The Official Rllmuk Game of the Year Awards 2018 - Now Showing: Final Bonus and Poll

[Benny]

20. Moreover a Tale 

19. Return to Colossal Regret

18. The Song of Whiskey Induced Violence

18X Inebriated Ramblings X

17. Plagiarised Sell

16. Paddling Pool of Disappointed Recidivists

15. Slightly Sharper Soles

14. Videogames Actually Are Murder Simulators Too

13. Sex Tourism: Greece

12. The Last Emesis

11. Fantasy British Weather Driving

10. Slowflake Virtual Trophy Hunting

9. Proctology Expert

8. Ready Player One: Ultimate Fighting

7. Daphne

6. Declassified CIA Experiments: VR Edition

5. An Evening in Hull

4. We Need to Talk About Boy

3. Red Masked Menace Redemption

 

RUNNERS UP

 

2. Tears in Rain

1. Equine Tree Dodging Simulator

 

And the rest

 

Zeitgeist Award Winners

 

Biggest Disappointments 10-4

3. Equine Tree Dodging Simulator

2. Now That's What I Call '76 (reasons to give up gaming)

1. Pay For This Station? Classic

 

Best Writing

Best Sound Design

Best Visual Design

 

Games of the Year list adjusted for Most Disappointing votes

 

The Best of the Rest Awards. Best hardware, publisher, best supported, and best of 2017 being played today

 

Character of the Year

 

Final Bonus

 

 

Much more quickly turned around than last year, partly because of the time investment and partly because I'd rather get things moving quicker than last year. I'd also like to welcome both @Wiper, back from retirement, and newcomer @Jolly to writing duties this year. It might have been a slightly leaner year than 2017, just because that year seemed to have some sort of magic in the air for amazing gaming experiences.. I'm not going to waste so much time on preamble this time, as I'm sure you're all eager to get to the results, so without further ado, here's number 20:

 

 

 

20. Deltarune

 

 

With the unfortunate reality that none of us on writing duties this year had actually played it, I was going to just review it anyway owing to it both being free and highly regarded. But then comes the next shameful admission: I’ve still not played Undertale. Considering I feel giving this game the review it deserves would entail(heh) working through Undertale first, and with time not on my side, I’ll pass this one over to those who enthused about it here:

 

Siri:

 

“I loved Undertale, and I still feel a little apprehensive about going back and undoing the extremely rewarding ending it had (and you know it would remember that somehow). Then, out of nowhere during Halloween, we get ourselves the first episode of a sequel.

 

It's just as good as the original, brings in a new and enjoyable ATB system, and drills even more amazing music into your brain than before. For free. Just. What.”

 

strawdonkey:

 

“This was so close to occupying the top spot. Hollow Knight is excellent but finding that this had stealth-released on Halloween made me genuinely excited in a way that very little else does, and everything about it made me feel a mixture of trepidation, and the feeling you had when you got a Megadrive at Christmas.

Deltarune (hey it's an anagram of Undertale!) is Toby Fox's newest thing, and it dials everything up to 11 - the dialogue is even more ridiculous, the one-liners are genuinely hilarious, the battle system is well thought-out and some of the music might even be better than Undertale's (and I used to hum "Asgore" to my infant son to calm him down in the middle of the night because apparently I am a tragic excuse for a human being). Even the download page and installer are wonderful. It is completely free and it gave me probably the best Halloween I've ever had.”

 

Qazimod:

“My first exposure to Undertale was the PS4 release in 2017, and when I finished I was conflicted; I was excited to see what Toby Fox would come up with next, but at the same time I wasn't sure if something new would be able to feel as fresh as Undertale. Deltarune manages it, though - the characters are great, the music is instantly catchy, the new gameplay ideas catch the player off-guard, and the story leaves the player with a lot to take in and digest. Oh, and the pre-release was excellent; building up a few rumours, dropping the game for free out of nowhere, and encouraging sensible spoiler etiquette without achieving Atlus levels of nonsense. (Surprise; polite messaging and a recommended window of silence goes down better than account suspension threats and a complete absence of windows.)”

[witchypoos]

Poor neg, the perfect opportunity to give the forums whipping boy his one day in the sun.

 

Get neg on, I wanna hear what he has to say about deltarune.

[Wiper]

I still feel bad for not having played Deltarune, considering how good Undertale was. Just too many games

 

It's definitely on my list for this year. At some point.

[Benny]

19 minutes ago, witchypoos said:

Poor neg, the perfect opportunity to give the forums whipping boy his one day in the sun.

