The following "Best Of" list is part of a series among members of the Gameological community. For my piece, I chose to write about games I played for the first time in 2019, rather than focusing on games that were released in 2019. I chose to discuss ten categories out of the available fifteen. Keep your eyes peeled for other Gameological Awards posts!
The "Unexpected Joy" Award
This award goes to the game that defied expectations and was more fun than anticipated.
I will never forget how blown away I was when I learned that Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was more than just an XCOM clone. I’ve written about this previously, but the short version comes down to the differences between the two titles. XCOM is extremely strategic, extremely deliberate, and full of tough choices. Mario + Rabbids manages to turn the whole thing on its head. Though the gameplay looks similar, Nintendo managed to inject their signature puzzle-solving charm into tactical combat. Because so little of Mario + Rabbids comes down to RNG, you never feel like you’re losing due to a bad roll of the dice. The battles are fair, escalate in unique ways, and the game gives you no shortage of challenges if you have the appetite for them. And here I was just expecting a half-hearted XCOM clone.
The "Oh Yeah, I did Play That..." Award
This award goes to the game that I just plain forgot I played.
I keep a notepad in my phone of every game I play throughout the year because I like to do retrospectives like this in one form or another. Every time I opened up that note, I was always momentarily surprised to see Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order on the list. Oh yeah, I did play that. I knew going in that I wasn’t going to love it. The gameplay wasn’t my thing and it was never going to be. But hey, I sure love the Marvel characters and maybe it’d be a fun way to chat with friends while we mindlessly blasted away grunts in some online co-op. My lack of love was not unexpected. What was unexpected was how little I’d think about it the minute I shut off the game. Most games stick with me in some way, even the ones I don’t like. In this case, however, the whole thing just fell by the wayside. Out of sight, out of mind.
The "Just Didn’t Click with Me" Award
This award goes to the game that everyone loves. Everyone except me.
There was one game last year that appeared on damn near every "Best Of" list. One game that every single one of my gaming friends had played and loved. There was one game that proved AAA games could be artistic and heartfelt and engaging. Unfortunately, I just didn’t like God of War. And I tried. I really did. But maybe I just have too much “grumpy old man” in me to love something like this. Playing the game, I felt a shocking disconnect between the gameplay and the story. I sensed no thematic connection between my actions and Kratos’s story, which led me to just…kinda not care? I was very removed from the entire story. On top of that, a lack of enemy variety and simplistic puzzles meant that the gameplay itself was also dull. Sorry, everyone. I guess it’s just not my cup of tea.
The "Waiting for Game-dot" Award
This award goes to the game that I didn't play this year, nor last year, nor the year before that. Maybe next year.
I’ve had this game sitting in my steam library for years, completely untouched. I don’t have a reason for it; I’ve just never gotten around to it. Will 2020 be the year I finally play Bioshock? Maybe. After all, I’m in a good position wherein I know that the story takes some big twists and turns and, luckily, none of them have been spoiled for me. I also know that, genre-wise, it sounds like something I could really latch onto. I have a lot of friends, friends who know me well, telling me I’ll like the game. I just hope that enough other good stuff doesn’t take away too much of my time to prevent me from finally booting this up. I’m looking at you, Cyberpunk 2077.
The "Best Encounter" Award
This award goes to the best thing you came across in a game, be it a boss battle or buried treasure.
There were a lot of memorable moments for me this year. Slaying the Orphan of Kos in Bloodborne was big. Stealing the bell in Untitled Goose Game was hilarious. Looking at a crime-free NYC in Spider-Man was amazing. But no encounter put a bigger smile on my face than, spoiler alert, the Kaiju fight in Luigi’s Mansion 3. The eighth floor of this hotel, like all hotels, is a full-fledged movie studio. And while the previous floors featured malicious monsters hell-bent on making Luigi’s journey a miserable one, this entry focused on an undead director saddened by his declining career. After solving an incredibly ingenious series of puzzles, the player finally is ready to get the ghost’s attention. Does the director do a heel turn and fight you? Nope! Instead, he casts you in his film. The boss for this level, instead of being a big bad ghost, is an actor. It’s a ghost in a Kaiju suit and Luigi “fights” the monster on a movie set; a miniature city that plays out like a lost entry in the Godzilla franchise. It’s funny, it’s cinematic, and the entire game could have stopped there and I’d have been happy.
