My relationship with the current gaming market is built on sand, unfortunately. I have to admit that for the last few years, I haven’t encountered or experienced a game that fully satisfied me on the same level as the old-school stuff. THE WITCHER 3 was cool. PILLARS OF ETERNITY has been mostly satisfying but its sequel DEADFIRE was disappointing. PATHFINDER : KINGMAKER had too many pacing issues and was too buggy to enjoy, but I’m still looking forward to playing PATHFINDER : WRATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS. I’m waiting for the most suitable time to start DISCO ELYSIUM because I want to soak it in as best as I can. LIFE IS STRANGE 2 was a great improvement over its prequel, but I didn’t get to play TRUE COLORS yet. THE BANNER SAGA series was amazing until the ending which was a letdown. The entire TELLTALE GAMES drama was heartbreaking. And neither my current low-end PC setup nor my wallet can afford to give BALDUR’S GATE 3 its due. (Plus, not a fan of turn-based combat).

As you can see, other than BALDUR’S GATE 3, none of the games I listed above can be considered recent additions. With that in mind, I’d rather tell you about three of my favorite games ever.

 

No. 1 is GRIM FANDANGO (1998), hands down. With its superb genre-bending storyline, exceptional dialogues and puzzles, mind-blowing art style, and unforgettable characters with amazing voice acting, GRIM FANDANGO represents the top of the bar for me. The pacing is great, the character motivations and traits are well-realized, the environments and atmosphere are unique, the plot is “high-stakes”, and the drama is simply tear-inducing. (I will forever remember Lola’s death scene.) I still play it on occasion and recently restarted the game in Spanish to improve my skills in that language. It is pure art.

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No. 2 is AMERICAN MCGEE’S ALICE (2000). An awesome, creative, twisted concept from beginning to end. An unsanitary retelling of a children’s classic. I can safely say this game influenced me in establishing my view of and approach to horror (along with The Silent Hill series). Superb dialogues and voice acting, a mind-blowing atmosphere, and a deep, emotional plot that represents a traumatized young woman’s healing journey. Unfortunately, the sequel was rather meh, and with no ALICE : ASYLUM on the horizon, the franchise's future seems rather bleak ... Thanks, EA. 

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No. 3 is THE LONGEST JOURNEY (1999), one of the last true examples of old-school adventure games, like GRIM FANDANGO. The Longest Journey features a truly creative storyline for its era. The “magic and science each occupying different dimensions” trope may be something we have become more used to by now, but back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was still original. I can safely say that it inspired me to create my own world setting that mixes fantasy with science fiction. Sadly, the sequels have been rather unfulfilling.

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No. 4 is STAR WARS: KOTOR 2 – THE SITH LORDS (2005). A vast improvement over the cliché and traditional approach of its predecessor. I find the concept of the hero’s journey rather boring and extremely limiting for a writer, and KOTOR 1 was 100% guilty of that. The entire game felt like a retelling of Luke Skywalker’s journey with two-dimensional characters and an additional identity reveal twist. THE SITH LORDS, on the other hand, did a complete 180. The plot was deep, challenging the typical narrative approach of the STAR WARS franchise. It questioned the entire Jedi order, the Force, and even George Lucas himself. To me, Kreia is the ultimate representation of a multi-layered character / villain. Despite its unfinished state, this game is still the best thing the STAR WARS franchise has ever offered to its fanbase.

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No. 5 is BANNER SAGA (2014-2018). A terrific narrative experience, featuring challenging, game-changing, and innovative base management mechanics, great character moments, and an inspired mythology. Although the ending was a bit of a letdown, in my honest opinion, the journey there -both literally and figuratively- has been immensely fulfilling.

 

These days, I try to play as many plot-driven indie games (THE AFTERPARTY, THE BLACKWELL SERIES, FRAN BOW, CATS AND THE OTHER LIVES, etc.) as I can because I believe smaller studios still have enough spirit to prioritize story-telling over high-caliber graphics and monetization.

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BONUS 1: My current go-to MMORPG is THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE. I care about its deep lore and narrative so much that after all these years, I am still able to overlook the fact that its gameplay has become too repetitive.

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BONUS 2: The most recent production I geeked out about is STEVEN UNIVERSE which loosely inspired my current work-in-progress YA fantasy graphic novel project.