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00:00Where do you think you are?
00:03Who do you think you're talking to?
00:08Nobody gets out of my domain, whether alive or dead.
00:12Welcome to Mojo Plays, and there's nothing more we love than sitting down for some well-deserved alone time with some of our
00:18favorite single-player games of the last 10 years.
00:21In fact, we don't have to do this at all if you don't want to.
00:24We definitely want to!
00:27Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:35Alan Wake 2. First things first, what's your name?
00:42It's not often that a cult classic
00:44manages to get a sequel, let alone one that manages to outperform the original in every way imaginable.
00:51Thirteen years after the release of Alan Wake, Alan finally escaped the dark place, and somehow his nightmare has only gotten more horrific.
00:59Alan Wake 2 is by far the most ambitious title from Remedy and the mad lad Sam Link,
01:06featuring two protagonists players can switch between, playing each of their respective campaigns in whatever order they wish.
01:13This not only expands the scope of Bright Falls and the surrounding areas,
01:17but also allows players to experience Alan's numerous escaped attempts from the dark place from his perspective.
01:24Combined with one of the greatest uses of music in all of gaming, and an unrelentingly oppressive atmosphere filled with constant tension,
01:31Alan Wake is one of the greatest horror games we've played in years, and absolutely worth the decade-long wait.
01:38This story...
01:41is a monster.
01:43Hollow Knight.
01:44Metroidvanias have become one of the most popular genres in all of gaming, outside of the recent influx of Souls-likes.
01:50And while the genre's namesakes, Metroid and Castlevania, laid the groundwork, Hollow Knight perfected the formula.
01:57Hollow Knight managed to bring all the elements of not only Metroidvanias,
02:01but also classic old-school platforming with challenging combat encounters and rewarding exploration.
02:07The music, art style, and wonderful use of environmental storytelling,
02:11showcase a once vibrant world that has since fallen, and the titular knight's quest to rid it of its infection.
02:18Despite coming from a relatively small and unknown team,
02:21Hollow Knight quickly became one of the most highly respected games in the genre, and it's long-awaited follow-up Silksong has become one of the
02:28most anticipated titles of the generation.
02:31Hades.
02:37The roguelike genre is almost as old as gaming itself, and is one that has experienced very little innovation since its inception.
02:45However, Supergiant Games not only managed to craft one of the best roguelikes of all time, but also completely
02:53revolutionized the genre itself. By incorporating the cycle of live-die-repeat into the narrative, players were no longer punished by death,
03:00but rewarded with vital character and narrative moments,
03:04encouraging them to attempt just one more run to discover the next tidbit of the story to fill out the game's
03:10fascinating world. The addition of boons, which offered vital gameplay tweaks, also offered players a way to customize each run, and these
03:18decisions could also affect your relationships with the numerous gods offering aid.
03:22Beautifully animated and meticulously detailed with some of the most rewarding gameplay in the genre,
03:27Hades is not to be missed even by those who've never played a roguelike.
03:34Go, get out.
03:36Don't let me stop you.
03:40Wasn't planning on it, father.
03:42Super Mario Odyssey.
03:44Nintendo and Mario have always been the undisputed kings of the platforming genre, and Mario's most recent solo outing,
03:50Odyssey, might be one of the plumber's best of all time.
03:54Using Mario's cap is not only a weapon,
03:56but also a gameplay mechanic by giving players the ability to capture enemies and objects allowed for player
04:03experimentation in a way the series never had before.
04:06Nintendo also made tweaks to the traditional Mario formula with inventive level designs and new abilities, as well as costumes for Mario to unlock.
04:15With multiple worlds to explore, secrets to find, and a wealth of challenges to complete,
04:19Super Mario Odyssey isn't just the best 3D Mario game of all time,
04:23it's also a celebration of Mario's legacy and his genre-defining impact on the industry.
04:29Disco Elysium.
04:30Precinct 57 sent their finest.
04:34Precinct 41 sent...
