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Member for 14y & 11mon
December 24, 2019 2:29pm
Many a good viddy game has come under my wing this decade. Here are a few of my favorites.
Terraria
A real beginning of the decade gem, Terraria is one of the games I have sunk the most hours into ever. I have over four hundred hours logged into that little adventure game and I don't think that counts he probable hundreds more hours I have that weren't logged in Steam due to using a mod launcher. Despite it's initial "2D Minecraft" beginnings, Terraria really became a gem in the gaming community. Following the developers for basically a decade as the work on release after release on a game that started out so simple makes me happy. Re-Logic has made a wonderful game that I'd recommend to literally anyone. The music, the boss fights, and the expansive world are all perfect and just suck you into a game. While I take breaks from playing it due to life or other games coming out, Terraria really is a mainstay in my gaming library that I have always returned to.
Shovel Knight
Shovel Knight follows the story of a blue boy who beats people to death with a shovel and slowly takes back a kingdom from a vile enchantress. Who is actually his girlfriend. This retro platformer has been the passion project of Yacht Club Games since, like Terraria, shortly after the turn of the previous decade. It's no secret to most of you that I love retro platformer-type games, being a Mega Man buff and all, and Shovel Knight really scratches that itch that Capcom FAILED TO DO SO FOR A FREAKING DECADE. Shovel Knight has been a labor of love and it really shows in the gameplay and polish that the developers have put into it. Hell, they very recently just finished fulfilling the final round of their Kickstarter goals. That goal being a fourth full campaign. The devs went on to develop four full games in the span of this decade under the Shovel Knight banner and all of them, while in the same world, are completely unique in terms of gameplay, level design, character growth, and overall feeling. Learning the different motivations of a few fan favorite bosses; that's right, you get to play as the bosses; was a wonderful idea that I feel has been a large part of the game's continued success.
Hollow Knight
Another knight-themed platformer. Are you seeing a theme here? I'm not. I swear. This one is also a Metroidvania, another genre I quite enjoy. Hollow Knight started out as a game that I was initially largely unaware of. After it's initial release, I largely ignored it because my laptop was bad, and still is, and I couldn't run the game at any decent level. Then, the beautiful developers at Team Cherry decided to release Hollow Knight of the Switch. After a short bout of trouble with the controls (due to JoyCon drift) I learned to master this game. The music, scenery, characters, plot, gameplay, etc. are all just perfect. The controls are tight and very intuitive. The music fits amazingly well with the different areas in the world, whether you are in literal bug heaven after ascending to godhood or in the deep abyssal void down below learning of your true nature, it just slaps. Learning the story of each of the supporting characters through repeated encounters in, initially, seemingly random parts of the world filled me with a sense of discovery and understanding that few games have given me since I was a young babe. The boss fights are all incredibly well designed, the story is impeccable, and if you don't own this game, you need to. Also, I really enjoyed beating Frosti to end of the game. We had a race. And I won. ;P
Dark Souls: The Franchise
Now, now, I admit, Dark Souls may not be everyone's cup of tea. It's a game that has had its difficulty espoused to hell and back. And let me tell you, they're not wrong. Dark Souls games, and the genre of games that it has spawned, are hard. Having completed each of them multiple times, I won't sugarcoat the difficulty. However, there is one thing the games are not, which I've seen many people call them, and that is unfair. There is a learning curve that must be met, just like everything in life. The games, again, while hard, are some of the most balanced, fair games I have every played. Not counting PvP because that shit gets nasty. The expansive, linked world of each of the three games (with a few references to their predecessor Demon's Souls) enthralled me. Being a Chosen Undead, the one meant to slay now-mortal gods and perpetuate the cycle of Light and Dark; the Bearer of the Curse, one of many who has been stricken with the accursed Dark Sign, now forced to fight and unlock the secrets of the soul; the Ashen One, a body unfit even to be cinder, rising up from the ashes of a hollow, burnt out world to discover the meaninglessness of everything you and your predecessors have done. Dark Souls is a lore-rich brawl through an unforgiving world. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Destiny 1 and 2
Ah, yes. The odd one out. The rootin' tootin' you're in space, now get to shootin' game. After the release of the Halo franchise to 343i, Bungie had a lot to live up to. Their next project, Destiny, was a large scale looter shooter MMO. And boy, has this franchise had its ups and downs. From an explosive initial release, to a rocky first few months, several okay DLCs, then a few amazing expansions, Destiny 1 ate up a LOT of my time in college. Exploring the solar system was fun, getting to slay kings and gods of different alien races was amazing, and with a masterful score to back it all up. Destiny 2 was largely the same. An amazing initial launch, followed by two just-okay DLCs, and then a major expansion that really brought the game together. Bungie hasn't done everything right, but they've managed to develop a very good game that I enjoy that doesn't fit into my standard array of games. Destiny is far from perfect. There are issues every season that seem to pop up out of nowhere and a few guns that seem to break the game in worse ways each season, but it's expansive lore and tight gameplay have managed to capture my heart. And my attention. And my credit card information.
I think that'll do for me. Five games (or series) of the decade that I quite enjoyed sinking my teeth into. I look forward to seeing what everyone else has to say.
Also, an edit, a fan favorite of mine has been Celeste. This game is real hecking good.I just didn't include it because I haven't finished it yet. I've beat the game, but the DLC has me in a chokehold because the last level is so long and you have to do it all in one go. It's another beautifully scripted, beautifully executed platformer about a girl and her battle with several mental issues. Please play it. It's really good.