I played through Metal Gear Solid (1) late last year, and it drove me crazy...in the worst way. I thought the story was awful, the gameplay was frustrating at best and maddening at worst.

I really want to get to Metal Gear Solid V based on what I heard about it when it came out, and I think I could like MGS4 based on what was said about it. However, it's really hard getting through the early games.

So, I got around to playing MGS2, and while the gameplay was not as anger-inducing as MGS1, it was still frustrating at times and boring most of the time, in my opinion.

I really hated the mostly top-down perspective of the gameplay. I really want something more over-the-shoulder, because having to always switch to first-person just to see what is in front of me was very frustrating. More often, I would run into the sightline of an enemy or into some obstacle simply because I couldn't see what was in front of me.

The story got even more absurd than 1, as I somewhat expected based on Bombcasts, but it still managed to be worse than I thought. I had a hard time keeping track of the characters and the developments that came at too quick of a pace and were just so beyond Sci-Fi into fantasy, and the over-explaining was very trying...

After getting about ten hours into MGS2, I literally lost all desire to play video games, period. As stupid as it sounds, my lack of enjoyment with MGS2 really made me question the time I was putting into gaming as a hobby.

I'm also a musician, and while it's been a while since I played in a band, I am trying to play more and eventually get back into a band and starting creating more art instead of only being the consumer. So, with those thoughts already in my head, MGS2 was the straw that broke me.

Also, something very important to my mindset is that I'm a father of two children under three years old. So, I have very little free time. Therefore, I really have to feel I'm using it the best I can.

Add to that a whole other giant mess that I don't love what I do for my job and am always thinking of another possible career doing something I care more about...

Anyway, after hearing so many good things about Inside and Doom and getting excited for some upcoming games like No Man's Sky, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and South Park: The Fractured but Whole, I got the motivation to finish MGS2 last night so I could just move on. I powered through it in a few more sittings this week, and I was very happy to finally complete it.

I feel free now, excited to play some other games, though I'll probably be putting less time in than I was even able to before.

I still plan on trying MGS3 eventually, and I really hope I like it more. I still think I'll like MGS5, and I think MGS4 has a good shot, as well, if it is true that it has more cutscenes than gameplay. :P

TLDR: I don't think Metal Gear Solid 2 is the worst game ever. It's not even the worst game I've ever played. I just was expecting more and got very frustrated and bored, personally. I feel compelled to play the games that so many like so much, so that I have an opinion. Plus, I want to get to MGS5, which I do think I'll like, but I'd love to play all the games in order to get there, to know all the narrative... I'm not saying that no one should like these games. As always, it's about preference and taste.

I'm on to my 3rd "To Play" list of 2016, and I'm happy to say that this method is really working for me! I'm getting through a lot of smaller games (or pieces of DLC) and really feeling good about the little time I'm able to put into games.

I really wanted to play Firewatch and The Witness day-one. However, I held myself to my lists, and I'm glad I did. I missed the initial hype of the games, but now that it's past that, I really don't feel like I missed terribly much. While it's fun to be involved in that early-on, the truth is that I've never had a ton of friends that play games, and I have never had enough time to spend on forums for it to be a big impact anyway...

I was actually really tempted to pre-order The Division to get in on day-one, but my experience with these lists really helped me to hold off. Maybe I'll play it eventually, maybe I won't, but I at least don't feel bad about not jumping in the first day and, once again, push games I already own (and know are good) further into my backlog.

