Tuesday, October 12, 2010
I'm Late! I'm Late!
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Games: I just finished my review for Enslaved and submitted it a few minutes ago. It’s not live yet, but should go up pretty soon. I'll post a link here when it's good to go.
Now that I've got that one out of the way, I’m trying to decide what to tackle next… No decisions have been made yet, so I'll probably just try a few random things I've downloaded and then go to bed. However, while on the subject, it does bring up the issue of 2010 -- specifically, that there’s only about eighty days left in it.
I've mentioned several times on my Twitter feed that this is the first year where it genuinely seemed as though there wasn't enough time to play everything that I felt I should as a critic. I mean, I'm no stranger to the traditional fourth-quarter rush, but between the wealth of retail and DL releases, 2010 seemed to have more worthy (if not spectacular) games per month than I could possibly get to.
While I usually have to pack my play schedule a little tighter as each year draws to a close, I just don't see how it's possible to get to all of the ‘must-plays’, let alone the ‘looks interestings’ that are still on my list. The numbers just don't add up, and I have to admit that it feels pretty frustrating.
As an example, I've been comparing GOTY lists with a few people privately, and in each case our picks were almost completely different. I don't think it was necessarily that everyone had a radically diverging opinion, instead I think it had more to do with the fact that each of us had chosen different games due to time constraints and had simply failed to play the others. I really, really can't think of another year when that was the case.
So, what does all this have to do with you? Good question. Since there’s so little time left before the necessity of crafting the traditional end-of-year wrapup, I thought I'd throw it open to all of you and see what the hivemind felt I should definitely play before December 31.
Below is a list of likely candidates, but I'm also totally open to other suggestions. If there’s something you think I absolutely should see, I want to hear about it. Any system except PC is fair game (including DLC or Add-Ons) so dear readers, I ask you: What’s an important critical play?
Potential Candidates for Review before 12/31:
Metro 2033
Singularity
Dead Rising 2
Cave Story
Bit.Trip Runner
And Yet It Moves
Castlevania: LoS
Valkyria Chronicles 2
Transformers: War for Cybertron
DeathSmiles
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Fallout: New Vegas
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I've only played one of the games on that list, so I'm going to go with Cave Story. Even if I had played the others I'd probably still say CS, as it seems like the underdog on that list. Dude made a whole game over the course of five years in his basement, music and all. The amount of love and care put into both the story and gameplay is palpable. I only played the PC version but I would love to know how it stacks against the 2010 WiiWare release.
Also I could give a crap about Transformers.
It probably says a lot about my tastes as a gamer but the other two on that list that sound intriguing are Metro 2033 and And Yet It Moves. Personally I have little interest in mainstream titles and I can't throw a brick without hitting at least fifteen other reviews about Mario Galaxy 2 and a bajillion blogger posts, so I guess it depends on what how you define "critical play" and how you self-identify as a reviewer of games. Those specialized movie critics who spend all their time watching only Asian horror cinema certainly wouldn't interpret Wall Street 2 as a "must-see", while more mainstream reviewers would be obligated to.
Oh yeah, I never did thank you for mentioning Planet REDWOOD in one of your previous posts. And now you're probably like "Well, no wonder she hates mainstream games, just look at her website!" Yeah... If DP isn't on at least a couple of popular GOTY 2010 lists, I will admit to being disappointed. But somehow I don't think I should worry. It'll find a way to sneak in there somewhere... My coffee told me it'll happen.
If you are looking to play an FPS, Metro 2033 looks to be the route to take. Singularity seems to not have much of an atmosphere, while that may be all 2033 has, though that is not necessarily a bad thing.
I must admit I have played neither.
Transformers actually looks like a Transformers game worth playing. I have never watched the show, read any comics, and hated the movies, but that game is supposed to be decent technically and looks very fun to play.
Another plus for both of those games is that they are not very long, compared to Castlevania: LoS, if that matters at all.
I'll second the Cave Story playthru. It's reasonably short (unless you try to figure out how to get the best ending), and a nice change of scenery from all the big budget franchises out there. The wiiware version is inferior to the PC original, but still worth your time if that's the one you're going with.
Haven't played any of the other ones aside from Mario Galaxy 2 (though I plan to get into Fallout at some point), so I can't give you any more input beyond that...
Singularity was a surprisingly good game with the most original MP mode of any FPS I've played. How many games let you play as a Tick that can run and climb on ceilings, leap onto enemies, and possess them! Not many.
Another game worth looking at, if only for a weekend rental, is Split/Second. I know you're not a huge fan of racing games, but this racing game plays like a cross between Stuntman and Burnout. Rather than attack your enemies directly, you build up power plays and trigger incredile explosions and booby-traps on the course that alter the route and, well, they're incredibly entertaining. Also, the game's graphics and sense of speed are top of the genre. It's very impressive.
Just wanted to give you a heads up about the Cave Story update that was released today on Wiiware. It fixes a problem with the music, which was one of the things holding this version back from the PC's quality standerd (the other being the new translation).
Definitely download it before diving into the game.
Thanks much to everybody for the votes… I think it’s becoming pretty clear where the rest of my year’s going to go. ^_^
Oh, and Animagess – rest assured that DP will rank in the top ten at this blog, at least. ; )