Like that Buddhist teaching of there being two pains: the actual pain of an arrow striking you, and the pain that arises by your reactions to the arrow. You can’t control the first pain, but you have some control over the second.

Spec Ops is so damn good. I’ve been itching to replay it and see if it’s as good as I remember. It’s been so long.

Well the best overall for me has to be Disco Elysium. Game is just astounding. Tears at my heart. Pentiment is a close second. But my god was that one a bit more miserable. Recommend for anyone that enjoys a good story.

From purely a fun standpoint, Rollerdrome and Hi-Fi Rush were absolutely killer. Incredibly tight gameplay. Super satisfying to “get good” at. Rollerdrome was the first game I was motivated enough to 100%, it was that fun.

It’s kind of crazy looking back at how many games I got through in a year. Could’ve sworn I had played these years ago. What is time, even? 🫠

Hey, I just finished the Dishonored DLC this year! This game never comes to mind when I think of my favorite games, but when I actually think about it I love so much about it.

Mechanics are satisfying and smooth, art direction has a nice oil-painting style to it, world is simultaneously bleak and beautiful. I wish the story was more interesting but the gameplay more than makes up for it.

Dishonored 2 has been gorgeous so far. I don’t know if you’ve gotten to the mansion level yet, but oh man that environment is a trip. Has to be one of the coolest maps I’ve ever seen in a game.

If you could recommend only one for someone new to the games, which would it be?

Just finished Pentiment. It was a wonderful, miserable experience. Don’t know how people can stomach multiple playthroughs.

Also just finished Doom Eternal. Mixed feelings overall but I like the idea of the counter-heavy combat system. I just wish they dialed back the number of mechanics a bit.

My current addiction is Kingdom Come: Deliverance. I was skeptical at first but man do I love the immersion in this game. The minigames like alchemy and lockpicking are fun and engaging. The combat is kind of Mordhau-lite which means it requires more thought than just spamming attack. The dialogue is surprisingly funny at times, the story interesting enough, and the voice acting is solid. And I like how the quests aren’t all simply “go to the marker”–you have to actually follow clues and pay attention.

I bought Alan Wake 2 literally a day before the sale, not thinking it would go on sale. And now I’m waiting for a patch anyway because some lighting bugs were introduced in the last patch. Oops. Kinda sucks but I’m still very excited to play it!

Looking at my review weirdly gave me a more positive perspective on how I see my life. It helped me realize I’m kind of blessed with the work-life balance I have that I’m still able to play so many games into adulthood.

Also it’s neat to see what I played early in the year. Things I could’ve sworn I’d played a couple years ago. A little reminder that time isn’t moving as quickly as it sometimes feels.