Fakey's 3rd 2016 "To Play" List

	1. FirewatchThis is a perfect example of a game I would have played day-one, if I hadn't been doing these lists. However, now that I'm finally able to start a new list, I feel really good about continuing with my plan for these lists.
	2. Middle-earth: Shadow of MordorThis is only for the Bright Lord DLC. This is one of the games that taught me not to buy Season Passes until I know everything that is going to be in it. Given that I did buy the Season Pass, though, (after really liking the game) I want to at least play through this few hour DLC.
	3. OxenfreeI'm going into this one hopeful that I'll love it but slightly worried about not liking the teen nature of the game.
	4. Rise of the Tomb RaiderThis is only for the Baba Yaga DLC. I really loved this game, but I gave it a tiny rest before I'm going to jump back in to complete this DLC and uninstall the game.
	5. The Witcher 3: Wild HuntBefore starting this specific list, I decided to spend a lot of time back in this game. I still didn't finish it (just started Act III), but I'm glad that I did go back to this game instead of just starting the other games on this list first. I plan on finishing the main storyline in the game after completing the other games on this specific list. This game will then only pop up in later lists for the DLC (where I'll also do some more side missions).
	6. The WitnessI also wanted to play this game day-one, but I held off, as I really wanted to be able to dedicate myself to it. Also, I slightly modified the rules of these lists in order to get this game on as my "medium-length" game. I know this game can take 40+ hours to 100%, and while I may do that, eventually, the spirit of these lists is to keep myself to only one giant open-world/RPG at a time. Games like The Witness are much more contained, even when they take more than 20-25 hours to 100%.

I'm going to post soon about some of the games I recently played, but I'm just going to post something quick about what has already worked on my new "To Play" List strategy for 2016 and what I'm already revising.

What is Working

I've already worked through 3 games and am finishing up a fourth. They are all the shorter games on my list (under 8 hours), and it is so encouraging to be working through these games and feeling like I'm checking games off my backlog. Instead of just being wrapped up in bigger games, I'm putting attention on the shorter games and actually getting through them, instead of them just being pushed down my list over and over. This is working!!

What I Changed

I just changed my lists to be 6 games instead of 10. I will now have only 4 games under 8 hours. This is because I want to be able to have more flexibility when I finish some games. There is no good reason to make myself complete a list of 9 games I pick out, rather than complete 5 and then get to build a new list (the last game on the list is the one over 20 hours that is allowed to carry over to the new list).

Also, if I'm being honest, Rise of the Tomb Raider is coming out on PC in a week, and I want to play that Day 1! :D

Here's my revised 1st To Play List:

Fakey's 1st 2016 "To Play" List

	. 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 DoorsI've already gotten one ending, so I'm just trying to get the rest now.
	. The Beginner's Guide
	. Life Is StrangeI only have episode 5 left.
	. Light
	. Lumino CityI've been excited about this one since my wife and I played Lume several years ago, but I just never prioritized playing this game until now.
	. The Witcher 3: Wild HuntI love this game, but I just got sidetracked. So I want to get back to it, complete it, and then I'll probably put it down before going back to the DLC.

As I've done previously, my Game of the Year list consists of the best games I played this year, regardless of what year they were released. I continue to play a lot of older games on my backlog, and I think it is more interesting to rank all the games I played, rather than just the few that were actually released this year.

Honorable Mentions

Beyond Eyes

I love everything that Beyond Eyes stands for. I love the art, the way that the player discovers the world, and many of the surprises along the way. However, ultimately, I wasn't as touched with the story's revelation as I thought I'd be, and I found many parts of the game to border on frustration, as I struggled around the environment. Wandering the environment is definitely part of the point, but I found there was not enough interesting in the environment to keep me from being frustrated when I found myself exploring the corners of the environments. I recommend the game to anyone that likes games that try to push the boundaries of games as art and alternate-storytelling methods, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone that isn't already invested in playing similar games.

Never Alone

As with Beyond Eyes, I really believe in what the developers of Never Alone are trying to do. They are telling a story that many will hear for the first time and giving a voice to a people that do not get heard enough. However, the game had many frustrating points and not enough pay-offs along the way, especially at the very end. I will still play the DLC, but it's still hard for me to recommend the game to many people.

Greatest Frustrations

Grow Home

I know that I lack a lot of "skill" when it comes to playing games. However, I was still surprised how much some people liked Grow Home. I found the gameplay too shallow and the frustrations way too high. I did get the hang of moving around the environment, grappling, but it never felt more than a burden and inconvenience. I just kept thinking the grappling was a good thing to have for the first hour or so of the game and then should be replaced by something more fun, but the jetpack didn't really even do that for me. I also just never really had a lot of fun playing the game or exploring the world. There was enough to keep me going to the end, but I didn't go back after completing the minimum requirements to finish the game.

