Back during E3 2017 we were introduced to a new battle royale game during the Microsoft presentation. What started as a game announcement soon turned into the laughing stock of E3(ARROW TO THE BELLY!). Well, the game has come back up again with an open beta out now on Steam for all to play. Being curious, I decided to give the game a shot and see whether or not this game will be the next big battle royale game. For those who just want an answer, here it is: in my opinion, Darwin Project will not be the next big thing, not even close.

When it comes to other battle royale games like Fortnite or PUBG, Darwin Project plays pretty differently. Of course the basics are still in place, like each character starts equally and the goal is to be the last standing in a shrinking map; but when it comes to the specifics, this game strays pretty far off course.

If I were to give you the elevator pitch of this game, it would go something like this: it's a battle royale game with light survival mechanics and plays like Fortnite. Unfortunately, an elevator pitch won't touch on a lot of the big aspects of the game, which is why I am here with a blog to touch on those aspects as well as my thoughts on them. And spoiler: a lot of these mechanics are ones I don't like.

Before getting into the mechanics, let's start with what you do in the game. You and everyone else spawn in at random parts of the map with a bow, five arrows, and a melee weapon. In the game, you have the ability to gain three materials: wood, leather, and electronics. The wood and leather are used to make consumables such as traps, fires, and arrows as well as clothing and melee upgrades. The electronics are used to make one of three things: an invisible cloak, an invincibility bubble, or a teleportation device. All three only last for a small amount of time, but all three recharge after use. It is then your job to hunt down other players and be the last one standing.

Let's start with what I said in my elevator pitch. One of the many things that separates Darwin Project from the rest are its "survival" elements. In reality, it's a cold meter you have to occasionally worry about and fix by making a fire out of wood. While I enjoy how light the survival element in this game is, I still wish it wasn't in the game. It feels unnecessary when it's the easiest thing to worry about in the game. personally, I would say this is a hunting style game more than a survival game. Whether it be the various hunting traps you can make, the ability to investigate items player interacted with and be able to track them down, or the simple fact that the primary weapons in the game are a bow and a melee weapon, the game is more of a TheHunter than The Long Dark. In the end though, I wish it was neither. Instead of going around and trying to find guns and better equipment, you are going around chopping down trees and getting leather just so then you can have the ability to make traps and upgrades. When it comes to weapons in your hand, there are only two, and they will be the same two weapons when you start and when you finish: a melee weapon and a bow. This may appeal to some, as for it makes each opponent stay on a level playing field throughout the game. But battle royale has never been about fair. If you look back to the Battle Royale film, the students were given random bags with different tools varying in helpfulness. The fun in games like PUBG or Fortnite comes from steadily finding better loot so you can overcome another opponent in hopes of winning. Also, only having a bow and a melee gets stale pretty fast. I found all of the other items and upgrades to be rather basic. I haven't made or used any traps because I have found in my experiences nobody uses them. The upgrades to clothing are rather minuscule, and the special electronic abilities are pretty helpful but don't last long enough. In the end, items and everything surrounding it is rather lackluster and I wish there was more to it.

Besides the fact that you can get resources and build things from them, the other aspect that is similar to Fortnite would be its arcade-like action. You play only in third person, your movements are fast and your jumping is high, and so forth. Unfortunately, I actually think the game takes this style too far and adds aspects that I don't enjoy. For example, whenever you hit someone with anything, they will go flying back. This aspect turned out to be annoying more than convenient as for it makes melee gameplay annoying and it gets pretty bad when fighting indoors. There are even more arcade-y aspects to this game, but they will be talked about later. When it comes to the actual battle royale part of the game, I think they do some pretty cool things with one really large exception. The two main things they do right are how you spawn and how they shrink the map. You don't spawn in a vehicle and parachute out; you spawn somewhere random in the map. I like this more because it's more classic. In Battle Royale, they all started in the same building and they all spread out. It's not exactly the same, but it's close. Speaking of classic, the map is divided into seven section and each section is deemed unusable as the time goes on. In the film, the map was divided into grids and overtime the pieces in the grid would be eliminated. I liked the way they handled that stuff. Other than that, it still is kill the others to win, except for one really big exception that turns out to be my biggest issue with the game. Where the Battle Royale film had forty-two people and PUBG and Fortnite has 100, this game only has ten. That's right, only ten people. I can see the appeal of only ten players for the fact that matches would go faster, it would make matchmaking easier, and killing someone could be a bigger deal with only ten people than with 100. But only having ten ultimately kills what makes these games great. All of the exhilaration of reaching the end is lost because surviving against nine others is a lot easier than surviving against ninety-nine others. When I hit top five in PUBG, my heart is pounding like it has never done before. But reaching final two in Darwin Project meant nothing to me. And I know you are not actually surviving against all of those others people. You can reach the end of either without seeing a soul. But the amount of people mixed with the fact that PUBG and Fortnite have long ranged weapons means that turns running around from somewhat cautionary to absolutely nothing. In Darwin Project, you don't have to fear being killed off in the distance because there is no distance combat. If there is any threat to you, you will know where it will come from. This plus the amount of players turns any non-shooting parts of the game from a cautionary bore to just a bore. But the most unique part of this game isn't even playing the battle royale game itself.

The most interesting thing to come of this game is the fact that you can play as a game master. You can play as a giant floating robot camera that has certain abilities ranging from filling up freezing bars to outright shutting down parts of the map. If you play as this robot, you have the ability to speak with others, spectate through there point-of-view or through a free floating perspective, and broadcast your gameplay through Mixer and allow people to vote for who they think will win as well as vote on what abilities the game master should use and on who. I think this robot is really cool, but I also wish it wasn't there. While I think the game master having the ability to close off parts of the map and nuke parts of the map is cool, I also think the rest of the tools given to the game master can be used as an unfair advantage to other players. I know I talked about how battle royale was built on unfairness, but that form of unfairness is based on luck and not on personal preference. Whether it be giving a player temporary invincibility, refill on health, a speed boost, or even making that person a target for everyone to see, I think this will be used maliciously to help boost a certain person to victory. If me and my friend went into the same match and he was the game master, then of course he would try to help or screw me. Whatever the case may be, I think at the very least some of those abilities should be stripped.

So the big question is will it succeed? Personally, I think it will be relatively popular and will have a dedicated fan base who will stick with it through thick and thin. But this game will never reach the heights of PUBG and Fortnite. I think both of those games are successful for there uniqueness. PUBG is more tactical and slower paced, great for the PC. Fortnite is faster paced and more arcade-like in its gameplay, perfect for consoles. But Darwin Project is just a Fortnite-like that adds aspects to the popular game mode that actually strips what makes the mode great. I like the fact that this game is unique from the rest, but I don't like how it's unique from the rest. But in the end, this is just a beta and all of this could change, making this entry obsolete. Personally, I don't think they will change anything significant to what is there now, but only time will tell what is to come of this game. If nothing is changed with this game, then I hope at the very least they put in the shout caster from E3 into game as an announcer.

Note: This will contains slight spoilers. (Do I even need to put this in? Is this story even worth a spoiler warning?)

Lately, I have been on a quest to play every mainline Resident Evil game from 4 to 7, including the two Revelations games. So far, my experience with the games have been from meh to pretty great, with one exception. I knew going in that Resident Evil 6 was a disliked game, but I wasn't prepared for how bad the game was really going to be.

I went into the game knowing it was bad, but I didn't know why. When I started playing the game, I thought this would be another game I played that people disliked but I liked a little. The very beginning of the game started out relatively strong for me. The shooting felt good, the graphics were pretty, the controls felt fully modernized instead of the half-steps Resident Evil Revelations had, and the zombies were normal zombies. But even in the beginning, bad elements of the game started to emerge. Button prompts, quick time events, and button mashing were apparent, the voice acting was terrible, too many cutscenes were chopping up the gameplay into little bits, and movement with the camera locked was really bad. All of this was just the prelude. What is to come is twenty hours worth of gameplay, four separate campaigns, and all of the good elements I talked about stripped with new bad elements to take its place.

Unlike other Resident Evil games, this one offers four different mini campaigns. One for Leon and Helena as they try to uncover who is the person behind the zombie attacks, one for Chris and Piers as they try to take vengeance against Ada Wong for attacking BSAA soldiers, Jake and Sherry as for Jake has the antibodies for the new virus that is making the new zombie apocalypse and Sherry is tasked with taking his blood, and Ada Wong as she is tasked with cleaning up her name because it's not her doing all of the evil stuff, it's her doppelganger. You can play the campaigns in any order, but I chose the order in which I described the campaigns. I can't remember if it matters story-wise what order you play the campaigns, but by the end I realized the story was crap anyways and that splitting up the campaign into mini stories is a bad idea. Having the one central story like in RE4 or RE5 is much better, as for those stories being more fleshed out plays out much better than mini stories.

