As I said last year... 'Time to finish the fight.'
Without further ado, here are the last
Archile Awards of 2014.
Worst Game of the Year:
I played a lot of crap this year. Maybe not a 'lot', but the bad games were really bad.
REALLY bad. And the PSP is home to three of them.
Nominees:
Rampage 2 - Universal Tour: It wasn't absolutely terrible, but not only was it a very repetitive game, it was also a very disappointing sequel.
Dragon Ball Z - Ultimate Tenkaichi: It looks gorgeous. And that's the only good thing you can say about this game. Can you even call it a game? It plays itself. It. Plays. Itself. Even Asura's Wrath had more interactivity than this piece of shovelware.
Crimson Gem Saga: Beautiful cover, terrible game. Uninteresting story, lame battle mechanics, terrible game design focused on grinding and going around in circles with awful dungeon designs... If I never see this game again, it'll be too soon.
Mimana - Iyar Chronicle: This game has a lot in common with Crimson Gem Saga: It was made in Korea, it was supposed to be part of a series, of course, both games being terrible made sure that a follow-up would never be made and both are perfect examples of how not to make an RPG. At least this one had a tolerable fighting mechanic. Kinda.
Saint Seiya Omega - Ultimate Cosmos: It's probably the best game on this list, yet the one I scored the lowest. Why? If you don't have anyone to play this game with, this game is basically unplayable, the CPU will make its darnedest to make sure that you don't have fun with this game.
Loser:
Dragon Ball Z - Ultimate Tenkaichi and Saint Seiya Omega - Ultimate Cosmos: This was almost a three way tie with Crimson Gem Saga, but as terrible as Crimson Gem Saga was, at least it was playable. Ultimate Tenkaichi basically plays itself while trying to play Ultimate Cosmos against the CPU makes sure that you won't have any fun playing it. I really couldn't decide which was worse.
Nintendo DS Game of the Year:
There really weren't a whole lot of DS games I played this year, but enough to be worth making a category for. Besides, it's my blog and I can do whatever I want.
Nominees:
Kirby Super Star Ultra: There's a ton of bite-sized mini Kirby adventures in this one, each one offering its own little spin on how you play. Originally a SNES game, it fits the handheld console like a charm.
Flower, Sun and Rain: As a game, it's pretty bad. But as with most Suda 51 games, they are made up of more than 'graphics' and 'gameplay'. Suda 51 games have a lot of personality, and this is no exception, a fascinating setting with memorable characters and situations.... Suda 51 can really do no wrong in my book.
Mega Man StarForce - Dragon: This is the third time that I've dabbled in Mega Man StarForce 1, and while I'm not as much into the series as I once was... I can appreciate it being a decent game.
Winner:
Flower, Sun and Rain: I may have scored Kirby higher, as a game, but at the end of the day, I hold this game in a higher regard. I can remember my time with Flower, Sun and Rain, the NPCs, like the temperamental hotel manager, the vain actress, the comedic duo, the Luchador that would block your way through the stairs the first couple of... 'days', the cleaning lady that would make Mondo trip every day... There's a reason I love Suda 51's games, they always manage to leave their mark on me.
Nintendo 3DS Game of the Year:
Another year I've yet to play a 3DS must-have. Which really sucks, I could name a ton of DS must-haves, but I feel as if the 3DS still hasn't got a console seller. But then again, I haven't sunk my teeth on Smash Bros for 3DS... but then again, you can have a better version on Wii-U... Regardless, not having console sellers doesn't equal not having great games, such as these.
Nominees:
Code of Princess: The GBA had Final Fight One, the DS had... well, it had a bunch of these, but the 3DS now has a traditional 2-D Beat'em up to call its own. Code of Princess is reminiscent of Guardian Heroes Advance, with a lot of characters, even if not all of them are equally fleshed out, and a lot of missions to level them up.
Mario Kart 7: I said it before and I'll say it again, when compared to Mario Kart DS, it was a disappointment, but by its own right, it's a good mascot racer. All throughout the year I found myself racing against random strangers online every now and then, so I can attest that I didn't just forget about it. Still, it's not my go-to kart racer when I go out on a trip or vacations.
Samurai Warriors - Chronicles: A worthy pseudo-port of Samurai Warriors 3 on the 3DS, it retains every character and, I believe, every stage from that game, alongside two new original heroes. I wasn't too fond of the "missions" on each stage, and how'd they bring the action to a halt, but hey, Samurai Warriors on the go!
