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ShallNoiseUpon posted:The thread is going to whip rear end Hello, hello my darlings! It's so lovely to see you all again! Welcome back for to what is swiftly becoming a tradition here on the ol' Games forum as we take a loving look back over the year before it runs out of continues in the Video Games Top 10 Poll of 2019. Last year a veritable swathe of goons came together to share their feelings on various games using the format of arbitrarily ranked lists. It all went well, everyone had a good time, the thread got goldmined (not that I like to brag or anything) so heck, let's do it all over again! But before we do, we can't go any further before reflecting on the last twelve months.
Rarity fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Dec 9, 2019 |
# ? Dec 9, 2019 22:25 |
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# ? Apr 17, 2024 20:48 |
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njsykora posted:I got the goose game and honked at a small child until they were so scared they shut themselves in a phone box.
We made it, friends! We survived 2019! All that's left to do now is to rank your favourite video games of the year in an ever so convenient list format. Here's how this works, you make a list of your top 5-10 games ranked from 1 to 10. Your #1 game gets 10 points, your #10 game gets 1 point and at the end of it all I count them all up and tell you what won. That's the gist of it but there's a few other things to remember. VOTING RULES 1. Any game that you have played in 2019 is eligible. It could be a game from this year, it could be a game from the past, it could be a game from the future if you're some kind of time travelling god. It could be a gacha game, it could be a romhack, it could be a randomizer, it could be a mod, as long as you played it this year it's all good. 2. The joy of this thread is in getting to shout about your favourites and hear Iabout the hidden gems that you missed and we can only do that if you talk about why you've chosen the games you have. You can write a sentence, you can write an essay, whatever you like as long as you write something. Any lists posted without reasons for their picks will not be counted in the final vote. 3. If you want to list more than ten games go for it but I'll only count your top ten. If you want to list less than ten games then go for that too but I won't count it if you've done less than five. If you don't want to rank your picks then that's fine as well but again, I won't count it. 4. Don't be a dick about other people's choices. This is a positive thread to celebrate the best of video games, not a place for people to get lost in an argument over which AAA release poo poo the bed worst. If you want to be critical then take it elsewhere. Please note that this rule will be waived if anyone picks in event of hentai games or Destiny. 5. If you want to talk about spoilers in your post then by all means go for it but put a spoiler warning at the start of your list. 6. If you want to go back and edit your list after the fact then go for it, just shoot me a PM or post in the thread to let me know you have or I might not count it. 7. Deadline for submissions is 1st January 00:00AM PST. I'll then do a live countdown of the final results in the New Year!
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# ? Dec 9, 2019 22:26 |
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loving hell this has been a long year. but also, UNIONIZE
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# ? Dec 9, 2019 23:48 |
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i'm gonna be a good girl like always and get my homework done early (don't be fooled, i never actually did that): 9. Mordhau - rounding out the bottom of the list, since i don't actually have enough games that i liked to make a top 10, mordhau was a pretty fun game to stab dudes in. it was also very silly; the build i always scored the most points with was the one where i just bring 2 medkits and a mallet to battle and never actually kill anyone. you can also play the lute. -5 points for racism that i didn't hear about until after i quit playing. 8. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate - i played through this at the start of the year and the sheer amount of content in this game is staggering. it's the only game you need if you want to experience old style Monster Hunter: every monster, every map, every weapon, they're all here, from every generation, plus some new ones. the switch is the perfect platform for it too. 7. ARK: Survival Evolved - the new Valguero map this year was a vast improvement over the previous expansion maps like Extinction and Aberration, and my friends and i put a ton of time in on it over the summer. game is still beautiful and fun to explore and survive and strap lasers onto dinosaurs in. one day i will build that underwater base i've always dreamed of. 6. Monster Hunter: World - i didn't put in as much time in this as i did last year when it first came out on PC, but the regular update schedule kept me playing pretty consistently through the first half of the year. it fell off once it became Iceborne Waiting Room and I had to cut myself off from all related content to avoid spoilers, but this is one of my favorite games of all time and oh my fuckin god i can't wait for Iceborne. 5. Path of Exile - i don't know if i will ever stop playing this game, and i definitely will keep pouring money into it, because i have no impulse control. i cannot resist making my character as shiny as possible. the Legion and Blight leagues were especially fun this year, and i'm definitely hopping back in for the Metamorph league this weekend. easily the best ARPG on the market. diablo 4 won't even be able to keep up, especially with PoE2 on the way. 4. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - this was a beautiful, brutal game that sadly broke me so hard over its knee that I never actually finished the whole thing (i got pretty far though). i still loved it, the combat is fantastic and finally beating a ridiculously hard boss (twice, gently caress you corrupted monk) was a huge rush of relief and adrenaline. -5 points for having monkey bosses though. i hate monkeys. 3. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - i didn't pay any attention to destiny 2 for the majority of the year, and didn't even realize there was an expansion due out until after it was out. the timing on it was perfect since i needed something to play after my FFXIV raid group fell apart. i logged in just to see what new content there was and lo and behold, there's a bunch of new stuff and importantly, a limited-time title that i could actually, feasibly obtain. this gave me a goal, and goals are something i generally lack in my life, so it was nice to have something to work towards for a while. and now there's another new season starting tomorrow to maybe keep me busy again until Iceborne comes out! hooray! on top of that, since the title required me to do a whole bunch of PvP it actually made me get kinda sorta almost okay at pvp, even to the point where i was enjoying myself. and that never happens, especially in FPS games, my aim is poo poo, so that was really nice. shootmans is fun, gameplay loop is good, story and lore is good, it's good! 2. Risk of Rain 2 - this is the best multiplayer/coop game i've played in a very very long time. i never played ROR 1, but this one clicked with me very quickly especially as the Huntress. it's the first game in years that I actually feel like i'm good at it. when all of my friends are dead and it's just me vs. 100 enemies and 5 bosses and i pull out a victory it feels real fuckin good. no story (which is usually a big minus from me) but the gameplay is fantastic and i'm always down to play if my friends ask. the music is also great. 1. Final Fantasy XIV - Shadowbringers - holy fuckin' poo poo what a good expansion this was. even without the new quality of life changes, class balance changes, new classes, and new races, just the new world to explore and the STORY alone made this the best mmo expansion i have ever played. there is a reason that the lady who wrote the main scenario quests got a standing ovation at their pax panel. plus we got tons of fantastic new music (spoiler warning on some of those), new mounts, new raids, new activities, and it's just going to keep getting better. lali-ho, motherfuckers.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 00:22 |
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Lol drat that op Still thinking on my picks but I'm excited for this thread
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 01:10 |
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Gonna write/vote something later, just wanted to say thank you for this amazing thread, that op is killer.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 01:19 |
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I'm not gonna do a full list but Outer Wilds (not to be confused with The Outer Worlds) is Game of the Year, no contest.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 01:59 |
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Where is JUDGMENT?!?!? (great OP. I’ll be along with my list after I finish a couple games)
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 02:08 |
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Jesus christ Anthem came out in February and jesus christ Apex Legends came out this year?!
