Josh Miller – Unravelling the mysteries that all started with the Big Bang

Outer Wilds (8th generation consoles & PC)

I struggled wish this pick for two reasons: 1.) How do I pick a favorite? and 2.) What defines a AA-game? Well, after scouring the Internet for people’s examples of what defines a AA-game, I picked one I saw repeatedly….and a damn good one too. Outer Wilds. A game that I wish I was smarter to play and better with controls. But despite the faults I have that prevented me from beating the game, it was still such a magical and special experience.

There were two professions I dreamed about as a kid that I would have as an adult. One would be President of the USA. The other was astronaut. Im currently writing on this website, so you can wager how those dreams went.

Suffice it to say, video games have had some cases where the magic of being an astronaut just hits right. Outer Wilds is one of those games. From bouncing between planets to discovering mysteries that so much of humanity wishes could be found in their lifetime, Outer Wilds was a dream come true in some respects. Sure, the solar system only exists for about 5 minutes before you are wiped out of existence from a supernova, but that doesn’t deter from the mystery and excitement of traversing the stars.

And it never goes away. From the first second to the closing credits, Outer Wilds is such a remarkable experience. It’s beautiful, yet terrifying. It’s somber, yet tense. It’s small while feeling so incredibly large. Very few games, AA or AAA, have provided an experience for me like this game. So I would be hard pressed to find a better example than Outer Wilds for this roundtable.

What are your favorite Double-A level games? Do you favor the modern output of games on this level or prefer the days where these games were virtually everywhere? Emmett Watkins Jr. mentions games of this ilk in his review of Darksiders 3 circa 2018… In addition, check out Raul’s written piece about Outer Wilds for a truly human story…