SeriuzBiznus GotY 2019
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something Mew.
List items
-
A series of personal events, emotions and very poor impulse control led me to a Black Friday purchase consisting of a new Nintendo Switch as well as a copy of Pokémon Sword. Despite the lack of self-control, I have not regretted this decision for one moment. Not only does the Switch feel fantastic, the joy(-con) of finally being part of the zeitgeist for a Pokémon game is incredible. I have never played a Pokémon game in the year it was released, let alone this close to launch. In fact, I've never even owned a piece of Nintendo hardware whilst it was still considered to be "current".
The game itself feels like a modern breath of fresh air. So many new Pokémon to discover, so many quality of life improvements (especially having come straight from Pokémon Yellow!). I'm sharing in the excitement with my friends and it feels like being a kid with my Pokémon cards and the OG animated series, all over again.
-
Following my completion of Aria of Sorrow and thoroughly enjoying Vinnystania, I knew I was going to love this game. What I didn't expect was just *how* much I was going to love it. The variety of attacks in shard and weapon types makes every encounter a challenging, interesting and bloody hilarious experience. I can't tell if it was me or the game that lost the plot about halfway through, but honestly, the nonsense only added to the fun.
-
Technically this entry is just the Blood and Wine expansion as I finished both the main game and Heart of Stone last year. Nevertheless, I'd argue that the time I spent with Blood and Wine was better than many, many full games. It's the perfect way to draw a close to Geralt's story and the cherry on top of one of the best games I've ever had the pleasure of playing.
-
I love the Souls games. Well...I love *watching* the Souls games be played by others. I have tried and failed to play both Demon's Souls and Dark Souls 2, despite how enamored I am with the style, themes and lore of those worlds. Bloodborne though? Now this is my jam. I realised my issue with Souls gameplay is my lack of patience. Bloodborne rewarded my aggression, whilst still challenging and tricking me in the traditional Dark Souls way. The world and themes are arguably even better than the main Souls series and even at my most frustrating and testing points of the game (looking at you, Rom), I was enjoying the experience enough to power through. I beat the final 3 bosses back to back with no deaths and the sense of achievement I felt was exhaustingly wonderful.
-
Weird, obtuse and downright impossible for me to beat without a guide. Yet this 2D Zelda on the Game Boy Color was still an outstanding and charming entry one of my favourite franchises. Now that I own a Switch, I'm tempted to pick-up the remaster and play through all over again, even just as an excuse to listen to that soundtrack again. This time I might not even need the guide!
-
Skyrim was my first Elder Scrolls and despite sinking 40+ hours into Morrowind, Skyrim was also the only Elder Scrolls I had played to completion. I decided to dig out Oblivion from the backlog as I'd heard so much praise for the side content. It may not have the epic beauty of Skyrim or the deep and winding plots of Morrowind, but Oblivion did not disappoint. With a few quality-of-life mods it played perfectly on my PC and I quickly found myself enthralled with the Dark Brotherhood. Those side quests truly lived up to their excellent reputation.
-
Don't. Stop. Moving. Don't. Stop. Shooting. I haven't had this much fun in an FPS since Titanfall 2. Everything about the gameplay felt so good, not to mention how absolutely mind-meltingly perfect the soundtrack was. I can't wait to play the sequel next year.
-
I wanted another game to play on my Game Boy Micro and Castlevania was a series that had eluded me up until this point. After a little research, I figured Aria of Sorrow would be the best fit for me and I was not wrong. It's not the most traditional of Castlevania's but it was exactly what I wanted and was a treat to play on the Micro. Rocking that crisp, white outfit and tossing out attack cats with my Student Witch power. What more could a girl want in life.
-
There seems to be a general consensus with this game that it outstays its welcome towards the end. Whilst I'm inclined to agree in terms of looting and combat, I never got bored of the characters or story. With a little more breathing room and a few more resources, Obsidian could easily have the next Mass Effect franchise in their hands.
-
I grew up watching the anime and collecting the cards but I never had the opportunity to play the Pokémon games. Having loved my time with Pokémon Emerald on the Game Boy Micro last year, I decided to dip my toes in again and go back even further to the Game Boy Color. Seeing all my childhood favourite Pokémon and having a little Pikachu follow me around the iconic map was a real highlight for me this year. I can finally cross this one off the list!
-
Honorable mention.
As I did not own a Nintendo console as a child, had limited games on PlayStation 1 and never owned a PS2, I had not played a Final Fantasy game in-full prior to this. The closest I came was FF XIII on Xbox 360. A bad version of a not-great game that left a poor taste in my mouth when I eventually gave up around 20 hours in.
I decided to try going back to the beginning and picked up the first Final Fantasy game on iOS. The simplicity of the older style coupled with the charm and convenience of being able to play on my phone, meant that I was finally able to complete a Final Fantasy. I'm tempted to try another of the 2D games now...perhaps Final Fantasy IV?
Load Comments