Super Mario World (SNES)

Date Purchased: N/A
Date Completed: N/A
Price: N/A

I've played this game countless times, but haven't completed it in a long while until recently when my son AJ took a heavy interest in all things Mario.  What a fantastic game.  The game controls so well, the level design is great and it features a large variety of characters I'd all but forgotten were in the Mario universe.  Must play.

Rocket League (Switch)

Date Purchased:  November 14, 2017
Date Completed: December 25, 2017
Price: $20 (eShop)

My initial thoughts on Rocket League can be found here.  The switch version holds up well, it doesn't look as pretty on the TV but in handheld mode it looks just fine.  I enjoy it more on Switch due to its pick up and play ability.   The Mario, Luigi and Samus cars are nice, but not game changers.  Highly recommend.

Just Cause 3 (PS4)

Date Purchased:  August 3, 2017
Date Completed: December 15, 2017
Price: Free (PS+)

"Shitty BOTW (Breath of the Wild) with guns" is how I described this game to a friend, and I think it's about all I need to say about it.  The destruction was amazing, but the frame rate made it really hard to play.  Longer than I expected.  Despite the frame rate, recommend.

Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

Date Purchased: Nov 5, 2017
Date Completed: Dec 5, 2017
Price: Free (Birthday Present)

Oh man, I've been putting off this review but after reaching 500 moons, and having not played it in a while, it's time to officially say it's finished.  First off, Mario Odyssey is fantastic game, I played it for many hours, my switch says 40 hours, but I'll say my son AJ probably has 10-15 of those.  The game looks beautiful, has some great music and some really fun gameplay...but there's something that bothers me about this game ... you spend a lot of time running around and exploring versus time spent platforming.  Perhaps it's just been too long since I've played Mario 64 or Sunshine, but Mario 3D World and Galaxy were much more fun and focused experiences.  I would never not recommend this game, but it's not the best Mario game of all time and it pains me to say it.  All that said, you won't regret playing or buying it.  Recommend.

Strike Vector EX (PS4)

Date Purchased: September 5, 2017
Date Completed: November 27, 2017
Price: Free (PS+)

I'm writing this on January 19, 2018 as I realized last night I forgot to review this game as I scrolled by it on my media bar.  That shows how memorable this game is/was.  I was intrigued by the trailer, it looked like some classic arcade game play, but turned out to be a really repetitive, boring jaunt.  I guess the multiplayer is pretty good, but that's not what I was looking for.  The tacked on story is just plain bad with horrible dialogue and voice acting.  Pass.

Madden 17 (Xbox One)

Date Purchased: October 23, 2017
Date Completed: November 23, 2017
Price: Free - EA Access

Sports games, it's been a long time since I've given them any time...and as I learned after playing Madden 17, the first football game I've put any real time into since NFL 2K5, and first Madden since 03, that I wasn't missing much.

You'd think that these games would have evolved significantly in the last 10 years, but I was able to pick up and play on pro competitively with no problem at all.  I did appreciate some design changes, like the fact that you can resume a game from any point, no need to finish in one sitting.  I also really appreciated the "fast play" options where you can just play key moments, play offense or defense only, or jump in when you feel like taking control.  It's playing the game without playing the game, and as a guy with limited time, I found this to be the most enjoyable time to play.  Huge lead?  Sim it out.  Team far behind?  Let's make that comeback.

I jumped online to see if that' changed at all, after going up on my opponent.  He quit.  So nothing new here.

My season went well, the game has some nice visuals, and the commentary is generally quite fresh, well, except when they're dead wrong.  Check out this hot take on Tony Romo (who never returned to the NFL after losing his starting job to Dak Prescott).

I went 11-5 on my season with the Lions, winning the division but not quite good enough to earn a first round bye.  Seeing the Lions in the Super Bowl was something special.

Overall I had a good time with the game, but as the season worn on I cooled off on a bit.  It was a good return, but I'm not sure how quick I'll be to get back to it.  I'll play Madden 18 when it comes to EA Access, it has a neat story mode from what I here, but I don't know if I'll bother with a full season.  I can't recommend, nor say pass, let's just say if you have EA Access and want to try football again, it's worthwhile.

