Just like impending doom, we still have videogames.

But first, some housekeeping.

Honorary Awards:

Old Game of the Year:

Hitman / Hitman 2

Best Game I Am (Somehow) Still Playing:

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Best Game I Played Like 0.122474487139% Of:

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139...

Best Game I Suck At:

Forza Horizon 5

Best Game I Liked That Also Weirdly Stressed Me Out:

Unpacking

Best "Yeah, This Seems Okay" Game:

Halo Infinite

Best "The Abyss Stares Back" Game:

Mario Party Superstars

Best “I Didn’t Play This Enough To See All The New Content, But You Know What, The Binding of Isaac Is Still Great” Game

The Binding of Isaac: Repentance

Best “There’s Plenty of Games I Didn’t Finish, But I Particularly Wished I Played More of Gnosia” Game:

Gnosia

2021's Unofficial Eleventh Best Game Of The Year:

Loop Hero

Best Games I Didn't / Barely(*) Played:

1. Chicory: A Colorful Tale
2. Deathloop(*)
3. Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights(*)
4. Forza Horizon 5(*)
5. Lost Judgment
6. Metroid Dread
7. Persona 5 Strikers(*)
8. Psychonauts 2
9. Scarlet Nexus
10. Shin Megami Tensei V(*)

Runners Up (Unranked):

1. The Binding of Isaac: Repentance
2. Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
3. Fights in Tight Spaces
4. Gnosia
5. Griftlands
6. Halo Infinite
7. Loop Hero
8. Mario Party Superstars
9. Returnal
10. Unpacking

Game Of The Year:

X) Destiny 2: Beyond Light

The Destiny 2 expansion that was supposed to come out after 2020’s Beyond Light got pushed into February 2022. While there was no new packaged content for Destiny in 2021, there’s still plenty of stuff I wanted to call out.

The seasonal content that came out between the Season of the Hunt and the Season of the Lost is some of the best story I’ve seen in Destiny. There’s solid character work between Crow, Caiatl, and Saint-14, there’s good dramatic arcs in Season of the Chosen and Season of the Splicer, and there’s enough weird space shit between Presage and Osiris to keep you guessing.

When it comes to gameplay, that was a little more hit and miss for me. The only real seasonal content I replayed was the Battlegrounds. About halfway through Season of the Lost, I lost all momentum to grind out the seasonal content. That said, there were some highlights here and there. Initially I was lukewarm on Vault of Glass, however, that raid grew on me over time. While I had no desire to grind out Harbinger, Presage is probably my favorite exotic quest. Finally, ending 2021 with the new dungeon, Grasp of Avarice, and the 30th anniversary event, Dares of Eternity, was just about the perfect sendoff.

I know talking about Destiny sounds like gobbledygook, but the short version I enjoyed the continue support Destiny 2 received in 2021. If I were to rank it, Destiny 2 would overall be a middle of the pack game for this year. However, over 80% of the stuff I talked about is tied to a 2020 expansion, so I’m just going to treat this as an old game I really enjoyed this year.

10) Inscryption:

So this is an interesting one.

On one hand, Inscryption is a solid deck building game, with enough weird stuff that makes you want to keep poking at the edges. The mood of that cabin and the presentation of the battles elevates this game to the next level.

On the other, I hit a brick wall in the middle of act two. When I reached that point, I just didn’t want to play this game anymore. The problem I have with Inscryption is the same I had with Glittermitten Grove. Sure, both games go places and it’s kinda crazy that they put in the effort to twist the game like they did. However, I kind of liked the original game more and didn’t want to push through it for the sake of seeing more “stuff”. It’s been over a month since I fell off Inscryption and, at this point, I doubt I will go back and finish it. Still a pretty cool game though.

9) Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury:

I mentioned this in passing in my 2017 GOTY list, but it felt like I was one of the few people who did not care for Super Mario Odyssey. There was just too much rinse and repeat, too many moons they all feel meaningless, and, with the exception of two standout moments, the game felt like it was trying to have a yippee tone, but just felt tired and creepy.

On the other hand, yo, Super Mario 3D World, what a game. If I was evaluating this as a complete package, this game would be higher on this list. However, just looking at Bowser’s Fury, this is a neat expansion. Nintendo took the charm and fun from 3D World and remixed it in a more open format. I can’t help but get excited at the idea of a full game in this style, with an even bigger environment or concepts from other games like secret exits and block switches. Daydreaming aside, Bowser’s Fury is a cool mini Mario experience.

8) Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage!:

As a fan of the Miku, I have a confession. I think most of the Hatsune Miku games are not that great. For me, the Hatsune Miku games are nice chill and unwind games. I get to listen to some music and tap along while watching a music video play out. The main con against them is I don’t think they’re that fun to play. Hitting Circle 8 times in a row, only to press Triangle at the end is not super engaging. While it can look cool with how the notes fly in, it makes their readability more difficult. This is also one of those rhythm games where you have to meet a passing score, or else you fail, rather than simply clearing the stage, which I just find annoying.

With all that in mind, my favorite Hatsune Miku game is a mobile rhythm game, that’s part visual novel, that is littered with gacha mechanics and microtransactions. Spelling it out like that sure sounds like a goof, but it’s not. The number reason is because Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage has a great “hand feel”. Similar to some of the Persona rhythm games, Color Stage feels good to play and it does a good job of mapping those motions to the music and visuals. I have dabbled in mobile rhythm games here and there—namely with Voez and Cytus II—and I think Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage is the most successful at nailing this. Also, the visual novel stuff, while not mind blowing, is better than I thought it would be.

While the microtransactions sort of stink up the place, they are largely unnecessary. That aside, this is still my favorite Hatsune Miku game simply because it is fun to play. This is likely going to be a mobile gaming staple throughout 2022.

7) Tales of Arise:

In all the best ways, Tales of Arise feels like a turning point for the series. While I have dabbled with a few games here and there, the only game I finished was Tales of Graces f, which is an average game I really enjoyed. I've always had fun whenever I played a Tales game, but a few things would weigh it down. With Tales of Arise, the graphics, story, and sound was elevated to match the combat. Unfortunately, Tales of Arise was a victim of circumstance and I haven’t finished the game yet, although I do plan on returning to it in 2022.

One of the game’s strengths is how it continues to change as the story progresses. While there is an overall plot, Arise splits up its story across discrete kingdoms, each with their own tone, similar to how Persona 5 is structured with its palaces. Aside from the notable improvements with the how well told the story and significant improvement to the graphics, there’s a lot of small refinements that make this game standout. I sincerely hope Tales continues to do this well moving forward.

6) Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart:

Throughout 2021, I kept telling people that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the most next-gen game I’ve played. The cutscenes are almost unreal, the portals are a neat trick, the animation is impeccable, and the explosions…uh…explode real good. The particles that fly out when something is destroyed, the effects of the guns, and that temporal dash all look amazing. If that wasn’t enough, seeing all that pop off while time slows down when you upgrade a weapon is one of the coolest visuals I've seen in a long time.

Putting aside the graphics, this is just a fun game to play. A vast majority of the weapons feel great and the game encourages you to swap between them all, instead of using the same gun for the entire game. While the story was well told, the real highlight for me was Rivet. They were a fun protagonist who helped ground that story.

This is my first Ratchet & Clank game, and I don’t think I’m dying to see a sequel to this anytime soon. However, Rift Apart by itself is a blast to play through.

5) Life is Strange: True Colors:

I am both thrilled there is a new Life Is Strange game and also how Deck Nine has another shot at this series. Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, which was made by Deck Nine back in 2017, turned out to be a really solid package that had enough creative moments to make it stand out from the original game. Thankfully, their excellent work has continued with True Colors.

This game both warms my heart, but also made me agonize over the drama between characters. While I haven’t ranked all of the games together, I will say the character work and interpersonal drama is among my favorite in the series, particularly with Alex and Steph. On a related note, while the Life Is Strange games always looked nice thanks to its art direction, the facial animation really helps bring these characters to life. There are fun moments across both the main story and the Wavelengths side story that helps elevate this beyond the simple adventure game staples that have always been with the series. Although I loved the road trip feel of Life Is Strange 2, it was nice to set a game in one central location and explore the space as time progressed between the different chapters.

Aside from all of that, there’s just something about the vibe of these games that I continue to find endearing, even after all of these years. Similar to what Bakalar said about how he will gladly play a Resident Evil game every 2 years, if Square Enix keeps making these I will happily show up. I sincerely hope Life Is Strange continues to be a thing moving forward.

4) Hitman 3:

I have two main Hitman thoughts.

First, I think Hitman 3 by itself is a really good game. Dartmoor and Berlin in particular are really ingenious maps and the story is arguably the best executed in the series. If I have complaints, it is with Dubai—since large parts of that level just feel like a hallway with nothing interesting happening—and the final level. Although the train is probably one of the best ways to end that story, there isn't much replay value there. It is an interesting package that has some of the most clever Hitman levels, even if it isn't as well rounded as, say, Hitman 2.

Second, 2021 was dominated by Hitman for me. I imported all three games and went through all 20+ maps multiple times. I completed challenges I’ve never done before and discovered various fine details throughout all of these levels I never noticed before. As a collected work, the Hitman trilogy is my Game of the Year. Some maps I can point to and say I don’t care for this as much, but at the same time every map has its place. There are so many environments, so many ways to complete your mission, and somewhere in between the well told cloak and dagger story is one of the funniest games I have ever played.

Hitman 3 by itself may not be the best game in the series, but the entire World of Assassination trilogy is a masterpiece.

3) Resident Evil Village:

What I’m about to say is going to sound stupid, but it is also one of the best ways to sum up my time with this game. Resident Evil Village feels like the game where the developers had the strongest idea of what they were making. It is a wonderful hodgepodge of absurdist camp, body horror, and monster of the week energy. It is a gorgeous game with various locales all surrounded by imagery you would see from an album cover of an obscure Norwegian black metal band that still only puts out music on cassette.

Usually Resident Evil games have a similar tone throughout. In Resident Evil 2, you largely feel cornered and out numbered, while Resident Evil 4 feels like you are able to fight back against a constant danger. On the other hand, Resident Evil Village feels all over the place. Within the course of one game, I went from from feeling overwhelmed to being able to take on the world. I went from feeling like I had enough firepower to destroy anything that crossed my path to being so exhausted I was praying I didn’t have to fight anymore monsters. While there are times I was frantically running for my life, the game also adds several quiet moments and sections that are nothing but puzzles. This pacing helps keep Resident Evil Village feeling fresh from beginning to end.

From the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 to Resident Evil Village, it’s clear that Capcom knows exactly what they are doing with this series. What helps elevate Village above those other games is how they blend everything together into a greatest hits style mashup, all while not going straight back to the well with Umbrella research laboratories.

Also, that vampire lady is tall. Like really tall.

2) The Forgotten City:

Out of all the games on my list, The Forgotten City is the number one game I want to say, “Just play it”. Part of it is because the game has multiple mysteries running in parallel, and it’s really fun to piece everything together. Part of it is the setup is both really fascinating and unique, and it's fun to go in blind to see the pitch for yourself. Part of it is this game sure does go some places, to the point where on the title screen there is a disclaimer asking people to stream a certain section.

What I will say instead is that this is a wonderful game. It is an insightful game that applies philosophical discussions in a way I have not seen before in a game, while also having plenty of funny moments. It is also arguably the perfect time loop game; one which also knows when it is appropriate to do some hand waving to help you have a better experience. Finally, everything coalesces into an excellent, hopeful ending.

There’s a lot more I could say about The Forgotten City, but again, it’s one of those things I think you should just see for yourself.

1) Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy:

Sometimes you can’t help but sit back and think, “Man, this game is good”. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy just clicked in a way that kind of snuck up on me. The reductive way to describe it is it’s like Mass Effect. You roll with a squad across the galaxy, you tell them when to use their powers, and when it’s done you hang out on your ship and talk about their lives.