 

Get neg on, I wanna hear what he has to say about deltarune.

 

He did not leave comments in the voting thread, so there were no comments to include. Whoops!

[Thor]

A mod needs to sticky this thread. 

[Benny]

Entry 19 should be up later. An actual review this time, hurrah.

[Mr. Gerbik]

1 hour ago, Thor said:

A mod needs to sticky this thread. 

Yes.

[Wiper]

My turn in the chair! Where are you going? For those of you that haven't left the room, it's time for a game from the annals of history (fun fact: when this game first came out, it was far from the original Sonic the Hedgehog in age as we are from it now! Isn't that nice to think about).

 

19. Shadow of the Colossus

 

 

I suppose that anyone interested in this needs to know one of two things:

 

1) Is this a worthwhile remake?

 

2) Is the game any good?

 

Let's address the first point:

 

Yes.

 

In case that's not quite enough for you:

 

The original Shadow of the Colossus was a gorgeous swansong for its system, and was entirely reliant on that beauty to overcome the technical deficiencies of the hardware it was squeezing every last drop of power from. You could feel the poor old Playstation 2 straining as it shuddered out every twitch of the camera, every wavering step.

 

The Playstation 3 remaster helped to smooth things out somewhat, but still felt a little frayed at the edges, and offered no significant enhancements besides a sharper resolution and higher frame-rate. It was a welcome port of the original, and exactly what you'd expect of a remaster.

 

The Playstation 4 version is a revelation. Unsurprisingly, it offers the best performance of all versions, finally playing smoothly enough that you never feel a disconnect between controller and action. Everything in the game has been overhauled - new textures, new models, new lighting effects - and yet the art style is completely true to the original. It keeps the desaturated aesthetic, even as it adds a wider range of colour; the dreamy atmosphere even as it adds layers of detail that simply weren't there before. It's a glorious reinterpretation of the original, and by far the best way to replay Shadow of the Colossus.

 

Also, if ever there were a game that benefitted from photo mode, it's this one.

 

But what if you aren't replaying the game? What if this is your first ever go?

 

If this is your first time playing the game, here are some thoughts you may have about it:

 

"This game has too many empty spaces, empty spaces are boring, ergo this game is rubbish", or:

"This game is a glorified boss rush, boss rushes are rubbish, ergo this game is rubbish", or:

"There's nothing to do in the world, you can finish the game in a weekend, ergo this game is rubbish", or:

"The bosses in this game are hard to climb, it must be because the controls are funny, ergo this game is rubbish".

 

And in a way, you'll be right. Of course, in all the ways that count, you will be wrong - yes, your opinion will in fact be incorrect - because all of the above comments reflect Shadow of the Colossus's greatest qualities.

 

Where other open world games seem compelled to fill every square metre with stuff, Shadow of the Colossus is a game of pensive beauty, unafraid to fill itself with vast expanses of, well, expanse: to have you travel great distances with only your thoughts for company, encouraging ever more introspection as you gradually whittle down the majestic colossi for your own, selfish needs.

 

Where every other open world game which decides to tell a "mature" story relies solely on bombastic sub-Hollywood dialogue interspersed with cyclical sequences of enforced mass-murder, even when said violence completely undercuts whatever story they're trying to tell *cough*RedDeadRedemption2*cough*, Shadow of the Colossus tells its own story of violence through rare, shocking combat, communicating the bulk of its story and all of its message through subtext alone.

 

Where other game developers seem to have unilaterally decided that all open world games should be filled with enough content to last until the sun burns cold, Shadow of the Colossus has the confidence to neatly structure its game around its story, allowing the player to reach its conclusion before ten hours are up.

 

Where other open world games think that their world is a thing to travel around with the minimum of fuss (and, ideally, the maximum of fast-travel), a canvas on which to draw their real focus - usually murdering some dudes -  Shadow of the Colossus thinks that navigating the environment should have at least equal billing, and makes traversing its expanses part of the skillset a player has to master. Hell, I'm still astonished that it took thirteen years for another open world game to crib its climbing system and make exploring its environments a delightful challenge (sincerely, good job there Nintendo).

 

In other words, you'll find a game that still feels utterly fresh, and that's as much an indictment of just how homogeneous big-budget open world games have become in the past decade and a half as it is testament to the original game's brilliance. If anything, it feels as though other developers lack the confidence in their worlds to let them stand alone - instead each must be distracted from, treated as a map rather than a place. For them, the world really isn't enough.