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 02:09 |
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Not a huge gamer but here is what I've played this year 1. Disco Elysium - I don't even really like single player games but this really hit the spot. I hope these people continue to make more games in the same style. 2. Mordhau - The combat system is so good you'll forget the maps are mostly bad and the community is very bad good luck to everyone
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 02:14 |
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#8 - AMID EVIL AMID EVIL is a clever little game that briefly allows us to consider an alternate reality where the original Quake never strayed too far from its original design doc. You'll be making some satisfying use of high fantasy sniper rifles and shotgun maces in seven well-conceived FPS worlds that rarely overstay their welcome and utilize their limitations to produce some truly evocative environments. A shining example of how "retro" does not have to be synonomous with "primitive" and can advance a genre out of its own time. #7 - Tom Clancy's The Division 2 I played the original Division in early 2016 when it came free with my video card, but it failed to make a strong impression and I gave it up after a few weeks. The Division 2 by comparison manages to hit all those enjoyable looter shooter buttons, which is somewhat impressive when considering the Tom Clancy milsim aspect does nothing for me otherwise. The decaying, post-apocalyptic Washington DC of The Division 2 is an incredibly realized and painstakingly detailed world to explore, the mission design is top-notch, and the dreaded "gameplay loop" always offers the opportunity for player advancement and improvement. I've come back a couple times as Massive has added more content to the game and always manage to kill a few enjoyable hours. #6 - Life is Strange 2 The first episode of this five-part series came out in September of 2018, and it feels like it's been a very long journey with the Diaz brothers since then. Life is Strange 2 is an odd game to recommend compared to its two predecessors, Life is Strange and Before the Storm. In those stories the melodrama was laid on thick, with reckless intensity and passion. One moment you'd be facing off against a drug dealer at gunpoint, only to be talking your friend down from jumping off a building in the next. Life is Strange 2 rarely provides that much emotional whiplash -- it builds its narrative slowly and deliberately. It's honestly even a little boring at times. But the result is a central relationship between Sean and Daniel that feels hard-fought, organic, and sometimes beyond your ability to control. Dontnod took a huge risk in crafting a narrative that wasn't slavishly devoted to the original in either its characters or subject matter, and I think it paid off in the end. In a cultural climate where the word "political" has become synonomous with vague and meaningless platitudes, it's refreshing to see a game like Life is Strange 2 unabashedly take on issues of racism, police brutality, and mass deportation in an unequivocally damning light. #5 - Devil May Cry V From start to finish, DMCV is an unceasing joyride of adrenaline and style. While high-end gameplay rewards precision and finesse, you thankfully don't need to spend any time in training mode to pick up the basics. Each character brings their own unique personality and flavor to the levels, and I think the inclusion of V as an entirely new kind of playstyle to character action games was a bold move that ultimately succeeded. While I haven't played through the story since March, it's still fun to load up a few Bloody Palace floors and wipe the floor with some demons every now and then. Bang Bang, pull my Devil Trigger! #4 - Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night I missed out on the Castlevania series when I was younger, but after playing through Bloodstained, it's easy to see how SOTN and the later Igavanias came to define an entire generation of gaming for some people. The combination of the varied environments, oddball enemies, and flashy spells made all my 18 hours with Bloodstained an unforgettable experience that I'm looking forward to revisiting soon. #3 - Mortal Kombat 11 It surprises me to have a fighting game so high on my list this year, but I've truly enjoyed the unmentionable, disgusting amount of hours I have sunk into Mortal Kombat 11. Whether it's the robust single-player towers, the throwback character designs, the more neutral-based gameplay, the rotating online Kombat Leagues, Sindel's x-ray rear end smash, or whatever the case may be, I've stuck with MK11 longer than any other fighter since my reign of terror as Ivy in Soul Calibur 2. Usually I reach a point in every fighting game where to advance any further would require me to learn some technique or reads I'm just not willing or able to do, but in MK11 I always see a clear path to improvement. I'm still terrible and lose to dumb poo poo I shouldn't be losing to all the time, but very rarely everything comes together and I experience a brief moment of strategic brilliance. I'm sorry some people at NRS apparently had to get PTSD in order to add in more sick-nasty brutalities, but I am happy to say their sacrifice for my own personal enjoyment was worth it in the end. #2 - A Plague Tale: Innocence I'm always supportive of when a journeyman developer can come out with a breakthrough project that delivers an uncompromised single-player experience. Having finished A Plague Tale, I hope that Asobo can join the likes Hellblade in critical accolades and commercial success for their fantastic AA effort. While it obviously lacks the polished production values you might find in the Naughty Dog projects it's trying to emulate, A Plague Tale makes up for with memorable characters, an involving story, relentless attention to historical detail, and a lot of heart (and rats). The stealth gameplay is mostly competent with the occasional frustrating instafail sequence, the controls aren't always entirely fluid, but really, what you're mostly playing for is an engaging narrative anchored by some beautiful visuals and great, emotive performances from the two leads. You can tell that this was a project for the studio unmotivated by how many units it would sell, but on crafting a unique single-player story that would resonate with people. I hope A Plague Tale leads to some further recognition for Asobo Studio because they have really crafted a breakthrough project here. #1 - Control I ended up playing a lot of new games in 2019, more than I usually do at least, and while I mostly enjoyed them all there weren't any that stood out to the point where I immediately had to know everything about them. That changed when I started playing Control in August. Everything about the shifting brutalist architecture, the operatic and expressive Lynchian characters, the flashy telekinetic combat, and darkly comedic script instantly drew me in. I acknowledge that its particular tone is not going to land with everyone, but it seemed scientifically engineered to engage me. Usually I can remember a few moments from a game that dragged on, were too difficult, too alienating, or too dull, but in Control I was fully involved every minute, so much so that I immediately replayed the entire story upon finishing it the first time. The iconic sound design, haunting environments, and memorable dialogue still remain in my thoughts months later, and out of anything in 2020 I'm most eager to see Remedy continue Control's story in their two planned DLC projects. So while many otherwise worthy games came out this year, we all know Control gets to sit in the BIG chair. Everybody wants the big chair, Meg! Welp that's it! Thanks for reading.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 02:20 |
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I'm worried that not enough people played DMC5 for it to rate in this thread, the let's play I watched (Woolie and Pat) was amazing. e: Oh, and Unionize the games industry.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 02:34 |
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I remembered now why I bothered to write up a list last year, because I wanted to post the best gifs
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 03:12 |
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Amid evil was fantastic
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 03:18 |
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 03:40 |
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Just here to say that if your list doesn’t include Judgment and/or RE 2, you hosed up.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 04:32 |
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Got to really get through some games before the month ends, though I know I'm not going to get through of all them in time; namely Switch games like Three Houses and Weegee's Manor Tres.man nurse posted:Just here to say that if your list doesn't include Judgment and/or RE 2, you hosed up.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 04:36 |
