LogFAQs > #930326699

Not sure I've played 10 games this year...

1. Apex Legends - Way too many hours put into this game for it to not be #1 (currently at 150 hours). Played with a buddy the entire time and it's been a total blast. I'd absolutely pay $60 for this free game.

2. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition - A very solid RPG that I'm really glad exists. Checks all the boxes except for maybe a more complex plot, and the difficulty is a tad easy (even though I know you can modify this, I didn't because I was new. Didn't realize how easy it was.)

3. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - My first Zelda from way back when, just as great as then, if not better. A total delight to play again with the unique updated graphics. I flew through this game so quickly, all for the better.

4. Assassin's Creed Odyssey (including The Fate of Atlantis) - When it was good, it was really good. But there's so much stuff that it brings the experience down. I enjoy the gameplay loop but wish there was more substantive content that doesn't feel cut & paste. Overall a good experience, though I didn't 100% it unlike Origins.

5. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Haven't beaten yet but it's really good, if not a tad repetitive. I find the monastery a little jarring, somewhere between amusing and shallow. Combat is tricky enough (on hard) to keep me invested, and the characters have been pretty good. It's a WAY better game than Fates.

6. Luigi's Mansion 3 - A little less enjoyable than Link's Awakening, a quick tour through a strange hotel. Some floors had me hooked, others had me mildly bored. Combat is shallow and I feel like the game isn't fleshed out enough, even though it's very polished.

7. Kingdom Hearts III - A tad disappointing, though it still hooked me enough to see to completion. Everything felt like it was held together by duct tape though. Story was garbled, pacing was shot, but the combat and environments were really enjoyable.

8. ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove! - T&J 1 & 2 are two of my favorite games (or they were as a kid) so this was a great throwback, but it didn't hook me like the first two. I'm not as big into roguelikes as I used to be. Once I beat the game I didn't want to go back.

9. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled - Had never played the original, decided to see if it compared to MK. It didn't. I think it's more skill-based... but just not nearly as fun. Really repetitive with little variance race to race. Beautiful tracks though. I also dropped the game once the company began to introduce micro-transactions to keep me hooked with daily doses of rewards. I quickly realized I wasn't enjoying the game enough to trick myself into continuously playing.

10. SteamWorld Quest: The Hand of Gilgamech - Kind of a shame given how much I love Dig 1 & 2. Quest should be my cup of tea given I'm pretty receptive to card-battlers and RPG's, yet this one felt restrictive and kinda clunky. Small in scope, the gameplay loop didn't grab me, and the final battles were so drawn out and kinda difficult that I just decided to not even bother.
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