FUN GAMES
1. Stardew Valley
I waited years for this game to come out, and it was well worth it. The graphics, the music, the gameplay, everything is bloody brilliant. Stardew Valley was made by one person, and it blows some big company games out of the water. It's heavily based on games like Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, and Animal Crossing, but offers so much more to do. Localized versions, console ports, and multiplayer are in the works, as well!
2. Starbound
While Starbound has gone through some really rough development, it's certainly not a terrible game. Sure, some good things were removed (RIP Bouncy tech), while annoying things were added (the watering can absolutely sucks without mods). In the end, though, Starbound is a great 2D sandbox game with plenty of goodies to find. It's got an impressive selection of mods, too, so you can customize your experience to your liking!
3. Princess Maker 2 Refine
My only experience with this series was with an unfinished, not-so-legal copy of Princess Maker 2. The game was a great life/raising sim, with nice RPG elements thrown in. The Refine edition was released in Japan some time ago, but I never expected to see it. Thankfully, CFK Co. Ltd. brought it to Steam in all its glory, and for a reasonable price! They're still ironing out some bugs and localization issues, but they're doing an amazing job! There's talk of them releasing other games in the series, as well!
4. Gnomoria
Dwarf Fortress is an amazing game with many complexities and tons of depth. But, it was a bit too much for me. Then along came Gnomoria in Steam's Early Access branch, getting me back into the village management party! The game left Early Access in February with several QoL changes and mod support. However, the developer has been silent for some time now, even though there are still some bugs and issues to be fixed. Despite that, Gnomoria comes with tons of goodies to keep you entertained for a long while.
5. Overwatch
I only got to try this game during the free days back in September. But, damn, what a fun time it was! There's a wonderful selection of characters, each with their own powers, strengths, and weaknesses. You can unlock different skins and animations for all of them, too! There wasn't much in the way of maps and game modes, but what was there was absolutely brilliant. I've been keeping my eye on the updates and news for this game, and I love where it's going. Sadly, I can't afford to pick up the game at this time. But, if you can, go for it!
UPDATE (11/24/2016): A couple buddies of mine were kind enough to get me and another friend of theirs copies of Overwatch! And I've been playing the hell out of it! Stay tuned for a review!
DISAPPOINTING GAMES
1. Pokemon GO
I really wanted to like this game. I really did. Catching Pokemon around the house and neighborhood sounded like a blast. But, the game was (and still is) very buggy and lacked the more entertaining parts of Pokemon games. What fun bits are there don't last long, and you will eventually hit the freemium pay wall, especially in rural areas. Trading, friend lists, and actual battles are non-existent (but may be added later). Expect to catch the same 3 Pokemon over and over. Your only hope of finding your favorite Pokemon involves location spoofing and other fiddly junk, most of which will probably get you banned. Stick to the other games in the franchise.
2. Miitomo
Hoo boy. I love the look of Tomodachi Life; gameplay videos got me wanting to buy it and a 3DS (never got them, though). When Miitomo came out, it looked like a fun alternative. You can make a Mii, and then interact with other Miis by asking and answering questions, and feeding the Miis candy. You could earn points and other goodies through minigames and tasks/achievements. But, it all got old very fast, and that pay wall also came up fast. This just made me want Tomodachi Life even more.
3. Kaboom Monsters
This game is like Triple Triad, a game which I've grown to like. But, it has a few twists. You can equip stuff to your cards, combine them into stronger cards, and make a deck of up to 15 critters. Cards also have a set amount of time they can remain on the board. When that time's up, KABOOM. They're gone, leaving empty cells for new cards. I picked up the game for free on the App Store, and I've been having fun with it. But, it is plagued with loading screens (think Sonic 2006), crashes, and odd bugs. And I sense the pay wall approaching, because the game isn't giving me any of those badass cards the opponents have. But, I found another surprise: the game isn't even complete, despite being on the App Store. Kaboom Monsters is in Steam Early Access for $2.99! Not cool, devs.
4. Mighty No. 9
I backed this game years ago, hoping it would lead to more fun things from Comcept. I've never been good at the Megaman games, but I had some fun and know that people love them. I thought maybe Comcept would do something interesting with their ideas for Mighty No. 9. Sadly, that never happened. While they showcased good ideas during development, several of the better ones got scrapped for less than enjoyable ones. Even the graphics went from great to shoddy. I can't even bring myself to boot this up and try it out. Just watching gameplay videos makes me cringe because I know I'll be heading for a huge load of frustration. Maybe Red Ash will be enjoyable (if it ever gets made).
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