End of the Year Gaming Tag 2023

The past 12-months have gone by so quickly.

It’s hard to believe just how little of 2023 is left. There are now only two weeks to go before Christmas and both sides of the family descend on the Later Levels household for the day. I should really stop procrastinating about having to cook for so many people and get on with the arrangements.

Before that, let’s take some time to reflect on everything which has happened in the past year in terms of gaming. I started recording data about my habits after starting a Data Fellowship apprenticeship in March 2022 so thankfully I have a spreadsheet to hand. Although it shows that the time spent on playing has decreased, I’ve still managed to fit in an average of 45 hours each month.

I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing some great titles during that time, and it’s thanks to the End of Year Gaming Tag 2023 created by Kate from Blogging with Dragons that I’m taking the opportunity to write about them today. It reminds me of the events you used to see regularly in the blogging community but have now largely died out, so I’m coming at this post with a dose of nostalgia.

The rules are simple: answer a set of 15 questions focused on your gaming experiences in 2023, politely link back to the original creator, and tag other bloggers you hope to see respond. I’d like to encourage everyone to take part because personal stories shared through events like this help connect us as gamers – so if you’re reading this now, consider yourself tagged. With year-end festivities fast approaching, let’s celebrate the video game adventures which have made this year one to remember.

What are you currently playing?

I recently finished playing Nightmare Frames by Postmodern Adventures and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s definitely worth picking up if you’re a fan of point-and-clicks who likes horror films or supernatural stories. The next game-in-progress that I’m planning to finish is Markus Ritter – Ghost of the Past. I backed the Kickstarter campaign for Flimmersoft’s full-motion video (FMV) adventure after playing The Lost Family when it was released in August 2021. Full of Gabriel Knight references, the relationship between the protagonist and Ludwig is so sweet.

Are there any games you started this year that you still intend to finish?

Pete and I played the first episode of The Sudden Silence on Timothy Lee on stream in late November. Some of our streamer-friends are fans of detective games like us and so we wanted to show them what the series by The Detective Society were like, without giving too much away. The narrative is more science-fiction that the first series, The Disappearance of Claire Makova, and the thought of a shadowy technology corporation up to no good has pulled me in. I’m looking forward to playing the next five episodes and finding out what’s going on.

Is there a new release or update you’re still waiting for?

What I want right now is a fix for Hauma – A Detective Noir Story from SenAm Games. I started playing this last month and managed to get through almost four hours before hitting bug which has stopped me from progressing. Although the story isn’t to everyone’s taste according to the reviews, I’m close to finishing this comic-inspired visual novel and want to find out if protagonist Judith manages to crack the case. But I won’t be able to do that if the developer doesn’t respond to my Steam post with a resolution, dammit!

Any other games you want to pick up before the very end of the year?

I’m planning on purchasing the downloadable content (DLC) for Lake by Gamious soon so I can stream it on Twitch on Christmas Eve. Pete wasn’t a fan when I played it in September 2021 because it didn’t contain enough guns or explosions for him, but I really liked its personal story and warm atmosphere. The Season’s Greetings supplement seems just the right thing to experience during the festive season. This time we’re following the previous protagonist’s father as he delivers Christmas spirit to the people of Providence Oaks.

Have you played any events this year that stick out in your memory?

Although I didn’t have a great time with Rare’s Sea of Thieves when I originally tried it several years ago, the release of The Legend of Monkey Island in August was enough to make me give it another try. Ellen from Strength in Sarcasm and friend-of-the-blog Phil joined me on an adventure with Guybrush which convinced us to continue playing afterwards. I’m always going to be more about the exploration element than the player combat though, so I’m looking forward to trying the Safer Seas mode soon and being on a private server.

What game that was announced this year has you the most excited?

While at the EGX event in October, we had the pleasure of attending a talk by Peter Molyneux about Fable II. He may not be everyone’s favourite developer but there’s a possibility I wouldn’t be the gamer I am today if wasn’t for him and his work. Hearing him reveal that he was working on a new game set in the same world of Albion was an exciting moment for me and I immediately signed up to receive the updates from his blog. We may have a long time to wait before we actually see anything, but this news has made me very happy.

What game did you play this year that surprised you?

