🎮 Games played in 2025

In Progress

After the high standard set by Clair Obscur, it is not easy to get into another game. Here are some that I am currently alternating between:

• ~Assassin's Creed: Shadows~ - Life's too short for these endless games. I'm finally sick of the Ubisoft model.
• New World: Aeternum
• X-morph: UFO Defense

Marvel's Midnight Suns: Season Pass

I played the base game back in 2023 and really enjoyed it. The Season Pass is an excellent dessert on top. It introduces 4 new characters and a new storyline. Apart from some bits where I couldn't pick my characters, I enjoyed the extension as much as the original.

❤️Cyberpunk 2077

I'd tried this a few years later and struggled with it. This time, with the 2.0 upgrade and a fresh start, I really enjoyed myself. I got the 'Sun' ending and was happy with it. I focused on a melee + tech build, mainly because I loved the mantis blades. I can see why this is so well regarded: Night City just brims with personality!

❤️Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

I thought Split Fiction would be my GOTY and then I played this masterpiece. It hooks you in right from the intriguing prologue. The characters appear to have a stoic resignation to their mission, and there is an air of melancholy throughout. It feels like they are setting out for a possibly dooomed expedition (dozens of previous ones have already failed). Us gamers are used to much simpler fare, e.g. the standard hero's journey where the protagonist is certain to see victory.

Every part of the game feels like it was crafted with love, from the music to the voice acting to the satisfying character skills and how they get increasingly more powerful as the turns proceed (if the skills are used right).

This has stayed on my mind for long after I finished it, and is a rare masterpiece that should not be missed.

❤️Split Fiction

One of the best games I've played in the past few years! Exquisite co-op gameplay and imagination. By the same guy who made Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which I also revere. I played this completely with my daughter and am also mid-way through the game with my son.

Avowed

An excellent game from Obsidian. I played as a mage and thoroughly enjoyed the rich variety of spells. The world is lovely to look at. I liked some of the story choices along the way, and was able to complete several parts without lifting a weapon.

As Dusk Falls

An interactive, choose-your-own-adventure game about a robbery gone wrong. The characters are interesting and well developed. I chose the straight-and-narrow path but it might have been fun to see what would've happened if I picked different paths.

Watch Dogs: Legion

Although enjoyable, I probably agree with the general consensus here that this is the weakest of the trilogy. The game reaches high, and the idea of recruiting anyone is fun at first but is not something that made a very big difference over time (apart from 1-2 characters with special powers like the getaway driver).