2021 goes down for the count, and thus... I finished the fight again.
This year I started, and plan to continue doing so again the next, delving into some of the games I skipped on Wii and Gamecube, hence, here we are. If everything goes according to plan, next year will see an increase in this list! And who knows, the Wii and Gamecube might get their own lists.
I almost feel bad for being so harsh on the Sonic 3D games without having given them a proper chance, but fixing my mistakes is better late than never, right? Sonic Adventure is a bit rough around the edges thanks to its edge, but is overall a fun platformer game. I would've thought that attempting to have so many different gameplay styles would work against it, and while they are all a bit wonky... as a whole it works.
You either love or hate Smashing Drive, luckily, I'm the former, as racing against other cabs using Arcade power ups felt SO good. Honestly, if you're looking for a fun time in which your brain isn't required.... this is a pretty decent choice!
It can't hold a candle to the third game.... but man, it's much better than it's sequel. As with many first entries in game series, Luigi's Mansion has a certain charm all to itself. The rules hadn't been stablished first and they were building something new. I liked all the unique ghosts you had to face, and being a smaller mansion made it a bit cozier and more iconic than anything the second game had to offer.
Sonic Adventure was fine, but Adventure 2 is half a step above it. Most gameplay styles, except Sonic's, have been revamped to offer more variety and better playing, except Knuckle's/Rouge's which, while still surprisingly fun, don't play as well as in the first game. And gameplay aside, this game cut Big the Cat, praise the lords, and gave us the iconic Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat, a trade I'll take any day, any time.
Not the epic game it could have been, but a bold new take on Mickey anyways. Disney Epic Mickey's had the right amount of interesting ideas and they pulled them off pretty well. While I'd hesitate to call it Mickey's best, I'd sure as hell call it the boldest.
Best & Worst Handheld Nintendo Console Game of 2021:
I've played so many DS games that I've lost count, but hey! I'm counting these ones! I've already played so many of the best Advance and DS games that I've got most of the shovelware left...
This game has to be a joke. They were toying around with new tech and made the 'Hue' minigame, and it wouldn't sell, so they quickly crafted two stages and a skater and called it Tony Hawk. But they were snow boarding stages and Tony Hawk skates, so they made another two stages. And thus, the most unresponsive unplayable mess of a 'game' was made.
It's not the most ideal way to play Ridge Racer on the go, but it gets the job done. While the framerate leaves a lot to be desired.... man, it looks SO good in full 3-D. If you are willing to tolerate the framerate issues, you get a sizeable amount of tracks and races to partake in, using modern RR mechanics.... and, as much as it tries to get you to hate it... I still love Ridge Racer.
Tony Hawk 4 marked the moment that the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series became a favorite of mine. Well, when it comes to the handheld releases, this is the best one I have played so far. Well developed stages, decent variety in objectives, nice graphics... I think this might be peak Tony Hawk Advance, but I've still got a couple of games left to play.
American Sk8land on the GBA wasn't the best way to start the advance ports with... but the DS version of American Sk8land is great! It's a mini Tony Hawk game, which is already impressive by itself, but you get licensed music and its own unique set of stages not featured in American Wasteland, alongside a remake of one of TH4's stages. A fun entry in the series no doubt.
The Nintendo DS probably wouldn't have been able to handle an open world AC game, so they had to do something different: A 2-D sidescroller with a big focus on speed. And it worked so well! The game is fast and fun, thanks to Ezio's acrobatics you always get to look cool as you dash through rooftops. Much better than the AC: Chronicles games.
Sonic Advance is a classic part of the GBA's library, whether you like it or not. It's a shame that most of them have aged terribly bad, but the original still stands as a good one. It's a fast-paced platformer that manages to feel fair most of the time, and having multiple playable characters, with their own unique abilities, is just icing on the cake.
Usually, games that show off the things a console can do tend to be a bit bland... Wade Hixton is anything but. It features HUGE sprites full of personality that look straight out of a cartoon, which makes every fight a fun time. And, y'know, a good looking GBA could've been an absolute clunker, but the controls are super responsive and the game is a blast.
