My Favorites (brief)
I have
more detailed explanations for
some of the stuff I really like further below, but I will also just list some stuff here in no particular order.
Video Games: Balatro, Slay the Spire, Katana Zero, ULTRAKILL, of the Devil, Portal 1 & 2, Half Life 1 & 2, Team Fortress 2,
Terraria, The Binding of Isaac, Celeste, Invisible Inc., SANABI, Subnautica, Space Engineers, VA-11 Hall-A, Undertale, Tactical Breach Wizards, OneShot, Borderlands 2,
FTL: Faster Than Light, Into The Breach, Garry's Mod, Battleblock Theater, The Stanley Parable, Slice & Dice.
Shows: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Bob's Burgers,
Rick and Morty, Arcane, BoJack Horseman, Peaky Blinders, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,
Abbott Elementary, Cowboy Bebop, Death Note, Hunter x Hunter, Mob Psycho 100,
Violent Evergarden, Love is War, Frieren, The Apothecary Diaries, Trigun, Steins;Gate, Samurai Champloo.
Card Games: Thirteen (Tien len), Poker, Egyptian Rat Screw (ERS), Spoons, Speed, BS.
My Favorite Video Games
Developer
Arsi "Hakita" PatalaPublisher
New Blood InteractiveGenre / Tags
FPS, Boomer Shooter-adjacent, Arena Shooter, Singleplayer
ULTRAKILL
There's really quite no game like this. It really evolves on the boomer-shooter genre into something else.
There's so much that it does right.
The central component of the game's fun has to deal with how the player's health works: the player heals by damaging enemies closeby.
There's so much that I love about this mechanic; it fundamentally changes the way that the game plays in many organic and interesting ways.
Enemies and bosses are well designed and more varied than in any other game I've played. The player's kit is genuinely synergistic and well thought out.
Also, the parrying mechanic is really cool :D.
This game also got me into modding. As far as games without direct modding support go, it's pretty straightforward.
Developer
nth Circle StudiosPublisher
nth Circle StudiosGenre / Tags
Singleplayer, VN, Dystopian, Detective, Cyberpunk
of the Devil
To be honest, this game really surprised me. I went in with zero expectations, and was completely blown away.
If you are familiar with the Series Ace Attorney, I would say that this game
has the same level of quality so far. (it is 2/6 finished as of writing).
The most outstanding part of this game is the writing. All of the dialogue flows naturally, the humor is there, etc.
Most importantly, the cases are interesting and non-obvious. The sections where you have to piece together
what actually happened are generally well done, most of the time neither being too easy nor too difficult.
The cyberpunk/futuristic setting is well-developed. The asthetic is also pretty unique and clean.
Also, the G.O.A.T. Lena Raine has some good tracks in this game.
Katana ZERO
I think of this as a spiritual successor to Hotline Miami.
This game nails the feeling that it's trying to give off. The MC
has precognition abilities, so "dying" and resetting is just the player considering a failed solution and trying again.
In Hotline Miami, dying, restarting, and cheesing rooms is lame. But in this game, it's encouraged. It makes "dying"
work with the immersion rather than against it, and makes solving rooms satisfying rather than frustrating.
The game is just so cool. The OST, the bullet parrying, the slowdown mechanic are all great.
There's also a lot of cool moments that result from the player's precognition.
Not to mention that the art and story are also very good. The story isn't complete (that'll come when the DLC drops any day now, surely...)
Balatro
The game follows an unconventional gameplay loop;
I was actually confused when it was first described to me. It's something that you have to play to understand.
The game is simultaneously chill but also a proper roguelike, with strategy and depth. It's a game that I can play
while doing something else, or play when I don't feel like doing anything.
Everything in this game is so satisfying. Playing cards, scoring big numbers, etc. all feel good.
The soundtrack, which by the way is literally just one song
is great and really adds to the experience. I'm always excited to hear it again when I boot up the game.
It's a game that was made because the guy who made it wanted to play it- that's awesome. I'm glad that we got to see
LocalThunk's vision.
FTL: Faster Than Light
I think this game has the exact amount of player agency for a roguelike. It is difficult, very difficult. There's a lot to learn, but very little
high-level strategy is about precise maneuvers, but instead about making better decisions. The base game definitely has some pitfalls and
bad balance decisions, but these can be addressed by using one of the mods from the active modding scene.
The soundtrack is awesome. It fits the game well. Visual design is also good: little clutter, and a consistent art
style and theme.
A definite must-try for anyone that likes roguelikes. It's a game that will constantly force you into tough decisions.
It's a game that will sometimes ♥♥♥♥ you over so hard, yet you still claw your way to victory- and it will be glorious.
Portal 2
Portal 1 was great. Portal 2 expanded on it.
The puzzles are uniquely intuitive but yet difficult. There are no tricks, there are no items tucked away in corners. The player is
gradually introduced to puzzle mechanics.
The story flows well despite it really only involving three characters- which are all well voice acted, well developed, and interesting. Cave Johnson (voiced
by J.K. Simmons) was actually incredibly well done- it's part of why chapters 6 & 7 are legitimately my favorite parts of any video game ever.
There's also a lot of replayability due to the custom chambers. There's also
a co-op mode, which is actually a ton of fun. The co-op campaign gives you ample oppurtunity to throw your partner into a pit of acid,
or into spikes, etc. The co-op puzzles are also good.
Team Fortress 2
The classic class-based shooter.
The visual design is extremely intelligent. The use of a cartoon style instead of a realistic one gives it much more character,
it looks like a comic book or an early 2000's animated movie. Visual clarity is very well done, characters and projectiles stand out from environments.
All of the characters are purposefully designed and have distinct roles. They all play differently, but play well together. The game is
also designed around CQC in many ways, which facilitates a more fun experience.
The game is also pretty funny. Ragdolls, voice commands, funny playstyles, etc. exist. It is a game well designed to be fun,
rather than just to be sweaty. The new player experience is also good for the type of game it is.