A look at my video gaming year halfway through 2021

This year has been really slow for me when it comes to video games. Between playing board games, watching movies and shows (and blogging about them), and other hobbies, I really haven't played video games a ton, at least, by my standards.

The other big issue for me is my failed attempts to get a next-gen console. I went with a PS4 for this current gen and had no regrets, but I'm not 100 percent convinced I'm going with the PS5. XBox's Gamepass and forthcoming exclusives from their many new studios for the Series X are tantalizing. As great as Sony's exclusives are (God of War, Spider-Man, Horizon, Ratchet and Clank, etc.), I still think the XBox might end up having more games that pique my interest. But at this point, it might be another 10 years before I get a hold of either one. Not to mention the inevitable Switch Pro system that I'll absolutely need to own. All that to say, I haven't really been able to play a ton of new games this year.

But I will say, I'm not really missing out on much right now, because I am having a ton of fun with the few games I'm playing on Switch. I've tried previous entries of one particular series, but never got onboard with it. But the Switch entry is just amazing.

I'm talking about Monster Hunter: Rise.

I can't get over how great it feels compared to older, slower entries in the series I've tried in the past. Sure, you still need to plan out every swing of a blade or shot of a gun, lest you leave yourself vulnerable, but man, when you land a hit and turn it into a combo, the satisfaction feels great. What's better is how that feeling doesn't get old. The enemy behavior is different enough from hunt to hunt that you can't always do the exact same moves over and over; in fact, different enemies require you to be more skilled with some moves than others because of their movement speed or size or attacks.

My main weapon is the dual blades. It's a bit more forgiving because the attacks are faster, so missing an enemy doesn't leave you quite as open as, say, the long sword. I also love getting in extra hits per swing; sure, the hits are dealing far less damage than most weapons, but that's obviously for balancing purposes. I've tried all the guns, and the only one that really works for me was the light bowgun. It allows me to aim and move quickly enough at the same time, and it does enough damage that the battles aren't exceptionally long.

Monster Hunter: Rise has a lot of systems that I could take or leave. The armor sets aren't the coolest-looking sets in gaming by any means. The Buddies are okay. The insta-buffs you find throughout the maps and the meals you eat to give you buffs before each mission are mediocre; I wish their effects were more prominent. But all of the shortcomings in these side mechanics don't hold back the game by any means. This game could end up being my favorite of the year.

I finally bought another game that has pulled me away from Monster Hunter: Rise, and it stars a certain famous plumber. Mario 3D World and Bowser's Fury is a great two-for-one game. I played 3D World 100 percent once on Wii U, and I thought it was incredible, but it's been long enough that it feels pretty fresh and new for me to go through it again.

But the Bowser's Fury section, of course, is the highlight for me. Instead of different levels, it's just one big open-world style map with a beach motif, which is great because you can swim through the waters and complete fun surfing missions with Bessie the water dragon creature. As you swim or surf all around the waters, you can just stumble upon a whole new area with new acrobatic sections, challenges and other secrets to discover. The openness of the game world is so different from most Mario games, even Mario Odyssey; sure, the levels in Odyssey are open-world, but even those are sectioned one level at a time.

The big gimmick with Bowser's Fury is just that: Bowser occasionally appears and releases his fury, which throws the world into chaos for a short while. It's a nice change of pace, but I've been getting super annoyed at how frequently Bowser interrupts my playtime. You can put a stop to him after collecting your next Shine, but sometimes he still comes back rather quickly, and it gets annoying. The giant Mario Cat battles are fun, especially the final fight you have with Bowser.

The other major game I've played a ton this year is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. That game is incredibly gratifying considering how repetitive and button-mashy it feels. The variety of combos and play styles from character to character keeps me going. My favorite characters have been Link, Revali, and Urbosa, and they could not play any more differently. Link focuses on pretty standard combat stuff, but Revali can fly, and Urbosa has a magic bar that fills as she fights, and her magic attacks are wild and varied when she unleashes them.

Other than those three games, I really haven't played a lot of new stuff this year. I've played some of Hades, and it's a great action game, but I need to play that more. I recently finished all of Picross S3, so I'll get Picross S4 at some point. Other than that, I'm more or less in limbo (not the game Limbo, to clarify) as I wait to see what all is coming in the near future (Mario Golf: Super Rush looks great!). I also still play plenty of Smash Bros. Ultimate and Splatoon 2, two of my very favorite games.

With that in mind, I'm really excited for E3 this weekend and early next week. Nintendo's showcase is Tuesday, so I'll be pretty giddy that day. I'm planning on a reaction blog for that, so stay tuned!