What Was Your Game of The Decade (2010-2019)? and Why?

Faro on 12/01/2020 - 15:14

I understand nostalgia may (and likely will) play a big part in this, but that's fine.

For me it's Breath of the Wild. I know this may not be a surprising or unique answer, but as someone who has always been a big Nintendo fan, I never really got into the Zelda series. I'd always get 5-10 hours into a game, get lost in one way or another, tell myself I'm coming back to it and never do.

Considering my expectations were somewhat lowered as a result, first playing Breath of the Wild was an absolute treat. The fact I could do whatever I wanted at my own pace without feeling a sense of pressure or anxiety artificially induced by the game along with knowing I could literally go anywhere without the hindrance of invisible walls, weird geometry or advanced mechanics made me feel like being a kid again in the same way I'd always explore every nook and cranny of a level in Banjo Kazooie to avoid the harder boss fights or explore every inch of a Pokemon overworld looking for hidden secrets, only now as an adult and years of gaming experience behind me to see me through the harder bits I would have avoided as a kid.

Gaming

Comments

  • TerryJustTerry on 14/01/2020 - 10:03

    Age of Empires 2 HD - Great re-release (after some needed bug patches) with a still-thriving community and more competitions all the time

  • biozet on 14/01/2020 - 10:03

    Squad

  • Hvrd on 14/01/2020 - 10:57
    +1

    COD Black ops 1, spent many hours day and night playing kino zombies

  • OG Puppy Banana on 14/01/2020 - 11:27
    +2
    BEST BIG GAME

    Witcher 3
    Skyrim
    Divinity 2
    Mass Effect 2
    GTA V

    BEST ADVENTURE GAME (Aka PS exclusives)

    The Last of Us
    God of War
    Nathan Drake Games

    BEST ONLINE

    Halo Reach
    Rocket League (Also terrific New IP)
    Smash (NS)

    BEST NEW IP

    Disco Elysium

    WINNER

    Mass Effect 2 by a hair over The Witcher 3 - Wild Hunt.

    Why - Excellent narrative, the characters are interesting and worth exploring. The paragon/renegade quick decisions during a cutscene added care-factor and at times some adrenaline as you didn't know what the consequence would be. The final mission consequences stuck with you for long after the playthrough. Also, the gunplay and character customisation was fun and accessible to players of all skills. Witcher 3 covered all these things, and had Gwent, but the same enjoyment could be had in Mass Effect 2 for less playtime - so it gets the nod.

    Also, bonus marks for delivering a terrific game in 2010 on limited technology.

    • Faro on 14/01/2020 - 11:56

      This is very elaborate.

      I'm guessing PS/PC?

      • OG Puppy Banana on 14/01/2020 - 15:16

        Haha,

        I've actually been a partisan Xbox Gamer since the OG, which I won on release in a KFC drawing competition (lol). The missus was a partisan PS gamer, so we met nicely in the middle and then adopted Nintendo.

        I am now a system-agnostic gamer and own all consoles, including a 2070 RTX fuelled gaming laptop (used more or less a Rocket League box with the occasional PC-only title getting playtime i.e. Disco Elysium - Lack of NBN restricting my willingness to spend days downloading games)

        • Faro on 14/01/2020 - 18:53

          Very nice

    • stampella on 14/01/2020 - 12:46

      Oh! And the ME series! How could I forget it! + From me!

  • alz on 14/01/2020 - 11:46

    Coh2

  • djak on 14/01/2020 - 12:15

    I love Clash of Clans and still play it to this day. It has everything for the casual player that may play 1-2 a week. To the most serious player that plays in professional competitions; it scales so well. For myself, my gaming time is limited, a mobile game that you can play quickly tied with the community aspect is what attracted me the most. I do agree that the question is subjective and will be dependant on people's lifestyles and the types of games everyone likes.

    On a more general basis, the one thing that I have noticed most is that there has been a large shift to people playing mobile games more. I don't know whether this is as the expense of traditional PC and console gaming but with the improved power of handheld devices, 4G mobile with decent amounts of data at a reasonable price this trend is likely to continue.

  • MrFunSocks on 14/01/2020 - 12:22
    +1

    PUBG without doubt, with Rock Band 3 a far second, and the original Titanfall a close third to that.

