{"id":23326,"date":"2020-11-09T22:43:44","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T12:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=23326"},"modified":"2020-11-09T22:43:44","modified_gmt":"2020-11-09T12:43:44","slug":"top-ten-playstation-4xbox-one-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=23326","title":{"rendered":"Top Ten Playstation 4\/Xbox One Games"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?attachment_id=23327\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-23327\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23327\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ps4xbox1.jpg\" alt=\"ps4xbox1\" width=\"620\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ps4xbox1.jpg 620w, http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ps4xbox1-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">With the impending arrival of the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X\/S this week, it&#8217;s time to bid farewell to the last generation of game consoles.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">It&#8217;s been an exciting time in the games industry.\u00a0 Graphical boundaries are being pushed every year.\u00a0 Virtual reality gaming is\u00a0beginning to hit its stride.\u00a0 Cross-platform online means Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo fans can play one another in their favourite games.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">It was hard to put together a list of just my ten favourite games.\u00a0 My initial long-list blew out to over thirty games.\u00a0 Honestly, there&#8217;s just more good stuff to play than there are hours in the day and I say that as someone who plays zero PC games and zero online games (which is probably where the vast majority of gamers spend their time nowadays).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">But here we go:\u00a0 these are my ten personal favourite games from the Xbox One and Playstation 4.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?attachment_id=22931\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-22931\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22931\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/slaythespirethumb.png\" alt=\"slaythespirethumb\" width=\"620\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/slaythespirethumb.png 620w, http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/slaythespirethumb-300x160.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Slay the Spire<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Mega Crit Games\u00a0 |\u00a0 2017\u00a0 |\u00a0 Playstation 4, Xbox One<\/em><\/p>\n<p>MegaCrit\u2019s insanely addictive rogue-like deck builder\u00a0<em>Slay the Spire\u00a0<\/em>will probably end up as one of the games I put the most hours into on the Xbox One and PS4.<\/p>\n<p>The gameplay loop works something like this.\u00a0 The player begins with a handful of cards, a\u00a0health meter that carries over from battle to battle, some gold coins and a randomly assigned relic that\u00a0offers\u00a0a unique ability.\u00a0 As the player battles and defeats creatures using their cards, they need to manage their deck by acquiring powerful new cards, shedding less useful old ones, investing money in upgrades and making sure they stay healthy.\u00a0 As each creature is defeated, the player ascends the spires and once they die, it\u2019s right back to the bottom to start all over again.\u00a0 There aren\u2019t any experience points and no cards or items carry over.\u00a0 You learn lessons from how best to manage your hand and start again.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a simple game but the quick and efficient learning curve and the compelling \u201cjust one more go\u201d gameplay really got its hooks into millions of players.\u00a0 No manner of describing the mechanics of the game can do it justice.\u00a0 MegaCrit\u2019s developers clearly have a knack for understanding how to design a deck-building game with late stage cards and relics that make the player feel powerful, but never invulnerable.<\/p>\n<p>At $30 bucks, its one of the best value games of the generation.\u00a0 I expect most players will end up pouring countless hours into\u00a0<em>Slay the Spire<\/em>.\u00a0 It is concentrated video gaming crack.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?attachment_id=22942\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-22942\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22942\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/dragonquestxis.png\" alt=\"dragonquestxis\" width=\"620\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/dragonquestxis.png 620w, http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/dragonquestxis-300x160.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Dragon Quest XI<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Square Enix |\u00a0 2018\u00a0 |\u00a0 Playstation 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I love JRPGs.\u00a0 Well, I say I do, but if I\u2019m honest, I mostly love Super Nintendo era JRPGs.\u00a0\u00a0<em>Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana<\/em>.