Animal Crossing is the game we need right now

Hello boys and girls.

As you may have noticed, the world is a bit of a mess right now. Aside from the usual troubles that effect our lives on a daily basis, we’ve been hit by a new fright, this time in the form of COVID-19. So with all the doom and gloom around at the moment; in both our real and internet lives, I just wanted to take a moment to highlight something good. And that something good comes in the form of Animal Crossing: New Horizons

I’ve always been a bit hit-and-miss with Animal Crossing as a franchise. I’ve enjoyed it greatly, but the joy never sticks around for a very long time. Eventually I grow bored of the routine, tired of the constant grind to upgrade my home or somewhat distracted by other, newer games hitting stores. All of that may prove to be true once again, but right now I think I need Animal Crossing in a way I’ve needed few games in the past. The world is on fire in a way that the vast majority of people have never seen before. Everywhere we look we’re bombarded with graphs, tweets and news conferences telling us how bad the world is, or how its going to get much worse. It’s important, but frightening and fucking exhausting too.

Animal Crossing New Horizons is an escape route. It’s brightly coloured world oozes cuteness, it’s characters are all unique and yet all equally vibrant and cooky and friendly and just, you know, nice. And I think we all could use a bit of Niceness right now.

It’s not a game that wants you to worry about it too much. I mean, if you’re really into it you can absolutely do that, but if you’d rather just spend an hour or two walking around the island, catching some bugs, pulling some weeds or I dunno, gazing out over the horizon, that’s absolutely okay too.

That’s not to say it doesn’t reward players for coming back and really committing themselves to the work to be done. Since release I’ve put upwards of ten hours into the game. Collecting, digging, gardening and fishing my way to a nice little home with just enough inside to make life comfortable. I’ve got to know my neighbours, sent them some postcards. I even spent a little time over on a friends island, gathering resources and leaving little notes. Again, the game is just nice.

So I’m not saying that everyone will enjoy Animal Crossing, or that it’ll give others the same sense of calm that it does me, but I think if you’re in the right place for this unique form of escapism, Animal Crossing has definitely got your back.

And The BAFTA Goes To….

I’m a sucker for an award show. And an award show that also happens to feature video games? Mmmmm put that deliciousness directly into my mouth hole. Luckily for me, BAFTA just announced their nominees for the 2020 BAFTA Game Awards.

I thought it’d be a fun little thing for me to sit down and go through some of the awards that are most relevant to me, and pick out who I’d give the gong too. Let’s begin.

Animation

CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE – CONTROL – DEATH STRANDING – LUIGI’S MANSION 3 – SAYONARA WILD HEARTS – SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE

I was kind of ho-hum on Luigi’s Mansion 3. It’s a touch repetitive and maybe even a little boring. However, it’s one of the more joyous games I’ve played in recent years. much of that joy is found in just how beautifully charming Luigi as a protagonist is. Each and every cut scene is packed full of detail, each individual movement animated in a way that welcomes the player into his world. It’s Nintendo at the top of their game, and for that reason I think it deserves this award.

Game Beyond Entertainment

CIVILIZATION VI: GATHERING STORM – DEATH STRANDING – KIND WORDS – LIFE IS STRANGE (EPISODES 2-5) – NEO CAB – RING FIT ADVENTURE

I truly believe that sometimes, a person just needs a venue to unload all of their troubles into a safe space. Kind Words is that safe space.

Maybe you’ll get a message of encouragement back, or maybe you’ll have some anonymous stranger tell you it’s going to be okay, or that it’s normal for you to be feeling like this. Maybe you need that, or maybe you just need to get it out in the open and off your chest.

Kind Words gives it’s players that chance, and if there’s any justice in this world, it should be rewarded for it.

Narrative

CONTROL – DISCO ELYSIUM – LIFE IS STRANGE (EPISODES 2-5) – OUTER WILDS – THE OUTER WORLDS – STAR WARS: JEDI: FALLEN ORDER

I think you’d be doing Outer Wilds a disservice by limiting what it’s done to ‘good storytelling’. The way they interweave dozens of connected threads into a beautiful parchment that ultimately leaves the player questioning everything they once thought true is truly outstanding. And all with little more than a few transcripts and a translation tool is something truly unforgettable.

It’s a game that will stay with me forever, not because its mechanically interesting, or because it looks cool. No, it’ll stay with me forever because it challenges the way we as human’s view the universe we live in and perhaps more important, our place in it.