    I've put literally thousands of hours into PUBG, and basically since it came out like 3 years ago I haven't played another game for more than maybe 20 hours other than Rock Band 3. It's just grabbed me like no other game ever has - no dumb AI, just me versus 99 other people. Best game of all time IMO.

    • Gracey on 15/01/2020 - 10:38
      +1

      Yes! Im exactly the same, im sitting at around 2000 hours. I still play it every day, only stopping occasionally to play something else to break it up.

  • stampella on 14/01/2020 - 12:30
    +2

    Kerbal Space Program.
    Made me learn orbital physics so to make my usually boring conversations even more boring.

    As with everyone else that played it, I spent over an hour just to avoid exploding miserably before reaching space. Add at least a day to reach stable orbit. Add a couple of days to not screw up orbital randez-vous.

    When I finally managed to have a lander touch down on the lunar (munar) surface, do it's sciency things, join back with an orbiter and safely land on earth (kerbin) with the entire crew alive I was already at my 4th week or more on it. I felt so accomplished that I realized that beating all ultima weapons on ff7 (and many more grindy achievements) has been just an empty task in comparison.

    So, here you have it. If you want to become boring, play KSP.
    https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/orbital_mechanics.png

    Bonus 1: life is strange; had a blast with it playing side by side with the wifey
    Bonus 2: a plague tale: innocence; as above, but less emotional/twisted
    Bonus 3: stardew valley; as above, but cooperative. It solved the issues of house affordability, bad eating habits and lack of fitness that plagues us in RL

  • Duram on 14/01/2020 - 12:36
    +1

    Rome 2 Total War.

  • locknuts on 14/01/2020 - 12:51

    Doom 2016 or BOTW.

  • zqipz on 14/01/2020 - 13:20
    +1

    I’ve sunk a few thousand hours into Destiny over the last 5 years.

  • AlextheMeertkat on 14/01/2020 - 13:41

    GTA V and Minecraft.
    1. GTA V did not bring anything new but it raised the bar to the level no game has reached since then. Ubisoft has made multiple attempts but all their open world games like Watchdogs, Far Cry are boring as hell (personal opinion) stuffed with mediocre storylines and dismal characters.
    2. Minecraft is a simply brilliant idea.

    • AlextheMeertkat on 14/01/2020 - 13:46

      I would also add World of Tanks, this game is not for everyone and has a limited niche but It was a breakthrough.

  • AssamLaksa on 14/01/2020 - 13:45
    +3

    Zelda BOTW. On 4th play through at the moment!

    This post needs a poll

  • GUYANDSON on 14/01/2020 - 14:32
    +1

    Path of Exile for me.

    Been playing since early 2012. I rack up a few hundred hours a year in it, and I've got a touch over 2.5k hours in it currently.

    The dedication by the developers is insane, the 3 month league cycle which brings new league mechanics and existing mechanic reworks is a bit rough but they still always manage to salvage a league.

    They also had their first exilecon this year, which seemed like it was crafted with so much love, from bringing a fan favourite voice actor, dressing him up as the character and getting him on stage (Einhar) to having pretty much all of the famous streamers there to building an event exclusive card game that could only be played there and with the staff.

    The current league is excellent, they knocked it out of the park with the 3.0 announcement and made Blizzard look like chumps with their 4.0 announcement. I don't necessarily agree with some of their design philosophies but if you want an example of how a developer should be interacting with their community, GGG are up there.

    Great game, great company and I'm excited to spend more years playing.

  • forkus on 14/01/2020 - 14:46
    +2

    Rimworld

    or

    Cities Skylines

    The mod support on all of them is amazing.
    Both games caused all nighters and for me to completely lose track of time. That has not occurred since I played WoW for the first time.

  • bubaebae on 14/01/2020 - 15:23
    +1

    Overcooked & Overcooked 2 on PS4

  • kevsta on 14/01/2020 - 15:41
    -1

    Quake and Half Life

    • Sage on 14/01/2020 - 21:22
      +1

      Wrong decade.

  • Oxenfree123 on 14/01/2020 - 15:47
    +3

    Divinity Original Sin: 2. Criminally under played game.

    Some games have awesome stories and worlds you get lost in, some have addictive gameplay. I don't think I've ever played a game with such a strong combination of both.