In reality, the four campaigns weren't about looking at four different perspectives on an event, it was about having different gameplay elements to appeal to a mass audience. The Leon campaign played like a classic Resident Evil game with zombie galore, the Chris campaign played like shooter game, and so on. This attempt at mass appeal was a mistake and a failure. Instead of focusing on what they did great (a more Leon-like campaign), they quarter-ass each of the four campaigns, appealing to no one. Also, each of the campaigns have a lot of moments that cross with the other campaigns, which mean you play through moments twice. For example, Chris finds Jake and Sherry being surrounded by the enemy, so he and his team give supporting fire from the rooftops while Jake and Sherry fight on the ground. While playing as both sides to that situation is refreshing I guess, but this happens way too many times, and what was originally refreshing turned into boring and repetitive. Speaking of repetitive...

Playing through the same scene multiple times got pretty repetitive, but that is just one brick in the wall of repetivity the game has. The game had so many repetitive elements that by the end I felt exhausted from what felt like playing the campaign four times in a row. Shoot dudes, have most of them mutate so you can shoot them more, perform WWE moves on enemies, destroy boxes for loot, fight bosses, kick more doors than any police or military unit has ever done in there existence, mash the ever-living hell out of buttons along side quick time events, wait for your incompetent A.I. partner to catch up with you, get to a part with large blue zombies that can heal themselves, lose control over the camera and have to run away while dealing with the awful controls, play short and useless segments before hitting yet another cutscene, cry senselessly, give up on the game multiple times followed by telling yourself that not every game you play is a G.O.T.Y. game, and repeat. Campaign one down, three more to go. Each campaign tries to vary up the campaign by bringing in new weapons that still function the same as the other campaign weapons, having a different skin for the HUD that is equally as terrible as the last, and having a different style of gameplay for each campaign that still ends with you doing all of the things I said earlier.

I am not the type of Resident Evil player that says all of the new games are trash and to stick with the older elements. I am fine with the game evolving, but at the same time the older games had elements that are better than the new games, and six was the ultimate breaking point for me. The inventory system was terrible, as for there were not enough inventory slots and didn't give as much choice as to what you want as say RE4, the health system with the pills was terrible, as for there was never a balance between having too many pills with your inventory filled with extra hrerbs and having not enough pills. Instead of the weapons being upgradable, RE6 doesn't have weapon upgrades and instead has a terrible skill system that doesn't allow unlock that much unless you play through the campaign multiple times or play the other modes, which means actually playing more of this game. Some times, the game will do a classic RE thing like trying to find pieces of a key around the area to unlock the door or locking the camera for a quick second like the very early RE games. But even those failed, as for the game told you where the puzzle pieces are around the map and the camera lock didn't blend well with the modern controls.

The final thing I have to say about this abomination of a game that I have been referencing throughout this entry is the lack of control the game gives you. Constant cutscenes, button mashing and quick time events, and more make the amount of actual gameplay feel small. My least favorite enemy wasn't any boss, but this strange bee person, and I hated that enemy because running into it means having to mash my a and d key until they go away.

In the end, Resident Evil 6 is a terrible game that almost killed the RE franchise (thank God for RE7).It is a game so bad that I changed my difficulty from normal to easy not because of the difficulty, but because I wanted to get through the game easier. The only reason you should play this game is if you are playing through all of the RE games, or if you just like playing terrible games. From the bottom of my heart, I say that this is a game I do not recommend.

Hello everyone and happy new year. I am back with my sixth list of my top anticipated titles of the month. Normally, I do five, but this month didn't have a lot I was interested in, so I decided for (hopefully just) this month to do three entries. And what is better to start off the new year than to read the rules I put in place on myself.

Here are the rules I have put into place with this list: the game has to be released on at least on of the major systems (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch). The game has to be new, so no remasters or re-releases onto new systems. One thing I do count is a game either entering or exiting early access, but that game can only be counted once. If a game does have multiple release dates like Destiny 2 or GTA 5, then I will only count the earliest release date. With the rules out of the way, let's look at my top picks for January.

3. InnerSpace

My first pick for this list is InnerSpace, a flying exploration game in an inverted world. InnerSpace isn't the most involved game, but its appeal to me is that it isn't some intense game. It's a game where you can relax while playing and can find awe in your experiences with the game. It's intriguing-looking world, colorful color-palette, and excellent soundtrack is what draws me to this game. This game to me may be a similar experience to Everything; it's not the most gameplay-heavy game, but it is an experience that can elevate above gameplay and can give a great experience. And the best part: that journey can be found on all four major systems. All four systems will have a launch date of January 16th.

2. Full Metal Furies

Full Metal Furies is an action RPG that emphasizes cooperative gameplay with four unique characters. One thing that did stand out to me with this game is the fact that it was made by the same people who made Rogue Legacy, a game I haven't played but is a game that I know has a lot of love. But beyond the fact that it was made by the Rogue Legacy people, Full Metal Furies appealed to me for its fun-looking gameplay, interesting blend on the RPG and beat em up genres, co-op capabilities while still making solo play viable, interesting environments, and more. But whether or not the game will be good will be determined when the game comes out January for Xbox One and PC.

1. Monster Hunter: World

It's Monster Hunter for the big screen. That is all I know about the game, but that is all I need to know. Not because I am a fan of the series, I never played a Monster Hunter game. But because of its popularity and its hype around the game. Because of that and the fact that their is not a lot releases this month, I put this game at the top of this list. Normally, I would make a brief description and put in the reasons why it is on this list, but not this time because I am rather blind to the game. My entire experience with the Monster Hunter franchise is a demo I played of MH World at Gamestop Expo. Despite my rather poor experience, I am still excited to properly get into the game, as for I knew my poor experience came from inexperience with the franchise. The game will be coming out January 26th for PS4 and Xbox One, with a PC release some time in the future.

Special: The Inpatient (this doesn't count towards the list)

I wanted to give a shoutout to The Inpatient. This upcoming VR game from the people that made Until Dawn actually would've made this list if it wasn't for the fact that it was on my November list. It was originally going to come out in November, but the game got pushed back to January. Despite the delay, I think this will be a great addition to the PSVR library alongside other great titles like Resident Evil 7. Speaking of which...

A game that will hopefully come out this month: Resident Evil 7 VR for PC

As someone who has been playing through all of the Resident Evil games and just got an Oculus Rift, I really hope Resident Evil 7 will have VR on PC. At first I thought this was an unreachable dream, but I found out recently that RE7 VR was a timed exclusive for PSVR for twelve months. Which means that after January 24th, Capcom can make VR for PC as well. Whether or not they will is still unknown, but I really hope that they will.

Well, that is my list for the month of January. What are the game you are looking forwards to in the month of January? Do tell in the comment section. Thanks for reading my list (or just skimming the choices I made) and have a great 2018.

Note: If you haven't played the game, don't read this. Play the game on Steam, don't use your real name when it asks for your name in the game, then come back here once you are done. Also, if you a person like myself who don't like anime games, I highly recommend you play this one.

For those who want to know real quick what my thoughts are, here they are: holy crap what did I just experience? But let's take a step back to the very beginning of my one day journey through this crazy journey about a literature club at a school.

I don't like anime games, so it's no surprise I passed this one on fast. All I saw was a bunch of pictures of anime girls with a warm and fuzzy description and psychological horror genre tags that I thought were jokes. But it wasn't until recently I discovered through a podcast that the horror tag may be right all along, so I was intrigued. So I loaded it up and shamefully started playing the game. I don't want to be seen with an anime game because of how many anime games on Steam being straight porn. Despite that, I still held onto the hope of this game being greater than all of that. I started playing the game expecting things to be scary as soon as I pressed start, but what I thought would be instant wasn't so instant. After what felt like forever of meeting everyone at the club and whatnot, the scene finally comes for me to do things, and that was when I started to notice its creepy side. For those who decided to read this without playing the game, the game has a mini-game where you are given a list of ten words to chose from, in which the list changes every time you pick a word. You pick twenty words in total that will be used to make a poem that you don't see. The point of this is to choose words that will appeal to one of the girls that you want to appeal to. The horror came from the fact that some of the words were negative. I didn't know at the time that the negative words appeal to Yuri, but I still avoided them and thought that this is the beginning of the end. At this point, I thought I knew how the game would play out to the end because the one thing I knew about this game was that one of the girls hanged herself. Oh man was I so wrong.

When meeting back with the girls, I thought "great, more talking. Let's get to the good stuff." But it was when I read Natsuki's poem on how people try but only just was when I realized what I was missing out of. That was when I started looking forward to the poems. Anyways, another in-game day passes, and I am stuck in another mini-game choosing words that at the time I didn't know had meaning. I go back anticipating more great poems from the girls, only to find them somewhat depressing. To keep things short: the poems get more and more depressing to borderline disturbing, Sayori becomes more and more depressed, and the group gets in more and more fights. All the while, I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for the moment that I knew about to happen. I just never knew when it would come, and the depressing tension kept mounting. And then, it happened. You walk into Sayori's room to find her hanging from the ceiling. I already knew of the moment, but the way the scene played out still shocked me. I thought the game was done at this point-in-time, I wasn't prepared for what was to come.

