The Three Games I Can't Stop Playing

So much to play, so little time

On the whole, the difficulty scales well, except for this
one fight on Bespin

The fall is always the busiest season for games, and with so many choices, I wanted to take a second to talk about what I’m playing. Since March, my game time has primarily focused on Switch titles. For the most part, my PS4 has been neglected, save for a prolonged stint with Injustice 2, and a few hours with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Finally, the PS4 is back on because I’ve been playing a bunch of Star Wars Battlefront II. I don’t want to get too deep into the absolutely convoluted progression system for the multiplayer, or EA’s absurdly predatory pay-to-win microtransactions, because I’ve been focusing on the campaign thus far. And it’s, well, disjointed. The moment to moment gameplay is excellent. Whether on foot or in space, the mechanics have been tightened up immensely since the 2015 reboot. Between the graphics, combat scenarios, and sound design the campaign feels just about perfect. I’m playing on the highest difficulty, and the firefights do a nice job of ramping up in terms of difficulty, save for one absurdly difficult encounter on Bespin, even if the AI is a bit shoddy at times. Similarly, Iden’s AI companions are very ineffective, and really serve only to give the illusion of teamwork, when in reality you’re doing all the work yourself. Not a deal breaker, but worth pointing out nonetheless.

The new characters introduced in Battlefront II are
all winners

As a huge Star Wars fan, I love seeing the brand new planets and characters DICE has concocted. Pillio is a definite standout, and I hope we see it appear in one of the upcoming films. Likewise, the new characters introduced are well written and very interesting. Shriv and Hask stood out the most in terms of their characterization, but their respective actors didn't deliver standout performances. They were good, but not great. In contrast, Janina Gavankar, who played Iden Versio, did a great job selling her character and overcoming a sometimes weak script. I also am fascinated by the period of time between episode VI and VII, so setting the campaign there was a treat. Yet, while it does a good job of informing us about the fall of the empire, Battlefront II doesn’t spend any time discussing the subsequent rise of the First Order. That speaks to the biggest flaw that the campaign has.

Each mission, such as this one on Pillio, is
a lot of fun individually, but the overall narrative isn't
very cohesive

The overarching plot is incredibly thin, and really could use some more time in the oven. Each mission on its own is great, but the writers weren’t able to string these moments together cohesively. To add insult to injury, the ending is coming in DLC. That isn’t some grand conjecture: the game literally has no end. It does set up a very interesting revenge story that I cannot wait to take part in, but I wish it was on the disc and I didn’t have to wait for free DLC. As it stands, it feels like the story mode wraps up where the third act should’ve started, and I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Past the campaign mode, DICE has thankfully added in a suite of other offline modes. There are Battle Scenarios, and Custom Arcade matches, which are both reminiscent of the Instant Action modes of the original two Battlefront games. I was quite disappointed by the lack of substantial offline, split-screen content in the 2015 Battlefront, so I’m very glad this title rectified that. I anticipate spending many hours in this galaxy, far, far away.

It's a shame that EA had to force so many bad practices
into an otherwise great sequel that addresses many
fan complaints

If you’re a Star Wars fan like me, definitely pick this up. But I implore you to buy the game through unconventional means, so EA doesn’t see a profit. I love the game, but EA should not be rewarded for the anti-consumer practices in the multiplayer. Personally, I got my copy through Redbox. If you rent the game then hold onto it for three weeks, you get charged $60 but then it is yours to keep. Other methods include buying a second hand copy, or purchasing it through Gamefly. There has been so much backlash towards this title pre-launch, that it's important that we put our money where our mouth is and show EA that they cannot launch a game in this state. However, I feel it is equally important that we support the actual content that DICE created, because save for story hiccups, the attention to detail, immersion, and gunplay deserve to be recognized.