Shinobi: A challenging 2-D platformer made on a budget. This game was a blast, pure and simple. It's definitely not a game for everyone, and if you didn't grow up with the trial-and-error platformers of yesteryear... might wanna skip it.
Shin Megami Tensei - Devil Summoner - Soul Hackers: As with most Shin Megami Tensei spin offs, the name is quite a handful! A bit short for Shin Megami Tensei standards, a bit predictable as well, but non-the-less a fun RPG.
Winner:
Shinobi: The only game on this list I don't have a single valid complaint about. I mean, I could tell you about the simple, dull graphics, about the simple-to-a-fault combat, about the slightly imperfect controls... But they are mostly nitpicks, Shinobi is a great game with very minor issues that keep it from being a true must-have.
Playstation Game of the Year:
I played MANY Playstation games. Platformers and RPGs mostly, and they were so good. So. Good.
Nominees:
Castlevania - Symphony of the Night: The golden standard on which every subsequent Castleroid is measured. The game that changed Castlevania for years to come. Symphony of the Night is to this day one of the finest Castleroid/Metroidvanias ever created.
Wild Arms 2: A Western-styled JRPG, it offers some very entertaining spins on the formula. Dungeons have a ton of puzzles, solved by using different tools, not unlike Zelda, while the Combat relies on it's original 'FP' mechanic. It's an all-around great JRPG.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: It's easy to forget that Capcom once made a fighting game of the JoJo series, part 3 to be exact. It's a much more technical fighter than 2013's game, a game that borrowed a lot from this one, a fact that speaks volumes of this game's quality.
Crash Bandicoot 2 - Cortex Strikes Back: While the Crash series didn't get absolutely terrible, no game could match the genius of Naughty Dog's final two platforming Crash games. Crash 3 has more variety and new special moves that make the game a blast to replay... but there's something about Crash 2's focus on platforming that makes me gravitate towards it. This game is one of the best in the genre, alongside Mario and the first Sonic games.
Parasite Eve: If someone could get me to like a Survival Horror game, it would be 1997's SquareSoft. Sure, it's more RPG than Survival Horror, but that's why I like it so much. To this day, it remains a very original and entertaining RPG, with a very unique setting and a very entertaining combat system.
Winner:
Castlevania - Symphony of the Night: I've already played this game a lot of times, but this year I completed it twice, and the second time was as addictive as the first. This is a game that hasn't lost its luster, a classic that won't be forgotten any time soon, and of which I won't get tired for the foreseeable future.
Playstation 2 Game of the Year:
This year it seems I really favored Sony's consoles, to think that I consider myself a Nintendo fanboy! Some of the best games I played this year were on the PS2 console, no surprise there, it's part of my three favorite consoles(SNES, PS2 and DS).
Nominees:
Street Fighter - Anniversary Collection: My favorite Street Fighter game coupled with the classic that is Street Fighter II, this disc is an excellent deal that gave me hours of fun as I rekindled my love for Street Fighter III and rediscovered just how much I used to love Street Fighter II.
Castlevania - Lament of Innocence: This is Castlevania in 3-D done right. The beloved Metroidvania gameplay, with recognizable enemies, bosses and weapons make it the perfect reminder of what Lords of Shadows should've been. It's also a pretty bangin' game to boot!
Dark Cloud 2: How weird is it for such an obscure genre as the Rogue-likes are to be published by Sony, the console manufacturer? As far as Rogue-likes go, it's fairly accessible so that anyone could make it to the end with a bit of effort. Gameplay, characters and story were great, but the presentation was outstanding, beautiful graphics, charming soundtrack and convincing voice acting, truly a PS2 classic.
Shinobi: Hotsuma is the badassest Ninja ever created, and if you don't agree... well, you are wrong. For some reason, this game hit right at home, I had a ton of fun with it, and it was quite satisfying thanks to it being mildly challenging.
Outrun 2006 - Coast 2 Coast: A Racing game made it to my nominees over other worthy games, that should prove how fun this game is. As a matter of fact, I consider it more of an Arcade Adventure Racing game, but that's just me, still, it's that feeling of adventure that kept me coming back for more.
Winner:
Outrun 2006 - Coast 2 Coast: There's something to be said about a game that is made of pure, simple fun. Going through this game was one of the most fun experiences I had this whole year.