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This year was the first year where I felt like multiple games were wowing me with narrative and performance every time i turned around. I'll skip through a story in a heartbeat if its not grabbing me and usually theres a few games that get my attention but this year was on another level in the story telling department while also coming at me with amazing gameplay in tons of genres. 2019 best games 10 Tetris 99 - I'm good at tetris you guys. i like to crush people by the dozen in this bullshit ruthless game 9 Samurai Shodown - Samsho is the ultimate mind game fighter. the biggest combo is like 3 buttons and everything is dirty and big damage. 8 DMCV - They redeemed the series. they elevated the combat to new heights with 3 characters. good stuff. 7 Outer wilds - A novel and focused experience that reminds how perverse the big empty design of most games has become. 6 Judgement - an S-tier game in the Yakuza family of games. Characters, performances, graphics, combat all as good as they've ever been. 5 Resident Evil 2 Remake - A classic reborn. flawless execution. The perfect survival horror game is now the perfect survival horror action shooter. 4 Ai: The Somnium files - Amazing characters and voice acting. Tons of alternate realities to explore that dramatically alter the cast's fates. 3 Death Stranding - A perfect union of gameplay and theme. Compelling in its simplicity with sensational performances from the cast. 2 Disco Elysium - A new level of interactive story telling. No other rpg i've played has come close in world-building or responsiveness to my decisions. 1 Ace Combat 7 - Pulling off a flawless run in this game takes practice, planning, and execution and it feels awesome as heck. Every mission is epic and pushes you beyond what you though you were capable of. Honorable mentions: 1. Control - great lore and soundtrack. action didn't impress me and there was a lot of it to get through with little else gameplaywise 2. Sekiro - solid action. really miss the options and online features in other fromsoft games. 3. Dragon Quest Builders 2 - really really good, superb fun game. pacing holds it back though. campaign is like 60 hours of tutorial that doesn't foster creativity as much as I would have liked.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 05:15 |
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6: Astro Bot Rescue Mission VR gets written off as a gimmick a lot, but that’s just because there are so few games that augment its unique properties with the level of creativity and joy that Nintendo puts into Mario games. Here, not only are your head and controller stuck in the middle of the level, they have a real physical presence that’s worked into puzzles and platform challenges through enough small ideas to power a dozen games. Give your controller the ability to shoot ninja stars, then send one through a grating by turning it on its side in your hand. Shoot a grappling hook into a wall, have the robot jump on the rope, then twang it like a rubber band to launch him to a high platform. Defeat an enemy by playing header tennis with the balls it’s shooting. Run for your life as a giant shark eats the level out from under you (a seriously frightening experience in a way TV horror isn't). Lean towards a flower and blow to send its petals swirling away and unlock a secret. Not everyone is in a position to go check this out, but if you can, don’t miss it. 5: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice I never actually beat the end boss of this but I have to respect what it accomplished along the way. It’s the final evolution of the all aggression, no quarter philosophy behind some of the most influential games of the past ten years, with every way to reduce the pressure on yourself removed and everything else tightened until it screams. I appreciate what it was trying to do but at the end I reached my limit for fights that are barely distinguishable from rapid-fire QTE sequences. Lots of people seem to be into that, but maybe I’m just too old now or something. This makes it sound like it doesn't even belong in my top games list but I don't regret playing it for a second- it's obviously a work of tremendous craft, it looks gorgeous, and it clearly knows exactly what it wants at every moment. I won't even call it unfair, just admit that I wasn't up to the challenge. 4: Death Stranding I can’t remember the last time I played something so original and so totally, proudly unlike other games. During the hype period I would always say that the final product could not possibly be as good as the collection of avant-garde sci-fi horror shorts released to promote it, but somehow it was. It wasn’t without flaw and I’m not going to call it the greatest game of the decade like some people will (the story is nonsense in a lot of ways even if the big reveals all ultimately hang together, the environment gets just a little too hostile by the end, the tension between making progress and making structures was never fully resolved for me) but it’s absolutely a successful experiment and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. 3: No Man’s Sky: Beyond https://i.imgur.com/1GD2HlU.mp4 I really regret having played this game to death back in the primitive days before it received VR support (or most of its features, or most of its QOL improvements, or any respect from the gaming world, or), because adding virtual reality makes it almost literally a whole new game. The scale and depth that VR brings to the environment combined with the lurid album-art color palettes and the acceptably varied terrain and animals make it finally a truly infinite universe to explore. There’s very little like the experience of standing on a balcony on the side of a spaceship the size of a building, looking out across the way at a much bigger spaceship looming nearby. And it’s actually a game by now, with missions and rewards and NPCs worth interacting with and cooperative multiplayer challenges and a fairly deep construction system and something that I guess counts as a storyline. Gotta give props to one of gaming’s best cinderella stories. 2: Control This game should go in the dictionary next to whatever word means the difference a good setting can make. It manages to wrap a fairly basic if well-executed third person shooting and adventure game in so many layers of intriguing concepts that digging through it is enough motivation to keep going and move past the rough edges. It’s a universe so deep and so tantalizingly strange that one game seems like a barely adequate introduction. The detailed destruction and polished abilities certainly help too, the progression systems and somewhat bizarre inclusion of infinitely grindable challenges not so much. I’m not going to revisit it until the DLC comes out, but when it does, I will do so immediately and with great enthusiasm. 1: Outer Wilds https://i.imgur.com/xL5HW2S.mp4 This was such a perfect intersection of top-notch game design and my general interests. Freedom of exploration with just the right mix of guiding hints and obstacles on the path. Progress through knowledge instead of collection or numbers. A universe full of things happening, some important and some not. Basic mechanics that were clear, fair, universal, and just the right amount of complicated that I could put my hard-earned skills to good use without ever getting overly stuck through failure of execution. A mystery that wasn’t instantly predictable but made me always want to know more about it. The right balance of whimsy and melancholy to add emotional color to everything I discovered and everyone I met. Unique and original ideas filling every corner of the world. It was almost disappointing when I realized that there was nothing left to see and when the ending was so beautiful that I felt it would be an injustice to return to the game (and when it turned out all the remaining trophies kinda sucked to try for anyway). Honorable mention: Destiny 2 Shadowkeep I didn’t want to list this because it’s not exactly a “good” game in the way the others are but I can’t deny I’ve spent more time in D2 this year than in anything else (possibly than in everything else combined, which is scary). It’s still a huge grindfest, it still has almost no respect for the player’s time, and since going free-to-play its demands for in-game purchases have only gotten more obstreperous, but damned if it isn’t still the smoothest, best-feeling console FPS I’ve ever played, damned if the community surrounding it isn’t a blast to team up or shitpost with, and damned if its many ongoing storylines aren’t just crazy enough to keep me wanting to know where it’s all headed (despite being fairly sure that the answer is “nowhere while the game remains profitable”). So I have to be honest with myself and I can’t not put it in here. haveblue fucked around with this message at 07:23 on Dec 10, 2019 |
