Bobby Kotick Departs Activision Blizzard

As of the end of December 2023, Robert “Bobby” Kotick has officially retired from his role as CEO of Activision Blizzard.

Kotick’s departure leaves behind a legacy of controversy and potential complicity to the company’s toxic and hostile workplace issues in his wake, and is part a series of many leadership and policy changes to the company in response to the long, grandstanding saga of the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. As another subsidiary under Microsoft, Jill Braff has been named head of studio for Bethesda and ZeniMax. Microsoft’s acquisition of Blizzard was officially finalized in October 2023.

The state of California ended up settling the Blizzard’s gender discrimination lawsuit for about $54 million, the very case that has pushed the series of dominoes that catalyzed the acquisition of the company in motion back on July 2021.

In its initial filings of the suit, California’s Civil Rights Department (CRD) alleged that the company had a “frat boy” culture, but has went on to now conclude that “no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations” of sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard in the suit’s settlement text. If the court approves of this settlement, the payout will go to “cover direct relief to workers and litigation costs” and “a settlement fund dedicated to compensating workers.”

While being pushed back by the ABK Workers Alliance union, Blizzard will also be ending hybrid work for QA employees starting this year. The union believes that the in-office accommodations that have been offered due to this decision will not adequately meet the needs of its membership and that it will cause “many, many more employees being forced out of the company and into a desperate situation.”

As Blizzard will be continuing to face turbulence and ongoing changes under a new coat of paint, Microsoft pulls back from their VR projects as consumer trends shown interest in the medium dipped in 2023.

Leaving the Year With Leaks

Insomniac Games had the misfortune of experiencing a severe cyberattack credited to ransomware group Rhysida, who claims to have taken over 1.67 terabytes of data from the company.

After a deadline has passed demanding a ransom of $2 million dollars, Rhysida went on to leak a plethora of internal data and sensitive employee information, such as HR documents, screenshots of private messages, and unreleased images and assets of future projects, and even a playable build of one of those projects. Sony experienced a data breach by a different group in October that same year.

Insomniac has went on to respond to how demoralizing the attack has been, but nonetheless has vowed that teams will resume to push on and that work will continue on the projects that have been leaked. The leaked playable build contains a warning against piracy, which could result in legal action from Insomniac. Downloading it also potentially comes with the threat that it contains implanted malicious software after the hack’s tampering.

Allegedly, Rhysida has sold a tiny portion of this data to an unknown buyer, but a significant portion of 98% of the data allegedly has been released.

In less concerning news, sensitive military documents have been leaked on the War Thunder forums —again.

The Blockchain Is Not for Babies

While the Epic Games Store still won’t necessarily list games in its catalog with the Adults Only rating, the platform has adjusted its policy to now allow exceptions for games utilizing blockchain technology.

The ESRB board has been labeling games using blockchain technology with the AO rating, determined on “assess[ing] whether products may reward real money, prizes with real world value, or something that can be exchanged for or converted to real money.” NFT-based game Gods Unchained was removed from the Store for its AO rating, but has since been relisted on the platform after this policy update.

Government Goes After Gacha

Reguators China are attempting to introduce new policies to curb spending and monetization practices in online games.

Per several other past initiatives in an effort to reduce play time and addiction to games, some of the terms of these regulations include imposing spending limits on players, disallowing in-game items to be auctioned or used as speculative assets and that all Chinese games must be ran in servers based within China.

Researcher Leon Y. Xiao has further found that the policies will require that loot boxes shouldn’t make their contents exclusive and that unspent currency must be refunded to players if a game shuts down.

While in Korea, the Korean Fair Trade Commission has fined Nexon for changing and reducing the loot box probability rates without transparency across their published titles that contain this equivalent mechanic.

The New York Times Sues OpenAI and Microsoft

On top of an ongoing string of other lawsuits pushing back against the exploitative use of the technology, The New York Times sues OpenAI and Microsoft, opening what might possibly be one of the largest lawsuits against AI thus far by for copyright infringement.

The publication alleges that the AI technology used has been illegally pulling from the Times’ archive to train ChatGPT. Data that that plaintiff has currently reported has found the Times as one of the largest sources that the technology has pulled from, arguing that ChatGPT is for-profit that now directly competes with the Times’ own services.