Battlefield 1 (Xbox One)

Date Purchased: October 23, 2017
Date Completed: November , 2017
Price: Free - EA Access

This game's been on my radar since release, I knew in the back of my head I'd sign up for EA Access one day which prevented me from ever purchasing it.  Battlefield 1 is a fine game, it's made up of 6 mini campaigns each telling a unique story.  It starts off a little weak with a tank mission, and goes on to a variety of combat scenarios from air combat to the ground game, and likely is just one big long tutorial for the meat and potato's of the game which is it's multiplayer. In a year where I've spent a lot of time in multiplayer, this ones setting just didn't grab me enough to want to spend much time in its universe, I'm also so far behind that I'll likely get crushed in the online arena.  As a solo game, it can be finished in 6 hours, I completed in 3 sittings, one of them being quite long.  If you have access to play the campaign for "free" like I did, it's worth your time, but it's not worth the plunge if you're putting your money down for the campaign.  Pass.

Unravel (Xbox One)

Date Purchased:  October 23
Date Completed: October 26
Price: Free - EA Access Vault

I subscribed to EA Access after years (months?) of considering it.  With Titanfall 2, Battlefield 1 and all the sports games, I felt like there was enough of a backlog there to make it worthwhile to dive into.  $30 a year is quite a bargain for the library of games you get.

So which game did I dive into first?  Battlefield?  Star Wars?  Titanfall?  Nope.  A little game called Unravel.  I'd heard mixed things about this puzzle platformer, but it's aesthetic had me intrigued.  I really enjoyed it.  I do like me some puzzle platformers, whether it be Inside, Limbo, Max, or any other I've reviewed, and this one holds up with all of them.  I did have to hit the old YouTube a couple times when I got stuck and I was either like "Man, I never would have figured that out" to "Man I am so stupid!".  Anyways, a nice game with a surprisingly heartwarming story.  Recommend.

Fortnite: Battle Royale (PS4/Xbox One)

Date Purchased: September 26, 2017
Date Completed: N/A
Price: Free (PSN)

I usually turn my nose to free to play games, but this one drew my attention after all the comparisons to Player Unknown's Battle Grounds (PUBG).  This game is great, I especially enjoyed it in it's infancy when all the players were new and inexperienced.  Over time the experience of others has been unkind to me, but I can still say the game has a ton of potential, and will be a longtime favorite for many.  100 players are dropped into a large map, the map is continually shrinking and players have to "mine" for weapons and materials.  Weapons earn kills, materials allow you to build "forts".  It's frantic, scary, and very engaging.  Building a fort sounds fun, but with gunfire breathing down your neck, it becomes very intense. I wish I had more time to "get gud" and maybe one day I will, but for now I'll have to concede to the fact that I'll likely never win a match, but that won't stop me from picking it up now and again.  Recommend.

Sonic Mania (Switch)

Date Purchased: September 14, 2017
Date Completed: October 10. 2017
Price: $25.99 (eShop)

This is the first and will be the last Sonic game I play in it's entirety, at least that's what I'm telling myself now anyways.  It's 5am as I write this and I've been up all night at work and am tired, so this review may be a touch more negative than it ought to be.  I was quite excited for Sonic Mania, not because I've been a fan of the series for a long time, but because I'd heard it was the best Sonic game in generations, and it was favorably reviewed.  It was cool that it was on Switch too, I could play it at home and at work!  Well, I'm thankful for that work part because if there was no option to play it where I was getting paid, I would have had a real time getting through this one.  My Switch says I played it for 10 or so hours, felt like 100.  The graphics and sound are nice, but the level design, platforming and gameplay just aren't fun.  Mario kicks Sonic all over the place.  The worst part about Sonic is actually playing it, holding to the right and "going fast" is fun, but then that comes to screeching halt and you have to play the thing?  I recommend you don't.  Pass.

