Looking back: 30 Games Tag
The end of 2020 is fast approaching, and it’s that time of year when gamers start looking back over the titles they’ve played. Which release was their favourite, which has left a lasting impression and which do they want to completely forget?
I found that the 30 Games Tag currently doing the rounds here in the blogging community was a great way to get myself thinking about these questions, and it was this post by Nathan from Gaming Omnivore which finally convinced me to give it a try. From the last titles to play to those from my childhood, here are my picks for each category along with some of my gaming memories.
| The last single-player game you played: | Interrogation Files: Port Landsend | This was the last single-player game I’d completed at the time of writing, but detective titles don’t remain single-player experiences here. We’ve had a lot of fun streaming them on Twitch this year and inviting our friends in chat to participate by sharing their theories. Shout-out to the_Ghost_Owl! |
| The last multiplayer game you played: | World of Warcraft (WoW) | I recently started playing World of Warcraft (WoW) after getting roped into giving it a try by my other-half and Ellen from Ace Asunder. I totally suck at using a keyboard-and-mouse and wish there were an easy way to play using a controller, but I haven’t given up just yet. |
| A game you’ve played multiple times: | The Secret of Monkey Island | I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve played the original Monkey Island game over the years, either as part of an event or for my own enjoyment. Most recently it was for the title’s 30th anniversary back in October when I completed a stream and created a tag post for other fans. | A game in your favourite genre: | Paradigm |  Frostilye from Frostilyte Writes may have been given Maize to play as part of our game-swap last month, but I also gifted him a copy of Paradigm because I thought he would appreciate its humour. It’s one of the funniest (and offensive) point-and-clicks I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. |
| A game in your backlog: | The Long Dark | I backed the Kickstarter campaign for The Long Dark in September 2013 and, even though it was fully released in August 2017, I still haven’t gotten around to playing it. We’re planning to start it soon for our Sunday streams because it looks like it could be a great wintery game for this time of year. |
| The game you’ve put the most hours into: | The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) | According to Steam, I’ve put over 240 hours into ESO so far. I’m almost suprised it isn’t more. I’ve had an on-off addiction with this release since being introduced to it by a friend in December 2015 and chilling out with my fishing-rod in Vvardenfell helped get me through the lockdown. |
| A game you never finished: | cyperpunkdreams | The most recent I didn’t finish was cyperpunkdreams. After being intrigued by its dystopian storyline, I signed up for the beta and received a key a couple of weeks ago. It became apparent it wasn’t for me a few hours in though because I couldn’t gel with the card-based gameplay. |
| A game in third-person: | Horizon Zero Dawn |  I started playing this one again for our Wednesday streams and it’s nice hanging out with Aloy once more. I’m far too uncoordinated to be any good at the game but I really enjoy it – and I have enough medicinal herbs to pull me through any fight. Plus there’s the photo mode to mess around with! |
| A game in first-person: | The Suicide of Rachel Foster | I don’t often play first-person releases because I’m better when there’s a third-person view, but the most recent one was The Suicide of Rachel Foster. It has been criticised by some due to it covering some sensitive subjects, but I enjoyed the atmosphere of this walking-simulator. |
| A game you’ve replayed: | To The Moon | I have a weird gaming habit whereby I like to replay all the past releases in a series before starting the latest one. I’m really looking forward to the release of Imposter Factory and – as much as Pete is going to roll his eyes at this – I’ll be completing To The Moon and Finding Paradise again before diving in. |
| A game you play to relax: | Coloring Pixels | This has to be one of the most relaxing titles I’ve ever experienced. Simply pick an image, select a colour and then click on the pixels showing the correct number until the picture is complete. I’d highly recommend if you’re looking for something you can de-stress with. |
| A game that gets you excited: | Shivers |  Can excited also mean ‘scared’? I’m hoping so because I’d like to choose Shivers here. Even though I’d played it as a teenager back in the 1990s and so knew exactly what to expect, it was amazing how experiencing it again this year brought back the racing heartbeat and clammy hands. |
