proper game art that gave me shellshock

One of the best first-person shooter campaigns of all time. You should learn how to play Doom wads.

One of the best ever attempts to make anime playable

They found a way to make a religious experience into a religious community

I played a lot of Suda this year, and Silver Case is the one that's stuck with me the longest. I initially came away from the game-novel a little underwhelmed, but have realised over time that lessons and moods and ideas have germinated in my pea-brain and taken long-term hold - like what happens when you watch a dense arthouse film that changes your synaptic pathways. Very cool thing for a video game to do!

Handicapped by its reputation and meme-sphere, but still thoroughly impressive, thought-provoking and just plain good fun - as long as you're willing to be generous with your quick-save key. Some times the imsim will stop simulating and it'll take you all the way out of an incredibly impressive world, but it's so amusing that you'll probably find something else entirely to appreciate. Charming.

Wahoo!

Flower, Sun, and Rain[a] is an adventure game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture for the PlayStation 2. It was initially published by Victor Interactive Software in Japan in 2001. A port for the Nintendo DS (DS) was developed by h.a.n.d. under supervision by Grasshopper Manufacture. It was published by Marvelous Entertainment in Japan (2008), Rising Star Games in Europe (2008), and Xseed Games in North America (2009).

Flower, Sun, and Rain is set on the Micronesian island resort of Lospass, and is loosely connected to the events of The Silver Case. The story follows Sumio Mondo, a "searcher" who makes a living looking for things people have lost. Mondo is initially contracted to defuse a bomb planted on a plane, but is so distracted with helping the islanders that the bomb goes off. He ends up caught in a timeloop, where he relives the same day running up to the explosion. Gameplay focuses on Mondo exploring the island, solving numerical puzzles with the help of his computer "Catherine" to solve people's problems on Lospass.

Flower, Sun, and Rain was conceived, directed, designed and co-written by studio founder Goichi Suda. Production began in 1999 following the release of The Silver Case, the studio's debut title. Multiple staff from The Silver Case returned, including co-writer Masashi Ooka and character designer Takashi Miyamoto. Returning composer Masafumi Takada co-wrote the score with Shingo Yasumoto. The PS2 version remained exclusive to Japan, while the DS version received an international release. The original version was positively reviewed, but the DS release received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

Flower, Sun, and Rain is an adventure game where players take the role of main protagonist Sumio Mondo. As Mondo, the player navigates the environments around the "Flower, Sun, and Rain" hotel on the island resort of Lospass.[1] All environments within Lospass are rendered using three-dimensional graphics.[2] The game is split into chapters that take place across eighteen days.[3][4] While he has a main goal, "Obstacle" events will block his path, prompting him to help non-playable characters (NPCs) solving problems and locating lost items.[1] Each day after the initial opening segment begins with Mondo in his hotel room, and after that time Mondo is allowed to explore the environments within and surrounding "Flower, Sun, and Rain". Later in the game, more of the environments open up for exploration. Mondo has no form of transport, only being able to explore the island on foot.[1][3]

Puzzles in Flower, Sun, and Rain all follow a similar pattern, with Mondo being asked by NPCs to help them with a problem. Puzzles are solved using "Catherine", a suitcase-bound computer that Mondo carries with him at all times. Puzzles are initiated when locating environmental cues or talking to NPCs. All puzzles revolved around four-digit numerical combinations, the correct combinations being hinted at through dialogue and other clues: an example puzzle is taking a birthday and manipulating the numbers in some way, through either physically flipping them or rearranging them, to find the correct code. The player may also need to solve math or logic problems to deduce the correct code.[1][4][5]

When all the necessary numbers are found, Mondo then uses Catherine to solve the puzzle and complete the request. Catherine can be connected to anything from inanimate objects to living people through the use of jacks: when the correct jack has been connected, the player then inputs the number sequence. If correct, the player gains a "Hit" and the puzzle is completed, but a "Blank" means that the player has the incorrect answer.[1][4] If the player fails at a puzzle, they can start over again once a countdown timer has elapsed.[3] At the beginning of the game, Mondo is given a guidebook to the island, which acts as a means for the player to document environmental and dialogue clues.[1][4]

