demagogue on 18/12/2018 at 08:09
I feel like I played fewer games this year (not counting regulars like GTAV, Darkmod, Skyrim, Arma3, Crusader Kings 2, Victoria, IL-2, etc).
I'm looking down my list... They're kind of smaller indie types with a few bigger games mixed in.
Ori & the Blind Forest, Dishonored 2, Subnautica, Avorion, Empyrion, Return of the Obra Dinn, Tokyo 42, Far Sail, Cup Head, Red String Club, Kingdom Classic/New Lands, What Remains of Edith Finch, Hyperlight Drifter, Opus Magnum (a Zachtronics game). My system wouldn't run Prey to my great sadness, as I think that would have been my favorite this year.
It seems it was a year for aimless sim building types as I spent a lot of time with Subnautica & Avorion base-building & ship-building respectively, and optimizing the Opus Magnum puzzles. So I may as well make those my top three in that order, just based on that. Ori & Hyperlight Drifter were also top tier level, and the easiest to recommend, but they were from last year.
henke on 18/12/2018 at 19:04
Quote Posted by WingedKagouti
You at least acknowledge that you lack it on your list. Then again, it would not surprise me to find out that it isn't your style of game.
I
thought Dead Cells might be my kinda thing. I like slick platformers and games that use procedurally generated levels. But it turns out that, just like with Spelunky, put those 2 things together and it results in a combination that just ain't for me. Every time I start the game up I end up getting so bored I can't even be bothered trying to play well, then dying and saying "oh good, I died, now I can go play something else." :p
Quote Posted by Brethren
Dark Souls Remastered - Does this count? My first time through this classic, which was of course awesome. Originally played on PS4, replaying it now on the Switch.
Yeah I'd say remastered versions/re-releases count. How is it possible that you're only now getting around to Dark Souls tho? You
did hear us all going apeshit about it in 2011-2012, right?
Malleus on 18/12/2018 at 19:11
The games I played that were released this year were: QUBE2, which was a decent puzzler, but easy, or maybe I'm just too experienced in the genre. The Fall 2, which wasn't as good as the first one, but I still really enjoyed it, and a bit surprised at its negative reception here. And the last one is Hitman 2, which is, well, everything that Malf wrote. I actually played the first season this year too, since I dismissed the game back in 2016 because of the episodic format. Much better having all locations at the start. I put about 40 hours into H2, but I feel I'm just scratching the surface. There's so much in there. Oh, and also, there was Dark souls Remastered, which is... well, Dark Souls. I did a playthrough and some co-op, but I already have 600+ hours in the base game, didn't feel the urge to play this one much.
As for other games, there was Prey, which I don't have to explain, it was awesome. Also Spintires Mudrunner. I'm really not into car games, but this one is special. Never thought I'd enjoy hauling logs and crawling through mud for hours, but there it goes.
But most importantly, there was Nioh. I played the main game through January to March, then went back to do the DLC in October, and spent the last few weeks finishing NG+2. This game is amazing. The tight combat, the rpg system that allows for so many variations in builds, the way it does historical fantasy... I just love it. Hell, it got me interested in Japanese history which I spent a good half of this year reading about. I guess you could say playing this game was life changing. :) It wasn't released this year, but it's my GOTY for sure. I wish more people were playing it.
qolelis on 19/12/2018 at 02:39
As usual I had to go through my list of played games and check each one, because I can't ever seem to remember their release dates. Also, I have by no means played everything that was released this year, so I am in no real position to compare them, but here's a list of the games from this year that I have played and enjoyed more than others:
AENTITY: most challenging art game ((
https://maskinkultur.com/2018/05/08/review-aentity/))
Beckett: some nice writing in a style I seldom see outside of more traditional literature ((
https://maskinkultur.com/2018/05/12/review-beckett/))
Fugue in Void: great exploration in Brutalistic environments ((
https://maskinkultur.com/2018/05/24/review-fugue-in-void/))
The Room Three: lots of great contraptions.
Honourable mentions:
Dark Grim Mariupolis: a game I got stuck on and never finished, but which had a great soundtrack and a consistently unique art style.