While the game doesn't waste any time making fun of Luigi, the game is no joke. There's so much to like about it: The silly, funny script, its own new, original setting and characters, its very engaging combat system, or, heck, even its beautiful, expressive sprite work... it's one of the best games I have played on the system.
I don't think I ever thought that a racing game could be so much fun, but here we are. On a technical level, this game is the most impressive game I have played on the system, thanks to its sharp 3D graphics. But then you get down to brass tacks, and beauty is more than skin deep, as the simplicity of the game won me over, I loved learning how to take curves in this game, and once I learned the ins and outs I was loving every second I spent playing it.
Best & Worst Nintendo Switch Game of 2021:
The Switch really is one of my favorite consoles of all time, huh? It's a shame it doesn't get more exclusives or better ports. One would think that just as it happened with the DS, being weaker hardware, Publishers would opt for more lower-budget games. However, by the same token, if it runs on Switch it should run anywhere else. Oh, well
I kinda hate the fact that I thought this game looked good. When the gameplay footage first popped up I thought it looked like my kinda game, and my instinct is usually right on the stuff I might enjoy. But G I JOE was really boring and used some dated game design that made it rather laborious to try to enjoy.
It always frustrates me when games like this show up in my best of lists because these are games I like DESPITE something. In this case, it's trite oversexualized anime design. It's like... I want to hate it, but the gameplay is SO good. And it has much content and a massive character roster, a character that has very few clones mind you. It's very anime, but it's also really good.
When it comes to beat'em ups there are usually a few camps you can fall into: Final Fight or Streets of Rage? Double Dragon or River City Ransom? I've been a fan of Double Dragon, much preferring a linear design... but River City Girls won me over. The colorful sprites and varied environments sure helped with me not hating exploring a city while beating up baddies, but it was the brilliant combat system that allowed for interesting possibilities and juggling that really won me over.
It's not a perfect sequel, and it falters in a few ways, but No More Heroes tried to be better and it succeeded in more than a few ways. It was easily one of the best looking games on the Wii, and seeing those graphics again was a pleasant experience. Grinding for bonus stuff, and upgrades, was a bit of a chore no doubt, and the villains and plot are not as iconic as in the first game, but the gameplay was smoother in many ways, making it an excellent beat'em up.
It's funny because people usually praise Hades for its storytelling, which I felt was one of its weakest and dullest aspects. What I really liked about it was its snappy, fast-paced combat, and it's very rewarding gameplay, meaning that every single room you clear nets you a reward. There are tons of possible abilities you can get, so toying around with builds is so much fun, and not being able to rely on your favorites, due to the game's random nature, means you'll be forced to experiment with other stuff!
Suda is back baby! What took me by surprise at first is how much the game changed, as it feels more like a boss-rush type game than anything else. And while I lament the loss of proper stages, the combat is the best it has ever been, it feels like they decided to cut on the fat and focus on what really mattered. But that's half the story! Suda returned both as a writer and director, so the game is oozing his style, showcasing a bizarre and interesting cast of allies and enemies you'll adore.
An already great game got even better. While the most substancial things this DLC adds are the three new characters, it's the bells and whistles that takes it a step above. From aesthetics in the way of alternate color for every character, to a beefy survival mode that has no right being so good.... and even rewards players with alternate move for every character! Can we call Streets of Rage 4 a modern classic now? I think we can.
Both NMH 1 and 3 have better combat than this one, it's true. But none of them can match how iconic this game is. Every single one of the Assassins Travis must defeat is iconic, even if they get a few minutes of development, and even though the combat is weakest than future entries.... it's still fun and deceptively deep. If I was forced to play one NMH game and only one.... I'd still go back to this one. But, hey, nobody is forcing you, so play all three!
Brilliant character design, an engrossing script that is filled with interesting lore and characters and derivative but entertaining gameplay are but a few reasons as to why Darksiders is so good. It's often been called Edgy Zelda, and it fits the bill. Exploring the post apocalyptic remains of Earth is so enticing since you are always looking forward to what's next: The next dungeon, the next badass ally or enemy you'll meet or what will the next weapon/tool to explore the world with will be. On the flip side, while nowhere near as deep as something like DMC, this game offers tight combat, which while simple, is interspaced with moments of puzzle solving so as not to grow tiresome. Darksiders is one of the best adventure games ever made, and it's Switch port is great.
