Happy Holidays and New Year/Decade to my TNE fam-a-lam jam. Hard to imagine another decade is about to end and as of writing this, less than 2 weeks until Christmas. I thought it would be fun to talk about 2019 and the decade as a whole.
What topics do we talk about? Anything's on the table. What were some of your favorite games of the year or decade. Favorite movies/tv shows/books/music/CoV posts/etc. Anything you did outside of the entertainment world that you were proud of? Or moments you look back on fondly?
Where to start? When I look back over the last 10 years or so, games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Pikmin 3, DOOM 2016, both Evil Withins, and Wolfenstein New Order/Young Blood come to mind. I feel like as gaming grows there is more of an audience for more real, gritty, story-driven and cinematic experiences, or always online 10 year roadmaps like Destiny. I love my PS4 but I felt that lack of Nintendo magic in my life as Breath of the Wild was the last new Nintendo game I bought until Link's Awakening a couple of months ago. DOOM and Mario Galaxy 2 are just pure fun romps that the industry needs to make more of. Wolfenstein New Order is a shining example, in my opinion, of how to balance a gritty interesting story with over-the-top fun gameplay. Of course I still had a great time with games like Uncharted 4, Bloodborne, Prey and Bioshock Infinite as well (though I can classify those games as "fun" as well).
I remember when I first starting getting into indie games as well. I remember first hearing about VVVVVV and that being one of the first indie games I ever played, alongside Mutant Mudds. The 3DS gave me access to the first Shantae game and I've been playing that series since. One of my all time favorites however is Hotline Miami. Between the gameplay and one of the best OSTs ever, it's a memorable gem that deserves it's praise...just not the sequel. Woof.
The 90's are now officially old enough for that style to be popular again. We got full on remakes of the first three Crash and Spyro games. We got a "not Banjo Kazooie" in Yooka Laylee which I love despite seeming like the only person who does. Bloodstained was a joy, and while I haven't played it yet, I've heard great things about A Hat in Time. Rayman came back better than ever with Rayman Origins and Bubsy the Bobcat even came back, remember that garbage? But who cares because Donkey Kong had two fantastic platformers in Returns and Tropical Freeze. Resident Evil 2 got it's long overdue remake, and it's just been announced that 3 is coming in April 2020, heck yeah dude.
One of the most distinct memory I have with a game is during college a couple of friends had the typical party house, and their Wii was usually always on with a copy of Smash Bros Brawl in it (last decade I know) so all we had to do was turn the tv on and pick up a controller to play. How many hours did we sink into that? Too many.
Speaking of which, I graduated college in 2012, shortly found out that money in a bank account can go in the negative (whoopsie), then eventually started a job that I still have almost 7 years later. One thing I'll never forget is wanting a loaf of bread from the local store and the cashier telling that their debit machine is down. I didn't have any cash on me, so the cashier said I could use the ATM, only issue being I didn't even have $20 to take out so I just had to go home with no food. As Dusty Rhodes would say, "I know all about them hard times daddy".
Switching notes, giant monsters returned to the theaters: Godzilla, King Kong and a bunch in Pacific Rim. Love these movies...well maybe not Pacific Rim 2. 007 celebreated 50 years in 2012 with Skyfall. Admittedly, I've been out of the loop on movies the past few years. Marvel and Disney made me tired of super hero movies, and I'm already a bit tired of Star Wars honestly. If I think back, I remember Dredd and John Wick kicking all kinds of ass, Drive being a great surprise, Mad Max Fury Road being insane, Toy Story 3 making me feel dem deels, Django Unchained being my new favorite Tarantino movie, and super hero movies, super hero movies everywhere.
Books are similar in that I'm not aware of many modern authors. I've mostly stuck to the classics the last couple of years. Agatha Christie, Stephen King, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Michael Crichton. Chapters had a buy 3 for 10 deal for ages with new books added constantly so I've read some really old classics like Journey to the Center of the Earth, Brave New World, A Farewell to Arms, among others. I finally read To Kill a Mockingbird, something I think everyone should read. That said, three books I've read from this decade are The Axeman's Jazz, Deadman's Blues, and the Mobster's Lament all by Ray Celestin. Highly recommended.
Looking back at this decade, lots to think about and remember. Lots of highs and lows. Tons of great games I've played, lots of memories with friends, lots of painful moments, not being able to afford bread. One last thing is I've discovered a new hobby in baking, which I think I'm pretty good at.
Didn't mean to write that much, oh well.
There's quite a few games this year I've yet to play, such as Devil May Cry 5, A Plaque Tale, Fire Emblem, Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair, and more. If I had to pick a GOTY, I'd probably say Resident Evil 2 even though that kiiiiinda feels like cheating since it's based on already kick ass game. Honorable mentions: Link's Awakeing and Cadence of Hyrule. Luigi's Mansion 3 was great fun though kinda lost some steam in the latter bits. Gato Roboto was a very nice snack-size Metroidvania. Kingdom Hearts 3 finally saw a release and was fun as a game but pretty garbage in it's story telling. But perhaps the best news of all: The Haunted Island: A Frog Detective Game's sequel just released. Okay, now I'm ready for 2020, pack it up 2010's, we've reach the peak.
