The year is almost over, so let's discuss which games we each played that was the bee's knees or something. Since most of us are grumpy old people who have personal lives outside of gaming, the games do not have to be from this year alone.
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The year is almost over, so let's discuss which games we each played that was the bee's knees or something. Since most of us are grumpy old people who have personal lives outside of gaming, the games do not have to be from this year alone.
Normally this is where I'd say "in no particular order", but I'm feeling confident for once, this one's actually ordered. :p
5. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
I had pretty high hopes for this one ever since I backed the kickstarter for it, and it actually didn't disappoint. Great Castlevania game.
4. AI: The Somnium Files
A murder investigation adventure/visual novel hybrid, this game has a lot of great things. Sharp and witty dialogue, great sense of humor and a story that'll make you sad, happy, shocked and all sorts of other emotions. Quality voice acting too.
3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
It may not be what most people expected after From Software's Soulsborne streak, but in terms of quality, Sekiro did not falter. A great action game with plenty to explore.
2. Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
I know it's an expansion, but I'm gonna count it anyway. FFXIV was already solidified as my favorite Final Fantasy game, but Shadowbringers stands out. Great story, great music, great zones and dungeons. Everything about it is just peak FFXIV.
1. Resident Evil 2
Waitaminute, a remake taking the top spot? Yes indeed, because the Resident Evil 2 remake was just that damn amazing. I played the absolute heck out of this game and loved every second of it. I enjoyed it so much I actually started speedrunning it, and that's saying a lot for me, a person who almost never replays games. Top-notch third-person survival horror right here.
Honorable mention: Trails of Cold Steel III
Because this game did come out this year in the west, and it totally would've been number 1 on this list...if I hadn't already played it last year in Japanese. It was my second-favorite game last year (and of the decade, in fact) and putting it in my top five again would've felt a bit like cheating. :p
1. Pokémon Crystal (re-release)
2. Pokémon Gold and Silver (re-release)
3. Pokémon Sword and Shield
4. Final Fantasy VIII (remastered)
5. Aladdin and The Lion King (remastered) (Switch)
You know, what is really amusing for me is that I've picked up quite a few games this year, many that were released this year (Kingdom Hearts III, Romancing SaGa 3), and didn't play too many of them cause I'm still catching up on stuff from years ago... ^^; As per my personal rules, I'm only choosing games I've never played before unless its a remake/remaster, and I need to have completed more than 80% of the game to count.
In no particular order:
5. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
I've had this game for years on my PS3, but until KHIII came out, I didn't really have a reason to dive into it. Overall, it's a pretty good improvement over the original, with more unique challenges, better balancing of the different mechanics, and I loved the new enemies and the Unknown fight. Had a blast using a Wand build which made the early game quite challenging and then made the endgame kind of stupidly easy. The few new cutscenes detailing Riku's exploits were nice as well. Didn't care for some of the new color scheme choices for enemies, but whatever. KH1 also splits me on core gameplay as I absolutely enjoy a lot of elements removed from later installments like Trinity Marks, hunting down dalmatians, and some of the more interesting level design. Yet the camera screw combined with how heavy platform-centric this entry is makes this game age rather poorly. Still a great entry in the series though, especially as I worked my way through the rest of the two collections.
4. Papers Please
Another game that has been collecting dust in my Steam account, I finally popped this baby in and was happy to discover it was everything I thought it would be. What it lacks in visual pizazz, it makes up for by transforming human experiences into a game that will make you feel like an awful person no matter what you choose. I got one of the bad endings my first go around, but I'm trying to work my way into the better endings. This is a game that's really more about paying attention to details which is pretty nice if you ask me.
3. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
The black sheep of the three Castlevania GBA titles, no one really talks about this game as much as I feel like they should. Granted, it's not the best Metroidvania title I've played, but it does enough things right for my taste. It pulls the dual castle elements from SotN but gives it a unique spin. Also the game has a broken magic mechanic that really sets Juste apart from other Belmonts. The game also has some nice callbakcs to Simon's Quest and in some ways feels like Igarashi doing his own take on Circle of the Moon. The game is much brighter and more colorful than CotM and while the Castle is better put together, I could have done without some of the visual fluff used to balance out the old GBA's lack of a back light. The plot is interesting, especially when you unlock the side character modes, but its not one of Iga's best works either. Solid game overall.
