Archive for the 'Hobbies' Category

January 19th, 2021

Gaming year in review: 2020

It’s time again for my annual gaming year in review, where I briefly review the games I played in 2020! I’m happy to say that I’ve been trying to revive my gaming hobby, so I managed to play a bit more than the past couple of years. Let’s start with my favorites, which may or may not have been released in 2020.

Favorite Single Player: Detroit Become Human

This was definitely my type of game, especially since I loved Heavy Rain, which is in a similar style. I really enjoyed the storytelling, characters, and the idea of androids questioning their purpose and striving for equality. I became really invested in the fate of these characters and how my story would go with each one. The game was kind of stressful though, so I was very glad to move onto Animal Crossing afterwards!

Detroit: Become Human

Favorite Multiplayer: Unravel 2

I loved the first Unravel, and Unravel 2 was just as beautiful with clever uses of yarn. The second character was a great addition that opened up more possibilities in the gameplay. The story felt more muddled this time, but the levels were fun, challenging, and really made us think about how to solve them with the two characters. A very solid co-op game, though you can play it single player too.

Unravel 2

Favorite Indie: Children of Morta

Morta is a beautiful game about a family working together against a Corruption across the land. The pixel graphics are wonderful, and the gameplay was a mix of roguelike and action RPG. The dungeons and items were randomly generated, but you could keep progress and level up your characters between runs. I especially liked the focus on family, such that one character leveling up benefits every character in a unique way, which motivates you to try all of them.

Children of Morta

Honorable Mention: Animal Crossing New Horizons

This game came at such a great time. Being able to escape to my own deserted island filled with cute animal neighbors was a perfect way to spend lockdown. I haven’t played an Animal Crossing game since the DS version, but I enjoyed the additions such as decorating outdoors, terraforming, and being able to move buildings. It’s been a great way to still visit and connect with friends when we couldn’t meet in person.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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1 · Posted in Gaming, Hobbies, Year in Review
January 5th, 2021

Year in Review: 2020

Wow, 2020, huh? I think it was quite a… how to put it, abnormal? Crazy? Unexpected? Year for all of us. Here’s a look back on how 2020 was for me.

Personal Life

As COVID-19 changed daily life for many people, it did for my family as well. We did the responsible thing of mainly staying at home, which in a way, improved a couple things. For example, we saved a lot of money by not eating out as much and was eating healthier overall, but we missed being able to do other things for fun.

And well, that also meant doing many things remotely and canceling all travel. I switched to fully working from home, and my daughter, Tali, started Chinese toddler classes online. We had to cancel a trip to Pennsylvania and New York and have not seen my brother or relatives in-person this whole year. In place of that, my cousins and I do a group video chat every Saturday now, so it’s been nice to keep in touch regularly at least. We also haven’t seen my in-laws in San Antonio, which meant doing Thanksgiving and Christmas ourselves at home.

I had another big change (not related to the pandemic)… I got pregnant! My husband and I always knew we wanted a second child, and I wanted to try some time after Tali turned one. We started trying in January, and when the pandemic happened, we considered stopping. Then… I got pregnant in March, so never mind I guess!

In December, Ada was born! Fortunately, the second time around is less stressful. We already knew what to expect, had most of the things we needed, and the labor and delivery was also shorter.

Baby Ada

Though Ada was born a healthy baby, she did have some irregular breathing due to fluids still in her lungs and had to stay in the NICU for a few days. We were so happy when we were able to bring her home!

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2 · Posted in Art, Hobbies, Year in Review
December 29th, 2019

Gaming year in review: 2019

Though I haven’t been able to play as many games as I used to, I’m still happy that I’m able to play some games throughout the year and complete a few! I think the biggest shift for me is playing more console games than PC, which is opposite of how I used to be. With a toddler now, being on the couch to play consoles has been easier than sitting at my computer.

So here’s my usual annual gaming year in review! This is where I briefly review the games I played this past year, and I start with my favorites of those, which may or may not have been released in 2019.

Favorite Single Player: God of War

Wow. I get it now. I get why this game is so highly rated. As someone who played and enjoyed the first three God of War games, I’m amazed that this one managed to improve on every aspect of the series. The story was wonderfully crafted with its own take on Norse mythology. The open world unraveled in a clever way. The combat felt cleaner and worked well with Atreus. And finally, finally, FINALLY, Kratos has more personality. It was so refreshing to see him have a vulnerable side and actual character development as the game progressed. Really well done, bravo.

Favorite Multiplayer: Risk of Rain 2

I never played the first Risk of Rain, but I knew it was a sidescroller roguelike. I thought changing it to 3D and over the shoulder was an interesting choice, and it became the perfect co-op game for people with babies. We didn’t have to keep up with progress or level. It was great being able to play co-op with friends again and start anew every time (since it was roguelike).

Favorite Indie/Download: Cadence of Hyrule

Though I haven’t played the first Crypt of the Necrodancer, I’ve always thought the rhythm gameplay it had was interesting. I loved that it was combined with a Zelda game, making it part roguelike, part rhythm, and part Legend of Zelda. I had a lot of fun with this one, was addicted, and ended up beating it three times (solo, co-op, and permadeath mode).

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3 · Posted in Gaming, Year in Review
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