Eric Hall — Staff Writer
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
The highest praise that I can give for South Park: The Fractured But Whole is that it managed to sink its hooks in me in spite of my growing disinterest in the series it is based upon. Funny, and even touching in parts, sure, but you don’t need to be a fan of Trey and Matt’s show to enjoy playing Ubisoft’s RPG. That’s because underneath all the poop jokes and curse words is an RPG that is simple enough to jump right into, but deep enough to sustain entertainment. And in a genre that where titles frequently take several days of playtime to complete, there’s something nice about a story that can be wrapped up in less than 20 hours. So, if you’ve been burned by recent RPGs, may I suggest taking a trip down to South Park to meet some friends of mine?
Cuphead
After years of hype, even I’m surprised by how great Cuphead turned out. A boss rush, run and gunner from a studio with no other big projects to speak of? That could have been a recipe for disaster. However, Studio MDHR’s loving throwback delighted my senses while bruising my ego. The Fleischer Studios inspired visuals deservedly received a lot of praise, but the game is more than just a pretty face. Cuphead’s brutal, blistering gameplay is a perfect representation of the highs the genre can reach. The game rewards patience, and the feeling of success that can be achieved by finally conquering the Devil was unmatched by anything else this year. Always challenging, but never frustrating, Cuphead has staked its claim as one of the reasons to own an Xbox One.
Tacoma
We are in a golden age of storytelling in videogames. Titles such as Hellblade, Wolfenstein II and What Remains of Edith Finch delivered remarkable, gripping tales. As excellent as those titles were, though, no story stuck with me quite as much as Fulbright’s Tacoma did. Utilizing a unique mechanic that lets you get a new angle on a particular scene, the title successfully manages to get you invested in people that you don’t even know. The crew of the titular space ship you are sent to investigate don’t even appear outside of previously recorded footage, yet during these miniature glances you are truly able to understand who each one was. It can be hard enough to develop bonds with fictional characters, let alone ones you don’t even meet. Yet the studio was able to deliver an emotionally resonant tale of persistence and survival that is unlike anything else I have experience.
