Considering it’s e3 summer fun time I wanted to share a bit of info around what my first half of 2021 looked like from a gaming perspective and what I’m excited about that’s upcoming.
Quick update on FF9 and KOTOR
It’s difficult going back in time to play old classics for the first time. All of the quality of life improvements that occur over years is obviously missing and with no nostalgia to keep you engaged – playing a title from a previous time is tough. Final Fantasy is a bit easier than KOTOR for me, but it’s still a bit of a coin toss. I’m only a handful of hours into both games and it’s tough to get excited to go back in. I think once I get to the point of being ‘hooked’ by either the gameplay or the story I’ll be able to jump in and wrap them up quickly, though I’m struggling to get to that place and find myself wandering and getting distracted by other titles for the limited amount of time I have.
Games I’ve Played This Year
- Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (ME1, 2 and 3)
- I played through every ME game as part of this bundle (roughly 100 hours) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Mass Effect 1 was honestly still the roughest to go back to (full appreciation for the hard work put in to make it better) but I got through it fine.
- Mass Effect 2 is every bit the masterpiece I remember and Mass Effect 3 is dramatically better than I remember it being. Mass Effect 3’s combat especially feels fantastic to me and is the best in the series
- PC Gaming
- At some point I fell out of PC gaming – I think it was attributed to my life getting super busy with work and family and frankly not wanting to spend more time in my office in front of the keyboard anymore. Though I’ve really been looking to appreciate a more contemplative gaming experience – or put another way the opposite experience of Doom and Doom Eternal. Not that there’s anything wrong with those games, just something I’m personally looking for and found/rediscovered Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2, as well as Dragon Age Origins which scratches that itch.
- Console Gaming
- I have a PS5 (no Xbox currently) and have been enjoying games like Nier Replicant, Kingdom of Amalur Re-Reckoning, took a stroll down memory lane with Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance and picked up Immortals: Fenyx Rising.
Upcoming Games I’m Excited About
- Console Upcoming Releases
- I’m looking forward to Forspoken (Project Athia), Hogwart’s Legacy, Tales of Arise, Babylon’s Fall and of course Final Fantasy XVI
- PC Upcoming Releases
- I’m very much looking forward to Baldur’s Gate 3
- Other Thoughts
- Since we are seeing so many remakes/remasters presently, I’m also looking forward to Diablo 2 Resurrection
- I played a bit of the Scarlet Nexus demo and thought it was interesting but borderlines on overwhelming for me, I’ll be paying attention to see how it reviews and may pick that up when it releases here on June 25th.