🎮 2023

♥Doom (2016)

I've played this a couple of times in the last few years and hated how fast-paced it was. It did not suit my playing style at all. This time, I changed things up a bit and it finally clicked. I did not try to conserve my ammo, and did not try to keep a distance from the enemy. In Doom you need to be aggresive and fast.

This game is pure, unadulterated fun. Waves of enemies keep the pressure up and the weapons are immensely satisfying to use. The music fits the pace perfectly. Highly recommended.

Prodeus

An affectionate tribute to early FPSs like Doom. Very pretty to look at and a blast to play. Each level is about 5 minutes long so it is perfect for quick pick-up-and-play sessions. I stuck with the super shotgun for most of the game. The easy mode is generous and it is great fun to clear a room with a few rockets and leave a blood-splattered mess.

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Highly recommended if you already like South Park. The animation is spot on and the gameplay is really polished. I picked the Thief class for my character and stuck with Butters as my side-kick for most of the game.

♥AC Odyssey: Legacy of the First Blade and The Fate of Atlantis

For some reason I expected the DLCs to be a few hours long and to contain a few extra missions. These turned out to be huge. I liked the first for its story and the second for its worlds. As with any ubisoft game, open world fatigue eventually set in and I was happy when it finally ended. But I had a lot of fun for most of it: I spent a lot more time customizing my gear, adding engravings and fine tuning.

Towards the last third, I got things just the way I like it: an assassin built using the Pirate gear, with adrenaline recharges, 40% savings on Shadow of Nyx and some pretty good boosts on all assassin skills. So I had quite a lot of fun raiding forts invisibly and 1-hit killing pretty much every one in the game.

I've spent ~150 hours on AC Odyssey now and think I am done with it. Considering how much I jump between games and prefer shorter experiences, it is nice to have one exception that I have gone back to so many times in the last few years.