10. Disco Elysium

I know what you’re thinking. “John, Disco is so good! Why is it so low?” I have a good reason: My computer can barely run it. I got a code for this game from the Subway Game Awards bot, which in itself is hilarious enough to get DE on this list, but my old computer can barely keep this game afloat. What I did play is indisputably a masterpiece in video game writing and art, with a rich world and an unapologetic affinity for leftism, but it hurt my eyes to see it play so slowly, which is not the game’s fault at all. I love you, Disco Elysium, but I’m not ready for you.

9. Astral Chain

Astral Chain is a culmination of everything PlatinumGames has learned over the years. There’s DNA of Bayonetta, Vanquish, Metal Gear Rising, and much more flowing in the veins of this title, and while it doesn’t rise above its origins, Astral Chain is still a solidly fun time. Hacking and slashing with your Legion feels fresh and unique to character action games, and combat flows well without feeling overwhelming. Yeah the story is dumb and the visuals can be grating after a bit, but there’s a spark of PlatinumGames excellence throughout Astral Chain.

8. Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes

Suda51 has gone through some shit. Being controlled by corporate interests has to be one of the most demeaning things an artist has to live within this late capitalist society. Now that the punk game creator has been freed of his corporate shackles and has pretty much free reign to do what he wants again, Suda has a lot to say about why he thinks indie games are the way to go.

Travis Strikes Again sees Suda speaking both as Travis Touchdown and as a new self-insert named Doctor Juvenile, blasting AAA gaming as a place where creativity goes to die. He actively smack-talks EA’s former CEO for ruining Shadows of the Damned. Travis wears T-shirts applauding dozens of indie games because Suda wants to raise other’s voices alongside his own. Suda’s message can be very corny and obsessed with itself at times, and the gameplay is really not good, but Travis Strikes Again is a surprising political statement that doesn’t hold back in saying that yeah, we should eat the rich.

7. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

I’ve tried multiple times to get into Fire Emblem, and Three Houses was when the franchise finally stuck. Who knew that all they needed to do was turn Fire Emblem even more into a Persona game? Three Houses stands tall in the strategy genre by hosting a variety of some of the best character moments this year, with an entire cast of characters that are impossible to hate. Couple that with a genuinely interesting story of political intrigue and a push to show your support for a house (Edelgard the best) and I couldn’t help but get engrossed in Three Houses.

6. Control

I have a strange fondness for the SCP Foundation Wiki. It sometimes creeps me out too much and gives me nightmares, but I still love how well that world was constructed, even though it’s built through collaboration and it can be inconsistent at times. Control is a more polished, less messy SCP. But comparing Control to SCP by itself would detract from the success the game has at telling a fun story. You can tell that the writers of Control loved coming up with every minute detail of the world, and that makes it all the more fun to explore and gather files around the Federal Bureau of Control.

It’s so easy to find yourself lost in Control’s world and completely loving every second of it, but the biggest reason why Control didn’t break the top five was its awful boss fights. Side missions usually end up being a slog thanks to them, and that’s the only major gripe I have with the game. Overall, I love Control, but that little nibbling distaste brings it down a peg. Hey, maybe that distaste is an Altered World Event itself?

5. Luigi’s Mansion 3

It’s that Nintendo polish! Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a diorama, a showcase of Nintendo’s gameplay excellence. A set of puzzle boxes surrounded by goofy Halloween delight. Every new room you encounter is another set of adorable toys and puzzles to mess around with, and your vacuum’s tools are precise and dynamic enough to wring fun out of each and every one. Yeah, the bosses are also pretty obnoxious at times in this one too, but they’re less bad than Control’s, and also Luigi is cuter than Jesse so it eeks out a win.

4. Devil May Cry V

I was so nervous picking up DMCV. I had tried previous titles, and the only one I got enjoyment out of was the heavily reviled and, even if I had some fun with it, very frustratingly written DmC. Playing the newest title in the franchise that wanted to remember the good old times made me understand why people were so upset with DmC and why people had been waiting for this for so long.

