1/17/2018

Only Games I Give a Crap About in 2018

I did this last year and then revisited the list in late December and it was fun to write and surprisingly fun to look back on. Since this blog has somehow lasted long enough for me to make something annual, welcome to the 2018 edition of me preemptively judging games that I haven't played.

DIGIMON STORY: CYBER SLEUTH - HACKER'S MEMORY (PS4)

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth is still one of my favorite games that I own for PS4. It's not that it really does anything revolutionary in the RPG genre or even for Digimon. This is, however, probably one of the best Digimon games ever made. That isn't saying much because most Digimon games are pretty broken. Cyber Sleuth wasn't without it's faults but it was a very solid RPG with a decently gripping narrative and some genuinely funny moments. It never really felt grindy to me either. Hacker's Memory looks about the same game. I'm really scared that they are just going to microwave the first game and make it again but hopefully I'm wrong. Even so, of all of the games to rehash for a quick buck, Cyber Sleuth would be one that I wouldn't be infuriated by.

DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY NT (PS4)

Dissidia has always seemed like a really cool concept to me and being able to pit Terra, Squall, Cloud, Sephiroth, and a bunch of other people together is a weeb's dream, to say the least. I never had a PSP so I could only enjoy the original Dissidia through YouTube footage of what potential the game had. When I heard they were porting it to console, I got really excited, really fast. Upon further reflection and research it seems they are unfortunately taking a page from the book of Capcom and making separate versions of the release. Certain versions have more characters and they haven't really specified which ones are on which versions. On top of this, there are certain characters that were in the original Dissidia that appear missing from the Dissidia official website. For example: Squall, last I checked was not on the website. Are you really going to market a Final Fantasy fighting game to edgelords and leave Squall as a bonus character that they have to spend money on? I really hope I'm wrong because Dissidia looks very fun and unique. I usually don't get excited for fighting games that aren't Super Smash Bros. so please Square Enix! Please don't make me incredibly disappointed in you!

KIRBY STAR ALLIES (Switch)

I fucking love Kirby. Kirby has been going down a similar road that Mario has been going down where they have just been streamlining each new installment and nothing too exciting or refreshing has happened. From what I've played and seen of both since the Wii era, I can say Kirby has not been doing as bad or pandering as Mario, and this gives me hope for Kirby Star Allies. It looks very visually appealing and although nothing crazy groundbreaking for the series has been shown yet, they are implementing some very interesting mixes of mechanics from older games and some new powers that I'm very curious to see play out. The only problem is I do not own nor do I want to own a Switch. I think the console is an overhyped nuisance and it's game library is stifled to insulting. But between Breath of the Wild, this game, and the recently announced Bayonetta 3, they may or may not have my materialistic hands tied. Truth be told on a more personal note, I have way too many games on my shelf right now that I haven't beaten, so I can hold off on games for a while. Let's say they start developing say Super Smash Bros 5 or something and it actually looks good and new to some degree, they will definitely have me at hook in mouth. Hell, at this point, you could really sell me on Smash Bros and Kirby if they come up with Smash 5 because that's just how much I love Kirby platformers.

FORTNITE (PC)

I haven't played Fortnite yet but it sounds like it's just a rip-off of Player Unknown's Battlegrounds. Usually, I hate it when developers rip off of other developers in any sense but for one, a 100-man battle royale with guns and slight survival mechanics is a fun idea but not a very nuanced or genre-shattering one. For a second point, PUBG has supposedly been a mess since launch and on its full release was somehow worse. Fortnite, from what little I know of it, seems to actually function and have virtually all of the same things that make PUBG fun without having to spend any money to start having fun. On top of that Fortnite has technically not hit 1.0 release yet, hence how it is allowed on this list. Even if you are a huge fan of PUBG or like it over Fortnite, you can at least see why I find Fortnite to be way more appealing to try out of the two, I'm sure. Unlike most of the games that I get excited for I actually have friends who will probably play this one with me frequently too, making it even more enticing.

KINGDOM HEARTS III (PS4) (let's try this again, Squeenix)

Square Enix is making me look like a fanboy jackass. On this blog and in my own real life I keep bringing up Kingdom Hearts III and how it is going to be one of the only games I feel like I absolutely need to purchase coming out soon and the damn thing just keeps getting pushed back. Good on them for this decision on paper because I'm really getting sick of companies dishing out a deadline to their development team knowing that the game is faulty and just letting future patches take care of it. On the other hand there is no guarantee that they are fixing anything notable or doing anything beneficial to the game. We wouldn't know this to be factual or falsehood even if they weren't being super vague about most things in the game as is. Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't even be shocked or upset if they pushed it back to 2019. I feel like I've been thrown around in a pool of my own adolescent disappointment since Dream Drop came out in 2012 so as it stands now... whatever... whatever is my stance on the game finally coming out. In other words, I'll believe it when I see it... but replace "believe" with "get irrationally excited".

