Izzy's 2019 Gaming Year in Review

[isthatallyougot]

#24 Mad Max (PS4)



I've never been the biggest fan of the Mad Max universe. I don't feel strongly one way or another, but I love Just Cause 2 by the developer, and when their take on the franchise was added to PS+ I thought I'd give it a try. I think the thing that made the strongest positive impression was the world itself. Avalanche did a great job conveying the hot, dry, corroded and rusty, parched and dusty, desperate struggle for water, fuel and survival in their depiction of the dystopian wasteland. Everything was suitably hopeless and chaotic, and really reflected my memories of the feel of the films. There was also a great deal of attention given to building the world outside of the visual presentation. There were plenty of character and environment bios you could read through to further flesh things out, if you were so inclined. All in all, the stage was nicely-set for a trip into this beloved world.

If the nuts and bolts matched the love given to the actual aesthetics, I would have been thrilled. Unfortunately I can't be so generous here as I am with my praise for the presentation. I know some will scoff at what I'm about to say here, but Mad Max was lacking any real heart or soul. Some say that this is an indefinable quality, but for me this sensation is quite palpable, and here I found the structure of things to be very cynical and coldly-mathematical. There is obviously a clear formula that is followed to the letter that takes precedence over any authentic creativity. I realize that making large open world games can be very time consuming, but the cost of that scale comes when we peek behind the curtain and see the calculated efficiency driving things. This felt very much like any of the myriad Ubisoft factory-produced, assembly-line products practically speaking. And when a game feels like that to me, I lose the ability to be moved. I play games or choose to engage in any other art form because of the potential to be touched deeply emotionally or on some other level. I want to be engaged because something is unique or just exceptionally well crafted. I can be affected via mechanics or narrative or sound, or other factors or a combination of all elements. But when things are so obviously a product more than they are something that the creators really felt and needed to express, I tend to lose interest. I'm not trying to be overly critical of Avalanche. Mad Max was clearly made by people who are very talented at their job, with "job" unfortunately being the operative word here. Despite the merits of their work, I can't really give it a recommendation. I gave it a sold 5-8 hours, but it just didn't deliver enough to warrant further investment. 3/5.

#23 The Walking Dead Season 2 (PS4)



Sometimes it's nice to play something that's a little less intense than Dark Souls, and I found myself reaching for season two of The Walking Dead by Telltale games as a sort of breather. Of course, I won't say that this genre is my favorite, but it's nice that there are so many flavors to sample from within this hobby so that you can keep things fresh. I started off with the option to import my choices from season one, but I played that on my PS3, and I didn't feel like playing this there - I don't even know if I had this available to me on that platform, so I just bit the bullet and accepted whatever randomized choices it wanted for me going in. Honestly, I probably don't remember many - if any - of those decisions, and after playing season two, I don't think it negatively impacted my experience.

Here in the second season we're again faced with the young protagonist Clementine in her quest to endure the zombie apocalypse. I will say that I did always find her to be a likeable character. The voice work brought her to life as both strong and gentle, and she was clearly the star of the show in terms of performances. There were some other actors that, in my opinion, didn't really bring much to the table, but overall there was enough drama on the screen from the interactions of the various characters to keep things interesting. There was plenty of tension created in this world of limited resources, a world that naturally brings out the best in some and the worst in others. There were a number of exciting and intense scenes to enjoy, and the journey was pretty enjoyable.

On the other hand, I've never felt like my choices were that significant in any of the games I've played by this developer. I'm always told a character will remember this or that, and I'm sure there are slight variables, but most of my choices given via dialogue are just button-pressing busy work to move the game forward without any real consequence. And since I haven't played so many titles in this cinematic-first genre, I'm always comparing them, and this falls significantly below the genre-best Until Dawn, in my experience. It's also not as good as Batman which I also played earlier this year. But comparisons aside, this adventure into the world of the living dead was not bad. It offered some decent drama and characters, and was - more than anything else - a nice palate cleanser for the more substantial meals on my gaming-plate. 3/5.

#22 Way of the Samurai (PS2)



There are so many games on the venerable PS2, and as many as I have played, there are, and will probably always be, titles that I still want to experience. I had long been curious about Way of the Samurai from Japanese developer Acquire. The promise of getting to live out the life of a Samurai where your decisions are impactful is, in theory, a wonderful premise. And you do get to make choices that result in a variety of potential outcomes. You live your virtual ronin life in an area called Rokkotsu Pass where you start off in the same place every time. You can choose to engage repeat plays in similar ways, only altering some dialogue choices, or you can wildly deviate in order to see what might happen. I played through the very brief campaign four times, achieving four different ranks, and judging by the screen that gave me that information, there are apparently nine more possible ranks to achieve. I was everything from "Punk" to "Samurai Master", but there were still levels that were listed below and above those ranks to discover. Upon completing the campaign once, you also unlock a battle mode which is essentially a fighting game that can be enjoyed solo or competitively with any of the characters you've unlocked, of which there are many. Based on the character selection screen, I had unlocked ten of a possible twenty-four. And the combat within the fighting game is the same as it is within the main campaign. Speaking of said combat, there is a fair bit of subtlety and theoretical depth to things. You can force your opponent off-balance (or have the same happen to you) to open up for stronger attacks. You can find new weapons and unlock myriad moves which give you flexibility in your approach. Overall, for something so apparently shallow and brief upon first inspection, there is a significant amount of depth. And I really appreciate that conceptually. The type of design which is superficially very small but offers a very compact and dense amount of layered content and experience is something I really respect and enjoy.

I wish that I could end my review at this point, but unfortunately there are some issues I had with WotS that prevented me from a purely positive takeaway. Firstly, the narrative delivery was not engaging for me. In a game that wants your attention through multiple, mostly-similar play-throughs, engagement matters, and I just wasn't really drawn in or affected with these characters or their outcomes. The production values are on the low end of the scale, but that could easily be overlooked if the characters and narrative were interesting and enthralling. But I found myself unaffected for the most part, and that limited my desire to see all the permutations of life in Rokkotsu Pass. And as interesting as the combat was potentially, I found the nuance to be mostly theoretical as I relied upon the same set of moves and positioning to dispatch most foes. Maybe I didn't unlock enough weapons or move sets to feel the full breadth of possibility, but I wasn't wowed by the combat in practice. Overall, this Samurai legend isn't a bad game, and I have others in my backlog which I'm still interested in playing to see how the series progresses, but this first entry was only mildly interesting from my perspective. 3 blades out of 5, but with a little refinement, this could be something special.

[isthatallyougot]

#21 Asteroids (PS1)



Sometimes there are games that catch your attention, and you decide that you would like to play them, but for whatever reason time passes - and passes, and you never get to it. Such was the case with the Asteroids reimagining for the PS1 in my case. I spent tons of time with the Atari 2600 version as a kid, and I enjoyed the arcade as well, and when it released on PS1 I told myself that I would definitely get to it. It seemed like a nice remake and it was always somewhere filed away in the back of my mind. Well, time marches on, and I never did bring that to-do onto the front page...until this year. I finally decided to rectify this long-expired oversight and I picked it up to find out if it was as good as my younger self imagined it could be.

Of course, the graphics have seen an upgrade. The rocks, backgrounds, and enemy ships along with the particle special effects are significantly more detailed than the vector graphics of the arcade original. I thought the original always stood out in its simplicity, and I liked it for that, but this reboot has its own charms with all the added detail. The controls are nice and responsive and there are numerous weapon pick-ups that add to the strategy. The sound effects are pretty intense with their impact, imparting a nice feeling of blowing up massive space debris and enemy ships. Overall I thought it was a nice expansion on the core concept from the seminal shooter. The same rotation, acceleration and hyper-space concepts are in effect here, and the core of the game is as timeless as ever. And the original is included if you want to make any direct comparisons or just enjoy that old-school version.

This entry did attempt to incorporate an overarching narrative to things, and it gave us some classic lines like, "Oh, and if the Aliens are monitoring this message, kiss my thrusters." Oh boy. Let's just say that the minimal voice work and handful of cutscenes can be enjoyed from a cheese-appreciation perspective and leave it at that. It didn't take too long to play through the single player campaign, but things did get pretty intense as you approached the last few levels with asteroids pummeling Earth, something that you had to minimize or it was curtains for your home planet as well as your game. There were also additions of multiple ships, each with their own attributes and three difficulties that could extend your time with this if you were really enamored. There was also a final boss that was pretty uninspiring. It targeted you immediately and shot quickly, but you could spam hyper-space in order to keep your distance and disorient the enemy. Overall, I had fun here. It's not something that you can't miss, but it was a good time and a worthy "new" vision for the classic game. It's not a must play like Super Stardust - the most similar game that I consider to be an all-time classic, but it's nevertheless a solid 3/5.