 

But I digress. Shadow of the Colossus remains a wonder to play, and a uniquely meditative and melancholy experience. Its stark, stunning landscapes are as wonderful and terrible as they ever were, its enemies as terrifying and tragic, and the game remains utterly essential.

 

So, in final summary: is it a good game?

 

Yeah, it's not bad.

 

 

 

Benny says:

"Shadow of the Colossus is, in my opinion, one of the finest pieces of interactive fiction ever made. So naturally, with there already being an excellent existing remaster of the game that retains the look and feel of the original, I approached the idea of a complete ground-up remake with some serious trepidation… I cannot in all honestly consider this remake “better” or worse than the original, as it is still a slight change to the initial visual design, so it’s difficult whether to consider it the definitive “text” for a newcomer. But what it clear is it’s a remake gone about in exactly the right way, and loses nothing in translation."

 

BadgerFarmer:

“I always wanted to play this, and finally got the chance with the remake. What was amazing, regardless of the visual detail and any modern streamlining, was how fresh the core game still felt. The first thing that impresses is its commitment to the setting - a cursed land long abandoned by human inhabitants. The brave move for a game is to leave the huge open plains, deserts and caverns empty, save for a smattering of wildlife and ancient ruins. It's an incredibly evocative piece of world building that centres on your isolation and the singular commitment of the character's mission. But of course, the colossi are the main attraction, and the battles you face increasingly deliver in scale and drama. The pattern of carefully sizing up the features of your opponent and its surroundings to figure out a weakness seems surprisingly original, even though it only expands on established boss battle concepts, and having to earn that opening grants catharsis when finally delivering the fatal blow. Certainly, some of the puzzle elements aren't as well communicated as others, being overly contrived or obscure, but the majority of solutions emerge as rewards for patient observation. There's also a lot of nuance in the simple set of player inputs, with the grab function especially doing a lot of work. Climbing towards a foe's weak point becomes an epic struggle, as each colossus desperately fights to delay the inevitable. And then, when it comes, that catharsis is tinged with melancholy, as the rush of battle dissipates and the reality of your 'achievement' becomes clear. It's the moment that most perfectly encapsulates the game's tragic central theme - the concurrent selfless nobility and selfish violence of your quest.”

 

Calashnikov:

"As someone who doesn't really give too much of a fuck about contemporary massive budget AAA games, I'm not usually privy to the latest graphical advancements, and it's not really something I particularly care about, despite working in the visual arts sector in my own career. I'd only played the 'original' SotC within the last couple of years (actually streamed the HD version via a free PS Now trial), and knew it was a great game. Ueda to me is an artist. His design-through-subtraction approach resonates, and I can recognise his Fine Art sculpture training in his game design. I was worried all the souped-up bells and whistles of the PS4 remake would diminish his original vision, but I was amazed to find the game genuinely lifted and improved by the extensive reworking. I spent even more time just roaming the desolate landscape, headphones on, immersing myself in an even more tangible version of Ueda's world. I just remember feeling thankful that BluePoint were afforded the opportunity and budget to lavish so much gloss into remaking such an artistic game. We should feel privileged at being given an adaptation of (what is, in many respects) a pretty clunky old game with a level of polish usually reserved for all the bloated shiny AAA shite that I usually couldn't give a fuck about  Biggups, all involved (not least of all for the very reasonable price point as well. Respect)."

 

Jamie John:

"A remake of quite possibly my favourite ever game was always going to be met with some skepticism by me, but Bluepoint did a fantastic job here. I won't pretend that I didn't find the controls frustrating at times, but apart from that this is everything a fan of the original could ask for."

[NEG]

22 hours ago, witchypoos said:

Poor neg, the perfect opportunity to give the forums whipping boy his one day in the sun.

 

Get neg on, I wanna hear what he has to say about deltarune.

 

The main point I would make about Deltarune is that it showed me that, for better or worse, there are very few games I genuinely get excited and hyped to play as soon as possible anymore, and then continue to want to indulge in as much info as I can on the title and share.

 

And unlike all the other games I may gave spent up to £50 on, played for a while and called it a day without the game mattering much to me in the grand scheme of things even if it's a fine game (and especially after the painful last year and a half I've lived, making me even more indifferent to things); Here comes Deltarune for completely free, with hours of content to think about, play and escape in.

 

It really does put 'value for money' into perspective.

[petrolgirls]

25 minutes ago, Wiper said:

and yet the art style is completely true to the original.