Best & Worst Handheld Playstation Game of 2021:
It's been a while since I took out my Vita and PSP for a spin, but this year I was compelled to get a few more games for each console. As a matter of fact, I'm still missing a few Vita games I'd like... but they've gone up in price a bit too high.
DW Next could've been the game to show what the Vita could do with the Warriors franchise. In a sense, it was a sign of things to come, a half-baked effort that is more of a scaled down port of DW 7 with most of its features missing. Kinda like Gundam Extreme VS Force, but at least that game was playable, this one has horrible game design that allows for unwinnable states.
A cozy, smaller take on Assassin's Creed, the original, that plays really well considering the hardware. While I've never been particularly fond of Altair, this was an enjoyable throwback to the very first AC, a simpler affair that wasn't rife with mini-serotonin bursts.
While there were a few things about the game I didn't enjoy, like having my PSP scream in pain every time it had to go through a loading screen, Retribution was a very meaty game that matched its quantity with its quality, not to mention the fact that they got a third person shooter to work on the system!
A few features had to be cut, as well as a few playable segments, but they managed to make the game work on the PSP, and 85% of the game made it intact. It's a really good God of War clone, and while this isn't the ideal way to play it, it was still a commendable effort.
Speaking of amazing PSP ports, enter Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny. It's not Soul Calibur 4, but it features a couple of exclusive characters, including Kratos, and every non-guest-designed character from the home console game. Plays like a dream and looks amazing, if only it had more Single Player content!
Almost an apology for DW Next, Xtreme Legends is the entire DW 8 experience in a tiny cart. Yeah, yeah, it has framerate issues and audio issues, but you still get one of the best Warriors games in the palms of your hands, and it plays relatively well all things considered, including a massive roster of characters, weapons, stages and storyline to go through!
A sort of compilation of classic Ridge Racer. this UMD contains most tracks from Ridge Racer 1-4, including the Arcade exclusive, Rave Racer. From what I understand, this was the first RR to add Nitro into the mix, a change that I think worked out for the better. Regardless, unlike most other handheld RR games, this one has both content and quality in spades, probably the best handheld RR game out there.
Well, another PSP port, but considering all these ports are great, I'm not complaining! What it lacks in graphical fidelity it makes up for in new, exclusive content for the Story mode, that makes an already beefy game even beefier.
Best & Worst Playstation Game of 2021:
I wish I had played more PS1 games, as its a console I still really enjoy, despite how dated some of its games are by now. I'm always up for oldschool Ps1 games, even if it doesn't show!
Masters of Teras Kasi is a case of being as bad as its reputation suggests. It's almost shocking how bad it really is, but it's also a great example of how bad controls can ruin a fighting game, something that pretty much all the worst games I played this year have in common. A fighting game that features Jedi and lightsabers should've been fun. Should've.
Tenchu 2 took what worked in Tenchu 1 and then added all sort of tweaks and improvements, resulting in a better sequel. Improved vision, improved combat, improved stealth and the addition of a third playable character. It was a sneaky fun time.
As someone that loves both the PS1 and the SNES, Punky Skunk is a delightful platformer that feels as if it was ripped from the SNES and placed on the PS1's stronger hardware. While a bit too basic in some aspects, it's a very charming adventure from beginning to end.
I hated Treasure Planet after playing it for a few minutes. But I soldiered on, and the more I played it the more I started getting used to the range of my attacks, the controls, the camera... and slowly, but oh so surely, I started liking the game, and by the end... While it's nothing special, it's a good time.
But... but what if there was actually a decent Star Wars-esque fighting game? Enter Star Gladiator. Smooth, responsive controls, a Jedi-esque main character, Han Solo and Chewbacca analogues... yeah, this is anime Star Wars, made by Capcom, and it's everything Masters of Teras Kasi wishes it was.