2. Castlevania Collection
Yes, Konami is the devil, but they did right by me with this collection released this year. Containing most of the Classicvania series barring a few entries. This collection brought back fond memories of my childhood since I either owned the games, rented them at least, or simply dreamed about playing them while I checked out screenshots in GamePro magazine. It was a pretty damn fine collection with the standout entry being Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, which ended up being the entry I put the most time into. Kid Dracula was cute and fun, while Super Castlevania IV and Bloodlines didn't disappoint. I think the biggest surprises for me was how much I ended up liking Simon's Quest and Belmont's Revenge. Great collection, and I loved that it came with a digital book detailing background notes and interviews with some of the designers for the series.
1.Death Stranding
The only entry on this list not finished, but I'm pretty close to the end. I'll largely echo what a lot of reviewers have said about this game in that it is not a game made for everyone, but that's okay with me. The setting and characters are really neat and the core game loop is incredibly addicting. I appreciate Kojima taking a mechanic most other designers use for padding out game and making it a feature by really building around. Delivering crap for eccentric people is a chore in most other games, but here, it can be a major challenge as you have to deal with cargo weight, balance, how well geared you are, topographical challenges, and major outside hazards like BTs, MULES, and just trying to figure out how to reach a spot with the cargo in one piece. My only major gripe with the game is that it becomes almost too easy to get hooked into the feedback loop and thus never actually move the plot along as you continue to deliver cargo to the same people. On the other hand, I like that this is a great game to just unwind with. I don't usually play games to unwind, but it's been theraputic around the holidays to just shut my brain off and deliver some packages to peeps while soaking in the wonderful visuals and musical score of this game.
Honorable Mentions:
Kingdom Hearts Union X - I ended up really liking this game and got pretty addicted to it in the early year. I finally had to remove it from my phone just so I can stay productive and maybe play some of my other games instead.
Romancing SaGa 2 - I actually finished this game this year, but started it last year and even put on my top games of the year for 2018, so it was disqualified for that. Despite all that, its still a great game you people should play.
Kingdom Hearts re: Chain of Memories - CoM is still one of my favorite entries in the KH series, but I'm not going to lie that I feel the move to 3D hurt the game overall. I do appreciate a lot of the new content it brings to the forefront, but the 3D environments kind of wreck a lot of the balance and elements of CoM that I originally loved.
Silent Hill 3 - Finally finished this game this year, but I had started and completed most of it last year. The atmosphere is fantastic in true Team Silent fashion, but I didn't care for the heavier focus on combat. The cast is really great, but I felt the story could have done more with the rich narrative it was playing with.
Dragon Quest III (Super Famicom) - Easily the best incarnation of the game, it adds in all the new elements I loved from the GBC version like Pashishi Tracks and the personality mechanic. Being a fan translation, I also got to enjoy a translation closer to the DQ I grew up with over the series new punny direction. Still a fantastic game, but... I've already played this before so disqualified.
It's hard to remember what I've played this year! Had to do some digging to rule out Persona 5, which was last year. Where the heck did all that time go?
1: NieR: Automata.
An shining beacon of artistic achievement that all other games should strive to be like. There are plenty of bits of NieR: Automata that I'm not keen on, that I can be critical of, that weren't anything special. But the Whole is something everyone with an interest in video games owes it to themselves to play (to Ending E).
2: Resident Evil 2
3: Yakuza: Kiwami
4: Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
5: VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
I also just completed The Witcher 3 (minus expansions), which is very good but not quite good enough for a top 5. Probably comes in at #6 or #7 this year.
I really didn't play that many new games this year.
1. Dragon Quest Builders 2
2. Link's Awakening
3. Kingdom Hearts III
4. Cadence of Hyrule
5. Super Mario Maker 2
DQB2 was easily my favorite this year. I just spent the most time playing that I believe. Link's Awakening wasn't new, but it was really fun playing a revamped version of it. It's unfortunate that KHIII didn't get to be my favorite this year. It was just so much weaker than I expected it to be or should have been.
Cadence of Hyrule was just a fun little romp with some great remixes of Zelda tunes. And the only reason SMM2 is so low on the list is because I haven't played it that much. I'm holding off until I'm married so that the two of us can play it together more easily.
Aladdin and The Lion King has been fun to retread, too.
1. Link's Awakening - Never played the GBA game, but now I can somewhat understand the hype. Almost as good as Link to the Past and in some respects better (I still prefer LttP).