One paper, there isn’t anything revolutionary about what this game is. That’s not to say anything is disappointing about it either. The game looks great, particularly the characters and many of the alien environments. While it takes a minute to get moving, the combat is satisfying, especially towards the end of the game where you and your fully leveled up squad just bulldoze almost everything in your way. While some character work is a miss—for example, Peter can be a bit whiny at times—basically everything else is fantastic.

Arguably the best achievement with Guardians of the Galaxy is its story. By the end of the game, I cared for all of the main cast of characters. It is also confident enough to let scenes play out. The Guardians and several other side characters have multiple standout moments. There are some pivotal character moments—whether it is characters coming to terms with their grief, accepting that somebody has passed, or overcoming their fears—that are done exceptionally well. All of this falls neatly within a story that has multiple threads that seem unrelated, until they get bundled up together.

While that sentiment is especially true for the characters and narrative, that’s how I feel about the entire game. From hanging out on the ship, to exploring environments, to how the combat works, to the entire game’s presentation, it all just works.

If that wasn't enough, Guardians of the Galaxy also features Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero”, one of the greatest songs ever. Need I say more?

<a very long, disgusted sigh>

I mean, at least there were some good games in 2020.

But first, some housekeeping:

Honorary Awards:

Old Game of the Year:

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Best Game I Played Like Two-Fifths Of:

Kentucky Route Zero

Best Game That Lost The Plot:

Doom Eternal

Best Game I Suck At:

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2

Best "I Don't Know...This Is Fine...<Looks At The Camera And Shrugs Unceremoniously>" Game:

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Best Use Of Hatsune Miku:

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Mega Mix

Best Game That Is Not As Good As Resident Evil 2:

Resident Evil 3

Best "Wait, Is This What Animal Crossing Is? Oh...Oh......" Game:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Best Game I Stopped Playing After I Got Sidetracked When I Foolishly Decided To Play Through Final Fantasy VII Remake, Persona 5: Royal, The Last of Us Part II, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses Back-To-Back:

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore

2020's Unofficial Eleventh Best Game Of The Year:

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Best Games I Didn't / Barely(*) Played:

1. Bugsnax
2. Demon's Souls
3. Fuser
4. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout(*)
5. Ori and the Will of the Wisps(*)
6. Paradise Killer
7. Tell Me Why
8. The Longing(*)
9. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2
10. Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children(*)

Runners Up (Unranked):

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
2. Deep Rock Galactic
3. Doom Eternal
4. Dreams
5. Frog Fractions GotDE - Hop's Iconic Cap
6. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Mega Mix
7. Kentucky Route Zero
8. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
9. Resident Evil 3
10. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore

Game Of The Year:

X) Persona 5 Royal

This is technically a 2020 game, but...you know...This game is old. And I sure did play around 160 hours of Persona 5: Royal, which accounted for about a month of my free time this summer. But a similar thing happened to me back in 2017.

With Persona 3: Portable and Persona 4: Golden, there were tweaks made to the game that sold it as an overall upgrade, which made those versions the definitive Persona 3 and Persona 4 experiences. With Persona 5: Royal, since the original game was already a masterpiece in a lot of ways, it’s not quite that night and day comparison. There’s no “Oh my god, you can control your party members, so now Mitsuru will stop casting Marin Karin on everything” equivalent with Royal. This time around, we’re talking about an exceptional game getting fine tuned and a new ending.

That’s not to say Persona 5: Royal isn’t worth it. In case there was any doubt, it is indeed the best way to play Persona 5, if you haven’t already. However, when I talk to people who thought Persona 5 was already a tremendously long game and they ask me if it’s worth it to go through all of Persona 5 again to see the new stuff, it’s honestly a hard sell.

It’s still Persona 5. It was my GOTY of 2017 and one of the best games I played in 2020. But it also feels like I’m cheating putting it on my list again. So I’m letting Persona 5: Royal float out here in the abyss, simultaneously included and not included on this list.

10) Astro's Playroom

This game is just a delight. While some Nintendo stuff in recent years felt shallow to me (glances over at Super Mario Odyssey), Astro’s Playroom is filled with joy. It’s a beautiful game, with catchy music, and a heck of a lot of charm. For a pack-in game for the PS5 designed to celebrate the history of PlayStation, this game is surprisingly fun. I seriously hope Sony gives the Astro Bot team a blank check for whatever they want to to do next.

Also, the haptic feedback has to be experienced for yourself. At a certain point in the game where it is raining, I stopped playing the game so I could relax while “feeling” the rain fall. While the Dual Sense can do a ton of unique things, that moment made me wish I had some meditation app or some chill Laid-Back Camp-esque experience for me to unwind to.

9) Monster Train

It feels like there are a billion deck building games now, but this is the first one that grabbed my attention in a post-Slay the Spire world. In Monster Train, being able to upgrade your hero and minion cards, dealing with multiple play fields, and being able to pull cards from two decks really makes this an inventive deck building game.

While I probably overall enjoyed Slay the Spire more and wish there were some things that were tightened up about this game, like having a faster way to end battles without fast forwarding the game speed by a thousand, there’s a lot in Monster Train I like more. I’m not sure if there are plans to add new stuff through updates or if they will ever release an expansion, but I would love to see more from this type of deck building.

8) Crusader Kings III

Crusader Kings III is a forever game. When I look at it, I think “Sure, you could spend a thousand hours playing this”. So far, I’ve only spent 30 or so hours with it.

That first play through (plus a handful of hours fumbling through tutorials) was some of the most fascinating storytelling experiences I had with a game in a long time. It’s a strategy game where when things took a turn for the worse, it was exhilarating. When my first kingdom was coming to an end, it was gripping. It’s one of the few games that made me think, “Aww shit, this sucks...This is awesome!” And the few fleeting moments where everything was going my way, I felt like one of the great tactioners.

I absolutely love Crusader Kings III, but I also haven’t seen that much of it in the grand scheme of things, especially when you factor in how I got a game over long before I reached the end game with my first kingdom. To use an apples and oranges comparison, it’s like trying to review Civilization after just one match. I’m also not sure I want this to take over my life, so I’ll probably only play Crusader Kings like every six months or so. With that said, this is still a hell of a game.

7) Spiritfarer

There's so many things I like about Spiritfarer, I'm trying to figure out how to talk about this game without coming up with a twenty item long bullet point list. What I will say instead is this game just works. The farming, the sailing, the emotional journey that reflects on life and death. Some characters I did not gravitate to as much as others and the game is arguably too long in spots. At the same time, there are some really beautiful sequences, particularly with all of the departures, and a few hard hitting moments--Uncle Atul disappearing is probably the biggest thing that got me.

Before I start to ramble, I'll just say this is a beautiful and fun game you should try for yourself.

6) The Last of Us Part II

Most of what I have to say about The Last of Us Part II is in this blog I wrote last year, so I’ll keep this short.

In truth, this would be higher on my list if this game brought back the multiplayer mode from the first game (yeah, I’m that guy) and if I played through the game again. The reason why I didn’t immediately jump back into The Last of Us Part II like I wanted to was because of how sad the game made me (again, read the blog for why that is if you’re curious). Since then, I think I have accepted what that ending does and would be warmer to it if I experienced that story again. That said, I have not done that yet.

Those two points aside, The Last of Us Part II is one of the most immersive games I played in 2020 and it is nonetheless an incredible achievement.

Side Note!

Back in my 2017 GOTY blog, I had a random comment about how I had a hard time picking a Game Of The Year. I could have made an argument for any of my top three games--Yakuza 0, NieR:Automata, and Persona 5--actually my GOTY. Well, in 2020 I have a similar problem. However, instead of a couple of games, it's half my list.

I keep starring at this list of games and I just can't make up my mind, because they are all so good! The slightest nudge could push any of these games up or down the list. Instead of dreading on the order of these games 'til the end of time, I'm just going to talk about the games as they are currently ranked.

5) Destiny 2: Beyond Light

Beyond Light is some of the best Destiny stuff I have played. Forsaken probably is still the overall best expansion, since it is more consistent throughout and doesn't rely on backtracking as much as Beyond Light does towards the later parts of that story. That said, Europa is arguably my favorite location in all of Destiny 2. While Forsaken had the better overall campaign that helped teach me why I would do all of these different stuff I see on the map, Beyond Light and the various seasonal content introduced this year, including the Prophecy dungeon, taught me why I should keep coming back to Destiny as an ongoing live service game.

Now, since I have you here, I'm just going to talk about Destiny 2 in general.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Beyond Light and the other ongoing seasonal content Bungie released in 2020, there’s also a significant time and place factor for Destiny. You see, living in the United States over the past handful of years has kinda been a nightmare. And then you throw a pandemic on top of that mess. Fairly early on during the lockdown I thought, “Hey, I should play Destiny again, so I have some stuff to do with people”.

Fast forward a bit and that nudged me towards a lot of the late game content, which I honestly never thought I would experience. I ended up doing the secret Zero Hour and The Whisper quests. That eventually led to me being carried through Scourge of the Past, which is considered one of the more beginner friendly raids. After that, I ran through Last Wish and Crown of Sorrow.

Then all three Dungeons: Pit of Heresy, The Shattered Throne, and Prophecy.

I also went through Dog Bottom, right before it was vaulted.

In between all of that, I went down a rabbit hole of old seasonal content, like The Menagerie, and a bunch of exotic quests I never finished, including a mad dash through Garden of Salvation to get Divinity.

All of that culminated into doing the Beyond Light raid, Deep Stone Crypt, blind with a squad of people the weekend it was released. While all of the raids I've gone through are fun and among the best content in Destiny, there is a difference between being held by the hand and not understanding half of the mechanics and fumbling around with something you do not understand, learning mechanics and encounters on the fly. Why did this basement catch on fire? Why did this boss just squash me? Why is half the team suddenly in outer space? Why did we all die? All of these questions and more you will ask yourself over the next 16 hours!!

At the time of this note, I have cleared Deep Stone Crypt 17 times over approximately 45 hours. I've played and enjoyed this raid alone more than a lot of the games on this list. While it is arguably the best thing I have experienced in Destiny alongside Last Wish , it is also the most fun I had doing something in this game.

Destiny ended up providing me a sense of normalcy in the 2020 shit storm. It was a game I could spend as much or as little time as I wanted with it. It was a game that gave me enough new stuff to do and plenty of backlog content to explore. It helped give me something to do with people as I continued to self isolate and wonder to myself when I will ever see my friends and family again. For all of those reasons, Destiny 2 in the year 2020 is one of the best games I’ve played this year.

4) 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Hey! Here's the perfect picture to summarize 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim!

Jokes aside, one of the reasons that makes the game so special is how dense it is. I can tell you crazy things that will sound like major spoilers, when it is something that happens in the first couple hours and is relatively mundane compared to the bat shittery that's right around every corner. If you listened to the spoiler discussions regarding 13 Sentinels during the Giant Bomb GOTY Deliberations, there is a lot more that Jan and Vinny didn't have time to talk about.

The fact that the game can keep this bonkers story held together without spinning apart is an accomplishment. It is one of the most well crafted, intertwining stories I have seen in a game in a long time. 13 Sentinels also taps into just about every science fiction trope you can think of while making it its own thing. The game also does a stellar job of giving all of these characters depth and room to grow. There is even one of my favorite LGBT stories I've seen in a game in god knows how long. When the credits rolled, I cared for all fifteen main characters in this story and thought they delivered on everything they setup.

By the way, the art in this game is gorgeous and the mech tower defense is also pretty fun.

3) Yakuza: Like a Dragon

I sincerely hope this is the future of the Yakuza series. For the first time this team made a game like this and for how they apparently changed course mid-development to turn this into an RPG, this turned out pretty damn great. Some things are janky, like how your party can be thirty feet away from the enemies you are attacking or how some characters will charge straight at their targets even if they are around the corner, making them run straight into a wall until the game warps them to where they need to be. At the same time, that also leads to moments like your drunk knuckleheaded friends charging into bike racks, kicking a dozen bikes into the air, whooping people's asses, kicking them into the street, and watching them get run over by cars. Beyond the battle system, the RPG mechanics being translated to the personality stat traits that you can level up by doing the random side activities gives you more of a reason to engage with those mini-games.