#20 Atari Vault (PC)



Growing up as a child of the late 70's and 80's, Atari and the arcade scene was a formative part of my gaming experience. I had a VCS (2600) and enjoyed some of the company's arcade output, and I still enjoy retro gaming today. Sure, gaming has advanced in many areas, but there is a simplicity and innocence to the early stages of this medium that is lost with the march of time. Playing Atari Vault on PC took me back in time and certainly provided a warm-fuzzies overload. Revisiting many of the hundred or so selections from early Atari - with mostly their first home console showcased - was a pleasant and nostalgic trip. The presentation was nice, with manuals and art included, although it would have been nice to have some interviews and video clips to really tickle that nostalgia bone. And some of the titles hold up pretty well and offer a good, if brief, experience. Titles like Missile Command and Asteroids, among others, are still enjoyable today. Although if you don't enjoy chasing your own high scores or those of others, there honestly isn't too much to recommend because that was the essence of the gaming scene back then for the most part. But if you find any affinity in simple mechanics and/or enjoy pushing your limits for a higher number, there's still some fun here. And the developers included global leader boards to make things more enticing, which was a very nice touch. To be fair, however, nostalgia only goes so far in this case. The creators of these works had an utterly spartan canvas to work with, and if you didn't experience this era when it was current, you probably wouldn't find too much to get excited about if you're not into the history of the medium. And in terms of the bulk of this collection, Atari - unlike Nintendo - didn't provide the consistently high quality software or hardware of their eventual rival. So what they had to pull from was very much hit or miss. Much of what is available here isn't even the best representation of what the 2600 (or arcades) had to offer. It would have been nice to see some non Atari content from this era. As much hate as they get today Activision, for one, provided some great content for this old system. And I really loved the presentation that they imparted to their Activision Anthology release which placed you in the bedroom of an 80's kid with lots of nice touches, including music from the era. It's certainly not all roses with this collection, even for a person that has a natural draw to this period. Yet, for me, sitting with some of the titles for a bit brought back the feeling of childhood and the power of imagination. It reminded me that the fun and joy I experience in life is because of my own engagement and sense of wonder more than anything external really. That was a really pleasant flavor and nice reminder in contrast to an often, and largely, cynical world today. Granted, it's appeal is a pretty narrow one, but for those who still reminisce about their childhood of the 70's / 80's, this is a pleasant, if not overly exciting reunion. A 3/5.

#19 Dead End Road (PC)



In the indie horror-driving game, Dead End Road, you immediately meet an old woman in a cabin sitting by a fire who tasks with acquiring a book, a bell, and a candle in order to complete a ritual for a personal wish that you enter in the beginning of the game. (I wished simply for peace.) These three items can be found on a road trip in which you are pursued by some sort of evil entity that presumably wants to derail your plans and/or end you altogether. In the process of accomplishing your goal, you have to consider your stress level, your car's condition and gas, and manage your money so that you have enough to tend to those various problems as well as purchase the three items needed at pawn shops and antique stores located in towns along the way on your road trip from hell. The items needed can vary in quality and type (various books, bells, lights), and affect the type of ending you receive. Managing all these elements is no easy task because you are only given a measly 100 pounds (apparently this trip happens in the UK) which is quickly consumed by purchasing drugs from pharmacies to lower your stress so you don't go insane, gas and vehicle repairs along with car upgrades from town mechanics - all that in addition to the aforementioned items required to complete the ritual. Your money vanishes quickly. There is a way to help offset those losses, but it comes with it's own risk. You can purchase scratch off lottery tickets from local supermarkets at 5 pounds a pop. But as with real life lottery tickets, you often just find yourself throwing your money away, and you can quickly make your situation worse than it was. The RNG gods giveth and taketh away. But it's almost necessary to engage in the risk because you really need more than 100 pounds to complete your journey comfortably, so there's a nice tension present here. I also thought the atmosphere presented in the late night driving was well done. The graphics are admittedly rather simple, but it did a great job of conveying the feeling of a creepy, rural midnight drive. And there are lots of various on-road problems you encounter as well, some practical and some supernatural. Suffice it to say that making this trip is no easy task, and making it back to the ritual, let alone arriving there with all the good items for a good ending, is a nice challenge. During my numerous attempts, I made it to the ritual, but apparently didn't have the right items, so it was curtains for me.

I do have some gripes. As mentioned, buying lottery tickets is almost necessary, and you end up doing it quite a bit as money vanishes and returns back to your ledger in the hopes of making your situation better. But, the menus for doing this are SO SLOW. It did wear on me because of how slow it was. Also, there are only 8 "good" endings, tied to 8 specific wishes. Because they are only text endings, it would have been nice if the developer considered more possible player wishes in order to facilitate more personal experiences at the conclusion. But neither of those problems were enough for me to not enjoy my time with this overall. At the end of the road, it was an enjoyable, low-budget, unique horror experience. A solid 3/5.

#18 Trackmania Tubo (PS4)



Sometimes you're just in the mood for speed, and when that's the case, it's a good time to pick up a racing game. And that's what I did when I reached for Trackmania Turbo this year. I had been interested in this series, but never went out of my way to pick up an entry. But finding it as a freebie on PS+ always makes it an easy decision to give a game a chance. I really like the set-up of TMT. There are 200 tracks - most of which are pretty short runs - think 20 to 45 seconds - and you are tasked with trying to achieve medals, whether gold, silver or bronze. The better the medal the shorter the time requirement, of course, and the small duration of most courses makes it easy to restart a run (which you can thankfully do instantaneously by pressing circle mid-run if things aren't going your way) in the quest to earn medals and best your own personal records as well as those of other players in the online leaderboards.

There's plenty of game here. In addition to the 200 tracks included, there is a track editor as well as other modes. Really tons to get into if you are feeling it. There are some really wild tracks as well. Often you are dropped onto the track from a helicopter, there are some absolutely insane jumps as well as a variety of surfaces to race on. Drifting is also really thrilling - and necessary to master if you really want to pursue better times. I thought the whole experience was pretty well thought-out. It could be quite addictive trying to shave (milli) seconds off your times. Learning a track and improving was very enjoyable. Also, the physics were very dynamic. No two runs felt at all the same, and I really appreciate that sort of thing.

All is not perfect in Turbo however. It is way too easy to get your car off angle as you approach jumps. You have to be very precise - and sometimes lucky - or you will find yourself careening wildly and violently (and sometimes hilariously) off the track, which for some reason doesn't end your run. (You can keep driving well off the designated course if you so choose.) The precision required would be acceptable, and even enjoyable, if not for the fact that those aforementioned physics can be really unpredictable. Just the slightest slip, or hitting a bump at the wrong moment can destroy your run in an instant. As stated, I admire and even enjoy really dynamic physics in games, but here it could often feel overly punitive. The flip side of that, though, is that it feels very satisfying - or sometimes just a relief - to complete a good run. I also did not like the sections (and some entire tracks) where you were forced into a hover-over-the-track view. Your perspective is forcibly changed and your vehicle disappears from view entirely mid-race. You're not even given a cockpit perspective. I don't understand why they would force this jarring change on the player, and I did not enjoy it at all. Control also felt different in these sections. Also, once you get past a certain point, you will have to start earning silver or gold medals on a large number of tracks just to unlock new tracks. This really gates a large portion of the game away from you until you can really master things. But the biggest offense in this game was the fact that things would stutter or freeze for just a split second. It didn't happen on every run, but it did happen frequently. It was just enough to mess up your timing, and in a game that demands so much precision, those kind of lock-ups are really unforgivable. I have had no other similar issues with any other title, so I'm certain that it's not my machine.

There really is a lot to like in Trackmania Turbo, but unfortunately there are also a good number of issues. I did enjoy my time with it, and were it not for some of the issues, I could have easily dedicated myself to this one long-term, getting lost in mastery of the game. But the problems it does have dissuaded me from losing myself completely in it. I did spend a good chunk of time here, but it could have been so much more. In the end, I give it a a solid, but regrettable, 3/5.

[isthatallyougot]

#17 Here They Lie (PS4)



I don't own a VR device of any kind, although I've been tempted. (I think I'll probably pick one up sooner rather than later, although I'm undecided as to which.) Here They Lie is an experience that was originally exclusive to the Playstation VR platform, but was eventually made available to standard consoles. Right off the bat, I will say that I may have missed the boat by playing this outside virtual reality. The atmosphere is really amazing. The visuals are impressive in scale, surreal, dark and often disturbing. There are moments where they can be pretty awe-inspiring. The lighting is also a highlight of this trip into the bizarre. The sound is also very well done and can at times be unnerving, especially in the rare moments you can hear something chasing you from behind, despite there being little real danger most of the time. The story is pieced together via in-game pickups that flesh things out as well as through the game-proper, but it can be easy to miss some of the bread crumbs that are strewn about. I did find a few interesting philosophical nuggets that jived with me particularly well. As well as I'm able to gather, it's a tale about destruction and creation - of the human race, and perhaps we've been already been (mostly?) destroyed here but there is yet a glimmer of hope that we can create whatever reality we want depending on what we believe in, what we choose to focus upon. It's a call to change (for the better) at heart, I suppose. I'm sure that there are multiple ways of interpreting things since the narrative could be quite inscrutable and esoteric, but I always enjoy things that require a bit of thought on my part, especially those that may not be so readily interpreted. In terms of the actual mechanics, things are a bit less impressive. The game is mostly about meandering your way through various surreal environments and, aside from finding bits of story and batteries for your flashlight, working your way forward. Things don't always appear to be on a straight line, and it's possible to take branching paths, but the game seems to always steer you back on the road sooner or later. Of particular note in terms of navigation, you often find yourself moving down - in a physical sense. I always love horror games in which you are not only descending psychologically, but where that sensation is reinforced physically. It very much reminds me of one of my all-time favorites in Silent Hill 2, and more recently, SOMA. I did very much enjoy my time with this, and knowing it was a VR experience, I feel like I may have missed out - that's how impressive I imagine it would have been on that format. It's more virtual tourism and atmosphere than a game in the traditional sense that offers real player agency, but I knew absolutely nothing about Here They Lie prior to picking it up, and was very pleasantly surprised. It's a very strong 3/5, if there is such a thing as impressive mediocrity. It's right on the cusp of being something more, and had I played in VR, I may have pushed it up a point. If you have any affinity for the surreal or enjoy the not-so-obvious, I would still recommend picking it up and giving it a chance. If there had been a little more traditional gaming here, it could have been something pretty special for me.