\u00a0 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The classics<\/span>.\u00a0 There was something about the later\u00a0<em>Final Fantasy<\/em>\u00a0games that\u00a0lost a lot of the charm and\u00a0mystique of those titles.\u00a0\u00a0As it turns out, I was simply playing the wrong games.\u00a0 Despite being a three decade old series that is revered in Japan, it somehow took me until 2019 to play my first\u00a0<em>Dragon Quest<\/em>\u00a0game.<\/p>\n<p><em>Dragon Quest XI<\/em>\u00a0is very obviously a game that traces its lineage back to the NES\/SNES era of JRPGs.\u00a0 The game has a bright, vividly-realised open world but it paints its heroes, villains and creatures in the same broad brushstrokes that stir the imagination the way\u00a0<em>Chrono Trigger<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0<em>Final Fantasy IV<\/em>\u00a0does.<\/p>\n<p>The game is an almost perfect distillation of what made those old games so great and is also sprinkled with modern quality of life improvements (skill trees, fast travel, checkpoints) that make it hugely enjoyable to play.\u00a0 It\u2019s one of those titles where everything just clicks.\u00a0 The cast is awesome, the storyline is engrossing and the\u00a0art style is a delight.<\/p>\n<p>A modern day JRPG classic.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?attachment_id=22252\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-22252\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22252\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/astrobotthumb.jpg\" alt=\"astrobotthumb\" width=\"620\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/astrobotthumb.jpg 620w, http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/astrobotthumb-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Astro Bot: Rescue Missions<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>SIE Japan Studios\u00a0 |\u00a0 2018\u00a0 |\u00a0 Playstation 4 &#8211; Playstation VR<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Astro Bot Rescue Mission\u00a0<\/em>is a killer app for virtual reality gaming.\u00a0 It is\u00a0one of the best games on the Playstation VR platform and feels like a peak into what video gaming could be in the future.<\/p>\n<p>Venture Beat games journalist Jeremy Horowitz turned heads back in September 2018 when he announced a teaser that the Playstation VR was going to have its \u2018Super Mario 64\u2019 moment.<\/p>\n<p>It seemed like an absurd statement to make and an unfair burden to shoulder on a game.\u00a0\u00a0<em>Super Mario 64<\/em>\u00a0is one of the most critically acclaimed and influential games of all time.\u00a0 It established and popularized analogue stick controls and 3D movement as we know it today.\u00a0 It sold millions of copies.\u00a0 What hope did\u00a0<em>Astro Bot Rescue Mission<\/em>\u00a0have to compare?<\/p>\n<p>Having played the game since it launched, I think I understand Horowitz more clearly now.\u00a0 I think he was being much more literal about what\u00a0<em>Astro Bot Rescue Mission<\/em>\u00a0accomplishes and how it compares to\u00a0<em>Super Mario 64<\/em>.\u00a0 It is a 3D platforming game that has\u00a0<em>incredible<\/em>\u00a0level design and ridiculously charming character animation.\u00a0 It gets right so many of the little things that make for a memorable experience.\u00a0 The way the Astro Bots interact with the player.\u00a0 The pixel perfect controls.\u00a0 The jaunty music.\u00a0 The visually arresting worlds that you explore.<\/p>\n<p>All of it comes together beautifully and feels like a game that has that Miyamoto touch.\u00a0\u00a0<em>The Nintendo magic<\/em>.\u00a0 After a session with\u00a0<em>Astro Bot Rescue Mission<\/em>\u00a0(particularly stages like 2-2), it\u2019ll feel like you\u2019ve played a Nintendo platformer in virtual reality.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s that good.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s be real.\u00a0<em>\u00a0Astro Bot\u00a0<\/em>probably didn&#8217;t even sell a million units.\u00a0 It will only be played by a fraction of the audience that it deserves to reach.\u00a0 Its clear that at the current price point and with the current technology available (wired headsets, limited movement) that virtual reality gaming won\u2019t become a mainstream form of entertainment.\u00a0\u00a0<em>Yet<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>But when that time comes, I hope\u00a0<em>Astro Bot<\/em>\u00a0is re-released so it can\u00a0reach that wider audience.\u00a0 It really deserves it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?attachment_id=22341\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-22341\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22341\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/tetriseffectthumb.jpg\" alt=\"tetriseffectthumb\" width=\"620\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/tetriseffectthumb.jpg 620w, http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/tetriseffectthumb-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Tetris Effect<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Monstars Inc. Resonair\u00a0 |\u00a0 2018\u00a0 |\u00a0 Playstation 4 &#8211; Playstation VR<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Tetsuya Mizuguchi\u00a0is a genuine video game auteur with an impressive resume starting from his early days at SEGA producing\u00a0<em>Sega Rally<\/em>\u00a0titles to his recent work producing interactive music titles\u00a0<em>Rez<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Lumines<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>With\u00a0<em>Tetris Effect<\/em>, Mizuguchi has brought the\u00a0<em>Lumines\u00a0<\/em>formula to\u00a0<em>Tetris<\/em>.