Something went wrong. Try again later

infantpipoc

This user has not updated recently.

710 12 9 4
Forum Posts Wiki Points Following Followers

A New Look Back At My Games of the Years in the 2010s

Back in December, 2019, I made my decade list for the 2010s. So many mistakes were made on that list, I decided to delete it and make the following list instead. I didn’t stick to the “one game per year” rule I made for myself back then, this list would correct that. I called the decade a time when I grew cynical without growing up and I still believe that. The year 2020 only added to that cynicism, but it also gave me something else to say about some of the games.

List items

  • 2010: The year Rockstar made their true “Oscar bait” in Red Dead Redemption

    2010 had a battle between space opera and horse opera (This is what Western was called in pulp fiction print space if those afterword in Legend of the Galactic Heroes books are to be believed). Genre wise I always prefer the former. Besides, I always play through a Rockstar open world game only once and never look back. Mass Effect 2, on the other hand, was a game I replayed several times in the 2010s, usually as part of the trilogy.

    Before James Holden and his new family in print, before Star Lord and “losers” on the big screen, Commander Shepard and their dirty dozen (There are exactly 12 party members including the pair in DLC form.) are the faces of space opera genre in the 21st century. Mass Effect 2, for better and worse, were the last Bioware game received what was closer to the so-called “universal acclaim”. I last played it spring, 2019 and all thing considered still held up for me.

    For a space opera in which you gunned down baddies and got a lover in a vivid universe, few can do better than Mass Effect 2.

  • 2011: The year Elder Scroll V Skyrim ruined the industry for me

    To counter a buggy mess like Skyrim, I chose Dead Space 2 as my re-visioned game of 2011. It is not only a good game, but also the least buggy EA release I can remember. With the news of Star Wars licence no longer exclusive to EA being new at the time of writing, I have something to say about what a pity Visceral never got to make their Star Wars game. I didn’t care one bit about Amy Hennig’s involvement without playing the Uncharted games, now I have played those, I care even less.

    Dead Space 2, without the enemies being cosmic horror creatures, is an action adventure game set in a gritty space station. It also contains high speed space flight, not unlike trench run in 1977’s original Star Wars, and free foaming zero-g section, something I would love to see Star Wars tackle outside the 2 animated shows. The lack of QTE also feels fresh, when Isaac Clark get grabbed he just has to aim and shoot the monster until it let go.

    Too bad Visceral was not the Visceral made Dead Space 2 by the time Dead Space 3 came out. The worse thing was that they never got to bounce back before they got dissolved...

  • 2012: The year when Games of the Year said more about the award givers than the award winners

    In 2012, Gameinformer and PC Gamer, outlets with one of their feet in print, went for Mass Effect 3 as their GOTY, a safe bet despite the shit storm that spring. Gamespot and IGN, biggest sites on the internet, awarded Journey, a digital-only indie darling. Gametrailers (r.i.p) and Giantbomb, video focus sites, favored XCOM Enemy Unknown, a turn-based “action movie production simulator” that contains too many variables for me to fully enjoy it. Video Game Award went to Telltale’s Walking Dead. I would never understand why the internet as a whole love zombie apocalypse...

    For me, after seeing the body count Xbox achievement unlocked in Mass Effect 3, I really want to play an action game not encouraging killing. Entered Dishonored, not only a free foaming assassin simulator, but also the first immersive sim that feels good to move in. I bet people at IO Interactive checked this game out after Hitman Absolution shipped and forced to rethink Hitman games into the World of Assassination trilogy we know now.

  • 2013: The year Last of Us continued what Skyrim started

    To counter a cynical award bait like the Last of Us and my in-mature choice of Grand Theft Auto V, I chose the Tomb Raider reboot as my game of 2013. Naughty Dog’s Uncharted games are lousy as action game next to this one.

    One thing both 2013’s Tomb Raider and 2009’s Batman Arkham Asylum got right is that they adopt the so-called Die Hard formula into 3D Metroid games instead of Call of Duty. Yamata island is to Lara Craft like Nakatomi building to John Mcclane. It’s also the most recent example of high budget, high octane action experience starring a young woman, which I am always rooting for.

  • 2014: The worst year for video game that I’ve lived through

    How bad 2014 was in term of games is beyond words. It’s like one thing similar to 2020’s Cyberpunk 2077 fiasco after another all year long.

    To counter my in-mature choice of South Park Stick of Truth, I choose Transistor as my re-vision game of 2014. Supergiant’s second game is my favorite of theirs and unfortunately got overlooked by many. Hades has a pantheon of hotties and cuties, but none of them can steal my heart from Red, Transistor’s player character. The pause and plan combat is fairly unique. And I always like a science fiction setting, and music is the best in this business.

  • 2015: The year video game bounced back from its all time low

    With the then new consoles came to their own bit more, games were good again. To bury the hatch I held against Hideo Kojima and his team, I chose the last game they made for Konami as my re-visioned game of 2015. In other words, I finally agree with PC Gamer.

