Archive for Annual Game Review

Gaming In 2020

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Resident Evil, Skyrim, Tony Hawk Series with tags on December 9, 2020 by slateman

Another year down and another year in which I missed out on more of the biggest titles than I played. Before hitting upon what I have experienced, I figured I’d look at what I didn’t get a chance to dive into.

  • Final Fantasy VII Remake
  • Ghost Of Tsushima
  • Hades
  • Immortals: Fenyx Rising
  • Last Of Us – Part II, The
  • Ori And The Will Of The Wisps
  • Sackboy: A Big Adventure

I’ve skipped out on Cyberpunk 2077 and some others. Of those games, my interest is genuinely piqued by Tsushima and Hades. The former will eventually be in my collection, the latter will have to wait for a Sony port. I’ve no interest in playing that on the Switch.

OK, now to the older games I’ve experienced. Titles with an asterisk are ones I’d played before. Underlined are ones I beat.

  • Death Stranding
  • Dark Souls: Remastered
  • Days Gone
  • Detroit: Become Human
  • Doom
  • Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The (*)
  • Far Cry 5
  • Fighting EX Layer
  • Ketsui
  • Minecraft Dungeons
  • Modern Warfare 2: Remastered (*)
  • Shadow Of The Colossus
  • Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Remastered (*)
  • Ys VIII

Not forgetting Skyrim is a remaster, that’s a lot of updated old games there. I spent most of quarantine lockdown replaying Skyrim and actually progressing farther than I had during my initial playthrough back in 2012. I beat Shadow Of The Colossus for the first time, after bailing on both the PS2 and PS3 versions in years past. Another Uncharted 2 run was a reminder of how that game is still top-10 ever. (I’ll eventually get around to posting my list). Others were things I dipped my toes into but came far from completing.

Far Cry 5 was the expected, entertaining romp and I do endeavor to get back to Days Gone and Detroit. Most of these games were good; few were great. Next up: 2020 games, finally!

  • Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
  • Astro’s Playroom
  • Borderlands 3
  • Bugsnax
  • Demon’s Souls
  • Resident Evil 3
  • Spelunky 2
  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2

So, obviously, I beat THPS, writing an entire chapter on it in the revised edition of Tony Hawk’s Gaming Domination. Just as quickly, I dropped off of that one.

Spelunky 2 was a frustratingly-difficult but enjoyable journey. Each run was different and my kids and I laughed our asses off far too frequently. It’s about the same as the first, but pretty fantastic and there’s zero chance I’ll ever actually complete it. Speaking of kids, they played the crap out of Bugsnax, just finishing it today. I haven’t completed Demon’s Souls and suspect that’s a long journey ahead.

Resident Evil 3 was a short affair, but one I never traipsed through on the PS1 original. I enjoyed it, beating it a few times. That’s the good, but I don’t envision diving back in, despite my enjoyment.

And then we get to the year’s best. Astro’s Playroom won’t win any awards, but damn, that was fun. It was a spectacular history lesson, peeking at Sony’s legacy as well as being a showcase of the new console and its features.

So, as of the second week of December, I am so enamored with Valhalla and its beauty, that I must declare it my tentative 2020 Game Of The Year. It’s the most vibrant and diverse world I’ve ever played in. The gameplay loop is enjoyable enough and the sound design is top notch. It’s possibly the best-looking game I’ever witnessed and the 60fps/often-4k visual upgrade has just left me speechless on numerous occasions. The dynamic lighting is superb, dialogues and story are wonderful and the scope is simply remarkable.

I suspect this opinion could change…but as of today, this is it. This could be the first Assassin’s Creed game I actually complete, much like GTA V in 2018.

Game I’ve Played / GotY 2018

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Bloodborne, Castlevania, Games, Lists, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Screenshots with tags on January 12, 2019 by slateman


Usually I split this into two postings, but alas! it’s already 2019. Today’s update will include the games I’ve played over the last year as well as the easy choice as to which was the best. The latter will be detailed on my main Games Of The Year page. I’ll separate all this into individual sections. First – Platinums! Bold words indicate a 2018 title.

Platinums 2018

  • Bloodborne
  • Burly Men At Sea
  • Castlevania: Requiem
  • God Of War
  • Guacamelee! 2
  • Lara Croft Go

Two of the PS4’s greatest exclusive games were conquered this past year. Bloodborne stays with me and I now consider it one of the greatest games ever made. That’s a different list I’ve been mulling over. I’ve written about some of the rest of these already. Moving on…

Older Titles Played in 2018

These will fall into three categories:

  1. First-time plays (not completed)
  2. First-time played/beaten
  3. Beaten again

Here we have a mix. Some are simple PS+ games, others are purchases I never cared to complete, etc. A key for easy reference is listed above.

