Bad Levels in Gaming History - Volume Twelve

After over a year's absence, Bad Levels in Gaming History is back on SuperPhillip Central to deliver to you even more of those obnoxious areas, sections, missions, racetracks, etc. (I use the catch-all term "levels" to describe them) that frustrate and annoy. These can be overly frustrating due to poor or unfair design, bad AI, or a plethora of other reasons.

On this twelfth volume of Bad Levels in Gaming History, we delve into a combination of modern and classic gaming with titles like Luigi's Mansion 3, MediEvil, and GoldenEye 007, to name but a few. So, read on and you'll see just some of the more insidious levels that gaming has unfortunately bestowed on to players.

Check out past volumes of this long-running SPC article series with the following links:

Volume One

Volume Two

Volume Three

Volume Four

Volume Five

Volume Six

Volume Seven

Volume Eight

Volume Nine

Volume Ten

Volume Eleven

B2: The Boilerworks - Luigi's Mansion 3 (NSW)

The above accompanying screenshot to this level isn't just there because it's adorable--it's also there because it's the reaction a great deal of players had to a certain floor of the Last Resort hotel in Luigi's Mansion 3, a game that was part of SuperPhillip Central's Top Ten Games of 2019. While the Boilerworks, the bottom-most floor of the aforementioned Last Resort, is a creatively designed level, it features a section that is maddening for first-time players (and for many veteran players as well). While a lot of the game is designed around trial and error gameplay, it's mostly done with a safety net or in non-dangerous areas. The section of trial and error gameplay in the flooded floor of the Boilerworks does not occur in a place of safety at all. In fact, it's hazardous as heck.

In the Boilerworks, there are parts of the floor where you must ride in a rubber raft as Luigi. The controls here take a lot of getting used to, having Luigi's Poltergust G-00 vacuum needing to suck air to move forward and blow air to move backward. This is in addition to aiming the nozzle of the vacuum in the right direction to move correctly. It takes a great deal of practice to get the hang of it, much more to even competently do under pressure.

The issue here is that the controls aren't the most intuitive (read: they're not at all), and you don't get much time to learn them either before the game throws some unwanted challenges your way, such as a line of shark-like specters that can pop your raft in a jiffy. Better, clearer instructions on how to control the raft with Luigi's Poltergust would have been greatly appreciated and would help players not get so stuck and frustrated during this easily infuriating portion of the game. That's not even talking about the Boilerworks boss that incorporates the raft as well, with a flooded chamber surrounded a spike-rimmed wall. No wonder so many players shout profanities that would spook even King Boo when playing this portion of an otherwise impeccably designed game.

Ghost Ship - MediEvil (PS4)

Continuing our spooky and haunted theme with this edition of Bad Levels in Gaming History, we delve into a late-game level in MediEvil, which was terrible in its original PS1 version, and it's even more terrible in the PS4 remake. It's the Ghost Ship level, a sky high airship complete with rolling barrels, cannons to dodge, undead pirates, and risky jumps aplenty.

The latter is the most annoying and infuriating part of the level, due to the sloppy and near broken collision detection in it. There's a part where you have to bounce along nets to reach a higher platform, and if you fall into the chasm below, you have to make your way through a deadly obstacle course of cannonballs being blasted out at you.

Each time you fall down the chasm, you have to go through this minute-long, highly hazardous section of level, and it will happen more than you want because of how poorly designed the platforming is in the game. Further, even if you manage to cross over the obnoxious netting of platforms, there's still another chasm to cross, sending you even further back in the level if you fall down those. The Ghost Ship is by far the more frustrating and unfair part of MediEvil, a game that isn't exactly the friendliest in difficult to begin with.

Guard the Freight Train Cargo - Daemon X Machina (NSW, PC)

This mission from the rank C section of missions in the newly released on PC Daemon X Machina is one of the worst types of missions in gaming. It's an escort mission, and it immediately separates the proficient Arsenal pilots with the ones that should just stick to watching episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam.

The mission starts out simple enough with the need to destroy a number of small fry enemies in order to reach the second, more important part of the mission where the freight train needing to be babysit chugs into the scene. It's here that not one, not two--but three enemy Arsenals, all ready, willing and seriously able to deliver devastating amounts of damage to the train in no time at all, arrive on the scene.

