MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS, one thing they don’t tell you about art, is that you are going to borrow some ideas from other artist. Not in the sense of purely plagiarizing someone, but seeing a good idea and throwing it into a blender with your own style. An example of this would be when I stumbled upon FilmJoy’s The Movies with Mikey Movie Tournament and the next day, I found Alt Rock Artist Max Frost running a music tournament on his Instagram where artists compete by covering their opponent’s songs. Immediately, my mind kicked into overdrive, the creative juices started flowing, and the idea of running a similar tournament with my Games of the Year games was born. I quickly glanced at my GOTY lists and found I had enough for a 31 team tournament. To get to that perfect 32 teams bracket, I pulled up one of my favorite Honorable Mentions off the bench: The Dead Space Remake. Surely, none of you are shocked by this obvious insertion.
With the teams picked, it was time to set the bracket. Much like Mikey Newman’s tournament, I decided to set up the ranking by the commercial success of each game. I looked up the number of copies sold on Steam, which immediately struck sadness into my heart. Too many people are letting good indie game pass them by; hopefully, this tournament will help remind people that the best of gaming, traditionally, comes from the indie space. For our two primarily PlayStation titles, Ghost of Tsushima and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, I went with Sony’s data on copies sold. It might not be as accurate as Steam’s data, but it will have to do.
So my bracket is set, many of you, might be wondering how will these games win or lose each round. Well, as always, it will boil down to my own personal opinion. I’ll try to keep in mind each game’s achievements and contribution to the industry, but I will probably lean to which game I would want to play at the moment. Not to use a very tired metaphor, but if I was stuck on an island with a computer that only had these two games, what would I play first?
Some of you might be questioning why am I running such a tournament. Am I doing this to give myself some time to catch up on my video games backlog?
Nonetheless, let Round One commence!!!
Baldur’s Gate 3 vs Double Kick Heroes
There are two wolves within me: one wolf appreciates good writing and storytelling, and the other just wants to melt his face off with some heavy metal. I am really tempted to have this rock-loving indie game nobody has heard of knock off one of the biggest RPGs of the millennia, but I couldn’t in good faith. The main problem behind Double Kick Heroes is it wanted to be both Guitar Hero and a shoot’em up (shmups) at the same time. The gameplay of this headbanging indie game involves driving your car away from a hoard of zombies while using guns powered by your instruments on said zombies. Thus, you must time when you hit the notes like Guitar Hero and steer your car in a three lane road to line up shots to kill on coming zombies; it can quickly become unmanageable unless you’re a gamer who plays Dark Souls blinded with Donkey Kong bongos. The indie fairy tale upset is not happening in this round.
Winner: Baldur’s Gate 3
Dredge vs The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe
I think it is a bit fitting these two games are pitted against each other. A lot of games, especially ones from AAA, feel like movies broken up by combat arenas. Where our two contestants differ is their stories are woven directly into the gameplay. Whether it’s the Narrator commenting on a Steam Review in The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe or fishing up dark texts in Dredge, both games are showing off the strength of the media by having story and gameplay working hand-in-hand. However, I must confess, I lied earlier. There’s a third wolf within me longing for tales of monsters that go bump in the night. So it is no surprise I am picking Dredge over a comedy game poking fun at the medium. If you are worried Dredge will steamroll through the tournament, I am sorry, but I will not apologize for it.
Winner: Dredge
Resident Evil Village vs Slay the Princess
I have another confession to make: the more I think about Resident Evil Village, the more I am unimpressed with it. Is Village forever trapped in Resident Evil 7’s shadow? I would say yes, but only because they did it to themselves. Topping Resident Evil 7 is an almost impossible task for Capcom. HOWEVER, aiming to make Resident Evil Village more of a carnival than a haunted house does not help. I remember when Village’s game director came out and said they wanted to make Village less scary than RE7, and it just reminds me how lacking Villages feels. The only part of that game burned into my mind is the Beneviento house, and quite frankly, I think of the Baker’s residents more frequently than that house. I know this says more about my grievance with Resident Evil Village than Slay the Princess, but I just don’t think Village should make the cut. Make Resident Evil scary again.
Winner: Slay the Princess
Dave the Diver vs The Red String Club
I generally try to avoid painting games with a large brush, but both Dave the Diver and The Red String Club have some similarities upon reflection. Both appear to be a mix of running a restaurant at night and performing an almost random assortment of tasks during the day. So, the best way to decide the winner is to determine which establishment I preferred running: Bancho’s Sushi Bar or The Red String Club. Some days, I certainly would enjoy running my small little sushi shop on the beach of a remote island, but I would rather be a bartender who can serve drinks that bring out specific emotions in my customers. The number of personalities I would see would allow me to write an endless amount of books. Sorry Dave.