The sincere melodrama, the badass over-the-topness, and dumb as shit side bits are all here as well. Apart of me thinks Yakuza 0 may deliver on this balance better, but I'm honestly not sure if that's because I was experiencing Yakuza for the first time. That said, it is all still great, even when one specific late game reveal--how there was not one, but two coin locker babies--is a real eye rolling moment.

The one other thing that Yakuza: Like a Dragon does exceptionally well setting the story around Kasuga Ichiban and having it keep coming back to making your own place in the world. The earnestness this game presents friendship between these bunch of outcasts warms my soul. There are certain touches I hope other games like Persona steal. When I saw the final scene play out, I couldn't help but wonder what will happen to Ichiban and Company next. Whether or not they continue with his story, by itself Yakuza: Like a Dragon is an amazing game from top to bottom.

2) Final Fantasy VII Remake

To be honest, I played Final Fantasy VII Remake more out of obligation than anything else. This game was rumored for almost a decade and took another four or five years to come out after they announced it. I enjoyed the original Final Fantasy VII at the time, but it wasn’t even my favorite Final Fantasy. As the years went on, my knowledge started to dwindle to the point where my memories outside of certain key moments boil down to a scientist turning into a monster man, Cloud gets on a motorcycle, and there’s something called Jenova. That’s all the more reason why I was surprised why I loved this game so much.

Within the first two or three battles, I was sold on the combat, which only got better the more you played it. In a lot of ways, it felt like Square Enix took all the lessons they’ve learned over the past decade from Final Fantasy XIII through Final Fantasy XV, refined it all into this one game, and executed on it far better than what I imagined. It is now arguably one of my all-time favorite RPG battle systems.

Final Fantasy VII Remake also has one of the most memorable cast of characters this year. This game spent so much time developing Jessie, I had to ask multiple people if this was all new stuff or if I completely forgot about what role they had in the original game. Over the course of the game, everybody from AVALANCHE to Tifa to Aerith gets their own time to shine.

It is not “most RPG” at a modest 40 or so hours long, but it is arguably one of the better ones because it is so focused on this one part of the larger Final Fantasy VII story. Some games I’ve played this year like Persona 5: Royal and Yakuza: Like A Dragon felt like eating at a buffet. There were times when I simultaneously thought “I’m having a great time” and “Dude, there’s too much stuff in this game”. A lot of RPGs get bloated under the weight of it all. On the other hand, Final Fantasy VII Remake felt just right. It was long enough for things to stay fresh, but not long enough to make you contemplate your life choices.

Now here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another 18 years for Part II.

1) Hades

Read what Ron Funches had to say. No finer description of Hades exists.

In terms of what hasn’t been said a billion times, I was surprised by the replayability with regards to the story. From finding out why Zagreus wants to escape hell, to learning more about his family’s history, to reaching the epilogue, there was always something that kept my interest for 90 hours. Even setting the big story stuff aside, I wanted to learn more about Patroclus, patch things up with Megaera, and chat with Eurydice. On top of that, it is staggering how much writing there is in Hades and how long it took me to start seeing more generic lines of dialogue.

While there are stories I enjoyed more this year, the writing made me want to keep seeing what Hades had to offer, long after my first successful clear.

The year: 2014. The day: Halloween. The show: Unprofessional Fridays.

This was the moment Jeff Gerstmann dressed up in a penguin costume.

This was also the moment I happened to pause the video, was amused by the results, and decided to start saving screenshots from random paused moments in various Giant Bomb videos. Why? Uh...<waves arms in a way that does not provide any justification or clarity>

It is Halloween once again. It is also the year 2020, a time which I watch the vast majority of Giant Bomb stuff on my Apple TV. As a result, I essentially stopped taking screenshots like this. When I do, it is usually when I'm randomly watching something on my iPad because...<waves arms again, as if doing so a second time would provide reason>

So over a hundred screenshots later across multiple devices, here is a sampling from my collection. Because...what else am I going to do with them? Enjoy. (Resolutions are all over the place between the shift from 720p to 1080p, how I took the screenshots, etc.)

And lastly...

Happy Halloween everyone.

In case you somehow missed the spoiler tag in the title, hey spoilers. Here's a picture of a True Legend if you need some time to bail out of here.

My Not Quite Review of The Last of Us Part II

Since I finished The Last of Us Part II a week ago, I've been processing how I feel about the ending to the game. The overall experience is without a doubt exceptional. The graphical fidelity and art is second to none. While the game largely takes place in Seattle, they use the space and find unique set pieces throughout the course of the game. Even in relatively small areas like the Chinatown section of Seattle pack so much detail it's impossible not to be impressed by it. Beyond the visuals, audio, acting, writing, and so on, I just love how these games play. I enjoy playing these games so much, I'm honestly puzzled when I hear people say the action in these games are only serviceable. And while the game is long--it took me 30 hours to see the ending--when I look back on my time with it, everything feels just about right. From the sky bridge section to the zoo to roaming the streets of Seattle with Ellie and Dina, nothing felt too long. The length is due to just how much stuff is in this game, rather than something overstaying its welcome

I only have two knocks against the game. While many of the collectibles are really well done, the context behind some are a little weird. When I read some of the notes, I couldn't help but think, "Why did somebody write a letter to this person". For example, when next door neighbors in an apartment wrote notes back and forth to each other, as opposed to just talking to each other. Or why would somebody write down a sensitive, life or death, message to a person, when they are literally leaving a paper trail to be discovered. The second minor complaint I have about the game is with some of the side characters. When I look back on The Last of Us, many of the side characters have their own arcs crescendo which caps off that part of the game. Sarah's death is an emotional gut punch that was executed so well it still hits me all of these years later. Tess's "obligation" speech to Joel both adds plenty of subtle context behind their relationship and gives the narrative it's last big push of motivation to get Ellie to the Fireflies. Bill telling Joel "Get the fuck out of my town" is a pitch perfect final line for their character and that section of the game. In comparison, The Last of Us Part II doesn't quite have that between a lot of characters suddenly getting shot in the head and the lack of time in the story to develop a few relationships.

By and large, The Last of Us Part II is an exceptional follow up to one of my favorite games of all-time. However, while the first game made me want to shout out on the mountain tops how much I love this game, The Last of Us Part II makes me want to sit down and quietly think to myself. My feelings have been all over the place. I don't dislike the game, in fact, I admire the hell out of it, but I also don't feel like shouting "This game is awesome!" My simplified, one sentence reason for all of these mixed emotions and all of this wishy-washy back and forwardness is, "The ending is a bummer".

I personally don't find the game to be too brutal or violent. A lot of details like how Ellie and Abby choking or slitting people's throats or the jump cut to black as a clicker is killing them were in the previous game. That aspect never really bothered me at the time and now it doesn't feel like anything goes too far. There are definitely some hard to watch sequences--like what happens to Yara--but nothing felt excessive to me. And no, my mixed feelings have nothing to do with how Joel dies. Even in "these unprecedented times", I wasn't too turned off with playing a dark and depressing game like The Last of Us Part II. So when I talk about this game being "a bummer", it is not because of any of those reasons. All of this is wrapped up with what happened starting with the game's false ending.

So About That Ending

After Ellie and Abby's stalemate at the theater, Ellie and Dina go home. They start their farm outside Jackson, like they chatted about earlier in the game. Ellie has some quality baby time with JJ and you get to walk around their new home. The whole sequence sure feels like an ending to a video game. But then, Ellie leaves. She goes after Abby again, this time heading to California. After running into a group of slavers, Ellie eventually tracks down the compound Abby and Lev are being kept. She even manages to free both of them.

At this point, it seemed like the game was going to turn into a story of forgiveness. Even though Ellie and Abby throw down their arms and walk away in Seattle, it was more based on Abby having enough of everything. Nothing is forgiven. Two people who were trying to kill each other just stopped. So when Ellie goes after Abby, I thought, "Ah ha. What better way to settle this dispute by Ellie inadvertently saving Abby and Lev, and she says something like 'Now we're even' and she rides off into the sunset."

Yeah, except Ellie still tries to kill Abby.

During this final section of the game, I stopped controlling Ellie twice. When Ellie left Dina and JJ, I started thinking to myself "Why". When the game forced me to fight Abby to the death, I was in disbelief. I didn't really think the game had multiple endings--one where Ellie killed Abby and another where Abby killed Ellie--but I didn't want to do what the game was telling me to. So I got not one, but two game over screens, because Abby won the fight killed Ellie. At that point, I fought Abby enough that Ellie finally stopped and let her go.

So Abby and Lev sail away. Do they ever see the Fireflies? Do they even live past the end of that week? Who knows.

So Ellie returns to the farm. Dina and JJ left. The house is cleared out, except for Ellie's art studio. She tries playing the guitar, but can't because of her two missing fingers. The last we see of Ellie is her walking away from the farm. To go back to Jackson? To reunite with Dina? To tell Tommy what happened? To never see any of those people ever again? Who knows.

There's obviously a lot more to unpack with the ending of The Last of Us Part II, particularly with the flashbacks between Ellie and Joel that bridge the events of the first and second game. Before I get too deep into their history, there's something I want to talk about that is coloring my perception of the ending.

The Last of Us Part II and Revenge

The Last of Us Part II arguably goes out of its way to talk about the nature of revenge. With the final scene in Seattle, Abby goes to the theater to kill Ellie, after Ellie went after all of her friends. The reason why Ellie went after The Wolves and Abby was because Abby killed Joel. However, the reason why Abby killed Joel was because Joel killed her father. With the backdrop of the escalating war between The WLF and The Seraphites, there is so much back and forth between their factions. The WLF are going to kill The Seraphites, because they killed their people, but The Seraphites killed people in The WLF because the WLF killed people in The Seraphites, etc. etc. etc. Even within the revenge story, there are similarities. Tommy kills Manny by shooting him in the head. Later, Abby kills Jesse by shooting him in the head. Ellie kills Mel, who is pregnant. Later, Abby threatens to kill Dina, who is also pregnant.

Long before the game came out, Naughty Dog's pitch for The Last of Us Part II was around the fact that this was a story about revenge and hatred, so it's no surprise that these conflicts are all over the final game. However, one surprising thing about the story is how it doesn't quite fit in with a lot of other revenge stories. The first revenge plot in the game is with Abby going to Jackson to get revenge on Joel. Instead of dwelling on this mystery or having an extended sequence where Abby goes to Jackson and tracks Joel down, the two more or less bump into each other. Abby's quest for revenge is fulfilled by accident. When The WLF realize who Joel is, the temperature of the room almost feels like, "Is that it?"

Abby killing Joel is arguably the most straightforward revenge story in The Last of Us Part II. Character A is wronged by Character B. Character A gets revenge on Character B. End of story. The other escalating revenge scenarios in the game are not as clear cut and don't fall in the typical revenge story archetypes. Generally speaking, revenge stories typically fall into one of these molds:

• Character seeks revenge and accomplishes their goal (i.e. Evil doer dies and main character gets some closure)
• Character seeks revenge, gets it, but there is a tragic complication (i.e. The character dies in the progress, they realize they are the real monster, etc.)
• Character seeks revenge, but fails (i.e. Character tries to take on the system, but isn't capable of fighting against it)
• Character starts off seeking revenge, but forgives the person who wronged them

The later story arcs in The Last of Us Part II don't really fall into one of these categories. Ellie and Abby never get their revenge on each other. At the same time, the two never really find peace either. There are multiple climaxes, between the end of Ellie and Abby's respective Seattle sections and Ellie tracking down Abby in California. Initially it seemed like things would turn out alright with Ellie living with Dina at the farm in the false ending, but that is quickly thrown out the window and leads to the final act of the game. Ultimately for how out of the way The Last of Us Part II talks about the vicious cycle of revenge, it also goes out of its way to not give a proper resolution to a lot of these threads either.

