Key

Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout
Developed by: Mediatonic
Published by: Epic Games, Devolver Digital

Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout is fantastic, simply put. If you're looking for something to spend your day playing without even the teeniest tiniest bit of stress coming your way, play a few rounds of Fall Guys. I **** you not, it's definitely been quite a long time where a game brought this amount of joy, even consistently I may add.

Basically, you play as a ragdoll type character, with unlockable collectibles, and you play minigames. With a lot of other people. Basically like Mario Party without the added benefit of getting pissed off at everyone else. Did I say benefit? Anyway, it's a lot of fun. Not only for the fact that the minigames are really well designed and they all come with a different style that typically will keep you on your feet. If anything, regardless of if you win or lose, it's still fun. But what does Fall Guys do differently to make it sort of standout from other games like it? Well, for me...it's the fact that not only are you going to suck at the game. But everyone else is going to suck at it too. Whether it's attempting to jump from a ledge only to be tossed around by a propeller that sends you halfway backwards or forwards through the stage. Or, you fell off the stage and can't seem to keep yourself from doing it. Whatever it is, thanks to the ragdoll mechanics of your character, you will almost always look hilarious in whatever situation you find yourself in. And...maybe you'll win a round or two. Obviously winning does feel nice, but in Fall Guys it definitely is not its main source of entertainment. I'd go as far to say that playing it with other people just makes for some hilarious antics that would otherwise never happen if you were playing this alone. Get some friends together and start a party and do it Mario Party style and try to sabotage each other. Really easy to do as the maps are meant to screw you up at every turn.

The main thing though is fun. It's just fun. It's not terribly difficult. Maybe you'll find yourself in some confusing and irritating situations with your character and how it's not working right, or maybe the game is glitching from time to time. I've had some of those things happen maybe once or twice, and it honestly did not keep me from continuing on with whatever round I was on, because I was simply having a blast doing whatever I was doing. And sometimes, the glitchiness makes it even more hilarious.

Not much more to say really. If you're looking for just an easy going fun time that'll make you laugh here and there, pick up Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout. I'm sure even if you've never seen the game or even heard of it, your first few matches will be some of the most fun you've had in a while. I only know this because that's how I was when I first started playing the game. Granted, I had heard a little bit about it, but I wasn't exactly sold on multiplayer games. But, with the way Fall Guys handles it, it feels less competitive and more meant to be just a fun day at the theme park with friends.

Key

Path of Exile
Developed by: Grinding Gear Games

I think I've talked about PoE a few times in this journal, but honestly I don't really mind talking about it again, especially since it's one of those games that I put off for quite a while before really diving into it and realizing that there was so much more to it than I had initially believed there to be.

Much like games like Diablo III and Torchlight II and even having more similarities to the likenesses of Diablo II now that I have played Diablo II, Path of Exile follows a lot of the same structure when it comes to going from map to map, and killing waves upon waves of enemies in your path while leveling up your skills and all else. Where PoE differs from those other games however is just how much PoE has in it that can literally keep you playing for hours upon hours upon hours upon hours. I've lost days to just sitting in my office playing PoE and I don't regret any of it. In fact, I have 3 characters currently, 2 of whom have finished the game in its entirety at least once. I say at least because I really don't know how far the game goes after you "beat it" once. But so far, even with how high leveled my characters have gotten on those runs, I'm still finding tons of things to do and nothing ever feels monotonous and boring. Which, is difficult to do with games of this genre. Hell, even Diablo III can start to feel a little stale once you get around the end game. But, still a good game in its own right. Nowhere near the level of content that PoE currently has and continues to have. New **** coming all the time.

Certainly one of the most notable things to mention about PoE is indeed how much stuff there is to do in the game itself, but to then also add on that the devs don't seem to be slowing down any time soon when it comes to new content. I'm sure I could leave the game for a month or so and come back to find a books worth of new things to find and learn about. A bit of an exaggeration, but it's more so meant to give a scope as to how much this game actually has to offer. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot.

