Game 29 - Euro Truck Simulator 2 - Week 18 - April 20

uro Truck Simulator 2. What is there to say? I can see the appeal to a petrol head and truck enthusiast but that's not me. After 10 minutes all the accoutrements and nuances, the detail put into the dash and GPS, the meta game of developing your character and career as a professional truck driver, all went out the window. The game became Burnout 3: Takedown and I was on the wrong side of the road, going for every near miss I can for bonus points. Working in logistics it reminds me of....work. Not exactly what I look for when I want to escape. Cool game that looks addictive for fans interested in this type of experience. 

Game 28 - Metro Last Light - Week 17 - April 20

etro: Last Light had an interesting transition problem, as a continuation of a story that had two endings. I can understand why they made the 'bad' ending canon, to keep in line with the source material and maintain control of Artyom's journey for a more interesting arc. But on my second playthrough I had the good ending, sparing the Dark Ones. So it was jarring to go from that ending, to Metro Last Light picking up 1 year after the bad ending right away. Luckily on my first play through I witnessed the bad ending. So my I treated my first experience like canon and my second playthrough like a recurring dream from the dark ones, and Artyom reflecting on what could have been. Interestingly, this ending up being very relevant to the redemptive story of Last Light. 

Difficulty was confusing at first. I loved playing through Metro 2033 on ranger. In my post I mentioned it's the most immersive experience I've had in a game and wanted that to transition into LL as seamlessly as possible. I read up on it online and everything I read (including in-game) said "don't play ranger on your first playthrough. There's no UI and you can't see your filters or ammo". So I didn't. I went hardcore instead. As feared the UI was an abrupt change. I instantly turned the cross hair off. But the new hit markers remained, which were unbearable. After 2 hours of playing through I had to try ranger. To my pleasant surprise it was far far superior. Filters were easy, with a timer on your watch. In fact you could see how much you had spare on ranger normal and even your ammo (contrary to everything I read online). But there was a catch, you could only see your ammo in a safehouse or station. Maybe this was a change with the Redux. But in the end I felt this was even superior than the ranger mode in 2033, which was always visible on your journal. It makes sense that Artyom wouldn't be trapped in a tunnel, surrounded by enemies, under pressure from limited air filters and writing down his bullet tally with dwindling supplies. So for him to do that at base and then (me) remember how many bullets he shoots, counting them like a real SAS, Spetsnaz or post-apocalyptic warrior would be required to do.... that's the true ranger experience. In addition to limited UI, no clear indication of all your equipment, and items not glowing makes for an unparalleled scavenger survival experience - and it all just leads to holistic fucking awesomeness. I'm so glad I replayed the first 2 hours (which acted as a pseudo-tutorial in a way) to transition into this experience, as it lead to an even more immersive experience. Instead of a step down it one-upped Metro 2033. Just... just look at this....

Again, I'm unsure what came with Redux and what was the fault of the original, but there are two minor changes I would have made. Allowed an in game journal for writing notes (literally drawing on it with the cursor), so you can keep track of bullets, maintaining immersion by eliminating any need to do so external to the game. And include more immersion animations a kin to Far Cry 2. Such as using pliers to remove bullets when you're shot so you can 'regenerate' to full health. A lot of 'immersive animations' are in the game, but mostly around jump scares or cleaning your gas mask from various wasteland offspring ala sludge, bugs or flies. The latter of which is extremely well done and just ropes you further and further into their world. I only wish there was more to pull you even deeper in the wasteland. 

More animations like this please. 

Characters - I won't dig quite as deep here. As many character remained unchanged from their excellent performance and roles in 2033. This is simply the next chapter. However I have new found appreciation, replacing a big criticism I had for 2033. That's how bland and seamless the wasteland survivor felt, like homogeneous military. This is still somewhat true in the average Metro dweller. However I don't mind that as many would blur into the bleak reality of surviving this world. But for the standout characters, the makeover was well appreciated. The story though, like any great story, is told through its characters. And Metro's are always exceptional. 