 

Not sure how true that is. No question the remaster looks great on its own terms but it feels quite different to the originals more blown-out desaturated feel. This is perhaps most obvious in the way Wander is rendered:

 

[mdn2]

I couldn't get on with the new look of SotC at all. The original is one of my all time favourite games but I felt this version lost a lot of the beauty of that.

 

Stil an incredible game, mind. 

[Qazimod]

Oh man, the "Team Benny" format is going to be good if these first entries are anything to go by...  

[Wiper]

30 minutes ago, petrolgirls said:

 

Not sure how true that is. No question the remaster looks great on its own terms but it feels quite different to the originals more blown-out desaturated feel. This is perhaps most obvious in the way Wander is rendered:

 

 

24 minutes ago, mdn2 said:

I couldn't get on with the new look of SotC at all. The original is one of my all time favourite games but I felt this version lost a lot of the beauty of that.

 

Stil an incredible game, mind. 

 

Clearly my take on the remake's artwork isn't universal! I do think that it hues very closely to the original (glowing Wander notwithstanding), even as it increases the colour range and layers on more detail. I guess a good way to determine how you're likely to feel about the new art style is something like this shot (apologies for the quality):

 

Which demonstrates the way the remake keeps the desaturated feel, but does add detail and warmth and doesn't wash things out quite as much as the original; if you feel that's a step too far then you may come away disapppointed.

[bradigor]

Made thread sticky. 

[BadgerFarmer]

SotC remake does of course have colour filter options. So if you want it more desaturated you can make it so.

[Jamie John]

Great write up @Wiper. It really is a special game. I envy anyone who played it for the first time on PS4.

[Uncle Mike]

Is it really the plan to carry on dripping this out one a day for 20 days, then all the other sub awards after? I feel like a twat just posting this, but it's going to be a little annoying.

[Benny]

20 minutes ago, Uncle Mike said:

Is it really the plan to carry on dripping this out one a day for 20 days, then all the other sub awards after? I feel like a twat just posting this, but it's going to be a little annoying.

 

If you like, I can PM you the complete list, then you won't have to wait for us to do all this tedious to read writing.

[Mr. Gerbik]

I really hope Benny lets Wiper write the RDR2 entry, that would be fantastically entertaining

 

[Uncle Mike]

15 minutes ago, Benny said:

 

If you like, I can PM you the complete list, then you won't have to wait for us to do all this tedious to read writing.

 

Yeah, I know. I said I felt like a twat. 

[Benny]

5 minutes ago, Uncle Mike said:

 

Yeah, I know. I said I felt like a twat. 

 

I mean I could try and bend time and space so that we can type out the reviews quicker, but it's not my specific area of expertise.

[Qazimod]

When Spider-God of Redemption 2 will almost certainly make up the last entries, this is one of the most interesting bits.  

 

You're going to list everything outside the top 20 at the end though, right?

[Benny]

I'll follow essentially the same format as last year, excepting the posts from individual writers this time.

[Benny]

18. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

 

 

I have to admit, once I had finished Yakuza 0, I felt that was exactly the right amount of Yakuza to have in my life (down in the back!). And with most consensus of opinion on the other games being that generally none of them have reached the heights of 0, I was not in any rush to extend my adventures in the mean streets of Osaka. Many of you have enjoyed the latest iteration of the series however:

 

It was Yobo Ahoy’s game of the year:

 

“A deviation to the recent formula (only one playable character) for this final game in the main Yak lineage, it tries to make up for it in story terms. Great characters, looks beautiful, and although there were a few gripes with the new engine it's a brave new step.”

 

And The Bag’s:

 

“The secret really was a jump the shark moment, but the rest was a fitting last outing for Kiryu.  I’ve being playing these games for over a decade, since the first was released in the UK, and I will admit to shedding a tear at the end”

 

Wiper was going to write about it but he's too busy being drunk with the limited edition version whiskey glasses, so he'll review them instead.

[Wiper]

And you thought Benny was joking...

 

18X. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life: Whisky Glass Set

 

 

How can we judge such fine works as these?

 

Made of heaviest glass, these tumblers are the perfect weight to hold one’s finest scotch in a manner most pleasing to the senses, sitting perfectly in the hand as one idly wafts one’s whisky under one’s nose, contemplating the ills in the world, just as Kiryu considers what next action he may take to restore honour to Kamurocho.

 

Then one brings the glass to one’s mouth, and oh! Swift relief; the smoothed edges of the tumbler perfectly offsetting the rough burn of the drink, just as Kiryu’s gentle soul perfectly offsets his tough demeanour.