  • Assassin’s Creed Origins
  • Bloodborne
  • Burly Men At Sea
  • Call Of Duty: WWII
  • Dark Souls III
  • Fe
  • Firewatch
  • God Of War: Chains Of Olympus
  • God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta
  • God Of War: Ascension
  • Grand Theft Auto V
  • Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
  • Lara Croft Go
  • Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2
  • Matterfall
  • Metal Gear Solid 2
  • Nioh
  • Rayman Legends
  • Resident Evil 4
  • Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter
  • Sky Force Anniversary
  • Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana

Due to Gothenburg’s wonderful library system, I got to borrow some pretty cool titles this past year. I quite enjoyed AC:O – would like to return to it and would also love to try its sequel. Similarly, Nioh seemed cool and I’m still chugging through Sherlock Holmes though it didn’t really inspire me like its predecessor.

Many others I tried and never really felt inspired enough to finish. Dark Souls III was fucking difficult (I later tried DS Remastered and fared better). Matterfall was a huge disappointment, particularly after Nex Machina. After beating the PS3 remasters of the two PSP God Of War games, I figured I’d try out Ascension again. And again I lost interest. Firewatch, Fe, Rayman Legends – all just hit the ‘meh’ button and never beckoned me to return.

On the other hand, a few older titles were memorable. The aforementioned Bloodborne, those two GOW games and finally beating GTAV were some of the highlights of the year. Toss on yet another replay of RE4 and my second playthrough of the underwhelming MGS2 and old titles impressed in 2018.

2018 Titles

Once again we have categories: played, beaten and platinumed, despite the redundancy of that last item.

  • Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon
  • Burnout Paradise Remastered
  • Castlevania: Requiem
  • Chasm
  • Dark Souls Remastered
  • God Of War
  • Guacamelee! 2
  • Hollow Knight
  • Ikaruga
  • Iconoclasts
  • Just Cause 4
  • Onrush
  • Overcooked 2
  • Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Shadow Of The Tomb Raider (Started in 2019)
  • Spider-Man
  • Spyro The Dragon: Reignited (2019 plat!)
  • Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
  • Yoku’s Island Express (2019 plat!)

I haven’t been nearly as interested in some of these titles as I had hoped I would. I sold back RDR2 b/c I simply has zero interest in playing it. Spider-Man was probably a great game, but I didn’t feel the itch to play that either. I never beat Bloodstained and found Hollow Knight to be far less enjoyable than all the praise suggested. Just Cause 4 looks better than 3, but in so many other ways it felt like a step backwards. I’m not even listing some titles like PS+ games that I played and deleted here.

Burnout Paradise drew me back in just as it did a decade ago, Guacamelee! 2 was a fun and challenging romp but was marred by a few incredibly-difficult parts and I don’t think I’d ever go back to play it again. The first on the other hand…I would. And did! Overcooked 2 was great, but my wife and I devoured it and never touched it again. I’ve just started Yoku’s Island Express and will be finishing up JC4 in the coming weeks/months.

So, what we’re left with is the clear and easy victor. While I thought RDR2 might challenge the mighty Kratos, it didn’t even come close. God Of War’s story, gameplay, visual luster, deep and engaging lore and simple fun factor was leagues beyond anything else I played in the year (Well, Bloodborne may have the edge, I don’t know). I still haven’t a clue how Sony Santa Monica pulled it off. They took this beloved series, reinvented so much of it and made us all care about this one-dimensional killing machine. Being a father while playing it surely helped. This game is fucking legendary already and I look forward to diving in again when things slow down a bit.

Game Of The Year 2018 is an easy choice. God Of War. Now, my New IP GOTY? I don’t know that yet. Based on the limited titles I’ve played, Yoku’s Island Express wins, but that’s temporary. I feel Dead Cells or Celeste might take that crown, however, I haven’t had the opportunity to try them out yet. Let’s see what I missed below.

2018 Titles I Haven’t/Want To Play

  • A Way Out
  • Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
  • Celeste
  • Darksiders III
  • Dead Cells
  • Detroit: Become Human
  • Divinity: Original Sin 2
  • Far Cry 5
  • Mega Man 11
  • Shadow Of The Colossus
  • Tetris Effect

There are a few games I genuinely want to try out here. Unlike music, it’s not so easy to just try out everything you like and are interested in. A Way Out would be great…with a friend. Odyssey will require many hours, but I bet it’s a blast and quite the quick-and-easy opposite of something like Red Dead. Others on this list are a ‘kinda want to try’.

