Intermission 3 - 2021 Recap

'll be honest. Writing some of these posts over a year after I played them is entirely tedious and painful - especially when I had no notes (looking at you Resident Evil 1-4). As a result, some of these posts, especially in 2021 err on the side of brevity and a heavy reliance on screenshots and YouTube analysis videos to jog my memory. After moving back in July 2020 I leaned into my new console setup, retro collection and PlayStation backlog. While the challenge was always in the back of my mind, I barely touched my PC where this blog lives. Writing these 18, 12 or even 1 month after playing a game goes against the purpose of this blog - to capture how I felt about a game at the time of playing and to do so in detail; so that when my memory fades, it can serve as a guide down my nostalgic neural lanes. But also to track how I'm going with clearing my backlog. In 2022 I'll post more regularly and to do so I won't start a new game until the prior is written up. 2021 and even later 2020 had a lot of big games - so it's understandable I fell significantly behind in my game to week ratio with a goal of 1:1. So many games on my backlog and pile of shame were played. So many joyful experiences I wouldn't have played had I not started this blog and prioritised singular player experiences such as God of War, Jedi: Fallen Order, The Last of us 2, Arkham Knight, Alien Isolation and even anthology such as Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Saga, BioShock collection, and Resident Evil 1-4. I even found time for plenty of couch coop games, and the multiple megahit Valheim. Quality over quantity is an understatement, it's been a big year. And honestly I think this trend will continue in 2022. 

The recent announcement of the Steam Deck has changed a lot - I want one - and I'm willing to fork out a hefty fee to get one. Ever since the Switch came out I thought - oh wouldn't that be a fantastic indie machine. But I already have 100-200 indie games on Steam... well here it is. Previously I was viewing a lot of games I could finish in a few hours to stay on track for clearing my backlog on a weekly basis, if there was a large game that took a few weeks I'd throw in a few 1-2 hour games to make up for it. Instead my progress will lag behind until I acquire a Steam Deck and start smashing through that bucket of my backlog. I'm okay with that. Speaking of buckets, Indie games have now been renamed to Steam deck games. 

*Drools*

2021 has been a soft year when it comes to new releases. Outside of Valheim and Halo Infinite I have not played a single new game. And I'm not complaining, if this wasn't the case I wouldn't have caught up on so many stellar titles. But that's not to mean there hasn't been any intriguing releases. Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, Sable, Narita Boy, Emily is Away <3, Ghostrunner, Wasteland 3 and Outer Wilds have all burnt a hole into my psyche. It's been a year of great indies. And I'm also not complaining there either. I think it's a tell tale sign of my diminishing time if every game with a playtime of more than 50 hours like Cyberpunk 2077 bombs returns a sigh of relief. On the other side of the hobby my retro collection has made a ton of progress. Figured I'd jump on these before the prices reach ridiculous levels like some games - Castlevania Symphony of the Night is above $500 (no thanks) and my favourte childhood game Jade Coocoon cost me $70 while I got Skull Monkeys at $50 for a bargain (thanks Facebook marketplace). 

[Pic once tv is fixes - those shelves are filling out well]

I haven't posted after finishing a game since I moved in June 2020 - I plan to do this moving forward after the Christmas holiday. Additionally each year moving forward I think I'm going to do a year in review, as a nice summary of the year and to keep myself accountable for progress made and a game of the year. This year probably would have been Valheim or It's Take Two (if I played it). To round out, I think I should end with a few reminders: 

• continue my promise to not buy any games unless they're on the top of my list and a bargain I can't ignore (Death Stranding, Medieval, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 +2) 
• and only games I plan to play it right away (Watch Dogs Legion, Valheim, Doom Eternal)
• Once clear and updated, move away from the blog and just focus on enjoying the hobby again
• Stay on track after posting each game, don't start a new one until you finish your last
• Finally stop writing bloated posts, focus on the parts that made you feel, not covering every facet of the game