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…)
It feels like we’ve been able to say this a lot lately, but this was a great year for game music. Since Hotline Miami 2 didn’t make it’s way out the door, everyone else had to step up their game and make up for it. My favorite game music tends to be upbeat and catchy, so when you’re favorite orchestral scores aren’t mentioned here, you’ll know why.
The first track you’re introduced to in Danganronpa sets the tone for what’s to come. Vying for Soundtrack of the Forever, Danganronpa uses music like a central character in its stories. The intro song, appropriately titled “DANGANRONPA” hooks you in with a catchy beat, and fades in and out of wistful vocals before the tune ends. That intro beat, wind up, and release in the first 20 seconds strikes all the right musical places, and lands the track a solid spot among the year’s finest. It’s tough to pick just one song from the series though, so go listen to this, this, and this before moving on, your ears are worth it.
While the main theme “Tomorrow is Mine” isn’t as catchy or memorably as the original game’s “Fly Me To The Moon”, the re-imagining of “Moon River” brings back that personality in style. Poppy renditions of 1960’s classics seem to find a good home in the chaotic world of Bayonetta, and “Moon River” sits easily as favorite track from either game. Singer Keely Bumford‘s vocals overflow with Bayonetta‘s pep and sass, and the beat provides the rhythm of the chaos unfolding onscreen. If Bayonetta 3 ever gets made, I hope they can find a way to outdo themselves once again.
Propeller Man’s stage is the best level in Shovel Knight, largely because of this song. The entire Shovel Knight soundtrack is among the best video games have seen in years, but this one song along with the stage it’s on made me respect Shovel Knight even more than I already did. After bouncing through the sky on a ship flying past the setting sun, all while listening to this song, I knew Shovel Knight was a classic. The song hits every note of the upbeat Mega Man music formula, but goes beyond simple rocking beats while communicating a range of emotions in a span of less than two minutes. Shovel Knight‘s composer, Jake Kaufman, is a musical genius, deserving the top spot in 2014’s year of great tunes.
An impressive song in another of the year’s great soundtracks. I’ve probably heard it a few hundred times in the past year, and still enjoy it every time. Other than the title theme, this is the song I think of when remembering Hearthstone.
Returning to Majula is the beginning and end of every new adventure in Dark Souls 2. Majula is your home. You’ll come back here again and again, and you’ll miss it when you’re gone. It’s the one place where you’re almost entirely safe from harm, and this track lulls you into bliss before your next inevitable, dark journey. The simple chimes are some of the only welcoming sounds you’ll hear in this overwhelmingly unwelcoming world.
It’s finally here! The end of the year is upon us, and so is award season. At the end of each year, I, as do many others, enjoy taking a look back at the previous months and giving the top-performers their due. Each year at HippoChippies, ten games are awarded in traditional “Game of the Year” fashion, but this year we have some surprises! Along with our top ten, we’re also dolling out awards in some new categories for the site, but ones you’ll hopefully enjoy reading as much as I have putting them together. The top ten will still be rolling out, but will be peppered in with the rest of the year’s recognition. We’re starting off today with 2014’s Best Use of Music.
“Best Use of Music” is a different award than “Best Song.” For the purposes of this award, I’m defining “Use of Music” as a song being used well for a specific purpose, rather than just being a well-made or catchy track. These songs are still good, but there’s a separate “Best Song” award for a reason. These tracks were used in a time and place to establish a mood or evoke a feeling in the player, and were dropped at just the right time to do so. Let’s get started.
If you know anything about me, it probably won’t be too hard to guess what my favorite game this month was. I’ll try not to spend the whole page talking about Dark Souls, because there were actually a few other good games that came out in March (but Dark Souls was my favorite). This one’s late due in part to a busy past couple of months with plenty of stuff to dig through, and due to the fact that I’ve become hopelessly addicted to Hearthstone and replaying the original Dark Souls. (more…)
After over a solid week of playing Dark Souls 2, I still haven’t been able to finish it. I’ve had it since the moment it was released, I’ve dropped 44 hours into it, I still have no idea when the game is going to end, and I’m loving every second of it.
I’ve often proclaimed the original Dark Souls to be my favorite game of the last console generation (with Fallout 3 being right up there with it), and I wasn’t sure how a direct sequel could fare against my highest of high expectations. Demon’s Souls was a revelation for me, and showed me a world that nearly ruined me for all other games. When Dark Souls released only to be a grander, more refined version of that, I didn’t know what more I could ask for. It turns out what I needed to ask for was Dark Souls 2.
As a refinement upon a refinement, Dark Souls 2 is one of the most ambitious games I’ve ever come across. It fixes most of the issues I’ve had with previous games, and alleviates problems that I didn’t even realize were there in the first place. It maintains what makes the series so special, while still subverting expectations and keeping you on your toes throughout. As someone who has played through both previous games in the series for dozens upon dozens of hours, Dark Souls 2 manages to stay fresh, and surprises me in ways Demon’s Souls did a half-decade ago. If there’s a better feeling in gaming than taking down one of these bosses, or seeing a new enemy that you’ve never seen before, or stumbling into brand new location filled with new challenges and treasures, I’ve yet to discover it.
The world is almost wide open from the introduction, and the amount of paths available at once gives an immense sense of freedom. At just about in point in the game, you have access to three or more bosses and locations that you can be exploring, as long as you’re clever enough to discover where they’re hidden. Any time I was having trouble with a boss or location, I could simply teleport away to somewhere else and begin exploring something I’d never seen before. The fast-travel system allows you to move quickly between anywhere you’ve been, and allows you to zip away from any place you don’t feel like being in, without having to wander for 15 minutes just to find that merchant you think was by that one stump six hours ago.
The world of Drangleic in Dark Souls 2 is massive compared to either of the previous two games. Dark Souls seemed sprawling at times, but it was all connected and looped back into itself, making it actually really compact. Dark Souls 2 seems to sprawl for miles in every direction, with far more locations to fight your way through. With the fast-travel system, you are required to frequent familiar areas less than ever before, and you’re given more time to head straight into unseen territory whenever you please. Each area is so tightly packed with secrets though, abuse of teleportation will only do you more harm than good. Should you run through and area and never return, you’ll probably bypass some great new equipment, characters to meet, or even a few boss fights.
I can’t say enough good things about Dark Souls 2, and I’m still mulling around the idea that it could be the best game I’ve ever played. It’s way too soon to make a statement like that though, so for now let’s just say it’s pretty darn excellent at what it does. This is probably my favorite game in the series, and no other games makes me feel the constant sense of reward that the Souls games do. If there’s any contender for Game of the Year 2014 looking to take down Dark Souls 2 for me, it’s going to have to be a hell of a thing.
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