LackingSaint

I'll just weigh in that, regardless of the justifications you can make for the look of the B-Units/2B in particular, her weird out-of-place skimpy outfit is a complete and utter roadblock to me getting anyone who isn't super into anime and/or video-games to give that story the time of day. It's just kind of embarrassing, especially when the game's narrative itself is very mature and even-handed.

Go play Kentucky Route Zero you fucking monster.

BioShock Infinite was delivered to me at like 9AM, I walked the dog and had some breakfast, booted it up at 11 and then played through to completion at 6 the next morning.

No - as the Build A Bomb design doc established, the GiantBomb Bomb is STOKED to explode. This bomb looks awkward and uncomfortable.

Because of the nature of video-games as both a deeply-rooted commercial enterprise but also a medium for artistic expression, I'd probably say there's two definitions for 'masterpiece' - a masterpiece of production ('a technical masterpiece' for lack of a better word) or a masterpiece of heart. Jak 2 is the best example off the top of my head of the former - It's, in my opinion, an masterfully well-crafted game that basically hits every note it tries to. Fun open world, fluid platforming and combat, a lot of level variety and a really engaging narrative. But it's also very clearly a product - there's no 'auteur' here really, it's a mish-mash of all the things people love about 3D platformers, all the things people love about shoot/beat-em-ups and all the things people love about open-world crime games. It also doesn't really have a singular and personal message to it, as far as I can tell. Portal 2 might be another example, a game so finely-tuned but only coming out that way through years of play-test moderation shaving off any particular sharp edge or 'weird' note. As to the latter, I might bring up something like Braid, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, INSIDE, or Kentucky Route Zero - these are games that don't so much feel like the product of a calculated team of commercial production but rather the result of specific visionaries with specific ideas that they feel an overpowering desire to see made real. While they might not impact everyone the same way (I don't even like Braid or Brothers that much), they feel like the perfect evocation of talented people with striking and personal ideas.

Obviously there's a huge amount of crossover, and these things are very subjective, that's just generally how I think of these things.

Crusader Kings 2 was just confusing and overwhelming and dull as hell when I first opened it. Then over the course of a few gym carpools I had a buddy explain the basics to me, and suddenly dozens of hours disappeared into that wonderful game.

1. Ubisoft
2. Nintendo
3. Microsoft
4. Sony
5. Bethesda
6. EA

Rayman-Mario-XCOM filled me with a level of sheer ecstasy that I certainly was not anticipating, and finally getting more info on the sequel to one of my all-time favourite games was certainly cool too - super enjoyable conference with a lot of heart and some neat games. Nintendo was similar but a little less-so just because I've never really been a big Nintendo guy - that said, Odyssey looks fantastic. Sony and Microsoft were both less great just because of the really manufactured-looking footage of games we've mostly already seen, but all told alright. Bethesda and EA were both just super dull.

That was an incredible press conference. Aside from the Crew and South Park stuff I think I had a smile on my face the whole time.

Probably a toss-up between System Shock 2, BioShock 2 and Portal 2. All of them are paced fantastically and really keep you invested on the story end.

There was probably a time I would've said Half-Life 2 but man, I dunno if the writing and gameplay hold up so great. It's still a super fun roller coaster ride but the weird obsession with hyping up how amazing and special Gordon Freeman is alongside the out-of-place physics puzzles and the whole bit with the ant pheromones, I dunno.

Every video-game is improved with Best Of 80s Pop Megamix.