Turin Turambar
Member
The thing with Sunless Sea, it's that even lots of people who liked the game (they love the lore, the writing, the idea of the game) say it's flawed, being too slow and grindy.
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The New Yorker: The Best Video Games of 2015
- Thread starter Tripon
- Start date
A person's personal Top 10 list can't "be wrong". It's their opinion ffs...
That said, it's about what I'd expect from The New Yorker. I have no problem with The New Yorker. Despite it's reputation for being such, I've never found the magazine to be overly pretentious. A lot of the people that read it, on the other hand...
That said, it's about what I'd expect from The New Yorker. I have no problem with The New Yorker. Despite it's reputation for being such, I've never found the magazine to be overly pretentious. A lot of the people that read it, on the other hand...
OrbitalBeard
Member
My favorite games all have flaws.
QuixoticNeutral
Member
Good on Parkin for taking advantage of a critical platform to specifically create a list that would not be strictly reflected by popularity, sales data, Metacritic consensus, budgets, forum polls, or any of the typical metrics. One doesn't need to agree with the ranks themselves, and it's in the nature of any list to have glaring omissions that leave all of us aghast in one way or another. But it's the job of a critic to open a debate.
I've had Sunless Sea marked for a future purchase on Steam since its release, when it was sold to me as a moody, wordy Sid Meier's Pirates! Worth snagging in a future sale, I'm sure.
I've had Sunless Sea marked for a future purchase on Steam since its release, when it was sold to me as a moody, wordy Sid Meier's Pirates! Worth snagging in a future sale, I'm sure.
Disaster Nebraska
Banned
Witcher 3 is this year's Fallout 3. It is a fantastic game in many respects and it will definitely be the most popular and mainstream Witcher game in the series, but it also has glaring flaws that harm the game in some people's eyes. From my perspective, I'd place Batman AK, Mario Maker, MGS5, Bloodborne, and possibly Xenblade X (haven't played yet) above Witcher 3 in the AAA category.
Witcher 3 got Best Game, Best Dev, and Best RPG from The Game Awards. How shameful that it didn't get #1 at yet another publication....
Witcher 3 got Best Game, Best Dev, and Best RPG from The Game Awards. How shameful that it didn't get #1 at yet another publication....
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
I love when the list like this comes up that has at least some titles I have missed or haven't even heard of. I'll be playing Dr. Langeskov now. It's a free game too.
Lol mb, I think it's funny either way
Just use the mod an awesome gaffer made to make ship movement faster and it is quite a fun little game.
Its in the honorable mentions?
OmegaTreeFish
Banned
I think that's a pretty interesting list. Also it can't be that hard to believe someone didnt put the witcher 3 in their top 10 can it? All it takes is for that style of game to not be their thing.
The only reason I would include the witcher 3 in mine is because I havnt played enough games that released this year to push it out of it. For me it does some things really well and others are pretty bad. Putting MGSV at number 2 and some of this guys other picks (I know nothing about this guy) it would come across as someone who values core gameplay above most other things. MGSV does one thing very very well. That's its core gameplay. It also explains the existence of things like splatoon and bloodborne. Both very solidly gameplay focused games. I havnt played everything in his list though but I tend to also put core gameplay mechanics above things like open world's, dialogue choices and story so I can see where he is coming from at least despite not agreeing with it totally.
So yeah. Interesting list that actually looks genuine rather than done for clicks or to please the masses or what ever other excuses people want to make up for the list not having their personal favourite game on it.
The only reason I would include the witcher 3 in mine is because I havnt played enough games that released this year to push it out of it. For me it does some things really well and others are pretty bad. Putting MGSV at number 2 and some of this guys other picks (I know nothing about this guy) it would come across as someone who values core gameplay above most other things. MGSV does one thing very very well. That's its core gameplay. It also explains the existence of things like splatoon and bloodborne. Both very solidly gameplay focused games. I havnt played everything in his list though but I tend to also put core gameplay mechanics above things like open world's, dialogue choices and story so I can see where he is coming from at least despite not agreeing with it totally.
So yeah. Interesting list that actually looks genuine rather than done for clicks or to please the masses or what ever other excuses people want to make up for the list not having their personal favourite game on it.
Shake Appeal
Member
It's honestly been the best year for videogames in my memory, and I've been playing videogames for nearly 30 years.
I loved the slow speed of the game, hah
By those metrics, Fallout 4 is also this year's Fallout 3.
