2018: A Year in Gaming

[Glen-i]

1 hour ago, Ronnie said:

Finishing games quickly isn’t anything to brag about, humbly or not. It’s just how H-O-T personally likes to play games.

I mean, I did say "Seriously though" straight afterwards. I was having a giggle.

[Dcubed]

It’s very possible to pour 80 hours into a game you’re really enjoying within a couple of weeks; even if you’re working as well.  Hell Switch makes it easier than ever for console games now!

 

I personally wouldn’t want to play games that are expected to take around 80+ hours to complete though.  There are very, very few games that truly justify that kind of runtime (The original Xenoblade on Wii being one of those extremely rare exceptions!); as any game that aims to last that long, does so through pointless grinding and repeating what little substantial content they have over and over again.  Tales of the Abyss was the last time I played a game like that and I would never waste my time with something like that again; it just becomes mind numbingly boring by that point!

 

Give me something shorter and more tightly focused over a never ending grind any day of the week! 

[Goafer]

1 hour ago, Dcubed said:

It’s very possible to pour 80 hours into a game you’re really enjoying within a couple of weeks; even if you’re working as well.  Hell Switch makes it easier than ever for console games now!

 

I personally wouldn’t want to play games that are expected to take around 80+ hours to complete though.  There are very, very few games that truly justify that kind of runtime (The original Xenoblade on Wii being one of those extremely rare exceptions!); as any game that aims to last that long, does so through pointless grinding and repeating what little substantial content they have over and over again.  Tales of the Abyss was the last time I played a game like that and I would never waste my time with something like that again; it just becomes mind numbingly boring by that point!

 

Give me something shorter and more tightly focused over a never ending grind any day of the week! 

Persona 5 took me 90ish hours and I'd say there was no grinding or repeating the same sections. I always felt like I was progressing the story. Same with P4. Probably a rare case though.

A games length doesn't really bother me, as long as it doesn't feel drawn out. If I was being picky, I'd want a game on the long side, as there aren't really that many games that interest me nowadays, so if I find a good one, I want it to last as long as possible.

I think it all depends on the game. A deep RPG, with plenty of character development needs to have a decent length IMO, but a more focused story can be told much quicker. All depends on the narrative I guess. Both are great when done well.

[Happenstance]

Reworking my top 10 list as I played a couple more games over Christmas:

1. Marvel’s Spider-Man
2. God of War
3. Yakuza 6
4. Monster Hunter World
5. Yakuza Kiwami 2
6. 428 Shibuya Scramble
7. Dragon Ball FighterZ
8. The Messenger
9. Shenmue I & II HD
10. Mega Man 11

[drahkon]

Here’s the list of games that I’ve completed in 2018. Some of them have been released in 2017 or earlier but they still are in the run for my top 5 games this year.

• Ghost Recon Wildlands                  
• Shadow of the Beast                      
• Lara Croft GO                                     
• Ni No Kuni II                                       
• God of War
• Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
• Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy 
• Overcooked
• Zero Time Dilemma                        
• Vostok Inc.
• Prey
• Dead Cells
• Yoku’s Island Express
• Celeste
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
• Dragon Quest XI

Following are the top 5 games I’ve played this year:

#5 – Ni No Kuni II – A lovely JRPG. Way too easy, but great nonetheless.

#4 – Ghost Recon Wildlands – This one was quite a journey. Played it with my best friend for a long long time in co-op but after a year we managed to get the Platinum. It was a great experience. Lots of laughs have been had.

#3 – Zero Time Dilemma – The conclusion to the Zero Escape series and a bloody good one.

#2 – Celeste – Wonderfully difficult platformer with a surprisingly emotional story.

#1 – Dragon Quest XI – The perfect JRPG. Even the lack of variety in songs could reduce my enjoyment. The thing is: I haven’t even gotten the Platinum, yet, but I still can say that this is definitely my favourite game of the year – maybe ever.

[Glen-i]

On 28/12/2018 at 11:54 AM, drahkon said:

#3 – Zero Time Dilemma – The conclusion to the Zero Escape series and a bloody good one.

Yes, you have taste!

[Happenstance]

Probably the last update to my top 10 but I bought Dead Cells and have been really enjoying it so it needs adding. Might have been pushed up higher but I'm still learning so not got massively far yet.

1. Marvel’s Spider-Man
2. God of War
3. Yakuza 6
4. Monster Hunter World
5. Yakuza Kiwami 2
6. 428 Shibuya Scramble
7. Dragon Ball FighterZ
8. The Messenger
9. Dead Cells
10. Shenmue I & II HD

[Nicktendo]

My top games of the year, games which I first played this year, regardless of release date.

