Top Ten Games of 2018

While 2018 may not have reached the highs of 2017 in video games it was still pretty awesome. New and interesting games are only becoming more common.

As always I will list my top ten games of the year in descending order. These are my opinions based on games I personally completed in 2018.

10. Red Dead Redemption 2

I didn't like the original Red Dead at all. I tried my best to get through it and it could never quite hold my interest. I told myself that I was going to see this one through to the end, and I did. If you've listened to me talk about it at all you know I universally disliked the gameplay.

Despite that the story and characters held me through to the end for what may be one of the greatest stories ever told in a video game. It's just a shame that the video game part put me off so much.

9. Celeste

Celeste is a game about climbing a mountain as a metaphor for mental health issues. As someone who has battled with mental health issues it hit me pretty hard. The main character Madeline is deeply relatable and the whole thing never becomes too overbearing.

On top of that the fast paced platforming is top notch. Everything controls super tightly, so the high level of difficulty never feels insurmountable. Which I guess is another metaphor.

8. Donut County

Ben Esposito toiled away for many years to bring us the charming world of Donut County. You play as a cheeky Raccoon named BK as he controls a literal hole and swallows up most of the town he lives in. Each thing that falls in the hole makes it bigger.

It's almost like reverse Katamari Damacy. The music, dialogue, and art style remind me of Katamari as well. It's a fun game that takes up a few hours. It says a lot that I wish the game had a bit more content, because I wanted to stay in the world.

7. Forza Horizon 4

I hadn't played a racing game in a long time, so I was craving a new one. My issue is that I love the arcade style of Burnout, but don't want the intense simulation of Forza Motorsport. Forza Horizon comes in somewhere in between those two other games making it just what I was looking for.

The world is fun to race around in and is jam packed with so much content it's almost impossible to complete it all.

6. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

I love Super Smash has a franchise, but over the course of the last few releases I became bogged down by the hyper-competitive nature of high-level play. This time I told myself I would play Smash for fun only and I have been loving my time with Ultimate.

It's very similar to Smash 4, but the mechanical changes do just enough to make it feel much different and in my opinion better. It has an almost comically large amount of content and works as an amazing Nintendo museum piece.

5. Spider-Man

As someone who loves Spider-Man it was hard to see game after game come to market and be totally awful. The last time I remember enjoying a game representing the franchise was Spider-Man 2. Thankfully Insomniac as able to finally bring Spider-Man back to video games in a big way.

The web-slinging feels amazing, and It's just fun to travel around the open world. On top of that they tell a great story in a well-tread universe. Spider-man is back and I couldn't be happier.

4. God of War

The previous God of War games didn't do anything for me. In fact, I'd say I actively disliked them. Sony Santa Monica was able to resurrect a dormant franchise and give it new and exciting life. It makes the transition to Norse mythology and completely re-invents the character of Kratos.

It's wild that I now enjoy the combat in God of War, but it's even more crazy to say that it had one of the most compelling stories of the year. Kratos went from being angry to struggling as a father.

3. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

It's no secret that I love JRPGs, so the fact that a Dragon Quest game is so high on my list isn't very surprising. However, I think that Dragon Quest XI is special. It doesn't do a whole lot new for the genre, but it takes something that has already been done before and does it as best as it can be done. Sometimes there is something to be said about something that knows what it is and it's good.

I don't have a lot to say about it other than it's a great JRPG. I loved it.

2. Monster Hunter World

As someone who came to Monster Hunter at its most obtuse it was amazing to see the franchise come to the western market and totally explode. It is now Capcom's highest selling game of all time, which is a testament to the core elements of the franchise. Capcom took a huge risk that could have alienated the core fans of their unbelievably popular franchise in order to elevate it to new heights.

This is the best Monster Hunter game by a country mile! It keeps the best parts of hunting while making it more accessible.

1. DJMax Respect

Rhythm games rarely make their way to the U.S. and if they do they're not very well supported. With DJMax Respect NeoWiz knocked it out of the park. New patches and DLC come to the game every few months to keep interest in the game up.

It's a deeply hard rhythm game, but getting better at it makes me feel awesome. Something about the gameplay and the wide variety of music keeps me coming back for more. I will keep coming back to it well into 2019.