Destiny 2 (PS4)

Date Purchased:  September 6, 2017
Date Completed: October 6, 2017
Price: 79.99 YIKES!  (PSN)

I enjoyed my time with Destiny 1 despite finding it confusing, I liked it quite a bit.  Destiny 2, where I can play with real life friends should be better right?  I'm not sure.  I like playing with friends, but where I enjoyed my time solo in D1, I hate playing D2 alone.  It could just be the fact that I've played multi, so now single feels pointless, but I just have little desire to go back and play it.  My friends and I all played the campaign to completion, and even though I have no idea what the story is about, we still had a good time...but as soon as that was done, there's not much left.  The raids are a a huge draw to the franchise and I was looking forward to having some peers to complete them with, but finding out they can take anywhere from 10-20 hours to complete, there's no way I'll  have that kind of time to do them.  Bummer.  Even though I may come back to this game on occasion, I honestly can't say I recommend it, pass.

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 (PS4)

Date Purchased: September 18, 2017
Date Completed: October 3, 2017
Price: $11.21 (PSN)


While I was relatively cool on the original game, I still picked this one up on a sale after hearing many great things about it.  In this year where I've rediscovered multiplayer, I wish I had more time to dedicate to it.  This is a great game, one that deserves more time, but with Destiny, Fortnite: Battle Royale, Splatoon and others on the go, I just don't come to Garden Warfare that often as I have no friends who play it.  I wish I had more time to give this game the time it deserves.  I finished the both single player campaigns (plants and zombies) and enjoyed my time with them.  The meat and potatoes is in the multiplayer, and while I've clocked some time in, again, the game deserves more time.  There's just too much on my plate right now.  Recommend.

Splatoon 2 (Switch)

Date Purchased: July 21, 2017
Date Completed: August 23, 2017
Price: $59.99 (Amazon)

Interesting story along with this review, I ended up receiving 2 copies for the price of one after my initial pre-order wasn't going to arrive on time.  I filed a complaint with Amazon and wound up with a 2nd copy, I was supposed to return one for refund, but decided to keep it so my son and I could play together.  Great decision.

I've really enjoyed my time with the game, it's a shooter the whole family can play together, which is something that's very rare.  The game plays and controls really well, I've really taken to motion controls while my son just uses the sticks.  The graphics and music are unique and quirky and will have you humming along.

The single player is where the game seems to be relatively thin.  The Switch is marketed as a hybrid home/portable console, but while portable, chances of being on wifi (for me) are slim, and this game offers little to do after you beat the 15-20 single player missions.  They have built the game to beat every mission with every gun, but I really don't see any value in it as very little carries over to the meat of the game, online multiplayer.

I'd have to say this game is a must own for any Switch owner.  It's a lot of fun, can be played in short bursts, is deep, but no overwhelming.  Recommend.

Arms (Switch)

Date Purchased:  June 18, 2017
Date Completed:  August 1, 2017
Price: Fathers Day Gift

I was a little concerned this game wouldn't have legs, BWAHAHAHAHHAH, but it does.  I still play it regularly and it's turning into one of my favorites this year (albeit a down year for number of games played).  Arms has a lot of character and charm, and as you move up the ranks, you really see that you have to "get gud" to appreciate all it has to offer.  All of your different "Arms" have unique abilities making for some real strategy.  The game at it's best is a chess match, trading punches, countering, blocking, activating specials etc.  On occasion you'll run into some "cheap" players online who grab spam, or stand in one place repeatedly throwing heavy arms at you, but when you do find someone of similar skill, and fight 5-6x, it's something special.  I've received a lot of friend requests through this game, and while I'm not ready to accept them, I appreciate that they felt the same. Recommend.

NHL 17 (PS4)

Date Purchased: June 2, 2017
Date Completed: July 2, 2017
Price: $13.37 (PSN)

I used to play a lot of video game puck, I'm talking "win the Stanley Cup with every team" alot of puck. Times changed, and more importantly "amount of time" has changed, and where I used to purchase games based on how long I could play it, now big games overwhelm and scare me.  I don't touch the fantasy aspects, be pro, be a gm, be the hot dog vendor, but I can say, for a pickup game of hockey, this game fits the bill nicely.  My son is just old enough to start getting competitive and I did play a handful of online matches.  NHL 17 does a good job at teaching you the game (rules etc) and teaching you how to play the game.  It's the best hockey game in years, not that I've played them all, but it's good.  I've enjoyed my time with it. Recommend.

