Like last year, I'm doing a Top 5. Five games that I really enjoyed, five games I can hold up and say, yeah, video games are the fuckin' best and that's just the way it is.
V
The Last of Us: Left Behind
Naughty Dog, Sony Computer Entertainment
How do you do a direct follow-up to the Last of Us? Something that seem so confident and complete that upon completion, it feels like its particular narrative has been fully extracted. Any other embellishments, superfluous. But when your new ip sells six million copies in a single year, you don't get to NOT make expansions to sell to customers for a bit more money. The single player story expansion is a dubious idea; how many really GOOD ones have they're been in the last decade? Shadow Broker, Citadel, Minerva's Den...its a small list. Well, pencil in another nominee, as Neil Druckmann, Bruce Straley and the rest of their team at Naughty Dog decided to handle Left Behind with the same amount of care and craft that went into the Last of Us proper.
The DLC has you controlling Ellie, playing out a crucial moment that the main game by-passed interspersed with flashbacks to her earlier years with fellow teen survivor, Riley. This structure allows Naughty Dog the ability to indulge in whatever passive bits of interaction and softer story elements in the younger years while still giving gamers a more traditional action/puzzle side with the older Ellie. These action sections are familiar, admitingly, after 15+ hours of playing the last game, but with Ellie's weak state and lack of inventory(especially on higher difficulties), they can still deliver a pulpy, visceral thrill. The Hunter AI is still dynamic, improvisonal fun, with bloody desperate bursts of action popping up in-between the longer beats of quiet sneaking tension. Furthermore, Left Behind introduces the idea of playing the Hunters and the Infected zombies against one enough. The enemy of my enemy, as they say, as you lure the factions against the other into combat, picking off the stranglers or just darting right pass the mayhem.
But its in the earlier years of Ellie's life where the heart of the game lies. Its the final day before Ellie's best friend Riley goes off to travel the country as a Firefly, a bittersweet girls night out at the abandoned mall. Carousals glow with a nostalgic brown hue, moss and plant life bursting through the pavement, reclaiming the world humans left behind. Silly superficial attractions like Halloween masks and record players come to life for a brief moment as two innocent kids indulge themselves like children used to do before everything went to Hell. There's a tangible context that justifies searching every room and touching everything, and its to Naughty Dog's credit they justify this environmental interaction with humorous asides and meaningful storytelling alike. Won't spoil everything here, but its absurdly delightful experience all told, delivering a level of levity that makes its dark reality all the more powerful. It ends with a wonderful "final battle" that walks the tightrope between tragic and playful, and it totally sticks the ending of that particular sequence.
This is all delivered with a industry standard level of craftsmanship, especially on the 1080p/60fps Remastered edition. Ashley Johnson is goddamn note perfect as Ellie, Yaani King almost as good as Riley. The animations, both big and small, loud and subtle, are top of the line in 2014. Lots of great, detailed art assets that make the world feel tangible, and there's another great soundtrack that manages to enhance all its various emotional beats without overpowering them.
Left Behind is one of those rare things in video games; an expansion that actually ADDS to the original game. It deepens the relationship between Ellie and Joel even when the latter isn't around, and gives us a greater knowledge of who Ellie is and what her motives are. Its an highly polished affair that leaves you wanting more, even when you know its time to move on. Well, until the inevitable sequel of course...the game sold six million copies, remember?
IV
Wolfenstein: The New Order
MachineGames, Bethsada
One of my favorite lines from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is when Indy finds out its his old foes from the Third Reich behind his latest adventure. “Nazis…I hate these guys!” he quips, as if he was dealing with some pesky rodents rummaging through his house. Nazis have become the ultimate cartoon villains in pop culture over the past 50 or so years. Their all-black ensemble, funny sounding German accents, and universally agreed upon evilness makes them easy fodder for our heroes to beat again and again without offending anyone. Wolfenstein is a franchise built on the resilient idea that shooting Nazis is an appealing idea you can sell to anyone, and the latest entry continues this tradition, with a few interesting quirks.