Top Ten Games of 2016

When I thought back on 2016 I couldn't think of any amazing games at first. I honestly feel like the beginning of the year was an eternity ago, and I have a pretty bad memory. However, upon looking at my list of completed games I realized that this was a banner year for video games. So many great products were released, and a few of them actually blew me away. 

As always I will be listing these games in descending order from ten to one. Keep in mind these are my opinions, and are based on video games I completed in 2016.

10. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End 

I was originally upset that there was an Uncharted 4, but seeing it in action put my mind at ease. This game gave the franchise the ending it deserved, and boy is it a great ending. 

The gameplay is improved vastly over the previous iterations, and the graphics and facial animations are unparalleled in video games. Naughty Dog really knows how to draw everything they can out of Sony platforms, and I can't wait to see them improve even more.

9. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

Namco Bandai finally started to bring Digimon games to the west again, so now I can finally play the games I crave once again.

The story of Cyber Sleuth is an anime trope nightmare, but the gameplay is the compelling turn based strategy and Digimon evolution festival I really needed early in the year. If you like seeing cool monsters change into cooler monsters and grinding for EXP, then this game is totally for you!

8. Final Fantasy XV

After ten years Final Fantasy XV made it to market against all odds. What should have been a horrific mess of development hell actually came together into a fairly enjoyable game. 

While the story was an absolute train-wreck I found myself loving exploring the open world. The combat might not be my favorite, but it was fun enough to pull me through. I'll definitely return to it when the DLC is released.

 7. Street Fighter V

SFV got a lot of shit from the press and general gaming populace. While a lot of it is undeserved, Capcom also did a lot wrong. The game launched without a lot of features, and they even managed to put a root kit in the PC version for a day.

Despite all that the fighting at the core of the game is in my opinion better than it has ever been. I played it a ton its first few months of release, and still return to it occasionally. 

6. The Last Guardian

Like the Team ICO games before it the Last Guardian is a puzzle puzzle game. However now you have the added bonus of hanging out with Trico the dope bird-dog. As an animal lover I felt a bond with Trico that I can't even really describe. I tried to talk to him like I would my dog. The AI is amazing and acts like a real animal.

I can not praise Tric's mannerisms enough,

5. Dark Souls 3

It's closer to the original than it is to 2, but it never reaches the highs of the original. It's another one of those games, and it's great. I didn't like the fast paced action of Bloodborne, so I was glad to return to my slow and methodical play style.

My favorite part was discovering the world while talking to a friend about it. There's something about discovering the secrets along with the rest of the Internet that is absolutely magical. 

4. Stardew Valley

I've always loved Harvest Moon, and Stardew Valley is an improved version of old Harvest Moon games. It's an amazing game made by a single person. 

You can farm, mine, fish, gather, and make tons of friends. You can really tackle the game however you want, and it never discourages any play style. It even manages to make the villagers deep and meaningful characters,

If you like Harvest Moon, then you absolutely need to play this game.

3. Pokemon Sun/Moon

Nintendo managed to actually change up the Pokemon formula a bit and the result is one of my favorite games in the franchise.

It actually had a real story, and the world they created feels lived in by both Pokemon and people. I hope each new Pokemon game continues on this trend.

2. Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice

Ace Attorney 6 manages to add in new gameplay elements to the courtroom that change things dramatically. Trying to find contradictions in a seance is both interesting and weird.

On top of that the game manages to tell a compelling narative that gives Apollo his time to shine. The end result is a solid end to the second Ace Attorney trilogy. 

1. Overwatch

I'm not a huge fan of multiplayer games, and I'm even less of a fan of first person shooters. Somehow Overwatch managed to pull me in with a strength I still don't quite understand. I love everything about the game.

The game only surfaces positive data, so I feel good about my performance and the game in general. On top of that the characters are all super colorful and have a ton of personality. 

Blizzard solved some magic formula to make any game they touch into a cultural phenomenon, and Overwatch continues that trend.

Podcast Episode 23 - GOTY 2016

Another year has passed, which mean that I sat down with a few of my friends and recorded the world's longest podcast. It was long previously, but this year it ballooned out of control! However, it was worth every minute and I had a lot of fun doing it.

Witness the epic 3 and a half hour countdown from 10 to 1 for four people! 2016 was pretty rad.

