[img width=700 height=199]http://images.vg247.com/current//2013/10/nextfrictionalgame.png[/img] Image source: imgarcade gallery for Frictional Games (SOMA)
Lists. Everybody loves lists. And subjective numbers attached to opinions. Fun to read and argue over, sure. But here at RFGeneration, we're cooler than that. (And more humble!) So here I'm gonna list some games that aren't necessarily GOTY-type stuff (though some are, certainly.) But if you're like me, then I'm glad my beloved wife met me first, and also you like to dig through articles to find random gems you weren't aware of or some thoughts on a game that may make you give it a chance instead of otherwise dismissing it. So here goes, a slackur's suggestions from the last year of gaming good times.
Favorite Graphics: Transformers Devastation Not best mind you, just favorite. The 80s cartoon style blew me away. Game was decent. Yoshi's Woolly World is a close second though, and IMHO a more fun game overall.
Newest Addition to a 'Dead' System: Ghost Blade I love shmups, I love our Dreamcast, I'm a happy camper. Sturmwind is still the best, though.
Biggest Disappointments: Legend of Legacy (needlessly tedious and crazy overcomplicated, just not fun), no splitscreen whatsoever in Halo 5, having to upgrade my data cap because of absolutely bonkers constant giga-sized game updates #SoThisIsNextGen
Biggest Surprise Favorite: Gauntlet Slayer Edition I read the PC version wasn't great, so the free PlayStation Plus version wasn't high on my to-try-out list, but leave it to the makers of Helldivers to pull off an excellent update to the multiplayer classic. Lotsa fun with a group of friends on the couch or online.
Favorite Recent Retro Addition I Got Around To: Nightmare Busters Finally snagged a repro cart of this, and it's two player Contra-style hard. Nice graphics and atmosphere. Not stellar, but worth owning and playing.
Most Recent Import I Can't Figure Out And Really Makes Me Want To Learn Japanese: Fox Junction So obscure I can't find out much about it at all, even nowadays with Gamefaqs and whatnot. Great art style and interesting mechanics, but I'm pretty clueless about most of it.
This would have been awesome except that stupid Tower of Babel thing.
The Game That My Beloved Can't Stop Playing And Made Me Buy Her A New 3DS: Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer Not that she would've asked for one. But she's enjoyed this game more than any other since, well, maybe ever. Not my thing, but I'm thrilled she loves (and can relax to) it.
Game I Still Haven't Played Because My Kids Are Always On It: Super Mario Maker Even better and more intuitive that you'd expect, and they keep updating it with more stuff! If Nintendo used this type of interface to teach math and science in school, the only kids who would fail would be the ones who hate fun.
Best New Rhythm Game Between Rock Band 4 and Guitar Hero Live: Still Rock Band 3
Game I Really Want To Play But Can't Justify $60 For Digital Only: Dariusburst Chronicle Saviors
C'mon, if you were on a disc I'd own you already!! (Yes, yes, I could import the Vita version, but by the time I do that, I would want the PS4 version, shut-up I'm not picky yesIam.
Absolutely Huge Game That I Couldn't Even Give You An Opinion Because I Haven't Played Enough: Fallout 4, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Mad Max, Metal Gear Solid V If I got all the way through even one of these this year, the rest of this list would've been half as long because I'd have had no time for anything else.
Xbox One Exclusive That Finally Made The System Worth Owning: Rare Replay So many classics, nifty features, and the best compilation since Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.
Best game that isn't new but I finally played it now that it is on physical media: Shovel Knight Man, it really is as good as I heard, and I picked it up for both PS4 and 3DS as soon as I could own copies I could hold. Shovel Knight plays like we remember the oldies playing. Special mention to Teslagrad which came out on disc for PS3 and PS4, but only seems available on Amazon.
The Best Patch To Fix A Current Game: Destiny: The Taken King Now I don't have to find excuses to defend vanilla Destiny; so much was improved and refined, this is definitely the best co-op FPS out there.
Best Game to Suddenly Dominate Our Multiplayer Nights For Several Months: Helldivers Before this released, you probably couldn't convince me that a friendly-fire enabled four-player twin-stick shooter would be the most played Friday night favorite for about half the year. But Helldivers is so intense and well put-together, everyone from 'casual' to 'hard-core' players have enjoyed playing, often together.