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (3DS)

Date Purchased: June 11, 2017
Date Completed: June 18, 2017
Price: Free (DLC)

I've already reviewed the original Shovel Knight, and it's first free update Plague of Shadows, the first I was very fond of, the second, while still worthy of your time, didn't seem as good as the original (controls were my only gripe).  Then out of nowhere comes Specter of Torment, not just a new character, but all new levels, story and gameplay.  Specter Knight controls much better than Plague Knight in my opinion, and the gameplay is equally good as Shovel Knight.  I liked the over world map design better here,  it felt a lot more condensed and tight.  Specter Knights upgrades and abilities didn't seem as vital to completing the game as in previous games in the series, which lead to a little less playtime compared to the others.  It was also a little hard to go back to the 3DS, and while the game is available on Switch, of course Nintendo won't let you transfer purchases.  On the whole however, this game just keeps on giving, and I'm happy companies like Yacht Club exist. Recommend.

Mario Kart 8: Deluxe (Switch)

Date Purchased: May 1, 2017
Date Completed:  May 30, 2017
Price: $59.99 (Amazon with Prime discount)

I've previously reviewed this game, but that's back when I kept things really short.  Mario Kart 8 deluxe is hands down the best kart-racer ever.  I'm still nostalgic towards the original and 64, but looking at features, characters, tracks, variety, gameplay, etc.  I really don't know what more you could want from a kart racer.  I justified this purchase because of the newly enhanced "battle mode" which is built from the ground up, turns up I don't like battle mode at all unless it's block fort with friends on N64.  That's okay though because this game is still worth full price in my opinion.  The 200cc addition is my favorite part of this game and it really is a game changer.  Recommend.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

Date Purchased:  April 18, 2017
Date Completed: June 1, 2017
Price: $79.99 (Shoppers Drug Mart)

It's been almost 3 months since I reviewed a game!  Wow.  Probably because I played another huge game, and that game is the same game as my last review.  I have little to add other than this game plays a little smoother, and the portability of it all is amazing.  Read the Wii U review for full coverage.  Recommend.


A little bonus video of my surprise for Cole

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U)

Date Purchased: March 03, 2017
Date Completed: March 25, 2017
Price: $79.99

I've been putting off writing this because I don't know what to say to give this game the praise it deserves.  It's fantastic.  The game is ultimately about exploring, I've played many open world games, but never did I ever want to "go onto that roof" in GTA, just to see what's up there.  This game changes all that with something cool around every bend, every peak, and under every stone.  Okay, so not every stone, but lots of them.  There is such a huge world out there to explore, and the verticality of  it all makes it even bigger.  The game is simply a joy to explore, I keep going back to it on my son Cole's profile to "help" him along, but really, it's because I like to revisit Hyrule.

The game does have a story, and it succeeds, it's interesting and doesn't force itself or try to be overly complex.   You've played the story before, it's the same story of every Zelda game, but this one's told in a series of flashbacks.  It's nicely done and allows you to explore the world and take on quests in any order.   To finish the main quest I was at around 80 hours, not including probably another 20 I spent watching and or playing on Cole's account.  When I finished the main quest, it showed me that I was 18% complete the game.

A sub-story are the shrines which grant you orbs to increase you abilities.  There are over a hundred of these shrines and they each contain a series of puzzles the series is known for.  This time around, many of them are physics based, something I don't recall from previous games.  The shrines could be a game in and of themself ala Portal.  Most (not all) are fantastic.

I've written longer reviews, but I don't need to go on at length about this game. It's a sense of wonder I've never experienced in a game before.  It's got that whimsy.  I want to play it right now.  Game of the year for 2017.  Calling it now.

