Welcome to the 2018 Snoglobes, my video game awards for the year!
This is the fifth time we've celebrated incredible gaming releases and I'm so excited
to kick it off with you.
2018 was an interesting year for gaming - I wouldn't say it was the best but I wouldn't say
the worst either.
After an unprecedented year like 2017 it of course would be hard to live up to the hype,
but there still were some unforgettable experiences, many that were unlike anything I'd ever
played before.
In case this is your first time catching the Snoglobes, essentially we'll have 5 categories
and a winner for each of them and then at the end, those 5 winners are the nominees
for my Game of the Year and we'll crown a true victor.
So without further ado, let's dive right into our first Snoglobe.
Biggest Surprise So many games came out of nowhere this year
and caught me by surprise with how fantastic they were.
Usually the games with the most hype end up being memorable, but without a doubt the game
that blew me away with the unexpected more than any other was The Messenger - one that
I had no idea about until a few days before release.
On the surface it appeared to be a modern reinvention of Ninja Gaiden, which was definitely
enough to get me interested since I'm all about brutally hard platformers and a sucker
for detailed pixel art.
Little did I know that there was a bombshell just waiting to be discovered underneath.
I've already discussed this at length, but The Messenger basically has 2 major plot twists
midway through the game - not only do the graphics and music take a monumental shift
from 8-bit to 16-bit, but the gameplay swaps from a level-based action platformer to collect-a-thon
metroidvania!
The art alone was unique and impressive enough, while I've seen games change visually before,
it was never on this quick of a scale that you can just hop between time portals and
switch on a dime, but combined with the change of pace, fantastic humor, and building of
mechanics in hidden levels you can find, wow holy crap there's a lot to discover here.
But to top it all off, it's so well executed - you can tell a lot of time went into making
sure this jump in gameplay wouldn't be jarring.
It feels great to use your variety of moves to scour the landscapes and explore the game's
many secrets, and while my one complaint is that I wish there was a faster way to travel
between worlds once you've already been through them (like being able to teleport
to any shop for example), the pros heavily outway the cons of this adventure.
It's beautiful, challenging, funny and best of all surprising with the tricks it has up
its sleeve.
Best Soundtrack As we discussed recently, the music of a game
is so vital to how its received - it can make or break the experience.
Not only does it help drive home in-game moments, but it can also just be great music on its own.
And while I almost wanted to give this to The Messenger as well for its multiple renditions
of every track, I gotta go with Celeste.
There's so much to love about this title, but the soundtrack always seemed to fit perfectly
with what you were going through in that moment.
The first stage is all about new beginnings, the ruins are desolate and spooky, exploring
Oshiro's hotel sounds curious at first but gets more frantic as you dive deeper into
the chaos of the resort.
The showdown against your darker self is so intense and magical, I love it so much.
And the final stage has seriously one of the best songs I've ever heard, and it perfectly
drives you toward your goal of climbing that mountain peak.
But of course on top of all this you get some absolutely wicked remixes of these tracks
in the B-side levels, which are incredibly catchy (you know I rock these while I'm
driving), but they also represent the restructuring of the challenges you've faced before.
It makes you look at the obstacles you thought you knew in a different perspective as you
learn new mechanics to overcome them.
They're overall a bit heavier and faster paced which matches the increase in difficulty
and helps you get in the zone and realize it's time to get serious.
When it comes down to it, Celeste's music matches its tone so perfectly, from the most
hard-hitting moments to quiet introspection, and expresses beautiful emotion through sound
alone which is insanely impressive to pull off.
And I mean, this one sounds straight out of Donkey Kong Country so that's an instant
10/10 for me.
Best AAA Game As many of you know I don't normally flock
to AAA games, but this year had some pretty stand-out exceptions.
Most of the time they're bogged down with all this unneeded complexity, but I can look
past that if it's a truly remarkable experience.
While God of War was great, and Nintendo had an okay year compared to 2017, my favorite
AAA adventure was Spider-Man.
