Into The Breach: Key's Gaming Journal
 

I made my previous gaming journal back in 2019 and I am thrilled with how it has progressed over the years, however I feel like it is time to start again with a clean slate, as I've done a few times before. New ideas, new things to talk about, etc etc. Same ol' me talking about video games except now it's in a whole new space.

First few updates will go up over the next few days. 2022 ain't over yet and I still have some things to talk about before the year end then its onwards and upwards in 2023.

Same goes for the past journals but if you have an interest in gaming, this thread is for you. I bring in my own personal experiences and opinions to games I've played and its enjoyable to write about them. Hopefully its enjoyable to read as well.

Welcome to my new and improved gaming journal!

Journal Index - Into The Breach: Key's Gaming Journal
 

Journal Index (updated frequently)

My Favorite Game From Birth To Now: 1991-2022

Video Game Music Extravaganza

Pokémon Month - Theme Month: March 2023

My Favorite Game From Birth To Now: 1991 - 2022
 

Index

1991 - Super Mario World
1992 - Super Mario Kart
1993 - Super Mario All-Stars
1994 - Donkey Kong Country
1995 - Rayman
1996 - Pokemon Red/Blue, Crash Bandicoot, Duke Nukem 3D (and Super Mario RPG)
1997 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
1998 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
1999 - Super Smash Bros
2000 - Banjo-Tooie
2001 - Runescape
2002 - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
2003 - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
2004 - Fable
2005 - Psychonauts
2006 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
2007 - Team Fortress 2
2008 - Fallout 3
2009 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2010 - Halo: Reach
2011 - Saints Row: The Third
2012 - Dishonored
2013 - Bioshock Infinite
2014 - The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
2015 - Pillars of Eternity
2016 - Stardew Valley
2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2018 - Marvel's Spider-Man
2019 - Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
2020 - Ghost of Tsushima
2021 - Outriders
2022 - Elden Ring
2023 - Hogwarts Legacy

1991 - Super Mario World
 

1991

Whenever I look back on the games that were released in these years, it always surprises me just how many of them I do not know anything about. That could be due to just not really researching the topic all that much, or whatever, but it didn't stop the year from releasing some greats. Obviously, given that I was born this year and was fairly young in the 90's, a lot of these games are games I played much later on in life, and subsequently became some of my favorite games of all time. I'm only talking about them based on the year they were released, and on the eventual personal experiences I had with the game(s) growing up. There's always one title that springs to mind when I think of the 90's and more specifically this year, and that of course goes to Super Mario World. I think I may have even went in depth as to why this game is on my favorite games of all time list, but it's just a testament to it's quality that I find myself once again wanting to go more in depth as to why this game has such a permanent place in my top list.

Super Mario World, to me, is the way it should be played. It brought everything to the table. A great playable Mario that feels good to move and jump around with. Mix that with some fantastic looking and feeling levels on top of an ever expanding overworld that you traverse through, makes for nothing but a great experience each time you play through it. And man, I do not remember the number of times in my life I have played through this game, or have just watched somebody play through the whole thing. Any time I do go through it in one way or another, I always am oozing with nostalgic feelings along with being able to remember clearly what I was doing when I experienced a part of the game for the first time. It's pretty crazy how you can remember certain things about your younger self when presented with some so familiar. And in this case, Super Mario World fits that bill for me. I just have vivid memories of sitting in my parents basement with a big couch and a small TV in front of me, and just playing through this game over and over and over again. Never felt old, and even playing this game again somewhat recently, it still holds up. It was and is just a pure example of what a great side scrolling platformer should be or at least aim to be. That's no surprise though, given that the Super Mario games in general have always been looked in with such high regard. I just simply find Super Mario World to be the quintessential way to play a game like this as it's the one I have the most time with and also the one that I enjoy the most. That opinion will differ from person to person, but I have also found that while it is not people's favorite Mario game, it is still seen as one of the greats.

The powerups is something else I'd like to talk about because again, as far as Mario games go, I think Super Mario World also fits the bill as far as which side scrolling Mario game has the best power ups. I mean, the feather that can practically make you fly through an entire level practically unscathed is so overpowered but I love it as much all the same. It also feels really cool to feel yourself fly in the game because the way the controls are setup, makes you feel like you have total and complete controls. Plus, the sound it makes as you continue to fly is addicting and it's just a fun power up overall. Honestly one of the best Mario power ups ever, imo. Much the same can be said about the feather cap in Super Mario 64, but for it's time, the feather was and is still amazing and feels good to use in this game. The other power ups are sort of just there but they serve their purpose. I just remember having the most fun with the feather that gave you a cape and the ability to fly.

Obviously, graphically, I still think the game looks great. The levels in my opinion are different enough to where they all have their own unique charm to them. And while some may look the same, the overall gameplay makes them feel still unique and interesting to go through, and often times you won't really even focus on the backdrop. But sometimes it is nice to sit and see how much work when into creating the world building aspect of this game. That goes for the backdrops in levels to the over world to everything else. It's just got a nice charm to it that separates it from Mario games and certainly lets it sit on its own. It has done so for so many years now and continues to be people's favorite game to go back to, or to even play for the first time. I enjoy my time each time I decide to go back to it, and I certainly feel like going back to it again now that I've talked about it. Again.

1992 - Super Mario Kart
 

1992

This is one of those years where I look at the games that were released and I realize that I wouldn't really consider any of them in my personal favorites, so I'm breaking my own rule a little bit. As far as game releases go in general, much like 1991, there aren't very many games released this year that again, wouldn't really consider my favorites, but also would admit that I know close to nothing about these games. Other than an obvious select few, which in this case the one I'm choosing to highlight for this year is Super Mario Kart.

As I got older, the game collection started to grow a little bit, and growing up we had a NES and a SNES at some point, and I credit that time in my life to opening my eyes to gaming in general, which followed me all the way to where I am now. So despite games like Super Mario Kart and others not necessarily being my favorite games of all time, they still had and have a lot to do with my experience with gaming as a kid, then all the way to my 30's. Otherwise, the reason I chose Super Mario Kart for this year is truly because it's one of the few games I remember playing a lot of. Everything about the game just feels familiar even just by looking at screenshots, and while the series certainly got better over the years (much the same can be said about many game series), it had to start somewhere. I remember the game feeling pretty good to play, and while I was never the biggest racing game fan back in the day, and still probably today, I still feel like this allowed a lot of people to separate their dislike for racing games, and love for Mario games which I think had an enormous impact on how people view racing games in general. Not to mention the fact that even today, people are still anticipating any new mentions of any new Mario Kart game. It's the same thing with Super Smash Bros. Nintendo managed to merge genres together even back in the 90's to the point that people would follow these series all the way to current day.

One of my favorite things about Mario Kart games in general is the power ups, and I suppose the same can be said for most Mario games. But it really is a testament to how important it is that a Mario game have good power ups. And having power ups in a racing game just got better and better as the series evolved, but even Super Mario Kart had some great power ups to get you started on your path of never wanting to play a racing game without power ups. You've got the typical green and red shells, bananas, the simple stuff. But in a game like this, the simple stuff is not always the worst thing. I remember many times getting annoyed on the ghost levels because people would leave bananas around and subsequently would fall off the edge of the level leaving me frustrated and wanting to just restart the level. Some of that may just be my own thought of what the memory is, but I just remember hating the ghost levels. Creative, yes, but certainly annoying to race on. I get the difficulty though so it's not a fault of the game in any way. Hell, none of the levels in Super Mario Kart really feel out of place or anything because again, this is the first game to even do any of this, so it all feels sort of fresh and new, even if you decide to play it today. And you can obviously see inspiration for what they did with the series going forward, which is always neat to look into. See which types of level designs followed them throughout the years, etc etc.

Great game though, just not one of my favorites of all time.

1993 - Super Mario All-Stars
 

1993

It's simultaneously crazy how once again I have clearly not played very many video games from the snes and nes era because each time I look up a list of games released in these years, it's pretty insane how many games released and it's also pretty remarkable to see just how many games were released for this era of game systems. All that aside though, we're talking about my favorites, so let's get right into it with Super Mario All-Stars.

While choosing this game I know that both it is a compilation of games as well as being a compilation of games that have previously existed. Knowing that though, I still choose to put this here as my favorite for 1993, because it's certainly one of the best game compilations to ever come out. A lot get very close, but Super Mario All-Stars hit all the right notes for me. I have vague memories of just being in awe of how some of the graphics looked differently than their originals, and honestly I prefer the Super Mario All-Stars versions. It always felt like the controls and gameplay were tightened just enough to make it a fluid experience. I have not played the game in many years now, but as well as my other favorites, I just remember having good times. I don't really think I understood the concept of compilation games so I always saw Super Mario All-Stars as one big mario game, as I think it should be remembered.

I'm sure even to today's standards, it still holds up as a fantastic compilation of games. A lot of times we'll get compilations of games that are simply there just to add to the list of games. This certainly does not include the remasters of Spyro The Dragon and Crash Bandicoot because those are two shining examples of how to do a remaster right. Especially of classic games like Spyro and Crash. Super Mario All-Stars followed that formula way before it, and I think that inspiration carried forward. Even though the Castlevania Advance Collection didn't remaster anything, it is still nice to have a compilation of Castlevania games that I adore immensely.