Titan Souls (Vita)

Date Purchased:  January 19, 2017
Date Completed:  March 6, 2017
Price: Free (PS+)

This game's been on my radar for some time, so I was excited when it was "free" with PlayStation Plus in January.  I'd remember hearing some comparisons to Zelda, but it's actually much closer to Shadow of the Colossus if we're going to be making comparisons.  There's a vast overworld, but there's not a whole lot to do in it, and your character, equipped with a bow and a singular retrievable arrow must take down 18 titans to reach the credits.  There is a 19th boss, but typically when I see credits, it's time to move on to another game in the pile unless I'm really enjoying it.  Well, I didn't really enjoy it, so this one's getting shelved.  It was a love/hate relationship with game, it's brutally difficult, but when you do fire that perfect shot and take down a Titan, there are few better feelings in video games, that's what kept me chugging through 6 hours, 21 minutes, 51 seconds and 495 deaths.The graphics and sound are quite nice, the game plays well on Vita despite some very long loading times between deaths, thank goodness for smart phones in that regard.  Even though I didn't particularly love all my time spent with the game, if you like a challenge, those 18 (19 if you're a completionist) moments where you reign victorious, just might make the whole thing worthwhile.  In the end, I'd have to say, recommend.

Reddit post comments.

That's a lot of cursing.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PS4)

Date Purchased: February 25, 2017
Date Completed: March 1, 2017
Price: Free (Borrowed from co-worker)

I knocked this out in 3 sittings, one of them particularly long, but still...3 sittings. It's a rock and roll campaign of what you'd expect from COD story.  The action starts and doesn't stop.  I'm glad I played it and am even happier I didn't buy it for full retail.  It was a fun campaign but I didn't love the whole Call of Duty "IN SPAAAACE!!!" aesthetic happening, it could be I'm just burnt out on space after playing Doom and all 3 Dead Spaces recently.  I didn't get into the multi as I'm not a fan of these ultra-competitive shooters.  If you can play this game for cheap like I did, go for it, but the campaign alone is not worth the retail price.  Pass.

Reddit post comments.

Dead Space 3 (PS3)

Date Purchased: November 1, 2016
Date Completed: February 22, 2017

Price: $5.99 (PSN Halloween Sale)

Dead Space 3, you are so far from the Dead Space I loved, however you are not a bad person....errr...game. You are just not Dead Space.  If Dead Space (the original) is Michael Jordan, and his son (Michael Jordan 2) went on to be an amazing soccer player (but not one of the greatest of all time), that son would be Dead Space 2, quite different, but still really good.  And if Michael Jordan 2 were to have  a son (Michael Jordan 3) and he went on to win his city bowling league, that son would be Dead Space 3, competent in what he does, but fallen oh so far from grace.

Okay, so basketball and bowling ball analogies aside, I still kind of enjoyed my time with Dead Space 3.  I started playing it and I was thinking “hey this is kinda cool, fighting humans, using my stasis in a big city, this could really go places!” … and then that stopped and I was back in outer space doing more Dead Space things, just not as well.  The games later 2/3’s becomes a little more interesting as your environments open up and that’s really where the game comes into it’s own, and by it’s own, I mean Gears of War.

Dead Space 3 is a co-op shooter that I played solo.  That comes with being a patient gamer, you play games when few others do.  Now don’t get me wrong, you can play the game completely on your own, but I couldn’t help feel like I was missing something as there reminders everywhere that I should have a partner with me.  On my own it took me just over 13 hours to complete, which felt stretched out as I was going on a lot of “fetch quests” for lack of a better term (rebuilding that Rosetta alien!  Oyyyyyy!!!).  The puzzle sequences I didn't particularly enjoy and I felt threw off the pacing of the game.  

Graphics and sound are…fine.   The game seems to seem less polished than previous entries, perhaps intentional to make the game seem more “gritty”, the voice acting is well done despite the writing being a little suspect at times.  The overall story left some to be desired.

What Dead Space 3 did very well in my opinion, was make me appreciate Dead Space 2 so much more, which I gave a pretty hard time for beingso different from the first game.  I'm sorry Dead Space 2, you deserved better.  I really can’t recommend Dead Space 3 on it’s own merits, if you want to see the series through like I did, you may as well just play it to see for yourself, but if you’re looking for a good game to play?  Pass.

