Well I've been trying and doing different articles, but with things being as busy as they have been lately, they're mostly turning up late and unfinished. I still plan to work at some of them, but things it might be a while. Furthermore I'd also like to announce the GOTY piece might be late, but with good reason, and some potential merit to that lateness. I'm considering to extend things a bit to go with awards beyond a top 5 list (or rather in addition, top 5 count is still present and will likely always stay, as will honorable mentions). However the other reason is that... well, to be honest, I haven't actually completed the game that is supposed to be #1. Sounds dumb to put it there you may be thinking, but its just such a big game that I haven't had the patience to endure it all in one consistent run-through, or even the multiple ones I've given it. Nothing to do with the quality of it. However while I'm okay with putting powerful yet incomplete games on the list (see Darksouls 2), I don't think its acceptable to publish the list without beating the supposed definitive GOTY choice. So until then, here's an article I really WILL complete real quick. As with last year, its a quick impressions run of everything I got on Christmas day.
If I were to be honest, I didn't actually get a lot in terms of direct game presents this year, but I'm also kind of okay with that. Sure I would have loved Fallout 4, GTAV, or Mario Maker, but at the end of the day I'm very happy with what I got and already have a lot to work on with what I already have. Before this day I was still in the early phases of Xenoblade X, recently got Black ops 3, and that is still after trying to balance time between the warrior games. Oh and I've got a run to do on Dishonored definitive version, and I still need to finish the mysterious GOTY game. So yeah, not really a fuss to make, but its just not as much to say on as last year. Which again, might be good so I can get the article out of the way.
Dragon's Quest Heroes
AKA, the most ridiculous full-name for a game ever. Seriously just look it up, I'm not even bothering with it here. However that aside, the game is fantastic. I've gotten into the warrior games in a big way around the late fall, but even before then felt somewhat strangely hyped to this game. Never even played Dragons Quest stuff before either. It just... looked so good. In reality, it is indeed very good. Its actually the smallest warriors game I've played in terms of scope, characters, and levels, yet it manages to do enough right to totally make that a worthy (or maybe even beneficial) sacrifice. The combat system is so well made with magic attacks specially crafted into it, each character feels unique enough and fun with their own skill set to work on, and replayability comes in the form of endless mode reworkings of previous maps which somehow manages to be way more awesome than it sounds. Ultimately I love this game. However the last boss battle I faced was cheap, and the XP system doesn't make a lot of sense to the effort I put in. Still a great game, and one I'll definitely be working on. The campaign is also way more focused and engaging, so it'll actually probably be the first warriors game I can see myself "completing" as weird as that may sound. On that note its also probably the core game I'll be working on out of this list.
Yoshi's Woolly World
Was one of the first games to go on my wish list, both because of fear that the amiibo bundle would fly off into a black hole, and because its a freakin' Yoshi game and those make for some of the best 2D platformers in my eyes. This one so far seems to match that just fine. Its charming, relaxed, fun, imaginative, and its just... so joyful. It charm isn't so much as trying to play it as much as it is to feel like your on a ride through the most whimsical level craftsmanship you'll see all year. Though I do hear world 9 gets stupidly hard compared to the rest, but I suppose that may be expected. We'll see. Definitely a good game, and the Amiibo looks great displayed below the TV alongside a couple pop figures and the plush fox I have sitting alongside it. Oh and speaking of which, I got a starfox amiibo I got to open early on Christmas eve, and its the only amiibo I have that doesn't translate to an unnatural looking yarn Yoshi in the game. He just sort of dons a tan-ish orange color and the uniform for the most part.
Transformers Devastation
Okay I'd be lying if I acted like I have a fresh take on this one. Beat it multiple times through a rental, but while I feel all messed up from sinus problems right now I really don't feel like its worth the trip again when my own head can't keep up with the fast paced action. I loaded it up just to make sure it installed and remembered my data, played a challenge, loved it but sucked at it, listened to some music from the model gallery, and turned it back off. Still looks good, feels good, and has a ridiculously good soundtrack, but aside from that just go see the article I made on it to hear me preach about my old thoughts. This game should still be just as fun as when I rented it.
King's Quest: Chapter 2
Okay so as you could probably guess, I'm kind of cheating here and I didn't find a digital download episodic game under the Christmas tree this year. However I did get a $20 PSN card, got an extra $5 chipped in, and bought the season pass while it was on the Christmas flash sale. Not something I'd regularly do, but the first episode was such a spectacular game, and the 2nd reviewed in... okay enough status that I decided I would take the risk on what could easily be the best adventure series ever to me. However I was warned this would be darker, and... well, sadly it is. I really loved the first for hitting the perfect heart-warming fairy tale tone. It left me overwhelmingly happy, but still knew how to throw a heavy sad punch along its tale. However I also get this shift. Its not just some fancy tale being told, its a life story of a king, and so this king doesn't live a full life of luxury all the time. What they did to weave a heavy and hard tale where he's forced to take on tough responsibilities was a neat little thing to do with such a story. Its just that... well, I made it a bit darker than I wanted it to be. I messed up bad, and I think I got one of my favorite characters axed off. However I will try to work on solving some more puzzling matters and make it out of the dark goblin caves. I will see this adventure through unless it does something to really piss me off. So far I can tolerate this tone shift, and maybe I'll have to take its lessons harder with somebody dying under these pressured times, but I really do hope they don't stay on this track. I really do hope that at some point things back up a little bit to that princess bride vibe, even if things are expected to get tough in life. Chapter 1 is likely to stay on top at this point, but we've got 3-4 more chapters left, and I'm still not calling the 2nd a bad game at all from what I've played so far.
...and that concludes this small list here. Looking forward, I can see a lot of good games on the horizon, but there's also some games worth going back for (like again, Fallout 4, GTAV, etc). I may also end up saving some money towards a new laptop, which I really need (and it would make this a lot easier as well). Anyways I hope everyone got got what they wanted, spent time with family, and had a merry Christmas!
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