It's quite easy for the freight train to go from 100% strength down to just half that in less than 30 seconds, and it's even easier for the train and its valuable contents to be destroyed before you even have a chance to understand what's going on. This mission is a tremendous jump in difficulty, and it oftentimes feels like an unfair one. It's more focused on luck with whether you can lure the three attacking Arsenals away from the train so it can reach its destination safely than anything else. Plus, escort missions just stink in general, as we'll see shortly with another example.

Wrong Side of the Tracks - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Multi)

But while we're on the subject of trains, let's begin with a game that is no stranger to this series of articles with a mission that generally ends for many players with the line, "All you had to do was follow the damn train, C.J.!" Well, it's not like we were just popping wheelies for the hell of it, Big Smoke! Wrong Side of the Tracks is an early-ish mission in gaming mega-hit Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It asks of you to control protagonist C.J. and have him ride a motorbike with Big Smoke in tow on the back, pursuing a train under control by the Vagos gang.

The aim of the mission is to stay towards the front of the train, on its side, and allow Big Smoke to fire rounds from his gun to kill the Vagos on the train. This is easier said than done due to the various hills and side paths, as well as how unclear it is the exact position you should have the bike in relation to the train. It says something negative about the mission when a good amount of players use various "alternate" methods to complete it instead of the intended way.

Control - GoldenEye 007 (N64) 

Continuing off from the idea that escort missions are for the most part terrible, we have one of the most infamous early examples of that with Rare's otherwise terrific GoldenEye 007. There are four missions where James Bond is tasked with protecting computer hacker Natalya Simonova, and by far, for me, the most awful of these takes place in the Control mission. The escort character AI is notoriously dumb, known to run directly into enemy fire as well as in the line of sight of the player's gun.

Control ratchets that up to a ridiculously frustrating degree by requiring you to protect Natalya from enemy gunfire as she slowly tries to re-calibrate and put an end to the GoldenEye satellite. And I do mean slowly, as she must also be trying to log into her GeoCites web page to take the proverbial piss on players as well. That's the only other explanation Regardless, it's a breeze for Natalya to perish in this mission, resulting in players having to restart from the very beginning and contend with the escorting carnage all over again. No wonder this mission was a roadblock for many, resulting in them simply returning to the multiplayer to get out their frustrations on other players of the game.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards - Top Five Most Overlooked Games

On a new day here at SuperPhillip Central, a new awards category and a new top five list are here to greet us. This time around we'll be taking a look at the top five Most Overlooked Games of 2019. Overlooked games are no stranger to the site, as they're constantly covered, so it only makes sense to devote an entire category of the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards to the most overlooked titles of the year. The following games were sales disasters, games that failed to catch most of the gaming populace's attention, and/or didn't make a heavy impact in the overall conversation this year. Let us get started with the countdown!

5) Daemon X Machina (NSW)

Enter into your giant Arsenal mech and do battle in over 50 unique story and side missions, as well as dozens of online missions. The latter have you do battle with behemoth-sized bosses as a team of up to four players, and the new update allows you to venture into a randomly generated dungeon with players, too. Daemon X Machina was a fixture of Nintendo's Direct video presentations, but despite the coverage, the game did not soar into the skies of splendid sales success. (Pardon the alliteration, but I couldn't help myself.) That said, while Daemon X Machina sports an impressive amount of customization and lightning quick aerial and ground combat, it can be an immensely challenging game at the start due to its learning curve.. Perhaps the initial inaccessibility of the game players found in the various demos of Daemon X Machina were the short circuit--if you will--in producing stellar sales.

4) Team Sonic Racing (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

We move on from mechs to a well-known mascot in the world of video games, but not even notoriety was enough to make this arcade racer cross the finish line in first place. Instead, the relatively low budget of Team Sonic Racing and the complete lack of post-launch DLC in the form of new characters or tracks gave little for the already minimal amount of players who picked up the game to have a reason to return to it. With Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled releasing a little under a month after Team Sonic Racing, Crash's racing remake not only ate Team Sonic Racing's lunch, but left the game in its exhaust as well. Considering the team mechanic was an interesting approach to the arcade racer, which I would have liked to see explored further, and the base game was enjoyable enough, it's a disappointed that so many overlooked Team Sonic Racing.