Now all I want to do is plug in my super nintendo and find a copy of Super Mario All-Stars and play through it again. Could be a recipe for a good time, I'd say.

I am also aware that so far, all my favorites from the 90's have been Mario games. What can I say, Mario games have consistently been if not great, at the very least, good. Some of them maybe missed the mark on a few things, especially in the handheld era, but I still hold many Mario games as top tier games in my mind. I mean, as messy as Super Mario 64 looks compared to today's standards, it still play infinitely better than some games that get released in this era. It's pretty crazy to play through it and with many Mario games, to see the creativity and advanced knowledge of gameplay that was on display before any of the games in recent times caught onto it. Mario games have and always will be a staple in gaming for many years to come.

1994 - Donkey Kong Country
 

1994

I've been looking forward to talking about this one because I have particularly fond memories of playing through this gem many times in my childhood. And I recently watched a Youtuber that I follow play through it with his brother and it was as great as I remember, to the point that I now want to play it again myself. I don't think this game in particular will ever leave my spot as being my favorite release of this year. I'm talking of course of Donkey Kong Country.

Donkey Kong Country to me nails everything it needs to nail to make a nearly perfect platformer. I say nearly perfect because the only thing holding it back is how short it is, despite having many levels to go through. What's nice about having watched somebody play through this somewhat recently is that I have a pretty fresh memory of what the game is like. And I'll tell you straight up, the feeling of nostalgia never ended. From when your selecting levels on the level select screen to the music that plays in the background of the levels, everything just feels good. And what's even crazier is that I have not played this game in many years, however watching somebody play through it, none of the game very forgotten or in other words, I remember how every level played out, and I could remember them as if I had played the game yesterday. That to me is a testament to the design of the game as a whole. Not only is it fun to play and progress through, it's also memorable and again, a true example of what a platformer should be. Plus, I've always loved playing as diddy kong because fast character + easier jumping + fun levels = great.

As far as level design goes, like I said, Donkey Kong Country absolutely nails it in every way. Some levels are notoriously difficult and will take you several attempts to go through them, and some levels are just fun to go through, and some even have weather patterns that you have to deal with. One in particular always stood out to me, and that is the levels involving snow. I always remember these levels because just the overall feel of the snow to the birds flying to the platforming, it all works together in a sublime way to make it a rich experience. Albeit difficult at times, in many ways.

The interesting thing to note about this game as well is despite the game being rather difficult at times, I'd say the game is certainly on the easier side, though I have heard that the sequels are a bit better as far as overall design goes. But, I have little to no experience with the sequels so I can't say much there. All I know, is that Donkey Kong Country will remain a favorite of mine for this year, and I don't see any way for that to change.

And thus breaks the streak of Mario games in this list. At least for now.

1995 - Rayman
 

1995

I'm going to make another exception on this one because due to the fact that I originally played this game for the first time on the Game Boy Advance, I'm talking about it now strictly based on its original release date. Which in this case was September 1st 1995. The game in question is none other than...Rayman.

The Rayman series is an interesting one because despite me being me and getting lots of enjoyment out of the games, I don't really remember hearing much about this character that much in recent times. Rayman Legends came out back in 2013, and we haven't really seen a mainline game in quite some time. Thinking back on it even more, I really don't think there was a time that I was overly frustrated with the game or the series in general. In fact, I still think Rayman is one of my favorite games of all time. It's also one of those games that I feel like I could go back to at any point and just pick it up like I played it yesterday.

Like I mentioned before, I don't think I played this game back when it was originally released because most if not all my memories of it are of that on the Game Boy Advance. If I did play it on its original release, I simply do not remember. All I remember is having a good time playing the game and constantly restarting and playing through again just simply to experience it time and time again.

I mean just looking at screenshots of the game brings me back:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._Band_Land.png

1996 - Pokemon Red/Blue, Crash Bandicoot, Duke Nukem 3D
 

1996

So, I'm going to be breaking my own rules again. Here's the scoop: 1996 was a pretty big year in gaming. Both for games that eventually became my personal favorites, but also for those particular game franchises in general. This is a year where we saw a lot of great games being released. Knowing that, I'm going to go into this post talking about a few different games out of the bunch instead of just one. Simply being the fact that a lot of the games that were released in 1996 are still some of my favorites of all time. Hell, I would say that most games from the 90's and early 2000's still sit pretty high on my favorite games of all time lists. While that list certainly has expanded over these many years, I still have them pretty high up there. I consider many of the games I played on the Nintendo 64 to be in those categories. Anyway, we're going to be talking about Pokemon Red / Blue, Crash Bandicoot, and Duke Nukem 3D. Super Mario 64 was also released this year but I just talked about this game in depth in my last journal during November so I don't want to talk about it again.

Starting off, Pokemon Red / Blue and then eventually Pokemon Yellow are still some of my favorite games of all time. I started with Pokemon Yellow back in the day when I had my first Game Boy Color, and now many years later, I have a copy of Pokemon Red and Pokemon Silver with a Game Boy Advance that has a back light. And man, it's wonderful. I'm slowly but surely playing through Pokemon Red again and I'm having a blast. Aside from it just being one of the best games ever made, it's also one of the most broken games ever made. I still get lost in videos watching people absolutely destroy this game to beat it in literally no time flat. That's really just a fault of the times though. The developers did what they could do, and I'd honestly say the Pokemon game series has gotten gradually better as time goes on. And as systems get more and more powerful, the Pokemon games are still a staple in people's collections and will probably continue to be so for many years to come. I think people are just waiting for a true next gen Pokemon game that not only plays well, but runs well. They've got the gameplay element absolutely locked, but are unfortunately building games for a system that can't run games that well. So, it's a double edged sword. But, Pokemon Red is just a great game in general and definitely worth playing if you've yet to dip your toes into Pokemon games in general. Or start at the end of the series of games and go backwards. Do whatever you want.

Right now I am running a Beedrill as my main Pokemon in my current playthrough of Pokemon Red, and I never really realized just how strong this Pokemon is. Especially in the early game because you can evolve Weedle pretty quick. My Beedrill has become an absolute powerhouse and I love it. It's making the playthrough really really fun. I always like to try and use different Pokemon that I hadn't used before when I play these games because I know there are so many out there that could be people's favorites if you just used them. But, there's also a lot of crap Pokemon so it's hard to tell sometimes.

Moving on, we've got Crash Bandicoot. I have very good memories of this game because my cousin who lived up the street from us had a Playstation with Crash Bandicoot, and I remember going there all the time just to play it. It may not look the prettiest to today's standards but that's what remasters are for. And man did they nail this one perfectly. While the original is certainly still worth playing, I would say if you're going to dabble into Crash Bandicoot, pick up the remaster, or remasters I should say. It's still one of the most fun games to play through even today, and I would play through this one in particular many more times before I get tired of it. Hell, the whole series of Crash Bandicoot games are at the very least, fun. I never really had a bad time with these games or any Playstation game released in that era. There was something different about them that set them apart from the rest. Though Nintendo 64 still had some absolute bangers. Both did well, although Playstation did better this year. Anyway, tis a good game.

Next and final will be Duke Nukem 3D. This is kind of a fun one because I actually really like this game a lot, so much so that I think I still have a copy of it on Steam somewhere. It's very very similar to the original Doom but it's got some comedic moments that sets it apart. My experience with Duke Nukem, while fairly limited, has always been pretty good. I never really looked at the games and cringed or anything. This series, and I suppose this game in general has always sort of been in my collection in some fashion, mostly because I just respect the series enough to support it. It's a first person shooter, but it has it's own charm which is why I like and appreciate it so much.

Just kidding, that wasn't the last one. The next one I'm going to talk about is not one I have actually played, however it's one that I have always been interested in playing, and have always kicked myself for never finding a copy for myself. That of course goes to Super Mario RPG. Everything I've seen about this game just makes me want to play it, but aside from an emulator, I just don't really see that happening any time soon. More so because I would like to more do it on original hardware to get the real experience. To me, it seems like a really fun time and I've heard people say nothing but praises for the game. And it's just one of those games that will forever be on my want list despite never had played it myself. I know I want to play it though because I've seen a lot of gameplay on it and it just seems like a good ol' RPG with Mario characters. And that to me smells like a good time.

1997 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
 

1997

Much like, 1996, there are a lot of reasons to love this year in gaming, given that many of my personal favorites released this year. And instead of doing the same thing as 1996, I'll try to just choose one. Fallout, Diddy Kong Racing, and Star Fox 64, among many other greats. Even games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Oddworld: Abe's Odyssey also spring to mind. However, if I do have to choose just one to talk about, I'm going to go with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

The funny thing about 1997 is that, if you had asked me literally 3 or 4 months ago which one I would choose as my favorite from that year, the choice would not have been Castlevania, and that has a lot to do with the fact that I just recently started playing through Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and had realized fairly quickly that I really missed out when this game originally released. I think I even talked about this game in my previous journal about a month or so ago, and while my thoughts on it were relatively new and fresh, I would honestly still say that I hold this game in pretty high regard. In comparison to the other Castlevania games I've played, I think I like this one the most, but that's more due to the fact that my experience with Castlevania games in general is relatively limited. I've really only spend a lot of time on this one and the Game Boy Advance games, and haven't really gone much further than that. It's honestly really crazy to me that this game came out back in 1997, because I think I even said this in my previous journal, but this game definitely holds up as far as what I've come to expect with metroidvania side scroller games. In fact, I honestly would say the metroidvania Castlevania games are some of my favorites in general, and I would honestly seek them out time and time again when I have an itch for this type of gameplay. I've also played very few of the non metroidvania style Castlevania games, and I think I just prefer the metroidvania ones over the non. Not to say those games aren't great, but I love the randomness and the tightness or the metroidvania style games.

