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Post by Sarfrin on Dec 3, 2021 20:25:18 GMT
Since us PC gamers are notorious for having massive backlogs, what's the best game you played this year? No restrictions on when it was released. I will post mine, just need to remember what the hell I played.
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Post by 😎 on Dec 3, 2021 20:25:36 GMT
Kena Bridge of Spirits
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Post by Sarfrin on Dec 3, 2021 20:27:53 GMT
God damn you to hell Gremmi.
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lexw
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Post by lexw on Dec 3, 2021 21:29:18 GMT
Final Fantasy XIV I think, which is never something I expected to be the best game I played all year.
I played a lot fewer different games this year than most, I note, in part because of a huge backlog, in part because not a huge amount came out that I wanted to play, or if it did, it wasn't cheap enough or insanely exciting enough that I could justify playing it.
Oh, actually let me revise that Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is the best thing I played this year, by far. But that's both a remaster and three different games and the most recent one is from 2012 so that may be pushing it lol.
FFXIV was really incredibly painful to get through the start of, but once it gets going and actually turns into a Final Fantasy game (which takes way too longer even after they made it shorter), then it becomes something really special. It's also genuinely got a better community than any MMO I've played since 2006. Part of this is simply down to how it structures rewards and doesn't have a general chat, so if you want to chat shit to people, you have to make an effort, you can't just sit back in your mum's basement and troll hundreds of people, you have to actively find a linkshell (chatgroup), get let in, and then troll them, which isn't going to be many people and they could kick you out.
It's night and day compared to WoW. I've seen stuff happen in dungeons, where, if it happened in WoW, there'd be swearing, there'd be kicks, there'd be detailed explanations of what they were going to do to your mother, there'd be "kill yourself" and so on, and the worst that happens here is "PLEASE follow me" or "Please don't do that" or "Okay, this time we need to kill X, not Y, alright?".
And the systems are generally much more pleasant to engage with.
I thought the 2.5s GCD would be a pain, but actually it makes it easier to chat, easier to think, easier to position, and there's enough off-the-GCD stuff that it doesn't actually get boring.
So, best game ME:LE, but best game I only played "properly" this year, FFXVI.
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Post by drhickman1983 on Dec 3, 2021 21:45:48 GMT
The standouts for me are:
Cyberpunk 2077. I know, bug ridden mess blah-blah-blah, whatever. I loved it and experienced nothing particularly bad or game breaking that I haven't experienced in other games of similar scope. Decent story but the sense of place and (more critically) the characters were exceptional and up there with the very best in any games I've played.
Control. Just very fluid, fun combat, interesting and dryly amusing world, and the Ashtray Maze is an absolute contender for my favourite gaming moment of all time.
XCOM2: War of the Chosen. The base game didn't really grip me when I played it one release, and didn't play more than a few hours before giving up. But the expansion just tweaks things enough for it to go from "meh, I prefer 'XCOM: Enemy Within'" to "highly addictive".
I really should try FFXIV properly but I've been oddly repelled by it on the couple of occasions I've tried. Literally, both attempts lasted less than 30 minutes. My final attempt I switched off in the opening cinematic and gave up at the character selection screen. I've no idea why I'm so repelled by it, it's very odd.
That said I tend to play with a friend for a few hours on the weekend, we're currently working through SWTOR. My friend is a big fan of FFXIV so is offering to drag me through it, I think that's the only way I'll be able to care.
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Post by retro74 on Dec 3, 2021 21:51:39 GMT
The best game I’ve played this year is Dark Souls, same as last year
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Dec 3, 2021 22:30:50 GMT
Leaving aside remasters like Quake and Shadowman, I'm gonna give this to Rhem.
Nowadays I just don't have the patience for Myst clones, and most of them have ridiculous moon logic puzzles anyway. That's why Rhem surprised me: the puzzles actually make sense, and reward being observant rather than connecting some invisible dots that only the developers could see.
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cubby
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Post by cubby on Dec 3, 2021 22:49:32 GMT
BOTW, Hades and Witcher 3, one of those 3. I think gameplay wise BOTW was the best, but Witcher 3 has so much content that you can just keep going and going
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2021 23:22:39 GMT
Because Zena is winning GoTY, my true vote goes to Returnal. Its the best game for the ps5 and I think its that good it would still have a shout at the end of this gen.
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Post by Jambowayoh on Dec 3, 2021 23:50:32 GMT
Torn between Demon's Souls and Returnal tbh. I'd say Souls just pips as it felt properly next gen in showing off a new console and it was the first souls game I haven't given up on after reaching a barrier.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2021 23:57:24 GMT
A remake showing off next gen, Alannis to the thread please.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2021 0:06:10 GMT
Ratchet is the next-gen showpiece for me. But Returnal's audio engineering is second to none.
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lexw
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Post by lexw on Dec 4, 2021 0:52:28 GMT
I have to admit that the only thing which makes me slightly sad I don't own a PS5 is Returnal, it absolutely looks like my sort of thing.
