2018 video game review
Greetings friends, thanks for stopping by! This is just some random thoughts about some of the video games I played in 2018.
I like Metroidvanias. The art and world building in this game was stunning. It was challenging, but not too challenging. Dropping the map pin, trying to navigate by map, and then getting VERY LOST was fun. Phenomenal.
My one complaint is that I would have liked more diversity in viable builds and mechanics.
I am a fan of the quirky and fun Monster Hunter franchise. We have been patiently waiting for a next-gen Monster Hunter for a few years now. This game delivered. Monster Hunter World did an excellent job exploiting next-generation features while keeping what made the franchise fun.
This was MonHun by the books: You go in. You hit monsters with a big sword made of other monsters. You use that monster to make bigger swords. The numbers go up. You do it again. It is like the opposite of programming.
This is a fun little platform fighter with nice visuals and music.
I grew up on playing Super Smash Brothers against my friends on the Gamecube. Unfortunately, Nintendo remains bad at online functionality.
The core game itself is fun. Nintendo has added a number of quality of life enhancements:
But, the game has issues:
I always root for Team Ninja and I thought they did a good job on this game. Did not beat it, but enjoyed the time I had with it.
This was a GREAT little Smash Bros Melee clone. Used to be developed by a scrappy young team who were modders, Wavedash Games.
The games art direction was... not great. And the levels were ugly. But these were a work in progress
But it was FUN! And the online modes worked and you could always find a game.
Unfortunately, they did not reach their community. Plus they were pretty much ignored by everyone. Marketing is expensive.
I thought their game was great and they were doing a good job. I found it very sad their studio closed.
Celeste was a fantastic start to the year. It was polished, it sounded great, it looked great, it was FUN.
Matt Makes Games was ON POINT in this title, as always.
I enjoyed dipping my toe into this flavor of fighting game. I loved this series as a child, and it was fun to play with the characters in this setting.
I didn't stick with it. Fighting games are hard. I never won a single online match, and I played this game for 25 hours.
This game was disappointing to me. Pillars of Eternity 1 was my favorite game of 2015. I love the Obsidian games. Taking that formula and throwing in a dash of Sid Meier's Pirates! sounded delicious. Unfortunately, a bit of the flavor got lost in the bake.
PoE2 was a bit buggy. The quests were confusing. The UI was sub-optimal.
There were features missing that would have greatly enhanced the game:
I have no proof of this: I suspect the game shipped early due to lack of funds. It would make sense how they released this game and then were snapped up by Microsoft.
The ship-building and sailing mechanics in this game were half baked:
Shallow.
Overall I would give it a C+.
My older brother ( http://www.pridestclair.com/ ) is obsessed with Destiny 2. It makes sense: The world is fun, the aliens are cool, the environments look gorgeous, and the plot and worldbuilding are fantastic. Also the game is a blast when it works!
Destiny 2 is fun. It is a nice way to wind-down after work. But it grates on you.
It has made me purchase expansions of varying quality to continue playing. Video games in 2018 people!
I have never been able to commit to grindy games, and I find Destiny 2 grindy. I have fun with Destiny 2 when I am in voice chat with other people, but playing this game alone is a SLOG.
The vs. mode in this game is frustrating. You are matched up with players who are decked out in the best gear, who can destroy you with little effort. How does one get the better equipment? One must play for 50 hours of in-game time. That is too much time playing a video game so I can "get to the fun part".
I have played a decent chunk of Valve's new TCG Artifact.
I am a fan. It is deep, it is pretty, it is fun.
Unfortunately... I dropped it. I was having fun, but it lacks a "hook" to keep me coming back. Valve has claimed they have plans to address the lack of progression so I am hopeful.
This game was inflicted upon me by my gaming group.
I do not understand the draw of this game. It is a great example of a game that is fun at first, but whose optimal tactics strip the fun parts out of the game.
To me the support role in this shooter, specifically Mercy, is anti-fun for both sides. On the opposite team, having Mercy cancel defeating an enemy player is not fun. If the opposing team has a Mercy, you need a Mercy on your team to really compete.
This would be fine but: Mercy is boring! Her entire purpose is to avoid getting hit and hiding while other players do the work. So that means that 1/5 people on either team are likely not having as much fun as the other players.