God does DMCV play well. I cannot believe the number of options you have at your disposal in this game. Dante is like three video games in one and he’s one of three characters you play as in DMCV. How the hell did they have the time to do this? It’s so good.

3. Pokemon Shield

This is my curse.

2. Resident Evil 2

Capcom is on fire lately, their games are so, so good. Okay, their non-Street Fighter games. Resident Evil 2’s Remake is the absolute pinnacle of their return to form. Take the near-flawless map design of the original and mold it into a modern game, especially one that plays like Resident Evil 4, and you have John Game written all over it. The RE2 Remake is solid proof that even if a game is timeless, revisiting it and understanding both its core concept and modern sensibilities will do nothing but create another masterpiece.

1. Touhou Luna Nights

Touhou is a gap in both my gaming and anime knowledge, but it’s something I respect from afar. Its creator, Zun, seems like a rad guy, and I’m gonna drum “Reimu for Smash” as long as I can (boy, will this age well). Touhou Luna Nights came to me at a wonderful time. I’ve become a Metroidvania obsessive, clamoring for the next hit of dopamine I get every time I unlock a new door or find a new weapon. I played a lot of the classics, your Symphonies, your Super Metroids, but then Luna Nights left early access, and some folks told me it was worth my time. They were damn right.

Every second of gameplay in Luna Nights feels like a dream. Often-bullied maid Sakuya slides around each room like butter on a hot pan, complemented by every upgrade she receives. And those upgrades? All knives! She can learn to stand on knives, summon extra knives, or just get bigger knives! It’s knives all the way down! There’s also a grazing mechanic, borrowed from the Touhou games, where if you get close to a foe or projectile without touching them, you regain some energy or health.

While it’s not exactly the most original mechanic, Luna Nights’ time stop allows for even better flow. If you want to completely decimate an enemy that you particularly hate, stop time, throw way too many knives, and leave nothing but a smear where that foe was. Need to cross a watery area but can’t make the jump? Stop time and walk on water! This is coupled with the grazing mechanic to reward both skillful and dangerous play. You can stop time and get close to enemies and bullets, and get health and ammo back as a reward! It’s not particularly demanding or deep, but Touhou Luna Nights feels good from the moment you hit play, and finally standing up to your vampire master as a Dio-reference maid is a reward we could all use these days.

The post John’s Top Ten Games of 2019 appeared first on Gamesline.

So I’m kinda surprised I wound up playing as much stuff as I did this year; and even more surprised that I’ve come out the other end more excited for games and where they’re potentially heading than I have been in years. The stuff I stuck with this year was all stuff that actively made me want to stick around, and that actually helped me in finding the right balance in my life to continue to play lots of cool stuff while maintaining an existence outside it. I also started a new podcast with Chooch alum Ryan, where we watch Borat every week. Maybe my choices haven’t been so good.

Heck, I didn’t even get to play all the stuff I wanted to this year – my PC died at the beginning of November and after getting the run-around from a supplier for the past six weeks, I’ve been forced to miss out on a bunch of stuff I really wanted to play, like Remnant, Disco Elysium, and smaller titles such as 198X and Alt-Frequencies, games I hope to eventually get to in the new year.

There’s been a not-insignificant number of folks out there recently opining that 2019 absolutely stunk when it comes to video games, but I find it difficult to agree. Sure, there wasn’t really a widely-accepted de facto torchbearer for the industry this year, but there was a greater scope of games for all tastes than we’ve ever had before. The industry’s still not perfect, and disgusting business practices regarding development and monetization still run rampant, but I feel good about where things are going compared to the last couple of years, and hopefully things’ll keep trending up in the future.

