2021
2020 in Review
17/04/21 11:29
As we step into a new year, let's take a moment to reflect on the games that graced us with their presence in 2020. From highly anticipated sequels to surprise indie hits, there was no shortage of great games to play.
One of the standout titles of 2020 was The Last of Us Part II. This highly anticipated sequel took players on an emotional journey through a post-apocalyptic world. The game's story was praised for its mature themes and complex characters, and the gameplay was lauded for its tight mechanics and visceral combat.
Another game that received critical acclaim in 2020 was Hades. This indie title from Supergiant Games was a rogue-like dungeon crawler with a Greek mythology twist. Players took on the role of Zagreus, the prince of the underworld, as he fought his way out of the depths of Hades. Hades was praised for its tight gameplay, gorgeous art style, and compelling story.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a game that couldn't have come at a better time. With many people stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Animal Crossing provided a much-needed escape to a tropical island paradise. Players were able to customize their own homes, build a community with other villagers, and explore a vast world filled with surprises.
Doom Eternal was another highly anticipated sequel that delivered on all fronts. The game's fast-paced, demon-slaying action was taken to new heights with the addition of new weapons, abilities, and enemies. Doom Eternal was a non-stop adrenaline rush that kept players on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
Half-Life: Alyx was a game that many fans of the Half-Life series had been waiting for. This virtual reality title put players in the shoes of Alyx Vance as she fought to save humanity from the Combine. Half-Life: Alyx was praised for its innovative use of VR technology, and it was considered by many to be one of the best VR games of all time.
Ghost of Tsushima was a beautiful and immersive open-world game set in feudal Japan. Players took on the role of Jin Sakai, a samurai who fought to liberate his home from the Mongol invaders. The game's stunning visuals, compelling story, and satisfying combat made it one of the standout titles of 2020.
Ghost of Tsushima was actually my favorite game of the year. The world absolutely pulled me in, and I spent many many hours seeing what awaited me on the outside edges of the map.
Other notable games that released in 2020 include Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Among Us. It was a great year for gaming, and we can't wait to see what 2021 has in store.
One of the standout titles of 2020 was The Last of Us Part II. This highly anticipated sequel took players on an emotional journey through a post-apocalyptic world. The game's story was praised for its mature themes and complex characters, and the gameplay was lauded for its tight mechanics and visceral combat.
Another game that received critical acclaim in 2020 was Hades. This indie title from Supergiant Games was a rogue-like dungeon crawler with a Greek mythology twist. Players took on the role of Zagreus, the prince of the underworld, as he fought his way out of the depths of Hades. Hades was praised for its tight gameplay, gorgeous art style, and compelling story.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a game that couldn't have come at a better time. With many people stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Animal Crossing provided a much-needed escape to a tropical island paradise. Players were able to customize their own homes, build a community with other villagers, and explore a vast world filled with surprises.
Doom Eternal was another highly anticipated sequel that delivered on all fronts. The game's fast-paced, demon-slaying action was taken to new heights with the addition of new weapons, abilities, and enemies. Doom Eternal was a non-stop adrenaline rush that kept players on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
Half-Life: Alyx was a game that many fans of the Half-Life series had been waiting for. This virtual reality title put players in the shoes of Alyx Vance as she fought to save humanity from the Combine. Half-Life: Alyx was praised for its innovative use of VR technology, and it was considered by many to be one of the best VR games of all time.
Ghost of Tsushima was a beautiful and immersive open-world game set in feudal Japan. Players took on the role of Jin Sakai, a samurai who fought to liberate his home from the Mongol invaders. The game's stunning visuals, compelling story, and satisfying combat made it one of the standout titles of 2020.
Ghost of Tsushima was actually my favorite game of the year. The world absolutely pulled me in, and I spent many many hours seeing what awaited me on the outside edges of the map.
Other notable games that released in 2020 include Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Among Us. It was a great year for gaming, and we can't wait to see what 2021 has in store.
2019 in Review
13/03/21 12:51
2019 in Review
I'm always excited for new and interesting games. 2019 was no exception.
2019 saw the surprise release of a RAGE 2, which was the sequel to one of my favorite games, RAGE.
The original RAGE was a strange, buggy oddity. When I finally was able to get it to work, I quickly found it fun. A post-apocalyptic world, with a healthy dose of humor spread throughout, reminded me of the original Fallout games. So I felt at home.
