PixlBit

Well hello Pixlpeeps, and welcome to the Sixth Annual Chris Goes All Awards Show. Yes once again I look back at what I played in 2018, pick some games that I feel are my standouts. They might not be new, they might not be Triple A Titles, but they are games I played and enjoyed. This year there are five categories and my game of the year. Let’s get started!

In 2018 I played a total of 63 games and beat 11 games, 18 games I am still playing, and 6 games that have been abandoned.

 

Favorite PS4 Game

 

I didn’t play a lot of games on the PS4 in 2018 but one game that did stick out is one that I’ve been playing for the past couple of weeks and that is Need For Speed: Payback. The main reason why I am currently enjoying this game is because of the combination of huge open world, with the fun of playing a storyline of where your character along with some friends work their way up to the big race and take on the bad guys. Along the way you buy and upgrade cars, look for goodies and abandoned cars and live your life a quarter mile at a time. What more do you need to play a good ol’ fashion racing game with a story?

I’m excited to be getting towards the end of the game because of the excitement of seeing how everything will be resolved, what kind of twists and turns will happen, and what will I do after the game. There are miles and miles of open road, and tons of desert to explore, and a lot of activities that are waiting to be played. The activities I might save for a couple of months after I beat the game so I don’t get burned out.

 

Favorite Nintendo Switch Game

 

There isn’t a lot to Arms except one thing: fun. Nintendo can make a fun game and this one is straight forward a one on one fighting game that can be played in multiple ways. I played all it in portable mode because I don’t want to swing my arms around holding the Joycons but I can see the appeal in this way of playing. Arms is a sort of boxing tournament with characters that have springs for arms and their punches can stretch. There are combos,and little power-ups, but the heart of this game is trying to knock out your opponent and proceed to the next fight using simple controls. Think Mortal Kombat if it was G rated. Just like any other fighting game there is a break in the fighting where the two combatants play a sport like volleyball, basketball, or a game where you have to knockout targets and score more than your opponent.

Arms succeeds because it doesn’t force all swanky features of the Switch on the player. You can play it swinging your arms, or you can play it as a conventional handheld and don’t lose any of the joy. This is easily one of the best games I bought for the Switch.

 

Favorite Steam Game

 

NBA 2K18 was such a complete basketball game for me. There are not only a ton of different modes, there was an in game video show hosted by Rachel DeMita with a trivia game, and I’m assuming a solid online game. I didn’t play online and stuck with MyGM and Franchise Mode.

The main thing I liked about the Franchise Mode was that I was able to bring in my created team as an Expansion Team without having to replace a current NBA Team. Being able to draft a squad as well as sign some key free agents was the bread and butter for my game along with creating uniforms and creating the perfect arena. Gameplay was solid and transitions were smooth, but the one thing I really didn’t care for was the play by play. Don’t get me wrong the PBP was solid but it tended to repeat and got stale. The same with the presentation and pregame stuff to make it look like a televised game. This is easily the one game I spent a lot of time playing.

 

Favorite iOS Game

 

I have to say it was a tough choice between Space Marshals 2 and Pocket City but I have to give the nod to SM2 because of it’s gameplay. It was one of the first stealth games I really enjoyed and was disappointed when I had to use my weapon. Sneaking around and just observing the AI’s path was fun especially with how this game was presented. Being in a 3/4 view, you could easily plan your path, find places to hide, and look for health/ammo replenishment, and hidden items like Coins, Hats, and clothing.

Where this game really shines is the controls. Having on screen controls can be tricky but having a simple layout and being able to move the directional pad anywhere on the screen made the controls a lot easier especially when you do not have any physical buttons. SM2 is one of the few games that I still want to play after I finish the main storyline.

 

Favorite Multiplayer Game

 

I have to go with Disney Emoji Blitz because I’ve been playing it for over a year, and I am not sick of it. What sets this game apart from other Pay 2 Win Multiplayer games is that 90% of the time you are only competing against people on your Facebook Friends List who also play the game. Each week there is a high score event where the winner gets 10k in gold coins, and the best part is whichever emojis you unlock in game, you can use in text messages. I think there might be close to a 1000 Disney related emojis that can be unlocked. The one time you don’t play against your friend’s list is when they have the Food Fight events where you go against another random player’s emojis. There’s no smack talk, no communications, just good old fashion match three with power ups.

 

My Game of 2018…

This one was tough because there were a couple of games that could have been in this spot but what set this game apart from everything else was the content and silly storyline

 

Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 was such a fun game just for the fact that you have a lot of characters to choose from. A LOT of characters. In typical Lego style its your run of the mill Lego game where you collect Lego studs, play some puzzles, and fight a bad guy. Afterwards you are in a giant sandbox with a ton of things to do, unlock even more characters, and check out the Marvel Superhero Universe in plastic brick style. Gameplay is very forgiving and it is a game that can be played with the entire family.

What I love about the game is that it pokes fun at the Superheroes and makes all the Marvel characters cute, but anything minifigure size is cute. Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 is just a joy to play and that is why it is my game of the year.

 

Well that’s the end of The Sixth Annual Chris Goes All Awards Show! If you got to this point thank you for reading and putting up with my ramblings and have a good week!

 

That’s all for now, more later!

-Chris