Wizards of the Coast deservedly catches flack again, this time for the use of AI art going unchecked in a recent social media campaign for Magic: The Gathering.

In other news…

Teenager Willis Gibson is the first human player to fully complete a version of Tetris on the NES. Going by “Blue Scuti” on his YouTube channel, the run lasted for about 38 minutes.

Devolver Digital capped off the holiday season with a quick Public Access Holiday Special that showcased several upcoming indie titles, such as The Plucky Squire, Pepper Grinder, and Baby Steps.

Actor James McCaffrey passed away. McCaffrey has starred in various film and television roles, and provided his voice for the titular role in the Max Payne series and was a regular talent for Remedy Entertainment’s various characters, such as Alex Casey in the Alan Wake games.

Publisher Versus Evil laid off its entire staff, effectively shutting down. Versus Evil was acquired by TinyBuild in 2013, and effectively all titles of their library, such as The Banner Saga games, have been moved under TinyBuild’s ownership.

Ubisoft’s The Crew will be going offline. The game has already been delisted from all online stores and will remain playable until March of this year.

While Sea of Stars has much to celebrate following their win of Best Independent Game at the 2023 Game Awards and achieving a 4 million player milestone, the game is removing the cameo appearance of Jirard Khalil. Also known as The Completionist, Khalil was met with allegations of financial fraud against his family-founded charity to support dementia research, the Open Hand Foundation.

Publisher Bushiroad Games and developer Eighting announced the production of a Hunter x Hunter fighting game. Bushiroad has published various titles based on anime and manga IPs, and was responsible for bringing the multimedia musical franchises Love Live! School Idol Festival and BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! into the mobile games market.

As even its own cast awaits an official greenlighting of a sequel to Illumination’s animated The Super Mario Bros. Movie, rumors suggest the animation studio has pitched the idea of potentially also adapting the Smash fighting games into a film.

Likewise, Jack Black won’t be waiting for his next gig for too long as he is reportedly to play Steve in the Minecraft adaptation.

Meanwhile, the Paramount television series adaptation of Halo has been confirmed for a second season.

While the official server of MMO City of Heroes was shut down way back in 2012, NCSoft officially granted a license to a long active, private-run server Homecoming. Players are reassured that accounts will remain untouched and that the gameplay will continue to be free, hoping to be supported by donations.

Fans of Baba Is You will be pleasantly surprised by the release of Mobile Suit Baba, a tactical mission-based puzzle game that revisits the same quaint Baba characters and setting.

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Mama mia. This is quite the meat-a-ball-a of a podcast! This week, we discuss Super Mario Bros. Wonder, how much Redfall still sucks, an attempt at a Final Fantasy XIV news update, Scott’s feelings on the Final Fantasy gacha’s current meta, Maverick’s enjoyment of the previous Spider-Man entry, and John’s still Samurai-ing.

You can support us on our Patreon, and follow us on Twitter @TheGamesline, @john_michonski, @MaverickDrifter, and @fkasocks.

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Edited by Lorelai

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But before we get to those games, let’s get to some goggles:

Apple Debuts a Pair of Expensive Goggles

On Tuesday, Apple held their Worldwide Developers Conference 2023 (WWDC23), their annual presentation event that showcases upcoming products.

While the thick of these events often only cater to Apple-dedicated users and big tech money investors, representatives have demonstrated Apple’s intentions to further invest in games, such as releasing developer kits to encourage more developers to port and work for the macOS.

This was further supported by Hideo Kojima, who appeared as a guest speaker to debut a Death Stranding port for Macs. 

The big finale capped everything off with the public debut of Apple’s Apple Vision Pro, an AR headset device that will retail at a whopping $3,499. Apple boasts that the expenses of the Vision Pro will not only help and add on to every aspect of your everyday work life—such as using its breathable headband to absorb your sweat while basking in your 3D screensavers in the dark—but that it will be compatible with the Apple Arcade’s launch of hundreds of more games to come to its library.

Apple will also be able to provide developers kits seeking to develop for the device.