1) Super Smash Bros Ultimate
2) Celeste
3) Fortnite
4) Octopath Traveller
5) Enter The Gunegon
6) Mario Tennis Aces
7) Vostock Inc.
8) Xenoblade Chronicles 2
9) Dead Cells
10) Death Road to Canada

Really didn't play much new stuff this year as most of my time was spent playing some of the big hitters from last year. Still got a lot of games on my Switch waiting to be started as well...

[killthenet]

I managed to play a few more current releases in 2018 than I did in 2017 but not really enough to do a top 10 list. My favourite release of 2018 was the indie game Mulaka which is available on all platforms but I played it on the Switch, I'm a sucker for stories that are based in little known mythology & folk lore and Mulaka combines that with engaging hack and slash gameplay and hugely inventive and varied bosses, if ever it's on offer or available on games with gold or PS plus then you should definitely check it out.

Of the big hitters I only really played God of War and Red Dead Redemption II and although I really enjoyed both of them I think God of War was my favourite of the two purely because of how fun it was to throw and recall the axe. Celeste was another highlight but its difficulty and length meant it overstayed its welcome, I was super into it to begin with but felt a bit tired of it towards the end - looking back now though I really enjoyed it. Other highlights that I wouldn't really count as 2018 releases were Hollow Knight - which was one of the best Metroidvania's I've ever played but was released on PC in 2017 so despite its new found success on consoles it still seems like a 2017 game to me - and the Shenmue I & II remasters because despite how much I love them both they're very much Dreamcast games uprezzed. Also really enjoyed Life is Strange: Farewell, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit and Life is Strange 2: Episode One but they're all smaller parts of a larger narrative so it feels a bit wrong picking them as one of my favourites of the year. 

I'm currently playing through World of Light in Smash Bros. before finally sinking my teeth into Xenoblade Chronicles 2, then I plan on catching up on other 2018 highlights that I missed but Resident Evil 2 coming at the end of the month will probably get in the way of those plans. 

[Hero-of-Time]

Here's my list and highlights from 2018. I haven't numbered them. Honestly, I found trying to place most of these games in such an order was impossible due to the quality of each title. I've also attached proof that I have actually played and finished the games that I mention. The exception to this rule is Hollow Knight as I never finished the game. There are probably spoilers in the games I talk about so be warned when reading. Enjoy!

Favourite Games Of The Year

 

Astro Bot Rescue Mission

 

Spoiler

After going back and forth for months on whether to snap up a VR headset for my PS4, in December I finally bit the bullet and snapped one up and it was all because of this game. Many have said it is the PSVRs killer app and once I sat down with the game I could instantly see why.

There are plenty of games over the years that have got a smile and laugh out of me but very few actually gave me that sense of childhood joy. From the moment I was in control of Astro Bot I had a rush of that very feeling and it remained throughout the course of my adventure. It is hands down one of the most charming and joyful games I have ever played. The way the little robot waves or emotes at you never failed to bring a smile on my face. Even the little robots you need to rescue get in on the act, with some of their antics also entertaining me to no end.

The game isn’t just a gimmick either, the platforming in it feels great and the level designs, though simple, is still fun to play through and can be very rewarding, especially when trying to find the hidden collectibles that are scattered throughout the stages.

I’ve been playing games most of my life and I thought I had played it all and seen it all but this showed me how wrong I was and has made me a believer of what a game changer VR can be for my favourite hobby.

 

Detroit: Become Human

Spoiler

Having played and enjoyed both Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls on the PS3 I was really looking forward to what David Cage would bring to the table with his next game. Both of these games stories and twists remain very much lodged in my gaming brain and I was eager to find out if Detroit would have the same lasting effect on me. Thankfully, David Cage and his team didn’t miss a beat and the game ended up being everything I hoped for.

All 3 of the characters that you spend your time with have a unique journey throughout the game.  I think both Connor and Kara had the strongest stories to tell and while Markus’s story did start off pretty weak, the rise of the rebellion and the choices I made eventually came into its own. I still back and forth as to who actually had the best storyline in the game. I love the relationship that is shown and grows between Kara and Alice but I also enjoyed seeing Connor struggling with the decisions he had to make and ultimately becoming more human ( obviously depending on how you play the game ) the further you progress in the story. If you grow his friendship with Hank you will get to see some moments that are both funny and heartfelt.

One of the most harrowing scenes in the game came near the end of my first run through Kara’s story. When you are arrested and taken to the death camps. You are then forced to strip down, remove your android skin so that you look like everybody else and then are marched towards your demise was such an awful, yet memorable experience. It was essentially a concentration camp for androids and I think there was a true sense of fear and helplessness when having to play through at scenario.