    ARMA 2: DayZ Mod when it launched was unlike anything else. I think it paved the way for the Battle Royale genre…

    • dimitryp on 15/01/2020 - 09:08
      +1

      Wanted to squeeze DOS2 into my list, but it was already full of other RPGs!

  • thekow on 14/01/2020 - 16:14

    BOTW

    mentions:

    BF3/4
    Rocket league
    Life is strange
    Portal 2

  • eruption on 14/01/2020 - 16:30
    +3

    Destiny 2

  • DarthAntz on 14/01/2020 - 16:41

    I played a lot of games in the last decade, and had a great record for gaming last year.

    Am I the first to mention Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain? I played and finished it early last year.

    I enjoyed this game so much before, after and during play. I even bought a diamond dogs shirt.

    • Viper8 on 14/01/2020 - 17:38

      I enjoyed it: the first modern stealth game I'd ever played and enjoyed, and it also had a unique story. But the base building felt clunky, there was all the references to content which was cut from the final game and I guess the relationship with Quiet could have been much better if she communicated in other ways. Still a good game, but could have been better IMO.

  • Viper8 on 14/01/2020 - 17:34

    BF3: Spent years playing online. Just a great mix of sim and arcade; semi-realistic but still action-packed.
    Skyrim: The combination of a proper open world and the ability to just roam reminded me of Ocarina of Time.
    Far Cry Primal: I know its not popular but I enjoyed the unique setting/time period.
    Bloodborne: Took boss fighting to a whole new level and I just love that Victorian era backdrop.
    Witcher 3: Take the amazing open world of Skyrim and add in an incredible story and rich characters. It truly deserves the moniker "Skyrim meets GoT".

    Witcher 3 takes it for me.

    Yet to play God of War, HZD and RD2, but I suspect 1 or 2 of them would also make the list when I get around to them.

  • Bargain4Days on 14/01/2020 - 17:47

    HuniePop

  • aimon on 14/01/2020 - 18:04
    +1

    Breath of the wild. Shouldnt this be a poll?

  • AbucklingNMS on 14/01/2020 - 18:13

    No Man's Sky:- vibe/music planet-to-space flight is great (too grindy, but you can play offline unlike server games like Elite Dangerous or ESO - go online once a week for uploads).

    Fishing Planet & now The Fisherman: Fishing Planet :- graphics great when working, bit buggy - but I turn chat audio to 3% (1/15 players have mic on for some reason) environment audio 100% for relaxation (loud bird calls bit scary)

    PUBG Mobile:- great - Xbox controls impossible.

    Terraria:- possible last update very-much-on-par tween mobile & console

    RDR2 too dear yet, loved RDR

    Conan exiles looks interesting, but all DLC too dear yet also.

    Haven't started yet, but got all Bioshock games downloaded.

  • bazzato on 14/01/2020 - 18:24

    To the Moon. Very interesting to see what an indie game using RPG maker can be like with a great story and music. Looking forward to the Unity based remake for switch.

  • bataleon on 14/01/2020 - 19:10
    +1

    The Last Of Us. It has the most amazing story telling, atmosphere and soundtrack I've ever experienced.

    RDR2 is second for me. It's an incredible game but I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I did in TLOU.

    3rd is The Witcher 3. I liked it a lot, but not enough to finish it (I might have another crack since it's on Game Pass though).

  • DiscoJango on 14/01/2020 - 20:30

    in terms of hours played: fallout 4 and red dead 2.

    assassins creed black flag was pretty fun as well.

  • mranderson978 on 14/01/2020 - 20:38

    XCOM 2 - Aside from being an excellent game, I loved it for nostalgia reasons too.

    • dimitryp on 15/01/2020 - 09:10

      the community mods for that game are amaaaaazing, especially outfits and voices. I had a squad with voices of Arnie, homer simpson, Fry from futurama, Transformers, and lots of others. Was great :)

  • Jabberwocky on 14/01/2020 - 21:08

    LAST of US
    METAL GEAR SOLID - PHANTOM PAIN

    • Gameplay
    • Storyline
    • Direction
    • Unique

    BATTLEFIELD - 1

    • Best Online Multiplayer
    • Agret on 16/01/2020 - 00:04

      If you thought BF1 was good you should try BF4, knocks it outta the park. They had a rough launch for the game then made it a little better over time but when EA handed it over to a different studio they really dedicated themselves to turning it around. So many important improvements and polish were given to the game that I don't think we're going to see a better multiplayer shooter for quite some time.

