The Blogtastic Blogfest That Is Getmeoutofthis.net!

Hi! Long time no post!
I made a Top Ten Games of 2018 List, and it turns out, I have a blog! Neat! Let me throw that up here!

Permanent Faves I’ll Leave Off, But Trust Me, They’re Good and I Love Them

Granblue Fantasy: I love Vyrn and Lyria to death, and the game is so cute. I burned out on taking it seriously this year, but I still came back for every single event because I wanted to know every bit of story. I love the world, the characters, and this game so much.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Kept checking back in off and on all year. I’m now officially an Elder Scrolls fan I guess? I have a lot of opinions about things in that world. The game is real good solo. Please get it and enjoy it.

And now, a top ten

10. Mass Effect Andromeda: Okay, so, this game is bad in so many ways. The plot is bad, the pacing is bad, the engine and stuff is real bad. It’s not good! But the characters, I fell in love with. The cast is very good in this one. No real stinkers! Even the boring ones I still liked. But I really fell in love with Drack and Vetra. Drack is such a good cool grandpa. He’s equal parts relatable and clearly out of touch, and he’s just so rad to hang out with. He loves killing bad dudes and his granddaughter. He’s neat. And Vetra us just probably the best love interest the series has ever made. She’s very flawed but full of caring, very butch but in that way that makes it clear she’d like you to give her an excuse to be a little more femme? I love her and I’m sad that because everything else about the game was bad, I’ll likely never see any more of her.

9. Kirby: Star Allies: I love Kirby. I will always love Kirby. This game is good. But compared to Robobot? This one felt a little less exciting. It’s well put together, and all the dlc adding other characters from past games ruled. I really enjoyed playing it! But it didn’t stick with me like other games in the series. It felt like “another one of those.” And again, I’ll take phoned in Kirby any dang day! But it ends up lower on my list as a result. Sorry Kirby. I still love you.

8. Dragalia Lost: Nintendo and Cygames made a Gacha, and shock, I like it. It’s kind of Granblue light in story? I like everyone but don’t love them. But I’ve found the combat and raids very satisfying, surprisingly. They also keep updating it to make it more and more casual to play, which shocks me, but I’m into a game that is fine with me wanting to spend less time each game session, and supports it. I was expecting to drop this, but I keep coming back, so I suppose that’s a big mark in it’s favor.

7. Dragon Quest XI: This game is a monster, and I’m almost done! But it’s been a blast. Unlike other JRPGs, it doesn’t feel like it’s overstayed it’s welcome, which is amazing to me, because it is not short. But the characters are so strong, and fit the breezy fairy tale story so well. It’s also designed to be played in little spurts which is so good as a too busy adult. It’s great to feel welcome when I pick it up after being busy for a week or two. I guess enthusiasts think this is a weaker one, but I’ve so completely enjoyed it, I can’t wait to go back and try some of the more modern DQ games I’ve missed.

6. Chess: Hey, have you tried this board game called Chess? It’s kind of rad? I randomly decided to try to teach myself chess this year, and while I won’t say I’m good or anything, I’ve learned a lot and had a lot of fun. I never got why people enjoy the game, and even now that I play on a regular basis, I still don’t know if I can explain why I find it so satisfying. But to try anyway, Chess is a game that rewards you for anything you put into it. Learn the tiniest thing, and you will see your play change, and see new possibilities, and go “Oh!!” as you realize how to do something cool. I may not win often, but I’ve seen myself grow as a player over months, and I love that. Chess is good. Please challenge me to correspondence games, thank you.

5. Mario Tennis Aces: So, the single player in this is bad. Don’t buy it for that. But this is the best Mario Tennis has ever been. The racket breaking stuff seems like such a gimmick until you get into it, and then you realize how much the mechanic pushes you to execute and makes new styles of tennis play viable. The game is rock solid online, and it feels like playing a good fighting game. Only it’s Mario Tennis! And I know that! So I can complete! I need to go back to this, and I hope they have added or will as doubles tournament mode for online. But dang, it’s great to see Nintendo make such a polished online experience.

4. Bayonetta 2: I finally got to play this, and gasp, it’s super good. I replayed 1 before this, and it’s obvious how much 2 improves. I found the weapons weirder and way more fun, Witch Time much less finicky to use, and the enemy variety, with demons thrown into the mix, to be extra fun. Also, hell, I love her outfit a lot more in this one! This game is just a classic. It really is.

3. ARMS: Remember all that stuff about playing Mario Tennis online? ARMS is all that but more so. There is so much to think about with loadouts and how to bait and punish your opponents in a match. But you also just throw punches and jump around. It’s a deceptively deep fighting game that’s easy to get into, and it’s online lobbies make it feel so casual with how it mixes up modes and opponents. It’s just so good. I also really enjoyed the Party Crash events, which really made you learn other fighters and matchups. Also, this game has the best use of motion controls I’ve ever experienced? Playing with motion controls is so satisfying and does not feel like you’re hobbling yourself at all. I punched at the screen daily for so long! It’s a shame this game doesn’t get more love. But I’m giving it love! I love it!

2. Slay the Spire: Occasionally, a roguelike grabs me and does not let go. It had been a while, but Slay the Spire scratched that itch. The three characters are so different in such a satisfying way, and I love all their character designs too. Mechanically, the game does a great job at making multiple deck styles viable for each character, but forces you to make good decisions and stick with a plan. On top of that, the daily runs go from silly to fiendish, and they were a blast to dive into day after day. I love this game so much. Please play it.

1. BanG Dream!: Girls Band Party!: I played a lot of Love Live, and I like all those characters and that game. I figured I’d just fiddle with this and be done. But while I like everyone in Love Live, I absolutely love everyone in Bandori. I want to hug every character in Hello, Happy World!, and every band has characters and dynamics I find endearing. What’s more, even more than Love Live, I really enjoy the music in this game. I’ve bought a lot of it! I listen to it outside the game! This is also the first phone game like this I’ve put money into, because it has this very nice casual subscription model called the “Premium Happy Box” that is cheap and feels like a bargain. I’m happy to pay it because they put so much love into this game, with constant new stories and new songs. Bandori is doing the phone gacha game right, and I will cry about MisaKanon until the day I die because they are such a good couple, oh gosh. Anyway, it’s good. A wonderful surprise.