Spartans - Now lead by Miller as they flock from Polis to D6, to protect the power within. The man leads with the same fiery passion as he does before. Protect the Spartans, protect the Metro, protect the people, protect Anna. If any of those fall, the next is in line and this is the purpose of a Spartan. Follow your orders and your loved ones live. So of course when rumours of a dark one surviving the D6 blast of their home is delivered by Khan; Miller tasks his best man, and his crack shot daughter with an attitude problem to track it down dead or alive. Khan contests; he feels what Artydom did was a mistake and this is his chance for redemption. Setting fourth the path of Last Light. Sound familiar? It is. Miller is Hunter and Khan is Alex. And yet again, Artyom must make a choice. 

The Big 3 - They're back here but with D6 on the block, any armistice with the Spartan's is soon to be broken as the Nazis and Reds seek to take it to tip the balance of power. Both factions are far more brutal here. Both rule with harsh order. 

Reds - Lesnitsky, Czeslav Korbut, Andrey and Maxim Moskvin. The reds are the main antagonist and pose the biggest threat to Spartan's peace and the Metro way of life. The former, a double agent seeks to viral bomb D6. Korbut is the head of intelligence and through a coup and his agents Pavel and Lesnitsky, seeks direct control of D6. Andrey and Maxim are the leader and right hand man to the Red Line. The former leader is poisoned and manipulated by his envious brother under Korbut's plan to take control of the Metro. 

Anna - Clearly disapproving of  'Rabbits' softness and vying for her father's attention, she has a bone to pick with you and something to prove. This is pushed to its limits on your mission to retrieve the dark one, when the legendary Spartan has so much trouble capturing it, Anna questions your loyalty screaming through the radio as she herself tries and fails to snipe it. Before you can capture it you're apprehended by Reich Stalkers. I love her journey. Naturally, as you go back and fourth saving each other from reds, reich and rogues alike, you bond and her respect grows for you. Because surprise surprise, you remind her of Miller, appealing to her deep seeded daddy issues (probably). This culminates after she's saved from the reds and Lesnitsky. All out war is on the horizon and he's about to leave for war she confides in Artyom the loneliness she feels akin to when her father use to range. They make love. 

Pavel - Not to be confused with the quartermaster from 2033. The friend of Artyom, helps him survive and escape the Reich similar to Bourbon. But is eventually revealed as a Red spy and his loyalty causes him to betray Artyom. He is the Garry to your Ash, the Dante to your Virgil, the Vegeta to your Goku. The endless story of paragon and adversary on the heroes journey. After many confrontations I chose to spare the man, lest he seek redemption as Artyom does for his sins. The visions the game has through the little dark one are just phenomenal, and add so much flair to the typical grey wasteland. Below for example you see Pavel, about to meet his end. This is as everyone sees it, however mirrored by the real world is the reflection of Pavel about to suffocate after the final confrontation and Artyom's choice to spare and send him to the Damned Souls. I saw this as all the souls Pavel tarnished, in his efforts to repeat the same mistakes that caused their suffering in the world ending event. 

The Dark Ones - the visions were vague and roughly explored in Metro 2033. And by the end you're left wondering if you made a mistake or not nuking the Dark Ones. Metro Last Light explores that. The child is the last known survivor of your genocide. And is the proxy for the race. He speaks to you and gets to know you. Even saving your life and those you love at times (such as Anna from Lesnitsky). Here is where the story is anchored and peaks. After you save the child from Reich captivity, it observes you and grows to trust you. You don't choose whether to silo the child or not, but rather your actions influence it and the final outcome. To complete the redemptive arc Artyom follows the path of Khan this time. As a result the child recognized that these humans have good in them and have a place in this world. Previously in a twisted turn of events it's revealed that the Dark Ones saved Artyom as a child. In turn years later he would send many of them to the damned souls, as the little dark one states all dead go. Artyom would redeem himself somewhat by saving a Dark Ones child this time. In the final confrontation you fend of wave and wave of Reds. Like the true Red Army the Spartans are washed over by a sea of blood, as one man dies the man behind him picks up his weapon. Alas, inevitably the swarm overwhelms your final phalanx.