DOOM is very violent, but its gore never felt too shocking,
perhaps due to the lower graphical fidelity of the Switch port

On Switch, the majority of my time has been spent with DOOM. It’s magnificent to have this game on the go, and  it is a true feat of game design that it runs on Switch at all. Keep in mind though, this game is very violent: definitely not for the faint of heart. This violence is actually integral to the gameplay. Enemies can be staggered by doing enough damage, and this leaves them open for a glory kill. These incredibly brutal melee kills heal your character. These glory kills are the crux of DOOM’s phenomenal gameplay loop. DOOM is essentially an arena shooter. Quite often you’ll be trapped in an area and you’re not progressing until all the demons are six feet under. Whipping around, shotgunning demons and chaining glory kills to stay alive is electric, and augmented by the incredible soundtrack. This is truly great stuff. As a gameplay-first type of guy, I think that DOOM is nearly perfect. This is a controller gripping, heart-pounding, hell of a good time. Don’t come to DOOM for a great story though, or for puzzle-solving, or for that matter, exploration. DOOM is unapologetically a twitch-based, linear shooter. However, the Switch version of DOOM isn’t perfect, and the blistering fast gameplay serves to hide one, and accentuate the other of the two problems that plague this version.

Gyro aiming would be very helpful, and should've been
included in the game

There is no getting around the fact that DOOM doesn’t look nearly as good as its PS4 and Xbox counterparts. However, you’d really only notice this lack of graphical fidelity if you’re standing still. This is heavily frowned upon in DOOM, as even a moment’s respite will get you killed. What isn’t so easily hidden, unfortunately, are the sometimes lengthy load times that plague the port. Sometimes, though, these load times can be a bit of a nice breather, allowing me to refocus and plan out my next attempt. But, they really do drag from time to time. On the whole, the fast nature of DOOM’s run and gun gameplay smartly hides the majority of these technical deficits, which makes it a great fit for the hybrid. However, because of this speed, the imprecision of the Joy-Con analogue sticks becomes apparent. They are just too short to allow for the ease and range of movement necessary for this twitch gameplay. The pro controller does help some, but it isn’t perfect. Thus, DOOM really should’ve utilized gyro aiming similar to Splatoon 2. Considering DOOM already has gesture controls for glory kills, it's a shame id didn’t go the extra mile on this front.

After the Mushroom Kingdom, the post-game kingdoms
got more and more underwhelming

The last game I’ve been playing around with, and the one that is starting to drive me a bit crazy, is Super Mario Odyssey. I’m sitting at a cool 502 moons, and I’ve unlocked the Darker Side of the Moon. This perfect run-esque goliath of a level is about as frustrating as they come, and prioritizes non-traditional platforming skills that weren’t really honed during the main game. I’ve sunk hours into this kingdom, and I simply cannot get past the part with the capturable bird. It’s infuriating. To be honest, I was hoping for a bit more here. The Mushroom Kingdom was such a well-crafted and fun post-game reward, that it makes the subsequent return visits to the various sides of the moon all the more underwhelming. I’m just about ready to give up the ghost and return to moon collecting in the main kingdoms, and leave this one to taunt me until the end of time. While the Darker Side of the Moon is lacking in my eyes, the moon cubes scattered throughout the main kingdoms add many hours of fun, and almost excuse these trips to outer space. However, after experiencing all of this, I finally know where Odyssey falls in my personal ranking of Mario games.

All of Super Mario Odyssey's kingdoms are creative and fun,
but lack an overall theme

After much consideration, Galaxy is still my favorite Mario game, but Odyssey edges out 3D World in my estimation, making it my second favorite in the series. Galaxy just has a laser focus in terms of cohesion, whereas I feel Odyssey lacks that through-line that ties the kingdoms together. Forgotten Isle and the Luncheon Kingdom are a ton of fun to explore but they feel very out of place compared to the other kingdoms in the game. Galaxy felt like one big journey through the universe to rescue Peach, whereas Odyssey feels like tourism through disconnected areas, regardless of the fact that they’re on the same planet. Similarly, Odyssey lacks the focus in mission structure of Super Mario 64. Specific objectives like these helped to give purpose to collecting stars, and bolstered the sense of accomplishment felt when acquiring one. Odyssey's moons feel like one big scavenger hunt. Yet, I do prefer Odyssey to Super Mario 64. What gives Odyssey the edge is the capture mechanic, the fluidity of control, and creative design. Playing Odyssey is just so much fun, and the core game is just so good. However, when you're comparing a suite of excellent games, it comes down to the details when determining my ranking. If only it had a better sense of focus it could be my new favorite, but as it stands, second place is where it’ll stay.

Let me know what you’re playing in the comments below!