So there being a sequel coming out, and being developed by one of my favorite developers, Avalanche? Sounds great to me! The finished product ended up feeling a bit like Avalanche's Mad Max game, which was fantastic. But then splattered with a ton of color and humor. So why does it feel kinda lacking? I intend to get back into it eventually, since it is still a solid open world game.
Satisfactory has consumed so much of my time, it is unbelievable. A huge environment to explore and exploit the resources, to build machines to make parts that help make more machines to make more parts. And they've been releasing new updates with more and more stuff to do, that I'm sure I'll be spending much more time in this game in the future as well.
Generation Zero was another game I was curious about leading up to its release. A new game from the team behind Just Cause, what could go wrong? A big open world game with robots and crafting. Unfortunately, Generation Zero released in a bit of a rough state. Even though it was supposedly made by a different team, I can't help but suspect that Avalanche bit off more than they could chew trying to release two big games in the same year. Luckily, they are still releasing new updates to the game, and improving every aspect of it. So I look forward to giving it another try sometime soon.
Forager is another game that scratches my "idle/incremental" itch. Although it's a game that you end up being much much more active in. It starts out slow, but after a few hours, you have machines constantly cranking out items, and assistants helping you collect things. There's so much to do and explore in this game, and with new updates still coming out, I look forward to more time with Forager.
Superliminal was a game I was really excited for coming out. I had followed the development for years. A puzzle game entirely based on perspective and size? What could go wrong?
Unfortunately, what could go wrong is them trying to force an awkward story into the game, which really just brought down the entire thing. Not to mention that some puzzles were so obtuse that it was more frustrating than fun. Oh well. Seems many people ended up really liking it, so good for them.
I spent hundreds of hours playing Borderlands 2, so when a new Borderlands game was coming out, I was pretty excited. However, sometimes you try playing a game and just can't "get into it". That was the case for Borderlands 3. It wasn't until sometime in 2020, I think, where I was playing it with my friend, and we were able to get through the whole game, and most of the DLC stories. It was definitely more fun being able to play with a friend, but I think I've now had my fill of the Borderlands franchise, and won't be too eager for any future games. But that may just be me.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood was a surprisingly great game. Definitely one of those games that a lot of the enjoyment comes from playing with a friend. Jess and Soph make for a fantastic team, and the fun way they interact with each other in between levels helps bring you into the mood of the game. And it's also very satisfying to be able to just kill some bad guys. Perfect stress reliever for 2019, don't you think?
Telling Lies was the long-awaited next game from Sam Barlow. The "keyword search" system, where you basically mentally piece together parts of the story based on a limited amount of information. And furthermore, you're only seeing one side of a conversation at any time. By the end of the game, you've learned about this complex web of spies and lies. It's a pretty solid experience. I look forward to Mr. Barlow's next game.
Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan was an interesting and unique co-op game, that was more like an interactive movie. Definitely worth playing with a friend, where both people are controlling part of the story separately, and then you can see at the end how the two parts impact each other.
A few honorable mentions, Untiled Goose Game, Baba Is You, and Pikuniku. Fantastic indie puzzle games.
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, Pokemon Shield, and Luigi's Mansion 3 are all games that I've played a fair amount of, and I can see they're great games, but I haven't gotten around to fully giving them the time they deserve. So I look forward to spending some more time with them eventually, and maybe give them a proper full view.
I've kind of saved the best for last. Dragon Quest Builders 2, and Dragon Quest XI. Two games in the Dragon Quest franchise, both vastly different, but still drenched with the charm that one would expect from Dragon Quest. These games are highly recommended by me, and I intend to give them a separate post to themselves.
So that's kind of a condensed review, but not really a review, of the majority of the games I played in 2019.
Onward to 2020!
I'm always excited for new and interesting games. 2019 was no exception.
2019 saw the surprise release of a RAGE 2, which was the sequel to one of my favorite games, RAGE.
The original RAGE was a strange, buggy oddity. When I finally was able to get it to work, I quickly found it fun. A post-apocalyptic world, with a healthy dose of humor spread throughout, reminded me of the original Fallout games. So I felt at home.
So there being a sequel coming out, and being developed by one of my favorite developers, Avalanche? Sounds great to me! The finished product ended up feeling a bit like Avalanche's Mad Max game, which was fantastic. But then splattered with a ton of color and humor. So why does it feel kinda lacking? I intend to get back into it eventually, since it is still a solid open world game.
