26 December 2023

Best Games I Played In 2023

Instead of doing your typical ”best games released in 2023” I’m doing something different - I’ll share some of the best and most memoriable games I tried this year… and maybe even talk about some that were not so good. But let’s start with the best ones.

Photo: https://www.nintendo.fi/nintendo-switch-perhe/pelit/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom


I’m putting these two here together as they are pretty similar - after all TotK was meant to he an expansion. Both of the Switch Zeldas are great on own, but together they create one of the most fun and memoriable gaming experiences I have ever had. And I haven’t even finished TotK yet!

There is something really special about these games. It took me a while to get into BotW, but after that it’s been really hard to let go. Exploring Hyrule with both games different and unique mechanics is such a fun activity that I can spend hours just climbing walls or trying to get into weird places. And almost every time there is at least Korok waiting to reward me. 

BotW and TotK both have strong atmospheres. First one is one of a kind experience in a desolated Hyrule where people are just trying to get by while Link is trying to find out what happened while he was gone. As the story and events slowly come back to him defeating Ganon starts to feel more and more important task. TotK on the other hand builds beautifully on the foundation first game sets and it’s really fun to explore Hyrule that is being rebuild. You meet familiar faces from the first game and visit places you helped before. And I really enjoy how the Guardian technology from BotW is included in the world, not as a threat but as a helping device. 

I think BotW is a one of a kind experience with unique atmosphere, while TotK is probably the best open-world game so far - there’s so much you can do and ways to play it how you want.

This blog post explains how I fell in love with BotW: How Breath of the Wild Became One of My Favourite Games

Photo: https://www.cyberpunk.net/nl/en/cyberpunk-2077

Cyberpunk 2077


For a game I had no interest in at all Cyberpunk 2077 really surprised me. Even though there are some funkyness gameplay wise and to be honest, as a video game it is not anywhere near perfect (works better than Bethesdas RPGs though), especially after doing most of the missions world starts to feel little it meaningless and empty, the story and characters really take this one tot he next level. I don’t think there have been any video game so far that really made me feel like I’m part of the world and made me care about characters like Cyberpunk did - even though some of them are just jerks. It’s a great story (and DLC is fun too) set in a beautiful world and I hope to experience something similar again. Hopefully in a Fallout-styled world…

Here's link to my more in-depth post about CyberpunkCyberpunk 2077 Is Great

Photo: https://www.psu.com/wallpapers/the-last-of-us-part-1-wallpapers/

The Last of Us Part 1 


We got Playstation 4 and first game I bought was The Last of Us Part 1. I had really high expectations for this one and most of the time it delivered. It looks some time to get familiar with the Playstation way of playing – I am a long-time PC gamer after all – but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story. Writing in this game is magnificent, and both main characters are really charming in their own way. It was fun to follow their interactions and (spoiler warning?) see how they turn from complete strangers into people who deeply care about each other. Can't wait to play Part 2 and see where the story goes.

Gameplay was mostly enjoyable. Sneaking around the zombies while trying not to alarm them was at the times kinda spooky and that feeling of success after those moments was really something else. Unfortunately The Last of Us Part 1 developers thought that it would be fun to shoot other people in the post-apocalyptic world (same sin that The Walking Dead for example did), so a lots of times this game just turned into your typical cover shooter which was not what I expected or wanted. But it is what it is. The best moments in this game were enough to suffer through the shooting parts.

I'd like to write a more in-depth post about The Last of Us, but I'll probably do that after I've played the second part too.

Photo: https://laracroftonline.com/music/tomb-raider-one-soundtrack-1996.html

Tomb Raider 1


Original Tomb Raider from 1996 was really fun experience. Of course it took first some time to get it to run on Steam Deck and even then cut scenes wouldn't work so I had to check them on Youtube, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this classic game. There is something really charming about these old 90's games with their ugly character models and low detailed textures, and it's not a miracle that nowadays many indie developers are trying to replicate that. 

Controls are a relic 90's, which at the times made me question my life choices. I could have waited until February when the remastered collection is being published, but at the same time I want to experience these older Tomb Raider games as what they are – I'm just longing for some lanky controls and early 3D attempts. 

