With The Game Awards approaching sooner than later, here are a few things I’m looking forward to at tonight’s showcase.
Tekken 8
When first revealed at PlayStation’s State of Play showcase, Tekken 8 looked phenomenal from the get-go. We didn’t see much besides Jin and Kazuya battling but my hope for Tekken 8 is a legitimate gameplay trailer for the new entry into the series.
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
The sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order will be showcased at The Game Awards and I can’t. I am hoping to see gameplay for this game even if it’s only a minor glimpse into how the game looks. The first game was a lot of fun and I expect them to go all-out in the sequel.
Street Fighter 6
We’ve seen endless amounts of content for Street Fighter 6 thus far but I am always open to seeing more from one of my favorite video game franchises of all-time. I am hoping we get a new character reveal for tonight’s showcase.
Final Fantasy 16
Much like Street Fighter 6, I’m just expecting to see more of what this game has to offer.
Wonder Woman
Despite being revealed last year, the Wonder Woman game has been rather quiet in regards to news about the game’s current state. Wonder Woman is one of my favorite superheroes and this is kind of a long shot but I’d love to hear or see literally anything about this game at tonight’s showcase.
I’d like to preface my posts by saying that I wanted to keep my thoughts short and sweet. Now, without further ado, here are my favorite games that were shown off at The Game Awards from the other night.
Evil West
I honestly have no idea what is going on in Evil West but I am interested in seeing more of this game moving forward. The game looks very stylish and the gameplay looks pretty solid from what what was shown off.
Have A Nice Death
Much like Evil West, the trailer for Have A Nice Death has drawn me in and something I really loved about this trailer was the art style. The trailer gave me some Hollow Knight-vibes and I am hoping that it will be an awesome experience overall.
Elden Ring
This is one of my most anticipated games. The only fear I have is that I may or may not fall in love with it. The story trailer was awesome and it has only given me more of an interest in eventually playing it. Will it be better than Bloodborne? That’s the million-dollar question I have for this title.
King of Fighters XV
Another game that I cannot contain my excitement for. While this wasn’t really a “reveal” per se, I really like the addition of the new character in Krohnen. I am also very excited for the second official beta test and I am super pumped to play Blue Mary. This will be a day-one buy for me in February of 2022.
Horizon Forbidden West
While the first game was pretty cool in its own right, I have a feeling that Forbidden West is going to be an even more fun experience. The new trailer showed off some of the new enemies and they all look great. I also think the game looks a lot more polished and the environment does not look as barren in comparison to the first game. Here’s hoping Forbidden West can live up to expectations.
Cuphead DLC
I finally have a reason to sink more hours into Cuphead. This DLC was in production for a long time and I am so glad that Studio MDHR has been able to grace us with new content for one of my favorite games from last generation. I have high hopes for this DLC and the amount of care that has been put into this DLC looks astonishing.
Wonder Woman
And finally, one of my favorite characters in comics is finally getting her own game. Wonder Woman is coming. There’s not much to go off of since this trailer was only a cinematic. Me, along with many others, will just have to wait and see what this game has in store for us. I have high hopes that this game can deliver if executed properly and if it gets genuine care for such an iconic character.
What did you guys think?
What was your favorite reveal from The Game Awards? Were there any surprises for you? Thank you to those who took the time to check out my thoughts and I hope you guys have a great rest of your night.
I absolutely love the art style and the soundtrack of this game. The game is an absolute beauty despite having some pretty dark themes at times and I think that works in its favor. Gris is such a joy to play and with a reasonable price tag, I recommend this to anyone and everyone.
9) Nier: Automata
Automata makes my list at #9 because the game is a ton of fun to play and the characters are just so good. 2B is easily one of my favorite characters of this generation. Also, once again, I am a sucker for games that have great soundtracks. Automata has some of the most beautiful music in gaming and it sets the tone as the story continually progresses. Automata is a game I’m going to be revisiting very soon because I loved every minute of it.
8) Persona 5 Royal
I feel like with everything Persona 5 did well, Persona 5 Royal upped the quality substantially. The additions of the new grappling hook feature make the gameplay much more enjoyable and there’s a lot more to do with confidants on off days. The additions of Maruki, Kasumi, and the expansion on Akechi breath new life into the base game of Persona 5 and they really capture every scene they are in. I would highly recommend this game to any JRPG fan and anyone who has an interest in Persona 5 because it’s a lot of fun.
7) Resident Evil 3 Remake
Jill and Nemesis are back in this fine-tuned remake of the original Resident Evil 3. While 3 falters a bit in comparison to Resident Evil 2 Remake, there is a lot of fun to be had with RE3. The game has high replayability, the atmosphere is very much Resident Evil at its core, and it’s just a fun game to play overall. It’s not the best Resident Evil game but this game is wonderful and most Resident Evil fanboys will take a liking to this one.
6) Tekken 7
I knew when I first played Tekken 7 that it was a great game but when I went back to it a few months back, I absolutely fell in love with this game. This game checks a lot of boxes for me as a giant fighting game fan; great gameplay, great soundtrack, great roster of characters, and it’s just a joy to play. While it can be triggering some days, I feel like Tekken 7 is always worth my time simply because I am consistently learning new things while playing it.
5) Bloodborne
I don’t think I have to say much about this game and why it’s gotten so much praise over the years. Great soundtrack, hauntingly great aesthetics, awesome gameplay, great boss designs, and much more. This game is a test of will and patience but it is highly rewarding. Despite being a battle mentally, Bloodborne is worth the journey if the player manages to overcome salt.
4) Final Fantasy VII Remake
It was one of the most anticipated remakes of a groundbreaking classic and for me, Final Fantasy VII Remake delivered on the majority of its promises. The world of Midgar was absolutely fantastic and this game is very aesthetically beautiful. The moments in this game are very memorable and the journey is well worth the time that the player puts into it. I am highly anxious about the sequel to this game and I want to see what the next chapter is for Cloud and company.
3) Cuphead
Cuphead is a game that is basically made for a guy like me. I absolutely adore the charm and wittiness that went into this game despite being frustrating to play at times. The art style is absolutely beautiful and I think the boss designs in Cuphead are mostly memorable. What I also love, like most games in my top-10, is the fact that the music is absolutely amazing. I love how every boss theme is reminiscent of something the player would see in an old-style cartoon like Steamboat Willie or Tom & Jerry. Depsite being a game that can mentally break the player, I think Cuphead is truly one of the most special games that I have played in a very long time.
2) Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong Country is arguably my favorite franchise of all-time and Tropical Freeze is DK at his best. The game is basically perfection and I think the gameplay is at its best in Tropical Freeze. The charm, the soundtrack, the character variety in the gameplay, and the look of this game solidify this as my favorite DK game of all-time. Tropical Freeze is a game that could rotate back and forth with my current #1 game of all-time because it’s that darn good.
1) Resident Evil 2 Remake
The original Resident Evil 2 is one of my favorite games ever made and somehow, Resident Evil 2 Remake ups the ante of this awesome title in the series. Where Resident Evil 3 Remake falters a bit, Resident Evil 2 takes off in quality and it never looks back. I constantly replay this game every few months and it’s a game that, to me, is Resident Evil perfection. Both Claire and Leon have awesome campaigns and it’s very hard for me to say which is better. This game is easily the best of the generation and it’s a game that mostly everyone should play at some point unless the genre is not for said player.
2019 was another great year for gaming and I was grateful to play some magnificent games. While I played a lot of games in 2019, I narrowed my choices down to five games in totality. Here are my favorites from last year.
5) Gears 5
Gears of War is one of my favorite shooters of all-time and 5 was a pretty fun package overall but it did not top the fourth iteration of the series. While Gears 5 has arguably my favorite gameplay in the series, I have some gripes with both the single player and multiplayer experience. For starters, there are many decisions that are story-related that I did not agree with in the single player campaign. While 4 played it super safe at times, I feel like 4 had me more engaged whereas 5 had me dozing off in sections of the game. I also did not enjoy the open-world aspects of the game; they were unnecessary. The second half of the story falls on its face and it left a sour taste in my mouth as a big Gears fan.
As far as the multiplayer goes, Gears 5 still has a lot of issues that can be fixed in the future but as of now, it’s a gigantic mess. It is almost impossible to earn character skins or weapon skins unless I pay for them; I also do not find pleasure in how the only way to earn iron is via the Tour of Duty (which is a mess in itself) or by paying for it. Even if I wanted to buy weapon skins or characters, I do not earn enough iron to do so. For me, Gears 5 is still a good game and worthy of my fifth spot but it’s not the best.
4) The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds was easily one of my favorite games of last year because the gameplay is engaging, the characters are awesome, and it’s just a fun experience overall. The game is basically a Fallout game but in a space setting, so it hooked me from the time it was announced a few years back. One of the strongest things The Outer Worlds has going for it is the characters and the quests in general. It was a rarity that a side quest in The Outer Worlds felt like busy work to me personally. The main storyline itself was great as well and it gives the player the freedom to be “good” or “bad” much like other RPGs before it. As I stated before, the characters in this game are strong and are the most important reason to play this game. Parvati, who is voiced by Ashly Burch, was a fan favorite and it makes sense because she turned in another great performance. The great thing about this game is that everyone I have talked to has a different favorite character in the game. I feel like every character is given their chance to shine.