I go to leave the game when I noticed the play button as well as one of the girls on the main menu was glitchy. So I clicked that glitched button and started playing again. I see the the very first scene and I think "well, here we go again." But what really ensued was purposeful glitches that creeped me out. Sprites coming in in weird ways, glitch text, the background sometimes slowly twisting, and music that would occasionally slow down for only a second was the stuff showed at the beginning, and it creeped me out so much. I have experienced many horror games in my life time, but this was the time I was holding my hand to my eyes. What was scary to me wasn't the fact that a character would come in glitchy-looking with a strange noise; it was not knowing when it would happen. Not knowing when you will be scared can be said for every horror game, but with every horror game you expect something at every twist and turn. Turning a corner? I bet their is something. Climbing a ladder? I bet their is something at the top. But with this game, it was impossible to tell. You expect something weird to happen, but you can never tell when to expect it, because the game is just a bunch of sliding pictures with no animation. This thought brought a lot of tension to me, because I was just waiting for the next glitch to strike. One thing that Team Salvato did very well was racket up tension. Whenever I see a line that is out-of-place, I get myself prepared for the worst, and it is through their excellent writing they do tension well.

But the beginning glitches are just that: beginning. What ensues for the next hour-or-so truly scared me. It started with talking to Natsuki about a topic I can't remember when all-of-a-sudden bold text that rolled over the normal text saying "my father beats the s--t out of me" and her eyes where blacked out when I really started to lose it. I thought I was good with horror games, why am I so bad now? Soon, things get progressively worse. Next thing you know, Monika is giving me a literature tip that started as a funny fourth wall break then turned into a pop-up message saying "help me." Yuri slowly goes mad, and you see things like realistic eyeballs over her normal eyes and her saying "no one would cry if she killed herself," which of course later turned into Yuri killing herself. And who could forget Natsuki with a scene where she has no face while she is telling you disturbing things, with that part ending with her neck suddenly snapping. This part in particular left me breathless. And the poems, oh the poems. What went from excitement soon turned into fear of seeing what is next.

This is really weird to say and I almost hate myself for saying this because of other great horror games, but Doki Doki Literature Club is one of the best horror games I have ever played. The reason why I say this is because it scares me in ways that to me is much more impressive and effective than any other horror game I have ever played. Instead of throwing you into a dark setting, Doki Doki puts you intoa school classroom with normal girls. Where horror games go with jump scares or makes you powerless and pits you against a monster to scare, this one used its writing and purposeful glitchiness to build tension that both had me on the edge of my seat and covering my eyes. Team Salvato turned an anime visual novel game into an effective horror piece, and I respect that. But when you thought this crazy journey was over, the scary turns into the weird.

Fourth wall breaks have happened before Yuri's death, but it was afterwards that they began to fly. For the most part, I thought it was good writing and all that, but looking back I didn't realize what was actually happening. For those still tuned in without playing the game, first off what are you doing? But really, what she does is pull up a command prompt deleting Deleting Yuri and Natsuki files. While I thought this was a cool little stunt, I didn't realize she actually deleted the files. Anyways, the screen blacks and I wake up in a room with crazy things happening in the window and Monika staring at me. The conversation that followed blew my mind to the point where I yelled "no!" in disbelief and had to stop playing. At the beginning of the game, I named myself "TheMist," which was something everyone in the game called me. This happened all the way up to this point, where she talks about what is really going on and how this is just a game. What blew my mind? She used my real name. I never told her my real name, she accessed my computer and somehow found my real name. Anyways, she proceeds to tell you that this is all a video game, and details how she deleted Yuri and Natsuki. This, of course, is actually how you find and delete the character files. When following her steps and reaching the character folder, I found only Monika, and this was where my mind was blown again. This was when I found out that Monika was actually deleting files. Anyways, I felt she was nudging me to delete her file; so I did, and the story continued. The game goes back to the main screen, this time without Monika, and it is back to the races with another playthrough. Everything was normal until you find out that Sayori knows about all of your previous endeavors because her role as president allows her knowledge of it. Monika shows up and stops Sayori, and we see the credits role happily ever after. Then the game corrupts the files (or at least blocks access) and that is it.

I know a lot of what I have said is gameplay description more than thoughts, but this one is hard for me to put into words. This experience I had with this game is one that terrified me and wowed me at the same time. I am in all three parts scared to look at this game again, amazed at how well the game pulled off horror, and saddened to see that the game in my opinion is good for only one play through. I am both happy that the game is very secretive about its true intentions when looking at the Steam store and sad by it because I know the anime will draw people away (including myself). I love this game so much, but it is hard for me talk about with people who don't know what this is because they know I don't like anime games and me talking about one shows that their is something fishy with this one. Is this the best game of 2017? No, but it is an experience that should not be passed up.

Thank you for being part of my literature club!

This is it. 2017 has wrapped up, and it has been a pretty wild year for video games. This is the time where many people from the community to the staff put in their top games of the year, and I am here to add fuel to the GOTY fire. This is my top games of the year of 2017. And if anyone is wondering, I will not be including games that are still in early access. I will even include games I played last year and got out of early access this year, but the rule is it had to be out of early access this year. Let the reading (or the quick scrolling to see what I chose) commence.

10. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

My first pick of 2017 is one that surprised me in many different ways. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus takes us back to the journey started in 2014 with Wolfenstein: The New Order in which you play as B.J. Blazkowicz trying to survive in a world controlled by Nazis, or rather the Nazis are trying to survive in a world with Blazkowicz. The last game started us off in Europe, and this game takes us to a Nazi-occupied America, where B.J. goes cross-country with three goals in mind: get revenge on the one who killed Caroline Becker (this happens in the beginning of the game, so it's not a spoiler), liberate America, and kill every single Nazi you see. So what surprised me? It was the story, the characters, and the locations that stole the show for me, while the action felt just okay to me. Despite that, this game stays at number ten because of its okay combat like I said earlier, repetitive gameplay, and horrible post-content. But I am still excited for the future of this series, as for Machine Games talks of this game being part of a trilogy.

9. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Dishonored: DOTO is a little weird for me to put on this list because I feel that this is a really large DLC more than a separate game, but it is technically a standalone game, so I had to put it on the list. in DOTO, you play as Billie Lurk as you and Daud plan to kill The Outsider, a supernatural being in the game that is the cause of everyone's powers. This game doesn't play that different from other Dishonored games, but the small changes they make are good ones in my opinion. The story and characters are more interesting to me, the charging mana made me feel like I can fully use powers without the need to constantly get more remedies, the new powers are a blast to use, the custom difficulty level that is surprisingly robust, and much more. Despite that, I thought that some of the story points were uneventful, the ending was an utter disappointment, and I wish Death of the Outsider was a full game at sixty dollars instead of a half-game at thirty dollars. In the end, DOTO kept true to its amazing formula while make small tweaks that were for the better. It's sad to see the franchise go, but I would rather have something finish strong and on its own terms than for it to have constant releases and eventually be shunned from the public.

8. Everything

David O'Reilly's Everything was a game I would never have thought would be this good, but here we are. This game is essentially a simulation game mixed with the teachings of Alan Watts. So what do you simulate? Well, Everything! From little molecules to the galaxies and everything in between, Everything has got everything in it. And it was this discovery of how big the scope of this game was that actually got me to stop and stare at the game with awe, a feeling that I have never had in a video game and one that I cherish. Mix that with philosophy of Alan Watts, excellent music, and a mode that will play the game for you if just want to watch, and you have an experience that can't be replicated. I even gave this game five stars for this experience. But looking back at the game, I realized that this incredible experience is short-lived. I reviewed this game on my initial experience, but failed to look past that. Add to it the areas repeating themselves too quickly, and this is a game that keeps itself at a number eight position. It may be number eight on my list, but this game may have a chance at being number one in the Academy Awards.

7. Prey

Coming in at number seven is Prey. This game is about an alternate future where the Soviets and the U.S. actually worked together and eventually made it to space, where they are hunted by aliens. To me, this was essentially a Dishonored but better in its own way. I enjoyed the space setting more, the different ways you spec yourself and the different ways you can tackle objectives were more robust, the weapons and powers were more fun to use, the enemies were better, the game was more open than Dishonored, and more. But in the end, this is essentially a space Dishonored to me, which I loved at first but by the end I felt that it overstayed its welcome. In the end, I thought this game was a great experience and is great especially for those looking for a game similar to Dishonored.