The whole game was an interesting take on racism and what constitutes something as a living thing. It was definitely my favourite Quantic Dream game and they once again proved they have what it takes to deliver a game that tells a story that grips me from start to finish.

 

Dragon Quest XI

Spoiler

I can cheat here and just copy and paste my thoughts on the game that I posted in the actual thread.  

Quote

 

I finished and platinumed this last week. Absolutely fantastic experience and one of the best JRPGs I have played this generation. I hold Persona 5 as the cream of the crop this gen but this may have toppled it.

What I love about Dragon Quest XI is that it doesn't try to do anything fancy when it comes to its battle system. The series knows exactly what it wants to be and it plays to this strength. There is no overly complicated systems in place, no combos to learn, you just pick your move and your character executes it. What's also great is you can automate your actions. You can make all of your team go all out attack, concentrate on healing or something in the middle of those options. This makes grinding for levels much easier and more enjoyable than usual JRPGs. It reminds me of the auto battle system from Bravely Default, something that I very much enjoy from those games.

The story in the game is fantastic. It's essentially split into 3 acts. You get an ending and the credits roll after act 2 but the true ending comes during the post game. I'm hesitant to call it post game because it really is the 3^rd act of the game and if you were to call it quits after the first set of credits then you really would miss out on some great twists and cracking revelations. I know a few people aren't happy with certain things that transpire during the 3^rd act but I loved what they pulled and it was interesting to see things from a certain perspective. The story can be slow at the start but it certainly picks up as you progress. There is also some hilarious scenes involving a porn mag that keep cropping up during the adventure.

Outside of the story there is plenty of things to tackle. You can visit one of the two casinos in the game which allows you to play the slot machines or a spot of roulette. Saving up your winnings and you will be able to afford some amazing gear. If you don't want to spend your coins on gear then you could just make your own armour and weapons. You can find recipes scattered throughout the game and this allows you to make your own stuff at a camp, providing you have the materials on hand. These can be farmed from enemy encounters and are quite plentiful. If you manage to do well in the mini game that occurs when making equipment you will get an extra stats boost to whatever you make. While you can just buy gear with normal money, it's far better to make your own.

I LOVE the characters that are in your team. Erik is a cool character with a tragic back story. Veronica is just flat out hilarious, especially when she goes off on one with you. Sylvando is a wonderfully flamboyant. Rab is an old warrior who is also a bit of a perv....classic Japanese trope. There are more and all of them are brought to life by some amazing voice acting. The voice actors for Jade and Veronica in particular do an amazing job. It goes to show just how important good voice acting is in games and how it can elevate the game, whereas bad voice acting can really bring a game down. ( points to BOTW Zelda )

The enemy design in the Dragon Quest games have always been colourful and vibrant but in this game they have been taken to another level due to the animation that has been added to each of them. Each of them have little quirks that I couldn't help but crack a smile whenever I seen them. Add to the fact that a lot of them have some great puns for their names, a common thing in DQ games, and it makes encountering enemies an absolute joy.

The end game offers a great challenge to those who wanted something a little extra. There are challenging fights that will require you to get some of the best gear the game has to offer and level up your team to the max. Luckily the levelling up part is pretty simple thanks to to Metal Slime hunting and a special move that raises the exp you get after a battle. It makes a little prep to pull off but once you get in the swing of things you can level up super fast. My team went from something like level 70 to level 99 in the space of an hour.

I think the only flaw I have in the game is the music. It's not the lack of orchestrated music that is in question but more the actual quality of the songs. The songs seem to repeat a lot of the time and some of them just don't fit the tone of what is happening on the screen. From the very start this is an issue. There is a chase scene right at the beginning of the game and the whole thing is very dark and very dramatic but the music used seemed far to playful and it just mesh well with what was happening. This kind of thing happens throughout the game.

This is one of those games where once I had finished it I felt really empty. Even after 80 hours of gameplay I just wanted the game to continue. It's funny, S-E have stated how they need the game to sell in order to continue to translate and release the games over in the West but they seem to treat it like a red headed step child in comparison to the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy XV, beside the soundtrack, was a mess of a game that didn't know what it wanted to be, whereas this knows exactly what it wants to be and was far better for it. If S-E released the Dragon Quest games worldwide at the same time and give it a release date so that it could breathe ( releasing next to Spider-Man was suicide ) I think the game would have been far more successful.

 

 

God of War

 

Spoiler

What Cory and his team have achieved here is nothing short of spectacular. The quality of the visuals, voice work, environments, music, set pieces and story are in a league of their own. The way they took an action based adventure game, that featured a protagonist that many hated, and turned it into a more open game with heart, is mind blowing.  What’s even more amazing is that the studio was supposed to be in a bit of a mess and the development of the game was a in a state of panic for a while.

