This blog runs on the PS2’s EmotionEngine. Boggy is somewhere on the spectrum between Mitsuri’s boob window and Greg’s tea kettle.
Boggy Strongly Recommends: XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Release Year: 2012
Play Year: WI2023
Developer/Publisher: Firaxis Games/2K Games & Feral Interactive
Time to Beat: 45 Hours
Thoughts: Huh, this is really fun.
I, like many folks, was intimidated by this franchise. An XCOM game always ends up on “top 100 games of all time” lists, but it feels like a niche pick. I mean, it’s in How Long to Beat’s top 50 most backlogged games. A game where everyone can agree that it’s amazing, but only if “you’re into it.” With a tradition coming from table-top RPGs, with slow, methodical movement and decision-making, my first thought was “must be boring until you’re 30 hours in and you finally ‘get it’.”
…Boggy Recommends: Florence
Release Year: 2018
Reading Year: WI2023
Developer/Publisher: Mountains/Anapurna
Time to Beat: 1 Hours
Thoughts: My god, this music. I would just stop at scenes to listen to it for a few minutes longer. I am leaving the game on in the background as I write to retain that feeling before I go to sleep. The story is predictable and bland, but it’s useful. It’s useful because it is so common and why not package it into something so effortlessly beautiful and hopeful. With small interactions that feel clever and keep you present, Florence is an hour well spent.
…Boggy Strongly Recommends: What Remains of Edith Finch
Release Year: 2017
Reading Year: WI2023
Developer/Publisher: Giant Sparrow/Anapurna
Time to Beat: 2 Hours
Thoughts: I wrapped up What Remains of Edith Finch at 11:19PM on New Year’s Eve 2023. Perhaps a teary goodbye is exactly what I needed to finish off this year.
…Boggy Strongly Recommends: Mass Effect 2: Legendary Edition
Release Year: 2010/2021
Reading Year: WI2023
Developer/Publisher: BioWare/Electronic Arts
Time to Beat: 33 Hours
Thoughts: And Mass Effect 2 comes to an end. Unlike Mass Effect 1, I staved off the ending as long as I could. It was such a beautiful experience and I am so moved. A longer review, with spoilers, is here “A Love Letter to Mass Effect 2.”
…Boggy Does Not Recommend: Limbo
Release Year: 2010
Reading Year: FA2023
Developer/Publisher: Playdead/Microsoft Game Studios
Time to Beat: 2.5 Hours
Thoughts: Truly one of the OG indie titles that really put indie games on the map. It is tight, atmospheric, and keeps you moving along. Given that 13 years has gone by and that I am trying to get through the game after a few starts over the years, it feels like a bit of a relic. It is linear to a fault. It feels like this game was made to get casual gamers into the indie scene. There is so little room for ambiguity and each mechanic feels tuned to death.
…