Satisfactory has consumed so much of my time, it is unbelievable. A huge environment to explore and exploit the resources, to build machines to make parts that help make more machines to make more parts. And they've been releasing new updates with more and more stuff to do, that I'm sure I'll be spending much more time in this game in the future as well.
Generation Zero was another game I was curious about leading up to its release. A new game from the team behind Just Cause, what could go wrong? A big open world game with robots and crafting. Unfortunately, Generation Zero released in a bit of a rough state. Even though it was supposedly made by a different team, I can't help but suspect that Avalanche bit off more than they could chew trying to release two big games in the same year. Luckily, they are still releasing new updates to the game, and improving every aspect of it. So I look forward to giving it another try sometime soon.
Forager is another game that scratches my "idle/incremental" itch. Although it's a game that you end up being much much more active in. It starts out slow, but after a few hours, you have machines constantly cranking out items, and assistants helping you collect things. There's so much to do and explore in this game, and with new updates still coming out, I look forward to more time with Forager.
Superliminal was a game I was really excited for coming out. I had followed the development for years. A puzzle game entirely based on perspective and size? What could go wrong?
Unfortunately, what could go wrong is them trying to force an awkward story into the game, which really just brought down the entire thing. Not to mention that some puzzles were so obtuse that it was more frustrating than fun. Oh well. Seems many people ended up really liking it, so good for them.
I spent hundreds of hours playing Borderlands 2, so when a new Borderlands game was coming out, I was pretty excited. However, sometimes you try playing a game and just can't "get into it". That was the case for Borderlands 3. It wasn't until sometime in 2020, I think, where I was playing it with my friend, and we were able to get through the whole game, and most of the DLC stories. It was definitely more fun being able to play with a friend, but I think I've now had my fill of the Borderlands franchise, and won't be too eager for any future games. But that may just be me.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood was a surprisingly great game. Definitely one of those games that a lot of the enjoyment comes from playing with a friend. Jess and Soph make for a fantastic team, and the fun way they interact with each other in between levels helps bring you into the mood of the game. And it's also very satisfying to be able to just kill some bad guys. Perfect stress reliever for 2019, don't you think?
Telling Lies was the long-awaited next game from Sam Barlow. The "keyword search" system, where you basically mentally piece together parts of the story based on a limited amount of information. And furthermore, you're only seeing one side of a conversation at any time. By the end of the game, you've learned about this complex web of spies and lies. It's a pretty solid experience. I look forward to Mr. Barlow's next game.
Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan was an interesting and unique co-op game, that was more like an interactive movie. Definitely worth playing with a friend, where both people are controlling part of the story separately, and then you can see at the end how the two parts impact each other.
A few honorable mentions, Untiled Goose Game, Baba Is You, and Pikuniku. Fantastic indie puzzle games.
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, Pokemon Shield, and Luigi's Mansion 3 are all games that I've played a fair amount of, and I can see they're great games, but I haven't gotten around to fully giving them the time they deserve. So I look forward to spending some more time with them eventually, and maybe give them a proper full view.
I've kind of saved the best for last. Dragon Quest Builders 2, and Dragon Quest XI. Two games in the Dragon Quest franchise, both vastly different, but still drenched with the charm that one would expect from Dragon Quest. These games are highly recommended by me, and I intend to give them a separate post to themselves.
So that's kind of a condensed review, but not really a review, of the majority of the games I played in 2019.
Onward to 2020!
How's it going?
11/03/21 23:27
Oh Hi there.
It's been a while since my last post, huh?
Like, there was the whole 2019, and then there was the whole 2020 thing.
But maybe I'm back.
There certainly were a lot of games that came out in 2019 and 2020 that I have a lot of thoughts on, and it would probably be enjoyable to me to mentally revisit some of them and share some of those thoughts. So while I kind of hate doing big Wall of Text posts, I will likely need to do two in order to cover everything from 2019/2020 all at once.
So I shall start working on those and will hopefully post them within the next week.
Thanks to anyone who reads!
It's been a while since my last post, huh?
Like, there was the whole 2019, and then there was the whole 2020 thing.
But maybe I'm back.
There certainly were a lot of games that came out in 2019 and 2020 that I have a lot of thoughts on, and it would probably be enjoyable to me to mentally revisit some of them and share some of those thoughts. So while I kind of hate doing big Wall of Text posts, I will likely need to do two in order to cover everything from 2019/2020 all at once.
So I shall start working on those and will hopefully post them within the next week.
Thanks to anyone who reads!