Best/Worst/Disappointing games of 2020?

[FakeSympathy]

It's that time of year again, where we talk and argue about what were some of the the best, worst, and disappointing games of 2020. As a general rule:

• The game doesn't have to be had been released this year; as long as you played the game for the first time in 2020, it counts
• You can have multiple games in each category
• The games don't have to be in a particular order
• The following games will be excluded from the thread, because the thread will become sidetracked into a neverending argument about these games:
  • Ghost of Tsushima
  • The Last Of Us 2
  • Cyberpunk 2077

Here are my list:

Best

Ori and the Will of the Wisps
I was waiting for this game to come out ever since the announcement. To me, this game was better than the first game. The story, the visuals, and the bigger world to explore made it all so enjoyable to play. I consider it to be one of the best Metroidvania games of all time.

Divinity: Original Sin 2
I always wanted to get into tabletop rpg, and was planning on having some sessions this year with friends. However, due to pandemic all sessions were canceled, so this was the next best thing. DOS2 is more than a simple turn-based rpg; There are a lot of thoughts going into every choice and actions you take, both in and out of combat. The game tells a really solid dark fantasy story, and I love how there aren't clear good and evil figures in this game.

Hades
I normally HATE rogue-like games, but what drew me into the game was the greek mythology setting. I love the character designs in this game; The olympian and the deities aren't some stoic one-dimensional figures; they are all fleshed out with their own personalities and I am always excited to talk and see what kind of dialogs they have. As for the gameplay, it can be a little frustrating at times, but the power grows at an exponential rate, and you get stronger with every death. And the overall artistic design really made me love this game

Fall Guys
This is a competitive multiplayer that I actually enjoy. Normally when I play competitive multiplayer I become very toxic and angry at it, but not fall guys. I find myself laughing at others and when myself fail, and the overall art style and music give a positive vibe.


Worst

Marvel's Avengers
God, I hate this game. The obvious attempt at cashing-in the avengers popularity is quite blatant, as the game fails in storytelling, gameplay, and progression. Why try following the live-service model of other looter games is beyond me, but it surely doesn't help. The game could've been so much more. I think it deserves all the players abandoning the game and causing the loss for the square enix.

Valorant
As if we needed another competitive shooter designed to piss people off. If you like this game, more power to you. But not me. The learning and skill development curve is on a steep incline, and I find this game to be more toxic than League of Legends. I hate the microtransaction model, and how matches can feel it goes on forever


Disappointing

Baldur's Gate 3
To be absolutely fair, the game is still in early access and there are lot of good thins going on for this game. However, there just isn't enough content in the game. There are only six classes to choose from, you can only play act 1, and the level cap is at 5. And the early access is asking you to drop $60. Had I known just how the limited the content was, I probably wouldn't have paid full price for it

Middle Earth: Shadow of War
The game was on sale, so I decided to buy it. While the colorful casts of orcs certainly makes up for the bland story characters, and the gameplay can be really fun, the ending grind was painful and overall it did worse than the first game

Borderlands 3
People warned me how bad the story is, and that was no exaggeration. I hated my time playing through the story. Each world is fun to explore, and the gameplay of each class is fun. But I hate how there's absolutely no reason to start new game plus, because of the low-level cap. I hate the mayhem mode's artificial difficulty and the loot system tied to them.

 

[Chimpzy]

We sort of kind of had best/worst of the year threads already, but whatever, I'll roll with it and do some copy-pastrami.