Winner: The Red String Club
Doom Eternal vs River City Girls
I would like to think most of these matchups, so far, have been pretty close; each game excelling in their own individual way. However, this round feels like a solid knockout. I mean no offense to River City Girls; it is a solid beat’em up with an anime aesthetic that usually turns me off. The fact, it is even here, should show you how solid this game is. Unfortunately, it has to go against one of two games that has gotten me so jacked up on adrenaline, I thought my heart would rip through my chest from all the excitement. That first game is Resident Evil 7, but that second one is Doom Eternal.
Winner: Doom Eternal
Gris vs Scorn
Some might look at this matchup and assume the bracket has been fixed. It seems really suspicious that both games that fly the “walking simulator” flag with pride have to step into the ring and trade blows. A bit poetic, but I will claim my innocence on this misfortune of a bracket, especially since it is my job to pick one of these games when you can draw so many similarities. Both games have exquisite art styles, a focus on finding the path forward, and being disheartening in their own unique ways. The one area that they differ is in their storytelling. Both games do convey their stories with minimal dialogue, but Scorn seems to have more depth to their story, while Gris is just another story about anxiety and depression. The wet, sloppy mess that is Scorn wins this round.
Winner: Scorn
Katana Zero vs Metal Hellsinger
Now, this is a fight between two scrappy indie games who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. They both have the lightning fast combat. They both have the rocking soundtrack. Both have stories, that are not the focus of the game, but provide enough of a solid framework to keep the whole package together. So how are we deciding the winner? By the boss fights. Katana Zero is serving up a Null Soldier, just like our protagonist, for a final boss. With powers mirroring Zero, you must pull out every trick in your arsenal to take this boss down. Metal Hellsinger’s final boss is a gamer’s worse nightmare, with four different stages, and will force players to restart the whole level if you fall in defeat. I can just imagine, Paz, the first weapon in Metal Hellsinger telling the protagonist, The Unknown, “Sorry darling, you just couldn’t go the distance.”
Winner: Katana Zero
Ghost of Tsushima vs Rollerdrome
To say that I am tempted to give this round to Rollerdrome out of spite is an understatement. Earlier this year, Take-Two Interactive, the same Take-Two teasing and salivating over Grand Theft Auto 6, closed down Rollerdrome’s developer Roll7. Much like Microsoft closing Tango Gameworks, this news enrages me to no end. However, it doesn’t feel right to take it out on Ghost of Tsushima, one of the few games I feel justifies its open world. With lightning fast sword play, a plethora of side activities, picturesque scenes, and a gripping story about how long can you be honorable when your enemy isn’t, Ghost of Tsushima is a standout for AAA gaming. As much as I love Rollerdrome, I have to admit it doesn’t do the best at weaving gameplay and narrative together. The gameplay is in the arena, getting all the glory, while the story passively watching from the side lines. I’m giving Ghost of Tsushima the win, but Strauss Zelnick can go commit seppuku for all I care.
Winner: Ghost of Tsushima
Lethal Company vs The Pathless
I might ruffle some feathers with this round, but I don’t like the idea of a game still in early access beating a fully released game. I have no doubt Lethal Company will be the better game when it fully releases. However, I love the art style, minimalist story, and the acrobatic freedom of movement that The Pathless allows. While you wait for the full release of Lethal Company, please give The Pathless a chance; its initial release on the Epic Store and the PS5 did it no favors.
Winner: The Pathless
Dead Space Remake vs Maneater
I can’t help imagine this fight as a boxing match. In the red corner, Maneater has chosen the titular shark to represent them, and in the blue corner, we have a necromorph from Dead Space. Both parties would have boxing gloves on, but not a single punch would be thrown. As soon as the bell rings, both parties just lunge at each other, trying to devour each one’s flesh. In this metaphorical boxing match, I imagine a shark could easily devour a single necromorph. However, I think the winner in this fight between these two video games has to be the Dead Space Remake. I will always praise Maneater as a goofball of a video game, but very few games well ever beat that uneasy feeling of walking the bloodstained halls of the USG Ishimura. The Dead Space Remake is able to capture that and trim the fat on this already lean, mean Necromorph-infested machine. So naturally, it is going to the next round.
