## [[Battlefield 1]] ![[battlefield-1.jpg]] I adore this game. I don't play it too much these days, but I've been playing it ever since it came out in 2016. I actually bought a [[PS4]] just to play it as my friends said they were all buying the game too and we could play it together. They never really connected with it and it quickly became a solo mission. The maps are fantastic. There's a wide variety of guns that feel very different. The graphics are stunning. And it even has a world class soundtrack. For a long time I had a end of week routine that was the joy that anchored my week. I'd have a few beers, listen to some music and play Battlefield 1. Then after that I'd move onto the spirits and watch a film or two whilst getting drunk. I miss those days. I don't know what the gaming world's consensus is on the game. I don't remember it setting the world alight on release. And I do remember streaming it briefly back in my Twitch days, and the vast quantity of my audience were hating on it, saying that it's pretty poor. This surprised me. But it didn't bother me, because my love for it cannot be diminished. ## [Call of Duty: Black Ops III](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Black_Ops_III) ![[Call of Duty- Black Ops III.jpg]] The thing that made this Call of Duty special was that you had a thruster on your back which meant you meant you could jump high and hover a bit ([YouTube demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SB4zTRqpWY)). Having this vertical element really added so much fun as you were no longer limited to the ground. My favourite weapon was the [NX ShadowClaw](https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/NX_ShadowClaw)[°](https://elliotclowes.com/cold/2024/https__callofduty.fandom.com_wiki_NX_ShadowClaw.html) which was a crossbow that killed your enemies instantly. You only had one shot though before a lengthy reload was required. So accuracy was needed. It got quite a bit of hate when playing this game as I was playing on PC, but used a controller which a lot of people frowned upon for some reason. Well the reason was that when you plugged in a controller the game gave you some aim assist. And some people felt this was 'cheating'. I personally think that my opponents having the accuracy of a mouse outweighed my 'accuracy' of aim assist though. ## Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings ![[aoe-2.jpg]] What a wonderful game. Like all the games on my list, I never played the campaign. Just multiplayer (and single player in this games case). It was repetitive sometimes, but I got so much pleasure from this one. And still play it from time to time. I was so happy when it was [remastered and rereleased in 2013](https://store.steampowered.com/app/221380/Age_of_Empires_II_Retired/). In fact, it looks like it was remastered again [in 2019](https://store.steampowered.com/app/813780/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition/). ## [Battlefield: Bad Company 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield:_Bad_Company_2) ![[Battlefield- Bad Company 2.jpg]] I loved being a sniper in this. This was my first Battlefield game. And I was totally amazed at the size of the maps compared to the small Call of Duty maps I was used to. So expansive. One of my favourite things was to get on top of the windmill on the [Harvest Day map](https://battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/Harvest_Day) (screenshot above (not from me)) and snipe. You were generally too high up to get many kills and too vulnerable to other snipers. But still, it was great fun. ## [Call of Duty: World at War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_World_at_War) ![[Call of Duty- World at War.jpg]] I think this was my introduction to Call of Duty. My main memory from this game is playing it with my cousin. We'd be in the lounge. With our PlayStation's hooked up to TV's side-by-side having great fun. Ah, simpler times. I loved the [Makin Day map](https://callofdutymaps.com/world-at-war/makin-day/). ## [iRacing](https://www.iracing.com/) ![[iracing.jpg]] I did some [[Twitch]] streaming for around a year and this was the game I streamed. It's a hardcore car racing simulator that requires a proper racing wheel to play. There's not much focus on graphics, just accuracy and realism. It's very much an "agony and ecstasy" game. Its realism means you have to be totally focused and put in lots of practise. And often you'd spend an hour going through practise and qualifying, only to crash at the first corner. But having said that one of the big complaints about online racing games is that people don't race "properly" and often crash into you maliciously. iRacing doesn't really have that, which makes it a much nicer experience. It's a pricey game, requiring a subscription and for you too buy lots of tracks. And I wouldn't even describe it as insanely "fun". But it's intense and wonderful and there's a nice community around it. *** Created: [[2024-03-30]]