In no particular order

For the past few years on Destructoid, I've listed my top games of every year just like everyone else. It was a way for me to try and organize my thoughts in a manner that I figured everyone wanted to read. Truth be told, I'm not so sure how much I even agree with my lists. For instance, I called PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds my #3 for 2017 and now the game is a laughing stock.

So instead of ordering things by number, I'm just going to talk about either my favorite picks for a particular category or some of the worst things I saw this year. 2018 had so many good moments that game of the year lists can be wildly different from person to person. I also missed out on a lot of the bigger releases (God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, etc) because my tastes have changed as I've grown older. Why not honor the things I thought were cool instead of saying they are be????tter than things I haven't tried?

Without further delay, here are the thin??gs I tho??ught were cool and the things that really sucked in 2018!

Best Game with Penises: Genital Jousting

You'd be surprised how large of a category this might be, but I'm pretty confident in saying Genital Jousting is the best game to feature a playable penis. Not only does it have a wild party mode, but a surprisingly deep story about finding yourself in this wacky world. I suppose it also lets you dress up your penis in funny hats, which is always ??worth a chuckle.

I'm mostly just surprised that someone came up with the idea for a campaign mode and didn’t make it an endless string of masturbation jokes. The devs over at Free Lives have done some great things with both BroForce and Genital Jousting and I can't wait to see what they cook up next. Maybe we can get a crossover in the form of Penis Force next!

Comedy of Errors Award: Fallout 76

To be fair, I haven't actually played Fallout 76, but this award is more about the string of bad luck Bethesda has had with the title. Even if you were rooting for Fallout 76 to be good, Bethesda continuously shot itself in the foot with the promotion behind the game. From skimping out on the cost of producing canvas bags to leaking personal customer information, it seemed each new week brought some kind of horrible Fallout 76 related news.

For me, what really sucks is I no longer trust Bethesda with anything. I was already a bit iffy on its in-house games, preferring the output from id Software and Machine Games, but now I'm worried its corporate overlords are going to screw up everything they get their hands on. Who's to say Doom Eternal won't come out locked to Bethe??sda's PC launcher and pumped full of microtransactions and shoddy always-online requirements?

So even without putting a single minute into Fallout 76, I can tell you that it was a complete joke. My heart goes out to the people that worked on this and have had their effort tarnished by crappy busi?ness decisions. I just hope 2019 is better for this particular title.

Best Retro Platformer: La-Mulana 2

La-Mulana 2 is a game I don't see a lot of people talking about. Taking nearly five years to come out after a successful Kickstarter, I would say the sequel to the brutally difficult La-Mulana was well worth the wait. It has everything that made the original such a f?rustratingly gripping experience and then some. It also has an absolutely stunning so??undtrack that is a must listen.

It also took me way longer than I expected to finish it. I was scared when I took on the review because I knew how long La-Mulana could be. I ended up not being able to finish it before it was time to publish, but I didn't shelf the game and call it done. I kept pushing myself until after 40 total hour???s I was at the conclusion and sweating from excitement. I still wanted more despite spending almost two full days traversing its obtuse corridors.

I still agree with everything I said in my review. If you hate games that don't guide you much, La-Mulana 2 will be your worst nightmare. If you're tired of games leading you by the nose, though, then La-Mulana 2 is an absolute masterpiece. Just get ready to see ??"GAME OVER" more times than you’re used to.

Worst Use of DLC: Street Fighter V

With this category, I'm mostly talking about the absolutely hideous "In-Game Advertising" Capcom thought was a smart move. I am fully aware that companies like Capcom are a business and exist to make money, but Street Fighter used to have integrity. It used to be about strong competition, fighting spirit, and pushing yourself to your limits. I? never thought I'd see the day where Akuma was plastered with a disgusting sponsorship logo on his back.

One look at the in-game store, though, and you'll find a list of costumes so extensive that there is a filter to list them under specific categories. There are so many extra DLC options in Street Fighter V that I don't understand why the game isn't free-to-play. I know costumes are purely cosmetic and Capcom has provided different methods of unlocking them, by why does Ryu have alternate attire where he is decked out like Jamie Kennedy in Malibu's Most Wanted? Why do all of the women have skimpy pajama outfi?ts? Why are the classic costumes for characters only available with premium currency?