    Granted, the story of this game is still bad. The loop this game put player through is arguably worse than Death Stranding, since Kojipro’s latest at least gives players a thank-you note after deliveries while MGSV’s operation never cease to be thankless. I just stopped caring, because no game can let player feel like a ninja commando like this game does. The smooth movement and various weaponry enable player as commando with finesse.

  • 2016: The year 2 different types of John Wick experience came out in video game form

    So the real shit we had to deal with in life started here, but I’m going to focus on that. 2016 sees the fantasy of being John Wick materialized in 2 games: the finesse required assassination in IO’s Hitman soft reboot and the all-on-the-table shooter plus brawler in id’s DOOM soft reboot. I didn’t experience the former until late 2018, but DOOM was certain my favorite of this year.

    DOOM does not only feel like id going back to their root, but also like a Platinum production. It’s fast and pace well, encourages aggression with rewards like health and ammo pick up in a way that DOOM Eternal does not. A basic enemy in DOOM can be taken out with 2 melee hits and health pick pops up. A basic enemy in Eternal can take infinite number of melee hit and not be hurt until bullets are shot into them. Yet they claim that the Doom guy is more powerful in Eternal.

    Guess I’ll have to agree with Vice’ Rob Zacny again: the way Eternal turns out just made DOOM all the more surprising.

  • 2017: The year a lot came out while I only played a few

    I was told a lot of good games came out in 2017. I would not know that for sure, as 2017 was the year I played the least. In October, 2017, I finally finished NieR Automata after hearing so much about it. It was the first of 3 Platinum action games that came to PC through Steam that year. It’s probably the worst in terms of gameplay while best in terms of story compared to Bayonetta and Vanquish.

    To me, Automata is 1982’s Blade Runner seasoned with more compelling action. The same thing can be said Blade Runner 2049, the movie sharing release year with Automata. The advantage of Automata lies in the female playable character android 2B. Her uncomfortably sexy appearance speak to me of the unpleasant feel to embody a fascist burnout. It’s uncomfortable to wear the impossibly short skirt, and it’s certain not easy to walk on those ridiculously high heels.

    One do not finish playing Automata when the credits roll for the first time, or the 4th time for that matter, counting the fast rolling joke endings. The true end come when player is handed a “gun” and asked to shoot the credits. Sometimes, kill the system is the only way forward. Even if the same or worse system came later, a chance for something different is always a shot.

    Guess after Hitman 3, that NieR remake is kinda, sorta the game I look forward to the most...

  • 2018:The year of hype, just like 2008

    This is 2008 all over again! The 2 most hyped games of this year are as followed. One is a Playstation exclusive that is 4th installment in the series and somewhat a departure from previous ones. In 2008, it was called Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriot. In 2018, it was just called God of War, like its great grandfather in 2005. Another is Rockstar’s highly anticipated sequel. In 2008, it was titled Grand Theft Auto IV. In 2018, it was titled Red Dead Redemption 2.

    I got the robust gaming laptop I’m typing on in 2018 while neither of the aforementioned 2018 titles were playable on PC that year. What can one do but play Hitman 2 through Steam. The Mumbai map, in which I can kill a rich asshole in a under construct tall building, could not come out in a better time than 2018. That year a big shopping mall opened for business on the ground where my childhood home once was. It gave me dark pulse that can be expressed relative safely in this finessed murder simulator.

    Besides, with 93 hours put in, Hitman 2 was my most played game on Steam to date. I enjoyed most of my time there, more than the 77 I put into MGSV. So by number, this is my favorite game played on PC. Guess I will do it all over again in Hitman 3 through Epic.

  • 2019: The year overlooked due to lack of hype, just like 2009

    IGN’s Tina Amini called 2019 the most underwhelming year since 2014 because there was no sure GOTY winners like 2018’s God of War and RDR2. I call it “This is 2008 leading into 2009 all over again”. Maybe she was right on the account that 2019 did not have a Naughty Dog sequel like 2009 did in Uncharted 2 Among Thieves. The Last of Us Part II didn’t come out until June, 2020.

    Other things remind me of 2009 including the Dragon Age Origins level cinematic presentation in Fire Emblem Three Houses. With Bioware taking all the filtering out of Anthem that year, Three Houses’ tea parties and whatnot scratched the Bioware itch I had that year. Well, that Switch exclusive plus a replay through Mass Effect trilogy.

    People jokingly called Fire Emblem Three Houses “a dating sim first, a turn-based tactic game second”. Those people clearly have not played 13 Sentinel on PS4 for a reason or another. Fire Emblem series containing less variable than XCOM is the reason why I enjoy it more. Three Houses’ low difficulty encouraged me to play it bald, fast and loose, perfect for my more suitable for action games gaming mindset.

    By September, 2020, I had put 188 hours into Three Houses’ 3 out of 4 campaigns according to the save file. It’s the most time I put into any game so far and I enjoyed every second of it. I will make time to finish that fourth and final campaign.
Load Comments