This is an ordered list of my favorite games of the year, with the caveat that I rarely, if ever “finish” games. That said, I feel the time I spent on these games, usually across multiple platforms, has left me with enough info to publish such a list.
Perfect in virtually every way. Quite literally the embodiment of everything I want from a game, outside of story, which, while predictably corny and trope-y, is still perfectly enjoyable in a genre context.
A lot like the inverse of #1. All the magnificent, convoluted, mind-fucky storytelling I expect from a Remedy joint, but with somewhat subpar technical execution. The gameplay loop is still fantastic, and as I’ll likely mention elsewhere on the list, this year’s seeming revival of the Metroid Prime school of game design is a welcome one indeed.
The real “Frankenstein” of the lot, Respawn’s bid at making the Star Wars license relevant again, not only to EA, but game-likers everywhere, is far more successful than it has any right to be. Metriod Prime level design, Souls-ish combat and Uncharted-style platforming come together in a perfect balance that you could see being crushed by the weight of its own influence under the care of a lesser developer. In this case, it’s the perfect blend, with just enough Extended Universe juice to satisfy the lore-hungry among us, performed by some excellent, if not graphically impressive, performance captured characters.
