I played more video games in 2021 than I've played in years. Let's take a look at which ones I hit during the continuing pandemic.
Katamari Damacy - I'd played Katamari Damacy on the PS2 many years ago, but I'm fairly sure I never finished. I dived back in on the Nintendo Switch, and I got to the end of the game. Insane Japanese title, but fun.
Slay the Spire - For a number of months, I was completely addicted to Slay the Spire, even writing up a Silent Guide for my favorite class. It's an easy game to go back to and play for 15 minutes in between all the deeper and longer titles. Then, in the late summer I bought the mobile version and found myself playing it even more. It dominated much of my 2021.
Baldurs Gate: Siege of Dragonspear - It's no secret that the Baldur's Gate games are some of my favorites of all time. After having played the first two in the series during 2020, I tried out Siege of Dragonspear this year. It was great to dip my toes back into the Infinity Engine waters.
Zuma's Revenge - I've played through Zuma and its sequel more times than I can count. They're great casual games for jumping into at the end of the night for a few minutes, even if you've had too much to drink.
Detroit: Become Human - I've played nearly everything by Quantic Dream: Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain, and Beyond: Two Souls. So Detroit: Become Human was just the next step on that path. While I didn't love it as much as some of the earlier titles, I did enjoy it quite a lot.
Icewind Dale - Again, back to the original Infinity Engine games. While Icewind Dale isn't nearly as good as the Baldur's Gate games, I do love it.
Braid - I loved Braid back in the day, and re-installing it to play again was fun, although I didn't have the patience to go back through every single puzzle.
Final Fantasy X - I was kind of Jonesing for a Final Fantasy game, and reviews generally say that aside from Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy XII, which are the only two I've played before, Final Fantasy X is one of the best ones. Everybody seems to love VI and VII best, but those are a bit dated. In fact, playing X in 2021 after having played XII on my Playstation 2 back in 2010 was a bit of a stretch, but I enjoyed it enough.
Ni No Kuni - It was hearing that Ni No Kuni had cartoons made by Studio Ghibli that really hooked me. The first 45 minutes or so of the game are more watching than playing. But it was a good JRPG, even if the real-time nature of the battles did take some getting used to. I'm not a fan any time a game makes me rush to navigate its UI quickly so that I don't die.
Plants vs Zombies - Another Popcap time-waster that I've probably played 8 times over the years, Plants vs Zombies is stupid fun that holds up.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - I was really excited to play a game based on the Pathfinder mechanics that grew out of Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 mechanics. Sadly, Pathfinder: Kingmaker really leans into the kingdom mechanics, which is a game-in-a-game that I didn't enjoy too much. The battle content and dungeons were very good, I just wish there had been a lot more.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War - I was playing this sequel for a while, but then I just stopped. I finished the first game in the series, but I do remember it dragging after a while. This one, I just kind of lost interest after a while.
Wasteland 3 - With Wasteland 3, I did the opposite of lose interest. I played the game twice. I tried to make different decisions the second time, and take character options I hadn't the first time, but honestly my first playthrough was better.
Psychonauts 2 - I was such a big fan of the first title back in 2005 that I bought this game as soon as it was available. It did not disappoint. While nothing had quite the majesty of the Lungfishopolis level, the game levels in Psychonauts 2 were just as fun, creative, and absurd as I would have expected.
Disco Elysium - I started playing Disco Elysium, but really only spent a couple nights with it. The game is harder than I'd expected, and I died a lot, mostly due to factors I'd never have expected, like choosing the wrong option in a dialogue tree. But it has some truly hilarious moments, my favorite being when my character tried to get out of a bar bill by unexpectedly sprinting away, then diving through the air, giving the bartender airborne double middle fingers, and then accidentally crashing into a woman in a wheelchair. In the end, the game didn't hold my interest, and I uninstalled it.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Breath of the Wild dominated my October and November. I played the hell out of the game, and it was very good. It's open world exploration that reminds me a good bit of the later Far Cry games, and a good bit of Shadow of the Colossus. Both are compliments. I'm looking forward to a sequel.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister - The first CRPG I've played that's based on the 5e rulset. It does a great job of creating strategic gameplay, including ledges to make spells like spider climb, levitate, and fly useful. A lot of the game's banter dialog is absolutely horrible, and it's also a bit buggy at times - my paladin's two handed sword, which normally does 2d6 damage would do 2d4 rather than 4d6 when I got a critical hit. But nonetheless, I enjoyed it.
Horizon Zero Dawn - I've only just begun playing, so only time will tell whether this game ends up being more like Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, or like Breath of the Wild, which is what I was really craving when I purchased it.