The game started a little slow for me due to how I was playing it. Once I ditched the exploring aspect and started playing how I like to play, the story beats came a lot quicker and really drew me in. The moment where Kratos finally embraces his Greek side and unleashes his full fury is when the game really locked me in.

I lost count of the amount of times where the graphics blew me away in this game. Last year we had Horizon to drool over but these guys have raised the bar even further. It's not just the character models and facial expressions that are on another level but also the scenery. The colours used in certain places really bring the game to life. Many times I would just sit and gawk at what I was seeing on screen. There is also a great amount of variety in the scenery. While Naughty Dog many be able to pull off even better visuals with TLOU2, I doubt very much that we are going to see such locations and colours as we've seen in this game.

I've always loved these games and really liked Kratos, despite him being disliked by so many other gamers. I always thought there was a sadness to him that rarely got presented well in the older games. I think the PSP entries were able to handle this best, at least until now. The character of Kratos in this game is fantastic. The way he holds back and shows some reserve and tries to be an example to his son is something that is done so very well. Yeah, you get to unleash every now and then but if you look at what he was like in the original trilogy and take a look at what he's like now, the changes to him are like night and day.

I'm often skeptical when a game gets such high praise. A lot of the time I do feel that reviewers can get caught up in the hype and this translates into their reviews. However, I do think that this lives up to the high praise it has received. Not only do I think this is one of the must have games on the platform, i'd go as far as to say that this is easily one of the best games this generation has produced. The production values of the game simply cannot be matched by anything out at the moment. The team over at SSM have made something very special here and I look forward to seeing how the story will play out in future entries. 

 

Mega Man X Legacy Collection

Spoiler

Ever since I was a kid I have loved the Mega Man games. Playing the original series on the NES introduced me to the Blue Bomber and while I enjoyed those games it wasn’t until I played the original Mega Man X on the SNES that I really fell in love with the series. After NES games got collections on various platforms I was hoping that the X series would get it’s time to shine and sure enough Capcom delivered.

The first collection comprised of Mega Man X 1-4. These are considered the best in the series by most fans, myself included, and couldn’t wait to play through X4 again. It’s a game I haven’t played in a long time due to the high price it commands in the second hand market.

What’s was on offer here was a fantastic bundle. You get X 1-4, as well as the Japanese releases, an easier difficulty setting to ease new fans into the series, lots of extra artwork, soundtracks and even a boss battle mode that has you take on two Mavericks at once.

Playing through these games took me back to my childhood and it’s amazing just how well these first 4 games hold up. The original Mega Man games are good but they can be unforgiving at times whereas I think Capcom really nailed the balance in the X games and as such I think they have aged far better.

I ended up playing through games 1-4 all in quick succession on my PS4. I then played through them again on Switch, as I imported a physical version for that. Both versions of the game are absolutely fantastic and you can’t go wrong with whatever version you did pick up.

 

Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom

Spoiler

This is a game I kept my eye on during the course of its development but I was never really excited for it. As part of my Switch binge at the end of last year, I decided to pick this up and give it a go and boy am I glad I did. What awaited me was one of the best Metroidvania type games that I have played.

The game looks gorgeous. A lot of 2D games these days tend to use the pixel art effect. This is something that I feel is overused and can look quite ugly at times. Thankfully,  the developers of this game decided to use hand drawn sprites and in doing this the game’s world and characters really come alive.

The OST in the game is easily one of the best of the year, maybe even my overall favourite of the year. There is such a nice variety to each of the areas of the game. One minute you are bopping away to the happy go lucky tune that plays in the grassy area and then the next you a treated to an epic song while you traverse the volcano world. There are so many memorable tunes in the game and I would love to see a soundtrack released for it.

It seems many have written the game off or just completely disregarded it, which is a shame. People who have played it have fell in love with the game and the guys from My Life in Gaming, as well as John from Digital Foundry, all had it as their game of the year. Maybe it’s an age thing. Myself and the guys I just mentioned are all older games and I think the game just spoke to us and reminded us of a lot of the games we played in our childhood.

 

Monster Hunter World

Spoiler

What a way to start the year off. After announcing it at E3 2017, Capcom were quick to release the game the following January. What arrived was an absolutely amazing evolution of the Monster Hunter series. I had been crying out for a proper home console Monster Hunter game for years now. The series had been stuck on handhelds and lower powered consoles for so long and its potential had never really been realised….until now.

Being finally able to play with friends on a console that had party chat and a decent invite system meant that games were organised so quickly. All of the QoL additions made to the game made everything so much more streamlined and manageable. The fact that they are releasing what is essentially G rank this year as an update rather than having to buy the game again is music to my ears.