I'm pretty sure this is the contrary to what I said in my previous journal, but I have not actually finished Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. And despite me saying that I was planning to finish all the Game Boy Advance era of Castlevania games, I don't think I've actually finished any of them since starting them a few months ago. And yes, I'm aware that Symphony of the Night was released on Playstation and not on the Game Boy Advance, but going through the Game Boy Advance games somewhat recently made me realize that I had not played through this one in particular, so I was happy that I was able to find it on the Xbox store. And yeah, it's very good. I still plan to finish not only this one, but the others as well. And honestly, I would say I'm at least 80-90% done with the games, I just need a little bit of time with each of them to finish out the map and finish the games in their entirety. Even talking about it now makes me want to boot it up and play it.

Between the time that I started playing the Castlevania games, all the way to now, I would say without a doubt that out of the Game Boy Advance games and this one, I would say that Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has become my favorite of the bunch. Originally, I was always going on and on about how good Circle of the Moon is, and don't get me wrong, that one is good. But when you compare it to the other Castlevania games that evidently did the formula better, it's hard to go back to Circle of the Moon. In fact, it actually has become my last choice as far as which games I would play if I have the itch. I would definitely choose Aria of Sorrow or Harmony of Dissonance over Circle of the Moon any day. And Aria of Sorrow I find to be better than Harmony of Dissonance so I would definitely always choose one over the other.

My current ranking for the metroidvania Castlevania games would honestly look something like this:

1) Symphony of the Night
2) Aria of Sorrow
3) Harmony of Dissonance
4) Circle of The Moon

Hell, I would say 3, and 4 are interchangeable. However, I would still put Circle of the Moon above it just for nostalgia sake. Actually, I think I may end up putting Harmony of Dissonance at number 4, and Circle of the Moon at number 3, mostly because I definitely like more from Circle of the Moon. Eh, I'll keep it that way for now.

1998 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
 

1998

And yet another great year in gaming. And once again, I find myself in the situation that I really don't know which one to pick as a lot of the games from this year are some of my favorites of all time. I talked about Banjo-Kazooie somewhat recently, so I don't think I want to jump into that again. Other games like the Pokemon Trading Card Game for Game Boy Advance, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, and Spyro The Dragon all released this year. Great games, but if we're talking my favorite game from this year as a whole, I would have to go with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Anybody who's anybody knows how good Ocarina of Time is, and when put up against the other games that were released this year, it should really be no surprise as to why I chose this game. But I'll tell you why anyway. I still have vivid memories of the first time I ever played Ocarina of Time. I was relatively young and I had just borrowed a copy of Ocarina of Time from a friend of mine. I got home that night and literally less than a week later, I had completely finished the game. And that's not implying this game is short. Rather, I just couldn't help myself going from one part to the next. Because not only was it one of the first time I ever beat the game in its entirety, it was also one of the first time I had ever played the game, period. So it was a fresh experience either way you look at it. And I honestly don't really need to tell you any of this since Ocarina of Time is often touted as one of the best games of all time. And I know nowadays we've got games like Breath of the Wild and Twilight Princess etc, but when you want to go back to how the Zelda games were back in the day, I always recommend people playthrough Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and even Wind Waker. I'm sure I'll be discussing Wind Waker later on so I'll keep my thoughts on that to myself for now. The reason I always send it off with high recommendations is simply because it deserves it. I think throughout the different iterations of my gaming journal, Ocarina of Time is certainly one of those games that I probably have the most written about. But again, that's simply a testament to the quality of Ocarina of Time. It's got everything you need. Adventure, a great protagonist, an amazing antagonist, and an overarching story that never goes stale even if the game starts to feel like it's taking a while. I don't think the game is really that long though, especially if you know how to play through it already. Going back to it again can actually be a pretty fun experience since you can enjoy playing through it and just seeing everything you experienced back in the day. Lots of nostalgia for this one, and I still feel nostalgic anytime I play it, and definitely when I watch other people play it. Hell, people have been doing these crazy randomizer runs of Ocarina of Time, and it's truly a blast watching it because you get to see the game played in different ways despite it being the same game every time.

The other big reason why I always love bringing up Ocarina of Time is because I like to remind people just how good the soundtrack is to the game. Despite it being released back on the Nintendo 64, that didn't stop them from making one of the greatest video game soundtracks of all time. You've got Song of Storms, Epona's Song, Zelda's Lullaby, and that's not even scratching the surface. You've got the song that teleport you to different dungeons which then becomes it's own form of fast travel and makes getting everything in the game done just that much more enjoyable since you can literally warp to different parts of the map after playing a dope track on the Ocarina. Epona's Song is just one that always sticks out to me, and I still hum it whenever I'm just doing anything:



This song along just brings back so many feelings of nostalgia, god damn.

That's honestly all there is to it, really. Like I said, I've talked about Ocarina of Time many times over the past few years, and I honestly have no problem bringing it up again in this fashion because it really is just a testament to how good the game actually is. If you for some reason have yet to sit through at least one playthrough of this game, I highly encourage you to do so. It's one of those games you will definitely want to have had played at some point in your life. Hell, Majora's Mask is up there too, and sometimes I prefer Majora's Mask, but Ocarina of Time gets the spotlight today.

1999 - Super Smash Bros
 

1999

We are closing out the 90's today, and while the list of games released this year may not be as full of greats as other years so far, there are still quite a few to choose from when talking about my favorite game from that year. A few examples would be Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Pokemon Gold & Silver, Donkey Kong 64. I know I've talked many times about the aforementioned, so I'm going to try to talk about a different game from that year, though I still would consider it one of my favorites from that year. That game being Super Smash Bros.

Honestly, any of the games that I mentioned would easily take the spot for my favorite of the year, but as I've talked many times about those games already, I figure the next best one would be to talk about Super Smash Bros, and that's what I'm here to do today. Despite this game having many sequels, all of which are infinitely better in multiple ways, the series had to start somewhere right? And while Super Smash Bros as a whole is not all that impressive, the fact that it basically started or at least helped pioneer an entire subset genre of gaming is pretty remarkable. I remember time and time again getting together with a couple of school friends and just duking it out either on this title or the sequels that had come out during that time. That was so long ago so I barely remember. I just know that there were many many sleepless sleepovers due to playing hours upon hours of Super Smash Bros.

One of the coolest things about Super Smash Bros and hell, the smash games in general is the fact that you can fight your friends with your favorite video game characters. And obviously as time has gone on, the roster for whom you can choose to fight with has just continued to increase over time. I mean, Super Smash Bros Ultimate has 74 different characters you get to choose from. So, whether or not you think that's too many is just it's own thing. But god damn, they are dedicated to making the games as accessible and as fun as humanly possible. I'm eager to see which characters make the roster for the next game.

The thing I also remember really enjoying growing up is trying to guess which characters will make it to an official Smash roster. And while the theory crafting was much more satisfying back in the day without the depth of the internet, it is still fun to think about why some of your beloved characters haven't made the cut. But I mean, at this point, the amount that haven't made it must be significantly smaller than the ones that have made it. Again though, I don't really know what to expect with the next addition of Smash, but it will be cool to see who makes the cut.

The unfortunate thing about the Smash series in general is, while it is a series of games I wholeheartedly respect and enjoy, I have never gotten very good at them. I know people and have known people throughout my life that their skill with Super Smash Bros exceeds my own 10 fold, maybe even 100 fold. It's one of those games that I really enjoy watching when someone is good, but can also be relatively painful when watching somebody else play.

I also don't think the Nintendo 64 made it very easy to get the controls down to a point where you felt overpowered, because that god damn controller is just a gift from Satan. Nearly impossible to play any sort of skill based game with a controller that works against you all the time. Doesn't keep the game from being fun though. And that's really all there is to it at the end of the day.

From here we move into the 2000's. That wraps it up for the 90's. Lots of gems. And many more to come.

2000 - Banjo-Tooie
 

2000

We are moving on into the 2000's, and what better way to do that then to, well, y'know, talk about my favorite game from that year. The 2000's years were simultaneously some of my favorite gaming experiences of all time, while also being the years that I simply don't remember as much about the games as I'd like to think I do. Nonetheless, I could make a separate list specifically talking about my favorite games in the 2000's era, but I don't want to do that. Because I'm doing this here, which is really the same thing. Anyway, we're talking about Banjo-Tooie today. Not that I necessarily want to bring up the Banjo-Kazooie games again, as I've talked about them many times over the years, I just don't have many other experiences from this particular year that had the same effect on me as a lover of games that Banjo-Tooie brought. Games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and Spyro: Year of the Dragon are fantastic games in their own respects, but I haven't really experienced them enough myself to formulate enough words to express how I feel about them.

