Prev Next 1 of Previous Next Like every December, the technology site The Verge has chosen the best video games released this year: it is always an informative list even if you are not a fan, even if only to get an idea once a year of what happens in the industry. videogame, as they write in serious articles. There are titles that have reached many at least by hearsay, such as Red Dead Redemption 2 or Spider-Man. But The Verge always chooses different ones even among the independent ones, in which the aesthetic and artistic part has much more importance than that of playability, or among those that to see them resemble games of twenty years ago, but to whose scripts it was dedicated a Hollywood movie engagement. Then there are some, in between, that keep a little of all these things inside.
Beat Saber
VR (€ 29.99 on PlayStation store)
It is a game that can be played with a virtual reality headset – from the Oculus Rift to the PlayStation one to the HTC one – and which is a cross between a Star Wars fight and Guitar Hero, the popular video game in where you have to play the songs on some kind of guitar. In fact, the purpose of Beat Saber is to play the rhythmic accompaniment of some famous pop songs by destroying colored blocks with lightsabers: if nothing you have read seems to make sense, it is easier to see than to explain. It's very addicting, writes The Verge, and sweaty like no other video game released this year.
Celeste
All consoles (€ 19.99 on the various stores)
It is a platform video game – that is, like the old Super Mario, in which you proceed in a two-dimensional multi-level environment – with eighties graphics, released for all consoles. The story revolves around a girl who suffers from anxiety and depression, but who decides to climb a Canadian mountain to test herself: the result is a somewhat supernatural adventure in which she is confronted with the worst part of herself. The retro graphics and soundtrack are “wonderful”, according to The Verge, which calls the story “powerful”.
Dead Cells
All consoles (€ 24.99 on the various stores)
This too is a video game of those who look back, both in terms of graphics and as an idea. To describe it, experts use two technical terms: metroidvania, that is inspired by the game mechanics of Metroid and Castlevania, two historical video games of the eighties that were based on interconnected maps in which the player can move quite freely, unlocking pieces as they go; roguelike, that is, a game similar to those of role, with maps and levels generated randomly and combat in turns. You will have understood that Dead Cells is a game that is appreciated above all by those who are rather impalled, but according to The Verge it is difficult to stop playing it and manages to remember the classics while remaining original.
Florence
iOs and Android (3.49 € on the App Store, 2.99 € on the Play Store)
It's an interactive story for smartphones, by the same designer from Monument Valley, one of the most popular and appreciated mobile video games ever. It tells the love story of a 25-year-old woman, told in 20 chapters, during which the player is asked to intervene with small decisions and puzzles. It lasts less than two hours, but it is “sweet, sentimental, and will melt your heart”.
God of War
Ps4 (€ 29.95 on Amazon)
It is the latest installment in a popular adventure game series, traditionally set in the world of Greek mythology but this time carried over to Norse mythology. It tells the story of the god of war and his son, and their journey through the various realms held together by the World Tree of Viking cosmology. Together, they must reach the top of a mountain where they can scatter the ashes of their newly deceased mother. In between are giant snakes, monsters of all kinds, spirits, Valkyries, dragons and many other creatures, mostly to be bludgeoned with an ax or chained blades. It has incredible graphics, a very entertaining combat system and a carefully scripted story, “one of the most compelling of the year” according to The Verge.
Gris
Nintendo Switch and PC (€ 16.99 on the Nintendo store)
It came out a few days ago, it is only played for a few hours and is based on a simple plot: to bring color back to a wasteland. In reality, at the center of the game is the inner journey of the protagonist girl, drawn and colored like a great animated film. It is based on exploring and solving skill tests without risk (you can't die, that is).
Into the Breach
PC, Mac, Linux (€ 14.99 on Steam)
It is a strategic video game in which you have to control robots and use them to kill giant monsters. It is done with a turn-based combat system, and a mechanism that shows the opponents' moves in advance: but it is very complicated, especially at the beginning. It resembles chess, writes The Verge, “but with tanks and giant beasts”.
Monster Hunter: World
PS4, Xbox One, PC (€ 35.99 on Amazon)
The title sums up the plot enough: you have to hunt monsters, to kill them or to capture them. It is the last chapter of a series that began in 2004, which until the previous chapters made titles dedicated almost only to the hard core of fans, not aligned with everything that was changing in the world of video games. Things have changed, according to The Verge, and the company CapCom has worked on a game with a more modern sensibility, developing among other things a very large game world.
Pokémon: Let's Go!
Nintendo Switch (54 € on Amazon)
As The Verge writes, there were a lot of things that could go wrong in a game that was supposed to be a more traditional version of Pokémon Go, the smartphone game that for one summer actually changed the way people in between. world walked on the street. Instead, the game managed to take “the best of both worlds, and is perhaps the best entry point for new players”.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Ps4, Xbox One (€ 69.99 on Amazon)
Chances are you've heard of it if you've had an internet connection in the past few weeks. It is one of those games that the most important newspapers in the world write about that will change the way of playing games, which will define a generation, which is one of the best “visual experiences” in recent years. Old west, horses, guns, but above all moving freely in an extremely varied and realistic world that wants to interact in many ways with the player. Sometimes it seems that he doesn't want to entertain him, writes The Verge, because it is slow and has poorly explained game mechanics: but it is only an impression, “it has a depth and complexity like no other virtual world seen so far”.
Return of the Obra Dinn
Mac, PC (€ 16.79 on Steam)
It is one of what are called “graphic adventures”, set on a ghost ship of the nineteenth century. The aim is to understand what killed the crew members, through the clues and puzzles that are discovered by exploring the ship. The Verge recommends using a notebook while playing.
Spider-Man
Ps4 (€ 39.95 on Amazon)
The plot you imagine for yourself. It was one of the most popular superhero video games of recent times, and is set in a very realistic and huge New York, which you can explore freely by moving among the skyscrapers. And it's really fun to do it, writes The Verge, unlike many open world games.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Nintendo Switch (59 € on Amazon)
The last chapter of the successful Nintendo series in which, essentially, the most famous characters of the Japanese house take a blow. There are those of Super Mario Bros., Zelda, Star Fox, Pokémon, Pac-Man and many other Nintendo worlds, each with their own special abilities. This chapter has improved upon the previous one in a lot of ways, writes The Verge.
Tetris Effect
Ps4 (46 € on Amazon)
More or less everyone has played Tetris in the last thirty years, but it cannot be said that it has undergone great evolutions. According to The Verge, things have changed with Tetris Effect, which “adds beautiful and surprising levels of music, visuals and stories to the game.” And it's even better in virtual reality, the site says.
Yakuza 6
Ps4 (€ 29.99 on Amazon)
It is the sixth chapter of a Japanese saga about the mafia, Japanese. There is a very accurate reproduction of Tokyo, a remarkable and unsettling script, and an engaging combat system, writes The Verge, and compared to the previous ones it adds a level of emotional complexity: the protagonist has a child to look after. But you must like a lot the games where you fight.