So once again, Happy New Years to my ride or die forum crew.

What topics do we talk about? Anything's on the table. What were some of your favorite games of the year or decade. Favorite movies/tv shows/books/music/CoV posts/etc. Anything you did outside of the entertainment world that you were proud of? Or moments you look back on fondly?
Where to start? When I look back over the last 10 years or so, games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Pikmin 3, DOOM 2016, both Evil Withins, and Wolfenstein New Order/Young Blood come to mind. I feel like as gaming grows there is more of an audience for more real, gritty, story-driven and cinematic experiences, or always online 10 year roadmaps like Destiny. I love my PS4 but I felt that lack of Nintendo magic in my life as Breath of the Wild was the last new Nintendo game I bought until Link's Awakening a couple of months ago. DOOM and Mario Galaxy 2 are just pure fun romps that the industry needs to make more of. Wolfenstein New Order is a shining example, in my opinion, of how to balance a gritty interesting story with over-the-top fun gameplay. Of course I still had a great time with games like Uncharted 4, Bloodborne, Prey and Bioshock Infinite as well (though I can classify those games as "fun" as well).
I remember when I first starting getting into indie games as well. I remember first hearing about VVVVVV and that being one of the first indie games I ever played, alongside Mutant Mudds. The 3DS gave me access to the first Shantae game and I've been playing that series since. One of my all time favorites however is Hotline Miami. Between the gameplay and one of the best OSTs ever, it's a memorable gem that deserves it's praise...just not the sequel. Woof.
The 90's are now officially old enough for that style to be popular again. We got full on remakes of the first three Crash and Spyro games. We got a "not Banjo Kazooie" in Yooka Laylee which I love despite seeming like the only person who does. Bloodstained was a joy, and while I haven't played it yet, I've heard great things about A Hat in Time. Rayman came back better than ever with Rayman Origins and Bubsy the Bobcat even came back, remember that garbage? But who cares because Donkey Kong had two fantastic platformers in Returns and Tropical Freeze. Resident Evil 2 got it's long overdue remake, and it's just been announced that 3 is coming in April 2020, heck yeah dude.
One of the most distinct memory I have with a game is during college a couple of friends had the typical party house, and their Wii was usually always on with a copy of Smash Bros Brawl in it (last decade I know) so all we had to do was turn the tv on and pick up a controller to play. How many hours did we sink into that? Too many.
Speaking of which, I graduated college in 2012, shortly found out that money in a bank account can go in the negative (whoopsie), then eventually started a job that I still have almost 7 years later. One thing I'll never forget is wanting a loaf of bread from the local store and the cashier telling that their debit machine is down. I didn't have any cash on me, so the cashier said I could use the ATM, only issue being I didn't even have $20 to take out so I just had to go home with no food. As Dusty Rhodes would say, "I know all about them hard times daddy".
Switching notes, giant monsters returned to the theaters: Godzilla, King Kong and a bunch in Pacific Rim. Love these movies...well maybe not Pacific Rim 2. 007 celebreated 50 years in 2012 with Skyfall. Admittedly, I've been out of the loop on movies the past few years. Marvel and Disney made me tired of super hero movies, and I'm already a bit tired of Star Wars honestly. If I think back, I remember Dredd and John Wick kicking all kinds of ass, Drive being a great surprise, Mad Max Fury Road being insane, Toy Story 3 making me feel dem deels, Django Unchained being my new favorite Tarantino movie, and super hero movies, super hero movies everywhere.
Books are similar in that I'm not aware of many modern authors. I've mostly stuck to the classics the last couple of years. Agatha Christie, Stephen King, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Michael Crichton. Chapters had a buy 3 for 10 deal for ages with new books added constantly so I've read some really old classics like Journey to the Center of the Earth, Brave New World, A Farewell to Arms, among others. I finally read To Kill a Mockingbird, something I think everyone should read. That said, three books I've read from this decade are The Axeman's Jazz, Deadman's Blues, and the Mobster's Lament all by Ray Celestin. Highly recommended.
Looking back at this decade, lots to think about and remember. Lots of highs and lows. Tons of great games I've played, lots of memories with friends, lots of painful moments, not being able to afford bread. One last thing is I've discovered a new hobby in baking, which I think I'm pretty good at.
Didn't mean to write that much, oh well.
There's quite a few games this year I've yet to play, such as Devil May Cry 5, A Plaque Tale, Fire Emblem, Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair, and more. If I had to pick a GOTY, I'd probably say Resident Evil 2 even though that kiiiiinda feels like cheating since it's based on already kick ass game. Honorable mentions: Link's Awakeing and Cadence of Hyrule. Luigi's Mansion 3 was great fun though kinda lost some steam in the latter bits. Gato Roboto was a very nice snack-size Metroidvania. Kingdom Hearts 3 finally saw a release and was fun as a game but pretty garbage in it's story telling. But perhaps the best news of all: The Haunted Island: A Frog Detective Game's sequel just released. Okay, now I'm ready for 2020, pack it up 2010's, we've reach the peak.
So once again, Happy New Years to my ride or die forum crew.

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