Time to do this again, reserved! I'm kinda adjusting my ratings as the year goes on, some games I scored way too high initially.
1. Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, 10/10
I've clocked in almost 200 hours in just little over a month, highly addictive stuff! Shadowbringers in particular has been pretty great so far, I just beat the main scenario and now I need to start doing those raids and stuff. Most of our play group is still in Stormblood, so maybe I should play something else in the meantime...
2. Transformers: Devastation, 9/10
I got the game like a thousand years ago off of PS+, just beat it for the first time. My my, what a game. Loved the combat, music and nods to the old series. I still remember the cartoons and toys from my childhood, so playing this was one helluva nostalgia trip as well. Also, Vince motherfucking DiCola.
3. Horizon Zero Dawn, 8/10
Looks great, plays great. Gameplay wise it's a pretty generic AAA title and I'm not too fond of the setting, those are two negatives I can think of. Indian larping is kinda lame.
4. Resident Evil 2 Remake, 10/10
Last year I only gave this a 9/10, but now I must bump it up a bit, it's just too much fun to play. Did Claire A and Leon B this time. By far my favorite Resident Evil game and I can't wait to get my hands on 3R.
5. Mega Man X4, 9/10
Wow, what a game. I love the inclusion of Zero, such a fun character to use. OST has always been one of my favorites in the franchise, those synths
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6. King of Fighters XIV, 8/10
Welp, it's KoF. Visuals aren't too impressive, but I do like the gameplay. Beat the story mode, tutorials etc. Probably won't continue playing it too much, because there are so many better fighters out there.
7. Final Fantasy XV, 8/10
Really enjoyed the story, the music and the visuals, but the combat frustrated me to no end. It's just a total clusterfuck with unresponsive controls and weird camera angles. The open world also felt so empty and boring. So much wasted potential...
8. The King of Dragons, 7/10
Really simplistic, but enjoyable.
9. Captain Commando, 8/10
This one was great! There are so many cool combat options in the game (skills, weapons and mechs). I really enjoyed the humor and the character designs as well, it has the 90's written all over it.
10. Ys Origin, 8/10
I've always heard good things about this series, so I finally gave it a shot, wasn't disappointed. It's really simple, but so much fun. I'm almost done with the last character. Can't wait to hop into Ys VIII at some point!
11. Gears of War Judgement, 8/10
So last weekend me and my friend decided to continue our Gears series playthrough in the form of Judgement and man something about this game still bugs me. I dunno if it's the tone, level design or the scoring system, but Judgement is just not as fun to play as the other ones.
12. Bloodborne: The Old Hunters, 9/10
Great addition to the main game. Cool bosses and areas. Orphan can go fuck himself, hardest boss in the game by far.
13. Bloodborne, 10/10
Finished it for the first time and I must admit, it's an all-time classic. I just love how the game plays and feels. Definitely one of the most intense and rewarding gaming experiences I've ever had.
14. Dragonball FighterZ, 9/10
I beat the story mode again, just for fun (yes, the story is still crap, thank god you can skip cutscenes). For a longtime DB fan, this game is just perfect. It's simple, smooth and fun, one of the best looking games I've ever played as well.
15. Astral Chain, 8/10
I was mostly in it for the combat, didn't really enjoy the other gameplay styles. Story and world were pretty interesting, loved the OST!
16. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, 9/10
I fucking loved this game, never played the original. It's just so cute and compact. Some of the bosses were kinda pushovers, but who cares, it was just too much fun.
17. Bayonetta 2, 9/10
What can I say, game was great. I think it's better than the first game in almost every way. Less bs quick-time events and more streamlined level design.
18. Mega Man X5, 7/10
Kinda boring after X4, which is a game I really liked. Still a decent entry in the series.
19. Gears of War 4, 8/10
Finally tackled this one with a buddy. It was surprisingly good. Gameplay is so much smoother than in the 360 games. Story is kinda like Force Awakens, but whatever, I don't play Gears for its story.
20. South Park : The Fractured but Whole, 8/10
Funny as fuck, the difficulty selection screen in the beginning made me almost piss my pants. Gameplay felt kinda repetitive, but writing was excellent. I haven't watched SP in years, but after playing this one, I definitely feel like I should start watching again.
