I've been meaning to write on this site more and this is the perfect excuse. With such a great year for games and so many opinions flying around I figured I would add my own. So this is a list of the games I enjoyed the most this year. Keep in mind however that there were plenty I didn't play, including Zelda and Mario and knowing myself those would most likely be 1 and 2 respectively. And hey, no PUBG in sight!
When Origins was announced only 6 months ago I had pretty much written it off. The very idea that an AC game could be good after Unity was laughable. Fast forward to a bit before launch and a lot of game play footage floating around had convinced me to give it a try. As you can see, I'm really glad I did. As someone who loves Greek and Egyptian mythologies and history, Origins was a treat. Simply exploring the absolutely gorgeous environments was enough to put a smile on my face. Of course the revamped combat and charming lead character helped too. While the main story itself is fairly forgettable, the side quests and world as a whole more than make up for it. I really can't say more about how much I enjoyed Origins because I am so baffled about the fact that I really enjoyed Origins.
Oh look, another series that I had written off. While that's not entirely true, RE was also pretty in the dumps after 6. While I will maintain that Revelations 2 is fantastic, it's not a main entry. But RE7 is more than just a return to form for the series, it also changes up the RE formula while also being completely familiar. The move to first person as well as a return of the pre-RE4 formula works so well. At the start of the year this was the game I was most excited for other than Zelda and Mario, and it did not disappoint. RE7 has tension and atmosphere in spades with some wonderful and quirky villains. While the last third might fall short the whole experience is definitely worth it. It's also the only game that made me start a new game after completing it. I can only hope that RE8 (or whatever comes next) is just as good.
I expected to enjoy Hollow Knight, but I did not expect to fall in love with it. The Souls-like lonely atmosphere fits the Metroidvania formula in such a perfect way that I was absorbed from the first second to the last. I really think it's a shame that this game isn't on more lists because it is that gem that flies under the radar because no one really expects a Kickstarter game to deliver. Hollow Knight is the perfect example of what a Kickstarter game can be though, the basic premise was enough to bring people in and what it delivered in the end was far and above what was promised. And I really can't say too much about it as I don't want to spoil even the smallest of moments. It is very much a Souls-like experience in which every moment and every item tells part of the story, and that's why I love it.
Speaking of Souls-like, we have Nioh. As I only have a PC I did not expect to play Nioh for quite awhile. Thankfully the stars aligned and a pretty decent PC port graced Steam in November. As a Souls fan I knew I would like what I got but again, I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Although it has none of the lonely atmosphere and find-it-yourself story that I love from a Souls game it does expand on the combat ideas from them in some fantastic ways. Specializing in two different weapons that compliment each other combined with the game's stat system makes every build feel unique, even if there are only 7 different melee weapons. And hey, if you want, you can respec and try something new in a moments notice. The item system and mission based game play also give the game a better "end game" than any Souls game; you can take it as far as you want while actually seeing an increase in your character's power. While I would like to see the final difficulty level, the amount of time involved get there sounds like too much for me though. But I do love when a game is designed with the idea in mind that people want to and will keep playing it.
As someone who didn't play the first Destiny and who has played A LOT of Halo:CE through Reach, I am completely enamored with Destiny 2. I get it now. Making Halo an RPG was a fucking brilliant idea and at times I wish I had played the first game. But I also like one of the aspects of the game that people hate; the amount of time the player needs to invest. I do like a slow game that you have to put time into, but Destiny does not feel like that kind of game. There is not enough variety in the core game play to warrant the amount of time an MMO can take. And I am really glad that's not this case with this game. I've played it for less than a week and I'm already at the raid. That's a problem for a lot of people, but not for me. I still put a good amount of time into it too, probably a good 30 or so hours. But I totally agree with Bungie when they said that Destiny is the kind of game that you play for a bit then drop until new content comes out. But I also get why people love it and want to keep playing it. The gun play is super solid and the way combat flows feels so good. But you can only do strikes and the raid so many times before it does get old. There is pretty much no variety between the classes (unlike a traditional MMO,) most people absolutely hate leveling a second character too. Destiny really isn't the kind of game that's meant to be played a whole lot, but the initial time you spend with it is so good that I understand why people want to stick with it as much as they do. I really didn't realize how much I missed Bungie Halo until I played this and at the very least I am very happy I got to play a good Halo game again.
It's a little hard to describe what makes Tekken 7 so good. The newest thing it does over the others is add supers and "EX-ish" moves. But Tekken 7 is the most enjoyable one since the first Tag Tournament. Beyond "finishing" the lovably absurd Mishima saga, the game play is super solid. Nothing really feels imbalanced or unfair. And they managed to make traditional 2D fighters work. My only real complaint with it is that, just like all other Tekken games, there is no tutorial. While you can certain pick it up as a newcomer and have a good time, transitioning from 2D fighters to this can be a little more daunting than I would like. But I felt the urge to actually learn how to play Tekken properly and I'm glad I did. With a massive influx of 2D fighters recently (and ongoing) it's great that a 3D fighter has made it's way back into the fold.
We will never get Prey 2, but as disappointing as that is this new "Prey" is fantastic. The open ended game play of Dishonored combined with a wonderfully Bioshock-ish Sci-Fi world is a joy to explore. Every new encounter really did make me say "What the fuck is that!" and I haven't experienced that in a long time. While the shooting isn't as solid as even the first Bioshock, the range of powers made up for it and at times made the environments feel like the perfect play ground. I would really love to see more of this world, even if at its base form it is Bioshock in space.
This is the only game on my list that I haven't beaten yet but whenever I think about it it puts a smile on my face. A Hat in Time is just pure happiness distilled into an N64-esque platformer. This is the game Yooka-Laylee should have been; being a great homage to N64 platformers while also doing it's own thing. It's the game I found myself constantly recommending to people even though I hadn't finished it yet, this game is just so joyful that I can't help but love it. And who knows, I could finish it and end up not liking it in the end, but I don't think that will happen.
Nier will make you laugh. Nier will make you cry. It will make you angry. It will make you hopeful. It will completely shatter your preconceptions of not only JRPG stories but game stories as a whole. It is up there with some of the greatest stories ever told and it deserves to be there. But Nier is not a good video game. Everyone should experience it's story and moments. But getting to those can be a chore. I love Platinum Games and I love "character action games" but Nier is a massive let down on those fronts. I honestly would have stopped playing once playthrough 2 started if not for how invested and interested I was in the world and characters. Anything I can say beyond all this cannot speak for just how great of an experience the story is, but I will say that at some point the game itself will frustrate you and make you want to stop playing. Don't. I will never really look at games the same way again after Nier and for that it deserves its place.
This game is partly on my list because there are still plenty of games I haven't played. But it does deserve to be here. While its been in early access for a while, its full release was this year and I'm glad I gave it a shot. Amidst a sea of MOBA likes and free to play multiplayer games, Battlerite's straight forward game play stands out. Anyone who has played a MOBA or RTS game can pick it up instantly and go right to the good stuff; team fights. That is all Battlerite is and yet it nails it perfectly. Matches are fast, the characters are diverse and the underlying mechanics are solid. It might lack the charm of Dota 2 or League of Legends but it managed to do something new and unique in this MOBA ocean by just doing one thing really well. It's a really great time with friends and I really want to see how they expand the roster next.