With that said, I'm planning to go through all of the Tomb Raider games – right now I'm playing the second one – and after that I'll write some kind of a longer retrospective of all of the games and my experience.

Photo: https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/27/18243404/alien-isolation-digital-series-cutscenes

Alien: Isolation


Alien movie series is my favourite in the horror/scifi genre, and Alien: Isolation is my favourite horror/survival game. Do I need to say more? Alien: Isolation is a fantastic experience which is made by people who clearly know the movies, and Alien as an enemy is perfect for game like this. This game feels like a old scifi horror movie in a best possible way. 

It's been a while since I thought about this game though so you'd be better off by reading my post from February: Alien: Isolation + Steam Deck Experience So Far

Photo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/21090/FEAR/

Honorable mentions


Let's end with some honorable mentions – every game will get a one sentence in which I'll try to capture my thoughts and experiences.

The Forest's cannibals game me chills.

F.E.A.R. was like a Half-Life 2 but from alternate dimensions.

Detroit: Become Human took narrative to the next level. 

And No Man's Sky is a perfect space sandbox for 10-20 hours.

I'd also like to mentions that I started the new Saints Row during the Holidays and it's really good. Me and my partner also started playing Beyond: Two Souls (starring Elliot Page and Willem Dafoe!) and it's been fun so far so expect some posts about those two games in the future.

That's it for 2023. Next year I'm planning to write few longer retrospectives and of course I'm gonna play more games. 

Happy New Year!

22 November 2023

Cyberpunk 2077 Is Great

Photo: https://www.cyberpunk.net/fi/en/cyberpunk-2077

What can I say about CD Projekt Reds 2020 game Cyberpunk 2077 that hasn't already been said a million times? That it’s breathtaking? That at the times it has a such a strong and silly male gaze going on that I could write a book about it? That it’s a buggy mess? Or could I just say that it’s just a great game?

All of those things are true, and don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed Cyberpunk 2077. I would even say that it’s one of my favourite gaming experiences of all time. And this is coming from a person who wasn’t a all hyped about it, in fact I doubted if I’m ever even gonna play it, as previous CD Projekt Red games I’ve tried all were just not for me gameplay wise. But Cyberpunk 2077 is different. First of all, it’s FPS instead of a third person RPG – small thing for some but a big deal for me, especially if I want to get invested in a game world (though there are some exceptions like Breath of the Wild which works as third person game perfectly). And that’s the thing I especially didn’t expect from this game – it really felt like I was there with the characters. You see, in Cyberpunk 2077 developers were – even though Night City is giant place with big, big buildings, all the most important and intimate meetings and moments happen in small, closed places like apartments, diners and so on. And that really turned out to be my favourite part of the game. I loved sitting with the other characters, just talking or hanging out, drinking shots and watching out of the window. That something that Bethesdas games for example – as much I love them – never captured. 

And that feeling of being there, being part of the world and its stories really made all the glaring problems obscure. Yeah, sometimes you pass by many NPC's that are just clones of each others or you car flies from the force of crashing in something to out of the bound areas which you cannot escape but in the end does it even matter? I don't think I really felt so many emotions as when I've finished game and saw my character on their way to next adventure... Or the second ending I got after I resumed to play through Phantom Liberty DLC and... Well, let's just say that I didn't expect my choices to lead to that. It was heartbreaking yet somewhat understandable – in a macabre way.

Yeah. Cyberpunk 2077 is a great game. I really hope to get to play other experiences like this at some point – but now it's time to get back to Hyrule. I'm coming for you, Ganon

20 August 2023

Black Mesa

 

I recently played through fan-made Half-Life remake Black Mesa. I've been following it's development for years, and was really interested on how it turned out. Everyone seems to love this game, and of course that means that it's good. Right?

Well, let's start with the positives. Black Mesa reimagines Half-Life's famous military complex in a very beautiful way - it almost looks like a real place. Shooting is fun - fighting in general is very enjoyable and guns behave as you'd expect - and new soundtrack is awesome, though not as good as the original. Some of the added things and NPC's bring much needed life to the place, and the game looks as good as you can do with original Source engine. 