Reddit post comments.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Vita)

Date Purchased:  January 1, 2014
Date Completed: February 19, 2017
Price: Free (PS+)

While looking through the Vita games I have tied to my account I came across Sonic Racing and thought it would be a good title to have on the go.  I played the game quite a bit on the Wii U when it's software library was sparse, but it had been a while since I took Sonic and friends for a spin.  The Vita version holds up surprisingly well and really looks fantastic.  I'm so used to playing small indie titles on the system it always comes as a surprise when I play a game that really shows off the systems capabilities.  This is a great little Kart racer, but not necessarily a Mario Kart killer, which in my opinion is a good thing.  I feel the pure racing is better in Sonic Racing than the Mario Kart series, I'm sure there's some rubber banding in here, but it feels far less obvious.  If you find yourself in first place, it's not a given that a certain item *cough*blue shell*cough* is all but guaranteed to knock you around.  The single player campaign has a nice variety of challenges that consists of more than just racing.  The transforming courses really are the star of the show, and while the vehicles transform, it's when the courses change after laps that the game really shows it's full potential.  Being so late to the party I didn't get to try out any of the online features or multiplayer, but the game still satisfied with it's single player content.  I only had a few issues with some of the geometry particularly in the water sequences where my vehicle would completely turn around for no apparent reason.  It didn't happen often, but was frustrating when it did.  Other than that minor hangup, I'd recommend this game, even in 2017.

Reddit Comments.

Letter Quest Remastered (Vita)

Date Purchased: November 3, 2016
Date Completed: February 15, 2017
Price: Free (PS+)

After finishing Dead Space 2, Resident Evil Revelations, and Doom recently, I figured, why stop there?  Let’s continue the massacre on Vita!  So I grabbed my trusty Bone Crusher and continued my way defeating monsters on a set path.  This game is a cartoony take on a horror game, it feels more like a Halloween game really.  It’s quite cute, has a nice presentation to it, but ultimately is too easy.  The game has 40 levels, each consisting of  4 stages and I managed to breeze through them all only stumbling on a couple of timed challenges, but I’ll chalk that up to being distracted by my family or work.  A fun little word game though with some neat upgrades along the way.  It’s available on iOS which might be the ideal platform, but this was ad free and also free with PS+.  Depsite it’s simplicity, I still enjoyed my time with the game, recommend.

Dead Space 2 (PS3)

Date Purchased: November 1, 2016
Date Completed: February 14, 2017

Price: $5.99 (PSN Halloween Sale)

Dead Space 2, after finishing the first game a couple months ago, I had such high expectations and while that may have led to some of my disappointment I can’t say it was merely a victim of hype.  

I like a silent protagonist, I feel it allows the player to connect with the character better when he’s not quipping one-liners that are out of place.   I’m showing my age here, but I much preferred the original GTA III with our silent anti-hero, to the much more critically acclaimed Vice City which had our character speaking with full voice acted dialogue.  So when Isaac Clarke escapes near death in Dead Space 2, narrowly defeating a horde of monsters, removing their limbs and stomping their corpses, exhausted, barely able to walk, only to open a door and act like nothing’s happened, able to carry on a full conversation, not mentioning anything that just happened and even throwing out a few one liners Nathan Drake style, I feel it takes away from the experience.  Yes, this is true of all games, but not those with a silent protagonist, all you need to accept there is that he’s not limping anymore.  Okay, this has evolved into a more general game rant now. 

The action is much more intense in the 2^nd game, but I preferred the slower pace of the original, making mention to how it was “relaxing” in a some strange way.  This game is far from relaxing and I feel brings the game truly into the Survival Horror genre.  There are so many scares along the way, they stop being scary, you just expect necromorphs around every bend. 

The game still looks great for a “last generation” title, the sound design is top notch, and overall it plays great.  As a standalone experience it’s a fantastic game, just not the game I wanted.  Still have to recommend though.