 

Finally, one places the glass back on the thoughtfully provided coaster, and observes its etchings in all their beauty, cutting shockingly across the otherwise smooth surface, just as Kiryu’s rippling muscles are starkly caressed by his fearsome tattoos.

 

We do not speak of the whisky stones, for they are abomination. Chilled whisky? What an inappropriate combination! That would like… like a Yakuza performing karaoke. Good God, even they are perfect.

 

Truly, a set worthy of the Yakuza fan.

 

(okay, so I haven't actually played Yakuza 6 yet, despite owning it since launch. I have, however, gotten a lot of use out of the whisky glasses. Excellent video game tat, would buy again)

[Shimmyhill]

6 hours ago, Mr. Gerbik said:

I really hope Benny lets Wiper write the RDR2 entry, that would be fantastically entertaining

 

 

Hopefully it will be up soon, 17 all ready seems too high up the list  

[Lyrical Donut]

3 hours ago, Wiper said:

And you thought Benny was joking...

 

18X. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life: Whisky Glass Set

 

 

How can we judge such fine works as these?

 

Made of heaviest glass, these tumblers are the perfect weight to hold one’s finest scotch in a manner most pleasing to the senses, sitting perfectly in the hand as one idly wafts one’s whisky under one’s nose, contemplating the ills in the world, just as Kiryu considers what next action he may take to restore honour to Kamurocho.

 

Then one brings the glass to one’s mouth, and oh! Swift relief; the smoothed edges of the tumbler perfectly offsetting the rough burn of the drink, just as Kiryu’s gentle soul perfectly offsets his tough demeanour.

 

Finally, one places the glass back on the thoughtfully provided coaster, and observes its etchings in all their beauty, cutting shockingly across the otherwise smooth surface, just as Kiryu’s rippling muscles are starkly caressed by his fearsome tattoos.

 

We do not speak of the whisky stones, for they are abomination. Chilled whisky? What an inappropriate combination! That would like… like a Yakuza performing karaoke. Good God, even they are perfect.

 

Truly, a set worthy of the Yakuza fan.

 

(okay, so I haven't actually played Yakuza 6 yet, despite owning it since launch. I have, however, gotten a lot of use out of the whisky glasses. Excellent video game tat, would buy again)

 

Well, it seems that we need a videogame tat category for the rllmuk awards from now on.

[Wiper]

17. Dead Cells

 

 

‘Procedural generation’ is one of those phrases that seems to have turned from a selling point to a criticism. ‘Roguelike’ has gone from an occasional subgenre to a tickbox that roughly 50% of games feel the need to include. Now, please welcome to this awards ceremony Dead Cells, a procedurally generated roguelike! Hurrah! Now just be thankful the words 8-bit or 16-bit don’t feature anywhere in its marketing materials or art style.

 

Snark aside, Dead Cells is a fine entry in its genre; if you’re looking for a game to liken it to, I suggest Rogue Legacy; another hack and slash with branching paths and layouts that change each playthrough, and permanent unlockables that make progress ever-more attainable over successive playthroughs, as well as unlocking new routes through permanent special abilities like a lightweight Metroid game. Like Rogue Legacy, Dead Cells also benefits from being made up of separate sections that are hand-made, with only the selection and arrangement of them determined procedurally; you don’t need to worry about being a completely bogus level to run through.

 

Dead Cells also cribs from the Souls series – by which I don’t mean its combat (though you could argue there are similarities there, they’re really no closer than any other 2D hack and slash game is to the Souls games), but rather its storytelling. Because here again is a game willing to tell its story with a degree of subtlety, told in the background and through fleeting snippets of dialogue and document, and peppered with a weird little cast of characters. I can’t promise that what it has to say is as interesting as the Souls games, but in its tantalizing storytelling it achieves a similar level of intrigue.

 

But perhaps most importantly, Dead Cells features a robust combat system, ensuring each run is frantic but enjoyable; mastering the various types of primary and secondary weapon is crucial to your success, and learning how and when to strike and evade each enemy type, how best to nullify their abilities and avoid damage in the later, longer levels is essential. It makes for a game where you always feel like you’re improving, and always feel like you need to improve, and that’s a compulsive cycle. Combined with fast and satisfying movement, as you leap, roll and double jump your way around, it’s just an endlessly enjoyable game in terms of moment-to-moment gameplay.

