Time to catch up

Despite the absence of posts I have been playing a tremendous amount of games since Dec of 2009. Four months into the new year 2010 is shaping up to be a better year than the year before, and I beaten more games in the last few months than I have in the last year. Unfortunately I still have an ever growing list of games I just can't find the time to dig into and finish, and I have found most of the games beaten this year to be 20 hours or less.

This leads to a quandary, do I keep expanding a pile of games I can't finish or do I finally bite the bullet and uninstall those games I haven't looked at in a while? I think it's clear some of the games on the list will never finished, because they don't compel me to finish them.

Those counted on the list of the fallen and soon to be deleted:
-Supreme Commander: While this RTS is silky smooth to play, with tight controls, active A.I. and the vaunted strategic zoom, the story is almost non-existent. With the online multiplayer holding virtually no attraction for me, this game is hitting the recycle bin.
-Far Cry 2: Beautiful and emergent, FC 2 is everything and nothing in that it reflects the intent of the player, rather than directing the player.I could spend days simply wandering the jungle seeing what there is to see without ever completing a mission. Once again, the simplistic and arbitrary story leaves me wanting, though in this case the narrative could in fact be self-created. In the end, I want to continue this journey, but right now, I can't make the time to be self-indulgent enough to lounge about the jungle.
-Fallout 3: A fantastic open world wasteland, that betrays the faith of the player in its final moments, I have kept the game installed partially as a wish to travel the entire wasteland and see what hidden treasures lurk and partially as a benchmark for upgrades.It's time to move on.
-Crysis: Kept this as a benchmark only, can't really myself playing it again despite its graphical prowess. There isn't enough meat on these bones for another go around story-wise (there's that word again)
-VTM:Bloodlines: Buggy and sometimes ugly, this underbaked RPG has lived on through its fanbase and endless patches/updates.I loved playing it despite the performance issues as it combined sex and violence in a truly mature way.I keep it so my wife can play it but she clearly isn't coming around to this anytime soon.

Oldy but Goody

S.T.A.L.K.E.R is staying because the game's moody atmosphere and open world still calls to me, and graphics patches have helped keep the engine from becoming fugly.

Half-Life 2/Ep. 1 & 2 are perennial favorites that are like visits from old friends, and sit contently in my Steam folder, along with The Witcher.

Unlike my console games which rotate in and out of the inventory on a regular basis, PC games grow especially difficult to trade so I simply retire them to their boxes in the closet. I think fondly of them once in a while and hope I see them again, but doubt it, kind of like grandparents.

I play a hell of a lot of games it seems--

so I figured I would compile a list of the games I have played, beaten, loved and hated for this year. Please note, this does not necessarily mean games released this year as I have a tendency to walk away from games that frustrate me until the itch to play them starts again...


GAMES I HAVE BEATEN IN 2007 (for the first time)

Easily the best game I have beaten for pure entertainment value has been Bioshock. Despite a mediocre tacked on ending, this is the first game that for me has displayed the true potential of games as an artform. The painterly art direction combined with thematic depth and subtext of the story make this a true masterpiece, topped off with a real emotional punch.

The Darkness and Mass Effect also demonstrate the power of the next(current?) gen hardware when combined with real storytelling and a commitment to quality, especially in voice-acting. While Mass Effect delivers a ridiculous amount of value in its 25+ hours of gameplay it does suffer from tech issues, such as slowdowns and framerate drops. It is also not as revolutionary as hoped, with an overall feel of Knights of the Old Republic redux. The Darkness delivers top quality writing and performance with a story and delivers a real emotional gut punch early on. While it never again reaches that level of immersion, the graphics and gameplay are excellent.

God of War I & II deliver visceral intensity and pitch-perfect gameplay-the third in this series will be the only reason I buy a PS3 (to date)

VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE:BLOODLINES is one of the rare FPS/RPG's works. Despite the game developer going under and the game being under-cooked at release, a thriving mod community has continued to patch and upgrade the game past the official releases. While the staples of RPG's (grinding, leveling up) are present, the content which explores a mature rating in the best possible way (i.e. not gratuitously) provides massive game play value and entertainment. Like many games of this type, (Mass Effect, Dark Messiah) the combat is nowhere near as tight as one would expect from an FPS/action game but not a deal breaker.

F.E.A.R-FPS action combined with Asian-horror scares makes for a good but short time. The A.I. in this game is unparalleled and even with the visuals scaled down for a low-end machine, it is extremely playable and looks good too. Repetitive level design drag down the imaginative story but the intensity of the action keeps the heart pumping.

GEARS OF WAR & HALO 3 led the action assault in the past 12 months on the Xbox360, each dropping in time for the holidays of 2006 & 2007 respectively. While I originally derided Gears for its repetitive "stop & pop" game play and paper thin story, in the end, the pure intensity of the combat and gorgeous visuals won me over. Halo 3's story is not only thin, but launches itself past ambiguity to incomprehensibility. It is still the perfect FPS for the xbox, with tight responsive controls and well-executed (pun intended) enemy A.I. The graphics are strangely variable from drop dead gorgeous to placeholder matte art that seems to have been missed. The finale (post credits) is a satisfying wrapup to the storyline (such as it is) and solidify the emotional resonance between the Master Chief and Cortana.

CALL OF DUTY 4 was a non-stop thrill-ride from start to finish, with stunning visuals, good (if not original)storytelling and even some resonance. It hides the linear aspect of the game with the intensity of the firefight, though the players squad often take on more than they should, leaving me less the leader of the fight than a follower. Fantastic game.

CRACKDOWN is one of the hidden gems of this year, a game many people only to access the Halo 3 beta unfotunately. Much like Hulk:Ultimate destruction, the open world aspect of the game is fantastic, as is the vertical play, with towering skylines to ascend. Grand Theft Superhero is the best description to apply, though I skipped the driving aspect entirely. A very entertaining way to spend some time shooting things and leaping from tall buildings.

Prince of Perisa:The Sands of Time: After finally reading the manual I figured out how to beat the elevating room sequence and then game....years later. A fantastic entry, improved upon by the second sequel The Two Thrones, which I still haven't beat. The Warrior Within was acquired recently and thought it is a much prettier game visually, it is not as good as the 1st nor the last.

When I have time I will post the games I am still playing, and those I played and ditched.