As you can probably guess, based solely on the many times I've talked about Banjo-Tooie, it is up there as being one of my favorite games of all time, while also being one of my favorite sequels of another one of my favorite games of all time, being Banjo-Kazooie. I've talked time and time again why this game falls in that particular set of categories, but I don't mind going over it again, be it a little less flashy. Banjo-Tooie is just one of those games that I feel I can go back to, and the experience would be as fun and rich as it was the first time I ever played it. But nothing would ever be able to replace how it felt to get through the game the first time. Especially when you consider that this game had a lot to live up to with Banjo-Kazooie being as good as it was. And man, they nailed every bit of it. The adventuring aspect, the new levels, the new moves you can learn. It basically took Banjo-Kazooie to another peak, and that's impressive considering Banjo-Kazooie was on a peak of its own. It's basically everything a sequel should be. Games have definitely managed to do this many times over the years, but back when I wasn't really all too familiar with the concept of a sequel, playing through a game like this was just a good experience through and through.

And despite the many times I have brought this game up, I still feel like it's worth mentioning that the level design is definitely on par in some areas and some are super creative and interesting. What they all have in common however is that they are not only fun to go through, they are full of little bits of adventure for you to get sucked into. It just feels grander in scale compared to its predecessor, and again, that is the whole idea of a sequel. But with the combination of the cool level designs, mix that with an open world that almost feels endless, the game wraps itself nicely in this atmosphere that makes you feel like your taking on this whole world, and simultaneously it feels like the world is living in its own right, and you're just adventuring through it. Each level has its own unique theme and all the characters revolve around that theme which just adds to the world feeling alive.

Other than the levels having their own unique charm, there are two other specific things that I remember enjoying the most, and that is both the transformation of Kazooie into dragon Kazooie, and the powerup that allows you to split the duo apart. Both of these add a unique difference in play style that we never really got to experience in Banjo-Kazooie. That game focused solely on the idea that the two work as an inseparable duo, so I always thought it was really cool that the two got to split up this time and learn things on their own. Which, I equally love the powerups between the two, and I don't think I ever enjoyed one more than the other. However, Kazooie is a favorite for a lot of people, and I could easily say the same, especially like I said with the addition of dragon Kazooie.

I hope the many times I've talked about this game has given you an idea of what I think about, but if it hasn't, I love Banjo-Tooie.

2001 - Runescape
 

2001

This year is a particularly interesting one to talk about because, despite it being a game that has pretty much become the only game that will never be surpassed in terms of total game time, I didn't actually start playing until a few years later. And then went to play for many years after that. And when I say many years, I mean that I have 16+ years collectively, though there were a few years that I didn't play at all, but it has always sort of been in the back of my mind when nothing else took my time. I'm talking of course about Runescape.

With this game surely being the one I have spent most of my life playing, I couldn't really see any reason to talk about any other game other than Runescape, because while being one of my first if not my first experience with an MMORPG, it also managed to be one of the first experiences I ever had truly feeling the pull of addiction, and this led to me nearly failing out of high school. Looking back, was it worth it? Eh, sure. I mean, I wasn't going to college anyway so school didn't matter much. "It's just a game" some would say, but at such a young age, that pull to keep making your character better was something I wanted all the time.

As I got older, the more experience I got playing Runescape, and the better I got with it. So much so that I did a few posts about it in my previous journal, and I am honestly stoked about where my character is at its point in its life. Lots of gp and al the best armor I can get. It's one of those cases where when you arrive in the starting area when you begin your adventure, and first thing you see is a high level character with amazing armor. I always wanted to have a character like that, and minus the need to be looked at by low level characters, I can safely say that I feel like I have a character that mimics that need.

People already pretty much know my thoughts on this and I will continue to talk about Runescape throughout the year, but it's definitely the one game that stuck with me the most throughout the years. And surely, will continue to do so.

2002 - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
 

2002

This was a pretty good year for gaming for several different reasons, but the reason I'm excited to talk about this year is because one of my favorite games of all time was released this year. It's a game that didn't necessarily get a fair shot when it was released due to a couple different reasons, one I'm sure being that people expectations were a bit high for what was delivered. But as time went on, this game in particular garnered more popularity and is now seen as a staple and a must play in the series. I'm talking about The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, or as i'll mention it for the rest of this post: Wind Waker

I still remember pretty vividly the first time I ever played this. I was in my younger brothers room because he had the Nintendo Gamecube at the time, and I somehow acquired a copy of Wind Waker. I hadn't really played a lot of Zelda games at this point in my life, so getting into a new one seemed like a pretty good idea. Little did I know I would end up spending hours and days playing through this on a small TV in my brothers room. I enjoyed everything from using the boat on water, to doing the dungeons, to even filling up every square of the map. I honestly believe that this was one of the very first times I actually 100% completed the entire game. I did all the mini side quests and found everything I could. The graphics were pretty great for their time, but I think people were expecting something more along the lines of Twilight Princess which if I remember correctly, caused Wind Waker to really not be a big seller at the time. It's a shame too, because if people could have gotten passed the games look and dove into it much like I did, I think a lot more people would have enjoyed it. It has everything that makes a great Legend of Zelda game, but I just think the graphics held it back.

Fortunately, years later we did get an HD remaster, and my god, I prefer the HD remaster over the original, despite the original still looking pretty good for its time. The HD remaster not only added more beauty to the graphics, but added some quality of life changes that really made the game that much more enjoyable. More specifically I'm talking about the upgraded sail that makes you travel twice as fast when riding on water.

I also thought it was really cool to still follow the same trend as Ocarina of Time by giving you a musical instrument that has special powers that allows you to teleport around the world etc. I honestly think the Wind Waker as an instrument is cool than the Ocarina, though both serve their purpose really well, and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if the opinion was the opposite. Both games come with great music, but I just really like the more simplified ideas behind Wind Waker. Really worked well with its overlaying theme of being on an island in the middle of nowhere.

Speaking of the map, it's huge. Lots of dungeons, lots of places to explore. Lots of neat quirky individuals to meet. Wind Waker has everything to make a great Zelda game like I said, and it honestly has some of the coolest boss fights. Especially the one against Ganon at the end. I've always enjoyed boss fights in Zelda games but I think Wind Waker adds a little extra spice to make it feel familiar yet also it's own thing.

Hell, I would play Wind Waker right now if I had my Wii U set up. It's still a great time to go through and I highly recommend it to anyone that hasn't taken the plunge yet. Also play the HD remaster. It's better in every way.

2003 - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 

2003

This year has taken me a little bit longer to talk about because I honestly could not choose which game to talk about. A lot of my all time favorite games were released this year, including Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, to name a few. But the one I'm choosing to talk about today has had a lasting effect on how I view games in general and it is still one of those games where I find myself going back to it time and time again, and having a great time playing it each time I go through it. Easily one of my favorite games of all time, we're going to talk about Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic or KOTOR as it's otherwise known.

I first played this game shortly after it was originally released and I remember being confused by it at first, due to my experience with these kinds of games being fairly limited at the time. But as I progressed through the game, I started to understand it more and more, and by my 3rd or 4th playthrough, I was really starting to get into the RPG elements that are all over the place in this game. You have different types of powers and special traits that you can choose from. One playthrough you'll be an expert at demolitions and another play through you'll be a tech wiz with a specialty in computer use. It all boils down to how you want to play realistically. Sure you get weapons like the lightsaber later on and you can be a full on jedi or sith if you so choose. But sometimes it's more fun to go through the game as say, a bounty hunter or something who only uses long range weapons like guns, etc. I've done one of these playthroughs, and it is a lot of fun. Adds a lot of creativity to your character instead of just going through with force powers etc. Just a great example of how this game has continued to be one of my all time favorites.

The story altogether is not all that bad, but obviously a lot of the enjoyment you'll get out of these games is the types of dialogue choices you get when talking to other NPC's as well as just making your character a complete powerhouse. Like I said, you have a lot of opportunities to play exactly the way you want, and this was made even more accessible in the sequel, but as a game on its own merits, it's done really really well. It's again a big reason why I always find myself going back to play KOTOR, because I can choose the way I want to play it each time, and it will never feel like the previous time. Hell, it's been a couple years since I jumped in, perhaps it's time to play through it again. And perhaps KOTOR II if I feel up for it.

It's no joke however, I have probably close to 300-400 hours of playtime between KOTOR and KOTOR II, and that's simply because of its replayability and my love of the games in general. Some people really don't like the combat system, but I personally find it to be interesting enough to make the game as a whole interesting to play through. Sometimes it can be a little wonky and sometimes you wonder why certain moves don't hit, but that's where you build your character to be able to take on these difficulties and wonky situations and use certain traits to your advantage.

I've talked about this game many many times throughout several journals on this forum, so I really don't have much else to say other than the fact that this will probably be forever one of my favorite games of all time, and I would love to see a remaster or reimagining of this series at some point in the future. The MMO The Old Republic just didn't do enough to keep people interested. We need a KOTOR III.

Great game. Truly.

2004 - Fable
 

2004

We've had a lot of these types of years show up where it's honestly difficult to choose just one to talk about. And sometimes I make exceptions, but this time I won't. Seriously though, the 2000's were some of the greatest experiences I've ever had with gaming, and that's credit to just the amount of quality games we got during these years, and this year specifically. And as much as I would like to go with KOTOR's sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, which is another one of my favorite games of all time, i'm actually going to talk about Fable instead. Which, if you guessed it, is certainly up there. Though in this case I prefer Fable Anniversary over the original, but seeing as this came out in 2004 and was basically the start of it all, I think it's perfect fair to talk about it. So I'm going to.