The actual mechanics of Street Fighter V may have improved since launch, but the marketing schemes by Capcom have basically destroyed its reputation for series fans. I kept telling myself I would eventually grab the game, but I can't in good faith support what Capcom has done to Street Fighter.

Best Fighting Game: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

So instead of Street Fighter, why not talk about the complete opposite end of the spectrum? I've always been a big fan of Super Smash Bros., but I think Sakurai and his team have ruined me for other fighters. Not everything about Ultimate is a slam dunk (the online mode is sad), but from a?? value standpoint, you can't beat Nintendo's premier fighter.

Why would I ever consider dropping $60 on a fighting game that doesn't even include its previous cast? If Nintendo could somehow go through negotiation hell to get literally every Smash veteran into the latest entry, is there any good excuse why series like Tekken, Soulcalibur, and Street Fighter aren't launching new iterations with fan-favorite characters? That isn't to say developers and publishers should be forced to bring back everyone, but the value proposition has gone down considerably for fighting games in recent years. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate proves that a ??company can exist to be a corporate entity and still give?? fans the things they want.

I'm not even angry there is a $25 season pass because I'm more than content ??with the 74 included characters. Nintendo could have dumped the game out in the wild and moved on and I'd still be happy. The core fighting is excellent, the singleplayer modes are extensive and the level of polish is through the roof. There also aren't any egregious advertisements! It really is just a miracle!

Most Disappointing Game: Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise

I must first clarify that I don't think Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is a bad game. It can be entertaining, in spurts, and contains some of the charms of the Yakuza series. Coming from developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios, I just expected better. Fist of the North Star and Yakuza are tw??o series that make perfect sen?se on paper, but the execution was just severely lacking.

The substories are highly repetitive, the game's plotline is super thin and even the mini-games feel stripped back from past Yakuza titles. Maybe I went in with the wrong idea, but I figured this would be Yakuza with a Fist of the North Star skin. Instea??d, this felt more like a tech demo for what Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios could do with the popular '80s manga series instead of a fu??ll game.

At least the boss fights were killer and the graphical style was a solid representation of the manga it was based on. I just wish the game took the time to let you soak in the atmosphere and combat like Yakuza does instead of ferrying you from plot point to plot poi??nt without much context.

Best Remake: Shadow of the Colossus

In Destructoid's most anticipated games list for 2018, I had written, "Yeah, Shadow of the Colossus is great, but I can alre??ady play that game on two different systems." I guess I forgot how damn great the game is because I was somehow blown away again. I knew all the tricks and quirks of Team ICO's magnum opus, but I couldn't put down my controller. I just kept playing and having my ??jaw dropped at how well Bluepoint adapted the late-era PS2 classic to modern hardware.

It doesn't hurt that?? playing on a PS4 Pro gives you access to a 60 FPS option, which completely changes how the game feels. It runs perfectly fine on a regular PS4, but that added fluidity makes those lumbering colo?ssi feel extra imposing. I've never seen them move so fast and yet felt so empowered at the same time.

I still don't necessarily think that Shadow of the Colossus needed another port, but you can't complain about ?the quality that Bluepoint brought to the game. If you're going to remake an all-time classic, this is how it should be done.

My Overall Worst Game: Dynasty Warriors 9

I'm not going to sit here and try to preach that Dynasty Warriors is a misunderstood franchise. Omega Force has been churning out so many games under the Warriors banner for the last 18 years with little variation that I can absolutely see the criticisms people lobby against it. This is a ridiculously simple game? about smashing an attack button and watching enemies ??fall over.

That still doesn't explain why Dynasty Warriors 9 ended up as bad as it did. From a pointless open-world to a misguided change of combat, nothing DW9 brings to the series feels like a compromise worth indulging in. Was Dynasty Warriors really lacking radio towers that players could climb? Did the series trul??y need a hunting mechanics with brain-dead animal AI? Was there any poin??t in spacing out towns and outputs if the merchants were just going to sell you the exact same things?

The worst sin, though, is that the game doesn't even perform well. From the horrible console ports to the absolutely abysmal PC version, this is a far cry from the days when Dynasty Warriors would run at 60 FPS??. I could maybe chalk up the gameplay differences to Omega Force being out of its league, but at least make su??re the game is responsive for the player.