But of course, at the same time, I know these types of games aren't for everybody because although for my taste, it never gest old or tiring to jump in for a few hours, I can certainly understand how it could come off as grindy or boring to feel like you're doing the same thing over and over. But I personally love a game with grinding and continuous growth. It's how I've managed to keep myself excited about playing games like Runescape for 15+ years. Path of Exile has cemented its place in my game library and it'll be something I continue to make new characters on, and simultaneously take on the seasonal challenges that come out from time to time. Plus, you know a game is good when you can seamlessly play it over and over again with other character types simply because you just want to see where the grind will take you with that particular character. Will you get overpowered? You don't know. The mystery makes it fun.

Key

Shovel Knight
Developed by: Yacht Club Games

You know those games that you put on your "to do list" and you never seem to be able to find the time to put into said games on said list? Well, Shovel Knight is that game for me. Or at least it would have been had I not recently picked it up on Xbox. And lemme tell ya, it's good.

It's basically a genuine throwback to the games of old pixelated goodness while also acting as a stellar platformer. You play as what you'd expect...a knight, with a shovel as a weapon. May not seem super stellar right off the bat, but by not only being a weapon you can use on enemies and also allowing for some creative maneuvering when the platforming elements come into play, the game feels very natural as a game going for the retro feel. Plus, you're killing enemies with a shovel. Just that notion alone is enough to pick this game up.

Whether I played it back when it was released, or whether I played it somewhat recently, the game does what it needs to do right and allows you to simply enjoy a, as mentioned prior, a genuine pixelated throwback. The boss fights? Same thing. Think Mega Man style but again with its own twist and turns that makes it feel its own. And as far as difficulty goes, I wouldn't be too surprised if you ended up having some trouble getting through the game as the difficulty can certainly ramp up, but as you learn to go through the game and get upgrades for your health etc, it doesn't feel too punishing. I honestly wouldn't even say the game is really all that hard, just things to get used to as is the case with most platformers.

Key

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition
Developed by: Larian Studios

I've talked quite a bit, almost to death, about Divinity Original Sin II and how it brings RPG gameplay to a whole different realm while still managing to feel like its own. Divinity Original Sin is evidently the game that came before it and even if I hadn't known that there was a sequel to this game, I would honestly think this is one of the best RPG's I've ever played. However, I have definitely gotten more enjoyment out of Divinity Original Sin II for a variety of reasons, one of course being that I just feel the gameplay is a little bit more fleshed out than its predecessor, but I think that's to be expected. Typically you'd always want the sequel to outweigh its predecessor, and in this case it does. But not by much. If you were to put both games side by side, it'd take me some time to find any significant differences between the two that would alter how I feel about each one individually. Both phenomenal games with minor faults to each.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and just list out fault after fault because honestly, even for a game like this, there are very few things to say negatively about it, if at all. If anything, I definitely have not spent nearly as much time on this one as I have on its sequel. But, given that I have done close to 4 playthroughs on Divinity Original Sin II, I think it's time I revisit Divinity Original Sin, as iirc, I have only done one successful playthrough, and I don't even think I finished the final quest to finish the game. In fact, I know I haven't.

A few hours into my 2nd playthrough, and I'm actually finding more to like about this one than I had previously, which is really nice. Either I was just not focused or coming down from playing Divinity Original Sin II for many many hours, I don't think I gave Divinity Original Sin the time it needed to breath and really show its colors. For example, when I had played the first time, I had apparently skipped an entire dungeon section right at the beginning of the game that you'd only know about by choosing a specific set of dialogue choices. And I just so happened to choose it. Which in itself shows the depth of what conversation choices can do for your gameplay. Something I think Larian Studios is really good at. And of course, you have voice acting, which is top notch as well, to be honest. And that's not always the case. However, the lack of a narrator in this one as opposed to the second one is certainly missed. Though I can't be too hard on that given that the devs may have thought of its inclusion when making the second game.

