Gamer Crash Awards: My Favorite Games From The First Half of 2019

Posted on July 12, 2019 by

With E3 in the rear view mirror and the summer months in full effect, I figured it’s a good time to look back on the first half of 2019 before the insanity of the fall and holiday season consumes us. That’s why I figured it’s time we pause the action to discuss some of the notable games we’ve seen in 2019 so far. Consider this a mini Gamer Crash Awards.

As it stands, you’ll likely see at least some of these games mentioned again later in the year when we get to the actual awards. For this mini-edition, I’ve decided to create a bunch of off the wall categories in addition to naming some of my favorite games of 2019 so far. I’m also including at least one thing that disappointed me as well.

Gamer Crash Awards

Better yet, this list is absolutely going to help me remember what I actually played earlier this year. I don’t know about you but by the end of the year, my brain is overwhelmed by new releases and games I’ve played over the past few months. It’s hard to remember all the games I enjoyed at the start of the year.

So without further adieu, here are some of my favorite (and not so favorite) games from the first half of 2019:

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Destiny 2: Shadowkeep and My Thoughts on What’s Next

Posted on July 3, 2019 by

One topic that I’ve been dying to get to but haven’t due in large part to the media blitz of E3 2019, is Destiny 2. Prior to the big show, Bungie held a reveal stream of sorts for what it plans to do with Destiny 2 at the conclusion of the Annual Pass content as well as the future of the franchise now that Activision is completely out of the picture.

I had no idea what to expect going in. As a big fan of the franchise, even if I was currently on a semi-break from Destiny 2 at that point, I was curious to see where the company was going. Would it add another season of content to the annual pass? Would it announce a full fledged Destiny 3?

destiny 2 shadowkeep

Well, not only did we get answers, but the studio seemed unchained from previous PR practices and gave us an unprecedented amount of detailed information.

Let’s discuss:

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Now Arriving: Games of July 2019

Posted on July 1, 2019 by

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the summer months!. This is typically the time of year when major game releases come to a grinding halt as companies prepare themselves for the coming Fall/Holiday release blitz.

However, 2019 seems to be a bit different. While companies typically know you like to go on vacations, enjoy the summer sun at the beach, or generally like to be outside rather than spend it inside in front of a TV, it isn’t preventing some big names from launching this month.

Bethesda and Machine Games are bringing Wolfenstein back in July. The budget friendly Youngblood advances the narrative into the 1980s, letting players control BJ Blazkowicz’s twin daughters against the Nazi oppression in Paris, France. It’s up to them to track down their missing father and unravel what’s going on.

The Switch is pretty big this month as well. Two big names in particular, Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order arrive in July, both of which promising to eat up a ton of your time.

Surprisingly, there’s more than a few video games launching this month. So, hit the jump to see the complete list of July 2019 video game releases. Enjoy!

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E3 2019 Conference Recap and Thoughts: Third Party Conferences

Posted on June 28, 2019 by

Well, friends, we’re finally at the end of my E3 2019 coverage. Today we’re talking Third Party. I’ll be taking a look at all of the major press conferences and offering my thoughts and opinions on what was announced and more.

In case you missed any of my previous E3 2019 coverage, you can catch up with these handy links! Microsoft | Nintendo | Watch Dogs Legion | Overall

What an interesting year it has been so far for third party games. We’ve had quite the range of great and not-so-great games that I think not many people knew what to expect going in. This is especially true for companies like Bethesda and EA, both of which were trying to recover from some less than ideal game launches.

e3 2019 logo

On the other end of the spectrum, I think it’s safe to say that most fans were excited for what Ubisoft and Square Enix had coming. There’s always plenty of sky high expectations and rumors which fuel that hype.

So did the third party studios come through and deliver? Let’s discuss.

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I Don’t Have Concerns: Watch Dogs Legion

Posted on June 25, 2019 by

This is a counterpoint to my original feature post two weeks ago prior to E3 2019. If you want my initial perspective, check it out there.

What a difference a few days can make. Much to the chagrin of Ubisoft, one of it’;s biggest surprises of E3 2019 leaked out a bit early. Watch Dog Legion was confirmed for the show, but details also let slip that the game would be taking place in a near-future London. While that sounds like an incredible location to run around in, the other gameplay tidbit was startling: You could play as any character you wanted and the cutscenes and story would dynamically shift to that character’s perspective.

watch dogs legion art

I won’t lie, I was worried especially coming off of Watch Dogs 2 which featured really great written and strong characters. I couldn’t see how a game that seemingly doesn’t have a main lead character would be able to give me a compelling story or feature really strong characters you can root for.

I was hoping that actually seeing the game in action would help me see the grand plan. Then E3 2019 happened.

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E3 2019 Conference Recap and Thoughts: Microsoft

Posted on June 21, 2019 by

We’re full steam ahead on the E3 panel recaps. I covered Nintendo earlier in the week, but today it’s time to discuss the last remaining “Big 3” member: Microsoft. 

I feel like Microsoft had the brightest spotlight of all the companies with press conferences this year, due to the fact that it’s chief rival, Sony, opted to skip the show completely. All eyes were on the Xbox brand to see what kind of chaos they could create without having to worry about what Sony was planning.

xbox e3 2019 logo

Not only that, it could also be argued that Microsoft only added to the pressure by announcing plans to go big at this year’s show. Naturally, when you say something like that, fan expectations shoot through the roof, for better or worse.

So, was Microsoft able to hold the show up by itself or did it fail to make good on the pre-show promises? Let’s discuss.

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E3 2019 Conference Recap and Thoughts: Nintendo

Posted on June 19, 2019 by

I’m kicking my E3 2019 recap series with Nintendo, my overall winner this year. I mean, I was really happy with what Nintendo showed off but overall, is declaring a winner really saying much? I’ll save that for another post. For now, let’s focus on Nintendo.

Even as they face a new generation of consoles from their rivals, Nintendo’s stance is to continue to do what they do and ignore the noise. That focus on joy and fun really showed through this year as they delivered a wonderful E3 Direct, even if Reggie wasn’t there. Seriously, how weird was that?

nintendo direct e3 2019

Even though we knew some of what they’d be discussing this year, what other surprises did Nintendo have up their sleeves? Let’s discuss.

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