While it had a few frustrating parts, I felt that The Grinch as a whole was a decent enough platformer, and while it's based off on the Jim Carrey film, you'd barely be able to tell aside from the art direction. Back in the day, the game scored all over the place, with some high and low scores in equal measure, but I think that it has aged relatively well. The controls are precise, and it has a nice mixture of both platforming and puzzle solving to make it an engaging purchase.
This game gives run and gun a whole new meaning! The entire game is a bizarre, but bombastic, series of shootouts in which you must run and gun your enemies to death. As weird as it is entertaining, MDK made for a very memorable game.
Speaking of divisive games, Parasite Eve II appears on cue! It's not as tightly made as the first game, and this time around it veers mostly on the Survival Horror elements rather than on the RPG bits, but it still works. I felt the game was fun, and the story was decent, it's just that nothing about it reaches PE 1's heels. But if one can leave comparisons aside, PE II can stand on its own, a bit crooked, but on its own
Another fantastic Namco game on the PS1, and another top-notch Fighting Game on the PS1. Loads of modes, gameplay that is easy to grasp while providing depth and a meaty amount of extras to keep you invested.
Best & Worst Playstation 2 Game of 2021:
Now... I've pretty much depleted the best games of PS2 I owned reserves, but that doesn't mean that I have played absolutely everything it has to offer. Still an all-time favorite of mine.
If only it's technical issues was its only problem.... Giving guns to the Looney Tunes is a bad idea in and of itself, but, y'know, a fun game IS a fun game. Problem is, there's nothing even remotely satisfying about playing this game, and most of the time it's awfully boring.
A game that works best as a multiplayer adventure, Cookie and Cream is a charming mix of platforming and puzzle-solving. In single player it's tough... but it's also very rewarding when you can get your fingers to make both characters work in tandem!
One of the most underrated horror games of its era. Fantastic monster and environmental design make for a pretty spooky game, and thankfully, the controls are up to snuff. It's a bit more actiony than most Survival Horror games, but that doesn't mean that sometimes... it's better just to run.
Dude, for such an old game, it's surprising just how much fun and cool stuff Rayne can perform. The combat is brutally satisfying and Rayne is an absolute banger of a character and the game keeps you on your toes all the time... not only was BloodRayne innovative for its time, but it still does a lot of stuff other games never did.
GUN is further proof of what a great developer Neversoft was. It's an open-world western game, filled with the tropes and characters you'd expect a setting like this to have, but it doesn't end there, as it features a lot of different and varied missions to sink your teeth into, constantly rewarding you with new weapons to keep things interesting. It plays surprisingly well considering the developer was know for Tony Hawk and not third person shooters.
If it came down to art design or plot, this would be the most forgettable game on this list... but the gameplay is GLORIOUS, it's one of the most satisfying first person shooters I have ever played. I know nothing about guns, and even then, the animations, the audiovisual feedback, everything made for a very fun time.
A generic looking game, with a generic looking protagonist and a pretty bland cover.. but one of the most gratifying combat engines I have ever played on a 3-D beat'em up like this. There's so much cool, painful stuff you can do with such few buttons, and once you learn how to tie your moves together battling enemies turns into pure bliss.
When Namco developed Soul Calibur 2 they hit lightning in a bottle. Everything about it just feels right. The graphics are clean and sharp, the character roster is just perfect as no character feels superfluous or as if there was anyone or any one weapon style missing and the gameplay is just timeless, each character having a very deep move pool with the perfect audiovisual feedback to make fight feel so great. I haven't played SC III or I, but no other game of the series I played has managed to feel just as right as this one.
Every bit as good as I remembered it. While REvil 5 and The Evil Within took what began in REvil 4 and made it better, this game has such strong foundations that even though it lacks the updates, tweaks and enhancements they developed based on this one, it's still an all-time classic and it's still fun to play. It's kinda amazing just how polished the game is considering how long it is, how many modes it has, how many assets it has.... It's truly a marvel.
