Easy Allies |OT| The New Era

Top 5 for me (so far; still a lot of stuff I need to catch up on):

1. FF14 Stormblood expansion
2. Night in the Woods
3. Super Mario Odyssey
4. NieR Automata
5. Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Something interesting about this year: This has been a year in which a big chunk of the enjoyment I get from a game comes from watching the experiences other folks have with it. Breath of the Wild is a great game on its own, but the way that systems interact as part of the gameplay meant lots of videos and streams of folks showing off innovative new techniques for flying, sailing, etc. I got a big kick out of that stuff, so much that I can't think about where the game sits in my ranking without considering that element. It's sort of how Super Mario Maker was one of my favorite games of 2015 even though I didn't actually own it.

klastical said:

We are still in the honeymoon period with Mario, give it time before more people start to find faults with it. I think it has way to many moons and its disheartening when I spend 20 minutes on a hard platforming section for a moon just to exit the area and go butt stomp a hill to get another one. It really takes the wind out of sails. I still love the game but it's not impossible for people to prefer Zelda over Mario, I know I do. Odyssey is the best Mario game ever but to me botw reinvented what it means to be a Zelda game.

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I love BOTW it's great. It has the best exploration aspect in a game I have ever played. For me though it's honestly not even the best Zelda game I've ever played. I go between Majora's Mask and Link's Awakening as my favorite. I think Odyssey is easily the best Mario game I've ever played though.

Either way 2017 is something that probably won't happen again for a very very long time, so just cherish all these shiny gems coming out one after another.

The charity question came up again on one of the recent Cup of Jones streams. I don't remember his exact words but basically, I think he agrees they should to do more charity wise but Extra Life is at a really bad time for them with the reviews, retros, and maybe people being on vacation/assignment.

abrack said:

The charity question came up again on one of the recent Cup of Jones streams. I don't remember his exact words but basically, I think he agrees they should to do more charity wise but Extra Life is at a really bad time for them with the reviews, retros, and maybe people being on vacation/assignment.

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(whispers): they're currently streaming right now...

I will not pick a GOTY because I am a coward. Even picking a Top 5 will be hard. But here it is

TOP 5

Breath of the Wild
Super Mario Odyssey
Resident Evil 7
Persona 5
NioH

1. Super Mario Odyssey
2. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
3. Warhammer Total War 2
4. Yakuza 0
5. BOTW

I'm pretty comfortable with that listing and I don't think it will change between now and end of the year. I won't have finished Xenoblade until beginning of next year if it's as long as I suspect it will be. Honorable mengions to Puyo Puyo Tetris which got edged out.

Do old games that you only played for the first time this year count? I'm going to start Bloodborne in a few weeks so that might disrupt my personal list..

klastical said:

We are still in the honeymoon period with Mario, give it time before more people start to find faults with it. I think it has way to many moons and its disheartening when I spend 20 minutes on a hard platforming section for a moon just to exit the area and go butt stomp a hill to get another one. It really takes the wind out of sails. I still love the game but it's not impossible for people to prefer Zelda over Mario, I know I do. Odyssey is the best Mario game ever but to me botw reinvented what it means to be a Zelda game.

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i agree with your conclusion. for me botw reinvented zelda. or at least took my biggest dream and made it a reality, a fully realised, open world, hyrule. odyssey is just mario that we've seen before but at an absurdly high level of quality. so for me botw over odyssey.

but i disagree on the moons thing. mario's always been like this. you can power rush to the end but if you want the real difficulty, you have to force yourself to get all the moons/coins/etc. its a compromise for accessibilty. i mean, mario's for the kids, man. but if you want the challenge. its in there. rainbow road, darker side, etc. i'm working my way to 100% right now in odyssey and i can tell you there are moons in here which are some of the hardest challenges in any mario game i can think of. and i've finished them all (i think). even lost levels. and odyssey has moments of pure difficulty. but also my gf can play and feel like she's really accomplishing something. even if its just butt stomping a hill. its a good balance.

klastical said:

but it's not impossible for people to prefer Zelda over Mario

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I never challenged this. As for the rest of your post, I don't agree or disagree but I can see where you're coming from. In the end, though, it's all about...

diablogg said:

Either way 2017 is something that probably won't happen again for a very very long time, so just cherish all these shiny gems coming out one after another.