10. Final Fantasy XIV

I know, I know, FFXIV didn’t release this year, but it’s my list and I put something like 200 hours into it since picking it up for the first time in June so I figure it’s gotta be here somewhere. I always thought I’d hate MMOs. Absolutely nothing about the formula seemed appealing to me, the endless fetch-quests and the repetition of having to kill wave after wave of samey enemies in order to level up felt to me as an outsider like the least fun way a person could possibly spend their time. When Shadowbringers was set to release over the summer, it was impossible to avoid talk about XIV anywhere online, and I just so happened to be on vacation from work, with nothing else really going on. So I gave XIV’s free trial a shot, and much to my shock, I found myself quickly becoming deeply engaged in the game, its world and its systems. It even got me to try out a bunch of other MMOs, like Black Desert, ArcheAge, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Blade & Soul and the abysmal Elder Scrolls Online. I think I’m gonna be one of those people who’s always playing some kind of MMO now, which seems wild to me, and while XIV is likely to always be the one I go back to (someday I’ll actually finish Heavensward), it’s been a cool gateway into a genre I’d dismissed for years and years. Holler at your boy Roastbeef if you see me hanging out on Brynhildr sometime.

9. A Plague Tale: Innocence

Yo man this game has rat tornados in it that’s dope as hell.

8. Sayonara Wild Hearts

Sometimes a game just makes you feel good, and man, does Sayonara Wild Hearts make me feel wonderful. I’m not a huge fan of pop music in general, but something about the way the game’s soundtrack combines with its visual flair and the speed of the experience is enough to let me overlook the flaws of this not-really-a-rhythm-game-actually and just revel in the moment. It’s the ultimate vibe game, the kind of thing you sit down and immerse yourself in for the hour or so it lasts and come away from just feeling fine afterward. It’s not big or particularly clever, but Sayonara Wild Hearts is definitely some kinda treat.

7. The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan

Until Dawn blew me away when I played it for the first time a couple of years ago; it’s the only full-length video game that I’ve ever sat down and completed in a single sitting. So when Supermassive announced The Dark Pictures anthology, I was all-in on the series and concept. The first installment, Man of Medan, isn’t quite on the level of Until Dawn, but it does still do a fantastic job of paying homage to the kind of crappy horror films that the Hollywood machine just doesn’t give us enough of these days. It’s brilliantly paced and understands exactly what it takes to mix the worlds of movies and video games successfully in a way that David Cage could only dream about, while the cast, led by a brilliantly hammy performance from Pip Torrens, do an excellent job of replicating the kind of energy you want from your shitty horror flicks. It may not be quite as good as its predecessor, but Man of Medan is a strong start to this new series.

6. Kind Words

2019 was a tough year for me on a personal level. My dad suffered a stroke and almost died. Shortly afterward, my own mental and physical health fell to the worst levels they’ve been in my whole life, and for a while, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to continue to work, either at my day job or for Chooch. I wasn’t even sure if I’d make it to my 29th birthday in September. Silly as it may seem, a game like Kind Words was something to hold onto, a space where I could scream anonymously into the void, and vent my frustrations, anxieties and worries to complete strangers, before (usually) receiving some encouragement back from those same faceless folk. Things are better now, I just recently received the all-clear from my doctor and my father’s recovery has been nothing short of miraculous, but it’s hard not to be thankful to the strangers who offered me some kind words when I needed them most.

5. Hypnospace Outlaw

If you’ve been following this site for a while, you know that if there’s an easy way to my heart, it’s giving me the tools to play around with a recreation of the early days of the internet, so in many ways, Hypnospace Outlaw is something of a dream for me. Okay, it’s not quite the era I’d most want – if it’d gone for an Emily is Away style recreation of the mid-00’s as opposed to the late-90’s it’d likely be my #1 – but what it does, it does better than I could have ever asked.  It’s garish, ugly and full of purposefully bad design, but that’s exactly what I want from that era of cyberspace. Playing Hypnospace is like reliving my first days of having access to the internet, and I absolutely love it.