      Hopefully there are still plenty of servers up so you can get some good games on it.

  • Sage on 14/01/2020 - 21:21
    +1

    Oh, Pokemon Go was incredible. The social phenomenon of everyone being involved, and the first gen of Pokemon becoming relevant.
    Though much of that wasn't specific to the gaming aspect of it, I did thoroughly enjoy the actual game too.

    Either that or Minecraft. Minecraft is absolutely legendary. The experience of playing it and getting used to the graphics then using survival instincts in this virtual world was pretty amazing. Just think of all of the games it inspired if you need an unbiased reference of how groundbreaking it was.

  • [Deactivated] on 14/01/2020 - 21:32

    It’s all completely subjective obviously but the games of the decade which resonated most with me would be…

    Arkham City
    Black Flag
    Breath of the Wild
    Last of Us
    Red Dead Redemption 2

    No game hit the addiction levels of CM01/02 luckily

  • iitime on 14/01/2020 - 22:27

    nier automata
    metal gear solid V
    beat saber

  • tsu-chan on 14/01/2020 - 22:36

    PERSONA 5

  • [Deactivated] on 14/01/2020 - 22:47
    +1

    Civilization 5 - how has this not got a mention?

    • dimitryp on 15/01/2020 - 09:11

      Civ6 made my list

  • Sxio on 14/01/2020 - 22:47

    TLOU. Never have I been affected by a game like that.

    Honourable mentions

    Deus Ex Human Revolution
    Mass Effect 2

  • McMoots on 14/01/2020 - 23:56

    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (especially with the two DLC packs).. And no, I am not just saying that because I am stoned.

  • SteveBuscemi on 15/01/2020 - 00:42

    Cities: Skylines
    Civilization VI
    GTA 5
    Horizon Zero Dawn
    Mario Odyssey
    Mass Effect 2
    Portal 2
    Red Dead Redemption
    The Last of Us
    Witcher 3

    Own but didn't get heavily into BOTW or Fallout NV.

  • Stone89 on 15/01/2020 - 03:46

    Bloodborne for single player, apex legends for multi. Though new apex has had me play more multiplayer last year than I can remember. Probably since counter strike source. Bloodborne because that game is worth buying a console for.

  • jonathonsunshine on 15/01/2020 - 07:30

    Tomb Raider 2013, Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn

    • DarthAntz on 16/01/2020 - 10:36

      Tomb raider 2013 will never be deleted from my pc, and i found it better in a way than the two that came after.

      • jonathonsunshine on 16/01/2020 - 18:22
        -1

        i always liked her original face model from the 360/ps3/pc version before the definitive edition.

  • Neverpayretail on 15/01/2020 - 08:24

    For me Shadow of War has been hard not to come back to again and again. Still haven't complete the story tho been having to much fun messing with Uruks heads and watching the interactions, capturing forts and enjoying the world which is huge compared to its predecessor.

  • JayM on 15/01/2020 - 08:34

    Metro Exodus
    Witcher 3
    Mass Effect 2/3. I really enjoyed Andromeda and I don't get the hate
    Street Sweeper Simulator
    Divinity: Original Sin 2

    • Faro on 15/01/2020 - 11:36

      The hate for Andromeda came because if the low quality animations and generic dialogue as people had higher expectations coming from the previous trilogy and with the money that EA have.

  • ddhar on 15/01/2020 - 08:42

    XCom (1 & 2, particularly the stand-alone expansions)

  • SupeNintendoChalmers on 15/01/2020 - 08:52

    Breath of the Wild has a very special place in my heart

    Special mention to The Last of Us

  • cdaddy on 15/01/2020 - 09:13
    +1

    Arma 2 DayZ mod 2012-2016(ish). Was nothing like it before and hasn’t been since

  • kyoba on 15/01/2020 - 09:53

    Jagged Alliance 2 (modded)
    Firaxis' XCOM 2
    Breath of fire 2/3

  • juicy j on 15/01/2020 - 10:02

    Sorry but I'm old.. I'm not into any games from this decade.. I'm a N64 and Gamecube baby til the day I die! 😂
    Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess is my favourite game of all time..
    Banjo & Kazooie and Lylat Wars on the 64.