Back in the day, I think Fable was one of the first times if not the first time I ever got super hyped about a release. Before this, I hadn't really paid too much attention to game trailers and the like, as I had not really understood the process of marketing a game with trailers etc. So I sort of just became blind to it. I usually knew about a new release by seeing screenshots of it in a magazine or word of mouth. It wasn't until around this time that I stumbled upon an early trailer for Fable, and it was my sole focus until it was fully released. And man, what a great game. Anybody who has played Fable or any of the games in the past will tell you that even though the series sort of lost its way throughout its sequels, both Fable I and Fable II are shining example of how to properly make a really fun RPG, and while Fable III does struggle to find its way, it's still got a lot of good moments that make it worth playing through. Though I think at this point, they sort of lost track of what they were trying to do with the series. I still enjoy all 3 games for different reasons, but Fable still reigns as the best of the 3. At least until we get this new Fable coming at some point in the future, I'd hope.

One of the coolest things about Fable is just how powerful you can make your character whether you focus on Strength, Skill, or Will. You can have a powerful spellcaster, or someone that's really good with a bow. Or just go all out brute strength and just destroy people with swords and brute force. The choice is yours, and I've done a playthrough of each gameplay style, and all offer their own little tricks to make it a joy to go through. And just like KOTOR, I've probably lost count of how many times I have played through Fable, Fable: The Lost Chapters, and Fable Anniversary. And even though these games are as old as they are, I can guarantee you given that I played through these somewhat recently, they hold up. If you haven't gone through and played the original Fable in a while, I highly suggest it. It's still one of the most fun gaming experiences out there.

2005 - Psychonauts
 

2005

Psychonauts was released this year. I looked through the other games and I can't possibly talk about anything other than Psychonauts, so I'm going to do that for 2005. That's not to say this year was bad, but it's certainly the first year I've come up on that has somewhat lack luster releases. Still some that shine through though, but definitely nothing close to the previous years. But yeah, Psychonauts should be talked about anyway so it's worth it for many reasons.

This game is a mind****, and I mean that in the best way possible. All I remember when I played through this game originally is just remembering all the crazy stuff that's going on around you, whether it's focusing on mental health, or the game is simply trying to make you feel like you're going insane. And additionally, being released in a time where graphics weren't super perfect, but we're making improvements as time went on. And honestly, having played through Psychonauts relatively recently, I can say that the game still looks good despite it looking old in some cases. However, we did just get a sequel for this and man, as beautiful as that game looks, I didn't get as much out of it as I did the first one. The sequel sort of felt more like the first with a bit of improvements, but not enough to where I feel a sequel is justified. Honestly, I really was only excited about the sequel because it meant the developers could come back and work on an IP that is honestly fantastic. So that's really cool for me, and on top of that, despite me not enjoying the game as much as I thought I would, it's not really a bad game. Just doesn't do enough. But, who knows, maybe they'll make a 3rd one.

I really don't want to go into too much detail because the game is worth more as a personal experience, but just know that if you do decide to take the plunge, both this and the sequel are worth playing at least once.

My favorite part of KOTOR is annoying Bastilla. Really out of character for me, I know.

You're a Dark Lord of the Pith.

2006 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
 

2006

I'm sure everyone knows this year in gaming as being the year that the notorious Sonic 06 was released, and don't you worry, I won't be talking about that one, either ironically or unironically. I've seen enough of that game throughout the years to the point that I don't feel like it's even close to being worth my time. Besides, we're here to talk about my favorites, so I'm gonna do that. Unfortunately, 2006 also seems to be a year where yeah, we had a lot of great releases, but nothing too crazy or ones that standout too much. Though, that's not to say we didn't get anything of quality. And although I didn't play the game that I'm going to talk about until a few years after it released, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is the only one I really feel comfortable talking about as it's the one I have the most time with as far as the other games are concerned.

It's a great game, and whether it has aged well throughout the years is really up to the person playing it. I think the game still holds up regardless of how it looks because the gameplay is the part that I tend to have the most fun with in these games. Not to mention how broken this game is and how quickly you can become an overpowered powerhouse. Either that, or you'll find yourself launching yourself halfway across the map at full speed. It's the broken-ness of this game that allows it to stick around as long as it has. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim had the same thing with the addition of mod support. Allowed the game to live on far longer than it otherwise would have. And I think it's really cool to see that even in this day and age, these games will still stick out to players as being its own unique rich experience.

I think what was really helpful for my enjoyment of this game is that I did play it much later, so a lot of the glitches and mods etc were already available, so it was not only fun to go through the game on its own, but then to be able to try out the "breaks" that make the game really fun. I usually have a good time with these types of games in general which is why Bethesda is still up there as far as favorite developers, though they haven't really done a lot in recent years that gets me too overly excited. I'm just waiting for the next Skyrim, or the next Fallout, and hopefully either if not both will be great.

The other part of why I've always loved these types of games like Fallout and Oblivion, is because whether you have a few minues or a few hours, you can always feel like you're accomplishing something whether it's just reorganizing your inventory or exploring to the next town. These games allow for a lot of open ended gameplay and that's certainly another big reason for why they have still managed to stay relevant. And hell, I would certainly recommend even today to play through Oblivion if you haven't yet. Especially if you have already played Skyrim. Both are great for different reasons, and both are still worth playing today. But...gimme Elder Scrolls 6 please.

2007 - Team Fortress 2
 

2007

There are quite a few games from this year that are worth talking about, but I'm going to touch on one that changed my whole perspective of online gaming in general, for good and bad. This was a pretty good year for gaming in general with titles like Bioshock and Mass Effect, but I probably spent a majority of my time or at least more time than I have with the other titles with Team Fortress 2. This is one of those games where I consider it to be a staple in my development of understanding games as a whole as well as getting into playing online more than I had been prior.

I've never been the biggest fan of online first person shooters because they all feel the same to me. And unfortunately, given that I don't really have quick reflexes, I've never been able to get very good at them. That's where Team Fortress 2 differs for me and I'm sure a lot of people. It was a place where I could feel like I could enjoy playing a first person shooter while also enjoying the absurdity that happens in the game, regardless of which class you choose. I always have enjoyed playing either scout because their quick, and with the baseball bat and guillotin combo, you're basically unstoppable. Or playing as the archer but instead using the bow and arrow. Yeah that weapon was pretty cheap and people didn't think it was skillful to use it, but it was fun. And that's the more important aspect for me is that "am I having fun?" Mix that up with a lot of fun game modes like payload or team deathmatch, you'll always find some way to enjoy your time in this game.

A lot of servers allow you to do things that you wouldn't otherwise be able to do in the normal game like shoot thousands of rockets at once, or fly in the air at ridiculous levels of speed. These servers were always fun to play when you kind of just wanted to chill out and have a good time without the stress of the main game. As much as I played this game back in the day, I have not even touched it in recent years. I have thought about going back and playing a little bit, but I worry that there won't be as many people playing as their once was. But, there's really only one way to find out if that's true or not. Hell I may decide to just boot it up tonight and play. Could be a fun time.

Like I said, at least for me, Team Fortress 2 was a way for me to sort of just submerse myself into the gameplay without really feeling the stress of having to be amazing at the game, because in some cases, you'll find yourself in servers where everyone is either really bad or is just there to be funny and annoying while also pretending to be really bad. I've had times where I'll spend hours in one server because everyone in the server decided to do something different than what was the objective at hand. And the servers that gave no time limit on rounds or just stayed on one level allowed for more hilarious things to ensue. Sometimes it's those moments or craziness and insanity that really made this game standout amongst the rest.

I do think that if I decide to jump back in, i'll probably have as much fun if not more fun playing. And hell, it could be fun to relive old times and allow the nostalgia to take over.

2008 - Fallout 3
 

2008

Honestly, I'm just going to copy and paste a previous review of the game I'm talking about here because I went further in depth in that review than I could possible do here. My opinions of the game have not changed which is precisely why I'm choosing to put it here for 2008. Other games just don't even come close, except for maybe Fable II. So, here's part 1 of 4 of my in depth look at Fallout 3. If you'd like to read parts 2, 3 and 4, just continue reading from the point of this quoted post and you'll see the next few parts:

https://www.musicbanter.com/members-...ml#post2040090

2009 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Video Game)
 

2009

I'm going to talk about X-Men Origins: Wolverine today because I honestly have not thought about this game since I played it originally back in 2009. And I remember really enjoying my time with it because not only was it pretty accessible being a hack n slash, but it was also a pretty good game if I remember correctly. Some of my memories of it will evidently be faded as I again have not played this game in over 10 years, it feels like.

If you know of the film by the same game, you basically get the jist of what the game is going for so I won't really go through the story very much. The strong point of the game in my opinion is the choice to go hack n slash style. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is heavily influenced by the gameplay of God of War and Devil May Cry with it being in the third person perspective. And honestly, it's great. I don't really remember getting terribly frustrated with this game because the gameplay was so much fun that it didn't really matter much. It was one of those games where you as the player felt like a total badass, with a variety of moves and combos to perform on enemies. It's that same feeling of thrill you get from the combat in games like God of War, or Dante's Inferno, etc etc.