The original hero BJ Blackowicz returns, who after a failed WW2 mission to kill General Deathshead, wakes from a coma 18 years later to find out the Nazi succeeded in taking over the world. The episodic plot sends BJ to different interesting locations to gather the tools and people he’ll need to bring down the fascist totalitarian regime. The story is a mix of the Indiana Jones pulp adventure fun of killing Nazis mixed with a more serious approach to the inherent terror of these enemies and how ultimately good people cope in these terrible times. It doesn’t always work of course; several of its sober-minded incidents don’t land in the context of robot dog murdering and ancient Jewish power armor, but its always interesting nonetheless. The real power comes through in the various character interactions. MachineGames was founded by key members of Starbreeze Studios (the creators of Chronicles of Riddick and The Darkness) and it shows. Their skill at mining great performances out of pulpy material is on full display here, crafting likable characters though nicely animated scenes and surprisingly good dialog.
But anyway: Nazi shooting, right? Wolfenstein: The New Order is littered with hundred of evil fascist bastards to gun down in various shapes and sizes. Mecha Nazis! Dog Nazis! Giant Mecha Dog Nazis! Its quite an array of antagonists, but BJ acquires a satisfying arsenal of weapons throughout the game. There are the usual machine guns, snipers, and shotguns players are familiar with, with a couple of unique tools thrown in like a Laser gun that can cut through metal and evolves into a pretty deadly sci-fi WMD near the end. Almost every weapon can be dual-wielded (yes, even the sniper rifles), and there’s really nothing like tearing down a hall of Nazis with dual shotguns blazing. Guns fire with a satisfying weight and recoil, mildly shaking the screen and hitting enemies with a chunky sound and/or bright hit indicators for the mechs. In a refreshingly old school approach, players are granted more than two weapons a time, combined with level design that often encourages multiple approaches to battle. There’s a distinct Goldeneye 64 feel to it, really, with optional stealth approaches and secondary objectives, not to mention the glory of dual wielding anything. BJ’s health is a mix of modern regenerating health systems and old school pick-ups, complete with overcharging health and 90s sound effects. The hard difficulty is a pretty decent challenge, forcing the player to think on their feet in battle and fully utilize their arsenal and environment to survive.
Its not all shooting Nazis in the face. TNO has a fantastic sense of pacing throughout, where corridor battles are off-set by larger multi-tiered fights, stealth areas following vehicular/turret sections, and exciting set pieces mixed with moments of down time and exploration. The mandatory exploration parts are the weak link and a bit naff, admitingly, but its almost forgivable just as a breather and interaction with the characters. MachineGames decided against tacked-on multiplayer in favor a meaty single player FPS experience, milking the Wolfenstein concept for all its worth. Before the game is over, players will storm Nazi castles, breach underwater fortresses in search of ancient power weapons, escape from a Jewish containment camp in style, and yes, walk across the mothafuckin’ Moon. In a world of short, subpar single player FPS campaigns, The New Order is a breath of fresh air.
There’s a distinct unpolished B-game feel to everything that holds it back from real greatness. Perhaps it’s the id tech5 engine that makes everything look like an impressive last gen game at best, or maybe it’s the rather shit sound mix that comes and goes without rhyme or reason. Maybe it’s the way the dual barreled shotgun sounds, a meek muffled wimpy cough that would make baby black Jesus cry, or not being able to listen to journals/recordings as you play. Its definitely got something to do with how braindead the stealth often is, with idiotic AI and inconsistent enemy sight/sound ranges. A more concerning player could nitpick this to death if that is their will.
However, this would be a fool’s errand. What is here works, often very well, and its flaws and imperfections work to make its lengthy experience a more interesting one than your typical AAA action game. Wolfenstein: The New Order doesn’t reinvent the wheel, and it didn’t have to. It knows full well that killing Nazis is a fun and simple idea, but not an excuse for lazy craftsmanship or disrespecting the audience’s intelligence.