    I've played the newer Zelda games on Wii and Switch.. I'm not that into it only because to me, no Zelda game will live up to Twilight Princess 😬😂

    • Faro on 15/01/2020 - 11:37

      Call it Twilight Princess HD for Wii U and I'll count it

  • starspawn on 15/01/2020 - 10:05
    -1

    The Last Of Us!

    Haven't played #2 yet.

  • Hundo on 15/01/2020 - 10:13

    The last of us - hands down the greatest game I've ever played period. The characters, story line and game play were next level.

    "Upon release, it received critical acclaim, with praise directed at its narrative, gameplay, visuals, sound design, characterization, and depiction of female characters. The Last of Us became one of the best-selling games on the PlayStation 3, as well as one of the best-selling video games of all time. Selling over 1.3 million units in its first week and 17 million by April 2018, it won year-end accolades, including multiple Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications, critics, and game award ceremonies, and is considered one of the greatest video games ever made."

    I'm dying for the last of us part 2

  • Dreamcast on 15/01/2020 - 10:26

    Tearaway - PS Vita.

    • Faro on 15/01/2020 - 11:37

      Did you play the PS4 version?

      • Dreamcast on 15/01/2020 - 14:41

        I did. Not as good as it didn't have the interactions as on the Vita.

  • chriskq on 15/01/2020 - 10:51

    it's still TF2 for me.

    • FireRunner on 15/01/2020 - 11:57

      Technically that's last decade (2007). I get that the game has evolved a lot this decade though

  • FireRunner on 15/01/2020 - 12:10

    Difficult question considering the variety in games so I'll list a few categories.

    Best puzzle: Portal 2
    Best fps: CS:GO
    Best story-driven: God of War
    Best indie: Undertale
    Best open-world: Skyrim
    Best fighting: Super Smash Bros. Wii U (yet to play Ultimate)
    Best co-op: Monster Hunter World (special mention to Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Wii U for introducing me to the series)
    Best action role-playing: Dark Souls III
    Best stealth: Dishonored (and Daud DLCs)
    Best platformer: Super Mario Odyssey

  • Warchest on 15/01/2020 - 14:42

    Witcher 3 + DLCs for sure. The scope, writing, gameplay etc. trumps everything else for me.
    It's probably got the #1 spot for game of all time for me, and I've been playing for over 25 years.

    Followed closely by:

    God of War
    Red Dead Redemption 2
    The Last of Us
    Skyrim

  • undien on 15/01/2020 - 16:32

    Dota 2:
    Been playing for a decade and a half (if you count dota 1 as well) something about it draws me in. - same with CS:Go but to a lesser extent. These games for me stood though the test of time. I love other games like sc2, monster hunter but those didnt last long despite the amount of fun I had with them

    and Hollow Knight:
    Nostalgic game play from childhood (2d metroidmania), games aren't made like this anymore. Its short and sweet cant wait for silksong

    • Faro on 15/01/2020 - 18:17

      I haven't dived into Hollow Knight too deep yet, but have you tried any of these:
      Ori and the Blind Forest
      Axiom Verge
      Bloodstained
      Dead Cells
      ?

      • undien on 16/01/2020 - 16:50
        +1

        I've tried Ori and I love the art style and game play is fluid but it doesn't 'hit the spot' like Hollow knight does. It feels linear rather than exploration, just like Celeste, 2d platformer which feels linear in game play.

        • Faro on 16/01/2020 - 17:29

          Yeah fair enough

    • centrelink on 17/01/2020 - 15:44

      I really hated Dota 2 graphics compared to Dota 1, probably why I never got into the sequel. The first one was so colourful and cartoon like while Dota 2 feels dark and dull. How do I get over there graphics ? HOw?

      • undien on 17/01/2020 - 15:52

        Haha yeah it's definitely something that I hated initially at the start. Coming from Wc3 where I was already used to the graphics due to playing Wc3 as well as TDs and other custom maps it was really sad as I loved the character models as well as voice acting. I guess like all things if you really loved the game play after a few games you get over the graphics difference and focus on the actual game play itself.

        Gameplay has really changed over the years tho, so the underlying game will be the same but everything will feel different.

        A few years ago we played Dota 1 on LAN for nostalgic sake and I have to say it was hard going back haha everything looked and felt clunky.