As long as it has been since I've played this game, it's also been a long time since I've seen the movie. But again, much like this game, I remember enjoying the movie. More than most, I'm sure. But i'm must easier to please with movies than I am with video games. Not to say either are bad, but they definitely are not bad. I would honestly recommend both if you've not seen or played either one. I don't really know how easy it is to find a copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but for a game that released this long ago, I gotta say, going by the images I'm looking at, it still holds up. Hell, I'm sure I'd have even more fun playing it now that I've gotten more used to games like this.

2010 - Halo: Reach
 

2010

As soon as this year came up during this journal discussion, I already knew right away that I wanted to talk about Halo: Reach, and there are so many reasons for that. I'll do my best to go over as many of those reasons as I can considering even when comparing this to other Halo games before it and released since then, I can still say without a doubt that Halo: Reach is my favorite Halo game. And I know I'm not alone in thinking that. Hell, I think there are a lot more people that choose this or Halo ODST as their favorites given that, from what I can tell, both games offered something different enough in both respects to give the player exactly what they wanted out of the game. And unfortunately for me, I did not enjoy Halo ODST nearly as much, but not a bad game in its own right. Halo: Reach just hit all the right notes with me. It reminds me of what I played through the campaign of Call of Duty: Black Ops and just absolutely loving it. I felt much the same when going through the campaign of Halo: Reach. Everything about it is great, and really feels like Halo at its best.

As I mentioned, I think a lot of people along with myself would definitely agree that the series definitely was at one of its highest peaks when this and ODST came out. I just remember only hearing about Halo for years on end, and while that sentiment is still very much the same today, the series is nowhere near what it used to be. Halo Infinite was just a complete disappointing despite me putting it as my favorite game of that year. Though, I regret to inform you that that is no longer the case. At the time, it felt fitting. But as I continued on playing, my hate for the game just grew more and more. Halo: Reach on the other hand did much the opposite. From when I started playing the game for the first time to the minute I finally put it down, I honestly can't think of a time where I hated the game for something it did. Hell, it actually improved the series as a whole by bringing in a story that is once again, really interesting and fun to play through. The original Halo, Halo 2 and even Halo did this well, by not only giving fun gameplay, but a really good story to top it all off. I don't think Halo has really been the same since then. And again, we all thought they would redeem themselves with Halo Infinite, but they only dug themselves deeper.

Halo: Reach from what I remember is a prequel of sorts to the events that eventually took place in Halo. I have always enjoyed the ideas of prequels for games, because it opens up a whole world of possibilities that the creators can find themselves on. And while some games may not do it as well *cough* Borderlands The Pre-Sequel *cough*, I'm happy to say that Halo: Reach definitely did it well. I can also easily say that I would play through this game again and again even today. And I remember playing through this game at least 3 times back when it originally released. I just liked the overall feel of the gameplay and the great story.

Now, what I will say is that although Halo: Reach is my favorite Halo game of all time, I have to give credit to the Master Chief Collection which not only gives you tons of Halo content to play through, but also does so by providing you with a remastered version of all of them. And man, playing through Halo and Halo 2 in its remastered glory is truly breathtaking. I thought the games looked great back in the day much like I felt about Fable. But I have nothing against someone putting a fresh coat of paint on a game especially if it improves it. And the Master Chief Collection achieves that, and more.

2011 - Saints Row: The Third
 

2011

What a wonderful year full of games, one of which I never thought i'd get as much out of as I did when I played it. Basically went in with no expectations and found myself playing hours upon hours of it trying to just do everything I possibly could. I got to a point in the game where it started to feel a little stale which prompted me to stop playing. But it's a game I find myself wanting to go back to more and more as time goes on, especially since the next one in the series, granted it is pretty insane, didn't give me the same feeling as this one did. I'm talking about Saints Row: The Third.

Saints Row: The Third is often seen as the "poor GTA clone" however, I would actually be more inclined to say that Saints Row: The Third is definitely more on the crazier side than GTA, and that's not to say that GTA is bad necessarily. Hell, GTA V imo is still one of the best games ever made. But despite Saints Row: The Third wearing it's inspiration on it's sleeve, it still manages to standout as it's own thing without feeling like it's inspiration too much other than the obvious stuff you'll see when you play. You basically are free to roam around the city doing tasks for people and buying property. One of my favorite things was just the amount of customization there is for whatever you're doing. You can have different style motorcycles, cars, and the driving actually feels really nice. I often times found myself wanting to just keep driving when doing a task or something because it felt very free and easy to maneuver. The driving in GTA is something I've never really been able to get good at, but Saints Row: The Third was certainly easier to get used to, as it handled a lot easier. I'd even be inclined to say that it drives better than GTA, but my experience in that department is heavily one sided as I've not played a lot of GTA to form enough of an opinion. This is yet another reason why I think Saints Row: The Third was so impactful not just for my own experience but for others. I think a lot of people resonated with how the game felt enough like GTA that they didn't feel like they were getting cheated by not being able to play the current GTA at the time. Like I said though, for me, I actually kind of prefer Saints Row: The Third and the series in general given that it's not afraid to just go completely insane. And isn't afraid to make jokes at its own expense.

This and Saints Row IV are both great games, however if you ask me, Saints Row: The Third hits all the right notes, for all the reasons.

2012 - Dishonored
 

2012

Dishonored is one of those games where every time I find myself talking about it, I get excited. Not just simply for the fact that it's one of my favorite gaming experiences of all time, but also it's just a great game. I could say a million things I like about this game, and I still don't think I'd have said enough about it. I actually think this was one of the first times if not the first time I've ever jumped into a stealth style game. And man, it was a joy to play from the minute I started, to the minute I stopped.

This is certainly one of those cases where I wish I had a time machine and I could go back before I played this game, mostly because I just remember enjoying the progression of the game along with the different tactics you could proceed with. I did a few playthroughs of this game but I remember specifically doing a full stealth run and a full brute strength run. Both came with their own rewards and strategies and I urge anyone who hasn't done a full stealth run of this game, to do it. I enjoyed sneaking through each level making sure I went undetected, and sometimes it seemed impossible to do so. And on the rare occasion, if I messed up, it meant restarting the whole mission entirely. And honestly, with how great the levels are structured, it never felt like a bother to go through them again. And with the different tactics at your disposal, each playthrough felt different and unique. Hell, I'm sure if I went back to play it now I'd enjoy it immensely. But nothing will ever be as satisfying as approaching a level for the first time and trying to figure out how to progress depending on your play style.

Dishonored also does a really good job at wanting you to progress. Sometimes a game will start to feel stale after a little while or the tactics you use to progress start to feeling the same and unexciting. I never felt that when I played through this on any of the plathroughs. It always felt fun and exciting because even though the levels were all the same, the variety allowed for a lot of creativity and sometimes you'd even surprise yourself with the kinds of things you can do to progress. It just all flowed together so nicely and the story on top of it all wasn't bad. The dialogue between characters and everything else was also cool and all the characters were fun and memorable. The first instance of this is obviously when you get to the base of operations at the beginning of the game. You meet a lot of characters whom you will converse with throughout the game, and again, never feels stale. I enjoyed each time I'd finish a mission because I knew something new and exciting and fun.

In recent years, I just haven't found myself going back to this game despite really enjoying it each time I play it. We've had so many other games come out since then and this one was really fun the first few times through, but I honestly just wish I could go back and replay it without knowing anything. I'm sure I'd still enjoy the hell out of it now, but at this point, I'd just like a reboot of some kind. The sequel was god awful and I don't think I'll ever go back to it. Dishonored on the other hand is fantastic. Through and through.

2013 - Bioshock Infinite
 

2013

Yet another game where I wish I could reverse time and play again for the first time. It's one of those cases where I was so blown away with the game as a whole that it has continued to be one of my all time favorite games ever released. Much like Dishonored, I remember just going through the game for the first time taking everything in and enjoying every minute of it. As much as I'd like to say that I enjoyed both Bioshock 1 and 2, I just simply don't have as much experience with those games as I do with the one we're talking about today - Bioshock Infinite.

Fun gameplay mixed with abilities that make you feel badass, Bioshock Infinite has pretty much everything it needs to not only make a great story throughout, but a game that is an absolute blast to play. It is a first person shooter in the same style as the other Bioshock games, or Outer Worlds, or Fallout, or whatever. Point is, I always really enjoy these types of games because they all generally focus on one thing, making it fun. And I generally rank my enjoyment of a game by how much fun the game is to play and does everything work together to create a rich and fun experience. In this case, it hits every note it needs to hit.

I think I've only really played through Bioshock Infinite one time, and maybe started another playthrough at some point. I always forget and am reminded of how beautiful the game is and how it continues to be so as you go along. Of course, any game that focuses on an utopia in the sky is generally going to be pretty. But, there's also that sinister side to it that doesn't always make the game seem like it is on the cover. Many surprises unfold as you play and it's still to this day one of my favorite stories in a game - ever.

I would highly recommend that if you haven't checked this out, do so knowing as little as possible. I purposefully didn't go into the story too much because it's worth more to your experience to see things unfold on your own. It's a great story with great gameplay throughout and still remains as one of my favorite of all time.