Shake Appeal
Member
Yeah, the slowness is part of the point. The voyages are meant to feel long and arduous.
Videogames (and videogamers) still haven't quite grasped that boredom and discomfort and apathy and so on are valid things to express and explore. You do not need to be entertained 100% of the time for a videogame to be worthwhile and interesting.
RespectThySole
Member
His list seems pretty genuine although I don't care for the top 3 games on his list. Nothing wrong with having different tastes. I do find it a bit odd though that a game he gave 5/5 stars isn't even an honorable mention for his GOTY. However, I'm not familiar with this writer at all. Does he give out those types of scores often?
Shpeshal Nick
aka Collingwood
No Tomb Raider, no Ori. Joke list.
=)
Muffdraul
Member
After looking at some video, I really really really really really really doubt it would be my cup of tea.
lovely ladies
Member
I think he's been writing about games for the magazine/site for a couple of years.
Nah he doesn't
None of the "popular" goty picks are without flaws, just like the games on this list have flaws.
If the criteria for GOTY was to be without big flaws we wouldn't have a GOTY ever.
Lumpy Onion
Member
Pretty good list with quite a few games I enjoyed (especially MGS V and Bloodbourne). Might have to get around to trying Her Story since I've been hearing a lot about it lately. And while I liked Witcher 3 I don't give a damn that it isn't there.
OrlanisWorks
Banned
Everybody's Gone to Rapture?
At least Her Story is on there. I'm happy enough. Witcher 3 won't please everyone as much as it does me.
At least Her Story is on there. I'm happy enough. Witcher 3 won't please everyone as much as it does me.
No Ori
Ori came out this year? Holy shit. Loved that game but I would have sworn it was 2014.
Wild how the "agenda" line always pops up in threads like these? Why on earth would they have an agenda? What would the point of that be?
People like different things. I thought this was a really fun list to read through.
Extra Sauce
Member
List is sorely lacking all the great episodic adventure games of 2015: Tales from the Borderlands, Life is Strange and King's Quest.
Also Axiom Verge.
Also Axiom Verge.
Not to mention he might just not have gotten around to playing it.
From the article:
it's just one dude's list. I doubt even on GAF anyone has played everything that's in contention for a top 10 list. I could easily make a list with 50 good PC games this year alone.
This should be bolded in the OP
I love Witcher 3, but it's not particularly innovative.
Also sounds like he gave it 5 stars and said it's brilliant. So I'm good
Yeah, you're on to something there. Sometimes, reviewers equate "best" with "most innovative." I don't think that's a terribly fair stance to take. A grand refinement of established mechanics has as fair a claim to "best" as something innovative but ultimately flawed. However, if you read the list as the top 10 most innovative games of the year, it makes much more sense.
Incendiary
Banned
Sunless Sea has been on my Steam wish list for a while and I almost picked it up during the last sale. Looks really interesting, and it getting a #1 mention makes me think I should finally bite on it sooner than later.
Rest of the list is pretty decent, too.
Rest of the list is pretty decent, too.
Please explain what the agenda is.
The "agenda" is dog whistle for GamerGate "SJWs are ruining gaming" bullshit.
LegendofLex
Member
I love the "these are the games of 2015 that will ultimately make a difference to history" feel of this list, as opposed to "these are the games that most people were looking forward to this year, ranked subjectively."
Makes me wish I had more time to play more new games in a given year.
Makes me wish I had more time to play more new games in a given year.
His Majesty
Banned
Well he did give it 5/5 so it would be pretty weird if he hadn't played it
Good to see Darkest Dungeon on a list somewhere, can't wait for it to come out of early access.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
I liked Sunless Sea and all, but it got really tedious after a couple of hours and it seemed like the barely cohesive plot was going nowhere so I stopped playing. I was essentially at a point where I had the entire map explored, and could move around the map at will without too much fear of death.
Even if you read it as a "best" games list it still makes perfect sense. It's one guys opinion.
aspiegamer
Member
This is a shockingly awesome list out of The New Yorker, which is typically literally the last place I'd ever look for an opinion on video games. At least one person on staff has good taste confirmed! Fine, it's far more likely someone just has a teenage child with good taste, and they deliberately asked for a wide variety of platforms in an attempt to make everyone happy. Their child doesn't own an XB1, unfortunately.
Did you bother reading the article? Guy is a legit games writer. What's with the patronizing tone, dude?
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