As a last resort, Artyom prepares to denotate all of D6 as ordered by Miller, leaving Anna to raise his son alone. Instead Artyom is saved by the child and his fellow Dark Ones. Korbut and his guard are hypnotised into murdering each other, and their fearless leader is shown fear, torn to shreds by the little one. Unlike his typical pacifist kind, he has clearly taken on board the lessons of balancing enlightened peace, with survival of the fittest, as witnessed in his journey with Artyom. Uhlman and most of the Spartan's have died and Miller is in a wheelchair. The child leaves with his kind, saying it will be better for humans, but they will return one day. Khan follows in pursuit. It's clear the the humans are too fearful to learn from the Dark Ones, and until they are ready to remove fear from their hearts they cannot be helped. 

What can I say. It truly is Metro 2.0. I can see why some prefer 2033, carrying that old school shooter vibe reminiscent of STALKER and FEAR. While I noticed Last Light has made some concessions for console and casual shooters (especially on non-ranger difficulties ala hit markers), I feel this is negated by simply playing on ranger. Which excels even more so then 2033 at providing the apocalyptic ranger experience. Overall it is a better game and a worthy sequel. 

Game 27 - Metro 2033 - Week 16 - April 20

etro 2033 was a game I first experienced in 2012 in anticipation for the sequel to be released in 2013. This was during the first year of my university, so understandably it got away from me. By the time Exodus rolled around, I decided I'd wait until it was on special on Steam and play through all 3. Well, one 50% off deal later here we are.

I love immersion. I crave it. I'm of the the belief that no other medium or genre does it quite as well as video games with a first person perspective. In recent years we've seen VR leading the charge on immersive experiences with FPS as the spear head. Nothing lends itself quite as well as being in control, and seeing everything, a story, a world, engaging characters through your very own eyes. So whenever a game seeks to double down on that through design such as Far Cry 2 or S.T.A.L.K.E.R did so many years ago. I know that I'm guaranteed to love it. Speaking of Far Cry 2 I wish more games adopted the wound mending mechanic, instead of magic med kits. Or the dynamic embedded storytelling laid down by STALKER. To this day no game I have played or am aware of has executed the immersive interactive first person experience as well as the Metro series. This is highlighted most of all in Ranger modes, the hardest, most realistic and true Metro 2033 experience. No crosshair, limited HUD, no ammo count. Make sure you count down each bullet fired, lest you find yourself pointing an empty barrelled shotgun in the face of a mutant. Keep those hawk eyes peeled or you'll miss essential items hidden in the environment. Make every bullet count and your rifle raised, iron sights are a survivor's best friend; laser sights and scopes even more so. As with real life a single bullet can kill foe or yourself alike. Direct approaches are suicide and darkness is your greatest ally. Silenced weapons help remove light sources. The reason all this works is due to the generous in-game "physical" HUD. Bullets are tallied in your journal. A watch on your wrist keeps track of oxygen. Cracks in the screen indicate when your mask is about to give way and leave you vulnerable to the radiation and corrupt. It tethers you to the world, because every status indicator is in that world. It'd be pretty cool to see the next Far Cry use a Garmin to track health through heartbeat. 

It surprises me how all well this holds up. The gameplay helps draw you in and keep you there, but it's the world itself that makes you believe the world around you exists. Like a great fantasy novel. I loved the themes of the story - how it was presented through Artyom (your) eyes in journals what you witness in character. I appreciate a silent protagonist here. While it's old school and often antiquated, in this instance it helps feel like you yourself are the character, an actor, an observer, his voice (or lack of) is your voice. The world is fascinating. Driven into the Metros by nuclear fallout, the remnants of humanity survive in stations. There are three main factions. The Nazis, The Reds and The Spartans. The former two hold their old world views, but in line with human nature, more than anything they want power and control. The Spartans or Rangers seek to protect humanity and the stations. A ranger is anyone who roams the surface for supplies. And the Spartans do so as an organised militaristic collective to protect humanity, scouting and neutralizing threats of mutant origin. As Artyom, you're a green boy from a lesser known station. Dark Ones, the creatures of bedtime stories across the Metro are being spotted at an alarming rate and the apparent myths threaten the extinction of all humans. 