Edit: (Clickable) I've started putting some of my pile of shame reviews on Reddit's subreddit "patientgamers" where they've been relatively successful.  

Resident Evil Revelations (3DS)

Date Purchased: April 2, 2016
Date Completed: February 7, 2017
Price: $5.99 (eShop)

I picked this game up for $6 along with Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D during an eShop sale last April, I've seen it go on sale now and again since then, so it can be found pretty cheap if you're willing to be patient.  First of all, let me say, the graphics are quite impressive, technically one of the best looking 3DS games I've ever played.  The environments look really nice as do the character models.  The cut scenes are nicely done although clearly not "in engine" as the 3DS compresses the video to the point where it can look pretty bad in spots, but the game does feature a large quantity of cut scenes for a 3DS game at least.

Things begin to fall apart with enemy character animations, they repeat the same animations over and over, and from what I gathered with my time with the game, they don't take damage when lying down.  Essentially you have to wait for the enemies to pop back up, then knock them down again. This is especially infuriating in a game where limited ammo is a game play mechanic.  I really struggled with the controls of the game as well.  This was my first game that heavily used the new C Stick and it was surprisingly difficult.  I went as far as searching reddit to see if it was an isolated problem to my console, but it works fine with every other game, and as far as I can determine I was using it properly.  The camera moves frustratingly sluggish in a game where you want to be aware of your surroundings at all times.  I wanted to quit on multiple occasions, but I'm just so stubborn when it comes to finishing games I've purchased I decided to power through playing it in short bursts whenever I was feeling extra patient.  I can't recommend this game, even at $6.  Pass.

Reddit post with comments.

Gone Home (PS4)

Date Purchased:  June 7, 2016
Date Completed:  January 30, 2017
Price: Free (PS+)

Greg Miller, a highly recognized games journalist convinced me to play this game again after quickly dismissing it initially.  He keeps talking about it and not being ready to start another long campaign, I downloaded it again and gave it another shot.   Greg Miller has lost all credibility.  Don't play this. The story is "kinda sorta okay I guess" but it was spoiled for me by Greg.  Your character arrives back at home after spending some time studying abroad to find your home empty, it's up to you to determine where everyone is.  It requires a lot of walking around a large home, reading notes and various papers throughout the house to determine where they went.  An audio journal from your disturbed sister plays in the background occasionally helping the narrative along.  Doom, then Abzu, then this?  Perhaps wrong time to play this game ... but no ... pass.

ABZU (PS4)

Date Purchased:  January 1, 2016

Date Completed:  January 30, 2016

Price: $7.99 (PSN)

Flower, Journey, and now Abzu.  Picked this up during a boxing day sale and I’m not exactly sure why.  I’d heard about it quite a bit last year, perhaps it was just name recognition, but I usually don’t care for these types of games … this one was different though.  After coming off Doom I was looking for a palette cleanser before jumping into Dead Space 2, this game fit the bill perfectly.  Abzu’s been described as “Journey under water” and while I can agree with that from a gameplay perspective, the graphics and tone of this game are much nicer to look at.  It has a wonderful symphonic soundtrack is quite simply a masterpiece in presentation.  The gameplay is, well, what it is, it’s more of an experience than a game.  There was zero challenge, I may have had 1 or 2 head scratches but they were quickly resolved (I was over thinking) and before I knew it I was swimming along again in this beautiful ocean in all its splendour.   I enjoyed my time with ABZU and will play it again, it's even made me consider giving Journey another run.  Recommend.

Doom (PS4)

Date Purchased: December 28, 2016
Date Completed: January 27, 2016
Price: Free (Christmas Present)

I had some serious conviction playing this game.  Let’s just get that out front and centre.  Yeah, I played the old Doom games back in “the day” but those graphics, while ground breaking at the time, couldn’t tell a compelling story, for a long time I didn’t even know I was shooting Demons, I thought they were just monsters. 