Metal Gear Solid

I know this is an almost twenty year old game, at this point, and, therefore, a lot of the gameplay is based on dated ideas and practices, but the final boss fight was one of the most frustrating experiences I've ever had in games (i.e. not 1st but top 5). I also just haven't been pulled into the story yet, at all. I find the story simply too absurd, and while I know that is part of the draw for many people, I'm still hoping the later games pull it together more for me. Part of it is that there are too many characters, and they never were fleshed out enough for me to care at all about them, which caused them to feel paper-thin. I really want to play MGS V, but I am going to try to play through all the games in release-order. MGS II will be this year, and I hope I can motivate myself to complete III and maybe even IV this year...

Biggest Disappointments

Roundabout

I laughed as so many of the cut-scenes from Roundabout, loved the style, the main character, and the general presentation, but I found the gameplay frustrating and just not very enjoyable, even in the best parts of the game. I couldn't wait to finish it after only being about twenty minutes in. I had to see all the cut-scenes, though!

Sunset

I truly wanted to love Sunset, because I really believe in what Tale of Tales stands for, and as with many of the other games mentioned above, I like the concept and story of this game. However, the game dragged on at least twice as long as I think it should have, and the gameplay was not enjoyable enough to be repeated over and over as much as it was. I feel there should have been some puzzles to keep the player more engaged, in between the narrative delivery mechanisms. Otherwise, the story would have simply been better served as a short story or a visual novel.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

I loved Wolfenstein: The New Order (it was my Game of the Year last year), but The Old Blood lost most of the things I liked most about The New Order. The New Order was great partly because of the stealth, but The Old Blood loses a lot of the need for stealth, and when forced stealth segments exist, they are infuriating, as they lack the creativity and ability to transition to the direct-action gameplay. The last part of this DLC was much better than the first, but it still was not enjoyable enough, especially compared to the main game.

Games I'm Not Ready to Talk About Yet

Fallout 4

I have played a good chunk of Fallout 4, but I haven't finished the main storyline, and I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about it. I definitely am not pulled-in like I was with Fallout 3, and I actually made the decision to put down Fallout 4 to go back to Fallout: New Vegas, which I had only put 8 hours into before putting it down. I just felt like to really know how I felt about Fallout 4, I needed to complete New Vegas - simply due to the reverence NV has in that community and how many people rag on 4 due to how much they loved NV. I hope to talk about NV and 4 in my next GOTY list. :)

Grand Theft Auto V

I don't even remember why I put down GTA V, but I did, and I really want to go back to it. I was loving the beauty of it and having fun with the gameplay, but I'm interested to see how much I can stand the characters as the game goes on. I know I'll finish it, but we'll see how high it is in my next GOTY list.