04:37...you.
04:39The term role-playing game has never been a more apt description than when used to describe Disco Elysium.
04:45Players are given almost complete freedom to mold their character to their preferred specifications,
04:50more acutely than any other role-playing game to date.
04:54Taking place in a forgotten city, the player character must investigate a grisly murder, as well as their own personal demons that narrate their
05:02every action and decision. The entire game is built around a series of skill checks, dice rolls, and
05:09dialogue trees, in which the player's actions directly affect not only the narrative,
05:13but how the many unique and just-as-insane townsfolk perceive you and respond to your antics.
05:19With a gorgeous painted art style, the interwoven open world is full of interesting characters, and sets a new bar for how much
05:27freedom developers allow their players to have within their worlds.
05:31Prove them wrong, or lose your mind.
05:38Uncharted 4, A Thief's End.
05:40Look, Nate, I'm gonna make you a one-time offer.
05:43Drop everything.
05:46Go home.
05:50Live your life.
05:53Or we can just end it right here.
05:55It's not often we get to see our favorite video game protagonists get a proper send-off, let alone the happy ending
06:01we've always wanted for them. For Nathan Drake's final outing as everyone's favorite wisecracking dude-raider,
06:07Naughty Dog gave us not only his most personal journey so far, but also his most epic.
06:13Naughty Dog had already perfected the Uncharted formula,
06:16so this time they instead focused on putting Nathan in some of the most technically impressive and
06:21death-defying moments of his career in some of the most visually spectacular locations in the entire series.
06:27The cinematic presentation added additional depth to the already beloved characters, and the inclusion of new gameplay mechanics such as the grappling hook
06:35expanded not only Nathan's exploration skills, but also his combat options.
06:40Uncharted 4 further deviated from previous entries by forcing Nathan to re-examine his priorities and face the consequences of his luck
06:47finally running out.
06:49Nathan Drake, that two-bit thief.
06:54Risking it all for some piece of treasure.
06:59I guess that's how they know me. How they'll remember me.
07:05Horizon Zero Dawn.
07:06Where the trail leads,
07:09I will go.
07:12Sony has had no shortage of inventive and interesting IPs over the years,
07:18but most of these titles fell into a familiar formula.
07:21Guerrilla Games' Horizon Zero Dawn not only broke this tradition,
07:25but also gave fans a brand new heroine to stand alongside the likes of industry icons like Lara Croft.
07:31The world of Horizon Zero Dawn and Aloy's journey through an overgrown apocalyptic land battling robot
07:38dinosaurs is immediately engaging, and the story and mystery surrounding the world and its inhabitants drive players forward to uncover more.
07:46Combat was also more intuitive, allowing players to target specific body parts while also utilizing a myriad of gadgets to accent their
07:53encounters and keep every battle feeling fresh and consistently thrilling. While numerous aspects would be improved upon in the sequel,
08:01Zero Dawn remains a standout for its innovative gameplay and engrossing world to explore.
08:07What is it?
08:08The end.
08:10Or how it begins anyway.
08:13Persona 5.
08:15Do me a favor and behave yourself, alright?
08:18Turn-based RPGs might not be as popular as they once were,
08:21but if they could all be as insanely stylish as Persona 5, we think perceptions might change.
08:28Absolutely oozing with personality,
08:30Persona feels like a slice-of-life anime come to life, complete with players needing to attend classes, maintain healthy or, depending on your choices,
08:39unhealthy relationships, and even find a job to make money. And then there's the completely off-the-wall
08:45supernatural side, in which all the aforementioned battles take place with some of the most diverse and insane character designs in the genre.
08:53Full of memorable characters, an incredibly designed world for players to live their day-to-day lives,
08:58frenetic battles, a deep and engaging narrative, and an absolutely gorgeous art direction,
09:03Persona 5 is a once-in-a-lifetime game, only enhanced by its own re-release which somehow managed to add even more
09:11incredible content.