BEST
GOTY WINNER- Yakuza 0
Every year for the past half decade or so, there's a game that at first glance is not my cup of tea, but I could get it cheap and I'm like 'fuck it, buying on a whim', and it turns out a revelation. Stardew Valley, Monster Hunter World, Crosscode and now this. I'm not usually into open world, but Yakuza's is very dense so it never feels like it wastes your time, it's got a lot of personality and sense of 'place', the game comes with a surprisingly well-written story, likeable characters, and lots and lots of zany side content.
Also winner of the Best Phone Hookup Simulator Award

Runner-up - Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition
If I had to describe this, it's as an embodiment of what people imagine many jrpgs in the golden age were like through nostalgia-tinted glasses (but weren't). It's very old school in terms of setting, story and basic gameplay, but adds tons of quality of life features that make it feel classic, yet modern and just ... nice.
Also winner of the May Give You Gambling Addiction Award

Runner-up - We Love Katamari
Yeah, the PS2 game. I'd played the Katamari Damacy remaster the year before and loved it. Saw a copy of this at a local retro convention and snagged that shit up right away. It's more of the same, but it's just as simple, yet fun to play, and above all just so cooky and joyous. Seriously, if you feel down, play a Katamari game.
Also winner of the Most Majestic Penile Bulge award

Runner-up - The Wonderful 101 Remastered
Platinum games aren't my strongest suit, but this felt way more accessible for some reason, so I could get good enough at it to finish battles with enough style for a good rank, which just feels good. Also helps it's got lots of charm and humor. I totally get why this attained cult favorite status in such a short time.
Also winner of the Drill To The Heavens Award For Massive Escalation Of Scale

Runner-up - Titanfall 2
Found this second hand in a bargain bin for €3. Upside is that conveniently circumvented me giving EA any money. Hurrah. Anyway, had a ball with the singleplayer campaign. Some would call it short, but I say it is concise in the same way that Portal is: exactly as long as it needs to be with little to no waste.
Also winner of the Try Not To Cry, Cry A Lot Award

WORST/DISAPPOINTING
Shinseiki: Into the Depths
In case you've never heard of it, it's a metroidvania on Switch that takes place underwater. It has some novel bits, like needing top off your air supply lest you suffocate, but air is also your health and fuel for the jets that enhance your maneuverability. But other than that, it's got nothing special. Environments and level design are serviceable but dull. Weapons and upgrades are serviceable but dull. You notice a trend yet? Also, abrupt and rather unsatisfying ending. And it doesn't run well despite not looking like it'd put a Switch through its paces. Fun premise, but overall just kind of middle of the road.

Trials of Mana remake
I liked that you get to assemble your own party and that each of the six playable characters has its own fully fleshed out storyline, even if they're dumb and cliched. The music is nice and catchy. Voice acting is atrocious tho, like something from the early '00s. Combat is sort of fun, but about as deep as a puddle. Environments are colorful but not very inspired in theme or art design. Graphics are ok for Switch, but it looks and performs worse than Dragon Quest XI, despite both being UE4. It's a mixed bag in general and overall a pretty mediocre action rpg. Tho this came out around the same time as FFVIIR. I bet that diverted a lot of Squeenix money and talent.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
Sometimes I like buying games that don't seem like my jam on the cheap. Sometimes that leads to a happy discovery, like Yakuza. Sometimes it doesn't. Got about halfway before I gave up and decided this game just isn't for me.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I’ll stick with favorites -

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Not done with it yet by a long shot, but as a Metroidvania fan love it. The only thing hampering my playthrough is an annoying crashing issue shortly after leaving a save area which others have complained about as well. Disappointed that several patches still haven’t fixed it.

What Remains of Edith Finch
Really interesting storytelling and charmingly simple and thoughtful gameplay design that’s just long enough. Yeah, I finished this one.

Honorable mention: Erica.
It’s pretty much the most unique new thing I’ve played this year. I’m not even done with it, but I started it and am a ways into it and still enjoying it, which is more than I can say for anything else meeting the OP criteria that I haven’t already mentioned.

*edit* I might need to nix Erica due to the fact the mandatory touch pad controls are becoming a bane to the game. They’re soooo sensitive that it’s almost like combining the quickness of a mouse with the *accuracy* of a right stick. It makes the choices frustrating because if you’re not quick enough to hover to your choice the game will choose something for you. Even navigating the menu sucks. I was trying to go to the options and somehow ended up picking an unrecognizable foreign language that I couldn’t get out of.