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...THIS right here. I've never been more happy to have gaming as my hobby than this year (and likely the next).

shadowman16 said:

Also, keep in mind the best stance also has a grab heat move (grab an enemy and press triangle near 3+ foes) and you'll do a heat move where you'll damage all the enemies around you.

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Great tips, but this one especially. Has been a god send for me. Thanks!

My top 5 this year is looking to be different than most:

1) Divinity: Original Sin 2
2) Yakuza 0
3) Horizon: Zero Dawn
4) Prey
5) Persona 5

Wolfenstein might edge in there once I beat it. Odyssey may as well but I'm realizing the Mario shtick has largely lost its magic for me. I'm enjoying it but that's basically it. I'm not feeling much more.

Mikey Jr. said:

Great tips, but this one especially. Has been a god send for me. Thanks!

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No prob. Happy to help :)

Murasaki said:

Finally finished this weeks Frame Trap - really interesting Hottake and perfectly chosen for Jones and Huber.

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Although my initial reaction is to say that I don't judge games before they come out, it doesn't take long to think of examples otherwise. Mario Odyssey I basically had in my GOTY slot before playing it... I think it is legitimately that good, but who knows how the initial bias influenced my playthrough. On the other end, Shadow of Mordor is my least favorite game of all time, so if I played Shadow of War I would probably be going in ready to hate it. I'd love to think I'd have a perfectly open mind, but that's not realistic.

diablogg said:

Either way 2017 is something that probably won't happen again for a very very long time, so just cherish all these shiny gems coming out one after another.

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i'll gladly take an abysmal 2018, i have so many games (even recent ones) that i still have to play

Charamiwa said:

Shield surfing doesn't damage your shield if you do it on grass, snow or sand. So the philosophy would be more "be mindful of your environment".

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If this is true, you are my absolute hero. I broke a shield while shield surfing and thought to myself, "this just isn't worth it." And I never did it again the entire game. I figured snow and sand were safe. But I did not know about grass as well!

Shoot, 2018 already looks like it's going to surpass 2017 for me and I believe that this year has been one of the best years of the last decade.

My top 5 is looking like this at the moment:

1) Horizon: Zero Dawn
2) Nioh
3) Injustice 2
4) Shadow of War
5) Fortnite: Battle Royale

I just had my first kid at the very end of last year and I have another on the way in January, so I've been digging these games that I can complete random missions in without paying too much attention. I just started AC: Origins today and can already tell I'm going to have a blast. I bet I would love both Odyssey and Breath of the Wild if I had a Switch, but I'm holding off until Octopath Traveler releases so that I have a solid backlog of stuff to play on the new system.

__________

On The Last Guardian:

I absolutely loved it. Everything worked perfectly during my playthrough. I did a single sitting playthrough and literally flowed from area to area without getting stuck a single time. Trico followed all my commands perfectly, so I was never frustrated. In fact, more often than not, he was solving the puzzles himself and I was just along for the ride. My experience was so different from some of the ones I've read about that I almost feel like we were playing separate games.

Me thinking about wanting to participate in Reset's first GOTY thread & realizing how hard it'll be to decide orders & write ups

ourghostsofwar said:

Suggesting EZA don't "need" to answer a question is nothing more than an attempt to shut down a conversation. There's a lot that EZA doesn't need to do. Q&As. Community Showcases. Cup of Jones. Saying they don't need to explain themselves is nonsense because usually, they're more than happy to explain everything.

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What a bizarre way to read into what Hasney said. He didn't say they don't have to answer it at all, he was just saying that there's no expectation they should address it because the status quo is they've never done it before. You're throwing gasoline on a non-situation.