Best & Worst Playstation 3 Game of 2021:
These past couple of years I have learned to appreciate the PS3. Back in the day "Everything is a fps"...but actually, the PS3 had a library that was almost as rich as the PS2, and they were still toying around with different graphical styles. It's easier to appreciate seeing how uniform every game looks on the PS4. But I digress, this year I didn't play many PS3 games but I did some catching up on some I should've played back in the day.
This garbage made me as sad as Beowulf looks in the cover. Garbage gameplay, terrible story and the weapon-breaking mechanic made me appreciate Breath of the Wild's durability. It's that bad. It's almost shocking how Ubisoft dared to put their logo on this game.
While the nerd side of me is always against changing characters just for the sake of it, I'm almost always willing to give games a chance despite of their changes. Almost, because... well, I'm sorry Yakuza 7 but the RPG style really doesn't do it for me. Anyways, I digress, LP 3 is wildly different from LP 1 and LP 2, the fact that it was made by a Western developer probably helped in that regard, but I actually quite enjoyed this game. Yeah, I think the previous two were superior, but there was something cozy about this one's gameplay loop, and I grew to enjoy its cast of characters.
"I give change a chage" I claim, while the reason I avoided Enslaved was how ugly the main character was. My loss, as Enslaved was really great. A few elements of its plot could've been handled a bit better, but overall, I'd say this game marked the turning point for Ninja Theory's games, the games started feeling better put together, the plots became more emotional and the characters more interesting.
I was expecting Black 2, so my first few minutes with the game was spent sulking about it, but once the game gets going the you find out that it's almost as good as Black, but in different ways. Now you've got powers to even the odds, and instead of a generic militaristic theme it goes for a generic futuristic theme. Guess when you get the gameplay so right the plot doesn't really matter!
I still don't like Bayonetta as a character, or rather, how they handle her by sliding the camera all around her body, but... I was missing out. In a few ways, the combat is even better than in DMC, being able to mix and match weapons on her hands and legs to produce all sort of different combo options. And even though the PS3 port is lacking, it was still a lot of fun
While developed by an entirely different team, it feels as if War in the North was the next step in EA's LOTR action offerings. It expanded on the already entertaining combat system and added RPG elements to keep things exciting. The overall plot and set-up feels like an excuse to borrow as many elements from the movies to lean on the cinematic adaptation of the books, but as cheap as the pandering might be... there's a good game beneath it.
Considering the game is often overlooked by its prequel, and how the game is basically being offered up for free since it sold so poorly, my expectations were on the floor. But from the very first scene, showcasing its beautiful cellshaded graphics, up until the last enemy I tore to bits... it hooked me. It feels as if you were a comic book antihero, wielding the slimy powers of the Darkness with ease thanks to intuitive control scheme. A power fantasy done right.
Rage has a very generic post apocalyptic look... but it rocks it unapologetically, and the Doom-like combat really did wonders in my book. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in this wasteland, weapons felt powerful and the world its set in was alluring, it's probably one of my favorite post-apocalyptic games. The open-world might be small, but it has no unnecessary fluff or aimless padding, like its sequel introduced by having you hunt for chests that might have a tiny bit of dopamine to reward you with. This one kept it simple, and it kept it fun. Also, it didn't corrupt my savefile.
What The Darkness 2 did, this one did even better. I'm not much of a fan of open-world games, but in this case you are given very convenient and fun tools to get around by. Running on walls, leaping, gliding, it feels SO good. And once you are done sight-seeing and it's time to punch some fools, you are welcomed by a substancial assortment of powers to wreck them with. If you like heroes or comic books, this one's a keeper.
Best & Worst Playstation 4 Game of 2021:
Every year that goes by, I like the PS4 less and less. So many incomplete games, so many necessary patches... It makes the good games stand out some much more. Yeah, I'm definitely not getting a PS5, why bother with physical/digital hybrids?
It kinda sucks because D&D:DA isn't completely irredeemable. While the combat had some poorly thought-out ideas, it was also fun, at times. I feel like they should've hired someone with experience in Dungeon Crawlers to question them. "You want players to not to be able to earn experience or check their loot until they finish a mission. Why?". A bit more guidance could've made it at least decent.