3) MediEvil (PS4)

Speaking of PlayStation remakes, MediEvil launched this past year around Halloween, and it brought its classic action-adventure gameplay to PlayStation 4 owners with a budget price. However, not even its $30 price tag was convincing enough to bring players to it, unfortunately. Between how obtuse the game can be (as well as how difficult), in addition to MediEvil just not being as fondly remembered by PlayStation fans, MediEvil couldn't scare up sales or much attention from the gaming populace. Hopefully the lackluster debut of MediEvil doesn't mean that other PlayStation classic franchises stay buried like MediEvil once was. You better believe you're in trouble if you cost me my Ape Escape revival, Sir Dan!

2) Concrete Genie (PS4)

Another release from this past October, Concrete Genie was a pet project of passion for its developer, Pixelopus. The intriguing and innovative gameplay mechanic of painting to bring graffiti to life to solve puzzles was a clever one that made for an enjoyable game. Slowly seeing the town of Denska start from a dilapidated bureau into one full of life by the end of the game thanks to hero Ash's efforts was a delight. Further a delight were the visuals and art style, showcasing immense artistry and creativity that shined brightly in every aspect of the presentation. If you have any doubt that the PlayStation brand and moreover Sony do not provide first-party efforts that flow with originality and creativity, then perhaps Concrete Genie as but one of many examples will correct your thinking.

1) Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

After the original Yooka-Laylee did its best to ape the gameplay and structure of Banjo-Kazooie but ended up disappointing plenty of players and people, the chameleon and bat's return in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair got the fanfare of crickets at most. This was despite the game reviewing relatively well, and featuring gameplay more akin to Donkey Kong Country this time around. Despite multiple sales on digital platforms, including a system known for being kind to platformers like the Switch, the game still didn't make much of an impact. How much this game was overlooked was another example of yet another sales shame from this year, as Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is not only a fantastic 2D platformer with an ingenious method of traverse between levels, but it's one of the better games of 2019 bar-none.

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Another awards category and top five list premieres tonight as the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards continues!

Daemon X Machina (NSW) Review

We move on from our trio of Mario-related reviews to entirely different territory--territory of the mech variety. From the creative talent behind the Armored Core franchise, it's the Nintendo Switch exclusive Daemon X Machina, and here's SuperPhillip Central's review.

Welcome to your battlefield

Announced at the beginning of Nintendo's E3 2018 showcase video, Daemon X Machina hopes to fill the hole left in gaming by the out-of-commission Armored Core series. After all, it's got many of the creative minds from that franchise behind Daemon X Machina. With the latter, you get a shot of high-octane mech action, enough customization to make any mech fan happy, and a convoluted story starring loads of oddball characters mixed with plenty of existentialism. Okay, maybe we could do without the last part there, but overall, Daemon X Machina hits many of the high notes that players of mech games generally like--some initial gameplay inaccessibility notwithstanding.

Daemon X Machina has you entering all kinds of fast, frenzied and frenetic aerial and ground battles in your fully customizable mech, an Arsenal. Arsenals have all sorts of abilities and customization options. They can fly, they can boost, and they can equip multiple weapons, one for each arm, one shoulder weapon, and one auxiliary weapon. The left and right arm weapons are assigned to the ZL and ZR buttons respectively, while your shoulder weapon is assigned to the L button. Boosting is performed by pressing R, but you have a limited amount of stamina. If you run out, your Arsenal immediately gets grounded, taking some time to cool off before allowing you to get back into the air and jet set around once more.

Like anything in life, controlling one's Arsenal takes some practice to get used to...
But will most players want to take the time to do so?

Of course, you won't be zipping and jetting around the battlefield in style or with much grace at the very beginning of your journey with your Arsenal, and the game does little to provide assistance to ease you into piloting your machine outside of a weak tutorial at the start of the game. You don't generally get much of the nuances of each system in the game, whether it's regarding gameplay or mechanics. I could see this being a potential barrier of entry for plenty of players.

If you're going to be a target, you might as well be a moving one, so get going!

That goes into customization as well. While there is a plethora of options available to you as the player, the game does really explain them all in as much depth as I would have liked. Regardless, you can mix and match parts from various Arsenal models to make your Arsenal mech--from the head, to the left arm, right arm, legs, and body. As you progress in the game, more body parts unlock, and options for researching new parts, whether they're armor or weaponry, becomes available as well. You can also assign attachments to your armor and weapons to make them stronger and provide different bonuses, such as higher defense from burning weapons or better accuracy.

