Previously, on NeoGAF...
V
The Evil Within (XBO)
Tango Gameworks,
Bethesda
Mikami is back to try his hand at survivor-horror once again - that would be a true statement if survivor-horror wasnt nonsense gibberish, you idiot. I know this is a cliche, but TEW is greater than the sum of its parts. The combat (including enemies), while impactful and gruesome, trails behind its estranged family: RE4/5/6 (but then, few dont). Its rigidness sits oddly between 4/5 and 6 and your options are simplified. Perhaps worse though, is a slight sloppiness (aiming, reactions) that can be frustrating; I say perhaps, because that adds to what is being conveyed (hence sum of its parts) and, moreover, I dont mind frustration. Whats introduced instead is the coup de grace burning mechanic, which is fun to exploit. Also different is that its like TLOU with its scarcer resources and a larger stealth component. I see inspiration from BioShock, the crossbow functioning like plasmids, as one example. Dont think that I dislike the combat though; I need to justify why a Mikami game isnt my GOTY. It may take a few upgrades, but it manages to be its own very respectable thing with plenty of neat set pieces. TEW does excel at memorable, tense boss fights in interesting environments. These guys dont mess around and going for the kill (as you should) is where the game tests you best. The narrative is structured to be obtuse and mysterious to a fault (what the fuck? indeed, Sebastian), but scene by scene, it has outstanding atmosphere (and I value that more). I can accept the games weirdness as dream-like in the face of such strengths. While the plot is disjointed, I cant say the pace of the game is. Its not quite RE4 in how it suckered you into playing another five hours, but it gets damn close (at least once you escape the humdrum opening).
IV
Wolfenstein: The New Order (XBO)
MachineGames,
Bethesda
Im going to be lazy and list a bunch of things TNO gets totally right. Pickup-based health/armor. You carry an array of weapons that feel terrific to shoot even on the run. These almost all have alt fire modes, like shotgun pellets bouncing wildly off walls, and can be dual-wielded. Sliding, throwing knives, and in/out of battle melee takedowns. A superb lean mechanic for firing out of cover. Destructible cover. Fighting/sneaking areas littered with alternate paths set in a
diverse number of locations. Commander mechanic which encourages killing certain foes first or risk reinforcements. A decent variety of respectably antagonistic asshole Nazis that you can dismember and disassemble in overly mean ways. Having upgrades, weapons, and enemies get slipped to you at a fine pace over this lengthy game. A strong execution of a bleak alternative history setting with a lot of background details balanced by lighthearted moments. All in all, a fine culmination of excellent FPS mechanics. Some downsides were that stealth got too routine (so I went out of my way to trigger commanders by the end), bigger enemies being easy to cheese, unnecessary perk system, and the HQ chapters were pace killers (struggled to care about those characters). When I picked the
manly Uber difficulty, I was afraid I was going to turn it into a full cover-shooter, however I never felt trapped or bored.
III
Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- (PS3)
Arc System Works Team Red,
Sega/Aksys Games
Effectively, this is a (necessary?) fresh start for the celebrated series. Its hard to find fault in that when ASW even updated GGXX one last time with +R (unfortunately, never touched). So, lets get whats been said a million times over out of the way: this game looks absolutely stunning (sprite-like models and animation). Its practically a milestone for gaming. Beyond the technical achievement, it oozes
style and charm at every opportunity. While its unavoidably less true now, Ive always thought GG had an amazing cast of fighters, maybe even the best. The single biggest change, which I welcome wholeheartedly, is the new Roman Cancel (several meter-draining animation cancels based on current player states). Gone is the scariest execution aspect of GG (in addition to easier movesets, such as I-Nos), replaced by an elegant, accessible system that encourages creativity. In the end, its still Guilty Gear, but scaled back just a little and with some new mechanics/characters to replace the old. I know there are things that are flawed/weird about it (pointless mechanics, overlooked side effects of new RCs), but its hard for me to really criticize the thing, especially as of now (and here). All I can say is that playing Faust online (dont laugh) with the improved netcode (and snazzy arcade-like lobbies) has been my obsession before I sat down to write this list (single-handedly ruined my sleep schedule) and only hope Ill find some dudes to play this with in person soon. The idea that this is just ASW's first attempt in a new sub-series is really, really exciting.