6. Golf Story

The first Switch game to hit this list will be a game about hitting golf balls. Golf Story for the Switch is a game puts RPG elements into a retro golf story and tells the tale of a person trying get back into golf one last time and get into the pro tour. This game does two things and they do them pretty well. As a golf game, it is quite a lot fun. With eight full courses filled with wacky elements, golf challenges, the ability to drop a ball anywhere and hit, other golf-like modes like disc golf and mini golf, and more. As an RPG, it's also pretty good. Each course allows free roam where you can meet people and take quests, which will earn xp and cash that can be used to upgrade your stats and get new equipment. I think this game is at number six because it is a solid game, but for games five to one, I have a special attachment to those games that I don't have with this one. But that doesn't mean this game is bad in any way. I mean, it's number six on this list. It's not the best golf game or the best RPG, but Golf Story combines the two well and makes a game unlike any other.

5. Slime Rancher

This game feels really weird to put onto this list because I played it in early access in 2016, and then came back to it and started over right before and after the game fully released. But it is a 2017 release, so it does count. Anyways, Slime Rancher is a farming/ exploration game where you play as Beatrix LeBeau, who leaves Earth and goes to a distant alien planet inhabited by slimes. Slime Rancher is such a great game to me in so many ways. This was one of only few games that really sucked me in, but after playing five hours straight I didn't feel that my time was wasted. Its sense of progression is great, its farming/exploration aspects are a blast and well balanced, the slimes are cute and fun to experiment with, the different areas are really cool, and so much more. What was the biggest thing for me and what kept me playing for hours-on-end was the fact that their was always something to do. Their was never a moment where I wandered aimlessly trying to find something to do like pick up some dumb collectible. This game was a blast, but I felt was a number five game because of my experiences with the top four and the fact that I already played the game before 2017. I absolutely needed to put this game in this list, but I felt my previous experience with it would make it unfair, so I put it right here. This game was an absolute blast, and I can't wait to see what is in store for the future.

4. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

Despite the very late release, this is a 2017 game that had a full release on PC, so it is eligible. PUBG is a multiplayer competitive game where you are thrown into an island with ninety-nine other players and is given one task: survive. The catch: only one (or one group if you play in group matches) can survive and the viable living areas of the island shrinks. Ever since I watched the film Battle Royale, I have been in love with this concept, and this game takes this concept and makes a really fun, adrenaline pumping game out of it. While other battle royale games exists, I think this one is the best as for it simplifies the game without over-simplifying it to a level I like and makes the game precise and strategic to a way that makes it a blast to play and adrenaline-pumping in a way I don't feel with any other game. Unlike other games, PUBG's story comes from experiences in the game and with friends, which is great. Initially I had my doubts with the game, but PUBG proved to be one of the best online experiences this year.

3. Super Mario Odyssey

Now we get into the big three, and starting off that list is fat (former) Italian plumber himself, Mario. Yet again, Bowser kidnapped Peach and you got to save her. This time though, he also kidnapped a cap, who is the sister of Cappy, a hat that can be used to take control of other objects. So you and Cappy decided to team up and save the princess and Cappy's sister as you voyage from one diverse kingdom to the next. Also, Bowser is well planned this time, with the theme being he is preparing a wedding. This game was a blast. The platforming was excellent, the environments were diverse and a lot of fun to explore, each environment is filled to the brim with content, the capture mechanics work really well, and much more. Sadly, a couple of things kept this game from being truly great though. The game uses motions controls, which are okay at best, but the reliance on these controls were quite annoying and made playing portable less viable. Another issue that is more of a disappointment is that the game never quite caught the magic of the Super Mario Galaxy series for me. But not living up to the Galaxy series didn't keep me from having an excellent time with the game and having it make my number three pick.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The final two choices were really tough, but in the end it was the Switch's launch game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that took the number two slot. Just like any other Zelda game, you play as a hero named Link who is tasked with saving the princess Zelda from a villain named Ganon. This time around though, Zelda actually tried to get heroes from different parts of the land and tried to defeat Ganon, but lost. You were thrown into a rejuvenation chamber and are now 100 years past the fateful event, back at trying to defeat Ganon once again. BOTW is an excellent game, and its 360 square kilometer map is filled to the brim with fun missions, excellent combat, fun puzzles, exploration, a minimal yet amazing soundtrack, and so much more. This game is getting game of the year for so many people, but unfortunately not for me. Why? The game's story was weak when I felt it shouldn't have been, and the weapon system was annoying on multiple levels. But even if these problems weren't there, I still wouldn't think it could top my number one entry on this list. Still, this game is a Switch essential and can be considered one of the greats over the past decade.

1. Cuphead

I know I am in the minority in saying this, but I think Cuphead was the best game of 2017. This game follows a character named Cuphead as he and his brother Mugman lose to the devil and are forced to travel Inkwell Isle collecting soul contracts from others.This game was the best to me on so many levels. The art style is the best I have ever seen in a video game, the upbeat jazz was amazing and is the one video game soundtrack I listen to on my free time, the gameplay was a blast on both platforming and boss levels, the bosses were expertly crafted, and its difficulty and difficulty settings is tough yet rewarding and is perfect. I have been following this game for years, and I can say that this is the one game that lived up to its hype. Honestly, the biggest complaints I had with the games are the slight glitches I encountered late into the game, one of the powers I had showed a heart item but didn't give an extra life, and a bad fandom that formed around the game. Where a lot of the other games on this list felt like good or even great versions of other games or is just a really good game in that genre, Cuphead to me was a game that elevated above just being a great platformer. For those reasons and many more, I say that Cuphead is my top game of the year.

Special: The Early Access games

I didn't consider Early Access games, but that doesn't mean I didn't play any good ones. I decided to make a little section dedicated to the games that released into Early Access this year. I don't think any of these would've made my list even if they did release this, but I still wanted to make this section anyways.

The three games I played in Early Access that were worth mentioning are Dead Cells, Tiny Rails, and Superhot: Mind Control Delete. I chose Dead Cells because of its fun gameplay and the fact that it is a rogue-like game but the levels don't feel like lego blocks being placed together. I chose Tiny Rails for its progression systems and for the fact that it is a great background game. This wouldn't have made the list anyways because it was a mobile game before 2017. Finally, I chose Superhot: Mind Control Delete because it's more Superhot and I love that. It is still very early, so the levels repeat pretty often and it is filled with bugs, but I still have had a good time with the game.

Well, that is a wrap on games in 2017. This year was a great year for video games, and I hope that 2018 will bring even better games for us to enjoy.

Welcome back to my three-part series going over my thoughts on The Game Awards 2017. In the first part, I talked about my general impressions of the show. In the second, I talked about my feelings on the announcement made their. And now, I am going to look at the awards dished out and talk about whether I agree, disagree, or don't have an opinion on them. If you want to read the first two parts, I will have them linked right here: Part 1 Part 2.

Now what is hard with this list is that I haven't played every single game nominated, so that will leave a lot of award nominations with only one or two games I have played. I will try to make it as even as possible for the games I didn't play, but I will also have some games I will feel really strongly about. Without further-or-do, let's get into this list, starting with all of the awards that I don't care about to get them out of the way.

Trending Gamer- Dr. Disrespect/ Best Chinese Game-jx3-hd/ Best E-Sports Team-Cloud9/ Best E-Sports Player-Faker/ Best Student Game- Level Squared

I grouped all of these together because they all have one thing in common: I don't follow them. The only one I can really talk about is Trending Gamer and that is because I only recognized Dr. Disrespect out of the other five. Yeah, that's all I really have to say about it. Moving on.

For all of the others, I am choosing them in a random order except for a few combinations and GOTY, which will be at the end.

Best Strategy Game- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle- Disagree

This was the only game I played that was in the strategy category, but it is one I actually disagree with. I can understand how this one tops this list. While all of the other games are sequels or follow closely to a formula, Mario + Rabbids took the turn-based formula and injected mobility into it. I really did enjoy this new style of gameplay, and I hope more games capitalize on it. So why don't I think the game belongs? While I thought the first half of the game was excellent, I found the second half monotonous and had to force myself to finish. The second half of the game was surprisingly awful to me despite the strong first half, and my view on the game deterred pretty significantly because of it. Also, I heard a lot of great things about XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. I heard it was an excellent piece of DLC that had enough content to be its own game, and its rank on OpenCritic makes it one of the highest ranked games of the year.

Best Ongoing Game- Overwatch- Disagree

Last year, Overwatch won for GOTY, and this year it was talked about a lot. So it was no surprise this game won this award, and I even agreed with the decision for some time. But looking back at it, I actually would've chose another game. I instantly disqualify PUBG and Destiny 2 for being 2017 releases. I get that they were looking into the future of the game and see it being ongoing, but I say let's wait until that actually happens. But I think that the other three choices were better ones than this. Despite my dislike for Rainbow Six: Siege, I can't deny its huge comeback and constant updates. I haven't played a lot of Warframe, but I know it is one of the most popular free-to-play games and they just released a huge update. And when it comes to GTA Online, I haven't played much of that one but I know of its constant content updates and an ever-expanding playerbase. When it comes to Overwatch, I know it has been updated over its lifespan, but the other games have been doing this for longer and I feel have better and more new content than Overwatch. I can't decide between the three I talked about, but I don't think it should be Overwatch.

