Favorite Video Games of 2017

The past year was arguably one of the best for video games in years. There are a few games that, in any other year, would be the game of the year. My feeling is that, although these few games are some of the best games I’ve ever played, the depth of quality of titles wasn’t present in 2017. The good news is most of my favorite games this year were 30-100 hour adventures that kept me busy all year long.

The Nintendo Switch was such a bright spot for me and had my two favorite games this year. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is my favorite Zelda game in 30 years and it soaked up 80 hours of my time, of which I enjoyed every minute. Super Mario Odyssey would easily be my favorite in any other year. I have been a Sony Playstation loyalist over the past few years, so it speaks volumes about how great a year the Switch had by taking the top two spots on my list over Playstation titles.

Without further ado, here is the list of my favorite video games of 2017:

1. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild took the Zelda formula and turned it on its head. Instead of large, long dungeons; there are short, small dungeons called shrines. The map is completely open from the start and you can go fight the final boss, Ganon, right from the beginning. You can climb anything. No more looking for the proper spot and hand holds on walls. It felt like a true adventure and is one the best games I've ever played.

2. Super Mario Odyssey

Mario games have a long history of fantastic gameplay and Odyssey is no exception. The capture mechanic was brilliantly executed. By throwing your hat on anything in the environment, you gain control of that person or thing. World after world, there were new techniques unlocked that changed gameplay. I always had a smile on my face while playing this game, which is a huge compliment.

3. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

I’m a huge fan of the Uncharted series. In fact, this series made me switch from using Xbox as my main console to Playstation. Lost Legacy was a shorter adventure; which, in my opinion, told a tighter story. It also had the first open world level in Uncharted history, which was executed well. I loved the characters of Chloe and Nadine and their chemistry. The voice acting was second to none and really allowed me to get wrapped up in the story.

4. Persona 5

This game just oozes style. The production design is so eye catching and the music is super catchy. What Persona does best is character development. As days pass in the game, you hang out with your friends and develop relationships with them. It is part high school simulator, part dungeon crawler. The player has to balance both aspects to finish the dungeons on time. Other than Breath of the Wild, no other game this year captured my attention more than Persona 5. You would be hard pressed to find a better value for your money than the 100+ hours you get with Persona 5.

5. Horizon Zero Dawn

Coming from a studio that previously developed first person shooters, I was surprised at the quality Horizon since it is a third person open world action adventure game. The story was fantastic and bringing down mechanical dinosaurs was a blast. Each one had their own strengths and weaknesses and offered different ways to approach them. I loved playing as Alloy and her story was one of the best this year.

6. What Remains of Edith Finch

A shorter experience with no combat, Edith Finch tells its story through a series of vignettes. You play as Edith Finch, the daughter of Dawn Finch, who visits the Finch house and experiences a series of memorials and stories about how each Finch family member died. Each story is told in unique ways that really leaves an emotional impact. I really enjoyed this story and how it was told.

7. Life is Strange: Before the Storm

Set as a prequel to the original Life is Strange, Before the Storm tells the story of Chloe Price, a friend of the main character Max from the previous game. It dives into the relationship Chloe has with Rachael Amber. Most of the game is focused on developing this relationship through natural high school interactions. The writing is spot on and the relationship that develops feels organic. Shortening the story from the five chapters of the previous game down to three chapters really focuses the story.

8:  Hellblade: Senua Sacrifice

Hellblade was the game that surprised me the most this year. I wasn’t really interested when it was originally announced. What made me try it was the discounted price of $40, $20 cheaper than other games. Hellblade follows Senua, a warrior inspired from Norse mythology and Celtic culture, who is trying to rescue the soul of her dead lover from goddess, Hela. What Hellbade does best is display the struggle with psychosis as Senua hears voices in her head and see memories from her past. It is a game that must be played with headphones. As you play through the game, the voices Senua hears play around you. It makes you feel like you are suffering from the same condition as Senua. 

 9. Destiny 2

The sequel to the original massive hit game, Destiny 2, tells a better story than the original. The addiction to loot is still there and the fun multiplayer component continued to excel. There have been some issues with character progression and that was enough to make me stop playing. It still was my favorite multiplayer game this year and took up most of my spare time during the month it came out. For that reason, Destiny 2 lands at number 9. 

10. Resident Evil 7

This game in VR was so scary I couldn’t even play it in that mode. I had to move to regular TV mode. I love how it felt more grounded than that last few in the series. Some of my favorite memories of this year in gaming came from the scares and general creepiness of Resident Evil 7. It did lose some of its momentum later in the game and felt a little long, but the first few hours are worth it.

The top 5 games could all be my favorite game any other year. They all were fabulous experiences that I loved throughly. 

Next week will be all about movies. Until then...

The Last Guardian Review

One of my greatest joys in life is spending time with my dog. The unbridled joy he has when he sees me, the companionship no matter what is going on in my life, and the unconditional love is always present. These feelings are extremely hard to convey in a video game because few animals on screen look and act like a real animal. The Last Guardian is able to accomplish this in a way I’ve never experienced before.