GOTY 2015 Podcast

As I promised here is the podcast version of my letting you know what my favorite games of 2015 are. This year I also invite my friends Matt and Noukeo to join me and tell me about their games as well.

It goes a bit long, because there are three of us, but we definitely have a ton of fun. It's almost two hours of ridiculousness. It was an awesome year and I had a hard time putting my list together. If things come together next year will be even better!

Top Ten Games of 2015

The year has once again come to an end, which means I need to tell you what my top ten games of the year were. As always I will start at ten and work my way down to one. This year was savage, because there were a ton of great games that came out. I had a super hard time deciding what to put on my list and where to put it.

Keep in mind that these are my personal opinions.

10. Disgaea 5

I love the Disgaea series for its weird characters and insane grinding. However, Disgaea 5 just didn't do it for me like I thought it would. I still had a ton of fun, but the story dragged on for so long that I had lost interest by the time I got to the post game. The overall story was bland and predictable, but the characters held it up.

I may return to it again soon for some more leveling goodness.




9. Yakuza 5

After playing Yakuza 3 I fell in love with the franchise. The combat is a modern take on old school beat em' ups, and feels silky smooth. It's a ton of fun to run around Japan and beat the living hell out
of any thug that tries to take you on. The story in this one was hit or miss for me. Some parts were amazing, while other parts felt like needless filler. The good parts of the story definitely outweighed the bad though. The ending alone was worth playing through the entire game.



8. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

Monster Hunter isn't the most accessible game, but 4 brings it much closer to where it should be. The fact that the game teaches you the basics now is a huge improvement. On top of that there are now more weapons and monster variations than ever before. Being able to jump and mount monsters also adds a whole new layer to an already mechanic heavy game. It's a dense franchise, but it rewards those who are willing to put in the time and learn.




7. Shovel Knight

Recently many games have been trying to capitalize on nostalgia by having a "retro" feel. Shovel Knight is one of the few games in this vein that feels genuine. It captures the retro feel while still managing to feel and play like a modern video game. It's challenging, but not so challenging that I felt like I needed to snap my controller in half!






6. Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stones

Anime soccer is my jam. I stream Chrono Stone every Wednesday and I still enjoy it. It's the Inazuma Eleven I love but with a lot more characters, moves, and general content. The story was insane in the best possible way, and some cool new characters were introduced. It doesn't do much to change the formula, but it adds enough content to justify its existence.




5. Splatoon

I love when Nintendo is willing to take risks. Somehow Splatoon manages to make me have fun in an online multiplayer focused game. Shooting and swimming around in ink is just plain fun. It helps that you don't have to chase down and shoot your opponents too. Even someone like me can aim at the floor and cover it with ink to contribute to the team. On top of the gameplay Splatoon is oozing with style. The clothing and music are incredible.




4. Rock Band 4

Rock Band 4 didn't really change much from its predecessor. In fact, it actually lost a lot of popular features. This is understandable considering that Harmonix doesn't have a major publisher behind them anymore. The fact that they were able to re-license almost all of the previous DLC for the franchise is bananas.

The reason this is on my list is because I have fun when I play Rock Band. I get together with my friends every Friday and rock out.



3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The Phantom Pain isn't much of a Metal Gear Solid game. Sure you play as Big Boss, but the insane story feel and long cinematics are all but gone. In their place is a game that plays very well. In a shocking turn of events the Phantom Pain plays like a modern video game and allows for a lot of possibilities. Anything you can think of trying you'll probably be able to do.

There is so much attention to detail in this game it's shocking. It's not hard to see why the game cost Konami so much money. They didn't think it was worth it, but I certainly did. Somehow Kojima was able to take the craziness missing from the story and implant it into the gameplay. This is a perfect way to end an amazing franchise!


2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The world that CD Projekt Red manages to create in the Witcher 3 is vibrant and well realized. I've been getting sick of open world games for years now, but somehow the Witcher managed to make me forget all about that. It helps that when you come across a quest it matters. Even if you don't get a good reward the story itself is generally worth the trouble. That might be my favorite part of the game. There are things and people in every part of the world. It doesn't feel like the desolate wasteland that most open world games have become. Very few things you find will be happy though, because the world of the Witcher is beyond grim.