Thankfully there’s a mobile option for the game so I might just finish playing on my phone. Can’t believe I said that.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Valorant
As if we needed another competitive shooter designed to piss people off. If you like this game, more power to you. But not me. The learning and skill development curve is on a steep incline, and I find this game to be more toxic than League of Legends. I hate the microtransaction model, and how matches can feel it goes on forever

What, you don't like yet another entry in the CS:GO clone arena with uninspired gameplay and skins that cost more than many full-featured games?

 

[CriticalGaming]

didn't I already do this thread?

 

[Hawki]

Okay, I'll play. These aren't in any particular order, but looking at my games list for this year, I can nominate the following:

BEST

-Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (as in, a complete package of all three episodes)
-Doom Eternal (a massive improvement from Doom 2016 - rip and tear!)
-Resident Evil: Revelations (pretty good fun, but...)
-Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (plug it into my veins!)

WORST

-Resident Evil: Resistance (yeah, nah)
-Resident Evil VII: Beginning Hour (holy shit - does this even count, as it's a demo? Whatever, it's terrible)
-NOVA Legacy (lacklutre Halo knockoff is lacklustre)
-Battlefield 3 (campaign-only, and what a terrible campaign it is)

MOST SURPRISING

-Overwatch (it's become my multiplayer jam)
-Star Fox Zero (a lot better than I was expecting)

MOST DISAPPOINTING

-Mass Effect: Andromeda (I expected nothing, and was still disappointed)
-Resident Evil 3 (this is still a good game, but it pales in comparison to the RE2 remake, and I actually think the original is better)
-Sonic Forces (bleh)
-Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (I've no idea why so many people like this - bleh)
-Star Fox 2 (congratulations Command, I still hate you, but we've got a Star Fox game that's even worse)

AND THE REST

-Metroid II: Return of Samus
-Star Fox SNES

 

[laggyteabag]

Best

Hades - I love Hades. I love Hades so much, that I bought it on PC, and Switch, and completed it on both. Its a great game, I'd recommend it to anyone, and it is my game of the year, for 2020.

Divinity Original Sin 2 - Its going to be hard playing other CRPGs after playing Divinity. It feels like this game gave the player a bunch of tools, and just told us to play the game your own way. Absolutely stellar. Mod support helps too, because I can't wait to get back into it, but with expanded spell pools to choose from.

Most Surprising

Her Story - never played anything like this. Absolutely loved the way it played, and the story. I also really liked how you could end the game when you wanted, and when you felt like you knew what was going on.

Batman: The Enemy Within - After a slow, boring first season, Season 2 ramped it up, and ultimately came out as one of the best games that TellTale has put out. Stellar.

The Walking Dead: New Frontier - I've played this one before, and honestly, I didn't care much for it. But playing again, it all in one go this time, and you know what? It wasn't as boring as I remember. Sure, it still isn't perfect, and sidelining Clementine was a huge mistake, but I actually appreciated it a lot more thing time around.

Disappointing

The Last of Us 2 - Just not what I wanted. Discuss elsewhere.

DOOM Eternal - DOOM 2016 had an almost perfect gameplay loop, and I feel like DOOM Eternal tried to expand on that, but went too far. Whilst I grew to like the limited ammo pool, due to it encouraging the player to swap weapons, rather than allowing me to rely on one or two guns like in the first game, I felt like the addition of the Blood Punch, Flame Belch, and grenades really bogged down the experience. Also, the addition of platforming and environmental puzzles like swimming (really?) completely killed the flow of the game too. I just wanted to punch more demons, but instead Im navigating around some underwater section, or playing on the monkey bars. Pacing is important - don't fuck with it.

Worst

Splinter Cell Conviction - It looked bad, it played bad, and was just a complete mess. I think this game was reviewed reasonably well when it came out, but it has not aged gracefully at all. I played Blacklist after this, and that was a night and day improvement over this utter shambles. God, it was just terrible.

F.E.A.R - I did not like this game much at all. I went into this game expecting some kind of revolutionary FPS, even in perspective of its time, but the game was basically the same from start to finish. Same guns. Same enemies. Same environments. Done one fight, done them all. I feel like I have missed my opportunity to enjoy this one, because this game really did not do it for me.