Lake Ridden: amazing visuals (the best I've seen in an indie game this year) and okay puzzles, although the story was of little consequence ((
https://maskinkultur.com/2018/05/18/review-lake-ridden/)).
ReThink | Evolved 2: offered little variation, but did offer adequate visuals and quite alright puzzles, so over all a good distraction.
CONCLUSE: I don't play a lot of horror games, but this one had great atmosphere and style, most closely reminding me of works by Kitty Horror Show and Christoph Frey. The gameplay was okay, but also got a bit stale with mostly keyhunts. There is a part 2 in the works and I am interested in finding out what happens next.
The games that didn't make it:
Shape of the World: nice, calm exploration, but a little too visually busy for my tastes ((
https://maskinkultur.com/2018/12/04/review-shape-of-the-world/)).
0°N 0°W: interesting in parts, but felt empty after a while beneath its busy surface ((
https://maskinkultur.com/2018/05/12/review-0n-0w/)).
Underworld Ascendant: I did enjoy the parts I could play, but I need to upgrade my set-up before I can play it in its entirety -- and by then hopefully the devs have finished polishing the game and fixing the bugs (got released too early in my opinion). I am quite willing to give it a second chance.
Volitions Advocate on 21/12/2018 at 04:39
My favorite release of 2018 had to be Prey: Mooncrash.
A DLC expansion, but so very different from the base game. Arkane knocked it out of the park with that one. It's ironic that we haven't really spoken of it at all on this forum.
Taking a fairly derivative experience in Prey, despite being done spectacularly. Mooncrash was a new experience blending the Immersive Sim / Survival Horror with a Roguelike and a great twist the Resident Evil 2 "Zapping" system (seriously what a stupid name, but there it is).
If you haven't played Mooncrash you deserve to.
Looking forward next year to:
Black Mesa: Xen
Routine (HAHA Yeah right)
Scorn
Alien: Blackout (if it releases next year. probably 2020, but who knows?)
Last of Us Part 2 - will finally buy a PS4 for this.
henke on 21/12/2018 at 06:17
qolelis with a bunch of art games no one's heard of as usual, I love it. :D
Ok I've heard of 3 of those.
Might have to pick up Aentity, it looks kind of amazing.
SilenHorn on 21/12/2018 at 09:53
For me it's Dusk by New Blood Interactive. It's a retro-shooter inspired by Quake mostly, but it does so much than that. The level design is excellent, as the atmosphere and general feeling of the game. Lots ( and I mean *lots* ) of reference to Thief also. Delightful
qolelis on 21/12/2018 at 11:59
Quote Posted by henke
qolelis with a bunch of art games no one's heard of as usual, I love it. :D
It's like they say: "If you're into it, I'm out of it." :p
I do play other types of games too, but it just so happens that none of them were released this year -- or even this decade -- so they didn't make the list.
Quote:
Might have to pick up Aentity, it looks kind of amazing.
It
is kind of amazing -- quite intimidating too. I did hesitate a while before getting it, but somewhere deep down I knew I had to play it, so eventually I did and didn't regret it one bit. I still have things to discover, think I found like two thirds of the different worlds in there, so I need to take the time to get into it again. I briefly spoke to the dev over Twitter and he's working on an online interactive museum where players can upload their AENTITY paintings. I have checked it out, but it's not quite done yet.
Sulphur on 21/12/2018 at 12:15
Aentity looks interesting to me from a conceptual standpoint, but to apply a reductionist brush to it: I don't think I'd enjoy an active entropy generator without a goal. It's the same problem I have with anything that leaves you to work out a ruleset without any concrete goal in mind. Minecraft was good to pootle around in, but it didn't hook me in terms of, well, anything. It was fun to work out its systems for a time, but the ennui of existing in its blocky worlds quickly came crashing down upon me. I had no interest in creating things with it because I'd rather just whip out a level editor instead of dealing with the game's distractions.
Shadowcat on 22/12/2018 at 10:10
Quote Posted by SilenHorn
For me it's Dusk by New Blood Interactive. It's a retro-shooter inspired by Quake mostly, but it does so much than that. The level design is excellent, as the atmosphere and general feeling of the game. Lots ( and I mean *lots* ) of reference to Thief also. Delightful
The launch trailer makes me think of Chasm: The Rift more than anything else.