The Sands of the Summer Games Fest 2023

The Geoff Keighley show kicked off opening with a new Prince of Persia game. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will be a side-scrolling platformer in lieu of the series’ earlier, classic titles, and is slated for release some time next year.

While we revisit sands of time, we are also getting a Sand Land video game adapting Akira Toriyama’s mange of the same name.

Definitely Not the First for Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is slated for release next year in 2024. The game continues the narrative that has so far been established in Final Fantasy VII remake.

The beta for Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is running through late June. The game appears to be a re-imagining of elements from the various Final Fantasy VII games, with the additional inclusion of more backstory for the game’s SOLDIER faction. Ever Crisis is strictly for mobile devices running on Android and iOS.

Other Sequels and Seasons

Coinciding with the release of Chapter 4, Season 3, Fortnite is getting a Transformers crossover. Comic artist KC Green has also caught that a recent update of the game has added a new fire emote inspired by the “This is fine” meme derived from his comic strip “On Fire”—and confirmed that it was with his paid involvement.

Guess that was recently implemented. Now you can set yourself on fire as a joke! (For the pedants, I was paid for this usage) https://t.co/4Z33GUWvTt

— The Comics of KC Green (@kcgreenn) June 9, 2023

Alan Wake 2 gets treated to a gameplay reveal trailer.

Insomniac Games announces Spider-Man 2, hitting the city skies on October 20th.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 launches on October 20th!#SpiderMan2PS5 #BeGreaterTogether pic.twitter.com/ft5G5nGihX

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) June 8, 2023

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name gets a November 9 release date.

We know #GollumGame all too well, and it looks we are now being treated to #GimliGame! The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is announced for this coming fall. The game is described as ” the only survival crafting video game set in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth.”

And while it was not part of the Summer Games Fest line-up of announcements per se, developer Dingaling Productions confirms that a LISA: Definitive Edition will be hitting all current-gen consoles this coming July.

Fighting Games and the Fight for Mobilization

A new trailer for the Mortal Kombat reboot is released. To reiterate, this is not to be confused with Mortal Kombat (2011), and will indeed be an entirely new reboot. Last month, Amazon accidentally leaked the game’s first batch of DLC characters, spurring speculation around the game.

Leading up to their union election, AEGIS-CWA representatives report that Sega management has tried to initiate an anti-union campaign towards its employees. The Allied Employees Guild Improving SEGA (AEGIS) comprises of Sega of America employees. The shop announced their intentions for unionization back in April, and can potentially be the first union in the video games industry to represent multiple departments.

These pending developments have coincided with the announcement of several Sega titles, such as Sonic Superstars, during the Summer Games Fest.

We are disappointed that Sega management has decided to interfere in our democratic right to organize leading up to the NLRB mailing out our ballots on June 16. 🔽 pic.twitter.com/M0RkPlapIH

— AEGIS-CWA 💙 #UnionizeSEGA (@takesAEGIS) June 8, 2023

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(Thanks to Benjamin for the commission that I’m using as my header!)

10. Sakura Wars

Look, this was basically gonna be a nine game list. I was thinking about slapping something on here that I didn’t care much for, but then I remembered I actually beat Sakura Wars. I played it to completion, and that deserves something, right?

There’s a lot to like in Sakura Wars. The overall plot is just goofy enough to get your 90’s anime fan blood pumping, the character designs are great, and there’s a ninja girl who basically becomes your little sister. All of that rules. Once you get past that, however, it gets a bit frustrating. Combat can be monotonous, and the harem romance aspects of the franchise get in the way of proper character building. Asami, the previously mentioned ninja girl, gets the best development in the game purely because she isn’t a love interest.

At the end of the day, though, I still liked it? There’s a charm to Sakura Wars that never left me after I finished it. I was so inclined to start watching the anime sequel (which in of itself is hilarious, as it premiered in the US at the same time as the JP airing, which means we got it before the game released here) just because I liked the characters and setting that much. Sakura Wars the game was maybe not what I was looking for, but introducing me to its world and characters was, and I’ll finish the anime soon and talk about it on the other podcast.