With similar games like Pillars of Eternity and Wasteland and all those, it is nice when a game can still stick out due to not only its own individuality and creativity, but also brings longevity to both games given that one playthrough can and will be drastically different than the previous. And though it can take several upon several hours to beat even the first game, I'd say it's still worth sitting there and doing as much as you can. There is just content upon content upon content. And doing said content in a graphical setting such as this where everything feels its own and alive, makes the world even more rewarding to explore. And I have always loved games that take the exploration element and really fly with it to see what can be done.

And of course, you've got a lot of interesting characters and creatures that you will bump into and have conversations with. Which...again could really go any sort of way with the vast number of possibilities pertaining to the choices you make and the results of said choice. Maybe you'll piss someone off, maybe you'll just go with the flow. You have the choices.

Divinity Original Sin while not holding up as well as its sequel, is still a game that I believe should be played at least 2 to 3 times. Going through it once only gives you the surface of what the game has to offer. But it's your own want of exploration that will open the game up even more

Key

Grounded
Developed by: Obsidian Entertainment

When it comes to Grounded, I seem to have a love/dislike relationship with it. And I wouldn't even go as far to say that I dislike it, more-so that I think I'm just spent with open ended survival crafting type games. They're fun, they truly are, but I think I've played enough to the point that I just don't really want to put much time into them anymore. Especially considering the fact that we have so many other great games and genres to play. And even more-so, I kind of kick myself on this one given that I have always been a supporter of Obsidian Entertainment games, but I think I simply missed the mark on this one.

Now, even after all that, do I think Grounded is a good game? Do I think it's a great game? Yeah, in fact I have played many hours of it and enjoyed my time with it and really enjoy the aspect of being stuck in your backyard while also trying to traverse as a tiny little human. Takes me back to the first time I watched Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, and that is always a good time to remember. Great movie, great cast. So when I learned we had a game that brought a similar theme, I was stoked.

When I played the first time, I did the usual create a base and get things upgraded and build better bases etc etc. And though I have heard that the game does really open up, I found myself going through the same phases that I would if I were playing any other open world survival game. Just in a backyard where everything is humongous. Which...again is really great. But it just feels like another survival game that I simply don't have the time to get into.

On top of all that though, the game looks beautiful. The game runs well, and it's a hell of a lot of fun to get some friends and create a server to hold all the things you build. You can build swings that go from one side of the yard to the next, and things really do open up as you upgrade yourself and get better materials to build with. But, just know that it can take some time to get to that point. But, that's how these types of games work in the first play.

Ultimately, I am stoked for Obsidian for being able to not only start Grounded in early access, but to then have a full release of the game, it's awesome to see. I hope Obsidian can continue to make the game great for those that are spending time on it, because it really is a fun time. Would I recommend it? Yes, certainly.

Key

Chivalry II
Developed by: Torn Banner Studios

Before I say anything, can I just say that I absolutely loved and still love the first Chivalry? There aren't many better ways to experience gaming than by being put in the middle of a battlefield full of screaming soldiers and swinging your polearms and shooting arrows from your bow to kill the opposing soldiers. What makes these games especially great is the same reason why I love Fall Guys so much. Whether you're really good at this game or if you straight up suck, you're still going to have a lot of fun. The game really shines due to the nature of it being relatively easy to pick up, and all the little nuances and creativity that goes into how the combat works next to feeling like your in a medieval movie, but also because it's just so god damn fun to swing your polearm around an enemy and proceeding to watch their arms or head fly right off...only to be stabbed by the enemy behind him. Combat is not very forgiving, but it is so much god damn fun that it doesn't even matter.

I'm sure along with everyone else, I was both excited and a little confused by the fact that we were getting a sequel, but ultimately I realized that it would allow the devs to do a lot more if they were working on updated equipment. So, naturally if they wanted to continue to make Chivalry even better than it already is, a sequel was necessary. And whether you're playing the first one or the sequel, you're going to have fun. But I strongly suggest playing the second one as it's got everything the first one has...just better.

