Before my yearly recaps get completely stale, here’s one more recap for 2023: My Steam playlists from last year.
Most of the games I personally enjoy outside of work are rarely metaverse platforms/virtual worlds/MMOs. Because while playing games in this broad category, you’ll inevitably come across interactions or experiences that make you think: "Hmm, I guess I should write about that." It feels like work! (It’s something I like to do, yes, but when it’s time to rest, I’m resting.)
Anyway, of the dozens I’ve tried and many I’ve enjoyed over the years, here are the top ones:
Immersive Action/Simulation
control: A thrilling and whimsical action/adventure with a focus on gunplay combined with a variety of telekinetic abilities. loved stranger things– Rich government conspiracy backstory and brutal architecture. Although the story itself didn’t resonate emotionally. (complete)
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider: A standalone expansion into Part 2 of the acclaimed Dishonored franchise (itself deeply inspired by the beloved Thief franchise), I actually enjoyed The Outsider more than the first game. A charming hero voiced by Rosario Dawson, incredibly beautiful art and level design, and some of the cleverest and most unique missions I’ve played in quite some time. (complete.)
Valheim: I was more impressed than enjoyed this survival crafting sim. Featuring great physics/crafting and build systems and a beautiful sense of immersion. But as I insisted on playing alone, it got brutally difficult pretty quickly so I kept going.
More after the break!
turn-based strategy
fight in a confined space: A comforting snack in my daily life while writing a book, an amazing combination of card games and turn-based martial arts. Unleash your inner Jason Statham, one move at a time. (complete)
Jagged Alliance 3: A very worthy sequel to the classic turn-based tactical squad game from the 90s. I found it to have a bit less personality than the original title (the interactions between characters aren’t as comical or unpredictable), and the enemy AI was relatively weak and easy to defeat. Still quite enjoyable. (complete)
shogun showdown: Another great indie title. Think of Slay the Spire as a side-scrolling game with better art and a quasi-Japanese samurai/ninja theme. (Day 1 completed)
showrunner: Fun squad-based strategy Running ManA dystopian game show from hell style. Excellent user interface, serviceable story with good voice acting, interesting variations during combat missions. (complete)
honorable mention
invincibility: A vividly realized hard science fiction adventure game of the walking simulator variety based on a short story by Stanislaw Lem. But there is one big clue. At a very specific point the game started crashing constantly and I ended up giving up on it. I suspect the problem is limited to my specific laptop, but buyer beware!
from now on: A very simple card-based RPG, perfect for very short gaming sessions. (The entire quest takes about 15 minutes to complete, but you usually die much faster.)
I also loved, loved, loved The Return of Obra Dinn, but I didn’t finish it until after the New Year. I will write more about it soon.
what game did you play you What are the recommended 2023 plays for 2024?