\u00a0 In Journey mode, players run through a \u2018playlist\u2019 of stages, each bursting with colour and sound.\u00a0 Dropping tetriminos\u00a0produce a musical note so its possible for the player to provide a beat to the soundtrack as they play.\u00a0 This interplay of music and gameplay will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played\u00a0<em>Rez<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0<em>Lumines<\/em>.\u00a0 Each time the player clears thirty lines, the\u00a0playlist moves onto a new stage.\u00a0 The soundtrack changes, the visuals shift and the journey continues.<\/p>\n<p>Conceptually, it sounds pretty simple.\u00a0 What makes\u00a0<em>Tetris Effect<\/em>\u00a0such a sensational experience is the ability to play the game in virtual reality and immerse yourself in Mizuguchi\u2019s light and colour show.\u00a0 The man has an incredible talent for composing music tracks that are emotionally engaging and meld with the visuals in a way that is genuinely affecting.\u00a0 Reading player feedback on social media, its not uncommon to find people who have been moved to tears by the\u00a0<em>Tetris Effect\u00a0<\/em>experience.<\/p>\n<p>Just about everyone who has ever picked up a video game controller will have played\u00a0<em>Tetris<\/em> at some stage.\u00a0 But you&#8217;ve never experienced it like this.\u00a0\u00a0<em>Tetris Effect<\/em> is some kind of genius.\u00a0 One of the greatest video game <em>experiences<\/em> ever made.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?attachment_id=21505\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-21505\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21505\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017yakuzazero.jpg\" alt=\"2017yakuzazero\" width=\"620\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017yakuzazero.jpg 620w, http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017yakuzazero-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Yakuza Zero<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Sega, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio\u00a0 |\u00a0 2017\u00a0 |\u00a0 Playstation 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve followed the fortunes of\u00a0<em>Yakuza<\/em>\u00a0creator Toshihiro Nagoshi for years.\u00a0 Back when he first made\u00a0<em>Super Monkey Ball<\/em>\u00a0for the Gamecube and wrote a regular column about his whisky habit in\u00a0<em>Edge<\/em>\u00a0magazine over a decade ago.\u00a0 I\u2019ve played and enjoyed each chapter of his storied\u00a0<em>Yakuza<\/em>\u00a0franchise which first arrived on Western shores in 2006.<\/p>\n<p>But every game series will go through its peaks and troughs and after\u00a0<em>Yakuza 5<\/em>, a solid but hardly inspired effort, I thought Nagoshi-san had done all he could with the series.<\/p>\n<p>How wrong I was.\u00a0 By going back to where it all started and creating a prequel set in the Eighties,\u00a0Nagoshi crafted his magnum opus in\u00a0<em>Yakuza Zero<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Yakuza Zero\u00a0<\/em>tells the story of how the &#8220;Dragon of Dojima&#8221; Kazuma Kiryu came to be.\u00a0 It is an absolutely riveting Japanese crime caper, filled with twists and turns and high melodrama.\u00a0 This is supplemented with an absolute goldmine of gameplay to enjoy.\u00a0 The basic combat is as crunchy and satisfying as its always been (slow motion fists to the face, using your environment as a weapon etc.).\u00a0 The side quests are some of the funniest and most outrageous I\u2019ve ever played in a video game.\u00a0 There\u2019s a real estate management mini game.\u00a0 A cabaret management mini game.\u00a0 Playable arcade Sega games from the Eighties.\u00a0 Collectable cards.\u00a0 A fight club tournament.\u00a0 Mahjong.\u00a0 Karaoke.\u00a0 Dancing.\u00a0 Dating.\u00a0 Whisky drinking.\u00a0 You will never run out of things to do in this game.<\/p>\n<p>But much like\u00a0<em>Grand Theft Auto: Vice City<\/em>, one of the best things about\u00a0<em>Yakuza Zero<\/em>\u00a0is the setting itself.\u00a0 No matter what you\u2019re doing, its made all the more enjoyable because its set against the backdrop of the Eighties with its incredible hairstyles, bright neon lights and fantastic outfits.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone has their favourite open world game where the vibe of the setting just clicks for them and you can spend hours there just soaking it all in.\u00a0 I think for a lot of people it&#8217;s\u00a0<em>Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Sleeping Dogs<\/em> or\u00a0<em>The Witcher 3<\/em>.\u00a0 For me I&#8217;d say this is it.\u00a0 Kazuma Kiryu.\u00a0 Kamurocho in the Eighties.\u00a0\u00a0<em>Yakuza<\/em> f&#8217;n\u00a0<em>Zero.