06 January 2015 -combat opinion
Many considered that in 2014 there were few good games. In fact, they were full. Just not all of them were large and noticeable.
There were many important titles for me this year, but I will only talk about those that I passed, or played enough to come to the final conclusion. I spent with Dark Souls 2 much less time than you used to spend with Souls, I did not go far in Bayonetta 2 (I will definitely catch up in 2015, when I finally take home WII U), from Wasteland 2 I saw a quarter from strength, but before Persona Q Still elementary did not get their hands. Therefore, I do not touch them, so as not to bother too much.
In a nutshell (actually more)
Before I get it, I want to say something about two games that have not fitted in the top. They are very important, very valuable, and I am glad that I spent about a hundred hours on them in total. But both of something was not enough for me to really love them.
IN Dragon Age: Inquisition delightful side dialogs, good plot missions (not counting the last) and not at all as bad fighting as they say. But I played too much MMORPG to see any excuse of the structure of the open world.
In the review, I wrote: “The opportunity to quit everything and just walk along kilometers of forests, swamps and deserts strengthens the feeling of significance”. Yes, large spaces in Inquisition help to imagine that the world in which you find yourself is large. But this does not exclude the problem.
Open locations are filled with uninteresting and often simply unnecessary rubbish. Quantity instead of quality, a lot of icons symbolizing a lot of classes, instead of real classes. When the developers have to contact players in social networks so that they are distracted from the cleaning of the first location, these are not good developers, but bad, features of his dery, game design. And it is terribly tagging.
Divinity: Original Sin Better than whatever, it demonstrates how much markers and radars perverted us. It shows how much more interesting role -playing games become if you do not poke the player with your nose into the exact location of the target and allow you to approach the search creatively. This is one of the aspects where Divinity combined the old and new.
But at the same time, the whole game did not leave me the feeling that Divinity does not use its potential until the end. The first impression is shock and awe, but the deeper you plunge into the Original Sin, the weaker it becomes. All the most impressive moments were crowded in the first act, in Saisil. Saysil is not only extensive than all other locations for filling – in addition, it also includes the first experiments with a fighting, the first unraveled Scarab Wins Casino riddles, the first idiotic skirmishes with a partner for a cooperative, the first amazing half -widened exploits. And the further, the greater the ordinary – if not Rutina – all those discoveries become.
However, after Divinity, I cherish great hopes for future Larian games. It was a great start.
"Game of the year" of the year
Transistor
The best art, the best soundtrack, the best story, the best, as well as the best combination of all the best. One of those few games that I decided to go to the second and third time immediately after the first: first in order to explore the mechanics deeper, and then just for the soul. And for the second and the third time it is perceived differently – but not because it changes itself, but because you and your perception are changing. And this is a very strong feature.
In the New Game+, by the way, the combat system finally opened entirely. It’s a little disappointing that she did not do this right away, but still I see the grounds for this approach: when nothing prevents me from moving on, history is perceived much better.
I love Supergiant games and I can't do anything about it. If the same thing is happening to you, do not forget to read my interview with Greg Kasavin, one of the founders of the studio. He is interesting.
Other games of the year
Legend of Grimrock 2
In recent years, non-Horror has begun to return massively what I missed so much: a feeling of unknown, a sense of danger. Well, you know, when you want not to leave the room, not to make a mistake, but just hide under the bed, so that you never, never to get a brick on the head.
For this I love Gothic 2, For example. Now, of course, I remember where every orc grazing near Khorinis is grazing in the first act in which part of the forest there are zombies and why you should not be afraid of wild boars near the lighthouse, when at the very beginning of the game you want to get into the city from the sea. And for the first time I was afraid to even step outside the city walls. It is really dangerous there, and the introductory run from the Xardas tower has successfully inspired me.
But already in the third part, all opponents became more or less equal (except for boars to patches), and I began to walk where I want. Gothic did not create those sensations. The same thing happened, say, with The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, когда разработчики придумали свою уморительную систему автолевеллинга. Seriously – this is probably the funniest innovation of the two thousandth. You need to be able to ditch the spirit of research like that.
But now it’s good. Eat Dark Souls , It will be soon Bloodborne, On the nose of things like Camelot Unchained ( Dark Age of Camelot At one time she achieved the same feelings as Gothic, with the only difference being that living players usually killed). AND Legend of Grimrock 2. The second part, in theory, does the same as the first, only it is more, better balanced and more beautiful. And she is still about dark, confusing, hostile dungeons, nervous, slightly sloppy battles and many, many puzzles.
And yes, the "make -up" elevated to the absolute what I said above about Divinity: if there are no markers and have to reach everything, it stimulates perfectly. Passage Legend of Grimrock 2 It is entirely built on vague targets. I didn’t understand something, I missed something, ignored the hint or hint-and got stuck. The benefit of places where you can go, if the case does not glue somewhere, is always enough.
Playing in Legend of Grimrock 2 , I suddenly realized that I like to wool forums again and discuss problem moments with people. She returned to me the excitement and situations in which I seem to be offended by the game (for my inattention), but it does not allow to quit the desire to see that she will throw further.
Drakengard 3
In love to Drakengard I have repeatedly signed on the site and on the pages of the magazine. Therefore, here I will try to formulate the essence as briefly as possible.