# ? Dec 10, 2019 06:24 |
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Before I do my top ten, here's my top three disappointments of the year: 3. Super Mario Maker 2 -- The game is fine, I'm just trash at Mario and that soils my appreciation 2. Outer Wilds -- The exploration ruled, but the realistic physics space exploration was more annoying than fun, as was the time loop 1. Untitled Goose Game -- A+++ concept, C+ gameplay And a handful of runners up, games that I liked a lot but didn't make the top ten, in no particular order: Atelier Iris 3 Atelier Lulua The World Next Door Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night And now for my proper top ten #10 - Witch's House MV Witch's House is originally a free indie RPGmaker horror game, and the second-best example of that niche genre I'm aware of (after Ib). The creator ended up releasing a (not free) touched up version late 2018, which I played this year, which improved the graphics and added a new hard mode which mixed up which things kill you and what the puzzle solutions are. The game is rarely scary (at least to me, though I have a high tolerance for that sort of thing) but is absolutely chilling. You have to navigate through the titular witch's house, which is out to kill you in as many horrible ways as it can, culminating in a shocking ending (make sure you get the true ending). The original version of the game (with worse graphics and no hard mode) is still available for free here. #9 - Fire Emblem Three Houses Train schoolchildren to murder, available now on Nintendo Switch! 1.5 good games stretched over 4 routes, but 1.5 is still more than most games get. Do yourself a favor and never ever read the FE3H thread on these forums though #8 - Atelier Ryza https://i.imgur.com/jr95cI6.gifv It's no secret that I'm close to the biggest Atelier fan on these forums. Hell, I bet I surprised at least one person with Atelier Lulua falling off my top ten into my runners up. Ryza didn't fall off though. It features the same kind of down-to-earth coming-of-age storytelling I love, though with more saving the world than usual, attached to a much more engaging battle system than usual and an interesting crafting system. The only thing holding it down at the bottom of my top ten is kinda wonky pacing. #7 - Ocarina of Time Randomizer This was on my list last year and it's here again this year. A fresh way to enjoy an old classic, especially if you are the right age to have obsessively played OoT as a child, like I am. Over the past few months I've been participating in goon weekly seeds and feel like I'm halfway decent at it (I'm not). Come join us! Even if your first seed takes 8 hours or more, it's more fun doing the same seeds as other people so you can talk about it. #6 - Atelier Firis The second Atelier on my list. I am the only person in the world who likes this one; it's generally regarded as a failed experiment by most Atelier fans. It's an attempt to make an open world Atelier, with the rest of the formula--low stakes coming of age story, and a focus on gathering and crafting, left intact. Most people think the open world fell flat, but I disagree. The gather->synthesize->gather->synthesize gameplay loop is at its strongest in Firis, where your only limit on what you can gather is your strength, not story progression. Firis is in the bottom half of my top ten because it has fewer great characters than usual for an Atelier, though it still had plenty to fill out a party with. #5 - Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers I feel like about three years ago, ffxiv really figured out how to perfect its gameplay formula. Shadowbringers continues that, but doesn't really bring anything new to the table on that front. What it does bring is an absolutely electrifying storyline, the climax of which is perhaps my favorite story moment in any video game, of any genre. Natsuko Ishikawa, the main writer for Shadowbringers, is the only video game writer I know to have gotten a standing ovation for their work (I was at this panel and if anything the video undersells the energy of the room). This is an absolutely incredible game that I would recommend without reserve to any fan of JRPGs, whether or not their an MMO fan...if it weren't for the fact that you have to play close to 200 hours of ffxiv to even reach the beginning of it. Oh well. #4 - Ar Tonelico 2 After running out of modern Ateliers to play, I've been going back to the old PS2 ones. Ar Tonelico isn't an Atelier, but it is made by the same company, and it's one of the best stories they've ever written. The setting is so wild I don't think I can do it justice in the handful of sentences I'm writing for this top ten, but the real strength is in interaction between the two leads. Dealing with themes of grief, despair, and being trapped by your responsibilities, it lands on the uplifting, uniting theme that if two people really make an honest effort to understand each other, even the most different people can come together in friendship. #3 - Atelier Rorona Another game that was also on my list last year. This is a game I enjoyed enough to give the #5 spot last year, then replay it this year and give it a #3. The competition wasn't any weaker this year--it's just the kind of game that's even more fun when you know what you're doing than it is when you're learning it. This game is full of friends and pies. 10/10 #2 - Hollow Knight Prior to playing Hollow Knight, I had played so many turn-based games in a row I was wondering if I even liked action games anymore, or if my tastes had changed and my years of Dark Souls fandom were behind me. I ended up trying Hollow Knight on a whim and nope I still like them. This game loving rules. It probably has the best-designed map of any metroidvania, appealing spritework, great music, and absolutely rad boss fights. In last year's top ten thread I posted this: Cheetah7071 posted:Next up on my list is Atelier Meruru, the game made in between Totori and Ayesha. Based on the two games on either side of it I'm assuming that it will be my 2019 goty. and, well... #1 - Atelier Meruru This game is almost the perfect Atelier. An engaging cast, a time limit that makes you think but is ultimately not that bad, a crafting system that's fun to master (and with postgame superbosses to reward you mastering it), along with the return of nearly every popular character from the previous two games to let you see how they've grown. This game is the pinnacle of bright, happy JRPGs. cheetah7071 fucked around with this message at 06:56 on Dec 10, 2019 |
# ? Dec 10, 2019 06:53 |
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I just want to inform everyone that the use of images, gifs and other such creativity in your lists is heavily endorsed by the OP
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 07:05 |
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Rarity posted:I just want to inform everyone that the use of images, gifs and other such creativity in your lists is heavily endorsed by the OP what about gifs of wildly mismatched size, quality, and style
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 07:15 |
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cheetah7071 posted:what about gifs of wildly mismatched size, quality, and style You do you, friend
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 07:31 |
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This thread does whip rear end! I'll post in it as soon as I can be arsed making a list
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 08:05 |
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Man, you really like to talk poo poo about Ninja huh? He’s doing fine over on Mixer. And fortnite has cooled down, though I wouldn’t call it dead
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 09:25 |
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I’ll write up a list next week when I’ve got more time but I just wanted to post and say that OP is loving incredible and thank you for posting it.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 10:06 |
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1. Disco Elysium Changed the way I think about lots of stuff, stimulating to this day. "OK Game X but with DE mechanics" 2. Warframe Especially with the current melee meta I can lose myself in the movement of these almost perfect bodies. When content is drying up I can still spin my Valkyr around and pet my space kitten. 3. Control Fascinated me with its world, I want more. 4. Battletech This much more for the mod Rogue Tech, it's batshit but the good kind. 5. Civilization 6 Fan from the first game, still entertaining with mods.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 11:04 |
