Board 8 > Recommend one game that lost in Round 3.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Shovel Knight

It's similar to VVVVVV in that it loves being a video game. I didn't really care for the other modes outside of the base game where you play as Shovel Knight, but you get a great soundtrack and that sweet downward strike from above your enemies.

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Super Mario Galaxy 2 is my favorite game in this bracket, so that!


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Fallout: New Vegas

Buggy with some of the lifelessness that also plagues Bethesda games, but undoubtedly one of the great RPGs of this decade.

Only one? There were a few pretty good ones but... guess I'll go with Arkham City

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(it's fine if you recommend more than one, I'm just trying to see what people would recommend the most)

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Red Dead Redemption 2.

The story is unbelievably good, the absolute pinnacle of AAA storytelling - and its a real surprise that after decades of Rockstar telling the same story over and over they would come out with this. It is also one of the great open worlds of our time - like Breath of the Wild, it is not about filling out a checklist of things to do in a random order, it is about inhabiting and interacting with a living space.

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Pokemon HS/SS

please

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Horizon

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NieR: Automata (I'm hoping it may still win but I doubt it)

One of the premiere examples of pushing what a game narrative could be this decade. It feels almost endlessly layered with some of the most complex & thoughtful themes that continuously reveal themselves and change your perception of everything on each subsequent route. It also gives the player so much agency over their own story at the same time; you can go full Monty and see every ending the game has to offer, or stop at any one for an ending that satisfies you. It's so rare not only to see a game structured like this but to pull it off so spectacularly as well. And that's coupled with a melding of gameplay genres anchored by the highly entertaining and surprisingly in-depth combat Platinum is typically known for.

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Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the best Nintendo game ever made.
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LeonhartFour posted...

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the best Nintendo game ever made.

That's a stretch, but it's above excellent.

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Super Mario Galaxy 2 (one of the three losers this round I've played for any length of time)

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Again, if we're going for recommendations and not just my fave (Galaxy 2)...

Play Horizon. This game had to live BotW's shadow even though it's amazing in and of itself. Best combat in an open world game imo

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To add to what HaRRich said about Shovel Knight, the DLC is some of the best usage of DLC in all of video gaming, and all it really does is change the character from the titular Shovel Knight to one of the other Order of No Quarter, and you play the game again under a completely context.

Also, the DLC is completely free, when it easily could have justified a $10 price tag for each campaign.

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Nier Automata.

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Horizon, the superior Breath of the Wild.

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I've played very few of the R3 losers this round -- what else is worth recommending?

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3H is a good GOTY contender (if not my personal pick), Nier Automata is a legit Game of the Decade contender but has been covered by others so I'll go with...

Bloodborne.

In my opinion it is another legitimate contender for Game of the Decade, enough so that it made my nomination list. It's generally lumped in with Demon/Dark Souls as "Soulsborne" and for good reason but it was actually my entry point to the series and remains my favorite of them so far (it inspired me to play Dark Souls I and II which were both excellent games and III which I'm actually currently playing.)

It's an Action RPG with a heavy emphasis on the action. The setting is basically a kind of Victorian London-ish area that is under assault by various supernatural creatures like werewolves, cultists, ogres, etc. and you fight your way through it while trying to determine what the hell is happening.

The atmosphere is absolutely top-notch and the combat is incredible once you get a hang of it. The choice in weapons is incredibly expansive and they all have a "trick" form which is usually a crazy awesome version of the base weapon with a different moveset. For example you have a starter weapon in the Threaded Cane which in its base form is well... pretty much a cane that you wield somewhat like a sword but in trick form it becomes a whipsword. Transition to and from these forms is a simple button press and can be seamlessly integrated in combat (in fact switching between them in combat comes with a special attack move so you can work it into combos.) You have the Sword of Mercy which is wielded as a single sword in base but can be split into two smaller swords in trick form for lightning fast dual-wielding strikes. And these are more normal-ish weapons! You've got some truly creative ones in there as well. You also wield a gun which while you can spec for damage dealing is usually used for interrupting and parrying enemy attacks by shooting them while they're in their attack animation which can render them vulnerable to critical attacks. Evading damage is generally dodging or just staying out of range as you wait for an opening to punish the opponent. It can be a bit of a steep learning curve if it's your first foray into this type of game but it's very rewarding to learn and is almost always fair even when it seems impossible at first. Learning enemy attack patterns and movesets and how to handle/capitalize on them is incredibly rewarding and often more effective than actual levelling!

The story/lore isn't really told to you directly. It's something you have to delve into on your own by piecing together item descriptions, dialogue, and some notes you find scattered throughout the world. If you're here just for the combat then you don't have to worry about it taking up your time but if you want to explore that side of things it's actually very fascinating and well done IMO.

Legitimate 10/10 game in my mind and giving it a try was one of the best gaming decisions I made this gen.

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Pretty much every game in the third round that lost is worth playing. We've got a really good group of games.

More people need to play Spider-Man. Fantastic superhero game that really captures the feeling of being Spidey.

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Up once more.

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xp1337 posted...

Legitimate 10/10 game in my mind and giving it a try was one of the best gaming decisions I made this gen.

I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! It's my personal gotd as well

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