Assassin's Creed Origins/Odyssey - I almost forgot about these ones, and now im sad that I remember they exist. The games start out okay, but after a few hours, they just become dreadfully monotonous. I thought I would really like nuAssassin's Creed, seeing as they were made to basically copy The Witcher 3 as closely as possible, but despite having better combat, the writing is just so painfully dull, that I can't bare another second in either of these game's worlds. I haven't even touched Valhalla, but I have already written it off.

 

[Kyrian007]

Kind of hard for me to do. I don't buy games that are bad or are going to disappoint me. I actually own a copy of E.T. for the Atari 2600, and of course fool me twice...

I've played some bad and disappointing games this year, but they were all freebies from Epic, so no actual loss or expectations really. And considering how terrible the asset-flips on the ass end of Steam are, the low end of Epic is so much better that its hard to call anything actually curated in any way bad really.

Disappointing, Star Wars Squadrons I guess. I don't know, I didn't buy it. Saw right away all it was is an MMO, and I wanted an updated X-Wing and TIE Fighter and wasn't going to get that. So I didn't buy it. Because it was disappointing.

Best, honestly it wasn't a great year for best. I was very pleased getting and going through Thimbleweed Park. It and Stranger Things Season 3 for free on Epic were really good considering I basically got them as gifts. Ditto with Dungeons 3 which I'm playing now and earlier in the year The Talos Principle. Best though, and something I paid money for and only played for the first time this year. Return of the Obra Dinn. Yakuza 0 and Elite Dangerous came very close, but Obra Dinn was truly a classic.

 

[laggyteabag]

I don't buy games that are bad or are going to disappoint me.

I mean, how do you ensure that? I certainly don't buy disappointing games on purpose.

Lets take DOOM Eternal for example. I loved 2016, and Eternal was getting rave reviews, so surely Eternal was going to be a surefire hit for me - but it wasn't.

How do you make certain that a game isn't going to disappoint you, even if there are no red flags?

 

[Zykon TheLich]

Ok... Time to try and remember what games I first played this year.

Best:
Mechanicus. Really atmospheric. Very much enjoyed the first half of the game, but kinda lost interest after that. Still, I felt it was a very well done small game. Made by 2 people I think. I'd like to see what they could do with more resources to expand the scope.

Wasteland 2. Rarely do I get on with the isometric ( not sure if that's the right word) party based RPGs like Baldurs Gate, but I have been enjoying this.

Most disappointing:
Mist survival. A survival game built for single player. Because I like the idea of games with survival elements but fuck online multiplayer. It was only mildy disappointing since I didn't have particularly high hopes anyway, but it gets it by default

Worst:
Space Hulk Deathwing. Some sort of bug meant I couldn't complete the tutorial. At least I got a refund.

 

[09philj]

Good games that I played this year:
Titanfall 2 - Some really well made FPS levels, and one really inspired one.
Bioshock - My second playthrough, this time on the remastered PC port. Not as much like an immersive RPG as I would like, but otherwise still a great shooter.
Bioshock 2 - I think the story holds up, and the gameplay is slightly improved compared to the first game. I'd have liked to see some more improvements, but it's more Bioshock and that's fine. It was the only one of the three I hadn't played before.
Bioshock Infinite - Gunplay is great, Elizabeth is great, story is bobbins and some of the levels are a bit lacklustre, but still kept me engaged even though I played every Bioshock through one after the other.
Shadowrun: Hong Kong - It's not as good as Shadowrun: Dragonfall, but there's still well designed levels, likable characters, and interesting combat encounters.
Hitman (2016) - I got into the final area of a level, realised I didn't have the right item to proceed with the intended path, so just knocked all the NPCs out with wrenches. This mixture of darkly humorous structured content and chaotic improvisation really makes Hitman stand out.
Disco Elysium - It's a masterpiece of creative design that still manages to feel like a proper RPG even though everything plays out through the dialogue trees. It looks fantastic, the worldbuilding is excellent, and dressing up your character in clothes found in bins never stops being funny.
Final Fantasy XIV Online - This was the year of endgame content for the last expansion, Shadowbringers, and it's been some of the best the game's ever had. The next expansion should come out in 2021 and I can't wait.
Yakuza 0 - Do you want to play a game where a serious man is an 80s suit curbstomps a group of ruffians before going to race slot cars against children? If so, play Yakuza 0. A very silly game about very serious men engaged in very serious business.
Celeste - I think I played this this year, anyway. It definitely stuck in my mind. It's a mesmerising bit of hardcore platforming. Brilliant.
Prey (2017) - I'm still in the middle of this one, actually. There's some irritating and unfair feeling level design in parts, but it's really scratching my itch for a nice immersive RPG shooter. The Gloo Gun is an obviously inspired addition, and creative use of it opens up a world of gameplay options, but a lot of your tools have extra uses if you stop and think for a moment.