Drakengard 3 – This is desperately reckless, tangible violent, in some places bad and good at once and at the same time deeply emotional and beautiful thing. The latter is if you forgive her all her insane gameplay manners and put it in. Somewhere from the middle Drakengard 3 He will ask you to go through already passed locations. At some point, she will make you get all the weapons in the game. And at the very end, the sadistic seven-minute rhythm-game will slip without the right to miss and with the only note at the end, which will surely force you to replay the last seven minutes if you have not been warned about this note in advance.
It was terrible. But I decided that it was worth it.
This War of Mine
I liked it like a mechanic This War of Mine works to create a story. I liked that she constantly holds on the verge. Situations when you defeat the game and live happily, are possible, but still very rare (especially after patches). As a rule, you live from sortie to sortie-and there is always something that you miss.
At the same time This War of Mine The balance between the sensation of an emergency and tolerance of the rules complies well. Unlike Gods Will Be Watching, Partly playing on a similar idea, it does not impose hard landmarks, does not allow defeat from one mistake – here you can generally make mistakes within a fairly wide range. Another thing is that it is unlikely to be easy for you to find that because of your behavior half the team is now on the verge of a breakdown.
Some, if something went wrong, restart the game to start the day again. But this is a completely ungrateful business. If you survived the blockade from beginning to end, never lost, never being at the bottom of the absolute bottom, then you have not seen the real This War of Mine. Critical situations and the search for ways to overcome them are ensured by the strongest moments of the game. And she is very successful in their creation.
The Banner Saga
This year there were many good games about the text. I spent a lot of time for 80 days – The miraculous adaptation of “Around the World for 80 days” of the type of “Chose Your Own Adventure”. Before that, its creators, the British from Inkle, released a couple of excellent on the tablets Sorcery! They make a lot of variables either book or game stories.
But I'm distracted. The Banner Saga. Choosing my game of the year, I was torn between Transistor and her. This is the most beautiful picture of the dying world through the eyes of little people, which, however, lies responsibility. Gloomy, oppressing picture, but – the most beautiful.
The Banner Saga has everything I love. Imperfect, and yet folding tactical fighting. Visual style is nowhere else to. Far from typical actors. The choice that affects. Gameplay mechanics that enhance the pressure of plot situations.Scandinavianness. Soundtrack from Austin Wintori, after Journey, It seems to be the ubiquitous. And very good work with the text.
And again: The Banner Saga is very correctly treating death. There are practically no characters with scenario invulnerability, and, as a rule, one careless solution can cost you someone. Almost all deaths lie on your conscience, and you could prevent most of them – but in no case. And as soon as this happens, no one will sob, moan and wring the elbows. Someone somewhere, perhaps, will come up. But not you. You must be strong. And this is only heavier.
Upset only that the story ends too sharply. Stoic laid a strong foundation for the world – up to the point that each river, every mound on the map are signed and described. But otherwise The Banner Saga Very reluctant to answer questions. Because there will be further The Banner Saga 2.
"Watched more than playing" the year
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
Having stitched seventy hours for The Binding of ISAAC and more thirty for Rebirth I decided that let the Real Platinum God knock out for me someone else. There is no end to this game: the more I played in it, the closer I became the realization that I was like John Snow – I know nothing about her. Very much because of this was upset.
And somehow it slowly reached the handle: to watch how someone else plays Rebirth, it has become much more joyful than playing himself. Flytsli of the same Northernlion are very good at the background. The game seems to be passing, but on its own, not obligating anything at the same time. Comfortable.
And yes, do not forget to read the conversation of Yana Kuzovlev with Edmund Macmillene, if you haven't read it yet.
"Anakin, you were a chosen one" of the year
Not Thief
I wanted to climb a little more about the unbearable severity of the new Thief, But I decided to do without it. I remembered the fact that it even exists after it has crossed all my reviews over the past year. It is not worth such an emotional calculation.
That's why Destiny.
Destiny – This is the most beautiful and tactfully pleasant skinner box in the history of video games. In its current form, it serves as a practical experiment, demonstrating how empty the game can be to continue to play. And it doesn't look like Destiny They will abandon soon – a strong society of anonymous guards has already formed around, which will not let her go so easily.
Sometimes I play in Destiny And I get a simple, stupid, purely mechanical pleasure from her. And the same thought is constantly spinning in my head: this game is worthy of much larger. Her art, the history of the world, for some reason described somewhere outside the game, shooting mechanics-and in general everything-you could find much more worthy use.
Game music of the year
Just the music of the year
Fennesz – Bécs
FKA TWIGS – LP1
Personnel of the year
Calvary
In "Calvary" almost every frame is a living picture. So I took the first one who came across. Sorry.
Gone Girl
The beautiful scene from the Fincacher "disappeared" in its ominous simplicity.
Ping Pong: The Animation
Yuasa Masaaki has always made a very inventive and dynamic animated surgul (Kaiba, Kemonozum). In his hands, even a simple story about table tennis (in which the tennis in the end turns out to be the least) turns into something very, very visually impressive.
* * *
The year was fruitful, no matter what he said. But the next should be better. Let's spend it with benefit.
This, of course, does not fit with one of my New Year's solutions: I decided to play more not only in good, but also bad games. And also watch more bad movies and listen to more bad music. After what I saw this year, I will not be surprised if I find a personal masterpiece for centuries among Ed Wood films.
But, after all, the benefits are relative.