<\/em>\u00a0 It don&#8217;t get no better.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?attachment_id=20859\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-20859\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20859\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016stardew.jpg\" alt=\"2016stardew\" width=\"620\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016stardew.jpg 620w, http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016stardew-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Stardew Valley<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Concerned Ape\u00a0 |\u00a0 2016\u00a0 |\u00a0 Xbox One, Playstation 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A four year project built and designed by a single person, Eric Barone\u2019s\u00a0<em>Stardew Valley<\/em>\u00a0absolutely hooked me in when it released on PS4 and Xbox One four years ago.\u00a0 I got it first on Xbox One and poured a hundred hours into.\u00a0 I ran into a game breaking bug in Year Three that was a unique issue with the Xbox version so I bought the PS4 copy and poured another hundred hours into that.<\/p>\n<p>Inspired by\u00a0the popular\u00a0<em>Harvest Moon<\/em>\u00a0series,\u00a0<em>Stardew Valley<\/em>\u00a0tells the tale of a glum jobsworth working a dead end office job who inherits a farm from their late grandfather. \u00a0The player moves to Pelican Town where they spend their time growing crops, tending to livestock, fishing, exploring caves and socializing with the locals.<\/p>\n<p>Conceptually there are plenty of games that offer a similar experience to\u00a0<em>Stardew Valley<\/em>\u00a0but I can\u2019t think of any that are as well honed and compulsive to play. \u00a0The games oozes charm and personality, with the 28 denizens of\u00a0Pelican Town each having a distinct personality and story arc to follow.<\/p>\n<p>The day-to-day gameplay loop in\u00a0<em>Stardew Valley\u00a0<\/em>never gets old. \u00a0Waking up, feeding the chooks, harvesting\u00a0bok choy and kale, brewing pale ales, making goats cheese and\u00a0then fishing at the nearby lake. \u00a0Maybe some cave spelunking in the afternoon and then catching up with the mayor\u2019s daughter Penny in the evening on horseback. \u00a0That\u2019s a typical day in\u00a0<em>Stardew Valley<\/em>. \u00a0When you factor in the additional variety that the game introduces by changing weather patterns, different seasons, time-specific festivals and events, constantly developing storylines with the residents of Pelican Town\u2026the game is absolutely packed with content to keep you coming back. \u00a0Which \u2013 it bears repeating \u2013 is an extraordinary feat considering that this is the work of a single person.<\/p>\n<p><em>Stardew Valley<\/em> was an incredible game when it first launched.\u00a0 It&#8217;s an even better game with loads more content in 2020 thanks to Eric Barone&#8217;s incredible ongoing, free support of the game.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?attachment_id=18160\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-18160\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18160\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/witcher3.jpg\" alt=\"witcher3\" width=\"620\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/witcher3.jpg 620w, http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/witcher3-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Witcher 3<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>CD Projekt Red\u00a0 |\u00a0 2015\u00a0 |\u00a0 Playstation 4, Xbox One<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s arguably the greatest video game in the Western fantasy genre.\u00a0\u00a0<em>The Witcher 3<\/em> has sprawling landscapes, a vast array of demons and dragons, and an absolutely cracking story featuring a cast of characters as good as you&#8217;d get in\u00a0<em>Lord of the Rings<\/em> or\u00a0<em>Game of Thrones<\/em>.\u00a0 No wonder it sold roughly a bajillion copies.<\/p>\n<p>The final chapter in the story of Geralt of Rivia sees the silver-haired witcher at his very best, navigating his way around the enourmous and densely packed city of Novigrad as well as the surrounding farmlands and islands.<\/p>\n<p>The game is ridiculously generous with the sheer volume of content it contains. \u00a0There are\u00a0<em>hundreds<\/em>\u00a0of missions, side quests and bounties for the player to explore and experience. \u00a0Better still, the game\u2019s storyline and dialogue is\u00a0consistently of a high standard and a cut above the usual fantasy RPG fare. \u00a0Even the most inconsequential sidequest or bounty taken off the beaten path still has interesting characters, an uncommon eye for detail and often a clever plot twist to keep players on their toes. \u00a0No game has been as ambitious or successful in its world building than\u00a0<em>The Witcher 3<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Witcher 3<\/em>\u00a0is one of the most impressive open world games in recent memory, rivalling the likes of\u00a0<em>Red Dead Redemption<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Grand Theft Auto V<\/em>\u00a0with its enormous depth and quality. \u00a0CD Projekt have been amassing a following of admirers ever since their first\u00a0<em>Witcher\u00a0<\/em>title but there\u2019s no doubt that\u00a0<em>Witcher 3<\/em>\u00a0is their\u00a0crown jewel marking them as one of the premiere game developers in the world today.