Fakey's 2015 Games of the Year

	1. The Witcher 3: Wild HuntI have not completed Witcher 3, the main story, let alone the extent of what is offered in the game, but I was biased from the beginning. I love the character of Geralt, from the books through the first two games. The third game gave me what I was looking for out of a Witcher game - the same great character, the rich world, and then all of the beautiful environments and vistas, the breathing world, the great side quests and feeling of near limitless possibilities/stories.
	2. The FallI am very excited for part 2 of The Fall, as I thought the first game was a great introduction to the world and life of The Fall's universe and canon. I did struggle with some of the more esoteric puzzles, but the game was, overall, a great experience and start to what I hope is at least a good, interesting trilogy.
	3. Life Is StrangeAs with many people, I struggled with the first episode of Life is Strange, and I struggled to identify with many of the characters to the end. I was not like the teenagers when I was a teenager, and I'm now twice that age. However, the story was interesting, the time-bending gameplay was fun to toy with, and I thought they laid out the revelations, action, and character interaction with some of the best pacing of any episodic game.
	4. Broken AgeI wish I liked Broken Age more. It is beautiful, charming, has great characters and environments, and much of the story is entertaining. However, I didn't think the story was terribly surprising at any point, and I didn't think it went in ways that were quite as interesting or memorable as could have been.
	5. A Bird StoryA short game with a nice story that uses its engine and possibility-space well, becoming more than the sum of its parts.
	6. Her StoryI didn't fall head-over-heels as a lot of players of this game, but it was fun to play around with the interface and find the story through my own means and stream-of-thought. I spent over an hour and a half after I "finished the game" to see the rest of the clips, but I never found anything more that made that time worth it. However, the original time I spent with the game to uncover the main story revelation was well worth my time and anyone's who is interested in story in games.
	7. Monument ValleyIt seems a little funny to me to put a game like Monument Valley on my top 10, but I found this game very relaxing, and I really liked the atmosphere and art style. There was mystery in ending each level and ending the game that felt Fex-like, in certain ways. I'm hoping I get that same feeling in a much more massive way in The Witness.
	8. 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 DoorsI still haven't found all of the endings, but I've done two, and I really like what 999 is about. I wish the text came a little faster, and the characters can be really silly and absurd, but the core of the game is entertaining, and since I've heard the sequel is even better, I'm excited to play that on my new Vita this year.
	9. The Sailor's DreamThe Sailor's Dream is another short, iPad experience that had a lot of beauty and mystery. The Sailor's Dream also has a very interesting story, as all of Simogo's games now have.
	10. Batman: Arkham Origins BlackgateI didn't expect much out of this game, but it was a fun experience. It wasn't too long (though maybe an hour or so longer than I would have liked due to collecting things that didn't really pay off as much as I would have liked), but I thought that the Arkham gameplay translated pretty well into 2(ish)D. I actually be very interested in an improved "sequel" to this game.

It seems like I always try to start the year strong with writing on my blog, but I always slow down and stop half-way through the year.

That may happen again this year... But I'm going to try to at least post every 2 weeks...

My biggest "gaming goal" for this year, however, is to get a better system for playing through my backlog. This system isn't directly supposed to lead to me playing more games per day/week. However, I think it could have that effect.

Really, the goal is just to focus my time on completing as many games on my backlog as possible and stay excited about playing more games.

Often, I get in the middle of long games and get overwhelmed. I stop playing those games, as it starts to feel like I'm buried under the length, and I don't want to start new games. However, if I play and complete smaller games, I will get through more games, finish more of my backlog, stay motivated, and stay excited about the new games and experiences coming up!

So, I'm going to tweak this system as much as is needed, but I have some starting "rules" I'm going to try:

1. I can't have more than 10 games on my "To Play" list at any given time.
2. Only one of those games can be over 20 hours long (to complete - based off HLTB)
3. One other game can be over 8 hours long.
4. The other eight games must be approximately 8 hours or less to complete.
5. I cannot start a new list until all the games have been completed, except for the game over 20 hours. However, I can't add a new game over 20 hours until the one I'm playing has been completed.

Again, this may be tweaked. I may lower the number of games to five, for example, if I feel like it's taking me too long to get through an entire list. I want to be flexible while starting with some solid guidance.

And here is my first list:

Fakey's 1st 2016 "To Play" List

	1. 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 DoorsI've already gotten one ending, so I'm just trying to get the rest now.
	2. The Beginner's Guide
	3. Contradiction: Spot The Liar!I'll be playing this one with the wife.
	4. Cradle
	5. Life Is StrangeI only have episode 5 left.
	6. Light
	7. Lumino CityI've been excited about this one since my wife and I played Lume several years ago, but I just never prioritized playing this game until now.
	8. Thomas Was AloneI'm excited to be playing this on my new Vita. :)
	9. Westerado: Double Barreled
	10. The Witcher 3: Wild HuntI love this game, but I just got sidetracked. So I want to get back to it, complete it, and then I'll probably put it down before going back to the DLC.