Best Mobile Game- Monument Valley 2- Agree

I am no expert in the mobile gaming industry, but I know of how much people loved the first Monument Valley. So I would say I wouldn't say I agree with this award, but I am not surprised it won. The Nintendo games had huge download numbers, but they both under-performed. So it leaves Hidden Folks and Old Man's Journey. I have heard great things about both, but I also knew it doesn't resonate with people like Monument Valley did, so I just knew this one would win.

Games for Impact- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice- Agree

I didn't play any of these games, but I know of the importance of Hellblade. I can't really talk about the impact of the other games, but I do know of the great lengths this studio took in depicting mental illness.

Most Anticipated Game- The Last of Us Part 2- Disagree (Last of Us 1 spoilers)

I really liked the first The Last of Us, but I thought it ended well. It put the two into a good ending where at worst, Ellie still questions whether or not Joel pulled her out of the surgery. That is one big reason I disagree with this award. The second reason I disagree with this award is how much hype surrounds Red Dead Redemption 2. A second Red Dead I feel has been talked about and wanted way more than a second Last of Us, and for that reason I think Red Dead 2 should've been the pick for the winner.

Best Art Direction- Cuphead- Agree

Was their any question? I mean, all of the other art was great and all, but c'mon, a 30s cartoon style? All of the other art styles are cool, but are art styles seen in other games. Cuphead on the other hand is an art style not seen in entertainment any more. Not only that, but all of it was hand drawn except for the coloring, which is impressive. So of course I wholeheartedly agree with this choice.

Best Handheld Game- Metroid: Samus Returns- Agree

I honestly don't think this category should exist any more, or at least put in Switch games; but I agree with the award. This was the only handheld game that was talked along side the other big games, while others were given a brief mention then moved along. It's hard for these games to be talked about much considering the 3ds is now dying, and having Metroid be talked about that much shows a clear sign to me that this was the handheld game of the year.

Best Sports/Racing Game- Forza Motorsport 7- Agree?

I put a question mark because I have heard some bad things about all of these games overall. All of them had various issues (a lot of them being mircrotransactions) that made a lot of these be considered worse than their previous iteration. So I guess I agree with Forza because of everything else I heard about it. That is a lot of cars.

Best Family Game- Super Mario Odyssey- Agree

I thought of Odyssey as a great experience, and I think it is a great game for the family. I think this one is better than the others for various reasons. I thought that Sonic Mania was a nostalgia game more than anything, and I don't really consider a great family game. Splatoon 2 doesn't even have splitscreen if you actually wanted to play with your family. Mario Kart 8 is great but I feel shouldn't really be qualified considering it originally released in 2014. And for Mario + Rabbids, well, I wouldn't exactly say a swearing roomba and Yoshi "being on the war path" is exactly family friendly. I know Odyssey isn't great for its local play like I criticized Splatoon for, but I think Splatoon being a multiplayer shooter makes that impact greater than Odyssey. So in conclusion, if you want a good family-friendly game, then look no further than an industry icon and his talking hat.

Best Action Game- Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus- Disagree

Wolf 2 was a great game, no doubt about it. But I actually felt that the combat was the weaker aspect of the game, which is why I disagree with this choice. I don't know which one I would've picked, but I could honestly see any of them win over this one. Prey did a great job on making enemies and allowing you to dispatch them in any way you want. I actually can't see Destiny 2 being better action-wise than Wolf 2, but I know how much people love that style of action. I haven't played it, but I know Nioh takes a Dark Souls approach to combat but adds its own twist that is the highlight of the game. Last but not least, Cuphead has a lot of fun with bosses and run and gun levels alike, and its difficulty is perfect. I'm not surprised this game won, but I don't agree with it.

Best Action/ Adventure- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild- Agree

Honestly, this award should only be called best adventure. Anyways, I knew without a doubt that this game would win. BOTW's strength is in exploration and adventure, and with how strong the game is compared to the others, I just knew it would easily win.

Best Score/ Music- Nier: Automata- Disagree

I know I'm in the minority on this one, and I know how much people adore this OST. And that I am trying to include games I didn't play. But I honestly thought that Cuphead had the best OST of all time for a video game. That is the only video game soundtrack that I actually listen to, and its upbeat jazz sounds just like original jazz. This music always got me feet thumping and a smile on my face, and this mixed in with the game was a visual and aural treat. But I didn't play Nier, so I can accept that I am in the minority (I think).

Best VR/AR Game- Resident Evil 7- Agree

I don't have VR, but I can say that the choices this year were good. I have heard great things about all of them; one of them is even in the top rated list on Opencritic. But what makes RE7 stand out above the rest is that the game succeeds at being in VR despite the game not being build with it in mind. Where all of the other games were made with VR in its line-of-sights, this one is something that was built into a game that is normally not VR, and it works really well. In other words, this is the only pick that was an actual normal triple-a title that also got full VR support and worked well.

Best Narrative- What Remains of Edith Finch- Agree

The only game I played from this list was Wolf 2, and while that story was surprisingly good, I know it doesn't match to these games. As for the rest, I just knew Edith Finch would win. All of the other games had a great narrative, but I also know Finch was talked about a lot and how the game excelled above all others with that aspect.

Best Multiplayer- PlayerUnkown's Battlegrounds- Agree

All of the other games are good and all, but PUBG started the new battle royale craze. It is the big multiplayer game of the year, and for good reasons. One of the options on the list literally was the first game to follow the PUBG trend, and all of the other games are just sequels. PUBG didn't start battle royale, but it popularized it in 2017 and made an easy win for best multiplayer.

Best Indie Game- Cuphead- Agree

Their were a lot of great indie games this year, but it was Cuphead that stood out above the rest for me. It was a game that was hyped for so long and somehow managed to live up to the hype with its excellent art and gameplay. For me, this one was a clear winner but I know this one was a close one, with Pyre and Edith Finch coming close in my opinion. But Cuphead was the only one I played from the five, so I could be very wrong on this on.

Best Debut Indie Game- Cuphead- Agree

Essentially this is the same thing as I said for best indie game, because this category is essentially the same as best indie game. The biggest difference to me is that this list felt much closer than the last. I loved Slime Rancher, but I know it wouldn't reach the first place. But Golf Story, which is a game I played, and Hollow Knight, a game I didn't play, on the list made what I thought would win the award hard to choose. But in the end it was those two little cups again.

Best Fighting Game- Injustice 2- Disagree

I can definitely see why this game won. It pulls off a story pretty well, it has a great set of characters, and more. My personal favorite is that it looks like a great game for fighting game beginners to get into, which is the big reason I want to pick up the game. Despite all of this, I disagree. I haven't played any of these games, but one game I did play was Nidhogg, and I know how much people love that game and how much people love the sequel. I can see how I am wrong in this, but it still would've been nice to see Nidhogg 2 snag that trophy.

Best Audio Design- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice- Agree

I am by no means an audio design expert. But I agree with this game winning this award because I can see how audio design can play an important role in portraying mental illness effectively, and I am sure it is something Ninja Theory took very seriously.

Best Game Direction- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild- agree?

This sounds dumb from me, but I honestly don't know how to take this award. I almost feel as though this is an award we can't know about because it is an award meant for the process of making the game, not the game itself. Because of that, I am just going to stick with BOTW for this one.

Best RPG- Persona 5- Agree

The only game I played from this list was Final Fantasy 15, and I didn't even play that game that long. But I could tell that this award seemed like a close one between Divinity, Nier, and Persona. But in the end, I just knew Persona would win because I feel that the game has more love in my opinion than Nier (not to say their is no love there). Now this is an award they should've shown in full, along with almost every other award.

Best Performance- Melina Juergens- Agree

I don't really agree or disagree with any of the options, but I am not surprised Hellblade won. Again, going back to conveying mental illness, you need someone to act as the person with the mental illness, and I am sure she did a great job based on how well I've heard about the conveying of mental illness. Still, I would've loved to see Wolf 2 win for its surprisingly great voice acting.

Best E-Sports Game- Overwatch- Agree

I am not big on E-Sports, as you can tell by my list way above on awards I didn't care about. But I wanted to still put this in because of how I feel Overwatch is doing things right in terms of E-Sports. The one big thing that keeps me from getting into E-Sports are the teams. In normal sports, we root for the closest team geographically and is someone we stick with through thick and thin. I never got that from E-Sports teams. All I see are a bunch of teams listed as 'U.S.' and I just pick one from a hat. For me, it was surprisingly hard to follow team without a local pride for that team. And that is what Overwatch is doing right; they made city-based teams so you can root for who is closest to you. So sorry Rocket League; despite you being a lot of fun to watch, I think Overwatch deserves it way more as for they are doing a big thing right.