4. Resident Evil 2

I’ve got a ton of fond memories of the original Resident Evil 2, and, truth be told, I wasn’t sure that Capcom could nail it with this remake. While Resident Evil 7 was a huge step in the right direction for a series that had seemingly lost sight of itself, RE2 seemed like it was taking a big risk going back to the over-the-shoulder perspective and gameplay of the previous generation of RE titles. Turns out that my worries were pretty much unfounded, however, as RE2 may just stand as one of the best remakes of any game. The changes made to the original’s story and formulas are broadly for the better, while the increased focus on the behemoth that is Mr. X pays off beautifully in the first half of the game. This is Resident Evil at its best, gripping and tense yet not afraid to embrace its campy nature and weirdo cast.

3. Control

I’ve got a confession to make: Control was my first Remedy game. I might’ve touched a demo of the old Max Payne games at some point, and I played about half an hour of Quantum Break before deciding I hated it, but this was the first time I actually sat down and played through a Remedy game for real, and I can’t help feeling like I’ve missed out on something in a big way. I love everything about what Control is going for, it’s ambitious in a way that feels increasingly rare among “Triple A” games – a daring and wholly unique spin on both third-person shooters and Metroidvanias that revels in its own weirdness and pathos without ever really coming across as pretentious. The art direction is phenomenal, the gameplay is silky-smooth (well, except for some of those boss fights), and the game’s use of FMV is masterful. I’m a sucker for cheesy real-life footage being used in video games, and Casper Darling and the Threshold Kids are among the best examples games have to offer. I’m probably gonna finally play Alan Wake pretty soon.

2. Devotion

Devotion is a great game, and it’s also 2019’s biggest bummer, both in ways it intended, and ways it didn’t. When Red Candle released Detention a few years ago, I fell in love with the game, its sense of time and place and especially its intense, foreboding, oppressive atmosphere. Devotion continued to build on the foundation Detention laid with aplomb, and I don’t know if a game has ever done a better job at conveying quite such a sinister atmosphere in such a small space. The apartment you wander through time and again places you directly in 1980’s Taiwan and the dysfunctional, broken home of its inhabitants. It’s a shame the game can’t be purchased anymore following the reaction to a silly Easter egg jabbing at Xi Jinping, because in what was a strong year for the horror genre, Devotion really stands out as a classic whose potential, ironically given the game’s subject matter, may never be realized.

1. Dead or Alive 6

Look, I know. DOA has a horrendous reputation as series, and while a lot of those elements have been seemingly toned down for the game’s most recent iteration, they’re still present. Despite all the unsavoury stuff around the outsides though, I cannot help but absolutely adore Dead or Alive 6. I’ve spent the last three or four years trying desperately to get into fighting games, I’ve bought into pretty much every single franchise from Street Fighter, to Tekken, to MK and Soulcalibur, and for whatever reason, none of them ever stuck. But when I decided to give the open beta for DOA6 a try in February, something was different. Something clicked. I tried out a few characters at random, and by the time I had my third or fourth fight I hit upon one that just felt right. From that moment I was in on DOA, a series that I’d only ever played the second installment of briefly at a friends’ house as a kid and barely knew anything about. 

It doesn’t matter to me that the story is complete Calvinball, an impossible to follow mess with dreadful writing, acting and a timeline you need to be a NASA guy to make sense of. I can even mostly accept the game’s over-the-top level of fanservice and cheesecake, because it just plays so unbelievably well. Between the game’s incredibly comprehensive tutorial and command training, as well as the brilliant Quest mode which rewards you for learning its various concepts, DOA6 is an immediately accessible fighter that doesn’t even require you to be able to do a half or quarter-circle to get in and have fun at a low level, while having all the depth in the world for those that want to dig deeper into its systems. Sure, the community’s not huge, and I’ll almost certainly never be anything more than an 0-2 scrub, but I can make good players actually have to earn their wins and always have fun in the process. DOA6 may not have made me think or feel like some of the other games I’ve played this year, but it’s by far the most actual fun I’ve had in years.