#16 Tail Concerto (PS1)



Star-crossed love, a theme perhaps as old as story-telling itself. In Tail Concerto for the PS1, you play a character named Waffle who is an anthropomorphic police-dog whose life takes place smack in the middle of an ongoing dispute between the cat-people and dog-people of the Kingdom of Prarie - a set of islands floating in the sky. There are suggestions of a meaningful connection made early on, an impossible connection for obvious reasons, between Waffle and Alicia, the leader of the Black Cat gang, a gang that Waffle is placed in direct opposition to by virtue of his role as both a dog-person and a member of the police force tasked with putting an end to that groups dastardly deeds. In the course of the drama, you - as Waffle - are tasked with collecting cats running around, something you do by shooting bubbles at them which encloses them, and picking them up with the arms of your robo-police suit - to be taken in for processing, I suppose. You venture from island to island in your airship to resolve the conflict and learn more about the history of this animosity, all the while catching more cats, locating important crystals (of course), collecting fragments of pictures (optional), talking to others for information, and battling a few bosses.

Overall, I have to say that I found the whole thing pretty charming and whimsical. It was very lighthearted and easy to digest in its silliness. The controls were adequate, although sometimes the camera wasn't as good as I would have liked. There were a nice variety of locales. Flying around Air Leaf (one of the islands) in your jet pack was particularly fun. I thought they could have included more of that. Catching the cats in bubbles in your nicely animated robo suit was satisfying, if simple. And the whole game, while not overly challenging, despite some of the bosses requiring a bit of focus and pattern observation, was a pretty pleasant ride. It was quirky in the right way, and any of the issues I may have had - like the poor voice acting - actually only ended up adding to the charm in most instances. I won't spoil the resolution of this tale, but there was plenty melodrama and animal shenanigans to go around in this relatively brief adventure. Furries rejoice - this might not be a PS1 classic, but it's still a hidden-gem. 4/5.

#15 Batman : The Telltale Series (PS4)



I popped in Batman from Telltale curious to see if their particular brand of story-telling could do the Dark Knight justice. I've enjoyed the Rocksteady treatments on the hero, and despite the lack of conventional gameplay from Telltale, I was itching for some more adventures in Gotham. What I discovered was a nicely imagined tale that depicted Batman, Bruce Wayne, Gotham and a nice sampling of its various cast of characters in a compelling fashion. There was a nice blend of time given to both the adventures of Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego, and I thought they did a good job showing how the two personas co-existed in a dynamic fashion - Batman dealing with Gotham and its troubles alongside Bruce's personal life and struggles away from the cape and cowl. Their was a bit more dedication to Batman's history, relative to how he became the caped crusader in the first place, than I thought was necessary, timeline of the game notwithstanding. Most everyone playing this game was likely familiar with essence of his back story. It wasn't poorly done - just redundant. The overall narrative itself, however, was very engaging, doing a nice job of introducing some common characters to the series mythos, and it was enjoyable witnessing their roots and transformations. Another aspect I've enjoyed of the Telltale formula in the past is the opportunity to make choices. Even if they don't always have a great influence on the overall narrative, I have always enjoyed seeing how my decisions compared with others who played the game. I would like to have seen Telltale have a chance to stick around and improve their engine. It has always needed optimization or a complete reboot, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment, for the most part. Another minor annoyance was the voice-change that Bruce Wayne experienced when he donned the Batsuit. I realize that Batman is an alter-ego, but I don't think he's suffering from dissociative identity disorder. (Although, maybe he is. Mind blown. ) And, as much as I did enjoy this Telltale adventure, it's still not the pinnacle of the genre in my view. Until Dawn holds that crown for me. But having played this adventure in the bowels of Gotham, I'm very satisfied. It was a suitable treatment of the complexity of the character(s) and setting, and I'm glad to have taken the journey. 4/5.


#14 Superflight (PC)



My style of gaming is to sample from across genres, platforms, and eras. I love to give lesser known or forgotten titles a chance. I always figure that if something doesn't click with me, I can put it down in short order and move on - no big loss. But the reason I do this is because hidden in the nooks and crannies of this medium there are - and always will be - experiences that will be personally resonant, experiences that could easily be overlooked in the sea of what's popular and current, hidden gems, if you will. With this curiosity in my pocket, I picked up Superflight for PC and gave it a whirl.

The initial impression in this game of gliding is that everything is blocky and simple within the confines of the procedurally generated levels. You are a simple character donning what appears to be a wing-suit perhaps, and you glide through the levels using the momentum of descending prior to leveling out or rising for a burst of speed, all-the-while inevitably progressing towards the bottom of the map as you are pulled along via the inexorable force of gravity. As you do this, you are awarded points for combos as well as an overall score that accumulates until you crash. (Reaching the bottom of a level will cause you to respawn atop a new procedural map.) In order to maintain a combo, you must maintain proximity to surfaces. Get too far away from any hard surface and your counter will cease increasing, ending your combo. But there is an added element that really raises the intensity. The point counter accelerates based on two factors - speed and proximity. So you are really rewarded for flying as dangerously as possible as you weave your way throughout tunnels and rise and fall in a thrilling dance with the topography. Some of the procedurally generated maps are better than others, of course, and yield better opportunity for excellent combos and thrilling navigation. Thankfully there is a way to save maps and you are even given a seed number that you can share to allow others to experience maps that you find personally satisfying. The most enjoyable way for me to play was to focus on a map that seemed to allow for flexibility in approach and really explore various paths for maximum combo goodness. I have one map in particular that I spent most of my time with and generated a combo in the top 1500 - and that includes the cheaters that the developers acknowledged were too big a task for their small 3-person team to deal with. The rush of flying through these maps is thrilling, and seeking higher scores - especially combos - is a wonderful throwback to the simpler days of gaming. In this way, and in terms of appearances, Superflight made me feel like this is what gaming would have become if it always remained a very small niche hobby, if Nintendo never arrived on the scene, if Atari remained "gaming", this is what it would have become. I'm not suggesting this is a better alternate history, but that is the flavor this experience imparted to me.

In the end, Superflight was exhilarating, offering a sensation of flight that betrayed its simple blocky graphical presentation. It possesses that just-one-more-time quality that all arcade titles strive for. I found it to be brilliant fun, and I certainly would recommend it to anyone who finds the premise intriguing. 4/5.

[isthatallyougot]

#13 God of War (PS4)



Since the arrival of the original God of War on the PS2 in 2005, I've been a huge fan of the franchise. I've loved them all, from the mainline entries, to the PSP side stories, and yes, even Ascension. There are so many things I enjoy about the tale and universe of Kratos. The backdrop of Greek mythology, the thumping soundtracks, the brutal and fun - if not particularly deep - combat, the incredible production values and more all combine to make a pretty irresistible package for me. So when I learned that Santa Monica Studio was developing a reboot of the franchise, I was obviously excited and also a bit concerned about what direction the new vision may take this iconic character. From what little I had seen prior to playing, I wasn't certain this was going to be the path I wanted for the series, so with anticipation and a bit of trepidation, I picked up the controller.

As expected with this developer and franchise, the visuals are a real treat. I'm a PC gamer as well, but I'm always surprised how much the excellent talent within the better console developers can squeeze out of (relatively) under-powered hardware. Most everything from a technical standpoint is really stunning on the base PS4. Everything is sharp, wonderfully detailed and animated, and really one of the highlights for Sony's 4th home console. Artistically things weren't always quite as impressive for me. While there are some really nice environments and creatures, the game suffers from an inconsistent look at times, and I felt the world didn't always feel like a fully realized, believable locale. And the recurrence of some enemies diminished their impact. It would have been nice to see a little less cut/paste, in particular in regards to the trolls.