The "Best Music" Award
This award goes to the game with the best music. Kind of self-explanatory.
While my Spotify account would tell you that Bloodborne should take this prize, I’m not going that route. That’s because the music (and everything else) of Bloodborne is, in many ways, just an improvement on the music (and everything else) of Dark Souls. So while I technically listened to it the most in 2019, that’s only because I came so late to the music of Hollow Knight . The two games have a lot in common. Both are (at least kind of) Metroidvania games that feature an outsider exploring a civilization in its final days. The difference is that Bloodborne, though awesome, is often one-note. It’s BIG SCARY MONSTERS or Haunting Distant Melody (fine, two-note). Hollow Knight, on the other hand, has its dramatic boss encounters and its eerie moments of somber reflection, but it’s also chock full of whimsy, of gentle magic, and of genuine humor. It’s a perfect soundtrack and I can’t wait for my vinyl to arrive.
The "Best Ongoing Game" Award
This award goes to the game that excels due to its constant updates and upgrades.
I found Slay the Spire last year when it was in early access. Only two characters had been released (The Ironclad and The Silent) and tweaks were being made every week. In the year and change since, a third character has been released (The Defect) and a fourth (The Watcher) is on the way. Every character comes with their own deck of cards, which means each update delivers an entirely new experience. I’ve since purchased a second copy for on-the-go play and, if you’d measure the time sunk into any one game over the last year or so, this one would probably take the cake. It may not be an “ongoing” game in the traditional sense, but following a game from early access to free updates provides a very similar experience, and I can’t see myself stopping any time soon.
The "Best Backlog Game" Award
This award goes to the game that had been sitting in my backlog for ever and certainly lives up to the hype.
If you’ve spoken to me in the last six months, then you’d know Bloodborne had to show up eventually. As someone who was only lukewarm on Dark Souls, this game had a lot of heavy lifting to do. From its cleaner world design to its tighter, fast-paced combat, Hidetaka Miyazaki managed to craft an experience that was haunting, memorable, and exhilarating. I consider Soulslike games to be 3D Metroidvania games, and Bloodborne managed to fill a hole in my heart that was left by Metroid Prime 4’s announced delay. Its aesthetic, combat, and lore sucked me right in and I’m glad I finally got around to playing it.
The "Best Multiplayer Game" Award
This award goes to...the best multiplayer game.
When you hear “multiplayer,” you generally think of racing your friends in go-karts or shooting up strangers over the internet. I’m generally a single-player guy, but I find a lot of joy in Super Mario Maker 2 because, in many ways, it’s the ultimate multi-player game. So while I play levels by myself, the levels themselves are living, breathing labors of other people's love. Creators are iterating on their previous designs due to player feedback, innovators are looking for new ways to push the envelope of what a “level” can be, and sadists are looking for ways to push players to the extreme. Super Mario Maker 2 is the ultimate community game for people like me. While making a character in an RPG is intensely personal because you are building towards what you want, making a level in this game is intensely interpersonal because you are building towards everyone else's wants. The only limits in this game are those of your imagination...and of everyone else's.
The Game of the Year
The big boy.
It’s tough to put into words just how pitch-perfect I found The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. I’m always a little fearful every time there is a remake of a particularly old game. Are they going to pad the playtime? Will they keep the experience faithful? What will a remake actually add? Thankfully, director Mikiharu Oiwa made every correct decision from beginning to end. The most obvious redesign is, of course, the art style. Gone are the old black-and-white pixels; instead we are given a bright toybox diorama! Link is realized in a beautiful, playful whimsy that captures the imagination so vital to the story’s heart. Tossing in a few quality of life tweaks and balance updates for good measure, and Link’s Awakening is as smooth as butter to play. The core puzzles are faithfully recreated and the added gameplay elements are all bonuses to keep you engaged long after you’ve awoken the Wind Fish. Play this goddamn game.
Comments