III
Mario Kart 8
Nintendo EAD 1, Nintendo
A new Nintendo console, a new Mario Kart. Like clockwork the big N puts out another entry in its ever-popular franchise, adding a few things but keeping the same accessible charm of cartoon characters racing really fast around colorful courses. After a couple of, IMO, disappointing console entries in Double Dash and Wii, Mario Kart 8 has assimilated all the past games innovations and polished them to a shine. Annoying features like item hording and snaking have been removed, and cool ideas like trick jumps and drift boosts work wonders for the rhythm of the race. The brilliance of Mario Kart has always been there from the beginning however: the item system. Scattered around the course are random item boxes you pick up and reward you with things like homing projectiles, giant bombs, slippery banana peels, brief bouts of invincibility, or maybe a Bullet Bull that lets you speed through to the head of the pack. Even with skilled application, its all a bit of random of course, and that’s the genius of it. In Mario Kart 8, you can collect all the coins for max speed, hit your max drift boosts around tight corners and nail all your trick jumps, find all the shortcuts, and still end up at the bottom of the pack with some unlucky rolls. And its there you realize that the fun of Mario Kart isn’t in being in first unchallenged (which is frankly kinda boring), but in the chaotic middle as you struggle to get ahead. There’s few things better than the thrill of coming in top 3 after clawing your way back, and nothing quite like the “FUCK THIS GAME” throwing of hands when you get hit by a red shell, bullet bill, and horn in quick succession. That bit of randomness in these tracks keeps the game alive, evens the playing field, and makes every race a new experience.
This all takes place on 40 different tracks, almost all of them excellent, almost all of them gorgeous. The new lighting system and texture work really sparkle in HD, with a smooth 60fps experience that makes MK8 a spectacle to behold. Races play out like perfect pop songs, 3 minutes in length, laudable feats of engineering and co-ordination look effortless in the pursuits of addictive hooks and rhythms. Its an exciting, often hilarious game, win or lose, packed with so many little incidental details that showcase the kind of prowess Nintendo has attained at this now 20+ year old franchise. It’s the prettiest, most polished, downright best Mario Kart they’ve ever made.
II
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Retro Studios, Nintendo
In 2010, Retro Studios released one of the greatest 2D platformers of all-time in Donkey Kong Country Returns. Now I don’t know the inner workings of the studio, but playing the sequel Tropical Freeze, I have to imagine the main design philosophy was, “let’s do that again, but better”.
A quick glance of screenshots or even videos, you might be hard pressed to see the difference. It’s a nice enough lookin’ game, busy with highly detailed animations and architectural elements working together, although its clearly made on the Returns Wii engine, with a nice HD sheen. The lighting has improved, and DK’s fur is furrier than ever, but if you played the original you know what to expect on that front.
Donkey Kong still moves with the hefty mass a tie-wearing gorilla of his size should carry. While not quite as nimble on his feet of his former rival Mario, controlling DK is still highly enjoyable. He explodes onto each level with a screen-shaking slam and a howl of domination, and it really sets the course for the entire game. When he lands from barrel blast, a cartoony explosion under his feet lands, and when he hops on enemies there’s a deep bass “plomp” sound aided by a super addictive and rewarding higher-pitched “bop” that comes out of your controller that gives you a real sense of how powerful this anthropomorphic monkey is. The roll jump feels better than ever, now more dependable with the satisfying tactility of a button press, DK’s natural slow acceleration giving way to sudden bursts of freewheeling momentum.
The feel of controlling a force of a nature is further reflected in the level design proper. Unlike the mostly static environments of Rare’s DKC trilogy, Retro’s interpretation of the franchise has some of the liveliest 2D platformer stages you’ll ever see. You regularly interact with the background elements, and your actions frequently and dynamically change up the landscape of the world. The stages are cleverly choreographed calamity, feeling much like the best kind of action movies; intricately painstaking crafted to look as wildly chaotic as possible. The stages have various peaks and valleys, switching between ideas at the benefit of the pacing. They build logically and organically, the elements foreshadowed in the background coming into play in the future, the new elements you’re introduced to gradually building into a grand climax or combination. They’re real marvels of game design, as one level they’re full of areas and avenues to slow down and explore, yet all the enemy and platform placement has been distinctly designed for speed runs(as the Gold Medal Time Trial videos expertly display). This multi-purpose structure opens the doors to a variety of play styles you can choose or switch between on the fly, reacting and adapting to whatever new obstacle the game throws at you.
The ever-changing level design is aided by the dynamically-shifting tunes of David Wise, the original composer of the DKC trilogy brought in to sprinkle his musical magic on us mortals. He’s generally in a bit more “happy” mood ala his Diddy Kong Racing and DKC3GBA soundtracks, but it fits the more celebratory and lively Retro games. From the Switzerland Alps to the depths of the oceans, the burning Savannah and the dark caverns, the songs are a perfect match to the environments and the atmosphere Retro wants to convey. Irate Eight flips back and forth from a ponderous Yamamoto Metroid Prime style to the frantic escape remix of Wise’s Lockjaw’s Saga. The already popular Grassland Groove grows and shifts with the three tiers of the stage design, before combining its previous sounds into one climatic explosion as the level nears its conclusion and combines its own platforming elements. Amiss Abyss matches the classic Aquatic Ambiance for its soothing melodies that capture the mysterious and wonderful sea of serendipity you often find yourself in this time around.
