My Game Of The Year
This year my favorite game has flown under the radar of many; not because were not interested but the marketing to push the game was abysmal; so much so, that many people who were looking forward to this game after its E3 reveal; didn’t even know the game came out this year.
Control
Many things can be said about Control but this third-person metroidvania action game is everything we love about Remedy; it’s weird like a Twin Peaks episode and yet it makes a lot of sense.
It has a singular visual style that is an integral part of the gameplay which fixes one of my biggest gripes about Quantum Break: where in the Xbox exclusive the gameplay felt contrived and lacking; in Control; it’s used to force you to work with the powers you acquire during your playthrough.
Stylish Games About Depression
Two of the most interesting games I got to play this year are dealing with grief and depression; both are visually striking and are easy to fall in love with.
Sayonara Wild Hearts
On top of being one of my favorite video games of the year, this is also my favorite album of the year! It’s an interesting experiment; part pop album part video games; it’s neon aesthetic is a visual feast for the eyes.
Gris
Gris is an absolutely gorgeous game; the hand-painted water colors are just stunning; from the animation to the level design; there’s a lot of love that has been put in this very emotional journey. It’s the kind of games that makes you want to see more.
AA Gaming Is Alive And Well
It’s easy to fall for the AAAs hype train and their multi-million dollar campaigns but the size of a budget or its marketing doesn’t equate quality; these two games with a smaller budget are worth every penny.
A Plague Tale: Innocence
One of the best surprises of 2019, this horror-stealth game from Asobo Studio has one of the most gripping narratives that came out this year. With its siblings and its 5,000 rats this giant escort mission is better than it has any right to be.
Dangerous Driving
This is the Burnout spiritual successor! Created by some of the original developers for Criterion’s beloved franchise; this game didn’t get the coverage it deserves; it’s arcade racing at its finest; a genre that has almost completely gone but deserves a spot in any game library.
Remakes & Collections That Are Worth It
Too often remakes and collections are cash grab which offer nothing new; in 2019 we’ve been graced with a few outstanding ones like the gorgeous Resident Evil 2 which is so good that it might have taken the spotlight from other good remakes.
Halo Reach
Reach is my favorite Halo: to me it has the best storyline, forge has never been so good, and firefight was a breath of fresh air; Bungie’s last opus came 10 years ago and many young ones haven’t got the chance to play it. This is the time; the Master Chief Collection also offers one of the best value in gaming.
Collection of Mana
It took a long time to get this collection released in the West, and when I say a long time; I mean Trials of Mana which is known to its Western fans as Seiken Densetsu III was released in 1995 only in Japan and since then the only way to play it was via hacked roms using fan translations. This is the best of 16bits JRPG and the best of Squaresoft.