From my perspective, The Last of Us Part II isn't really a revenge story like Naughty Dog said it was. Instead it feels more like a story that happens to talk about revenge. At the end of the day, the story isn't really focused on whether or not Ellie or Abby got their revenge and how they reflect on that.

With all of that said, what is the point of this story?

It Can't All Be For Nothing, Part II

The final gut punch in The Last of Us Part II is not that Ellie doesn't get her revenge or how she goes back to the farm, only see it abandoned. It all comes back to Ellie's place in the world.

Maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised by some of this. After all, the game has a "Part II" appended to its name, rather than a #2 or a subtle. The game opens with Joel confessing to Tommy how he saved Ellie, and the game continues to sprinkle in flashbacks between Ellie and Joel, all somehow connecting back to the Fireflies, the hospital, and Joel's decision. Ellie eventually learns the truth about what he did and their relationship with Joel deteriorates.

The final flashback, and one of the last scenes in the game, is Ellie talking to Joel. After their falling out, Ellie starts to open up to Joel. She's still not over her survival's guilt with how she is immune, while Riley died. She's still not over how Joel took away her agency and decided what's best for her. After all of these years, Ellie is still waiting for her turn. Their encounter ends on an optimistic note, with Ellie being open to getting closer to Joel. Nothing was forgiven, but hope they can bridge the gap. And the next day Abby kills Joel.

The Last of Us Part II shifts its focus from how Ellie was getting revenge for Joel to more about Ellie's state in life. She never got over the events of The Last of Us and the opportunity she had to get closure was taken away from her. It's not just the reason for Ellie going to Seattle, but going after Abby again in California, even though on its surface both of them moved on. The false ending with Ellie, Dina, and JJ at the farm is the closest thing to a happy ending we have seen in The Last of Us, but it is a world Ellie couldn't live with.

So...Yeah...

The Last of Us Part II is a marvel in story, animation, graphics, gameplay, music, level design, controls, and just about everything else you can think of. It tackles the seemingly impossible task of making a sequel to The Last of Us; let alone one starring Ellie and Joel. The few set pieces are fantastic and just about every encounter is tense as hell. That said, the game has plenty of quieter moments that is reminiscent of the best parts in The Last of Us: Left Behind. Finally, The Last of Us Part II has an unexpected and emotional ending that...makes me feel sad.

A number of my favorite novels, movies, TV shows, and video games are tragedies. There are dark and grim stories I get excited when I talk to other people about them, because they have some excellent capital D "drama" . Years ago I wrote about how much I loved the ending to the first game, despite how complicated and tragic it is. To this day, the ending of The Last of Us is one of my favorite endings to a story period.

With The Last of Us Part II, it's a well constructed ending, but...I don't know. We don't know what comes of Abby, Lev, Dina, or Ellie, and we probably never will. Instead, the game just lingers on Ellie being alone with no agency. Her connection to Joel severed. It's that quiet feeling you get when you realize not everything is going to be Ok. Or that not everybody will get their happy ending. Or get better and overcome their problems.

I intend to replay The Last of Us Part II to experience the story again, hunt for those collectibles, and to play through those encounters on a more challenging difficulty. If I didn't play so many long games back-to-back (I just finished a 160+ hour play through of Persona 5 Royal days before this game came out), I probably would have kept playing it. However, as it stands I have my memories of that first play through and my reaction of seeing those final hours play out. The Last of Us Part II is an incredible game I enjoyed immensely with an exceptional story. That said, if you were to ask me "Did you 'enjoy' the ending", I would say "No".

Last weekend, I and many other people traveled to the faraway land of Chicago to attend the...wait, what was this thing called...

<looks at my notes>

..."NieR: Orchestra Concert re:12018"....

Sure, yeah, the NieR concert they're touring around right now. Here is my detailed report.

Before The Show:

Since the release of 2017's NieR:Automata, there's been no shortage albums, concerts, and NieR chill music mixes to study/work to all over the place. In fact, there's a decent chance you've listened to these soundtracks over and over or watched one of these concerts uploaded to YouTube.

To my knowledge, all of these concerts have so far taken place in Japan. Which is one of the reasons why I lost my goddamn mind when Square Enix announced that they were bringing one of these performances to the United States. Something I never thought I would see suddenly became a reality. So my friend and I, talking about how this was likely a now or never situation, decided to fly to Chicago to experience this for ourselves.

Going to the NieR concert, I had a similar feeling to when I attended a Hatsune Miku concert a few years earlier. It's a little jarring to be in a normal environment one minute and then seeing a gathering of YoRHa's the next. Walking up to the main entrance, my friend and I followed a couple dressed in white and black maid outfits. Inside, nearly everywhere you looked there was somebody cosplaying. In the concert hall, you can see a lot of white wigs scattered everywhere. A few rows in front of us, there were four people—a 2B, a 9S, an A2, and a 60—each carrying Minnesota Vikings jackets. There were people holding and/or giving each other white flowers, which would probably make a lot more sense to me if I ever played the original NieR. While waiting for the show to start, we talked to the people next to us. It turns out everybody traveled from somewhere to be there. Being in place like that, talking to strangers who are really excited for the exact same reason you are, and standing next to cosplayers who put in a ton of effort creating those incredible costumes is just a nice, wholesome, sweet moment.

While waiting for the show to start, the scale of the production really sat in. The concert I embedded in this here blog has a dozen or so different musicians. For this show, there was around a hundred musicians, a choir, and a decently sized screen. Now, since I was at The Orchestra, I wasn't going to be that guy who was going to use their electronic devices during a performance like that, so unfortunately I don't have any footage of the actual show. However, I did take a few photos when it seemed appropriate. Like when Emil sang their store jingle right before the show started. If that doesn't get y'all in the mood, I don't know what will.

The Concert:

With the concert itself, I was pleasantly surprised by how much music they played. I honestly had no idea how long they were going to go or what the set list was going to be. Turns out, there were two sets, both lasting about an hour each.

First, there was a NieR Replicant / Gestalt set. I never played the original NieR, but I listened to the original soundtrack a lot throughout last year. That's why I have a pretty strong connection to these songs even when they are divorced from the story. They ended up playing basically all of the big hits for me, such as "Song of the Ancients", "Ashes of Dreams", "Kaine", and "Emil". One thing I particularly enjoyed was how they used diary entries between songs, footage from the game, on screen text to help retell the game's story. As somebody who has listened to songs like "Shadowlord", but sure as hell had no idea what a Shadowlord was, this was a neat way to help stream this set together.

After an hour's worth of NieR music and a twenty or so minute intermission, it was time for the NieR: Automata portion. Similarly with the NieR Gestalt / Replicant half, the Automata set was filled with bangers ranging from "City Ruins", "A Beautiful Song", "The Tower", "Amusement Park", and—of course—"The Weight of the World".

If the NieR set list was designed to re-tell the story, Automata was more like a mood piece. The screen showed various cut scenes from the game and pieced together some stuff like...showing endings C and D, and dramatizing ending E with a pretty baller lyric music video...they also showed stuff like Simone giving a monologue, and a bullet hell, but the bullets were images of the machines like Pascal. You could tell that the Automata portion was structured around the assumption that basically everybody there played through at least that game. In fact, at one point during the show they mentioned that Yoko Taro helped cut together the NieR Gestalt / Replicant footage, because he figured not a whole lot of people played the first game. Even though they both had a different style and flair to them, the two sets were well done and were effective ways to present those games.

As for the music, it was about as great as you would expect. Being in the same room as an orchestra and choir bringing those songs to life was something truly to behold. The concert had a nice flow between more dramatic songs like "Ashes of Dreams", to more quieter songs like "The Tower", to the more bombastic songs like "The Dark Colossus Destroys All" from the original NieR, which was the final song of the show. When they played that song with the full force of the orchestra, you can imagine they picked that song as the finale as if they wanted to remind you one last time how much power something like that can produce.

Overall, between the song selection, the presentation, and the performance of everybody there, the NieR concert definitely met my expectations.

The Guests:

At the beginning and end of the concert, the NieR concerts had a number of special guests.

First, there was Keiichi Okabe, the composer for both NieR and NieR: Automata. They opened the show by talking about how great it was to bring this concert around the world and thanked everybody for coming out. Next was Emi Evans, who came out on stage to sing "Kaine" and "The Weight of the World". Up next as the concert was coming to a close—HOLY SHIT YOKO TARO!!!

Holy guacamole, I saw Yoko Taro! That's wild! I didn't meet him or anything, but, yo, that was still pretty dope.

Conclusion:

Overall, I was really happy I managed to make it out the NieR concert. This is probably my favorite orchestral concert I've attended, let alone of the video game variety. There are some video game concerts that won't require too much convincing for me to go to if I had the opportunity. However, hearing NieR's beautiful and haunting score come to life like that was something else. The production that went into retelling those stories and connected all of the songs together was just icing on the cake. Who knows if they will keep doing these concerts or where they will be held if they do so. That said, if you love the soundtrack to NieR, I wholeheartedly recommend going if you ever have the chance.

Oh, And Also: Chicago!

As an added bonus to seeing one of my favorite video game soundtracks played live, I also went to Chicago! This trip was also an excuse for my friend and I to eat some damn good food. Like going to Kuma's Corner, a kickass burger place that plays heavy metal music, to eat this monster...

...and going to a pizza place that served this pizza shaped lasagna.

Like this pizza just has sliced tomatoes on it. You're crazy Chicago!

We continue to be in the worst timeline, yet the games still come.

But first, some housekeeping:

Honorary Awards:

Old Game of the Year:

Valkyria Chronicles 4

Best Game I Put On My List Last Year:

Slay the Spire

Best Game I'm Waiting To Leave Early Access:

Hades

Best Game I Wish I Had Other People To Play With:

Remnant: From the Ashes

Best Game I Don't Know How To Play:

Dota Underlords

Best Premise That Wasn't That Great Of A Game:

Untitled Goose Game

Best Use of Hatsune Miku:

Cytus II

Best "Boy Y'All Sure Do Love This Game For A Reason I'm Not Seeing" Game:

Outer Wilds

Best "Hey, I Finally Started (But Haven't Finished) Playing Steins;Gate!" Game:

Steins;Gate Elite

2019's Unofficial Eleventh Best Game Of The Year:

Baba Is You

Best Games I Didn't / Barely(*) Played:

1. AI: The Somnium Files(*)
2. Apex Legends
3. Disco Elysium(*)
4. Indivisible
5. Outer Wilds(*)
6. The Outer Worlds(*)
7. Pokémon Sword/Shield
8. Remnant: From the Ashes
9. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
10. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Runners Up (Unranked):

1. Baba Is You
2. Devil May Cry 5
3. Dota Underlords
4. Grindstone
5. Muse Dash
6. Ring Fit Adventure
7. SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech
8. Steins;Gate Elite
9. Telling Lies
10. Untitled Goose Game

Game Of The Year:

While there are many games I wish I could have finished, there are two in particular I really wish I did. I liked them so much as is I'm including them on this list, but I have a hunch those games will be closer towards the top of my list when I'm finally done with them.

#10) Just Dance Now / Just Dance 2020:

I know it's too early to be saying this, but no, this isn't a goof. It turns out I really like Just Dance. The reason why I started playing these games is because I wanted to have an aerobic exercise I could do without thinking too much about "working out". I learned pretty fast that, 1) Moving around like a dork to pop music can be pretty fun, and 2) When you do like 5 to 10 songs in a row, you get a decent workout before you realize it.

Now I know exactly what you're thinking: "Hey, Just Dance has been around forever. Maybe you would have always liked these games. Why put it on your list of 2019 games?" Well, I'm glad you asked. Thankfully the answer is quite simple. One word, two colors:

BLACKPINK.

As an occasional listener of the K-pop, I know at least three things about BLACKPINK:

1. They are in your area.
2. They are the revolution.
3. Their songs slap.

Just Dance 2020 features the song "Kill This Love", which I consider to be a banger. This is my list, therefore I can make any argument I want, including that adding this one song alone is a significant contribution to the series, making Just Dance 2020 a noteworthy release in the Just Dance franchise, therefore it's on this list.

