Al's Review of 2019 In Video Games

Last updated January 22 2020.

The new decade begins at an exciting precipice. The modern generation is as slick as ever, as gamers enjoy a variety of old and new games on 4K displays, powered by high-end hardware, often with the option for virtual reality and motion controls.

Honestly, I haven't even taken advantage of the full range of technological marvels. My PS4 is the older model that outputs in 1080p, and I've never invested in a VR headset. I'm still not even sure if VR is a good idea or not. Chances are I'm missing out on a whole world of gaming opportunities by skimping out on Nintento products and the X-Box.

Regardless, the games still look pretty smooth and clean on the equipment I have, and in 2019 I enjoyed a consistent amount of gaming time. I wish I could say I played a lot of great new games, but it's only amounted to a handful. What is surprising is that many old games have received ports on the PS4, and they've been a hoot. This includes 2009's Ghostbusters (which rightfully could stand in as a viable third chapter for the motion pictures), 2002's Star Wars: Jedi Outcast, and collections of old arcade classics like Contra and Castlevania.

What is disappointing about 2019 is that many of the titles I looked forward to the most (like Doom: Eternal and Cyberpunk 2077) were ultimately pushed back into next year. I'm not entirely mad about it though--if the additional development time churns them into better products, then so be it. What will make the next few years more thrilling will be the possibilities of new generation consoles hitting the market. Rumors indicate that the PS5 may be a beast of a machine, able to render games in unprecedented speed and quality. Chances are that other consoles will follow suit and may even surpass the PlayStation, although I look forward to the 5 specifically for its supposed backwards compatibility. It is my hopes that the games I have on the PSN will still be playable on future systems.

It's hard to believe that it's now been six years since the PS4 came out, and twelve years since I bought the PS3. I still have a gaming backlog on both systems. Regardless, I did make some time for the latest releases that interested me, and it's been a pretty interesting year. After a long, dry stretch with nothing really interesting, I took a chance on some titles that caught my eye: The Outer Worlds, Control, and Death Stranding. The latter two struck a chord with me in particular, since my writing ventures have drifted into the realms of surrealism, cosmic horror, and the paranormal--these games fed my imagination in quite incredible ways. Death Stranding, despite all its indulgences and mundane gameplay, managed to captivate me the most with its unique worldbuilding and addicting reward system. Control, however, is a game that strung me along with its captivating mysteries and enigmas--even as its story is unveiled and the combat becomes more powerful, the game still bears an aura of something dark and otherworldly. These were the games I didn't even know I wanted, but they turned out to be just what I needed.

With the hype of Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker, EA surprised everybody with its own franchise entry, Jedi: Fallen Order. It had been a long time since a Star Wars game captivated me, but this one did the trick. Loved the gameplay and I liked the story. Earlier in the year, games like Far Cry: New Dawn and Borderlands 3 satisfied my gaming itch, and they've been satisfying.

Aside from some titles being delayed, I haven't experienced any disappointments this year.

AL'S TOP 2019 GAMES

7: Observation 

Through the many eyes of a space station's computer, you play an artificial intelligence that watches its fellow astronauts, guiding them from danger and solving problems that inevitably lead them across an interstellar odyssey. It's a bit of a slow-burner, given that the cameras move and zoom rather slowly as you scour the cramped modules for data and things to control. It is a neat story though, full of surprise, atmosphere, and emotion.

6: Far Cry: New Dawn 

It's a pretty meaty expansion on yesteryear's Far Cry 5, offering a lengthy post-apocalyptic epilogue to the last game's story. It's practically enough content to be its own game, but the gameplay and controls remain the same. The story is fine and all, carrying over the same themes as previous games. It's the world that makes it awesome, and it is a fabulous sight full of detail and color. The map is pretty stuffed with things to do, but even if you explore the whole thing, there are expeditions that take you to other unique areas with their own set of challenges. Sneaking and combat remain satisfying as ever. Even in the blazes of a nuclear inferno, the fundamentals of Far Cry remain the same, making this a solid entry in the franchise.

5: Borderlands 3 

For a time, this was my most anticipated release. It did not disappoint. It's very much more of the same, but with more. As in, a bajillion more weapons, interesting new characters with new powers, a bunch of new worlds brimming with quests and challenges. The story broadens the Borderlands universe in an immersive and fun way. Even at their most psychotic, the characters remain an endearing bunch thanks to their comedy and chemistry. It all looks great and runs well. Above all, the gameplay is deep enough to warrant endless hours of playing and slaying.

4: The Outer Worlds 

It's basically a mash-up of Fallout and the Firefly TV show. I think that's a good thing--the gameplay alone keeps me enthralled with simple things like looting, leveling, exploring, and questing. Combat is fair, but it's the RPG aspects and story that kept me invested. Like it was with Mass Effect, it became very gratifying to find a ship, assemble a crew, and take off on exciting missions. In this case though, the retro aesthetic offers a unique flavor that I find classy and cool.

