09: Division 2
This is one of a number of surprises to myself at it being on the list. I am not a Tom Clancy fan. I am not particularly into the Ubisoft world style of game (I still have a ton of them on my backlog) and I am not much of a games as a service fan either!
Aside from Destiny 2, I do not think there are any other GAAS that I play! But something about the Division 2 is resonating with me and making itself a ridiculously fun game. The gameplay is solid, the loot collecting is pleasing and the world is full of activities.
They are not particularly original or in depth, but my logging in and doing some exploration and being caught out by events going on in a seemingly living world works well. I would never have expected to get sucked into a game like this, but I have!
08: Noita
I bought this game 2 days ago and have been playing nonstop.
I never expected this.
I never thought such a little game could be so addictive. The procedural nature of it means it does not get boring, the game play is tight and rewarding, and being able to be in and game immediately means runs are fast, frantic and fun. This is a side view wizard version of Binding of Isaac and while it is early access, there is so much to enjoy. The biggest selling point is physics based pixels. Having liquids and solids move the way they should due to the nutty wand powers makes even failing funny.
07: Hollow Knight
Platformers have always been my favourite genre and always will. I cut my gaming teeth on them with Super Mario Bros 1 and the first game I ever completed from start to finish on my own was Super Mario Bros 3.
Hollow Knight is sublime. It is also tough as balls!
Originally I played on the switch and did not get into it. It was not until I got it on PS4 and was able to use a control with a d-pad that things changed and I became a fan. This game plays perfectly and absolutely rewards skill. I am terrible at it, but the fact that even though I am awful I still have fun shows that the game contains the kind of magic I look for. I also have to give bonus points for one of the best soundtracks of all time, and I use a number of the tracks to help me get into my calm writing zone.
06: Shadow of the Colossus
I promised another goon (Imhotep, they posted a few pages back :D) I would play this and the Last Guardian this year and while Last Guardian is a game I am enjoying more it did not make the list as I have not quite hit 6 hours in it yet (this is my criteria for games I have not completed.)
I did complete this and I streamed every moment with the wonderful citizens of the PS4 thread giving me encouragement. This game was something else. I experienced a lot of unique games this year and this not meeting any of the standard narratives we are bombarded with year after year made every aspect refreshing and engaging.
I was haunted by the sheer loneliness of the world and of ultimately what I was doing. Strong atmosphere is what caused me to love it and made me seek out more of the kind of game. Also Agro is gorgeous and I love them and I wish all horses to be like her.
05: Super Mario Maker 2
What can I say? Infinite (of varying quality yes, but still infinite) Mario levels in 1 of 5 style of game as a 2D platformer. It is top notch and the level of creativity on display blows my minds.
I have played phenomenally devious trolls levels, wonderfully placed music levels, dire and dreadful bad levels and superbly specced regular levels. All in all I have had fun everytime I have booted the game up. I have even been able to make some of those levels I designed back when I was really young and obsessed with SMB3.
They took everything that was great with the first and they improved every last bit. I await, eagerly, dlc for it and the hope that SMB2 tileset comes to the game.
04: Wolfenstein Youngblood
I know many people were not a fan of this game at all, and that it has undergone a lot of change due to feedback. Personally, this game was one of my most anticipated.
Last year Wolfenstein 2 took my number three spot (Yakuza 0 and Nier:Automata are seriously tough to beat games and the greatest of all time) and for good reason. I love Terror Billy. I love Anya. I love the story of the new Wolfensteins. The gameplay is good to great, but the storylines are why I choose to play.
The storyline is one of my most favourite, and from seeing the first trailer of BJ’s two daughters Jess and Soph (acting like the perfect combination of him and Anya), I knew I had to join in, and boy did I have the best time. I loved the gameplay even more than the previous two, and the new characters are so dang solid that I still so utterly with them for whatever Machine Games brings us in the future. I spent hours combing through parisian districts whittling out the nazi population all the while wanting more and more story.
I hope there is a new release soon because I suspect that will also quite easily get onto whatever years top 10 list!
03: Resident Evil 2: Remake
Resident Evil 2 is the best resident evil game. It knew what made the first great and chose to expand on the lesser parts, while keeping the good parts. It stands as one of the greatest games on the PlayStation 1 and knowing how many great games came out, this was an achievement.
The Resident Evil 2 remake is made by people who understood the legacy of what they were hoping to redo. They smashed it. They utterly smashed what a remake should be. Everything about this game is perfection. The controls are tight, the environments are gorgeous and realistic, the horror is more dread rather than jump scares (though they do exist) the clever 4 way branching story is still there, there has been FREE dlc giving you more reason to play it over, the story is reworked and more impressive than before.
Basically, this game is a 10 out of 10 and the only reason it is #3 and not number one, is because the other two slots are also 10 out of 10s. The arrangement of the top 3 was so difficult for me and I am still not 100% sure.
02: Tetris Effect
When games talk of immersion, they mean getting lost in the game world or fully buying into the story or the game itself plays so well that the controls are natural. Tetris Effect normally is a great version of Tetris. There is not just the standard game play, but also playlists with different challenges and different difficulties. These are super engaging and great fun to spend 30 minutes to an hour on.
I like Tetris.
However, I am talking about Immersion, and in this case I am talking about Tetris Effect in VR. Tetris Effect in VR is mind blowing and is so far the only game to have completely transported me to another ‘world’. I have a big pair of comfy headphones and a soft and nice couch.
When I put on the headset and the multi layered music began with all those tetrads pulsing in time in front of me I lost track of time. I was transported to another world. No game has ever caused such a thing, not even other VR games. It truly is worh it to find a friend with a VR system and Tetris Effect and allow the music and visuals to wash all over your mind. It also helped better my Tetris skills!
01: Prey
Prey whipped.
Prey managed to get me to play a video game non stop for just over 29 hours in three days. 29 hours out of 72 were invested in Prey. I started and finished it in that timeline.
40% of 3 days was video gaming.
This does not happen to me. It is an abnormality and a shock. A system shock 3 if you will pardon the joke.
Prey is everything I love about sci-fi FPS rpgs ramped all the way up to maximum levels. It has the killer detailed environment, it has the precise nature of character control, it has the gripping and intriguing story line, it has the fear of the unknown and of the enemy types that constantly give me panic attacks, it has the soundtrack that ebbs and flows at all the right moments while also having some killer songs, it has the emergent gameplay to allows you to approach situations completely under your own idea of how and it allows you to break the game if you master these things.
Prey was a phenomenal experience to me and one of gaming’s all time best. Prey was a return to a kind of game I have been longing and one that will stick with me for the rest of my gaming life. I was the predator to Prey and I ate it up. I would do so again without another thought.