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New games I played this year: Synapse, Ghostrunner 2, Vampire: Justice, 7th Guest VR, Alan Wake 2, Sea of Stars, Spiderman 2, Lies of P, Lords of the Fallen, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil 8 VR, Gran Turismo 7 VR, The Light Brigade, Armored Core 6, Final Fantasy 16, Humanity, Red Matter 2, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores, Jedi: Survivor, Horizon: Call of the Mountain, Wo Long, Dead Space Remake, Hi-Fi Rush, System Shock Remake, Return to Monkey Island, Lunacid, Quake 2 Remastered, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Blasphemous 2, Octopath Traveler 2, Metroid Prime Remake. Old games I played for the first time: Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, Halo: ODST, Halo: Reach, Halo: Infinite, Black Mesa, Gears 5, Ghostrunner, The Talos Principle, 13 Sentinels, Cloudpunk, The Room VR, Trek to Yomi, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, Moss: Book 1, Moss: Book 2, The Quarry, Evil West, Jett: The Far Shore, Hob, Quake Remaster, Astral Chain, Ori and the Will of the Whisps. Games I replayed: Demons's Souls, Dark Soul 1, Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring, Nioh 2, Devil May Cry 3, Devil May Cry 4, Devil May Cry 5, Bayonnetta, The Last of Us 2, Disco: Elysium. 66 games in total. I think that's nearly six times more games than I play most years and probably a rather unhealthy amount of hours spent (Literally, a lot of it was due to being sick for long stretches of time!). I'm going to be a release year purist for my top ten. Halo 2, Halo: Reach, and Astral Chain would have warranted ranking otherwise. As my replay list indicates, I'm going to heavily favor action games. Anyway, here they are from best to worst: 1. Lies of P A lot of games defied my expectations of quality this year, and number is the best example of that. The absurd sounding premise that looked like another incompetent attempt to cash-in on the Souls popularity wound up blowing me away. I put it second only to Nioh in terms of Souls-ish combat systems, it had equipment and RPG progression systems that had me experimenting with builds far more than any other title in the sub-genre, it has several of my favorite boss fights of all time, the level design was solid, and the mood, art design, and music were all top notch. I went from thinking it looked like derivative trash, to being open to it possibly being decent, to being blown away by the final quality. I'll look forward to Round8's future releases nearly as much as I do From's. Some will take this as heresy, but I liked the combat system enough that it diminished my enjoyment of From's Souls games during the replay I did shortly after (They're still kings of world design and exploration though, and Sekiro is still the best game ever). 2. Ghostrunner 2 This is very nearly a tie for number 1 and I'm only putting it at number 2 because I think I'll be replaying it less than LoP. Everything that was great about the first title is back and way improved, as well as a new motorcycle which is amazing. The combat takes a lot of cues from Project Hel and is a total rush. It also has the best wingsuit in games and ties into the combat in a fantastic way. 3. Jedi: Survivor I liked Jedi: Outcast well enough despite its rough edges. Prince of Persia style platforming and Souls style combat is always fun even if the execution is a bit mediocre (which is was). The two together plus some attractively designed settings made for a decently enjoyable experience. I expected the sequel to be about on par... but it was hugely improved. The massive interconnected world was a ton of fun to explore, the platforming was tightened up, and the combat especially was vastly improved. They pull out all of the stops for some of the set-pieces in the back half of the game too. Technical launch issues aside, it's an all around great experience. 4. Octopath Traveler 2 This one wasn't really on my radar at all and isn't part of a genre that I'm super into. I've liked a few RPGs from Japan in the past, but always with caveats. Typically the caveat is "I loved the combat but didn't enjoy the story." Not enjoying the story is often a huge problem because narrative segments often rival gameplay in runtime. Thankfully, Octopath 2 not only has some of the best classic JRPG styled combat around, but it's paced very well with the narrative so the latter never wears out its welcome. In fact it's frequently a bit charming. The highs of the combat and dungeon crawling aren't quite as great as Persona 5, but they're very close and I don't have to sit through hours of story I'm not interested in to experience it, so that makes Octopath 2 my new favorite in the genre. 5. Hi-Fi Rush Most character action games have always had an element of rhythm based skill in their design, so maybe it shouldn't be too surprising that throwing a bit of guitar hero in the mix wound up to be a great twist on the format. I've always liked DMC's analogue stick based attacks more than memorizing combo-strings Bayonnetta style, but when those combo strings play notes on a guitar riff it turns out I like it a lot more. It also has the best cell-shading presentation I've ever seen. The whole things looks and sounds gorgeous. It might be a bit easier than most similar games, but that's fitting since the musical aspect makes it fun to just relax and jam out (By hitting people in the face). 