Combat is challenging when playing on the higher difficulties. You can't just go in and swing your sword around like a fool. You need to prepare potions and douse your sword in oils in order to take down monsters. Everything meshes together to make a cohesive package.


1. Undertale

When I finished Undertale I didn't know what to think. It took me a couple of days to realize that I loved almost everything about the game. Never before have I become so attached to characters in a
video game in such a short time. Undertale can be 100% completed in around six hours. Somehow that is enough time to feel like you're friends with fictional characters, There was a moment in Undertale that made me tear up, and there were multiple moments where I laughed out loud. It's rare for a video game to make me feel such real emotions and that's why Undertale is so special to me.

The game does a great job at subverting what you know about the RPG genre. Sure you can go berserk on an enemy and kill it, but you could also talk to it until it doesn't want to fight anymore. You don't have to kill anything and that's cool!

Above all else though, I will remember Undertale and that's the highest praise I can possibly give a game.

Game Time - November 2015

I played a lot of stuff in November, but didn't really complete as much as I want to. So now I'm stuck trying to beat 5 more games by the end of the year. Yes, that's right. I was able to cross one game off of my 6 game list in a mere 2 days. I liked Undertale so much that I beat it in 2 sittings! However, I won't be talking about that in here. I have some Undertale related stuff in the queue though, so look forward to that in the coming days. I promise it will be cool.

Oh yeah, I also beat Yo-Kai Watch!, which was interesting. I enjoyed myself quite a bit. Instead of talking about it here I recorded a podcast about it. It's the 10th episode, so check it out right here.

The reason we're here this month is to talk about the games I played, but didn't complete. Well, I guess you can't really complete Battlefront. I did only play it once though... First person shooters just aren't my thing. I'll play it again, but I have a ton of other stuff to do. I definitely didn't beat Yoshi's Wooly World or Fallout 4 though. I still have so much to do, so let's start this edition of Game Time!

Yoshi's Wooly World

I don't want to generalize here, but many modern video games have a lot of violent imagery. Are video games too violent for you? If they are then boy have I got the game for you! A GAME WHERE LITERALLY EVERYTHING IS MADE OF YARN AND MAKES YOU FEEL WARM AND FUZZY INSIDE!

In all seriousness though, have you seen gameplay of Yoshi's Wooly World? Everything in the game is made of yarn, sequins, buttons, and felt. It's the most twee video game conceivable by modern man. The visuals are astounding, but the gameplay isn't on the same level. It's okay, but nowhere near as tight as the original Yoshi's Island was. However, it's clear that Nintendo is going after a different audience with this product.

*SQUEEEE*

Good Feels, the developer behind this game also produced Kirby's Epic Yarn a few years ago. The issue I had with Kirby's Epic Yarn was that it was too easy. By the time I got halfway through the game it took all of my willpower just to stay awake. Wooly World isn't quite that easy, but it's challenge comes mostly from looking for hidden collectibles. This is something that a lot of recent Nintendo games have done to cater to both hardcore fans and those who are less into crazy challenging gameplay. It's a system that works, but it leaves me yearning for more.

As you may expect you control the lovable dinosaur Yoshi on a quest to rescue his friends from danger. It plays a lot like the original Yoshi's Island, but everything is a lot slower. You still shoot eggs (balls of yarn in this case) at enemies with a moving reticle, but there's never any urgency to it. You do have to hit things, but you can take your sweet time doing it.

This is real, I assure you.

To be fair to the game I'm only about halfway through the game, so it could get a lot more challenging in the later half, but I'm not expecting much of a change. I am definitely not finding every collectible though and I'm okay with that. In fact Wooly World may have too many collectibles in each level. To get 100% completion you need to find five hidden pieces of yarn, five flowers, twenty stamps, and have max health (20 HP) at the end of a level. For those of you keeping track that's fifty things per level. That's crazy, and super daunting. Everything is pretty well hidden, so I had to give up on my completionist nature on the third or fourth level to continue having fun with the game.

I am actually having fun with it, and the visuals consistently make me squeal in delight. I just wish that I could have a cute Yoshi video game and a challenge at the same time. Sadly it doesn't seem like Nintendo is going to be offering that to me any time soon.