09:13But if my voice is reaching you, I thank you. Please overcome this game, and save the world.
09:19The Last of Us Part II.
09:21I'm gonna find,
09:25and I'm gonna kill.
09:28Every last one of them.
09:30The Last of Us remains a masterpiece in interactive narrative storytelling, and one that many fans felt told a complete story with no need for a sequel.
09:40However, no matter what your viewpoint is on the necessity of Part II's existence, the game remains
09:46unchallenged as a mechanical and cinematic benchmark. The new characters and locations were wonderfully realized, full of impressive detail
09:53that made the world and its inhabitants feel like real people trying to survive the end of the world.
09:58There's no denying the narrative split the fanbase, but the performances of everyone involved remain some of the best in the entire industry.
10:06Simple gameplay tweaks opened combat and exploration opportunities for giving players even more freedom during encounters than ever before.
10:14Part II might have originally seemed like an unnecessary follow-up to a masterpiece,
10:18but it's one that has thankfully experienced a re-evaluation in the years since.
10:23What the hell are you doing here?
10:28You think I'd let you do this on your own?
10:31Cyberpunk 2077.
10:33Wake up, samurai.
10:36We have a city to burn.
10:43There's no denying Cyberpunk 2077 had what can graciously be described as a rocky launch.
10:50Thankfully, CD Projekt Red stuck with it and not only delivered the initial promised experience,
10:55but managed to give players more than they ever could have expected.
10:59The world of Night City feels more real and alive than any other open-world game to date, and the addition of Keanu Reeves as Johnny
11:06Silverhand only sweetened the deal. Boasting a wealth of options for players to completely customize their play style and experience,
11:14it's easy to get lost in the world of Cyberpunk simply driving around the city and living in the atmosphere.
11:19With the release of Phantom Liberty, the game was completely overhauled to such an extent the developers even
11:26suggested that those who completed the game start a new playthrough to replay the game as the devs fully intended.
11:32Listen, kid.
11:34There's one thing I can tell you about this city.
11:38You either love it
11:41Or want to burn it.
11:43Marvel's Spider-Man.
11:50You?
11:51While there's been no shortage of Spider-Man games since the inception of gaming, only a handful have truly nailed the feeling of being
11:59Spider-Man the way Insomniac's 2018 entry did.
12:02Allowing players to take up the web shooters of Spider-Man in his prime,
12:06not only did this let us step into the spandex of a Peter who was already a fully fledged hero,
12:12Insomniac's implementation of Spidey's combat moves, web swinging, and comic accurate movements
12:18perfected the sensation of zipping between the Big Apple's skyscrapers.
12:21This decision also let the developers skip over all of Spidey's well-documented history
12:27even a casual fan was familiar with, and build new relationships and antagonists in their own way.
12:33Delivering one of the best experiences as Spider-Man, and one of his most emotionally charged adventures in his long history of video games.
12:40Spider-Man, look, next time leave the fighting to the pros.
12:46Okay, but what if there aren't any around?
12:48Heh, good one.
12:49The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt.
12:52Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?
12:54Killing monsters.
12:56The Witcher series has steadily been growing in quality between releases,
13:00but it was the third entry that not only put CD Projekt Red on everyone's radar in a big way,
13:05but also made The Witcher a genre-defining title.
13:09With an impressive cast of both main and supporting characters,
13:12the world of The Witcher came to life,
13:14and everything from the narrative to the impressive attention to detail in the immersive world and setting
13:19made Geralt's latest adventure a must-play for any RPG fan or anyone with a casual interest.
13:26The entire world was designed with player exploration in mind,
13:29with countless secrets and hidden quests and interesting NPCs all making the world feel truly alive,
13:35thanks to gorgeous graphics and world design.
13:38Along with multiple expansions,
13:40The Witcher 3 is not only one of the best games of all time,
13:43but also one of the best deals in all of gaming.
13:48Geralt, have some dignity.
13:51You know how this will end.