#9) Judgment [Work in Progress]

I started playing Judgment at the exact wrong time. I got about 10 hours into it and then life happened and then it ended up being so long since I last played it I'm thinking that I should probably just restart the whole game. In 2020 I most definitely will replay and finish Judgment, because I loved what I saw of this game so far. Without a doubt it is adjacent to the Yakuza series, but that's alright by me. I honestly don't have a ton to say about this, besides how this game is hitting a lot of the marks that made me like Yakuza 0 so much.

#8) Sayonara Wild Hearts

As promised, we have left the K-pop zone behind us. Now let us enter the synth-pop kingdom. Sayonara Wild Hearts is part concept album, part runner. When I first picked this up on Apple Arcade and tried playing it on my iPhone, it didn't immediately click with me. A few days later, I tried it out again on my Apple TV. While you can play this with a touchscreen, having this on a TV with surround sound pumping out those cool songs really sold me on the experience. Beyond that, the more I got into the game, the more impressed I was. At the beginning, you're just skateboarding and it's pretty straight forward. But over time you start riding mystic forest deer, flying through the air, surfing on hoverboards, and get trapped in a VR headset. This is a game you could easily beat in about 90 minutes, but it is a rad 90 minutes filled to the brim with styyyyyyyyyyle. Below I'm linking a video to the ending of the game, which is one of my favorite sequences in a game all year and shows how ridiculously gorgeous and crazy this game gets.

#7) Super Mario Maker 2

Super Mario Maker 2 is easily a better game than the original Super Mario Maker, but it is unfortunately on a lesser platform for this incredibly specific type of game. I definitely lost weeks making okay-ish levels and fumbling around with some concepts I never finalized and the community seems to be surfacing cooler stuff this time around. The main disappointment I have is it's significantly more difficult to watch other people both create and play levels. The first Super Mario Maker was on my 2015 GOTY list largely because of the Giant Bomb Makes Mario streams. I missed seeing people like Dan and Jeff create some bullshit. I miss stuff like the Goomba Pit. Between that and how the creation tools are laid out on the Switch, my time with Super Mario Maker 2 was both incredibly fulfilling, but ultimately short-lived.

#6) Control [Work in Progress]

Currently I'm about at the halfway point in Control. I know a lot of what this game has to offer, but I'm also aware there's still so much more to explore. I still don't know what's up with the Hiss, or what happened to Darling, or where's that refrigerator everybody keeps talking about. I don't have all of the powers yet, but the current unlocks I do have are a blast to use. It's so satisfying to pick up a fire extinguisher and throw it at a guy to see how that dude is just gone now. The balance between the amount you can use the service weapon and your telekinesis powers feels just right. The combat has a a great flow between shooting enemies and using your abilities, all while prioritizing enemies and going to different pieces of cover.

On top all that, Control has incredible world building filled with unsettling orders from The Board, slick voice over work from Max Payne himself, FMV, audio recordings, and memos. This is my number one game I wish I finished in December, but I just don't think I'll be able to see the rest of it over the next few days. If the second half is just as good as the first, then there's a high probability Control would have been even higher on this list.

#5) Resident Evil 2

I never played the original Resident Evil 2, but this remake feels like a warm blanket. With how so much of the AAA industry slapping games-as-a-service stuff onto everything, a straight forward horror game that's terrifying and campy (while being just grounded enough) feels nice. The small touches to the shooting, camera controls, and inventory modernizes this game so much. Capcom found a wonderful balance between a well playing game that still feels like a survival horror game. On the scale between "This is a horror game and it has to control like shit, because it will make it more tense" to "This has to be the embodiment of a Michael Bay action movie, because that's what sells nowadays", Resident Evil 2 falls right in the middle. I was so happy to play a game like this in 2019, and I can't wait to do it again with the remake of Resident Evil 3.

#4) Life Is Strange 2

Based on the general vibe I got with DONTNOD's sequel to Life Is Strange, it sure doesn't seem like a lot of people played this game, which is a damn shame. Life Is Strange 2 is an incredibly impactful road trip game taking two brothers through Washington all the way down through Arizona. Unlike the first Life Is Strange which takes place in one town over the course of five days with a handful of key characters, Life Is Strange 2 takes place over the course of a year, through numerous locales, with a dozen or so truly well developed people the brothers meet throughout their journey. The game does have some heavy hitting moments, but it also equally nails the quiet ones. Stuff like Sean talking with his father, chatting with Lyla, meeting some strangers on the open road, and....certain other characters I'm not going to mention due to spoilers. (Sean and Daniel's mom and, wait what, David Madsen is in this game?!). Basically every side character has their moment to shine.

While I sincerely adore the first Life Is Strange, there's no doubt some stuff felt a little off about it. There are lines that human teenagers in the United States probably wouldn't say. One of the most impressive things about Life Is Strange 2 is how authentic and sincere everything is. It is one of the most grounded games I've played in recent memory.

Finally, having the story impacted by both Sean—the player character's—decisions and Daniel—who is influenced and receives guidance from his older brother—is a well done advancement of this type of adventure game. While you have full agency over Sean, there are times where Daniel acts based on how you helped raise him. This can range from minor things like if he curses when he shouldn't to larger decisions like how will he use his powers in a tight situation. Seeing how the game plays out differently based on how you raise your brother adds some more color to the typical binary, good / bad choices in a lot of these type of games.

#3) Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Yo, this game is so much fun! It's also so god damn stupid in the best ways. It's a game that encourages you to break it apart just 'cus. It's a game that feels like they said "Yes" to every idea. Should there be like a hundred different weapons? Yes. Should some of those weapons have fighting game style input commands? Yeah. Should you fight Solid Snake welding a samurai sword, Dracula, a dragon, a slot machine, ninjas, and a giant cat? Hell yeah!! Putting aside how silly this game gets, I was legitimately surprised by how much fun I had traversing that castle, building out my character, and killing fools with the biggest sword I could get my hands on. Seeing this game in development and even watching the trailer that boasted about how they were fixing stuff like their "poop" art style, it sure looked like this game was going to bomb. Turns out, it ended up being my favorite playing game this year.

#2) Fire Emblem: Three Houses

The reason why Fire Emblem is one of my favorite games of the year is for its story and characters. Playing through the Black Eagle House and seeing the places Edelgard and Company go is one of the most captivating experiences I've had all year. The game took characters who at first glance look two dimensional—the sleepy guy, the shy girl, the creepy guy, etc.—and fleshed them out to an amazing degree. One of the things that helps develop these characters is how in addition to your interactions with the students of Garreg Mach, they also talk amongst themselves. Want to know why two characters seemingly don't like each other? If their relationship develops you can hear them talk about it. Even pairing two people who at first glance may not have much to talk about can be revealing. For example, with one of these random pairings, a classmate discovered another student's hidden secret you would normally find out about until much later at the beginning of their relationship, almost by accident. All of the relationships either provide insight into the world, reveals something about a character's personality and backstory, or just turns out to be a funny story. It is so well done, it makes me want this type of system in the next Persona game.

So far I've only been talking about the social elements of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. In terms of the strategy elements I did enjoy them, but it also wasn't my favorite tactics gameplay in recent years (those honors go to XCOM 2 and Valkyria Chronicles 4). The stuff around the edges, like instructing your students and how they unlock new classes, is absolutely fantastic and rewarding. The battles themselves handle scale and drama remarkably well. That said, I also felt like I was overpowered for the vast majority of the game. At a certain point, my professor was impossible to kill, and many of my students somehow ended up 5 to 10 levels higher than most of the enemies, which is pretty significant since that means they essentially can't be killed in battle. It's fun to play out those battles, but there were times I didn't feel like anybody was in any real danger. Maybe I would have felt differently if I played on a higher difficulty or if I turned on perma-death. I didn't want to mess with reloading saves whenever somebody died. However, I also didn't realize I could end up rewinding time like 13 times per battle, which makes that possibility effectively zero later in the game.

As a complete package, I like just about everything in Three Houses, especially the social elements and where Edelgard's story goes. Throughout 2020, I know I am going to play through the Golden Deer and the Blue Lion houses to get the full experience. I can't wait to see the other sides of that conflict and to learn more about the 15 or so characters I still know very little about.

#1) Devotion

I'm just going to get right to it: Devotion is a masterpiece. There's a lot to unpack with Red Candle Games's second release and I don't want to list off too many bullet points. At the same time, there's a lot to talk about with this game and why it's such an achievement.

First and foremost, Devotion is a psychological horror game in a similar vein of previous horror games like Silent Hill 2. While it is a horror game that has the occasional jump scare and a few other things one would expect from this type of game, there is so much more to uncover.

It's a tragedy that breaks my heart. It's a complicated story about a dysfunctional family that treats its characters like they are actual people without relying on stereotypes or caricatures that are often seen in these type of stories. While Devotion is a bleak game that goes to some really dark places, there are also some sincerely heartfelt moments. When these scenes play out, I forgot about how I was in a terrible place and the built up tension washes away, at least for a moment. When it takes the time to explore these quiet scenes, I never felt itching to get back to the dread or the scares as I was so engrossed by the game's story. That said, when the unsettling imagery resurfaces and the scares do come back they are super effective, because of those moments that allows you to catch your breath.

While Devotion covers similar ground found in other media, not just video games, it still feels refreshing. Red Candle Games, which is based out of Taiwan, had a similar vibe with their previous game, Detention. Their games explore some universal themes and issues from the perspective Taiwanese people. For example, some of the many things Devotion tackles include gender issues and patriarchal family structures in both a relatable way, but also unique for the time and place this story takes place. At the same time, there's so much stuff to uncover between learning about different customs, pieces of folklore, or the random objects in the locations you are exploring.

The cultural touches are also highlighted through the intricate level design and the attention to detail the developers put into the game. While the game at times plays out with dream-like logic where things happen in a fantastical way, the spaces you explore also feel real and lived in. In addition to how the environment looks, this is also seen in the various notes and storytelling elements scattered throughout the game. The use of collectible notes is one of the best implementations of this type of system I have seen in a game. On top of all that, parts of Devotion's story is told through a shocking amount of FMV. For a three to four hour game made by a small indie studio making their first 3D game, the amount of detail layered throughout the entire game is incredible.

In terms of actually playing this video game, it has some similarities to games like P.T. Or at least it seems that way at first. Without saying specifically what happens or what some of the unique tricks play out as you explore the environment, Devotion continued to surprise me. About every ten to fifteen minutes, I would stop and think, "Oh man, that's so cool!" Generally speaking, when I play through a game I'll take a few screenshots. Usually it's for me to document something funny or for the purposes of gathering images for this here GOTY blog. On average, I'll walk away with anywhere from three to ten screenshots. With Devotion, I have 138. Between a well written note to a beautiful / horrifically designed room to something unexpected the game ended up doing, Devotion has probably broke my record for the number of screenshots I have taken while playing a game, because there was so much I wanted to capture.

At the time of this writing, Devotion has been pulled from Steam and is unavailable to for purchase. There are plenty of articles out there talking about what went down and its aftermath, but here's one story from Eurogamer I enjoyed reading at the time if you want to read more about it. Red Candle Games has given a few statements and interviews talking about Devotion's development and have responded to the controversy that unfortunately plagued the narrative around this game. They have indicated that they would like to see Devotion return to storefronts. Unfortunately, the game is still not available anywhere. The people who are able to play it today bought the game when it launched. One of the reasons I'm spending so much time talking about this game and including multiple screenshots is because many people will likely never play this game or know what it is. While I am hopeful Devotion sees the light of day again, there is a real possibility that may never happen.

If you have no way to play Devotion, I highly encourage you to seek out a play through on YouTube or Twitch. After I finished playing through the game, I wanted to immediately experience the game again, so I watched this stream where friends of the site Nina Freeman and Mary Kish play through Devotion in its entirety.

