As a massive fan of videogames, it pains me to confirm that I will have to miss out on some of the best games released this year that I would normally play (when my play queue eventually reached 2023), which is probably the first time that this happened in the last decade or so.
I am not going to play Baldur's Gate 3 because I fell out of love with its specific genre. I didn;t enjoy Divinity Original Sin despite all the glowing review, and I couldn't get into a CRPG since I first played Baldur's Gate 2. I feel that the multiplayer aspect is very important in those games, and I am mostly a solitary gamer.
More unfortunate is the fact that I am unlikely to ever play Starfield, which is due to my inability to justify buying a console or upgrading my PC for just one game. Maybe in the future I find enough justification to build a PC that can competently run it, but I don't feel the inclination to do that for just one game that, frankly, doesn't look much better than the rather ordinary Outer Worlds.
Curiously, I don't feel I am missing out on anything major, but that has been the case since I religiously started following my play queue. I am rarely impacted by the hype for new games since I am still playing games from 3-4 years ago, which I am enjoying very much. Also, I am noticing the fact that more games are released than I am able to complete, extending the distance between my backlog and the current release calendar.
This is due to my ever-shrinking free-time and the increasing bloat of modern games. I looks as if games like Diablo IV, Baldur's Gate, and Starfield wants you to play them, and only them, for a long time.
No thank you, let me taste the variety of gaming, which has as good or a better experiences than your vastness could offer.
Check out my report on the Top 40-31 PS1 Games according to Retro Sanctuary. This report goes briefly on the games in that list, which includes Darkstalkers 3, Syphon Filter, and Threads of Fate.
Also, check out my latest Mega Man Retrospective blog about Mega Man X6, the point where the series jumped the shark in the opinion of a lot of people, and I am one of them. Despite some excellent music and sprite graphics, the game is simply poorly designed from top to bottom.
Finally, check out my weekly updates on the games I am playing now. Games between brackets are ones I am planning to review:
-[In Cold Blood (PS1]: This is an adventure game by the same developer that made the Broken Sword games, which explains the strong story and voice acting, but doesn't explain the drab and dark art direction. What explains the latter is the jump to 3D polygonal graphics instead of sticking to the beautiful 2D art and sprites. Unfortunately, the downgrade in graphics isn't the only issue in the game. In their attempt to add more action to the genre, the developer introduced tank controls that make the typical exploration of an adventure game's screen a massive chore. Regardless of its good qualities, its rarely fun to play this game.
-13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Switch): I am very close to the end of the game, with all three "modes" of the game showing a completion percentage of around 80%. Maybe it will take me two weeks at this stage unless I find the time to binge the game to the end. So I will hold my final thoughts until then, but I want to highlight one thing regarding the game's brilliant storytelling:
Despite the shocking revelations that are being revealed right now, I cannot say that I am particularly surprised with any one of them. The game doesn't cheat in withholding information, giving the observant player enough hints to predict a solution to the mysteries of the game. These hints, along with the events themselves, can be liberally revisited at any time to confirm your own theories, and I often did to cement my understanding of a particular point. With its solid storytelling chops and unique style in revealing the story, I think this game is a perfect example of the utilization of the medium's unique attributes to tell a strong and memorable story.
-Knights and Bikes (Switch): I think I am going to drop this game. Its just not grabbing me in any way and I don't ever feel like I want to play it. Frankly, I played so little of it that I cannot fault the game at all. Its probably my fault for not researching enough about it before buying it, as I am sure it will provide a great experience for some people with its unique graphics and charms. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people right now.
-DOOM Eternal (PS4/5): Does it make sense that I am equally frustrated at and enjoying this game? The gameplay is ostensibly the same as the DOOM reboot, with some fast and furious action-packed FPS gameplay, but I feel that this game throws much more bullshit at you. I am constantly moving about, dashing around, jumping furiously, and I still get hit from every conceivable angle from enemies that react to me a second before I appear in their site. When clearing an area, it feels more like a lucky break than skill, and that' not something I felt with the prequel.
I wonder if lowering the difficulty will make me feel more under control, because right now, I am enjoying the game but I have no idea if I am improving or just getting lucky.
-Upcoming Games in my Backlog in Uncertain Order: Rapid Reload (PS1), Daemon X Machina (Switch), Panzer Dragoon Remake (Switch), Resident Evil 3 Remake (PS4/5).