13:54Final Fantasy XVI
13:56No matter how better the truth that awaits me,
14:00I will press on.
14:04The Final Fantasy franchise is one of the oldest in the industry,
14:07and yet somehow, each new title is an event,
14:10telling a new story and offering new ways to play the classic series.
14:14Final Fantasy XVI offered players some of the biggest changes yet,
14:18focusing on one protagonist and taking a far more action-oriented approach to combat.
14:23The action-heavy combat offered newcomers an entry point for the franchise,
14:27and despite the typical RPG elements the series is known for being somewhat dumbed down,
14:32still offered players a variety of options in combat to cater to their playstyle.
14:37And, quite honestly, it worked.
14:39Clive struggles to survive the dying world of Valisthea corrupted by the backroom political machinations
14:46of the numerous kingdoms alongside his deep personal connections to the icons is consistently engrossing.
14:52Clive is one of the series' best protagonists in years,
14:56thanks in no small part to Ben Starr giving his absolute all in his performance.
15:01I thought I was ready for this.
15:03I know, but we will face it together.
15:08You don't always need to reinvent the game to be one of the best in the genre.
15:12As the follow-up to one of the best games already on the PS5, Astro's Playroom,
15:16Team Asobi managed to create a bigger, grander, and more challenging platformer,
15:21while maintaining everything that made the original such a delight.
15:25It's almost impossible to play Astro Bot without a sense of childish glee
15:29watching Astro interact with countless bot versions of iconic PlayStation characters,
15:34while also making the best use of the DualSense controller in the entire industry.
15:39A love letter to all things Sony and PlayStation,
15:42the game is entirely enjoyable for those just looking for a solid platformer,
15:46but for those who have been playing games for decades,
15:49Astro Bot is a time capsule of our childhood memories we'd long forgotten.
15:54We really can't recommend this one enough.
15:57Do yourself a favor and join Astro in a trip down memory lane.
16:01Elden Ring
16:03That which commanded the stars,
16:06giving life its fullest brilliance.
16:11FromSoft has become a juggernaut in the gaming industry,
16:14and one of the most influential developers in history with their tough-but-fair Souls formula.
16:19With numerous entries in the genre and endless copycats,
16:23FromSoft once again set the bar for their own genre with Elden Ring.
16:27Giving players a fully open world to explore and discover at their own leisure,
16:32not only offered newcomers an easier jumping-on point,
16:35but also gave long-time Souls fans a wealth of hidden secrets and lore to find and piece together.
16:41The lands between have been purposely designed and crafted to reward those who go off the beaten path
16:47with new armor and weapon sets,
16:49and harken back to the genre's golden days of discovery
16:52when games didn't hold the player's hand with countless markers and objectives.
16:56Elden Ring is a landmark and genre-defining title
17:00that everyone owes to themselves to try out at least once.
17:04Make of thyselves that which ye desire.
17:09Be it a lord, be it a god.
17:13The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
17:16Wake up, Link.
17:22Nintendo have always been pioneers in innovative video game mechanics,
17:27and the Legend of Zelda series is usually at the forefront of these improvements.
17:31While no one was complaining about the current slate of the Zelda franchise,
17:35Nintendo not only completely rewrote their own playbook with Breath of the Wild,
17:39but also revolutionized the open world genre.
17:43Setting players loose in a devastated Hyrule,
17:46we were given free reign to explore and play the game however we wanted,
17:50and the game's impressive physics allowed for creativity and experimentation.
17:55This approach to open world game design also allowed players to find their own solutions
17:59for the game's puzzles and combat encounters,
18:02while still managing to offer longtime fans the truest form of the Legend of Zelda experience
18:07in the franchise's history.
18:09May I ask, do you really remember me?
18:15Baldur's Gate 3
18:17You want to play the hero so badly?
18:20Fine. Let's make this interesting.
18:24Video games by design allow players to choose how they want to play,
18:28but few games, if any, have ever offered the wealth of options Larian Studios has with Baldur's Gate 3.