I spent close to 2 hours last night just going from match to match, and my excitement never went away. Not sure just for the ridiculousness that is the theme itself, but the gameplay is so fluid and fun and there's virtually no time in between dying and spawning again, that it's relatively easy to just play a few matches and not even realize that you've been sitting there for 2+ hours chopping the limbs of your enemies.

Multiplayer games have not always been my go to for a variety of reasons, one simply being that I don't have the reflexes necessary to get better at handling how weapons work in an online setting, but much like Fall Guys, Chivalry II makes the game feel accessible from all aspects allowing you to sort of warm up into your favorite class without feeling like you're already underleveled and outclasses even before starting a match. I mean, my first match last night, I ended up with 20 kills, 16 deaths, and a couple of assists. But, then the next game I got close to none. It's all different and most importantly, it's all fun.

Key

My Favorite Game of 2022
It's been a helluva year

I know 2022 isn't over yet, and even with 2 more months left to go, there are still many chances that a game could surpass the experiences that I've had with games so far this year. And while I have had a large number of great experiences with gaming, there really hasn't been a whole lot to talk about when it pertains to gaming, especially this year. Blame it on covid or whatever else, but evidently things have slowed down this past year. Despite all of that, here is my favorite game of the year for 2022.

When it comes to choosing my favorite game of the year, there are a couple factors to consider. How much enjoyment did I get out of it? And why do I consider it to be my favorite of the year. Well, simultaneously with the lack of quality releases this year, we were also blessed with a lot of duds, and those duds either were really really bad, or came close to being somewhat good, though just missed the mark in more ways than one. Though, just because a game is bad from the outside, doesn't always mean it lacks the potential to be enjoyed. It's just that there are more than bad about it than good and to me, it's hard to keep playing a game that consistently misses the mark. But, in the end it's all subjective so it doesn't really matter anyway.

With that out of the way, the one game that I got the most enjoyment and the most 'consistent' enjoyment so far this year would have to be Elden Ring. I was heavily anticipating this game when it was teased what feels like years ago. But like everyone else, I went into the hype with the expectation that I really wouldn't get too far into the game given that it was from From Software, and I just wasn't prepared to get my ass kicked. Though, once the game released and I spent a plentiful amount of hours on it, I realized that each time I was playing, I was consistently having a good time. Whether it was trying to kill a boss time and time again, or simply exploring the vast open world that this game offers. Or if it was simply just looking at the architecture and beauty of the game and just sort of getting...lost. I surprised myself time and time again the further I got through the game because I was taking on enemies and bosses that I never thought I would prevail on, and wouldn't ya guess it, I just keep beating the bosses that required a little more time, sure. But...the satisfaction of getting a killing blow on a boss that has taken what feels like hours to kill really doesn't come close to a lot of things.

That's just it though, Elden Ring is...great. Simply put. Back when there were rumors pertaining to the game and what it was going to be like and who was at the helm of its creation, my imagination ran wild. And I let it stay that was while also staying away from as many spoilers as I possible could, because I wanted to go through this game knowing virtually nothing about it. I wanted to experience going into the main area for the first time, or experiencing getting destroyed from the first boss, only to come back 20 more times to die in other creative ways. And maybe you'll get lucky and get a few good lucky shots on someone that is far higher leveled than you are. It's not recommended, but it is possible to kill any boss in the game at low levels if you're good at dodging and parrying etc. Which...I certainly am not. I'm better than I used to be...thanks to Elden Ring.

And while this game is my favorite of the year, I've only really done 2 playthroughs, both with different classes. And both times have been a fantastic experience where I left feeling like I wanted to play more. The first time I played as a duel wielding bandit with bleed weapons. the second playthrough was full on sorcery / magic. And...my god, if you didn't think magic was overpowered already, just wait until you go full on wizard in Elden Ring. You'll feel like a damned god. And good. Sometimes it's fun to get overpowered.

