Five awesome games

Like Bruce Banner said, I'm angry all the time. Oftentimes I'm angry about games, yet in this case I'm royally pissed off about the lack of discussion about certain relatively-recent titles who DESERVE some free promo. I don't know if all the geek websites I know are asking to be paid for reviews, but everyone is making a fuss about the bad stuff - like Fallout 76 - or the overly-inflated franchises that I've had so much of I could puke. So here we are, at the end of 2018, with some amazing games available and Facebook and friends are throwing at me Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat, Devil May Cry and so on, while there is so much more to be hyped about. Therefore here are 5 games that YOU SHOULD bloody play!

1. The Council

I'm starting with this particular jewel because I fully intend to write a review for it (and I'm reminding myself not to give away too much). The Council is an episodic adventure / puzzle game in which the decisions you make affect everything about the entire experience. It's set in 1793, in a beautiful mansion on a fictional island east of England, where you encounter (among other amazing characters) George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte. It's has everything: R.P.G. elements, exploration, tons of fascinating information about history, art, science and the occult, an almost-perfect story and a constant feel of mystery (and dread to a certain extent), excellent music and a Dishonored-esque character design! Play. It. Now.

2. Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

If you've played the third installment of the Witcher series - Wild Hunt, you certainly know about Gwent - the in-game minigame of cards. Or perhaps, if you're a card game fan, you've heard that they went and actually made this into a separate title, trying - I guess - to attract some of the Hearthstone players that have become bored with it. Thronebreaker, however, is more than just a single-player version of Gwent - thing which kind of threw me off. Initially, I wasn't interested in this particular game because I thought exactly that, but I was so very wrong! In fact, the Gwent side of it is actually engaging and extremely fun, especially since you have to complete a lot of objectives to get your cards, but the bulk of it would describe Thronebreaker as a strategy / R.P.G. The (fantastic!) story evolves around Queen Meve of Lyria and Rivia, and it varies according to the choices she makes along the way. After being dethroned by her own son and having her lands conquered by the giant and greedy empire of Nilfgaard, she struggles to escape her native kingdom, build an army and come back to kick ass. I loved the design - that thick shadow, dark comic, Darkest Dungeon kind of style - and finding out how good of a ruler I'd be, while thoroughly enjoying being surprised by certain characters who popped in and winked at me before going their own way. To be honest, for a game fitting in this particular niche, there's no aspect to it that I could criticize. Do give it a shot - it'll be worth it!

3. Shadow of the Tomb Raider

There's not much to say about this one that has no been praised in the previous titles. This new Tomb Raider series is great and I have enjoyed all three games without having a lot to reproach. It surprises me that many have felt reticent about the new Lara Croft experience, but trust me when I say that you will definitely NOT be disappointed. S.o.t.T.R. in particular excels with its' amazing landscapes - vast and gorgeous - that demand exploration. I've spent hours just searching to find hidden caches, secrets, dungeons... It's every O.C.D.-afflicted gamer's heaven. Or hell. The only aspect that I felt could have been better was the short number of fights for which I spent said hours to prepare, gathering resources, hunting, exploring, buying guns and crafting upgrades. It was kind of a let down to have so little encounters with the bad guys, but overall it still managed to be a delightful experience. The story is great, just as with the other two installments, and even though the game doesn't feel innovative in regards to its' predecessors, it's still very much fun and exciting. I mean... just for this part I'd play it again (she's SO BADASS!):

4. Call of Cthulhu 

I couldn't tell you how I feel about this game and that's the result of playing it. Perhaps I get too involved when gaming, but there is no denying that H.P. Lovecraft is a very special kind of monster. His works, in my opinion, do not belong in the horror genre or even in the terror one, but in a particular category of its own. That said, Cyanide - the developers - have done a superb job in capturing that freaking-the-F-out nature of it, specific to Lovecraft, and quite abundant in C.o.C. It's green, it's foggy, it has sailors and mystery, it has puzzles and a similar playstyle to The Council - with R.P.G. elements and impactful decisions - and it's so daaaaamn cool. There's something palpably unnerving about this game that left me pondering the story for two days after I've finished it, and that is precisely the reason why I'm recommending it wholeheartedly. I'm not a fan of horror (games OR movies) - I don't play them because I hate getting heart attacks for no reason - but even so, even if you think the same, even if you'll hate the three jump-scares you'd have to endure, do play this game. It's not horror, it's a mystery-solving, psychological adventure game worthy of your time.

5. Darksiders 3 (and not only!)

It's past 4 A.M. and since I spent over an hour writing this so far, I'm going to have to direct you to my previous review. Still, in addition to my points there, I just have to add that D3, despite its' not-so-few flaws, has been quite good - I wouldn't add it to the list otherwise! While there are some questions left unanswered, I'm reminding myself (and you) that there is at least one more game to be had and with each new installment, we get more and more details and insight about this particular universe. In this gamer's opinion, it is a real shame that the Darksiders series hasn't caught on, being - as I've said before - a great example of an amazing fantasy franchise. Even more than that, every game has had its' own atmosphere, gameplay, identity... The protagonists, though all Horsemen, are very different and unique, with personalities that make them likable (or not), and - surprisingly - so are their games! The big picture in their story is the same, but told in different ways with different details added every time, details that feel like it is nearing its' completion without neglecting the personal aspect of the characters' own fates. At the same time, although all three games belong in the same genre and are indeed similar, unlike the Tomb Raider games, they still manage to feel new and different. As a last point, I'd like to say that D3 has a much better ending than its' predecessor, and I have absolutely loved the last second cameo appearance of... someone - NO spoilers! Get a copy, get all of them, and don't be shy about the comics either - they are awesome!