At the end of the year, I like to do a wrap-up post of all my favorite things from video games that came out that year. It’s not a top 10 list of games, it’s to talk about what different games did best — like which game had the best combat, which had the most interesting character, which cutscene was the most memorable to me, etc.
It’s my favorite post of the year, but last year, in 2014, I didn’t do one. I didn’t feel like I had played enough new games to justify the post, which was really sad to me. But it’s been on my mind ever since, which is why I’ve decided to write a few posts on what I love in video games in general, from all the years I’ve been playing.
This is part one of the awards, but I have several other categories in mind that I’m working on for additional posts! I’ll roll them out in the next week. =)
Most Addicting Combat:
Devil May Cry
I haven’t completed this series, but I love the hack ‘n’ slash combat in Devil May Cry. You can switch between a handful of weapons in the midst of a combo, creating a huge arsenal of tricks to slice up enemies. Start out with the sword, switch to punching, and then fire Dante’s pistols to finish off a huge, damaging combo that looks and feels great.
I’ll admit I’m not a competitive person, and that’s true in video games too — but when I play a Devil May Cry, I want to get better. I want to replay missions to improve my score. It takes practice, but it feels so good to perfect your technique and completely ruin those demons.
Favorite Post-Apocalyptic World:
Metro 2033/Last Light
When it comes to the Apocalypse, I’m into stark wastelands more than zombie invasions. That’s why the Metro series of video games, based on novels by Dmitry Glukhovsky, appeal to me so much. Survivors live in the subways of Moscow; to go above ground, they need to wear gas masks and take armaments to battle the aliens that might attack. The atmosphere in both places is incredible. Extra points for being a snowy wasteland.
Desert Island Pick:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
If I had to choose just one game to play for the rest of my life, I would choose Skyrim. I have come back to Skyrim about four times now. Diving back in as a brand new character always feels like a fresh experience, because Skyrim is full of choices.
You create a character, choosing from one of several races. You complete various quest lines, depending on your chosen combat style. You make key decisions in a war that’s happening throughout the game. You even get to choose who you bring along with you on quests, who you marry, and which house (or houses) you live in.
With so much open-world exploration and seemingly endless questing available in this single-player game, I can’t imagine it ever getting boring.
Game That Made Me Dizziest:
Flower
Thatgamecompany made a beautiful game in Flower, which has you floating over the ground collecting flower petals. To reach them, you often have to dive for them and then spin around; using the PlayStation 4’s DualShock controller, this means actually moving the controller in the direction (up, down, left, right) that you want to go. It’s kind of cool. It just made me very, very dizzy. I had to play this one in 30-minute sessions or less!)
That’s it for this round, but I have two more parts ready to go later this week. If you guys have any suggestions or want to post some of your own answers to these, I’d love to hear them!
— Ashley
Robo♥beat 
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