KissingSunlight said:
So, can anyone recommend a game that was released in the last 2 years that have a great single player campaign?
Great story-wise, gameplay-wise? Both? Something else? I'd rattle off a few suggestions and see what sticks:
Divinity: Original Sin - I really enjoyed this game, I'd quite possibly claim it's the best one I've played last year...if it wasn't for the fact I also played XCOM: Enemy Within last year (Yeah, I was late. Whatever). At any rate, the story is...there. It's not bad but it's not that original. I'd say it serves its purpose and it doesn't get in the way - keeps stuff moving. The gameplay is quite interesting, I'd say - especially the battles which actually require a bit of strategy and planning and leave the battlefield
a mess - smouldering, burning, and posionous remains of spells and various objects would litter the ground because you need to use those. Or need to beware of them when the enemies use them. It's a fun game with a heavy dose of old school-y RPG aspects.
Transistor - it's basically Bastion. Well, not totally, but if you liked Bastion, you'd probably like this. The look and feel are QUITE similar although combat isn't. The combat is interesting, though, you get a mix of turn-based (well, sort of) and real-time combat you can use with a variety of abilities you can mix in different ways.
Shadow of Mordor - I was surprised at how much I liked this game. Even if it could have been better. I liked going around and murdering orcs as well as them scheming and acting against each other on their way up for promotion. The story is...dunno, maybe if I was into LotR more I'd be able to appreciate it more (you find lots of throwbacks scattered in the game) but I wasn't. Saying that, it's not like it
requires you to know the lore - I sure as hell don't and I didn't mind. The combat is not actually that glorious - I mean, it's not like you go there and just slaughter orcs - those guys are
tough and if you get in a fight with, like, 10 of them, you may want to just flee instead. I did like this. Though, saying that - if you've played Batman Arkham Asylum[footnote]I actually started it now, so I can NOW compare them[/footnote] the combat mechanics are not really that different.
Styx: Master of Shadows - it's pretty much Thief, without being the new Thief. That's what I can say about it. I've not finished it and I can't really discuss the story yet.
Lichdom: Battlemage - hmm, how can I describe this? It's like Skyrim meets Dark Messiah meets Diablo. It's first person spell slinging game, and it reminds me a lot of Dark Messiah[footnote]though, also Skyrim because it also has first person and spell slinging, albeit different, it's similar enough of a concept and more recent and popular[/footnote] but you basically get a bunch of spell components from killing people and they drop like candy, similar to loot in Diablo. With the spell components you craft better and different spells (which are, basically, your equipment and weapons). It does rely rather heavily on crafting, as in, you do need to stop and look through your inventory and try to empty it out every once in a while. So if you're not up to that, skip it, otherwise, I think it's a good game. A bit linear (like Dark Messiah), but whatever. The story is OK from what I've seen.
Saints Row 4 - Did you like SR3? Yes? No? Maybe? Well, SR 4 is, I'd say a different beast. Interestingly, I enjoyed the gameplay of 4 MUCH MORE than the one in 3. But had the opposite thing with the story. I suppose it just comes at a cost - in SR 3 some CRAZY SHIT is happening and it's AWESOME when it happens, while in SR 4 crazy shit is happening all the damn time anyway. Also, the story was rather short, anyway. At any rate - it's a super hero sandbox. That's how I can class it. I had a blast, as well - the superpowers are super fun.
Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell - did you like 4? Well, it's pretty much the same. Well, there are some new powers and weapons but it's also a superhero playground. It was quite shorter, as well - I finished it in one sitting and I wasn't even pursuing the story. Well, the story just...happens, anyway - you advance when you do...anything in the game. If you want to play a bit more SR4, give this a spin, I'd say.
Aarklash: Legacy - I'll be upfront here: the story is crap. However, everything else is top notch. It's bizarre, actually - the lore and stuff is quite awesome, in fact, it's just the main story that's crap. Predictable cliche, I'd say it is, but it sort of has a chunk in the last third missing and then it finishes abruptly. Again, I'm mentioning this because it stands in stark contrast with everything else in the game. If you're not
that bothered by story (as in, it's not a driving factor for you), do give this a spin - the gameplay can hold it on its own. You control 4 characters each with unique abilities and each with several possible upgrade paths to further make them more varied. It's pretty much encounter based with you moving your guys from one group of enemies to the next and having to use tactical combat (real time with pause) to succeed. Some of the bastards are tough, so you need to choose abilities and characters wisely[footnote]well, you can swap and respect at pretty much any time outside of combat, but you still need to bring the correct people with the correct skills or you may lose[/footnote].
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - I've not played it (yet) but I've heard a lot of praise. I'd personally believe it. I've played the vanilla campaign only and it was OK but not great - Dragonfall is pretty much universally claimed to keep the good bits and improve everything.
