Marcus Orchard – CrossCode
CrossCode might be an action RPG, but the game lets its action elements shine as much as possible. The action sequences are fast-paced, with smooth movement and frantic battles. The story itself is grand, with fantastic characters a wonderful sense of adventure. This is a fantastic love letter to MMOs and should be experienced by anyone who misses classic SNES action games.
Jack Che – Hades
Hades is a game that has existed for some time in early access on steam. I didn’t think much of it as it seemed like a new knock on the Diablo/Path of Exile genre. After finally getting a chance to play it though, the rest of the game shines beyond the gameplay. You get pulled into a game with rich characters and story, playing out like a soap opera. The music and sound design are deep and enriching. The art style is a standout point of the game, providing rich backgrounds to the action. Overall, I think Supergiant Games knocked it out of the park here and will be glad to see where their next endeavors go from here.
Pashtrik Maloki – The Last of Us Part II
In all honesty, The Last of Us Part II has some glaring issues that mainly arise from its scope and ambition. It’s a 25+ hour game that tries to do way too much for its own good, with freakish attention to detail that makes you wonder if they really, actually do add anything meaningful to the experience itself. Especially when you consider the human cost that is paid for said attention to detail.
BUT – and it’s a really huge BUT – I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge that it’s a bloody (heh) good game. Like always when it comes to Naughty Dog, the visuals are nothing short of stunning and the audio design is one of the best in the biz. The puzzles can be quite interesting, the world is meticulously crafted and the gunplay is like nothing out there. Shooting an enemies’ limb off will truly make you feel like a homicidal maniac. We can spend a whole day talking about all of the game’s shortcomings, but not giving it credit, where credit is due, would be dishonest.
Honorable mentions: Hades, Ghost of Tsushima, Doom Eternal
Ethan Maddux – Ghosts of Tsushima
Let’s be clear about two things: One, I haven’t played Doom Eternal yet, because if I had, that would be the pick. Two, I’m still in the first act of this game and I’ve been playing for about four or five months. That’s as much a statement on the game’s scale as it is on my schedule, but I digress. Ghosts of Tsushima is a fantastic looking game that is absolutely thrilling to play. It’s taken me about three months to get the hang of switching between all my stances, weapons, and techniques (I haven’t even unlocked half of them yet), but once I got it down, I felt GREAT. There’s just so much to do, and so many different ways to do it, I feel like it’s too much for my feeble old brain. I can’t deny though, it’s impressive. Admittedly, though I find the story itself fairly interesting, it’s sort of delivered like plain oatmeal. I just have so much fun navigating the world and killing guys that I can easily look past it. I hope that maybe one day if I’m lucky, I’ll finish the first act before my unborn children graduate high school.
Honorable Mention: Last of Us Part II
