goldlink44

[goldlink44]

Top 10 Games of 2016

Wow, what a great year for games (and not much else…). Seriously, though, 2016 produced some of the most fun gaming experiences that I’ve ever had. There was emotional wrenching, arcadey shooters, and games that put a smile on my face throughout their duration. I didn’t think that I was going to compile a list of my top ten games, as I wasn’t sure that there were 10 games that I could expound upon. But upon reflection, I found quite a few that I remember very fondly.

That said, there were also a bunch of games that won’t make the list for various reasons. Her Story and Until Dawn came out last year, but are both very very good for what they seek to accomplish.

I don’t own Hyper Light Drifter or Thumper, but they both look amazing and I can’t wait to play them in 2017.

I bought Inside, Oxenfree, Dishonored 2, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but haven’t put much time into any of them for me to have any strong feelings that I could back up.

Rimworld is still in early access, but shows some of the most promise I’ve seen in an indie game in years.

Orwell narrowly missed the list, but it is amazing in its own right. It’s a lot like one of my other favourite games from recent years, Papers, Please! but uses social media as its interface, and makes it fun to investigate potential law breakers. You can see my full review of it here. 

And so, without further adieu, here’s my Top Ten Games of 2016!

10. Battlefield 1

I learned all about the atrocities that occurred from 1914-1918 when I travelled with my family to The Netherlands and Belgium on a cycling trip that literally took us through the Western Front. It was humbling to see how, 100 years later, the land and the people never forget the seemingly pointless orders sending millions of men to their graves. I gained an appreciation, not only for the soldiers and support personnel that occupied that area of Europe during WWI, but also for the beauty of the land that was torn asunder from the battles.

Returning home weeks before BF1’s release, I was anticipating reviews, knowing that DICE can render fantastic environments and realistic war scenery. Most people were positive on the game pre-release, so I picked up a copy, and was not disappointed. The game is gorgeous, nailing the scenery of what I had seen first-hand, and depicting other fronts of the war in stunning detail. The campaign is incredibly well handled, showcasing the human stories behind the war, never glorifying or over exaggerating the heroics of the soldiers, but insisting that there was a great loss of humanity in The Great War. It’s emotionally on-point, and much better than I ever expected.

In any other year, I most likely would have passed over Battlefield 1, but given my trip to Europe, and the care with which DICE handles the story telling, it definitely makes my list of recommended games this year.

9. Overcooked!

While I may not have played hours upon hours of this co-op cooking game, the time I have spent with it has been incredibly entertaining. Anyone who has played Space Team in the past knows the mayhem that happens while trying to coordinate yourself and three other friends into executing on multiple goals at the same time. Throw this framework into a “too many cooks in the kitchen” premise, and it becomes a fun, delicious adventure that never gets stale.

Made by the team behind the Worms games, Overcooked! has a delightful art style and charming sense of humour that reduces the chance of getting bored with it. That, and each level has different mechanics that keep players on their toes, never letting them rest on their laurels and keep learning and moving to progress.

If I had 3 other friends always at the ready, I would definitely play Overcooked! every chance I got. Alas, I have enjoyed my extended bursts with the game, and can’t wait to get back in their and make some delicious soups.

8. Stardew Valley

While some people may spend their down time trying to relax by reading a book or watching a TV show, I found myself diving into Stardew Valley to destress. In its simplest terms, Stardew is a farming simulator that lets players crawl through dungeons and interact with fellow villagers, to almost simulate a second life (not in that creepy way though…). While this may not sound like everyone’s version of fun, Stardew Valley has such a delicate craft to it that everything feels good and rewarding to do. The kicker: it was made entirely by one person.

The premise revolves around you, the player character (customized any way you want, of course), inheriting your grandfather’s farm in Stardew Valley when you’ve grown tired of the hustle and bustle of working in the city. You hop on a bus and learn the basics of farming and slowly get acquainted with everyone in town.

From there, there’s not too much else to say, as there are so many different options available that it’s nearly impossible for two players to have the same experience. It’s surprisingly relaxing to plant and harvest, fight monsters, and woo potential dates. Checking off tasks feels great, and the music provides a soothing tone to everything. While it may not be for everyone, and I haven’t spent the hundreds of hours playing it that others have, I can’t wait to dive back in on chill weekends and vicariously put my digital life in order to help me deal with my IRL problems.