In the Nintendo DS (DS) version, the gameplay is almost identical, although displays are split between the dual screen set up and touch screen controls are incorporated: puzzles make use of the touch screen and DS' stylus, while elements such as the map of Lospass are displayed on the bottom screen during navigation. A new feature dubbed the "Lost and Found Report" is added, giving players new puzzles to solve at the beginning of each day.[6][7] Players also have access to a notepad within the Catherine computer, on which players can draw and write notes related to a particular puzzle.[4] The amount of exploration done across Lospass by Mondo is documented using a Step Counter, and bonuses can be awarded based on the distance covered by Mondo. As the game progresses, additional costumes for Mondo are unlocked.[8]

The game opens with Sumio Mondo, a "searcher" who makes a living looking for people's lost things, arriving on the Micronesian resort island of Lospass and taking a room at the "Flower, Sun, and Rain" hotel; his task is to locate and defuse a bomb planted on a plane which is soon to leave the island's only airport. When he first arrives, he encounters Peter Bocchwinkur—a mediator between Mondo and his client Edo Macalister, manager of "Flower, Sun, and Rain". On his way to the airport, Mondo is distracted with helping other residents of Lospass and guests of "Flower, Sun, and Rain". This results in him failing in his mission, causing the bomb to explode and the plane to crash into Lospass. The next morning, Mondo wakes in his hotel room to find it is the same day as the explosion. Over the following two weeks, Mondo repeats the same day over and over again, but each time he is distracted with helping the islanders and fails to stop the bomb from exploding, which in turn causes his death. As each day passes, Mondo finds it increasingly difficult to maintain his sanity in the face of these inexplicable events.

Loved it when I played it on my PC at the start of the year. REALLY loved it when I played it on a big projector while zooted. Verges more on spirit-experience than game.

Shows Sonic the Hedgehog at his very best - endearingly cool in a retro "PLAY IT LOUD" kind of way that makes you smile and think about how hard his life has been.

A great substitute for cocaine when coronavirus curfews and lockdowns made drug dealing more difficult

In my review of this mod, I asked Bethesda to release a Quake remaster. Three weeks later, they released a Quake remaster. I'm an influencer.

I often think about levels from this game and moments I had (usually backflipping over a demon while smoking a doobskin, etc.), which is the mark of a good game imo

ROMANTIC IDEAL OF AN ARCADE GAME

Very glad that my route through the Sudaverse this year lead to me picking this up, as I'd totally disregarded it at launch. Was a genuinely fulfilling and emotional experience to play a game about making games right as I was finishing up making my own game.

It's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater!

I watched the Castlevania anime this year too! I liked it.

Incredibly impressive, perhaps overwhelmingly so. That I struggled to overcome this thing's grandeur and scale and then went and made my own Doom WAD an unnecessarily sprawling epic says a lot about my inability to analyse and reflect upon art.

Somewhat sterile inversion of what Travis Strikes Again also attempts, a worthwhile museum piece

Came in expecting disposable cutesy, came away with indisposable cutesy treatise on the economies of the 21st century

£1 game you can beat in a single sitting or just play for like 2 minutes every couple weeks. Love it. More like this please.

I dunno, man. Maybe I burnt out on Kill the Past by the time I got here. But the vibe was all off. Do not recommend playing this when your life is stuck in a repetitive government-mandated timeloop. Some stellar moments sprinkled in among monotony. But some of the monotony is incredible too. A total hate-fuck of a game.

The best RPG I completed this year.

I gave this three GOTY awards on here last year when I'd only done the first three chapters. Very naive and stupid boy.

We need to take postmodern commentary on game mechanics away from indie game developers until we figure out what's going on

fuck yeah man

A cautionary tale about pursuit of mood above mechanics

I really wish someone would take the best levels from all these community projects and bundle them together. A Community Project Community Project, if you will.