2014 - Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
 

2014

2014 is another one of those years where I would consider some of my favorite games being released this year, one of them being Elder Scrolls Online. Over the years, I have spent many many hours growing my character more and more and getting myself happy with the build or builds that I want my character to have, and finally, after many years of this game being out, I have gotten my character to a point where I feel good about jumping in from time to time to just continue that progression.

MMO's for me tend to be a little difficult to get into since they all seem to follow the same formula. Starting area is filled with easy quests and monsters and as you go, you level up and make your character stronger. Some games like World of Warcraft and even Runescape to a degree give you an enormous world to play in, and you play it the way you so choose. Elder Scrolls Online also does this, but in a way that I appreciate a lot more than other MMO's. And as I continue to play it, I appreciate what it does more and more.

It should go without saying that regardless of what MMO you decide to play, there will more than likely be an endless supply of things to do, whether you're going out on a quest, or just making your character look as badass as possible. Elder Scrolls Online does this, but the reason why I enjoy progressing in this game more than other MMO's is simply due to the way the zones work. You have a list of zones ranging from areas found in Elder Scrolls lore, and you can basically choose where you want to start. You can start in Glenumbra, or any of the other surrounding islands on the map. After that point, you can complete quests and do some side missions to clear out the map, then once you're done, you set your sights on a different zone and continue your path. As much as I'd like to say it feels unique, it's not really too unique. You're got the typical run from one quest to the next and finish it or continue with it to completion. You've got fetch quests, combat quests, quests that bring you to other cities and towns, and just tons and tons of things to do. If you'd much rather just stay in town and work on your other levels like smithing etc, you can do that too. There have been many times when I went online and teleported to one of the main cities, and there's just tons of people sitting around either looking for groups for quests, or just wanting to chat and have a good time. I even at one point was running through the city and someone had Last Resort by Papa Roach playing, and while it was only for a few seconds, I stopped and chuckled then continue on my way. It's online, so you never know what you're going to find.

As far as longevity goes, throughout the years they have added more content to the game, and a lot of it is worth doing. It's one of those games where you will feel like you want to do everything all at once and gather all the quests you can, but the best way to play I've seen is to just take things slow and enjoy your journey. The content is not going anywhere, and it's going to take you a long time to do everything anyway, so no reason to rush. It's one of those games you'll want to have ready to go when you don't feel like playing much else. I've had sessions where I'll play and just do a few things, but it's still a lot of fun. Sometimes I don't even really do anything.

Elder Scrolls Online. A great game if you have time for an MMO, but you're not missing too much other than the Elder Scrolls specific lore, which is good. I think even this many years later, it's still worth playing. Especially with how accessible it is. I play solely on console but I've heard the experience with console and PC are not different enough to make people stray from one to the other. It's good on both, imo.

2015 - Pillars of Eternity
 

2015

We are starting to get into the years where it gets more and more difficult to choose a favorite, and I don't even think I chose the right game, but I am still happy to talk about it in such a way. In a world where we have games like Path of Exile, Grim Dawn, Diablo, Divinity Original Sin I and II, it can be pretty difficult to decide how to take on this genre of games, and my personal opinion of it is that it has to have something to grab onto and enjoy the whole way through. All the games mentioned here are ones I would consider to be the best of the genre, but the one I left out is only left out because I'm choosing to talk about it now. Pillars of Eternity is that game.

I knew about the existence of this game early on, probably around the time I started to really get into this genre, starting with Diablo III. Pretty quickly, once I got into the genre a little bit more, I decided to try my hands at Pillars of Eternity, and I don't know if I just wasn't acclimated enough to the genre to enjoy it, but it definitely didn't hit right the first time. Now, fast forward a few years, I decide to jump in again given that I have a lot more experience with the genre, and man, what a difference. I spent many hours playing the game when I picked it up again, and thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. However, given how big the game is, I never actually got around to finishing it. But, the nice thing about these kinds of games is that the adventure will be there no matter what, it just depends on when you feel like jumping in. And honestly, I've wanted to jump back into Pillars of Eternity again for a while, though other games are taking up my attention right now.

I really really enjoy the D&D style games that we have been getting a lot of in recent years, I'm all for it. I think it's one of the most enjoyable playstyles to go through because it takes more than just knowing how to swing an axe. Every move you make has to be calculated and even sometimes, you won't succeed. But that's when you learn and learn and figure out strategies to carry you forward. Along with the memorably characters and it being in a top down perspective, you can really enjoy the depth of the game while learning the game simultaneously. Divinity Original Sin II did this excellently and it was very balanced between gameplay and story, and made the entire experience fun and unique. Hell I have probably played through Divinity Original Sin II at least 3 times at this point. Each time being its own thing. Pillars of Eternity does this very well as well, and even the sequel was fantastic. Hell, either one of them would be worth playing, and I strongly suggest both of them if you're a fan of this particular genre.

2016 - Stardew Valley
 

2016

So many, and I mean so many good games were released this year, so it was certainly difficult (again) to pick a favorite from the list. So I simplified it by only talking about the games I've actually played, and again, I'll throw in an exception now and again. When I look through the list of games that were released this year, I keep finding myself saying "oh that's a good one, oh that's a good one", but it all boils down to my personal experience with the game, and I don't think a lot of them come close to what Stardew Valley did. And even more-so considering this game was developed by one singular person. That alone deserves praise.

Stardew Valley is a farm sim mixed with a sort of RPG of sorts, though the focus is certainly on the farming aspect, and positivitely so. I love farm sims, and when they're done right, they can be a lot of fun. Stardew Valley does everything it needs to do so well that it's honestly difficult to even critique it. The graphics are cute, the music is fun, and the gameplay is certainly addicting, but like I said, the game really starts to shine once you get your farm up and running and you're making the big bucks. You can start relationships with the townfolk as well as doing your own exploration in and out of caves, which give their own respective rewards. The game is also rewarding every second you play it because it is just a relaxing good time that certainly reminds me of the Animal Crossing games. Nothing is ever stressed, but you basically have a goal in mind, and are looking to achieve that goal or goals in any way possible.

I also just enjoy the game for how it looks simple to being with, but there is so much hidden depth to this game, that it only can reward you the longer you play. And lemme tell ya, the game really does open up more and more as you progress, so I urge you to get through the initial few hours of the game and you'll see what I mean. I'm also not saying anything that isn't universally known. Everybody who plays games knows how good or has experienced themselves how good Stardew Valley is. If you're a fan of Animal Crossing and the like, this one is right up your alley. And mine, evidently.

2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
 

2017

This is again one of those cases where I feel like my original review of this game is going to tell you everything you need to know about my experience, so I'm going to drop that review here:

https://www.musicbanter.com/members-...ml#post1814607

2018 - Marvel's Spider-Man
 

2018

We're getting closer and closer to the conclusion of this section of my journal, and I must say, I'm quite happy with the list of games I've chosen to talk about for the past few months. A lot of these games I honestly think I'll go back and play as it has been quite some time since I've played a lot of them. And as we are getting to current time, it got even harder to choose games to talk about, because there were a few years in recent memory where I played a lot of games that I really enjoyed. But, we can't possibly talk about all of them, or I guess we could. I'm choosing not to. However, today I'm talking about Marvel's Spider-Man because it's one of those games that I probably spent more time on than any other game in recent memory. It falls into that category with a few others but definitely one that I put a **** ton of time into.

Marvel's Spider-Man in my opinion is exactly what it needed to be, a much more refined and intense version of the Gamecube Spider-Man that we have all come to love throughout the years. One of the most important aspects of a game like this is the gameplay, specifically how it feels to swing around with your webs. And up until this point, I'd say the gamecube version was the superior version, however this one just completely blows that one out of the water, and in my opinion, Marvel's Spider-Man is THE version to play if you want to experience Spider-Man in its truest form. Mix that all together with a great yet familiar combat system akin to the likes of Shadow of War and Batman Arkham, and a great story to bring it all together. I played through this game seemingly flawlessly, but that's because the game allowed you to do so with its free feeling mechanics.

Along with Shadow of War and very few other games, Marvel's Spider-Man falls into the 100% completion category given that I completed everything I could when I played through it. I simply could not do anything but. The game was and is still so good that I only recommend doing everything you possible can. And yes, this is one of those kinds of games where it just throws collectibles at you left and right, but with how the game manages to allow you to freely swing and fly wherever you want, the collectathon aspect really doesn't feel stale. Especially given the fact that the game is based in a virtual version of New York City, which...even back in the gamecube days was an impressive feat.

I think it will be a while before I decide to take the plunge into this game since I have completed it fully. So there really isn't a lot of reason to go back and play other than for nostalgia sake. But it remains one of my favorite experiences in gaming.

2019 - Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
 

2019

I'm honestly excited to get to this year because I get to talk about Jedi Fallen Order. This is one of those cases where I not only followed the development of this game from when it was first teased, but I also preordered it, and played through it twice. Once when it initially released, and another time when I learned of the sequel.

