Countach's RoundTable: January 2016

Oculus Rift VR Headset

Amplitude (PS4)

My first experience with a rhythm game was on the PS2 with the game Frequency by Harmonix.
You flew a ship around lanes made up of different instruments of a music track and you had to hit buttons along with the beat for about 2 measures then that part of the track would keep playing and you moved to another lane for a different instrument so you were playing the song but also picking which parts to hear.
It was an amazing game.
The sequel Amplitude came out and it was even better.
These titles led to the first Guitar Hero game and the rest is history.
They put this new game on kickstarted about 2 years ago and it has finally been released.
It feels the same which is a good thing. It's still tough as ever but it's beautiful and the audio is booming.
My big gripe though is with the soundtrack. There is a campaign composed of 15 songs and I'm not a fan of quite of few of them. You do have to play those in order to unlock more songs which is a pain. Of course music is opinionated so you may love it.
One of the first songs I unlocked was the song to the first level of Crypt of the Necrodancer and it was awesome. Playing that song made the game worth it.
The price is only $20 so not a huge investment.
I think there is a total of 45 songs so I have a ton to open up so I believe the music will get better.

Batman Arkham Knight

Finished the main story this weekend and it was really enjoyable and I thought the writing was amazing and the main characters were voiced perfectly.
My only gripe is that to see the true ending you need to finish all the 250 Riddler challenges so I've been debating just watching it on youtube. I do find the challenges fun though so I may hold off.
I put around 40 hours into the game and still have most of the DLC to finish up. They are short which is a bit disappointing but I have gotten my money's worth.

Honorable Mention

Only played a couple of hours and enjoyed it but waiting for the PC version which is out in January.

Top 10 List

10. Hand of Fate/Nuclear Throne

Hard to choose between the two so I included both.
Hand of Fate is an interactive story card based action brawler. It is a mashup of multiple genres that actually works.
Nuclear Throne is just a fast paced action game with a ton of style and great music.

9. Halo Collection/Borderlands The Handsome Collection

Even though both these games didn't come out this year I finally played them and had a blast.
The Halo Collection had a rough launch but they did get the game fixed and playing through all the old Halo's is still fun.
Borderlands is still one of my favorite games and the second one didn't disappoint. The Pre-quel was really fun as well.
Some of the best online co-op games that keep you engaged for a long time.

8. Bloodborne

I still need to go back and finish this game, I think I'm around 75% done.
The atmosphere of the game is amazing and having the main weapons transform into different types felt great.
They really did change up the formula from past Dark Souls games with no shields which did make the combat feel livelier.
The game is tough but rewarding and I can't wait for Dark Souls 3 early next year.

7. Destiny: The Taken King

Really surprised this made my list after being disappointed with the game last year.
They made some real improvements and fixed the loot system without the need to constantly grind.
I think the shooting mechanics feel the best of any game I've ever played.
Now they only need to produce more DLC to get me back in the game.

6. Dying Light

My favorite open world zombie killer game.
The combat is very satisfying but it's the world traversal that really made the game standout, running and jumping over the landscape felt perfect.
The DLC for next year looks amazing and is bigger than the base game.

5. Fallout 4

How could this not be on the list? Announced and released in the same year. It's Fallout.

4. Witcher 3

Still ashamed that I haven't finished this game yet as it was my most anticipated game.
I've put in over 50 hours and there is still a ton to do. I think the main story's pacing is a bit off as the finding of Dandelion story arc is way too long and I got a little disinterested.
The game is amazing though with one of the best looking worlds that I've traveled across.
The Bloody Baron quest is one of my favorites.
There is still one piece of DLC to be released this year.

3. Batman Arkham Knight

I love the Batman games and was so ready to finish the trilogy but was so disappointed by the horrible PC port that I almost didn't play it this year. Luckily they did get the port working although technically not perfect, the game play doesn't disappoint.
I'm still unsure of the inclusion of the Bat-mobile, it is an important piece of the Batman lore but part of me thinks it takes away from the feel of the city, so I'm torn. If it controlled like the cars in Rocket League that would be a different story.
The Joker's part in this game is amazing and is my favorite part of the game. Mark Hamill is so much more than Luke Skywalker.
I hope that Rocksteady's next game is is a Justice League game because that would be amazing to see what they could do with different characters.

2. Dirt Rally

I loved the Dirt games but they started to stray further away from Rally Racing so I was floored when this game came out of nowhere into Early Access. I didn't think Codemasters would make a true rally game, I'm so glad they did.
This is a pure rally game with no fluff. There are no crazy announcers are exploding fireworks, just you, your co-pilot, and car careening around the track trying to stay in control.
There are also no flashbacks so if you totally wreck your car, race over. It works for this game as the tension of keeping your car on the track fuels the adrenaline.
Outstanding sound design The sound of the cars is amazing and so detailed, just listen for the rattling parts of the interior of the car.
I finally finished first in a race after 30 hours so the game is tough but I do feel myself getting better and my times are going down.
My only gripe is that gaining money to buy new cars feels way to slow so you are racing the starter cars for far too long.
If you like racing games give this a try, it's coming to consoles Q1/Q2 of 2016.

1. Rocket League

This game just clicked with me. I don't have one complaint about the game it's perfect.
Each game has a range of emotions and the competitive aspect is great.
Just driving around in the car feels awesome, I wish they would come out with a car combat game with these controls.
When it comes out on the Xbox One I will be a first day purchaser.
I've put in over 150 hours and still enjoy playing it about every night.

Countach's RoundTable