Best Game

Control – Disco Elysium – Luigi’s Mansion 3 – Outer Wilds – SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE – UNTITLED GOOSE GAME

If you’ve gotten this far, it should come as no surprise that Outer Wilds gets my vote to win this award. Simply put, it’s a masterpiece.

My Month in Games: February 2020

Presidential primaries, Coronavirus, and the fruit of Boris Johnson’s loins continue to dominate the news-cycle, but as we enter bravely into the month of March, let’s take a quick look back at a few of the games I’ve been playing in February.

This is My Month in Games.

Kentucky Route Zero – PC

I first learned of Kentucky Route Zero (KRZ from here on out) way back in 2013. The game had just launched its first chapter and was getting nothing but rave reviews from some of my favourite gaming people. Naturally I decided (as a frivolous 25 year old with no responsibilities) to throw some money at the game, and it duly arrived on my computer in the form of a download.

Had I known that 7 years later, I’d finally get a chance to play the game to completion, maybe I’d have held fire on that purchase, but I didn’t…and so here we are. I know what you’re thinking. Was it worth the wait?

Truthfully? Probably not. I enjoyed KRZ, but it never elevated itself above that of its kin, at least for me. It’s obviously an insanely pretty game, and it offer some truly breathtaking sequences, alongside some really memorable moments, but too often the game fall’s victim to its own hype, and loses its way.

That’s not to say I can’t enjoy what it’s trying to say, just that I wish it could get there in a faster, maybe less…..pretentious (?) manner. Maybe that isn’t fair, but it’s true to how I feel and so?

I’ll certainly remember my time with KRZ, fondly for the most part. However if you’re asking me if it’s worth the hype it got upon it’s initial and final release? I’d have to say no.

The Suicide of Rachel Foster

The Suicide of Rachel Foster is trying hard to mimic games like Gone Home, and to a lesser extent, Firewatch and What Remains of Edith Finch. However, for all it’s good intentions and interesting flourishes it never truly gets where it wants to be.

Rachel Foster clearly, and inescapably uses The Shining to mold it’s overall feel. And whilst that does elevate it to a certain extent, it also causes the game to feel trapped by it. At times you can almost sense what’s coming. Not necessarily by bad writing, or voice acting, but by the nature of the game’s setting itself. Although I guess that’s a testament to how successful The Shining was in maintaining that atmosphere.

Along with The Shining, the game also uses genre defining game, Gone Home to establish itself. And whilst it succeeds in certain ways, it also falls massively short in others. The story isn’t nearly as subtle as that of Gone Home (which in itself wasn’t all that subtle in the first place), the voice acting is up and down and the games core method of delivering it’s plot is a contrived and forced; leaving you wondering why everything in this ‘scary’ place feels so very staged.

Rachel Foster is to Gone Home what Room 1408 is the The Shining. An imitation of something greater.

We’re a long way removed from when the ‘Walking Simulator’ was the genre de-jour in indie games, so pickings are relatively slim. Fans of the genre may find something to enjoy in Rachel Foster, but for my money? There are many better experiences to be had out there.

Democratic Socialism Simulator – PC

Without wanting to give too much away about my own politics (there’s better places for that), I was immediately intrigued by Democratic Socialism Simulator had to offer; think Reigns, but with less Monarchy and more Universal Healthcare and Social Housing, if you will.

Thankfully the game doesn’t disappoint. It’s pretty much exactly what I was expecting, and exactly what I wanted from a game titled as such.

Also Played

Mario Maker 2, Rocket League

So there we have it. My Month in Games. What have you been playing in February? Maybe you’ve got a game you’d like to shout out, maybe you just want to rail on a game you spent too much time banging your head against? Drop us a comment and let’s talk about some video games.

Photo Mode: Kentucky Route Zero

I’ve just finished my play-through of recently released point and click adventure game, Kentucky Route Zero. And whilst the games overall look aren’t its main selling point, I think its safe to say that it’s one of the more interesting looking games to be released in that genre. Below you’ll find a few of my favourite screen grabs from the game.

My Month in Games: January 2020

January. It’s been a month. We’ve seen sporting greats tragically killed, Brexit and Trump once again dominating the headlines and a worldwide health panic…but it’s not all bad, oh no because Games!!!!…..I’ve played them, and guess what? They’re still pretty damn good.

Here’s My Month in Games.

