hippochippies – Page 29

Game of the Year 2014: #1 – Hearthstone

Hearthstone is a game I can’t stop coming back to. I’ve put a disgusting number of hours into this silly card game in the last year. No week has gone by where I haven’t played or at least thought about Hearthstone, or more likely found myself awake at 4am begrudgingly taking down another Handlock deck. Hearthstone is a very special game to me, and it brings back a genre I never thought I’d find myself interested in again.

Most card games are hard to get into, with hours of preparation needed before you can want to play competitively. In Hearthstone, once you’ve completed the 30 minutes tutorial, you know the rules. Sure, there’s way more to learn, but you can understand the basics. It’s digital, so all of the math and keeping track of card abilities is always done for you.

Everything you need to know is easily visible and comprehensible. Where something like Yu-Gi-Oh manages health in terms of 1000s, a game of Hearthstone uses only one and two-digit numbers. Magic players build 40 and 60 card decks, while all Hearthstone players use only 30 cards. While Hearthstone may seem more limited at a glance, there are seemingly infinite possibilities that can still come from this smaller set of rules.

You can play Hearthstone with a room full of friends, online against strangers, or anything in between, and you’re almost guaranteed to have a good time. Cracking open new packs with friends had led to some of my favorite gaming moments of 2014, and seeing the golden glow of a legendary card is exciting even when it’s not your own. I’m always a fan of local multiplayer, and Hearthstone has been there many times when friends come to visit.

The community is great as well. As with Dark Souls, the game is so substantial that it supports multiple discussion forums and podcasts, and I’ve spent a fair share of time with them as well. The Angry Chicken and Happy Hearthstone shows have become regular listens during my daily drive, and I look forward to new episodes each week. There’s just so much to discuss, and I’m happy to engage in Hearthstone as much as I possibly can.

I’ve spent more time with Hearthstone than any game in 2014, the year before, and possibly any other game ever. I’m still constantly having great experiences with it, and I can’t stay away. There’s so much personality in every card, every menu. Every card’s voice acting is just as memorable as the outstanding soundtrack. Hearthstone colorful, full of joy, and every piece of design has a reason to exist. Blizzard has poured a lot of love into Hearthstone, and I haven’t seen a better crafted game in a long time.

Hearthstone is a thing I didn’t see coming. I haven’t been into collectible card games since middle school, and have never been a Blizzard loyal. But it’s just so damn good. Hearthstone is a master at never getting old, and even when it feels like you’ve fallen into a groove, they announce a new expansion. Just in the first year, the game has grown by over 150 cards, and there’s no way they’ll be stopping anytime soon.

Hearthstone is an astounding success, and I’m glad to have had been able to play it all year long. Here’s to another.

January 13, 2015
Game of the Year 2014: #2 – Dark Souls 2

The original Dark Souls might be the best game I’ve ever played. Dark Souls 2 does everything it can to match the feelings I had playing its predecessor, and while it’s not exactly the same, I think I like it just as much. I can’t say that Dark Souls 2 is the “better” game, but I had a hell of a lot of fun spending 100 hours with it in 2014. (more…)

January 13, 2015
Game of the Year 2014: #3 – Danganronpa 2

Danganronpa is a series about subverting expectations. It blows your mind just like Phoenix Wright and the Zero Escape series by never letting you know quite as much as you think you do. If you’re into mystery novels filled with dark humor and serious storytelling, it’s hard to find a better balance than in Danganronpa.

This spot could be taken almost as easily by the first Danganronpa game, but for the sake of not having both taking up a spot on this list, I’m highlighting my favorite. The second game has better characters, and a much larger scope of environments and story, but doesn’t make the first game any worse by existing. The first game is still excellent, and the second game smartly steps away from the “kids locked in a building” theme, as to not step on D1‘s toes. Unlike the second Zero Escape game, Danganronpa’s sequel feels (literally, since you’re on a tropical island) like a breath of fresh air.

Both games start with you meeting an interesting cast of high school kids, each with unique personalities. Professional athletes, pop stars, and novelists all come together, build friendships, and then brutally, horrifically murder each other for a chance at freedom. Then they hold a trial, in which the survivors suss out their friend’s executioner, and is put to his or her (ironically themed) death. All because their game master and kidnapper, a masochistic robot teddy bear, told them to.

If you need more of a reason to play Danganronpa, I’m not sure what more you’re looking for.

January 12, 2015
Game of the Year 2014: #4 – Mibibli’s Quest

Another game that came as a total surprise, Ryan Melmoth’s painstakingly crafted platformer is one of the best I’ve played in years. Very much like last year’s MegaMan Unlimited, Mibibli’s Quest is made by a genre fan with completely fresh ideas. It’s very much inspired by Mega Man, but don’t expect to play a Space Invaders clone or fight a naked business man anywhere else but here.

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January 12, 2015
Game of the Year 2014: #5 – Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight poses the question, “What if someone crafted an authentic NES game with 2014’s knowledge and hardware?” The answer: “Something pretty amazing, actually.”

Shovel Knight takes every good idea from NES classics, and combines them with the technology of 2014, and makes one of the greatest fake Nintendo games ever. It’s got the Duck Tales bounce, the Castlevania atmosphere and weapons, the Mega Man speed and platforming, the Super Mario Bros. 3 world map. Shovel Knight is a child of everything special that came from the NES, plus enough modern sensibility to not make you waste your time with every death.

It isn’t just a retread, though, because it has enough fun new ideas to carry you to the final level. You’ll find a surprisingly heartfelt story inside Shovel Knight’s cold, metal exterior. There’s also great comic writing that pokes fun at the tropes of gaming culture from NES to now. The levels are excellently designed, and have tons of secrets to prod at and discover. Every boss is unique, and the stage fits their individual themes; Specter Knight’s spooky graveyard is a favorite of mine. With plenty of hidden bosses to find, weapons and abilities to discover, and a load of additional content on the way, Shovel Knight is a full package.

After being hyped for over a year, Shovel Knight didn’t disappoint. It brought back my fondest memories of old games, adding several great new ideas to the mix. With the promise of a sequel in the future, I’ll be glad to see a lot of Shovel Knight in the years to come.

January 12, 2015
Game of the Year 2014: #6 – The Evil Within

You like Resident Evil 4, right?

The Evil Within is the first game since Shinji Mikami’s classic that feels like it actually tries to improve upon Resident Evil 4, the greatest shooter and survival horror game ever made. Though Mikami’s new attempt at recreating that magic in The Evil Within is far, far from perfect, it’s the closest we’ve seen since.

Take almost everything you liked about Resident Evil 4, make it slightly worse, and you’ll have The Evil Within. That sounds like an incredibly backhanded compliment, but, as I’ve said before, a decent Resident Evil 4 is better than most games out there. The weird horror elements are there, along with Mikami’s excellent encounter design. Many fights feel like puzzles, with your increasingly large arsenal giving you new tools to dispose of enemies in clever ways.

The story beats fall mostly flat, and there are few great character moments to speak of. The game goes on a bit too long in and in too many directions, and some of the bosses are more irritating than scary. But the core Resident Evil experience is there, and it’s one I’ve been missing since the early 2000s.

Environments are hugely varied by the end of the game, as are the bosses and enemies. The upgrade system is satisfying, and choosing what to upgrade and when is a fun system to play around in. There just so much in the game, you’re bound to find something to impress you, even if the whole thing doesn’t gel. The Evil Within is built on unforgettable moments, stability be damned.

As much as I love The Evil Within for what it revitalizes, there’s a much better game hidden somewhere deeper inside it. I just hope Mikami gets another chance to bring it out.

January 9, 2015