2.
2. Yoshi's Crafted World - What can I say? It's another game in the vein of Yoshi's Island - my favorite 2D platformer. Sure, the formula may be getting tired, and the gimmicks they add to keep it fresh aren't that great (Woolly World wa better), but they still bring enough new along with hewing close enough to the fantastic formula of the original to dependably deliver a fun experience.
3. Life is Strange 2 - I really liked Life is Strange and this continues some of the good narrative aspects of that game. The gameplay hook was never quite as good or interesting as the first game and I don't totally like the way it ended (which is probably partially due to my choices), but it's still a decent story that grapples with important current issues.
4. Pokemon Shield - I'm not very far into this, but enough to see it' a decent game. Maybe it would get pushed out by other games I've played this year, but for now I'm sticking to games actually from 2019 that I've played and I haven't played many.
These are not all the top games I've played this year. If I were going to choose my favorite game that I've played this year it's a bit of a surprise for me given past experience with the series, but Assassin's Creed Odyssey. I enjoy the more open world RPG style here and while combat is still kind of awkward and not great, stealth kills and bow hunting make up for it.
I'd probably say Yakuza 0 would go on my top 5 played for the year. Again I'm not ranking it, since it's not actually a 2019 game. It would probably go below Link's Awakening though, but likely push out Pokemon, if only because I haven't finished the latter game.
So the mixed games I've played in 2019/games actually released in 2019 list is:
1. AC Odyssey
2. Link's Awakening
3. Yakuza 0
4. Yoshi's Crafted World
5. Life is Strange 2
The plus side of this list is it only includes games I've already or nearly completed (I'm over 3/4 through Link's Awakening which is enough to determine it's proper spot on the list)
Necro!
My list will actually be games released in 2019, since, you know, that's what the thread title is. Also, only including games I completed/beaten (so, sorry Children of Morta and Slay the Spire).
1. The Outer Worlds
2. Katana Zero
3. Blasphemous
4. Hedon
5. Plague Tale: Innocence
Outer Worlds was a great WRPG. As good as almost any game Obsidian has made. Katana Zero was amazing in all aspects. Great gameplay and story. I really did not expect to like it as much as I did. Blasphemous I avoided for some time til finally playing it later in the year. Metroidvanias are one of my favorite genres and this does not disappoint in game design and worldbuilding. Hedon is a masterpiece. It's #4 b/c it's rough around some technical edges, but the feeling I got when playing it was unlike 99% of any other games I've played. Plague Tale...this one I was real hyped for, played it right at release, thought it was actually just "pretty good". But gradually over time, watching analysis videos, listening more to the OST, etc, I realized just how good the game was and how much I appreciated it.
Honorable mentions - Wattam, Photographs, Borderlands 3, Little Misfortune, Control, Apex Legends
Trails of Cold Steel 2
I started Cold Steel in October. And because of that ending I had to jump straight into the second one. I loved it.
Tales of Xillia
This is up there with Abyss as my favorite in the series.
Gravity Rush 2
Play Gravity Rush guys.
Drakengard 3
I did route A a few years earlier. Realized later that that was not the whole game. Finished it last year. Final boss can kiss the crustiest part of my ass though.
Hitman (2016)
I like how they drop you in the level and let you go about it however you like.
I definitely made my list before I had played Death Stranding, because it deserves a spot on my list at or near the top. I don't care what people say about it being a walking sim, it's a good game.
At first I didn't care to play it, besides just being part of the hype. Now? I'm wanting to play it more and more. PC player here, so I gotta wait another month before I get my hands on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Golbez
It's a much better game than peoplem gave it credit for and I don't think it was helped by a lot of YouTube LPers going out of their way to trash it because the felt the core gameplay was boring. It's honestly a really relaxing game... until it isn't and you're desperately trying to recover packages in an oil sea while a 20ft. Oil Panther is charging you. Fun times.
Plague Tale: Innocence and Gravity Rush mentions, wow. Great taste guys
Fire Emblem Three Houses
Code Vein
Plague Tale Innocence
My Time at Portia
Greedfall
Are probably my favorite games from the actual year
Pokemon Shield
Fire Emblem Three HOuses
The Outer Worlds
the other games I played last year were not 2019 but here are the honorable mentions
Titan Fall 2
Breath of the Wild