7. Hitman

Another game that I wish I had spent more time playing this year was IO interactive’s episodic Hitman. I watched a LOT of people playing Hitman, most notably Giant Bomb’s various escapdes with it, but only recently purchased it myself. From what I have played, I really, really like it. So far, I’ve only gotten to two of the available six missions, but I’ve replayed them both several times, trying to master each assassination mission.

The set up isn’t very complex: you are an expert hitman, contracted out to assassinate dangerous targets. The gameplay itself though has a ridiculous comedy to it, that allows players to do nearly anything imaginable to accomplish their tasks. Beat them over the head with a golf club? Sure. Two-hand toss a fire extinguisher into their head? You got it. Sneak up behind, choke them out, and toss them off a bridge? Child’s play.

It may sound like incredibly poor taste to casually mention such gruesome methods of killing, but given the vast amount of murder simulators that inhabit the video game space, Hitman holds a special place for its use of comedy. While many games try to evoke a serious tone, or real repercussions for killing, Hitman knows exactly what it is, and accounts for the uncanny valley aspects inherent in video games. It leans into the silly ways of killing, and rewards players for their creativity. Again, it’s hard to get a handle on why this game works just by reading words, or even by watching it. The magic is only truly woven over those who play it themselves, and even as I type, I’m trying to allocate my upcoming Hitman time. If none of this has convinced you, perhaps this might. 

6. SUPERHOT

When I first heard about this game several years ago, it pretty much consisted of one mechanic: time moves when you move. I watched the demo, chuckled to myself, and hoped that the developers didn’t take their neat trick too seriously. Cut to this year, when SUPERHOT was finally released. I had almost forgotten about it, but the distinctive glass-like art style brought back memories of the cool mechanic, and again, I hoped that the game was able to improve on this simple-but-brilliant idea.

They did not disappoint.

I only played through all of SUPERHOT near the very end of 2016, but it was well worth the wait. The level design and player controls all lent to the feeling of playing like some sort of god. The narrative wrapper is also perfectly messed-up and suits this god-like feeling quite well. To fully immerse yourself in the game is to intuit where and when to shoot, throw your weapons, and move so that all of your split-second planning pays off. In total, the game took me about 3 hours, with an insanely difficult final level that outs all of your skills to the test, and succeeds on the initial promise in a way that I never imagined possible. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, and rewards those who stay with it all the way. I loved it. It’s the most innovative shooter I’ve played in years.

5. The Witness

How do I sum up my thoughts on The Witness? For starters, I haven’t finished it yet, and feel like if I were to go back to it, I’d have to start all over again. That said, my time with it felt like school, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Playing Jonathan Blow’s previous game, Braid, hurt my head, but had a touching story that kept me going. With The Witness, there’s not much of a “story” but what fuelled my need to play it was the satisfaction of playing the game. Which is ridiculous when the game is basically just made up of hundreds or thousands of line puzzles. The puzzles start out simple enough, asking players to snake their way through mazes, creating lines in certain patterns that can’t cross over each other. Progressively, the game adds more and more elements to the puzzles, slowly training the player to think in different ways. It never prompts or looks down on you, but instead has an attitude of, “You can do it, just keep going.” There is no praise other than progression, but let me tell you, solving some of the more challenging puzzles makes you feel like the smartest motherfucker on the planet.

I should also mention that I played this with my girlfriend, Rosalie, passing the controller back and forth when we conquered a section, or got stumped by a puzzle. This definitely reduced the frustration, as getting a fresh pair of eyes didn’t let us bash our heads against a wall for too long. It’s hard to describe The Witness as “fun”, but it is beautiful and engaging, and never makes it too easy. The puzzles all build off of each other in such intricate ways, that there are too many “Eureka!” moments to count, all of which feel better than the last. There was definitely a lot of frustration with it too, but when I think back on it, all I can remember is the feeling of solving a puzzle, and feeling like I could conquer the whole damn island. It’s a different kind of pleasure than I normally experience in games, and in some ways, more potent than any other I’ve felt. Overall, it’s great.