When I learned that there was going to be a Star Wars game that has an influence of Dark Souls-like mechanics, I was excited. Especially since around this time, my experience with Souls games in general was rather lack luster. I didn't get into them as much as other people because the difficulty curve was just a bit too high for my taste. Then comes Jedi Fallen Order, and suddenly I'm finding myself wanting to go back and play the Souls game, with the most recent one being Elden Ring, of course. Jedi Fallen Order is a pretty great game, with some mechanics that have definitely been used in games before. So, while the game definitely feels like its own things, overall it does feel familiar. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, hell it probably makes it even more accessible given that anyone could pick it up and have a good time. It's not the perfect Star Wars game, nowhere near it, but for it to be a Star Wars game that is completely absent of microtransactions and more focus went into making the game actually good, it's got me very excited for the next one in the series. And you know damn well I will try to get a special edition of that. Just based on some of the trailers already, I'm really looking forward to playing the sequel. If I didn't mention it already, the both times I played this game, I enjoyed immensely. But the second playthrough was probably a bit more fun as I had the basic jist of the game down, now I just had to put it into practice. And the combat just feels so good and makes you really feel like a powerful jedi. Much like the Force Unleashed games did.

For anyone that didn't feel like jumping into this game, it's the perfect time to do so now given that the sequel is quickly approaching.

2020 - Ghost of Tsushima
 

2020

This is a bit of an odd one because despite having played through this game and absolutely enjoying every minute of it, I'm finding it difficult to really remember too many details about it. So, I'm taking a post from a previous journal that sums it up nicely. I want this game to be featured here despite not really being able to talk about it in depth too much now because either I just simply don't remember anything about it that I want to, or I was just so engrossed into the game that I was only focusing on the now, and not really worrying about remembering much of it. I do remember enjoying it so much that I nearly 100% it, but it will always be a game on my PS4 that I just didn't quite finish. One day I'll get back to it, but anyway, here are my thoughts on Ghost of Tsushima:

https://www.musicbanter.com/members-...ml#post2128433

2021 - Outriders
 

2021

I'm gonna be honest, this is another one of those years where I'm not 100% sold on the one I want to talk about, however it is the one that I certianly put the most time into when compared to the other games released this year. And on top of that, there were a lot of great games released in 2021, and the surrounding years both prior and ahead of it. And I'm serious, 2021 was a really good year in gaming. We had games like Monster Hunter Rise, Returnal, Loop Hero, Back 4 Blood. So many, but I definitely spent more time playing Outriders over any of those, and I honestly enjoyed my time with until the gameplay progression started to feel a bit stale as the game went on. Doesn't mean it's a bad game or anything. Hell, I was honestly more surprised by how good it actually was because I hadn't really heard of the game until it was released, and my brother told me to play it. I don't think I ever finished it, but it could certainly be one of those games that I go back to. I just have to be in the right mood.

Outriders follows the same kind of gameplay loop that games like Warframe or other third person mission based shooters, and there's not a lot of difference between this and those games, however I would still say that Outriders manages to stay in a league of its own despite it having a lot of similarities to other games. The customizations and the type of weapons you can get are neat and fun to mess around with, but unfortunately, I feel like the mission style gameplay sort of stales the experience a little bit. I remember games like Mercenaries where this type of gameplay was still going strong, however at that time, it still felt sort of new. Outriders still does what it needs to do well, but it unfortunately becomes more of a chore as you progress. Some people like that, some people don't. I don't mind either way, especially since the time I put into the game is time that I enjoyed immensely, so no hard feelings there.

I don't have a lot to say about Outriders because you sort of get what you see. You play as a character in third person with an arsenal of weapons, and you take on waves of enemies in different environments. The gameplay is fun, certainly. And the game does do a good job at making you want to progress, but there just isn't enough to where the progression feels warranted or great. If anything, if I were to rate this game, it'd be anywhere between good and great. It's nothing crazy or new, but it definitely is worth your time if you're looking for something to put time into.

2022 - Elden Ring
 

2022

I did a review on Elden Ring somewhat recently in my previous journal, so I want to post that here as it's the best representation of how I feel about it. Elden Ring is my game of the year for 2022, so I would hate to try to put that into words again when I just recently did that exact thing. So here is that review:

https://www.musicbanter.com/members-...ml#post2218269

2023 - Hogwarts Legacy
 

2023

I know what I said, and I know that it doesn't make much sense to talk about a game in 2023, since we're still in the 2nd month of the year, but I honestly believe that I have already played the game that will undoubtedly be my game of the year for this year. That, or it's going to be really difficult for a game to surpass it, and that's why I'm choosing to talk about it now. I will most likely talk about this game towards the end of the year, but due to me wanting to get this project done, I've decided to add 2023 to this list, main reason being that I really just want to talk about this game. And please keep in mind that I am not going to go into any of the controversies that are revolving around this games release etc. I have my own opinions on that that I don't think fit well in this format, so I'm strictly sticking to my experience of the game and how I am doing with it, a few weeks after its release. So here we go, here are my thoughts on Hogwarts Legacy.

What can I say, Hogwarts Legacy hit all the right notes with me. An open world game based on the world of Hogwarts, and mix that with the gameplay loop of Shadow of War and a fantastic combat system that feels all its own, Hogwarts Legacy is truly going to be one of those games that we look back on years down the road, and remember how good it was and still currently is. And I know this type of gameplay style is not for everybody, but for someone like me that enjoys having a lot to do ala Assassins Creed etc, the minute I looked at the map and saw everything before me, I was ready to go. This game was also a bit of a surprise for me, because the minute I saw that you can get it early through a pre-order, I took the plunge. I knew very little about this game, given that I had only watched maybe 1 or 2 trailers, so there wasn't a whole lot to expect. And boy, when I jumped in for the first time, I must have spent anywhere between 3 and 4 hours just taking it all in, and that was just the beginning. Once you progress enough, the game really starts to open up as you acquire more essentials to make your experience that much more enjoyable. I'm trying to be somewhat vague as I know a lot of people have yet to spend some time with this game, so I am sensitive to spoilers. Plus, I would feel bad if I spoiled any of this experience for anyone else as it is such an experience that it's worth going through yourself.

At the moment, I've clocked around 22 hours of gameplay time, and I have only finished about 41% of what the game has to offer as a whole. I'm incher closer to finishing the main quest, but as its pretty normal with me and these kinds of games, I will take my time. I'll jump in for an hour, do a few things, stop, go back, and do more. Sometimes I'll spend more time if I'm really wanting to do something. But that to me is an enormous strength where I game can continue to pull you in even after spending many hours playing it. It doesn't make you feel like there's too much as you can progress at whatever speed you like. Everything does have a purpose, and given that I have done close to half the game at this point, I would highly recommend doing everything you can. It'll unlock customizations and sometimes spells that you'll need to take on other challenges. Nothing ever really feels forced, and you're basically free to tackle things the way you want.

I know what you're thinking, it should be pretty obvious that an open world game based in the Hogwarts world is no doubt going to be amazing, but you just have to have the right people behind it. And boy, the developers being this game did everything exactly right. You can tell with each time you make progress that every detail was well thought out and executed in such a way that makes you remember situations in the game. And I also know that people don't generally do well with fetch quests etc. I can say again that with as much time as I've had in the game, nothing has ever felt recycled or reused, though the types of quests are somewhat similar. Not so much that they feel the exact same though. But I digress, I really think the love and care shown throughout this game is certainly a gift from the developers. Sometimes, you'll get a dev team that couldn't care less about what they're making, and the experience is sub par at best. I would say Hogwarts Legacy is one of the best experiences in gaming I've ever had. It brings me back to the days when I was grinding through Shadow of War attempting to 100%, which eventually I did. I'm thinking Hogwarts Legacy will get the same treatment from me in the sense that eventually, that number will show 100%, and I'm honestly excited about that.

The other thing that I have always appreciated about these games is yes, the game never really forces you to do anything, so your sense of progression is solely based on you as the player. You're free to go where you want, do what you want, and fight what you want. And despite the obvious quest lines etc, you really don't have to do everything in a set amount of time. You can pretty much take as much time as you want. My younger brother has right around the same amount of hours as I do, and he's finished the main quest, and now he's going back and doing the exploration. I usually hold off on main quest and do the collectibles first. Ether way, you'll find satisfaction out of the experience. I guarantee it.

The only thing I will say about the controversy surrounding it is this: Sometimes, you have to separate the artist from the art. And in this case, it's J.K Rowling against the developers, and I would honestly just forget about J.K Rowling, and support the developers. They created a truly magical experience, pun intended. And I would honestly say that you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you decide to not play this solely based on that. Again, everyone is different and you're free to do as you choose. But I highly recommend checking this out. As I said, we're only near the end of February, and I honestly think Hogwarts Legacy will be my game of the year this year.

Video Game Music Extravaganza
 

I've done sections like this before in previous gaming journals where I talk about video game music. Since it has been a few years since the last time I did it, and we've had a lot of great games with great music being released in that time, I feel like it's the right time to jump into this particular topic since again, there's been a lot of great stuff coming out in recent years. I will do my best to not repeat myself from the times I did this before, but I can't make any promises.

I looked back and realized I have done this twice, once in my very first gaming journal years ago, and again in my previous journal when I focused on music in open world games. This time it's just going to be general discussion and talking about music in any video games that I believe I have not discussed yet.

Video Game Music Extravaganza - Hogwarts Legacy
 

I just got done talking about Hogwarts Legacy, so I'm going to add one more thing to what I've already said and that is the music. The music is fantastic. It feels like it should and everything about it is excellent. There is one particular piece that stands out though, and that is the main menu theme. It seems like a lot of times I really have a good time with music in video games because it's honestly one of the most amazing things. This track alone is among every other reason why I enjoy this game so much.