Game Reviews: 2019

Tuesday 31 December 2019

2019

You know what? This was a great year for video games. From the beginning I had a potential GotY, and coming near the end where another one or two games I thought could win. There was only ever one winner, albeit a close one this year!

The usual awards are back, I had planned on doing a separate GotY winner for a game released in 2019 because usually it's an older game I played for the first time that wins. That was cancelled because SPOILER ALERT a 2019 game actually won... The top three were all 2019!

A little recap of winners; 2016: Sunset Overdrive, 2017: Uncharted 4, 2018: Red Dead Redemption 2, 2019: ???

Best DLC I played in 2019 - Asura’s Wrath: Part IV

I'll be honest, as the years go by I care less and less about DLC, most of the time it's average at best, terrible most of the time. Now this DLC isn't terrible, but it's nothing special. It simply continues the story and brings it to a close as a sequel was never in sight.

Asura’s Wrath was a pretty entertaining game, although the gameplay was limited and it was pretty much watching an anime, with button prompts. It was nice the story got to be completed, and I guess it saved us all a lot of money without a sequel.

Worst DLC I played in 2019 - Dead Rising 4: Frank Rising

I'll try not to mention the original game here, but a spoiler on the end... Frank becomes a zombie, a little different to DR1 when Frank gets bit, and you play around to prevent turning. This time you go full zombie. It just wasn't fun, you got some zombie perks, but the story and side missions were just bland. I would skip this and play the mini golf DLC instead.

Most Disappointing game I played in 2019 - Dead Rising 4

Runners up - Crackdown 3, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Now you why I didn't wanna trash it above! Dead Rising was a great series that simply has suffered from oversaturation. There's been at least seven DR games I've played and the earlier ones were great! Zombies just aren't that fun anymore, I wouldn't have said they were that popular either these days, but I guess developers haven't realised yet. I bet you there's a zombie game releasing in the first week of 2020!

Dead Rising 4 made some terrible decisions. Co-op makes bland games fun, Dead Rising has always been fun co-op, WELL IT'S GONE. Oh wait, its got a multiplayer mode taking it's place, IT FUCKING SUCKS. It starts off fine, but it quickly turns sour. Charging zombies surround and just take too much damage, you do the same tasks every turn, there's no end goal unless you like gaining XP that goes nowhere. There's only four episodes doing repetitive tasks with a dull boss fight at the end.

Ok, so they got rid of co-op, at least they still have cool psychopaths that Dead Rising is known for right?... Right? NO, NO WHY WOULD THEY KEEP THAT YOU MORON. Why keep co-op and psychopaths? That would make the game pretty fun YOU IDIOT OF COURSE IT'S GONE. Why not have fights with a nameless generic civilian who's got a health bar and no unique weapons??? The worst crime committed? The loveable Frank West? Replaced with an imposter. It doesn't look like Frank, or sound like him, so why is he called Frank? It's sad to say, but let's leave Dead Rising in the grave now. Remember this wasn't the worst game, just an incredible disappointment.

Most Surprising game I played in 2019 - Friday the 13th The Game

Runners Up - Untitled Goose Game, Battleblock Theatre

It couldn't be anything else, Friday is easily my most played game in 2019. I always liked the idea of the game, but I'm not a huge online gamer now. I finally caved and gave it a go, and I loved it. I still play it regularly since the first time I played it.

Playing as a counselor while Jason hunts you down was always fun, and hacking down online players as Jason was just as fun. I pretty good now, where I often escape or kill all online players, but in the early days there was a lot of frustration. The community is pretty annoying though, running around with little clothes on, constant dancing emojis, people helping Jason kill other players, but it's still fun.

The game is broken, it's one of the buggiest games I've ever played. Probably the buggiest actually. The game has been down more often than it should, constant glitches, every week we play we tend to find a new bug that wasn't there the week before. The devs try I guess, but it's not good enough really. God forbid someone stands on the roof the entire game doing nothing, that's far worse than Jason doing an interactive kill that works probably 3/10 times! It's at the point where I'll only swing Jason's weapon because interactive kills DO NOT WORK.

It may not sound like it, but I really do love this game. My playtime speaks volumes on my love for it, but please fix and fix killing Jason. We used to have it perfected, but now it never works, even when we spectate others players do it, and copy every single step it still FAILS.

Worst Game I played of 2019 - Alekhine’s Gun

Runners Up - 1979 Black Friday Revolution, Five Nights at Freddy's

How this game got released I'll never know, did any play it beforehand? It's a Hitman clone, where you play as a hitman during WW2, except it doesn't work at all. I said Friday the 13th was the buggiest game I've ever played, this is second.

Terrible controls, terrible gameplay, terrible story, probably the worst voice acting I've ever heard. I mean that pretty much explains it all. It's terrible. Not worth anyone's time, even if you're a huge Hitman fan like me, just play that instead.

Best Game I played in 2019 - The Outer Worlds

Runners Up - Resident Evil 2, Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, God of War (2018)

Resident Evil 2 was my GotY pretty much all the way through 2019, but I always expected TOW to be my best game. It's my exact kinda game, a Fallout clone if you will. But it deserves better than that, than to be compared to Fallout. Of course it's heavily influenced by it, but it truly is its own game. The world and characters they've create is fantastic.

I really felt like I was playing Fallout 5 at times, it really lived up to my expectations. Some of the companions were lacking a bit, but the majority were fun to have with you. Really nice graphics and some cool weapons, perks and outfits need some improvement. A great story with lots of choices to suit your style.

I find it very hard to be evil or sinister in anyway in these kinds of games, but I did make some devilish decisions during this, and I enjoyed it. Some people got what they deserved and I wasn't shy about voicing my aggressiveness with douchrbags. Fallout New Vegas was an amazing game, and Obsidion knocked it out of the park developing the own game following that and not even needing the Fallout name. I had no bugs, seriously none. Imagine that, Fallout with no bugs? Never gonna happen. Well done Obsidion, looking for to the DLC in 2020, and surely a sequel in the future.

2019 was really good for games, there's plenty I didn't play that I do plan to, there's just so many! The Last of Us stays on top once again, with Last of Us CONFIRMED for 2020. Other 2020 contenders Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel's Avengers, Resident Evil 3. Let's not forgot the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Happy 2020!