3: Jedi: Fallen Order

This plays like a modern Tomb Raider game, but with the checkpoint system of Dark Souls and the combat of Shadow of Mordor. Combined, these aspects make Jedi: Fallen Order a rather compelling challenge--fighting stormtroopers and Sith inquisitors takes patience, but becomes rewarding as the character levels up and gains more power. I was addicted to exploring the maps to find all their secrets. Above all though, this is an interesting story that fits well into the Star Wars canon, but without falling back on excessive nostalgia. There are a lot of cool new things to experience in this game, even if it feels familiar.

2: Control 

This game hooked me with all the same narrative tricks a good book or film would use--compelling mysteries and story questions, surreal details that demand explanation, character motivations that are gradually revealed, and bizarre world-building. The first few chapters of this game gave me a strong David Lynch vibe, before answers came and this became something like inFamous meets the X-Files. Once you unlock weapons and powers, the game blazes through some gripping paranormal combat, while its story continues to dive into dark, unreal dimensions. I found this whole experience refreshingly unique and satisfying--easily one of the most original games I've seen in a long time, which could only be surpassed by...

1: Death Stranding

Death Stranding is an experience that demonstrates how gaming can be a work of art. If for no other reason than it's bound to be polarizing. Even Kojima confessed that many gamers will be put off by the core gameplay, which amounts to nothing more than walking across a rugged map to deliver tons of cargo to people in bunkers. Not only is it tedious, but the game also demands an aggravating amount of nuance as you're forced to balance yourself, evaluate weight and sizes, and optimize routes. All of that while defending against cargo-addicted bandits, sneaking past ghosts, and protecting an infant attached to your chest.

The game initially sold me on its stranger aspects--the world-building involved with this game is elaborate, to the point where it feels excessive at times. What I admire, however, is that the game uses its premise to deliver a unique and challenging kind of gameplay. As any good game should, it takes its time to slowly immerse the player in its story and train the player on how to handle its various challenges. You don't even get a gun in this until much later in the story--killing is not even the focus (and the game seems to make it a point to steer players away from outright violence, going so far as forcing the player to handle the consequences of a dead body). What the game teaches you instead is stealth and how to care for your packages.

The focus on logistics is where the game may lose its interest--as a person employed in the logistics field, I can't help but to get a little excited when the game draws its thematic parallels between a logistics network and "building bridges." Connection is the point of the game, and your success not only depends on rebuilding America coast-to-coast, but in tapping into the Chiral network to share other players' structures and resources. I found it gratifying to build things that other players used, and it was very rewarding to have other players' things appear when I needed them to.

The story for this sprawling monster of a game is very twisted and involving, to the point where it's often indulgent, and it doesn't even make that much sense in the end. Some of the reveals are simply too hard to stomach. Most of the dialogue is exposition. It's hardly the best-written game, but I'm rather forgiving of it because I liked the characters and was drawn to their personalities. I was pleased with the actors and the overall quality of the game. All of that, and the simple pleasure of being rewarded for making delivery after delivery, kept me engaged for hours. It all added up to one of the longest, deepest, most unique gaming experiences I've had all year.

AL'S NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

•  In the months leading up to the release of Borderlands 3, I replayed Borderlands 1 and part of 2, this time on the PS4. I dug through most of the DLCs that I never played before.
• Won platinum trophies for Control, the remastered Ghosbusters, Destroy All Humans! (the port, not the remake), Blackwood Crossing, Far Cry 3, and the first Borderlands game.
• Played a good chunk of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. It is probably my favorite of the series, but since I put it down I forgot about it and became distracted by other games.
• At the beginning of the year, I was still fooling around with Hitman 2.
• Started a new playthrough of Shadow of Mordor, this time with the GOTY edition.
• Started a new playthrough of Catherine, this time with the "Full Body" edition on the PS4.
• Dabbled with some horror titles in October. I'm not even sure if I can handle some of these--games like Amnesia, Outlast, and Alien: Isolation can give me some serious anxiety. However, I was enjoying Until Dawn.
• Started a lot of games that I need to finish, including some of the ones listed above. Other games started: Dark Souls, Darksiders, Star Wars: Jedi Outcast, Everspace, and Diablo III.

GAMES AL IS LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2020

Cyberpunk 2077: The game trailer has me sold. Cyberpunk is a genre I admire, extending to the Deux Ex games, although I'm certain that Cyberpunk 2077 will put more emphasis on combat and "punk" than atmosphere. It looks cool, slick, and exciting. And it has Keanu Reeves. Whoa.

Doom Eternal: My enjoyment of the 2016 game and the preview footage floating around Youtube has me excited for the next installment. What I've seen so far looks quite extreme, over-the-top, colorful, gory, and it ought to be just rip-roaring fun.

The Last of Us Part II: The first part remains on of the most emotional stories I've seen in a video game. The second chapter is bound to be just as punchy. Existing previews look intense, promising interesting new directions and characters, but with brutal new challenges.