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?attachment_id=18682\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-18682\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18682\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/untildawn.jpg\" alt=\"untildawn\" width=\"620\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/untildawn.jpg 620w, http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/untildawn-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Until Dawn<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Super Massive Games\u00a0 |\u00a0 2015\u00a0 |\u00a0 Playstation 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p>An under-appreciated gem from 2015 was Super Massive Games\u2019 teen horror game\u00a0<em>Until Dawn. \u00a0<\/em>Eight unsuspecting kids spend a weekend at a remote holiday retreat up in the mountains and find themselves under attack from a deadly masked killer with a vendetta.<\/p>\n<p><em>Until Dawn\u00a0<\/em>is a cut above most \u2018interactive movie\u2019 style games thanks to its canny script, tight play mechanics and flexible storytelling which can potentially see the story play out with no survivors, everyone surviving or somewhere in between.<\/p>\n<p>I had a\u00a0blast with\u00a0<em>Until Dawn<\/em>. \u00a0The teenagers (including a pre-Oscar game Rami Malik) each represent some fun and recognizable genre staples &#8211; jock, nerd,\u00a0preppy rich asshole, cheerleader &#8211; and subsequently I found myself really rooting for certain individuals to survive and almost wilfully endangering others so they\u2019d get their come-uppance.\u00a0 It&#8217;s genuinely scary in parts and also unexpectedly funny a lot of the time.\u00a0 The supplementary Making Of material shows the developers really have an appreciation of the craft that goes into creating a good teen horror movie and they&#8217;ve translated that into an interactive experience marvellously.<\/p>\n<p>As modern game consoles continue to push graphical boundaries I suspect these &#8220;interactive movie&#8221; experiences will only grow in popularity.\u00a0 As it stands,\u00a0<em>Until Dawn<\/em> is one of the best of the bunch.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?attachment_id=22380\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-22380\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22380\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bannersaga3.jpg\" alt=\"bannersaga3\" width=\"620\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bannersaga3.jpg 620w, http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bannersaga3-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Banner Saga Trilogy<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Stoic Games\u00a0 |\u00a0 2014 &#8211; 2018\u00a0 |\u00a0 Xbox One, Playstation 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The Banner Saga<\/em>\u00a0series remains criminally overlooked in my opinion. A tactical turn-based RPG that was originally produced off the back of a Kickstarter campaign, Stoic Studio\u2019s series draws the player into a gorgeous fantasy world with incredible Ralph Bakshi inspired artwork and a sprawling narrative that is filled with interesting creatures, cultures and landscapes.<\/p>\n<p>In the original game, the player would lead a caravan of villagers and warriors, desperately trying to guide them to safety away from the marauding Dredge. The play mechanics involved battling hostile enemies, deciding on food rationing, making choices on when to stay on the road and when to make camp, and lastly, juggling diplomacy with the various races and species that your troupe would come across.<\/p>\n<p>In the sequels, the size and scale of the game shifted to adapt to the ever-expanding narrative. There are multiple heroes, multiple caravans, intertwining stories and all new creatures and species to play as. It\u2019s a fine continuation of the foundations built in the original.<\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t quite put my finger on why\u00a0<em>The Banner Saga<\/em>\u00a0series doesn\u2019t have a bigger following. It plays like\u00a0<em>Final Fantasy Tactics<\/em>. It looks like\u00a0<em>The Lord of the Rings<\/em>\u00a0animated film. It\u2019s one of the best fantasy games going today.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?attachment_id=22324\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-22324\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22324\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/reddeadthumb.jpg\" alt=\"reddeadthumb\" width=\"620\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/reddeadthumb.jpg 620w, http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/reddeadthumb-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Red Dead Redemption II<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Rockstar Games\u00a0 |\u00a0 2018\u00a0 |\u00a0 Playstation 4, Xbox One<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Rockstar Games\u2019 long anticipated sequel to\u00a0<em>Red Dead Redemption<\/em>\u00a0is an epic in the truest sense of the word.