But the ones I must one day play: Dead Cells and Celeste. Both seem right up my alley and I think I’d just love them. They could be that coveted New IP GOTY. But…they’re a bit expensive for indie titles and I’ve been awaiting a sale to dip my toes in. Can’t wait to try them though!

Game Of The Year 2016: Disappointed Edition

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Lists, Metal Gear Solid, Street Fighter, Uncharted with tags on January 15, 2017 by slateman

gotyIn the past, I subscribed to GameFly. I’d get the latest games and while so few were truly excellent, at least I got to try them. 2016 was a tough year because I really missed out on a lot. I know. First-world problems. However, in culling through the year’s best, I realized I didn’t play most of them. Overwatch, Gears 4, The Witness…there are a few which very well could’ve been GotY, but I guess we’ll never know. Unless I come back to emend this post.

…and I may need to do that. Because the list below is an revision of last year’s list and it details the best game of the year as well as the best new IP of the year. And sadly, I have nothing for the best new IP. Looking through my trophies list (as I don’t have an XB1 and the Wii U is a joke), shows I didn’t really play that many good titles in 2016.

So, the list came down to:

  • Street Fighter V (Lack of single-player content kills it)
  • Rise Of The Tomb Raider (Not nearly as good as the reboot)
  • Zero Time Dilemma (Another fun, quirky game)
  • Far Cry Primal (Solid, alternate entry into the FC series)
  • Uncharted 4 (Writing, action, visuals, story, gameplay….)

Yup…it’s really no contest. Actually, playing through Rise Of The Tomb Raider started to bore me. The story was nonsense, the collectibles were just strewn everywhere for no reason, the gunfights were too sparse to even challenge and the locales were just so similar. I found that Uncharted 4 trumped it in every way. I cared about Drake, his brother, their relationship, Elena…the story was compelling, and the little items like Sullys one-liners, the attic portion, the games on the couch with Elena, the end…and you know, the entire middle of the game – just were top-notch. The gameplay was perfection, Naughty Dog never faltered with that portion of UC. And the locales and visuals were out of this world. I platinumed the game in just a few weeks, much like I did for the other three main entries into the series but yet the game beckons me to return. There is little as satisfying as clearing an area of baddies like that whole beach portion of the finale. Damn that was difficult!

So, while no new IP is listed here (yet? Maybe The Witness? Overwatch?), the coveted trophy goes to Drake’s epic send-off Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. And yes, that makes 3 out of 4 titles GotY winners. Not too shabby if you ask me!!!

Game Of The Year
Year GotY New IP GotY
2016 Uncharted 4 [None…Yet!]
2015 Metal Gear Solid V Rocket League
2014 Shadow Of Mordor [Same]
2013 Tomb Raider Guacamelee!
2012 Borderlands 2 The Walking Dead
2011 Portal 2 Torchlight
2010 Red Dead Redemption Darksiders
2009 Uncharted 2 Borderlands
2008 Metal Gear Solid 4 LittleBigPlanet
2007 Uncharted [Same]

It’s worth noting that 2010’s Red Dead Redemption was a toss-up with Super Mario Galaxy 2. Both are pretty much perfect 10s in my book. Two MGS games and two Uncharted games topping this list! And Borderlands is on there twice too. Pretty cool!

The Best Games Of 2015

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Lists with tags on January 8, 2016 by slateman

I haven’t been quite as consistent in making a best games list annually but this year I thought I’d change that. Much like music, I felt that 2015 was not the strongest of years, but that the top titles were utterly stellar.

To begin, I went through all games I had received trophies in and/or beat (plus a few Nintendo 3DS games, as those are the only two platforms I really played). That list is as follows. Oh, and for titles with an *, it means they came out prior to 2015 but that I didn’t play those until last year. A + means I beat it again, perhaps an updated version or on a new platform.

  • PS4: Bastion (*)
  • PS4: Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3
  • PS3: Chariot (*)
  • PSV: Color Guardians
  • PS4: Dying Light
  • PSV: Fat Princess: Piece Of Cake
  • PS4: Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition (*)(+)
  • PSV: Hotline Miami (*)
  • PSV: Hotline Miami 2
  • PS4: Jamestown +
  • PS4: Journey (*)(+)
  • PS4: Just Cause 3
  • 3DS: The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (*)
  • PS3: Lego The Lord Of The Rings (*)
  • PS3: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (+)
  • PS4: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
  • PS4: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (*)(+)
  • 3DS: New Super Mario Bros. 2 (*)
  • PSV: OlliOlli2: Welcome To Olliwood
  • PS3: Rain (*)
  • PS4: Rocket League
  • PS4: Resident Evil HD Remastered (+)
  • PS3: Resident Evil Revelations (*)
  • PS4: Resident Evil Revelations 2
  • PS3: Resident Evil 4 (*)(+)
  • PS3: Resident Evil 6 (*)
  • PS4: Rogue Legacy
  • PS3: Sherlock Holmes (*)
  • PS4: Shovel Knight
  • 3DS: Super Mario 3D Land (*)

