Post by fgdj2000 on Jan 7, 2018 17:45:10 GMT -5
From what I hear from other reviewers, 2017 was a big year for gaming, even if loot boxes pissed all over the industry late in the year.
Personally, I haven't played that many new games this year. Replaying MGSV was a great experience overall, because had knew what to expect, even if the game is a mess and too long for my taste. I've also finished Yakuza 2 and started to play the Japanese-only samurai game "Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan!" (commonly known as Yakuza Kenzan) and was impressed, but probably won't continue it because its very cumbersome to play with a guide always at hand and having to synchronize fan-subbed cutscenes on youtube.
Replaying Uncharted was also a lot of fun, as always, though I still feel some of the more gun-heavy sections are just enfuriating.
My personal game of the Year:
NieR: Automata.
This one sticks out like a sore thumb (in a good way) and definitely left an impression. First off, the soundtrack. Best soundtrack I've ever heard in a video game, maybe even ever. Every song is a highlight and sticks with you on some level. The game itself: gameplay is amazing. It is kind of a combination of hack-and-slash and bullet hell shooters. It effortlessly transitions back-and-forth between the two styles seamlessly. It also quite often becomes a 2D shooter or 2D hack and slash, but it never feels gimmicky. I'm not a fan of old-school bullet hell shooters. I haven't played one in decades, but let me tell you, Nier: Automata just made it work for me and made it fun. There is an open world and it has variety, but is not too big and traversing it is a lot of fun because of your movement. The game is also a role playing game and since you are controlling an android, your skills are determined by plug-in chips which makes a lot of sense within the game world. Leveling up means more space on your "hard drive" essentially, which means you can attach more plug-in chips, which take up different amount of space depending on the benefit they give you.
Story: It needs a bit to get going. I wasn't that fond of the main characters 2B and 9S at first, but the second and third play through are really eye-opening. the second play through is basically told from a different character's POV with many little extra-bits of information, but the third is basically a sequel to the first two. And it twists and turns the whole narrative on its head. The first play through really feels like a prologue in retrospect. Imagine playing MGS1, then playing it for the second time from the Colonel's point of view, then when you boot it up for the third play through you get MGS2.
Also, many of the stories attached to the side quests are really moving in some way. The scenario is just so interesting: thousands of years after humanity is gone, robots from both an alien invasion and the humans themselves live in the ashes of our world and the scenarios kind of explores all aspects of life. From religion to love to hate to our violent nature to having children, aesthetics and even having pets or the futility at trying to be the best at something etc. and unlike MGSV it all somehow comes together to a cohesive and deeply moving whole. Though it can get cheesy at times.
The game has also an unbelievable sense of humor. There are five major endings you unlock, but there are also 21 joke endings. These include you running away from major battles, killing a village of friendly NPCs, you self-destructing in an important location (destroying that location in the process) and remember those plug-in chips I mentioned earlier? Turns out, one of them is your main CPU and if you remove it, your android can't function
There is also this side quest where you have to escort a bunch of machines who want to promote world peace and pacifism, but they end up getting annihilated no matter what you do, it's just too many attackers. There is one surviver, but he remains hopeful and organizes another parade, which gets destroyed again... and again and ultimately he is "converted" and starts to promote violence, as that seems to be the only constant. It's funny and tragic all at the same time.
Highly recommended, especially if you like the philosophical aspects of Metal Gear.
Personally, I haven't played that many new games this year. Replaying MGSV was a great experience overall, because had knew what to expect, even if the game is a mess and too long for my taste. I've also finished Yakuza 2 and started to play the Japanese-only samurai game "Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan!" (commonly known as Yakuza Kenzan) and was impressed, but probably won't continue it because its very cumbersome to play with a guide always at hand and having to synchronize fan-subbed cutscenes on youtube.
Replaying Uncharted was also a lot of fun, as always, though I still feel some of the more gun-heavy sections are just enfuriating.
My personal game of the Year:
NieR: Automata.
This one sticks out like a sore thumb (in a good way) and definitely left an impression. First off, the soundtrack. Best soundtrack I've ever heard in a video game, maybe even ever. Every song is a highlight and sticks with you on some level. The game itself: gameplay is amazing. It is kind of a combination of hack-and-slash and bullet hell shooters. It effortlessly transitions back-and-forth between the two styles seamlessly. It also quite often becomes a 2D shooter or 2D hack and slash, but it never feels gimmicky. I'm not a fan of old-school bullet hell shooters. I haven't played one in decades, but let me tell you, Nier: Automata just made it work for me and made it fun. There is an open world and it has variety, but is not too big and traversing it is a lot of fun because of your movement. The game is also a role playing game and since you are controlling an android, your skills are determined by plug-in chips which makes a lot of sense within the game world. Leveling up means more space on your "hard drive" essentially, which means you can attach more plug-in chips, which take up different amount of space depending on the benefit they give you.
Story: It needs a bit to get going. I wasn't that fond of the main characters 2B and 9S at first, but the second and third play through are really eye-opening. the second play through is basically told from a different character's POV with many little extra-bits of information, but the third is basically a sequel to the first two. And it twists and turns the whole narrative on its head. The first play through really feels like a prologue in retrospect. Imagine playing MGS1, then playing it for the second time from the Colonel's point of view, then when you boot it up for the third play through you get MGS2.
Also, many of the stories attached to the side quests are really moving in some way. The scenario is just so interesting: thousands of years after humanity is gone, robots from both an alien invasion and the humans themselves live in the ashes of our world and the scenarios kind of explores all aspects of life. From religion to love to hate to our violent nature to having children, aesthetics and even having pets or the futility at trying to be the best at something etc. and unlike MGSV it all somehow comes together to a cohesive and deeply moving whole. Though it can get cheesy at times.
The game has also an unbelievable sense of humor. There are five major endings you unlock, but there are also 21 joke endings. These include you running away from major battles, killing a village of friendly NPCs, you self-destructing in an important location (destroying that location in the process) and remember those plug-in chips I mentioned earlier? Turns out, one of them is your main CPU and if you remove it, your android can't function
There is also this side quest where you have to escort a bunch of machines who want to promote world peace and pacifism, but they end up getting annihilated no matter what you do, it's just too many attackers. There is one surviver, but he remains hopeful and organizes another parade, which gets destroyed again... and again and ultimately he is "converted" and starts to promote violence, as that seems to be the only constant. It's funny and tragic all at the same time.Highly recommended, especially if you like the philosophical aspects of Metal Gear.