What a year! Some absolute bangers on the release side, and an absolute shitshow on the business side. So weird.
As usual, 1-10 is my personal top ten of the year, 11-onwards are honorable mentions. Some games I fell off in such a way that I don't feel they "deserve" a spot on the honorable mentions list. These are usually games I come back to years down the line. They are still on my "games I played this year" list, if anyone (most likely future me) is curious.
I have yet to beat this and I have played it for roughly 100 hours. I am very far along with one character, and have a myriad of others at the start of the game. And I almost wish I had no other games to play, no films or series to watch or books to read so I could just play this all the time. But it is so good that I am slowly playing it, parceling out an hour here and there. BG3 will go down as one of the all time greats, and for me it tops the list even in a stacked year as this.
Scary games is difficult for me, as I get the "too paralyzed to move forward" thing. I'm really bad at them. But I had to experience Remedy again after the excellent Control. So I watched a recap video, and headed in. I am so glad I did. Remedy is doing things in the space no one else is. I am all aboard whatever they do from here.
And let's be honest, the "We Sing" chapter alone would have put this on my top ten.
It's the sequel to Breath of the Wild, which should be enough. But the way they expanded on so much, and basically added a full other map under the existing map is just wild. I have seen credits, but I don't feel I have beaten it. Will probably head in now and then to explore more, find more stuff and help more people.
The one thing I want to expand on is how different the feeling in this game is in relation to BotW. There I felt the weight of the impending apocalypse, which the world had been slowly inching towards for a thousand years. There where people, but few and far between. And all of them simply survived under the cloud of Calamity.
In TotK there is this optimism and sense of progress that makes it feel completely different. Everyone is doing something interesting, going somewhere, exploring, living their life. It really feels like a world where everyone thought they would be among the last generations alive, but now they suddenly have all of the future in front of them. I needed that this year.
One of the bigger surprises for me this year, and this years "Obra Dinn"-like. I hope we get more than one a year in the future, but at least one is needed! I love this game and how smart it makes you feel. The mechanic of figuring out languages is great, and I would love a sequel or something. Or just another, just as inventive, game from this studio.
I am really bad with scary games, but some are so intriguing and sound good enough for me to power through. This was one of two I jumped into this year. I never played the original System Shock, despite being huge fan of Bioshock, Deus Ex and the like. I can see now why System Shock is so highly regarded, and I can't wait for the enhanced edition of SS2.
Almost the most mind-bending game on the list this year. Good enough for me to play it twice to get some of the collectables I missed the first time, before realizing I could have just jumped to the exact chapter instead. Oh well, it was fun both times!
One of the very few games that brought me to tears this year. I really like the climbing mechanic, and the mystery of the spire is great. Chill, in a weird way. Also chilling in its depiction of a world where all the water has receded and only sand is left.
What a game. The puzzles are really good, and the world is gorgeous. I also love the tone and story of the game, these kinds of philosophical stories is my jam.
I am so close to beating this, but as with the first game I fell of near the end. Will pick it up again someday to beat it, but what I have played so far was great. Setting the language to spanish from the get go helped a lot, as that is what made me appreciate the first game even more. The atmosphere is top notch, love the gameplay and the music is perfect. One of those game series I wish more people knew about.
Despite the issues still in the game (should probably have been in early access for a while instead of releasing as it did) I am having a blast with this sequel. Really looking forward to seeing what they and modders will add in the future.
Didn't hook me enough for me to beat it, but I really liked what I played. Will go back in when I get the itch.
This would probably be on my top ten if it had run better. I have yet to beat it, as the performance actively hindered me playing it properly where I was. I think they have fixed much of it, but other games have pushed this to the side. A shame, as I really liked what I played, which I think was most of it. Will go back soon.
I liked Diablo IV more than many, but not enough for it to get a top ten ranking. I am glad they continue with the season mechanic from the past game, meaning I can play through with a new character for each upcoming season until I have tried out all of them properly. A game I will come back to several times over the years.
Kind of a bummer to be honest. There are so many parts of the game I like, but the wrapper is not that good. Doesn't have the same sense of exploration that the past Bethesda Open World games have had, which is ironic in a game built on you exploring the universe. Their way of writing characters also stood out in a major negative way after some other games this year. The New Game mechanic is intriguing though, and I am probably coming back to this more in the future.
I have major nostalgia for Jet Set Radio Future, my first Xbox game. This scratched some of that itch, but not perfectly. Still a great game though!
Great game, yet I almost forgot I had played it when going through my "games I played this year" list. The core mechanic and how it changes level to level is really impressive. But for some reason not memorable enough for me to put on my actual list.
Still in (very) early access but already very impressive. Decided to put it down after playing about 24 hours of it and wait for 1.0. Which I am really looking forward to.
Enjoyable puzzle-game. Wish there was more at the end, which is good. But maybe a few big "sandbox" maps would be great just to relax with.
I really enjoyed My Time at Portia, and this is more of the same just a lot better. I never beat MTaP, but I can see myself beating this one. One of my "chill out with a video or podcast on the side" games of this year.
Only played one session with my brothers and sister-in-law so far, was fun enough to put it on this list.
Just started playing this as I write this list. Will probably not grab me as hard as a certain other CRPG did, but I am looking forward to experience more.
It was wonderful!
Extra Honorable Mention to this. I played it at launch, fell of quick. Picked it up again with the release of Phantom Pain, and it's a great game now. Truly. If you haven't played it yet, you should. The writing is really excellent, as well as the acting. I like the story, and the gameplay is top notch now.