You can customize the look of your pilot and Arsenal at the base.

The body parts you equip to your Arsenal aren't just for show either, as they also affect stats like overall defense, bullet defense, laser defense, weight, speed, and much more. For instance, if you prefer an Arsenal that favors high health and defense over quickness and evasiveness, then try equipping parts from the Goliath line of armor. It's a great system that allows the player to select a play style that suits them best. I just wish the nuances were explained a little bit better.

One of many Arsenal loadouts I created, meet SkyGunner.

That said, you can't just place every part you'd like on your Arsenal without worry. Arsenals have a limited amount of memory to them, and each part and weapon takes up an amount of that memory. Thankfully, you can buy and research memory chips that boost the amount of memory your Arsenal has. Even still, I never really ran into an issue where I was close to running out of memory by equipping too many parts.

Combat in Daemon X Machina takes some practice to grow accustomed to, and even then, it's quite challenging even for a seasoned vet of the genre. There's some feelings of rubbing your stomach while patting your head at first, with that feeling of trying to multitask: turning the camera, boosting, attacking enemies, all the while trying to evade shots being blasted in my direction. It's quite crazy at times when you have 360 degrees of movement where you have to watch what's in front of you, be aware of what's behind you, to your sides, and everywhere else. Speeding around at insane velocities while trying to keep enemies in your sights is no easy task, as you can probably imagine.

Daemon X Machina also features no lock-on functionality--well, at least in a traditional sense. You can't simply hone in on an enemy and lock the camera on them. Instead, you have to keep them in your sights long enough for a target to appear over them, allowing you to more accurately hit them with your attacks upon firing. This is crucial for things like homing missiles in your potential Arsenal's arsenal. While fights with larger targets that are easy to spot and hit, and battles with smaller AI robots that are destroyed with a few shots are simple enough, it's when you're going up against other Arsenals that all heck breaks loose.

Phew! I'm going to need some shades for this mission!

You're in a perpetual state of trying to keep your enemy in your sights so you can line up shots and hopefully hit them. This is all the while you're zipping around to dodge their attacks, and they're zipping around to dodge your attacks. Aerial combat is very difficult when you're doing battle with another Arsenal because they're zooming around in a 3D area where you have to account for all axes. It made it so ground combat was my preferred way of engaging with Arsenal opponents. It's a drastic day and night difference in just how easy it is to duel with a fellow Arsenal on a literally level playing field as opposed to the wide expanses of a 360 degree space.

Defeating rival Arsenals and pillaging their fallen remains yield rewards in the forms of weapons and Arsenal body parts for pilfering purposes. This, in turn, allows you to either send them directly to your base, where they'll be available to equip at a later time (permanently being in your collection) or equip them on the fly in battle.

If only this particular fort was really just a bunch of pillows stacked on top of each
other instead of a rampaging mechanical monstrosity. If only...

When you're not fighting enemy AI cannon fodder and other Arsenals, you're fighting gigantic Immortals, huge robotic creatures that can both deal and dish out take heavy damage. They can come in many forms, such as a humongous quadruped mech to a massive, mechanical, burrowing worm. These battles have you chipping away at an Immortal's armor, eventually breaking them off to reveal their weak points, and then unloading everything you've got into them to deplete their generous amounts of health. These particular battles, like some of the Arsenal encounters, can go on a little too long for my liking, but they add some freshness to an otherwise stale mission-based structure that Daemon X Machina uses.

Bob and weave through these killer laser beams. Nothin' to it but to do it!

There are over 45 missions in the story of Daemon X Machina, and the greatest number of these involve eliminating enemies, whether they be weak AI that go down quickly, other Arsenals, or the aforementioned Immortals. The latter are definitely the most entertaining of the types of elimination missions. Less entertaining are the handful of escort missions where you must guard and protect a certain mission critical structure. Part of the problem with these escort missions is that the teammate AI is practically useless. They're great in missions where you are facing an Arsenal or team of Arsenals. Not because they help deal a lot of damage to the enemy. No, it's more because they're terrific distractions, so why they're taking enemy fire, you can unleash a barrage of bullets and attacks on the Arsenals going after them. Regardless, in escort missions, they're essentially without worth.