It's the characters that make you believe in this well crafted world based on Dmitry Glukhovsky novel of the same name. In appearance characters tend to blur together into one grey blob of human survivors, but the performances were so damn outstanding that it's hard not to recognize them all. They set out stages for Artyom's journey. 

Hunter and Alex - The Dark Ones are coming and at the edge of the line, Exhibition is in danger, the threat must be due to... the Spartan tries to say before you're attacked by crawling dark ones. "If it's hostile, you kill it". Artyom's childhood role model sets the tone for the rest of the game. A struggle for survival. Bullet for bullet, body for body, dust to dust. As the fallout settles, Hunter argues with Alex, your other role model and adoptive father who saved you from a swarm of rats as a child. A fatalist, he believes humanity is destined to perish, and this is the next step in evolution.  Hunter takes issue with this, and leaves to take the fight to the enemy and hunt down the Dark Ones. But not before he tells Artyom if he doesn't return, he must deliver a message to the other Spartan's at Polis station. Of course he doesn't return and while Alex disapproves, this sets the path for Artyom and his future. 

Bourbon - another mentor and key influence on Artyom's survival. As a green boy out of the station, this hardened loner offers you a path to the next station. 
Some people call these demons, I call them bitches. — Bourbon talking about Demons

Bourbon joins you on your first journey to the surface. A man without fear, life dealt him a set of cards and he's ready to play them without hesitation. He teaches you to survive, and more importantly how to kill in the Metro. At the cost of his own life he saves you. His voice and lessons carry on with you throughout the game - because without them Artyom and all of humanity would have been doomed. 

Khan - No sooner does Bourbon die, that Khan shows up. An enigmatic figure and another loner. To him the Metro has its own voice. Which is no surprise, he seems to understand supernatural aspects of this new world better than anyone. Through Khan's lens you're able to witness ghosts, anomalies and understand the Dark Ones better, becoming more enlightened as you do. If Bourbon carried the mantra of Hunter, kill or be killed, Khan carries the opposing torch of there's another way - two views that are echoed throughout the journey. 

Ulman and Pavel - the two man operation (as Spartan's often are) save and lead Artyom to Polis. Both are quick witted, hence the opportunistic ability to survive so long as rangers, but the latter a little more reserved. Ulman is wry, always meeting foes with an eager smile. Pavel also talkative, is more grounded and realistic. 

Boris and Stepan - are the forgettable KIA Spartan extras, possibly cause you only meet them at Sparta, before the final struggle. Best friends, possibly but unlikely before the bombs fell. One is the wheel man, the other a Russian military veteran who tells of manning the radio and stories of those who perished. 

Miller - Carrying the rugged exterior you'd expect of a modern day Spetsnaz leader (which makes sense, as he reveals in Metro Exodus - he was a Colonel of GRU, Russian's military intelligence). A man of pure action. Even when the Spartan council denies Artyom's plea for help against the Dark Ones; Miller gathers a loyal cabal of Spartan's to take D6. He has a daughter, Anna, also a Spartan and a crack shot sniper. 

Danilla - Nosalis is the mutant rats of the Metro, suspected as Dark One offspring. While the winged demons are only found on the surface. Feared due to their size and danger for good reason. It is one of these bitches that flies through the ceiling of the Library the Spartan's find themselves in, mangling Danilla. Little is known, but he does reveal a lot about the Spartan's as a general character. Like the rest of the Spartan's Danilla is warrior hiding his fear through a veil of humour. When injured, Miller takes Danilla back to Poilis. Choosing to jeopardize the mission over leaving a man for dead. 

Vladimir - calculating and strategic quartermaster of the group, like Miller he would sit back and analyze a situation before rushing in. Wasted in the front line, he is a master technician, with unparalleled  knowledge of old world tech. 

The Metro - The world is it's own character. A dying world. A darwinistic world where cockroaches, you fight for the last scraps of survival. Society is grim and life more harsh then you can imagine. Food and water is a luxury. The Metro's currency is the most valuable item in human survival, high quality bullets. I love this. You have dirty ammo which is not nearly as effective. So you need to choose in every situation. Should I use bullets to put this threat down quickly? Take the risk now or the risk later when I need to trade these later to stock up for weapons, oxygen canisters, unique ammo, etc? A perfect representation of the harsh realities of surviving in this world through in-game economies. On top of this the Metro has a supernatural element, as mentioned and experienced through Khan and your own visions which become more intense as you venture further into the rabbit hole. 