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Nanocrystal
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Post by Nanocrystal on Dec 4, 2021 1:38:07 GMT
For me it's between Outer Wilds (incredible exploration, unparalleled sense of discovery and really clever puzzle design), Yakuza 0 (so, so funny and fun) and FFXIV (my first ever MMO so felt quite fresh in terms of structure and mechanics). I guess Outer Wilds if I had to choose.
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Dec 4, 2021 15:28:51 GMT
ECHO (2017). I did like Torment: Tides of Numenera quite a lot as well and Dishonored 2 is worth the consideration, but in the end ECHO's infinite palace was just such a majestic place to visit. Together with the regular blackouts, the soundwork and slow gameplay it made for a really compelling experience. Edit: Oh, and the story was actually genuinely good.
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hedben
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Post by hedben on Dec 4, 2021 15:51:34 GMT
I'm always a sucker for a Ubisoft map to fill, and I thoroughly enjoyed both Asscreed Oranges and Far Cry 5 this year.
Best game I've played this year is still Hades though. Absolutely loved it, still installed to mop up the side quests.
Also honorable mention to Dark Souls, which I hadn't played in years, but I'm now well into a playthrough of the remaster. There's nothing else quite like it.
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zagibu
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Post by zagibu on Dec 4, 2021 18:04:43 GMT
For me, it was Pillars of Eternity II. Contenders are Iratus: Lord of the Dead, Frostpunk and Monster Train. Battletech was very good, too, for some time, but it gets a bit repetitive after a while.
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KD
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Post by KD on Dec 4, 2021 20:12:16 GMT
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Post by RadicalRex on Dec 4, 2021 21:19:20 GMT
Bloodstained and Outer Wilds, played both first this year. Both are among my all-time favourite games
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Post by Sarfrin on Dec 4, 2021 23:24:03 GMT
Happy for a mod to move this to general gaming. I just didn't know how much interest it would get from the console crowd. |
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Post by crispyxuk on Dec 4, 2021 23:42:49 GMT
Psychonauts 2 by a massive margin. Metroid dread is the only thing that has come close, forza horizon 5 ain’t far behind that
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Post by andytheaverage on Dec 4, 2021 23:48:39 GMT
Possibly The Witcher 3, it didn't click with me the first time I tried it years ago but ended up loving the game.
I've also really enjoyed WRC 9 and 10, I assumed they'd be a bit shit and not a match for Dirt Rally 2, but they're both great fun.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2021 0:39:02 GMT
Is WRC 10 worth the upgrade from 9?
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Post by 😎 on Dec 5, 2021 0:49:36 GMT
It’s more of the same allegedly. Not much changed with the engine or gameplay, just more tracks and cars. But if that’s all you wanted then it’s probably worth it.
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Post by dfunked on Dec 5, 2021 9:13:38 GMT
Super Metroid. Played it three times in fact, with the last time being 100% items from memory and the best ending. I bloody well love that game so much! Think I mentioned elsewhere that despite playing the majority of games in the GotY list, none were more than 8/10 material for me... I really want to be wowed again.  P5R is probably the most recent game that I've absolutely loved. |
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Post by knifeyspoony on Dec 5, 2021 10:07:39 GMT
Disco Elysium for me. Easily one of the best games I've played in years.
Honorable mentions to Shadow Tactics and the original Dead Space (which I'd somehow missed until now despite having played the sequel).
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Dec 5, 2021 15:23:37 GMT
Tough one to decide. Think it'll be between Witcher 3 (I guess technically I mostly played last year, just finished it this year), Horizon: Zero Dawn which no one else seems to like but I really enjoyed, and FFXIV which is great but I feel I've barely scratched the service of.
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Post by Tonka (🐑,🪤) on Dec 5, 2021 17:02:08 GMT
Age of Steam, after just two plays on the standard map this shot up to my favorite game of all time
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Post by Bill in the rain on Dec 6, 2021 12:48:53 GMT
I think it was probably Shadowrun: Dragonfall... but I need to go and look at my library and try and remind myself what I played this year.
Unfortunately, my game playing ground to a halt around July when I got really bad RSI, so I still need to go back and finish Dragonfall.
Anyways, if it's Dragonfall then it's because it's a really nicely written RPG that's just nice and focused enough and avoids the issue of being too big for its own good.
The combat can get a bit samey in some of the long crawls, but I mainly like the characters, writing and vibe.
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Post by britesparc on Dec 6, 2021 13:38:05 GMT
Civilization VI, except that my laptop has started making very disconcerting noises when I play games even as highly-specced as Civ. Fan revs up SUPER loud, it's rather off-putting. I've basically stopped playing it as I need to use this laptop for work and I can't quite afford to buy another one at the moment, so blowing it up just because I wanted to nuke Birmingham or something seems a bit OTT.
What I want to happen is this:
- Civ VI and all its DLC added to Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft starts streaming PC games OR allows M&K for cloud games
- I happily play Civ in the cloud and my PC breathes a sigh of relief
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