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.

Happy Holidays!

The holiday season is upon us--this means potential time off of work to relax and play some games, gifting some games, playing games with your family, or just contemplating all those sweet holiday deals that start popping up.  It's a great time for games!  I've been enjoying some time off work and dipping my toes into the God of War waters while also thinking deeply about some holiday sale purchases (haven't done it yet though).  Weirdly, God of War was 50% off in a weekend sale just before the holiday sale began (and, it's still 50% off as part of the holiday sale!).  I'm in no way close to reporting on my God of War experience, but am feeling a bit weird about the Steam Awards.

One feature of the annual Steam Holiday Sale is the Steam Awards.  Basically, as part of the autumn sale (in November), gamers are given the opportunity to nominate games in a number of different categories such as the straightforward Game of the Year to the more esoteric Labor of Love award.  There are 11 total categories and since I generally don't play a lot of new releases, I just randomly vote because you get free silly virtual rewards like chat emojis.  Here's my lukewarm take on the nominees in each category.

Game of the Year: (nominees include--Baldur's Gate III, Resident Evil 4, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Love is All Around, and Hogwart's Legacy.

My Vote: Baldur's Gate III

Have I played it yet?  No.  I've read very good things about it and people seem to love it.  I've played Larian's other titles and enjoyed them (although I will admit that getting myself going with CRPG's is always a bit of a struggle).  Someday in the future I might give it a go (maybe when it's a bit cheaper).

Should RE4 even be eligible since it's a remake?  I did enjoy the first Star Wars: Jedi game, but haven't played Jedi Survivor yet--it looks cool, but I think it might be on the high end for my aging PC (pretty sure I read some not-so-great performance reviews).  I've never even heard of Love is All Around--it looks like some sort of Korean dating sim type thing.  Not my cup o' tea.  Hogwart's Legacy looks pretty cool, but I'm not a die hard enough Harry Potter fan to feel a real calling toward it.

VR Game of the Year: (nominees include--Gorilla Tag, Labyrinthine, F1 23, Ghosts of Tabor, I Expect You to Die 3)

My Vote:  I Expect You to Die 3

Do I care about this category at all?  Nope.  Have I every played a single VR game?  Also, nope.  As someone who gets motion sickness, I don't see VR gaming in my future.  I've heard that the nausea kicks in pretty quick.  I picked this one because the name seems vaguely funny.

Labor of Love Award: (nominees include--Red Dead Redemption II, DOTA 2, Apex Legends, Deep Rock Galactic, Rust)

My Vote:  Deep Rock Galactic

This category is always one that sparks a bit of contention.  It's meant to represent a game that is continuing to be improved even if it's an older release.  Last year, Cyberpunk 2077 was the winner and some folks weren't thrilled about that one (given the state of the game upon release + cut content on release + general gaming grudges = bitter taste for some folks).  This years nominees seem to also cut a vein along the confusing line--most of them are multiplayer sort of "games as a service" types that basically have to be updated to keep people playing.  Should that even count?  And then there's RDR2, which feels a bit like a sarcastic kind of vote.  It's a great game, and yes there's an online component, but I'm fairly positive that players have complained that it's very neglected (whereas GTA V seems to get lots of updates to its online components).  I voted for Deep Rock Galactic because out of all those games it seems like one I might be tempted to play.

Best Game on Steam Deck Award:  (nominees include--The Outlast Trials, Brotato, Dredge, Hogwart's Legacy, Diablo IV)

My Vote:  Dredge

This is another one of those niche categories that I probably shouldn't even vote for because I don't have a Steam Deck.  Dredge has been on my wishlist for awhile and looks interesting, so I voted for it.  Diablo IV probably would be pretty good on a handheld system, but I haven't played it yet (and my carpal tunnel is thanking me).

Better with Friends Award: (nominees include--Sons of the Forest, Sunkenland, Warhammer 40K: Darktide, Lethal Company, Party Animals)

My Vote: Party Animals

I don't really play multiplayer games anymore, so I voted for the game that has cute little animals.

Outstanding Visual Style Award: (nominees include--High on Life, Inward, Darkest Dungeon II, Cocoon, Atomic Heart)

My Vote: Cocoon

I read some favorable things about Cocoon, a game that I had never heard of before a few days ago.  It was on an end of the year " best of" list and it sounds like a great game.  Darkest Dungeon II  being on the list seems like a bit of a surprise--I read that there's not much variety between the first and second game, so I opted to skip it (even though I did spend many torturous hours getting to the point of giving up on the first game).

Most Innovative Gameplay Award:  (nominees include--Your Only Move is Hustle, Contraband Police, Starfield, Remnant II, Shadows of Doubt)

My Vote:  Shadows of Doubt

Shockingly, this was the only category in which Starfield was nominated.  I figured it would be on the Game of the Year list for sure.  Again, I have zero experience with any of these games so I picked on that I thought looked the most fun or interesting.  I didn't read anything about Starfield's gameplay being innovative, so I'm wondering if this wasn't a bit of a ha-ha kind of nomination.