Game of the Year- Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild- Agree

The list for GOTY was great, but it was BOTW that stood out above the rest. This is an award I both agree with and was one I knew would win. Honestly, I don't have much to say, but that is part the fact that I just knew and nothing else and part me being tired from all of this writing (look how great of a writer I am, getting tired from it).

Well, that is it. That is both the end of this writing and the end of this three part series. I feel like I started so strong and now I have ended so weak. Anyways, thank you for reading my thoughts on the Game Awards. Stay tuned as for the next thing I write will be my personal top ten games of 2017.

Welcome back to my three part series looking over the The Game Awards 2017. If you haven't read part one and want to, click here to do so. In part one, I talked about my feelings on the award show as a whole, looking over the good, the bad, and the funny. Now for this part and the next, I will not be looking at what the show did right or wrong and instead look at the announcements and the awards. In this part, I look at the announcements made and saying my thoughts on them. I am including all games and DLC announced, but some games I do not have thoughts on. Anything that was new or sounded new will be in this list, and I apologize if I miss any. Also, the title of the game will also be a link to the reveal trailer given at the awards.

World War Z

Starting off the list is a game based off of the book and movie World War Z called, you guessed it, World War Z. The game is said to be a co-op action game that takes place around the world with different survivor's stories. The game will also include traps, barriers, and environmental hazards, as well as an arsenal of weapons to kill hundreds of enemies on screen. My guess is that it will be similar to Left 4 Dead in the sense that it is a mission to get from one side of the level to the other with missions and enemies thrown in the middle. Despite this formula being used time and time again, I am actually pretty excited for this game. I love a good zombie game, and having that mixed with World War Z style zombies (fast and many), I think it could be a lot of fun and pretty difficult. Also, their are no other enemy types, which for me is a positive. I know different enemy types in this style of game diversifies the action, but I just want one type of zombie, and if that one type of zombie is difficult enough then that is fine by me. Also, the environments look like they came straight from the book and the movie, which is cool. I would love to play the Jerusalem level or fatal battle of Yonkers (yeah, that's right, I read the book too). The graphics don't look that great, but I am guessing that is because the game is filled with hundreds of zombies at once. Despite my excitement, I am going to guess the game will be just okay at best, with scores averaging around a 7/10 because of its reused formula. But that won't stop me from playing it when it comes out some time in 2018. 70,000 years at the top of the food chain, it was fun while it lasted.

Vacation Simulator

What do you do after a job? Why vacation of course! The second game on this list is the sequel to Job Simulator called Vacation Simulator. From the looks of it, the game is like Job Simulator, except your vacationing. I don't have a lot to say about the game because I didn't play the first game, but from what I saw the environment looks like a lot of fun, the writing sounds funny in a robotic sort-of way, and the game looks pretty relaxing overall. I bet the game is just going to be a large playground for you to run around in(or teleport around in, because VR). The game, just like the previous one, is in VR, which is the reason why I haven't played the first one. But as stated on a burger patty at the end of the trailer, the game will probably come out some time in 2018, and I think VR players will find great enjoyment from the game when that release date comes around.

Smith and Smitherson Accounting+

Another VR game? Anyways, this one is called Accounting+, which to me looks really weird (a word that will be used multiple times with other trailers). I can't even tell you what the game is going to be like because so much was happening at once, but what I saw I honestly didn't like. To me, the writing is what excelled for me in this trailer, as for the minds behind The Stanley Parable and Rick and Morty are behind this project (I haven't watched Rick and Morty, but I know of its popularity). The trailer was pretty funny, with funny dialogue and a funny Game of Thrones intro and average-day-at-the-office outro. Despite that, the gameplay didn't look that great to me. It looked like a mushy mess of a bunch of different things happening that I feel would be annoying to play after a little while. But hey, if you do think this game is cool, its release date is soon (another thing that will pop up a lot). December 19th is when that game is coming out for PSVR.

Shadows Die Twice (Maybe?)

This trailer, by From Software, is very cryptic. The game has no name ('shadows die twice' reads at the end) and the entire trailer consists of some contraption with rope tightening. That's it. I don't really have anything to say about this trailer, so I'll leave it at that.

In the Valley of Gods

Did you like to explore the Wyoming wilderness in Firewatch but said to yourself,"man, I really wish this was Egypt in the 20's where I am a filmmaker living that Indiana Jones lifestyle?" Well, Campo Santo is back with a game called In the Valley of Gods, which is a narrative-based game based in 1920's Egypt where you play as an explorer and filmmaker trying to recapture the glory you once had while working with someone you vowed never to work with again. It's essentially an Indiana Jones-themed Firewatch. The first thing that caught my interest with this game is the setting. I love the 20's/30's adventure theme similar to Indiana Jones or the upcoming game Strange Brigade. Also, I think the story of trying to recapture your glory days of adventuring while trying to work with someone I guess you hate will be an interesting story and I would love to see how their relationship forms over the course of the game. Despite that, I know myself and the chances of me actually getting this game is low. I have never been the biggest fan of narrative games. I love the stories in narrative games, but I can never bear playing the game, and I always feel that I can't just watch them on Youtube either because a lot of these game have different narrative options that I feel I have to answer myself. Despite that, I hope and I think the game will do well critically whenever the game comes out (no release date yet).

GTA 5: Doomsday Heist

GTA 5 has been doing a great job of keeping its online service up-to-date with new content, and this is another addition to that. The Doomsday Heist looks to be another wild ride in the world of GTA, filled with flying cars, jetpacks, crazy super-soldier looking dudes, and much more. This heist seems filled to the brim with action-packed gameplay, and I bet fans of GTA: Online will have a blast. As for me, I couldn't really get into GTA: Online, so I'm probably not going to play it. But I still think the mission looked really cool. I would love to dress up as a Sam Fisher knockoff and go around doing missions like I am a professional. Well, I may not, but everyone else can as for the content dropped on December 12th for everyone to play. This won't be the last time content drops very shortly after its announcement though.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC 2: The Champion's Ballad

The second DLC release for BOTW was announced during the award show, showcasing the new shrines as well as the...wait, IS THAT A MOTORCYCLE?! Honestly, I lost all interest in all of the other content when they showed that their is a freaking motorcycle in the game (except for the teleporting horse saddle, I still had interest in that). But in all seriousness, I think this DLC pack is worth getting the season pass for. The main reason I say that is because of the motorcy...ahem, the new story elements added to the game showcasing the four heroes, as well as the new shrines, items, horse saddles, and more. Just like The Doomsday Heist, this actually released the moment they played the trailer on December 7th. Oh yeah, and did I mention their is a motorcycle in the game?

Soul Calibur 6

I guess I should start all of my blogs with "do your souls still burn?" so then I can get everyone excited about what dumb thing I have to say. Ah, I'm just kidding. But clearly the excitement for the next Soul Calibur is no joke. I don't have a lot to say about the game because honestly, I am not excited for the game. I don't think the game looks bad or anything, I just don't like fighting games like that. But I am certain that the game will do great with its fans when it comes out sometime in 2018.

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 The Last Jedi Season

Just because the game is getting obliterated by hate for its terrible multiplayer microtransactions and lackluster campaign that is really a showcase for heroes doesn't mean content won't release for the game. Battlefront 2 announced its release of season one content, which will be themed after the new movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Surprisingly, the content actually is doing things I didn't think would happen to Battlefront DLC. The map with the red dirt looks pretty cool, a continuation of the campaign will be added on which surprised me, and the content is free. It gets me wondering how much of this is damage control, but I think anything EA can do to get some good light on the game is a good thing. Now does that mean I am actually going to get the game? No, but I think fans of the game will find this new addition meaningful when it releases on December 13th.

Fortnite 50v.50

Fortnite, the big contender to PUBG, is back at it again with a new mode called 50 v.50. It's pretty much what you think: a game mode that pits two teams of 50 players against each other. It's essentially like playing squad mode in Fortnite or PUBG, but your squad is half of the game. I think this is a pretty cool idea, but I think it defeats the purpose of the battle royale genre, which makes me question why they still have the battle royale-style gameplay in the mode. But the bigger question I kept asking myself while watching this trailer was "what about the main game? You know, that one with zombies and base building?" Whatever the case may be, this new mode came out the day the announcement trailer went up on December 7th.

Fade to Silence

Speaking of building things in a post-apocalyptic world, Fade to Silence debuted, And this game looks pretty cool. The post-apocalyptic landscape and the monsters that turned it that way look really neat, while your fight for survival in the harsh winter with building, dog sledding, and recruiting survivors sounds like a lot of fun. I'm going to take a bet that this is a hardcore survival game where you have to worry about a bunch of different things like hunger, thirst, sickness, cold, sanity, etc. That stuff draws me away, but if I were to get into it, I would start with this game. Whatever the case may be, the game will launch into early access on December 14th and will fully release in 2018.

