This year was full of a lot of ups and downs, both in gaming and in real life for me. I didn't even start all the games I wanted to (RIP Metroid Dread and Ys IX), and finished some that I was expecting to skip. There are two games on this list I haven't finished, which feels wrong. In fact, I almost decided not to write a list this year since gaming has taken a back seat to some other pursuits...but I can't break my streak so here goes:
Inscryption hit me like a fever dream. I played it one weekend in December when my partner was going on a trip and I had the place to myself. I holed up at my PC (uncommon since I got my PS5) to truck through the insane campaign in a matter of two days. I love card games a la Slay the Spire, Monster Train, and such. Where this game differs is that it also has a story that is both gripping and unexpected. I won't say much more but basically Inscryption fits in the venn diagram of things I like about video games and fiction in general, and is my favorite game to come out this year because of it. I had so much fun playing it that I literally couldn't stop until the experience was over and I was left feeling extremely satisfied and thankful that I listened to all the praise. I highly recommend this to anyone who doesn't hate card games.
This game is actually an artistic achievement. They made me care about coloring in white spaces on my screen and spend 30 hours on what should have been a ten hour game. It's not just about the chill coloring book vibes either, there's a full on Zelda/Undertale style adventure complete with dungeons and bosses. It rules, it's one of my favorite indie games of the past few years. It's just a shame it got topped by something tailor made for my personal tastes.
As a fan of the first two games, I really dug what Suda 51 did with NMH3. Yeah, it's kind of a retread in a lot of ways. But seriously, just get stoned and let all the vibes wash over you. It's the kind of game you can put on after a long day of working as a barista and get satisfaction from killing a bunch of enemies with a laser sword. Then mowing the lawn, because you need the money. It rules, the aliens are kind lame but who cares its all fun stuff and I'll probably play it again at some point because I'm the kind of girl who plays games to hit stuff with a sword while having ridiculous nonsense spat out of the screen and directly into my eyeballs.
Returnal is so good I haven't finished it yet, because it requires a level of dedication that I haven't found it within myself to muster this year. It's got everything I love in games to be honest: pretty graphics, high framerate, tough enemies, steep learning curve that becomes rewarding after a while of playing. It also has a compelling world and story that I have yet to peel back the layers of, since I'm only in the third biome. But rest assured, I will keep playing Returnal, and it is absolutely deserving of this spot if not higher. It definitely plays better in the hands then any other game on this list, barring perhaps Demon's Souls.
...& Bowser's Fury! I did replay the main game and had a blast with it, but I also think the addition of Bowser's Fury makes this one of the best Mario games of all time - if not the best. I marathoned the whole thing in a few days and it's all kind of a blur to be honest, but I'm glad I did and hope Nintendo makes a real big boy open world Mario game next. Odyssey had some issues.
Insomniac might have some issues with workplace abuse and other allegations, but they still make a great action platformer. Let's hope they clean up their act, because this game was very promising in terms of where this genre is heading. The story was kind of a let down compared to the old games, but I liked Rivet and how well the game was designed in terms of fun and balance.
Hey, they remade Demon's Souls! It rules! It was always a good game, but now it doesn't make me want to stab my eyes out. Seriously, it's gorgeous now and runs at a great framerate. I only got a PS5 this year so it counts as a new release for me, and was the perfect thing to boot up first when I paid a scalper for my new console. This will be my go to version when I want to replay Demon's, even though I still have a PS3 and physical copy. Yeah, I'm not a purist.
This one took me a while to get started on since I needed to find someone to play it with. Once I did, I realized it was a blast and totally worth all the hype. Unfortunately, we still haven't finished it so it sits toward the bottom of my list. This game has all the makings of an all time favorite though, it's a great co-op platformer with a charming story.
Hitman is always fun, at least in its current form. I love what iO has done with the new trilogy, they got me interested in playing the same levels over and over which I thought would be impossible. With Hitman 3, the levels were a lot more story driven and I played through it only once though. I want to go back and play more, but for now it is left in my memory as a pretty short but fun conclusion to a great trilogy.
This game kinda pissed me off at points. The linearity of it was to be expected, but my patience for these kinds of games is wearing thin after so many years of Tomb Raider reboots and such. I played it, had a decent time, and forgot about it immediately. It was pretty entertaining, well written, and well acted by all the voice actors. But it was still "one of those", and only merits mention here because I didn't play a bunch of games that look a lot better to me. I do love the Guardians movies though and feel fine saying this was one of the best games I played this year.
