View source for Video Game Backlog

== Backlog ==
=== Horror ===
*Choo-Choo Charles
* [https://gamejolt.com/games/nyctophobia/9161 Nyctophobia]: Top down horror game.
* Darkwood
*The Evil Within

=== RPG ===
* Witcher 3
* Final Fantasy 15
* Final Fantasy 7 remake
* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1257290/Atelier_Ryza_2_Lost_Legends__the_Secret_Fairy/ Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy - video game]
* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1198090/The_Legend_of_Heroes_Trails_of_Cold_Steel_IV/ Trails of Cold Steel IV - a video game series worth looking into]
*Dragon Quest III (?)
* Policenauts

=== Strategy ===
* Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113030/Stellar_Warfare/ Stellar Warfare]: Space RTS (think SW Empire at War).
* Earth Defense Force Series
* Into the Breach
* [https://fractalsoftworks.com/ Starsector]
* Frozen Synapse
*Men of War II

=== Indie ===
* Undertale
* [https://veloren.net/ Veloren]: OSS Minecraft clone written in Rust.
*The Forgotten City - Might be worth playing if it can be found for 20$. 
*The Ascent
*Weird West
*[https://sadambober.itch.io/idol-manager Idol Manager]: Not sure if it would be enjoyable or not, but it’s worth saving for now.
*REPLACED (Cyberpunk platformer)
* Sable
*Aeterna Noctis
*The Last Night
*RimWorld
*Besiege
*Stardew Valley
*Furi
*Factorio
*RUINER
*Pathway
*HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed
*VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
*Fights in Tight Spaces

=== First Person ===
* Subnautica: Below Zero
* Halo Infinite
*Subnautica
* Ghostrunner
*Project Warlock II (retro shooter)
* Ion Fury Aftershock
*Bright Memory: Infinite

=== Stealth ===
*MGS Series
*UnMetal

=== Flight "Sim" ===
* [https://old.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/jzqz1u/dcs_rising_squall_announcement_trailer/ DCS Rising Squall]: Single player mode?
* Project Wingman
*ACE COMBAT 7

=== VR ===
*Until You Fall
*Star Shelter

=== Mods ===
* [https://old.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/k26fls/blade_runner_cells_interlinked_2021_fangame_mod/ Blade Running Cells Interlinked]: Blade Runner fangame/mod for Serious Sam 3.
* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/317400/Portal_Stories_Mel/ Portal Stories Mel]: Portal 2 mod with a new story.

=== PlayStation ===
* Returnal
* Astro's Playroom
* Demon Souls
* Forsaken
*13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

=== Nintendo ===
* Metroid Dread
* Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
* Mario + Rabids

== Played ==
=== 2021 ===
;Iron Harvest
:Polania Campaign
:*Story might as well not exist, as it's not anything notable. Anna is a particularly annoying character.
:*''Missions aren't challenging. I didn't have a single game over on medium difficulty. Unless I'm mistaken, every mission takes place on a map available in multiplayer. Maybe the train mission doesn't.''
:*Mission objectives aren't particularly interesting. Go here, destroy or protect this thing, continue. 

;Super Hot VR
:A short (1.5-2 hours), but fun, VR experience. Not being able to teleport/slide within a small area takes a bit to get used to. Some of the encounters feel unfair, but the majority are well balanced. 

;The Final Hours Of Half-Life Alyx
*Less of a video game, and more of an interactive book. Has pictures, videos, and a model viewer.
*Some cool information contained within.
*Doesn't take long to read. About 3 hours at a leisurely pace.
*Not quite worth full price (10$), get it on sale.

;Half-life Alyx
*Easily the best VR game on the market. ''In contention for my favorite video game.''
*The difficulty progression is fantastic. Starts with Head Crabs, and then Zombies shortly after. Both get variants as the game progresses. Then the Combine are added. The Combine have 4(?) types of enemies to add variance to fights. Antlions have two versions and are super creepy. 
*Who’s the girl talking to the Combine?
*The Jeff section is Mr. X in VR, yet maybe a little better.
*Puzzles are fun and creative. They take advantage of the game’s VR mechanics.
*Gravity gloves are dope! At times they’re a little awkward, but you get to shoot lightning later. 
*The sections in darkness are among the scariest in video games.
*You’ll quickly realize that your fight or flight instincts kick in during combat. Have ammo and good position? Fight! Out of ammo and getting surrounded? Flight! ''The Antlions in particular freaked me out regularly.''
*The story is top notch. The ending in particular gets you thinking if you’ve played other Half-Life games.

;Resident Evil<nowiki>:</nowiki> Village: Overall: 👍👍
:*The Duke is a great addition. ''I particularly enjoyed the Kitchen he provides.''
:*''Has the best back half of an RE game I've played.''
:*Exploration, crafting, and combat are all fun. More exploration would've been nice.
:*Puzzle's are the best they've been since RE2 Remake.
:*Chris is fantastic in this game.
:*This is the first game where you're playing as a BOW. You just don't know that until the end.