Best Games You Suck at Award:  (nominees include--Overwatch 2, FC24, Sifu, Lords of the Fallen, Street Fighter 6)

My Vote:  Street Fighter 6

I have played exactly zero of these games, but I know how badly I suck at fighting games, so I bet I would be very bad at Street Fighter 6.

Best Soundtrack Award:  (nominees include--Chants of Sennaar, Hi-Fi Rush, Persona 5 Tactica, Pizza Tower, The Last of Us Part 1)

My Vote: Hi-Fi Rush

Hi-Fi Rush has been sitting on my wishlist for awhile.  It's a rhythm based fighting game that has very positive reviews.  I've been hesitant to purchase it due to my total lack of rhythmic skills.  So, why not vote for it?  I've also read some very positive things about Pizza Tower but find modern platformers to be difficult.  Of course, The Last of Us does include some very nice music, but I haven't played it (and probably won't).

Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award: (nominees include--Baldur's Gate III, Resident Evil 4, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Love is All Around, Lies of P)

My Vote: Baldur's Gate III

This category almost exactly mirrors the Game of the Year one which makes me think...maybe having good stories in games actually matters!  I hope all the devs are paying attention to that.  Knowing the strength of writing in Larian's games, I had to vote for Baldur's Gate III.

My Bancho Sushi in Dave the Diver.

Sit Back and Relax Award: (nominees include--Train Sim World 4, Cities: Skylines II, Dave the Diver, Potion Craft, Coral Island)

My Vote: Dave the Diver

Of all the categories, this one actually had a game that I nominated and I played.  Of course I had to vote for Dave the Diver!  If you haven't played it yet, I would highly recommend it.  Calling it "relaxing" might be a bit of a stretch, but it is a highly enjoyable game that surprised me in a lot of ways.  (You can read my full review here) If you're a fan of Dredge, there's also a free DLC that is a crossover between the games (I haven't checked it out yet, but plan to at some point).  If there's one game you should definitely vote for, it's Dave the Diver.

The entire concept of the Steam Awards is kind of silly.  I don't even think that the winners get much other than a trophy and getting to call themselves award winners.  Some of the nominations always seem a bit jokey (which is going to happen anytime you have internet voting) or sarcastic.  You'd have to be buying a ton of games to be in tune with all the different categories (and, according to the Steam Year in Review, most people aren't playing many "new" games).  I think we can take the Steam Awards with a grain of salt--I'm sure most people vote exactly along the lines that I did--"oh that sounds cool!" "what a goofy name--I'll vote for it."  

Happy holidays, go vote for games you've never played, and take advantage of those magical sales!

Look Ma, I'm Building! SteamWorld Build Review

It's that magical holiday time filled with family, fun, and of course, those sweet, sweet holiday sales.  Although it's a bit of a newer title, so likely won't see much, if any, kind of discount, you might give SteamWorld Build some consideration.  I've been playing through the newest entry in the multi-genre SteamWorld series and finished the story so it's time for the review.

What is it?

SteamWorld Build is the newest entry in the indie SteamWorld series.  The most unique thing about the series is the fact that it crosses genres but the stories take place in the same universe--one that is filled with steam powered robots known as steambots.  The series includes SteamWorld Dig/SteamWorld Dig 2--classified on Steam as platformers/metroidvanias; SteamWorld Heist--a turn-based, strategy game and SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech a deckbuilder.  SteamWorld Build offers up a city builder to round out the lineup.

What's the gameplay like?

It's a combination of city builder-lite, management, and some light tower defense type of mechanics.   Part of the gameplay takes place on the surface of the map you choose (there are 5 to choose from).  That part is the city-builder portion--it largely consists of building housing for worker-bots, building factories to produce items to meet the needs of your workforce, and upgrading your bots.  Building all of this is, of course, dependent on producing the needed resources.  The gameplay loop centers around unlocking upgrades by accomplishing certain population-based milestones--for example, you might need to have 80 workers before you can begin upgrading them to engineers.  Upgrading your bots is essential to unlocking more advanced production and the items needed to keep your bots satisfied.

Once you've upgraded to a certain point, you unlock the ability to repair the broken mineshaft.  This unlocks the underground portion of the gameplay which is more centered on exploration and resource management.  It's somewhat reminiscent of SteamWorld Dig with workers who dig through cubes of earth to discover new parts of the map and find resources.  The mine uses special workers to mine, gather resources, provide protection from underground threats, and mechanics to build and repair machines used for defense or resource gathering.