Trico, the bird/cat/dog hybrid, reacts just like a real animal would. At the beginning, you have to build your relationship with him. He won’t respond to your commands and he is fearful of you. Trico will scream at you to get away until you insist otherwise. This can be frustrating at first for gamers used to pressing a button and always getting the same result. I found it refreshing and these reactions made Trico feel more lifelike. By the end of the game, Trico was there for me when I needed him and I was there for him when he needed me. We were a perfect pair and because the relationship grew organically, it paid off it spades.

The real marvel with Trico is how he moves. The Last Guardian development for an extremely long period of time, which left many wondering if the game  would ever see the light of day. I imagine what took so long was getting Trico to act and move like a true animal. Trico will wander, sniff around, get enamored by random items and it will be hard to break his attention from these distractions. The expression in his eyes and his ears give Trico personality that will melt your heart. By the conclusion of the game, I was less motivated to get to the end because I didn’t want my time with Trico to end.

I would be remiss to not mention the incredible score of the game. Its sweeping orchestration that came and went as emotional action happened on screen gave me chills at times. The music helped build the relationship between you and Trico in a magical way. As you get to climactic moments, the music would build and crescendo right when you are falling and Trico would swoop in and save you. The score always added to the moments while never dominating them. Bravo to Composer Takeshi Furukawa.

The Last Guardian is a Playstation 4 exclusive that is a must play if you are able. Fumito Ueda, who previously brought us Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, created another masterpiece. Games like The Last Guardian are why I play video games. It gave me an experience like no other form of media can and I can’t wait to see what Ueda-san does next.

Top 5 Moments From Comic-Con 2014

Now that Comic-Con is over and I’ve had a week to reflect on my experiences, I thought I would share my top 5 moments from this year’s show. Looking back on the week, most of my favorite moments were impromptu or surprises. My list showcases how important it is to be flexible and open to happenings around you. Without further ado, here are my favorite moments from 2014 San Diego Comic-Con:

5) Nintendo Lounge – Building on their success from last year’s lounge, Nintendo’s setup was similar to last year’s except it had more upcoming titles, fun tournaments, and speed runs going on all weekend. As someone that hasn’t bought a WiiU yet, I was happy to get my hands on a couple of upcoming titles that excited me and may have convinced me to purchase one in the future. The speed runs and tournaments brought a sense of excitement to the crowd. The lounge was packed most of the weekend but the majority of demo stations didn’t have very long wait periods. It was also a great place to get streetpasses from other Nintendo 3DS owners.

4) Paramount panel – Since Paramount didn’t announce what they were bringing to Comic-Con this year, there was little buzz going into the panel on Thursday. By doing this, Paramount exceeded expectations and had quite a few big surprises. Two of the biggest moments were Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson entering Hall H through the crowd and gaving his legendary wrestling line, “Finally, The Rock has come back to Comic-Con” and Matthew McConaughey and Christopher Nolan showing the new trailer to their movie “Interstellar”. The Rock had such stage presence and had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Christopher Nolan and Matthew McConaughey had never been to Comic-Con so that was a big moment. Not to mention that the Interstellar trailer was the best one I saw all weekend.

3) Xbox Lounge – Microsoft had a huge presence at Comic-Con this year. They not only had a booth on the show floor but also had the Xbox Lounge in the nearby Grand Hyatt hotel. The lounge felt like a mini E3 with loads of upcoming games available to play. They even had a stage for developers to show live demos of their games that weren’t playable. I found myself spending a lot of time there when I wasn’t on the show floor and went hands-on with a number of upcoming titles.

2) Video Games Live concert – On Thursday night, I was able to attend the Video Game Live concert with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. It was a beautiful night with some beautiful, nostalgic music. As someone that grew up on video games, it was so cool to relive games I played through their soundtracks. It was a good break from the craziness of Comic-Con and I hope to make it something I do every year.

1) WB TV screenings – I have to hand it to Warner Bros. for not only playing all three of its pilots to the Comic-Con audience, but also bringing the casts of Gotham, The Flash, Constantine, and Arrow on stage for a panel. It was the largest panel ever in Hall H. Stephen Amell (Green Arrow) hosted the panel and you could sense his excitement. All the attendees also got a nice swag bag with popcorn, water, a comic, and an exclusive t-shirt inside.

This year’s Comic-Con went surprising well. I was able to get into almost all the panels I wanted and had a great time meeting new friends and old. I can’t wait to see what next year will bring.

Top 5 Games of E3 For 2014

With E3 behind us, I wanted to look back on what was shown and come up with my top 10 most anticipated games. So many great games were announced and shown at E3 making it difficult to choose just ten. I’ve split my top 10 list between games that are coming out in 2014 and ones that are coming out in 2015 and beyond.

