5 Games Played Obsessively in 2019

The number of quality video games being published today is overwhelming. Just looking at my evergrowing stack of games that have not been played past initial sequence (or even started) has become rather depressing. So, in recent time there’s been a shift away from quantity to depth. These days there’s still the occasional pre-alpha testing underway. Yet, I’m finding these experiences only giving a cursory feel at a time where many games are now being designed for endgame play. This is a good/bad dilemma. The bad being that big publishers have the resources to provide regular updates that often stifle newer titles and less endowed designers. The good being the expansiveness of virtual worlds and ongoing adjustments insure a bit of balance. Today, there’s more emphasis on buffing/nerfing/updating mechanics, understanding the game’s lore, and building online communities. Those unfriendly days of seeking out assistance on landlines is the past, happily.

Compiled here is a short list of games that consumed play during 2019. The 5 games listed are not intended to be seen as the best games of the year. Most have ended up on a number of “Best of…” lists. However, the emphasis here focuses upon some great experiences where I’ve spent countless hours of time. I hope you will too.

Destiny 2
Developer: Bungie
Publishers: Activision and Bungie
Directors: Christopher Barrett, Luke Smith, and Ryan Ellis
Producer: Patrick O’Kelley
Platforms: PC, PS4, XBOX, and Stadia (2019)
Link: https://www.bungie.net

Destiny is a polarising game. Often, those who review the game do so with little more than 20 hours of play. Reading the depthless assessment its are frustrating. Some identify the loot style as pandering to casuals while others preach that the games best elements are found through grinding through pedestrian tasks to achieve armour, light level and weapons to complete the challenging raids. These two stances are fairly myopic. For this type of game to be successful, there needs to be fresh and many players. In Destiny’s recent update there are revisitations to characters and places from the initial game. This is not lazy here. This renewed effort feels more to be aligned with tying up loose ends and an opportunity to bring new players current. The October/November’s Festival of the Lost is now an annual event and always worthy of a fun run through the eerily familiar maps with a dash of Halloween spirit. At present, I am closing in on the Wayfarer badge due to time spent. Yes, I’m always slow to these long term tasks, but look forward to much play in Season 9 and completing this epic challenge.

Disco Elysium
Developer and publisher: ZA/UM
Designer and Writer: Robert Kurvitz
Artist: Aleksander Rostov
Platforms: PC (2019), PS4, and Xbox One (2020)
Link: https://zaumstudio.com

Produced by the Estonia-based ZA/UM studio, Disco Elysium was certainly not on my radar. Released in mid October on PC, this dialogue heavy RPG is the most refreshing addition in this AAA gaming dominated period. You take the role of a detective tasked with solving a murder in this isometric perspective detailed crime-noir landscape. Set in the fictional city of Revachol in the island chain of Insulinde. You make way through a thoroughly complex world filled with intelligent dialogue and environment. There is little to no combat on par with today’s popular 1st person shooters. Emphasis is put upon developing the 4 primary abilities in the game: Intellect, Psyche, Physique, and Motorics. Each primary has 6 secondary skills. Rather than purely cosmetic, clothing plays an intrumental role in elevating specific items. What you wear offers abilities to complete specific tasks. What keeps one engaged is setting and the expansive narratives that weave through a game that is a darkhorse for this year’s best indie game, hands down.

Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening
Developer: Grezzo
Publisher: Nintendo
Director: Mikiharu Oiwa
Producer: Eiji Aonuma
Artist: Masaki Yasuda
Platforms: Nintendo Switch (2019)
Link: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/the-legend-of-zelda-links-awakening-switch/

For those who played the original Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening on the Game Boy in the 1990s will be most happy with this true adaptation. Today, there is something special playing this iteration on the Nintendo Switch. The graphics are remarkable and the play easily accessible. There is the sense of nostalgia. This only enhances. The entire story and every event is here. If you are familiar with earlier versions you will have little trouble navigating the landscape and figuring out the puzzles. The Legend of Zelda remains that go to all-ages experience that continues to transcend time. At the very least, one will find a childlike warming sense of happiness that offers solid balance to those heavy winters of the upper Midwest.

Red Dead Redemption 2
Developer and Publisher: Rock Star Games
Designer: Imran Sarwar
Writers: Dan Houser, Michael Unswortrh, and Rupert Humphries
Platforms: PS4 and Xbox One (2018), PC and Stadia (2019)
Link: https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/

All can agree that Red Dead Redemption 2 is truly epic. Released in October 2018, at writing I still have not finished the main story. This is a monumental task in itself for one who has the attention span of a 5-year old. The online mode is all consuming at new heights. I tend to be that “bad” player who easily gets distracted by menial tasks. I just prefer exploration in open world games. Having grown up with the speghetti Westerns of the 1970s RDR2 only enhances this behavior. In the primary game you play as Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang. He’s the quintessential outlaw, full of flaws, yet holds integrity dearly . The events take place prior to the initial RRD. You are introduced to a cast of characters as colourful as the landscape they inhabit. Much like GTA V, this title looks to be something that will be played in regular intervals for years to come.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Developer: FromSoftware
Publisher: Activision
Directors: Hidetaka Miyazaki and Kazuhiro Hamatani
Producers: Yuzo Kojima and Takahiro Yamamoto
Platforms: PC, PS4 and Xbox One (2019)
Link:https://www.sekirothegame.com

FromSoftware has been a favourite developer for some time. And, in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice this view has not subsided. Set in a re-imagined Japan during the Sengoku period (16th century), you play as Wolf, a shinobi who is seeking revenge for the massacre of his samurai clan and the kidnapping of his lord. Like the Soulsborne titles (Dark Souls 1-3 and Bloodborne) the gameplay is unforegiving. Sekiro is not a title for those unwilling to die regularly (even to the most pedestrian of foes) or with expectations that this is another Souls iteration. There is no multiplayer. The combat is precision-based at a finite level. I believe the best way to master (or even complete) this game is on the PC. You do have limited summoning ability of NPCs, but this does not ensure success. I found it best to tackle the tougher Boss fights alone. With the recent announcement by many established reviewers (Kotaku, GamesIndustry, Techspot), it’s certain that Sekiro will grow in popularity, just like good old-fashioned myths do. I just wonder which of you will complete the final boss fight with Immortal Severance? It’s a doozy…took more than a dozen attempts for this middle aged dude.

Writing by Chester Alamo-Costello