 

[Kyrian007]

I mean, how do you ensure that? I certainly don't buy disappointing games on purpose.

Lets take DOOM Eternal for example. I loved 2016, and Eternal was getting rave reviews, so surely Eternal was going to be a surefire hit for me - but it wasn't.

How do you make certain that a game isn't going to disappoint you, even if there are no red flags?

Practice, experience, uhhh…

Basically I'm old. World weariness has beaten a lot of optimism out of me. I work in a medium where we sell advertisements, so ads and hype basically bounce off of me. And FOMO has no hold over me, I can and always do wait for reviews by critics and customers. And when in doubt, I don't buy and just move on. I have enough games I like and I like retro-gaming... no worries if I don't buy "the latest thing."

 

[Catfood220]

This is going to be very boring as I bought 4 games released this year; Persona 5 Royal, Ghost of Tsushima, Paper Mario: The Origami King and Spiritfarer. And my brother got me the first Trails of Cold Steel game for my birthday. Plus I've spent the rest of the year playing old games. So, without further ado:

Best: Can I claim Persona 5 Royal? I mean, I played the vanilla version and this is just an expanded version of that. But it is the first time I played through this version. Hmmm, you see the bind I'm in here.

If I'm allowed P5R, then that because its Persona 5 but more of it. But if not, then Spiritfarer would be my game of the year. Just a beautiful, emotional, engaging game with a great soundtrack.

Most disappointing: Ghost of...nope, bad Catfood...Paper Mario: The Origami king. I actually like this game, but seeing as the combat is pretty much pointless as you don't earn experience, its disappointing that it isn't like the old games and it could of been so easily.

Worst: Gho-damn it! I can't think of a game that I didn't enjoy, other than that one which has been disallowed.

Most Surprising: Spiritfarer, like most I think I bought this on the back of the whole "it made Yahtzee cry" thing (plus I liked how it looked) and was like "yeah right, I bet it won't do that to me". Taking my first spirit to the Everdoor and she goes "thanks for being my friend" and I'm blubbing like a child.

 

[happyninja42]

Best:

Ghostrunner. Personally, this is probably my GOTY, it's definitely my most surprising title. I did not expect to love this game as much as I have. I've played and beat it probably 6 times now since getting it a little over a month ago. It's a short game, so that's not a huge feat, but for me personally, it is. I just don't really do that with games. Most of my library are games that I play once, and probably only replay years later for nostalgia or whatever. But not Ghostrunner. I love the music, I love the mood, the setting, the dialogue, which does a LOT of narrative heavy lifting with very little actual lines. It hits a lot of my transhumanism buttons for story elements, and what it means to be "alive". It's got parkour, and I'm a freaking cyborg ninja. Plus the fact that it's the first game to give me the "speedrunner" bug, is worthy of note. I've never understood the desire for that in games, even Mirror's Edge, which I love. But, Ghostrunner.....yeah, I can do that sequence faster...I can probably find a shortcut over here if I dashjump it, and bounce off that. I can bypass this entire platforming puzzle that will take 2 minutes and just get there in 20 seconds.

