What Sacrificing All Other Hobbies Looks Like
I don't know how many people are looking to me to judge my own year's worth of gaming, but I thought I'd give this a go for the first time. Thanks to trophy tracking on PSN, Steam's "Last Played" date markers, Raptr, and a handful of saved conversastions on Gmail, I was able to tabulate a fully comprehensive idea of how my gaming looked in 2013. Let's go down this road. Shall we?
Here, for you to ruminate, is the full list of games I played in 2013. I have gone to the effort of highlighting which games actually came out in 2013, since that'll be important later on. Also, note that I did not beat all of these. That's next.
That's 49 games played last year, which I think is darn impressive. Referring to my subheading, I was able to accomplish this by severely limiting free time devoted to much else. People who are more well-rounded may watch a lot of TV and movies, but I pared down my viewing of either media to what most would consider meager. I've never been a book-reader, so compared to others, that wasn't something I had to actively sacrifice.
Of the 49 games (including DLC listed above), I beat 41 of them, or 84%, which I also think is impressive. I had numerous reasons for not beating certain titles. Some of these games were assigned as review material, and I did not see finishing the games as necessary to be comprehensive in my review by deadline. I only dabbled in the story mode for Injustice: Gods Among Us, but since I only bought the game because it was on sale, I decided to devote my play time towards other titles. And Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning had the distinction of boring me out of playing it. I might go back someday, but for now, I don't see that time coming soon.
Now, onto 2013 exclusives. While it is probably not that tough for major gaming sites and blogs to pick out what they've done all year, I had a lot of Googling to determine what I've played that actually came out in the same year. That said, as you can see in the table above, I played 21 games published in 2013. Of those, I beat 15 of them or 71%, which is still not bad. I probably would have played less 2013 games had I not been assigned reviews, so I'm thankful for those opportunities.
Here are some handy dandy charts I generated for stat freaks:
Lessons Learned
On that note, I learned a lot about different gaming genres and niche games last year. Expeditions: Conquistador and XCOM: Enemy Within were the first turn-based strategy games I've played since Blazing Heroes for the Sega Saturn, which I only rented because it looked pretty. Total War: Rome II, which has a turn-based mode and a live battle mode, was also added to the strategy mix last year. Although XCOM's rather unrelenting difficulty left me a little sore, I was impressed with how much I was able to accomplish in each title. Although I am unlikely to desire a strategy game in the future, I think those games are a testament to how approachable the genre has become for newbies.
I got a lot of my point-and-click on via the Blackwell and Kyrandia series, thanks to GOG's awesome offerings. Although the Kyrandia games allowed me to relive some nostalgic memories, they also pointed out some of the major flaws in the genre back in the early 90s — arbitrary puzzle solutions, maze-like maps that also required backtracking, and genuinely being at a loss for where to go next were among the worst offenders. In that respect, the Blackwell games manage to offer up adult tales that eschew most of these errors. On the nostalgia note, nothing brought me back to the feeling of playing Myst like Gone Home, which managed to fuse a contemporary tale of family and romance with a true sense of adventure and exploration.
2013 exposed me to niche games like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, and Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. All of these fall into the interactive visual novel genre if I had to choose, and although I enjoyed each of them, I have to admit that only a certain kind of (patient) player would want to play them. If you exclusively enjoy action games, turn your eyes away, I say. Though I'd still take a gander at Asura's Wrath. Featuring more interactivity at certain points, it was a crazy ride for what is mostly a giant QTE.
Lastly, I learned something about disappointment. Both Ibb & Obb and Rain fell way short of my expectations, the former requiring exact platforming with inexact controls and the latter just falling flat in terms of narrative and creativity. The Citadel DLC for Mass Effect 3, although entertaining, became majorly frustrating due to a niggling bug for which I could find no solution on Origin's boards and FAQs. The game kept crashing at a certain point no matter what choices brought me there, and I managed to solve it by deleting my local save. Apparently, my hard drive and the cloud were fighting.
Although I didn't have high expectations for Sonic: Lost World, I certainly thought it wouldn't be a piece of shit. (Note, I don't curse much on this blog, but I can find no other description for such a game.) I specifically played the Nintendo 3DS version, and though the WiiU version didn't fare much better with reviewers, I can honestly say the handheld version was like the console version took a dump into a 3DS cartridge.
Keeping the criticism going, even though I heartily recommended Bioshock Infinite for its primary story, its gameplay was a large letdown that soured more in my mind as time continued to pass. Bioshock was a lot of fun to play, and I did so at a time when I had exactly zero FPS games under my belt. Having played a number more than zero between it and Infinite, I realized that there is something indeed lacking from the latter. It just felt like a shooter. And let's not forget how it brings up a story about racism only to drop it like a bad habit, even going so far as to be racist in doing so. Bitter, bitter tastes.