In terms of the actual nuts and bolts of the game, the changed camera offered a more intimate perspective as it dropped down over the shoulder, which was enjoyable, but it also really changed the fundamentals of combat as a result of your smaller field of view. Gone is the ability to see all threats on screen which could often result in blind-side attacks. SMS attempted to remedy this by offering visual indicators of approaching danger, but things still felt a bit clumsy to manage when encountering rooms full of enemies at times. Kratos' new weapon, the Leviathan axe, was a true joy to use. There was a real heft and solidity to it (and Kratos himself) , whether throwing it or in up-close combat. It was really satisfying to wield. They most certainly got the feel right in terms of the weapon - beautifully realized.

I did also have some significant issues with this reboot that diminished my opinion of the game unfortunately. In the first place, I really disliked the whole concept of redeeming Kratos as a character. Listening to him give morality lessons about not walking a path of vengeance to Baldur was so out of character and off-putting. While I get that they wanted to take things in a new direction, it felt almost like they were apologizing for Kratos of old, and that really rubbed me the wrong way. God of War has always been unapologetically violence, sex, and rock and roll, and not about reflection and growth as a person (god). Kratos doesn't need to grow, he needs to kill and bring unholy vengeance. That's what made him fun and a perfect avatar for the most common element of gaming since the very beginning - killing foes. I'm not saying that there is no room for other experiences in gaming, far from it. I love all types of experiences on this canvas of interactive media, but I have no interest in seeing a Kratos that has any focus on self-improvement. It's just not what I want out of this character or franchise.

Bringing in a child felt out of place with the identity established in the series thus far as well. By incorporating a father and son dynamic and placing it at the center of things, they took Kratos - and me - too close to the real world which removed me from the brilliant fantasy of the previous games. Domesticated Kratos - stay-at-home-dad Kratos - isn't Kratos at all, as far as I'm concerned. Dragging a kid around in a franchise entitled God of WAR is utterly ridiculous and hilarious to me. Aside from the fact that I thought Artreus was out of place with the DNA of the series, his performance on-stage was also thoroughly annoying. He vacillated between comically respectful, as he over-emphasized "sir" when responding "yes sir" to his father, and an absolute smug, snotty brat. I just felt that he was too inconsistent, whether or not I wanted him there in the first place. And the voice acting in general was not what it should have been. Kratos himself was so gruff and aloof that it came across as parody or caricature rather than genuine. In a game that was striving to ground Kratos, I thought they missed the mark. Despite my problems with the acting and much of the dialogue, there was one line that I did really love when Kratos told Artreus, "Do not concern yourself with what might be and focus on what is." But that is a blip in an otherwise disappointing narrative, both in content and delivery.

I also thought that the emphasis on collectibles, crafting and upgrades was excessive and ultimately pretty meaningless, which reminds me of how I felt in general about the game design here. It felt like AAA by-the-book, like a bloated hodgepodge of what a modern game "ought" to have. It deferred too strongly to conventions of the moment which I felt stifled any real hopes of standing out with any sense of individuality. Things never coalesced into a cohesive whole for me. It had some of the flavors of Ubisofts lesser (and most common) work, which for me, is a big turn off. It just felt too enamored with qualities that a modern gaming blockbuster should possess that it failed to distinguish itself amid an ever more homogenous AAA landscape. The sum feeling is a paint-by-numbers "masterpiece". For all its flash and spectacle, it was ultimately easily digestible and forgettable.

To be clear, I'm not saying the game has nothing of merit. It was obviously made by some talented people and it is fun to play as well as easy on the eyes most of the time. But talent without the refining fire of passion yields a facsimile of greatness only. It possesses many of the hallmarks of greatness, but it is frustratingly, obviously and devastatingly missing the crucial element. I may be harder on this because of my affinity for the previous adventures I've taken with this character, but this new incarnation does not reach the heights of Olympus. In fact, I replayed God of War 3 right after finishing this out of curiosity - I could have played any of the older entries though - and it only cemented my view. It fails relative to its own heritage, and that is really disappointing to a long-time fan. It feels like all the spirit and edge has been lost. The real Kratos is an anti-establishment rebel who Santa Monica Studio has sadly neutered in favor of a guy living meekly as an aged conformist. I mean, THIS is their vision for Kratos, the God of War?!?



Come on! A muted 4/5.

#12 Speed Punks (PS1)



The PS1 had so many releases, and despite owning the console since launch, there are tons of interesting games that I want to get to still. With that in mind, I fired up Speed Punks (Speed Freaks in PAL territories), a kart-racer from Funcom, a developer that's been around since 1994 and the studio behind Conan Exiles, among others. The immediate comparison is, of course, to Crash Team Racing - the big kart-racer from the PS1. How does it compare? Well, I wouldn't put it on that level since CTR is one of my all-time favorites, but it's certainly a good game. There is a really nice sense of speed which is accentuated with some loose-feeling controls. Normally I don't like controls that feel loose or slippery, but in this case it actually works in its favor to a degree, making things feel more frenetic, unpredictable and exciting. There was also minimal, if any, rubber-banding which is something I really appreciate. If it's there it's subtle. You can get spam-wrecked by oncoming opponents weaponry and thrown from the front of the pack to the distant rear making it feel like there is little hope of catching up sometimes. It can be frustrating at times, but I liked the way races played out with all of them feeling really unique. Races are fairly long at 5 laps each, and some of the tracks are pretty lengthy as well. There are the usual suspects in terms of weapons - bombs, rockets and whatnot. You can also pick up tokens on the track that accumulate into a speed boost meter that allows for some extra speed when needed. There are 12 tracks in total, and in the campaign they are divided into three difficulty tiers in the way of tournaments. You must finish in the top 3 in every race in order to progress. Even if you've won the first 3 of 4 races and have a dominant lead in points, you still have to finish top 3. If you don't, you are afforded a couple of extra tries throughout a tournament without having to restart the whole thing. There are a variety of shortcuts to get an edge if you're struggling to do well, although some of them aren't as well designed as I would have liked. The introductory cinematic was backed by a Jamiroquai tune which certainly took me back in time. And I thought the game had a nice personality. The choice to have racers floating over wheels in lieu of actual karts may have been a technical consideration, but it didn't detract from things and was actually kind of cool. Outside the opening cinema there aren't really any individual cutscenes or character development, but somehow they all have a fair bit of flavor through the aforementioned intro, character select screen and occasional in-game outbursts. If I hear that little girl go "na na na-na na" one more time as she wrecks my sh*t, I'm going to lose it. There's not a ton of single player content, but it feels a satisfying length because of its challenge. And there are the customary time-attack and multiplayer modes for those who want to squeeze some more juice out of the game. Overall, I just had a really good time with Speed Punks. It's not an all-time classic for me, but it certainly holds up, even this many years after release. A satisfying 4/5.

#11 Horizon Chase Turbo (PS4)



Drawing inspiration from classical arcade-style racers of old like Enduro (2600), Top Gear, Pole Position, OutRun and the like, Horizon Chase Turbo seeks to fill that popular gaming niche with a flavor of its own. How did it do? Well, in a word, wonderfully. The first impression is a strong one, coming from its simple, but colorful, vibrant and clean aesthetics. I thought the environments and overall look were beautifully suited as a call-back to similar games, while still maintaining a personality of its own. The various cities around the world provided material for fresh and interesting scenery, and in some cases weather conditions, as you raced your way to the top. The meat of the experience is in "World Tour", a campaign mode that has you racing for points that grant you access to new regions of the globe - 12 in total, all with their own set of races - new rides, and upgrades for said rides, upgrades that apply to all the vehicles in your fleet. When winning an upgrade race, you are given a selection of options that can increase your top speed, handling, acceleration, fuel and nitro - the last of which allows for boosting your vehicle beyond its base top-end speed for a short duration. As you race you are measured on your performance which decides how many points you earn towards opening new regions and races. Depending on your placement in the race, how much fuel you have left - yes you can run out of fuel if you have a gas guzzler or don't pick up fuel icons, and the number of tokens you pick up - little "coins" scattered across the various tracks, you earn points for your performance. The total takeaway from the structure of the game was that it always felt like there was something to work for, little carrots within the overall picture of the campaign that imparted a lovely sense of progression. There was a decent sense of speed as well, especially on tracks that offered hair-pin turns. Handling rating and driver anticipation - or knowing the track thoroughly - could really make a difference in taking curves without crashing and losing precious speed. As for the races themselves, they can feel quite frantic at times. You always start in the back of a 20-car field, and must make your way to the front. Bumping into other cars can slow you down if you run into someone from behind or collide side-to-side, or it can sometimes speed you up a bit if hit from behind or at just the right angle. On some of the courses, space is tight and positioning is crucial early on if you want to avoid losing sight of the front. And while the AI is mostly forgiving, there were a couple of tracks that offered a decent challenge to finish first, and when you factor in the hopes of getting a "Super Trophy" for a perfect race where you collect all on-road tokens (fuel and nitro don't matter here), there can be quite a bit of drama for sure. The soundtrack was also a well-crafted homage to the games from which Horizon drew inspiration, apparently using the same composer from Top Gear on the SNES, and it had a suitably retro-flavored and peppy tone which blended beautifully with the rest of the package. If I am to make note of any elements I might have changed, I will say that after a while the races did feel a bit too similar, despite the various tracks, locales and upgrades. The formula was a bit too consistent for my preference, and gave off a bit of a formulaic, cut & paste feel. And just finishing the game (World Tour) isn't too much of a challenge , although getting 100% on the main mode - which I did do - was more acceptable in terms of offering some resistance. But the essence of what I felt while playing was simply "fun". Given that this has its roots in mobile gaming, and how little regard I have for that scene in general, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I had a great time with Horizon Chase Turbo, and it's an easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys racers, arcade or otherwise. I give it a solid 4/5.

