Coint and Plick 2014 - The Seventh Annual ILX Video Game Poll

Honorable Mention: NES Remix – WiiU – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://i.imgur.com/1HfuUrq.jpg

Website | Metacritic | Nintendojo | Escapist | Trailer

Like Retro Game Challenge but with actual retro games. How little they tend to directly touch these games means that when they do the surreality of it is enhanced further (the bits where the view just keeps zooming out and Link climbing Donkey Kong girders are highlights so far) - if

Honorable Mention: Type:Rider – iOS/Android/PC – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://i.imgur.com/oktLLJg.jpg

Website | Metacritic | Slide to Play | Gamezebo | Trailer

We live in a world of type. We tattoo our cities in it from top to bottom. It clothes us, and sometimes armors us. Yet despite the fact that it permeates every aspect of our lives, few of us really feel that they understand typography. A new game, Type:Rider, aims to change all of that by turning some of the world's most influential fonts into a multiverse of video game worlds. - John Brownlee, Fast Company

The most beautiful game I played all year. The Kandinsky painting come to life was astonishing. The gameplay itself is a bit weak, and the crashes are irritating. Still, a reminder that there are possibilities we have barely explored. - s.clover

Honorable Mention: Guacamelee! (including Gold Edition) – PS3/PS4/Vita/Xbone/PC – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://i.imgur.com/NrhJvOa.gif

Website | Metacritic | Pocket Gamer | x |
Trailer

You begin Guacamelee as a poor Mexican farmer named Juan, whose boring life is interrupted when the woman he loves is kidnapped by a murderous skeleton named Carlos Calaca. Juan is killed in a botched rescue attempt but finds himself resurrected as a luchador in the realm of the dead. Journeying through the forests, deserts and temples of the surrounding countryside, Juan builds up an arsenal of mystical wrestling powers to take on the dastardly Calaca.

Guacamelee smartly "gates" new areas behind obstacles that only new skills and abilities can overcome, and those new tricks are also added to Juan’s growing combat and platforming repertoire. The headbutt skill destroys yellow blocks but also can be used to send enemies ping-ponging across the screen. The uppercut destroys red blocks and allows you to extend your jump just enough to access some initially out-of-reach ledges. Every upgrade grants the immediate satisfaction of new areas to explore and the extended goal of mastering a new move. - Philip Kollar, Polygon

It figures I would miss some tag shit in my last one of the day, haha.

see ya tomorrah

Guacamelee is awesome for its design and humor, but some of the platforming hits a level of difficulty that just pissed me off and had me quit.

ok so the kandinsky level isn't the only amazing level in type:rider. all the modern levels are pretty great -- the bahaus one equally so, and the newspress / nytimes one only slighly less so. if you can get this cheap or on a free promo, its def worth it, and if you're at _all_ a typography geek this is the only game made to target your demo and your demo alone. i mean shame the gameplay isn't fantastic, but the design is astonishing.

also if you ever think you might be in a "are videogames like art maaaan" discussion this is good to have in yr back pocket.

but if you want a great platformer, i mean, probably a mario knock-off will be more rewarding.

Haven't played it yet, but still expected a better showing for Guacamelee.

seems kinda underlooked, given the positive reaction i've seen

Honorable Mention: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies – 3DS – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://i.imgur.com/abyj0aD.jpg

Website | Metacritic | EGM | Polygon | Trailer

Probably only playing to fans at this point (hence the online-only release?) but this was the best entry in a long time. Gameplay-wise just much better executed recently, and the strands of plot were tied together in a way that was much more fun and in the last case more emotional. A couple of dodgy gender-related missteps and the ridiculous final reveal were the only downsides. Looking forward to finally getting to play AA vs Professor Layton. - if

I wish they'd port all of the PW games to iPod Touch, or online, or something. I've only played the first but I love it so much and could easily become some kind of gibbering fangirl.

damn, i really need to pick that up now that I finally have a 3DS

Guacamelee is fun as hell but the Reddit humor in it (iirc there are, like, lolcats and derp jokes?) is really dire

Honorable Mention: Doki-Doki Universe – PS3/PS4 – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://i.imgur.com/pUSPFxr.jpg

Website | Metacritic | Polygon | Guardian | Trailer

Doki-Doki Universe is a game about empathy, and that's weird.

In many of the games I played this year, you often solve problems by shooting people in the face. That, I can handle. In Doki-Doki Universe, your antagonists aren't clearly defined, and your progress is measured by your ability to seek out societal problems and solve them indirectly through non-violent means.

Doki-Doki Universe's gameplay lands somewhere in between Animal Crossing and a Myers-Briggs personality test. It's like nothing else I've ever played, and it's pretty awesome...in a totally weird sort of way. - Danny Cowan, Joystiq

I REALLY ENJOYED WHAT I PLAYED OF DOKI DOKI UNIVERSE

oh and also hi dere my caps lock was apparently on haha sorry

Doki Doki is fun and its REALLY apparent that it was created by the guy behind Toe Jam & Earl.