Wish me luck! ;)

There has been a ton of buzz about Cities: Skylines, and I nearly bought it a couple times when I saw some good deals. However, as I stated in my previous blog entry, the purpose of these "What I'm Playing Instead" entries is to force me to buy less games and, instead, play games I already own that are in my backlog. I've spent hundreds of dollars over the last few years in Steam sales, on pre-order deals, and just accumulating games that I intended to play right away but never got to.

As you'll see from this post, the game I play instead is not always better than the newer game I'm resisting buying... :)

So, instead of buying Skylines, I decided to finally install and play SimCity...

All the pre-release footage I saw of SimCity looked incredible. I loved the art style, the way it seemed to replicate tilt-shift photography. I was also excited to jump into a city-building game for the first time in years (probably since the Caesar franchise which, believe it or not, I played more than the original SimCity or SimCity 2000).

In a way I'm very glad I played SimCity before buying Skylines, because I really think it showed me that I'm just not ready to play a city-builder right now...

I played about four hours of SimCity before uninstalling it. I just realized that I didn't have the patience to invest in the game, and I'd rather spend my time with one of the many RPG's I really, really want to dive into (Dragon Age: Inquisition is first to go back to, now that they've patched some better mouse/keyboard controls into it, then I have Pillars of Eternity that I backed, Wasteland 2 that I backed and am going to start over with the new patches, Shadowrun Returns that I also backed, and I still have to go return to and complete Bravely Default and Fallout: New Vegas...).

SimCity was a little maddening due to the lack of options, but it did provide enough options that I ran away with building my town (yeah, not big enough to be a "city," Maxis...) without waiting for money to come in and ended up with three massive grants to pay off and still had to shut down some services...

I really would consider going back to SimCity if I feel like I have the patience to. However, I think I'd rather go back to Banished, at this point. I played through the tutorials of Banished last Thanskgiving, as I wanted it to be one of my "Thanksgiving season" games, but I just didn't end up with enough time to invest in it.

This is the first in a new series of posts I'm going to be doing.

As I've mentioned in other posts, my second kid came along last December. Having two kids, on its own, is pretty demanding. However, my son also came early, requiring three weeks in the NICU and was born with a heart defect that required open-heart surgery a couple weeks ago. So, I've had even less time and money for games.

Therefore, in order to curb my spending on games I don't really have time to play (or the budget for), I've decided to try and make substitutions for new games with ones from my backlog. I have hundreds of games in my backlog, so it shouldn't be too hard to do... ;)

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Despite the bad reviews of Battlefield Hardline, I enjoyed the multiplayer beta, and I was intrigued once hearing the single-player involved a lot of stealth gameplay, as I am a stealth fan.

However, instead of buying Hardline, I've decided to finally play the copy of Bad Company I own for Playstation 3 (I will then move onto 2 on PC).

I'm halfway through Bad Company, and I am enjoying it. However, I don't find the story very intriguing at all, and the characters don't speak to me, even in a humorous context.

I'm also not used to playing first-person shooters with a controller, sitting further away from the screen, since I tend to play all FPS's on my computer, with my mouse and keyboard. So, I'm only now getting better at the combat.

Nothing about the gameplay has really blown me away. I knew going into the game that it is not Modern Warfare in its bombast, but I thought it would be more than it is. Instead, I feel like I'm just running through fields, killing people, running through another field, killing more people, et cetera...

I also find no compulsion to search for the gold bars. I think that mostly has to do with the fact that I feel so disconnected from the characters, even my own character. I feel it would be better if I was sitting closer to the screen and feeling more in control of my movements (i.e. using a mouse and keyboard). I'm interested to see if playing Bad Company 2 will address this, for me.

I'm going to finish this game and move onto the second game later this year, but I'm already more looking forward to finally playing through the Modern Warfare games.

As for multiplayer, I have been meaning to play Payday 2, as I played a couple sessions of the first game and heard this second game improves a lot on the gameplay. So, I'll report back once I put in a little time with Payday 2.

I'll also try to follow-up on Bad Company once I finish it.

I am going to make a GOTY List for 2014. I just haven't done it yet...because I want to finish Far Cry 4 first.

