nikolino840
Member
SWERY's Top 10 Games of 2019
The White Owls CEO had another very busy year of gaming. Here are some of his favorites.
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The game that I had the most fun with: Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales (PS4)
There are parts of this game that sync up with the fourth and fifth installments of the book series, which were both just recently translated into Japanese. So I ended up enjoying the world itself more than the actual game. I don't really like card games, but this one pulled me in.
The game I spent the most time on: ARK: Survival Evolved (PS4）
I played this game a lot, just like last year.
They're still giving it proper updates, and allowing lovable bugs to stay in the game.
The game gives me exactly what I want: Servers that can be customized freely to fit player level, and an infinite amount of time to play around, like a true sandbox/jungle gym.
After playing this game for several years, I finally saw the ending credits this year.
The game that shocked me the most: Shenmue III (PS4）
Unique design, nostalgia, atmosphere, and humanism that cannot be found in any other game.
If you look for flaws, you'll be able to find as many as you like. There are lots of places where I felt "If you just changed this a little, it'd be way more convenient, or easier to deal with." But is that really necessary to create something that's truly fun, or to create a game that truly stands on its own? As I asked myself these questions, I was shocked by what I saw as good and bad about the game. No one can truly imitate this game's creative spirit, and if they try to, they get burned, badly. In the end, I was overwhelmed by the fear and reverence I felt toward a creator who has taught me a great deal.
Special Award: GNOSIA (PS VITA）
I bought a new PS VITA just for this game!
I heard about the idea for this game from the creator, Kawakatsu, several years ago. Now it's finally here, and it's fun!
This game made me realize that there are cool indie creators in Japan, too!
I like Lakio and Shigemichi.
Here's a list of the games I also played in 2019.
Console games (Xbox/PS4/Switch）
Red Read Redemption Online
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
ANTHEM
Devil May Cry 5
SAMURAI SHODOWN
Sea of Solitude
ARK: Survival Evolved (again)
APEX Legends
FORTNITE
Rise of Tomb Raider
What Remains of Edith Finch (again)
Stardew Valley (again)
RiME
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
KILL la KILL - IF
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Shenmue III
STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order
Gris
Ise Shima Mystery Annai: Itsuwari no Kuro Shinju
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
YIIK
Devil Engine
MY FRIEND PEDRO
Doraemon: Story of Seasons
Ape Out
Deadly Premonition Origins
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
PS VITA
GNOSIA
Steam/PC
198X
Bloodstained
La Mulana 2
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
SPACE ENGINEER
The Blackout Club (Early access）
Bad North
Blair Witch
Indivisible
Mobile (Android）
Dungeon Maker
Last Day on Earth: Survival
Replica
Life Is Strange
Beat Cop
Duet Game
Super Hexagon
Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross
Chuchel
Reigns: Her Majesty
Pokémon Go (again)
Sticky Bodies / Q-games
Auto Chess
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
Dragon Quest Walk
Minecraft Earth
Lords Mobile
Marvel Strike Force
Marvel Contest of Champions
Gunbit
Revolve8
Poly Bridge
Archero
Romancing SaGa Re: Universe
JoJo's Pitter Patter Pop!
Dr. MARIO World
TEPPEN
VR
Tokyo Chronos
Rec Room
Kingspray Graffiti
Real VR Fishing
Creed: Rise to Glory
Beat Saber
Moss
AltspaceVR
Games I bought but haven't had time to play yet (stacked up games): As of Dec. 9, 2019
Death Stranding
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
Ancestors
This year, I played comparatively less PC games and ended up spending a lot more time on consoles.
I realized that one big reason for this is because the PS4's party functionality allows players to "Hand over a controller."
Obviously, it's more fun to have someone watch you or play together with someone vs. play a game alone. And with that function, even if I got tired partway through the game, I could let someone else watching me on share play take over for a bit. This 'ease of play' led to longer repeated play hours for me.
Once cloud gaming becomes more widespread, I imagine this sort of play style will become more and more normal.
It actually makes me really excited to see what's in store. We have an amazing future ahead of us.
This list also proves just like last year how easy it is to pick up and play a mobile game, and how many titles are available to play. But I was also surprised by how many games I "retired" from (In other words, I started them up and then instantly stopped playing).
VR still has a lot of work to do in terms of available, satisfying content, but this year I definitely saw more games that are worth playing.
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