Winner: Dead Space Remake
Inscryption vs Darksiders 3
I’ll always applaud a series when it knows it needs to change up the formula. The first Darksiders is often regarded as a Zelda clone, and Darksiders 2 is considered a Diablo clone. Admittedly, Darksiders 3 is a Souls clone, but I think this was the best format for the series. Having the seven deadly sins play out like grand Dark Souls bosses felt like a great fit for the series. However, the unfortunate truth is I haven’t really thought too much about Darksiders 3, and I still continue to play Inscryption to this day. The roguelite game mode known as Kaycee mod has me coming back to Inscryption; I am constantly trying to take another crack at creating a deck that snaps the game’s balance in half in that dark and dreary cabin. You could almost say I am one of Leasy’s favorite opponent.
Winner: Inscryption
Jedi Fallen Order vs Necromunda: Hired Gun
I can’t help but chuckle at these two games being pitted against each other. Both games have a jankiness to them. Try wall-running in both games; Titanfall 2, both games, are not. Wall running in Jedi Fallen Order feels like a textual button press rather than a fluid movement skill. However, wall running in Necromunda: Hired Gun feels so slippery, I definitely felt like I would fall into a lava pit at any second. With both games having clunky combat and stories that feel menial in both respective universes, I can’t escape the feeling this one is coming down to a boss fight. Boss fights in Jedi Fallen Order felt much like a duel to the death, similar to Ghost of Tsushima, and considering lightsaber duels were inspired by Japanese samurai films, it’s a huge win for Jedi Fallen Order. Necromunda: Hired Gun has a boss that turns invisible and takes huge chunks of your health in single swings. That’s an automatic disqualification for me.
Winner: Jedi Fallen Order
If I had to pick a single word to describe each game, I probably go with cute for Stray and stupid for Evil West. You may be thinking with that opening sentence, I am ready to declare Stray the winner, but hold onto your vagabond rags. Stray might be cute as a cat simulator, but I feel it’s kinda lacking as a game. Much of my memory of Stray seems to be around being a cat who loved just annoying the robots. As the titular stray cat, I never really felt I was contributing to the story or the gameplay as a whole. Many of the game’s puzzles seemed to revolve around knocking things over and grabbing what you need as the robot cleaned up your mess. Certainly on brand for a cat, but not really fit for a game. Evil West, despite being as dumb as a box of rocks, is still a video game. You’re a cowboy vampire hunter fighting a legion of vampires. It is very much a dessert for dinner kind of game, but it beats out eating cat food for dinner. The cat fans might not like this, but I have to go with Evil West.
Winner: Evil West
Resident Evil 2 Remake vs Psychonauts 2
At this moment, I am the Michael Scott GIF just yelling no over and over again. Why did these two have to be paired up against each other? Both games deserve to move onto the next round, but hard choices need to be made. Honestly, I feel like these two are evenly matched in terms of story, gameplay, boss fights and catharsis. So what impacts have the two games made? Both Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 2 Remake are credited with helping to birth this new age of horror that we are in, and unfortunately, the amount of colorful vibrant 3D platformers didn’t really change with the release of Psychonauts 2. Against many other games on this list, Psychonauts 2 would be an easy win, but in this matchup, I have to go with Resident Evil 2 Remake. Microsoft, this is certainly not an open invitation to damn Double Fine to the darkest pits of hell. You just might incur my wrath if you do.
Winner: Resident Evil 2 Remake
Guardians of the Galaxy vs My Friend Pedro
Tough choice; knock off Guardians or knock off Deadpool. Below the belt jabs aside, this does feel like a tough choice. On one hand, Guardians of the Galaxy goes out of its way to provide a story unique from the MCU Guardians, but the copy-paste third person gameplay is lacking. On the other, I really enjoyed the gameplay of My Friend Pedro, and felt the story was pretty standard video game plot with “lol random” humor mixed in. So let’s pit the two worst aspects against each other. Are there story moments in My Friend Pedro that I remember? I don’t think I’ll ever forget the final level in the Banana world. Are there gameplay moments I remember from Guardians of the Galaxy? I remember the team huddles, but if that’s gameplay, then FromSoftware will be weeping in the corner.
Winner: My Friend Pedro
Spider-Man: Miles Morales vs The Missing
I am going to do my best to focus on Spider-Man: Miles Morales and not just the PS4 Spider-Man games as a whole. That being said, nothing cures an awful day like swinging around New York in any of the Spider-Man games. Unfortunately, for the opponent, The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories, it doesn’t have anything close to capture that zen-like feeling of movement. It does have good puzzle design and eerie visuals, but I have never spent hours completing its puzzles, unlike how I have lost track of time, simply just web-slinging through New York. I’m giving Miles the win, but this is the only round where web-slinging can be used as the trump card.
Winner: Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Our winners have been crowned. Stay tune for our second round.