Old Ones - the mysterious creatures are feared by all, but as you learn more and more you start to question if they're a threat to humanity, or if they might even help us. They stalk your dreams and are clearly trying to tell you something. 

The evolution of the experience from start to finish is overcoming your fear through hardened experience. This is the represented perfectly in the game. Ranging the surface has you feeling trepidatious and timid the first few times, especially when separated from your wasteland mother Bourbon. But by the end you feel confident and well equipped for anything. Nazi, Bandit, Demon. The surface has the most dangerous of threats and it's just another enemy for Artyom to outsmart and outwit. A journey from boy to man. It's funny that I mentioned Far Cry earlier as some of the most immersive experiences out there. These games represent a Far Cry from home, the journey of Alice into Wonderland. Experiencing the character arc of this power fantasy is none better then when the game makes you believe you're an actor in a real world. 

Game 26 - Doom Eternal - Week 15 - April 20

oom fucking Eternal son. Now strap the fuck in this is gonna be a long one (with a lot of fucking cursing).


Doom 2016 

If Brutal Legend felt like getting sucker punched by a big fat guy, Doom 2016 (or DOOM) felt like getting haymakyred by Doom slayer. I was not expecting anything near to what I got when playing this game. It uplifted the original DOOM format into the modern era so damn well that it made anyone who played it forget about how terrible Doom 3 was as a sequel. DOOM was easily the best shooter of the decade for me (yes, the decade ends in 2019. I don't care if there was no year 0). To me DOOM was a perfect game. And it came in three forms.

Gameplay loop - Shoot demons with guns until they stop bleeding. That hasn't changed. What did change was the glory kills. No longer do you run away like a bitch to find a health kit when you're low. Get in there and fuck shit up, because executing enemies now gives you health, it feeds a loop encouraging the player to get deeper and deeper into the fight is what leads to those intense moments and supported by strong foundational shooting mechanics put Doom 2016 back on the throne.

Sound design - Every time I recommended this to someone I said it "felt like Heavy Metal the game". Every fight was amped up by not only one of the greatest soundtracks I've ever heard, but how the sound designers weaved it into those intensifying gameplay moments.

Legend of the Doom Slayer - The nuance of the story in this game went understated (and we'll get to that more in Eternal). It was very clear from the moment that you get off that slab, cock your pistol and bitch slap the demanding voice away on the monitor that you're pissed, and you don't want to talk it through, you want to kill fucking demons until it goes away. It was a common complaint that there wasn't much story, and I couldn't disagree more, because those people didn't read the codex's. That's the beauty of Doom 2016, the story was nonobligatory, if you just wanted to just kill demons like Doomguy does you could. The voice log Bioshock style character performances were excellent, particularly Hayden providing the voice of doubt for you to constantly surpass (who returns to do the same in Eternal) and the mystery of how Doom Slayer ended up leading a group of cyber templars through hell was fantastic.

Doom Eternal

Now here we go.

The Good

Soundtrack - Mick Gordon you beautiful Australian bastard. You did it again. I'm not sure what else to say other then the soundtrack is dope and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Gameplay loop - so remember how I said Doom 2016 gameplay loop was so phenomenal that it became my game of the decade? Well I'm not sure how to feel about the fact that Doom Eternal surpassed that so much that it's probably the best shooter I've ever played, and in 2020 it could be the shooter of the decade. A dash has been added making the game even faster (along with Monkey bars). The platforming was mixed for many but I enjoyed it. Glory kills are taken to the next level. Need health? Snap a neck. Need ammo? Chainsaw. Need armour? Belch fire onto the unholy. I played on Ultraviolence in my first play through and it very quickly became apparent that clinging to this like a 6 year old to his mother's leg before his first day at school was the most effective path. Everything is additive. Weapon mods are now more in-depth, allowing you to unlock perks for mods. Praetorian armour has perks that enhance movement or grenades. Then there are runes that drastically change your gameplay style. All this is synergised in such a masterfully designed way. For example I first upgraded my suit so grenades do more damage and recharge quicker. My first rune made those abilities recharge quicker if a foe died under their effect. Allowing me to dominate with that health-armour-ammo generating loop. You can't adhere to a few weapons anymore, every enemy has there tool and ammo is shared/limited so unless you're playing on easy you'll need to mix it up. All this rapid weapon switching like Jesse James on meth amphetamine felt even more like Doom then Doom 2016 did. Unlike it's predecessor I don't want to move on and I don't think I could go back.