I want to love Dynasty Warriors, as a series, but titles like 9 make me sad that I ever believed in Omega Force. It had a good thing going with Dynasty Warriors 8 and Hyrule Warriors, but I guess taking on too many projects resulted in the quality getting sidelined. Here's hoping that whatever form Xtreme Legends takes for 9 greatly improves the experience.

My Overall Favorite Game: DUSK

Maybe I'm a bit biased in that DUSK is based on the games I grew up loving, but I really do think it was th??e best game of 2018. It did everything classic FPS titles were known for, just better. It has tight level design, incredible atmosphere, great weapons, and an excellent soundtrack. It even has an online multiplayer option to frag your friends!

This is FPS nirvana and is now the highest rated review I've written for Destructoid. If you know anything about me, it should be that I'm pretty tough on games. If I can be blown away by something like DUSK, tha??t should speak to the quality of David Szymanski's modern classic.

Best Streamers on Twitch: Game Attack

I couldn't end my list of 2018 highlights without talking about my friends over at Game Attack. Twitch streaming might be seen as a fad by a lot of people, but the community that Game Attack has cultivated is one of the best places on the internet. This is an environment where you can come in a complete stranger and start getting shouto??uts from the streamers like you’re family within seconds.

Craig, Bolen, and Greyson are just a bunch of fun loving guys that want to help entertain you when you're down a??nd out. They want to lift you up and inspire you to do better. They also love to discuss things with their community in an open manner, priding themselves on their full transparency with behind-the-scenes happenings. If something isn't working for you, you don't need to feel scared about bringing it to their attention.

Maybe watching streamers isn't for you and I understand that. Still, it has become a big part of modern gaming and I'm? happy a place like Game Attack exists. It lets me experience titles I may have otherwise written off because they don't appeal to me. It reminds me that anything is possible if I put my mind to it. Most importantly, though: it's just a fun place to be.

Maybe you agree with my picks or maybe you don't. Thing is, I can't definitively claim any one title in 2018 is better than another. In a year that saw more perfect scores than I can remember, it seems like each developer was bringing out their A-game again. We got God of War redefined as a parable on fatherhood, f?or God's sake!

There were a lot of great games to go around and I'm constantly reminded at how spoile?d gaming enthusiasts are. We really are living in one of the best periods for gaming ever. Certain triple-A devs may be trying to ruin that, but as long as passionate teams with strong visions exist, we'll always have something excellent to play with no strings attached.

And wouldn't you know it, 2019 looks even better!

The post Peter Glagowski names the Best and Worst of 2018 appeared first on Destructoid.

You only have three seconds

One of the cooler bonuses in Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is the ability to play the game as Yakuza protagonist Kiryu Kazuma. It brings an entirely different light to the game that further cements i??ts development by Sega's Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios. It also gives you a glimpse of what Kiryu might be if he were completely unchained from his strict moral code.

When Lost Paradise launched two weeks ago, Kiryu was offered for free as DLC. Sega set a deadline of two weeks for people to grab the skin and that grace period is about to end. Today will be your last day to grab Kiryu before the skin goes up to $4 USD. If you are in Europe, you'll have a few extra days since Lost Paradise launched on October 5.

I won't say Kiryu dramatically improves the experience, but it certainly is a kick to see him exploding heads left and r?ight. If you're worried about buying the game so early just to get Kiryu, don't be: you can safely add the skin to your account without owning the game. Why not do that in case you ever get the itch to step into Kenshiro's boots?

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Standing in the Heart of Madness

For many western '80s kids, Akira was their first introduction to anime, with Katsuhiro Otomo's dystopian classic being one of the first anime movies to get a major push by the mainstream media. For me, however, my first anime encounter was the 1986 movie version of Buronson's post-apocalyptic manga, Fist of the North Star. I had a third-generatio?n, blurry-as-fuck VHS, which I had to keep hidden under my bed because my upbringing was wholly ??censored.

I remember, like many fans experiencing FOTNS (or anime) for the first time, being blown away by how incredibly violent it was, and also being hugely confused by the movie's massively unsatisfying non-ending, a culture shock for a kid brought up on movies that always tied narratives up neatly by the end credits. Still, that movie - and its AMAZING mid-fight rock track - are ingrained in the membranes of everyone who's experienced i?t.

