January:
Marvel's Spider-Man
PS4, 36 hrs, 8.5/10
Felt a bit formulaic at times given the large checklist of tasks, but there was actually a solid variety of missions types. While combat missions did get repetitive, the move set was large enough that combat scenarios just felt like opportunities to try different combat styles. The city was amazing but I was hoping for a little bit more interactivity like shops or mini-games.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Switch, 28 hrs, 7/10
Similar gameplay as the original game, however missions felt much more linear and there was less of an emphasis on capturing and holding keeps, and juggling multiple fronts within a battle. I was disappointed by the direction they chose to take the story.
Star Wars: Squadrons
PS4, 12 hrs, 5.5/10
I loved the old Rogue Squadron games, but this one never jibed with me. I constantly felt completely disoriented and my ship felt so sluggish. It might have helped if I played in VR or if there was an option for 3rd person perspective.
Slay the Spire
Switch, 8 hrs, 8.5/10
My first card/deck building game. Highly addictive. Good balance between risk and reward, and between luck and strategy.
The Pathless
PS5, 14 hrs, 7.5/10
Design sensibility feels very similar to Journey while the mood and world feel very similar to Shadow of Colossus. Puzzles are basic but satisfying and the game is generally pretty chill.
February:
Doom Eternal
PS4, 32 hrs, 8/10
I loved Doom 2016 but found this one a bit disappointing. The basic gameplay is fun and super intense, and I like that you're encouraged to use different guns, but it's so frustrating that the game is constantly trying to get you to do things other than shoot like hunt down fodder enemies to chain saw, juggle different game mechanics, and navigate confusing platforming puzzles.
March:
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
Switch, 93 hrs, 8.5/10
It took me a long time to feel engaged with the story and combat but once it clicked it was a great experience. The biggest issue is that there were way too many tedious sidequests which ruined the pacing of the game.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected
Switch, 14 hrs, 7/10
Story was a decent little epilogue. I don't mind that they ditched the affinity and gem crafting systems, which were never that interesting, but the loss of chain attacks removed a lot of the strategy and fun from the combat.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Wii, 12 hrs, 8.5/10
Great variety of platforming challenges that rarely get overused. Really fun playing co-op with my kid.
Pokémon Alpha Sapphire
3DS, 56 hrs, 8/10
Never played the original release or anything beyond the Kanto or Johto games. Hoenn didn't have as much personality as Kanto or Johto, but I liked that there was some effort to create a story and lore. 2 vs. 2 battles were a nice innovation.
April:
It Takes Two
PS5, 18 hrs, 8.5/10
Detailed and creative environments, tight controls and a decent challenge level. Felt very polished. I liked that the game sampled a huge variety of gameplay elements without overusing any of them. Characters were annoying.
Monster Hunter Rise
Switch, 23 hrs, 6.5/10
Learning to play is about as fun as reading a textbook. Combat was boring and reptitive, and didn't make up for the complete lack of rewarding exploration, or interesting stories and characters. Crafting system wasn't intuitive or satisfying. I didn't understand why I could only complete one quest at a time before being kicked out of the area like I was playing Super Mario Sunshine.
May:
Outer Wilds
PS4, 35 hrs, 9/10
Loved the seamless traversal of the solar system and the open-ended exploration, which combined to create a great sense of mystery, but the clunky controls made it a frustrating experience at times (see Brittle Hollow). The narrative was very well crafted, and the physics-based systems were immersive.
New Pokémon Snap
Switch, 18 hrs, 7.5/10
Cool seeing Pokemon in the wild and there are lots of interesting moments, but it felt like reactions and interactions you could create between pokemon was limited. The AI photo judging seemed pretty hit and miss.
Splatoon 2
Switch, 13 hrs, 8/10
The single player campaign initially felt like it would be little more than a glorified tutorial, but it ended up being a decently satisfyng challenge. Using the inking mechanic to overcome platforming obstacles was innovative.
Kentucky Route Zero
Switch, 10 hrs, 4/10
I heard this game compared favourably to Oxenfree (which I loved) but it turned out to be boring, self-indulgent and pretentious. The story touches on some interesting themes but never coaleces into any kind of cohsive narrative. Characters were bland and forgettable, exhibiting no discernible emotional texture, and the dialogue system, while clever, ultimately came off as little more than a collection of mundane non-sequitors.
June:
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
PS4, 43 hrs, 8.5/10
The story was a wild ride with one twist after another, and included pretty much every sci-fi trope I could think of. I just wish some story threads were resolved in a clearer and more satisfying way. Battle sections were OK but a bit unintuitive and tedious at times.
Hades
Switch, 29 hrs, 9/10
I didn't love Bastion, so I didn't expect that I'd like Hades as much and as quickly as I did. The combat is simple but frenetic, and the variety of builds is massive without being overly complicated or overwhelming. It feels like you're constantly being rewarded, and the story is constantly progressing, even if you're not getting any farther in your runs.
Metroid
Switch, 8 hrs, 8/10
I can't help but be impressed by the game that spawned a new genre, but it definitely felt dated with its stiff controls, countless identical rooms and lack of a map. It would have also greatly benefited from having a couple locations that let you fill up your health. I ended up relying heavily on save states just so I wouldn't have to waste time grinding my health up every time I died.
July:
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
DS, 29 hrs, 8/10
Plenty of twists and turns, even if some are bit predictable. I liked how they managed to thread plotlines through the different cases. The game does have a lot of adventure game jank in terms of figuring out how to progress to the next scene. Didn't expect the music to be so good.
August:
The World Ends With You
DS, 26 hrs, 6/10
Never really clicked with me. Having to look at two screens simultaneously was a miserable experience. The world is stylish but not fun to explore since all you do is just go from combat zone to combat zone, which sucks because the combat felt clumsy and unintuitive. The character development is well done but the story is nothing special.
September:
Super Metroid
Switch, 15 hrs, 9.5/10
Loved the tense and isolated atmosphere. World felt huge given the era, but the map and more varied environments made it much easier to navigate than the original on NES. The controls were also drastically improved, but still felt very clunky and unresponsive at times.
October:
Dragon Quest Builders
Switch, 57 hrs, 8/10
Very mellow vibe. Feels like a streamlined version of Minecraft, with more mission and story structure, but less creativity and experimentation. Great integration of Dragon Quest monsters, items and lore, but I didn't like that I had to restart from scratch in each chapter and that it's not a fully connected open world. The game also seemed to drag on at the end.
Cruis'n Blast
Switch, 3 hrs, 7/10
Dumb arcade fun, but felt a bit light on content. Loved how vibrant and animated all the tracks were, though they do get re-used a lot. Online multiplayer would have substantially improved replayability.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game
Switch, 7 hrs, 6/10
Like the animation but controls felt clunky and the hit detection felt way off. Combat also gets super repetitive and I felt like I was constantly getting stun locked. Don't like how you have to grind so much to upgrade.
Metroid Dread
Switch, 17 hrs, 9/10
Controls were super fluid, which makes all the EMMI escape sequences very fun, and makes you feel satisfyingly overpowered by the end of the game. I wouldn't call the game linear as it does give you opportunities to explore, but it does feel like it often railroads you down certain paths of progression, which is honestly kind of impressive given how massive the world is. I do wish the different areas felt a bit more distinct from one another. Ending was epic.
