Right, we’re just going to treat this one like it was actually published on the 1st and not 10 days later on the 11th. Yeah, I got lazy again but still, better late than never, right?
Anyway, it’s December. The end of 2021, and it’s time to look at the final games with gold lineup for the year. At first glance it doesn’t look too great, but let’s check out the video and decide for ourselves, shall we?
Opening up with The Escapists 2 and Tropico 5 – Penultimate Edition.
Not going to lie — The Escapists games aren’t my style. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but for some reason while the Grand Theft Auto series can get away with the player being an outright criminal, it just feels weird here. Sure, the games have their fanbase and they are probably fun enough, but I just don’t see myself getting into them enough to really enjoy the experience. It’s odd, to be sure.
Moving on to Tropico 5, well, at least they give us an edition with some add-ons. I really should give this one a go, as I do like city-building games… maybe one day. Just need to find the time.
On the Classic Lineup we have Orcs Must Die and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, both for the Xbox 360.
Okay, Orcs must die looks neat; an open ended action-strategy game that’s obscure (to me, anyway) might be a fun diversion from the norm, but again, only if I find time — it isn’t demanding me play it by any means.
Lastly we have Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. Another one of those somewhat abstract 2D puzzle platformers that, sadly, all look fucking identical. I want to like these but seriously, I have no real interest in them in the long run.
Hate to say it, but I kind of agree with the peanut gallery on this one — nothing really stands out and while nothing looks like an absolute garbage game, I can’t say I’m at all interested in any of them to any real degree. That might be a first for me covering this series.
Ah well, maybe January will be better.