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 (PS4)

Oh yeah. I guess they're making a second Red Dead. I never beat the first one but I did enjoy the many hours I sunk into it and will say it is easily one of my top three favorite Rockstar games if not my absolute favorite. Yes, even rivaling Grand Theft Auto 5. I don't know how excited I really am for a sequel but if I hear that it is actually pretty phenomenal then I might spend way too much money to give it a whirl.

THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU -FINAL REMIX- (Switch)

I give a crap about this game but not for the reasons that I usually do for the other ones on the list. I'm actually a bit pissed. The World Ends With You is a very special game to me and one of my favorite RPG's ever made. Part of what made it stand out is its ridiculous control scheme that in my opinion can only be delivered through the dual screen systems they were designed for. The Switch has a portable option and I already read that the game will let you change views between Neku and your partner or something like that. This entirely defeats the purpose of the original game, not just in combat, but in overworld exploration and almost every single other thing I can think of. Even the stupid pin mini-game will probably not be as fun anymore! If you don't like it, don't buy it, I hear you say... in my head... Fine. Again, I don't even own a Switch. That is the reason you don't hear me ranting too often about things like Pokken Tournament, Shovel Knight, or Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze getting Switch ports. Even if a few new elements are added, they are still virtually the same game and have come out recently enough to have nearly identical control schemes. TWEWY is one of the few games in history to have a gimmicky control scheme and simultaneously pull off a unique and gripping story AND be an innovative and well-designed game. So what's the real problem here? Nobody gave a fuck about it! This game has a dedicated cult-following, which I guess is a decent reason for a Switch port? But the reason it has a cult following and not just a normal following like more popular IP's is because, at least over here in the states, it got zero traction. Even Nintendo Power magazine, back when that was something people cared about, talked it up and did articles and a review on it, its sales still weren't so hot. I can't blame people for not being instantly enthralled with the idea of TWEWY. I can even see it being intimidating or just generally unattractive at first glance. I think this means that they will release this decade-old game that didn't leave that big of an impact and make a worse version of it. Since it is the most recent version and nobody played the DS version, its legacy won't be the masterpiece that I bought on release day; it will be that one weird Switch game with Kingdom Hearts pixel art and shitty controls. My advice? Dust off your DS and find a cheap copy of the original. Save yourself the trouble. I'm glad they're adding new scenarios and whatever but why on Switch? Maybe I'm being overly presumptuous and it won't be that bad. They are taking one of the few games on the planet that I have a deep emotional attachment to and stringing it up on a cross. They better resurrect it in three days and make it so glorious that people make a holiday out of it, or I'm gonna be pissed. Did I just compare a DS cartridge to Jesus Christ?

BAYONETTA 3 (Switch)

I really liked Bayonetta 1 and 2. I bought them on impulse not too long after I got my Wii U and have fond memories of both games. I thought they were both equally pretty great for different reasons from one another. I thought though, based on where the plot went, there could never be a Bayonetta 3. I got really pumped at the short teaser, even though it's just a really glowy number. Then I was slapped in the face with the reality that since Nintendo owns Bayonetta now, and the Wii U is essentially dead, Bayonetta 3 will be exclusive to Switch. Fuck you... but well played. If they can release enough shit that interests me, they will coax me into buying a Switch, even though I really do NOT want one. At this point, as I said above, if they make a new Super Smash Bros., I will gladly buy a Switch, Breath of the Wild, Kirby Star Allies, and Bayonetta 3. You're starting to twist my arm and I don't like it, Nintendo. I dun liek it wun bit...


THE LAST OF US PART 2 (PS4)

I honestly almost forgot to put this here. The Last of Us was a fairly unique, intense, and overall enjoyable experience. I thought that upon release it was one of the best games I had ever played and from a design standpoint it was nearly perfect. Since then my views have changed but I still think it is worth revisiting and an above average game. I'm really interested to see, if only in story depiction, where they go with a second installment. I like the fact that several years have passed already and I haven't seen much more on it. I will say this is one of the games I am the most excited for this year, if it even comes out this year. Nothing beats Kingdom Hearts III though. But this and Digimon are the only games on this list where I'm thinking "alright, if they do this right, they have earned my purchase". The rest of them are like "yeah, okay, that's pretty cool, I guess".


So all in all, based on that last statement, you can tell that I'm not super pumped for 2018's future games so far. Maybe I'll be proven wrong. Did I miss anything? Don't say Monster Hunter World. I'm sure that game will be awesome, I just don't want to invest time into Monster Hunter right now. Did I miss anything that isn't Monster Hunter World? Tell meh! TELL MEEE PLEASE! In any case I hope that I am pleasantly surprised by the games on this list. On top of all this, the game industry works in mysterious ways, especially when indie developers are in question. If something else grabs me, I'll tell you about it next Winter. Thanks for reading! New videos coming soon on my YouTube channel so check that out too. I guess. Whenever they come out.