Half-Life (1) was the game that got me into FPS in general and kept me away from the horrors that is CoD or so.

Half-Life 2 probably has the best campaign though. Especially considering all achievements for example.

Worst is difficult – I like them all for what they are, but the one I like least is Half-Life 2 Episode 1.

NDS is definitely first, but Steam Deck is close. These days I’m probably more on my Steam Deck tho.

Has great instagib servers with fast hooks! Absolutely love it. :D

Didn’t think I’d see a post about it without searching for one…

First game has been mentioned already, but I wanna make sure it’s clear how singular the game is.

Blasphemous. In case you didn’t check it out: You should. It got multiple major updates (new areas, bosses etc.) that were completely free and sometimes you can grab it on sale for as low as 6€. It even has NG+ only content for replayability that’s actually worth it (trust me, it really is). The movement in this game is beautifully smooth and the pixel art is consistent. More importantly the combat is actually excellent unlike many other metroidvanias (as well as souls-likes) that unfortunately fail here imho. The platforming is unique, but relatively easy to learn (but you need to try), although the game has specific areas where it becomes more or less important. Blasphemous 2 also exists, however I haven’t played it yet. It isn’t as hard as Dark Souls titles or so, but it’s a souls-like that won’t go easy on you at some points. OST by Carlos Viola is also nice for people who like themselves some flamenco style.

If jRPGs count: Chained Echoes. I will never shut up about this game, since it has gotten a lot of attention, however not NEARLY enough… no one seems to really care about it anymore, but it’s one of the best games I have ever played and I feel sad how it has been overshadowed by games with better marketing/higher budgets that weren’t comparable in terms of gameplay or charme at all! It has everything: Awesome gameplay with many QoL features to adapt to the game or adapt the game to you, cute and profound character designs/artwork, a storyline and an AWESOME OST! Honestly, the music is beautiful in this game… the game has been made by one guy only, however you won’t notice that (except with occasional silly bugs). The music has been made by someone else though (Eddie Marianukroh) and with the help of some awesome musicians (like Gregory Orosz aka. Gamer of the Winds). I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a try!

Yea, I have seen the article yesterday. Absolutely nuts! :D

Also just wanted to look for the patch, ty.

This worked (for anyone curious)! Thanks! :P

Thank you for your suggestion! :D But please be careful with buying games on Steam through VPNs, because that can actually get your Steam account permabanned. I don’t know if you can avoid that with creating a new account though, just be careful with main accounts.

Disc versions will not run. Old CD’s won’t work due to DRM stuffs from Microsoft (all of my old games on CD’s like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets PC won’t run on Windows). The only solution would be a no-cd version, but I’d like to avoid random downloads from unknown sources.

Thank you though! :)

Voices of the Void. Even though it does talk about the basics of the game, it really didn’t make the important aspects of these basics that aren’t known from other games clear at all.

It’s a demo, however, so that’s excusable, even if the tutorial was actually reworked too… I dunno why you need to launch it in order to get into the game though. :D

Related

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PC version). Be aware that PC version is a completely different game from the console versions.

Definitely give Godot a chance. GDScript is simple enough (and well documented), but you can also switch to C# afterwards.

If you like RPGs, RPGMaker is actually nice to work with and has enough capabilities to let your creativity flow.

I just like it. Writing with a fountain pen is much more HANDS ON than writing something down on a phone or (bad) laptop keyboards. Especially if your pen is higher quality. Although a nice mechanical keyboard can be quite nice (I like tactiles a lot).

The practical thing also is: If you keep your notes well organized, it can actually be much more accessible. I dunno, I have spent my entire life with PCs, but they feel “cluttered” so quickly and require so many revisions of organisation.

Having both is useful though, so I keep physical versions and scan them later to also have them digitally available AND not having to use those evil, evil printers who want me to buy more ink…

That was the first thing I saw as well, lol. Actually reads more like a warning than an innocent: “Try me out :)”

Just uBlock.

I have Windows 11 on my notebook and Windows 10 on my gaming PC.

Please, for the love of god (or your precious sanity), use Windows 10. :D

There’s a puzzle mode that I would check out. Using that to practise helps you to improve your perception.

Chess is a lot about learning. I would recommend looking at some strong or unusual openings. You can also try to play against the AI at level 2-3. It can be relatively unforgiving, but also isn’t too hard and can get you a few moments of success and happiness. :)

Chess YouTubers like Eric Rosen and Chess vibes are nice. GothamChess is also popular.

Lastly, if you play online, create an account and use it. If you play anonymous you’ll likely meet a cheater and also your ELO won’t be adjusted. Playing in an ELO that suits you helps you to find opponents who aren’t gonna make for a one-sided game.

Chess/Lichess. Just a suggestion: There’s some apps and sites that have premium features, but: Lichess has all the features for free, no ads, is open-source and great UI. :)

It’s not just Apple. Almost all manufacturers offer water resistant flagship phones (and mid-rangers). ASUS, Xiaomi, Oppo, Huawei, Sony, Samsung, Vivo, Honor…

However, the phones are NOT water-proof. From none of these (neither Apple). They are water-resistant, which is a big difference and they are just required to not be damaged if submerged underwater for 30 minutes, 1.5m, if they want IP68.

Phones and smartwatches are not resistant to condensation or water getting in – water can still get in, as they’re NOT impervious (smartwatches if they have speakers), which is actually required for calling your device truly “water proof”. Water resistant is literally two steps below that.

There has been some marketing claiming water proof devices. This was just wrong.

Amnesia: The Bunker.

Excellent game. Minimally annoying sometimes, but it’s worth it. I play it differently than other games to improve the experience: I have a printed map of the bunker (with markings, coloring to mark where I was and where it’s safe and a legend), a small music stand lamp (to see the map, the room is otherwise dark) and a piece of paper to write down to-do’s and general things to remember. That makes it even more fun, while further making this game a bit more playable for cowardly-me. :D

If anyone plays this game, you need to try that out! It really feels different than “just playing” a game or this game in particular. Try to mix things up so you can have as much fun too!