really exposed to a lot of new VGM.

I do know a lot of people that are amped for the Smash Bros OST though.

Is that just getting a one disc, abridged OST for people who bought both games or is Japan getting a more comprehensive version?

I don't what Japan is or isn't getting, but the American Club Nintendo release comes out in March 2015 on two CDs (one for 3DS, one for Wii U). Since the game has something like 300 tracks, I would say it's probably heavily abridged.