The new beasties that Capcom introduced into this game were just as fun to fight as the classic monsters. They also gave the older beasties some new moves which kept veteran hunters on their toes. Things like the seasonal events kept players coming back and special events, like the Final Fantasy Behemoth fight, offered a challenge in a Monster Hunter game the likes of which I had never faced before. It was easily the hardest thing I have ever fought in one of these games.

Capcom opened the doors with this game and in doing so were rewarded for their efforts. It’s now Capcom’s best selling game EVER.

 

 

Pokemon: Let’s Go

Spoiler

Ah, the game that tore the Pokemon community in two and what a game it is. While many were happy to write the game off, I personally was looking forward to playing a different style of Pokemon game and one that respected the player’s time a little more. Gone were the random battles or the fact you had to whittle down a Pokemon’s health before catching it and instead we were treated with a much more streamlined and simpler affair.

Playing through the game and seeing the good old Gen 1 gym battles reimagined and the gym leaders 3D models was great, as were the neat little cameos from certain Pokemon trainers. It was pandering at it’s very best and I lapped up every second of it.

Throughout my adventure I didn’t at all mind that all Pokemon were able to get experience boosts or that shiny Pokemon were easier to find. Everything had been made easier and I can appreciate this game was made for a different kind of Pokemon audience. Despite that, I see had a great time on the game and spent a stupid amount of hours filling in the Pokedex and grinding Pokemon up to level 100. The only thing I’m a bit gutted about is how Mew was locked behind an accessory and how I’ll never be able to capture a certain Pokemon due to me not being able to play Pokemon Go.

 

Spider-Man

Spoiler

I’ve long been a fan of Insomniacs games. The Ratchet and Clank series has always been a favourite of mine and Resistance 1 and 3 were fantastic shooters ( 2 was a bit of a stinker ). Their games have always been fun to play and I was excited to see what they could bring to the table with a Spider-Man game and boy did they bring something special.

Open world games have become very big and a bit of a chore to navigate. I often speak about this subject and how I much prefer a tighter experience and that’s what I got with Spider-Man. The world you get to explore in is just the right size and I never felt like I was getting lost or didn’t know where to go and the traversal of said world was something truly special. It would be very rare for me to use the fast travel system and this was because swinging through the city was just so much fun and very fast. There was no real need to hit the subway train, especially when there were different activities to do along the way.

The storyline in the game was something I became really invested in and I think the portrayal of certain characters were spot on. The ending really hit me hard and I was surprised that Insomniac went  there but because they did I feel the story had a much more lasting effect on me. Certainly more so than it would have had if they had taken the easier route.

It’s been great to see so many gamers pick up the game and actually complete it. There was a story out last year about how many gamers weren’t just finishing the game but actually getting the platinum trophy on it as well. This goes to show that many found it a joy to play and were happy to continue playing the game long after the story had finished. It’s a great success story for s ingle player game, especially when you factor that trophies stats show that a lot of gamers don’t actually finish games these days.

I so happy for the success that Insomniac have found with this game. They are a VERY talented studio and it’s about time they had a win of this size. The game has sold 9 million copies as of the end of November last year and I think it will continue to sell well. I picked up the season pass that was on sale on PSN over the Christmas period ( still on sale now ) and I’m very much ready to revisit the world of Spider-Man.

 

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Spoiler

This was a collection of games that I was very much looking forward to playing. I had never played the second or third games in the trilogy but I adored the original game when I played it back in the day.  Getting all 3 of them in a remastered form and for the relatively small fee of £30 seemed like an absolute bargain and how right I was.

Back in 2017 we were greeted with the Crash Bandicoot collection and while I did playing those games, they were a bit stressful at times, especially the original game. The Spyro games are a much more relaxed affair and I think they have more heart to them that what the Crash games do.

I pretty much played through all of the games back to back and in doing so I appreciated the simplicity of the original game over the sequels. Sure, the sequels had more characters, more moves and larger areas to explore but I preferred the more focused approach that the original game had. The sequels are by no means bad games in any shape or form, they are both brilliant platformers, it’s just that my preference was with the structure of the first game.

I’m so happy that Activison seen sense, as well as dollar signs, and decided to give the go ahead to get these games remade. A lot of care and attention was poured into this collection and the fact that they were willing to sell this for a budget price was just the icing on a very sweet cake.

 

Disappointments Of The Year

 

Hollow Knight

This was a game I was really looking forward to and one that I bought as soon as it was released. Many people, including people at work, had praised the PC version of the game and really hyped the game up to the point where it was seen as a must play game, no matter what the console it arrived on. Sadly, the game wasn’t what I was looking for.