[isthatallyougot]

#10 Wolfenstein : The New Order (PS4)



I can't say that I'm really an FPS guy, to be honest. That's not to say that I don't have fun with them from time to time, and there are a few that I think are really special, but when thinking of what I want to play next, it's not that common that I reach for a game in this incredibly popular genre. It's not that they're not fun to me. It's just that usually I find the category to be lacking the depth to really draw me in, despite how fun the pew-pew action can be in the moment. Nevertheless, I do enjoy them for what they are, and I will pick one up every now and then to just get that adrenaline jolt from shooting people in the face.

I had Wolfenstein : The New Order in my backlog for quite a while, and I knew that it had gotten a lot of positive criticism when released. I found myself in the mood to kill some Nazis and so I fired it up. The first things that made an impression on me were the narrative and characters, which I thought were better than the average first-person shooter, in my experience. An early-game twist revealed an exciting premise for the Nazi-killing action and had me invested in the story. And the characters, while not especially interesting in comparison to some other areas of gaming, were quite well-done, given my modest expectations for this predominantly action-first genre. In short, there was suitable impetus and flavor given to the player enabling you to lose yourself in the endless shooting that would inevitably follow.

I was also very pleased with the wide variety of locales and situations presented here. Without going into spoiler territory, I can say that you'll probably find yourself in places and circumstances that you may not have been expecting, and things were kept very fresh by mixing up the backdrops for the otherwise largely repetitive action. And in terms of the aforementioned action, the nuts and bolts of the experience were really satisfying with a wide range of weapons and tech to keep you thoroughly entertained on your murderous travels against the Third Reich, and the overall feel was really enjoyable with most weapons giving a nice sense of impact and power, both from an audio and visual standpoint, appropriate for this power-fantasy genre. I also thought that it looked excellent. I was surprised to find it so satisfying graphically as I had heard complaints regarding its appearance, but I should know by now to ignore such noise from the community because I must be a very forgiving gamer in terms of visuals. Maybe it's my earliest roots with this hobby playing Atari 2600 games, but pretty much everything looks good to me, at least technically. Perhaps I still carry that child with me into all my journeys in gaming today. Finally I thought TNO did an excellent job of portraying the Nazis as psychotic, emotionless villains that you took pleasure in eradicating from the planet.

On the less-than-positive side of the equation, I didn't really care for some of the bullet sponge enemies that often make appearances in shooters. Those sort of encounters can often makes things tedious, and I sometimes felt that way here. I also thought that the balancing was a bit uneven in places which makes you consider how much attention was given to the difficulty in testing. Overall though, I found this return to the classic shooter series to be a thrilling, high-octane romp, full of cool enemies, encounters and situations. It had a nice default difficulty - balancing quirks aside - offering a satisfying challenge while remaining fun throughout. This may not be my personal gaming staple, but I had a wonderful time here - a comfortable 4/5 for me.

#9 Ape Escape 2 (PS2)



When the original Ape Escape came out on the PS1, it felt kind of revolutionary in terms of the way that it used (and required) the Dual Shock controller to full advantage. And on top of that, it presented some lighthearted simian antics. Capturing intelligence-enhanced, helmet-wearing monkeys guided by the super-intelligent Specter was wonderfully ridiculous and just a lot of fun. Thankfully, the franchise continued on with the PS2, and I finally played that 2003 (North American) release, Ape Escape 2, in 2019. Better late than never, I suppose.

In this sequel Specter is back at it again, thanks to the new protagonist Jimmy - Spike's cousin from the first game - making the brilliant move of delivering the monkey helmets to Monkey Park rather than just the monkey pants as the professor instructed. How can you mess up so badly! Shouldn't the helmets be under lock-down if not destroyed outright. Oh well, thankfully Jimmy's brain fart happened or we wouldn't have found ourselves in a monkey crisis yet again. This time Specter has some new tricks up his sleeve in the form of bosses known as the Freaky Five. These special monkeys are spaced out between the regular monkey catching action, and provide a nice bit of variety and drama.

Overall the game plays very much the same as the original, with the addition of a few new gadgets in addition to the carryovers from the first game. But those additions aside, it's a very familiar return of formula and just as enjoyable as the first. There are the ridiculous monkey descriptions that you find when using the radar - or after having caught a monkey by referring to the the in-game index in your base. The same lighthearted, happy vibe permeates this experience as well. It's really refreshing in comparison to much of the gaming landscape that is so focused on the realistic or the moody and dark. It's really hard to play it without discovering that it has also put you in a good mood yourself. There are a lot of great musical pieces which add nicely to the overall feeling and do a good job reflecting the various environments to which they are attached. There are plenty of unlockables/collectibles which add a bit of incentive. The game also did a good job of requiring you to use all of your various tools, especially in the final sections.

There are some minor issues which I did have with the game. I don't really like the button to center the camera, but to be fair, I suppose it's about the best that could be done due to the right stick being used for gadgets. But the camera could be problematic sometimes, this issue aside. I also have to acknowledge that it didn't quite carry the same charm or novelty as the first because it was really so similar. It's still great fun, but just lacking a bit of the impact of the original for me. Also, If you want the real ending/final boss-fight, you have to catch all 300 monkeys, which could feel tedious after having caught so many already, but it was still worth it considering some of those final monkeys were a bit unique in their challenge. On a funny note, there is a literal reward mechanism called a "gotcha box" which I thought was a bit funny. I can't remember if the gaming community was having this conversation in 2003 or not, but it was either a reflection of the medium or the instigator of much trouble, lol. All things considered though, I had a wonderful time with Ape Escape 2. I'm sorry I waited so long. A solid 4/5.

#8 SOMA (PC)



Humanity has long had a fascination with the possibility of immortality, and as technology has evolved we've looked in that direction in the hopes of drinking from that holy grail. Of course with all things being balanced, there are costs to every purchase, and SOMA explores the dark side of the pursuit of seeking to circumvent death - the folly of attempting to circumvent inevitable change - via the tools technology has afforded. Without spoiling the details, we are taken upon a journey into the idea of what it means to be alive, what it means to be a being in possession of a degree of continuity. This journey takes us on a literal and metaphysical descent into the deepest depths of the ocean while also plumbing the depths of what it means to be a distinct, separate "self".

On this adventure into the abyss, SOMA does an incredible job of making you feel lost, insecure, fragile and uncertain how to proceed. Uncertainty and fragility were the central feelings imparted while playing in my view, and the atmosphere simply hummed. I found myself utterly absorbed with this world and felt lost both literally and metaphorically. Some games just captivate with their sense of place and with the tone they attempt to generate, and SOMA is a rare breed of special in this regard. I was thoroughly engaged throughout, if not always comfortable. There were also some absolutely wonderful moments of tension in dealing with and hiding from some of the "monsters" in this world. It was at times genuinely unsettling, and I really loved what it brought to the table in terms of the sense of dread.

As much as I loved most of SOMA, there were some unfortunate missteps. The main character's voice was quite amateurish and hokey. This was also true for much of the other voice work in the game - delivered in large part by data logs. It's really disappointing because it sat so at odds with the brilliance of the rest of the presentation. I was really frustrated at the contrast between the outstanding atmosphere and the dreadful acting. It just seemed like the voice work belonged in a different game. If they had simply decided to forego voice altogether, the game would have benefited tremendously, as the rest of the atmosphere would have easily carried things, and having things silent would have been very appropriate to the overall tone. Also, as much as I enjoyed the dread and anxiety from encountering the infrequent "monster" sections, they were sometimes frustrating because they slowed everything down to a snail's pace because you felt frozen, unable to move for fear of alerting the enemy. When you couple that sensation with some very dark areas at times and occasionally having no idea where to go, you can end up replacing the terror with frustration, and that is not what you want to experience as a player. Finally, if you are prone to existential dread of any kind, you may not get as much enjoyment as those who are willing to disassemble themselves in the quest to satisfy an unquenchable curiosity.

Overall though, the strengths of SOMA's atmosphere were more than enough to counterbalance some obvious flaws. I found myself enthralled in my journey into this hypothetical future of humanity's quest for survival. Had a couple of issues been addressed with a little more craft, SOMA could have been an all-time classic. As it stands, it is still a gripping experience that will please anyone who is interested in existential horror or is drawn to dark science fiction. A really enjoyable 4/5.

