I was simply addicted to Tetris 99 earlier this year. I played it every day non-stop and had to actively draw myself away from playing it when I had other things to take care of. While battle royale and puzzle games don’t seem like they would mix, boy howdy they certainly do. While Fortnite remains the king and Apex Legends brought a lot of innovation to the genre, Tetris 99 proved that the mechanics of battle royale aren’t limited to just shoot
Further exploration of Andale reveals that the “strange meat” its townspeople eat is actually human flesh, and that the town is run by inbred cannibals. Upon making this startling discovery, players are then attacked by the people of Andale, unless they have the Cannibal perk, in which case they are accepted by the twisted community as one of their
Of course, it’s no secret that Fable is a great game, so the most important aspects of this release is if it’s aged well (read above) and the quality of the port. Simply put, the result is leaps and bounds above the original. Fidelity, special effects and lighting have all improved and it’s clear to see the differences in almost every area. Upgrades to characters and building exteriors are the most noticeable, with faces seeming more realistic and less pixelated and buildings revealing never-before-seen nuances. Even trees in the backgrounds and leaves on the pathways of villages are more detailed. Everything has a smooth look which gives it a nice overall aesthetic comparable to other Xbox 360 games. The only flaw in the new look is that sometimes things can be a bit too smoothed over and come across a little smeary. Sometimes the sharp edges of the original helped to keep objects separated, something that can sometimes be a problem here. The other continually noticeable boost is the lighting, with plenty of new shadow effects and nuances between different lighting situations, where as before things were basically light or dark. Overall, while it’s not perfect and hampered by the fact that practically every Xbox 360 game now looks long in the tooth, it’s certainly the preferable way to experience the game — nostalgia or not.
Of course, I did not have the time nor the patience to get through every single game that came out this year. That means some notable releases like Resident Evil 2, Gears 5 , and DualShockers ‘ Game of the Year Judgment did not make my list. Some great games were also just barely beat out, but I’d still recommend Ape Out, Baba is You, Samurai Shodown and Mortal Kombat 11 if you are looking for a good time. Without further ado, here are my 10 favorite games of 2
Fable 3 is without question one of the biggest and most anticipated releases of the year. After spending a week with the game I can say with certainty that it’s worth the price of admission, but it’s not perfect. Developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studio, Fable 3 takes the franchise in a more accessible direction, opening up the world of RPG games to anyone who cares to pick up a control
But it is also not unheard of for Microsoft to pull a real surprise out of nowhere during their press conference (they did so last year with the new Xbox 360 redesign ), so don’t be shocked if it happens once again. While we have taken a few stabs at what that big surprise might be, we’ll know for sure on June
The game begins by taking control of either the son or daughter of the hero from Fable 2 , the prince or princess of the fantasy kingdom of Albion. Choosing to be the prince means the character’s father was the hero, while choosing the princess means it was the character’s mother. The game takes place 50 years after the events of Fable 2. The industrial revolution has swept across the land, and things in Albion have changed drastically. The protagonist’s brother is currently the king, but he’s ruling more like a tyrant. From there, destiny requires leaving the safety of the castle (with a faithful dog of course), becoming a hero, garnering the support of the people, overthrowing the oppressive brother/king and becoming the ruler of Albion. How this is gone about is up to the player to dec
Fable Anniversary is a port of ten year old game released on eight year old hardware after we’ve witnessed the power of next-gen. Yet even with so much stacked against it, it manages to impress. There’s not much of a “wow-factor” because of its ill-timed release, but with the exception of completely rebuilding the game for Xbox One, there simply isn’t much else that could be done that isn’t accomplished here. Sound, functionality and graphics are all substantially improved and breath new life into a game that has aged remarkably well. Even after two sequels and console generations, Fable has the uncanny ability to suck you into its Adventure games Patch Notes through the world of Albion. Anniversary is more of a preservation if anything, ensuring that the entire franchise can now be played in the same manner on the same console. As a museum piece, it’s a wonderful effort that ensures the game will remain relevant for a new generation of players. As a game, it’s the definitive edition of a superb title that has a lot to offer even in 2014.