I started Far Cry 4 in 2014, and the only reason I haven't at least finished the campaign is because I haven't had a lot of gaming time since my son was born (I know I keep saying it, but it's because it is true!!)...and because I got the flu for a few days.

So, since no one is waiting with bated breath for my list, I think it is fair to wait until I finish the game so it can be considered in my list. :)

My Week in Gaming 12/29-1/4

A Bird Story

I played and completed A Bird Story. I definitely liked it. It didn't touch me as much as it seemed to touch others. I definitely see why others were so affected by it. It's not that I don't get it, and it's not that I don't ever get emotionally effected by games. This one is a nice, touching story that I enjoyed, but I personally felt that dialogue would have helped it. To hear the boy emote more and talk a little more (even if short, "cryptic" phrases) about his life would have had more impact on me.

The Fall

I wanted to finish this last weekend, as I know it is not long, but I got the flu. So, I didn't play any games for many days. I am looking forward to seeing where this game/chapter ends. I really like the premise, though I agree with many people that the controls are not great. They are functional when using a controller, but I hope the developer improves on them for the second game/chapter.

Far Cry 4

I got a couple more hours in. I'm going to really be focusing on this game soon to wrap it up and put together my GOTY 2014 list. :)

Papers, Please was made for the touch screen!

My Week in Gaming 12/22-12/28

Far Cry 4

I got a few more hours into Far Cry 4, and I'm enjoying it more. I am not the type of gamer that enjoys just cruising around open worlds. I have to feel like there is a purpose to me being there. Getting more into the story and side missions of Far Cry 4 helps me a lot to really get invested in the world and, therefore, enjoy my time there more.

Papers, Please

I played Papers, Please when it came out on PC and made a big splash. However, I didn't really enjoy the controls and trying to manage all the documents. Since the game is really like doing a job and being as efficient as possible, having any issue with the controls really ruins an already (purposely) tedious experience. :)

However, now I'm playing the game on my iPad. It is so, so, so much better! The controls are completely intuitive and make more sense, as it really feels like I'm in the booth moving things around and flipping through the pages of regulations/rules.

Honestly, I'm still not sure how much I'll play of the game, since it is like a job, but I really feel like I'm getting the "real" experience now - and giving the game the time it deserves, whether or not I end up loving my time in the game.

Following my son's birth and my return to gaming (well, at least a few hours a week...), I had a choice to make on what game to spend my time on. These were my choices:

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition
2. Far Cry 4
3. Alien: Isolation

Dragon Age: Inquisition may have been my most anticipated game of 2014. If not the most anticipated, it was tied for most anticipated. However, the controls really bum me out. I hate that it doesn't play like Origins or DAII with a mouse and keyboard. I feel a lot of tactical gameplay is lost.

Therefore, I was excited to read that Bioware is going to be patching in better mouse/keyboard controls!! They have given no indication on how long that will take, but I'm honestly considering waiting for that patch before returning to Inquisition...

Far Cry 4 is another one of my most anticipated games of 2014 after loving 3 so much. I pre-ordered the game after getting a good deal, but I hadn't been able to touch the game since launch due to it sharing a release date with Inquisition and then my son's birth.

Alien: Isolation is a funny one. I had zero interest in the game before launch. I've never watched an Alien movie ever, and I really had no interest, since I'm not a fan of "horror" movies or games. However, the style of Isolation plus the raving reviews plus the stealth gameplay (I love stealth games) made me interested. Also, for some reason, I just find the idea of watching the movie and then playing the game a fun multi-medium tie-in that I think would make the experience feel that much more "grand."

My Week in Gaming 12/15-12/21

Far Cry 4

I decided to start Far Cry 4. For now, I'm going to keep waiting on the Inquisition patch, and I'm not sure I'm in the right "headspace" right now for Isolation. Far Cry allows me to jump in and out for relatively brief play sessions while enjoying the larger world and story I'm taking part in.

I'm enjoying the game a lot so far, though I know I'd enjoy it more if I could play it more with longer play sessions.