Outer Wilds – PC

I tried to love Outer Wilds on three separate occasional, and yet, it wasn’t until I loaded it up for a fifth time that the game got its tentacles into me. Truthfully, I’m not sure why that’s the case. All I know is that Outer Wilds is a video game that I’m still thinking about even now, a good three weeks since I finished it.

I don’t want to spoil anything here, because what makes Outer Wilds such a special game is how it trusts the player to figure it out. So if you are interested in discovering what all the fuss is about, give it a go. If you need to jump in with a guide at first, then go for it, but the second you feel even a remote interest in the games story, I ask that you leave the guide behind, climb aboard your ship and just……go.

SuperhotVR – PSVR

Superhot is without a doubt one of my favourite video games of all time. I love almost everything about it. So when the I finally got a hold of some PSMove controllers it was only a matter of time before I took a look at this.

I don’t want to say I was disappointed, because I did enjoy my time with the game. I just kind of feel like the idea of SuperhotVR was better in our heads than it was in reality, which is a shame because if there was ever a game that was built for VR it was this one.

Control – PS4

Horrendous load times, a frankly baffling check-pointing system and frame-rate hiccups that take you out of the experience more often than they should. I guess you could say that Control gets in its own way a lot. Which sucks because away from all those rather large niggles, there’s something really special at the heart of Control.

I rarely spend much time looking around for side quests and in-game lore in my video games, but that’s where Control shines brightest, throwing tonnes of endlessly fascinating world building at you in the form of a television show, thousands of letters and in-house staff correspondence. Every time I found a new note, or stumbled upon a new video from the games Doctor, I spent the time to take it in, and that’s what Control does so well.

It’s just a shame that the stuff around it isn’t as interesting. The games main plot falls away pretty quickly, and the combat whilst enjoyable at times often results in nothing but frustrating barriers to the games overall flow.

Virginia – PS4

I don’t think Virginia got a fair shake upon release. It’s far from perfect, but if you’re looking for a Walking Simulator (sorry) that boils the formulae down to its barest of bones, Virginia is it.

There’s zero dialogue in the entire game, and whilst that does at times cause it some issues I don’t remember ever playing a game that so perfectly edited (yes, edited, like a movie). The way the game lures you in with its plot, and then captures you with its snappy editing, incredible score and frankly stunning visuals is something to behold.

Virginia is a game that many will bore of quickly, but if you’re looking for exactly this sort of game, I think you’ll adore it.

A Fisherman’s Tale – PSVR

A Fisherman’s Tale is tantalizingly close to being the perfect VR game, it just falls short because of a few issues with the PSmove tracking that went a little further than ‘annoying’.

It’s a real shame because the game itself is one of the more unique titles I’ve played in a long time. It’s charming and funny, has a good message and doesn’t overstay its welcome, which believe me, is something I place a lot of value in nowadays.

If you’ve got a few hours to kill, and don’t mind spending a few quid on a small little VR puzzle game, I don’t think you can go much wrong with A Fisherman’s Tale.

Beat Saber – PSVR

Imagine Guitar Hero, only the Guitar is a Light Saber and instead of playing in front of a few badly rendered audience members, you’re playing in front of a blinding display of dazzling lights, lasers and strobe lighting…all whilst trying to keep to the games thumping techno beat. It’s truly something else indeed.

Beat Saber is one of, if not VR’s most mesmerizing games to date, and if it doesn’t sell you on the potential of VR, nothing will.

Also: Super Mario Maker 2, Rocket League

Game of the Year 2019 (Updated Edition)

Hello again. You’re probably wondering why on the first day of February 2020, I’m putting up a post about my favourite games from 2019. Well, truth be told I don’t really have a valid reason, other than the constant need to have people validate my opinions and I dunno, maybe have a discussion about those opinions. Either way, here we are.

Below you’ll find my top 10 games of 2019. As per my own rules, these games were all released in 2019 (sorry Rocket League; Beat Saber), and they’re ranked in order from 10 to 1 (duh). Enjoy.

Game of the Year 2019: Super Mario Maker 2

My other favourites (ranked 2-10)

Cuphead
Outer Wilds
Apex Legends
Observation
Resident Evil 2
Control
Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening
Untitled Goose Game
Star Wars: Jedi – Fallen Order

And there we have it. My favourite (new) games from 2019 ranked, from one to ten. Congratulations Super Mario Maker 2. A game I wasn’t sure I even wanted to play that has since gone on to totally dominate any and all free time I find.

Hi.

