A lot happened this year, and I won’t be able to list all of them because I have the memory of a beached goldfish, but let’s talk about the memorable ones at least.
My Game of the Year: Control
No, obviously it wouldn’t be Destiny.
To be fair, there were a lot of other great titles this year that I managed to get my paws on, but the most impressive would have to be Control by Remedy.
I remember watching a small playthrough video which included the start of the story and some bits of gameplay. I was “hooked”, so to speak, into the story like moth to a flame.
I ended up ordering a copy on PS4 the same day.
At the start, it felt like I was watching a homicide detective blockbuster.
My character – Jesse Faden – was investigating an inconceivably complicated secret bureau, filled with mysteries as dark as her own past.
It did not take long before the drama turned into a harmony of good-ole fashioned gun fights and epic superpower showdown, both aspects presented via satisfying visual effects. But just as I thought I was getting familiar with the setup – WHOOSH– I found myself standing in the middle of a dimly-lit eerie motel corridor after I pulled a seemingly harmless light switch.
The game was utterly unpredictable, perhaps that is in juxtaposition of the name “Control”, an emphasis to the madness of the game at core.
Despite the randomness, the “big picture”, eventually became clear, and I was left wanting for more. Good thing that they are releasing DLCs for this game, I look forward to playing them, too.
I particularly enjoyed the combat system – some might argue otherwise but I liked it. It was intuitive, fluid, well-balanced, easy to learn but challenging to master.
The only criticism I have would be the occasional frame drops in larger environments or when the scene got busy, which did ruin the mood somewhat. I feel this is partly due to games (no matter how optimised) slowly approaching console’s hardware limits, next-gens cannot come quick enough.
Overall – Control was great fun for me, and if you have not played it yet, I cannot recommend it enough, so do give it a try.
YouTube – 300 Sub!
My YouTube channel hit 300 subscribers a while back. Thank you again, those who subscribed, you know who you are.
It’s funny how the perception of numbers changes dramatically over time – consider the Battle of Thermopylae (circa 480 BC), where an army of 300 was enough to be a devastating force. In a modern day office however, 300 employees is considered a “medium-business”. Then of course, we have the ever-expanding industry that is video content streaming, where 300 might literally mean “nothing” to some.
Let’s be very clear – 300 IS A BIG NUMBER FOR ME.
That means there are 300 individuals out there in the real world, who are interested in my content. I can’t even imagine myself with such a large group of people without the vivid vision of my inevitable metal breakdown.
In the foreseeable future I will still be producing Destiny Silly Review videos, but I also want to experiment with other titles and do more playthroughs. So let’s see what 2020 has to bring on the table. I’m also open to playing classic titles, as long as I can obtain a copy of the game.
If you have any suggestions on what videos I can, or should make, feel free to comment below!
Thoughts on Destiny & Season Rank
Speaking of Destiny, I have a small rant. Mainly on how “grindy” it has become.
I mean – yes, it has always been grindy, but since the release of the new season and the Season Rank system – my daily Destiny playtime has been all about filling up my inventory with various bounties, working out the most efficient way to complete said bounties, and then additional bounties, etc, to make sure I can get my Season Rank to LV100.
This is not fun.
I do like the idea of a Season Rank, and getting items according to how much you are willing to contribute is a nice incentive to encourage more players to remain active, but I don’t think we should put a time restriction on the whole experience. This in effect, forces players to play a game. Not to mention the grind can be extremely mundane.
For me, gaming is an entertainment, it is a comfort zone, it is a way to “wind down” after a day of work.
To be constantly reminded that “you have xx days until season ends” on the Season Rank screen, is in essence, applying very real pressure on players like me – a piercing screech similar to scratching on a chalkboard or a plate with a fork that resonates deep in my head until I reach LV100.
As of now, the Season Rank system is essentially a disposable element to encourage players to keep grinding for 3 months, it makes some sense to keep non-paying players to stay on Destiny, but it provides little-to-no value for those who already paid for the content.
I may be old-fashioned, but when I have paid for something, I expect to keep it. In this case, if I paid for the Season Pass, and I have all the additional unlockable goodies in the Season Rank – I expect them to stay available to be unlocked and claimed even after the season has ended – because I have paid for them. I’d still have to work for them – but they should not just “disappear”.
Or maybe it’s just me? If you think differently, please drop me a comment.
Okay, rant over, time to get back on the grind train. I was going to rant about PvP and match-making, but I don’t want to over-negatify a blog post, especially an End of Year one. So I’m going to say this instead:
I hope you guys will have a brilliant new year and all the best in 2020! I’ll continue what I do best and hopefully in another year’s time – we’ll all be where we all want to be.
Happy gaming,
– Porc
PxPorcupine 