Anywho, I think my top 10 of 2017 so far is:
1. NieR Automata
2. Gravity Rush 2
3. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
4. Horizon: Zero Dawn
5. Yakuza Zero
6. Pyre
7. Resident Evil 7 biohazard
8. What Remains of Edith Finch
9. Undertale
10. Yakuza Kiwami

There aren't many other games I feel like I need to finish either, just Horizon: Frozen Wilds (which has the potential to move Horizon up the rankings), RE7: Not a Hero, Pokemon UM, Life is Strange: Before the Storm (waiting on that third episode) and Night in the Woods (have been waiting for a sale).

Umibozu said:

I believe they didn't specify, it was a general one for all the ones that happened at the time.

Edit:
"Suggesting EZA don't "need" to answer a question is nothing more than an attempt to shut down a conversation. There's a lot that EZA doesn't need to do. Q&As. Community Showcases. Cup of Jones. Saying they don't need to explain themselves is nonsense because usually, they're more than happy to explain everything."
I never said they don't need to answer, I frankly don't care for your insinuation.
I was just stating that you might have inferred a tone from hasney's post that wasn't there.

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I'm confused. I was elaborating on why Hansey's tone makes no sense in any other context. Not insinuating anything about you. His response was no different than if I initially responded to you by saying, "I wasn't speaking to you, you don't need to respond to my post". I found it derisive and unnecessary. He could have made the exact same statement without including that bit and it would achieve the exact same goal.

Gravity Rush 2 .... the only true Game of Year

LiquidSolid said:

Anywho, I think my top 10 of 2017 so far is:
1. NieR Automata

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How could I forget Nier Automata?? Shame on me.
So Nier is sitting in close 2nd for me behind Mario.

8 hours into tew2 stream, thought the story might be winding down only to realise there are 11 hours in the full play through left. Huber's a madman for doing it all in one sitting.

ourghostsofwar said:

I'm confused. I was elaborating on why Hansey's tone makes no sense in any other context. Not insinuating anything about you. His response was no different than if I initially responded to you by saying, "I wasn't speaking to you, you don't need to respond to my post". I found it derisive and unnecessary. He could have made the exact same statement without including that bit and it would achieve the exact same goal.

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Ok, sorry for the misunderstanding on my part. Once again I'll just say that I don't think hasney meant anything other than to answer; as it is on forums it can be hard to guess a users tone from text sometimes.

An issue that sometimes rears its head is that some members of the community feel the need to compare easy allies to giant bomb, kinda funny, etc. Statements like this other games journalist organisation is doing this or that the allies should do it too. This may be why some responses become (subconciously) glib sometimes. That is not to discount the people asking the questions/making the statements.
The allies have done charity streams even dating back to during their GT days, I'm sure if those in the community ask them they'd be more than willing to do a charity stream/fundraiser when they are able to.

Breath of the Wild is definitely still my GOTY. Odyssey is great, but it didn't hit the heights of Galaxy and 64 for me.

I find Odyssey quite aimless tbh. There's just way too many Moons, to the point where there's no real reason to bother overexerting yourself to search for them because you're bound to trip over another in two minutes anyway. I also think the game lacks that...motivational factor to find them? 64 did this really well with the Star doors, which made you always know exactly how many you needed, and gave you something to work towards.

I also dislike how much the levels feel like...video game levels. In 64, Sunshine and Galaxy everything felt a lot more unified through their settings, and going into paintings or flying through space gave everything a very fantastical feel. Odyssey tries to make it seem like I'm traversing a world, but it just doesn't feel like one. I understand that most people wouldn't care about this at all, and it is a minor nitpick, but it was a nagging feeling I had the whole way through the story.

I think it's clear either Zelda or Mario will win GOTY. Probably Mario.

Haven't been following, what's with GOTY talk, is it soon?

SinCItyAssassin said:

Haven't been following, what's with GOTY talk, is it soon?

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Well it is November, so the year is almost over! Honestly, no other notable releases for the year either unless Xenoblade 2 surprises, so it really is the time to formulate the lists in your head and play some backlog games.

Speaking of which, I think it might be Gravity Rush 2 time finally.

Yeah I really want to play Gravity Rush 2 and NieR before the year is over. GR2 more so because the servers are going down soon. I won't have time to get to Horizon until next year, sadly. I'll pick up the complete edition.