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I played a decent number of games this year but not a whole lot that I feel deserve to make it onto a GotY list. 4. City of Heroes: I can't believe the conspiracy theorists saying there was a secret server where a chosen cabal were able to play this long dead game were actually right! What a world. Still one of the best character creators in gaming. 3. Ashen: A non-From Souls game that I really enjoyed. The gameplay isn't as strong as From's stuff, but I really liked the world/storytelling, and the more open world-style levels made exploration feel fresh and different for a game of this type. The Matriarch's Seat is one of the coolest dungeons I've explored in years, in my personal opinion. 2. Sekiro: It's good to see that From can create a game that's a significant departure from Dark Souls but still has the engaging gameplay, exploration, and difficulty curve that makes Dark Souls great. The combat system feels even better to "git gud" at than Dark Souls or Bloodborne, probably due to the speed and acrobatics you can pull off. The more traditional narrative also really worked for me. My one problem with it is that the secret tools and sword arts didn't feel very well balanced, with ichimonji and firecrackers being the ideal loadout for most nontrivial fights. 1. Outer Wilds: out of everything I played this year this is the clear standout. Very unique and focused gameplay experience. The plot was engaging and the characters were very likable despite mostly being presented in an audio/text log format. My one complaint is that it's execution heavy, so my non-gamer dad who loves Myst and space exploration probably wouldn't be able to play it. Disappointments: Fire Emblem Three Houses: If you don't care about the Persona-lite stuff or the support cutscenes this game is worse than Conquest. I'm not saying the people who love that stuff and therefore loved this game are wrong, but that's not me. Also Byleth is The Man/Woman Without Qualities and the amount of dialog devoted to praising them is funny in a bad way. Pokemon: The dexit thing is a bit of a bummer but it doesn't actually bother me that much. What does suck is the removal of the GTS, replaced by nothing. This significantly reduced the value of the game for me, and if I had known it was the case I probably wouldn't have bought it, but none of the reviews I read mentioned it. As for the game, it's a solid pokemon game but with the main thing I liked to do in Pokemon games made difficult enough that I don't want to bother. Not seeing some fat/pasty male pro gamer with hairy legs wear the esports dress to the DotA international or something, that would have been funny.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 11:06 |
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First of all: Amazing OP. I can barely remember what I did yesterday let alone all the poo poo that's happened this year (and to be honest most of the poo poo outside of gaming has been real, real poo poo so there's that too) so a refresher was most welcome. While I loved 2018's thread, I didn't love 2018's games all that much. The ones in my list back then managed to break past the mundane and give me something to really enjoy, and that was good enough. This year, however? Goddamn. Goddamn. This is the first time - in a long time - that I am happy to see several games delayed to next year because I just haven't played through the ones I've already gotten yet. 2019 was a landmark year for games all around, I think. There were so many surprises and quality experiences to enjoy that it was positively overwhelming, and thank god because they all provided a much-needed distraction from a lot of bullshit. Enough preamble, we'll get on with the lists. Yeah, lists. First'll be my GOTY list, second my NOTY (Noooo of the year list), and lastly my NOPE list (Not Owned but Will Play Eventually). I'll even put them in correct order this year so you guys don't have to watch me blow my load at the beginning 2019's Game Of The Year List By Me Songbearer Hello There: 10] Return of the Obra Dinn (10 hours played): This is a game I heard good things about last year, oohed and aah'd at some screenshots and footage and then unceremoniously forgot about until the beginning of September this year. I am so, so sorry, Obra Dinn. You had so much to offer me and I forsook you, but boy howdy am I glad I took the time to revisit it this year. I don't achievement hunt but I got 15/16 achievements just playing the game normally. I had to find out the mysteries of the ship and see the grisly fates that befell its poor crew and holy moly, without wanting to spoil anything: This game goes places. You won't expect what you're going to see next. A running theme for a lot of games this year is "This is one small place, but beautifully realised and detailed" and the Obra Dinn is among one of my favourite settings in videogames. I'm not a big fan of boats and sailing and all that, but the solitude of this old vessel, the sounds of an approaching storm and the creaking of wood as waves gently rock you as you go about your business? God, I could live here. One look at the screenshots for this game should sell you on its visual design instantly. Pixel art isn't anything new, but a 3d environment rendered in 2 bit colour with a ton of different styles to choose from? It's such a strange choice, completely detached from any themes of the game in the slightest but by god does it work. To explain some of the events that happen on board this ship would be to spoil the surprises that await you, but being a witness out of time to these gory moments frozen in time is a horrible, unique pleasure. There's no pressure to rush around, so taking your time to figure out the sequence of events and catalogue each and every person can all be done with as much detail as you like. The thing is, it's like Pokémon: You don't technically need to solve everything, but you'll want to. It's so rewarding to see the list get crossed off one by one, though I will admit that there is some blind guessing involved here and there. This is a "lights out, headphones on, light a candle" game. I've never been so soothed while being so horrified. 9] Blood: Fresh Supply (38 hours played): Maranax pallex! This almost feels like cheating since Blood is one of my favourite FPS games of all time, but this rebuild made by the game-conserving crazies at NightDive studios is the simplest way to get your fix of Caleb's delicious husky voice as you rain down destruction and death against the forces of your ex-boss. Though it came out a little raw initially, it was quickly fixed and I sank the most hours into this game that I ever have in my life. A little secret for you: I've never actually played Blood the entire way through until this year. I've seen it, of course, but I've never had the honour myself. That nearly 40 hours of playtime consisted of me playing Blood, the Plasma Pak, all the expansions and the two best-loved custom map packs for the game, Bloody Pulp Fiction and Death Wish and even after all that I'm left wanting more. This version of the game gives you every option you could want, including effortless widescreen support and most importantly of all, a true 3D viewport. That might not sound like anything, but a "fake 3d" game like Blood is plain strange with mouselook by default, so being able to see the game in its normal euclidean glory is just wonderful. As retro shooters start to become the new Pixel Art Platformer of indie genres for the upcoming years (Something I'm happy about, by the way!), it's great to play through an actual veteran of the shooter wars in the best possible light and boy oh boy does the game hold up spectacularly. An easy recommendation to anyone who might have missed this gem, and even easier for fans of it who want the definitive edition. 8] Noita (79 hours played): Winner of the "Dead Cells Award For Being In Early Access But Still Kicking Extreme Amounts Of rear end", which is a category that consists of Dead Cells and this. It's a game I had heard of and seen gifs of every once in a while but completely forgot about shortly after, each and every time. It comes out, a friend suggests it, I go "Oh, that game, right." buy it and play it and oh my god this is so fun I died for the 187th time this time I'm sure I'll get it right if I can just STOP KILLING MYSELF. The thing is that this is the actual genuine joy of Noita. "Every pixel simulated" is the way they sum the game up and a lot of those pixels will find hilarious, frustrating, beautiful ways to end your fragile, miserable life in a way that will have you staring slack-jawed at the game over screen and reaching for the built in recording feature so you can show all your friends. As an Early Access title it has a ways to go in terms of balance and gameplay, feeling a little too harsh on the player in a game about experimenting with incredibly dangerous magical effects. The level of polish, care and detail already shown in the game, each pixel of environmental material and fluid interacting with each other in their own wonderful way and the sheer variety of the spells you can play with that combine in intriguing and violent results gives you one hell of a crazy playground to completely ruin. The things that happen on a session-by-session basis get stuck in your memory and replayed endlessly in your head: A worm burrowing stupidly through a tunnel, pissing off a skeletal guardian who'll make your life hell. A low-level mook stumbling on a wand that casts a nuke spell, casting it blindly at you point-blank and watching the entire screen - yourself included - evaporate into nothingess. Chainsawing a corpse until gallons and gallons of blood flow through the level like it's the elevator in The Shining and then drinking it all up with your disturbing witch stomach that can consume lava with no ill effects. There's so much to this game that's not readily apparent to the player, from hidden alchemy mechanics to a map that's absurdly expansive which you might entirely ignore during your first runthrough. It feels like the developers can just expand upon this game forever when it comes to content, but quality of life improvements need to come first. It should be noted that even now there are mods available that allow you to play this game like a sandbox if you want, so even if the devs stopped right here you'll be able to play it just how you like. Fortunately, it escapes the trap of being another half-finished contentless EA title and becomes an easy recommend to anyone who loves slinging spells. 