![]() AbzûĪbzû doesn't out-Journey Journey, but it hits all the same sorts of notes and hits them well, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Right now I couldn't guess what the future of Souls-like games is-it feels a little like we've hit a saturation point the last couple of years-but there sure were a couple of solid ones in 2016. The game's shamelessness about its inspiration is crucial every element you'd want, from stats to stances, covenants to shortcuts are all here, and they're all successfully grafted onto the form of a 2D platformer. But to me, that's exactly what's so impressive about it, that Ska Studios was able to take From's extremely specific formula and translate it so faithfully into another format. well, being a Dark Souls game, just in 2D. ![]() Salt and Sanctuary hit just a scant couple of weeks before Dark Souls III and immediately took a bunch of flack for. From Software's art design is still top-notch, and so it was a pleasure to see Dark Souls finally make the leap onto current hardware after Bloodborne made a strong impression last year. While I miss the sprawlingly interconnected clockwork world of the original game and think it's still the most memorable game in the trilogy overall, this (supposed) finale was a great mix of unique riffs on elements of that first game, an absurdly large array of weapons, and a few absolute fuckers in its boss lineup. ![]() what the hell, why not both? They're both cut from the same bloody cloth, they both scratch the same festering itch.ĭark Souls III was mostly a really satisfying, great-looking return to form after the relative letdown that was Dark Souls II. Had a hard time deciding which of these games I enjoyed more, and couldn't in good conscience devote two slots out of 10 to Souls-style games, but then. If the big reveal of that mystery had felt more earned in the final act, I'd be a little more enthusiastic about Firewatch overall, but it's still an impressive debut from Campo Santo that does some unique things to move this style of first-person storytelling forward. The multiple-choice intro is a concise, effective way to let the player take part in shaping the story they're about to play through, and quite a few of the interactive conversations between the game's two lonely characters made for genuinely touching, human moments as you made your way through the game's building mystery. The way it uses its color palette to influence the mood of each scene, the way the weather and time of day subtly shift as you move through the story, even the weird exaggerated blockiness of Henry's hands and a lot of the game's objects. To say nothing else about it, Firewatch is one of the most singularly, elegantly art-directed games I've ever seen. So heavy, in fact, that I'm gonna make it a top 11. Instead, my GOTY list is heavy on the games you play on more traditional platforms. Clearly I'm still not over it.Īnyway, I never found another mobile fix that even came close to replicating my obsession with Clash Royale. A $10 version of this with no microtransactions probably would be my game of the year. man, what a frustrating contradiction that game is. (These two downsides are often mutually reinforcing in their ability to ruin any good time you might have with Clash Royale.) I hear it's gotten a bit friendlier in both regards lately, so I'll probably give it another shot at some point, but. if nearly every second I spent with it hadn't also been so miserable, due to the competitive advantage anyone can gain simply by dumping more money into it, and the insufferable taunting the game's emote system allows. I'd happily declare it the best mobile game ever made. ![]() The game has such intricately designed, (mostly) well balanced core strategy, and it plays so incredibly well on a touch screen and a cellular data connection that my bus commute just evaporated every day. You don't own me, laughing king guy!įor a few weeks early this year, I really thought this could be the year a mobile game might not just crack my GOTY list, but actually rocket way up it, maybe even to the number one spot. Right back at you, buddy.Ĭlash Royale is not on my top 10 list, which might be my greatest personal triumph of 2016. Brad Shoemaker downloaded Dota 2 again today and might actually play it sometime soon, maybe on his upcoming Extra Life stream this Friday.
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