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NinTEN Part 2
Apr. 11th, 2019 03:04 pm7. Spider-Man - PS4
Spider-Man received (almost) widespread acclaim when it was released in September 2018; okay, there were some naysayers who didn't like the 'busywork' (Mssrs. Negative, if you like), but overall, it was a huge success and is one of the most popular games on the PS4. It's not hard to see why. Spider-Man's mechanics can be reduced to two gameplay components: traversal and combat. For much of the game, you're swinging through the city, paying attention to pendulum arcs and fire escapes; for perhaps the majority of the game, you're webbing up hoods and the Sinister Six. And even if Insomniac Games had failed in almost every other area, the fact that these two gameplay elements combine to deliver the ultimate Spider-Man experience earns it a place on this list. The feeling of BEING Spider-Man has little else that can compare, in gaming, and it looks and sounds gorgeous from start to finish. The fighting can get repetitive, and sometimes you'll wish for more variety in the objectives, but with such impressive gameplay and stellar characterisation, you'll always return. It's even fun to watch.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch
It's a difficult match-up between Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey for the best game on the Nintendo Switch thus far. Both do their best to shake up the conventional formula of their respective franchises, particularly Zelda, and both of them are absolutely gigantic games - it takes months to scratch the surface of both titles. The winner, in this competition anyway, has to be Breath of the Wild, as it is probably the best-designed game ever made. In the first hour of play, you're gifted the handful of tools around which the whole world revolves, and which would be parcelled out one by one in a traditional Zelda game. From there, you're entirely on your own, creating your own goals, finding your own weapons, and exploring a vibrant, gorgeous world. There are some things that I miss, such as the lengthy elemental dungeons, and the story is slightly lacking; but the highlights of Breath of the Wild are some of Nintendo's finest moments. It's brimming with that Nintendo polish, charm, and innovation, and it puts other open-world games to shame. The best thing I can say about Breath of the Wild is that it will change the way you look at the world: you'll understand, and appreciate, geography, topography, and the laws of physics in ways you never thought possible. The box art is inspired by Friedrich's Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, which should give you a clue as to the abundant natural world you'll encounter on your journey.
5. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire
There are times when I think I love Pokémon more than Nintendo or gaming itself. Somehow, the series manages to be both a marketing behemoth, that still generates millions of sales, and a pure, positive force in gaming, that emphasises teamwork, socialising, and friendly competition. The very first Pokémon game that I played was Sapphire, for the GBA, and in the summer of 2004 myself and my friend Alan (Ruby-owner) endeavoured to catch 'em all. I have some extremely fond memories of the 400+ hours I poured into my SP that year, and I've also completed the 3DS remake of Ruby, which is equally memorable. If you're a Pokémon greenhorn, or a veteran making a triumphant return to the series, the above titles are where I'd recommend you start. Hoenn is a lush, colourful landscape, with a tremendous range of Pokémon (the starters, and their evolutions, are particularly well-designed) and substantial post-game content. As with the other 3DS games, the pace of Omega and Alpha has been altered (it's been sped up), and this means that it's a smooth, cohesive experience that, in my humble opinion, surpasses X and Y, Sun and Moon, Black and White... It's outstanding.
Spider-Man received (almost) widespread acclaim when it was released in September 2018; okay, there were some naysayers who didn't like the 'busywork' (Mssrs. Negative, if you like), but overall, it was a huge success and is one of the most popular games on the PS4. It's not hard to see why. Spider-Man's mechanics can be reduced to two gameplay components: traversal and combat. For much of the game, you're swinging through the city, paying attention to pendulum arcs and fire escapes; for perhaps the majority of the game, you're webbing up hoods and the Sinister Six. And even if Insomniac Games had failed in almost every other area, the fact that these two gameplay elements combine to deliver the ultimate Spider-Man experience earns it a place on this list. The feeling of BEING Spider-Man has little else that can compare, in gaming, and it looks and sounds gorgeous from start to finish. The fighting can get repetitive, and sometimes you'll wish for more variety in the objectives, but with such impressive gameplay and stellar characterisation, you'll always return. It's even fun to watch.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch
It's a difficult match-up between Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey for the best game on the Nintendo Switch thus far. Both do their best to shake up the conventional formula of their respective franchises, particularly Zelda, and both of them are absolutely gigantic games - it takes months to scratch the surface of both titles. The winner, in this competition anyway, has to be Breath of the Wild, as it is probably the best-designed game ever made. In the first hour of play, you're gifted the handful of tools around which the whole world revolves, and which would be parcelled out one by one in a traditional Zelda game. From there, you're entirely on your own, creating your own goals, finding your own weapons, and exploring a vibrant, gorgeous world. There are some things that I miss, such as the lengthy elemental dungeons, and the story is slightly lacking; but the highlights of Breath of the Wild are some of Nintendo's finest moments. It's brimming with that Nintendo polish, charm, and innovation, and it puts other open-world games to shame. The best thing I can say about Breath of the Wild is that it will change the way you look at the world: you'll understand, and appreciate, geography, topography, and the laws of physics in ways you never thought possible. The box art is inspired by Friedrich's Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, which should give you a clue as to the abundant natural world you'll encounter on your journey.
5. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire
There are times when I think I love Pokémon more than Nintendo or gaming itself. Somehow, the series manages to be both a marketing behemoth, that still generates millions of sales, and a pure, positive force in gaming, that emphasises teamwork, socialising, and friendly competition. The very first Pokémon game that I played was Sapphire, for the GBA, and in the summer of 2004 myself and my friend Alan (Ruby-owner) endeavoured to catch 'em all. I have some extremely fond memories of the 400+ hours I poured into my SP that year, and I've also completed the 3DS remake of Ruby, which is equally memorable. If you're a Pokémon greenhorn, or a veteran making a triumphant return to the series, the above titles are where I'd recommend you start. Hoenn is a lush, colourful landscape, with a tremendous range of Pokémon (the starters, and their evolutions, are particularly well-designed) and substantial post-game content. As with the other 3DS games, the pace of Omega and Alpha has been altered (it's been sped up), and this means that it's a smooth, cohesive experience that, in my humble opinion, surpasses X and Y, Sun and Moon, Black and White... It's outstanding.