The first map you play covers the story portion of the game.  I won't spoil it, but it hinges around exploring the different mine levels to find hidden rocket parts, to fully assemble a rocket, to fuel it, and then to escape.  After you've finished the story once the other maps follow that pattern--to complete a map you need to assemble the rocket and escape.

I finished the initial story map in around 6-7 hours, so if you just play through the story, it's fairly short.

Pros:

+ Cute, SteamWorld style.  You've got the different kinds of steambots from the past games and the nod to SteamWorld Dig.  It's a nice, familiar feeling for fans of the series.

+ The story ties into other games in the series.  It's nice to see the connection between the games.

One of my cities (using the holiday Jingle Bolts theme).

+ The five maps each have their own unique, fun designs.  One map contains the ruins of an old, abandoned amusement park--another has an abandoned drive-in movie theater and sort of abandoned movie set theme.  Each map is worth scrolling through to find the fun features.

+ There are different difficulties to choose from.  I've been playing on the recommended "balanced" setting, but there are easier and harder difficulties.  There's also a sandbox option if you just want to build cool cities.  On the balanced setting it's a fairly casual type of city builder--most of the focus is on making sure you have the correct number of workers and are producing the needed resources for upgrades and keeping your bots' needs met.

+ Lots of little cosmetic items to make your city feel unique.  They're all robot-themed and cute.

A view of a mine level.

+ The mine map changes on each new map you choose.  The mine portion of the game is fun because it involves exploration and finding all the hidden nooks and crannies.  There's also a light element of defense as certain levels of the mines have "hives" of enemies that will periodically spawn attacks on your operations.  You need to build defensive structures and maintain a force of guards for protection.  Things get a little chaotic the closer you get to competing the rocket--attacks happen much more frequently.  Exploring the mines is worthwhile because you can find special items that can provide buffs for your surface and mine level structures.

+ A helpful tutorial to get you started.

+ Even though you can complete the story on one map, it's worth playing through the others because you can unlock special structures that grant bonuses that are nice to have on the other maps--for example, the first special structure makes trains move faster (trains deliver special purchaseable items to the train station every 5 minutes or so).

Cons:

- The story is short.  I was hoping there would be more to it, but after the credits rolled when I finished the first map, I realized that it was over.  I really wish that it stretched over all the maps and there was more to it.  The gameplay is fun enough that you'll likely want to play the other maps anyway.

- I sort of wish there were more little details built in.  I want to be able to click on an individual bot and find out about them.  Maybe it's just me, but I like those dumb, little fun things.

Recommendation:

If you're looking for something that's more on the casual side of the city building genre, SteamWorld Build would be good. The gameplay is relaxing and enjoyable even though the story portion of the game is a bit disappointing.  If I had to give it a score out of 10, I'd probably go with a 7 or 7.5.  

A Work in Progress

I'm currently playing my way through the recently released SteamWorld Build and hope to have a full playthrough completed in the next couple of weeks.  Until then, it's more video game news and thoughts.  Who doesn't need more of that--amirite?

CyberPunk 2.1 is out!

More time to hang out with Judy?   Yes, please.

With the release of the "ultimate edition," CD Projekt rolled out a whole bunch of surprise updates.  One of the new features that was described in fairly vague terms was "romance hangouts" with your main squeeze.  Weirdly, this feature is something that I have seem people requesting for a very long time.  Is it all it's cracked up to be?  I suppose that depends on your expectations.  According to this article, the romance hangouts are a bit "meh."  There's no new dialogue between V and their partner, but there are small opportunities to participate in activities in V or the partner's home.  The article describes options to do yoga with Kerry (and do some fun showering afterword) and the ability to sleep and then wake up next to your partner--even in V's own crib.

This new feature should satisfy fans who have noted that their interactions with their romantic partner(s) were very limited outside of the character story missions.  It's nice to see some of the best characters in the game getting some much needed love!

Holiday Updates & Content

Tis the season for fun holiday themed updates to games.  PowerWash Simulator has been dropping hints on its Instagram page that there might be a few holiday maps in the works (hopefully as bonus jobs).  Even SteamWorld Build  (which just released on the 1st) is popping out some holiday themed items.  I've always enjoyed the fun seasonal content and have fond memories of the World of Warcraft events.  It's worth checking your favorite games to see if they have any holiday events or content coming up.