9. Among Us

This became a phenomenon for a reason. Sure, yeah, it’s just Mafia/Werewolf/whatever other game that is this, but that’s not the point. The point is that it has character. And that character being discovered is why Among Us was finally a hit in 2020. It’s a perfect little party game that has ingrained itself into our collective consciousness because of how adorable the crewmates are. Compared to the manufactured cuteness of things like Baby Yoda and the Fall Guys, Among Us was exactly what it said on the tin and pulled it off well, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

8. Doom Eternal

RIP AND FRIGGIN TEAR!!!!! Doom Eternal was a very different beast from Doom 2016, but it was still fun, and that’s all that matters. This was “Doom May Cry,” and while that means you sometimes were railroaded into specific weapons and abilities, the variety of said weapons and abilities as well as enemy and environment design led to a fulfilling game.

Yeah the story’s dumb as hell, even dumber than usual, but I liked that. Go ahead, canonize the comic. Have in-game characters call him Doomguy. Fuck it, man, let’s just get really dumb with it. Doom Eternal has an attitude I can completely get behind. I do just wish the levels were a little shorter, but that’s all.

7. Spider-Man: Miles Morales

I bought a PS5 in 2020, which I would not recommend to anyone unless they also pull a $600 Yu-Gi-Oh! card and sell it like I did. I needed a game to go with it, and what do you know, they did another one of those Spider’s Man games. For real, though, Miles Morales doesn’t feel as much of a feat as the PS4 original, but what is there has a style and presence all its own. Sure, a good chunk of that style is also Into the Spider-verse’s, but they do enough with it to feel unique, at least in my opinion.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales does the work to make Miles feel like his own person. The plot is about growing out of the shadow of your mentors, whether it’s your Spider-Mantor or your family. There’s some great character work here, especially with Miles and his uncle, who you may know better as The Prowler. They do their story differently than other stories have, and it’s to great effect.

6. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

13 Sentinels is, without a doubt, an achievement. I only put it at #6 because I need to play more, but the visual novel aspects of the game are second to none. It’s easily Vanillaware’s prettiest game, with a dark, despondent air to its painterly backgrounds. It tells an extremely dense, non-linear story in a very understandable way, which in of itself is a feat.

The “combat” portions of the game aren’t really anything demanding, but they’re fun enough if you enjoy tower defense. What you’re really here for is the story, and what a story it has. Intertwining relationships, aliens, future and past versions of the same character interacting, and big friggin robots! It’s all there, and all done masterfully. 13 Sentinels is a once in a lifetime game, and I hope more people give it a go.

5. Resident Evil 3 (Remake)

RE2 Remake felt like a godsend, invigorating the franchise in a secondary way that complimented RE7’s first person view well. Resident Evil 3’s remake, like Spider-Man: Miles Morales before, is sort of more of the same, but I think RE3 tried a bit harder to be unique from its remake predecessor. Jill has a dodge mechanic, which adds to the general combat flow of the game, and while Nemesis has been downgraded to a set-piece instead of a constant threat, when he does show up it’s the tightest shit. This is just an impeccably controlling and exciting action-horror game and I had a blast with it.

4. Final Fantasy VII Remake

It can be argued that a lot of these remakes, even the aforementioned RE3 one, aren’t exactly “necessary”. Sure, the updates are welcome, but if a game is already good, can’t it just get re-released in a way that new players can access the game in perpetuity? Final Fantasy VII’s remake answers that question by saying “the original is just as valid, here’s a new take that will go somewhere else.” FFVIIR is its own game, its own experience, and builds on top of the original’s legacy in ways I never expected. It also helps that it’s an absolutely phenomenal game top to bottom.

This is a new experience for a new generation, an update to a game that creates a new story arc in its legacy, and a killer action RPG! They made the Cloud dress scene not complete garbage! Looking up at that god damn pizza in the sky, in full 3D, recontextualizes so much about what the game is saying and it fits like a glove in 2020. FFVII is just as important as it was when it originally released, but now it fits snugly into 2020’s landscape.

3. Bugsnax

It’s fun to help puppets solve problems. It’s fun to catch little critters. It’s fun to listen to synthy music. That’s all in Bugsnax, and more. It’s the second PS5 game I played and it made the console worth it just because it didn’t have loads. Thanks folks.