[isthatallyougot]

#7 Paper Mario (N64)



Conceptually, I have always been drawn to things that subvert expectations and things that challenge convention. I suppose the rebel within always loves breaking the "rules". In terms of gaming, the Mario franchise became a staple of the industry early on. As a platformer it became one of the most beloved series within this medium, and then all of a sudden Mario was the central character of an RPG? What? Brilliant on premise alone. Now to be entirely transparent, I have only played three entries that could be classified as Mario RPGs up to this point. The first one I played was Superstar Saga which I absolutely adored. Then I played the original N64 Super Mario RPG which I found to be good, but I played it so long after release and I didn't view it as fondly as I may have had I played it at launch - still a good game though. Finally I played Partners in Time on the DS, and while I also really enjoyed that one, it failed to reach the heights of Superstar Saga for me, which remains the only entry in these Mario spinoffs that I would consider an all-time classic. But I certainly have enjoyed each of my experiences with these non-traditional Mario outings. And because of that, I want to play them all. But there's only so much time for any hobby, so you pick and choose.

This year, though, I did make time for the original "Paper" entry in Paper Mario for the N64. I was immediately reminded of why I find these titles so engaging. There's just so much intoxicating charm and whimsy. The characters are almost invariably funny - even those baddies with a (playful) sense of menace - both in animations and dialogue, which is often very well-written for the type of lighthearted experience presented. Granted, Mario is mute here, but as an avatar for the player and given his heritage, that's understandable and doesn't detract from the scene established by the myriad other characters all engaged with their lives and troubles in the Mushroom Kingdom. The battle system was reminiscent of my time with other Mario rpgs, and timing your attack impacts for maximum effect and utilizing all the tools at your disposal kept things engaging in the numerous battles that had to be fought on your way to the inevitable showdown with King Koopa. The various members of your party acquired through the journey all brought unique elements to the table, both in and out of battle, and it was always enjoyable to acquire and experiment with a new ally. Visually things held up quite well. The N64, generally speaking, is probably my least favorite retro console to revisit from technical standpoint, despite exceptions of which Paper Mario certainly qualifies. The simple and colorful, mostly 2D, approach allowed for the N64 limitations to be a relative non-factor. Overall, everything just had that signature Nintendo joy for me, and I really had a great time with things.

If I were to make mention of potential irritants, I will acknowledge that the game doesn't provide much in the way of challenge. It's consistently engaging, but it won't satisfy any itch to feel like you've overcome any real obstacle on your way to glory. And, as much as I love the presentation, it can sometimes feel like too much candy on Halloween, and I feel a bit overdosed on the sweetness with that "too much of a good thing" sensation. But those are relatively minor considerations in comparison to the whole, and what I felt in the end is that I had enjoyed a satisfying, lengthy, consistently humorous, and thoroughly engaging adventure with Mario and his pals. It was so much fun that it was a shame to see things end. Thankfully, however, we know that sooner or later the Princess will always be found in another castle. 5/5.


#6 Resident Evil Revelations (PC)



Resident Evil is a franchise that hits a lot of bullet points for what I consider to be fun gaming. It's horror themed, which I love. It's campy horror that doesn't take itself too seriously which adds to the fun factor. The atmosphere, zombie/monster-killing gameplay and item management aspects are consistently engaging. And I just really like the whole concept of a malevolent biotech company conducting fringe genetic research and experiments, opening the way for all those wonderfully twisted monstrosities. It's just a backdrop that is rife with possibility, and apparently Capcom agrees, judging by the number of installments in this long-running series. I had let Resident Evil Revelations slip through the cracks for a long time, and decided to finally remedy that in 2019.

In the first place, I was impressed by the visual fidelity for this game that had its roots on the 3DS. I tend to be pretty forgiving on the technical front, and it's not a stunning achievement by any means, but I wasn't expecting things to look as nice as they did, given the origins. And the primary setting of being on an ocean liner makes for an interesting environment for the bioterrorism eradication. Granted, it's really just a mansion on the sea in most practical regards, but the overall atmosphere was a bit different, and I enjoyed that. This installment plays out in episodic fashion, where we jump between characters and locales in the intertwining narrative. And while that was a fresh approach, I actually prefer the singular protagonist viewpoint through a campaign. But the narrative itself was suitably epic and befitting a tale in this wild universe. In terms of item acquisition, we are the beneficiaries of a new gadget called the Genesis that lets us scan environments and enemies for items in addition to finding things laying around as we normally would in the series. It had the effect of slowing exploration down, and I didn't mind that. There were a nice variety of bosses, and they could be pretty significant difficulty spikes, which isn't uncommon for the series. In the case of the first boss - the communications officer - if you forgot to pick up the shotgun, which I overlooked, it's quite the hurdle. And all of the bosses, for that matter, take tons of damage and do a good job depleting your ammo reserves which ups the tension and sense of accomplishment quite nicely. We're granted a new dodge move in Revelations that is timing-based relative to enemy attack animations, and utilizing that can serve to make the boss fights much more manageable. It also works effectively against the regular mutants, and allows you to get out of some precarious situations. Finally I enjoyed the raid mode, which gives the game more legs after you've finished the main campaign.

There are some sore spots worth mentioning. I did miss the inventory tetris. I know it's an annoyance to some, but I like the item juggling/management. I also wasn't a huge fan of the bite-sized design. I understand the choice based on the original hardware being a handheld, but the relatively short, albeit interconnected, missions made it feel less like a big traditional Resident Evil adventure for me. I like the long, seamless feeling adventure more than the disconnected but related episodic content. Another point of note I'd like to mention is the camp. It seems the cheese is more self-aware here, like it's intentionally placed rather than having that naivety of the earlier entries. It just felt forced rather than genuine. And I didn't think this entry had the charm of the mainline entries. It felt, in many ways, like a spinoff, although a very good one. I can't say that this is my favorite Resident Evil. I've played 1 through 5, REmake and Code Veronica X, and it probably would rank on the lower end of the franchise from what I've experienced, but that certainly isn't an insult to the game. As stated, I really love this fictional universe, and Revelations is another fun trip into survival horror. 5/5

#5 Uncharted The Lost Legacy (PS4)



When you find yourself in the mood for a high-budget, AAA adventure with only the finest of production values, the Uncharted franchise has long been a series that would properly scratch that itch. The worlds are always gorgeous, the characters are well realized and voiced, the animations and globe-trotting set-pieces are glorious, and there is always an intoxicating blend of just the right proportions of humor, action and adventure. Looking to satisfy that "wow-me" aspect of the gamer within, I reached for the spin-off or side adventure, Uncharted : The Lost Legacy.

In this testosterone-challenged adventure, we travel with ladies from Uncharted's past, Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, as they search India for the lost tusk of Ganesh, an artifact that, without spoiling things, is more than just filthy lucre and woven nicely into a personal and somewhat touching narrative centering on Chloe and her past. Chloe has always been a sexy, witty, daring, charismatic, fun-loving character, but I enjoyed the more intimate nature of this tale, and I thought the added weight given to the artifact's pursuit made things more meaningful than just another soulless cash grab. It opened up Chloe as a character and made her more human, disarming her of her aloof, cynical, sarcastic, and endlessly quipping nature and did a nice job of rounding off her edges, making her more relatable - and likeable - in the end. I couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and disappointment as I watched Chloe Frazer develop into the embodiment of what the evolution of Lara Croft should have become.

As I made my way on this adventure in India with Chloe and Nadine, I found things to have many pleasant similarities to the ghost of Nathan Drake as well as some treasures all its own. Obviously the tech is amazing. Naughty Dog are masters at coding, and no expounding is really necessary in this regard. I did think, however, that Naughty Dog did raise their game in terms of facial animations. They were mostly fantastic, showcasing subtlety of expression that really captured various emotions in a shockingly authentic way, something I can imagine must be quite difficult to do considering how rare it is to see it done with such craft in this medium, and maybe never to this level previously. (L.A. Noire notwithstanding) I also really enjoyed an expansion on the concept of bite-sized open-world gaming that Uncharted 4 introduced. In one chapter of The Lost Legacy you encounter what is essentially a miniature open-world game within the overall game, and I really liked having that sense of exploration here. I thought it felt very harmonious with the prevailing series' theme of going on a treasure hunt, and contrasted nicely with the series' - and remainder of this game's - otherwise mostly linear nature. The melding of open-world and linear action-adventure games was done in a way that didn't make you feel like you were losing the essence of Uncharted while still giving you a bit more freedom to take a personal adventure, and I thought it did a wonderful job of satisfying both itches with a single scratch. Of special note within this open level was the pursuit of a trinket known as the Queen's Ruby. Obtaining this item was not only satisfying for its own sake, but also offered an in-game reward and utility - which I won't spoil for any who haven't played it. I really like when accomplishing things in games give rewards that overlap with the rest of the experience. Sure this is common in RPGs and some other genres, but it was nice to see a bit more depth and meaning given to what you were pursuing in a genre that doesn't always offer such interplay. I also thought the puzzles were pretty enjoyable here. They offered a decent sense of accomplishment without any real frustration, and I'm sure walking that fine line must take some work and attention. Finally I got really lost in the photo mode. I thought it was really enjoyable and certainly well-suited to a game of this beauty. I found myself pausing incessantly and editing in painstaking fashion when I got a shot that really pleased.