God it feels good...

The Bad

The Marauder - This naughty boy wasn't hard (shoot & dash back, repeat). He was just boring. In a game that requires such fluidity, movement and mastery of the environment around you an enemy designed to demand your attention is the antithesis of everything that is good about the game. He was cool as a boss, he should have remained that way. Or hell, maybe he gets away and brings a few extra (of the many many) tools he has with him in the next fight. A nemesis to rival the doom slayer.

Bethesda - You know what's worse at interrupting flow then the Marauder? "But Bethesda didn't develop it and isn't in the game you say?" Yes they are. Even the taint of Bethesda's slow corporate corruption from within can be felt here. It's felt every time I get taken out of the action because of a Bethesda account pop up saying I disconnected from their shite servers. There's nothing worse then being full immersed in a fight as it ramps up and you're carving a killing field and then BAM. You're sitting in the menu wondering what happened. Give us an option to disable this for fuck sake.

The Doom Fortress - Now don't get me wrong, standing over a ledge as you peer down at a Demon infested Earth is phenomenal. The general sense of power as you orbit Earth from your floating castle is fantastic. And the home for your collectibles, unlocks, and hub in general was fun to explore.

But I like the many Demons that lay in my wake, am torn. I felt like overall it created a mission and story structure that was vastly inferior to 2016. I'm the type of guy that feels RPGs are at their peak during long dungeon crawls, the type of fight that feels like you've put everything you have into it and you're throwing punches that feel like they're in slow motion with every ounce of energy you have left pouring out of you and each blow you throw feels like it might sap the last of life you have left. What do you do when you have nothing left? In other words, any experience or story of this nature is at it's best when it requires struggle.

Doom Fortress is not that. You're Superman launching yourself from Solitude into whatever the fuck you want to do whatever the fuck you want. And hey, that's pretty darn cool. It's all additive to the badass mythos overall that is Doom Slayer.

Witness the Legend of the Doom Slayer - this leads to my next point. While I like a lot of the story beats in Doom Eternal, Slayer's million yard death stare, any human or demon cowering in your presence. The story overall felt less nuanced then 2016 and this as a result made the game feel less complete. There were a lot of cool cut scenes, but they were overused. I don't want to witness Doom Slayer do something I want to do it. Even if more of those scenes are in first person. Why do I see a scene of Doom Slayer raising his shotgun to the Hell Priests as they cower and flee, witnessing it from the periphery and not in first person? There are a few moments where this does happen and I asked, why didn't I get to pull the trigger? Such as the tentacles at the gore nest or getting to blow a fucking giant crater in Mars with a planetary BFG.

The game does tell a story in nuanced ways such as the human resistance reporting on your demon slaying, adding to your sense of badassery or audio logs of a scientist turning from skeptic agnostic to devout believer in your absolute divinity and godhood. I didn't really care for the general plot as well and felt the mystery from the first game was more alluring then the truth of Eternal. Heaven and hell is overdone and the Makyr's did not really interest me at all. I believe a story between humanity and hell would have been far better, not these two alien entities that I'm happy to commit methodical genocide against (where's some human betrayal? human cults? human greed and sin?). Overall I felt the Makyr inclusion dampened the mystery of the Night Sentinels. I was never surprised. Hopefully the next game is set around the alluded to "Father" or the hooded figure who gave Doom guy his divinity.

