#19 - Bastion

It'd odd to put up a very recent game on a list of this nature, but it's a testament to how really good game design can keep me interested and willing to replay a game. Most games from this generation are lucky to get one playthrough from me; Bastion received about 7 playthroughs from me. It was that *bleep*ing good. Some would say that I'm still in the honeymoon period, but I don't know, a year and a half later, I'm still in love with this game.

What makes Bastion work is the overall feel - the isometric style where you either wail on enemies or shoot at them (depending on what works best in any given situation, as well as your weapon combination) in tandem with the music and visuals works so *bleep*ing well, it was almost criminal. It's so beautiful that if it was a woman, I'd dump my current girlfriend and go for this one, treat her to the most romantic dinner that anybody on an IT administrator's wage could afford, watch whatever movie she wanted to watch even if it was *bleep*ing Twilight (though I doubt she would because she'd have standards, I'm pretty sure) and be open to whatever sexual fetishes she had. In other words, it's a damn fine game. The storytelling is also something that I enjoy quite a lot - you essentially have an omnipresent voice telling you about what's going on in a style that at least amuses you. There's a twist involving the narrator, but I'm going to stay tight lipped about it. In fact, the plot twist at the end, alone, is enough to warrant a playthrough, let alone the amount of majesty found in its aesthetics and gameplay.

Summary - Even in times where production line quality games are considered great, Bastion ninja kicks us across the face and shows us "no mother*bleep*er, THIS is how you do it".
Rating - 9/10

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