4. Destiny: Rise of Iron

This is the third year that I’ve been playing Destiny, and I must admit, I think I’m a lifer. After being disappointed with its original release in 2014 (as seen in my Top Ten of 2014 list), The Taken King expansion from 2015 changed a lot of what I didn’t like about the game, and made it incredibly addictive. Combine that with a group of friends that I can consistently play with, and Destiny was the game I would usually fire up in 2016. To date, I’ve played 444 hours of Destiny since its release. It’s a fantastic game, made better with teammates.

2016’s expansion Rise of Iron was conceived as a way to tide fans over while Destiny 2 got delayed, and unfortunately, it shows. Don’t get me wrong, I loved a lot about getting more content for Destiny, but I feel like I went through it fairly quickly, and didn’t feel the need to keep going the way I did with The Taken King.

That all said, I still loved my time with it. The raid, Wrath of the Machine, is excellent, and the new crucible mode, supremacy, is a ton of fun for my main class and weapon load out - Shotgun Titan. The story was a bit of a let down, but I still enjoyed it. While this particular expansion wasn’t my favourite, Destiny solidified itself in my heart as a game that I will always return to. The shooting feels incredible, and the thrill of raiding is unlike any other experience I’ve had in games. I can’t wait for more content, and to see what else I can do with an already solid base. Here’s hoping Destiny 2 is 2017’s GOTY!

3. Overwatch

I was very late to the party on this game, and never played the betas. I’ve never been great at online multiplayer shooters. I even thought that I had my all-time-shooter in Destiny, but when I finally got my hands on Overwatch during a free weekend in October, I pulled the trigger (nice) and have loved every second that I’ve spent with it so far. Like Destiny, Overwatch is better with friends, as you casually shoot the shit while you shoot the shit (read: opposing team). Each character is unique, and I can play a variety of different ways that I never thought I would enjoy.

There’s been a lot said and hyperbolized about Overwatch, but I honestly think it deserves it. Like a lot of Blizzard’s past games, it perfects a formula, and adds a level of polish that makes everything feel accessible. I could go on and on about specific things to love, but it won’t make sense until you get your own hands on it. It’s fun, fast, and rewarding in the best ways - literally. It only shows positive accomplishments at the end of every match. The K/D ratio isn’t displayed, as killing n00bs isn’t the point. It’s about working together and having fun. To prove my point, I usually play as Reinhardt and don’t get many kills in each game, but I always feel valuable.

For changing my perception of competitive shooters, and for providing so many ways to play, Overwatch has earned a spot in my top 3, despite only playing it for 2 months of the year.

2. Firewatch

When I first heard about Firewatch, I knew that some of the guys behind the Idle Thumbs Podcast and The Walking Dead Season 1 were working on it. As I had been working my way through the Giant Bombcast, Idle Thumbs seemed like the obvious next choice for gaming podcasts. I resolved myself to try and listen to as much of it as I could before Firewatch’s release, so that I could better understand its creators (I guess). I was also a big fan of Olly Moss’s art for movie and game posters, and after listening to hours and hours of Idle Thumbs, I was brimming with anticipation for the release of the game.

When it finally came out on February 9th, 2016, I got home from my closing shift at Starbucks around 11pm. I waited for my girlfriend to fall asleep, and dove in around midnight. From there, i played through the whole thing in one sitting, finishing around 4:30am. My drive to do this was fueled by many things: 1) I loved the atmosphere and the music 2) I was on the edge of my seat, eagerly anticipating what would come next and 3) I was afraid that if I waited to finish it, I would miss something, or the tension would be lost.

My experience with Firewatch is very personal and unique, and I understand people’s resistance to its ending, or some of the tension that is built up throughout the game. For me, it is a fantastic story, full of relatable themes and story beats that pulls on my heart strings in so many ways. By the end, I was an emotional wreck, and I couldn’t have asked for more from such a tight, beautiful experience. I’m grateful to have learned about Idle Thumbs in the process, and will always recommend this game to people who enjoy a good story.