So without further ado, here are the games I’m most looking forward to in 2014:

5) Destiny – Going into E3, Destiny was on my radar but I wasn’t too excited about it. After seeing how ambitious the creators at Bungie were with the world building and the scope, it is now a must buy for me. I had the chance to play the Alpha demo this weekend and I loved how it felt like a living world that you can explore. Destiny isn’t a typical first-person shooter. It is trying to be something so much more and graphically looks incredible.

4) Assassin’s Creed: Unity – Every time I think I’m burnt out and done with this franchise, they pull me back in. Now the game is set in Paris during the French Revolution. Ubisoft does an impeccable job of creating engaging historical contexts that keep my attention and make for fun exploration of cities. The increase in graphical fidelity is clear with the jump to the next-gen consoles. The inclusion of 4 layer co-op could make for some very fun encounters.

3) The Witness – The Witness, created by Jonathan Blow, has slid under most people’s radar. Blow also created of one of my favorite games, Braid, so I was excited for a preview of his latest work. It looks like a next-gen version of Myst. Exploring the world and solving the mind-bending puzzles while telling a great story makes this the kind of game I love.

2) Dragon Age: Inquisition - Bioware makes games with great narratives and with their newest title, the third in the Dragon Age franchise, they look to have created a truly epic experience. With hours of gameplay, fighting dragons, making tough decisions, and tactical combat, I’m sold. Just look at the gameplay footage below and you will be as well.

1) Little Big Planet 3 – As a total surprise announcement, LBP 3 has leaped to my most anticipated game. I loved the previous two games as well as the PS Vita version. This series is full of whimsy and the new characters; Toggle, Oddsock, and Swoop are as cute as they come. Each of them has a different characteristic that work together to complete each level. I dare you to watch the game footage without a smile on your face. With all the previous levels being playable in LBP 3, there will be endless fun playing this game.

 So there you have it, my 5 most anticipated games of 2014. What are yours? Did I miss one you are looking forward to? Let me know in the comments. After looking like a slow year, 2014 is now shaping up to be a pretty good year in gaming. Stay tuned for my list of games coming in 2015 and beyond.

Why This E3 Could Be The Most Exciting In Years

With all the delays and cancellations leading into E3, which starts tomorrow, I believe 2014’s E3 could be the most exciting one yet.

Last year, we knew what was coming from the big three.  Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo had already announced their new consoles. Their press conferences would be spent on why their consoles were the one you wanted to buy. This year should be all about the games. The beginning of a new generation typically brings new IPs; Gears of War, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Etc. and this is the year those games should be announced. So move the sequels aside, tomorrow we will be introduced to all the new series that we will care about for years to come.

In 2013, Microsoft’s message was clear. They wanted to be the one box to rule them all. Microsoft made a big push to take over the living room with entertainment through controlling your TV and playing games. Also, with the new Kinect, they showed how all aspects of their system could be controlled with your voice. Problems came when Sony undercut Microsoft in price. They also were pushing the “always on” capabilities to access your games, which they had to remove weeks later when Sony, in their press conference, said you could trades games like you always have been able to do.

Microsoft has to come out swinging at E3 this year.  They are the underdog for the first time in years and I believe that will push them to refocus on the gamer. Microsoft’s fatal flaw is their lack of many first party studios. In order for Microsoft to get exclusive content or a timed exclusive, they will have to partner with third party studios and throw some money their way. I think Microsoft has the most to gain this E3 and I hope they surprise us.

Sony is in the catbird’s seat. They are currently winning the sales war and the PS4 is almost unanimously viewed as the console for gamers.  My worry is they will come out, brag about how they are doing, and rest on their laurels. The advantage Sony has is they own 12 first party studios and 14 second party studios and Sony has made it clear that most of them are working on PS4 games. So far, we only know of a couple of those games: Naughty Dog – Uncharted 4 and Ready at Dawn – The Order: 1886. Sony needs to show off their studios and the games they are working on that can only be made on PS4. With nothing announced for the fall that is an exclusive, they need to give people a reason to buy the PS4 besides potential. Sony should also show more indie titles, which have been the staples of the PS4’s success up to this point. They also need to show us games for the PS Vita. Without any first party games, the Vita will die, which is unfortunate because I love my Vita.

Nintendo always beats to their own drum. They don’t seem to care what Microsoft and Sony are doing. They stay focused on their own properties, sometimes to their demise. What I would love to see from Nintendo is a new property. Every year Nintendo has only announced sequels to existing properties. Rumor has it that this year we will see the new Zelda, which would make me and I expect many others, consider picking up a WiiU. Come on, Nintendo; surprise me with something!

The element of E3 that brings me the most excitement is surprises, especially with new properties. With most of the known games moved to 2015, this opens the door for new IPs and better games. Give me delays and surprises, with better games in 2015, and I’ll work on my backlog in the meantime. Either way, it should be a fun week for gamers. Stay tuned all week for coverage.