The Year of the Handeld?
In 1989, my parents bought me a Nintendo Gameboy. It went on to be the only handheld gaming system I'd own until 2013. I bore no distinct dislike of handhelds, but I just didn't want them. I thoroughly enjoyed my HD gaming on console and PC, and I also had few traveling opportunities to play like others who commute by train or bus.
However, the urge to play Persona 4 Golden grew too great, and my husband chose to help me scratch that itch as a gift for our marriage/anniversary. I loved Persona 3 FES when I played it on my Playstation 2 a few years ago, and even though I owned the PS2 copy of Persona 4, I felt the Golden version calling to me. Having a Playstation Plus account made that purchase more worthwhile, and I got to play both Gravity Rush and Knytt Underground for free. In retrospect, I'd probably pay money for them now.
As for the Nintendo 3DS, I did review two games for it, but I played them on my husband's 3DS, which I bought for him a few years ago. However, I then ran into this predicament recently:
So now you know why I bought a Nintendo 3DS XL and played 999 this year. Out of sheer coincidence, I ended up buying the golden edition of the 3DS XL made for The Legend of Zelda: A Link between Worlds. I was going to buy it anyway, and buying this edition saved me $20. Go me!
Despite abstaining from purchasing a handheld, I somehow found myself to be the owner of two last year. And now I have no excuse for not going through the backlog and playing some of the awesome games that came out for the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo DS, and the Playstation Vita in the past years. What was already an impossible task just became a joke.
The Future of Gaming
Anybody who's been paying any attention to video games last year is aware that the next generation of gaming consoles made its appearance in 2013. I originally had no intention of buying either at launch in November, but I did plan to get a Playstation 4 in 2014 when a worthwhile game came out. I just knew I didn't need it right away. (Like the Xbox 360, I have nothing against the Xbox One. I just don't actively want one. If I had either, I'd play it.)
Well, much like my random handheld acquisition, I randomly acquired a PS4 in the 11th hour. I browsed Twitter briefly one day, and I saw someone mention that Amazon had them in stock. I went to the Amazon app to verify this, imagining they sold out in minutes, but I was wrong. I stared at it for a moment and then checked the currently available library of games. Nothing. I wanted nothing of what's out right now. I had already claimed my freebies in November, but neither excited me.
Yet the Playstation 4 found its way into my cart and into my home as of December 26th. It would have been sooner, but we were out during the first delivery attempt on Christmas Eve. It doesn't matter. It has been nine days since I've received it, and I still haven't hooked it up. I was honestly so drawn into Virtue's Last Reward that I had no compelling need. Maybe tomorrow…
Best Of 2013
Obviously, one should end a retrospective with a Best Of list, right? Next time, Kitties. Next time!
Of the 49 games (including DLC listed above), I beat 41 of them, or 84%, which I also think is impressive. I had numerous reasons for not beating certain titles. Some of these games were assigned as review material, and I did not see finishing the games as necessary to be comprehensive in my review by deadline. I only dabbled in the story mode for Injustice: Gods Among Us, but since I only bought the game because it was on sale, I decided to devote my play time towards other titles. And Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning had the distinction of boring me out of playing it. I might go back someday, but for now, I don't see that time coming soon.
Now, onto 2013 exclusives. While it is probably not that tough for major gaming sites and blogs to pick out what they've done all year, I had a lot of Googling to determine what I've played that actually came out in the same year. That said, as you can see in the table above, I played 21 games published in 2013. Of those, I beat 15 of them or 71%, which is still not bad. I probably would have played less 2013 games had I not been assigned reviews, so I'm thankful for those opportunities.
Here are some handy dandy charts I generated for stat freaks:
Lessons Learned
On that note, I learned a lot about different gaming genres and niche games last year. Expeditions: Conquistador and XCOM: Enemy Within were the first turn-based strategy games I've played since Blazing Heroes for the Sega Saturn, which I only rented because it looked pretty. Total War: Rome II, which has a turn-based mode and a live battle mode, was also added to the strategy mix last year. Although XCOM's rather unrelenting difficulty left me a little sore, I was impressed with how much I was able to accomplish in each title. Although I am unlikely to desire a strategy game in the future, I think those games are a testament to how approachable the genre has become for newbies.
I got a lot of my point-and-click on via the Blackwell and Kyrandia series, thanks to GOG's awesome offerings. Although the Kyrandia games allowed me to relive some nostalgic memories, they also pointed out some of the major flaws in the genre back in the early 90s — arbitrary puzzle solutions, maze-like maps that also required backtracking, and genuinely being at a loss for where to go next were among the worst offenders. In that respect, the Blackwell games manage to offer up adult tales that eschew most of these errors. On the nostalgia note, nothing brought me back to the feeling of playing Myst like Gone Home, which managed to fuse a contemporary tale of family and romance with a true sense of adventure and exploration.
