PixlBit

Hello Pixlpeeps and welcome to the Fifth Annual Chris Goes All Awards Show. This is the blog where I look back at the games I’ve played this past year, find the ones that were my favorites among the consoles and handhelds I own and then ramble about them culminating in the one game I call my Game of the Year.

 

This year I think I played over 30 but less than 50 games (there might have been more but I didn’t keep up with my Spreadsheet this year.

I am 99% sure I finished at least 20 games spread among the consoles, handhelds, and mobile and unlike previous years the majority of my gaming was spent on either Steam or on my phone and iPad. I found that playing on my laptop was a lot easier than firing up a console because I am usually on the computer and it was just easier to plug in my controller and play some games, so this year’s format will be little different in that I will showcase a couple of games that I am enjoying instead of singling out one game from each platform. Just a heads up, this might be Steam heavy. Anyways let’s get started!

 

Lego City Undercover - Steam

 

I was waiting for this game since it was announced for the WiiU. I wasn’t about to buy a WiiU for this game but it was rumored to be released a year later for the consoles and I was ready to buy it for the PS4. Well I found a deal for it on BundleStars (its now Fanatical) and after some tweaks to get the game to run properly I was off and running.

What I really liked about this game was that it was a fun take on the GTA Sandbox style of games. I played the 3DS version which was ok but it wasn’t as good as the console version. In typical Lego style there was the light hearted story line with tons of Easter Eggs and pop culture references to keep not only the player but people watching entertained. There is a lot of content to keep the player busy and after completing the main story line there was still the usual Lego game play of collecting studs to buy/unlock characters, vehicles, cheats, and gold bricks. This is a solid game filled with fun.

 

Batman: A Telltale Series - PS4

 

This was a game I was on the fence about because I wasn’t a fan of the Telltale choose your own adventure gameplay but after took a chance during Black Friday and picked up this game. At first I liked the art style because it reminded me of the animated show Archer. After this what was the biggest selling point was that it was kind of a retelling of the Batman story but started when Bruce was already an adult and how his life was intertwined with some of the biggest characters in the Batman Universe. The storytelling was solid and it could have easily been a stand alone movie.

The one thing I would fix is that if people like to play through a story without having to wait is to buy the game and the new season the minute all Chapters are released. I couldn’t imagine playing one chapter the minute it was released, playing through it and then waiting a couple of weeks for the next installment. It would feel like the momentum would be slowed down considerably because of this instead of having to wonder how Batman will get out of that situation and then after the couple of minutes of downloading your answer is waiting at the end of the new chapter.

 

NBA Playground - Steam

 

As someone who is a fan of the NBA Jam franchise this was a fun game to get a hold of and enjoy…for the first week or so. I liked the original setup of the game where the shooting was based on touch and watching the shooter. After the update the inclusion of a shot meter ruined the flow of the game for me and after that I stopped playing. Before this update I did manage to finish the tournament and unlock a handful of star players. One of the best parts about this game was that you could not only unlock players by purchasing packs of cards, but you had to use earned in game currency to purchase these packs. No real money. I managed to upgrade my players and I think at the last couple of tournament sections fully upgraded Shaq and Kevin Durant were unbeatable. NBA Playground had the perfect NBA Jam replacement before that update (I have no idea if any new updates changed this because I haven’t touched it since). NBA Playground was a fun arcade basketball game that brought many elements of old NBA Jam into a new game. BOOMSHAKALAKA!

 

Rise of the Tomb Raider - Steam

 

Oh this game I really liked especially once I got into the game. Rise brought more of the Lady Uncharted gameplay complete with movie like quick time events as a rookie Tomb Raider Lara became the Tomb Raider we all know. What I liked about this game as well as the previous game was the flow of the game. It didn’t really having any moments where the story would stop because of gameplay and the save points were hidden as campsites. Although it was kind of odd to see a random campfire hidden in caves (but yet finding ammo for your weapons in 1000 year old sealed rooms is perfectly ok)

I had a couple of sweaty palm moments during the game and damn this game was close to being my game of the year because of it. Rise is like a roller coaster that after finishing you wanted to go back and try it again.

 

Injustice 2 - iOS/PS4

 

I’ve had this love hate relationship with this game because the mobile game went from a fun fighting game to a game where it was more about grinding to upgrade your character to be able to compete in the higher levels of the game and to earn more points in the online game. Currently I am in the love portion of the relationship because I have a strong roster that can hold their own and with the addition of linking my mobile game to the PS4 game I am able to unlock goodies on both fronts just by playing the game. I am a sucker for mobile games that connect to their console big brother because it adds a new dimension to the game.

As for the console portion, the game has easily surpassed the original with just the single player content. The story mode is solid and you have the option of going back into sections of the story to play with other characters, having the multiverse mode where you can play against different versions of the characters keeps the enemies unique. What my favorite part about this game is that both the hand held and the console offer character customization. In the hand held playing certain levels has a greater chance of unlocking certain pieces of equipment while in the console playing a match will give you random pieces of equipment. Buying loot boxes with in game currency also give the player more opportunity for gear and shaders. Constantly looking for new pieces of gear change the character stats which keeps the player involved in the game. Since I don’t play a lot, a couple of games here and there will eventually add up to some strong characters.

 

And for my Game of the Year….

 

Yes it is Batman. I mean this is such a good take on the normal bruiting character where it seems that he has an “ordinary” life and we can take control of it. Will he be the good guy we all know, or more of an A-hole rich guy who dresses up like a bat? It all comes down to dialogue decisions that happen in the matter of seconds. This was my favorite game of this past year because of this, and because I couldn’t get enough. It was like a TV show for me (that I got stuck on because I took the control prompts too literally). This series is worth playing and I even might buy both seasons on the iPad to take with me on my next plane ride.

 

Alright Pixlpeeps those are some of my favorites for 2017. I hope you enjoyed reading my ramblings. Well I am off to get some stuff done, so have a good week!

 

That’s all for now, more later!

-Chris