Say No! More - A game about boundaries that is extremely silly. Able to entertain for a few hours despite having as minimal gameplay as you can get
A
Later Alligator - I had been introduced to the animator’s Youtube channel the year before and so bumped this up my backlog. A very charming mini game collection that plays hard into the creator’s strengths. It requires a few playthroughs to see everything, though it’s not that long of a game so this is not an issue. The only hang up there are a few parts that drag a bit. Would easily recommend this to anyone I thought would gel well with the humor.
A
August
Remnant: From the Ashes - This game was good enough to break me out of a Deep Rock Galactic hole that I had fallen down through the summer. A rather unique take on the looter shooter genre that was rather refreshing compared to things like Destiny or Borderlands. This was aided by a fantasy setting that didn’t borrow too heavily from Tolkein either. While there was room to improve in most areas, I enjoyed myself enough that I kept playing levels after the campaign concluded. This is even when the final boss was a bit of a let down to the rest of the game. Look forward to eventually making my way to the second!
A
NieR Replicant - The opening of the game was slow enough to get me to fall off for a while when I originally played. I loved Automata, though, and so was determined to get back into this one. Glad I did as well! While I don’t think that it is as strong as Automata, it still pulls its weight. It was very fun seeing all of the seeds that references in Automata grew from. I’ll avoid doing too much comparison with its predecessor and say that this is a solid story held up by competent combat and an interesting world. While appreciate the art direction it takes, it was very nice to move onto something with more color.
A
September
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse - I have only experienced Risky’s Revenge and a tiny bit of 1/2 Genie Hero before this, so my experience with Shantae is limited. I… don’t want to say that her fanbase is inflated by character design but I’m sure it doesn’t help. This game is a fairly standard 2D platformer with the typical WayForward cheesecake. It never got so out of hand to detract, so I won’t knock any points off. Sometimes all you need is a comfortably competent game, and I think Shantae is a good fit for that.
B
October
Dusk - In October I make it a point to focus on horror games. I find that limitations can help me pick out more obscure games in my library to try and leads to some unique experiences. At the very least, it got me to take a break from Dota 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3. Dusk is a classic style shooter and one that I associate with the resurgence of the genre. It is a very solid game that perhaps stays a bit too close to its roots at times. That said, the shooting is solid, the maps were fun even if they bleed together in my memory, and it was just the right length to satisfy without overstaying its welcome.
A
Buddy Simulator 1984 - Every once in a while a game while come out that will have something about its general atmosphere that I feel like it is something special. Unfortunately, I mistaken in thinking this game was one of those. It is by no means a bad game, a cute meta narrative that takes place in your computer that’s all the rage these days. However the game doesn’t do enough with the concept for it to get much beyond set dressing. Charming writing keeps the game going, but the segments that comprise it are too short to be wholly satisfying on their own and two long to be completely forgiven for their blandness.
C
Pumpkin Jack - I love a good 3D platformer, and this one was okay. The game falls more in the Crash Bandicoot camp of a long corridor level than the Mario/Banjo camp of wide open space. It drenches itself in spooky, exaggerated imagery to help distract from overall mediocre gameplay. I’m not sure if it’s intended, but I played with RTX which lead to an aggressive amount of bloom. I kept it on despite not being perhaps the best look due to it standing out and enjoying the idea of how raytracing can be used to enhance darkness rather than light.
C
Left 4 Dead 2 - I know that this is a bit late for how big of a game this was, but I have some difficulty with multiplayer only games. As I don’t have friends that play similar games as me, I rely on whatever solo-queue a game has to offer which can make them hit or miss. This game I think is one that requires more coordination/banter with friends to be fully enjoyable because I found the experience a bit bland. There is also possibility that some of this is just “Seinfeld isn’t funny” syndrome due to it being (the sequel to) the progenitor of the co-op shooter. Not bad by any means, but can’t personally see why people can spend dozens to hundreds of hours in this.
B
Forgive Me Father - Another classic shooter, this one going more Lovecraft than biblical hell. The comic book style, upgrade system, and abilities help it stand out in an increasingly crowded genre. The voice actor for the female lead was… I think what it was on purpose? She would not have stood out in a Neil Breen film, so I enjoyed myself with the performance either way.
A
Dread X Collection 2 - Really like… 9ish games, but putting them as a collection feels more fair than each individually. I technically beat all but one, but the one was difficult to the point of being obtuse. A nice gamejam style group of bite sized experiences if you want some variety when getting your spooky on. I chose 2 because of the audacity of the name “Squirrel Stapler.” I will likely do at least one more of these next year!
Varied
Resident Evil 5 - I know going in that this was a part of Capcom’s stink period. It now in the past, I can see both why it wasn’t received the best and why the feeling has lightened over time. If games were bananas, RE5 would be one that had blackened enough that you have to have a small debate with yourself before unpeeling it. Perhaps it would be better to leave and save for bread, but I’m hungry for potassium now! It has fully leaned into action game at this point but still has enough jank in the controls to not be a satisfying one. The forced co-op was an idea, I suppose, but as someone who is always solo I hated having to deal with the aughties AI. Ashley at least never had to fight over a catwalk by herself. Bosses also took way too much ammo. Like, walking in fully loaded wouldn’t guarantee that you’d be able to kill the boss before running completely out. That said, I hope that Capcom continues their remakes with this one, because I do think you could make a great game out of it with a number of tweaks.
C
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - I have very fond memories of playing Dawn of Sorrows on the DS back when that came out, so had been excited to try this for a while. While I had hoped to like it more than I ultimately did, the game was still a solid metroidvania and good time. The castle could have used a touch more variation, the areas could have been a smidge tighter in their design, and the combat a hair smoother, but the game comes together into an enjoyable package. I feel like the team could really shine in a sequel.