Saturday, December 23, 2017

Favorite Games of 2017

So, I wanted to put together a list of my four favorite games this year. I am not saying that these were the best games of the year, merely the titles that I personally got the most out of. This is filled with bias from my own personal tastes in games, and what I consider important to the medium. Something like Super Mario Odyssey, which was a solid and enjoyable Mario title that delivered exactly what it promised, just isn’t enough for me anymore. I’m looking for unique experiences, or things that advance genres or the medium in general that were made with love, care, and quality.

4. Tales of Berseria



Probably the only game on this list you haven’t played, or possibly even heard of, Berseria came out at the beginning of 2017 and got lost in the hype train around releases like Zelda and Horizon. Having not really enjoyed the last two games in the “Tales” series, I really wasn’t expecting much going in. I was so happy to be proven wrong.

You are the villain of the story, you’re the character the nations and people of the world are in fear of. The person you’re trying to kill could have been the hero of his own game. The twist is that he did something so horrible and terrible to you that you feel justified in getting your revenge, no matter the cost. The game gives you full context as to why the main character, Velvet, is doing the things she is and it is incredibly engaging to see what transformed her into what she is, and how she changes along the way. Your party is made up of misfits and rejects, who all have their own motivations for journeying with you and stand as solid characters on their own. It is an amazing story.

While there are a few other games where you are the bad guy out there, most treat it with levity, or never really push the boundaries. In Berseria, you burn down towns, you murder people, you have some pretty fucked up shit done to you while being surrounded by enjoyable and interesting characters. It also helps the overall experience that the core combat and gameplay remains solid throughout. This was a unique story, and one I feel is totally worth experiencing.


3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild



I’ve been noticing a trend lately where people seem to be almost pivoting on their opinions about Zelda. Sure, it is getting GOTY awards left and right, but my conversations with people and what I see online seems to be turning around. The game had flaws for sure. There were like six enemy types, the dungeons were convoluted, inventory management was a mess, there was a lack of variety in the open world activities. You could nitpick the game for days, but the things it did to push the genre forward, and the things it absolutely nailed, cannot be ignored.

First and foremost, the game respected me as a player. I wasn’t bogged down with tutorial missions or explanations, I was given the keys to the car and told to just “Go”. So much of the game was just left for me to discover on my own and I greatly appreciated this. Did you know that all the shrines in the game had birds flying above them to help you locate it? The game never told you little things like this, but your experience wasn’t lessened by missing out. But if you did discover it, you felt clever and rewarded. The game has countless examples of this, little tiny moments where you feel smart as a player for figuring something out.

It also removes one of the biggest issues I have with 3rd person open world games, and that is the “checklist” approach to content and collectables. You can’t open a GTA or Assassins Creed game without seeing the same 8 activities copied and pasted in every region, with some sort of counter or checkbox to track your progress. Even Horizon, as good as it was, suffered from this. These types of games are often plagued with tons of collectables and cluttered maps which serve no other purpose than ticking off boxes. Zelda had no minimap markers for shrines or seeds until they were discovered. All you had to go off was your own curiosity when looking at the map for unique landmarks, or your radar to give you an initial bearing. You do have a list for the memories, but that was to give you a clue as to where to go. You didn’t get a giant map marker or a dotted line trail to follow, in the end it was still up to you to explore.

This game moved the genre forward in a way that we will begin to see in 2018 as other open world titles begin to emulate it. If nothing else, it deserves recognition for that. It also helps that on top of it all, the game was a blast to play and was incredibly memorable.


2. Nier: Automata



I can’t tell you how many reviews I have seen over the years that have gone something like this:

“While the core gameplay is very fun, the story and systems aren’t very interesting. 8/10”

So, to see a game like Automata get scored in that range tells me that people played this game for eight hours, slapped a number on it, and moved on to the next review they had to rush out the door.

Nier is a game that doesn’t even take the time to acknowledge its amazing gameplay. It has too much personality, world building, and story to get through to spend time dwelling on how seamless it can transition from side scroller, to action game, to top down shooter. Combat is consistently thrilling and entertaining, as the game continues to throw incredible boss encounters and gameplay segments at you. There is a substantial amount of freedom in how you approach combat with different weapon types, and builds you can take for your character. Combat is every bit as thrilling as a “Devil May Cry” or “Bayonetta”, and it is just the ground floor that the rest of this masterpiece is built on.

The game is essentially three segments. You play as a specific character in the first and second, and bounce between two in the third. The second segment is the game’s weak point, and the point I initially walked away myself. It is a retelling of the first segment from your partner’s point of view. While there is some unique info you gain, about 70% of the playthrough is repeating the same things you did in the first segment. 