Biggest Surprisingly Fun Game We Almost Wrote Off: Mario Party 10 At this point, we all know what to expect for a Mario Party, so we were pleasantly surprised to find the new one to be streamlined, quick-paced, and the most fun since the first palm-destroying game in the series. Plus, I get to be Bowser and spoil the fun
Oh WOW Awesome Out Of Nowhere Cool! Release: Grim Fandango I so wanted to play this when it came out on PC, but my ancient machine laughed and then coughed and sputtered when I tried to run it. Now out of the blue, I get to play one of my most desired games growing up with a few refinements to boot! And as a nice bonus, Day of the Tentacle next year!!
Best Game I Can't Play Because of No Southpaw Support But Like Enough to Mention Anyway: Splatoon Leave it to Nintendo to turn the online competitive shooter into something I can endorse my kids playing. It sure looks like a ton of fun; I just can't play it because of a lack of lefty support.
Best Game I Didn't Try Until The End Of The Year Because I Was Leary But Ended Up Great: Dying Light I didn't care for the language coming through the PS4 speaker, but this game surprised me with how well crafted the whole experience came together. Wasn't sure for a long time, but once it got cheap enough I bit, and it makes me sad I waited so long to give it a try.
The Great Game That I Seem To Be The Only One Who Really Likes it: Evolve Folks seem to write this off for a number of reasons, but I've sunk quite a bit of time into it and it keeps on giving. Even without multiplayer (which is excellent and unique in many design choices) the honed gameplay experience is superb and exciting. Get some good headphones or surround sound, turn off the lights, and just delve into the edge-of-space monster hunt. I really like this game.
The Game Everyone Seems To Think Is Lacking But I Think They Are Crazy: Star Wars: Battlefront The more I play, the more depth I find. Each of the nine modes really have their nuances and require surprisingly different skills, I've been hooked on the Fighter Squadron (Ties Vs X- and A-Wing) mode, the co-op missions feature some completely different content and all of it was fun to putter with, and the Walker Assault pulls the whole thing together in a grand tug-of-war battle. I'm still unlocking weapons, traits, and upgrades, and haven't even touched the cosmetic stuff. Sure, the first twenty or so levels are designed as easy to pick up and play, but the latter levels really delve into strategy and custom load-out picks. All wrapped around some of the best console graphics I've ever seen. Haters can go away, I'm still having a ton of fun.
My GOTY before I found my last GOTY: Bloodborne Nobody does atmosphere like the makers of the Demon's/Dark Souls games, and they upped even those with this one. What starts out as a hunt against werewolf and ogre-like creatures ends up... in unexpected places that I won't give away, but I was immensely drawn into this game world for quite some time. I normally can't commit to the time investment these type of games require and I finished this one all the way through, so hopefully that tells you how impressed I was.
And the numero uno fav this year 'round is... SOMA As a multiplayer-centric guy, it takes a special single-player experience to stand above the best, and this one really did. I still have that 'woah, dude' high from it that only comes around when a media experience impresses and then sticks with you. Turn the lights off, turn the sound up, and hunt every scrap of environmental information you can, and I hope you come away as thoughtful and moved about the whole thing as I did.
Games I'm most looking forward to in 2016: Right now, probably Raiden V and Thumper.
It's full of stars! They should have sent a poet!! etc. etc.
So those are a few of the great gaming experiences we've shared this year. I'm not into 'best games of the year' so much as 'best times I've had in the hobby over the last 360-plus days. Make sure to put yours in the comments, and be sure to have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Okay, that was fun to read. Props on the unique categories, and I'm totally with you on the Xbox One Exclusive That Finally Made The System Worth Owning category. That was the only Xbone game that turned my head when it was announced and made me look at console pricing.
@Addicted:Completely agree on all three points. I was leary of spending close to $30 on SOMA, especially since it took an hour or two to really develop, but now it is easily in my all-time favorites!
@bombatomba:Thanks! Yeah, even now my XB1 doesn't get nearly the play time as the WiiU or PS4, but RR does help justify having the system.
Ugh, Raiden V just makes me want to get the Xbone, but I'm totally not buying a console for one game, especially since I only JUST got Raiden IV in the mail a week ago. I'm so behind
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(Yes, yes, I could import the Vita version, but by the time I do that, I would want the PS4 version, shut-up I'm not picky yesIam.
