Last year, I made it my resolution to complete at least 1 backlog game a month. While the resolution forced me to finish more games than usual, I felt rushed when I had to jam through a storyline instead of doing side missions like I would normally do. This year, I don't have any resolutions. But I did like how I kept track of my completed games. So here is my list of games I finished in 2015.
Started Jan 27 - Finished Jan 28
This one surprised me. All I knew going in was the first 10 minutes of the quicklook and Vinny's shinning endorsement. Those two things alone convinced me to buy the game on sale in 2014. What I didn't expect was a n old school point and click adventure game modernized. Good controls, good story, and great music/environment. The puzzles weren't too hard either. The end game is relaxing and enjoyable journey through a dark world.
I recommend it.
Started Dec 28 - Finished Feb 8
The Giantbomb guys called this game the most disappointing game of 2014. It's times like these that I am happy I ignore all previews and hype for a game I am interested in. Also, since I buy all my games on steam sales, I don't have any buyers remorse if a game turns out bad since there's little investment on my part.
All of that said, I actually enjoyed Watch Dogs. I thought the hacking concept was interesting, the story was decent, and the world sucked me in. Hey, any game that has Chicago on it's playlist is good with me.
I put some good time into Watch Dogs but it's not the best Dogs named open world game out there. Buy it on sale if you can.
Started Dec 24 - Finished Feb 11
Sure it's a Dark Souls like game.. But in a way I liked it better than Dark Souls. Maybe its because I played the hell out of Dark Souls, but Lords was a very nice change of pace for me. I enjoyed how this game was definitely single player focused, I got tired of being invaded in Dark Souls.
Started Nov 15 - Finished Feb 22.
It took me a long time to get through this game. That's because it's due to the very slow opening. The game took a while to get going, but when it did I loved it. This has the best story of all of the AC games I have played so far. Plus, Connor is a great character in my opinion. I do agree with what was said about this game. I largely ignored the side stuff and I didn't feel like I missed out on anything. The boat missions were fun, but unrewarding.
Started Feb 12 - Finished March 2
I've given this game a lot of thought since I finished the game and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. The core gameplay was fun for sure. I enjoyed how much like Borderlands it was, the looted and modded weapons definitely kept me going. The story was forgettable and I ran into a few scripting bugs. But I still had fun with the game.
It was the quick looks and TNT that made me buy the game in the first place. And while Im sure the game is different in multiplayer, the single player was good enough for me.
Started March 9 - Finished March 27
I bought this game on a steam sale mostly on word of mouth. I have never played a Tomb Raider game before and basically had no idea what I was getting into. This game was huge surprise to me. Just quality gameplay from start to finish. The platforming is on point, the shooting was fun, and the set pieces definitely got me excited.
So far one of the best games I have played this year. A seriously fun game that is definitely worth the $5 I spent on it.
Started Feb 25 - Finished March 30
I am unsure how I feel about the Batman games. These are the best Batman games ever made but I think I like the games they inspired rather than the Arkham games themselves.
Decent, worth the small investment I spent to buy the game.
Started Feb 28 - Finished April 10
After Elite: Dangerous was released and I have been unable to play it due to high requirements, I have been on the lookout for a space sim I could get lost in. I tried the X series and was a little intimidated. Somehow, I heard about Starpoint Gemini 2 and it was exactly the game I have been looking for. It's more RPG than hardcore sim but that was fine with me. The story was forgettable but again, that's not why I played it. I played the game to simply trade, fight pirates, and explore a galaxy. This game allowed me to do just that. With Steam workshop, I was able to install a Star Trek Mod which allowed me to fly the freaking Enterprise.
Once I got started in this game, I couldn't put it down. 5/5. Just don't expect a hardcore simulator.
Started April 16 - Finished May 14
GTA 5 took over my life from the moment I downloaded the game from Steam. I put aside Assassin's Creed 4 for this game even though I was more than half way finished with it. GTA is a game that I finished, lost lost the last 5 hours of missions and replayed to completion. This is the best realization of an open world you can find out there. There are so many things to do and see in this game that it is hard to put down. Even when there is nothing constructive to do anymore. I wish games like Sleeping Dogs were this realized.
Story, music, graphics, and characters are all great. 5/5.
However, I enjoyed Sleeping Dogs: DE more than this game. I keep reinstalling GTA 5 because I am not ready to let go of the world yet (even though there is nothing left to do). But I would be happy to play through Sleeping Dogs again right now for the third time.