But as much as I enjoy how the game looks, it feels wrong. There's something special about original Half-Life's blocky 90's interiors, and remake looses some of the charm and atmosphere it had. 

Xen is something that many people have praised in Black Mesa. I'm not one of them. Sure, it's beautiful (when it's not running like piece of poop) and it's fun to see more of the alien world and how life there is, but for me the original, short and focused Xen is perfect ending for Half-Life. Black Mesa's version is long, sometimes boring, focuses too much on fighting and as mentioned before, it runs very badly so playing it wasn't even that enjoyable.. 

My overall impression of Black Mesa is little bit confused. At the beginning it's seems that there's much work and love poured into it but the longer you play and closer to the end you get it starts to feel less like a remake of Half-Life and more like a mod. But It's a amazing work anyway even though I didn't personally liked all the aspects of it.

08 August 2023

Screenshots From My No Man’s Sky Adventures

This is a little bit different blog post: I thought it would be fun to share some screenshots from my adventures on No Man’s Sky instead of writing what I think about the game itself. We’ll see if this is something I’ll do in a future again with different games, for example I have a lot of pics from ESO

Cool looking ship.

Watermelon.

Planet of flat textures.

Spaaaace.

How to park your ship.

Just a beautiful view.

Weird planet.

Two sides.

Hell.

Cave.

Don’t look directly into the sun.

Starry night.

Liquid floor.

I would like to have this view in real life.

Die.

Mating season.

13 July 2023

Few Words About Detroit: Become Human

Photo: Steam

Cliches and questions about humanity. That’s how I would sum up Detroit: Become Human

These games / interactive movie kind of things are very cool at times. Telltale mastered them, and many others have tried their luck after that. Detroit: Become Human is for me one of the firsts that really captures the same feeling of your choices mattering at all. Also the theming of androids and humans, and how they need to learn to live in harmony is very interesting to me - I happen tolike Alastair Reynolds a lot for example.

This is one of those games that made care about characters. Kara and Alice had a touching story about how family doesn’t always need to be the one you were born to and there’s many ways to find your own. Connor had this kinda silly thriller / pulp detective story going on, and character itself was really fun. I especially enjoyed the relationship with other detective, Hank. Also, a dog. Jackson Avery’s - I mean Markus’ story was least interesting. Not because the story of android uprising, that was great written and eye opening in a way, but Markus as character is pretty boring. Maybe it’s the way actor delievered their lines.

Gameplay is as simple as it gets. You can walk around and interact with items and characters between cutscenes, and then you get either to press or smash buttons on quicktime events. At least on easier difficulty failing was almost impossible. Or then I’m just that good. :)

Overall Detroit: Become Human is an experience that I would higly recommend - especially if you can play it with other person as a company like I did. It really sparks up discussions.

01 June 2023

How Breath of the Wild Became One of My Favourite Games

When I finished my original playthrough of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I thought it was fine. Not the best thing I’ve played, but enjoyable. Lots of little things irritated me though, and for example bosses and combat in general was something I couldn't wrap my head around. So, I was pretty sure I wouldn't return to it, at least for a while.

Flashforward few years forward. BotW related stuff appears on videos I watch, articles I read and so on. And suddenly when hearing those awesome piano motifs I starts somehow getting…. nostalgic? In fact I realize that for some reason I miss this game that I thought was too large and unfocused. And then I decide to buy the DLC pack. I reload the save I had before entering the fight with Ganon and return to Hyrule.

And what a glorious return it was. Taking time away from BotW made me really appreciate all the thing I found messy and irritating before. Learned to enjoy the combat loop, and those bosses that I really disliked felt like a new and fresh challenges on the Champion’s Ballad DLC (except Waterblight Ganon, F that guy). And after completing that quest you get a motorbike! It’s weird thing to behold in Hyrule, but at least I don’t need to keep track off my horse who I always left in weird places.

I found out that this game became more entertaining for me after I’ve already learned most of the mechanics and didn't need to spend time finding the ”basic” items or follow the main story. I had time to explore, and soon I realized that there was so much that I’ve missed earlier - like the whole Hebra region. 