I also ended up playing through this with my friend Alex as part of my 24 hour live stream benefitting pancreas cancer research in November. You can watch it here: Part 1 Part 2

1. DOOM

Video games are supposed to be fun, right? If I had to picture myself as a third party, observing Chris Townley playing video games in 2016, I would have to definitively say that he had the most fun playing DOOM this year. Why? Because the majority of my time with it was spent with a big dumb grin on my face, giggling to myself as I bounced around and plowed through monsters. From the opening 5 minutes of DOOM, I knew that it was going to be an experience that I would treasure forever.

Growing up, we always had Apple computers with very few games on them. It was always a treat when my dad would bring home his laptop with a copy of Doom on it that I could mess around with. I might not have spent a large part of my childhood gaming time with Doom, but it is seared into my heart as a treasured memory. For example, my ringtone for the past 3 years has been the theme for 1-1.

Hearing that a new Doom game was coming out, I dove into nostalgia, and eagerly anticipated playing it, even if I thought it would be bad. Prodded by this interest, I picked up a copy of Masters of Doom by Dave Kushner, a book about the early days of id Software. It’s an incredible book, and one that I think most gamers should read. It also pumped me up for a new Doom. Just to swim around in familiar demonic territory would be good enough for me.

When it was announced that no review outlets had gotten a copy of it before release, I was skeptical but still hopeful. I didn’t play the multiplayer beta, because I knew that wasn’t where I was going to spend my time with it. When the reviews finally started flooding in, everyone raved about the single player. Shortly after, I spent the full price of $80 CAD to play it. I don’t regret it one bit, even though the game has had dozens of sale offerings since then.

Why do I like it so much? It’s dumb and it’s fun and it knows what it is. The original premise for Doom was along the lines of, you shoot demons, and you’re badass. DOOM (2016) keeps this theme alive, along with the speed and ridiculous humour that made the first game so fun. This is especially amazing considering only one person from the original team worked on the new one. It looks gorgeous, the music is perfect, and the mechanics urge you forward, punching and shooting through demons in sprays of blood and guts.

I could go on and on about how much there is to love about DOOM, but perhaps I will sum it up this way: after 11 hours of gameplay, and nearing the final mission, my save was corrupted and I lost everything. I’m not even mad, because I know I get to play through it all over again. Maybe this hyperbole will colour your version of DOOM, but for me, it was the best game I played in 2016.

[goldlink44]

Desire

In an age when cords are archaic and tedious, there are wires around my city: communication in the form of a barrelling, noisy menace.

There are scars on the streets from Toronto's adolescence; carvings throughout its surface remind us of our mistakes.

Like a crackhead's trolley car, the red boxes whisk undesirables and ne’er-do-wells from vice to vice.

At night time, the little lanterns racing around the city’s wires appear as sneers.

And in the morning, our phone-glued friends crawl out of their holes, to miss the scars, the punks, and the wires.

We ignore our environment in hopes that we can get out of the outdoors and Tetris yourself into a box.

Like Russain dolls, we progressively delve into further boxes to grind out a bit of reward.

And isn’t it weird that I find it all quite pretty?

- Chris Townley

[goldlink44]

Chris' Top 10 Games of 2014!

Well, there’s no good reason for me to be doing this. I’m not a journalist or involved with games, so who’s going to listen to me? It's 2015 now, dammit, who the hell cares?

In all honesty, this was more of an exercise in writing reviews, and ranking my personal tastes with regards to video games. That and, well, I wanted to revisit what I loved about games from 2014 instead of being bummed at the year’s lacklustre quality overall.

I should note that there are games that I played, but didn’t finish from this year like Valiant Hearts: The Great War and Dragon Age Inquisition that, while I enjoyed, I didn’t play enough of to warrant them a spot on the list. Honourable mentions go to (aside from those already listed): Gunpoint, Dark Souls, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Shovel Knight, and Crossy Road. Well done! You are games that I have heard are awesome, but have yet to play enough of! See you in 2015 (hopefully).

