I didn't get a chance to complete many games this year, but there were a handful of games I couldn't move on from. This is a write-up about those games.
Journey
I don’t think a lot while playing games; at least not at the
beginning. This is the main reason I felt like I didn’t play Journey in the
potentially correct way. How could I think otherwise, when one of my best
friends questions his life after playing Journey?
That being said, Journey was a visual masterpiece. The
blending of the minimal terrain designs, with the vibrant colour palette and
serene music made me feel calm during the 90 minutes I spent playing it. I also
cannot recall a more perfect moment in 2012 gaming than gliding through the
sand with the sun shining bright in the background. Words cannot properly
describe that scene; it has to be experienced.
There were a couple of problems with Journey. The controls
were simple, though most people should have no trouble getting used to them in a
matter of minutes.It also only
lasts for an hour or two. Of course, making a 20 hour epic out of a game like
this also doesn’t make sense, but it’s difficult for me to suggest Journey was
better than some of the other games I played in 2012.
For those reasons however, I would also suggest that more
people should play this game. It’s a breathtaking experience that isn’t too
long and also simple to control. I doubt anyone would regret playing this game.
Sleeping Dogs
Fun fact: Jackie Chan was an extra who was killed off-screen
in Bruce Lee’s classic martial arts film, Enter the Dragon.
Why do I know this? I’m a self-proclaimed expert in classic
Kung-Fu films.
Another fun fact: John Woo’s action-epic, Hardboiled, has one of the highest on-screen death tolls in film history.
Why do I know this? I’m also a huge fan of Hong Kong action
flicks.
Do I need to further explain why I love Sleeping Dogs? Fine,
I will.
Not only is the story an amazing homage to those films, but
the game-play makes a great case for being this game’s primary selling point as
well. United Front Games mixed the melee combat from Batman: Arkham Asylum,
with the open world elements of Grand Theft Auto, and actually improved the
traversal elements while doing so! I lost track of how much time I spent riding
around Hong Kong on a bike, looking for the jade statues.
This game is also visually appealing. The high resolution
pack for the PC version make this one of the prettiest games I’ve seen, even
forcing to me save up for a new PC to replace my now deceased PS3, instead of a
replacement console.
Thanks for making me spend more money Square Enix.
Walking Dead
I’m going to get the negatives out of the way, before I
start explaining why The Walking Dead is my favourite game of 2012.
Technically, this game doesn’t reach any breakthroughs in game-play. It’s another point-and-click adventure game, with an added timer for
important decisions.
That’s it. The Walking Dead’s biggest flaw is that the genre
exists.
Yet this game seems to evoke emotions like no other game
I’ve played before have. Telltale Games have provided one of the most intimate
and touching stories of the last year. The game altering choices only get more
difficult as the game progresses.
The Walking Dead also tackles violence in an interesting
way. I can count, on one hand, the amount of times I had to use a gun. The
limited use of violence forced me to think more about the few times I actually
had to use a gun and whether it was the right thing to do or not. The choices
made in this game were a heavy burden, and only got more difficult to make with
each new episode that came out.
This was the first game where no decision was decisively
correct. Each decision, however noble the intentions may be, come with its
faults. Do you kill this person or keep them alive? Will this decision haunt me
for the rest of the game? What will Clementine think of this?
Clementine; the moral compass of this game. For every
questionable decision you make, she will be there to ask you for an explanation
of it. She never allows the player to lose sight of what used to be considered
right or wrong in the pre-apocalyptic society, but that also provides more
depth to your conversations with her. It all feels natural, from her reactions,
to Lee Everett’s evolution as a reliable protagonist.
It wasn’t just those two characters either. Every person
that shows up in this game serves a specific purpose, whether it be to reveal
details from the past, progress the story further, or to remind the player of
what the world is like currently.
In summary, I loved this game. The game-play is simple but
effective. The story forces the player to think about every action he can make
in this game, and it doesn’t necessarily pay off satisfactorily in the end. I
can’t say anything more than that at the risk of spoiling this game, so I won’t.
Every gamer should give The Walking Dead a chance to grab their attention. They
won’t regret it.
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