This game really grew on me. It took a long time, but now it is one of my favorite games of all time - and while some of my older favorites, like Fallout: New Vegas (which I also just played through again) may feel outdated and janky in modern standards, I feel like BotW won’t have that problem. And now that it got a sequel (which I really need to get my hands on sooner or later) it just get better. At least I hope so.

But yeah, the lesson we learned today is that in modern hectic world it’s sometimes a good idea to take some time to reflect things. Maybe you’ll find enjoyment in something that in a first glance didn’t feel your thing. Or don’t. That’s fine too.



27 February 2023

My Thoughts on The Big Con

Picture: Steam

One of my favourite gaming experiences from 2022 was this little game called The Big Con. I saw it on Steam store and colourful 90's aesthetics really drag me in. And to be honest, game is really fun! It is very short, took me about 5 hours, but that's fine - too many games nowadays are so long that I just get bored or overwhelmed at half way through. 

The Big Con is a story of Ali, who is on a mission to save their mother's video store by... stealing money. Game revolves around this theme and sends Ali on a journey through the country, meeting new people and exploring topics like what’s right or wrong. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I personally enjoyed game’s dry humour and little stories you’ll encounter while trying to rob people. Everyone seems to have their own problems, and while doing your not so legal tasks you can help many of them… or just take their money. In the end, it’s up to you.

Gameplay is simple enough. You walk around and trigger a simple mini game (which you can also skip entirely if you just want to enjoy the story) and sometimes progress through dialogue. Nothing too hard and as game is just short enough it doesn’t get too repeative. There were some game-breaking bugs like sometimes dialogue screen would just stay up with no way to exit, which was kinda irritating but restarting fixed that. Sometimes several restarts but what can you do. Other bugs were so minor that they didn’t bother me - or I just don’t remember them as it’s been few months since I played The Big Con

Overall The Big Con is memorable little experience that I would recommend to everyone. It’s simple enough for casual players and fun enough for everyone else - except if you don’t have any nostalgia towards 90s. Then I don’t know what to say. 

10 February 2023

Alien: Isolation + Steam Deck Experience So Far

Photo: Steam

I'm stuck.

I hear heavy footsteps getting closer. There's only one way out of this little room I'm in, and something`s behind the door, waiting. I'll hide under the table, hoping it would pass. Door opens, creature walks in. 

Door closes. Everything is silent.

And suddenly Alien grabs me and kills me. Game over.

I`m not really into whole survival horror genre of games. I like to shoot and run, fight the threats I’m facing in. I remember when original Amnesia came out and it was the hottest thing… and then I tried it and I was so disappointed. You just hide in the closets all of the time? Yeah, I’ll go back to play Half-Life.

At the same time I’m a big horror movie fan, Alien movies being my favourites. So, as I heard that Alien: Isolation is pretty good, I wanted to give it a try. And I am happy I did, as it’s fantastic game - maybe one of the best ones I’ve played for years. Game really captures the atmosphere of the original movies, and as I already know the lore, it’s easier to accept the fact that you cannot really fight Alien. Or of course you can, but it will end badly.

I think Alien: Isolation is how I enjoy survival horror: you have clear objectives, there’s chance to fight and it takes place in space. Why’s that important? Well, many games that take place on ”familiar places” have this problem for me that I’d question why I wouldn’t escape by just running to the forest for example. In space you can’t do this, and claustrophobic hallways of space ship Nostradamus really make it more scarier. This is one of the rare games that made me feel scared at the times, to be honest. That was fun.

I played Alien: Isolation on my brand new and shiny Steam Deck, which is fantastic little thing. As Nintendo Switch has been one of my favourite gaming devices of all time it’s only natural that I’d updated to Deck. After all, I’ve always been PC gamer but haven’t really had powerful enough computer to play latest games. Steam Deck has been perfect to catch up on some games that been forgotten on Steam library.

Other games I’ve been playing on Deck have been RimWorld, Fallout New Vegas, Mars: War Logs, Deep Rock Derelicts and The Elders Scrolls Online - I’m probably forgetting some games I’ve tried. I also finally tried The Witcher 2 but gameplay wasn’t for me and controls on Deck were kinda weird.