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14. God of War: Ascension | PS3 (7.5/10)
- 4.19.18
Finished just in the nick of time, I managed to complete every God of War game prior to the newest installment this year. I had heard middling things about this entry so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it's honestly a very solid God of War entry. I think franchise fatigue had blinded people to some of the merits of the game. Changes to combat were enough to make the game feel refreshing, the puzzles were the best among the spinoffs, and the sense of scale was on par with God of War II. I understand the complaints about the story, however, and it does feel like an unnecessary entry in the grand scheme of things. Ascension felt like it was attempting to modernize the series without making serious concessions to elements of the game that hadn't aged well. Uncharted-esque climbing sequences were a welcome addition, however, as they made the world feel less like arenas sandwiched between puzzles and cutscenes.
15. God of War (2018) | PS4 (9.5/10)
- 4.22.18
Just when I thought I was done with God of War, they pull me
right back in...
With far and away the best entry in the franchise by a country mile and a shoe-in for my Game of the Year. Even setting my expectations low after the strong impression Monster Hunter: World left on me, the hype lived up to expectations and surpassed them. What's most impressive about this title is that it reimagines the franchise
without abandoning what makes God of War so unique or betraying the (sometimes ugly) past. God of War (2018) is all about grappling with a haunting specter of the past that threatens ruin at almost every turn, which feels like a meta take on the series itself. It does all this while having a superb story about responsibility, parenting, and the cycle of violence and revenge that the prior trilogy indulged in to the point of excess. Complaints that it doesn't feel like God of War are totally unfounded, keeping the brutality of prior entries but tempering it with purpose. Other than a few minor plot contrivances, my only complaint about the game is that it teased so much but denied the player the chance to see everything they wanted. That may be a wise choice when considering the potential for God of War to tackle a whole new mythology, but I can't help but feel like Sony Santa Monica was holding out on me a bit. Part of me hopes that an expansion ala Frozen Wilds will give me a taste of what I'm looking for, but I suspect that the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of its sequel. If this title is anything to go by I think it will.
16. Beyond: Two Souls | PS4 (7.0/10)
- 5.23.18
After a particularly slow month in gaming for me, I finally finished Beyond: Two Souls. I played the game with my girlfriend, her as Jodie and myself as Aiden; though it was fun to have both of us engaged, the actual gameplay was unevenly balanced and the game failed to communicate what each role would entail. My girlfriend isn't a huge gamer so button prompts and quicktime-events often tripped her up, while I was stuck with a relatively easy job using a button and two analog sticks at any given time. Despite the name, co-op felt like an afterthought.
The game itself, however, was far better than I expected. Given other peoples' apprehension I expected a convoluted, nonsensical mess. I thought that skipping around memories was a powerful tool for understanding certain characters, though, and would recommend others play it the way it was intended rather than the linear path offered. Though the gameplay was sometimes awkward and even downright unnecessary at times-- standing up from a chair shouldn't be a button prompt unless there's a choice not to-- ultimately I thought it was at or above its peers in the genre. The writing was good and even had moments of greatness, but was bogged down by an over-reliance on tropes without meaningful subversion. This is especially true in regards to the Navajo chapter, which was at best racially insensitive and exploitative even though it tries to portray the Navajo people themselves in a positive light. Scenes like this make me feel wary of David Cage's ability to write about heavy themes with the appropriate amount of respect and understanding they require. Beyond: Two Souls plays best when it explores its own concepts and themes, taking itself so seriously that I can't help but find the experience endearing.
17. Mad Max | PS4 (5.0/10)
- 5.25.18
While I'd hesitate to call Mad Max a
bad game, it struggles to be anything more than completely average in almost every respect. There are moments where the appeal stands out, when you're cruising through the desert at a hundred miles per hour, jumping off ramps and crashing into enemy cars. But there are also moments when the game feels like an utter slog, a pointless open world where almost no meaningful content exists. The main story is almost laughably bad, only a couple characters getting enough development to make me care even the slightest bit about them. Technical issues, such as audio and video getting out of sync during important cutscenes, mar the experience further. And the final boss? Just as tedious and poorly thought-out as everyone claims.