For me it's:

1. Breath of the Wild
2. Odyssey
3. Yakuza 0

I still have Nier: Automata and Edith Finch to play this year. Persona 5 and Gravity Rush 2 hopefully next year.

I do think Odyssey is a better game than BotW, but my experience with the latter was more magical and wonderful. Also I'm not necessarily a Zelda fan so BotW was even more wild for me, while I do expect a Mario game to be amazing just like the last one.
Since I didn't post since I beat Odyssey last Wednesday, I'm glad I rushed through it because there were too many cool moments to get spoiled on. But also I think I have a much better appreciation for it now as I'm going back and taking my time in each world since I understand better how moons are distributed/found. Will still play it for a while and might have more to say.

Also the photo mode is a nightmare for me. This is the first time I get into a photo mode and I'm taking like a hundred shots of the same location and pose :/

Let's do this:

1. Nier Automata
2. Odyssey
3. Persona 5
   
4. Gravity Rush 2
5. Yakuza 0

Right after them, in no particular order: Resident Evil 7, Danganronpa V3, Little Nightmares, Splatoon 2 and Samus Returns. I still need to play BotW, Horizon, and the upcoming Xenoblade 2, but I don't think my top 5 will move an inch. Maybe.

Oh man, what a year.

Current rankings:

1) Super Mario Odyssey
2) Horizon: Zero Dawn
3) Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
4) Fornite: Battle Royale
5) Sonic Mania

It's been a fantastic year

Umibozu said:

Ok, sorry for the misunderstanding on my part. Once again I'll just say that I don't think hasney meant anything other than to answer; as it is on forums it can be hard to guess a users tone from text sometimes.

An issue that sometimes rears its head is that some members of the community feel the need to compare easy allies to giant bomb, kinda funny, etc. Statements like this other games journalist organisation is doing this or that the allies should do it too. This may be why some responses become (subconciously) glib sometimes. That is not to discount the people asking the questions/making the statements.
The allies have done charity streams even dating back to during their GT days, I'm sure if those in the community ask them they'd be more than willing to do a charity stream/fundraiser when they are able to.

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If I've misunderstood his intent, I apologize.

Storytime: A few months before I became a sponsor, I wrote some crits to Ben over Twitter after watching the One Piece EZAnime episode. Ben was gracious enough with his time to talk things over with me and he even incorporated some of my suggestions into EZAnime. That willingness to engage left a huge impression on me which is part of the reason I decided to support Frame Trap when sponsorships opened up months later. So when someone suggests EZA doesn't "need" to respond to a question, I'm sensitive to that because in my personal experience they've always been willing to address things they didn't need to.

1. Persona 5
2. Breath of the Wild
3. Mario Odyssey
4. Danganronpa V3
5. Yakuza 0

This year is too much. You could even switch of the order of those and I probably wouldn't care.

Of the 2017 games, I still need to finish Breath of the Wild, Odyssey, Horizon, Wolfenstein, Persona 5, Nier: Automata, Danganronpa V3, and Yakuza: Kiwami. I'm giving priority to Wolfenstein (because it's short), Breath of the Wild (4 divine beasts defeated, Ganon is in sight), Odyssey (only 1 moon in), and Persona 5 (completed 3rd Palace).

From everything I've beaten this year, my top 5 looks like this:

01. Policenauts
02. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
03. Yakuza 0
04. Bayonetta
05. Danganronpa V2

Only three eligible games this year I think

Monster Hunter Stories
Prey
Dragon Quest VIII 3DS

diablogg said:

I love BOTW it's great. It has the best exploration aspect in a game I have ever played. For me though it's honestly not even the best Zelda game I've ever played. I go between Majora's Mask and Link's Awakening as my favorite. I think Odyssey is easily the best Mario game I've ever played though.

Either way 2017 is something that probably won't happen again for a very very long time, so just cherish all these shiny gems coming out one after another.

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There is so much correct in this post I had to quote it especially the bolded. MM and LA are the absolute best Zeldas around still imo. I think for me it is the tone of the games, both weird with quirky characters and just sad and depressing.