I love the 2D art that is used in the game but I really dislike how bland and samey everything looked. It made it really hard to differentiate between certain areas of the game and I found it easy to get lost in the world that I was exploring. If you compare it with something like Monster Boy, each of the areas there had their own distinct look and feel and this made the game feel fresh each time you went to a new area. In the hours I spent with Hollow Knight I never found this to be the case.

This is a game I really wanted to like and I have tried twice to play through the thing. While it may get better as you go further into the game, the fact that it doesn’t grab me straight away leaves me thinking this game isn’t for me. Add to the fact that the game is around the 25 hour mark and I can’t see the game. Shame.

 

Octopath Traveller

Spoiler

This is a game that ended up being all bark and no bite. When it was announced I imagined the game to be a modern version of the 16bit era JRPGs that I grew up playing. Something that had a great story, lots of quirky characters, great music and simple but effect battle system. What I got was a game that had an amazing soundtrack a great battle system and very little else.

One of the main reasons why I love playing JRPGs is the story and characters. There are one or two characters that have interesting character arcs but most of them are pretty bland. The main story of the game is told in such a way that makes it really hard to keep track of, makes very little sense when you consider the characters you are travelling with and by the end of it the whole thing just seems like a mess and a waste of time. The fact that the actual ending is locked behind a ridiculous final fight is another nail in the coffin. Had the story actually been worthwhile then it may have been worth the effort but that wasn’t the case.

Square-Enix could have had something special with the game but instead I feel like the fumbled at the finish line. Hopefully lessons have been learned and that the next iteration of the game will have a better party system and storyline. If you are interested in the game then I recommend you just go and listen to the soundtrack on YouTube to save yourself some time and money.

 

Shenmue HD Collection

Spoiler

At times, there are games that you played as a youngster and you remember fondly. When a remastered version is announced it’s easy to get excited at the hope of playing through the game again but on a newer console. However, sometimes these games are often best left in the past and I think that’s exactly what should have happened with this collection.

When Shenmue was released back on the Dreamcast it was already a bit of a divisive game back then. Sure, it pushed certain boundaries but it was still an experience more than an actual game. Without the technical advancements it had back then being able to be pushed as a selling point in this day and age I feel the game completely fails at being fun.

One of the biggest gripes of mine is that there is far too much waiting around in the game and playing through it again revealed just how little there is actually to do in order to kill the time while you wait for the next event to pop up. Also, the voice acting hasn’t aged well at all, in terms of both performance and quality. Many of the lines spoken are devoid of any kind of emotion and the muffled quality of each of the spoken lines only worsens the experience.

The games release had some very weird technical bugs when it launched and I’m not sure if they even got fixed. There were times when the camera would go into the ground or focus on some random object,  making it so you completely missed what was actually happening on screen. This happened  to myself and others quite a bit and the only way to fix it was to restart the game. The game really could have done with a bit more care and attention but it seems to was rushed out ( baffling as the 3^rd game isn’t due to arrive until later this year ) to get fans and newer gamers on board with the franchise but in doing so it may have done more harm than good.

 

 

Late To The Party

Here are a couple of games that I enjoyed playing through last year but weren't released in 2018. I enjoyed them so much that I figured they deserved a mention.

 

Kingdom Hearts 1.5+2.5 HD Collection

Spoiler

With the arrival of Kingdom Hearts III at the end of this month, I wanted to play through the games on this collection before the game final part arrived. I played through the original game earlier in the year but it wasn’t until December where I really went to town on this collection. I ended up playing and platinuming  Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II and Birth by Sleep in the space of the month. I absolutely ADORED playing through each of these games back to back. A friend of mine said he was surprised that I wasn’t burnet out by playing them all in such a short space of time but because they all play pretty differently to each other this wasn’t the case.

Playing through the games again made me realise how much I love this series. As a huge Disney and JRPG fan, the games really do appeal to me. Even the story, which I honestly don’t really see an issue with, had me hooked all over again, especially the events in Birth by Sleep, Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days. Playing and watching all of these have certainly got me pumped for the finale.

The collection is hands down one of the best gaming collections that has been put together on a single disc. You get the definitive editions of 4 games, all of which have had graphics redone, framerates upped and extra moves and bosses added to them. All of this was launched at around £35 and you can understand why I have a bee in my bonnet when publishers release ports of a single game for £40 a pop.

 

Yakuza 0 and Kiwami

Spoiler

After trying to get into the series a couple of times, it was the year 2018 where everything clicked and I finally got to enjoy what many other gamers had been in love with for the past few years.