GTA VI Trailer

So you would've straight up had to have been living under a rock not to have seen it, read about it, or been asked to watch 9,000 videos picking it apart, but a new trailer for the hotly anticipated next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series dropped this week.  The next entry in the series looks to return to the sunny beaches and neon lit ambiance of Vice City...only this is modern Vice City with modern graphics, and it looks amazing!  The story looks like it's going to focus on a couple who, of course, are trying to make a name for themselves in the criminal world.  There are tons of cool cars, beautiful locations, and colorful characters to punctuate the normal zaniness that is the sprawling, open world of GTA.  However...even with all the excitement, people were mostly focused on one thing--namely the 2025 release date.  Yep, it's a ways off folks.  If you're on PC, the wait could be even longer--it took several years for GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 to make their way to the PC world.  My only thought...I'd build a new PC for it (and it's going to be about upgrade time anyway).  In case you were under a deep, deep rock, here is the trailer for your perusal--don't drool too much:

And yes, it's worth remembering--this is a trailer, and a very early one at that, so who knows what'll actually roll out circa 2025 (or more for us poor PC folks).  Nonetheless, it's still fun to see the potential.

A Whole Mess of Video Game Related News Thoughts

There have been a few fun gaming related announcements and news this week...plus, I'm not playing anything new at the moment (but that's likely to change since SteamWorld Build released yesterday--yay!), so I thought I would highlight a few pieces of interest.

Gaming News #1:  CyberPunk is getting even Punkier

CD Projekt clearly stated that with the 2.0 update & the "Phantom Liberty" DLC that there wouldn't be any more "big" updates to the game.  Just this week they announced (*just in time for holiday shopping!) that they are releasing an "ultimate edition" that includes the whole she-bang--CyberPunk in its 2.0 glory and the "Phantom Liberty" DLC.  Apparently though, 2.0 is not the end of new content.  With the release of the ultimate edition on December 5th, there will also be a 2.1 update that promises to add several (apparently) hotly requested additions.  One that stood out to me is the addition of a fully functioning metro system that allows players to ride a train throughout Night City--and we're talking actually ride the train, not just fast travel--you can look out the window and enjoy all the sights (or, just skip the ride...ya know).  If I remember correctly, the NCART system was supposed to be implemented in the original release, but ended up on the cutting room floor.

Of course, the addition of a rideable metro system isn't the only improvement--here are a few other highlights:

--a whole host of new accessibility features.

--the ability to re-play races and a new race organizer NPC who will offer up races beyond Claire's missions.

--new vehicles.  Several new motorcyles and at least one new car (another Porsche).

--"car chases."  Gangs will now chase players who make certain choices or get caught stealing cars.  (Maybe the lackluster vehicle combat system from 2.0 will actually offer something up?)

--the ability to listen to the radio while on foot.

--improvements to the Adam Smasher fight (it has definitely changed, but I guess it's still not hard enough)

--"romance hangouts" with your main squeeze.  There aren't a lot of details about this feature yet and they've promised to offer up more info at a Twitch event.

I was a bit underwhelmed with some of the "major" 2.0 improvements to CyberPunk, but I do have to admit that CD Projekt keeps on adding many player requested features.  Maybe they do deserve the "redemption arc" narrative that seems to pop up in many articles.  You can read about the 2.1 update here and here.

Gaming News #2:  Fallout streaming series releases a trailer.

There's one eternal question whose answer we all seem to already know--do all video game inspired TV/streaming shows suck?  The answer:  mostly.  I watched seasons one and two of Netflix's The Witcher and found it to be pretty okay.  It started off very slowly, but then managed to pick up to a manageable pace and get more interesting.  It's not the best thing I've ever watched and it definitely doesn't compare to the games, but it wasn't absolutely horrible.  I liked the way they gave Yennefer a backstory and we all know that Henry Cavill is king of the nerds (although he has moved on from the series).  I'm not an anime watcher, but Netflix's Edgerunners seems to be very loved and one of the possible exceptions to the "sucky" quotient.

News broke sometime in the recent past that Amazon Studios was producing a Fallout inspired series.  I didn't pay much attention to the news about it but just today saw a new trailer for the series pop up on my socials.  If you haven't watched it already, give it a gander:

I've gotta admit, it's got all the things we love about Fallout in it--the vault, vault suits, radroaches, Dogmeat, Power Armor, the Brotherhood of Steel, a Mr. Handy, a ghoul (although, I wish he was a bit...ghoulier), human bones, the wastes...but alas, no deathclaws (maybe if they make it to season two).  There's also a pretty strong undercurrent of the entire "research" aspect related to the vaults hinted at throughout the trailer.  Overall, it's got some nice vibes.  But basically any trailer can make anything look good...soooo, yeah.

Am I going to watch it?  Maybe.  Do I think it'll break the sucky video game adaptation trend?  Probably not.  Although not a video game adaptation, I wasn't terribly impressed with Amazon's Lord of the Rings spinoff series--it also ranks in the "pretty okay" category.  The credits rolled out Todd Howard's name as a producer and I think some of his ideas about what gamers want/find fun have been a bit misguided (I'm talking about the whole "empty planets are soooo much fun" type of comments related to Starfield), so I wonder about his input on this project.  Here's to hoping that it breaks the trend.

Happy weekend and happy gaming!