Started Feb 25 - Finished June 1
Let me start by saying that I love the AC series. I have played every major release, if a bit late, so far. However, the simple fact that it took me nearly 5 months to finish this game says a ton. I kept putting this game off for other more interesting games - such as GTA 5. I can't help but feel that there is too much to do and collect in these games anymore. I enjoyed the first 2 games in the series very much and the simplicity of those games stand out in comparison.
I started AC4 in my usual AC fashion - get to a new location and find everything on the map before doing any missions. A little over half way through the game I still haven't even been to every location. All of that is a little overwhelming and not doing all of that has little to no effect on the game as a whole.
I did enjoy my time with this game tho. I felt the character arc of Edward Kenway from a brash pirate to an assassin was compelling. The game ends on a good note for all involved and hit an oddly emotional note with me. The outside of the Animus stuff wasn't as interesting. Desmond, with all his faults, was something at least. In some ways they could have cut out all of the outside animus stuff and it wouldn't hurt.
I enjoyed this game when I sat down to play it. However, it never was on the top of my list when I wanted to play a game. Maybe I'm getting tired of the AC formula. But, this is still the best Assassin's Creed game that I have played to date. In a bubble, this is a 4/5 game. When this game is viewed in the greater AC picture, it's hard to not get bored of the whole formula.
Side note: I like history. I'm not an expert by any means, but I thoroughly enjoyed how the first few games of the series looked at the Assassin's vs Templars in history. I wish they would lean into the historical aspect of the games again.
Started June 16 - Finished July 7
I got this game so my son could play an open world driving game with minimal violence. What I didn't expect was a fun story and fun driving mechanics. I loved the shift ability as well. It put a good spin on the genre.
5/5
Started April 8 - Finished August 21.
This was my first Final Fantasy since I finished Final Fantasy 8 back when it was released on the Playstation 2. I didn't know what quite to expect from this game aside from crazy anime bullshit and dramatic stares. What I got was a linear JRPG with a pretty good story and great characters. The battle system was a nice change from the usual turn based JRPG standard. In FF 13, the battles are focused on speed and building up chain bonuses which lead to a series of critical hits.
I don't come to JRPGs for open world exploration. I come to them for the story, crazy anime bullshit, and dramatic stares into the middle distance. And I wasn't disappointed in this game. Sure it took me a very long time to play it, but it was a rewarding experience.
Started July 21 - Never finish
I love City builders and have been looking for the game that will surpass Sim City 4. Well, this is that game. It is better in nearly all aspects with none of the draw backs of the most recent Sim City. And knowing Paradox, there will be massive support for this game with free updates and loads of optional DLC.
If you like City Builders, this is the one to get.
Started July 14 - Never Finish
I never buy games at full price if I can help it. I broke that rule for this game. Its a very simple game to get into but hard to master and has taken the place of Street Fighter 5 for my quick multiplayer game. Surprise of the summer and one of the games of the year for me.
Started August 25 - Finished August 28. (33 hours in 3 days Jesus.)
I backed this on kickstarter after the success of the first 2 Shadowrun games. After playing through the game in a mad excited rush, I can say that I this is the best Shadowrun game yet. Granted, I ran into a bug or 2 and the game wasn't as polished as Dragonfall Directors Cut was, but that did not hurt the overall experience.
In typical Shadowrun Returns fashion, this is a game to revist at a later date to try different options and try to get different endings. I know I missed at least 1 mission (maybe?) and god knows what else I missed by not talking to people at the right time. Hell I almost totally missed a key character in the game. I only ran into her near the end. I really want to go back, but I'll hold up for a little while. Many more games on the list.
I loved this game and I will replay it in the future.
Started July 19 - Finished September 5.
Beautiful game with wonderful graphics and a heartfelt story. A story of mothers and children amidst a dying forest. This game took me too long considering it is fairly short. I will come back to play it once I have new computer. One of the games of the year for me.
5/5
Started and Finished September 9
What could I say about this game that hasn't been said before? This game is a triumph of innovative story telling and atmosphere. There's a story arc that resolves all without any dialog choices or puzzles to solve. If you like video games, you have to see what the hype is about here.
5/5 Definitely one of the best games I played this year.
Started and Finished September 9
September 9 was the night I decided to explore innovative ways of story telling in modern games I guess. I can't quite explain Stanley Parable. But it's a game about choice and consequences.
I recommend it, but not at full price.
The only way to win is to not play.
Started ?? - Finished October 9
When building this list, I usually look for the first and last achievement unlock dates. The first achievement unlock date for this game was September 14, 2014. Dishonored is a first person stealth game that seems right up my alley. However, it took me forever to finally get into it (not to mention other games that kept getting in the way). I enjoyed the story, the level design, and the stealth/combat gameplay. It was a short game with not too many missions but that was just fine with me. Worth the purchase IMO.