Full disclosure: there will be games from years previous on this list. While these are games that came out before 2014, I only played them for the first time this year, and am incredibly happy I did. That said, I did play the remastered version of The Last of Us this year as well, which will not be appearing on this list because, well, it’s too damn good. No other game could (in my opinion) compete with how perfect the Last of Us is to begin with, let alone a 1080p/60fps rendering that includes the DLC, Left Behind, and more stuff for multiplayer. The Last of Us is one of the best games of all time. It never drops its incredible tone or ability to tell a story. It is (so far) the pinnacle of film-like games, and therefore I have deemed it unfair for it to compete among these other games, great as they are. That said, do yourself a favour: go play it. If you have a PS4, get the remastered version. It’s incredible. And now, on with the games!

11. Destiny - PS4

I spent probably the most amount of time with Destiny out of every other game this year, but I can’t put it in my top 10. It’s super fun to play, but fuck that game. Critiques of it are plentiful and expressed by many video game journalists better than I could ever do, so I won’t go into all of it’s flaws here. I just wanted to mention it, give it its praise and recognition for the fun I had with it, but I can’t in good conscience recommend anyone buy it. I feel ripped off devoting as much time and money as I did on that game, and I’ll probably keep playing it next year too. C’est la vie.

10. Fez - PS4

No other game this year made me want to go spend time with it more than Fez. The music is brilliant, the art is gorgeous, and exploring every side to stuff at random is just too much fun. The reason this game is at the bottom of the list instead of the top is because, well, it came out two years ago. There are plenty of games from years prior on my list, but Fez is the one game that I feel like I came to too late. I want to be exploring the game with the world for the first time, but I know that’s impossible: everything has pretty much already been solved. That and Phil Fish has gone bananas, to the point of actually affecting how I enjoy Fez. All of that said though, it’s a damn good game. I can’t rank it any higher, unfortunately, due to my tentativeness to finish it (or even get really deep into the secrets), but I definitely recommend it as a game to play for anyone.

9. Mario Kart 8 - WiiU

Mario Kart 8 is an amazing game with lots of colour and chaotic fun that looks and feels exactly like an HD trip to the Mushroom Kingdom should be (my GOTY last year was 3D world, so of course I’d like this, right?). It incorporates a lot of the mechanics from Mario Kart 7 that really made that game click as an evolution on the series, but given better gamepad options than the 3DS (pro controller/WiiU Gamepad), the game feels smoother and comfortably weighty compared to its predecessors. I spent a lot of time playing by myself, with friends, and online, so this might be my multiplayer GOTY, but it’s also the game that I felt burnt out on the most. My only knock against it might not be a criticism for some, but the game often feels too much like other Mario Karts for me to really enjoy it as a new game. I love it to death, but it has the same flaws as mostly every other Mario Kart game, which ultimately leads to me declaring it fucking bullshit after 45 minutes.

8. Transistor - PS4

Transistor was the second game I owned for my PS4, and I loved every super stylized little detail. The atmosphere is incredibly cool, if a little difficult to parse, and the music is brilliant (Supergiant!), but for some reason I wasn’t fully hooked by this game enough to finish it. I mean, I loved playing it for the time that I did, but going back to it after taking a break to play any other game is a little bit like swimming through jello; you have a basic idea of how to do it, but it doesn’t become awesome until you figure out how to cut through it quickly while still savouring just enough to enjoy the experience. The personality of the sword, and the incorporation of it in the controller are definitely the most charming things about the game, and Red’s silence allows for an interesting method of delivery for the story. I will need to play much more of it for it to move further up my list. I sincerely want to finish it, but more than any other game this year, Transistor feels like it should be completed in as little time as possible so that you can remember and engage with he story properly.

7. Papers Please! - Steam

I know this came out last year, but I only played it for the first time this January (this’ll happen a lot on this list. I know, I’m lazy). Man. How to describe this game to people who haven’t played it. If you have played it, you probably understand what I mean when I say it’s fun, until you realize what it is you are doing. It makes a game out of bureaucracy and border patrol. Seemingly a boring-as-fuck premise (gameplay wise), it’s actually incredibly addictive and depressing at the same time. However, the story and the adventure and the numerous options to take down the plot tree make it amazingly replayable. Living in Canada, I’ve never been exposed to anything close to a war, or any of its repercussions that are so horrifyingly rendered in this game: it may not look real, but your actions and the atmosphere of the game crawl up your spine, even days after playing.