  • lostn on 15/01/2020 - 21:33
    +2

    I'm the opposite to you. BotW is my least favorite Zelda game. I loved the old formula that you could never get into. BotW is an open world game that isn't very Zelda-like, and this kind of game is a dime a dozen. Worst of all I just found it tedious.

    My GOTD would be Persona 4 Golden. It really changed the way I looked at Japanese culture and JRPGs. I used to really love JRPGs but then got jaded with them. I had played JRPGs before, but none like this. This renewed my interest in JRPGs and all things Japanese. I came to fall in love with Japan and its culture and it made me wish I was an exchange student there. I then put it on my bucket list of places to visit, and I will be going there in a couple of months.

    It had a cast of characters I came to really love and was sad when it was all over and I had to say goodbye. It's one of the rare games I never wanted to see end. I normally prefer short games and feel happy when I complete them so I can start the next one. This is one that I wanted to continue playing forever.

    If I'm not allowed to count P4G because it's a definitive edition of a 2008 game, then I'll take Persona 5 for more or less the same reasons. But 4G is better than 5.

    • Faro on 15/01/2020 - 21:42

      Have a look at Open World game design and why it's harder to achieve a good open world than simply being a "dime a dozen". Breath of the Wild encourages exploration rather than force you to do it.

      If you came into BOTW expecting a traditional experience despite Nintendo saying since 2013 it would be adopting a much more open and western approach, that simply comes down to your personal misconception. If you truly knew nothing about BOTW before playing it your disappointment is understandable, but unfortunate as it truly is a masterpiece.

      • lostn on 15/01/2020 - 21:58

        I don't care how difficult it is to achieve. If I don't like it, I don't like it.

        I knew what I was getting and still didn't like it, because I don't like that style of game. I find classic Zelda a superior experience to open world. I had super low expectations because I knew it was an open world and I still managed to hate it.

        It's a matter of taste, not expectation.

        If someone told me the game they made is intended to be total shit, and it succeeds at doing just that, then it would get a 10/10 for delivering what it promised. Still doesn't change the fact that it's total shit. It has nothing to do with me not knowing what it was going to be. Telling me what it is doesn't change my mind about it.

        Now I'm not calling BotW total shit. It is what it is, and it is what I hate. Just as some people hate racing games, some hate mobile games that require you to put in a dollar every 15 minutes.. I hate open world games. And the fact that roughly 80% of AAA games decided they needed to become just that, even if its roots are nothing like it is painful to watch.

        Have a look at Open World game design and why it's harder to achieve a good open world than simply being a "dime a dozen".

        To be fair, "good" open world games are also a dime a dozen. There are a ton of highly praised open world games, and obviously they are popular for a reason. I just find that they don't respect my time. Especially the collectathons which are almost all of them. They appeal most to those who want a longer game for their money and don't mind repeating the same stuff over and over for 100+ hours.

        Note, I never said it was wrong to like this game. I only said that I'm the complete opposite to you. I liked what you hate, and hate what you like.

        • Faro on 15/01/2020 - 23:17
          +1

          That got weirdly aggressive for the first half of that.

          • p1 ama on 16/01/2020 - 01:43
            -1

            @Faro: You're trying too hard to defend the honour of your favourite game and just repeating lines that you've heard about BOTW without really considering its weaknesses.

            The whole "BOTW encourages exploration rather than force you to do it" is nonsense. It most definitely forces you to explore because the game is so non-linear. It's the Zelda game so far with the most emphasis on exploration.

            Either way, I like BOTW, but I also think that it's very overrated and it's given a very typical "Nintendo boost", bonus points for being Zelda and Nintendo. If you like exploration for exploration's sake, then it's definitely a fun game. However, I've never personally cared for Hyrule and apart from the dungeons and boss fights, I found the whole "walking around" thing to be too tedious.

            If anything, I've got to say that my favourite Switch games are Mario Odyssey and Smash.

            • Faro on 16/01/2020 - 09:38
              +1

              @p1 ama: I'm not repeating lines I've heard about the game. I'm emphasising my subjective viewpoint and backing it up with relevant and personal examples.

              I've already said that given my lack of interest in previous Zelda games, I wasn't overly excited about exploring Hyrule for the sake of it being Hyrule.

              And if we compare it to another open world game that I enjoyed in Marvel's Spider-Man, there are many differences.