7] Outer Wilds (25 Hours): Winner of the "Oh Dear God What An Unfortunate Name To Have Specifically For This Year" award because yikes, you couldn't cut that one finer against The Outer Worlds. This game was a giant surprise that I wouldn't have heard of if it wasn't pinned to the forums. Put another pin in this one for "One beautifully well realised place" games, but that place is a miniature solar system so, well, gently caress you it counts anyway. I'll admit that initially I kind of bounced off this game. It all seemed kind of overwhelming and I was put off with the lack of voiceacting, initially giving me a kind of amateurish feeling to the production. Just like your ramshackle spaceship, though, once you get off the ground and start exploring it's all systems go from there. A combination of enthralling mystery, upbeat writing and a pleasant atmosphere all serves beautifully to soften the blow of the sheer cosmological horror that awaits you in this game. There's a mechanical twist to the game that allows you to experiment with the world to your heart's content without causing lasting damage to your progress, since learning about your mysterious subject of research, the Nomai, and what their purpose was in your solar system will lead you to the conclusion of this game. There's no items to collect (with one exception), upgrades to get or dialogue branches you must succeed: Figuring out the why, when, who and how will give you everything you need. The solar system is fascinating, offering you sights I can guarantee you've never seen and will probably never see in any other game. There's too much to describe in a quick summary and to go into detail would be to rob you of the wonder of discovering it all for yourself. Emotions come thick and fast through the course of playing, and I'm sure a few more of the astronomically inclined players will probably be moved to tears by the sheer beauty of some of the events they'll witness in the course of the game. Puzzles are intuitive despite operating on some advanced scientific mechanics in places, but the less you know about the game, the better. 6] Devil May Cry 5 (38 hours played): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WpnPSChVRQ The adventures of Wacky Woohoo Pizza Man return and it is practically perfect. Between this, MHW from last year (loving give me Iceborne PC already god daaaaamn) and Resident Evil 2 Remake at the start of this year, Capcom seem to be pulling hit out of hit from their back pocket and it's definitely not to be considered DEAD WEIGHT. Listen to that loving theme song! Oh my god! Graphically this game pulls out every stop, with special mention going to the character modelling and textures which is detailed beyond belief. Once again the series goes back to what we all love: Batshit craziness with unapologetic goofiness sprinkled throughout, hold the seriousness toppings except for when it'll be dramatic. The realistic graphical style rubbed some people the wrong way, with Dante and Nero looking far, far less anime, but to me it's this realism that makes their antics really stand out and pop. The third character, V, is a really solid proof of concept that doesn't quite manage to land everything it tires to do, but is still a lot of fun to play nevertheless. Dante and Nero, however? Yessir, these boys get to have as much fun as you do when it comes to slaying demons. Nero's pain becomes our pleasure as he gets a ton of demon-busting robot arms that all function differently and have primary and secondary abilities. You can surf on a flying robot arm and do skateboard stunts. You can rev your motor-sword into overdrive and bounce around the arena as a blazing inferno of death. Dante gets a brand new form that turns him into an even more badass true demon of death and all your family favourite weapons return in his endlessly combinable ways, so you can fumble through the game using just the one pair of weapons and then watch Youtube videos of Japanese gamers doing it way better than you ever will so you can cry yourself to sleep at night for a different reason other than being lonely. This is character action at its finest and a must-play for anyone who loves style and especially enjoys spectacle fighters. They're not releasing a Virgil expansion so it sucks, throw it in the bin no don't I loving love you don't HURT MY BABY Okay, we're past the halfway mark. This is where things escalate violently. The top 5 represent games which were, and are, beyond the realms of my expectations for gaming fun. These games are a loving blast. Do not miss them if you like their genre and try them even if you don't. 5] Borderlands 3 (~120 hours played): For anyone who wanted Borderlands 3 to really shake things up with the series: I have some bad news for you. Borderlands 3 is More Of The Same™. That's not a very strong criticism this time round, though, since Borderlands 3 is the best More Of The Same™ that the series has ever seen. Story's still poo poo, but that's to be expected from this series. Controversy surrounding its development is definitely a giant bummer, but that's to be expected from Randy Prickford. What Borderlands 3 improves on is where it really counts: Core gameplay, gunplay and loot. Borderlands 1's weapons had no personality outside of stat changes and its gunplay was weak as hell, but it was new at the time and filled a niche with style so it got a pass. Borderlands 2 introduced manufacturers that made weapons look and handle differently, but gun feedback was still mostly terrible and you'd see a lot of repeats in weapon designs. Borderlands 3's weapons look and handle so amazingly different from one another from weapon to weapon, manufacturer to manufacturer, and enemies die quickly and pratfall spectacularly when shot, especially with shotguns. This is simply without a doubt the best looter shooter I've ever played and an incredibly satisfying shooter in general. It's the first Borderlands I've played completely solo from start to finish and genuinely enjoyed rather than "Mildly amused and hoping to someday pick up something interesting" enjoyed. I haven't grinded for loot nor sought out specific weapons, but now have a bank that is rammed full of legendaries that I just love. I got two legendary shotguns at level 2 from monsters in the wild. This game knows how to reward you: Frequently, consistently, and with items you can be genuinely excited to use. It's not just the legendary items that are good, though. Every weapon in the game is fascinating, operates wildly differently to the next one and the parts they can consist of are modelled just so nicely. I've spent a lot of time just staring at guns that looked cool in the examination menu. Your character can now have two abilities at once and can switch between modifiers for them on the fly. You're not confined to specific weapon types anymore so you can finally look forward to looting everything and they finally have a true co-op mode that scales you to your friends levels so you can play with anyone you like without feeling guilty. The humour is still weak, some of the characters are still dumb as hell (Though there are some nice surprises and some pleasant representation in the game) and the plot will have you grating your teeth until your mouth is filled with calcium dust, but in terms of actual gameplay I don't think you'll find a better looter shooter on the market. Haters: Do the usual thing and buy this when it's Ł5 and on STEAM. You'll have an amazing time with it. 4] Hypnospace Outlaw (22 hours played): I knew nothing about this game until it was released and seeing a few minutes of footage was enough to immediately sell me on it. This is another "Small space beautifully realised" games that is so, so deceptive in its scope. Get this: It's Geocities, the game. It's the cringy prose you wrote when you were a teenager, the MSpaint webcomics you used to read, the sweet old ladies figuring out how to make a Homespace page for the first time. It's the platonic memories we hold for 90's internet, now lost to the sands of time, condensed into a fascinating puzzle game. It starts off as Papers, Please for a made-up internet and gradually unfolds into something much deeper and you'll be laughing heartily at your monitor every step of the way. Everything the developers, artists, writers and musicians set out to do, they nailed it to the loving wall and underlined it in gold. There's petty squabbles, arguments between internet cliques, cyberbullying, hilarious copyright infringement, warez and corporate pages trying to shill you on software you probably don't ever need. Cynical musicians, idealistic children, narcissistic performers and every other flavour of internet weirdo you expect are present and correct and written in a way that's just so evocative of the mood