Something about the combination of smooth webslinging, satisfying combat and the personality
of Peter Parker made this the best superhero game since Arkham City for me, and I know
it got flack for borrowing a lot of Batman's style but I don't think that's necessarily
a bad thing.
Utilizing a variety of gadgets and the environment to take down waves and waves of baddies felt
true to Spidey's mantra - the warehouses reminded me a lot of the cult-classic game
Prototype, which is all about destroying threats in as cool of a way as possible.
Movement is super fluid and speedy, making fast travel seem like the inferior option,
and all the side content was pushed to the forefront by allowing you to complete them
quickly and on the way to a more important mission, very unlike other AAA's in recent memory.
But the cherry on the cake of its solid core gameplay was a riveting story.
They do a good job of conveying Spider-Man's motivation and relationships with those around
him, so you actually care when all the bad guys break out of Ryker's and absolutely
pummel you into submission - you feel betrayed when Doc Oc gave in to his evil desires.
The boss fights are top notch and combining multiple villains together made them more
engaging since you have to think on your feet to take them down.
Fighting in the air requires you to master several of Spider-Man's systems at once,
and helped the whole affair escalate to epic proportions.
Insomniac took what everyone loves about our favorite neighborhood Spidey and built a game
around it, as opposed to hamfisting a superhero into a regular action game, and the result
is one of the most memorable titles of this year.
Cutest Game Sometimes a game will draw me in with its
adorable aesthetic alone, but then it'll be super short and leave me wanting more,
or not quite hit the perfect execution for me with its mechanics.
While a charming atmosphere is enticing, it's gotta have the whole package to leave a lasting
impression.
This is where a game like Wandersong comes in - the tale of a musical bard who goes on
a quest to save the world while never harming another soul.
Don't get me wrong, there is death and killing in this game, but you'll try and stop as
much of it as possible the only way you know how - with your gorgeous singing voice.
It's kind of amazing how much they can stretch out a single mechanic without it getting repetitive
- you'll belt out notes to move platforms, twirl around scales to rewind time, or repeat
back melodies to unlock hidden secrets.
But of course this is also your main way of communicating with others.
When asked what your name is, it only gives you a small selection of letters, so I hesitantly
sang that my name was Slab.
This premise leads to magically musical events like singing a sea-shanty with a pirate crew,
or performing with a band in front of a live audience, but I was shocked to find that there's
a lot more going on in Wandersong than meets the ear.
The game will entirely switch up genres between each chapter, and go from open-world exploration
to a life-sim where certain events will happen at specific times, to a full-blown metroidvania
where you unlock new abilities through different melodies to progress.
It even dabbles in horror and arcade action, believe it or not.
It always had something new waiting around the corner and part of Wandersong's charm
was not knowing what I'd see next.
It hit just the right notes of a unique concept combined with a heart-warming story and memorable
characters that you want to see through 'til the end.
Wandersong isn't going to break any gaming records, which is so sad because it was one
of my favorite games to come out this year.
It also has a dedicated button just for dancing, so I mean, will you just play it already?
Biggest Crossover Event in Gaming History I mean do I even have to tell you what it is?
You already know it's Smash Bros.
Living up to its name, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate is exactly what I was hoping it would be.
Everyone's here!
Over 70 fighters, more coming in DLC, I'm gonna be honest I was sold the second they
announced my boy K. Rool, but even if you're not a fan of the franchise you have to respect
the scope of a massive project like this.
While I wish they had left a little bit more to the imagination with their announcements
before release, they delivered the true fighting experience Nintendo fans have been yearning
for since 64.
Newcomers are super creative and there seems to be just the right playstyle for everyone.
Duking it out with friends is as fun as ever, but they even enhanced a lot of the other
game modes as well.
Classic Mode is the best I've ever seen it - the fact that every single character
has their own unique story path is not something I expected, but it makes perfect sense.