Honorable Mention: Rymdkapsel – iOS/Android/Vita – 5 pts – 1 vote

http://i.imgur.com/Xp8IEAz.jpg

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anyone play rymskapsel or whatever its called?

great game but sort of frustrating how quickly it ends. like they set up this super system and then it feels like they just gave you a demo of how to play it. couldnt they have made new maps, new challenges, etc etc etc? it really feels like you're just getting started when the game ends.

― socki (s1ocki), Monday, December 16, 2013 12:18 PM (1 month ago)

yep - i was really into it...for that day. :( i assumed that the three challenges that were displayed at the beginning of the game were the first three, not the ONLY three!

― Karl Malone, Monday, December 16, 2013 12:30 PM (1 month ago)

totally. it's like inventing the entire mario universe, the physics, the graphics assets, etc and only making one level.

― socki (s1ocki), Monday, December 16, 2013 12:40 PM (1 month ago)

i guess the intent is that replay value comes from trying to beat your high score and progress to the higher levels. that often works for me as a motivation, but usually only with games with relatively short playthroughs.

― Karl Malone, Monday, December 16, 2013 12:46 PM (1 month ago)

the game doesnt really seem to encourage that tho

― socki (s1ocki), Monday, December 16, 2013 12:55 PM (1 month ago)

and there are no higher levels!

― socki (s1ocki), Monday, December 16, 2013 12:55 PM (1 month ago)

there aren't? i got up to wave 33 (one of the three goals is to reach wave 28), the last time i played, and i just assumed that the waves would keep coming, faster and faster, until you died

― Karl Malone, Monday, December 16, 2013 12:57 PM (1 month ago)

oh ya. but those are just waves. the layout and everything is always the same.

― socki (s1ocki), Monday, December 16, 2013 1:03 PM (1 month ago)

feel like it would be cool if there were different monolith powers and they more randomized. or different levels with less resources, or resources in a more difficult to get to place, etc

― socki (s1ocki), Monday, December 16, 2013 1:04 PM (1 month ago)

so much potential and like i said it basically feels like just a tutorial.

― socki (s1ocki), Monday, December 16, 2013 1:04 PM (1 month ago)

yep, definitely. although maybe that's because they wanted to disappoint us so that when rymdkapsel TWO comes out in mid-2014 with new levels and monolith powers for only $3.99 we'll jump on it!

― Karl Malone, Monday, December 16, 2013 1:11 PM (1 month ago)

so much potential and like i said it basically feels like just a tutorial.

― socki (s1ocki), Monday, December 16, 2013 4:04 PM (Yesterday)

hah i came here to make this exact complaint

― lag∞n, Tuesday, December 17, 2013 9:31 AM (1 month ago)

was all im not going to load and search the entire thread theyre just gonna have to deal

― lag∞n, Tuesday, December 17, 2013 9:31 AM (1 month ago)

anyway what other games are kinda minimal simcities

― lag∞n, Tuesday, December 17, 2013 9:33 AM (1 month ago)

they cld at least let you build forever but the waves come too fast

― lag∞n, Tuesday, December 17, 2013 9:34 AM (1 month ago)

you know what else would have been groundbreaking? more than one kind of enemy.

― Karl Malone, Tuesday, December 17, 2013 9:54 AM (1 month ago)

(the creator of rymdkapsel is reading this thread right now with a single lonely tear streaming down the cheek)

― Karl Malone, Tuesday, December 17, 2013 9:55 AM (1 month ago)

they cld at least let you build forever but the waves come too fast

― lag∞n, Tuesday, December 17, 2013 12:34 PM (7 hours ago)

Totally - entropy sets in quickly

― socki (s1ocki), Tuesday, December 17, 2013 4:59 PM (1 month ago)

Website | Metacritic | Eurogamer | Arcade Sushi | Website

That's it for the also-rans. I'll start with the list proper on Monday.

Hopefully this isn't going too slowly for y'all

naw

good stuff had 5 points for Rymdkapsel on my (unsent) ballot

only honorable mentions and this list already outshines every other video game end of year poll

oh just wait we havent gotten to any of the stuff i voted for yet

yeah no worries on the pace -- just more for me to look forward to!

yup yup

fuck that, people told me to speed up for six years
SPEED UP OR I'LL KIDNAP YOUR CHILDREN

Monday Monday mondsy

#95: SteamWorld Dig – 3DS/PC – 6 pts

http://i.imgur.com/uVWXOB6.jpg

Website | Metacritic | Eurogamer | Rock Paper Shotgun | Trailer

It's Mr. Driller meets Metroid, another marvelous mix of words. You'll burrow your way down miles of earth, leaving a labyrinth of mazes behind you while collecting weapons/upgrades that let you progress further and make your mining life easier. Dig is as addictive as Namco's cute platformer (I went through it in one sitting over the course of six hours), but with the depth (both in systems and Mr. Driller's literal depth) and sense of isolation of Metroid. - Tiny Cartridge