In terms of the games I've played this year, Bloodstained is probably the most fun I had playing something. Meanwhile, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is probably the most rewarding game I've played, especially in terms of the sheer volume of character interactions and with how I spent 80+ hours in a single play through. That said, my favorite overall game of the year is Devotion. Year-to-year the types of games I pick as my GOTY and the reasons behind it keep changing. Sometimes it's based on the writing alone or solely based on how fun it is or what the overall experience was like. In the past, one Brad Shoemaker has said that his definition of a perfect game is based on how closely he thinks a developer executes on their vision. This year, Devotion is the closest game to hit that milestone. While there are games I've had more "fun" with in 2019, Devotion is an exceptional achievement that hit it out of the park.

Hiya folk! So this isn't the most timely of blogs, but for the past year or two, I thought about writing a blog that highlights some of my personal favorite Giant Bomb moments and videos from that given year. While Nuke.com is a great anime site, it can be hard to uncover those hidden gems and standout episodes, series, and playthroughs, especially when you go back a few years.

This has been done in the past through various “So you signed up for premium, now what?” style blogs and the Best of Giant Bomb series remains the best source for documenting many of the site’s greatest hits. With this, I wanted to write something to have a record of what stood out to me in 2018, in addition to giving the Bomb Crew an individual shoutout for making 2018 another great year of game bombin’.

Note: With some features that are shared across multiple people, I ended up attributing it to the person who I personally associate it with. Obviously many of these features are made better with the whole crew there and are not the work of a single person. Also worth mentioning, I haven't seen everything on Giant Bomb in 2018. If such-and-such game or stream isn't on here, there's a decent chance that's because I didn't watch it.

Staff Highlights:

Abby: Thirteen Deadly Sims

In addition to her being so goddamn funny, Abby continued to mix things up on the production end of GBeast and partaking in different features that wouldn't otherwise exist. The standout for me was easily Thirteen Deadly Sims. On paper this may feel like a left field series, but it turned out probably better than anybody could hope for. Having all of Giant Bomb family in one house and seeing Abby trying to spin way too many plates lead to so many great, unpredictable moments. Beyond that, I also just like The Sims, but never tried The Sims 4 due to that game's weird launch. So this was a nice excuse to finally to load up that game.....and lose a month of free time in the process.

Alex: Mass Alex

Alright, Alex drumming for 24 hours is actually the best thing that happened to Giant Bomb in 2018, but in terms of what had the bigger impact and general thing I would recommend people watch, that would be Mass Alex (AKA Alexy Quest). I honestly thought this series would never actually happen and it will always continue as this side gag until Alex snaps when he receives his 2,034th copy of Mass Effect 2. Now that it finally happened, I couldn't be happier. Also, as someone who never played Mass Effect 1, it's been great to finally see these characters and events I only know about through hearsay.

Ben: Breakfast 'N' Ben

As weird as it may sound, in a lot of ways, Ben feels like Giant Bomb West's unofficial wingman. He effectively runs the Giant Bomb Aftermath and sits in on so many features from Ranking of Fighters to Demo Derby. In addition to all of the other things he's done, Ben was also the single GB person I watched the most solo in 2018 between On the Mend with Ben and Breakfast 'N' Ben. These shorter, more laid back videos are a nice change of pace, especially when a lot of streams and features easily reach the 2 hour mark.

Brad: Breaking Brad: Super Mario Bros.

2018 was a banger year for Breaking Brad between finishing Rogue Legacy and Super Mario Bros. If I had to pick just one, I would ultimate recommend Super Mario Bros. It is one of those things where this is a seminal game that people haven't actually seen all the way through, between various speedruns and seemingly everybody using the warp pipe. Seeing Brad die again and again and eventually overcoming the later stages of the game was by far my favorite "Yeah Brad!" moment of 2018.

Dan: This Is The Run: Contra: Hard Corps.

All of the This Is The Run features--and most of Dan's brainchildren to be honest--are one of those things I never knew I wanted until I sat down and pressed play. This is more so with Contra: Hard Corps, because I, 1) Never really heard of this game before, and 2) Wasn't anticipating how batshit insane this game gets. It is just as funny--if not funnier--than the first Contra series, but only with a billion more explosions and bosses. In the moment, I also loved having a feature that had multiple, short-ish episodes in a given week.

Jan: Giant Bomb Travelogue: Copenhagen

Ooookay, real talk: Jan is the man. He's absolutely great. I will always be down for more Jan. That said......there wasn't really a Jan feature in 2018. Like, his production work is top notch and it's always a treat when he shows up in a UPF. I'm still hoping for Jan to get his own series and to sit in one more Giant Bomb content moving forward. Personally I would be totally down for some more PokeMONday Night Combat. But as for this list that talks about 2018 stuff...um...uh...Hey, remember when Jan and Dan went to Copenhagen?! That was cool!

Jason: Ranking of Fighters

I was always down with the concept of Ranking of Fighters, and I will keep watching this series as there is so much more important science to be done (like evaluating Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel). I don't even really play fighting games anymore, but I'm always entertained listening to Jason and Company talk about them. That said, updates were always sporadic, until this past year. Looking back through all of the videos released in 2018, I'm honestly shocked by how much ground they covered. Simply put, this is the best year for a feature I've enjoyed since 2015. Hopefully 2019 is another great year for Science.

Jeff: Garfield with Gerstmann

When I think about the experience of watching Jeff play those PS2 era Garfield games, I kinda think about Mario Party Party. They are bad games that are a slog to play, but I can't help but watch them, and if I were to explain to my friends and family why I'm doing this, I wouldn't have a great reason. Garfield Lasagna World Tour and Garfield: Saving Arlene are baffling games that put me in a trance like state. Am I laughing because of how funny these videos are or because I've been listening to the incredibly odd soundtrack for 2 hours straight and I'm losing it? Maybe I just like seeing Jeff in pain? When you stare into the abyss, does Garfield stare back? I don't know. Lasagna.

Rorie: Extra Life 2018

Sir Matthew Rorie is always a gentleman and a delight. There is perhaps no better example of his gentlemanliness than his nearly 24 hour appearance during Giant Bomb West's 2018 Extra Life stream. Browsing the site, it looks like only the first 3 hours of their stream has been archived. However, Juho on YouTube has archived the entire stream if you want to listen to some fine poetry and normal conversations amongst co-workers for a good cause.

Vinny: The Exquisite Corps: XCOM Enemy Within

Just shy under a year in the making, The Exquisite Corps certainly is a journey. In a lot of ways, this feels like a continuation of Project B.E.A.S.T., where Vinny and Company have a goal they are trying to achieve. While these "project" series can run long and The Exquisite Corps is by far the biggest commitment on this list, it was still a blast to experience.

Best of Giant Bomb 2018:

And Hey, This Also Happened:

1. All Systems Goku / All Systems Goku Special Edition: Live from Crunchyroll HQ at Anime Expo 18
2. Breaking Brad: Rogue Legacy
3. Demo Derby: Official PlayStation Magazine: Issue 59 / It's Britney, Brad
4. E3 vs. GB: Dave Lang, Adam Boyes, John Vignocchi! (and Kessler)
5. Extra Life 2018: Alex
6. Extra Life 2018: GBE 2018 / The Quiet Man
7. Game Tapes 08: Language Force Assemble
8. Game of the Year: Holiday Specialtacular: Giant Rom 5
9. Game of the Year: Holiday Specialtacular: Mario Party Party 11
10. The Giant Beastcast: Episode 188 / Lasers and Feelings
11. The Giant Bombcast: We're Sorry: Ten Years of the Giant Bombcast
12. Giant Bomb Makes Mario Again
13. Gotta God Hand!
14. Jeff Gerstmann's Pro Skater
15. THE JUNGLE BEAT ELITE
16. Old Games: N-Gage X-Stream
17. Playdate: Johnny Mnemoic
18. Playdate: Sid Meier's Civilization VI - Rise & Fall
19. Playdate: Total Distortion
20. VinnyVania: VinnyStainia

Huzzah, 2018 also sucked, huzzah! Here’s hoping 2019 is better, huzzah! Let’s talk about videogames.

First, some housekeeping:

Honorary Awards:

Old Game Of The Year:

The Sims 4

Best Opening Act:

Life Is Strange 2

Best Prequel to the Prequel:

Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, "Farewell"

Best "Oh Right, This Early Access Game" Game:

Wreckfest

Best Game That Needs More Songs (On PS4):

Beat Saber

Best Game That Was On My GOTY List Until I Got Stumped And Looked Up The Answers:

Return of the Obra Dinn

Best Hot Garbage:

Detroit: Become Human

Best Game Derailed By A Clusterfuck:

The Walking Dead - The Final Season

Best Game I Have A Hunch Will Actually Be My Game Of The Year Once I Finish It:

428: Shibuya Scramble

2018's Unofficial Eleventh Best Game of the Year:

Florence

Best Games I Didn't / Barely Played(*):

1. 428: Shibuya Scramble (*)
2. Astro Bot Rescue Mission
3. CrossCode
4. Dead Cells (*)
5. Dragon Ball FighterZ
6. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
7. Monster Hunter: World (*)
8. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
9. Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
10. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Runners Up (Unranked):

1. Beat Saber
2. Detroit: Become Human
3. Donut County
4. Florence
5. Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight / Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight
6. Red Dead Redemption II
7. Return of the Obra Dinn
8. The Walking Dead - The Final Season
9. A Way Out
10. Wreckfest

Oh By The Way: Overwatch...

...is still better than most / all of the games on this list.

A Special Note: Red Dead Redemption II

Red Dead Redemption II will probably be in my Top Ten list in some retrospective list. However, at the moment, I just don’t like this game. In many ways, Red Dead Redemption II still feels very much like a Rockstar styled game, which I started to feel tired of back with the first Red Dead Redemption and more so with Grand Theft Auto V. What’s worse is the things I do like about RDR2 are living the life as a cowboy man in 1899, taking care of myself, and helping out strangers and my makeshift family. Not the part where you play as an outlaw; which is the vast majority of this game.

It is a game where you play as a criminal, but I don’t want to commit any crimes. It is a game where you primarily shoot things, but I don’t like how the shooting feels. When you’re not shooting, you are riding along on your horse, which is less dynamic and fun than driving a car through a city. I am both fascinated by Red Dead Redemption II and wish this was a different type of game, both in design and genre. If Arthur Morgan was a bounty hunter or the sheriff of Valentine, and the third person shooting / open world elements were all replaced with adventure game style dialogue prompts and QTEs I would actually like this game a lot more. But that’s not the game they made.

Early on, Red Dead Redemption II was originally around #4 on my tentative GOTY list. However, the more I saw of what that game is, how it played, and how it’s the same ole Rockstar game they’ve been making for forever, the less I liked it. I’ll probably finish the remaining chapters here and there throughout 2019, but as it stands right now this game is a bummer. (Some might even call it disappointing)

And now on with the Top Ten. One last thing of note is my #9 and #10 games I haven't finished. However, since I liked the opening to these games more than some of the other games I finished in 2018, I'm just going to include them anyways.

Game Of The Year:

#10) Valkyria Chronicles 4:

When I first started playing Valkyria Chronicles 4, I had a few reservations. Namely, how for this new PS4 game it felt like Sega unearthed the original Valkyria Chronicles engine and just made a new PS3 game, and a couple of questionable character moments that appeared very early in the game. Currently I’m about 15 hours in and both of those complaints became less significant as I started to see more of this game. Yes, it is more Valkyria Chronicles. However, the strategy elements and how your squad’s story is told are both fantastic. This game could easily be higher, if I spent more time with it.

#9) Marvel's Spider-Man

Speaking of games I need to spend more time with, I just reached the end of Act One in Marvel’s Spider-Man. I know I have a lot more to see and do. However, even in these early hours of the game, Spider-Man is the best realized superhero game I have ever played, including the Arkham series. It has a bit of everything from living as Peter Parker, to random crime bustin’ here and there, and some truly jaw dropping setpieces. Also, while something like Red Dead Redemption II favors presentation and realism over fun--leading to janky situations, fumbling ragdolls, and general awkwardness--Spider-Man goes in the opposite direction. Falling head first into pavement? Eh, just to a flip. Swinging directly into a skyscraper at 60 miles per hour? Hey, now you’re just running up that skyscraper. Sure some of that might not “look great”, but I’ve never been taken out of a moment due to some finickiness, overly complicated controls, or jankiness. I’ve already listened to the GOTY Deliberations and know a lot of stuff that happens later in the game. If those sections are executed just as well as the opening of this game, then Spider-Man probably deserves to be higher on this list; again, once I actually finish it.