18:35Along with the traditional RPG trappings,
18:37Baldur's Gate 3 captures the true feeling of the Dungeons & Dragons formula
18:42in a way no game within the genre has done before.
18:45For every action, no matter how outlandish, there is a reaction,
18:49and the world and characters will react to the player's choices.
18:53Alongside some incredibly well-written characters,
18:56and by far one of the deepest character creators ever,
18:59Baldur's Gate 3 offers players the chance to fully and completely live out their wildest D&D adventures
19:05in whatever way they can imagine.
19:07With over 17,000 possible variations of the game's ending,
19:11Baldur's Gate 3 might be the only game you ever need to play again.
19:15Bow before me.
19:17Bow before the absolute.
19:20Bow!
19:22Ghost of Tsushima
19:24You trained your whole life for this?
19:29The open-world genre has seen very little innovation in recent years,
19:33with most devs falling victim to the dreaded Ubisoft formula.
19:37But Sucker Punch managed to not only create one of the best open-world games in generations,
19:42but also add much-needed improvements to the stale formula.
19:46The tale of Jin Sakai becoming the ghost to defeat the invading Mongols is impeccably told,
19:51perfectly encapsulating Jin's struggle for his honor versus his quest to protect and save his people.
19:56With an absolutely jaw-dropping open-world for players to explore,
20:00highly engaging swordplay,
20:02brand-new genre-defining mechanics,
20:04the guiding wind might be the best open-world innovation in forever,
20:09a brilliant cast of supporting characters,
20:11as well as a protagonist and narrative players can become emotionally invested in,
20:15Tsushima's follow-up, Ghost of Yotai, has a high bar to reach.
20:19So I'll ask you once again, samurai.
20:23Do you surrender?
20:29God of War 2018
20:31Where must we go?
20:35To a realm beyond your own.
20:38Kratos was already a PlayStation icon,
20:41having carved out his niche in the action genre, literally,
20:45over the entirety of the Greek saga.
20:47But with God of War 2018,
20:49we were introduced to a more introspective Kratos,
20:52regretful of the brash and arrogant Spartan he used to be.
20:56The addition of his son Atreus,
20:58whom Kratos attempts to steer from making the same mistakes of his past,
21:02was not only a brilliant plot development,
21:04but also allowed Kratos to grow as a character alongside his son.
21:08The over-the-shoulder perspective and the inclusion of the Leviathan Axe
21:12gave combat a much more visceral feel,
21:15and the Metroidvania-style exploration of the Lake of Nine
21:18kept the familiar location constantly engaging as new areas were revealed.
21:23Taking Kratos out of Greece made a lot of sense,
21:26and the evolution of Kratos as a character
21:28delivered a balanced experience for newcomers
21:30and an emotional journey for long-time fans.
21:33That was something, that fight.
21:40Red Dead Redemption 2
21:42They'll probably hang you, buddy.
21:52You coming, buddy?
21:54Every developer wants you to live and breathe its atmosphere,
21:57and truly believe you exist within the game world.
22:00No developer has accomplished this better than Rockstar did with Red Dead Redemption 2.
22:05Not only did the game tell one of the most emotional, grounded, and believable narratives
22:10all set against the dying of the Wild West,
22:12but managed to develop characters players cared about and became emotionally attached to.
22:17Every detail is immaculately created,
22:20from the period-accurate guns and attire to the horse testicles.
22:24The entire open world feels like a real place where many players just live a second life,
22:29hunting, camping, fishing, and either helping or robbing the many small towns and their residents.
22:35Arthur Morgan remains one of the best characters ever written,
22:39both in and outside of video games,
22:41and there may never be an experience like Red Dead 2 ever again,
22:45even by Rockstar themselves.
22:48You have my back.
22:50Always, Dutch.
22:53Did we miss your favorite single-player experience of the last decade?
22:56Share your picks in the comments.
22:58Did you enjoy this video?
23:00Check out these other clips from Mojo Plays,
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