18. Pyre | PC (8.5/10)
- 5.28.18
Against all expectations, this might be my favorite of Supergiant's games. That's high praise considering their reputation; Bastion and Transistor are two of the greatest indies I've ever played, and Pyre surpassed them in some respects. While it lacked the sheer impact of a few select scenes in its predecessors, the overall experience was entirely unique in gaming. It was linear, yet branching, and I earnestly felt like my decisions had weight and impact even though the number of endings you can achieve are relatively few. The characters feel real and alive. Its heroes and villains alike are complex and carry heavy burdens. Even though I had spent far more time with some characters than others, the feelings I carried for my companions were real and tangible.
The gameplay was what surprised me most. I hadn't expected sacrificial basketball to be so endearing or so nuanced, but by the end I felt like I had achieved some mastery over its systems. While in some respects I felt that I was 'cheating' the game by choosing some characters or items, I soon realized that the enemy too was entirely willing to play unfair. This tendency towards chaos and rule-breaking felt appropriate in the context of the game's themes, which emphasized the oppression of rigid and self-serving laws that only seek to keep those in power stay in power. The freedom to play the game how I wanted, to choose who to send off and who to keep exiled, perfectly encapsulated the core of the game.
19. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus | PS4 (7.5/10)
- 6.22.18
Like the first game,
Wolfenstein II is incredibly charming in its unapologetic hatred of Nazi bullshittery. Its characters ooze charm and the gameplay is better than ever before. It's a shame, then, that a few frustrating moments and an anticlimactic ending keep it from greatness. I read somewhere that the game feels like it was built for PC players, a sentiment I grew to share the more I played. From grenades that have little audio-visual feedback before being blown to smithereens to enemies that surround you at every corner while you slowly turn your camera, it felt like the game was punishing me for using a controller. I would feel successful and powerful one moment and be torn to shreds by an enemy I hadn't even seen the next, a situation made worse by BJ's cripplingly low health. I ultimately enjoyed the game quite a bit, but I'd recommend ignoring the tongue-in-cheek difficulty settings and turn it down to the most comfortable setting.
20. Bloodborne (100%) | PS4 (9.0/10)
- 7.10.18
Since I've been in a slump for a few months now and my game completion has slowed to a crawl, I decided to play something comfortable, a classic. Bloodborne was sitting on my shelf, only one trophy away from the platinum. I had already done most of the hard work on my last playthrough, taking on the defiled chalices and defeating the secret boss inside, but the final ending eluded me. So I decided to wrap that up with a neat little bow. The game holds up great even if I think fans ignore some really frustrating design decisions, and makes me all the more excited for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
21. Super Mario Odyssey | NSW (8.5/10)
- 7.13.18
What better game to start my journey into the Nintendo Switch's library than Super Mario Odyssey?
In many ways, the game feels like an experience tailored specifically for the system. From the motion controls for the joy-con to a wide range of HD rumble mechanics and a style that works perfectly in both docked and undocked forms, Odyssey sets out to explain why anyone and everyone can love and enjoy the console it's housed on. And for the most part, it works. The game is a packaged experience of Nintendo's philosophy, an entertaining experience that doesn't overstay its welcome but provides plenty of challenge and opportunity to keep on playing past the point of completion. The game is polished like a diamond, consistent in quality throughout the kingdoms. The few problems I had with it seem minor and nitpicky, and it accomplishes everything it sets out to do. A must-have for the system.
22. Kirby Star Allies | NSW (7.0/10)
- 7.21.18
Everything about this game is, in a word,
adorable.
There's something endearing about a game so unashamed of its own nature. Kirby Star Allies is all about making friends in unlikely places, hugging your partners to earn their power, and kisses. Reviews are correct to suggest the game is easy and at times I felt like they could have bumped up the challenge some. But I appreciate that in a renaissance of difficulty in gaming that we get games like this. Lazy days playing a relaxing game on the couch with a partner are underrated.