A further issue is that failing a mission can be so obnoxious. Not only is there a lengthy loading time to restart a mission, but there are no checkpoints to speak of within the game. So many of these missions have multiple cutscenes that, while they can be skipped, get annoying when you have to jam on the + button to cycle through them just to get back to the action. Then, there are missions where you can easily breeze through the first part only to get utterly decimated in the second, completely leaving you demoralized and aggravated--in addition to forcing you to redo both parts once more. Again, this is where those aforementioned missing checkpoints would be godsends.

What is this, an interpretation of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
with rockets' red glare and bombs bursting in air?

That notwithstanding, the mission structure and tiny amount of mission variety bring a small sense of monotony to the experience, especially as you enter deep into the game, so much so that I opted to just skip as many mission briefings as I could without it making the already confusing story of the game more so confusing.

Speaking of which, Daemon X Machina's story is one that tells the fate of humanity after a cataclysmic incident known as the Moonfall occurred. Here, a humongous portion of the moon fractured off from itself and slammed into the planet, wiping out countless human lives and resulting in the rise of hostile AI taking over various machinery once used to serve man, now rebelling against their creators. Several corporations have since started hiring mercenaries to complete missions for the greater good of the planet. You play as a rookie who finds themselves taking on missions, assisting the numerous consortium groups and their cult of personality members that take on these missions. The story itself is obvious window dressing for all the cool mech action players get to do, but it has its moments. Unfortunately, most of the time you're watching chat window communication sessions between the various mercs, which I got to a point where I didn't feel guilty for skimming through them, or outright skipping them altogether. The cutscenes that appear during missions, however, are entertaining enough.

There's a lot of gibberish and nonsense with Daemon X Machina's story,
so just sit back and enjoy the wild ride.

More than entertaining enough is the online play, offering co-operative and competitive multiplayer for up to four players. These feature missions that pit your squad up against teams of Arsenals from the story mode or mode-exclusive versions of Immortals that are extremely challenging to face. The latter reminded me of my Monster Hunter days where I'd team up with a group of randoms to take down a hulking beast like Lagiacrus in a half-hour long battle. Communication is key in these kinds of games, and the Nintendo Switch fails to achieve a sophisticated or worthwhile enough message system to work well with this type of game. While selecting from a series of canned messages from a list is fine and typing in custom messages via an in-game keyboard is good for when you're in a lobby, chilling out, it's not so effective or efficient when being barraged with enemy bullets on the battlefield.

When two swords strike simultaneously, mash on the A button to win the duel.

Daemon X Machina will most assuredly find its niche with a subset of mech game-loving Nintendo Switch owners. (There are dozens of us!) That said, the game isn't at all beginner-friendly, and will even put off some seasoned gamers as well with its complex controls and systems. For mech lovers, there's nothing like upgrading your Arsenal, prettying it all up, and then taking it out on the battlefield, whether online or off, and shooting and slicing the hell out of enemies on the battlefield. If you liked Armored Core or have any interest in mech games--while also having the patience to learn the ins and outs of its gameplay mechanics--then mecha no mistake--you should play Daemon X Machina.

[SPC Says: B-]

Most Overlooked Current Gen Games - Part Nine

SuperPhillip Central has been around for over 11 years, and some of the earliest articles on the site featured great games that did not quite receive due time in the gaming spotlight. These are the games that fell by the wayside in favor of other, more prolific titles by way of popularity, name, or stature. One of this site's passions is picking out those games that linger in the periphery of popular gaming and putting them directly as the center focus. That's why the long-running "Most Overlooked" series of articles on SuperPhillip Central was originally started. This particular edition gives us games from the minds behind games like Alan Wake, Armored Core, and Banjo-Kazooie.

Before you rush to check out the latest five "Most Overlooked" game selections, why not catch up on the past games picked in previous installments?