of the era. I would turn my second monitor off to play this game just to immerse myself in this custom OS and you'll find yourself prettying up your desktop with jpgs and backgrounds you download online, running dodgy programs and even stealing music, if you're so inclined. You'll never directly interact with anyone, but you'll learn all about these characters and become invested as you go. For all the laughs and giggles, there's some genuinely touching moments and seeing the game through to its end is a bittersweet experience. This game has a 7 minute long rock song about shaving by Hot Dad of FYAD fame. Hot Dad has many, many songs in this game. There's a jingle about a bizarre dessert and I promise it'll get stuck in your head. You can shake your mouse cursor around to make hypnopages open up faster just like I know you did in the 90's. They've just opened up modding so you can make your own Hypnospaces and visit others. Play. This. Game. 3] Resident Evil 2: Remake (36 hours played): I'm not the world's biggest fan of Resident Evil, but as a kid I really, really liked number 2. It scared the crap out of me but the police station was a constant treat to explore and the atmosphere straddled a good line between horror and action movie with its lovable but doofy lead characters. I was cautiously optimistic for RE2REmake and so I got it for the day of its release. What a way to start the year off. Even if everything else had been crap, RE2RE would've been enough. Capcom must have slaughtered a goat to have this much Gaming Magic present in their work because man this game was made with love. Attention to detail? Down to the smallest object. Faithfulness to the original? In terms of atmosphere and landmarks, top grades. Actual gameplay? Tight as all hell. This game is clearly what Capcom envisioned the game would be given unlimited time, budget and rocket-powered computers back in the day and you can feel the sense of relief that they could finally make it a reality. This is the very, very first action game my now wife played in her life and she loved every minute of it, especially with the generous autoaim system and casual difficulty mode. Watching her play as Claire and getting her groove on as she blew zombies away, only to be scared out of her wits by a Licker, was worth the price of admission even if I didn't get to play it. But I did, and play I did over and over again until I knew the layout of every area like my own house. Played Leon A/Claire B, Claire A/Leon B, Claire Hardcore, tried to speedrun Leon Hardcore and did all the challenge modes. I can't express just how good everything feels in this game and if anything it's proof that actual survival horror is still alive and well, not needing to be compromised or reduced to a cheap jumpscare simulator - and it can still have a sense of humour about the whole thing. 2] Apex Legends (...439 hours, oh lord): Okay, what the goddamn hell. Let's go down the list. - It's a Battle Royale game in the year of our lord, 2019. - It's set in the Titanfall universe, but features no titans. - There's no wallrunning, double jumping, or pilots. - It's come out of nowhere. It literally just appeared one day. - It's an EA product. Everything is working against this game to make it crap, awful, the worst thing ever and it's not, it's brilliant, it's wonderful, I love it. If I sit down to play a few rounds, whoops, that's my evening gone. I am on antianxiety/depression medication and I still get pissed off with the game because I'm so invested and want to be good at it. I want to be great at it. It's set in the Titanfall universe with no Titans and all the guns act differently but I loving love Titanfall and seeing all my guns here are like having my friends sitting around saying "come play with us " and everything's okay. There's so many smart systems in this game. I can play with voicechat and text turned off so I don't have to read or hear the poo poo internet CHUDs come out with and the reason I'm able to do that is with the ping system which lets you highlight locations, items and signal your intentions no matter what language you speak. The UI is quick and easy to learn, everything is bright and chunky, movement - though limited compared to its parent games - is still smooth and faster than any other BR on the market. Slide, hop, climb, kick, grapple, teleport, jump-pad, re-launch yourself and enjoy some insanely responsive and satisfying shooting with a TTK that gives you a fair chance to respond even when taken by surprise. Once you go down and get put down for good, there's still a chance to get back in the game as teammates can respawn you. That was unheard of at the time and even Fortnite had to steal it (and the ping system). Yeah, sure, getting randos to care enough to help you and to not just quit when they die is like pulling teeth, but when you have friends it means one hell of a lot to have that second chance to help again. After a rocky start where they clearly did not expect the game to blow up the way they did, initially offering the most pathetic battlepass I've ever seen (and still bought, because I'm a True Hero) the EA Money Machine roared into full force and now Apex is sticking around, being updated often, enjoying its second map, second competitive season and third actually quality Battlepass and very recently upping the level cap to 500 so you can keep earning free loot crates as you play. It's still early days for this fledgling game, but as the Battle Royale craze dies out I am so excited to see where this game goes as the last hoorah and the very best game I've ever played in this genre. This has probably replaced Overwatch for my team shooter of choice. The pacing of this game is so tight and you're so incentivised to get out there and fight as quickly as possible that there's no place for camping tactics or sniping, not for very long at least. As someone who relishes mid-range and close combat, that's a real joy for me. 1] Disco Elysium (35 hours played): Surprise out of nowhere? Check. One beautifully realised area? Check. The most naturally, wonderfully human writing ever? A sidekick who is legitimately cool and interesting and who you'll genuinely want to impress? A crew of characters who are all unique and have interesting things to say, breaking free of traditional molds you might expect them to be cast from? Gorgeous artwork encompassing everything from the menus to the world itself? An endlessly fascinating mechanic where your skills all have personalities and talk to you and can influence how you approach a situation? A game that finally, FINALLY has SOMETHING to say about politics and the nature of certain viewpoints? A scope that delves deep into the darkest parts of the human psyche and condition, unafraid of getting its hands dirty in all the griminess that entails? The ability to make you laugh one moment and reel in abject disgust the next? Exactly one combat sequence that won't be anything how you imagine it to be? Writing the stays consistently brilliant from beginning to end, never faltering, never drying out, never being anything less than stunningly evocative? Check loving check forever, GOTY and the best narrative-based RPG this decade. Comes out of nowhere likes a speeding bullet and shatters all expectations of what good writing is in a game without having to include XXXkm of explorable terrain and realistic breast physics. It has realistic sadness physics instead and you'll feel sad and you'll feel happy and you'll be intrigued and you'll do things you never expected you'd be able to and you'll hate yourself and love Kim Kitsuragi and even if it's not okay and you're not okay and everyone is hosed, you'll want to know everything anyway. Play it. -- Honourable mentions: Games that came a hair's length but still own hard. Subnautica: Helped me overcome my fear of virtual fish. Not even kidding. CONTROL: Unexpected surprise from Remedy, doing their usual Remedy thing. Decent combat, enthralling story and surrounding lore that doesn't quite go far enough, some true spectacles. Difficulty spikes hard towards the end. AMID EVIL: I liked DUSK more but hell, what a game. Beautiful levels, wonderful music. gently caress your jumping puzzles. DUSK: I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance until the start of the year. I know you came out earlier but your promo screenshots seemed dull at the time. I was wrong. You go places and do things I never expected and you're the best retro shooter ever. My Friend Pedro: Sick tricks out the wazoo and a fun time while it lasts, but not quite polished or deep enough for a GOTY consideration. Still put a fair bit of time into it. Blade and Sorcery: The best VR swordfighting game just keeps getting better. Modding community that has put more murder devices in my hands than that one time I was at a Big Knives For Murderers Convention. Hotdogs, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades: The best VR gun-shooty game just keeps getting better. Anton has put more murder devices in my hands than that one time I shot up the Big Knives For Murderers Convention while being sponsored by the Big Guns For Murderers With An Ironic Streak Convention. Maximum Action: Uncle New Blood is going to help you grow up big and strong. You have a lovely solid foundation and I can't wait to see you grow Kenshi: What a weird and wonderful time. Harder than diamond nails being hammered into titanium with a foam mallet. Trailmakers: I got this during the STEAM Black Friday sale and this is easily one of the friendliest, most intuitive vehicle building games I've ever played. Therapeutic as all hell and it's so easy to lose time in. Elite: Dangerous (VR): Spent hours and hours listening to podcasts, space truckin' and space bussin'. Go far, far away in the safety of your own bedroom. Cultist Simulator: I played this when I was suffering from a fever and headcold and that's easily the best way to play this. Great writing, sometimes tedious gameplay. Mordhau: Medieval murder has never been so farcical. Streets of Rogue: You're so close to being on my GOTY list. Reactive, silly, fun, crazy. Keep going and growing, I loved you intensely for a very short while. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: I love you. I hate you. I loving hate you. I hate you I hate you. This game's great. I hate this brilliant game. I cheated the last boss and don't feel sorry and I'm not even referencing the meme, I cheated. I did my time. gently caress you. Good game. Play this game. --- Songbearer's NOTY (Noooo of the year list) Here are some dishonourable mentions. I'll waste about as much of my energy writing about them as the devs did not being shitheads. Anthem: Nobody expected you to be any good. Playing the beta, I thought you might have stood a chance. I didn't pay anything to play you when you released and I still feel robbed. I knew Bioware was loving dead but I didn't want to believe it until now. Ion Maiden: I had such a fun time playing you and then your developers had to show their true colours and you turned to filth in front of me. Blessed that STEAM allowed my refund to go through following the controversy. You deserved better. Fallout 76: I've never played you, I've never had any intention of playing you, but boy howdy do I feel sorry for anyone who wasted their time trying to. How this wildfire keeps finding fuel to spread is beyond me. Put it out, you're only embarrassing yourself. Just Cause 4: This is a 2018 game I haven't even played this year but I'm including it here because gently caress you how do you keep loving this up, Avalanche B Team. Rage 2: Another game I haven't even played this year, only I was looking forward to it and apparently there's nothing to write home about. Far Cry 5 already burned me on the "It's okay I guess" train. Avalanche A Team I guess just fluked it on Mad Max and Just Cause 2. How sad. -- NOPE list (Not Owned but Will Play Eventually) (I'm lying I do own some of these games, tee hee) Pathologic 2: As one of the 10 people who "enjoyed" Pathologic 1's initial release with the garbage translation, I'm excited to play this. Only it's gonna be a while, because... The Outer Worlds: I've had this game bought since release, but Disco Elysium legitimately made it hard for me to get back into what feels like standard Obsidian fare. I can tell I'd really like it if I could just get into it. I'm trying to force myself to play through it before I can get any other major releases. It's hard. Katana Zero: Picked this up on the STEAM sale. It looks right up my alley and I've heard nothing but good things about it, but I currently have too many "little" games to play through. Anodyne 2: Return to Dust: I've played around 6 hours of this and I really enjoyed its weirdness, but then I got distracted by other things and never went back to it. I will. Untitled Goose Game: I really really badly want to play this but can't justify the price currently. Red Dead Redemption 2: This is what The Outer Worlds is keeping me from. God, soon. Soon. Goddamn that's a lot of writing. I'm gonna be reading everyone's submissions, but thanks for a great OP, thanks to all you lovely people and here's to a year of quality toys for children on our flashy colour screens Songbearer fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Dec 10, 2019 |
# ? Dec 10, 2019 11:11 |
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LionArcher posted:Man, you really like to talk poo poo about Ninja huh? He probs shouldn't be misogynistic hth
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 11:30 |
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LionArcher posted:Man, you really like to talk poo poo about Ninja huh? He’s doing fine over on Mixer. And fortnite has cooled down, though I wouldn’t call it dead If Ninja’s so great then how come he didn’t make it further on The Masked Singer?
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 13:13 |
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Fantastic OP, thanks for refreshing my memory about all that stuff. 10. Death Stranding - I like the crazy story and the gameplay clicks with me somehow; it will never be my favorite game but it scratches some itches that not many games manage to 9. Untitled Goose Game - a silly game with a lot of character; it managed to turn simple slice-of-life moments to something memorable 8. Judgment - Yakuza with a more serious tone, grounded story and detective elements; I enjoyed it even if nothing about it was exactly innovative 7. Metro: Exodus - engrossing story-based action FPSes aren't an often sight these days; this is one of the best ones ever made, its S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-like atmosphere and satisfying weapons-modification system help a lot too 6. Control - Alan Wake-like story but with epic polished combat; I enjoyed the hell out of reading all the lore of this gameworld; also it's a game where force powers are more brutal than in any Star Wars game ever, even Fallen Order 5. Jedi: Fallen Order - Dark Souls mixed with some Tomb Raider set in Star Wars was not a game I expected EA to publish but they pulled it off somehow; it's one of the best Star Wars games ever made and I like the story more than the recent movies 4. Hades - it's still Early Access but I love it and it's the best Supergiant game I played; great visual style and excellent take on the roguelike genre with the death-rebirth cycle being explained by the Greek mythology 3. Outer Wilds - Groundhog Day set in The Little Prince galaxy; superb at environmental storytelling and letting the player figure things out on their own 2. Pathologic 2 - fascinating world and good writing, interesting use of framing the narration as a theatre piece; it's one of those games that I feel pushes the boundary of the medium on how it can tell stories meant for adults 1. Disco Elysium - a new milestone in game writing, roleplaying and visuals; there are not that many titles in the gaming history that accomplished true innovation while having an outstanding presentation like this
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 14:24 |
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Palpek posted:
I love The Little Prince as a touchstone for Outer Wilds. It's something I had thought a lot about in Outer Wilds aesthetic and presentation, but never could put my finger on. It's one of my favorite children's books, even as a grown-rear end man.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 14:45 |
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How do I vote down games to make sure the right ones win??
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 15:22 |
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The right game has already lost because it came out in 2017 and was called Pyre
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 15:27 |
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I still listen to the Pyre soundtrack sometimes (and Transistor, and Bastion)
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 15:28 |
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Rarity posted:
what the gently caress
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 15:29 |
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elf help book posted:what the gently caress I know, I wish I could scour FFXIII from memory too
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 15:31 |
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This thread is already Gold in my heart, and I look forward to all the gifs, sincere write-ups, more dunking on Ninja, and staying consistent on this year's theme, UNIONISE. I, however, will not do a list, because I have a bad memory and can barely recall what I've played in the last two months, let alone the last 12.
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# ? Dec 10, 2019 16:18 |
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# ? Apr 17, 2024 20:48 |
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Unions rule Ninja droolz I didn't play too many of this year's releases because partway through the year I got really obsessed with building up my physical Sega Genesis/Mega Drive collection and downsized other parts of my bad old game hoarding habit. So my game of the year is either the Terry Bogard DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or Burning Force for the Sega Genesis. Mercury Crusader fucked around with this message at 16:27 on Dec 10, 2019 |
# ? Dec 10, 2019 16:25 |