Seriously though, Bugsnax is a lovely experience about the process of getting to know people and the power in helping others. It’s a bit more personal than a game further down the list, but it resonates just as well. Forging relationships is difficult in these times, but Bugsnax is a reminder of what we can do once things are better, and how we’ll be able to do it. Mostly by swapping food and cracking jokes.

2. Paper Mario: The Origami King

Origami King is constrained by the continued spectre of Shigeru Miyamoto (allegedly). The restrictions on characters, environments, and storytelling is evident in almost every aspect of the game, and how it relates to previous Paper Mario games. Somehow, some way, Origami King still kicks ass, even if it does make me wish the team could do what they want.

Origami King has a lot of wonderful dialogue and music throughout, and its combat mechanics stay cute and fun throughout the entire game. Every new area was a delight to experience, and Olivia is a lovely sidekick to run through them with. Origami King was an adorable little adventure that lapsed Paper Mario fans should absolutely check out. I played Thousand Year Door right around the same time I played OK, and I’d say it stands up, at least on the writing side of things. Maybe I’m full of shit, but that doesn’t change my stance!

1. Yakuza: Like a Dragon

We as a society will not progress unless we are more willing to help people. A willingness to assist our fellow person, with our labor, our money, or our time, must be instilled into all of us, lest we fall prey to a future that cannot support us. Ichiban Kasuga is the mascot to the better future. He played Dragon Quest as a kid, thought about how good it felt when he completed quests in the game, then applied that to real life. What do you know, it feels good to help others in the living world! Not only that, but if someone isn’t troubled by something, they can help someone else, and so on.

2020’s worldwide problems and the struggles of Ichiban’s party are absolutely not one to one, but I couldn’t help but think about current events while playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Specifically, I thought about the rays of hope that occurred during such gloomy times, and how all of them came from collaboration between average people; collective effort instead of relying on those at the top. Ichiban’s crew is the same, a bunch of Chicken McNobodies that, while still involved with the plot due to connections to certain characters, could have easily sat out and let things ride their course. It’s people like those who came together to speak out against oppression, bring aid to those that need it, and mutually aid one another that inspired me this year, and Ichiban’s character echoed a lot of those sorts of heroism. If we are to truly live in 2021 and beyond, we must help each other, and if you need to tell yourself you’re leveling up while doing it, go for it.

The post John’s Top Ten Games of 2020 appeared first on Gamesline.

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As always you can support us on our patreon, and follow us on twitter @VGChooChoo, @john_michonski, @JudgementScythe, and @PunkParfait.

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 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!

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5. Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Remastering a game I consider one of my classic favorites is an easy way to earn a spot on my GOTY list, so Toys For Bob slid in nice and snug. The Spyro Reignited Trilogy perfectly recreates three classic Playstation games, barely updating them because, for the most part, they don’t need updating. The only thing that got a face-lift is the graphics, and thanks to the fifty-odd gig patch you need to download, there’s a whole lot of graphics in this game. Of particular note is the Spyro the Dragon remaster, which now allows me to replay an absolute favorite in crisp clean 2018 visuals whenever I want. There really isn’t much to say here besides “it’s Spyro, and Spyro continues to be good”, so I’ll leave it at that, but man. Spyro’s damn good!

4. Xenoblade Chronicles 2

This game came out in 2017, right after our self-imposed cut off point for GOTY, so it’s in the runnings for 2018, okay?. That being said, wow, I wish more people paid attention to Xenoblade Chronicles 2. After an admittedly rough introduction to the game (remember that segment of the Nintendo Direct that lasted what felt like two hours just talking about the combat?) and some discourse about a busty bunny lady, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 quickly shut me up with its nearly perfect cast of characters. With every new party member, the sense of found family and togetherness continued to seep in, until a pivotal scene literally ends with one of the characters exclaiming that she loves the party like a family, entrusting all of her energy into helping them and accepting their full aid. While the writing is what brings me to Xenoblade 2, the fun gameplay and unique combat sequences keep me around. Xenoblade plays similarly to an MMO, but it’s just different enough to feel good riding solo. There’s a warmth permeating throughout Xenoblade Chronicles 2 that you don’t get from most video games, and it’s something we all need, in 2018 and beyond.