Current Gen - Part One
Current Gen - Part Two
Current Gen - Part Three
Current Gen - Part Four
Current Gen - Part Five
Current Gen - Part Six
Current Gen - Part Seven
Current Gen - Part Eight

Control (PS4, XB1, PC)

From the makers of Alan Wake and Quantum Break came Control, a game that despite its unique gameplay hooks, Metroid-style structure (something not often seen created in a 3D game), and intriguing story, did not perform too astoundingly sales-wise. Regardless, Remedy Entertainment added an abundance of novelty to Control's gameplay through its use of main character--and Federal Bureau of Control's new director--Jesse Faden's supernatural abilities. Such act included being able to lift up obstacles and chuck objects like furniture into enemies, performing telekinetic feats, as well as taking over the minds of enemies, thus controlling their movements.

Through acquiring new abilities via Objects of Power, players could take Jesse to new areas of the mysterious Oldest House game world in true Metroidvania fashion. Between the elaborate world to explore in the game, showing off some insanely impressive, mind-warping sights, as well as the myriad of means both traditional and supernatural that Jesse can use to dispatch enemies and discover new ways to overcome challenges, Control is a super satisfying game that I urge more gamers to play.

Concrete Genie (PS4)

The first parties of the PlayStation brand performed well this past generation, and the Sony's arsenal of studios improved immensely ever since the company invested more into them. The quality over the PlayStation 4's lifespan speaks for itself, and while obviously the most significant exclusives take over the conversation--such as God of War, Uncharted 4, Horizon: Zero Dawn, among others--smaller projects--passion projects, if you will, added even more variety to the PlayStation brand's first-party offerings.

One such game was Pixelopus's Concrete Genie, released last month, and it exuded immense creativity, originality, and artistry. In the dismal town of Denska, a boy named Ash finds his doodling book stolen by a group of brash bullies who proceed to rip out the pages. With the help of a found magical paintbrush, Ash goes on a journey that sees him hoping to restore not only the pages of his book, but also hoping to restore the town of Denska to its former glory. This is performed by the player using Ash's paintbrush to turn their works of art into living creations used to solve puzzles based on how they painted the creation. From what colors they used to how they drew the creation, this all affects whether a puzzle is solved successfully or not.

Concrete Genie came and went for many PlayStation 4 owners, but like a fine work of art, it most likely will serve the test of time. It certainly serves as a great addition to the PS4 lineup and Sony's first-party efforts this generation regardless.

Daemon X Machina (NSW)

Mecha no mistake--Daemon X Machina isn't in a genre that would light sales charts on fire, but as a compelling Nintendo Switch exclusive, it served its purpose well at bringing exciting, fast-paced mech combat to the system. If you have any excitement for stuff like Gundam or Pacific Rim--or better yet as an example for video game fans, the Armored Core series--then it's quite likely you'll find something to love with the rush of battling other gigantic bipedal machines and foreboding robotic bosses, all while outfitting and customizing your mech and pilot down to the last, obsessive detail. New content continues to get added to the game, such as new online co-op missions, competitive multiplayer, and much more. Whether you're a lover of mecha movies and games that feature them or want a satisfying and intense action game to blow stuff to smithereens in, Daemon X Machina will provide you with plenty of explosive entertainment.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (NSW, PS4, XB1, PC)

I'd be remiss if I didn't regale readers of SuperPhillip Central with a passionate plea to check out Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, especially since Black Friday deals include the game. Simply put, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a wonderfully done spirit animal in video game form to Rare's Donkey Kong Country trilogy. The game is quite clever with its level designs, especially the way the 3D overworld (which is also a fantastic, novel, and quite clever contribution to the DKC formula) can be manipulated to alter levels entirely. For instance, a formerly dry sewer-based level presents an entirely different approach when it's partway flooded, allowing for new areas of the level to be explored and familiar sights taking on fresh challenges. The eponymous Impossible Lair isn't quite so "impossible", especially not with the Bees that you collect in the game's levels that each give Yooka and Laylee and extra "hit" in this final, ultra-challenging level. It's still rather difficult with a full supply, but overall, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair remains one of my favorite games of the year and I wish more people would play it.

Crystal Crisis (NSW, PS4, PC)

Filling the hole in my gamer heart that was once occupied by Capcom's Puzzle Fighter series (which is currently on hiatus like many other Capcom franchises), Crystal Crisis takes various video game all-stars, but in this case, they're mostly from lesser known series to the mainstream video game audience. I'm referring to series like Cave Story, The Binding of Isaac, Code of Princess, 1001 Spikes, Azure Striker Gunvolt, among many others. Also joining these indie gaming all-stars are some notable anime characters, the most notable of which being Astro Boy.