#8) Holedown:

I generally play a couple of iPhone / iPad games a year. The past few years, that means mainly playing Egg Inc. and Love Nikki Dress UP Queen, which are technically games, but they don’t really feel like it when you’re playing them. At the very least Holedown deserves to be on this list for breaking me of my curse to play those two games until the end times. Beyond that, Holedown is just a pleasure to play. Seeing 90 odd balls bounce around in all of the directions is oddly satisfying. At first I wish there were more upgrades to make the numbers go higher. Now, I’m just happy to have the game as it is. It doesn’t need to be like a clicker with endless upgrades. Holedown is simple enough to be played just about anywhere, yet it’s still an engaging, never ending arcade puzzle. The core of shooting balls at blocks is just fun, whether you have like 2 minutes to kill or if you want to lay in bed and play this for a half hour.

#7) Tetris Effect:

So is this the part where I talk about how a Tetris game made me cry? I know that sounds strange and ridiculous, but it's the truth. Tetris Effect in PlayStation VR is my first for reals experience in virtual reality aside from the R&D, pre-Vive and PSVR launches. It is also the first Tetsuya Mizuguchi game I have ever played. So between those two things, standing in my living room, seeing that space whale emerge from the cosmos and listening to that incredible soundtrack, I was overwhelmed. Tetris Effect is an awe-inspiring and tranquil experience. I’ve cleared the final stage, Metamorphosis, about a half dozen times and I still get goosebumps when the credits roll. I generally don’t talk about or try to explain the videogames I play to people, unless there’s something really noteworthy or interesting. Tetris Effect is one of those games where I want to strap people into a PSVR and let them see this game for themselves.

As for the Tetris, I never understood the appeal of it until recently. I played a couple different versions growing up, but it never really stood out that much. While people were saying Tetris is one of the greatest games ever made, I just thought it was fine. Then, I started to follow Giant Bomb, and Tetris would rear its head over the years between Tetris Battle Gaiden and Puyo Puyo Tetris. Between that and hearing the crew also talk about Lumines and Rez, I really wanted to try playing my first Mizuguchi game and to take another crack at playing Tetris. Turns out, Tetris is a really good puzzle game after all. I’m never going to be a Grandmaster and half of the time I still fail Metamorphosis on beginner. But I’ve accepted that. Even if I’m not doing great, it’s still fun and relaxing to come home from work and play some Tetris for a good 30 minutes to unwind.

#6) Destiny 2: Forsaken:

Right before Forsaken came out, I said “Screw it, I’m going to play Destiny”. Over the course of a month, I played through most of the Destiny 2 content, excluding the raids.

Base Destiny 2 is alright. It has a story, some guns, places, enemies, stuff. It’s a fine shooter, but I didn’t see the appeal to going back to it every single week to get more loot or going through the game all over again with a different class.

Curse of Osiris I actively dislike. You can see what they were going for and it was certainly different than the core of Destiny 2. However, the repetitive environments and missions made the game feel smaller, which is an issue for a game I think needed more content.

Warmind is where things started to click. I still don’t really understand what a Warmind is, but that didn’t really matter too much. Mars became my favorite location with its dense areas, escalation protocols, and small tweaks here and there that changed things up for the better.

With Forsaken, it felt like this was what Destiny 2 should have always been. The revamped loot system and new abilities made Destiny feel closer to an RPG. The new environments are arguably the best locales in all of Destiny 2 and the new faction finally gives you something else to shoot at. Beyond that, the campaign, bounties, quests, and strikes all flow together in a way they didn’t when the game launched. Finally, the addition of Gambit added a multiplayer mode I actually liked playing. That in combination with all of the other environments, quests, strikes, etc. from the previous updates, Destiny 2 finally feels truly fleshed out.

The only real downside of Forsaken is the story, which is carried on the assumption you actually care about Cayde-6 (which I don’t) and a leftfield reflection on a murder. Not killing in general, just killing that one guy. This is a world where Guardians kill thousands of foes whenever a rock rolls down a hill the wrong way, and yet we are supposed to contemplate the murder of one bad guy? And now the Tower has to play sad music all the time because my Guardian killed her 8,645th fool? It’s a very minor point, but it is something that stuck out in an otherwise fantastic campaign.

It was a commitment, but in the end I finally “get” Destiny. In fact, writing this just makes me want to go and catch up on Forsaken right now.

#5) Slay the Spire:

Slay the Spire is still in Early Access, but it feels like a finished game, with the exception of a handful of things. The rogue-like style loop of this game is very much present, warts and all. About 20% of the time I manage to make it to the end of Act III, while the rest of the time my character dies a slow, gradual death, enters a grueling battle they were not prepared for, or just gets boned. Because of that, Slay the Spire is perhaps the most frustrating game I have on my Top 10 list.

At the same time, I’ve lost evenings to this game. There were times when I looked at my watch and was flabbergasted it was already 3:00 AM. Even when an hour long run ends after dying spectacularly to a boss, the card battling, deck building core of Slay the Spire is so good it makes me want to try again and keep going. By the time I have a successful run, I have 50 cards in my deck and 20 relics all designed to do something different. Your power keeps increasing ever so slightly until you have single turns that deal 80+ damage or leave you with somehow getting 102 armor that manages to keep you alive from an attack that should have most definitely killed you. It’s kinda silly, but a fun silly.

From 2014 to 2015, I played a lot of Hearthstone. While I had to stop playing that game for my own sanity, I’m still fascinated by card games. Slay the Spire is a well crafted single player deck building game without all the baggage around the more traditional collectible card games.

#4) Hitman 2:

Hitman 2 is very much a better Hitman. The things that stand out are the maps which mix things up with unique settings and characteristics. A lot of the maps in the first Hitman had their action focused around a big, tall building in the center of the map. In Hitman 2, everything feels more organic, with events flowing together which allowed you to accomplish your task in even more ways than before.

Also, I actually care about the story now? The first Hitman was essentially setup, execution, and a random cutscene that talks about a puppetmaster’s master plan. In Hitman 2, the story actually works itself into its maps and their targets. At the same time, Hitman 2 is still a gloriously dumb game that references “super-cocaine” and allows you to dress up as a flamingo mascot and kick people into a pit, not because that was your plan all along, but because it is too funny not to dress up as a flamingo and kick people into a pit. Or knock them into a wet cement slab. Or blow them up in a laser safe. Or poison every drink in a house and accidentally kill somebody randomly 10 minutes later.

Lastly, having a way to import all of the maps from the first Hitman and have those great quality of life improvements and new features built across everything elevates Hitman 2 from a great game to the best Hitman game I could ask for.

#3) Into the Breach:

What I have to say about Into the Breach isn’t so radically different than what plenty of others have said. I too have spent 10 minutes on a single turn. I have both failed magnificently and overcame obstacles I thought were impossible to surpass. It’s like mech chess, etc. etc. etc.

Truth be told, this game should probably be even higher on my list, if I did a couple more runs. Into the Breach feels like it can become my new Binding of Isaac: a game I liked at first, but didn’t really appreciate until I started to put in a couple dozen more hours into it, until it retroactively became one of games of the year. What I’m trying to say is here’s to Into the Breach, [maybe] my 2018 Game of the Year [in around 2020].

#2) Celeste:

Celeste is probably my favorite platformer of all-time. It is easily one of my favorite playing platformers that has the intricate design, levels, and puzzles to back it up. It is one of the rare games that makes me think how my hands are inputting controls into the game. When I think about the playing experiences with some platformers, I can only think about...running around and jumping. When I played Celeste, I often fell into a trance. I would think through the motions--“Jump-Left-Dash-Right-Dash-Hold-Release-Jump”--as they were happening. Even with levels heavily designed around one mechanic--like platforms that move whenever you touch them or red goo blobs that kill you--every chapter and challenge felt unique. In some ways it felt like Celeste’s levels were designed by crafting inputs that felt good press and then the obstacles and art was constructed around the edges.

On top of that, Celeste is a sweet game with great characters and a peaceful feel and style. It also manages to be a difficult game with a purpose and message that never falls into a “YO BRO THIS GAME IS SO HARD UR GONNA DIE” hole. Celeste respected my time in ways some platformers like Super Mario Odyssey did not, provides the right challenges if you really want them, and adds amazing accessibility options for those who need them. By the time I finally reached the summit and set the game down, I simply felt happy and fulfilled. As for the the heart of the mountain and those B / C Sides...I couldn’t even get pass the first B-Side. Besides, Madeline deserves some rest.

Also, the music. Goddamn this game has great music! The soundtrack by Lena Raine is not only perfect for Celeste, it’s also the best original score for a game this year and one it's one of my favorite albums of 2018.

#1) God of War:

Out of all of the games on my list, this is the one that surprised me the most. I was looking forward to playing God of War and this was the game that forced my hand to upgrade to a PS4 Pro. Even with all things considered, I was still caught off guard by how well this game executed on its vision. It’s particularly worth mentioning how this game is different than the previous God of War games, all for the better.

Every chop, stab, block, kick, slam, and tear packs a punch most games often lacked. The thought put into how Kratos moves, how you give Atreus orders, perform runic abilities, and use your weapons sparked a new life in third person character action games for me. Even though it is slower than other character action games like Ninja Gaiden, Bayonetta, and the previous God of Wars, this is arguably my favorite playing game like this. The combat all coalesces in the fight with the final valkyrie, Sigrun, which is one of my favorite boss fights in a long, long time.

The puzzles evolved beyond pushing a box around to clever environmental puzzles that play with perspective and using your abilities in interesting ways. They reinvent the type of character Kratos is, and layer his and Atreus’s journey with a surprising amount of depth and character development. God of War is also funny and lifted up by great characters like Mimir, Brock, and Sindri. All of the God of War games looked gorgeous in their own right, but this game took it to the next level with impressive designs, lighting, and color that liven up each of God of War’s realms.

I can go on and on and on about this game. For the sake of time, I’ll just summarize my thoughts this way. Every aspect of God of War I adore. Thinking back on the experience, I can’t think of anything I would change. It is a marvelously crafted game with a vision off the beaten path that is executed shockingly well.

When I played through God of War: Ascension however many years ago, I thought I was done. Or rather, I thought Sony Santa Monica was done with God of War. There were too many games to keep track of, most of which were all kinda the same and felt done before, and yet they were still coming out on different platforms and seemed to exist to help pad out the PS3 lifecycle in the case with Ascension. Not only have we been there before, but the execution in Ascension felt sloppier than before. Surely this was the game they had to make and they would move onto something else with the PS4. It turns out while Santa Monica went back the God of War name, they still ended up doing something else, and managed to craft their finest work along the way.

Episode List:

• Episode 1: Vinny must find sailors, Dan wants an Amiibo of Tom, and Alex's son is also named Fireboylt (Parts 1 through 6)
• Episode 2: Vinny bumps into Fuku, Dan doesn’t remember this sneaking mission, and Alex can’t believe how long it takes to find that key (Parts 7 through 12)
• Episode 3: Vinny fights a monster man, Dan sings Thunder Road, and Alex loves how much this lady sucks (Parts 13 through 18)
• Episode 4: Vinny gets a job at the docks, Dan rides a motorcycle, and Alex goes to Hong Kong (Parts 19 through 26)

That day, did you see the Shenmue Endurance Run?

The Shenmue Endurance Run Playlist

Well…I already covered Persona 4 and the Deadly Premonition Endurance Runs…I guess that means I have to watch Shenmue now.

This series features one highlight from each video in Giant Bomb’s Shenmue Endurance Run. While this series will cover many of the funny moments from Vinny, Alex, and Dan’s play through, it will also tackle the different aspects of Shenmue as a game and what Giant Bomb went through while playing this game.