6. Resident Evil 4 Remake Okay, if I was only listing things based on gameplay I've experienced as of writing (like a sane person), this spot would be held by Resident Evil 8 VR. However, I'm so confident that Friday's release of RE4R's VR mode will be superior that I'm giving it the spot. If Friday rolls around and it disappoints, I'll edit this post to give it to Village... but we know it's going to rule. RE8 was my favorite VR experience ever (Yes, even better than Alyx) and RE4R is giving the same treatment to the best RE campaign. Edit: I have finished my VR playthrough and if anything it exceeded my expectations. It's one of, if not the, best VR experiences I've had. I'm somewhat tempted to bump it up in my ranking, but I'll refrain. 7. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Unlike seemingly everyone else in the world, I didn't like BotW. I found it tedious, dull, and repetitive. I certainly didn't expect to like another twist on the formula that used the same map... but I loved it. There are numerous reasons, from having more unique and elaborate dungeon/set-pieces to a slightly more directed progression. But I think the main thing was how the new three-layered world made traversal both faster and more interesting. Plotting a fast route to a new part of the map by shooting yourself up to a sky island, building an absurd flying device to make your way to another island above the destination, then diving down never stopped being fun. It took away the dullness of exploring the world and made it thrilling. 8. Gran Turismo 7 VR I'm considering the VR mode for this game to be a new release since it transforms the title so much. This was my most played game of the year in terms of sheer hours and I don't even like racing sims... except when they're in VR and this polished, I guess I do? Even if all other VR games sucked (and they mostly do) the PSVR2 would have been worth it just for this title. 9. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty With a campaign longer than many full games and a revamped combat system that makes the entire game far more fun, this DLC elevated an already great game even further. The entire Phantom Liberty segment is among the best narrative-driven ImmSims on its own. And sticking with that genre is also... 10. System Shock Remake. After hardcore action games, my next favorite genre is immersive sims, and System Shock is arguably where it all started. Nightdive executed the remake with the same level of polish as they do their remasters. Keeping what was great about the original, presenting it in a way that is both attractive in the modern era while still recalling its original vibes, and not polishing it so much that it loses its identity. The game was a classic for a reason and it's now presented in a way that is far more palatable to the modern era. Runner ups include... almost every other game on my "played" list. There were only a couple games I played that I didn't enjoy at all, otherwise even the disappointments would have been GotY contenders in a less stacked year. And of course the big missing title is Baldur’s Gate 3 because I’m waiting for the huge patches to slow down. Maybe it will be my number 1 for 2024? Bugblatter fucked around with this message at 06:09 on Dec 13, 2023 |
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Dec 4, 2023 06:38
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 04:50 |
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I like ascending lists. If I know the big game the person chose as their number one, it gives me a better idea of their tastes and priorities in gameplay. I’m then better able to evaluate how much I’d like the lower ranked games that I’m less likely to have played. Whenever someone posts a descending list, I scroll to the bottom and read it backwards.
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Dec 10, 2023 00:27
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ShoogaSlim posted:i literally have no idea what minecraft even is as a game at all. it's been out forever and there's a south park about it and one of my friends like 20 years ago showed me something he built in it. and i've seen people online make, like, recreations of real buildings? and made like machines that work realistically? but there's also zombies and underground lava caves? It’s a survival crafting game. Every square is a material type and you mine them and combine them to make tools or build shelters. At night monsters attack so you need to have prepared a shelter and defense. But the engine itself is both lightweight, robust, and intuitive enough that it can be modded to do a lot more. Most of the things you’re referring to are mods or just loving around in creative mode. You can treat the engine like digital legos if you want.
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Dec 10, 2023 07:49
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Sally posted:is the list requirement either a top5 or top10??? or could i have say a top6 or top7? Pretty sure that’s fine. As I understand, you need at least 5 to qualify and beyond 10 won’t be counted, but anything within that range is okay.
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Dec 10, 2023 16:48
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I dunno, the rules specifically say you should have played the game this year.
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Dec 22, 2023 05:34
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I’m glad that at least one person thinks I’m seriously objecting a breach in the rules.
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Dec 22, 2023 08:36
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I purchased Pizza Tower because of this thread. So far I don’t really like it, but I compulsively finish whatever I buy so maybe I’ll come around. And the art does rule. Anyway, thread works. Devs supported.