4/5
Started October 7 - "Finished" November 8th
As typical of every Mortal Kombat game since my MK 3, I play the games for the single player experience. I loved playing the games with my brother when we were kids, and now that we are adults and can't/don't really play with each other anymore I focus on unlocking the Krypt and the story mode. My computer was pushed to the limit to play MKX and I didn't even try to go online so my experience with this game was somewhat limited.
The story mode for this game is nearly as good as MK 9 which is what kept me going in the beginning. As for the rest of the single player experience, I enjoyed the living towers as they always provided me with something to different to do every day. However, the main problem I had with this game is that the Krypt was needlessly tedious to unlock. I could only do towers so many times before it got boring. In the end, I uninstalled the game with about 2/3 of the krypt unlocked. I'll come back to the game when I have a computer that can play this at max settings.
Started October - Finished November 9th.
As a returning Premium member, I am catching up with the content that missed. I started watching the Metal Gear Scanlon series and it reminded me about how much I loved Metal Gear Solid 2. When I was a kid (in highschool) when MGS 2 came out, it blew my mind. Until Dark Souls came out, MGS 2 was the only game that I finished after a marathon play session and then immediately start a new game just to play more of it.
Due to college and not even having a Playstation for a while, I never played any of the Metal Gears that followed. MGS 2 was my first Metal Gear game, not counting messing around with the Nintendo versions. So, the story line of MGS 2 confused the shit out of me. When 3 and 4 came out, I lost interest in the series and was intimidated by the confusing story to even try to get back into it.
Watching Drew and Dan go through all the games again reminded me how much I enjoyed playing MGS 2 back when it was released. Since I had a PS3 now for the first time, I decided I should play through MGS 4 along with Dan and Drew.
This has been too long already, and nothing more really needs to be said about a 7 year old game. The game felt like fan service in how it featured just about all the characters from all of the previous games and tied all loose ends before the final credits rolled. The game was fun and watching the storyline finish was an enjoyable experience. If it wasn't already 3am, I would have immediately gone into New Game +.
This game might end up in my top 10 this year.
Started October 13 - Finished November 29.
Remember Me is a hard game to recommend outright. As a whole it is a largely linear campaign with plaforming sections. You basically go from platforming to combat room to more platforming. The game does try to be unique with the create - a - combo mechanic that was fun to mess with even though you'll be pressing the same two buttons most of the time. The memory scrubbing that you do are like modified cut scenes that you play with going back and forth to find the best way to achieve the objective.
Now, I am a huge cyberpunk fan. And the setting is the main reason why I bought this game in the first place. The gameplay and story kept me going to the end. And, that is pretty much all I ask of a game like this. In the end, I am happy I played it.
I recommend it if you can find it on sale. Since this such a short game, this is a game that is worth your time.
Started November 20 -Finished December 5
This game took me a long time considering how short it is. But it packs in a ton of non verbal story in those 3 hours.
I enjoyed it while it lasted but probably wouldn't go back to it.
Started December 4 - Finished December 6
The fact that I beat this game of about 12 hours in a single weekend says much about how engaged I was. Metal Gear rising has to be one of the most insane and action packed games I have played in a long time. This game was definitely a welcome change of pace from what I have been playing. Even though the final boss was batshit crazy/hard, the satisfaction of beating it in only 1 life was so amazing.
The fighting was fantastic, the boss fights very memorable, and the story was the usual Metal Gear crazy. Even though it is a shorter game, it's damn near flawless in my eyes.
Recommended highly.
Started November 25 - Probably won't finish.
This is the perfect game if you have children who like cars. As an open world-free roaming-drive anywhere you want driving game, The Crew is perfectly suited for my son. I just gave him "the red car", he turned it into a monster truck and he's good to go. I'm 45 hours into the game and I'm not even half way through the story. But, that is not why I got the game.
If, like me, you are looking for an open world driving game without the ability to run pedestrians over that kids could play easily then this is the game for you. It is multiplayer however, but you can turn off the chat. I haven't had a problem with bonehead other drivers so far.
Recommended.
Started December 9 - Finished December 10.
The Blackwell series is an adventure game centering around the theme of death, grief, and acceptance. Great characters and story made this series one of my point and click favorites. And Epiphany is a fitting conclusion to the story. Decent length and puzzles that require modern thinking (like doing a web search on the in game smart phone)make this game a pleasure to play through.
