...is it that time already?! Time really flies these days! Once again, I've had a think about which games I enjoyed playing this year. Like previous years, not all of the games mentioned came out this year. I never play enough of the new releases for that to happen.
Anyway, let's get to it...
Note - I've noticed all of my selections are part of an existing franchise. No newcomers this year.
Easily the best Action RPG I've ever played. As someone who usually prefers sci-fi over fantasy, it just goes to show what a great game it is. You can tell the developers really enjoyed working on it. The writing is excellent and there's so much detail. Even minor quests have a lot of dialogue, which really helps with the immersion. The combat can be challenging, but not frustrating (I commonly have trouble with combat systems). I think CD Projekt Red have raised the bar so high that I don't think anyone will reach it any time soon. If this is a sign of things to come with Cyberpunk 2077 (something which sounds right up my street), it's going to be something special.
I've been a huge fan of the Uncharted series since the first game. I'd being looking forward to this game for quite some time...and it didn't disappoint. It clearly looked as though they took what they learned from The Last Of Us and tweaked it a bit. It had that feel to it. Despite the departure of Amy Hennig (someone who they rightfully mention in the credits), the story was everything I'd came to expect from the series. One heck of a ride with highs and lows. I also liked some of the new puzzles. Very nicely done, as always. Other than the upcoming Uncharted spin-off and The Last of Us 2, it'll be interesting to see where Naughty Dog go next.
Really loved being stealthy in the first game, so I was happy to discover that it was just as fun and satisfying in the sequel. I liked the new powers, too. It's a pity a certain mechanic (being vague on purpose) is only available in one area of the game, though I can understand why from a technical standpoint. Not sure if we'll see any more from the series, but something similar would be nice. Always nice to have stealthy games that aren't frustrating.
The first game of the reboot impressed me, so I had high hopes for the next installment. It delivered more of what I liked from the previous game. I thought the setting was interesting and the graphics really did it justice. Once again, I enjoyed the puzzles and combat. The series is definitely going in a direction that suits my interests. More please.
While it didn't completely reinvent the wheel, the developers took an old series, looked at what made it great, then jacked it up to 11 with a new game. I had a lot of fun playing through it. Plenty of fast-paced action. It was also great to see the returning enemies and weapons from the old games. I think they did a great job of it. A lot of people didn't like Doom 3 (I personally liked it...), but they seem to have won a lot of people over with a simpler approach. I have to imagine there'll be more.