Star Wars Battlefront

Guys, I don't like first person shooters. That means that I only played Battlefront the first day I got it and pretty much had my fill. I might try it out a few more times, but I just don't have a whole lot of fun playing competitive first person shooters. I don't think they're bad or anything, they're just not for me.

With that said I think that Battlefront is a technical marvel. There are all kinds of arguments about the season pass being priced at $50 dollars and whether or not there is a lack of content in the game, but I think everyone needs to stop and look at the game. Literally just look at it, and I guess listen while they're at it. It's ridiculous how authentic every battle feels.

It's super fun to take these down.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most people who watched Star Wars as a kid wondered what it would be like to battle on the snow planet of Hoth. Battlefront is the closest you're going to get to experiencing that battle. The visuals are top notch, and the sound design is superb. DICE is known for their excellent sound design in Battlefield games, but with Battlefront they turned it up to eleven.

It's not just Hoth though. Every battle looks and sounds awesome. You spawn quickly and run out into the fray, and it feels like an accurate representation. The blasters sound just like they do in the movies as their shots whiz by your character's head and explode behind you. Everything is chaotic in a way that feels accurate to the Star Wars universe and I think that's important. This game is and always was supposed to be Star Wars fan service. DICE delivered on that.

I don't like playing as Luke.

Yes, you can complain about a lack of maps, and sometimes unbalanced matches, but in the end DICE made an authentic Star Wars Game. It plays well, and it's one of the best Star Wars games out there. There are a lot of Star Wars games out there, but a vast majority of them are not quality products. If this is the benchmark for quality in new Star Wars games going forward I will buy every single one of them without hesitation.

Fallout 4

Every single time I play this game my feelings about it change drastically. Sometimes I lose myself for hours in the post apocalyptic wasteland, and others I want to throw my controller at the wall. I thought Fallout 3 was okay, which is apparently at odds with the thoughts of everyone else on the planet. I think Fallout is an okay franchise, but I'd much rather play The Elder Scrolls. To the surprise of no one Fallout 4 is just a whole lot more of Fallout 3 on new platforms with newer graphics. This is why I am often unable to deal with how janky the game is. It's largely more of the same. Sometimes to a fault. The game takes a little time to explain to you the games new systems, but leaves you out to dry with all of the old ones. It doesn't even explain how to get into VATS or what it does. Seriously? People who didn't play Fallout 3 will pick this one up and have no idea what the hell is going on.

It's one thing when an NPC doesn't face you when talking, or when they hover off of the ground a little bit. It's a completely different thing when the game crashes every time you try to leave a building, or has the frame rate drop to the single digits if more than three enemies try to fight you inside of a building. Yes, I realize that these things will most likely be fixed in later patches, but that probably won't make me feel any different about the game. There are only so many hours of looking inside of ravaged buildings for crappy items I have in me before I don't care any more.

Who likes the color brown!?

As I said initially there are times I love playing Fallout 4. The companions are mostly written well and the side quests I've stumbled upon have been pretty cool as well. I've only done a few steps in the main quest line though, and I don't think it could get much more boring. That tends to be standard fare with Bethesda RPGs though, the best writing is almost always found outside of the main quest. All you're doing is trying to find your kidnapped son, who probably doesn't even remember who you are.

I will say that the gun-play is a lot better this time around. In Fallout 3 VATS was a necessity, because even if you were pointing the barrel of a shotgun right at someones head it could still miss due to your stats. In Fallout 4 if you have someone in your sights your bullet will hit. VATS is still handy though, because you can get perks and things to do more damage with it. Bethesda also took the time to overhaul the leveling system so that there is no longer a cap. Instead now every level you get a single skill point, which you can put into one of your stats, or a perk. It makes things a lot simpler for leveling.

There are tons of perks to choose from. I think you need to be over level 200 to get them all.

I don't really know what to say about this game. If you liked Fallout 3, you'll like this too. You roam around the post apocalyptic Boston area and ransack buildings while shooting stuff. Sometimes you find cool loot, but most of the time it's worthless. I want to be super excited about this, but when other super polished open world games like The Witcher 3 and Metal Gear Solid V came out in 2015 I just can't give Fallout a free pass.

