I never played IV and I don’t really like VI, Civ V however managed to grab me in a way few other 4X game could. I haven’t played it in a few years but I still remember the feeling of “one more turn” - this stuff is addicting.

I was curious about the story concept for the first game but didn’t like the idea of a modern shooter with bullet spongy enemies so I avoided it for a good few years before giving it a shot. When I did jump in however, my initial hesitation evaporated pretty quickly as the atmosphere of winter New York grabbed me 100%. There are still times where enemy tankiness or firepower can be annoying but that’s mostly end game issues and something I can deal with if I lock in.

I probably have more playtime in the second game by this point but I still think there are some things the first game did way better than the sequel (writing, atmosphere, enemy factions, some skills, cosmetics). It’s why I tend to alternate between the two whenever I’m in the mood for more TD.

Came for girls with guns, stayed for the story. It’s a gacha game, which I know many people might scoff at, but it’s from the time when the monetisation practices and tactics where very different to the current landscape (there’s no premium pulls, paid weapons or anything like that, the only thing you’d really spend your money would be skins - if you want).

Gameplay is pretty simple (build your squads, traverse node based stages, partake in semi-autobattler combat and complete objectives) but it’s pretty enjoyable for the most part. It also does a great job of combining stage challenges/difficulty with what’s happening in the story (something its sequel is simply unable to do due to a modern, dupe based character gacha and progression).

We’re two weeks from the final main story event of the game, which after more than 7 years of playing feels somewhat bittersweet. It was a fun journey though.

Played it multiple times, never finished it - usually because I got distracted or just had my fill of fun.
I actually like the Gothic series more than any of the Elder Scrolls titles. These games feel somewhat more alive and immersive to me, to the point that even the unusual control scheme, preset protagonist (I really like making my own characters) or lack of “forever fun” aren’t enough to make me lean the other way. There’s some “magic” in Gothic that’s missing from TES games for me, even if they’re great in their own right.

I finally managed to finish the first game a few months ago so I hope I’ll do the same with this one “soon”. I’d like to scratch it off of my backlog, if only to give myself some closure in that regards.

I don’t really like Skyrim. I find it to be pretty shallow and boring in its vanilla state and the only reason I spent as much time on it as I did is mods. I pretty much use all Elder Scrolls and (modern) Fallout games as a base for a modern life-sim experiences where I just do whatever I feel like at the time - anything except for being the hero. So yeah, it’s just a backdrop but I guess it counts.

I wish Cyberpunk 2077 had as big modding scene as Skyrim. It’s another title I like to use for my “be whoever, forget the story” playthroughs and one I vastly prefer in pretty much every aspect.

I haven’t touched it in years but it’s still one of my most played multiplayer titles ever (or at least it feels like it). I tried going back to it a few times over the years but modern TF2 is simply not the same. I also really don’t care for PvP these days so while I was curious about the classic mod/rework released some time back, I never even gave it a shot. I think I had my fill of competition.