2011 Update

It's been well over a year since I've touched this blog. The main reason being that I kinda lost interest in expressing my opinion. I'm still not too interested, heh. But I'll give it one more shot.

Well, a year can change a lot. So ...

My Current Top 5 Games:

1) Bayonetta
2) Okami
3) Chrono Trigger
4) Final Fantasy XIII
5) Metroid: Other M

My top 3 remain the same, but FFXIII and MOM changed a lot about what I think of games, and became instant classics for me. The funny thing is that both FFXIII and MOM were recieved with very mixed thoughts from both critics and the public. I loved both of them.

Now, I'll focus on just what 2010 did for my mind-set with videogames by going through each major title:

1) Bayonetta - showed how gameplay can be a true experience without any gimmicks or excessive QTEs. Bayonetta remains the most satisfying game I've played yet, and remains the only game I could "feel". I was beginning to give up on the 3D action genre, but Bayonetta revived my love for the genre, and now I hope for Ninja Gaiden 3, Asura's Wrath, and, possibly, Bayonetta 2 to keep the genre original and satisfying.

2) Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 - this game may be the best looking game money can buy at the moment. The first Storm was beautiful as well, but Storm 2 executed the graphics even better than the first by providing battles that felt like I was playing an anime. The barrier between game graphics and animation is almost broken thanks to people at CC2. What was also impressive about Storm 2 was how it was actually a quality experience with great gameplay, a fantastic soundtrack, and a great execution of the Naruto story. Storm 2 is also one of the few fighting games I have been satisfied with this gen.

3) Final Fantasy XIII - finally a next-gen RPG where I actually love the gameplay! In past RPGs I've played, the gameplay was always something of a chore that I wanted to just get through to move the story along, but in FFXIII, I wanted to fight battles because the battle system was just so satisfying. On top of that, the story, graphics, soundtrack, and overall experience were just fantastic. FFXIII truly represents the modern-day RPG for me, and I can't wait too see what FFXIII-2 will bring to the table.

4) Metroid: Other M - this game was an experience because it sucked me into the gameplay experience like no other game. This was done through the superb graphic direction of the game which consisted of sleek graphics, a soft and moody soundtrack, smooth transition from gameplay to cutscene, and a simple control scheme. Everything just clicked together to make a game that wasn't a sum of it's parts, but rather something whole. Not just the adventure genre, but videogames as a whole can take notes from MOM and what it accomplished.

Other games like Vanquish and Super Mario Galaxy 2 were very impressive games, but they didn't change my outlook.