2013 exposed me to niche games like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, and Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. All of these fall into the interactive visual novel genre if I had to choose, and although I enjoyed each of them, I have to admit that only a certain kind of (patient) player would want to play them. If you exclusively enjoy action games, turn your eyes away, I say. Though I'd still take a gander at Asura's Wrath. Featuring more interactivity at certain points, it was a crazy ride for what is mostly a giant QTE.
Lastly, I learned something about disappointment. Both Ibb & Obb and Rain fell way short of my expectations, the former requiring exact platforming with inexact controls and the latter just falling flat in terms of narrative and creativity. The Citadel DLC for Mass Effect 3, although entertaining, became majorly frustrating due to a niggling bug for which I could find no solution on Origin's boards and FAQs. The game kept crashing at a certain point no matter what choices brought me there, and I managed to solve it by deleting my local save. Apparently, my hard drive and the cloud were fighting.
Although I didn't have high expectations for Sonic: Lost World, I certainly thought it wouldn't be a piece of shit. (Note, I don't curse much on this blog, but I can find no other description for such a game.) I specifically played the Nintendo 3DS version, and though the WiiU version didn't fare much better with reviewers, I can honestly say the handheld version was like the console version took a dump into a 3DS cartridge.
Keeping the criticism going, even though I heartily recommended Bioshock Infinite for its primary story, its gameplay was a large letdown that soured more in my mind as time continued to pass. Bioshock was a lot of fun to play, and I did so at a time when I had exactly zero FPS games under my belt. Having played a number more than zero between it and Infinite, I realized that there is something indeed lacking from the latter. It just felt like a shooter. And let's not forget how it brings up a story about racism only to drop it like a bad habit, even going so far as to be racist in doing so. Bitter, bitter tastes.
The Year of the Handeld?
In 1989, my parents bought me a Nintendo Gameboy. It went on to be the only handheld gaming system I'd own until 2013. I bore no distinct dislike of handhelds, but I just didn't want them. I thoroughly enjoyed my HD gaming on console and PC, and I also had few traveling opportunities to play like others who commute by train or bus.
However, the urge to play Persona 4 Golden grew too great, and my husband chose to help me scratch that itch as a gift for our marriage/anniversary. I loved Persona 3 FES when I played it on my Playstation 2 a few years ago, and even though I owned the PS2 copy of Persona 4, I felt the Golden version calling to me. Having a Playstation Plus account made that purchase more worthwhile, and I got to play both Gravity Rush and Knytt Underground for free. In retrospect, I'd probably pay money for them now.
As for the Nintendo 3DS, I did review two games for it, but I played them on my husband's 3DS, which I bought for him a few years ago. However, I then ran into this predicament recently:
 |
| I'm sure Nintendo hears this all the time. |
Despite abstaining from purchasing a handheld, I somehow found myself to be the owner of two last year. And now I have no excuse for not going through the backlog and playing some of the awesome games that came out for the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo DS, and the Playstation Vita in the past years. What was already an impossible task just became a joke.
The Future of Gaming
Anybody who's been paying any attention to video games last year is aware that the next generation of gaming consoles made its appearance in 2013. I originally had no intention of buying either at launch in November, but I did plan to get a Playstation 4 in 2014 when a worthwhile game came out. I just knew I didn't need it right away. (Like the Xbox 360, I have nothing against the Xbox One. I just don't actively want one. If I had either, I'd play it.)
Well, much like my random handheld acquisition, I randomly acquired a PS4 in the 11th hour. I browsed Twitter briefly one day, and I saw someone mention that Amazon had them in stock. I went to the Amazon app to verify this, imagining they sold out in minutes, but I was wrong. I stared at it for a moment and then checked the currently available library of games. Nothing. I wanted nothing of what's out right now. I had already claimed my freebies in November, but neither excited me.
Yet the Playstation 4 found its way into my cart and into my home as of December 26th. It would have been sooner, but we were out during the first delivery attempt on Christmas Eve. It doesn't matter. It has been nine days since I've received it, and I still haven't hooked it up. I was honestly so drawn into Virtue's Last Reward that I had no compelling need. Maybe tomorrow…
Best Of 2013
Obviously, one should end a retrospective with a Best Of list, right? Next time, Kitties. Next time!
Holy moly, you're played vs beaten ratio is insane.
ReplyDeleteI've played about half of these games this year, but I think I've only beaten a handful of them. I commend you for this achievement! You have the patience of a saint.
Although it's not an excuse, a lot of games don't truly reveal their best qualities until close to the end. I played a lot of games that were good all the way through, but sometimes you just have to hang on. Again, not an excuse.
ReplyDelete