21. BlazBlue: Central Fiction, 8/10
I played BB: CT and CS back in the 360 days and wanted to see what had changed. Not much, as it turns out. The game still plays like the BB I remembered. It's funny, mechanically I've always liked BB over GG, but GG definitely beats BB in style (who doesn't love the rock/metal theme). Out of the new characters I tried, I only really liked the boxer dude with the rekkas. Solid stuff, too bad game's been dead for awhile.
22. Under Night In-Birth EXE:Late[st], 8/10
Never played this series (?) before, saw it in the EVO lineup, so decided to give it a go. It's good. I really like the simple button layout and the fact that the combat is a bit more grounded compared to some of the other weeb fighters. Graphically it isn't very impressive, but I found a bunch of fun characters to play, so doesn't really matter to me. What is up with the name?
23. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, 7/10
This must be the simplest fighter I've ever played, still, it's so cool! It's nice to see Ragna, Hyde and those Persona characters duke it out. Ruby is my favorite character so far, don't know which game she's from. EDIT: played this with a friend, battle system isn't as fun as I initally thought.
24. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, 9/10
25. God of War (2018), 9/10
Holy crap this game was good. I always thought the OG God of Wars were super overrated, but this game is something else. It's gorgeous, it plays great and the story hits you right in the feels. Only reason why this one doesn't get a 10 is, because the game was kinda lacking in the boss department. I just wanted to fight big T and his dad... There was also some needless backtracking!
26. Gears 5, 8/10
Aaaand our Gears series playthrough finally comes to a close. Level design is definitely a step in the right direction with maps being more open etc. Gunplay hasn't evolved too much, it's still the same old duck and shoot type of deal. Jack's abilities were a nice addition to the player's toolkit. Definitely a solid entry overall.
27. Yakuza 0, 9/10
Wow what a game. I didn't expect much going into the series, but this one totally blew me away. Story is one of the greatest I've ever got to experience in a video game. At times it was funny, at times it was sad and at times it was just epic. Total roller coaster ride. It's amazing how they were able to craft one of the best game stories around one simple real estate deal. And the game wasn't short either. Combat was kinda wonky, but fun. Will definitely get Yakuza Kiwami at some point.
28. Mass Effect 2, 10/10
This game is still one of the best ever. Started a new male infiltrator using Genesis and did basically all the major missions and dlc. Will do ME3 with this char at some point as well
29. Ori and the Will of the Wisps, 8/10
Great follow up to the first game. There are definitely some technical issues with the X version, but they don't hinder the overall experience too much. People who enjoyed number uno, get this!
30. Mass Effect 3, 10/10
I don't care what people say, this game is effing great. Extended cut + Leviathan made the ending way more logical from a lore point of view. Also, ME3 combat system is still one of the best ever created. I actually spent hundreds of hours playing the multiplayer back in the day.
31. Super Mario Bros, 9/10
This game is still a classic. Tight controls and level design. Fun to speedrun!
32. Super Mario Bros. 3, 10/10
My fav NES game of all time. I think I've beaten SMB3 like a 100 times at this point, still it's so much fun.
33. Super Mario World, 10/10
Just like SMB3, it's absolutely amazing for its time.
34. Persona 5, 10/10
P5 is the best JRPG I've ever played, I realized it almost instantly after the credits started rolling. I just can't get over how much I love the style and music of this game. Shoji Meguro's work on the soundtrack is just phenomenal. I got huge goosebumps every time 'Life Will Change' started playing and 'Beneath the Mask' will be my go to chill song for years to come! There was also the story, which was good stuff, to put it mildly.
35. Resident Evil 3 Remake, 9/10
Yeah the game is short and linear, but who cares, it's a blast to play. Dodging feels just amazing once you get the timing down. I actually went for the platinum, because I liked replaying the game so much. Final boss on Inferno has some of the most intense attack patterns I've ever seen in a Resident Evil game.
36. Resident Evil 4, 9/10
Not gonna lie, took me almost an hour to get used to the controls again, but after that, it was smooth sailing, mostly. Combat is still satisfying as ever. Still don't like Ashley though, game would have been better without her. Even with some shortcomings, memorable locations and enemies alone make RE4 a Classic/10.
