Toomanywires

The Best & Worst of 2020 /  2019  /   2018  /  2017  /  2016  /  2015  /  2014  /  2013  /  2012  /  2011  /  2010 2021 was a solid year for games. We had a steady stream of quality releases, but there were few compelling reasons to own new hardware. Most of the best games on PS5 and Series X/S could be enjoyed on previous-gen consoles, albeit at a slightly lower framerate, with marginally less pretty graphics, and minus the smugness that comes with ownership of a new console. Despite being a year removed from the launch of a new generation, shortages and delays continued to dominate the news cycle. An unwelcome carry-over from an awful year and a problem that shows no sign of abating. Anyone secure their Analogue Pocket preorder for 2023? But not every holdover from 2020 was depressing. Game Pass remained my favourite part of modern gaming, and Microsoft continued to delight with their commitment to backward compatibility, even if that commitment has now been capped. Nintendo cont

My daughter has spent a lot of time over the last few weeks perusing the Christmas 2021 Toys R Us catalogue. I have instilled in her the importance of reading it regularly and fully hyping herself up for the festive period. Look at the toys, imagine what you might receive on Christmas morning, and turn yourself into a quivering, over-excited yuletide wreck. Just like her father. This year's catalogue is a little thin on games, but there's plenty there to excite children and adult-children alike. Its glossy pages are adorned with doll houses, Tamagotchi, Pokemon everything, board games, craft sets, a chain gun that fires off foam pellets, bikes, cars, robots that are cars, cars that are robots and robots that are just robots. It also features Lego sets to satisfy every kind of interest, as long as that interest is Disney, Minecraft, ninjas, or girls on vacation. And of course, it has video games. What would a Christmas catalogue be without them? Our favourite hobby gets a double

I don't half fancy an Uncharted 2 replay. There's never a bad time to revisit my favourite game of the 7th Generation , and a permanent fixture in my all-time top five.  I should do that soon. Over the last few years, I've increasingly found myself revisiting games. As a child and teenager, I would of course play the same few titles over and over. I'd only get my hands on so many games over the course of a year, so I'd play them again and again. This was also driven by a youthful desire to latch onto something that spoke to me and play it to death. As I got older, and had disposable income, I went the other way. Desperate to play everything new and noteworthy, I'd almost never make time to revisit games. I've mellowed out considerably over the last few years and rediscovered the joy of familiar comforts. The Mass Effect Legendary Edition was by far the best thing I played this year, Final Fantasy IX HD brought back some lovely memories, and I also really enj