The post Niall’s Top 10 Games Of 2019 appeared first on Gamesline.

10. Baba is You

Curious puzzle that causes the user to question their presence within their own body. It manipulates the form of the user into different objects, using simple runes to complete seemingly unworldly calculations.

Use with caution. It is said that Baba can be more than simply You, but that Baba can be Win as well… But if Baba is Win, then who are You?

9. Super Mario Maker 2

Newest form of Mario Maker. It is built upon the many iterations of Mario’s past, twisting and contorting them into unseemly forms.

Use to summon a level from another world, and to invade other worlds with your own.

Those who revel in pain and suffering send their dreadful levels out into the ether, only wishing to receive any as equally depraved.

8. Pathologic 2

https://twitter.com/thedarkid/status/1133265671188619265
Second manuscript from the Ice-Pick Lodge, a retelling of their first. Use to instill despair into the hearts of any who would read it.

Town-on-Gorkhon suffers silently until the wailing of plague-stricken townsfolk alerts those who would rather see it obliterated than cured. The Haruspex may be able to divert it’s path from sure destruction if the fearful townsfolk do not reject him out of paranoia. Should he bother? He only returned home to once again see his father.

7. Remnant: From the Ashes

New interpretation on a now common formula, much like souls of the past. The world is different and ever-changing, and as such, great pains were taken to suit this formula into the shape of a gun where it once favored the sword.

Be warned, as the flow of time may be convoluted in other worlds, the shape of space contorts in new and different ways with each new world formed. Phantoms may enter another world to find unseen spaces and enemies they have never faced before.

6. Death Stranding

back at it againhttps://t.co/iBYQyWh8UJ pic.twitter.com/GZv9w9f00g

— discontent creator scott b (@FKAsocks) November 17, 2019

Package from an acclaimed artist, although many have questioned if what he makes would truly be considered art. Fragile, handle with care.

All packages have shape and weight, and some have specific requirements. This package asks the user if it understands that inventories are never truly bottomless, and that movement is an art in itself. Perhaps that’s the story the artist was trying to tell, or perhaps it was one more convoluted and, certainly, far worse acted.

5. Resident Evil 2

wiggly boy pic.twitter.com/EV0jsC7FmZ

— discontent creator scott b (@FKAsocks) February 3, 2019

Love letter to a horror story of past generations. Use to restore memories from decades past.

In these times, the undead are common and easily dealt with. However, this is still proof that they are deadly as they once were. Conventional weapons alone cannot kill what cannot die, but with foresight and clever thinking, perhaps you can stay alive.

4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

same pic.twitter.com/YEM1PrnCIZ

— discontent creator scott b (@FKAsocks) August 25, 2019

War map depicting the strategies of three opposing countries. The various plotted points tell a tale of friends and loved ones who must find themselves at the other end of each others swords.

Three progeny of their nations rise to power, but they cannot all coexist. They are fated to go to war, not through prophecy or by glory, but because they simply cannot live together. Their ideals are too different to work in tandem, even if their goals are often the same.

3. Metro Exodus

this game fucking whips extremely major asshttps://t.co/HKQ4rmG5na pic.twitter.com/g449jtT1OQ

— discontent creator scott b (@FKAsocks) March 5, 2019

Old machine kept upright by communal engineering. Houses numerous mechanics that are said to have no effect, but the user may feel a sense of relaxation or ease.

Even with spots of rust showing, the gears still turn. It has ambitions to surpass the Metro from which it was birthed to places it has never once thought to see, and it hopes that you will take it there.

2. The Outer Worlds

Souvenir of a different time. Allows the user to project themselves onto the worlds through dialogue with its many denizens.

Those who desire this sort of scenario have been left desperate by those who keep its genre in a stranglehold. However, this is proof that the desire for a deeper experience is still alive and well.

1. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Blade forged by a master smith. The sword is immaculately designed but requests nothing but perfection of its user.

