PART 1
III - Doom (PS4)
Doom is absolutely not a return to the gameplay of the original DOS titles, but that’s alright because it’s still a great game in its own right even if it doesn’t quite live up to its lofty ancestry. What Doom offers is action that presses the player to never stop moving or shooting, and preferably to keep doing both. The melee kills, originally a cause for concern for me and many others, integrate into the gameplay very well, especially the chainsaw which acts as a great tool for gathering ammo or killing off a single, powerful enemy, but with a very limited fuel supply. The game’s upgrade system and weapon customization offers some variety without being needlessly complex.
The soundtrack works very well for the game’s pace and tone, and it may well be the best looking console game this year (and manages to run at 60fps to boot!). If the presentation had a weak point, it would be in the sound effects, which are not always as satisfying as they should be. Post-launch support in the form of a number of improvements, both for aesthetics and gameplay, and the addition of a fun, score-attack gameplay mode, boost this already awesome game just a bit higher.
II - Dark Souls III (PS4)
So much praise has been lavished on the Souls games at this point there’s hardly much left to be said about them. But From Software still manages to find its way near the top of my list for their most recent entry. I will I didn’t find it to be quite as great as last year’s mindblowing offering in the form of Bloodborne, it’s nonetheless a superb title and a continued refinement to their formula in many ways. Its greatest feat might be its boss fights, of which there are very few that feel weak. They rank as some of the most visually impressive and mechanically fun that the series has yet to offer.
The game does feel a little bit skimpy on content in comparison to some other games, and the absence of the Chalice Dungeons from Bloodborne was sorely felt by myself, who is one of the few who loved them. Combat remains extremely satisfying, though some bizarre weapon balance makes the game feel as though it could use another pass over to fine tune the numbers game.
I - Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate (Vita)
A classical roguelike in the spirit of Rogue, Nethack and similar games, the most recent offering from Shiren strays a bit from its roots, but nonetheless continues to offer up some of the best, most fun dungeon-crawling a roguelike fan could ask for. The game’s main campaign, while fun in its own right, feels just a bit too easy and focuses a little too much on story, party members and strays from its roguelike roots in a lot of ways. If it were to be judged on that alone, it would still make this list, but fall considerably lower. However, the true strength of the title is to be found in its side and postgame content.
Outside of the primary dungeon, which will see the player traversing floors as they try to reach the top of the titular Tower of Fortune, the game boasts a huge number of bonus dungeons to be enjoyed, each with their own unique gimmick. A dungeon in which there are no healing items, or in which only certain weapons can be used, And best of all a true roguelike dungeon in the classical style, featuring 100 floors for the player to fight their way through, in which nearly every item needs to be identified with either a scroll or by testing its effect. In many ways the main game could be called the tutorial for these unlockable dungeons. Dozens and dozens of hours of fantastic, dungeon crawling content are on offer for anyone that wants to challenge them all. And there’s even more than 100 puzzles using the game’s mechanics, as well as a minesweeper-style minigame of all things if that wasn’t enough.
The actual dungeon crawling in Shiren is based primarily around the player’s inventory and how they use it. There are many, many enemy types nearly all with their own unique abilities and effects, and it's up to the player to learn what they’re capable of and figure out just what they have on hand to fight back. While it will be easy enough to just whack away at enemies with what weapon they have on hand in the early dungeons, they’ll soon find the strength and abilities of monsters are too great to tackle head on, and need to use their wits and their items to get out of each floor alive. Shiren is always prompting the player to think tactically, to consider their options, their environment, and to use any means they have available survive. There’s no being stingy here, as in true roguelike fashion death means starting all over again.
Honorable Mentions
- Final Fantasy XV (PS4)
I originally thought this game might find its way into my top 10, but ultimately the more I played the more shallow and empty the combat revealed itself to be, even if it did feel good when things went right. It was a beautiful game with a likeable cast and great music, but ultimately there were too many times I found myself not having fun for it to make the list.
- Street Fighter V (PS4)
- Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator- (PS4)
I am not a fighting game player by nature, in fact I hardly ever play any multiplayer games. But I still had a very fun time with both these titles, both playing with friends and in solo play. Their story modes were enjoyable for what they were, and Guilty Gear especially gets bonus points for its astounding art style.
- Dead Rising
- Resident Evil 4
- Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Rereleases of amazing games that I loved. I didn’t play their newest versions though, and would prefer to keep my list to games that I played for the first time this year anyway even if I did.
Bonus: The Games I Wish I Had Played This Year
XCOM 2, The Last Guardian, SMT IV: Apocalypse, Titanfall 2, Darkest Dungeon, The Banner Saga, and probably many more I don't remember
Final Tally
1. Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate ; Superbly satisfying traditional roguelike, boasting beautiful production values to accompany its finely tuned gameplay, and a wealth of content to keep one playing for hours on end.
2. Dark Souls III ; From Software continues its trend of producing amazing action rpgs on a yearly basis. While Dark Souls 3 didn’t wow me as much as their previous offering Bloodborne, falling short of that lofty goal still puts it in the upper stratum of releases this year. Features some of the best boss fights in the franchise.
3. Doom ; Not the return to old-school fps gameplay some guessed or claimed it would be, but still a fantastically fun game in its own right, and with some great post-launch support that elevates it just a little bit higher.
4. Enter the Gungeon ; Marries finely crafted top-down shooter gameplay with explosive visuals to create something that feels as good to play as it looks. Boasts a massive assortment of weapons with varying properties, though it feels as if it’s a little reluctant to let the player get their hands on them.
5. Let it Die ; A complete surprise, but a welcome one. Takes a fairly basic action rpg combat system, but a progression structure that is rife with tension and satisfaction. The soundtrack is amazingly ambitious, but perhaps not used to its fullest potential.
6. Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest ; The story is a wash, but the game redesigns Awakening’s messy, imbalanced systems into brilliant additions to the tactical gameplay, and boasts level design that put them to good use.
7. Salt and Sanctuary ; A sidescrolling action rpg that boasts a pretty fun combat system and level design that is creative and engaging. Suffers from a progression system that feels somewhat needlessly complicated, and highly imbalanced.
8. Pokémon Sun/Moon ; Brings a number of fresh ideas to the tried and true Pokemon formula, whilst also managing to be fairly challenging in a number of places. Dragged down slightly by the fact that the story, while interesting in its own right, could have been told with about half as much dialogue.
9. The Silver Case ; Essentially a visual novel with extremely light puzzle elements. An excavated relic from the highly experimental days of PS1 development. Features an ultra-stylish 90s Japan aesthetic coupled with a story that’s as intriguing as it is bizarre. Has a slow start.
10. Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir ; Takes the wholly unsatisfying gameplay from the original and refocuses it into something that, while still suffering from some repetition, offers engaging enough mechanics to be fun to play, whilst retaining its high quality art design.
x. Final Fantasy XV ; Fun characters and world, held back by shallow gameplay and boring segments.
x. Street Fighter V ; Lot of fun with friends, but I'm just not much for fighting games it seems.
x. Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator ; Same as above, but with a gorgeous art style.