Yes, there are still 2 months left in the year, and sometimes it is a little premature to point out my favorite experience of this year when it comes to gaming, but based on what I've seen as far as what we will be getting in terms of releases in the next few months, I don't think anything is going to top Elden Ring for me. I can still see myself starting up another file with a class I haven't done yet simply due to the fact that it's just fun to start another file to see what you can do in comparison to another character you have that isn't nearly as powerful. For instance, when I was training my mage account, I found fighting bosses to be a lot easier due to how much health certain spells take down in comparison to going full on duel wielding bleed weapons. But...at the same time, it's not nearly as interesting since you're standing at a distance shooting spells instead of getting in their face slicing them to death. Of course some come with their own difficulties and some are much easier to learn. It's all about how you feel like playing. But I assure you, regardless of how you play, you will have a great time. At its core, Elden Ring is just that...a great game. A great experience. A great though sort of hidden story throughout. And it's basically following whatever you feel like doing, at any pace you want to do it.

If you haven't picked it up yet and you're only reason for not doing so is because you don't think you'll be good at a soulslike, just throw that notion out the window. I honestly thought the same thing when I was thinking of picking up the game, and I even surprised myself with how much progress I was making. Play it. It's really really freakin' good.

Key

My Favorite Game of 2022
part II

We've already discussed Elden Ring and why I consider my favorite experience with gaming in 2022, but...well, I wanna talk about it more, so I'm going to.

Along with everything else I've talked about, there's still quite a bit more I could bring up when talking about the quality of Elden Ring from both a gameplay standpoint and a graphical standpoint. We talked about the gameplay and classes before, so now I'm going to touch on the graphical stuff.

Simply put, Elden Ring looks amazing. To the breeze hitting the trees to the glow of the Erd tree in the distance, to the designs of bosses and enemies. Everything shows a level of originality and creativity that we see a lot in From Software games, but never in any other games of similar stature. Steel Rising does a pretty decent job, but still, the enemies typically feel the same and there isn't much variation in how to take them on. But with From Software and Elden Ring specifically, you can spend hours in one area taking on a certain type of enemy with a certain attack style, then move onto another area to take on another wave of enemies with different attack styles and typing. Causing you to sort of strategize how you take things on. Or...just don't take it on at all and grind on the weaker enemies to get your levels up. But...obviously it does take longer since you don't gain nearly as much experience as you would if you were taking on a larger and much more difficult enemy. The choice is ultimately yours. Hell, you can spend all your time fighting the first enemies in the first area if you want. You'll still level up, be it very slow.

I'm pretty sure I mentioned this in a post a while back, but I honestly lost count of the amount of times I just stood on a cliff or mountains edge and just looked at the surroundings. The sunsets, the sunrises, the clouds, everything. They nailed the atmosphere to a T and it is truly something to behold. I'll be curious to see where they take this style of gameplay next, because most certainly this is a humongous step forward for From Software. And who knows, will we see a sequel to Elden Ring? It's possible though only time will tell

Key

Fallout 76
Published by: Bethesda Softworks

Fallout 76 has certainly at this point had an interesting lifespan when looking at it from its release to current. So much so, that it's kind of crazy to think that the game is still going, and going strong if I'm honest. I was unfortunately one of the many that jumped into the game when it was released, and while I was not as disappointed as a lot of other hardcore fans were, I definitely saw more and more that it really wasn't what they were promising. Especially when you consider the likes of Elder Scrolls Online, though that's not exactly a fair comparison given that ESO was developed by Zenimax Online Studios, and published by Bethesda. Not the same with Fallout 76.