Control. It's Remedy, they made Max Payne and Alan Wake. They have a sense of storytelling, and atmosphere that I love to death. The game is fun, it's engaging, you feel powerful as you gain the powers, but you are always one fuckup away from death if you aren't careful. The comedy in it is fun, the way they let you piece together the mysteries of the Oldest House by finding the redacted case files is fun, and encourages you to actually find the collectables. And the Ashtray Maze. Holy fuckballs was the Ashtray Maze just a moment of pure gamer joy for me. There are elements to it that are spoilery, so I won't go into why, but if you've played it, you know why it's so much fun.

Worst/Most Dissapointing:
Red Dead Redemption 2
I just did not like this game. I didn't like being railroaded into being a violent monster (specifically the brawl beating scene), given how often the game tries later on to give you choice in how you act. I didn't like how, when given the chance to actually be good, it didn't really matter, as a single accidental action in town, and boom, I've got a bounty on me and people trying to shoot my head off. Well I'm fucking sorry Mrs. Pisswillow, but the game decided to layer the commands like a russian nesting doll where I hit the wrong button. I didn't like how the game still had me go talk to one of the women in the camp about all the "killing of animals for no reason, and men" even though my animal killing was for your fucking crafting/resource mechanics game! I wasn't doing it for shits and giggles! We're literally SITTING on upgrades made with those animal parts! Also, what fucking men have I been killing?! I have made a conscious effort to NOT kill people, and when I have, it's been apparently a GOOD thing, and I know this because your fucking morality system flagged it as a White Hat action. So stop painting me as a monster when I'm making a concerted effort to NOT be one.

Most Surprising:

Days Gone. I was really surprised by how well this game was done. The mechanics were well done and smooth for the most part, the types of items you gathered for crafting made sense, and where you found them made sense as well, like finding mechanical parts in garages and metal shops, and household supplies in...you guessed it, houses. The zombie hordes acted like a single entity, and some of them numbered in the hundreds, and you were expected to solo them. It meant you had to come up with some very clever traps and ambushes to pull it off.

But the thing that really pleased me, was the level of depth and development they gave to the supporting cast. They had a lot of nuance to their presentation! Including a villain that I actually was hoping they were going to red herring me, and have him NOT be a villain. Sadly they did not do this, but the way they presented his motivations, his arguments for why some things needed to be done/not done, very often were exactly what the protag thought too. But they just didn't like him, because he was framed as an asshole poser "white gangsta" kind of guy. His nickname was even a very unpleasant sounding name, to further hammer home the He's Not a Good Guy! But then they would go against the trope by what he did. And I loved it! I was genuinely rooting for him to be vindicated in his actions, but alas. Still, he was a very well done villain, and one of a large list of well done supporting characters.

 

[BrawlMan]

I don't buy games that are bad or are going to disappoint me.

That's nearly impossible. I know enough of your past, so I get idea, but there always going to be some minor disappointment down the road. I avoid bad games too, and can usually tell when something is not right or over hyped, but disappointment can still happen to me. Even if it's small and minute.

DOOM Eternal - DOOM 2016 had an almost perfect gameplay loop, and I feel like DOOM Eternal tried to expand on that, but went too far. Whilst I grew to like the limited ammo pool, due to it encouraging the player to swap weapons, rather than allowing me to rely on one or two guns like in the first game, I felt like the addition of the Blood Punch, Flame Belch, and grenades really bogged down the experience. Also, the addition of platforming and environmental puzzles like swimming (really?) completely killed the flow of the game too. I just wanted to punch more demons, but instead Im navigating around some underwater section, or playing on the monkey bars. Pacing is important - don't fuck with it.

Same. I did not even bother finishing the game and traded it in for my Crash 4 pre-order.

F.E.A.R - I did not like this game much at all. I went into this game expecting some kind of revolutionary FPS, even in perspective of its time, but the game was basically the same from start to finish. Same guns. Same enemies. Same environments. Done one fight, done them all. I feel like I have missed my opportunity to enjoy this one, because this game really did not do it for me.

