Gaming off the Beaten Path

So it looks like it's time for yet another GOTBP end of year review. I know I say it every year, but I can't believe I'm still doing this going on seven years. I have to say I've been a little disappointed in myself this year, I absolutely slacked on the number of reviews I put out. I felt myself slowing down in a lot of ways and I want to make it a point next year to try and get back to putting out more consistent reviews. I guess it's sort of my resolution this year. Hey, everything is coming full circle, this whole thing started as a resolution. As we continue with said circle, it's time to look at this year's scores. Remember, I give awards for Game of the Year, worst game, most surprising, most disappointing and best candidate for a modern update/remake. 10s games aren't eligible for any of these awards. A reminder of the scores:  Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - 9.5/10 Garou: Mark of the Wolves - 9.5/10 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon - ...

 As another year comes to a close, it's time to take a look at the highlights, and lowlights, of 2024. This marks year six of GOTBP, something I still can't believe. I can't lie, I am starting to feel myself slow down a little bit. Some of it is burnout, some of it is age and some of it is just all around busyness. Of course, having the podcast going also adds to the workload. I really like doing it, writing is old hat for me but I feel like I learn something new each time. I'm really trying to increase the quality on that front, I think I've improved a lot from the early episodes but I could always be better.  Speaking of increasing quality, I played a lot of really good games this year. I may not have as many reviews as I typically do, but this might be the highest average scoring year I've ever had. Part of that comes from me focusing a little bit more on genres I actually like playing. Some of it is also due to looking at new consoles, I didn't do too ...

Last week saw a few fun, if uneventful, matchups in the prelims. There were no surprises, there usually aren't, so it's time to move on to the quarters, the elite 8, whatever you want to call it. Let's get right  into this. Quarterfinals Matchup 1 (4) Sonic Mania vs. (5) Sweet Home We will get started with the two games we haven't seen yet, my first and most recent GOTY winners. I reviewed Sonic Mania way back in 2019 and it ended up narrowly edging The Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon for GOTY that year. Anyone that has any familiarity with Sonic the Hedgehog will know exactly what to expect from Sonic Mania. You run fast through big levels with multiple paths while dodging enemies and occasionally doing some platforming. There's tons of variety in each level, with the various paths each presenting a different challenge. To me, speed, variety and level design are what separates the good Sonic Games from the great ones,  and you know what? I think Sonic Mania might be...

  All the formalities are over and it's time to get down to business. Let's kick off the GOTBP Five Year Anniversary tournament with round one. We have three matchups this week, all between great games. But I am looking for the best of the best, my favorite game that I've played over the last five years. So, it's time to get this thing kicked off. Preliminary Round Matchup One (6) F-Zero GX vs. (11) Grim Fandango We start with the lowest seed in the bracket, a PC style adventure/point and click title that I reviewed earlier this year. I have to qualify something here, as it is the only game in the bracket with a 9.25 score and one of many titles with that score. I went backed and looked at all the games I had given that score and decided that GF was the best of them, even if only by a small margin. Mega Man X4 and Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon were also in consideration. But honestly, I don't think any of them would have stood a chance in this round. Because F-Zer...

  Wait, already? Yeah we are doing the year-end  review early. I am going to call it a year on reviews  in the first week of December because I have something planned for the next few weeks. Why? Well, this is my five-year  anniversary and I want to do something to honor all of the great games I've reviewed since I started writing GOTBP as a New-Year's Resolution in 2019. What? Well, stick around to find out. In the meantime, there's the matter of handing out my awards for this year. Remember, we do best game, worst game, most surprising, most disappointing and most deserving of a modern update/remake. So, here's a reminder of the games we've looked at this year and their scores. As is customary, 10's games are not considered for these. Sweet Home - 9.25/10 Grim Fandango - 9.25/10 Street Fighter III: New Generation 9.25/10 Yakuza: Like a Dragon - 9/10 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance - 9/10 Banjo-Kazooie - 9/10 Super Double Dragon - 9/10 Virtua Fighter 2 - 8.75/...