Hello. Long time no type eh? Turns out becoming a parent for the first time is sort of all consuming, who knew?

I’ll cut straight to the chase. Things are starting to return to some semblance of normality (in that I’ve become better at managing my free time since Mila turned 1) and as such, I’m thinking about reentering the world of video game writing. I’ve played some games, I’ve got some opinions and experiences that I’d be very interested in sharing with you all, so don’t call it a comeback.

Going forward I’m not overly interested in writing to a schedule, but I do hope to be able to keep you up-to date with a rundown of the games I’ve been playing each month, and maybe even write a few opinion pieces here and there. I’m also interested in talking about what it means to be a gaming Dad, and how video games can, and will influence the time I spend with my daughter over the next two decades or so.

So again, I probably won’t be putting content out at the same level as I was two years ago, but I am looking to get back into it once more.

If by some miracle you’re still following me, thank you. I know all to well the temptation to purge your following list every few months. If you’re a new reader then…Hey I guess.

That’s all for now. I’ll see you on the other side.

End of Year Awards: Part 2 (Game of the Year List)

Me again. First things first, let me say a big Happy New Year to all of you. I hope 2019 brings you everything you want and more…..

Back to 2018, on a personal level, I had quite the year; becoming a father for the first time, witnessing my team finally win their first Stanley Cup. It’s truly been the most amazing, emotionally draining, stressful, joy filled year of my entire life…here’s hoping 2019 is a little more….predictable?

Anyway, here’s my favourite games of 2018. I’ve chosen not to rank the list because, I love all of these games. If they’ve made this list, I think you should play them. Also why 5? Well, I’m a big into punishing myself for no reason whatsoever. I jest of course. No, 5 games made the list because it forces me to really think through my choices. And that I did. If you’d have told me in June that God of War would miss this list, I wouldn’t believe you.

Oh one more thing. Don’t forget to go look at Part I of this article, where I hand out some awards.

Red Dead Redemption II – PS4

As I wrote in my previous article, RDR2 is a game that frustrated me constantly. It pushed me to the point of giving up multiple times, especially early on. Heck, I was happy to sell the game at a loss; so disappointed and put out by the game that just stopping was a viable and all-to real possibility. Yet I persevered. I kept moving forward; Arthur’s story pushing me on through the tedium of those first ten hours.

Eventually, after far longer than I think it should take, I started to see the gold in RDR2. I began to appreciate certain aspects of Rockstar’s design ethos. Suddenly the under-the-water feel of Arthur’s movement blended into the background, the often anger-inducing horse controls disappeared, the slow animations weren’t as obviously time wasting. I began to live in this world, to accept it for what it was; wort’s and all.

Red Dead Redemption 2 might be one of the finest games ever made. However it is that way because the development team had a vision, and they stuck to it in ways that we just don’t see in this area of entertainment. As such, you’re always going to lose people along the way. I was nearly one of those people, but somehow, someway the game drew me back in.

I’ll likely never play this game again, it’s too long, to frustrating. That being said however, I’ll remember the moments, the awe-inspiring visuals, the editing and production values (I know – BARF – Treat your workers better ffs). I’ll remember the plot, the characters and their story. I’ll remember my horse. I’ll remember Arthur, his character arch from rough and tumble outlaw to caring, compassionate cowboy with a heart of gold and too little time. I’ll remember Red Dead Redemption 2 for an awful long time. And that’s why its on this list.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – Switch

I owned a WiiU. I never got to Captain Toad. However with the games release on the Switch, I knew I had to take a look. And I’m delighted I did.

Captain Toad is a small game. You navigate these tiny little worlds, solely focused on collecting stars and coins. It’s a puzzle game; an absolutely adorable one. Turns out that’s actually, kinda my thing.

That’s really all there is to say about Captain Toad. It’s an adorable, charming puzzle game that more of you should play.

Florence – Mobile

Florence is a mobile game. It’s a mobile game in which you swipe, scratch and tap your way through a young woman’s story of a love, heartbreak and moving on.

From the games opening your hit with a wave of some of the most visually interesting art design I’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’m out of line when I say this; Florence looks like a Studio Ghibli film. It’s truly stunning; simple, but insanely effective. If RDR2 is technically stunning, Florence takes home the award for best use of hand-drawn animation. It’s flawless.