Now, fast forward to now, is Fallout 76 a good game? Has it redeemed itself No Man's Sky style and is now a game worth putting your time into? I mean, yeah. If anything, I'd right off the bat recommend that you excuse all the negative reviews and jump in for yourself. The game definitely feels a lot more like a standard single player Fallout experience...just online. Which is precisely what I was looking for upon its initial release, though I can imagine that wasn't the same with everyone. When the game was released, and for a game to be based in a barren wasteland, it really felt like a barren wasteland, so much so that it really felt like there was close to nothing to do other than what was available at the time. I mean...no NPC characters? Of course that was fixed in subsequent updates, but still...who's decision was it to take out one of the most crucial parts of a Fallout experience in NPC characters?! That, along with the addition of more quests and more customization in other aspects, it's brought a lot of life back into the game that it desperately needed. I do not think it would have survived this long has they not done something

Anyway, aside from adding the essentials of a Fallout experience, performance wise the game runs very smoothly, with little to no hiccups along the way. There's still the little mishap here and there, and again, it's nowhere near perfect, but it's much closer to the expectations of those that were waiting for this game when it was announced. And instead of just throwing it out as another lost cause, it was instead brought back to life, and honestly, I'm having more fun playing now than I did during release. Of course I imagine that should go without saying given what I've said about Fallout 76 thus far.

I still to this day hold Fallout 3 in very high regard so much that I still think it's my favorite Fallout experience, but I also hold Fallout: New Vegas to a lot of the same high standard and honestly, the two tend to battle it out as far as what is my favorite experience. But now with Fallout 76 being where it's at, it's certainly nowhere near my favorite experience for Fallout of all time, but being able to jump into a game that you were excited for, disappointed by, then later on found that it's actually worth a lot of my time, is quite exciting.

Fallout 4 is very much the same for me as Fallout 76 when it comes to my overall feelings of it. I love it, but not as much as the others. To be honest, Far Harbor is the closest Fallout 4 got to coming close to my favorite experience, but that's solely due to the fact that it reminded me of my Fallout 3 experience with how dark and spooky it is. Far Harbor is definitely the reason why Fallout 4 is worth going back to, because honestly as time has gone on, and I have played it more and more over the years, it falls short on a lot of things. Not necessarily bad, just falls short.

At the end of the day though, we're all just fans of what we like and we stay away from things we don't like. I will reiterate if you have played Fallout 76 and are still recovering from the burn it left behind as a result of a ****ty release, give it another shot. Start a new character, or just continue with your current one. You'll have a good time, or if anything, an improved experience in relation to your last one.

And base building is still a thing. I like base building.

Key

I'm excited for...
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Well, the sequel to Breath of the Wild now has a name, and it's called Tears of the Kingdom. Don't know how I feel about the name yet but I'm sure it'll grow on me. Furthermore, I am very excited to jump into the sequel of one of my favorite games of all time. I remember a while back I did a full on detailed review of why Breath of the Wild is so good, and I say 'is' because it's still good, if not still great. Of course, with games like this, once you've played it you kind of know what to expect. But, if you haven't yet. What are you doing?!

Breath of the Wild, to me, and to a lot of others, is definitely the best direction the Zelda series has gone in quite some time, hell I would say it's even better than the original, even with the addition of people already comparing it to the original. But that could simply be due to the fact of time and how it effects enjoyment of earlier games, etc etc. I still love the original so don't get me wrong there. I'd even wager that if I played the original today, I'd still love the **** out of it. When I heard that we were getting a sequel, I got very excited. And in typical Nintendo fashion, we didn't and still have yet to get a lot of details about the game other than the fact that it's based in the map from the previous game. Some would say that's lazy, but I certainly don't have a problem adventuring around the map again to see what kinds of things they add or change. On top of that, although I feel like they did as much as they possible could when it comes to what the map had to offer, I still think there are parts of the game that hadn't been fully realized so it will be neat to see what things are new, what things are different, and overall, just have a damn good time. And although I said we don't know a lot about the game, the obvious thing we do know as that there will be ways to adventure in the skies, much like Skyward Sword, though the general consensus is that Skyward Sword just isn't a great game. Not to it's own fault, however I don't think the ideas for Skyward Sword were fully realized which is nice to see aspects of it come into the sequel for Breath of the Wild.

What will the sequel be about? Who knows? What types of things will we be able to do? Again, who knows? All I know is that I am ready to once again dive into this version of Hyrule and see what Nintendo have in store for the sequel of one of my favorite games of all time. I really hope they don't disappoint, and I don't think they will.