Gaming Diary - Day 22 (30.12.10)

So I beat that one level of Company of Heroes I got stuck on twice. Wasn't that hard, just had to do some micromanaging.

I also played just a little bit of Serious Sam and FEAR, no Vice City at all, and a whole lot of King Arthur. Damn, that game sure draws you in. Problem is, I got to that silly moment again when you've got a sick amount of things popping out everywhere and you're supposed to somehow manage to do it all. Since I was doing very well until now, and it seems I have a plan for the quests, I'm just hoping the game won't spiral into chaos again, because I don't think I can do it a third time...

Also, there's not going to be a Top Experiences of 2010 list, because I simply cannot remember enough really great experiences to list. Stuff I do remember, was having fun with C&C3 (not enough for it to make such a list, probably), Bioshock (right on the verge of getting on such list), Escape from Butcher Bay (definitely on the list), Batman: Arkham Asylum (if we count my second playthrough, because the first one was last year, I think)... and King Arthur and Vice City (the latter would be low on the list, but still there).

Most stuff I played this year was old games. Either old, as in 'beginning of the century' old or old, as in 'two years old'. Depends on what you tend to call 'old'. Most of the games I bought in 2010 I haven't even played yet. What I have played usually left a lukewarm feeling. Even obviously good games, like Grim Fandango or Mass Effect had their flaws which stopped them from being on a list of top 2010 experiences, if I made one. On the other hand, stuff I rather disliked, like Age of Empires II or Anachronox or Gabriel Knight 2 made me think about different issues, like 'what makes an old game timeless' or 'how well classics age'. So it's all good.

There are two rather depressing things here. First of all, if you asked me to give you a comprehensive list of stuff I played this year, I wouldn't be able to do it. I'd come up with 15-20 titles before having to think hard on each next title. This year is a blur. Now, is it a blur because I haven't played truly memorable stuff? Maybe. Is it because I played too much games? Probably. Does it mean my brain's not working as it should? Possibly so.

And I forgot what the second depressing thing was, but it was probably something worth mentioning. Oh well.

At any rate, to those of you who read this and follow the blog: thanks for paying attention. I reckon there's not many of you. Maybe that's because, in the end, this blog is nothing special and it can't and won't stand out among all those other gaming blogs. This doesn't mean that I'll stop writing, though I have my doubts about continuing... but I think it's only fair to try and get to the first year before closing down. So I've still got around 4 months if I'm correct.

I can only hope you're getting more out of this than I am.