              I didn't give a f*** about exploring New York in that game. I loved moving through it and keeping my momentum, but never did I think "oh, I wonder what's behind this building?" Or "what if I go over this bridge?". That game MADE me explore different parts of the city by placing Quest markers in different locations.

              There's arguably only 5 places in BOTW that you need to go being the divine beasts and Hyrule Castle. Difference is I wanted to explore every square inch of the map to make sure I wasn't missing out on some item or view of the world or shrine or even just a weird little cave. Everything felt good and exciting without making me feel like a puppet on a string.

              • p1 ama on 17/01/2020 - 01:56
                -1

                @Faro:

                I'm not repeating lines I've heard about the game. I'm emphasising my subjective viewpoint and backing it up with relevant and personal examples.

                The "BOTW encourages exploration, not forces it" is a tired line because it treats exploration as an inherently good thing.

                Designing an open-world game is tough - there needs to be some balance between allowing the player to discover things on their own, whilst also having some "push" to keep the story going.

                Anyway, referring back to your original point:

                The fact I could do whatever I wanted at my own pace without feeling a sense of pressure or anxiety artificially induced by the game along with knowing I could literally go anywhere without the hindrance of invisible walls, weird geometry or advanced mechanics made me feel like being a kid again

                The things you refer to as being good for you - i.e. "going at your own pace", "not having pressure", "not having invisible walls", "not having advanced mechanics" may not be good to everyone.

                In fact, as much as I liked BOTW, all of the things you listed here are some of the reasons why I like it less than I should. I hated the fact that I had to spend hours of my time just roaming around. I just wanted a game which would give me quests to complete, dungeons to solve and bosses to fight. Maybe I just prefer games that have clear objectives.

                • Faro on 17/01/2020 - 06:59

                  @p1 ama:

                  Maybe I just prefer games that have clear objectives

                  That's all you needed to say rather than accuse me of reiterating things I've not heard other day or attacking why I enjoyed something.

                  • SlavOz on 07/03/2020 - 10:47

                    @Faro: Each to their own, but I remember having this discussion with you in a previous thread where you got quite defensive over the game. Calling it a masterpiece is a stretch because I don't think anyone has made a valid case yet that it's better than Nintendo's previous games in the series like OoT, Majora's Mask, or even Twilight Princess.

                    It's a breathtaking experience but I think most of it's love comes from the fact that people know it will go down in history as the game that changed everything for the series (much like OoT did being the first 3d zelda). That being said, BoTW can easily be seen as the downfall of the series - it all depends on where it goes from here. No doubt the new model has some pretty big drawbacks which Nintendo has already come out saying they're going to address in the sequel. It has the potential of suffering the same fate as a lot of popular series such as Call of Duty or Battlefield - changing the direction to appease new gamers/kids while completely shunning the traditional audience.

                    Frankly, I'm already sick of the concept of open-world games. The massive hype for them has led to countless developers creating an open world with meaningless fodder littered throughout. Games like Dark Souls proved that you can reward exploration and mystery in a very confined world.

        • [Deactivated] on 17/01/2020 - 09:51
          +1

          I don't like open world games, but damn was breath of the wild exceptional.

    • blackout134 on 17/01/2020 - 11:13

      Have to agree with you here. Loved the old Zelda formula and didn't care much for BotW or its open world. It is really only Zelda by name and nothing else and IMO should have been a new IP altogether.

  • HX925 on 15/01/2020 - 23:02

    For me, witcher 3, metal gear solid 5 zelda botw and xenoblades chronicles x :)

  • Destin on 15/01/2020 - 23:11

    Ori

  • Tasmaniac on 16/01/2020 - 08:29
    -1

    Can I nominate a book ????

    • Faro on 16/01/2020 - 08:57

      No

  • imnotgoingtopayrrp on 16/01/2020 - 09:37
    +1

    LA Noire for me. It's the first game in a while that you actually have to slow down and think about your in-game decisions.

    • Faro on 16/01/2020 - 09:40
      +1

      I loved LA Noire.

      Didn't care about the open world, but loved the actual core gameplay and story.

      My only gripe was that the pacing seemed to slow down after the SPOILER Dahlia murder case plays out.

  • striker5950 on 16/01/2020 - 10:24

    the last of us hands down wins any true gamer will agree
    followed by rdr2

    to me a story, a great STORY with amazing game-play, the feels, the graphics (for its time) the overall experience,

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