Insanely innovative way to intertwine a gameplay mechanic as a storytelling device.

Dad of the Year 2021

Having trouble phrasing precisely how ingenious this game is.

TOTSUGE-
Communicating With Server . . .

One of the best adventure FPS games I've ever played

No death counter
No timer
No collectibles
No leaderboards
No saving
No cost

Just some of the most well considered, blisteringly hard precision platforming I've ever done in my life, and a ton of perseverance.

Like a Coen Bros. movie you can play

The most clever Undertale-like since Undertale

They should teach this game in schools

I've been getting really into "hell". Both as a mindset and as something to strive for, in an organizational sense.
There's something intensely beautiful about it.

With its mechanically deep and satisfyingly weighty combat, gorgeously captivating 2.5d world, and thoughtful gameplay variety, F.I.S.T. punches way above its own weight.

If it weren't for the mildly bloated final act and trouble sticking the landing, this would be easy top 5. A must-play if you're a metroidvania fan.

Perhaps the perfect sequel

The Citizen Kane of Flappy Bird

Feels like the game this solo dev has had cooking in their brain since they were a child. Uncompromising, pure in its vision, and filled to the brim with childlike wonder. A magical journey.

Every element of a great video game distilled down to its simplest and purest form

What a masterpiece. Endlessly charming, imaginative, fun, emotionally impactful, and just plain cool without ever feeling like it's trying too hard to be any of those things. Bursting at the seams with creativity, and makes it all look so easy.

So laser focused and fun to play that you may skip over the surprising number of secrets throughout (I sure did)

I have a friend that considers himself an "archer main"; I spend a lot of my time just thinking about him and getting pissed off.

https://youtu.be/XaKr98ktoxU

Perhaps the best 'forever game' I've ever played, which is why I had to quit cold turkey after entering the Hall of Fame. Alarmingly addictive.

Culmination

The coziest way to spend an afternoon

https://castandspear.com/best-fishing-memes/

a toe-dip back into the world of MOBAs as a now clean ex-Dota 2 addict. Love the rigid 10 minute game structure.

SOTN without the fluff

Overcame my 'Retro Game Inspired Action Platformer' cynicism and made me look like a total fool for even being cynical in the first place.

Shout out to ActEsper

Play this with a group of your closest friends, either online or on a couch, for maximum effect.

Salim >>>>

Glow up of the century

A beautiful framework for Open World Mario, but the 3d World moveset doesn't work when you put camera control on the right stick.

Gets a bit too depraved in places for my tastes, but the approach to short storytelling is worth trying out

That final loop? Chef's kiss

"I love it when a plan comes together"

Comfort Food

The Fruit >>>>>>>

There is a direct parallel between how many little Rot dudes I had following me and how much I was enjoying the game

On 1.0 release week, this game fulfilled a craving that I've been unable to satiate since 2005 when I spent every day after school playing Warcraft III custom games.

I came back after that release week rush, and got absolutely filtered by the people still playing.

Took over my life for a couple days, but the idle side and resource grinding is too much once you find your winning strategy

This game successfully won me over by the end, after a good three hours at the beginning of thinking they just didn't get it.

My first MonHun game, and I totally get it.

It's FUN

A clever battle royale with a really novel twist on the pac-man formula

I was the speedrun world record holder, and I'm sitting on a skip that will break the world record time wide open but I'm scared to post it cause I don't want to get beat again

It's Insomniac, it was always gonna be great.

VR Escape Room Fever Dream

It's all about the transitions baby, a playable arcade action movie

Undeniably jank, but somehow it just works

Heavy NieR vibes in its world design, thrillingly tough bosses, delightfully dumb story & charmingly garbage VO, more particle effects than anyone could ask for, and Helvis.

Immaculate vibes, deceptively tough 'platforming', OLED showpiece

As soon as it tries to be funny, it nosedives in quality. Also has a really fucked up portion where you are asked to run over pedestrians that totally rubbed me the wrong way.

Fails to surprise

Ends with a whimper. . . . . Get it?