\u00a0 It has been eight years in the making.\u00a0 It is rumoured to have cost over a quarter of a billion dollars to make and has over three thousand names in the credits.\u00a0 The fruits of this labour is an enormously detailed open world environment the likes of which has never been seen before.\u00a0 Even ignoring the hundreds of activities, side quests and hours of exploration you could do in\u00a0<em>Red Dead<\/em>, the main story will take most players somewhere north of fifty hours to complete.\u00a0 This thing is absolutely gargantuan.<\/p>\n<p>I was very much in awe of\u00a0<em>Red Dead Redemption 2<\/em>\u00a0right from the opening chapter.\u00a0 The production values are absolutely astounding.\u00a0 The wide variety of different environments \u2013 the snowy mountain peaks, the arid desert, the dense forests, the foggy bayou \u2013 all look extremely impressive running on the Playstation 4 Pro.\u00a0 Rockstar Studios are now well versed in creating convincing, cohesive open world environments and\u00a0<em>Red Dead\u00a0<\/em>is no exception.<\/p>\n<p>Once the game loosens the reigns on the player and lets you begin exploring in Chapter 2, it really is a joy to just get out and immerse yourself in the world.\u00a0 I quickly realized that a lot of the game\u2019s systems \u2013 your hygiene, camp morale, bonding with your horse \u2013 are generally window dressing features that encourage role-playing life in the Wild West.\u00a0 Nothing in the game will actually break if you decide to completely ignore these trimmings.\u00a0 Its all there to provide the player with a sense of place.\u00a0 When I made that discovery, I found even though they weren\u2019t a necessity, I still enjoyed making time for Arthur to do these optional activities \u2013 fishing, gambling, singing around the camp fire \u2013 because I so enjoyed that feeling of immersion.<\/p>\n<p>One of the high points of\u00a0<em>Red Dead Redemption 2<\/em>\u00a0is that not only does Rockstar have the ambition to tell a meaningful tale with genuine emotional weight and grativas about it, we have arrived at a point with technology that these characters are able to communicate subtle, nuanced expressions to the player.\u00a0 Just look at Arthur\u2019s eyes as it begins to dawn on him the type of man that Dutch Van Der Linde is.\u00a0 Or revisit a scene when\u00a0John and Abigail Marsden exchange verbal spars about his choice to remain an outlaw.\u00a0 We can see they have a heated but loving relationship not because they say so, but in their body language.<\/p>\n<p>When this game hits its highs, it is unmatched amongst its contemporaries.\u00a0 Arthur Morgan is one of video gaming\u2019s most brilliantly conceived protagonists and the grand adventure that he goes on \u2013 which explores themes of greed, corruption, family and of course redemption \u2013 is told to the player with a level of cinematic flair and sophistication that is finally beginning to rival its contemporaries in film and television.\u00a0 Maybe this isn\u2019t the video games industry\u2019s\u00a0<em>Gone With The Wind<\/em>\u00a0but its not far off it.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Honourable Mentions<\/em><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Horizon Zero Dawn<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Super Hot VR<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">God of War<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Marvel&#8217;s Spider-man<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Celeste<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Dead Cells<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Hades<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The Last of Us II<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Wolfenstein, Wolfenstein II<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Resident Evil 2<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Control<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Yakuza 6: Song of Life<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Hollow Knight<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Cuphead<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Life Is Strange<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Ghosts of Tsushima<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Metal Gear Solid V<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My ten favourites on the Xbox One and Playstation 4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[2933,2934,1702,2932,2623,2801,2931,1643],"class_list":["post-23326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming","tag-astrobot-rescue-missions","tag-dragon-quest-xi","tag-playstation-4","tag-slay-the-spire","tag-stardew-valley","tag-tetris-effect","tag-the-witcher-3","tag-xbox-one"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23326"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23335,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23326\/revisions\/23335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}