3. Deltarune Chapter 1

Talk about a good first impression! Alright, sure, we all already played Undertale, but Deltarune’s first chapter is not only a great slice of what we should expect from the rest of the game (whenever that happens), but it’s a wonderful, full experience all on its own. Toby Fox has taken everything he’s learned since creating Undertale to craft a fantastic upgrade to the formula, introducing us to new sights, sounds, and characters that are already outshining the original game’s cast. To think this is just a slice of a full game is astonishing, but with Toby Fox claiming Deltarune in total may take nine years to complete, the wait will be agonizing.

2. Marvel’s Spider-Man

They made a sequel to Spider-Man 2’s movie video game, and it’s way better! Marvel’s Spider-Man dares to make a superhero thing in 2018, when we’re all a bit sick of Marvel movies and desperately want DC to go away, yet it still feels fresh and exciting. Peter Parker’s forays into heroism are consistently thrilling, and the human drama aspects are just as riveting. Yes, I rolled my eyes at times to some of the writing, but webswinging around New York was worth the price of admission alone, and the combat system was even more engaging than the Arkham games it’s founded upon. Also, they put Taskmaster in it! I love Taskmaster!

John’s GOTY: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

I was incredibly emotional playing Smash Ultimate for the first time, and that emotion has carried me through the moment I write this. It feels like such a short time between the last Smash Bros. and now, but in that time, Masahiro Sakurai and company have crafted a breathtakingly sensational game that is a joy to control and explore. Smash Bros. gameplay has never felt as good as it does here, but the thing that makes Smash Ultimate truly special are the spirit battles in World of Light, introducing hundreds of unique battles that previously would only appear in handfuls in past games’ event matches. You can (and will) lose hundreds, if not thousands of hours to Smash Ultimate, and that’s ignoring multiplayer with your friends. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate gets nearly everything right about what a Smash Bros. game requires, then goes above and beyond to a monumental degree.

The post John’s Top Five Games of 2018 appeared first on Gamesline.

If you wish to watch our winners in video form, check out the below video. Other than that, here are the write-ups!

Best Mechanic: Self Mutilation in The Missing

Runners-up: Web-Swinging in Spider-Man, District Health in Vampyr

While seemingly a hard sell for most people, the way The Missing handles the use of self mutilation to solve puzzles is brilliantly executed. Dismemberment, immolation, and many other brutal forms of self mutilation act as J.J.’s means to progress through the world and learn to rebuild herself. These mechanics serve to act as a metaphor for the struggles and the pain that many trans people go through in everyday life in order to survive in the world. J.J. breaks herself down to build herself together again. After all, this is a regeneration story.

Worst Mechanic: Red Dead Redemption 2’s Morality Meter

Runners-up: Detroit: Become Human’s Trust System, SNK Heroines’ Items

Red Dead Redemption 2 is full of all sorts of thoughtless and actively fun-hampering mechanics, but the morality meter easily takes the cake. Even the concept of a meter to measure some sort of arbitrarily considered moral code feels outdated in 2018, where so much of the industry has either thoughtfully omitted such mechanics or adapted them into more nuanced and subtle presentation. Drifting your morality meter in either direction requires barely any thought, and provides little to no bearing on anything that happens throughout your experience. Being a Cowboy Angel won’t stop Arthur from beating up disabled men for three dollars in the story, nor will being Satan’s lil’ Cowpoke affect the titular and forced redemption arc later in the game. It’s a meaningless system that feels integrated largely because its predecessor had it, but also because as a AAA video game such features are required. This is all saying nothing of the fact that in Red Dead Redemption 2’s online component, players can pay to reset their morality meter with a microtransaction currency, which is just, man that really just is everything wrong with AAA gaming wrapped up nicely, huh?

Worst Game: The Quiet Man

Runners-up: Detroit: Become Human, SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy

Oh, what to say? Square Enix has had a real strange year, but nothing has quite reached the heights of sheer bafflement that the company achieved with The Quiet Man. What feels like both a fake game from a movie and an Arrowverse rip-off, The Quiet Man is a disaster on every conceivable level. From FMV sequences that look and feel like a rejected pilot for a show on The CW, to gameplay sequences that feel like they were cobbled together in a couple weeks (by Human Head, a legit developer, no less), The Quiet Man is an embarrassment on a scale rarely seen for major publishers. Sure, Square Enix has taken risks on smaller-to-medium sized games in the past couple years, with games like Tokyo Dark and Nier: Automata both being successful, but it’s impossible to understand just what exactly the company was thinking with The Quiet Man.