For all of these reasons, I think The Outer Worlds is worthy of making my list. There’s so much to talk about but that’s my little summary of the game and why I loved it. Fallout fans and fans of shooters in general will most likely love The Outer Worlds, it’s just awesome.
3) Death Stranding
The living legend, Hideo Kojima, has done it again with his newest game in Death Stranding. Part of the reason I took so long to write up my list for 2019 is because I was actually in the process of finishing this game and it was a major time dump. The strengths of Death Stranding are similar to other games Hideo Kojima has made in the past. These strengths as follows are: great characters, great world building, an engaging storyline, and gameplay that is at least innovative in its design at times. One of my favorite sequences in the game is towards the end; Sam, the lead character played by Norman Reedus, engages in a fist fight with one of the main antagonists of the game. The sequence reminded me of an old Fight Night game and it was something I did not expect to see in a game like Death Stranding.
Death Stranding relies heavily on the performances of the characters in the game and they stuck with me post-completion. Similar to The Outer Worlds, I feel like most people who play this game will have a different favorite character. It goes without saying that without the performances of Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Margaret Qualley, Lea Seydoux, and so on are some of the best of 2019. Death Stranding was a very polarizing game in 2019 and I feel like that’s a common theme when it comes to Hideo Kojima’s games in general. Most of his work gets criticism because it dives into “movie-game” territory but I think Death Stranding is definitely worth at least a try. I did not think it would resonate with me as much as it did but I loved the game and highly recommend it.
2) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Maybe the most recent Star Wars movies are a reason why this game is so high on my list but I genuinely had so much fun playing Fallen Order and it’s my second favorite game of 2019. This game has it all for Star Wars fans; a great storyline, awesome characters, fun gameplay, a good use of the universe as a whole, and the graphics are top notch.
The gameplay is reminiscent of a Dark Souls game but mix that together with the use of force powers and Fallen Order is what the game delivers. The amount of force abilities that one has access to makes this game very enjoyable and more Star Wars games need to do this for the future. The lightsaber gameplay is obviously the big draw with Fallen Order though and it’s very engaging. Every slice and swing of the saber has to be precise as well as calculated. I feel like Fallen Order does a great job overall with the saber combat and the usage of the parry system can be life or death in Fallen Order.
I feel like the characters in this game are all pretty awesome and do a great job of playing off of one another. My one gripe with the game is that my favorite member of the crew does not join the crew until the last hour and a half of the game. Another gripe I have, which is more of a marketing problem, is that they revealed my favorite moment in the game via marketing. I am not going to talk about it to be respectful to anyone reading this but it’s all anyone talked about for about a month when this game dropped. I highly recommend Fallen Order to not only Star Wars fans but to people who game regularly.
1) Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2 holds a special place in my heart as someone who has played games for over 20 years. When I heard a remake of the original was happening a few years back, I knew that I was going to buy it for sure but I didn’t realize how much love and care was put into this reboot/remake of the second game. From the great story arc of Leon Kennedy and Claire to the grotesque creatures we see in the sewers later on, this game had just about everything a Resident Evil fanatic would love about the series. Both characters, Claire and Leon, have separate stories but both are so well done and the game is just about perfection.
Capcom combined everything that RE4 did well with elements of the original 3 games that kickstarted one of the greatest survival horror franchises of all time. In RE2, the game is very much about conserving items and ammo; unlike 5 and 6, blowing through ammo the player receives is sometimes not a viable option and the game encourages the player to pick his/her fights. One of the games highlights is obviously Mr. X; he is just as menacing in the remake as he was in the original game and he makes the player feel uneasy even when they are just wandering around the Raccoon City Police Department. The tension this game brings via sound is unmatched in any game from 2019; I constantly had to pay attention whenever I went around a corner because I never knew what the game had in store for me.
It goes without saying that this game is equal parts beautiful and disgusting because of creatures like the lickers. The character models of Leon and Claire are so well done and their performances carry this game to the finish. The motion capture work Capcom came up with for RE2 is translating to the next game in RE3, which looks fantastic.
Overall, I’ve played through Resident Evil 2 about six times and I rarely get bored when playing it. That is why it is my favorite game from 2019.
It goes without saying that I am very excited for RE3.
And those are my favorite games of 2019. Do you agree or disagree? What were your favorite games from last year? If you have anything to add, comment on my post and I will be sure to read it! Thank you very much for taking the time to read my thoughts and have a good day!
Always Going Turbo! 