Almost everything about this game was incredibly satisfying: the progression of difficulty, the pacing of the upgrade system, the controls, the lovely graphics. The one unsatisfying thing: this game is short so the fun ends after 5 to 6 hours. - salsa shark

i've heard good things about this one, plan to get it on 3DS at some point

yeah, "too short" is pretty much the ultimate "minus" for me -- like the video game equivalent of "i guess my greatest weakness is that i care... TOO much?"

short is usually a good thing for me, these days. recently i got back into borderlands 2 (playing it co-op this time with a friend who lives down the street), and we're about 15 hours in, and it sucks knowing we're nowhere close to finishing it! if the whole campaign was 15 hours long i'd be happier.

i used to be annoyed about short lengths also, but since i'm getting older and never buy anything new/full price anyway, i'm getting more and more in favor of short, punchy games

yes - also interested in it, also waiting for it to show up in a humble bundle

heh, good call

lol at 6 point trickery, i suggest a interval of 5 rule for the future to make this less complicated

hey hey, don't kill that ILX charm

#94: Knights of Pen and Paper + 1 Edition – iOS/Android/PC – 8 pts

http://i.imgur.com/XUQaMoW.jpg

Website | Metacritic | Rock Paper Shotgun | Edge | Tips & Cheats | Trailer

Pen & paper is really fun, if a bit short. i blew through the main storyline (although they're supposed to be releasing new ones) and now its all postgame grind.

That said, this is like an early FF style rpg. lots of classes, characters, different team builds with each class really different and skills for tanking, etc. So probably a lot of replay there if you're into playing with that stuff. - s.clover

Knights of Pen and Paper is funny, charming. Definitely worth it if you like throwback RPGs like Breath of Death, and Guadia Quest, but the gameplay has got some nice little hooks. - Nhex

how would we distribute 100 pts with a real sense of scale without small intervals?

Like what's the recommended "default" way to split up the points in a decreasing way?

I did 20, 13,12..7, 5 5.

When we get to the ten pointers I think you'll see a good counterargument for only using intervals of five.

fine fine

#93: Time Surfer – iOS/Android – 9 pts

http://i.imgur.com/qcDoRKG.gif

Website | Metacritic | Pocket Gamer | Droid Life | Original Soundtrack | Trailer

Have you played Tiny Wings? If so, Time Surfer will feel very familiar, but in a good way. Like its inspiration, Time Surfer has you control a character by making him dive into a landscape of rolling hills. Dive onto a downward slope, and your surfer gains momentum, soaring higher and farther to a better score. Mess up, and you slow down, which leads to your inevitable death. Time Surfer does just about everything Tiny Wings does, but it adds a great new idea to the equation: time control. - Chris Reed, Slide to Play

Tiny Wings but not peaceful. Except for the peaceful mode. And not hellish. Except for the hell mode. The big win isn't more modes though, or even more... things. The win is more missions. You grind tiny birds until you can master even the trickiest mission, because you can't skip, and you can't move any way but forward. Except I can't beat some missions, and so I got stuck. With Time Surfer there's the same mechanic, but always something new to try. - s.clover

nice gif!

poly are you gif building?

I cut that out of the trailer and added the overlay. Nothing too fancy.

these last few games are a total world of mystery to me

this is what happens when the only mobile games you play are 5 iron solitaire or whatever and that goddamn simpsons game

knights of pen and paper is loads of fun for a few hours but it eventually proves not to have much of an endgame. it's more like a mechanic demo. totally worth a few bucks though

#67 (tie): Solforge – iOS/PC – 10 pts – 1 votes

http://i.imgur.com/yoxORlM.jpg

Website | Steam | Steam First | Multani Gamer | Trailer

The core game of SolForge pits two 30-card decks against one another in a race to do 100 damage to the opponent. The player that goes first draws five cards off the top of their deck, then plays one card before discarding the rest. The next player draws five cards, then plays two before discarding. From this point on each player's turn consists of a draw of five cards, the playing of two, and a discarding of the remainder. Every four hands, players shuffle their discard pile back into their deck and continue the cycle of draw, play, discard until one player's life total falls to zero.

Cards are split into three varieties: creature, structure, and spell. Creature cards permanently summon a creature to one of five lanes on the battlefield and are the primary form of attack. Structures behave similarly to creature cards, with their function generally being to bolster the player's creature or hinder the opponent's creature occupying the same lane. Spell cards are one-off effects that may impact one or more cards on the battlefield.

The five-lane structure of SolForge makes creature positioning just as important as deck composition and card selection. Each turn, once they are able, creatures will attack the creature opposite them in the lane or the other player directly if the lane is clear. Unlike most Trading Card Games (TCG's) and DCG's, creatures attack on both the player's turn and the opponent's turn, making dramatic swings in momentum a significant probability. - Giant Bomb

Really into Solforge - Gravel

that time surfer gif is hypnotic