GOTY

I initially thought that 2015 wasn't a very good year for games. However after looking at the list of games I completed that came out this year I realized that I was 100% wrong! So many amazing games came out this year, and I haven't even completed a bunch of the ones I want to. As I said before I still have five more games I want to complete before the year is over. Even without those five games I'm having a hell of a time figuring out what my list is going to be.

The main issue I'm having is that I don't know what my GOTY actually is. Up until recently I was sure it was The Witcher 3, but as of right now I'm considering something else.... I don't want to get too much into it. As always there will be a written list and podcast to let the world know what my top ten games of the year are. In fact, I may even have multiple podcasts where I talk to my friends about what their favorite games of 2015 are.

There's a whole lot for me to get done by January 1st. I have a whole lot in the pipe. I'm going to start up Party Game Sundays again, so I need to write one of those by this coming Sunday. I'm going to try and record an Undertale Podcast, and write up something special involving it. I don't want to say what it is in case I don't get it done! I also am theoretically going to record two or tree GOTY podcasts. *sigh* I probably shouldn't have said any of this here, because now I'll feel obligated to get it all done...

See you guys next month!

Top Ten Games of 2014

Since I've started this blog I've posted my top ten games of the year in text format. I'm going to continue doing that, but this year I also recorded a podcast where I discuss each choice a little more in-depth.

Keep in mind that these are my personal opinions, which may differ greatly from your own top ten picks for 2014. As usual I will start with the number ten game on my list and work my way to what I thought. If you want to read some more in depth thoughts on each game just click its name.

Let's this list going!

10. Transistor

The second game coming out of SuperGiant games, which shows they know how to make a good game. You play as Red, a singer who has lost her voice in a cyberpunk world. Armed only with a talking sword she must travel through the deserted city in order to find out what's going on.

The soundtrack, atmosphere, and combat blend together to create an unforgettable experience. I can't wait to see where SuperGiant goes from here.




9. Mario Kart 8


Mario Kart games don't really change much from year to year, but it's easy to tell when one is a quality product. Mario Kart 8 is certainly a quality product. It's the first HD iteration of the series and it looks beautiful. Nintendo has proven time and time again that they have the best art direction around.

On top of it looking beautiful it plays well. The karts have weight to them, and you actually have to slide in order to succeed. The game wasn't super surprising to me, since Nintendo knows how to make a solid kart racer. If you like Mario Kart, it's more of that!


8. Dark Souls 2

I got into the Souls franchise this year, and while the original Dark Souls is my favorite the sequel is pretty good too. It's more Dark Souls, but not necessarily as well thought out as the first. Still, you travel through numerous environment types and meet with infuriatingly difficult challenges.

With new mechanics it differentiates itself from the original, while keeping the experience fresh.




7. Rayman Legends

Rock solid platformers are getting increasingly hard to come by. Lucky for me Rayman Legends came out on current generation consoles, so I could take a crack at it. The Ubiart engine renders a beautiful world, that is backed up by some incredible platforming.

Rayman feels weighty, but glides through the air just right. More platformers should feel as tight as this does. It helps that there are a ton of unlockable stages and characters to boot!



6. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

This game made the list predicated entirely on the nemesis system. The Lord of the Rings elements
are completely ancillary to the experience. The nemesis system allows for you to make your own enemies and rivals. You get into fights with unique enemies who will remember you and react with tons of unique dialogue depending on the situation.

Rarely do I hope that developers directly steal from other games, but in this case I do. The nemesis system is super cool and I'd really like to see it in more games.

5. Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-

Guilty Gear has finally made its return. It looks incredible and is super fun to play. The story mode is like watching an anime, and more fighting games should follow its lead.

Very rarely do I go into training mode and practice combos in a fighting game, but with this I have. The combat system has been brought back down to a level that the average person has a chance of breaking in to. I'm not saying I'm going to get good at Guilty Gear, but I'm sure as hell going to try.


4. Super Smash Bros. for Wii-U

Smash is back. I love Melee, and what Project M is trying to do is admirable. I think that I enjoy
playing the new smash more than a mod though. The speed is the right distance between the slow motion of Brawl and the hyper speed of melee. It's a perfect blend of what makes smash very accessible and competitive.

The game is so jam packed with content it's hard to see it all. Out of all the games I played this year this one had the most fun multiplayer by a mile. Smash continues to be one of my favorite franchises of all time.


3. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call

Curtain Call brings back everything I loved about the original Theatrhythm, but adds the ability to
play multiplayer, and use the buttons as inputs. I still love to use the stylus, but it's cool that there is another option now.

The amount of music in this game is staggering. It has all the songs from the original, plus all of the DLC from that game. They then decided to add around one hundred more songs, and continue to throw out DLC. If you like rhythm games, and Final Fantasy you need to play this game.


2. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Initially I wrote this game off as being another dumb visual novel. I saw some footage of the game and decided to try it out. It's a visual novel, where you go into Phoenix Wright style trials, play insane
mini-games, and forge relationships. It mixes so many elements I love.

The main character is a talking bear, who wants high school kids to murder each other! It's over the top in a way that I can really get behind, but is appropriately grounded when it needs to be. The sequel somehow came out this year as well, and I'm chomping at the bit to play it.


1. Inazuma Eleven

I don't have the appropriate words to describe how much I love Inazuma Eleven. It's anime soccer on the DS. This year it finally got released in the U.S. on the 3DS Eshop. I bought it on a whim and couldn't put it down. Shortly afterwards my obsession with the game spiraled out of control and now I've beaten every game released in English and imported a European 3DS.

It's an appropriate mix of action, strategy, fun characters, and cool moves. There's a lot of content in Inazuma Eleven, and it's fun to find all of it. You put eleven players on the field and draw lines with the stylus to lead them, or tap the screen to have them pass/shoot. If they intersect with someone, or shoot on the goal they have the opportunity to use a special move, most of which are amazing. Axel Blaze catches the ball ON FIRE!

Inazuma Eleven grabbed me in a way that a game hasn't in a very long time. You could say I became obsessed with it. It was consuming every ounce of my free time for around three months until I had completed all four of the games released in English currently. It's a blast to play, and I'm glad I found it.

     -Manny

GOTY 2014 Podcast

2014 has come to a close, which means that Game of the Year is upon us. As usual I have selected my top ten games. For a change of pace I got together with Noukeo and we recorded our talk about what we believe to be the top ten games of 2014. Our lists are both quite different but share many similarities.

The audio is a little weird for some inexplicable reason. At random intervals my mic will echo for a few seconds. It seems to be some kind of feedback from when Nouk and I talk at the same time. *Shrugs* It's not too bad, but it was enough for me to notice it.

I hope that you enjoy our discussion! If you're not a fan of Podcasts I will be posting a text version of my list within the next few days.

Top Ten Games of 2013

2013 is over and done with, which means that it's time for yet another top ten list. I have made a sweet list of what I believe to be the top ten games released in 2013. Every game on this list was released this year and I played and beat each one to completion. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion, so we may disagree. A lot of great games came out this year and I had to make some hard cuts, but that seems to happen every year.

As always we'll be starting with number ten and working our way up to the prestigious number one spot. If you want to read my more in depth thoughts on each of these games just click on their names (Except Fire Emblem). See you at the top.

10. Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V may not have been the greatest story ever told, but it sure was ambitious. The new Los Santos Rockstar created is one of the most elaborate open worlds ever seen in a game. It doesn't have quite enough to do in that open world, but it sure is detailed. On top of that you play as not one, but three characters. Each of which is very memorable in their own right.

I don't really know where open world games can go from here, but I hope that Rockstar keeps trying to take them to the next level.


9. BioShock Infinite

Bioshock Infinite seems to have lost a lot of support since its initial release, but I for one will not abandon this great game. Yes, the combat wasn't the greatest, but it certainly wasn't the worst. In fact it improved upon the combat of the original in some very meaningful ways. Plus jumping around on the sky rails is pretty freaking sweet.

I came to Bioshock Infinite expecting an interesting story and that's exactly what I got. If you think about it too much everything completely unravels, but that's the case with almost any science fiction. The ending of Infinite continues to blow my mind months after having completed the game. If you haven't you should really check it out.

8. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle Royale

This was the first game I have ever imported and I couldn't be more happy about that. The cel shaded graphics make everything look ripped straight from the manga. Cyber Connect 2 put so much care into every single aspect of this game's animations in order to keep them true to the source material. This is a must own game for fans of the Jojo series and in my case made me a fan.