In many ways, this is the game I expected Xrd to be. They toned down the anime vibes to something easier to digest, and characters got proper redesigns. That said, the fact that Anji and I-No require a patch is inexcusable. Hopefully the updated rerelease will be complete.
I got into Metro thanks to the Switch rerelease, and I liked it so much I actually invested in the book trilogy, books I actually quite enjoyed. Exodus goes open-world, and while it's a different games in some regards... The new focus on story was put to good use, thanks to a loveable bunch of characters and a plot that hits all the right notes. If Artyom's story ends here then I'd be perfectly satisfied.
Ridiculous name aside, Village was a very different, but very entertaining new entry in the Resident Evil series. The game houses a fascinating set of villains, a inviting world to explore and fun, slow-paced comba mechanics that keep you on your toes as your supplies diminish. Village, for me, was a very memorable part of 2021.
They took their sweet time taking it, but Tales of comeback is GLORIOUS. It's got gorgeous aesthetics, and interesting storyline and one of the best takes on the combat yet. I'll admit that upon further inspection... it does seem as if most of its worst aspects were made that way to entice microtransactions.... but I'll let it go considering I finished the game without them.
Josef Fares took everything that was great about his previous games and dialed it up to eleven. A beautiful game that tries to do a lot of different things... and succeed in all of them, tasking players to work together with wacky abilities to solve creative puzzles. Easily one of the best multiplayer game I have ever played.
I've gone at length on why I love Borderlands 2 so much plenty of times before, to the point I almost feel guilty of finding new ports or rereleases to play and then having them top these lists. So yeah, same great game now running at 60 fps.
I've loved DmC since I first played it. Sure, Capcom's DMC 3 and DMC 5 are much better than this one(4's only better in some aspects), but as an action game, a DIFFERENT take on the same mechanics, its really fun. In different ways. For instance, this plot, while a bit cliched, is easier to take seriously. Regardless, I really enjoyed the original release, and this release is even better.
A bit of a weird one, I'll go on record saying that I didn't think Revelations 2 was so great.... at least the main campaign, as this game's Mercenaries mode was DELICIOUS. It basically places REvil's third-person mechanics into an arcade-shooter, in which you must run and gun and defeat all the incoming enemies, while obtaining loot and unlocking more characters and abilities. It's not even scary, just pure Arcade bliss, and I ADORED it.
Worst Game of 2021:
Plenty of bad, bad games, no wonder, since I played a lot of licensed games. That said, I think I played some of the worst I've played since starting this blog, I don't remember having dealt so many 0.5s before.
When a game I'm interested in comes out and it gets poor review... I still want to give them a chance. I saw something in them, so maybe I'll be able to enjoy them somehow. G. I. Joe wasn't completely unplayable, but it could get so boring thanks to how uninspired the third person shooting was... It's a shame, as it had some decent ideas.
Like, Jesus, so many misguided design choices, we've had so many dungeon crawlers before, it's hard to understand just how they could mess it up so badly. But they did. Playing as your character isn't too bad, despite the completely baffling stamina gauge, but it's everything else that falls apart, from the leveling system to the loot system... it's pretty bad.
Bad games are one thing, but bad games on the Vita? Those sting, because the Vita already has a small game library. Dynasty Warriors 7 was lacking in many ways, but it was a step in the right direction... NEXT takes away some of the best parts about 7 and adds insipid touchscreen minigames just to annoy you. At least DW 8 would get a more palatable release later down the line, making NEXT completely superfluous.
Ubisoft should've been ashamed of this game. Some of the dumbest, most out of place mechanics in an action beat'em up I've ever seen, a rhythm mini-game to get stuff done? REALLY? Some of the most annoying button-mashing sequences I've EVER suffered and weapons that break as if they were made out of glass. Pure garbage, 3.0 was to generous.
At some point, pretty much every developer tried their hand at a fighting game. This is LucasArts' attempt, and it's pathetic. It has the worst controls I've seen in a fighting game, you are not fighting your opponent, you are fighting the controls trying to make anything happen. Completely lifeless and unenjoyable.