37. Final Fantasy 7 Remake, 10/10
Took me around 30 hours to finish the story and all of the side missions and man, did this game deliver. I just can't believe how much fan service they managed to put in here for the fans of the original. My favorite moment by far, was the cutscene that plays in the auditorium of the Shinra building, it was truly eye candy of the highest order. The final chapter was also just batshit crazy and I loved every second of it. My only gripe with the game is that we're gonna have to wait another 4 years for the sequel if they intend to keep up with the quality...
38. Final Fantasy 7 (1997), 10/10
I wanted more FF7 after beating the remake, so I decided to revisit the original once again. Gameplay has definitely aged pretty poorly at times (some of the minigames, blurry backgrounds -> not knowing where you should go), but the story and characters are just timeless. FF7 OST is one of the best things ever created as well. I can't wait to see how some of those later events will look like in the next installment(s) of the Remake.
39. Final Fantasy 8 Remastered, 7/10
What a weird, but wonderful game. Liked the story, ost and some of the characters (mainly Squall and Rinoa). Edgiest of the edge meets quirky girl next door, 10/10 cringe right there. My favorite track from the OST is the airship song, super uplifting stuff.
My biggest gripes are with the battle system. I didn't like junctioning at all. Luckily there are cheats to speed up drawing and stuff, but menuing can still be a major pain in the ass, especially with forced party switches etc. Also, level scaling is dumb in single player rpgs. To me the whole point is to start out weak, but end up overpowered. You can kinda do it here, but it involves grinding in triple triad. Didn't really feel like doing that, didn't play gwent in W3 either.
40. Persona 4: Dancing All Night!, 7/10
Interesting rhythm game, liked it a lot. No brainer for fan of Persona music and rhythm games. Story seemed stupid, so I skipped most of the dialogue to get to the good parts.
41. Final Fantasy IX, 10/10
Beautiful story and game. I hope one day we'll get another Final Fantasy like this. Also, Vivi is seriously one of the best FF characters ever, he's just so lovable.
42. Street Fighter V, 9/10
Finally got a new arcade stick, so I've been playing a crap ton of arcade mode to get a feel for it. Arcade is by far my favorite thing about this game, still not a huge fan of online. Hopefully this corona crap ends at some point, so we can get local fight nights back rolling.
43. Final Fantasy X, 9/10
Bad: cloister puzzles, Tidus.
Good: everything else.
Final Battle managed to be pretty tricky even though I had Holy on both Yuna and Lulu and Auron was doing 9999 after an armor break. Took me around 35hrs to finish.
44. Devil May Cry 1, 9/10
What can I say, it's a classic. I forgot how OP DT was in this game, you can basically just mash triangle and destroy the spooder and Nelo Angelo every time.
45. Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike, 9/10
RESURRECTION!!!!! One of the best SF games.
46. Jedi Fallen Order, 9/10
Best Star Wars game in years. It has some graphical issues, but wielding a light saber has never felt this satisfying. Can't wait for the next game!
47. Final Fight, 8/10
It's a classic. Simplistic, but fun.
48. Tekken 7, 9/10
I'm not a big tekken guy, but this game is great. Redid the story stuff, because I just bough it on the PS4, steam version I've had for years.
49. Trials of Mana (remake), 9/10
Loooved the game, fuck metacritic. I got 2 stars on the save file for doing pretty much everything, I think.
50. Ultra Street Fighter IV, 10/10
I played a bunch of arcade mode to get a feel for my new stick. Best SF game of all time.
51. Resident Evil 5, 9/10
I did two playthroughs with my best friend, this game is still one of the best co-op experiences ever created.
52. Rayman Legends, 8/10
I really don't like rayman characters, but those music stages are pretty amazing. Solid platformer.
53. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, 10/10
I basically 100%'d spirit board, because it got so addicting, I never even tried the mode when the game came out, lol. One of the best games of all time, there's just too much good stuff in here.
54. Picross S3, 8/10
It's picross.
55. Borderlands 3, 9/10
Finally got around to playing BL3. I must say, gameplay wise it's the best one in the series. Pretty much everything looks and feels better than BL2 (didn't play pre-sequel), especially the boss fights. Some of them were just epic! One of the best parts about BL3 is also the fact that you don't get fucked in the ass as much if you're going in solo.
