Been able to get in some quality gaming time, so I finished (and platinumed) both the new God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn. I’ll echo the common sentiment and just say that God of War is an incredible evolution of the series, and something I’d absolutely recommend to anyone. As for Horizon, I had a great time roaming that world and engaging with the unique combat system. There was a surprising amount of versatility to fights and enemy types, and combined with good characters and story beats, I had a good time throughout the adventure.

Now, just gotta decide whether to play Nier: Automata or Wolfenstein: the New Order. Both are sitting there and both look amazing.

@axel Oh wow. Yeah, I thought it was just going to be DK as an additional character, and that would be all. I actually put the game on hold so I’d be able to use him, but a bigger expansion sounds awesome!

@futurecorpse The remaster is $1.99 on a US PSN sale right now, so I suppose I can give it a shot. Thanks for the recommendation!

I did enjoy Inquisition much in the way I enjoyed Andromeda. However, it was far from the incredibly high bar set by Bioware’s previous games. Overall, I’m de-hyped on the franchise and on Bioware in general. There just seems to be a lot of missed opportunities here. Maybe the branching possibilities of past entries combined with too big a world overwhelmed the team? Also, Varric wasn’t nearly the show-stealer he was in DA2, and I was disappointed with the implementation of the majority of past game decisions being relegated to war room map shenanigans. I was impressed by several of the zones at the time, and the gameplay seemed a step-up from other entries. However, the more vital aspects that had me replaying the first two games several times just weren’t there in Inquisition. I usually try to stay pretty positive, but I have doubts that they’ll ever recapture the magic I once felt. It was a fun, but ultimately forgettable, jaunt.

@Axel There’s instances where limits make sense in games. But that constant annoyance and micromanagement? I just don’t get why it exists in some games. Unless they’re greedy and sell ya inventory space for real world currency. That really sucks, man. :/

At the risk of losing the little credibility I have here, Dark Souls 2 is my favorite game of all time.

For as much criticism as I’ve heard levied at Shadow of Mordor, there’s something intrinsically joyful about stalking orcs across that landscape. The nemesis system added more meaning to what could be repetitious encounters. Like many, the microtransactions in Shadow of War turned me away when there were so many other games to play in 2017.

Most definitely, yes. I find that there are several games that, while I love them dearly, I won’t touch unless I have at least 2-3 hours to devote to them alone and uninterrupted. While on the go, I also find that turn-based games hold more allure for me than when I’m on the tv. Having a system that naturally accommodates starting and stopping really shines in those instances. It’s likely why games like Pokemon and Fire Emblem are well suited to those devices.

For the DK series, I’ve only played them on TV, but judging by how much I enjoyed having games like 3D Land as a portable option, I’m sure Tropical Freeze is a perfect game on the go. It’s something where I wouldn’t have to focus on a complex narrative or battle system, so I would be less bothered by distractions.

The Souls games handle economy in an interesting way by having “souls” be the currency for just about everything: purchasing weapons/armor/consumables/keys, leveling up, upgrading weapons... Coupled with the fact that you can potentially lose them upon death, they become an extremely valuable commodity that you feel the weight of. In a way, obtaining and holding onto your souls so that you can save up enough for an item or level drives the entire gameplay loop. It also makes PvP that much more harrowing, as they are, in effect, trying to steal your money in addition to killing you.

@capnbobamous said in The EZA Community Top 25 Best of 2014!:

I'm surprised Mario Kart is so low. It's arguably one of the best Wii U games not only for 2014, but for the Wii U as a whole. I'm not complaining, just surprised.

You can blame me... I somehow missed it when looking over the games of 2014. Mario Kart is one of those games that gets played when the family is all together, even by people that don’t typically play any video games. It’s a gorgeous, polished entry in a solid franchise, and I’m always happy to race a few tracks.