Picked up an original steam deck for fairly cheap ($300) off facebook marketplace now that the new one has come out. It’s still a bit early to say definitively but it’s really transformed how I integrate playing games with the rest of my life; the quick suspend/resume reduces a lot of friction compared to rebooting to Windows then starting the game on my PC (especially since I often stream it to my TV in the living room with sunshine/moonlight, adding another step). I’ll often be idle or need a break then decide to play a tiny bit of whatever game I have on the go.

Lately I’m alternating between playing Pizza Tower and Dark Souls II: Learner of the Original Wrongdoing. Pizza Tower hasn’t totally hooked me yet, but I have a feeling that once I start focusing on perfecting/keeping my momentum/combo going rather than just getting through the level I’ll really start to love it, since it has some mechanical similarity to the shinespark puzzles in Metroid Dread that I loved so much. Dark Souls II I’m playing because I’ve played & greatly enjoyed most of the rest of the series (DS1, DS3, Bloodborne, Sekiro) and even though it has a reputation as a bit of a black sheep enough people say they enjoy it that it seems worthwhile.

Looking back on 2023 I played 16 games, of which two really stood out: Into the Breach and Return of the Obra Dinn. The first one was honestly so stressful that I couldn’t keep playing it, but absolutely loved what time I did spend with it. My only critique is that I wish the balancing were such that you don’t have to complete the first two islands with absolute perfection in order for a run to go all the way, which contributed a lot to the stress. Return of the Obra Dinn occupied the entirety of a very pleasant Sunday, sitting at a table with a giant ledger notebook and my steam deck, painstakingly pinning down the details of each murder. A very neat analog feel that was unique among other games I’ve played. Can’t recommend it enough if you’re more of a low-speed person!

What am I most anticipating for 2024? I think this will probably be the year that I play Elden Ring, maybe in the dog days of summer. I also picked up Alan Wake 2 for anomalously cheap with the recent epic sale so I hope to play that too, if my PC can run it well enough.