PixlBit

     I got the end credits in 16 games not from 2019. With the glut of games available for nothing (or almost nothing) these days, I’ve gotten very impatient. If something stops me in a game or annoys me too much, I just move on. So the ones I completed were either short or engaged me so well I was willing to push through the annoying bits.

Forza Horizon 4 DLC: Fortune Island and Lego Speed Champions

                The first half of this year I was still playing a lot of Forza Horizon 4. I never did master drifting but I mastered just about everything else. These two DLC drops were a lot of fun. Fortune Island had you complete various challenges to unlock treasure chests which, if I remember right, gave you special cars. Lego Speed Champions gave you Lego cars to drive and the rewards for doing things were Lego pieces to build your own house and décor. The game as a whole is so endlessly fun and challenging. Now I want a Taxi or delivery simulation mode.

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments and Devil’s Daughter

                I discovered this series this year and found it really fun and innovative. The late 19^th century London setting is really interesting and the gameplay is thought provoking but not so devoid of action as to make it boring. You’re always looking at evidence and then traveling to a location to question someone or investigate. You have Watson, a street urchin and good old Toby the Basset Hound to help you. I was hot to play their 2019 release, Sunken City, but haven’t yet.

Metal Slug XX

                Good old Metal Slug. I managed to finish this probably because I played with infinite lives or something. These games are designed for the arcade and so are quarter munching hard. I love the graphic design in these games, though, and wanted to see every frame regardless of my gamer cred.

The Order 1886

                I went back to this and finished it on an easier difficulty setting so I could see everything. Like Sherlock Holmes, this is in a late 19^th century setting but with some fantastical elements. It’s gorgeous to look at even if you can’t interact with much in the environment. I thought the voice acting immaculate and all the mechanics of gameplay enjoyable.

Dear Esther

     Thanks to Game Pass on Xbox I’ve been able to sample some of these indie games people are always talking about. This walking simulator/story game was pretty interesting but you don’t do much other than walk slowly, listen to dialog and occasionally find a secret. I replayed it several times to find all those secrets and reveal every last bit of story. I also listened to the developer commentary for fun and an achievement.

What Remains of Edith Finch

                Another indie game I checked out on Game Pass. I thoroughly enjoyed this trek through an old house and a handful of short action sequences. I went back for the fun achievements and to hear all the dialog over again.

Borderlands 1 and 2

                In excited anticipation of Borderlands 3, both Mark and I replayed 1 and 2 on Xbox One. I even replayed the 360 version of B2 again to get achievements I never got the first time around. That makes this entry three games in one. I almost replayed Pre-Sequel as well but other things came up.

Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure

                I got surprisingly obsessed with beating this game in every possible way. You’re given six different worlds to explore from the various movies. You play them through in a linear fashion similar to runner games on phones. It was fun to get all the collectibles and challenges in each area. I played them all many times to get the highest score. I should’ve had 100% achievements except for one lousy one I missed because I didn’t watch through all the end game credits. The only solution was to start all over and do it again. Seriously? Developers, never put an achievement for watching all the credits. PLEASE.

Uncharted 3

                I finished this one off. I’ve played 1, didn’t quite finish 2, and quit early in 4. One of these days I’m going to finish them all. These games are amazing to play, super gorgeous and cinematic. Sometimes the combat is frustrating, but I know now to keep the difficulty low. I love exploring these games more than fighting in them.

Bastion

                I finally got to this after years of putting it off. The sale price was so low I couldn’t say no. Well, it was worth it. This is a great action RPG with a story that flexes a bit depending on what you do. Really, it doesn’t change anything but it’s neat to hear the narrator change what he says as you do things. I should go back to complete every little thing sometime.

EDF 2025

                I dug this out again when it became backwards compatible on Xbox One. I played through the whole game on various difficulty settings. Unlike other games, this one doesn’t give you cascading credit for easier difficulties when you beat it on a higher setting. So I played every level in every setting I could. I cleared the game on easy, normal and hard and was three short of everything on the next highest setting. I was quite annoyed to miss 3 of 90-some levels but that’s how it goes. Some of them are darn tough.

Gnomes Garden 1 and 3

                I discovered this casual series on a PSN sale and then got them again on Xbox. Take the resource management mechanics of various RTS games and make a whole game out of that. It’s very simple but to do it fast enough is the trick. It’s colorful and cute too, so it’s a pleasant palette cleanser between other games or when I just want to chill. I’m still working on Gnomes Garden 2 at the moment.

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit

                Finally, I finished this the day after Christmas. This is a kind of more involved TellTale game. You answer in dialog boxes like in TellTale games but you can also free roam a house and yard and hunt for items needed to complete various tasks your neglected tween needs to sustain his imaginary adventures (and possibly his sanity). I really enjoyed it. I didn’t finish all the tasks so I could go back to it sometime.

     That’s a year finishing old games. I’m trying now to stay more current but there’s so much thrown my way every week, it’s hard to stay on track. I’ll likely dive into more eclectic retro choices in 2020.