Oh god, what have I done?

2017! What a shitshow! But also what a season, what a season! Thankfully there were a lot of great games that came out this year (and just as many I haven't finished or haven't had the chance to play yet). But last year my GOTY list was like five months late, so it's perhaps best I get this one out at least on time. There's a lot to cover, so I'm just going to jump in.

As always, first some housekeeping:

Honorary Awards:

Old Game of the Year:

Overwatch / Deadly Premonition

Best Game I Like Watching Other People Play More Than Playing Myself:

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

Best Game That Didn't Grab Me (But Hey That Plateau Was Cool):

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Best Game I Just Didn't Have A Ton Of Fun With:

Super Mario Odyssey

Best Game I Wish I Had Other People To Play With:

Gang Beasts / Nidhogg II

Best Game I Stopped Playing Because I Got Tired Of Dying To That Stupid Dragon:

Cuphead

Best Game That Will Probably Take Me Thirteen Years To Beat At This Rate:

Tales of Berseria

Best "No, This Isn't A Joke; I Legitimately Play And Enjoy This Game" Game:

Love Nikki-Dress UP Queen

Honorary "Yo, You Should Check These Games Out" Award:

Hidden my game by mom 2 / My brother ate my pudding

2017's Unofficial Eleventh Best Game Of The Year (That I Bumped Off The Top 10 List At The Last Second):

Nex Machina: Death Machine

Best Games I Didn't Play This Year:

1. Gang Beasts
2. Gravity Rush 2
3. Horizon Zero Dawn
4. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
5. Nidhogg II
6. Resident Evil 7 biohazard
7. Tekken 7: Fated Retribution
8. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
9. Xenoblade Chronicles 2
10. Yakuza Kiwami

Games I Would Have Played More Or Finished If I Had Infinite Time:

1. Battle Chef Brigade
2. Divinity: Original Sin II
3. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone
4. Nioh
5. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
6. Pyre
7. Tales of Berseria

Runners Up (Unranked):

1. Cuphead
2. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
3. Hidden my game by mom 2 / My brother ate my pudding
4. Late Shift
5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
6. Love Nikki-Dress UP Queen
7. Nex Machina: Death Machine
8. Sonic Mania
9. SteamWorld Dig 2
10. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Game Of The Year:

#10) Doki Doki Literature Club

#9) Detention

Detention's roots as a game developed by Red Candle Games, a studio based in Taiwan, shows when you look at just how different and unique this game is, especially when compared to what is released in the West. The art direction, graphical effects, historical context, mythology, and the central themes in the story are completely refreshing and unlike anything I’ve ever played. As a videogame, the point and click adventure elements create clever puzzles and surreal experiences. The psychological horror elements create a tense and haunting atmosphere that relies only on a handful of jump scares. Even when those jump scares happen, they don’t feel like a cheap gotcha moment, but rather a punctuation on a sequence that was built up over time. Overall, Detention is one of this year’s best examples of executing on a vision. Whether it's the game’s setting, story, mechanics, or scares, Detention just about checks off every box.

#8) What Remains of Edith Finch

When I think about Giant Sparrow, I think about a studio that is devoted to creating unique vignettes. While The Unfinished Swan did this more towards the end of the game, this is the core of What Remains of Edith Finch. Each of the dozen or so stories are told in imaginative ways. You have everything from a shark rolling down a hill, to a pulpy horror comic book, to a straightforward recreation of an accident that took someone's life. For me, Lewis's story is the game at its best and is one of the most memorable gameplay experiences I've had all year. While there is a larger narrative that is revealed over time, the strength of What Remains of Edith Finch is how these different, self contained vignettes tell compelling character stories in a way that only videogames can.

#7) Life Is Strange: Before the Storm

I wasn’t too pessimistic about this release, but let’s be honest: this shouldn’t have worked as well as it did. It’s a prequel that didn’t need to exist, featuring characters you already know the fate of, made by a different studio, starring different voices actors as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Life Is Strange: Before The Storm overcame the sheer logic against itself and delivered a compelling story worthy of the Life Is Strange name. The relationship between Chloe and Rachel is touching, grounded, and quietly tragic. Some of their scenes and several other noteworthy moments like Chloe playing a tabletop RPG and acting in The Tempest make Life Is Strange: Before The Storm feel even better than its predecessor. For a number of reasons, I overall like the first Life Is Strange more, but that is not because I have any real knock against this game. I am sincerely happy Life Is Strange: Before The Storm turned out the way it did and I look forward to playing the prologue episode that’s coming next year.

#6) Night in the Woods

Night in the Woods captures so many different things with an honesty that is rarely seen. There's a warmness to the conversations between Mae and her mom. There's a comfort between her sitting down and watching some bad TV with her dad. There's a sharpness to Selmer's "There's No Reception In Possum Springs" poem. It captures the good and the awkward times you encounter when you come back home and see old friends and acquaintances. It also captures a town where the jobs are going away and may never be coming back and people who have no idea what they want to do with their lives. Walking around Possum Springs and bumping into various side characters and the stories and character arcs that are explored through the game's various vignettes captures all of this and more. The game does take a turn towards the third act, which kind of worked, but not as well as I wanted. Regardless, this is a special game I can't wait to revisit to see the encounters I missed out on during my first play through and to see the recently added Weird Autumn content.

#5) Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

Overall Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony is perhaps my least favorite of the mainline Danganronpa games (Trigger Happy Havoc and Goodbye Despair were my second and third favorite games from 2014). It has perhaps the weakest trial in the series and some of the character dynamics, while ultimately important for the story, got tiring after a while. That aside, Killing Harmony is still a great continuation of the Danganronpa story. The narrative spirals all over the place, with so many unexpected twists and bits of foreshadowing you don’t know what to do with them all. Most of the trials are also well executed, with the first trial being among the series best with perhaps the biggest emotional gut punches in the franchise.

And then you have that ending. The mother of all endings. An ending so good, an ending that goes for it so hard, Spike Chunsoft can’t make another Danganronpa game. Ever! It’s that simple! We're done! In a series built upon games that have crazy, left field conclusions, I was still not prepared for what actually happened during those final three hours. Of course a game being “crazy” alone doesn’t automatically make it good, but I’m also a sucker for seeing something nuts like that executed so well.

#4) XCOM 2: War of the Chosen

A lot of what I have to say about XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is in my review for the game. Since I came to this game only after the expansion was released, I’m not sure how much I would have enjoyed vanilla XCOM 2 if I were to play it during launch week. That aside, War of the Chosen is better than XCOM: Enemy Unknown in just about every way. ‘Nuff said.

And now ladies and gentlemen it’s time for my overall Game of the Year. Yes, I know I still have three more games to talk about, but the thing is anyone of them could actually be my GOTY. Usually my #1 spot is a slam dunk. When I love games as much as I love Mass Effect 2, The Last Of Us, or Overwatch, I don’t really need to compare it to whatever else came out that year. On the other hand, 2017 is without a doubt the most contentious year I've ever experienced. Simply put it, I could draft an argument for why each of the following games is worthy of being my #1 favorite game and walk away happy. So congratulations everyone, you are all the Game of the Year! (But here they are ranked in order anyways)

#3) Yakuza 0

This is the game wearing the most hats. Whether you are waist deep in a yakuza family drama, running a cabaret club, following an intriguing mystery surround a land development project, or training a dominatrix, just about everything in Yakuza 0 is fantastic. These tonal shifts on paper shouldn’t work, but they do thanks to exceptional characterization and second to none writing. If you were to rip out the quirky side stories or the crime drama and ship the game with whatever was left, this would still be one of my favorite videogames of the year. The fact that Yakuza 0 has all that and more, including a lively recreation of Tokyo and Osaka, is a testament to this game’s strengths. Although I have never played a Yakuza game before, seeing this story unfold and meeting all of those characters makes me want to play through the entire series in chronological order.

#2) NieR: Automata

If Game of the Year was determined based on the amount of time you thought about a game after you finished it, then my GOTY is NieR: Automata. I bought this game based on the demo and thinking about how this is the next true videogame from PlatinumGames following Bayonetta 2. And NieR: Automata does have good combat, with an interesting chip RPG system. There's the occasional boss or set piece that blew me away. One of the final combat encounters in particular--swapping between A2 and 9S as they ascend The Tower--is one of the more exhilarating gameplay moments I've had all year. But that's not really why this game is so high on this list.

Early on, you start to see where NieR: Automata is going and it only builds and builds and builds. This happens through the different character perspectives, those shocking reveals, the weapon stories, and various side quests. There are plenty of games that set out to try and communicate a theme to the player, but I don't think I have ever seen a videogame so committed and successful at executing on that vision as NieR: Automata. It has dissected the question "What does it mean to be human?" so thoroughly and in a way that has stuck with me ever since I have finished the game over five months ago. It makes other stories that try to tackle the human versus robot tropes, especially something like Detroit: Become Human, look awful in comparison. Even beyond all that, there is just straight up good ass drama in this game. In particular, the opening to Route C is left me speechless.

One of the (many) misconceptions I have heard about NieR: Automata is how some people think the ending is the good part. On the contrary, I enjoyed just about every part of the game. Well alright, the backtracking can get old and it breaks up the pacing. That aside, over the course of the game NieR: Automata excels from start to finish. It is successful at being an action game, as a game about the human condition, as a personal drama between a few key characters, and as a bonkers sci-fi story that makes you want to pick up all of the supplemental materials. But then you do get to that ending, which wraps up that story perfectly. It's ending punctuates the game's themes, ideas, and the overall adventure. It makes you reflect on everything that has happened beforehand and provides closure like few games ever do.

I have laid in bed multiple times over the past few months, listening to the game's final credits song, and would become emotional just thinking back on all of the things this game has to say. In all honesty, your mileage may vary. It is understandable if somebody were to tell me this game didn't grab them. Speaking for myself, NieR: Automata is a deeply personal videogame and it is an experience I will never forget about.

#1) Persona 5

Early on in 2017, I was hesitant about playing too many games. I didn't buy Horizon: Zero Dawn. I waited on buying a Switch. In April, I went to work on a Monday and then took the rest of the week off. All of this was because (finally!!) Persona 5 was going to be released in the United States. If I were to write a Top 10 list of my favorite games of all time, both Persona 3 and Persona 4 would be on that list. I still need to do my New Game+ to really determine where that game lands, but when the credits rolled, I thought about how Persona 5 is just as good as the previous entries in the series.

The Confidant system, the Personas, the RPG mechanics have all been refined and expanded. It is both one of my favorite playing JRPGs and such a good evolution of the series it would be insane to imagine any future Persona games not having these improvements. The art direction, UI design, and use of color are impeccable. The music is not only an amazing Persona soundtrack, but also incredibly cohesive. I can listen through most of the album and picture the same band composing all of those great songs together.

There's a lot to unpack with Persona 5's story, plot twists, characters, and Confidants. Without going too deep, I was really invested in the game's narrative and what it was trying to do. At times it felt like the game was more of a sequel to Persona 3's dark and dreadful story than Persona 4's more upbeat, "We'll be friends forever!" story. Before I somehow write five thousand words on this topic alone, all I'll say is I was really impressed with Persona 5's story and like how different this game was compared to the previous entries in the series.

Yeah, the ending is a little long. Yeah, that explanation for that one thing towards the end is a little convoluted. Yeah, the localization is not great (especially when compared to, say, NieR: Automata and Yakuza 0). There are a handful of lessons that can be learned and applied to whatever P Studio and Atlus does next with Persona. Those complaints aside, Persona 5 is a great game. To me, the modern Persona games have three main pillars: 1) There's the main narrative and themes; 2) There's the Persona collecting and JRPG battle mechanics; and 3) There's the social links and everyday life activities. For me, Persona 5 succeeds at all three of those. As someone who has played and thought a lot about Persona over the past nine years, Persona 5 easily joins the ranks of Persona 3 and 4, if not outright surpassing those games.