It’s only September and I’ve already started to think about the games I’ll play in October. I usually try play something scary during the month for Halloween. It started one year with Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which I still regard as the scariest game I’ve ever played. Last year I played The Evil Within, after years of putting it off. But right now, having just installed The Evil Within 2 and looking at a list of potential games to play for Halloween, I’m finding it hard to fit it in between everything else.
First, there are games I’ve started and just haven’t finished yet. Star Wars: Squadrons came out last October, and while not a spooky game, I’ve been playing it on and off since then during its multiplayer seasons, or operations as they call it. They last for two months each and are simple to do, just complete 20 daily objectives. They are a great excuse to come back to the only game of its kind right now, a first-person space shooter you can make as casual or simulation heavy as you want. Despite putting nearly 75 hours into Squadrons so far, I still haven’t touched the campaign yet. It’s not for lack of want, but trying to find time anymore for story based games is something that’s becoming increasingly more difficult lately, mostly because of my social and guild commitments in World of Warcraft.
I also started Darksiders: Genesis not too long ago. It’s been… something. I like the Darksiders franchise, and I don’t want to admit it, but I’m probably playing Genesis purely out of obligation. I don’t think Vigil Games will ever develop another full-scale Darksiders game like Darksiders 3, so Genesis is probably the last remnant of that franchise, and my guess, the only time Strife will be playable. That’s kind of the way I’m looking at it. Each Darksiders game feels like it was designed around the character and genre it was inspired by: Darksiders with War was a mix between God of War and Zelda. Darksiders 2 with Death was a mix between Devil May Cry and Prince of Persia circa 2006. Darksiders 3 felt like it was heavily inspired by Dark Souls, while not being too rigid and still retaining the fluidity of the first Darksiders. With Darksiders: Genesis being a twin-stick shooter, it makes sense this is Strife’s spotlight. I’m only a few hours in, so I’m still not far enough in to say whether that actually holds true, but like most games whether they are good or not, I can’t help but see them through until the end.
Borderlands 3 is another game I started recently, explicitly with the intent on playing co-op with my girlfriend. Ever since playing Borderlands 2 and the humor just grinding on me, I told myself I wouldn’t play another Borderlands game until a non-spin off released, meaning no adventure game from Telltale, no Pre-Sequel. Well, we’re about four hours in, and maybe it’s because I’m playing with another person and I’m adjusting my playstyle because of that (not exploring, moving from waypoint to waypoint, focusing solely on main story missions), but it’s not hitting the way I thought it would. Maybe it’s the kind of thing I need to play on my own and go at my own pace to get in the groove.
Last, or the last full game on my list I should say, is Mortal Kombat 11. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have put an absolute ton of time into MK11, from the main story, to every single unique Kombat Leauge (month- long online ranked ladders for cosmetic rewards). But there are two things I still haven’t done. There is literally one trophy left in the game I haven’t earned yet, and if I completed that, it would be my first platinum trophy. I’m not the type to chase after achievements or trophies, but it says a lot about how much I’ve played of MK11 if just through sheer natural play I’m that close to getting the platinum trophy. Secondly, Aftermath, the story DLC that continued after the main campaign, released back in April 2019, and I still haven’t finished it yet. Mortal Kombat 11 is one of those games I feel like I need to finish wholly before I can even think of buying a PlayStation 5, let alone trying to find one.
And that brings me to the last game, even though it’s literally the acronym of playable teaser, PT. Even though it’s only an hour and some change, I still haven’t played it seven years later. Part of that I think is because, to me, it never felt like the right time, or I wasn’t in the right headspace to be ready to handle a scary game, or barring that, a game that demands to be played start to finish in the dark with no distractions. It sounds simple, but that’s hard to do for me. It’s also one of the few games that won’t transfer over to a PlayStation 5, so it’s something I need to complete and it’s only a matter of time, so why not now.
The Trench Run 