Fast forward 20 some years and things have changed.  Games can now tell detailed stories (still usually not very good, but that’s another discussion),  and the graphics are quite astounding.  Doom 2016 looks incredible.  With that though came some strong guilt playing through this game.  I knew what I was getting into, and that should have been enough to stop me from wanting to play this game, but I’d also heard how it “didn’t take itself too seriously”, so, I was curious, thinking “how bad could it really be”?  Well, It can get pretty bad.  There are pentagrams all over, demonic chants, plenty of gore, demons everywhere, and you literally go to Hell … but you are the Demon slayer!

I still can’t decide whether I can recommend this game.  I’ve done some research on the subject, read reddit threads etc. and can’t come to a conclusion as to whether a  Christian should partake in an experience like this.  Would I want my kids playing it?  Heck no!  Did I enjoy it?  Heck yes!  What did I like about it?  It plays like a fast paced old school shooter, much like my game of the year for last year.  The metal soundtrack (instrumental only, no screaming) is awesome.  The graphics are great.  The story is … interesting (There’s an energy crisis on earth, and a corporation has built a portal to Hell to access their infinite supply.  Things get out of hand, and that’s where you come in)  But that gameplay?  It’s fantastic. 

I can’t say “Don’t play this game” … but be aware of what you’re getting into.  If you’re easily influenced, or you’ve read this thinking “oh man, this is not for me” or “I can’t believe he played it” then it’s probably not for you.  If the story had me fighting alongside the demons, I would in no way be able to recommend this game.  I ultimately come back to the fact that it’s merely an interpretation of Hell, and in some small tiny way, is educational.  But that gameplay though.  Recommend.

Forza Horizon 2: The Fast and the Furious (XB1)

Date Purchased:  January 3, 2017
Date Completed:  January 14, 2017
Price:  $2.50, Regular $10 (Xbox Live Marketplace)

I really enjoy the Forza Horizon series, so much so that I feel I should give OG Forza a spin sometime, but for now, I'll stick with Horizon until I finish up 3.  I picked this up on a boxing day sale and what it essentially is, is a mini Forza Horizon 2.  A glorified demo really with a small set of cars, a portion of that games map, and a new "skin" tying it to the popular movie franchise.  There's not much to say that hasn't been covered it my original look at Forza Horizon 2.  It was nice to revisit the game again, but if you've played Horizon 2, there's no need to come back.  Recommend on it's own, pass if you own the full game.

Top 10 of 2016

My annual lengthy discussion for the best games I finished in 2016.

Happy New Year! (The Pile)

To keep things simpler, I'm just going to keep the pile of shame list in a ... list format.  I was in the habit of feeling obligated to even finish freebies from PS+ or Games with Gold, but from now on, I'll give some a try, but shouldn't feel any "shame" for not finishing a "free" game.

So, games I've paid for but still need to finish:

• Abzu (PS4)
• Forza Horizon: Fast and the Furious
• Dead Space 2 (PS3)
• Dead Space 3 (PS3)
• Doom (PS4)
• Resident Evil Revelations (3DS)

I'm beginning to sense a theme here.  Anyways...

Overwatch (PS4)

Date Purchased: November 25, 2016
Date Completed:  December 31, 2016
Price: $41.75 (PSN)

This years Black Friday haul was light on titles, I knew I would be busy in December, but still wanted to pick something up.  The Dutchman in me can't pass up a good deal.  Overwatch seemed a good fit for a variety of reasons.  I wanted a game light on story, that I could could pick up and put down as I pleased, and something that was playable in front of my wife and kids.  I couldn't have picked a better game.

I haven't played many competitive shooters over the past few years.  If you check this blog often, which you don't, you can see I clearly steer towards story driven games, often skipping the multiplayer portion altogether.  This game could change all that ... but I doubt it.  When the Overwatch Servers were being weird, I tried playing Halo 5 multiplayer again.  Nope.

Overwatch has so much going for it, the game is a different experience depending on which hero you choose, the gameplay feels great, the game looks beautiful, and is just simply fun.  You can play for 5 minutes or hours at a time.  It's the perfect compliment to spotify or a podcast.  I love it.  This could lead me to playing less games (in quantity) in 2017.  We'll see.  Recommend.