Drew Scanlon is a former video producer here at Giant Bomb. He now works for Digital Eclipse helping make all those interactive documentaries we love. You can also find him rambling about race cars and raising money for Multiple Sclerosis.
Hi GB! Since last we spoke, my comrades and I over at Digital Eclipse have released games about the Ninja Turtles, Atari, Karateka, and Wizardry (not to mention a dang NES game), so you can maybe understand why my list is a little nostalgia-heavy this year. Seriously, when you sit across from Mike Mika’s office, it’s hard not to think “maybe I should get an Apple II.” Anyway, let’s get to it before I make any more ill-advised eBay purchases!
5. Remnant II
I’ve only played a handful of hours of this one, but like Diablo IV, it’s a fabulous co-op experience. I also find myself drawn in to its unique world, which so far has provided enough mystery to compel me to keep playing, and enough visual variety to keep me wondering what’s around the next corner.
4. Dave the Diver
I love a good underwater game! Dave the Diver nails the serenity and splendor of ocean ecosystems so well, that part of the game on its own would have been enough for me. But just to keep things interesting, it also weaves in a Diner Dash-like restaurant management mechanic. This could easily have been too harsh of a stylistic shift, but somehow the game pulls it off to create something unique and refreshing.
3. Diablo IV
At any given time, I need to have a game in my back pocket where I can just “turn my brain off and deal damage.” This year, that game is Diablo IV. I enjoy visiting Diablo’s world (but wouldn’t want to live there, am I right??) and I’m having a lot of fun exploring the tech tree. My brother clued me in to the build-tweaking site Maxroll and BOY could I sink way more hours into this.
2. Dead Space
THIS is how you do a remake. Dead Space was one of my favorite games on the Xbox 360, and I am overjoyed that EA gave this one the resources it deserved. Motive Studio did a fantastic job of giving players what they THOUGHT they remembered about the original, while preserving the mood and core gameplay that made the 2008 game so special. Good design holds up!
1. Cocoon
All you had to do was say “from the minds that made Limbo and Inside” and I’m in. If the game was just another one of those, I would have been happy. But Cocoon is so much more! The game is stunningly beautiful, and the inventive environments had me frequently thinking “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this.”
It’s also a master class in game design. The nested-worlds idea is a novel one that could easily have spiraled out of control in terms of complexity, but here it is presented in a way that allows you to gradually wrap your mind around it. In no time at all, I found myself wielding my newfound interdimensional powers with ease. Pretty impressive for a one-button game! The only thing it’s missing is Wilford Brimley.
NOW ENTERING THE SEGA GENESIS ZONE
As I alluded to above, there is a staggering amount of retro-game knowledge at Digital Eclipse. When I started there, I realized I was going to have to educate myself just to be able to HANG, you know? So I did what any spreadsheet enthusiast would do: compiled a gigantic list of games I had never played and set off.