Commendable attempt to turn left-leaning tech worker/shitposter talking points into an entire game

girlfriend gaming :)

Dreaming in a cage

About as fun as rolling dice onto a table and reading the numbers for a couple of hours. Fortunately, I think rolling dice onto a table and reading the numbers in a pretty fun activity.

betraying my principles for girlfriend gaming :)

I beat every level, including the expansions, which I think says more about what living through January 2021 was like than anything about the quality of this game

I beat this game without using a walkthrough, which I think says more about what living through January 2021 was like than anything about the quality of this game

We need to take glitch art and memento mori imagery away from indie game developers until we figure out what's going on

I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad.

Almost succeeds at convincing you that people had fun playing the ZX Spectrum

Cool!

You can tell Rise of Skywalker killed my Star Wars love forever by how unwilling I was to complete this despite it being a Star Wars video game

There Is No Idea That Hasn't Been Done Before

more like "a mid game" ha ha

Conker's Bad Game

This is Phil your review guide for Watchmojo.com for all your video games and games review. the game will be reviewing today is "The Godfather" yes, "The Godfather", one of the best movies ever made in terms of mafia. this game is rated M for Mature. its release date is a 21st of March. also keep in mind that the M for Mature again. I will repeat it is very violent. there's a lot of blood in this and a lot of violence - have you seen the Godfather movies? make sense. graphics in this game are unreal. you will be able, like grant the ability, to step in and out of vehicles that are in the day and age of 1945 to about.... 1955. now the Godfather is a setting in 1945 like we all know of mafias. you're part of the Corleone family just like in the movies where you as a character need to establish a certain amount of respect to be able to go on and create a great family to be able to gain the most respect you can in the city of New York. now with all that being said you start off creating your own character. now maybe this sounds a little bit racist to you but you cannot create yourself as a black character you cannot create yourself as a Chinese character this is only Italian because it is based on the fact that you are part of the Italian mob family. nevertheless the realism of the game gets a little cut at a certain point where you get the voice-over from every single single single actor from the movie but in this one Michael which is usually played by Al Pacino for certain amount of contract disputes that we do not know and cannot clarify to you is not part of it but every other voiceover is in there including with a late Marlon Brando.

Now the goal in the game is very important obviously because you need to know what you want to do. now in this game the goal obviously is to establish your family to be the one of the biggest family ever and to take out all the other family and to do so you need to establish respect because if people don't respect you people are not scared of you are intimidated which is a big BIG big part of the game and keep in mind that if you do not do not have the mentality of being Michael in this game you will not be able to play as you go on in the city and try to establish your family's greatness into the city. you have different options into doing that something other games have never offered us this game offers you the possibility of roughing up people intimidating or even expediting people. that is very important because it gives you, the gamer, personal attitudes. if you're the type of person to be calm to intimidate but not rough up because you're not violent there is ways to get through the game without hitting. but you know, in the end this is godfather and somebody will get shot now again.

As you all know this is the best part of the show for me where I give my opinion or my two cents on the game. The Godfather the game now remember our legend - our legend went like this nine to ten is a purchase where again I must repeat, you purchase, you bring home, you finish, you keep and finish again seven to eight is a rent but with late fees so when you go to Blockbuster make sure you get it for seven days because this game is a long game it's established to be about 56 hours of gameplay depending what kind of game you are now as you remember. 5 to 6 is a rent only. now this is a nine to ten and I will explain you why reason being this game not only is finished been 56 hours but can be added to your movie collection it comes with an amazing box set where you can store in your library and have a great décor, a great conversational piece, and also you have different ways of finishing the game or going about the game now if in the first time you play the game you are a violent type remember you can play the game again and try to go through any other ways to try to finish it because keep in mind that the artificial intelligence in this game is very very good because whatever you do and whatever ways you take to do it it will modify the game in the end. so just remember this is Phil from Watchmojo.com. remember it's just a game

Really good practical joke by Nvidia

offensive anti-art that transgresses harder than anything else on this list

fuck this

FUCK THIS