 

If I do have one criticism of the game, it’s that the randomization does mean that certain runs feel a little less doable than others; having the algorithm repeatedly throw up weapons that don’t synergise, or endlessly hand you rooms populated with exactly the traps and enemies you are least well equipped to deal with, can be a bit disheartening. I would love to see a more structured version of the game – one with less content, but a guaranteed through route to the end. One where you could improve not only your skills, but your knowledge of the game’s layout too. But I suppose I’ve never been much of a one for this structure of video game.

 

In the end, the pleasure of playing the game is more than enough to overcome my structural preferences, and I can only recommend it – particularly to anyone who doesn’t have my antipathy towards overarching loop structures.

 

(oh, and in case that wasn’t enough, developers Motion Twin are pretty great: in a world filled with exploitative game companies, here we have a cooperative where each worker is paid equally and has an equal vote)

 

 

 

Benny says:

 

It has become something to criticize these days when something is procedurally generated rather than list it as a plus point. It used to be that the Roguelike genre was only occasionally seen but now it seems like a requirement of half the games coming out. It’s therefore a pleasure to welcome in these awards Dead Cells, a Roguelike with procedural generation. It’s fortunate, at least, that words like 8-bit didn’t crop up in the game’s marketing or inform its graphical style then.

  

Joking aside, Dead Cells is a great example of this style of gameplay. Something like Rogue Legacy

is probably its closest brethren in terms of similar titles, which also has similarly optional paths and changing map layouts as you hack and slash your way through each run, as well as permanently improving your character with items and abilities that make it easier to progress through each newly opened path.

 

You could say Dead Cells owes a lot to Dark Souls and that series too, if not in the actual fighting in the game itself, but in the way it subtly weaves its story into the gameplay like those games, with strange dialogue and interesting characters. While it might not maintain the level of staying power of those games, it’s definitely just as fun to find all this stuff out.

 

The best thing about the game is the combat. It’s always frantically enjoyable on each playthrough, as you have to master a variety of weapon types, both in primary and secondary configurations. Knowing when to hit and dodge different enemies is crucial, as they each have abilities that you may want to take out to avoid later on. You always feel like you are getting better, but there is always a challenge so it gets very addictive, especially when combined with the smooth movement and split second gameplay choices.

 

The only real criticism I would have with the game is that on some runs the randomness can make some areas harder than others. Sometimes you don’t get weapons that work well together or you don’t have the right equipment to deal with the sorts of traps that come come up. It would be interesting to see a more simplified version with a more fixed route, then you could more easily learn the layout, but then I guess this fits the structure of this game.

 

To sum up, it’s a pleasure to play, which is more than enough to overcome the negatives, and it comes highly recommended. Especially for people who enjoy this kind of looping design.

 

Shout out to the developers Motion Twin as well for paying all their workers the same wage, great stuff guys.

[witchypoos]

I don't care who thought of it, you're both getting sucked off.

[Unofficial Who]

18 hours ago, Wiper said:

19. Shadow of the Colossus

 

 

 

 

"This game has too many empty spaces, empty spaces are boring, ergo this game is rubbish", or:

"This game is a glorified boss rush, boss rushes are rubbish, ergo this game is rubbish", or:

"There's nothing to do in the world, you can finish the game in a weekend, ergo this game is rubbish", or:

 

 

@Wiper expands on three points far better than I can but from my personal experiences with the original...

 

"This game has too many empty spaces, empty spaces are boring, ergo this game is rubbish"

 

I'd argue while they're devoid of a lot of life they're not empty. For one island there's so many amazing sights. Two that stay with me are the desert below the bridge with the wind whipping in between the pillars in such a way I've only heard in a few places in real life. Another was post game when a friend of mine was just idly exploring and found off the beaten track these amazing chalk cliffs and rocks that was far far away from any of the giants. Fans of walking sims should add this to their list even if they're never going to take on the graceful giants.

 

"This game is a glorified boss rush, boss rushes are rubbish, ergo this game is rubbish"

 

I'm someone who loathes boss battles in general and boss rushes especially. This is in my top ten of all time and the one big exception. Don't let boss battling put you off this.

 

"There's nothing to do in the world, you can finish the game in a weekend, ergo this game is rubbish"

 

I paid full price for this 13 years ago and completed it in a weekend. I still think about it 13 years on and it still feels vivid to me in a way that so many multi-hour epic games just don't. A handful of hours of exceptional content is worth more than hundreds of hours of average content.

 

In short if you have a Sony machine you owe it to yourself to at least experience this even once.