Sega's Team Yakuza were clearly also impressed and influenced with the ultra-macho tale of massive dudes, ridiculous martial arts, and exploding heads. They have, essentially, given their Yakuza engine a new coat of paint, based on the story of Kenshiro, Shin, Yuria, and top motherfucker, Raoh. But does Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise ease my pain, ease my lonelines?s, ?or is it already dead?

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise (PS4)
Developer: Ryu ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Released: October 2, 2018
MSRP: $59.99

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise presents an alternate take on Kenshiro and co., keeping the general thread of the manga but weaving in new locations and characters. For the most part, the story aligns, including all of FOTNS' greatest hits. The scarring of Kenshiro, the hunt for fiancée Yuria, meeting Rei and the res?cue of his kidnapped sister, sidekicks Bat and Lin, as well as brutal, bloody face-offs with jealous brother Jagi, noble master Toki, and the prideful Shin.

Although the material of the main story thread is treated with a respect very befitting of its legendary status, there is a weird pacing issue with Lost Paradise. Far too long is spent on busywork, investigation, and running from location to location around Eden (which, for want of a better example, is Lost Paradise's "Kamurocho from Yakuza"). When the iconic conflicts do?? occur, they're poorly placed in the story, often smothered by menial tasks that have led to the moment, such as fixing up a buggy's wheels, or literally wandering around town talking to people for information. Weirdly, what should be absolute highlights on Kenshiro's quest come across more as footnotes. No better exemplified than in the tutorial, which is Ken's fight with Shin, the very man who scarred him and kidnapped his fiancée. This is resolved in the game's first three minutes. Odd.

For the most part, it's a great retelling of the FOTNS lore, with suitably stoic performances and some welcome new characters, such as frenemy Jagre and the bewitching, cigar-chomping Lyra. It must be noted that non-fans may find themselves rolling their eyes after hours upon hours of macho posturing and characters endlessly repeating that "my style cannot be defeated." It goes with the territory, and FOTNS fans, myself included, wouldn't have it any other way, but it?? can fall f??lat for newcomers.

Gameplay is straight-up "stripped down Yakuza." It's lazy to say so, but there are no two ways about it. Once arriving at Eden, Ken jogs around town, getting into random encounters, solving up to 80 sidequests, and constantly pushing through a chapter-based main story. Lost Paradise leaves it a little late to open up freedom to the player, arguably only becoming "open-world" around Chapter Five, almost halfway through the story. Once it does however, it's the tried-and-true Yakuza system of helping the innocent, getting jumped in alleyways, and fetch quests. Team Yakuza has fortunately been given a little leeway here, as there's a surprising amount of genuine comedy, such as?? a local council committee dedicated to teaching Kenshiro how to "use his words" to solve battles.

Battling is a huge, huge, HUGE part of Lost Paradise, as Ken takes on literally hundreds upon hundreds of enemies while on his dangerous quest. Although very similar, almost identical, to Yakuza in concept, the FOTNS fights grow repetitious quickly and lack its brethren's variety. Lost Paradise foolishly locks away a huge gamut of moves and skills for hours, and as Kenshiro has no need for weaponry, fights fea??ture mashing out the same few max-damage combos time and again.

The canned animations of exploding bodies are amazing, and a lot of fun, but you'll be seeing them the best part of a thousand times, and they lose their allure pretty quickly. Locking away parries, reversals, jump kicks, grabs, and many other moves until a huge chunk of time has been put into the title is a mistake. Players want to hit Start and become The Fist of the North Star, the successor of Hokuto Shinken; making them play for hours before they can parry, or do a simple running attack, is a bad call.

At this point, it might start to sound as if Lost Paradise is a bad game, which is far from the truth. There is a lot of atmosphere, design, and character on display. It's also jam-packed with things to do. A so-so driving system allows Kenshiro to explore the Wasteland on wheels, via a customisable buggy upgraded using a rudimentary crafting system. There are also a glut of very silly mini-games, which see Kenshiro work part-time as a bartender, nightclub host, gladiator, and even a doctor (in a rhythm-action game that just has to be seen to be believed).