In terms of things I didn't like, well, honestly not much. I enjoyed this ride from beginning to end, and thought that this entry was not only wonderful as a side-adventure on its own merits, but also found it to be a polished refinement of all Naughty Dog has learned over the years with this franchise. It hit the high notes I've come to expect from Uncharted and avoided feeling stale by offering new, if familiar, protagonists as well as expansion and improvement on things that have already been done. For me, The Lost Legacy showed how much life this series still has in it, and I hope that Naughty Dog doesn't set it aside. There really is no reason to discontinue a franchise that checks off so many boxes in its category of easily digestible entertainment. In the end, Lady Indiana Jones was every bit as satisfying as Nate Drake was in the male representation of the archetype. After having finished, I'm hard pressed to identify a game I like better in the entire franchise. The high-point of the series for me has been Uncharted 3, and having played this, it can hold its own as contender for best-in-series crown. Chloe Frazer is truly worthy of taking on the mantle of the new adventure-heroine in my humble opinion, and has easily supplanted the modern incarnation of Lara Croft. An enthusiastic 5/5.

[jfissel]

Really enjoying these thorough write-ups, izzy (compared to my 5 sentences for each game, lol). Can't wait for the top 4!

[isthatallyougot]

Really enjoying these thorough write-ups, izzy (compared to my 5 sentences for each game, lol). Can't wait for the top 4!

Appreciate it j. I wasn't sure if I was posting into the void, given our activity here, but glad to hear it's not complete water vapor.

#4 Fran Bow (PC)



Epistemology, what can be known? This purview of philosophy has been a passion of mine - probably the passion of my life - even prior to any awareness of such a term, stemming from my earliest days and memories. I have always been fascinated with the question of what is real, what can truly be known without any protest or the slightest dubiety? What is fixed, if anything, in terms of truth? To illustrate my nature, I recall being very young - preschool age - and sitting at my mother's feet and asking her the question in the most sincere manner possible, "Is life just a dream?" Replying, "I don't know." her brief, distracted and unfulfilling response truly disappointed, as I was sure that she, if anyone, would have the answers to my deep curiosity about the fundamental nature of things. Having searched both within and without for many, many years, I have come to - what I feel to be - the ground of reality or truth, but that is certainly not the focus of this testimonial. Such a concept is, however, relevant when discussing the attributes of a game known as Fran Bow.

Fran, a young suburban girl, begins her journey as she awakens inside a children's mental hospital after a brief introduction where she receives a cat named Mr. Midnight from her parents, encounters a mysterious creature outside her home window and witnesses a profoundly disturbing event. Of course the suggestion given by her placement in a psychiatric facility is that she suffers from a fragile mental state, maybe a broken mind. And that opens the whole can of worms regarding the nature of what is to follow. What are we witnessing when we peer through the eyes of this girl? To be succinct, the events that follow take Fran on a wild and incredible ride into other realms that twist and distort any notion of firm ground upon which to place your feet and expectations. She, like Alice who is herself referenced late within the game, goes deep down the rabbit hole until any concept of truth, stability or normalcy is nearly altogether obliterated. I won't go into detail because I found the experience to be so amazing, and I wouldn't want to spoil any specifics. Suffice it to say that what happens to Fran is left open to interpretation, yet there are many bread crumbs left for the player that allow for the formation of your own account of the happenings.

In terms of structure, the game from the players perspective is a point and click adventure, with the typical trappings - conversation trees, objects and inventory to collect and utilize via puzzles, and so on. I must say that I found the puzzles to be nicely balanced without being overly obtuse. I had no need to consult any external assistance, although there were a few times where I was left thoughtfully rubbing my chin for a little while. which is big part of the appeal of this genre in the first place for me. Progression for the player was satisfying and logical, paradoxically within this surreal and unpredictable world, and solving the problems presented to Fran was a real treat. Of course the length of the game can vary depending on how quick you are with your puzzle-solving, but it is, for most, probably not an overly long game - probably between 6-10 hours for the average play I would guess. Although so much happens on this journey that it felt very dense and fulfilling, actual time spent playing aside, and for me, the length felt perfect.

In terms of presentation, there are few games I've ever played that achieve this level of personality. It's dark and twisted while also being whimsical and hopeful. It really feels like a (new & adult) classic fairy tale. The graphics exude a hand-crafted beauty and style - appropriately enough since it was made by only two people, a married Swedish couple, Natalia and Isak Martinsson. The art is gorgeous - vibrant and colorful - and the characters are expressive in their appearance and animation and beautifully detailed while stylized in a manner that is reminiscent of Tim Burton's aesthetics. The soundtrack is also phenomenal. It's both playful and moody, oscillating across the spectrum of emotions and often doing excellent work reflecting Fran's surreal journey - just wonderful overall in terms of presentation. Everything is saturated with personality, charm and imagination. It is truly a proper and potent elixir for AAA gaming fatigue in my experience.

Of possible interest to some is the fact that there is no voice work here, and for me that is usually a positive. While there are exceptions, so often the quality of voice work in gaming detracts rather than adds to the experience because it is either (very) poorly done or just doesn't fit the character. But these characters had so much personality that the lack of voice did not diminish their presence in any way.

And I haven't even really touched properly on Fran as a character. She's an intoxicating personality who resides in a state of wonder and curiosity despite all the twisted and dark events that are consuming her life. She remains vibrantly alive and engaged despite all. Amor Fati! I could really go on and on about this game. It was satisfying in a way that I didn't expect. I enjoy point and click games from time to time, but it's far from a staple genre on my gaming plate, however Fran Bow is truly exceptional. A one of a kind wonder that consistently entertains while posing the question "What is real?" within its subtext along the way. If you have the slightest interest in the unique, the dark, or the bizarre, and the least amount of tolerance for the genre, you would be doing yourself a great disservice if you didn't take this macabre and curious journey with Fran Bow. 5/5. Glorious!

#3 Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns (DS)



The great thing about gaming - or any form of creativity - is that it can be about anything you want. Games can be realistic or interpretive, serious or whimsical, mechanically engaging or narrative-focused, and on and on. The are no limits to the blank canvas of digital entertainment. And one day back in the mid 90's a developer named Amccus decided that it would be fun to make a game that revolved around living a rural farm-life. Well, lot's of ideas are potentially good, no matter how outside the norm, but it usually falls on the execution to carry things. Thankfully, in the case of Harvest Moon, the execution of that idea has been wonderful and has carried this franchise for more than twenty years and many installments. I certainly haven't played them all. In fact, the only one I've ever played is Friends of Mineral Town on the Gameboy Advance, but that is one of my all-time favorites, and I decided I was well overdue a return to the farm. So I pulled Harvest Moon : The Tale of Two Towns from my DS backlog and hoped that I would fall in love just as I had with Friends of Mineral Town. And I am pleased to report that I did just that.

Before picking up Friends of Mineral Town on the GBA, I knew very little about the game or series. But it caught my eye one day - while perusing Amazon, I believe, and I was immediately drawn to it. I guess it seemed so different, and it was one of those cases where my instinct was very strong that I would really love it, despite having no real information initially upon which to base that feeling. I just knew, and I was right. The whole rural life simulator was, and still is, a breath of fresh air because of its niche status, and because I have a real affinity for rural areas, despite having lived in a large city for most of my adult life. Tending to crops and animals and building relationships with townsfolk are all nurturing, slow-build activities that are in pretty stark contrast to the bulk of gaming. I find it really soothing and satisfying to plant, water and fertilize various crops, feed and groom my livestock, run errands and give gifts to the denizens of my local village, go fishing, enjoy festivals, and do all the little things associated with the country fantasy way of life. Everything is just so happy and upbeat, and I really find it easy to lose myself in the concept.

In the case of The Tale of Two Towns, you are a new resident of one of two villages. You can choose to live in either Bluebell which focuses on livestock or Konahana, which is into growing crops. (Although you can do both activities in either village thankfully.) There is an old feud between these two towns that are separated by a large mountain - each residing in the valley on the opposite side of the other. The Harvest Goddess had grown tired of their feud and collapsed a tunnel through the mountain that had previously connected these two little hamlets. The crux of the narrative is that you can reunite these disharmonious places through your presence and efforts, eventually reconnecting them through clearing out the tunnel. (Although they still meet on the mountaintop for festivals or can reach each other by going over the mountain.) It took a fair amount of game time to resolve the main conflict, but as with all Harvest Moon games, there is still plenty of meat on the bone in handling your day-to-day activities where you are trying to generate income, maintain and deck out your farm and upgrade your items. And like always, there are plenty of little things to try and accomplish or discover. These games do a great job of doling out things gradually to keep it fresh in my opinion. I've played almost two full in-game years at the time of this writing, and I feel like I still have so much I want to do. I haven't even married, and only recently decided who was the best waifu. Many goals/upgrades are very costly and will take a long time to accomplish which gives you things to work for and look forward to. I always feel engaged because my daily routine has relevance in a larger context. And it's a perfect game to play one in-game day per real-life day. Dedicate 20 minutes or so to it, and it kind of follows a rhythm in parallel to your own life.