Bayonetta 1, 2, and 3

It's a triple doozie of games I haven't played. The announcement started off with Bayonetta 1 and 2 coming over to the Switch. I haven't played the games, but I am going to take a wild guess and say that this is just a port over to the Switch. So anyone who has played the games, well now they can play it on a plane next to a screaming child and someone who smells like they haven't showed in three days. But just when you thought it was over, Reggie pulled one on us and announced Bayonetta 3. Well, I guess now is the perfect time to start playing the Bayonetta series, as for the first two games will come to the Switch on the 16th of February and the third game with no announced date.

Death Stranding

What the hell, Kojima? Do you even know what you making anymore? Did you take a bet with someone and lose with the consequence being 'make each new trailer for your game weirder than the last?' Whatever the case may be, the new Death Stranding trailer came out, showcasing even weirder things than the last. I honestly don't even know how this can be a video game anymore. How can they make a video game out of what they have shown? Whatever the case may be, I am excited to see what Kojima shows next. His stuff is weird, but this world he has constructed leaves me with questions I want to pursue. I want to see this world more, and I can't wait to see what Kojima does next. Hopefully, it's some gameplay because I really want to know how this can be a game.

Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves now has a release date, which is March 20th.

Witchfire

Witchfire is a game that looks pretty cool to me. I loved how in the trailer it started off with you going through a portal and walking around somber-like, and the game saying it is being made by the creators of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. It gives you that narrative feel and gets you comfortable with that idea, until you pull out a gun and it says "but also [made by] Painkiller and Bulletstorm" was when a gave a hearty chuckle. But beyond that, I thought the environment was pretty cool and the victorian-style weapons and cool-looking enemies look like a blast to play with and kill. I also get a heavy Bulletstorm vibe with the gameplay, but of course I do because it is made by the people who made Bulletstorm. Unfortunately, this was a very early on trailer and we will most likely be waiting some time before this game comes out.

A Way Out

At first I thought I had nothing new to talk about this game, but after watching this trailer again I realized I was wrong. I'm already into this game because I love the setting, the story, and its interesting idea of always-on splitscreen. With this new trailer, we learn of a couple of things, including another pretty radical idea. We learn of the two characters, including their personalities, we learn of its March 23rd release date, and of one other idea that deserves its own sentence. The game requires co-op, online or not, but one copy can be shared between two people. If you want to play online with a friend, only one person needs a copy of the game. That to me is crazy, and it makes me even more excited on what is to come of the game. Keep on being a passionate man Josef Fares.

Dreams

I dream a dream. Dreams, that is. I have heard about the game, but I wasn't introduced to it until now, and I must say what a trip. I really loved the trailer and how crazy it was. This game sounds like something that is groundbreaking, and I can't wait to see what it really is. And what it really is won't be fully revealed to us until the game releases some time in 2018.

PlayerUknown's Battlegrounds

Not much to say from me. The new desert map looks like a lot of fun, and now we know of a 1.0 release date on anything, which will be December 20th on the PC. Now that the game is releasing this year, do we still need to talk about early access games and whether or not they are considered a release for GOTY lists?

GTFO

Such an unfortunate name, but that's besides the point. I remember first hearing about GTFO and getting really excited for it. Now, I am even more excited about it. For starters, the game is made by the Payday people, which I love those games. But beyond that fact, GTFO looks like the game Alien: Colonial Marines was going to be (let's just hope it doesn't turn into the game it currently is). The environment looks foreboding, the gameplay looks hectic, and the quiet commentary that plays over the trailer feels perfect. I can't wait to see what they do with the game when it releases some time in 2018 with something else that may happen in 2017 (beta, maybe?)

Metro: Exodus

Metro is back, baby! I love the Metro series, and I cannot wait to see what this game will become. I really hope it's an open world game, where I can explore all of the different stations and whatnot. Unfortunately, I feel that this trailer has less information to offer than the first one. I felt that their was no new info given with this trailer compared to the E3 2017 trailer, and that one even offered gameplay. The one new detail we get is that it releases in the fall of 2018 instead of just 2018 in general. Until then, I'll just keep my bullet lighter back in the closet.

Phew, that was everything, I think. I know I didn't get pictures on every item, but oh well. Thank you for reading, and tune into part three where I talk about my thoughts on the award aspect, more specifically what I agreed and disagreed with.

Hello and welcome to a three part series I am starting where I talk about my thoughts on this year's Game Awards. This part will be about my general impressions, and part two and three will be about the awards themselves and the games announced. I can't tell you about when the other two parts are out or in which order I will choose the other two topics, but I will link them in the comment section of this blog when I do write them. So stay tuned for more in the near future, but for now let's get into my thoughts.

Before I begin talking about I liked and disliked, I would like to congratulate Geoff Keighley on this award show. He has put a lot of hard work into the award show, and I respect what he is doing. But even though the show gets bigger in scale, their are still issues I had with the show that I had with previous years that ultimately leaves me with saying that this award show is just okay.

The biggest set of issues I had with this year's show was what was prioritized and a lack of structure. When I watch the Academy Awards or any other award show, I can clearly see that the main topic of the show is to award the best of what that medium had to offer in the year of 2017. That is not the case hear. Geoff tries to mix up the awards with world premieres of games, which in theory sounds really cool but in practice isn't. This has been going on for some time in this show, but I felt that this year was the worst on what was prioritized. So much time was spent on showcasing new games while most of the awards given had very little time. A large percent of awards were announced all at once, usually being four or five game awards announced without knowing the nominees within a ten-to-twenty second time frame. He doesn't even hand out these awards; he just looks into the camera and says the winner like it is the small, unimportant part of the show while he eagerly gets back to announcements. Some awards were given the proper treatment of a speaker reading off the nominees then allowing the winners to give a speech, but it was nowhere near enough. I want to watch the award show to see what the best of the best for the year of 2017, not look at new game announcements. In my opinion, I think the award show should strip new game announcements entirely and keep to the awards. It may be more boring, but it is a decision that makes much more sense than trying to make an award ceremony a mini E3. But I am sure their is a legitimate reason for showing new games, so I know that stripping it entirely is unrealistic. Despite that, I believe the new game announcements, if needed, should be shoved in at the beginning of the show while the rest is purely about the awards. And that is where my next issue comes in: structure, or lack of it.

The show felt like anarchy when it came to the structure. One minute Geoff could be announcing five winners in rapid succession and the next minute would be a reveal of a new game followed by a developer interview, then next thing you know they are formally announcing one winner. The structure was so much of a mess that they forgot to announce one of the winners, which was PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds for best multiplayer. It wasn't an award formally announced, and it wasn't an award said in rapid succession. This lack of structure also made the 'pre-show' worthless. When the pre-show came on, I thought it was just going to be small announcement. Usually, pre-shows are there for smaller things. But next thing you know they announced best trending gamer and best score. From the moment it started to the moment it ended, the show felt like something that was fine the way it is, but then someone took a blender and turned it into a confusing mess. I get that Geoff wants to make a different type of award show to represent how games are changing and evolving over time, but I feel that in this process of making a different type of award show, he lost the basics of an award show, which is to showcase the winners and put that as priority number one.

Despite the lack of structure and poor priority choices, the bigger scale of this year's awards also brought some good. The few awards that were fully announced were treated well, both the orchestra and the band Phoenix made good performances at the show, the special guests list was good, Carol Shaw for the industry icon award and Andrew House both had great little biography videos, and the new awards fit right into place with the evolving video game landscape. I also thought that the various deals the award show had with giving away items and putting games on sale was also neat. But the biggest thing that stuck out to me that was positive, which I guess is also a product of a lack of formal award announcements, is the lack of politics. All of the other award shows recently feel like winning the award for them means talking about their political views more than an achievement in their career. I was happy to hear that the things bashed on by the few people who did have the chance to speak were issues within the video game industry (and one other thing, which I will get into).

Now any good award show has some comedy to it, but usually the comedy resides in the host. On this show, the comedy resided elsewhere. Their were funny moments that resided in the show, so I wanted to talk about two of them. The two I am talking about involves trailer from Bethesda and a certain, well, passionate man. I felt like talking about the comedic side because I wanted to get away from the good and the bad and look at the ugly, or in this case funny. And man can I say that the Bethesda trailer for single player games was both funny and a perfect way to say a point-of-view as well as bash on the idea that multiplayer games are taking over. The trailer was in the style of a Sarah McLachlan SPCA style commercial; but instead of puppies needing to be saved, it's single player gamers. And instead of Sarah, it's Linda Carter. But despite the sad music and somber tone of Linda, the commercial is a great way for Bethesda to not only advertise their single player experience, but also take a bash at the idea that single player games are dead. But nothing beats the funniest moment of that night: Josef Fares. For those who don't know, Josef Fares was previously a movie director, but now is making games. He made Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and is now working on a new game called A Way Out. Anyways, Josef got to have a little talk with Geoff on the game, but it was when he looked directly into the camera and said "f**k the Oscars!" with his middle finger high, as well as just about everything else he sayid that makes this the best part. The only things I will say about this special moment are that the trailer is linked on the quote two lines above and God bless you Josef.

