The score chasing is by no means required! That's just the thing that gives is crazy long legs. Even if you couldn't give a wooden nickel for beating your high scores, Monaco will be a whole bag of awesome for even just one run-through. Plus, of course, the co-op.
Good list! Tomb Raider is still in my GOTY top spot, so fantastic, also I am not shocked to see Bioshock Infinite missing from the list. That game fell off everyone's radar, the hype for it was pretty high at the start of the year but a few weeks after release no one talks about it much, other than asking where the season pass content is, heh.
I thought Guacamelee was just some throw-away cartoon punch-up. It's something more than that? Why wasn't I alerted?
Seriously, though, thanks for the tip. It's a Vita game, right? I'm getting into the Muramasa sequel now for my brawl-'em-up fix, but I'll be sure to take a look at Guacamelee soon.
I can't believe "Binf" never took off.
I think the takeaway is that mobile games just aren't very good. Right? :)
The fact of the matter is that there are ten games I liked better than any mobile game I've played from this year. But I'd love to hear what mobile games you've played that you'd include in your best of the year so far. ATBro mentioned Guacamelee in his comment. What titles would you have picked?
Who exactly is still talking about Tomb Raider, other than Tom? The game was a commercial flop.
That's good to hear. I seem to lack the "high score" gene, unfortunately, but it sounds like it's worth a pick-up anyway.
Exactly. I could not give a rat's behind about high scores, but working out approaches to the level objectives and working out full clears (to unlock the Pickpocket story levels) are fantastically satisfying, and even better in coop.
And while I don't recall if the level editor has come out yet, there's going to be one, so there should be content for it for years to come. Maybe not up to the same high standards (because they're amazingly high), but you never know.
Vita or PS3, I think.
I think I just wanted someone to say it out loud.
I'm probably on the same page in as much as any mobile game I would nominate be accompanied by some prevarication in the vein of "[good/great/amazing] for a mobile game."
I haven't spent enough time with it, but Sword & Glory is certainly a notable mobile title, flying at that indie altitude below many radars.
I was going to say Super Hexagon absolutely deserves a place, but that came out at the very end of last year apparently.
I would put Sid Meier's Ace Patrol on a list of best mobile games of the year, but best all-around games...? Probably in the ten best that *I've* played, but I'd be taxing myself to think of ten games I've played this year that came out this year. (I've played two on your list.)
And my heart wants to declare the Karateka port (not remake) that came out in May to be one of the best games this year. But my heart is notoriously unreliable.
It's a cross buy game.
I have to disagree with you on the Walking Dead being one dimensional, though it might not exactly be a counter to your complaint about it.
The most effective thing that Telltale managed to do in that game is make you (well me in this case) rethink how I would handle a situation based on the response of another character.
*SPOILERS*
There is a point in the second episode when you kill one of the cannibal brothers suddenly the camera pans to Clementine watching in horror, and it affects the way that see views Lee. From that point on, every time I was presented with a choice I thought back to that and questioned if the action would diminish Lee in Clem's eyes. It never really was so much about caring about her well being as I was certain that she would make it through, but it was more about he mental state and not wanting her to be afraid of Lee. I was more concerned with the characters perception of my choices rather than what I felt was the best course of action, which surprised me with how much I bought in to the characters.
I also really liked how when Carly and Lilly were arguing and Lee makes a comment, there is the notification that "Carly will remember you said that" for about 15 seconds because because her face gets shot off. It was a really clever way to misdirect your expectations with the game system only to then blind side you with the narrative.
If you can call 4 million copies, not including digital and PC a flop, well then I guess it was a flop. I know Square thinks it was but that is a major publisher for you.
I think it is hard enough just to get through the levels. I wouldn't worry about the score chase aspect.
Blegh. I'd have thought that was clever back in 3rd grade.
Hey Tomchick, great to see the inclusion of Don't Starve, and I'm hopeful that Klei are successful with their next project, whatever that may be, but have you played Tokyo Jungle and what did you think of it?
Interesting list with three games I know practically nothing about (that Soul Sacrifice and Sangfroid thing, and the Lego game). I haven't played any of the titles on the list yet actually, apart from Tomb Raider, though State of Decay is one I'm eagerly anticipating at the moment (pls come to my beloved PC soon, ok?).
What do the Qt3 readers think of indie darlings Gunpoint and The Swapper? They got great reviews but I don't think they've been mentioned here much at all? Just curious because I haven't played them.
I'm still holding out for Infoshock, myself.
The Swapper didn't interest me, I saw some gameplay but I really didn't see anything that could convince me to pick it up, so I can't comment on that
Gunpoint to me was amazing, the biggest problem of that game is that it doesn't currently have a system to share custom maps, add that and you basically have a perfect game in my opinion