The fights are fun, but not super deep. It may not have a long life on the tournament scene, but Jojo's ASB is still one of my favorite fighting games of all time. If you're not crazy enough to import it you can just wait for the US version to come out later this year. I will definitely be buying it again.

7. Super Mario 3D World

Super Mario 3D World is the best looking game I have played this year. Mario has made an amazing transition into HD and I couldn't be happier. This game is actually innovative in a way that many Nintendo games just aren't anymore. I don't really know why Mario and friends can don a cat suit, but it's certainly an excellent addition to the Mario suit repertoire.

Super Mario 3D World is just plain fun, which is something I can't say about a lot of games these days. If you're one of the three people who have a Wii-U this is something you have to buy.

6. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies

Phoenix Wright has returned to the court room once again and I couldn't be happier about it. This is coming from someone who actually really liked Apollo Justice. The game is largely the same as it was before, but with snazzy new 3D models and fully voiced anime cutscenes. I could do without the voice acting, but other than that everything is streamlined for the player's convenience.

I loved to hang out with Phoenix and Apollo again. It seems like Capcom is already hard at work on the 6th entry in the series. Hopefully this one sold well enough in the US to make them keep bringing these over here. I love this series and it seems to only be getting better.

5. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

I didn't understand the Monster Hunter craze before I played this game. Somehow it sucked me in and I got lost in my hopeless Monster Hunter addiction for hundreds of hours. I have finally escaped, but I still get that sweet craving sometimes.

There's something magical about hunting a fearsome beast with your friends. Even though the game is very unforgiving to new players if you take the time to figure the game out it's a whole lot of fun. You just have to know what you're getting into. Perhaps someday you too will be one of those crazy people who understands the seductive power that is Monster Hunter.

4. The Last of Us

I will never forget the ending of this game. Naughty Dog created some of the most memorable characters ever seen in a video game. Joel and Ellie feel like real people. Their voice acting is impeccable and their facial expressions and movements are very lifelike.

The survival gameplay is serviceable and really makes you feel like you're living in a post-apocalyptic zombie mushroom world. It's a horrifying place, which is backed up by brutal depictions of violence. If you haven't played this game you need to. I wasn't into it at first, but once you start to see the relationship between Joel and Ellie unfold you'll be hooked.

3. Pokemon X/Y

Everyone always complains that Nintendo never changes anything, but this time they have. The world of Pokemon on a handheld has been brought to the third dimension. Battles look great, because each Pokemon has their very own detailed 3D model.

It might not seem like a big deal, but the introduction of fairy Pokemon completely changes the way Pokemon's battle system works. On top of that some Pokemon can even mega evolve now to become super powerful. This iteration changed so much. Hell, you can move diagonally for god's sake! Nintendo has finally changed Pokemon in some very meaningful ways and I can't wait to see where they go next.

2. Fire Emblem: Awakening

I really like strategy RPGs. One of the things that always bug me about them is that you get so many characters and never really get to know any of them. That's not the case with Fire Emblem Awakening. The excellent translation paired with the social system makes each character feel like they have an identity.

Awakening takes all of the best elements from each Fire Emblem and mashes them all into one game. You can get certain characters married and then use their children in battle. The children inherit skills and have increased stat gain, so they tend to be super beastly. It's a really cool feature. Fire Emblem Awakening is a truly deep game with a whole lot of content. I fully recommend it to anyone who owns a 3DS.

1. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

The days of the 50-80 hours RPG are almost dead and gone. Ni No Kuni however allowed me to revisit the days of old when RPG worlds felt magical and full of whimsy. Everything about Ni No Kuni is very charming and it does an incredible job building its fantasy world. The Wizard's Compendium is a literal book inside the game that's chock full of information about the world.

Ni No Kuni is one of those games with a ridiculous amount of side activities to do and secrets to find and I did almost everything. The monster collecting aspect had me hooked immediately and the lively battles kept me interested. At first glance it seems like a game for little kids, but the combat gets to be quite challenging.

Ni No Kuni is a special game to me, because it made me feel like a kid again. It made me feel like there's still hope that the type of grand RPG adventures I used to have as a kid will keep coming out. I loved Ni No Kuni and I hope that you'll check it out as well.

     -Manny