Blast from the Past
In this category I include great games that have released prior to 2017 but I only got around to playing them this year. Unfortunately, this year there weren’t a lot of old games I played so it’s a relatively recent past.
Fallout 4
Released October 10th, 2015
3 or 4 years ago, I played Fallout 3 but never got to finish it. However, it left me with a huge desire to go back and finish it, which I never did. So, I decided to buy Fallout 4 because it was a more recent entry. Well, I definitely don’t regret it. From beginning to end there’s that great sense of exploration I was craving for that there’s always something interesting lurking around, be it a powerful weapon or simply an interesting building/area (most of the times it’s a mixture of both). The combat was also largely the same, with its extremes of either having terrible weapons or having stupidly overpowered weapons to destroy an entire group of enemies and then some more. The story once again was there, that is, it’s something that I didn’t pay that much attention to but still had its over the top moments and got me to meet interesting factions (the Brotherhood of Steel will always be the coolest)! Bethesda once again created a very interesting world with lots of stuff for you to find and explore, while leaving the pacing at your command. The entire world is always available to you, it’s just that sometimes your stats might be too low to access some areas, or you find “end-game” monsters right early, which will torn you to pieces, literally.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Released May 19th, 2015
You know that feeling when you first boot up a game and you instantaneously understand this is a game you’ll get lost in? That’s what I felt when I first played the Witcher 3. Its characters and world design quickly pulled me in, along with its fantasy atmosphere. The combat here is also very good, to the point that it never gets old to draw out your sword and slay the enemies in front of you. Besides everything else, this game has yet another game inside it: Gwent. Because I had never played The Witcher 3 I had no idea what people were talking, but after my first two or three matches of Gwent I got completely addicted to it and forgot about what else was going on in the game. I am yet to touch the expansions but if the main game is anything to go by, those will probably have hours of great content for me to enjoy.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Released on June 16th, 2011; Nintendo 3DS Version
How could I only play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in 2017? This is game is a true masterpiece that any person should play. Its combat while simple feels good, and the sense of scale across the game is great. From the first time you enter the “open world” area, you feel like you’re embarking in a new journey that will take you across varied and distinct regions. However, as we all know, the main attraction of a Zelda game are the dungeons, and oh are they good in this one. This game has some of the best, if not the best dungeons across the entire series. The puzzles are all well balanced to not go overboard with its difficulty while providing you a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment after completing them. The weapons you acquire throughout the game are also very well designed, so that none of them becomes obsolete as you progress and are routinely used for different types of puzzles or to access specific locations in the world. Oh, and alternating between child and adult Link is also a genius mechanic that almost creates two different worlds, with areas that are blocked in one but available in the other, or weapons that you can only use while controlling adult Link. All in all, if you haven’t played this game, stop everything you’re doing and go play it.
Metro Redux: Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light
Released August 29th, 2014; PS4 Version, containing both games
The Metro games always fascinated me because of the atmosphere they manage to put you in while playing. Its gunplay feels a bit janky, but it ends up adding to the tension of whether or not you’re alone in the tunnels and everything around you is dead or if there’s still something or someone lurking around. Regarding the continuity of the story from Metro 2033 to Last Light, it is well executed, with the sequel picking “the darker” of the two possible endings in the first game, creating a world where the consequences of your choice are evident. From the first minute of Metro 2033 to the last of Last Light you’ll be on the edge of your seat, waiting for twists in the story or something to jump at you in the darkness that are the tunnels.
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Released on September 30th, 2014
Now that I’ve played Shadow of Mordor I can finally understand where all the praise and admiration were coming from. Its gameplay is incredibly solid, and the acclaimed Nemesis System never stops adding more playtime to the game with new orcs rising to the top for you to go after. Unfortunately, I am not a Lord of the Rings guy therefore I can’t judge the game for how well it adapts the story, so I kept focused on the gameplay and I’m sure glad I did. I only stopped playing when the Platinum trophy notification popped up and even after that I felt tempted to keep hunting orcs across Mordor.
And that's a wrap for the Blast from the Past category. Thank you for reading it.
You can use the buttons below to jump to the previous category, the next one or even return to the ZeReviews 2017 Video Game Awards page.
