It's "Year in Review" Time!

Love it or hate it, it's the end of 2023 and the magical (or horrid...depends on your feelings) time when everyone starts posting their "wrapped" or "year in review" lists.  Did we ask to see them?  No.  Do we care to see them?  Probably, also no.  Personally, I enjoy seeing my end of the year lists because they're a nice reminder of all the things we played, watched, or listened to that we promptly forgot about because humans have horrible memories.  I know that there is some irritation about some of the lists--many parents express irritation because their Spotify "wrapped" list usually includes the Disney songs their kids asked to listen to over and over.  I play a lot of instrumental/chill/lo-fi music in my classroom, so Spotify likes to identify it as a genre that I very much enjoy (I mean, it's okay, but not what I listen to outside of the classroom).  Steam has rolled out its own version of a personalized "year in review" list and, of course, I have to reflect on mine.  Here's the link to mine:  Steam Year in Review 

My most played game was Two Point Campus.  They released lots of DLC this year and I happily snatched it all up.  The Two Point games are some of my favorite and have been since their roots in the 1990's when they were the Theme games.  They're management-lite games with a fairly silly vibe and I would strongly recommend them to anyone who wants something semi-challenging, but that is mostly just a chill experience that keeps you busy managing the multitude of tasks required to run a fictional college filled with goofy classes.

I was a bit surprised that The Witcher 3 appeared on my list.  It's my most played game and I generally opt to do a re-play about once a year.  This year I opted to do it a bit early because they decided to release the free "next-gen" update and I wanted to check out all the fabulous "next-geness" that was being offered up.  I found the experience to be mostly the same, but did enjoy the addition of several low-level armor sets that help to fill some gear gaps prior to crafting the Witcher gear sets.  It's still a great game that I just don't get bored with.

The same is true of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition--I just love it to death and it doesn't matter how many times I play through the story (...and make the exact same choices), it doesn't get old.  I don't remember exactly what spurred me to play through the trilogy for the umpteenth time, but sometimes you just feel that longing for a little bit of Shepard time.

I've found a special love for PowerWash Simulator.  There's something that I find extremely relaxing and satisfying about cleaning up fictional, dirty locations.  It might seem weird, but seriously, don't knock it until you try it.  It's on sale right now--give it a spray and I guarantee you'll be hooked too.

My reasons for playing Cyberpunk 2077 were similar to The Witcher 3--the 2.0 updated promised to make a bunch of fabulous changes to the game, so I had to check it out.  I found many of the changes to be pretty "meh," but it is nice to see CD Projekt trying to redeem themselves.  I think they've earned their redemption arc.  I still haven't check out "Phantom Liberty," but hope to give it a whirl in 2024.

Those were my most payed games, but I played many others.  I enjoyed my time with the cute, cat adventure game Stray--downside being that it's pretty short.  It's definitely worth a play if you're a cat lover or want to play as a cat.  I navigated the challenges of settling an alien planet and growing up in I was a Teenage Exocolonist--a game that definitely warrants a re-play at sometime in the future.

If I had to pick a game as my personal 2023 "Game of the Year" it would have to be Dave the Diver.  I walked into it not knowing what to expect and it surprised me with its depth and its enjoyable gameplay loop.  It's a great game, and it's part of the current holiday sale, so I would be snatching it up (*added bonus--you can get it bundled with Dredge another supposedly excellent game from this year).  I've been checking out the Dredge crossover content and it has been nice to be back in the waters of the Blue Hole.

Happy New Year to all!  I hope your 2024 is filled with many excellent games and time in which to enjoy them.