The second segment can drag on a bit, but if you manage to get through it and get to the third segment, you are rewarded with one of the most unique and memorable experiences in gaming. I say that completely free of any hyperbole. The game utilizes the medium itself to present concepts and emotions that wouldn’t be possible in any other form of entertainment.

Take everything I have described and add on an amazing story about free will and individuality, the best soundtrack in decades, and amazing art direction, you have a title that I feel everyone needs to play. This write up may feel a bit limited, but to expand on it any more would be doing you a disservice. Just play it.


1. Persona 5



As I was playing through Xenoblade Chronicles 2, I had quite a few people ask me if they should pick it up and I had to keep saying “No.”. Not because XC2 was a bad game, but because it was a very classical JRPG, complete with all the tropes you would expect, a very slow-going story, and a complicated combat system that punishes you for not playing efficiently. Unless you know what you’re getting into and have the patience for a game like that, I don’t think it is worth your time. Persona 5 on the other hand, is a JRPG I would recommend to absolutely anyone, and was without a doubt my favorite game this year.

This is a game that has its own identity and voice, with personality and style visible on every screen capture. You play a Japanese High School student in modern day Tokyo who moonlights as a supernatural vigilante, going into the minds of terrible people and forcing them to confess their crimes publicly. You must balance your limited time each day between your school responsibilities, personal relationships, or making progress in the mind palace of the adult whose heart you are trying to change. Should you ask Makoto out on a date, or should you progress deeper into the dungeon? What about mid-terms? Those are coming up and you haven’t studied! Along the way you pick up other broken and interesting people to join you on your adventures in what ends up being a very human and wonderful group of companions.

All the game systems are connected in this beautiful web that makes the time management piece so compelling. Increasing relationships in the real world makes those people stronger in combat, or grants a passive bonus. Getting better at combat allows you to progress faster in a dungeon by spending fewer resources, which in turn gives you more time to spend socially. There are so many choices you can make, and none of them feel wrong. As far as game design goes, it is an amazing feat to pull of something like that. The whole experience is wrapped up with the best UI design I have ever seen, a stellar storyline, and a brilliant soundtrack that only adds to the game’s personality.


The gameplay is an addictive loop, and I love every broken soul who joined me on this adventure. A general litmus test I run on myself to see how memorable a game is involves listing off all party members from memory and I can still do that for P5 in a heartbeat. This title is an absolute testament to amazing game design. You can see the thought and attention to detail that went into every aspect of this game. It is a complete package.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Game #40: Undertale

Undertale
Platform: PC
Duration: 8 Hours

What a unique, charming little game. The combat mechanics are very cool and the game keeps coming up with new challenges and twists. This title bleeds personality from every screen. I really don't want to go much into it because it will spoil things, but I completed the "True Pacifist" ending and was thoroughly entertained. By the way, this game is pretty damn funny. Something I think is hard in this medium.

It's ten bucks, and you can beat it in a few sittings. I hate "artsy" game critics who scoff at AAA titles and just praise indy games to no end that are filled with design issues. This though, this is a great game that really impressed me and I don't typically like indy titles.

Oh, this game is challenging as shit too. Hope you are good at bullet hells.


Game #39: Rise of the Tomb Raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider
Platform: Xbox One
Duration: 15 Hours

There were multiple moments in this game where I felt it was just yelling "GRAPHICS" at me. Like, this is a beautiful game, particle effects everywhere, physics objects, solid 30 FPS, but I would be lying if I didn't think it felt excessive at times.

Seriously though, this was a very fun game. Story starts a little too fast but quickly slows down and hits a good stride. Pacing felt very solid between exploration, puzzles, stealth, action, and "run motherfucker!" segments.

Oh, and it has Tombs! That you raid! Actual clever puzzles!

I really like the direction the rebooted franchise has taken, and I genuinely believe they're better games than Uncharted. This one is definitely worth your time, but aside from your first playthrough you probably won't get much out of it. Grab it when it goes on sale.

Game #38: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X
Platform: Wii U
Duration: 76 Hours

Probably my #2 game this year. This game did more to move the JRPG genre forward than any title I've played in years. I was talking a lot to Erika about this, and so many JRPGs just feel...like the same game. The past 3 "Tales" games have been mechanically very identical. Final Fantasy feels like it has been running in circles trying to find something new. Xenoblade though...they took inspiration from the Skyrims and Baldur's Gates out there. Hundreds of quests, and honestly the "filler" collect/kill missions are not the majority of the things you do in this game.