An idiotic concept executed horribly, Acme Arsenal is a soulless cash grab that fails at everything it tried to do. It even has performance issues that end on blue-screens of death, something I had never seen on a PS2 game before.
Giving Teras Kasi a run for its money on the controls department, M&M's Kart Racing went for mandatory motion controls, and it's about as fun as you'd think. And if you go beyond how unplayable the game is, the track design is devoid of creativity, being one of the most uninspired games I've seen. It's clear that the developers didn't even want to make this game.
Unresponsive controls was this year's unofficial 'worst game category' theme. But Tony Hawk's Motion takes it to a whole new level, it's nigh unplayable. M&M's controls were bad, they were, but handling your skater in this game is an exercise in frustration. But the kicker is... even if it had button inputs, there's barely any game here, and they included snowboard levels because.... I don't know? I'll go on a stretch and say that this is the worst game I have played since starting this blog, because none were as frustrating to TRY to play as this one. And it says a lot that this game beat out other uninspired garbage such as Shrek Super Slam, Star Wars Episode II or Sonic the Hedgehog.
Best Game of 2021:
Not every game that made it this far this year was new, as I'll admit I played plenty of ports this year. But hey, a classic is a classic!
It wasn't the game it was meant to be, or could have been, but I'm quite satisfied with Epic Mickey. It's a very interesting, unique and official take on Mickey and the world of Disney and I think they pulled it off pretty well. The platforming was fun, and I enjoyed Mickey's simplified Moral choices, as using paint or thinner to solve Mickey's problems was a fun premise.
What could've been a simple port almost doubled the original game's content, and while I'd argue the new stages aren't as good as the originals, they are optional, supplementary additions to a fantastic Tony Hawk release. And I do love Underground 2, as I think it reached the height in terms of mechanics, everything the added in later was just fluff.
Soul Blade is another brilliant PS1 fighting game release. Right out of the gate, the game plays like a dream, thanks to simple button inputs that are friendly to button mashers but hide depth for those willing to look for it. But then you've got a pretty decent single player mode, as well as secret stuff to unlock. Ah! Life before DLC used to be so sweet.
I just wanted to play some 3-D games on the GBA out of the novelty of, well, 3D on the GBA! But Top Gear Rally was more than just a '3D game on the GBA', it looked amazing and ran just as good, not an easy feat considering other similar games, like Cruis'n Velocity, struggled so badly. I don't know if it was just this game being a lot of fun, but this just might be my gateway into rally games. I thought the whole slow-paced driving focused on taking curves might be boring.... but learning how to play this game was so much fun.
In a surprising turn of events, Revelations 2 made it over Village. Look, I loved Village, it's a brilliant game even if it wasn't as great as I had hoped. But as amazing as Village was.... I just enjoy third-person Resident Evil gameplay too much, and this game's Mercenaries Mode, which is basically an Arcade Shooter with REvil's mechanics, was some of the most entertaining parts of this year.
I definitely should've played this one much sooner. It's a much superior super hero game than inFamous 1(But not 2!) thanks to how great the combat is. If anything, both games managed to grant the player very satisfying ways to explore their cities, but while inFamous was more of a shooter, Prototype is more of a beat'em up, giving you access to all sorts of fun ways to stomp your enemies with.
Lots of people complain about then-last gen ports on Switch... but I love them, they allow me to play some of my favorite games on the go, or when I'm lazily lying on my bed. And that's what Darksiders Warmastered is: one of my favorite adventure games at the palms of my hands. Bless you, Nintendo Switch.
Resident Evil 4 is one of those eternally timeless classics, it's no wonder Capcom keeps releasing it on every single console they can. The PS2 release is probably one of the weakest, it has more content than the GC release but worse textures, but even then, it play amazingly well, there's a reason it changed third-person shooter forever, and it has loads and loads of content to boot, featuring a single player campaign that is unjustifiably lengthy while throwing you new challenges and obstacles at every turn, as well as a ton of supplementary content just because. It's both quantity and quality of the highest order.
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