The Grumpy Old Gamers

So chatting with my cohort Rob Leggo we thought it would be fun to do a top 5 list for 2018.  We decided to do things a little different thou because rarely are we on the bleeding edge of games, we decided to include in the list everything we’ve played this year.  So it could new, could be retro, or anything in between.

I also wanted to share a little insight into my gaming life, before March of 2018 the only current gen consoles I had ever owned had been Nintendo consoles.  Since the N64 I’ve been able to get every new Nintendo console pretty much as they came out, and knowing this I can easily proclaim that I am an Nintendo fan boy, not even going to deny it.  From the days of PS2 I had a kinda bad taste about the other consoles seeing those games and thinking, “meh the games look and play ok but have all that FMV”.  So any of the other consoles I picked up were near end of life, usually used or deeply discounted, I’d try the games people had raved about but never been on the cutting edge.  I also PC gamed a lot, I played the battlefield games, WoW and lots of other Blizzard games.

Then the PS4 entered my life… and I can honestly say right now I am console gamer over a PC gamer.  All previous stigmas have been erased, consoles are awesome 🙂

Number 5

Metroid Samus Returns for 3DS

– a reimagining of Metroid 2 for the game boy, this is seriously one of the best games I have played on the 3DS, the game play is classic Metroid, this really feels like a sequel to Super Metroid with great side scrolling action and puzzles and level design.  I have not competed this one yet, about 50% of the way through, and honestly can’t wait to go back and play this.

Number 4

Moss for the PSVR

– so when I finally caved and picked up a PS4 my lovely wife suggested I should grab the PSVR as well as she had seen some media on it and thought it would be great to have in the house, how could I refuse 🙂. I tried lots of demos and survival horror games and was thoroughly impressed with the whole experience.  Then I tried Moss, this game is incredible!!! It’s an puzzle platformer where you act as the controlling observer who helps the hero navigate his world.  The puzzles are great, the platforming is spot on, and the mysteries are intriguing.  Also the immersion of the VR is unreal, seeing the dioramas that Moss has to navigate and being able to look around and peek into all the nooks and crannies to explore this amazing work is like nothing I have experienced before.

Number 3

Spiderman for PS4

– what can I say that hasn’t been said about this game, it’s freaking awesome and I’m so glad I was able to experience it.  The game play is great, combat awesome, and even thou they take liberties with the official Spiderman story, the universe they create is awesome.  It had everything I could asked for in a super hero game and more.

Number 2

Super Mario Odyssey for Nintendo Switch

– ok ok I know this technically came out in 2017, but I got it for Christmas 2017 and didn’t really play it until 2018.  Lots of praise has been heaped on this game, and for good reason, it’s pure awesome.  Playing Odyssey made me feel like how I felt playing Mario 64 for the first time, I was in constant awe.  So much originality and love went into this game, and the result was me going, “ no freaking way!!!!” Repeatedly as I played this amazing game.

And Number 1

God of War for PS4

– I can honestly say this is the game that changed my mind on console gaming, I was hooked in the first 20 mins, your very first fight in this game is like nothing I had ever played before, and the action and story just kept ramping up from there.  Also don’t get me started on the graphics… holy balls this game looks amazing, and you know it’s pushing the PS4 to the limits because this is still the only game I have played on the PS4 that constantly causes the cooling fans to ramp up.  If you haven’t played this game, I highly recommend it…. boy!!!!