The most surprising release of 2023 for me was Firmament by Cyan, Inc. because of how bad it was. I backed the Kickstarter campaign for the project back in March 2019 then spent four years waiting for the release while the developer managed to publish additional versions of Myst (as if there weren’t enough already). Its story doesn’t contain anything to inspire intrigue or make the player want to figure out the mystery, and having the central plot twist explained to you through a long exposition dump at the end of the game is simply a crime.

Were there any games that you intentionally did not finish? If so, why?

I’d had fun casually dabbling in Yakuza 0, so I decided to pick up Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Judgment in one of the Steam sales as its detective theme and mechanics appealed to me. After completing the first case though, I’d realised I’d had enough. I’d enjoyed what I played and could see why the reviews were so positive but I just didn’t feel the need to progress any further. I’m now watching the game in full via a YouTube playthrough while I’m running on the treadmill and am planning to move onto sequel Lost Judgment afterwards. No spoilers please!

What is your favourite trophy or achievement that you’ve obtained this year?

I’ve never been a trophy hunter when it comes to video games so it’s a little difficult for me to remember any of those obtained this year. The one that does spring to mind though is the No Regrets achievement in The Elder Scrolls Online by ZeniMax Online Studios. Ellen, Phil and I have a habit of jumping off ledges in the games played during our weekly nights together, so leaping off the highest point in the High Isle zone felt appropriate. The screenshot opposite was grabbed just before my Wood Elf took the plunge.

Did you purchase any new consoles or upgrades this year?

It’s strange that we haven’t made a lot of tech purchases this year as they’re usually the first thing on Pete’s agenda. His newfound love for Magic: The Gathering has been causing him to spend his money on cards rather than hardware! But seriously though, most of the items we buy are for our streaming set-up and we’ve only managed to get back into it recently due to increased work and apprenticeship commitments. We’d like to buy a new camera at some point so we can do better top-down streams for creative stuff and board games.

Have you changed your gaming habits this year?

As mentioned above, increased commitments this year have meant I’ve had to be more conscious of the amount of time spent playing video games. The Data Fellowship apprenticeship came with several coursework deadlines but the dedication paid off when I passed with flying colours in September. I’ve recently been accepted onto the Advanced Data Fellowship, but this one comes with way more work so it’s highly likely things will have to change even further. There’ll hopefully be an update coming towards the end of the week once I have more information.

What platform did you play on the most this year?

I don’t think we’ve even turned on our PlayStation or Xbox this year. We’ve played a few games on retro consoles, but over 80% of our free time has been spent playing video games on PC (according to my spreadsheet). The over 20% has been devoted to physical experiences such as board games, escape-rooms-in-boxes and jigsaw puzzles. Our interest in cooperative board games has increased since attending our first UK Games Expo in June 2022 and I reflected upon the reason for this in a post earlier this month.

What character from a game is your favourite of the year?

Voodoo Detective by Short Sleeve Studio only came onto my radar this year when appeared during the Steam summer sale, despite being released in May 2022. As well as being a great point-and-click clearly influenced by the classics, its protagonist is well-voiced, has a dry sense of humour and always has something cynical to say. One of his little quirks was calling other characters ‘voodoo doll face’ and this became a running joke in the Later Levels household for a while. I’m hoping the developers will make a sequel one day so we can see him return.

What is your personal Game of the Year and why?

If I had to pick just one, I’d go for DREDGE by Black Salt Games. There’s something melancholic about it that pulls at your emotions, the music complimenting this feeling. The title of the game is absolutely perfect too – not only does conjure up images of a monster hiding beneath the waves, but it also hints at memories long forgotten and secrets best left undisturbed. Placid Plastic Duck Simulator by turbolento games comes in at an extremely close second, regardless of how much Pete likes telling me ‘it’s not a game’.

Have you already started making gaming plans for 2024?

The next few months are going to be all about GameBlast24, as we participate in two types of marathon to raise money and awareness for SpecialEffect. There’ll be a 24-hour streaming marathon on Twitch on Saturday, 24 February 2024 followed by my participation in the London Marathon on Sunday, 21 April 2024. We’re currently looking for suggestions of games to play during the former so we’d love to hear your ideas – plus I need some help putting enough pressure on Pete to make sure he dons his Pikachu onesie again for the event.

That was a long one! Thank you to Kate from Blogging with Dragons for putting this tag event together, and thumbs-up to everyone who’s taking part. I hope that 2023 has been a wonderful year for you both in terms gaming and otherwise, and I look forward to reading your answers to the questions above.