Cartoon Cartoon Summer Resort for a new generation

Frustrating demands for twin-stick precision accuracy hold it back. The boss with the switching color Ikaruga influence was sick tho

Incredibly fun rhythm platformer, just wish there was more music than Honktown Clownaround

Asks too much of the player in order to play it the right way, when playing it wrong (and not fun) gets wins anyway. But the concept is gold and I'd love to play a true focused inhouse game someday

Fun way to spend an hour, should've been a mobile game

Amazing atmosphere, crummy combat

I miss baiting out Pokemon Evolutions, and there's a too much grinding, but this stayed surprisingly true to the original

The first hour is gold, but it kinda wears its welcome with too many mechanically similar minigames

Liked the shooting and flashing lights, didn't care for most everything else

Really cute story, but nothing that makes it stand out as a video game

Total mechanical & stylistic congruence.

Jumping over a riot shield, activating bullet time, backflipping, and popping a headshot NEVER gets old

Beat it on my first run, it's cool

Just throw on a podcast and play TDM, Shotty Snipers, or SWAT

gorgeous vibe but this train takes too long to really get goin

Perfect Steamdeck toilet game, all I need is a Steamdeck.

The crew mechanic undermines the clever gimmick by allowing you to coast by with your dependable easy characters. Penny's stage was the strongest because of this, as it forced you to learn her rules for a full level set without a crew. Also, the 'trapped in a game' setting is missing a bit of the charm of the WarioWare world (something Penny's section also does best, that song whewwww).

Like I get that this game is bad, but hitting that enrage button in the middle of a dialogue tree conversation never failed to make me laugh. It's stupid fun

Trades the first game's intense focus for more chilled out ambitious vibeyness, to boring results. This one's for the lore-heads

Chill music-based roguelike bullet hell game that fails to capitalize on its really cool concept

It's cute but the actual gameplay gimmick isn't really that cool in execution, and it's the same thing over and over

If you just ignore literally everything about it narratively, it's more cod and kinda fun, but moreso than any other cod game I've played it is devoid of human compassion, and the game's approach to diversity is misguided at best and offensive at worst.

Maddy been playing a LOT of Mario Maker 2 and it shows in the level structure. Spiderman grappling hook never really felt great to use, but there are worse ways to spend 15 minutes.

Bland and too long

Feels a bit unfinished, and very light on playtime, but boy do I love jumpin and shootin and dodgin projectiles.

Shouldn't have been an Undertale-like, cause I really did enjoy the Reverse Guitar Hero combat but had to subject myself to the bad world and worse writing in order to experience it

The further down the rabbit hole it went, the less interested I became.

If you've seen one level then you've seen the whole game

undeniably gorgeous, and I enjoyed the secret hunt, but I didn't really have fun?

Terrific shooting, borderline unfinished everything else

I played this while watching http://www.twitch.tv/omsthechef play MGS: The Twin Snakes. Twin Snakes is great.

Tries something different with its gameplay when it should've just ran with the visual style and great music and went tried and true bullet hell shmup

lol

I felt nothing

Dry

Without a doubt Aerial_Knight's first game, but I'm excited to play his second game, so it did enough right

Liked this more than I should have tbh, but I have to be realistic

This was originally slated as a $70 PS5 launch title dude

idk man, this middle section of my list has a whole bunch of games that like, don't necessarily have anything wrong with them, but why would anyone ever take time out of their life to play them? Why did *I* play them?

BBBB
(Beautiful But Bonelessly Boring)

Golf is frustrating

10 slogging middle hours bookended by an incredible first and last 2 hours.

Why would anyone ever play this when Super Meat Boy did it exponentially better, like, 11 years ago

The split reality gimmick is dumb and it's sooooo slowwwwww.

Just Google Zdzisław Beksiński instead

Back and forth fetch quest checklisting with bad combat and way too referential in its writing

Don't be fooled by the awesome bird with the cool backwards hat

A total eyesore, but still the best game of the year based on a twelve minute loop

Doesn't do anything better than the game it shamelessly rips from

Ugh

Just wanna get home after a double shift delivering these packages but this fuckin apartment complex has me chasing down babies and shit

I sincerely wish this was enjoyable cause the concept of a playable metal opera is hilarious, but playing it is so stressful that you can't parse any of it