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Dec 29, 2023 08:46
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Best Fan Sequel of the Year: Thief: The Black Parade. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc0VnVuwqYQ The Thief games have maintained a strong fan map community since the release of the first game. The community may be smaller than those making levels for id Soft or Bethesda games, but they nevertheless have maintained a high sense of quality. This is not even the first time the community has banded together to make a full-length narrative campaign (Check out T2X for Thief 2). However, this campaign far exceeds the high bar previously set. It represents roughly a decade of work from community's most prominent map makers, all of whom pushed themselves beyond their previous excellent work. The end result is something that feels like a lost 3rd Looking Glass title in the series. The design feels like a natural evolution of the design philosophies present in the classic studio's existing two entries. The epic and dynamic structures of fan favorite missions like Life of the Party and Return to the Cathedral are present in nearly map of the campaign. You often start in the city streets and must navigate into your target location. Once there, things don't always go according to plan. Events take mid-level turns, objectives change, and you must react. These missions often follow three act structures that ratchet up and then release tension. My first run had me spending an hour an a half to two hours per-mission, each feeling like a complete and fleshed out experience. What's more impressive is that these massive non-linear, multi-staged missions never had me lost. The geography of each area was memorable and clearly presented. If a new objective required me to return to a previous spot, I could easily navigate back even without opening the (Well designed) map. It's all executed with a level of polish that exceeds the original games. Advancements in computing power have let fan patches remove limits in the original build of the engine, which the mod team has taken full advantage of. Levels can now be far more geometrically complex, push striking weather and environmental effects, include more NPCs, and allow more complicated AI scripting and behaviors. This means the game winds up being similar to recent Nightdive remasters in that it looks the way you remember Thief looking, while actually being much more advanced. It's often visually striking and consistently moody as hell. So, if you've ever been a fan of Thief or its spiritual successors (Dishonored), this campaign is absolutely worth getting this classic up and running. (Also, if you choose to play on a Steamdeck, try out the community control scheme declaring itself "The PERFECT modern Thief controls." They live up to their name with great analogue movement, track pad weapon and item wheels, gyro aiming that only activates when an arrow is drawn, really great stuff and makes this mod feel effortless to play. I tried out a bunch and tried fiddling on my own, but as soon as I gave this profile a spin the game just felt more natural than it ever did before.)
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Jan 2, 2024 05:00
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ToxicFrog posted:I'm likely never going to play Live a Live, but this song fucks and I may need to pick up the OST. T2X was great, but The Black Parade has another level of ambition and polish. I really don't think someone who was unfamiliar with the series would be at all suspicious if you had them play it immediately after the first two games and presented it as if it was an official LG entry. You'll love it! Try not to read up too much beforehand. It has some really clever (and much chatted about) moments that will hit better as surprises.
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Jan 2, 2024 06:55
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The 7th Guest posted:
This was one of my most anticipated of 23, so now most anticipated of 24 (or whenever it comes out). However, my anticipation is based on the devs presenting it as a tough-as-nails bullet hell platformer. It's been described as a first person Returnal and, like that game, the auto-aim window is there so you can focus on traversal and evasion. I'm not really getting any casual or throwback messaging from previews. People who had hands on time thought it was pretty challenging. It had a cool Gamescom trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioWHdcy6m1Y
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Jan 3, 2024 03:14
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Dread Delusion also has the dev who made Lunacid as one of the lead level/environment designers. I don’t play games until they come out of early access, but I am very much looking forward to jumping on that one when it’s ready.
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Jan 3, 2024 13:05
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I always appreciate timg tags even when I’m on my desktop. I’ll expand what interests me and easily scroll past what does not.DalaranJ posted:Looking forward to Ron Gilbert's upcoming deduction game, "The Case of Money Island" I’d be all over Ron Gilbert’s writing paired with more deduction puzzles. It might not be as narratively on-theme as the silly logic of the past MI games… but gently caress it, it’s a lot more fun to solve.
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Jan 4, 2024 08:54
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I liked how vertical the world was and the vistas that let you over places you've been/will go to. The first few areas are really nicely laid out too. Like you say, it drops off in quality halfway through... but that's true for a few of the From games too. The game has massive issues that drag it down, but the level and world layouts weren't among them.
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Jan 5, 2024 02:12
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The way the whole umbral realm is laid out around the frozen giants erupting from where the imprisoned kid is, rising up and climbing up over each other to reach the giant sky eyeball was really cool. A really nice moment of horror when I pieced it together, made entirely through level design.
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Jan 5, 2024 04:47
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ToxicFrog posted:Yes I am. The 2023 release is divisive. Some love it, some hate it. It has a lot of rough edges both technically and design wise, but it does a few things extremely well. I personally wouldn’t go so far as to call it good, but I thought the strengths made it worth trying. I’d be very selective about who I recommended it to though. The 2014 game on the other hand is just awful. (Its team went on to make The Surge and its sequel though. Those are really good!)
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Jan 5, 2024 06:34
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Well, if you’re operating under the belief that players will either use a d-pad or an analog stick, never both, it makes perfect sense!
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Jan 6, 2024 01:22
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 04:50 |
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I don’t think the demo is the best representation of the vibes and settings the full game goes too. There are locations and moods in LoP that I won’t find in any From games and the narrative is very much its own thing. I don’t really get a game whose combat centers heavily around blocking and chained melee parries with a relatively weak dodge being primarily compared to Bloodborne, which only has block as a comedy option, has unchained offensive ranged parries, and whose main defensive move is a very powerful dodge. Then you add in the mechanics like puppet thread and fulminis which are closer to Nero’s move set in DMC5 than anything the moon scented hunter can do… Calling it a straight copy of Bloodborne is selling it very short. I revisited Bloodborne shortly after my first three runs of LoP and it’s really a very different experience.
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Jan 14, 2024 04:23
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