It’s definitely not for everyone though; I often had to walk away from it just because I’d worn myself out trying to be perfectly bureaucratic. The gameplay is tied incredibly well to the concept in a way that makes this game like art: divisive, but beautiful for those who appreciate the execution of the basic mechanic. It’s a game I can see myself returning to it in years to come, and it’ll probably remain one of my favourite experiences, but it, like Mario Kart, drains my energy in a way that makes me walk away from it more than other games on this list. In a good way.

6. Gone Home - Steam

I was angry at this game when I first played it. Or rather, I was angry at my own stupidity for spoiling the ending for myself before playing the last 20 minutes. The conclusion of this game, though, isn’t what makes it one of my favourite games of the year. It’s the childish exploration: the feeling of being left alone to search through every ghost that haunts your house. A lot of games have lost what makes Gone Home so brilliant: the act of discovery is more important than the discovery itself. That’s why Link’s chest opening animation is so long: because the developers realized that drawn out, well-earned satisfaction is better than grinding for rewards (fuck you, Destiny). Gone Home is a story that is perfectly told in a video game. It’s not an amazingly, brand new story, but it feels fresh and personal every time I boot it up. Every room I entered, I couldn't wait to find every secret available. I didn’t of course, because my curiosity for the other rooms eventually won out. It’s not a perfectly crafted game, but god damn if I didn’t completely forget that I wasn’t playing a game more than once. Gone Home, you are probably my favourite intimate experience with a game this year, but it’s almost too short for it to be a top tiered contender. That said, everyone needs to play this game if you aren’t into the crazy amount of shooters/violence driven games on the market.

5. Wolfenstein: The New Order - PS4

Wow. Just… wow. This was the game I bought with my PS4. And I was completely shocked at how well done it was. Wolfenstein? Really?! Probably the stupidest possible name for a long standing franchise on the market, but oh man did I love this story. Every twist I giggled like a little girl before diving in and shooting the shit out of some Nazis. Having never played a Wolfenstein game before, these characters were all already new to me, but the emotional depth to each one is surprising for a shooter, not just Wolfenstein. The game obviously isn’t perfect, but it’s probably the best FPS story I’ve encountered since a Halo game. It’s emotionally gripping and delightfully, viciously fun. The execution animations are brilliant. The relationships are heart warming and heart breaking. It’s the best film-style game of 2014, meaning it’s well directed and paced in a way that let’s the drama of this hypothetical world sink in. Obviously, the cheese is there in full display, which I love, but there are moments that literally took my breath away with how grotesquely heart wrenching they were, even from the opening mission. It’s definitely a game I will remember fondly, even if some of it doesn’t land as well as the developers hoped. It’s a phenomenal next-gen shooter that never lagged or gave me a cause to restart (aside from my own stupidity). That alone should be reason enough to pick it up if you’re looking for an FPS for your PS4. Comfortably paced story telling, and satisfying Nazi deaths make Wolfenstein: The New Order a must-play for those who don’t need multiplayer to enjoy a first-person shooter.

4. A Link Between Worlds - 3DS

Of course Zelda had to make it on to this list, eh? It’s not just because this is the most recent Zelda game that makes it a top 10 contender, but the amount of care and fan service make this an unmissable game for fans of the series. I know, again, that this came out last year, but I honestly played the majority of it this year, and it’s definitely become one of my favourite Zelda games. The music, the overworld, and the controls all feel like A Link to the Past took the proper amount of vitamins and steroids to be updated for current game standards. What the game adds to the Legend of Zelda series (namely the wall merging mechanic and a main villain that is sympathetic and richly detailed) pushes the boundaries that seem to have lasted since Ocarina of Time. It’s not a game that indulges in its story or cinematics too much, but the majority of it (gameplay) is exactly what I want from a new Zelda. It’s fun and touching in all the ways that a Zelda game should be, but also forward thinking and experimental, giving me hope for the Wii U Zelda game that is coming soon. If nothing else, this game shows that Nintendo and Aonuma are thinking about how to extend. Incredibly fun to play, and a great start for the future of Zelda, but I didn’t find myself leaping at the New Game Plus option as much as I was in Wind Waker or even Skyward Sword. It’s still fun to play, even if it’s not infinitely replayable.

3. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor - PS4

Well, I love Assassin’s Creed, and I love Rocksteady’s Batman games, so obviously I like this one, right? Tolkien doesn’t really play into my love of this game because, well, the story just isn’t really meaningful (and somewhat insulting) in this game. However, it’s too much fucking fun to play. The combat is brilliant; the combos are fantastic; and the upgrades exponentially enhance your experience as you level up. It's sort of not fair how incredible this game is in its execution(s) of melee combat and open world parkour. It borrows heavily from previous open world/sandbox games, and uses the Lord of the Rings license to add a bit of depth to the world, but really its just the ultimate version (so far) of Assassin’s Creed movement and Batman combat that makes this game amazing. The characters suck. Nothing about the world building really makes me want to return to play it, other than this little thing called the nemesis system. Not only does Shadow of Mordor exemplify how an open world-action game should feel during exploration and combat, but it also adds a clever and dynamic AI setup that always makes it fun to parkour around and kill orcs, even if you’ve conscripted them onto your team. I honestly can’t say enough about how fun this game is to play, which is what games should be. If the story were better, I could see myself playing this game forever. It’s still fun to jump back in to to kill orcs and complete challenges, but I wasn’t wholly gripped by the world.

2. Fire Emblem: Awakening - 3DS

Yet another game from last year that I missed out on (foolishly). I can’t remember what it was specifically that made me drive to the store and pick up Fire Emblem, but, man, am I ever happy that I did. One of my favourite handheld games of all time is something completely new to me: I had never encountered Fire Emblem outside of Super Smash Brothers playable fighters. I didn’t really know what to expect except an RPG with a lot of history. Turns out I was only a tiny bit right. Fire Emblem: Awakening feels like three separate games mashed into one in a nice, seamless package. The cutscenes are gorgeous and well acted, the gameplay is strategic and incredibly easy to adjust to, and the character dialogue scenes are extremely well written and emotional. Separately, these different parts of the game could probably make it onto this list by themselves, but Awakening meshes them together so perfectly that “complete package” doesn’t feel adequate enough to describe it. The choices are seemingly endless, so personal involvement is a key feature to Fire Emblem’s charm. The player character is extremely interesting, and not just a pawn that runs the gauntlet of morality choices; there is actual history and depth to Robin beyond what you’re presented with for most of the game. That’s not to say that the personality is set in stone, but it does feel nice to play a character that can speak and think for themselves rather than a directionless, amoral badass who fights for no other purpose than it’s fun to do (I’m looking at you, Shadow of Mordor). The character interactions are tied to gameplay, but not in an annoyingly grinding way. Instead, your combat actions determine your relationships outside of the battlefield, which is incredibly satisfying. Overall, it’s a deep deep game on many levels. If you’re into RTS-type games, or different spins on the RPG, Fire Emblem is definitely worth it. Even if you don’t like those, and you just want another 3DS game, I’d highly recommend it.

1. Bayonetta 2 - WiiU

I never played Bayonetta before this year, and as such Bayonetta 2 was barely on my radar. It was more of a "oh sweet, a big budget Wii U game," impulse to buy it than a, "holy shit they cranked everything I love about video games and cranked it up to 11!" reaction. This game kicks you in the balls from the beginning, and doesn't let up.

It just keeps escalating.

I love it.

It feels so good to prance around screen and beat the fuck out of some baddie with rhythmic perfection. What makes this game click for me aside from the timing-based combo/dodge system, it's the camp. Oh god the camp. Nintendo did a marketing deal with Playboy for this game. Need I say more? Sex appeal aside, it's the playful nature of every aspect in Bayonetta that opens up this seemingly convoluted, confusing mess of a game into a fun, action filled, well, cartoon. It’s like a teenage boy drew up the plans for his my ideal game and then got a bunch of incredibly talented developers and devoted publishers to play along. Well done, everyone’s inner teenage boy!