II
Earth Defense Force 2025 (360)
Sandlot,
D3 Publisher
At first glimpse, you may think this is a
shitty game with its dreadful graphics, terrible animations, messy frame rate, and campy subject matter. You wouldnt be wrong, but, somehow, it is also a
FUCKING AMAZING GAME. The 80+ (120+ with DLC) missions work marvelously for the 4-player co-op, kind of like MonHun in how fun it is. The four classes play dramatically different and have their own expansive loot pools for further distinction. These are the aerial Wing Diver, the Armored Core-like Fencer, the vehicle/turret/artillery summoning Air Raider, and the Ranger, a grunt who carries two weapons and has a roll. The wide variety within weapons makes this, bar none, my favorite loot game. Its even balanced by difficulty level limits (the real fun begins with Hardest and up). This is how the modest Ranger can be my favorite class: the basic weaponry can be surprisingly efficient, but then you have the Stampede XM, which fires dozens of grenades each with the power to take out a skyscraper, effectively obliterating a city block in a single shot. And yet, this does not break the game. In an average level you can expect hundreds of foes or those of equal weight (a strong roster to fight, although the Retiarius are kind of bullshit). Its a one of kind of
overwhelming chaos and destruction, where moments of high tension and camaraderie arise freely; like when youre the last man left on an Inferno mission your team has failed ten times, desperately scavenging for health packs while surrounded by a literal horde, only to turn it all around and bring the whole team back. While the presentation is cheesy, it still gets across a sense of desperation as the stakes get higher (and the battles larger). Kill one bug and twenty replace it, colossal machines flatten cities, and UFOs blot out the sky. For every small victory, a new threat appears to send humanity closer to extinction. The end is upon us. But do you accept this?
HELL NO. You grab your shoulder mounted nuke, massacre everything (and your frame rate), and scream into deaths face E-D-F! E-D-F! E-D-F!
I
Bayonetta 2 (Wii U)
Platinum Games,
Nintendo
In what should surprise no one, Bayonetta 2 is my undisputed game of the year. Any concern over Kamiya handing off the reigns to Hashimoto (whos no newbie) was for naught, as the product has surpassed the original (and one could argue every game Platinum has put out). Yes, its built straight off the first, but robust changes are not to be taken for granted. Can I skip ahead and just say how much I appreciate that the hard mode (or something like it) doesnt need to be unlocked? Theres a few ways the game has more bite, the most significant one being how enemies parry you. On the other hand, the scoring system seems changed for the worse, for one encouraging item use (fuck that!), but its that not a big deal for me. Notably, the new weapons/movesets are much superior (at the very least aesthetically). Witch Time (which Ive always been ambivalent over) has been better integrated, but the activation is a little too generous (as if to balance this). Umbran Climax is devilishly satisfying, but maybe too brain-dead in its sheer destruction. The enemy fodder matches (sometimes literally) or surpasses those of its predecessor, except for possibly the very best. They took the criticisms of Bayo1 to heart, with QTEs being trivial and mini-games scaled back. The major boss fights move away from pseudo-platforming and towards straight battles, most visible with the final boss; this is a lot better, but theres no denying it comes at a cost of being a little less epic. The best of both worlds comes with the Masked Lumen though, who may just be the best boss in the genre (i.e., best boss, period). It bothers me when fans (Gameplay only!) look at PGs efforts and act like they are not aesthetic marvels. Polished to an unrivaled pristine, its never been truer than here. They bragged about how much effort went into hit reactions and, shit, its never been better. The animations for this game is off the charts. I did notice a slight tone change (visually, thematically, etc.) between the two games. Bayo1 had a slightly darker and mysterious edge and better presented the idea that you were desecrating the upmost divine in fabulous ways. Perhaps due to knowing they couldnt top the previous ending (or how sequels progress), Bayo2 is more colorful and adventurous, attention on the height of divinity or their embarrassment for the most part shifted more towards to just how fucking cool Bayonetta and her surroundings are. Anyway, Tag Climax is underdeveloped, but still adequate as a mutiplayer mission mode. Its probably what we have to thank for cooler unlockable characters (few are a bit OP though). Really wish the game had more Jeanne moments; the pair is just too damn fabulous together. Moon River should have played way more often too. I cant express how content I felt when going through the (perfect) opening and having that song kick in; it was only then it really dawned on me that theres a new Bayonetta, it came out and Im playing it. What a time to be alive.
Honorable Mentions (In alphabetical order.
Each image links to music.)
Armored Hunter GUNHOUND EX (PC)
Dracue, Co. ltd,
AGM PLAYISM
Of the two newly localized Assault Suits successors, this is the one I played. The controls capture the feeling of a weighty mech and invites mastery. My favorite aspect is how it throws into an assortment of different scenarios; it starts with a linear stage, but before you know it you are playing a STG or slowly climbing and taking apart a giant tank, all to some badass tunes. Punching through projectiles never gets old.