I started the game off feeling a little conflicted. I was loving the story and the characters but everything else, like the minigames and side stories I found to be either too stupid or just boring and not worth my time. Many gamers say that the best part of the series are these things and I felt that maybe the series wasn’t really for me. I then changed the way on how I approached the game and I started to play it how I wanted to play it and not be hampered by how others were getting their enjoyment out of the game. Once I started leaving all of the side stuff to the side and concentrating on the main story I was instantly hooked.

The story….just wow! The amount of twists and turns that happened throughout the whole thing were just on another level. You had the amazing characters in both Kiryu and Majima as well as a great supporting cast. I honestly didn’t expect to get so emotionally attached to some of these and when people got killed, betrayed, injured and beat up I really felt for them and wanted revenge. I was very invested in what was going on, so much so that I started playing Kiwami pretty soon after finishing Zero. I don’t think Kiwami hit the heights of Zero, and I do really dislike how Majima is in comparison to Zero, but the game was still a fantastic experience.

After finishing Zero I told one of my mates that he NEEDED to play through the game. He soon picked it up and played through it from start to finish in a very short space of time. He kept sending me text messages when certain events would occur in the story and, like myself, picked up Kiwami soon after completing 0. I then went on to talk to a lad a work about the game and he ended up watching the game on YouTube ( not a huge gamer and he prefers to get his gaming narratives in YouTube form ) over a couple of days. He adored what he watched.

It’s a series I’m very happy I gave another go. It would have been easy to just write it off as something I wouldn’t enjoy and never be able to get into but I persevered and was rewarded for doing so.  As you get older you tend to stick with what you know and quickly write off things that you don’t think you would like. With gaming I like to try and experience lots of different games and genres, even if there don’t usually fit my tastes, and this time it paid off,  much like it did when I played Bloodborne a couple of years back. There are still many other adventures to be had in the world of Yakzua and now that I’ve dipped my toe into the series I will happily play through the rest of them.

 

Best Gaming Moments

There were some great games released last year and some of them provided me with some gaming moments/memories that will stay with me for a while. Here is a selection of some of them.

 

God of War: Kratos’s Awakening

The lead up to this point in the game is so well done. With Kratos’s son being injured and in need of help he has to unearth something that he thought was all in the past. The slow boat ride back to your house and the things going through Kratos’s mind all set up the next few moments beautifully. Him finally getting home, seeing Athena and then unleashing the Chaos Blades was such a hype moment for me. I was grinning from ear to ear as I hit combo after combo upon the hordes of enemies that spawned in the wake of you being reunited with your old weapons  from the previous God of War games. It was such an amazing moment and the fact that the development team had managed to keep it a secret until people actually got to play the game was a fantastic surprise and a rare one in this day and age of spoilers being posted left and left.

 

Monster Hunter World: Xeno’jiiva rises

This big beastie is the final battle in the story arc of the main game. If you’re familiar to with the Monster Hunter games then you will know that there is usually some kind of battle with a giant monster that usually last a while. This is such a battle in Monster Hunter World.

I managed to unlock the beast but I was unable to join up with gamers who were actually competent enough to beat him. I stupidly decided to have a crack at defeating him at 5am in the morning. I had woke up early for work and figured I would get a quick hunt in before heading off. I managed to hook up with someone for the fight but, for whatever reason, nobody else was join the game. It didn’t help that the one person who had joined was a bow user and wasn’t doing a great deal of damage. This made things incredibly difficult and the fight went on and on and on.  The bow user died twice in quick succession and once this happened he spent most of his time just trying to keep away and stay alive, while taking the odd pot shot here and there. I noticed that the time limit was rapidly running out so I just went all in and went on the offensive. With very few potions left and a sliver of time left on the clock I managed to bring it down.

There are much harder quests in the game. Both the Final Fantasy Behemoth fight and the HR49 Kirin fight were far harder but this battle stuck with me more due to the time pressure, my first time beating Xeno , the time of day it was, trying to get it done before I had to set off to work and the fact that I had to practically solo the thing. All of these made it such a memorable moment.

 

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Final Remix:  1 Tough SOB vs. 1 Determined Gamer

NOTE: This is a bit of a cheat because I done this one on the 1^st of January but seeing as I finished the main game in December I’m still shoving it in here.

If people have popped into the Kingdom Hearts thread they would have seen I have been playing through the series in preparation for Kingdom Hearts III. I had played and platinumed the original game earlier in the year and then done the same with Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II over the Christmas period. With those done, all that was left was Birth by Sleep.

I played the Birth by Sleep and completed the game on critical mode with all 3 of the characters and I was quite content with what I had achieved and was happy to move on….or so I thought. My OCD nature kicked in and seeing that my other Kingdom Hearts games had a 100% trophy competition was really niggling away at me. I decided to go for the platinum trophy and in doing so I encountered some stupidly tough boss fights.