;Valheim: ''While I haven't beaten this game, I've spent enough time with it that I want to share my thoughts.'' The crafting system is well thought out. The biggest issue with is how many resources some things require (grindy). You'll eventually get an upgrade that makes acquiring said materials much faster. Even when you're mining copper for hours the game is enjoyable. It's at its best when playing with friends.

;Resident Evil 7: ''Wrapped up my 2nd/collectables play-through just in time for Village (read: month late). I have a greater appreciation for this game after plaything 1-3. It's no surprise that 7 was a return to form. The last section of the game does drag on a little though. Probably going to do a speed run (less than 4 hours) play-through at some point.''

:''The ending for choosing to cure Zoe isn't as good as the Mia ending. Some plot inconsistencies that I noticed: Jack tells Ethan that killing Eveline will save his family, but Zoe needs the cure in End of Zoe. Jack also isn't dead despite turning to stone in the main story of 7.''

;Resident Evil 7<nowiki>:</nowiki> End of Zoe: ''Also a short (seemed longer than Not A Hero), fun DLC. It ties up Zoe's story from the main game. I was also able to beat this in one sitting, but I found the last two areas to be quite frustrating (difficulty spike?). Punching the molded was quite fun. I hope to see that back someday. As with Not A Hero, this is worth playing.''

;Resident Evil 7<nowiki>:</nowiki> Not A Hero: ''This is a fun, short, DLC that wraps up Lucas's story. I was able to complete it in one sitting. I liked being able to punch molded as Chris. The map layout what pretty solid, but there was only one puzzle, and calling it a puzzle might be generous. Overall worth playing after 7.''

;Wolfenstien The New Order: ''I decided to play this game on the equivalent of hard. Hard difficulty is mostly fine, with some stupid one-shot thrown in. I dropped the difficulty on the final boss after a few tries. It was too much BS with not being able to see (smoke and fire), everything being on fire, and getting one shot.''

:Deciding who to save in the beginning only seemed to affect a few voice lines. There are also a few vehicle sections that aren’t bad, but aren’t anything special. The stealth mechanics are half baked. The AI doesn’t seem to know what to do, but it gives you some free kills and can largely be ignored.

:Otherwise the gameplay is tight and fun. Wish you got more perks and more upgrades for weapons, but what there is, is good. Story ranges from over the top, to right in the feels. Glad I finally played it.

;Resident Evil 3 REmake: ''First of all, the new Jill look is great. I'm torn on how I feel about this game. On the one hand the gameplay is a natural evolution of RE2. The doge is a great mechanic once you get the hang of it. On the other, Nemesis isn't used as well as Mr. X. Aside from the first encounter with him, he's only scripted events. All the areas are unique, but some are far to short. The streets of Raccoon City and hospital are the best two. Overall RE2 is better, but this is still a solid game.''

:''Upon further reflection I decided my biggest issue with this game is how linear it is. I want exploration in my RE games, and it’s not present here.''

:Some previously written thoughts are below.

:''I’m torn on how to feel about this game. Jill and Carlos are amazing characters. I feel the game does a good job displaying their escape from RC. Nemesis ranges from scary to scripted. The first time he’s encountered he chases you around downtown (awsome!). After that it’s some run away sequences and a few arena boss fights. I wish the downtown section at the start was bigger. It would’ve helped with the power up motif most RE games have. After downtown you rarely don’t have enough ammo to take out most things. Maybe it’s cause I was hoarding it some, but I did let loose more as time went one. To wrap up, RE3 could’ve been better, but it also could’ve been much worse. I’m glad I played it, and I think it’s a solid conclusion to the RC trilogy.''

;Firewatch: ''The story tackling some of the challenges of dementia had me invested quickly. The radio conversations with Delilah are unique. I'd love to see another game do something similar. I was glad the ending didn't explain everything with some supernatural explanation. Keeping everything grounded was the right call.''

:Some previously written thoughts are below.

:''I beat this game in a day. That’s not a bad thing mind you, I appreciate when games don’t overstay their welcome. Gameplay wise it’s nothing more than a walking simulator. Story wise it’s quite a wild ride. Your wife getting dementia hit home for me, wasn’t expecting that. I was glad the ending didn’t get fantastical as well. It didn’t chalk everything up to magic or something else, which would’ve cheapened the first ⅔ of the game. The story is trying to tell you that avoiding your problems can lead to new ones, which is a good lesson.''

=== 2020 ===

;The last of Us Part II
;The Last of Us
;Half-Life 2 Episode 2
;Half-Life 2 Episode 1
;Half-Life 2
;Half-Life Blue Shift
;Half-Life