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2021 was lookin OK? ‘till it didn’t. It was rough. You know, one of the biggest things that happened was the cross-country move to Atlanta. That’s Big and Exciting and… Stressful. Marry that with my mom passing a couple weeks before, a foot that was infected (and that I had to end up getting a toe amputated), and more than a couple of hospital stays for various reasons and… holy man…
BUT!!!
2022. My year (I hope I’m not jinxing this). The number 22 is super dominant in my life. I don’t really believe in this sort of stuff, but hell, this is some crazy coincidental shit.
- I was born on the 22nd of March
- My oldest son was born on 12/2 (kind of a 22?)
- My daughter? May 22nd. At exactly 10:22PM which, in military time is: 22:22
- My youngest son, born a week late… on the 22nd
Stuff’s crazy, right?
What does that mean for this year? That it’s gonna be a crazy good year! Or it’s all gonna come crashing down. Who the hell knows?!? YAY!
All I really know about 2021 is that I didn’t have the heart I normally do for video gaming. I did, however, put in some crazy numbers on a couple select titles, but they were comfort games. I stayed in my lane for the most part this year.
Yo… real quick…
Best Old Game to Get Rollback Netcode in 2021
The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition
KEPT ON ROLLIN' IN '95
PIECES FELL IN PLACE IN '96
IT CAME TO THE END IN '97
AND NOW IT COMES AND HERE WE GO
THE K O F IS HERE AGAIN
NOTHING's GONNA STOP IT'S 1 9 9 8!!!!!!!
The Real Shit is Down Here
10. Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Kena’s inspirations are clear. It very much wants to be the action/puzzle/platformer of yesteryear. So while it's not doing anything new, what it does, it does very well. You get the feeling that a lot of heart and experience went into crafting this world. It very much borrows the formula of an old PS2 or Gamecube era game-there are environmental puzzles, collectibles, and light combat. But the visuals and animations are on par with some of the best stuff we’ve been seeing this generation. Kena’s a looker and has the heart and charm to match.
09. The Ascent
The Ascent, in many ways, is what comes to mind when I think of cyberpunk. It’s dark, gritty, crime-ridden, damp as hell, dimly lit with neon, a corporate hellscape, with body augmentations, and holograms a-plenty. Far as I’m concerned, The Ascent absolutely nailed the aesthetic. And frankly, gameplay was pretty all right. It’s a loot-driven, twin-stick shooter with upgradeable skilltrees and somewhat engaging combat. I think the look and feel is the star of the show here aside from the price. It’s on Gamepass as well as it only being $30 on Steam. Definitely worth a shot.
08. Demeo
I had tinkered with VR before for work and with my PlayStation VR, but Demeo is what made me finally take the plunge and get a Quest 2. Let me preface what I have to say about the game with this: 65% of what wows me about the game is purely the VR novelty of it. Picking up the little miniatures, twisting my hand around and having a flourish of cards appear, grabbing the dice and rolling it, twisting and turning the game space to get a better perspective, etc. All of this… SUPER COOL! But underneath all of that is still a super-solid tactical turn-based RPG. And it’s multiplayer! There’s even progression and skin unlocks. Since launch, they’ve updated it with an additional module and character class with more to come according to their roadmap.
Demeo one of the first things I recommend to people picking up a VR headset, albeit with some caveats. It’s tough as balls. You constantly feel as though you’re fighting from your back foot. Dungeons/maps are not randomly generated either although, I think your starting location may be. Regardless, some sort of difficulty slider and a dynamic map would go a long way to ensuring the game’s long-term success.
07. Forza Horizon 5
Previous Horizons failed to hold my interest for very long, but this one clicked with me in a way that the others failed to do. But it wasn’t the activities or progression that kept me coming back, rather it was the driving and scenery and just straight-up chillin’ the ‘ef out while driving a truck with an anime lady on the hood. It’s hard to explain, but I’ve felt like an outsider in previous games. Like the Horizon Festival was this occupying force that took over a town so some dumb kids could have races and tear up the countryside. Horizon 5, on the other hand, feels like we’re there to take in the scenery more than we are there to mess up short stone walls. Does that make sense? No? Whatever, hop in and let’s drive through a sandstorm and blare the Windows XP shutdown sound. Oh! Yeah… uhhh… it’s a f’n beautiful game.
06. Scarlet Nexus