You explore, for hours upon hours this gigantic beautiful world. Exploration feels great, you constantly get rewarded with materials, money, map progress, experience. Story progress rewards you eventually with this badass giant robot, then suddenly even more of the map opens up to you. And then you hit that moment where you unlock the ability to fly with your robot and everything just feels...open. There are few games that can nail meaningful exploration but this one absolutely does.

Story wise, it is a very concise tale for a JRPG. It presents a very clear goal early on that you work to achieve throughout the twelve story missions. There are some great revelations, a few twists, but was ultimately very satisfying. The bulk of the missions in the game though either flesh out the backstories of your party members, or the citizens of the town. Some of them are very fucking cool though, and a few get really dark. Honestly I was very impressed with the quality of storytelling presented in the side quests.

As far as gameplay mechanics, combat was very fun. My robot was a fucking monster by endgame and on foot I was a badass Sniper. There were a few clunky systems like the sheer amount of crafting items and the awkward way you have to manage adding and removing people from your party, but as a full package I was happy. Online was also cleverly integrated into the game. Shared worldwide missions that everyone got rewarded for as well as some co-op raids. It was very clever.

This was a great game. After the letdown that was the Xenosaga games, I am happy the creator of one of my favorite game of all time has hit is old stride again.


Game #37: Magical Diary

Magical Diary
Platform: PC
Duration: 3 Hours

Was looking for something quick to beat while we had free play at work the other day. Decided to boot up this random dating sim I got in a humble bundle a while back.

Essentially, it's an anime dating sim in a knockoff Hogwarts. I ended up in an abusive relationship with a Demon who tried to take my soul. I kept trusting him though and eventually my roommates kicked me out and made us fail our group final because I wouldn't give up seeing him. I ran away from school to be his Queen in the underworld.

This game is weird. Here is my prom photo.


Game #36: Sword Art Online Lost Song

Sword Art Online: Lost Song
Platform: PS4
Duration: 32 Hours

The Sword Art games have nailed one thing, they portray the characters very accurately. In the absence of the show, they're a great fix for my SAO addiction. Game wise though they are just decent. Nothing particularly revolutionary, but solid game play that stays faithful to the show's mechanics.

I don't think I can look at this objectively since I like the show so much, but I enjoyed my time.


Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Game #35: Fallout 4

Fallout 4
Platform: PC
Duration: 69 Hours

Fallout 4 is a good game. I think with a few more months of development and some further iteration on some systems it could have been a great game, but that just isn't what was presented with the final product. What we got was a story that ends an entire act before the game does, an abysmal UI, a serious hit to player choice, and the trivialization of a number of classic Fallout themes. In short, it felt like a simplification of something who's complexity used to bring me a lot of enjoyment.

But I still had fun.

I've been trying to distill down why I still enjoyed my time with the game. I think the core gameplay is so familiar to me at this point that it is hard not to enjoy getting progressively stronger and blowing the crap out of mutants with my laser rifle. V.A.T.S is a fun system, that gets more rewarding as you invest perks in it. Crafting was interesting too, and it was cool putting the junk items to use. I mean, I don't think there has ever been a video game that made me excited to find an aluminium tray factory before.

I think this is like when I watched Star Wars Episode 1 as a kid for the first time. I enjoyed it, but I felt something was off. It was only later that I sat down and pieced together everything that was bothering me. Fallout 4 is the same. Well, not as bad as Jar-Jar of course, but still.

I think what bugs me is how this just doesn't feel like a Fallout game to me anymore. There's no way to play an evil character, just a sarcastic asshole. Power Armor, which took a herculean effort to earn in previous games, is now just given to you before the two hour mark and is just a glorified vehicle. Even joining the Brotherhood of Steel, which again took a lot of effort in previous games is now accomplished after completing a single mission and you get fast tracked through promotions constantly. Skills are gone. Creative solutions to problems are gone. The whole game just feels...simple.

It feels as if it was designed peacemeal across numerous developers and then just thrown together into one whole right at the end without a lot of integration testing. I'm sure the designer working on the Railroad quests thought it would be awesome to add in the ability to modify your clothes and hat slots as a quest reward, but I don't think anyone stopped to think if it would be a good idea to gate an upgrade that effectively triples your defense behind doing two side quests for an optional faction.

I mentioned it earlier, but the story? Ugh. It resolves way too quickly, the individual faction stories are incredibly weak, and the ending is a huge letdown. It completely killed my desire to replay this game.