These motion control shrines in BOTW are driving me fucking insane. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don Draper's Hat said:

These motion control shrines in BOTW are driving me fucking insane. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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They're easily the worst part of the game. Half the time I'd turn the thing upside down and just flick the ball off the flat side.

Sheesh, Ian is picking up quite a bit of flack for the most recent Easy Update (outside of the usual hateful bullshit). Gotta say, I can see their point? I'm a fan of Ian even outside of EZA, and I definitely appreciate that I didn't find it offensive they were filming from a graveyard, and that it was being done in a good-natured way, but certainly I can understand it would seem disrespectful to someone who knew a person buried there.

Hopefully nothing comes of it, I imagine Ian will be apologetic to those with complaints.

Wanted to vote secret Hitler, but looks like it needs 2 streams just to understand these stupid rules.

Resistance:Avalon is the same thing, but much simpler and would be way more fun.

Voted gang beasts.

Tregard said:

Sheesh, Ian is picking up quite a bit of flack for the most recent Easy Update (outside of the usual hateful bullshit). Gotta say, I can see their point? I'm a fan of Ian even outside of EZA, and I definitely appreciate that I didn't find it offensive they were filming from a graveyard, and that it was being done in a good-natured way, but certainly I can understand it would seem disrespectful to someone who knew a person buried there.

Hopefully nothing comes of it, I imagine Ian will be apologetic to those with complaints.

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I agree, the video struck me as tasteless. In addition, I have no idea what purpose this particular video serves on the EZA channel. It hardly qualifies as comedy. I usually have no problem with Ian's more random Easy Update videos, but this... I have no idea what this was supposed to be.

First poll I feel like the group stream committee seems like a downgrade (ignoring PBS stuff). And I think this will become a regular occurence...

Voted Gang Beasts...

antennastoheaven said:

First poll I feel like the group stream committee seems like a downgrade (ignoring PBS stuff). And I think this will become a regular occurence...

Voted Gang Beasts...

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In what way?Jackbox 4 would have been on the poll and likely won even with the old method, much like 3 did.

I feel like Jackbox, Space Channel 5, and Gang Beasts are all good choices personally.

Voted Space Channel 5. That was a really fun portion of the Fancy 15 stream. Probably my favourite part.

The problem is repeat choices. Maybe a rule that a game may only appear in the vote twice would be useful?

Can't wait to see three of these + Golf Story again as next week's options.

I dont see an issue with repeat options as long as winners are taken out. As long as we see something different each Tuesday then that's all thst really matters.

We'll get Golf Story one day... One day....

I think Secret Hitler would make for the best stream. The rules of the game are simpler than one would think. There are two facists, one Hitler. Everyone else is a liberal. The liberals have to kill Hitler. The facists want to get Hitler in charge and pass three facist policies. It's more or less a live group Fiascaonauts.

I love lists!

1. Nioh
2. Edith Finch
3. Horizon ZD
4. Tumbleseed
5. Fortnite BR

Honorable mentions
Injustice 2
Uncharted LL
Flywrench
Pyre

It's been a great year for games. Still haven't bought a Switch though. (._.) I plan to remedy that next year.

Secret hitler sounds like a variant of mafia or werewolf guess that's my vote. 2 hours might not be enough though to get into the groove but gotta try it. I think these types of games certainly would make for great group streams since it gets fun once you the players can figure out each others playstyles a bit. Question is though do you let the audience know or let them be in the dark and try to guess along.

I always preferred the in the know version as a spectator cause it's more fun to try to understand why people play a certain way than trying to figure out the game through a video not participating yourself only downside is people seriously underestimate how hard it is to figure this stuff out sometimes so backseat gaming for mafia/etc can get insufferable.
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Also in the spirit of 2017 gonna drop my list of the day that is ever changing:
DQ11
Hollow Knight
Ao no Kiseki
Trails in the Sky 3rd
Yakuza 0

Holundrian said:

Also in the spirit of 2017 gonna drop my list of the day that is ever changing:
DQ11

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You're not making the wait any easier here....

Secret Hitler would be an awesome stream. I was introduced to it recently and it was a hilarious time.

And yeah, it is very similar to Mafia.