In the end, here is what I have to say about the award show in general: the show has evolved in a couple of ways that makes this award show feel more legitimate than ever. But it's the priority of announcements over awards and lack of structure that keeps this from being considered as a large award in the likes of the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, The Emmys, or others. The awards are a lot of fun to watch and see what games are the best of the year, if only they actually showed most of them.

Thanks for reading part one of my three part series on The Game Awards. Stay tuned for part two and three when I talk about my thoughts on upcoming games and on what awards won.

Here is the entire show (I can't recommend watching the individual clips the Youtube channel made because I don't know if they include all of the content):

Recently, Skyrim was released for the umpteenth time, and it got me wondering about the game. Soon, my thoughts wandered to Fallout and how I wanted to go back to the game without actually going back to the game. And that was when it hit me. Buried deep in my Steam library of hundreds of games was one game I almost completely forgot about. That game was Wasted.

Wasted is a post apocalyptic rogue-like that can best be described as a low-budget randomized run through knockoff Fallout vaults. You play as a character in a post-apocalyptic U.S. where all of the smart people hunkered down in vaults called coolers and died from some malfunction while all of the dumb people survived. You play as a random character who decides to explore these coolers in search of loot and booze, but the problem with this is that everyone else is down in those coolers with you for other reasons.

I picked this game up in a Steam summer sale along with a lot of other games. I didn't play a lot of this game before moving on to play other games, but that doesn't mean I didn't like what I played. It wasn't until very recently that I picked up the game again and gave it a spin. And now I have sunk a good amount of hours into the game.

What's funniest to me about this game is how it is supposed to be a parody of the Fallout games, but is still a really fun game. The game is full of loot, enemies, enemy factions, booze that will give you positive and/or negative effects that will stick with your character until you die, an upgradable home base where you can store loot that will not disappear if you die, quests, and more. All of this tied to randomized coolers which means no two levels are the same.

To me, Wasted is a lot of fun because of both the fact that it is a rogue-like and that it carries over a lot of systems from Fallout. For example, the game has a S.H.O.T.S. system (similar to the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system in Fallout) where changing these numbers made a difference in how I played. For example, wearing the cooler armor commonly found on the zombie-like creatures that used to reside in the cooler will give me a high tinkering level that will allow to me both disarm and loot traps. This system was affected by the clothes you wear and the booze you drink, and I had fun trying to decide what was most important to me. Another system similar to Fallout was the looting. Now of course this game being a parody, their is joke loot, but I was honestly surprised by how much loot is in the game. Their is stuff littered throughout each level to use, ranging from medicines that will give you a boost to a revolver with ricochet bullets. If you are looking for a game with Fallout-like mechanics, then I would recommend a try with this game.

As a rogue-like game, I think this is also a good pick. I love the idea of a randomized level, but the issue I have with games with randomized levels is the lack of progression. I know this is a trait in this genre of games, but I still don't like it that much and I wish that more rogue-like games had progression. And that is where this game comes in. Sure, every time you die you lose the loot on you and any booze effects, but anything stored in your home base will stay, which means you aren't totally resetting every time you die. That plus an evolving story, new coolers that present new challenges, character factions that I want to learn more about, quests, and more make returning to the game a lot of fun.

Despite that, the game has some issues. The 80s theme is rather annoying at times, the writing and voice acting is poor, and the game feels low-budget with the feel of the game and the levels. But these issues usually took a backseat whenever I played the game, as for everything I previously said and more were what grabbed my attention.

In the end, Wasted is a good parody game that targets Fallout while at the same time making an experience that took all of the fun parts of Fallout to me and putting into this game. This game will not be for everyone; but if you are someone looking for a good rogue-like and/or a Fallout clone, then this is a game I recommend.

Thank you for reading my entry(or just skipping to the bottom). This will be the last game I recommend for this year, so in light of this and because it is the holiday season, I will be giving away a free Steam copy of Wasted. Wanna know how to enter? Just send me a private message on anything, and I will choose someone at random to win a copy. That's it, just send me a PM. The entry will start now and end at midnight Saturday, and on Sunday I will announce the winner (if anyone actually does PM, last time I did a giveaway only one person did). If you have any questions about this or any comments or criticisms about this blog or my channel in general, feel free to comment below.

The last month of the year has arrived, and that means it is the time of choosing what are the best games of the year. Because of that, this month's releases are few and far between. Even the crappy five dollar games are slowing down. But that doesn't mean their is nothing releasing, and that means that I have come back yet again for another anticipated list of the month. And what better to start this list than a set of rules.

The game has to be released on at least one of the following systems: PC, PS4, Xbox One, or Switch. The game has to be new, so no remasters or anything like that. One thing I will count though is early access, in which I will consider the game if it enters or leaves early access, but I will not consider both acts for the same game. Finally, the game has to have released this month, obviously. If the game has release dates in multiple months (Destiny 2, for example), then I will only consider the earliest release date. Rules are cool, but so are games. Let's actually get into the list.

5. Tiny Metal

For awhile I have heard about Advance Wars and how everyone wants more of that style of gameplay, so I am happy to see its spiritual successor Tiny Metal come out this month and give me a chance to experience what everyone is talking about. But this isn't the only reason it made this list. I have always enjoyed a good and simple turned-based game (Mario + Rabbids did make number one on my August list) and I think that this game will be a lot of fun. I also love the map and characters of the game and how they are big units in big areas zoomed out to a simple grid map. I have heard a lot about this style of game, and I hope it lives up to what I have heard when the game comes out on December 21st.

4. Xenoblade Chronicles 2

The final big Switch title of the year is my next pick on my list. I have also heard a lot about this game, and from what I have seen I think it is a cool looking game. The biggest thing that is appealing to me with this game is its grand open world. I think that its expansive world that is on top of a large beast is really cool and all of the diverse areas I have seen look like a lot of fun to explore. But its world isn't the only thing that intrigues me with this game. The cast of characters and how each of them are blades is unique and the combat is something I have always wanted to try. But hey, I get to have that chance soon as for the game will be releasing tomorrow from the time this blog post is released.

3. Seven: The Days Long Gone

Seven: The Days Long Gone is a game I only recently discovered, but is one that looks like a lot of fun. This game reminds me a lot of an isometric version of Dishonored with its darker atmosphere and its stealth-based gameplay. But their is more here than just parallels to Dishonored. I think its story looks intriguing, its open world will be interesting to explore, the setting and environment looks cool, and the gameplay looks like a lot of fun. Just like Xenoblade, the wait for this game comes down to just one day, and I can't wait to see how this game pans out.

2. Hello Neighbor

Hello Neighbor has been a game that has been around for so long that I almost forgot about it entirely. But nevertheless, here it is at number two. For the longest time I thought the game was cool just because its quaint setting mixed with a darker theme. But a lot of improvements have been made since than and I think that they are all for the better. The story looks even wackier, with parts like you shrinking and seeing the man be a huge beast or riding a cart high up in the sky. Also, I love how this game is primarily a stealth game despite the fact that the feel of the game says otherwise (unless you are just Agent 47 as a child). But the big thing that interested me was the fact that the neighbor will remember your moves and act accordingly, which is a feature I thought was incredibly neat back in September when I picked the game Echo for number four. But finding out if your character lives up to Agent 47, Sam Fisher, or other sneaking legends will be decided when the game releases on December 8th.

1. Player Unknown's Battlegrounds

I guess this is an unfair advantage considering I already have a lot of hours into it, but I decided to allow PUBG on this list due to the small amount of games releasing this month. But even if I had zero hours into this game, Player Unknown's Battlegrounds would still make this list. I have loved the battle royale genre ever since I watched Battle Royale, and I think that as a game would be a lot of fun. I have tried the other two battle royale games( King of the Kill and Fortnite Battle Royale), but I think that this one is the best for its tight controls, good island, balance of simplicities and complexities, and more. PUBG is coming out just in time for those making their games of the year pick, and I honestly believe that this is one of the better games of 2017.

Well, that is it for the year of 2017. I believe that this is one of the best years of video games over the last couple of years, and I hope that next year will bring even better games than before. As for now, it's time to switch from what is upcoming to what has already happened in terms of video game releases in 2017. But even with game of the year, I will be back with another list for the releases of the first month of the new year in 2018. Happy holidays!