Writing feels way shittier for some reason, though. Jokes are more annoying than funny and the new villains are cringy as hell. Luckily you can turn down the volume and listen to a podcast instead.
56. Resident Evil 6, 7/10
Welp, beat all the campaigns with my best buddy and It's about as rough as I remembered. I really really like the game's combat and Leon's sexy new look, but the level design is just super inconsistent and weird. Those running sections especially are the worst kind of trial and error. Also, what the hell were they thinking with Chris's campaign, feels more like b-class Call of Duty than Resident Evil. Guilty pleasure/10.
57. Last of Us Remastered, 9/10
Still looks great, plays great. Love the story as well. Level design is by far my biggest gripe with the game. Constantly having to move boxes, ladders and shit gets tiring fast.
Oh and I also played the Left Behind dlc for the first time. It was alright.
58. Last of Us Part 2, 10/10
Biggest surprise of the year for me. Initially when I read the leaks, I thought I would hate this game, I even considered skipping it altogether. But, because of the universal praise among critics, I had to give it a go.
I absolutely love the combat and level design of this game. It's so well paced, I didn't have a single boring moment in my ~25 hour playthrough. Story is divisive to put it mildly, but in my opinion it works. Can't really say anything else about it without spoiling shit.
Visual and audio design are what put this into the GOAT category for me. Environments are some of the prettiest I've ever seen and the gore is unreal. Shotgun blasts for example, totally fuck up the person that's on the receiving end. Mangled bodies and agonizing screams. Most importantly, shooting somebody in the dick feels better than ever
This game is the definitive murder simulator right now.
59. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, 9/10
This game was awesome and I'm not even too familiar with the source material, aside from a few youtube clips of "Omae wa mou shindeiru". Would recommend to any fan of Yakuza, it's epic anime shit from start to finish.
60. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, 7/10
I'm a huge MCU fan, so I kinda got a kick out of this, even though it suffers from a plethora of issues. For example the camera is just ass when you're playing with 3+ people. Graphics don't look too hot either. Still, it's a lot of fun if you have friends to play with, who enjoy Marvel stuff.
61. Resident Evil Revelations 2, 8/10
It is a pretty good co-op game, but for a solo player Revelations 1 is sooooo much better. How you end up with different endings is also really weird. Raid mode is sick though, much better than mercenaries.
62. Streets of Rage 4, 9/10
Now this is a video game. I love the old Streets or Rage games and this is a really faithful follow up. Looks gorgeous, plays great. I have no major complaints.
63. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, 9/10
Wow, this was way better than Origin, which is the only other Ys game I've played. Story was surprisingly interesting, same thing with characters. Combat is fast and fun of course. OST is just killer! So many great songs that get you pumped up for monster slaying. There is also a crazy amount of side stuff you can do if you're into that sort of stuff. Great game.
64. Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, 9/10
It's gwent with an interesting story and cool side activities. Good stuff. Looks pretty as well!
65. Ghost of Tsushima, 9/10
I gotta admit, this game has a lot of flaws. Its gameplay loop is kinda repetitive, dialogue is boring most of the time and character animations can be super janky at times. Still, I really enjoyed the game. First of all, the environments are gorgeous, especially at night. This game has some of the best lighting I've ever seen in a video game. Second of all, the combat. It's a lot of fun and just complex enough to not get boring at any point in the game. Enjoyable ~35 hours for sure.
66. Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition, 9/10
I played this game over 10 years ago on the 360, it's still great, even though combat is a bit more brain dead than I remembered. There's also quite a bit of padding at times. Still, the lovable cast of characters and world building more than make up for the the game's shortcomings.
67. Yakuza Kiwami, 9/10
Feels like a good expansion to Yakuza 0. It's Yakuza, it's awesome.
68. Crash Bandicoot, 9/10
It's weird, the more I play Crash, the more I appreciate it. Classic.
69. Catherine: Full Body, 10/10
Fitting number, lol. This game is my guilty pleasure. I beat it a bunch of times on the 360 when it came out and now I'm hooked once again. Unique gem.