They got rid of some of the extraneous stuff like Home Run Contest and Break the Targets,
but honestly I'm okay with this just because of how much stuff they jam-packed into the
cartridge.
World of Light is actually pretty awesome.
People have complained that it's nothing but fighting, and I mean I like Subspace Emissary
just fine, but I'm not sorry to see platforming stages go away in favor of unique battle setups
that we've never seen before.
The concept of Spirits is odd at first, but it's enjoyable when you fight a character
that you're very familiar with - I loved their interpretation of the DK animal buddies,
or Shovel Knight bosses.
It's super long and a ton of fun in short bursts, which is really all I can ask for
- it's a neat way to include hundreds and hundreds of iconic characters that couldn't
be transformed into fully fledged combatants.
While I have no idea where they'll go from here with the series, I can't complain about
the absolute gem of a title we have now.
Here's to you Sakurai, now go lay down for awhile, please.
Game of the Year Despite being a little bit of a leaner year,
this was actually one of the hardest to decide on who to award as my absolute favorite.
Between lengthy stories, beautiful scenery and flow-inducing gameplay, I had a lot of
games that I wish could be equally recognized, but of course there must be a winner, so who
will it be?
The Messenger's shifting sequences, Celeste's polished platforming, Spider-Man's radical
romps, Wandersong's delightful delivery, or Smash Bros' incorporation of icons?
My Game of the year is...
Celeste!
In addition to having a phenomenal OST, it came down to the fact that there's SO MUCH
content in this game!
Each world introduces a wealth of ideas and mechanics, building on them beautifully, but
when you reach the top of the mountain, you've only scratched the surface.
Exploring and conquering the alternate stages net you collectible hearts which unlock The
Core to really put your skills to the test.
And of course after that, there's even more to try out with the C-sides and learning new
abilities like ground dashing to ensure you're a true master of everything Celeste is capable
of.
If you're up for it, you can speedrun with the in-game timer, or attempt to beat a stage
without getting hit once for those golden strawberries.
It's insane.
But under all of that solid gameplay is an unexpectedly touching story all about overcoming
your demons.
As Celeste struggles with her own anxiety and insecurities, you also battle your way
through stage after stage that tests your ability, patience and endurance.
Both elements are in perfect harmony and as Celeste starts to win her fight, you grow
stronger as a player.
It's outstanding and wraps up the whole game into something truly all its own.
From a neverending pool of challenges to keep you busy, to groovy beats pushing you forward,
to hidden secrets, gorgeous setpieces, and even a bountiful assist mode to ensure everyone
has a well-catered experience, Celeste was hands-down the best game I've played in
all of 2018.
I'd love to hear from you, what was your game of the year, and why?
What helped it stand above the rest and become such a memorable journey for you?
Tell me in the comments below, and let's celebrate awesome games together.
It's been an amazing year for the channel, and I can't thank you all enough for your
continued support.
Here's to the future and whatever that might hold.
I'll see you guys in 2019, stay frosty my friends.
I'm a little late to plug Snoman Gaming merch for the holidays, but maybe you have
a bunch of Christmas money you want to spend, well hey have I got the perfect gift for you
- check out the Snoman Merch Store for all kinds of frosty swag - The Sunbathing Snowglobe
t-shirt, a mug with my face on it, heck you can even get the Pls No Tank Tops Tank Top,
that one's a classic.
Any and all support goes directly to improving the channel and it would mean the world to
me if you rep your favorite snowman at school, work or in front of your loved ones.
Go to teespring.com/stores/snomangaming to join the party.
Happy new year everyone, buh-bye!
This month's patreon shoutout goes to Jake Tucker because I'm a sucker for his heart
of gold and a beard like a trucker.
For more infomation >> The Bicycle, Panniers and Organization - Duration: 10:44. 
For more infomation >> Christmas Story (The True Story of Christmas) by Marko Leino - Duration: 6:24. 
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét