Talkin' 'bout them games.
Games I played but didn't love:
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Oddly enough, I've never played a Castlevania game before, but this was new and fresh so I thought I'd give it a shot. All in all, it's a decent melee metroid game. It feels very slow and clunky, but intentionally so. The story is pretty barebones and boring, but you get to dress up the main character. Those two balance each other out. I don't really have much to say about it other than I didn't particularly enjoy the way the obfuscated the "true" ending.
Ape Out
This is a REALLY good indie game, besides the last stage (off screen instant kills). Jazz drums over what maybe could be compared to something like, I don't know... Maybe Smash TV? Utter chaos and great music. The visuals are wonderful too. Hard not to like, really.
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Another Yakuza game I couldn't bring myself to finish. The combat just is not fun to me. The story and side stories in this also feel kind of sub par to me, but it is a remake after all. Also the arcade game selections are pretty poor as well as the karaoke. The added feature of the weird crew battle system doesn't really do anything for me. I wonder if I'll be able to finish Yakuza 7.
Ancestors
This game would be so god damn cool if they fleshed out the mechanics more. It's an incredibly innovative open world survival game with a bunch of cool mechanics. However, there are only two ways to do combat, there are a very, very limited amount of structures you can make, and on top of all that it just doesn't control all that great. I look forward to seeing what these guys do next.
River City Girls
Who knew beat 'em ups could be fun in 2019? I have to give MAJOR props to the voice acting and character design in this game before anything else. It's incredibly well done. Where this game seems to fail is in the boss fights, which are often poorly designed. Otherwise, it's very fun!
Observation
An adventure game where you play the AI of a spaceship trying to help its sole remaining alive crew member in. Very cool visuals, mostly fun puzzles, but by the end the puzzles become very obtuse to the point of one being a "pixel hunt." Wish I could recommend it more but it really gets frustrating at the end.
Rebel Galaxy Outlaw
There's so much potential squandered here. A spacecraft flight game in 2019 that severely lacks in customization and combat that is under-baked. However, the voice acting is superb as well as many of the details within the game. Another game I could recommend more. I'd suggest Everspace over it, however, or even the original Rebel Galaxy.
They Are Billions
A sorta-rogue like RTS where ya kill zombies. Pretty fun, I have to say, though I don't think I'm smart enough to figure out some of the higher difficulty maps.
Man from Medan
New game from the Until Dawn studio. The horror is really lackluster, but the plot and characters all feel very real which is nice to see as opposed to David Cage's nonsense. Mostly left me wanting something more substantial and fully thought out, but it was still a fun ride.
#10: Slay the Spire
Deck building games! There's a lot of fun to be had here, but ultimately RNG is reigns supreme. When I won, I always felt like it was because I got lucky with the cards I could choose from after winning a fight, or the cards I drew in a fight. Of course, this is part of the thrill of card games, but the fact that I could just get a total dud run where things felt completely out of my hands took a lot out of me. Anyway, it's a real fun time sink, but after beating it with all 3 main characters I'd say stop there. Trying to beat the "true" end boss is not worth the RNG.
#9: Indivisible
Off the top let me say this has the best visuals and MUSIC of any game this year. It's a hybrid RPG-metroidvania game. Where it fails, ironically, is in the execution of both of those genres. In the RPG element, the leveling and damage can be very confusing, there's no actual move list for any characters, and there are certain enemy types that require certain combos that take away the freedom of mixing up your party too much. That's just the start there. Meanwhile, the platforming feels very janky. Sometimes you can wall jump, sometimes you can't. It feels like the luck of the draw. By the end of the game this is luckily mitigated by getting more traversal options but near the beginning it can be a massive chore moving around. Finally the metroidvania backtracking is really poor. The game commits the cardinal sin of taking away shortcuts you've unlocked when you go back to areas, making getting from one place to another a massive chore. Now, I've been complaining a lot, but the areas where the game shines (story, voice acting, visuals) it is absolutely incredible. Just watch the game played through on youtube if you have to.
#8: Apex Legends
These guys know how to make a shooter. It's a battle royale that never makes you ask "what the hell was that?" or wonder what you did wrong when you die. The longer time to kill allows you to understand what is happening as it happens rather than in a game like PUBG where you just hear a rifle crack from who knows where and you're dead like that. The abilities are all very well made, it's all fun, the maps are fun. It's a good shooter. Now if only they would re-add solo queue...
#7: Dead Cells
Okay I don't think this really came out this year but they keep updating it and man it is great. Possibly the best roguelike game I've played next to Enter the Gunngeon. It's just a perfect game.
#6: Control
Amazing story, some great to iffy gameplay, great voice acting, great mo-cap. Basically, it's the best thing this studio has done since Max Payne 2. If you like, uh, third person action, get this game.
#5: The Outer Worlds
It's Fallout in space, yeah yeah yeah. I like Fallout New Vegas, I like this game. It has it's issues, certainly, but it hit that "Bethesda RPG" spot real good. Better than Fallout 4 in fact.
#4: Jedi: Fallen Order
I can't believe I'm saying it, but I love this game. Why? Because it's Metroid Prime. From the map screen (and the accompanying sounds) to the upgrades, to the way the game loads, this is such a homage to Metroid Prime. I love Metroid Prime, so really that's all it takes for me. There are some Dark Souls elements in this game as well, but it's not overwhelming or punishing in quite the same way. Also, this is the best mo-cap/realistic depiction of humans in a game I think I have ever seen, on par with an Until Down. Not only are they visually captured very well, but acted as well. The cast is relatively small, but they are all so fun to be around and talk to. They feel real, which is rare in a video game.
#3: Outer Wilds
Honestly I'm too dumb for this game. This game is smart as hell. It has puzzles that have made me think and consider things no other game has previously. On top of that, the story and characters are wonderful and cute, and the world you inhabit is endlessly fascinating. Some of the puzzles by the end were too obtuse(?) for me, but still it is an experience I think everyone should have.
#2: Resident Evil 2 Remake
Wow this game rules! Resident Evil 4's sequel is a prequel. The original still holds up, IMO, and this just improves on that. Just play it.
#1: Disco Elysium
It's a game that makes you think, even when you don't want to. Best writing in a game (ever)?.
Games I played but didn't love:
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Oddly enough, I've never played a Castlevania game before, but this was new and fresh so I thought I'd give it a shot. All in all, it's a decent melee metroid game. It feels very slow and clunky, but intentionally so. The story is pretty barebones and boring, but you get to dress up the main character. Those two balance each other out. I don't really have much to say about it other than I didn't particularly enjoy the way the obfuscated the "true" ending.
Ape Out
This is a REALLY good indie game, besides the last stage (off screen instant kills). Jazz drums over what maybe could be compared to something like, I don't know... Maybe Smash TV? Utter chaos and great music. The visuals are wonderful too. Hard not to like, really.
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Another Yakuza game I couldn't bring myself to finish. The combat just is not fun to me. The story and side stories in this also feel kind of sub par to me, but it is a remake after all. Also the arcade game selections are pretty poor as well as the karaoke. The added feature of the weird crew battle system doesn't really do anything for me. I wonder if I'll be able to finish Yakuza 7.
Ancestors
This game would be so god damn cool if they fleshed out the mechanics more. It's an incredibly innovative open world survival game with a bunch of cool mechanics. However, there are only two ways to do combat, there are a very, very limited amount of structures you can make, and on top of all that it just doesn't control all that great. I look forward to seeing what these guys do next.
River City Girls
Who knew beat 'em ups could be fun in 2019? I have to give MAJOR props to the voice acting and character design in this game before anything else. It's incredibly well done. Where this game seems to fail is in the boss fights, which are often poorly designed. Otherwise, it's very fun!
Observation
An adventure game where you play the AI of a spaceship trying to help its sole remaining alive crew member in. Very cool visuals, mostly fun puzzles, but by the end the puzzles become very obtuse to the point of one being a "pixel hunt." Wish I could recommend it more but it really gets frustrating at the end.
Rebel Galaxy Outlaw
There's so much potential squandered here. A spacecraft flight game in 2019 that severely lacks in customization and combat that is under-baked. However, the voice acting is superb as well as many of the details within the game. Another game I could recommend more. I'd suggest Everspace over it, however, or even the original Rebel Galaxy.
They Are Billions
A sorta-rogue like RTS where ya kill zombies. Pretty fun, I have to say, though I don't think I'm smart enough to figure out some of the higher difficulty maps.
Man from Medan
New game from the Until Dawn studio. The horror is really lackluster, but the plot and characters all feel very real which is nice to see as opposed to David Cage's nonsense. Mostly left me wanting something more substantial and fully thought out, but it was still a fun ride.
#10: Slay the Spire
Deck building games! There's a lot of fun to be had here, but ultimately RNG is reigns supreme. When I won, I always felt like it was because I got lucky with the cards I could choose from after winning a fight, or the cards I drew in a fight. Of course, this is part of the thrill of card games, but the fact that I could just get a total dud run where things felt completely out of my hands took a lot out of me. Anyway, it's a real fun time sink, but after beating it with all 3 main characters I'd say stop there. Trying to beat the "true" end boss is not worth the RNG.
#9: Indivisible
Off the top let me say this has the best visuals and MUSIC of any game this year. It's a hybrid RPG-metroidvania game. Where it fails, ironically, is in the execution of both of those genres. In the RPG element, the leveling and damage can be very confusing, there's no actual move list for any characters, and there are certain enemy types that require certain combos that take away the freedom of mixing up your party too much. That's just the start there. Meanwhile, the platforming feels very janky. Sometimes you can wall jump, sometimes you can't. It feels like the luck of the draw. By the end of the game this is luckily mitigated by getting more traversal options but near the beginning it can be a massive chore moving around. Finally the metroidvania backtracking is really poor. The game commits the cardinal sin of taking away shortcuts you've unlocked when you go back to areas, making getting from one place to another a massive chore. Now, I've been complaining a lot, but the areas where the game shines (story, voice acting, visuals) it is absolutely incredible. Just watch the game played through on youtube if you have to.
#8: Apex Legends
These guys know how to make a shooter. It's a battle royale that never makes you ask "what the hell was that?" or wonder what you did wrong when you die. The longer time to kill allows you to understand what is happening as it happens rather than in a game like PUBG where you just hear a rifle crack from who knows where and you're dead like that. The abilities are all very well made, it's all fun, the maps are fun. It's a good shooter. Now if only they would re-add solo queue...
#7: Dead Cells
Okay I don't think this really came out this year but they keep updating it and man it is great. Possibly the best roguelike game I've played next to Enter the Gunngeon. It's just a perfect game.
#6: Control
Amazing story, some great to iffy gameplay, great voice acting, great mo-cap. Basically, it's the best thing this studio has done since Max Payne 2. If you like, uh, third person action, get this game.
#5: The Outer Worlds
It's Fallout in space, yeah yeah yeah. I like Fallout New Vegas, I like this game. It has it's issues, certainly, but it hit that "Bethesda RPG" spot real good. Better than Fallout 4 in fact.
#4: Jedi: Fallen Order
I can't believe I'm saying it, but I love this game. Why? Because it's Metroid Prime. From the map screen (and the accompanying sounds) to the upgrades, to the way the game loads, this is such a homage to Metroid Prime. I love Metroid Prime, so really that's all it takes for me. There are some Dark Souls elements in this game as well, but it's not overwhelming or punishing in quite the same way. Also, this is the best mo-cap/realistic depiction of humans in a game I think I have ever seen, on par with an Until Down. Not only are they visually captured very well, but acted as well. The cast is relatively small, but they are all so fun to be around and talk to. They feel real, which is rare in a video game.
#3: Outer Wilds
Honestly I'm too dumb for this game. This game is smart as hell. It has puzzles that have made me think and consider things no other game has previously. On top of that, the story and characters are wonderful and cute, and the world you inhabit is endlessly fascinating. Some of the puzzles by the end were too obtuse(?) for me, but still it is an experience I think everyone should have.
#2: Resident Evil 2 Remake
Wow this game rules! Resident Evil 4's sequel is a prequel. The original still holds up, IMO, and this just improves on that. Just play it.
#1: Disco Elysium
It's a game that makes you think, even when you don't want to. Best writing in a game (ever)?.
Comments
Post a Comment