While the blade sits as the latest in a long lineage, it’s demands are new and fresh even to those who have wielded similar weapons. It encourages the user to marvel at the ebb and flow of combat, the beauty and brutality could be mistaken for an intricate dance if the results were not as deadly.

The post Scott’s Top 10 Games of 2019 Written In The Style of Dark Souls Item Descriptions appeared first on Gamesline.

As always you can support us on our patreon, follow us on twitter @VGChooChoo , @horngal, and @John_Michonski.

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on iTunes, and tell a friend about the show! If you want to send in questions send them to podcast@videogamechoochoo.com, or into our ask box at videogamechoochoo.tumblr.com/ask

You can also join our discord channel at thegamezone.zone !

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Subscribe via iTunes, Hipcast, Direct Download or listen below!

The post VGCC Episode 253: One Bad Trophy appeared first on Gamesline.

As always you can support us on our patreon, follow us on twitter @VGChooChoo , @solonface, @YourPalNiall, and @John_Michonski.

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on iTunes, and tell a friend about the show! If you want to send in questions send them to podcast@videogamechoochoo.com, or into our ask box at videogamechoochoo.tumblr.com/ask

You can also join our discord channel at thegamezone.zone !

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Subscribe via iTunes, Hipcast, Direct Download or listen below!

The post VGCC Episode 251: Left Mouse Does Hurties appeared first on Gamesline.

We’ve somehow made it to episode 250, and to celebrate Rose is to present her thesis on Kingdom Hearts, Janie’s been jamming, John’s still in the Shadow Realm, RE2 is still good, Janie’s finally conquered Dark Souls 3, Piranha Plant whips, there’s a bunch of Dragon Ball news, the Wii Shop has officially closed, and Rose does a Mickey Mouse voice.

As always you can support us on our patreon, follow us on twitter @VGChooChoo , @jjaffew, @horngal, and @John_Michonski.

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on iTunes, and tell a friend about the show! If you want to send in questions send them to podcast@videogamechoochoo.com, or into our ask box at videogamechoochoo.tumblr.com/ask

You can also join our discord channel at thegamezone.zone !

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Subscribe via iTunes, Hipcast, Direct Download or listen below!

The post VGCC Episode 250: Pooh-Yo Pooh-Yo appeared first on Gamesline.

As always you can support us on our patreon, follow us on twitter @VGChooChoo , @jrdizon, @Solonface, and @John_Michonski.

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on iTunes, and tell a friend about the show! If you want to send in questions send them to podcast@videogamechoochoo.com, or into our ask box at videogamechoochoo.tumblr.com/ask

You can also join our discord channel at thegamezone.zone !

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Subscribe via iTunes, Hipcast, Direct Download or listen below!

The post VGCC Episode 249: Wrestling is Anime appeared first on Gamesline.

As always you can support us on our patreon, follow us on twitter @VGChooChoo , @Solonface, @SocksMahoney, and @John_Michonski
Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on iTunes, and tell a friend about the show! If you want to send in questions send them to podcast@videogamechoochoo.com, or into our ask box at videogamechoochoo.tumblr.com/ask
You can also join our discord channel at thegamezone.zone !

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Subscribe via iTunes, Hipcast, Direct Download or listen below!

The post VGCC Episode 247: Eponymous Hog appeared first on Gamesline.

Support us on Patreon! Follow us on twitter @VGChooChoo, @john_michonski, and @YourPalNiall, and don’t forget to rate & review the show on iTunes, as well as tell a friend! You can also send questions, comments, and concerns to podcast@videogamechoochoo.com or find us on Tumblr! You can also join our Discord channel at thegamezone.zone!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Suck Chooch’s blood via iTunes, Hipcast, Direct Download or listen below!

The post VGCC Episode 221: We Want Fun appeared first on Gamesline.

The post Resident Evil 2 Remake Hits January 25th appeared first on Gamesline.