Looking around the net, people were saying that you should start with Terra when taking on the game’s 4 secret bosses. He is the hardest character to complete them with ( you have to do all of these fights with each character ) and if you can’t do it with him then it would be pointless to try it with the others. Fair point. Here's a taste of what I was in store for me.

I decided to take on the Mysterious Figure/Unknown first. This was seen as the hardest fight in any of the Kingdom Hearts games and I figured I would start with him first and get it out of the way. I took him on and about 3 seconds into the fight I was dead. Tried again, same result.  This went on for about an hour or so and I just couldn’t make any progress. I watched videos, read tactics on how to beat him but nothing really worked. Levelling up wouldn’t do much to help due to the damage that the enemy receives from you is capped at a certain point and EVERY attack that he does knocks you down to 1HP, so raising your defence wouldn’t really matter either. I was even contemplating starting the game again on the easiest setting and playing through the whole thing in order to reach the fight and doing it on that difficulty but people said that it makes no difference as the attacks are just as fast and the damage just as brutal. I tried this fight over and over again over the course of the day and I was making very little progress. 

The next day I decided to sit down and keep at it until I had defeated him. I was determined not to be beaten by this boss fight and I knew if I could just get past him then I would be able to do the rest with ease. After a couple hours of constantly dying and they retrying I could start to see that I was making more and more progress. There were times when I had him on the ropes but failed to get the killer blow but knowing that I was so close to beating him help me to push on. My heart was racing, my hands were sweaty and I finally was able to get the victory. What an amazing feeling it was to see that SOB fall to my Keyblade.

I went on to beat the other 3 secret bosses pretty easily and then butchered them all again with both Ven and Aqua, both of which have invincibility frames during then cartwheel and roll moves making the fights much simpler.

It’s times like this why I enjoy the trophy/achievement hunt. It really pushed me to become better at the game and in doing so I got a much better sense of satisfaction than what I got from by just seeing the end and watching the credits. It also pushed me to explore everything within the game and I got to see and do things I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. For example, one of the secret boss fights has an amazing piece of music that plays throughout the course of the battle.  I would have never had heard this had I not went for the platinum.

I know many people fall out of the gaming hobby or become more casual in their approach to how they play games as they get older, but I’m happy to see that at 36 years old I still have the drive and passion to continually push myself to become better at gaming and this is an example of this.

 

VR: We are VR!

As I mentioned earlier, this was the year that I finally got to experience VR gaming and it has blown me away. I bought the unit really just to play Astro Bot but I have had some amazing experiences in other games with it.

One of the more popular games in the VR Worlds collection is the bank heist scenario. There’s a part when you are in a chair and being interrogated by a gangster. He really gets into your face and starts shouting at you and I found this so intimidating. Also, my character ended up getting stabbed and as the knife came towards me I found myself trying to pull away. It was if everything that was happening in front of me was real and my mind was telling me to get the hell out of there. Crazy.

I recently played through Moss and found it to be such a magical experience. You play as a guardian for a mouse named Quill and set off on an adventure to save her uncle. The storybook setting, locations you visit and soundtrack you hear really gives off a kind of fairytale vibe and it’s a game that I really fell in love with.

The VR Playroom has certainly been a nice surprise package. I played this with a couple of my younger nephews and some of the multiplayer games were hilarious to play with them. I was concerned about how their eyes would be using the headset ( they are 12 and 8 years old ) so I was the one using the unit while they shouted out what they seen on TV. The ghost hunting game and salon game were favourites of each of them and both of them had such a good time playing.

During the Christmas and New Year period various members of my family were able to try the headset out for themselves. My dad adores the thing. He’s 72 years old and he had an awesome time on things like a rollercoaster video I found on YouTube, as well as enjoying a nice and relaxing VR video for Angel Falls in Venezuela, again on YouTube.

 

Yakuza 0 and Kiwami

The version of Majima that is in Yakuza 0 was easily one of my favourite videogame characters that I played as in 2018. I really felt for him during the struggles that he had to endure during the game. His first appearance in Yakuza 0 is so memorable and is such a cool moment. Sure, the game is absolutely littered with amazing moments (as is Kiwami ) but this introduction to Majima is the one that stuck with me the most.

 

[bob]

I started to have exactly the same feelings towards Yakuza 0 as you (plus I wasn't really feeling the combat either), but your write-up really makes me want to go and finish the story at some point.

[Hero-of-Time]

16 hours ago, bob said:

I started to have exactly the same feelings towards Yakuza 0 as you (plus I wasn't really feeling the combat either), but your write-up really makes me want to go and finish the story at some point.

If you aren't feeling the combat or side stories then you should at least play the game for the main story. It's absolutely superb.