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
Nintendo EAD Group No. 1,
Nintendo
A huge improvement over MKWii, and another showcase of Nintendos skill with their hardware, but my enthusiasm is tempered by the same old tropes (however improved). The racing feels great but then everything else gets in the way (like, the clusterfucking that protects the lead). The Zero-G mechanics are ingenious, along the lines of drafting. The battle mode is crappy, but Im weirdly good at it. (Sonic Transformed is better.)
Shovel Knight (PC)
Yacht Club Games,
Yacht Club Games (
Kickstarter)
If you take a few critical steps, like ignore optional checkpoints and the unbalanced items, this becomes a respectable 2D action game (its no Volgarr though); Im willing to be a little forgiving, because it got pretty enjoyable by the end. I have to admit they lived up to their promise of a pleasing old school aesthetic, which most indie 2D games fail to do (not to mention all the other things they fail at).
Super Smash Bros for Wii U (Wii U, duh)
Sora Ltd./Bandai Namco Games,
Nintendo
This has been more a co-op game for me and Ive only started getting serious about multiplayer. My thoughts can be summarized as at least its not Brawl. There seems to be a solid game buried underneath some screwed up fundamentals (defense). The series is stagnating (e.g., stage and item options and, above all, idiotic online modes), but I appreciate 8P Smash (used well for single player content) and the attempt of Smash Tour.
Titanfall (PC)
Respawn Entertainment,
Electronic Arts
Havent played this a ton, but it throws in a wide assortment of fresh mechanics (and modes) that work together in interesting ways and even help resolve some of my issues with its closest peers. The map design is the aspect Ill praise the most. Modern Warfare 2 was the last time I really liked a CoD (although Advanced Warfare is the first time since then that the MP had decent maps, but still not as well designed around the mechanics as this) and I dont think thats a coincidence.
Closing Thoughts:
So for the last two years, Ive been falling behind in tech. I had a Wii U for a while now, but only recently got irregular access to an Xbone (not regular enough to play every game on it). No PS4, no Vita, and my PC is officially too old (resolving at least the last one relatively soon). This is in addition to, as I said previously, not pushing myself towards new releases like I usually do. I really neglected strategy games this year, in addition to a few other genres I like to dip my toes in. It isnt worth listing the titles I missed this time, theres too many for me to handle! Let the record show that, by my own stupid standards, this is an imperfect list (Im halfway joking, BTW).
That said, I feel extremely confident in all my listed games and made no compromises. The ranked games are all great experiences (some are the best in their genre even) and for more than half of them, I dont think I would switch them out even if I played a hundred games. To a lesser extent, I feel the same way about my honorable mentions. If under these conditions I can still pick out 10 great games and a few good honorable mentions, all this bad year talk is a bunch of bull. Then again, its always bull.
A new rule for myself: as long as the LTTP vote remains unofficial: a fan work (e.g., previously unavailable localization or expansion-like mod) is acceptable so as long as it came out during the year (the game itself can be however old). Aside from that, its for a game released the previous year (based on the US market).
In review / for the tally:
1. Bayonetta 2 ;
2. Earth Defense Force 2025 ; GIANT INSECTS!
3. Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- ;
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order ;
5. The Evil Within ;
6. Dark Souls II ;
7. Divinity: Original Sin ;
8. Crimzon Clover WORLD IGNITION ;
9. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ;
10. The Talos Principle ;
x. Armored Hunter GUNHOUND EX ;
x. Mario Kart 8 ;
x. Shovel Knight ;
x. Super Smash Bros for Wii U ;
x. Titanfall ;
LTTP, Gyakuten Kenji 2 ;
Here are some of the lists with effort put into them that I agreed with or appreciated in some way or another, starting with the usual suspects. Its worth noting that with few of the most popular games being outright terrible this year, I found lists in general more agreeable than usual and this was reflected in the final results (first time my GOTY was GAFs lol). (Those found with the most affinity will be marked.)
Tain (#1. Was bummed thinking he skipped this year, but turns out I'm just blind)
Semblance (#4. Ditto.)
Iconoclast (#7. Please read his entry for Crimzon Clover instead of mine lol)
adversesolutions (Shorter than usual this year, but the arcade flavor is nice)
ViewtifulJC (Really likes DLC about little girls kissing evidently ROFL)
Levyne
Papercuts 2 3 (Most impressive list)
Yuterald 2 (Second)
Neiteio (Its Neiteio)
Fine Ham Abounds
Nocturnowl
zero shift (Terra Battle is my mobile game of the year heh)
Lostconfused
chadboban
SatelliteOfLove
Juke Joint Jezebel
Bonus: Dark Schala's
Soundtracks of the Year 2 3
Thanks for reading.