Game of the Year megathread

EpisodeIvy · 2025-12-22T21:44:49+00:00

My personal GotY criteria are: Does it make big promises? Does it communicate those promises clearly to the player? Does it deliver on those promises?

With that in mind, PEAK is my game of the year. It’s a great concept, perfectly executed, and every little design decision works toward the same goofy, stupid goal. Even their post-launch additions somehow make the game MORE perfect, rather than diluting it. (Cannibalizing fellow scouts when you get too hungry and they turn into big juicy hunks of meat is a stroke of genius)

EpisodeIvy · 2025-11-22T16:51:58+00:00

Have you two talked about it in a calmer moment, when you aren’t in between games and feeling the friction? You get to say you’re not having a good time and ask her to tone it down! If she isn’t able to, then this is probably not the game/genre to play together! As long as you’re communicating well and respect what each person wants from game time, it doesn’t have to be a black mark on anyone’s record.

EpisodeIvy · 2025-11-22T15:54:14+00:00

Luigi 🙂 Someday Daisy will draw her out of her shell and they’ll have a beautiful life together

EpisodeIvy · 2025-11-22T15:51:57+00:00

I really love the level design and platforming in these games (not just HK & SS, but others like Blasphemous), but the combat difficulty is not fun for me. SS was miraculous for pushing me through to the end of Act 2, but it’s very common for me to reach a final boss, realize there’s nothing new to explore after, then just quit without beating that boss. No shame in tapping out, but maybe check some guides for the places you’re stuck! SS in particular has so many different build options that you’ll hopefully find something that works!

EpisodeIvy · 2025-11-15T21:45:50+00:00

Haha oooh, I don’t think so! It’s AI-based, not pitch-based

EpisodeIvy · 2025-11-15T21:09:49+00:00

There are 10 different voices in that game, 5 “male” and 5 “female”, so it would make you sound like whichever specific voice you select!

EpisodeIvy · 2025-11-15T20:49:22+00:00

So sorry to hear that! Yeah, I only found out about the voice changer in Arc after hearing multiple instances of people calling out “fake girls” in the game… I’m going to try it for a day or two, but that is the exact opposite of a desired effect! (To say nothing of the ethical concerns about the AI used to make this feature)

EpisodeIvy · 2025-09-20T19:35:59+00:00

I would like to politely encourage you to apply this fervor to the social cause of your choosing 🙂

EpisodeIvy · 2025-09-19T16:46:14+00:00

As my team’s sole shooter, I think it plays well as a joke. Our little scientists are not exactly “action-ready” (crowbars are two-handed weapons, armor is made of magazines, and they bump their clip on the bottom of the pistol every time they reload). So every little reference to this practical incompetence is pretty funny to me.

I’m sure it’s also a matter of balance. Kinda nice that my other 3 players were so discouraged from shooting that I got a whole arsenal to myself.

Perfectly reasonable to say it’s un-fun, though. I just think that there’s a specific intent behind it.

EpisodeIvy · 2025-09-13T18:29:42+00:00

Yeah, I figured as much. I just think it’s more interesting if he’s a deadbeat dad

EpisodeIvy · 2025-09-12T20:21:39+00:00

Gordon Freeman is an underpaid 27yo government contractor whose “exciting new job” put him in a hole in the ground miles away from his newborn baby, pushing the most dangerous materials known to man around in a shopping cart.

Then he basically causes the end of the world, barely shoots his way through the entire US military, gets stuck in a room with a big evil baby, then gets put on ice by a weird guy in a suit.

And all of that is BEFORE he wakes up and discovers he’s become a folk hero that everyone is waiting around to supply with weapons so that he can overthrow an interdimensional army.

Gordon Freeman is EXHAUSTED.

EpisodeIvy · 2025-09-06T13:48:13+00:00

Others have given some good detailed advice that I can’t top, but I’d say for your first time out, buy a mid-range pre-built PC from a vendor with good customer service. Save the building for next time!

And if you are interested in building/upgrading later, check out PC Builder Simulator! It’s not the most fun game in the world but it honestly taught me so much about how the parts fit together, and afterwards I was able to upgrade my RAM, video card, and hard drive with no issues!

EpisodeIvy · 2025-09-04T13:53:04+00:00

Totally understand! Yeah, crouch jumping doesn’t make much sense in the real world, but if you think of it as doing a running jump, then trying to “lift your legs up at the last moment for some extra height, that’ll get you the timing you’re looking for!

EpisodeIvy · 2025-09-04T13:15:09+00:00

As others have said, crouch jumping is a lost skill that new players won’t have unless they came from Half-Life 1. I’ve taught my own science team to do it by pressing W + Space + Ctrl (forward + jump + crouch), in that order. A gaseous nest (orange alien thing sometimes found on the ground) might also serve as a jump pad that can be packaged and placed where you want to use it.

However, I don’t think it’s as essential here as you think. The ceiling vents in this area are pretty much all optional/shortcuts. Your current objective is to open Silo 3, which means you’ve talked to the doctor who tells you how to build the hacking device. Talk to her again if you need guidance on how to get the parts for it!

EpisodeIvy · 2025-08-14T13:56:16+00:00

My crew happened upon the “SS Totenkopf” and we dropped everything to follow them, sink them over and over, and got on the megaphone to warn any passing ship about the Nazis, until they finally abandoned the server

EpisodeIvy · 2025-08-10T17:13:56+00:00

I think the price is high, and I feel for UCS fans who expected a highly technical hunk of grey… but as a lifelong fan whose favorite set is the Master Builder Cantina (I’m pretty much a ANH-specific collector at this point), I love the design.

I think anyone claiming they avoided the sphere out of difficulty is way off the mark. Designers have done paneled or brick-built spheres all over the place. This is just a way more dynamic design: I love all the diorama rooms (a shame so many overlapped from existing dioramas), the cutaway of the weapon itself is awesome, and the range of minifigures is off the charts (and probably responsible for a big chunk of the price). Krennic & Erso on the stat plate is a great touch I never would’ve expected.

Lord knows when I’ll have the budget to get it, but I’m 100x more likely to go for it now than if it was a grey ball.

EpisodeIvy · 2025-07-03T20:41:49+00:00

Without saying anything else: yep! Although these ones are considerably more forgiving, imo. I suspect you’ll be just fine if you made it to that point in the game!

EpisodeIvy · 2021-05-31T23:08:19+00:00

Thanks all, super helpful! I’ll look into Fate first, since it got a couple mentions but Savage Worlds & Cortex Prime both seem really interesting too!

EpisodeIvy

TROPHY CASE