| A game from your favourite developers: | Unavowed | I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Dave Gilbert from Wadjet Eye Games speak at several events during the past few years and share his thoughts the adventure genre. His last release in 2018 was so good: a clever mix of point-and-click and RPG, combined with great characters and a supernatural storyline. |
| Your favourite indie game: | Too many | I’ve moved away from big-budget games in recent years because I’ve found that indie releases give me more of what I enjoy. It’s therefore difficult to pick just one here – so why not look out for the 2020 version of the Beginner’s guide to indie coming later this month for a round-up. |
| Your favourite AAA game: | Fable II | Fable was the title that got me back into gaming when I was a teenager so it means a lot to me, but it’s Fable II which is my favourite entry in the series. I’m hoping that Fable IV will recapture some of its cheeky, tongue-in-cheek magic even though it’s now being created by a different developer. |
| Your favourite board game: | Monopoly |  I’m not really a fan of board games but occasionally, Monopoly does get pulled out at Christmas. I remember us gifting my stepson a Fallout version of it when he was going through his obsession and we ended up having to play it for five hours – before letting him win, just so it could be over. |
| Your favourite multiplayer game: | That’s You! | Seeing as I’ve already mentioned WoW and ESO above, I’m going to pick something a little different for this one and choose That’s You! We played it on a whim during our GameBlast marathon stream in 2018 and it resulted in one of my favourite moments ever from the charity event. |
| Your favourite single-player game: | The Painscreek Killings | Most of the games I pick up are single-players as I tend to stick to the adventure genre, and I’ve already mentioned some of my favourites throughout the rest of this post. So let me pick one of my favourites from this year instead. The Painscreek Killings is an excellent detective title. |
| Your favourite game series: | Dreamfall | One of my other favourite point-and-click games is The Longest Journey. I love the feeling of the story, the way it is written and how the female protagonist is brought to life. I haven’t yet been able to complete Dreamfall Chapters because I don’t want the series to end. |
| Your favourite game from childhood: | Bone Cruncher |  My brother and I found this game on a stall at a local market and bought it for our Commodore 64 with our pocket-money. It was about a monster who collected bones to keep his soap business going, and it had a theme tune which reminded me of New Order’s Blue Monday. |
| An overrated game: | Undertale | The 12 hours spent with Undertale were pleasant enough but I wasn’t able to see why everyone goes crazy for it – and I couldn’t face having to complete the entire the process to get the alternative outcomes. There’s just something about this game which didn’t click for me. |
| An underrated game: | Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller | Cognition’s female protagonist is a badass. There’s so much potential here for a sequel and it would be great to see where her potent powers take her next. Sadly though, the developer hasn’t released a title since 2014 and seem more interested in the publishing side of the business nowadays. |
| Your guilty-pleasure game: | The Typing of the Dead: Overkill | I really shouldn’t like this game as much as I do – but I love it because it’s just so damn camp. The B-movie grindhouse style and vintage soundtrack encourage players not to take the title too seriously and I can’t stop myself from laughing at the parade of scantily-clad mutants and F-bombs. |
| A game based on a movie: | The LEGO Movie Videogame |  My stepson played this title constantly when I was first introduced to him and I ended up learning the words to the annoying theme tune off by heart. He used to wake me up early on Saturday mornings so he could ‘teach’ me about it, and something he said inspired a post for an earlier blog. |
| A game with an awesome soundtrack: | General Horse and the Package of Doom | If you’re really lucky when playing General Horse, you’ll meet the pirates who showcase their lyrical-genius by singing their space shanty: “It is normal to die from drinking rum; he already shagged your mom; General Horse, not another bum; General Horse, pirate-loving scum.” It’s good, silly fun. |
| A game with awesome artwork: | Eastshade | Sunlight casts patterns on paths that weave through the forest while red butterflies play in the breeze; waves break on sandy shores as seagulls fly overhead; and lights twinkle overhead in dark underground caverns so it looks like a star-filled sky. Eastshade looks like a piece of art. |
| A game with awesome voice-acting: | Gone Home | Full marks go to Sarah Grayson for her portrayal of Sam. The teenager comes across as smart and snarky yet insecure and relatable, and you can’t help but feel for her. By the time you’ve spent the three hours needed to complete the title both she and her story will have left a lasting mark on you. |