All these elements combine into an incredibly polished and cohesive experience. My appreciation of the Dong has grown over time, no doubt. Can’t get enough of it, really. Think I’m bout to go play with dat Dong right now, actually.
I
Bayonetta 2
Platinum Games, Nintendo
Bayonetta 2 feels like it came from an alternate dimension where the Sega Dreamcast and its bright blue skies arcade style won the console war. A world in which immediate fun AND an abundance of depth lived in harmony, and were awarded with millions of adoring fans. A place where games were expected to be polished affairs filled with bonus unlockable content and actually worked day one without day one patches or retailer exclusive DLC. A masterpiece that almost didn't actually get made in our world, but we're all a little lucky that it did.
Bayonetta 2 is like playing with all of DMC4 Dante's Styles as the same time and married it to God of War's bombast. It has the slick aggressive defense of Ninja Gaiden Black that will occasionally explode into a DMC Devil Trigger. It has Battletoad's satisfying combo enders of enlarged limbs and Streets of Rage 3's weapon pick-ups with a limited bar for special move usage.
Bayonetta 2 has a dodge, a completely invincible, free-wheeling dodge on the right trigger that for a brief moment allows you to dodge everything from laser swords to kung-fu strikes by cosmic deities. A dodge that encourages the player to learn their opponents tells both visual and audio, to stylishly avoid a hit and continue the relentless offensive. A dodge that, when pressed twice in quick succession turns you into a panther that controls like sex, so smooth in its movements and so right in its weight.
Bayonetta 2 was not satisfied with the many heights its predecessor reached. The first game's piss filter is gone, replaced with an HD sheen and vibrant colors. Weapons have been expanded from their default movesets, with all new animations and effects to make them more differentiated and viable. The arcadey variety segments have been shortened, their camera angles improved for proper visibility, tuned to maximum efficiency. Bosses have been improved, with a larger focus on one-on-one fights and less giant platforming challenges. Level design has been streamlined, almost every chapter a string of memorable, replayable encounters, with almost twice as many enemy types as before.
Bayonetta 2 is hardly satisfied with just delivering bang for your buck. It wants to overdeliver. It must grant the player a stupid amount of delectable distractions, ooddles of collectibles and secret fights and a dozen costumes and cheats and modes in the vein that modern AAA games just don't do very much of anymore. It even throws in the best version of Bayonetta 1 entirely for free, out of the kindness of its heart. There's even a fuckin' Star Fox 64 section, complete with original visual designs and sound effects.
Bayonetta 2 is like the feeling you get when you play Virtua Cop with both hands. Its like dodging a tight bullet pattern in DoDonPachi. Its like taking on Nemesis with just the knife. Its like following up a Hadouken and going in for a tic throw in Street Fighter 2. Its the sound of time of distorting when you come in and out of slow-mo in F.E.A.R. Its like running up a wall in Sonic and jumping off, using the momentum to reach heights you couldn't at walking speed. Its like discovering how to wall jump in Super Metroid. Its like completing Contra without the Konami Code. Its like discovering a secret chest in Zelda. Its like getting the high score in Time Crisis 2 in the arcade, a small following of on-lookers gazing at awe at the grace in which you dispatch its color-coded criminals. Its like main-lining
PURE FUCKIN' VIDEO GAME for close to a dozen hours straight. And then you do it again in a blue Chinese dress with whips on your feet and chainsaw gauntlets.
Its the
greatest video game of 2014.
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alright, that's it. Thanks Riposte for being a lame and not making a list, so I can safely still his format and nobody will notice. GET AT ME
1. Bayonetta 2; the
ne plus ultra of video games
2. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze; One of the great 2D platformers of our time, or any time.
3. Mario Kart 8; the best Mario Kart ever
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order; a well-crafted shooter in a style we rarely see
5. The Last of Us: Left Behind; a powerful, poignant farewell
