This year I found myself mostly returning to older games. Maybe it was for comfort, maybe the year's releases just didn't resonate with me. Or maybe I don't have a PS5 or Xbox Series X yet and am finally feeling left behind. Either way, save for a few standouts, I still reflect found quite a few games that needed to be on this list.
As I waited for Dwarf Fortress to be released on Steam I worried that the gaming world might've passed it by. Colony sims have become more common. Management games are everywhere. Could DF still strike hard enough to make an impact?
Then I remembered that every new game begins with creating a new world, its entire history, and the lives of every living creature. Bonkers. In a world of lookalikes, DF manages to earn deserved respect.
It's hard to sell someone on Vampire Survivors. You run away from hordes of enemies, your weapons auto-fire, and a good run can last half an hour. Not the most enticing of descriptions.
And yet you play another run. You discover other weapons. Your strategies develop, get wrecked, and reform. When you finally encounter death and squeak out a few extra precious seconds it'll feel like a true victory.
This is the Pokemon game I've wanted since I was a kid. Everyone has wanted the franchise to move beyond the basic RPG collection format it introduced in 1996/98. I'm hoping this is indicative of what may be coming along and not a single entry in the franchise.
I love Pikmin. I was willing to play a hand-me-down version of Pikmin until Pikmin 4 finally came. Tinykin isn't a hand-me-down Pikmin. The world, the style, and the traversal all feel fresh and familiar.
Yet another chance to take control of some crooked fantasy race and conquer the world. However, this one tosses actual Chaos into the mix. Just like the rest of the franchise, each race brings an entirely different strategy in how you approach your conquests. Keeping this franchise within a franchise crisp and interesting.
Perhaps it was waiting over a year for the final sections of the story to be updated and in place. Or maybe it was consistently playing with my gaming group. Raft is one of those special games that'll always have wonderful memories for me. Frustrating, annoying, and confusing, but without a doubt that right mix of complex and lighthearted.
This game isn't good. It runs poorly. The design choices are borderline baffling. And yet as I run around chasing some new target of my collecting desires I am fully enjoying myself. I cannot fully explain it and I cannot defend it. Sometimes you can't question the fun you're having. Games should be critiqued, dissolved, and ripped apart, but you can't push past the times when you're truly enjoying yourself. Find the nice things in life and let them in.