The game isn’t entirely its visuals however. No sir. It’s soundtrack is an absolute delight. So good in fact that I’m considering listening to it away from the game; I never do that, ever.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the games core; it’s love story. It’s not flashy, it’s not overly sentimental, it’s just sort of real, you know? The way the game uses its interface as a metaphor for those moments in a relationship where it’s all-going-wrong are so well handled I was considering it for Moment of the Year in my previous post.

I can’t emphasis this enough. Florence is a beautiful game. It’s a feast for the eyes and ears, but more importantly it’s arguable one of the more real takes on what a relationship in 2018 (19..) feels like. The good and the bad, the joy and the heartbreak. The excitement and the dejection. It does all of this without a word of dialogue and barely any legible text.

Also it nearly had me in tears. Go play Florence. Please.

Pokemon Lets Go – Switch

If you’d have told me at the beginning of the year that a Switch Pokemon game aimed at the Pokemon Go fans would be on my top 5 of the year list, I’d have laughed out loud. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Pokemon, but everything about this game seemed to go against what I thought I wanted from a Pokemon game.

I was wrong. Let’s Go is not only my favourite Pokemon game, it’s brought the series back to me in a big way. Is it perfect? no, but it does something that no other Pokemon game has done since I first picked up Pokemon Blue as an 8 year old; it made playing Pokemon fun again.

Let’s Go moves those overly tiresome mechanics that actively pushed me away from previous games and replaces them with a streamlined take on what makes Pokemon games so much fun for so many. I want to collect Pokemon, I want to battle them and I want to do it all without having to focus in on micro-managing my roster.

Pokemon Lets Go has given me renewed optimism for what this franchise has going forward. There’s a new game out in 2019. Here’s hoping its more Lets Go than X and Y.

Marvel’s Spider-man – PS4

Here’s the thing about Marvel’s Spider-man. It’s a popcorn game. What I mean when I say that is this. It doesn’t ask too much of you, it doesn’t task you, or challenge you in any great way, it just wants to help you have fun. And I had a bucket load of fun in Spider-man.

Swinging around New York never gets old. It’s been said before, but if you can nail that mechanic (and they did), you’re halfway there already. Throw in some Arkham-inspired combat, some lush visuals and a central character who we actually give a crap about, and you’ve got yourself a pretty damn good video game.

If Red Dead Redemption II was about asking the player to make sacrifices in order to find the enjoyment; Spider-man is the antithesis of that. It drops you in this world full of fun little offshoots, and let’s you go beat them up. It doesn’t ask too much, it just wants you; the player to have a fun time. And I guess that’s kind of true to Spider-man himself no?

Be awkward, save the day; Spider-man.

Honourable Mentions: Astrobot: Rescue Mission – The Gardens Between – Quarantine Circular – God of War

End of Year Awards: Part I (Awards)

Remember me? Yeah I’m still here; Still playing games, still thinking about them and still occasional even writing about them. Kind of amazing really given that 2018 was also the year I became a parent for the first time. My daughter is doing great by the way. She’s a delight. A time consuming, endlessly confusing one, but a delight none the less.

Oh yeah, she’s recently started to wave bye-bye; it’s adorbs.

Anyway you’re not here for that. You want video games, and that’s exactly what I’m wanting to give you. Let’s cut the to chase; I’m writing two posts. Part I will focus on some arbitrary awards (this post is part I), and part II will by my official game of the year list. For Part I, I’ll be using some of my favourite award categories from previous Giantbomb GOTY Deliberations. Why? because they’re fun (and I’m a parent now, and you’ll accept my decision?)

Lets go.

2018s Old Game of the Year (An Old Game that I loved in 2018)

Rocket League

2018 saw me aerial back-flip into Rocket League in a big way. The Switch version of the game isn’t the prettiest version, it’s not the most popular version and it likely isn’t the best version, but it is the version I spent more time with than any other video game in 2018.

With it’s short burst of gameplay and ability to play without having to hog the TV (which is invaluable in a household where both new-parents are actively looking to chill out by playing games on the same TV), Rocket League was, and is still an amazing game, and its one I’m pleased to say is still very much a part of my gaming life even 4 years after it invited itself into it.

Honourable Mentions: Captain Toad, Mark of the Ninja

Biggest Surprise

Bad North

Bad North is a delightfully cute tactics game in which you control a very small number of soldiers in their defense of an island against the invading hordes. It’s not all that deep, but what it loses in that department it more than makes up in charm, character and replay-ability.