| A game best played with a controller: | Every game that isn’t a point-and-click |  As mentioned above, I completely suck when it comes to using a keyboard-and-mouse so I try to play every game with a controller where possible. There is an exception to this (see below) but generally speaking, I’ve always felt more comfortable with a gamepad for RPG and action releases. |
| A game best played with a keyboard-and-mouse: | Every game that’s a point-and-click | You just can’t play a point-and-click with a controller. Well, you can certainly try, but I find that it really spoils the experience and puts people off the genre. Manoeuvring your character feels much more natural using a mouse and it’s easier to handle the items you’ll need to solve puzzles. |
| An upcoming game you’re excited for: | Beyond the Veil | I played the demo during this year’s LudoNarraCon event and immediately added it to my wishlist. Although I’d seen only a snippet of the title, it left me wanting to continue the story and find out what was going down in the shadows of New Orleans – hopefully I’ll be able to get my hands on it soon. |
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Kim View All
Video game lover, Later Levels blogger and SpecialEffect volunteer. Big fan of wannabe pirates and fine leather jackets.
Letting others win at monopoly lol it’s a game of attrition! Victory over fun at all costs!!! lol (says the ruthless banker in me)
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After five hours, we just couldn’t wait for it to be over. And we couldn’t even make the experience better by having more wine because we had to drive home afterwards. 😆
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Mmm, Underale. Although, personally, I prefer Stout. (Sorry, I had to make fun of the spelling error. Because I never make those. Ever.)
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Ha ha thanks for pointing this out! I’ve just corrected it… I obviously need to have a word with my editor. 😆
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Typing of the Dead is awesome, a very guilty pleasure indeed though 😄
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It definitely falls into the so-bad-it’s-good category! 😆
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I agree with you on Undertale. I played one route and never went back. There wasn’t really anything that would convince me to do that.
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I get what made the Undertale so clever but… no. There are so many other games I want to play so spending another 12 hours on it just seems like a waste of time!
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Thanks for the mention!
I have yet to play Typing of the Dead, but it sounds intriguing….and my type(!pun) of brainless fun.
I definitely know your pain with those Monopoly games that just.never.end. Risk is another board game that takes forever to play…
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I’d highly recommend The Typing of the Dead. It can get a bit tricky on some of the higher difficulty settings but it’s so much fun and I think you’d get a kick out of the humour. 😀
We’ve already been told by Ethan that we need to take the board games with us when we visit family over Christmas. So if you don’t hear from us, send help…
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Ori and the Will of the Wisps for me. Love the game. Magnificent! The best game soundtrack of the year too, a mon avis. Innit.
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I’ve only played a bit of Ori and the Blind Forest… during a 24-hour charity marathon… at about 3am in the morning. So I haven’t yet worked up the courage to try the sequel after all those bad memories. 😆
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Reblogged this on DDOCentral.
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Love this list. I like how you described your “most overrated.” So many times people will do that in a way to make those who like the game feel bad about it, but for you it just didn’t click, and that’s totally valid! I still need to play Undertale. I’ve had it for YEARS on my Switch, but I just haven’t gotten to it.
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I can *totally* see why so many people love Undertale and it’s a very clever game, but it just wasn’t for me. Although there’s a chance my opinion may have been a little different if I’d played it nearer to its release, I still don’t think it would ever be on my favourites list. The music is great though – I’ve got several of the tracks saved in my games playlist.
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I’ve heard so many things about the soundtrack. I’ve never heard it and now want to wait until I play it to experience it!
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