In the way of negatives, I did feel like it was not quite as good as Friends of Mineral Town. Although to be fair, I'm still playing and plan to continue to do so. The biggest problem for me with The Tale of Two Towns was the fact that there weren't enough unique lines of dialogue from the townsfolk. It seems like this could be remedied with minimal investment by the developers and would go a long way to fleshing out the characters and adding a great deal of color to the rural fantasy. Also, there is only a single save slot, which is very outdated. The naming of animals is overly restrictive, not allowing for many characters. Sometimes the time crunch can feel like a real issue. It seems like there is just so much to do and absolutely not enough time to do it. Granted, that's probably pretty true to actual farm life, but it can sometimes cause a bit of anxiety for the loafer in me. And for some, I'm sure the routine can feel very repetitive, but for me it is so in a soothing, rhythmic way. Knowing that all actions are geared towards growth and improvement give sufficient impetus and meaning to drown out any potential tedium. All in all, however, any problems I had are really minor relative to the fun on offer. I've played many hours already, and plan to play many more. This series just hits the right notes for me, and I hope to experience more of what this franchise has to offer in the future. Easy to recommend and for me a 5/5.

[isthatallyougot]

#2 Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 (PC)



I've been a huge sports fan since I was young enough to walk. Team sports, individual sports, whatever. I love to play (more so when younger, lol) and be a fan of them all. But if there was a hypothetical scenario where the world had decided to eliminate all but a single sport and it called upon me to make the decision about the lone sport we would keep, I would choose to allow the world to keep playing soccer. It would truly gut me to lose baseball, football and tennis especially, but no other game carries the drama, passion and excitement of the beautiful game for me.

And being a gamer, I enjoy recreating my love for sport, and in this case - soccer, through this medium we love. I have played Pro Evolution Soccer since the beginning of its availability in the US. Well to be entirely accurate, since Winning Eleven 6 on PS2. I never played ISS back in the PS1 days. And I've always been biased towards PES over FIFA. I have enjoyed some FIFA entries, especially the World Cup installments, and FIFA certainly made strides (by aping PES) starting in the late PS2 era in my opinion, but PES has always felt more natural and organic for me. There is a randomness, an "aliveness" to the unfolding action on the pitch that FIFA doesn't seem to be able to recreate. And it does a wonderful job of building and maintaining tensions as you try to nudge things in your favor. The thrill of watching your build-up lead to a beautiful chance or goal never fades. Finding that final pass to spring an attacker into the clear is ever-exhilarating, and there's such a great variety of goals and situations that develop over the course of play. And seeking that high has extracted hundreds of hours of my life over the years. And for next level fun, playing on full-manual allows for more organic play (especially against human opponents), high-level skill and is absolutely incredible. It had been a couple of years since I last played PES, so going back to it this year was a really comforting and exciting feeling.

And as this franchise has developed, there has been an increasing amount of ways to play. From head-to-head online (which admittedly Konami still struggles with, sadly) or local play (phenomenal), to Master League (my favorite single player mode), to the individual-player focused Become a Legend (think RTTS for The Show fans), League, Cup, and lastly the microtransaction focused myClub mode which I always avoid - there are just so many ways to enjoy the sport. It's an entire soccer universe at your fingertips, and for the soccer fan, the appeal is immense.

There are certainly some problems worth mentioning as well. The most obvious to many is the lack of licenses. This is easily remedied with mods, but even if it weren't I'd still rather play PES than FIFA. In terms of the online mode, the connection issues can be pretty problematic and inconsistent. There is also a sense that things can be scripted at times, both online and off, but especially in the case of the former. There will be moments where teammates will not react normally and appropriately to loose balls / chances. Sometimes there is a lack of urgency and awareness which can feel frustrating and unrealistic. And sometimes you might find yourself getting run down from an advantageous angle or position, no matter the speed of your player or that of the defender. And sometimes opponents feel destined to score no matter your tactics or actions. Having said all that, however, the issues are not frequent or severe enough to diminish the overall experience in a truly damaging manner. In the end, I love soccer and I love PES, and PES 2019 is absolutely a joy to play. The beautiful game is still beautiful in this virtual incarnation, and the series is one of my all-time favorites. PES 2019 is a perfectly thumped long-distance screamer fizzing into the top corner and bulging the net tight. 5/5.


#1 Dark Souls III (PC)



We all play games because we get something out of it - aesthetic satisfaction, sense of accomplishment, competition, narrative pleasure, mechanical engagement, simple entertainment or distraction, whatever. The Souls series for me has always ticked so many boxes for why one might want to play a game. It sets a sense of place like few - if any - have ever managed to achieve. The world is dripping with atmosphere and impetus, and everything feels very handmade and touched by an attentive and loving creator. There is real craft here, and that stands out perhaps more than any other single element. Somebody (ies) really loves what they're doing and making, and it clearly shows. From the environments, to the weapons, to the bosses, to the narrative, to the sound, to the systems/build varieties, and on and on - every element feels as if someone felt a real joy or passion for what they were making. And for me, that is the crux of real art - the expression of something meaningful by a creator.

Aside from the phenomenal artistry on display, this series has such a wonderful feeling of progression. Things are not always easy, but there is always a way through if you are patient and observant - or even if you want to eventually brute-force it. Discovery is always satisfying because it feels well-earned, rewarding and exciting. In addition to simply making your way forward in the game, there are seemingly endless ways in which to do so in the first place. How you choose to approach your character is an art and joy unto itself, and really gives the series a well-deserved classification as a genuine RPG. Just experimenting with different weapons and equipment can eat up dozens of hours as you learn the nuances of combat and how to adapt your avatar to cope with different challenges and situations. Additionally, the combat itself has always been fun. It may not be the deepest mechanically, but it is very well done and always engaging and enjoyable. The ballet of attacking and evading while minding your stamina never gets old for me. I can easily get lost making runs through particularly satisfying areas over and over again, tweaking things here and there. It may be monotonous to some, but for me, it's strangely addictive. Overall there is just a wonderfully layered depth with so much room to experiment and play with various builds. It's a marvelously nuanced experience that never stops giving.

In terms of specifics regarding this entry in the series, I will say that it had some of the most memorable and satisfying bosses. The Sister Friede fight, in particular, really stands out as memorable and among the very upper crust of Souls boss encounters. I also liked the idea of filling the throne room with the ashes of the fallen Lords of Cinder. It gave a nice visual sense of progression and was interesting thematically. I also enjoyed some of the new weapon skills that allowed for approaching enemies in different ways. Managing Focus Points along with estus and stamina added another layer to things.

There are some elements that may be off-putting to some. First of all, it's very familiar and the formula is apparent. If you have had your fill of Souls, it probably wouldn't be worth it. I also found it to be the most difficult in the series. I thought it was a byproduct of getting older perhaps, but I did check some forums out of curiosity and found that I was certainly not alone in that assessment. And this series in general is not well-suited as a casual time-waster. If you're not in the right frame of mind going in to a session, things can feel punishing and be a real slog, but that's not the fault of the game - it is what it is. But it's always best to play when you find yourself in a positive and patient state and have a decent amount of time and focus to give.

I've heard some say this was simply a "Souls greatest hits", but I felt it brought more than enough to the table to warrant its existence. Then again, I can never get enough of this franchise. This series by FROM remembers what it means - as far as I'm concerned - to be a video game, which is strange in this day and age. It gets out of your way and lets you play. What a novel concept! If this was the curtain call by FROM for anything with the "Souls" moniker, as they take their bow they are surely deafened by the thunderous applause and roaring approval blasting endlessly from their grateful and dedicated audience, of which, I am a life-long, fanatical member. 5/5. Sublime.

[Phaseknox]

I enjoyed reading your in-depth impressions/reviews for the games that you played/finished throughout 2019. I agree with some of the ones that I've played especially Resident Evil Revelations and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

#13 God of War (PS4)

I also thought that the emphasis on collectibles, crafting and upgrades was excessive and ultimately pretty meaningless, which reminds me of how I felt in general about the game design here. It felt like AAA by-the-book, like a bloated hodgepodge of what a modern game "ought" to have. It deferred too strongly to conventions of the moment which I felt stifled any real hopes of standing out with any sense of individuality. Things never coalesced into a cohesive whole for me.

This was my biggest issue with the game. This took away from the organic nature of the game, and made it feel like a video game world instead of a real one since it was bloated with out of place video game-y side stuff that felt shoehorned into the experience to check off a check list of stuff that needs to be in a modern action adventure game. But since it was mostly optional I could pretty much ignore it and focus on the main game. I feel that you were a little hard on the game (despite giving it a 4/5) since everything else about it was so masterfully crafted IMO, but different strokes for different folks.