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Honorable Mention - Pistol Whip Extremely satisfying VR shooting rhythm action. It's hella fun, and very neat. It seems like it might not be the easiest to mod, but I really hope it gets lots of additional content and maybe some modding breakthroughs, as the game itself could use more content. I love to see more content in these type of games. Honorable Mention - Fire Emblem Three Houses It's great to see FE on a console with a little bit more oomph than the 3DS, where it can shine a bit more. We have a versatile strategy game that, given it's your thing so to speak, is ideal for subsequent playthroughs, due to all the possible character interactions. 10. Ys IX Monstrum Nox This one didn't hit as hard as the previous installment in the Ys franchise from a few years ago, perhaps in part due to the development cycle of the game being rather short. That being said, the signature Ys aesthetic and fast-action RPG gameplay is still present. Proper QA and optimizations to supplement the inadequate dev cycle have been rolling out post-release via patches, which is also a very good thing. 9. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night ROTN might not have the impact that SOTN did, but it's fair to say that it could be impossible to do so. This game does an adequate job of following in its spiritual successor's footsteps, even if it doesn't really innovate. 8. Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark A love letter to Final Fantasy Tactics, and I quite enjoyed it. It is a much simpler, but often more charming game than Three Houses, which just missed a spot on this list. The variable difficulty settings that can be adjusted on the fly are perfect for tuning battles in a way that makes them challenging rather than boring or frustrating. 7. Mario Maker 2 A better version of Mario Maker on a more suitable console. Like SMM1, it runs on its own engine rather than rebuilt reiterations of the various Mario games it simulates, so it feels a bit odd at first. If Nintendo pushed out more content updates, this game could potentially soar; A few minor additions in the surprise December content patch have added so much versatility to a game meant to have infinite replayability. I look forward to even larger updates in the future, although nothing is guaranteed. 6. Grand Poo World 2 Yet again, modern Mario just can't stand up to the evolved form of classic SMW. GPW2 is a Kaizo ROM hack of Super Mario World for the SNES that was released this year after a long dev cycle that spanned most of last year by Twitch personality Barbarous King, who streamed much of the design process. His own mastery of SMW mechanics, attention to detail, and compulsion to test things meticulously until they feel perfect have resulted in a marvel of a game that elevates a classic to new highs. 5. Hades Everyone loves a surprise last-minute challenger sneaking into the upper echelons of the ranks. A roguelite/roguelike with an artistically superior design sense about it. This one is still in Early Access with the full release coming next year, but it already is a well fleshed out game worth checking out. It's also a bit on the easier side as far as roguelike games tend to go in the sense that the amount of permanent character upgrades on your save file is plentiful. There are also settings that will turn the heat up and keep the difficulty suitable. I can't wait to see what additions make it into the final version. 4. Death Stranding Typically not my type of game, but credit is given where credit is due. Everything about this game's design is state-of-the-art, cutting edge. It's an oddity, in ways that usually result in net positives, and intrigues more than anything else this year. Perhaps Kojima is better suited to direct movies than make games, but this one has definitely made a sizable splash. 3. Disco Elysium Easy win for wRPG of the year. I haven't played this one much yet myself, however, I know it belongs in this spot, if not higher based on what i've observed watching others play it. This is a game with the power to fill voids, and it will. 2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice It transports you to a different place and time, then forces you to struggle again and again to escape, never holding your hand. But do we really want to escape? There are next to no complaints that can be made about this game, providing you can handle the difficulty. 1. Beat Saber When a probable "new main" rhythm game comes around for a genre veteran of 20+ years, it's bound to end up in this position. I'll have fun with this one for hundreds if not thousands of hours over months and years, and be in better shape just by playing it. BabyRyoga fucked around with this message at 02:45 on Dec 23, 2019 |
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Dec 23, 2019 02:37
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Re: FF14 Awful MMO Good single-player game. Disclaimer: I only played 1-50 content many years ago. I bet that new content is good, but the framework of the game is (was?) awful. The way you grind out professions, the way every character has every job at their disposal which eliminates the purpose of alternate characters, non-story quests in general, the incredibly boring zones with world content that makes everything feel like an endless game of Alterac Valley in WoW. Has any of that changed with the expansions?
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Dec 28, 2019 00:53
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Looking back, the first half of this year was really kinda dead. Aside from Sekiro, most everything came around from the midpoint onwards. Maybe that's why this year felt pretty mediocre most of the way through, but like a pretty amazing year the last few months. Still was no 2017 though. There might not be a 2017 again for a long time, if ever. Or maybe 2020 is the new 2017. Stay tuned to find out!
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Jan 4, 2020 18:02
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