23. Sonic Mania Plus | PS4 (7.5/10)
- 7.25.18
It can be hard to judge a game like Sonic Mania without the context of prior games. I've never really picked up a Sonic title before this one, but I'd heard such good things about it that I thought it might be a good place to start. So when I picked up on some of its flaws or things that simply grated on my nerves, I couldn't help but feel like I was coming from a different place than longtime fans, the people this game was made for.
Nonetheless, I can say with confidence that Sonic Mania is a solid game. It has plenty of content for the asking price, each world is lovingly crafted and can play in wildly different ways depending on the path you take, bosses are varied and interesting, and the art style is nearly perfected. My major grips with it lie in how
frustrating it can be. From platforming sections that feel at odds with the gotta-go-fast nature of the game to enemies that come out of nowhere to knock out your rings, I just couldn't help but feel like I was being punished at nearly every turn. Losing several times in a row to a boss that you know how to beat only to be forced back to the beginning of the zone is, simply put, torturous. For some zones, the trek back is leisurely and entertaining, but for others it feels like trudging through mud while mosquitoes nip at your face. That challenge might prove enticing for some. For me, I just wanted to go fast.
24. Mega Man | PS4 (4.5/10)
- 7.28.18
The third game in a row that marks the beginning of my trek into a series I missed playing as a kid.
Approaching Mega Man from the beginning proved more frustrating than enlightening. Despite recommendations that I start with the second game in the series, I wanted to get past this one first as a way to better understand the roots of the series. Some part of me regrets that, but another recognizes how hard this game would be to go back to. Mechanically speaking, there's nothing wrong with how it plays. Mega Man himself controls just fine, and I appreciate the variety in boss weapons even if it felt like a game of rock-paper-scissors against the bosses themselves. But the level design... if it was meant to drive me bonkers then it thoroughly succeeded. Nearly every stage hosted an annoying gimmick that slowly taught me to hate each and every one of them. Until the final few stages, bosses mostly felt like a race against time as you knock out their health before they can finish you off. Then they throw out the Yellow Devil and all I could do was writhe and die and try again and again.
Thank God for the pause trick.
25. Golf Story | NSW (8.0/10)
- 7.30.18
Okay, I'll admit it: I think
Nindies is a fun, catchy little term. It usually refers to games that are seeing ports to the Switch in hopes of breathing new life into a game that could be just as good on the go. Golf Story isn't one of those games. The Nintendo Switch is the only place you'll be playing it, but it honestly feels like that's exactly where it belongs. Portability is especially useful in a game that's as easy to pick up and put down as Golf Story, and I loved the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) uses of HD rumble.
Golf Story is delightful in nearly every way, a humble tale of a goofy protagonist in a world filled to the brim with golf-related shenaniganry. I was surprised at how varied the content of the game was, its golfing system robust and its minigames addicting in their own right. But I was most impressed with how entertainingly lighthearted the game itself turned out to be, engaging enough for me to want to know what happens next but mellow enough to feel like I could turn it off when I needed to. That's an aspect of portable games I often feel is lacking, and why I'm hesitant to pick up a game like Dark Souls on the Switch.
26. Mega Man 2 | PS4 (7.0/10)
- 7.31.18
If there's one thing I appreciate about the first Mega Man game, it's that I better understand why people are so keen on Mega Man 2. In every respect it's an improvement on the foundation built by its predecessor. Its level design feels more fair and intuitive, weapons are more interesting and varied (even if Metal Man's power is incredibly overpowered), and the bosses themselves are more fun to fight. There were still a few annoying gimmicks and frustrating levels, but nothing that comes close to Guts Man's brutal opening gauntlet from the original.
One big problem from the first title remains, though: success is more dependent upon trial-and-error or a reliance on prior knowledge. My girlfriend is a fan of the series and has been a great help in deciding which stages to tackle in what order and what weapons to save up on, because I can't even imagine trying to figure out some of these things on my own. How was I supposed to know I needed to bring Bubble Lead of all things to the final boss? What the heck was with that strange puzzle boss that needed Crash Man's weapon? I know these sorts of tips and tricks were popular back then but they're better left in the past.
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