The post Game of the Year Awards 2018: Day Four appeared first on Gamesline.

5. Dragonball FighterZ

I’ve said the same thing about DBFZ all year: it’s the fighting game that will save the dying genre. It’s yet to be seen whether that’s the truth, but I stand by DBFZ as a perfect game for beginners. The skill floor is low enough to not overwhelm a first time player, while the skill ceiling is high enough to keep professional play exciting for spectators. It’s one of the best feeling fighting games and one of the most well known IPs in the world, making it the perfect fighting game for everyone – something that the genre I love desperately needed. Plus, you can play as a team of three god damn Gokus.

4. Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves is  one of my absolute favorite multiplayer experiences of all time. While it began its life with very few things to do, the later addition of several free content packs and seasonal events has kept the game fresh. The ebb and flow of the game’s pacing really lends itself to the experience in my opinion. The lull in activity as you sail from point A to point B helps to emphasize the excitement when a galleon full of players sails up to try and steal your goodies. Despite only owning this game for a couple of months, my friends and I have lost dozens of hours sailing about, collecting treasure, and ruining some poor, anchored crew’s night by sailing up and stealing their treasure for ourselves before they can get back aboard their ship. 

Or, as pictured above, having our ship blown to smithereens as we piled all the loot we could carry onto a dinghy. My three crewmates played a jaunty tune as I rowed us to the nearest outpost, with only the vaguest idea of which direction I needed to head in. This incident concluded with a friend abandoning the rowboat to respawn our galleon, sailing solo to find us adrift at sea. The entire endeavor took almost half an hour, and we were crying with laughter for just about the entire experience.

3. Frostpunk

If you know me, you might know I love city builders. I live for the relaxing experience of watching something I plot out come to life. But I went into Frostpunk unprepared for just how much it would absorb me for the entire length of its initial three scenarios. Every single time the temperature dropped, I had the same thought – this is it. I’m going to lose here. But nevertheless, my meager colony persevered through the harsh, endless winters. The push and pull of anxiety and relief was endless. Every single time I thought I had things under control, it all went wrong. As soon as I had a steady supply of coal, producing more than I burned, a group of survivors would stumble upon my city, looking for a home – thus requiring me to expand my generator’s heating range further, doubling coal consumption. Along with that, suddenly I’ve got more mouths to feed. But, oh! New survivors means new workers to produce these resources. The cycle of tension and relief, as well as the beautiful aesthetic and dramatic, orchestral score by Piotr Musial delivered an experience no other city builder game has been able to capture, and it kept me coming back for more – especially with the late addition of an endless survival mode.

2. Katamari Damacy Reroll

Is this cheating? Is it cheating to throw in a 1:1 remake of a game that’s almost 15 years old? Maybe. Is it cheating to throw in a game that came out only a couple of days before we deliberated GOTY? Maybe. Does that matter to me? Absolutely not. Katamari Reroll is a near flawless recreation of 2004’s Katamari Damacy, one of my absolute all time favorite games. I adore Damacy, and I absolutely love this remake just as much. If you haven’t played Katamari, pick up this remake. It’s a perfect game. Lonely Rolling Star makes me cry almost every time I hear it. I love Katamari so much.

1.  Spider-Man

It’s been a long time since a game had me immediately coming back for more like Spider-Man did. The act of swinging through New York alone was completely therapeutic for me. Paired with the smooth combat, it was almost impossible for me to put down. Sure, the story isn’t perfect, and Spidey sounds like a real cop sometimes, but Spider-Man is one of the few superheroes that really lends himself to a fantastic gaming experience, and it’s a shame so few Spidey titles have come close to nailing it like this game does. When people refer to games as escapist fantasy, the one that will always come to mind from this year is Spider-Man – because almost no game has captured the feel of being truly spectacular like Spider-Man has.

The post Zack’s Top Five Games Of 2018 appeared first on Gamesline.