Playstation Portable Game of the Year:
The new console! I was a bit disappointed at first, but eventually I got around to the really good games, so I'd say that it was a worthy purchase.
Nominees:
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy: The name makes no sense, just as Squeenix as of late and the storyline of the game. That aside, Dissidia is a very... different game, and it somehow comes together to make a fairly engaging game. There's a lot of characters, a lot of moves, a lot of costumes, a lot of unlockables and a ton to do, if you have a PSP, Dissidia is a game you must own.
Castlevania - The Dracula X Chronicles: Game's so good, it also made it to the PS1 best of the year. And EVEN if Symphony of the Night wasn't included, this game would've made it to the list based on Rondo of Blood's own merits. One of the finest Metroidvanias and one of the finest Classicvanias, another PSP must have.
Gladiator Begins: Surprisingly great game. It had a charming cast of characters, a simple but effective combat system and a nice amount of customization when it came to developing your Gladiator.
Justice Force: This game was made FOR me. It has everything I want in a game, and it's surprising that nobody else has tried to do what this game did since. Justice Force is the definition of "action game", no other game I've played has embodied the concept so perfectly.
Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX: Street Fighter Alpha 3 is one of the best Street Fighters out there, and MAX is the definitive version. I don't remember ever playing a Fighting game with more modes than this one. There's a lot to like in here, simple but deep gameplay(Actually, it's as deep as you want it to be, can't be bother to learn complexities? Pick X-ISM. Want freedom? V-ISM, and then you can further tailor the game by using the different 'modes'...), fantastic graphics. tons of great music...
Winner:
Castlevania - The Dracula X Chronicles: This category was one of the hardest to pick a winner for, four of these five games I would consider PSP must-haves, and the other one was so good that it deserved to be nominated. But the reason I picked Castlevania is because it includes two excellent games that deserve this spot.
Playstation 3 Game of the Year:
I played some awesome PS3 games this year. Almost too many. Assassin's Creed 2 and 4, Darksiders 1 and 2, Borderlands 2, Gundam Extreme VS Full Boost, Deadly Premonition, Kingdoms of Amalur, Diablo 3.... it was a crowded category, but I somehow narrowed it down to five.
Nominees:
Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs Full Boost: Arcadey gameplay, over 90 unique units and two on two fighting... this game was made for me. The hours upon hours that I spent on this game and vanilla Extreme VS... I can't wait until Maxi Boost gets a port!
Borderlands 2 - Game of the Year Edition: The only thing that could've made this game better would've been if it had included every DLC, not to say that I'm not satisfied with what's on the Disc, it seems I just can't get enough Borderlands in my life.
Assassin's Creed II: Despite how repetitive AC 1 was, I didn't think it had much promise. Then came Assassin's Creed II and marveled me with how much it fixed and improved upon the first game, it made it look like a Beta. I'm not kidding.
Darksiders: I wish I could pinpoint exactly why I loved Darksiders so much, but it's... it's a great Zelda pseudo-clone. This is how I think Zelda games should be, not necessarily in tone, but in gameplay. It made combat feel purposeful, since War could grow stronger and learn new moves. It had fun puzzles to solve and tools to use, alongside an entertaining variety of quests, including a gentleman zombie boss!
Deadly Premonition - The Director's Cut: Terrible graphics, intrusive framerate issues, mediocre gameplay... but such an engaging, memorable setting, alongside such a charming cast of characters, each one having their own quirks and personalities... It's not a good 'game', but it's an excellent piece of software, if that makes any sense?
Winner:
Darksiders: I really wish I could explain just why I liked this game so much. What can I say, it just 'clicked' with me. I liked both the setting and the gameplay, and it quickly became one of my favorite games of all time.
Game of the Year nominees:
Castlevania - The Dracula X Chronicles/ Castlevania - Symphony of the Night: The only game that made it twice into these awards, I just felt that both deserved to share a slot... even if Dracula X Chronicles is the better game for the simple fact that it INCLUDES the other one!
DarkSiders: A game I had a blast with, I binged it until I completed it.
OutRun 2006 - Coast 2 Coast: Fun, thy name is OutRun 2006.
Shinobi: A fantastic throwback to the Genesis' Shinobi games.
Winner:
DarkSiders: I wish I could put into words WHY I liked it so much. Every element they borrowed from another game meshed together with the other components flawlessly. It never tried to hide the fact that it was inspired by many other games, so instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, it simply try to add its own spin of it, and Vigil pulled it off perfectly.
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