Re: What Video Games Did You Play? [2021 Edition]

[Hielario]

[B]DOOM[B]
(The original three episodes, with The Ultimate Doom wad + PrBoom sourceport + RocketLaunch launcher).

I got curious about Doom because an artist I follow on social media does mods and gameplay streams for it. Then I got into Civvie11's videos. And I had been itching for something quick, simple and violent (but not too much) that could be played in short bursts. Plus, some of its limitations made it appealing for a player with physical issues like me.Tried an online version but OG controls were an atrocity. And I wanted to play mods even more since Thatcher's Techbase came out.

So after rereading five times a guide for novice players about how to install it, putting all parts together and a desperate call for help to said artist because my touchpad and keyboard didn't cooperate (it seems they interfere with each other), I played the first three levels of "Knee-deep in the dead" and got hooked.

I've blazed through the first two episodes in "I don't wanna die" difficulty, switched to "Hey, not too rough" for the third successfully, and then got my ass handed to my by the additional fourth, so I've gone back to the second and first in this new difficulty level to appreciate them properly and then I'll take a breather. Now I understand better why Doom's considered a groundbreaking classic: The constant tension, the horror and contrast of the technological fused with a hellish world that spreads and transforms everything progressively (even with that atrocious color palette), the calculated rhythm of the shooting and strafing enemy projectiles, the visual personality of the demons and weaponry. the constant teasing of secret caches and sections! A lot about this game is deeply satisfying.

[bomaye]

OG Doom is definitely on my playlist. Only ever played it on the SNES back in the day

48) Super Hang-On for the PS3/Arcade (100% Trophies)

Haven't popped a trophy in forever (especially since the Genshin Impact patches aren't exactly making it possible to pop new trophies anyways). Knocked this one out quick. Fun super-scaler, I was never an arcade kid so there's still an 8-10 year old me who's blown away by how smooth and cool looking late '80s arcade super scalers look.

[KMR]

All right, I'd better catch up and actually document the stuff I've played before the year's over. I'll try to keep it brief and hope I don't forget anything.

Played Persona Q2 on the 3DS back in... August, I think? Was very happy to discover the existence of this game so I could once more get my Etrian Odyssey fix. I liked the story of the first Persona Q game a bit better, but this one had a cool concept and the gameplay was a bit of an improvement. Ultimately had a great time with it. And one of these days, I'll actually play a true Persona game.

I picked up the Diablo 2 remaster when that came out, because Blizzard claimed my soul 20-some years ago and I was contractually obligated to fulfill my part of the bargain. As much as I appreciate this game and all the years I sunk into it back in the day, replaying it just confirmed that this game to me is a relic of a bygone era and I have moved beyond it. It does still hold up remarkably well for a game of its age, even in comparison to many of the modern ARPGs. I thought maybe I'd have a different experience with it now as a more veteran ARPG player, but ultimately I still struggle with a lot of the same design decisions that frustrated me back when I initially played it. I don't regret picking it up and giving it another try now, but I also didn't really need this game in my life again. Now if they made a proper remake of the original Diablo to modernize the gameplay and graphics but maintain that dark atmosphere and classic feel... but I don't imagine that will ever happen, since not enough people care about the first Diablo game as much as I do.

Replayed (most of) Hollow Knight, as much to just re-experience the atmosphere and music as anything else. I love the exploration aspects of this game, but find most of the combat overly tedious. I think I just got too impatient waiting for the sequel, and decided to replay the first game to hold me over for a while.

Picked up a game on Steam called Inscryption, which I don't want to say too much about because it's best to go into this one as blind as possible and just experience it. Very atmospheric and an interesting variation on a roguelike deckbuilder; always nice to see unique takes in that genre that aren't just Slay the Spire clones.

And I finally finished Dragon Quest VII on the 3DS. This is my first time playing a Dragon Quest game; I somehow just never got into this franchise and VII was the one I happened to have received as a gift. It's maybe not the most representative of the franchise, as this game feels quite like it's own thing in some ways. It has a unique concept and story structure that's cool at first, but unfortunately the game just ends up being too long in a slightly tedious, repetitious, everything goes slower and takes longer than it really needs to, sort of way. It took me 80 hours to beat the game (with a break in between). There's post-game content too, but I don't want to bother with it at this point. I enjoyed the game on the whole and it was a cool experience, but it wasn't quite engaging enough to justify that length. Am hopeful to try a few other DQ games in the future, though, especially the ones that are most highly regarded.

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