You play FEAR1 for the game's AI. You can reload every combat scenario and checkpoint and no one battle plays exactly the same. The game can get repetitive real fast with its combat, spooky section, combat, spooky section (especially on repeat playthroughs as most of the scare factor is gone), but the game still holds up and is the best in the franchise along with Extraction Point. If you're dissapointed by this, then don't even bother with 2 and 3. They basically turned the series in to a COD style "cinematic shooter"; especially 3.

Best:

• Streets of Rage 4
• Crash Bandicoot 4
• Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Better than the base game.
• Ghost of Tsushima

Disappointing:

• Doom Eternal - The platforming sucks and I do not like the low ammo pool.
• My Friend Pedro - The last level is bullshit and turns a Deadpoolesque, Hotline Miami style shooter in to a platform hell grind fest with a lot of stupid one hit kills. I never bothered to pick up the game again.
• Resident Evil 3 Remake - I still like it, but they did cut a lot of corners and removed awesome bonuses from the original. Destroying the replay value. I did not mind they removed the clock tower section and the water treatment puzzle. Fuck those section.
• Travis Strikes Again - I liked the crossovers and fan-service to all of the Suda's/Grasshopper's previous games, but the game play is not good. For fans of their work, just YouTube it to see all of the cut-scenes and wait for 3.

Worst:

• Marvel's Anthem Avengers There is not much that can be said at this point. Fuck SE! Fuck Marvel Studios! Most importantly, fuck Disney! Just play Ultimate Alliance 3 or Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Neither has Disney putting their dicking dickery in the games.

Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (I've no idea why so many people like this - bleh)

Cuz it made survival horror great again!.....even though there are plenty of horror games better than RE7. Evil Within 2 is a better RE game than 7. It was my GOTY of 2017.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Worst/Most Dissapointing:
Red Dead Redemption 2
I just did not like this game. I didn't like being railroaded into being a violent monster (specifically the brawl beating scene), given how often the game tries later on to give you choice in how you act. I didn't like how, when given the chance to actually be good, it didn't really matter, as a single accidental action in town, and boom, I've got a bounty on me and people trying to shoot my head off. Well I'm fucking sorry Mrs. Pisswillow, but the game decided to layer the commands like a russian nesting doll where I hit the wrong button. I didn't like how the game still had me go talk to one of the women in the camp about all the "killing of animals for no reason, and men" even though my animal killing was for your fucking crafting/resource mechanics game! I wasn't doing it for shits and giggles! We're literally SITTING on upgrades made with those animal parts! Also, what fucking men have I been killing?! I have made a conscious effort to NOT kill people, and when I have, it's been apparently a GOOD thing, and I know this because your fucking morality system flagged it as a White Hat action. So stop painting me as a monster when I'm making a concerted effort to NOT be one.

*clears throat*

Well, you kinda are playing as a notorious outlaw, which the game kinda needs to establish to help give any weight to the overall story arc. One of his first lines of the game reinforces this,

“We’re bad men...”

Agreed the honor system could’ve been balanced better, along with more intuitive controls if going the contextual route. However, the game is ultimately pretty forgiving in terms of how many bad deeds it takes to make a difference on the red hat/white hat meter. It also makes it pretty easy to clear any bounties if need be after experiments gone awry or an itchy trigger finger, via either sleeping it off in jail or paying up.

 

[happyninja42]

*clears throat*

Well, you kinda are playing as a notorious outlaw, which the game kinda needs to establish to help give any weight to the overall story arc. One of his first lines of the game reinforces this,

“We’re bad men...”

Agreed the honor system could’ve been balanced better, along with more intuitive controls if going the contextual route. However, the game is ultimately pretty forgiving in terms of how many bad deeds it takes to make a difference on the red hat/white hat meter. It also makes it pretty easy to clear any bounties if need be after experiments gone awry or an itchy trigger finger, via either sleeping it off in jail or paying up.