Plenty of other titles (PS+ games, for instance) that I chose not to include. So, what are my thoughts on this year? Well, first, I went through a Resident Evil rage and then a Mario Renaissance upon purchasing a New 3DS. In preparation for the big autumn release, I started going through Metal Gear games again, trying out Peace Walker, replaying MGS3 and Ground Zeroes and diving right into the glorious Phantom Pain. It was a year of binge playing, much like many of us do with television shows nowadays.

I got a pair of platinums, played the excellent Far Cry 4 and enjoyed some titles with my wife by playing Rain and Sherlock Holmes. It was a good year, not a great one, with several of my best experiences being old games (3DS titles especially).

But what was the BEST? Which were the top 5? Everyone else’s list have titles like Fallout 4 (never played any of those games) or The Witcher 3 (same!) Here’s a rather-unofficial Top-5 list.

2015-dyinglight#5: Dying Light
While I haven’t beaten this title yet ($15 Black-Friday deal), it’s a huge improvement over the disappointing Dead Island and truly gave me a sense of fear and dread. Nighttime in this game was a truly horrifying experience. Visually it’s one of the best-looking games ever and the gameplay was different enough to keep me interested. It’s just a shame I got this at the end of the year when my #2 and #1 games came out!!!

2015-rocketleague#4: Rocket League
The year’s fourth-best title was FREE? I usually download PS+ titles right away so that I ‘own’ them but I don’t usually prioritize actually playing them. After a few weeks of hype, it was time to check it out and oh man, I was hooked fast! Simple, pick-up gameplay but a deep system of play allowed for newcomers to start off on an even keel. There were so many “OMFG” moments! Unlike some other titles, I’ll come back to play this again here and there surely.

2015-residentevil#3: Resident Evil: HD Remastered
I was always embarrassed to say I never actually beat Resident Evil. I’d played it on the PS1, borrowed it from somebody…way back in like 1997. Then I played the original REmake on the GameCube but bailed on that. When half a zombie was crawling through a window and I had one before me and one behind, I was done. But the HD version drew me in and I beat it several times, once even speed-running it in 2-and-a-half hours. I quite liked it and that led into my RE madness for a few weeks. Didn’t help that my wife was away for four months at the time!!!

2015-justcause#2: Just Cause 3
Oh, Just Cause. If I’m not mistaken, IGN gave the console version a 5.9. Whatever! JC3 is a terribly-flawed game…but I don’t care one bit! I never encountered the game-breaking bugs others did. What I did encounter was a ludicrous and amazingly-fun game dedicated to blowing every goddamn thing up in sight. And for that, I salute its intent. I had a blast (total pun) wing-suiting around the world, flying, diving, crashing, jumping massive chasms, using the grappling hook for infinite purposes and liberating the most beautiful and insanely-detailed world in gaming history. While my #1 game ruled, its world was barren compared to the diversity and the nooks and crannies of this title. I don’t care what review other sources give this title, it filled its purpose perfectly and was utter madness…just what I expected and wanted.

2015-mgs#1: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Back in 2010 I wrote about MGS I vs. III vs. IV. I’ve spoke of this often, but I had in the summer of 2008, run through all four main entries into the MGS saga in one summer. It was friggin’ great. And then Kojima announced V. Do we *need* part five? Snake’s story was told. I was satisfied. And so I avoided all press entirely, really. I mean, c’mon, Snake on a horse? Open world? Whatever. But as the date approached, the MGS world beckoned me and I couldn’t avoid it. And when September 1st arrived, holy shit, I was blown away. What you get in 5 is the least-cohesive of all MGS stories (and that’s saying something), but it is also the most silky-smooth gameplay I’ve ever witnessed. The usual Kojima depth is there in spades…far more hours still await me after I’ve passed the hundred-hour mark. I don’t know how many other games I can say that about. I wrote about its awesomeness a few months back. Ultimately, while the story was the weakest part, MGSV sits aside its brethren as triumphs in the gaming world and my reservations about the need of another game were rendered nonsensical. This game is spectacular and is the best game, hands down, of 2015 and probably the past few years as well.