If you enjoy games like Into the Breach and Advanced Wars, give Bad North a look. It’s certainly not as tactically tasking, but it might just be the perfect counterbalance. Great music too.

Honourable Mentions: Astrobot, The Gardens Between

Game I Should Play More

Into the Breach

Speaking of tactically tasking video games. Into the Breach will be found on many a game critics top-10 lists this year, and its easy to see why. It’s demanding but fair take on the genre is perfect for players who want less Xcom and more Advanced Wars, and the run-type nature allows players to experiment with different play styles and …..tactics??.

Whenever the game comes up I’m hit by a sudden urge to grab my Switch and load it up once more, and in 2019 I will make a point of doing just that at some point, because much like FTL before it, Into the Breach deserves all the love its getting.

Honourable Mentions: Bad North

Game I Beat My Head Against Because Reasons Award

Guacamalee 2

Oh boy. I don’t think I’ve ever gone from loving a franchise to being done with it in quite as quick a time as I did with Guacamalee 2. It’s not that the game is bad, far from it. There’s just too much of it. Too much frustration, too many endless dungeons of death, too many poorly placed checkpoints and too many death rooms.

I knew what I was getting into with Guacamalee 2. I knew it’d be a demanding experience, but where the previous entry was a tight little game with brutally difficult bosses, this entry felt cheap and a little unfair; asking the player to control the game in ways the engine just isn’t capable.

It’s a real shame because the original Guacamalee was one of my favourite games from its year of release. Guacamalee 2 just didn’t hit me in the right spot. I’m sure many will love it, but for me I fear the series has gone in a direction I don’t wish to follow.

Honourable Mentions: Red Dead Redemption II

Best Moment or Sequence

Red Dead II – The Ending of Chapter 3

Red Dead Redemption II has an awful lot of problems. However offering a plate full of absolute carnage, packaging it up into a beautiful, heart-pumping hour of drama and then unleashing it directly into your eyes and ears, isn’t one of them though. My best gaming moment from 2018 is just that. Surprising, thrilling, tense, beautiful; the ending of Red Dead Redemption chapter 3 literally has it all.

I don’t want to name anything specific, because in my opinion you need to play it to truly understand the events; the excitement of whats happening on screen, but I’ll say this: Everything changes post Rhoades.

I can talk about how the game, how the developers turned this hour of gameplay into something absolutely mind-blowing. The gameplay is on point, the score is thumping, the dialogue tight; the voice acting and direction just out of this world.

It was one of the rare moments in gaming where I just stopped the game and told my partner to look at the screen. She had no context for what was happening, but I just had to show somebody. So much happens in such a short space of time, it was more akin to the ending of a series of television; the briiiing, briiing, brriiing, BOOM! of Breaking Bad season 4 finale, the finale of Game of Thrones season 6. Perfectly produced, edited and delivered. Video Games can match the best of TV and Film; it’s rare but in this case, Rockstar did just that.

Honourable Mentions: Going Under – Astrobot, Getting the SMS – Bury Me, My Love

Most Disappointing Game

Red Dead Redemption II

Hear me out….

I really, really enjoyed Red Dead Redemption II. It’s not a bad game at all, in fact don’t be surprised to see it on my final GOTY list. It’s a masterpiece in Video Game form.

And that right there is the issue with RDII. In order to be a masterpiece of the medium it has to make some pretty large decisions, and unfortunately for me, I found some of those large decisions to be insanely frustrating.

Be it the awful controls, the poor (2001 era) shooting, the is-this-really-the-best-you-could-do-UI, the aggressively overlong story or the janky way the horses controlled, I found the game frustrated me as often, if not more than it delighted me. To the point that at one point, for a good hour I’d listed my copy of the game on Facebook Marketplace, so done was I with it that I was willing to sell it at a loss mere days after it had been released. Ultimately I did decide to persevere; more through sheer determination to finish this ‘gaming watermark’ than anything else. I did ultimately end up ‘enjoying’ the experience, but heck….

Red Dead Redemption II is a constantly impressive game, but its far from constantly enjoyable. And that’s kind of how I feel about it as an entertainment product. Beautiful, impressive…just not that much actual fun to play for large sections of its runtime. Which is why it takes home my award from my disappointing game of 2018.

Honourable Mentions: A Way Out

And there we have it. My 2018 awards. Keep an eye out in the coming days for my overall 2018 GOTY list. I’ve still got one or two games I’d like to take a look at before going final with it, but I can’t imagine it’ll be far off.