I was also playing a bad man (ex bad man technically) in RDR1, but I wasn't forced to continue to beat a man near to death, despite ME not actually wanting to continue. I really can't articulate how much that bit bothered me. You give me choice choice choice, asshole response, nice person response. But do I have the option to hold off hitting this guy after he's on the ground? And the game would move to the rest of the cinematic after say....5 seconds of no punch input? Nope! BEAT HIM UNTIL WE SAY HE'S HAD ENOUGH! Yeah, well fuck you Rockstar.

As to the bounties, yeah sure they are easy to clear, but they are also ridiculously easy to GET. Oh, i was riding too close to you so you get mad? Well fuck I'm sorry, I HAVE to be this close to trigger the button commands to try and have a conversation with you. If the game would let me call out from farther, I would. But no, I have to get into agro range, and now I've got a bounty on me, and a Black Hat hit because I happened to walk up to a marshal with his prisoner too close. Also the idea that 25 "Howdy maams" in town, negates the Black Hat mark for shooting a dude to death, is just ludicrous.

You can try and defend the game all you want, but I don't like it. I did not enjoy playing it.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I was also playing a bad man (ex bad man technically) in RDR1, but I wasn't forced to continue to beat a man near to death, despite ME not actually wanting to continue. I really can't articulate how much that bit bothered me. You give me choice choice choice, asshole response, nice person response. But do I have the option to hold off hitting this guy after he's on the ground? And the game would move to the rest of the cinematic after say....5 seconds of no punch input? Nope! BEAT HIM UNTIL WE SAY HE'S HAD ENOUGH! Yeah, well fuck you Rockstar.

As to the bounties, yeah sure they are easy to clear, but they are also ridiculously easy to GET. Oh, i was riding too close to you so you get mad? Well fuck I'm sorry, I HAVE to be this close to trigger the button commands to try and have a conversation with you. If the game would let me call out from farther, I would. But no, I have to get into agro range, and now I've got a bounty on me, and a Black Hat hit because I happened to walk up to a marshal with his prisoner too close. Also the idea that 25 "Howdy maams" in town, negates the Black Hat mark for shooting a dude to death, is just ludicrous.

You can try and defend the game all you want, but I don't like it. I did not enjoy playing it.

That’s fine. Just saying there’s story reasons for it, as ludicrous as it may seem early on.

The contextual stuff did bother me most too though. The worst part for me personally wasn’t accidental shootings or unwanted bounties but simply that holding L2 to bring up the talk stuff or horse commands is far too situational and not reliably consistent.

I think the game would be too frustrating and stressful if the honor system wasn’t malleable though. There isn’t much if anything that can wipe the stain of murdering innocents, but the cheesiness is a good reminder it’s still just a game.

 

[Hawki]

Cuz it made survival horror great again!.....even though there are plenty of horror games better than RE7. Evil Within 2 is a better RE game than 7. It was my GOTY of 2017.

Even in the scope of RE, I find 7 lacking. On the narrative front, there's nothing special about it, it's almost completely removed from everything that came before (even moreso than 4), the characters are boring (including Ethan), and am I the only one perturbed that the 'good' ending is the one where Mia survives, despite being, y'know, a terrorist who took a genetic ally modified girl and got dozens of people killed, at least?

On the gameplay front, there's a lack of enemy variety, and the Baker estate feels like a poor man's verson of the mansion, with even less to justify the puzzles. Spencer was at least a wacko, but it's established that the puzzles were there BEFORE the Bakers went crazy.

Not a bad game, but not one I particuarly enjoyed.

 

[BrawlMan]

On the gameplay front, there's a lack of enemy variety, and the Baker estate feels like a poor man's verson of the mansion, with even less to justify the puzzles. Spencer was at least a wacko, but it's established that the puzzles were there BEFORE the Bakers went crazy.

I hate the molded so much. If I do get RE8, I am glad that it will have some enemy variety instead of black goo monsters and the occasional Redneck version of Mr.X/Nemesis. It's another advantage EW2 has over RE7: more enemy and boss variety.