While I had an amazing time playing every one of the games on this list and a lot that had to stay off, nothing kept me smiling more or rewarded my efforts in a way comparable to Bayonetta 2. It’s a game that I can see myself returning to fairly frequently in the future, trying to Pure Platinum every encounter (sort of like 5-starring every song in Guitar Hero; it requires that amount of patience and timing) or just unlocking every costume and watching every wonderfully stupid cutscene. I’m trying to restrain myself from getting into as much hyperbole as the game does to describe how enjoyable the experience of playing Bayonetta 2 is. It’s so god damn fun.

If you’re in to anime and/or over the top violence and sex appeal, Bayonetta 2 is a can’t miss.

So there you have it. I’ll try to post more reviews as I play games in 2015 if anyone’s interested. Or not. Just something I’m going to try to do.

[goldlink44]

Thoughts on the whole Jian Ghomeshi Thing

So, like many (or seemingly all) Canadians, I've done some thinking about this scandal that's been developing over the past week.

I'll take the time to preface this blog post to say that I wasn't really familiar with Jian Ghomeshi's work or his personality outside of being a Canadian celebrity, famous among the younger generation. That said, I don't think that he in particular is responsible for my current line of pondering. Perhaps you have pondered it too, Pinky.

There's been an incredible amount of social media and press media outcry that, at first seemed extremely divisive and hypothetical, hit a peak on Wednesday with the revelation of 8 more women who claim to have been abused without consent by Mr Ghomeshi. This seems to suggest that Jian is guilty and a sick bastard who has no place in society.

All aboard the hate train.

And I'm right there too. This is pretty despicable. I'm not sure how to put in to words what emotions I feel about this man who repeatedly abuses and hits women. It's disgusting.

But as we all know, Jian is not the only, or the worst offender of this terrible misogynistic violence that exists behind closed doors. So why are we all up in arms about this one guy?

Whenever one person is sidled with this much public hate, I tend to get anxious about whether or not he deserves it. In this case, yes, I do think he does deserve to be outed as an abuser of women. However, does he deserve to receive the entire collected assault of all of Canada's opinions on sexual abuse levelled against him? Well, no, not really.

First of all, the amount of voices that are coming forward is fantastic (assuming they are all true. At this point it seems fairly clear, but we can never be absolutely sure). Women finally feel safe enough to come forward to tell their story about Jian. In numbers, these victims have seized power. This is a good thing that is not so good.

The only reason that we know what we do about Jian Ghomeshi at this moment is because of a case that was launched against him recently, and brought to public attention last week by three women. (This is soon after Jian's father passed away, and I don't think that these things are unrelated). At a time of weakness, Jian was attacked. Is this what is required to make a splash with sexual abuse publications?

As a side note, I think that the Ottawa incident also helped to fuel our social media activity, but that's not something that I want to delve into here.

Jian is a seemingly approachable guy who, when first accused, didn't seem to fit the profile he was cast as. However, it seems that this initial reaction has been proved wrong. Is this betrayal of trust another factor in the amount of publicity that this case is receiving?

The fact that we know that Jian Ghomeshi abuses women is a good thing. But is it good that we are only focusing on his actions that haven't even come up in court yet? What about the cases of people who are let off after repeatedly abusing their wives? Do they not deserve to be outed as abusers as well?

This applies to what I said before. We know that Jian is not the only perpetrator of patriarchal dominance and violence in the world, or even Toronto. So, my question from all of this is, is it good that we are all collectively voicing our disgust about sexual abuse perpetrated by powerful and therefore untouchable people, or are we so riled up about this one case that we can't see the misogyny that still exists in our society outside of Jian Ghomeshi hitting women? Can we use this as a lesson for good, or will we remain blind to the more powerful people who are far worse than Jian who remain invisible from public scrutiny?

We need to start standing up for each other. The amount of voices that came forward that said "we knew about Jian," was disheartening. We acknowledge that this violence exists, but only opine or act on it when it snowballs from a variety of different actions and events. I am hopeful that this will motivate us all to keep our ears and eyes open. It cannot be solely the victim's responsibility to act.

It's far too early to tell, and perhaps I'm overreacting, but I really want to turn this incredibly negative news into a positive cultural action. Hopefully you do too.

-- Chris

PS. I don't want to make anyone feel like I am condemning them with this post, I am merely speculating on the current status of my Facebook feed. I'd love to discuss further if you have any opinions.