There's a hilarious take on a batting cage, an anachronistic casino, store orders to be filled, and treasures to be found out in the desert. For its missteps, Lost Paradise delights with its wealth of side-quests and mini-games, though most of them are just variants on the same games we've played in other Team Yakuza titles. The art style captures the universe perfectly, all insanely-muscular dudes with tiny heads, giant hands, and massive scowls, defending beautiful, waif-like women with persistently sad faces. Of course its hardly a progressive form of storytelling, but Fist of the North Star has forever been the anime equi?valent of a testosterone overdose, delivered fist-first, with a broken needle, straight to the eyeball.

There's nothing in Lost Paradise that makes it a "bad game" per se, it just doesn't excel in any particular area, missing the pedigree of its developer. Perhaps with a cheaper price tag, or a release during its original Japanese launch when we weren't inundated with amazing open-world titles, Lost Paradise would find a bigger audience. But at sixty bucks, standing against open-world/gang-battle titles such as Marvel's Spider-Man, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and even its own "Aniki," the Yakuza series, Lost Paradise is missing the magn?etism to rank it a contender for anyone who is not already interested in Kenshiro's gory universe of fists and fury.

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is a passionate retelling of one of history's most violent, bare-bones, and overwhelmingly macho tales. In that capacity, it does a great job. But it's not quite the masterpiece it could have been, let down by repetition, unlock grinds, and a lack of polish in narrative and mechanics. Regardless, with bucket-loads of adventure on offer, and a cathartic dose of the old ultra-violence, Lost Paradise is a fine weekend-filler, and a proud reflection of its legendary source m?aterial.

_{[This review is based on ?a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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That's rad

While the Kiryu DLC for Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise was already confirmed to be heading West, we now know when you'll be able to nab it. Starting o??n launch day (October 2), Kiryu will be available for free for two weeks. There is no price for what he'll be after that period, but we'll remind you when he's about to disappear so you don't get busy and forget.

Yakuza Game [Twitter]

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You are already out of cliched subheaders

The demo for Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise? is now available today. It will give you a slice of both the action and adventure parts of the game by featuring the opening boss fight with Shin and a segment where you rebuild Kenshiro's buggy. It likely won't last long and that is fine since the game is only one month away.

If you were thinking of skipping the demo, though, you might want to change your tune. All players that download the teaser will be given a free PS4 theme for their troubles. Available on launch day (October 2), the theme features the cast of Lost Paradise making poses in ??front of a purple background. It looks pretty fetching and I want it now!!!!

Thankfully, you won't need to have the digital version pre-ordered to nab the theme. Just grab the demo and you'll be set. For those of us that want a disc copy??, Sega mentioned that all physical "first-run" copies of the game will come with some decals that you can stick?? anywhere. I'm not a big fan of those, but the gesture is appreciated.

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You are already downloaded

During Sega's panel at PAX West today, the company announced that a demo for the upcoming Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise would be hitting the P??SN next week. You'll be able to get a taste of Ryu Ga Got?oku Studios' latest on September 4, roughly one month before the game releases in October.

Likely a copy of the Japanese demo, there won't be any ability to take your progress into the full game like Yakuza 6's demo. This is just a teaser to whet your appetite before the main course. Seeing as how I still haven't really had enough Yakuza (despite beating Kiwami 2 mere weeks ago), I'm champing at the bit f??or this.

Another cool bit of info is that the Kiryu DLC from the Japanese release will be making its way West. If you somehow don't want to feel like the absolute badass that is Kenshiro, you can tone it down a little and witness Kiryu finally killing people. I'm not sure if it will be a pre-order DLC type deal, but at least it exists (unlike Binary Domain's awesome crossover DLC).

Fist Of The North Star: Lost Paradise Getting A Demo In The U.S. Next Week [Game Informer]

Yakuza Game [Twitter]

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Paradise found

The Yakuza team's take on Fist of the North Star is looking about as ridiculous? as you'd hope and expe?ct. Kenshiro does his old routine. Muscle-bound thugs explode real good. It's fun for the whole family! (Well maybe not that last part.) Today's trailer is all about the game's one-versus-many combat.

I'm picturing someone with zero frame of reference for Fist of the North Star going out on a limb to watch this Lost Paradise trailer, and I'm filled with life. If this is your first time checking in on the game since it was confirmed for the ??West, a quick recap: it's due out October 2 with dual audio support.

Per Sega, Lost Paradise includes everything from? the Japanese game "plus extra carnage for the localized version! For the first time, witness the full effects of Kenshiro's brutal Hokuto Shinken."

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