Category: September

Here is the conclusion to “My Thoughts On The Game Of The Year Winners And Nominees That I’ve Played Part 1” and Part 2.

Game of the Year 2018 Nominee – Celeste

It was only recently when I got around to playing Celeste and it ended up becoming one of the most interesting experiences I’ve ever had with a video game. I adore platformers and have played enough that you can be confident when I say that Celeste deserves its place as being one of the greatest platformers ever made. The controls are quite basic but are so refined that it feels incredibly satisfying to make precise jumps and avoid obstacles. It’s the level design though that allows this gameplay to truly shine with each chapter introducing new gameplay mechanics that function incredibly well and challenges that are part platforming skill and part puzzle. The game can get absolutely brutal when you start start exploring the C-sides and especially Chapter 9 which I can honestly say was one of the hardest challenges I’ve ever completed in a video game but the game itself never felt unfair, allowing me to enjoy the game and never get frustrated. Another surprising element which I was not expecting was a good story which sees the main character, Madeline, climbing a mountain as a challenge to herself to try to overcome her depression and panic attacks. Platformers are not often known for their superb storytelling so the fact that Celeste’s proved to be so endearing and thought-provoking was a pleasant surprise.

Did it deserve to win/be nominated? – Yes.

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Here is my continuation of “My Thoughts On The Game Of The Year Winners And Nominees That I’ve Played Part 1“

Game of the Year 2016 Nominee – Inside

Inside is a wonderful puzzle platformer from the developers behind the now classic Limbo where you play a young boy running from men, dogs, monsters etc. as you go through farms, labs, offices etc. The core gameplay is quite simple but there are plenty of well-constructed puzzles that test your thinking skills and many are both inventive and thought-provoking. I did end up wishing that the game was longer but, when so many of my complaints for other games involve them being bloated, that can be viewed as a sign of how good Inside truly is. As for its nomination, I fully stand behind it as Inside’s execution is superb and the ideas and concepts it presents are worthy of adoration.

Did it deserve to win/be nominated? – Yes.

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No matter which award you talk about, everyone is going to have their own opinion on what got snubbed, whether the winners deserved it or not, whether they even matter etc. Thinking about them recently, mostly because people are talking about Baldur’s Gate 3 being potentially game of the year, I decided that it might be interesting to share my own thoughts on the Game Awards Game of the Year winners and nominees that I’ve played. Just to clarify first though, I’ll be making these opinions mainly from my own experience playing these games but I’ll also be factoring in how innovative I consider the game to be. I’ll also be discussing whether I think they deserved to win or be nominated with reference to their own quality and not in comparison to any other games beyond their franchise or developer. Finally, and I feel I need to emphasise this, these are my opinions only and I freely encourage you to agree or disagree with them as long as you present your argument in a respectable fashion alongside reasons why I’m right or wrong. Having said all that, let’s begin.

Game of the Year 2014 Nominee – Dark Souls II

Anyone who knows me will know that I adore the Dark Souls franchise but that’s not to say that I don’t notice the blemishes of each entry and that is most certainly the case when it comes to Dark Souls II. Often considered the black sheep of the franchise, you often see people arguing that it’s either an underrated masterpiece or an unacceptably bad game. My opinion, as noted in my review for UK Anime Network, is that it’s still a great game but easily the most flawed in the franchise. The combat remains enjoyable, exploration a delight and some of the finest bosses in the history of FromSoftware but issues remain plentiful with comparatively weak storytelling, particularly in the first half, a disproportionately high amount of average to bad bosses and some strange design choices. Granted, there were some good choices made as well such as upgrading your Estus Flask separately to the bonfires and having your weapon durability repaired when you rest but it’s a package that I all too often look at as bloated with content, seeking quantity and not quality. I still think it’s a respectable game that deserves to be played but, considering how much weaker it feels to its predecessor, I can’t in good conscience say that it deserved to be nominated.

Did it deserve to win/be nominated? – No.

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You would think the release of a brilliant video game, Baldur’s Gate 3, would be a cause of celebration, especially one that has proven financially successful despite being part of the niche CRPG subgenre of RPGs. However, the reaction from developers has been surprisingly mixed with some praising what Larian Studios has accomplished while others reacted by stating that people shouldn’t look at Baldur’s Gate 3 as a new standard for RPGs. This debacle has unknowingly shined a spotlight on several concerns that I have so I thought it would be worth discussing some of the things that the modern video game industry needs to change.

Let’s get the whole developer debate out of the way so that I can focus on more important issues. My personal opinion is that the developers attempting to defend themselves from potential criticism preemptively have missed the point when it comes to Baldur’s Gate 3 and its potential impact. Having yet to play the game (I still have to catch up on the Divinity: Original Sin games), it seems that most consider Baldur’s Gate 3 to be a masterpiece and I would completely disagree if the sentiment of gamers was demanding that every RPG that comes out be a masterpiece on the same level. However, I don’t believe that’s what’s happening. Instead, people are simply asking that these developers examine the many things that make Baldur’s Gate 3 great, which from what I’ve heard is primarily the freedom to make whatever choices you want and solve problems in abstract and creative ways, and to integrate it into their own games. To argue that Baldur’s Gate 3 is simply an anomaly and that we should simply pretend that it doesn’t exist is completely ludicrous.

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