I track which games I play. And as it's just about the end of the year, I figure it's time for a recap. I've tracked 32 games as of this point, and I figure I'll play one or two more before the year is out. My trends for 2013 were phone games, and not finishing stuff.
- Prototype 2 (PC) - I really liked the first Prototype game, but I couldn't get into this. Not sure why. I quit the game before getting very far in.
- Knights of Pen & Paper(Android) - One of the best phone RPGs I've played, not that that's saying much. I got bored not too far into the game.
- Crysis 2 (PC) - Once again, I'd very much enjoyed the first Crysis, even though the game locked up and wouldn't play during the climactic final battle. But this sequel just didn't grab me. I only played about 3 hours in.
- Mark of the Ninja (PC) Continuing my early year trend, I got stuck probably about a third of the way into Mark of the Ninja and never went back. Perhaps I will at some point.
- Elder Sign (Android) - I played Elder Sign on my phone a lot during a two week period. I even bought two expansions. I eventually beat each boss and unlocked a lot of stuff. Great boardgame to phone game translation. But I'd rather sit around a table and play with friends.
- Alan Wake's American Nightmare (PC) - Although it wasn't as good as the main Alan Wake game, I very much enjoyed this follow-up.
- Darksiders (PC) - As much as friends rave about Darksiders, I can't get myself to enjoy it. As such, I quit the game not far in.
- Dragon Age: Origins (PC) - This one was a total replay, start-to-finish. And this was a long game. It's still really good.
- The Cave (PS3) - I played The Cave two or three times start-to-finish. It's a pretty short game, full of humor, puzzles, and good characterization. I think I was going for a couple PS3 trophies that you need to play through that many times to get, but in the end I kind of gave up.
- Plague, Inc (Android) - I put a lot of time into this game as well. It's a good amount of fun, trying to kill off the entire population of the planet. But there's a strategy to it. First infect everyone on the planet, and then evolve to become more deadly.
- The Room (Android) - While The Room is an excellently designed puzzle game with a good story, it didn't hold my attention. I got to the final level and had always planned to go back to it, but then my Galaxy S3 died. I'm not going to play back through to that point. Too little interest.
- Talisman Prologue (Android) - Another board game translated to a phone game. It was very well done, although they still haven't rolled out the promised multiplayer. After a while, I got bored of it.
- Borderlands 2 (PC) - Just as good as the first Borderlands. I'll probably go back to it at some point, maybe even finish.
- Ticket to Ride Pocket (Android) - I jumped all over this once I found that Ticket to Ride was available for Android. But I don't think I ever played a complete game. I'd rather play the cardboard version.
- Reiner Knizia's Labyrinth (Android) - A very well designed and fun to play puzzle game in which you lay maze tiles and try to ensure a path from start to finish while picking up as many goodies as possible along the way. Looks like it was once a single-player board game.
- Organ Trail (Android) - A zombie-filled knockoff of Oregon Trail. I played once or twice, but this kind of game isn't really my thing.
- The Walking Dead (PC) - One of the best, if not the best game I played all year. I played all of the episodes, one per night, in a single week. Since each one is about 2-3 hours long, it made for a heck of a week. Excellent story is what made the game good.
- Fairway Solitaire (Android) - I played the heck out of Fairway Solitaire back in the day on my PC. When I found out I could get a phone version, I was all over it. I enjoyed the game a lot, but in the end the free-to-play transition is what killed it for me.
- Pulse (Android) - A fun little rhythm game that I nearly didn't mention. Not much to say.
- Summoner Wars (iOS) - I'd heard about this two player strategy board game for some time, but my wife's iPad was the only actual exposure I've had to it. It's a good game. Perhaps I'll try the cardboard version someday.
- The Walking Dead: 400 Days (PC) - While not as good as the main game, this follow-up was entertaining.
- Uniwar (Android) - I've put a lot of time into Uniwar. It's a Starcraft-like multiplayer turn-based strategy game that you can play cross-platform with iPhones and Android phones. I play with a group of friends, and it's awesome.
- Air Forte (PC) - I got the game as part of a Humble Bundle, and found that Blendo Games, who created Atom Zombie Smasher and Gravity Bone - two games I loved - had another smash hit here. It's way too short, and obviously geared towards kids. It's almost more like a tech demo. Fly around and shoot answers to different questions. Very cool.
- Pixeljunk Monsters Deluxe (PC) - I loved it on the PS3 so much that I bought a PSP for the improved version of the game. Now the even betterer version has come to PC! All over it.
- Mass Effect 3 (PC) - I had to play it just to see how the whole thing ends. I'll admit - I was underwhelmed. The second game - particularly the ending of Mass Effect 2 - was the trilogy's high point. Other than than, meh.
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PS3) - Excellent game. Beautiful grahics. Well-designed puzzles that are challenging but never frustrating. Good story. I'd recommend this game to anyone. It's a pity I couldn't let Lia play past the halfway point, since I discovered some content that wasn't suitable for a six-year-old.
- SpaceTeam! (Android) - I haven't played the game much, but as a multiplayer party game, it's hard not to recommend it. Everyone grabs their own phone (Android or iOS) and gets their own control panel on your spacecraft. Then, each person gets orders, and one of the people playing must execute them. So the whole game is staring at your phone and yelling madly at everyone else, with everyone talking over everybody else. It's hectic and fun.
- Plants vs Zombies 2 (Android) - I've written about Plants vs Zombies 2 and my loathing of the F2P thing. I did manage to finish as much of the game as they've released without spending any real cash, but it would have been far better as a $3 game than it is as a F2P game.
- Kingdom Rush (Android) - I like tower defense games, and this is a very good one. It's too bad that the difficulty ramps up to an impossible level quite so quickly. I'd have liked to be able to finish all the game's levels. I blame F2P.
- Saints Row the Third (PC) - The intro was fun and over-the-top ridiculous, which I could certainly appreciate. But in the end, the game couldn't hold my interest.
- Typing of the Dead: Overkill (PC) - Wow. Now here's a game that came from out of nowhere and kicked my ass. It's insanely vulgar and inappropriate, it's cheezy and stupid, and hell is it fun. One of my favorites of 2013.
- Minecraft (PC) - The reason that Minecraft is the last game on my list is that after installing it, I haven't played anything else. I'm totally addicted. I could easily (and probably will) write an entire article on nothing but Minecraft now that I own the PC version. Oddly, the multiplayer aspect isn't interesting me for the same reason as I don't like MMO's: I want to be the one doing the stuff rather than having everyone else do the stuff.
So in the end, that's 15 PC games, 14 Android games, 2 Playstation 3 games, and 1 iOS game. That's my gaming in 2013. I might get to Far Cry 3 or Outlast sometime soon, but that's only if I can stop work on my second mob grinder.