I've harped on about the bad far more then the good. But I think comparative to the colossal gameplay it's still minute. I criticize out of pure infatuated love and considering how every single criticism has a big fat asterisk next it is a testament to how good this game is. In a lot of ways it's vastly superior to its counterpart, I simply felt for it's time those few mixed issues were holding it back from greatness. From becoming the masterpiece that was the complete Doom 2016 package.

I miss Deathmatch </3 id please just remove the auto-minigun and let us tear each other in half. Or mod support. Yes. Do that.

The Ugly

So what's ugly about Doom Eternal you ask?

Well how about this?

Or this? 

Or these?

Yes. I made a collage to Doom Slaying....

Well, I'm going to back my safe space to....RIP AND TEAR! 

Game 25 - Deeprock Galactic - Week 14 - April 20

eeprock Galactic has a funny story attached to it. The video that convinced me to buy this game Leave No Dwarf Behind (A Deep Rock Galactic Music Video) by CrimsonGamer99 also got me to listen to the song behind the video Diggy Diggy Hole by the dwarven themed Wind Rose. I've probably listened to their album Wintersaga a dozen times in a month now and comparitively in their respective genres, I like it far better then Deeprock. But a dozen times in a month.... that's like my Top 20 albums. This game is fantastic, but not Top 20 good. What's there to say? You drink. You dig holes. You sleep and you repeat. Occasionally you get together with a few friends and kick every barrel you have in the space station into the dropod and launch yourself into the stratosphere only to be surprised by that ding and an achievement.

This game is the perfect game to just chill with a few mates, knock back a few beers and slaughter space bugs as you mine for those precious resources. The hub world is fantastic and feels like how a space dwarves hub should feel (a high tech bar with a lot of toys). The upgrade system is well done with equipment upgrades tied to specific resources and perks received for completing missions. And that's what this game is, synergy and drunken brotherhood. There are four space dwarf classes that have combat and traversal abilities. The best miners will work together and tactically coordinate abilities. Naturally I choose the best one for killing bugs, the flamethrower wielding Digger. Also best for digging down and down into the deep because who knows what we'll find beneath? Diamonds, rubies, gold and more that'll be hidden in the mountain store. If you want to play creatures born underground, suckled from a teat of stone and raised in the dark, the safety of a mountain home, look no further.

ROCK AND STONE!

I should note that this game is in Early Access. It's a game I'll continue playing and likely do an update or second post with my thoughts. Making sure to not double-count of course.

Game 24 - Call of Duty: Warzone - Week 14 - April 20

all of Duty: Warzone is a breath of toxic and fresh air. On the one hand it's probably the best Call of Duty I've ever played. On the other the playerbase is just as toxic it was on MW2. Whoever made the decision to allow you to hear the last thing someone says on mic after they die is a fucking GENIUS. This should be in more games, it's HILARIOUS. While it couldn't surpass Apex Legends as king of Battle Royals it certainly gave it a run for it's money. It showed me how tight the gunplay was in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare remake and convinced me to buy and play through the campaign at some point where I'd otherwise decided I would not. I don't think I've had this much fun with a Modern Warfare game since the first Black Ops (where my interest really stopped afterwards). Not only does each gun feel different and satisfying to kill, but the sheer amount of gadgets on display here is fantastic. Heartbeat sensors as a standout. The extent of weapon customization is insane, to the point of stripping an AK47 down to no scope or barrel until it's functionally an SMG. Most weapons have over 7-8 attachment slots! With half a dozen plus in each. The actual gameplay is fresh. Find money in chests or dead people (a long with weapons of course) and buy killstreaks, equipment, protection or even your team mates back. This keeps the flow going (cough PubG) and the matches intense. The parachute is your best friend. Taking an elevator shaft cable line to the top of a skyscraper, duking it out and then launching yourself off it to skydive in pursuit of an enemy is phenomenal. In one example I was in that exact situation but on the receiving end. I jumped off the building but came back around, parachuting into the side stairs, returning up and gunning down two enemies. Special shout out to plunder/blood money which was chaotic fun. Collecting and exhilarating bags of money you liberate from chests and corpses (with unlimited deaths) was great fun, particularly around the hotspot collection points. The best moment had to be jumping in a chopper with my cousin, as we did drop by collections and he launched himself from roofs back into the chopper as we flew off. When it's good it's good, and while it doesn't push the envelope to the nth degree and is marred by selective technical issues (my cousin had constant desync and stuttering), the tight shooting and intense moments make for a very fun distraction.