Aside from the fancy presentation on display, the actual match-based puzzle fighting game finds itself endless addicting, having players match similarly colored blocks together and causing explosive reactions by combining them with falling crystals of the same color. Thus, this causes their opponent to receive a "gift" of blocks dumped on their board. The player whose board fills to the top with blocks first loses. Crystal Crisis may not bring much new to the table, as it's very much a clone of Capcom's Puzzle Fighter, but it's a well made clone all the same.

Top Ten Most Anticipated Games of E3 2018

E3 2018 is over and done with, but the feeling of hype is still ever present. Why? Because now that the games have revealed themselves, it's time to hype them up until their releases, of course! E3 2018 was a pretty banner conference for all parties involved, and with it, saw an immense amount of new and returning games to the press conferences and show floor. Trying to limit this list to just ten titles from E3 2018 for my most anticipated games of the show was quite the challenge, but here they are in digestible list form. From an Armored Core spiritual successor to the remarkable return of a survival horror classic, this list has got it all.

10) Daemon X Machina (NSW)

All-star talent is behind this first game on this top ten list of most anticipated games from E3 2018. When you have the creative minds behind the Armored Core series invested in making their latest project the greatest mech game of all time, you know you should be hyped. And that's what both the Daemon X Machina trailer that kicked off Nintendo's E3 2018 Direct and later shown in a deeper capacity at Nintendo Treehouse Live soon after bestowed upon onlookers: hype. While still in early development, this 2019 title looks like it's going to shape up become a classic on the ever-increasing number of excellent games on the Nintendo Switch. Daemon X Machina was without a doubt my biggest surprise announcement from E3 2018, and the most satisfying one at that.

9) Super Mario Party (NSW)

Speaking of Nintendo's E3 Direct, another game that caught my attention was a game that wasn't so much of a surprise that it was coming, but the surprise was more that it was coming in the form that it did. Super Mario Party returns to the classic, traditional rules of its boards in its main mode while also offering other board modes like Mario Party: Star Rush's Toad Scramble on top of that. 80 new mini-games see themselves entering into the fray, as does a whole heaping host of playable characters, many of which have never seen a playable appearance in a Mario Party game until now. The addition of online play for only a special mini-game mode is a good first step, but it's not the "I want to play with my online friends across the country" board game mode that so many have been yearning for. Still and again, this is a good start, and with a grand lineup of features and additions, Super Mario Party seems like it's going to ruin friendships for a whole new generation of Nintendo console owners.

8) Mega Man 11 (Multi)

Being a huge Mega Man fan was not the best feeling in the past several years, with little thrown our way besides some collections and an, awesome not withstanding, inclusion in the Super Smash Bros. series. But now? Mega Man is back, baby, and back in a big way with an all-new game in the Classic series of Mega Man titles, Mega Man 11. Introducing a new Double Gear system to add something fresh to the series, but also something that doesn't just feel thrown in for novelty's sake, the new system allows Mega Man to power up and slow down time as long as he doesn't overheat. This brings a whole new strategic element into the Mega Man series. Throw in a pleasing new visual style, the familiar Mega Man gameplay of old, and a presentation fitting for a new generation of Mega Man games, and there's no wonder why this lover of the Blue Bomber greatly anticipates the latest in the long-running series.

7) Gears 5 (XB1, PC)

Coming fresh off the heels of Gears of War 4, Gears 5 (as you can see, dropping off the "Of War" part of the name entirely for this new entry) sees players assuming the role of Kait Diaz, who is off to search for her missing mother while discovering the secret origin of the Locust horde. Along the way, familiar characters like Marcus Fenix and his son JD also come back from previous games. Including single player, split-screen (hell yeah, local couch co-op!), and online play, Gears 5 is shaping up to be not just a return to form for the Gears series, but it's also beginning to shape up to become a defining, game-changing entry in the series as well. There's no doubt in mind that developer, The Coalition, will handle Gears 5 with the utmost of care, making a must-own game for all Xbox One owners when it launches sometime next year.

6) Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS4, XB1, PC)

Fan favorite From Software's latest title was finally fully revealed at Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference, and holy moly it looks absolutely splendid. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a bit of a departure for the developer compared to recent games. It eschews the role-playing elements of the Souls series (i.e. being able to create a character, various classics, etc.) in favor of a more traditional blend of stealth and third-person action. The sword combat involves having players strike foes with their blades, intended on making them become unbalanced. While they're in this state of vulnerability, the player can then perform a life-ending, one-hit strike to the enemy to defeat them in an instant. Combining all of this with the ability to utilize tools such as grappling hooks to reach new heights and get the jump on opponents, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice at last got the light shined upon it this past week, and man, the excitement from the trailer makes me hyped for early next year when the game launches.

5) The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

Now, I must admit that I don't have the same amount of admiration towards the original Last of Us that many others in the industry do. That notwithstanding, the original was and still is a phenomenal game. The Last of Us Part II looks like it will take all the positive features of the first Last of Us while reworking some of the features that didn't quite work out as well to make a PlayStation 4 exclusive that seems to be a real Game of the Generation contender. And what is there to doubt when we're talking about a Naughty Dog production? Well, there was Jak 2, but I'll allow a mulligan for that game due to its age. Focusing on Ellie this time around, The Last of Us Part II aims to expand on the aftermath of Joel's decision in the original Last of Us and make for an intense, violent (but not just for the sake of violence) and meaningful adventure for all who experience the game.

4) Resident Evil 2 (PS4, XB1, PC)

Long announced but just recently fully unveiled at E3 2018, the remake of Resident Evil 2 had a lot of riding on it announcement-wise, and to say it delivered is as obvious a statement as "zombies eat human flesh." And there was a lot of that going on in the Resident Evil 2 trailer. Gore was everywhere for you lovers of the macabre out there, and for everyone else, there was the satisfying return of Resident Evil 4's over-the-shoulder gameplay, bucking the idea that this was just going to be a simple tank-controlled, fixed perspective Resident Evil game like the remake of the original game. (Though that isn't to put that incredible game down.) Resident Evil 2's remake appears to be a longtime fan's dream come true, and for survival horror fans and connoisseurs of appealing third-person games alike. We won't have to wait too terribly long to play it either, as Resident Evil 2 haunts its way onto the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One early next year.

3) Kingdom Hearts III (PS4, XB1)

Square Enix not only brought us one new trailer at Microsoft's E3 presser, but it delivered a second at the PlayStation E3 conference. One of these featured the world of Frozen, while the other showed off bits and pieces of Tangled, Disney's Rapunzel-themed tale. Sappy, stilted dialog aside, Kingdom Hearts III revealed plenty of story elements, gorgeous (and I DO mean "gorgeous") graphics, enough Disney love letters to fans to run a post office ragged, and the insanely cool new combat system, incorporating various mechanics from past Kingdom Hearts games. Sure, one might need a flowchart, a reference guide, and a drop of acid to make any sense of the convoluted, overarching story, but who cares? It's Disney and fantastic action-RPG sweetness with undeniable charm. We'll only have to wait until this upcoming January to finally get our hands on Kingdom Hearts III.

2) Spider-Man (PS4)

"Wow." That's all that was needed to be said about the E3 2018 gameplay demo of Spider-Man at the PlayStation press conference this past week. The webhead swung through a prison breakout, clobbering foes with the sensational-seeming Batman: Arkham series-inspired combat that flowed so effortlessly, while seeing familiar villain after villain causing Spidey some serious trouble. Who was the villain at the end of the demo that Spider-Man's eyes grew wide to? Green Goblin? Doc Ock? I hope it's kept as a surprise, as the demo already more than spoiled me with its supervillain goodness, high octane web-slinging, and insane action. September can't come soon enough for this fan favorite superhero.

1) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NSW)

Nintendo's offerings at E3 2018 might have been on the weak side compared to the competition, but that didn't stop its main game of the spotlight and the show from hitting number one on this top ten list. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is essentially a compilation of all past Smash games (all characters, plenty of stages from past games, familiar Assist trophies, Pokemon and items) with several new inclusions and additions to both the aesthetics and the gameplay. The alterations to each character were shown to be put into painstaking detail (and giving pain if you didn't care at all about the game when Nintendo devoted half its E3 Direct to Ultimate), and the gameplay changes all seem like winners so far. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is looking to be the magnum opus of the Super Smash Bros. franchise, and I can't wait until the beginning of December to have the game in my Nintendo Switch.