Game 23 - Halo: Combat Evolved (MP) - Week 14 - April 20

Now you might be wondering "dude, why have you been posting so little compared to when you started?" Well the answer is in March, as the next three games will prove, I've been on a multiplayer binge.

alo: Combat Evolved. Not sure what to say other then it still holds up. The glorious gameplay, warthogs on acid, unbalanced weapons (looking at you sniper and magnum). A silent sniper rifle with no recoil just... ridiculous. Though no where near the shit show that is DMRs in Reach, rebalance the sniper and this would be a flawless game. Shotguns, frags, rocket launchers, wraiths, ghosts, camo. It all feels good. Blood Gulch, my god, that is up there with Dust 2, Facing Worlds and Nuketown in the pantheon of fantastic designed maps. Halo does and always should harken back to the arena shooters of old where skill and map control trumps loadouts.

Classic

Game 22 - The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game - Week 13 - March 20

I acquired in the Humble Australia Fire Relief Bundle in support of the great fires of 2019. I'd be lying if I said that was the only reason I got it, as there were several games like Hollow Knight and Hands of Fate 2 that had been on my list for a while. But I typically keep the games I want and give away the rest. I did not expect that a game I'd never seen,
he Haunted Island: A Frog Detective Game would fall into the former category. It wasn't until about a third of the way in that I'd realize this was probably intended for kids. The writing and characters are kooky, though like most cleverly written fiction for children there was enough there to make an adult laugh. Examples you ask? Well how about collecting toothpaste and wool to create dynamite so you can blow a cave open and uncover the mystery of the haunted island, only to find it's the king of islands best friend who's been practicing for the upcoming dance competition (which you're the defacto judge for, of course). It was a cool game, reminding me of the games I use to play in daycare and I'd recommend it to any parent.

Game 21 - Slain: Back from Hell - Week 13 - March 20

lain: Back from Hell is a solid Metroidvania game. It felt like Doom's heavy metal style meets Castelvania. From the Celtic inspired setting and enemies to the no-nonsense story (you're a revenant brought back from the dead to purge the corruption from the land) to the headbanging after murdering a boss to honour the metal gods (see below). The overall experience is just oozing metal as much as your foes are oozing blood or ectoplasm The gameplay is typical of a tight action platformer, frustrating at times and very satisfying otherwise. Mastering your limited abilities, spells and timing is everything. Getting a perfectly timed counter and a follow up attack always sounds and feels just tastily brutal. The stages however visually are just stunning. And really captured a druidic world of spirits and foul creatures.

Game 20 - Primordia - Week 11 - March 20

rimordia to me is a very special game for multiple reasons. Chief among them are the novel post-apocalyptic world and art design. A world where humanity is extinct, leaving only their "children" in their wake. Many of whom worship them as the allfathers, not excluding our titular protagonist Horatio Nullbuilt. How could they not? Humans are perfect beings who created them in their image. In this world robots are named after their creator. If it's a robot it's their first name, for example Horatio's sidekick Crispin Horatiobuilt. Manbuilt if you're an OG, or Nullbuilt if you're an unknown, etc etc. This is one example of a nuanced setting just oozing lore. Look at the image below Metropol "the city of lights" is run by a rogue rail system turning on all its contemporaries and disregarding all laws. The story is a fascinating journey. As we follow the two characters form their derelict ship to recover their stolen power core at the heart of Metropol, uncovering mysteries and avoiding disaster through wit. This is not a game that holds your hand, and it is a game that requires you to think. Sadly that's not what I look for in my games, typically if I get stuck I search the walkthrough instead of connecting the dots or stumbling through trial and error. This is the only way I can play these games, as I love the stories and world but would grow tired of them otherwise. This is the only game I ever remember greenlighting on Steam, I was instantly attracted to it and I'm glad I had finished the journey 8 years later.