Every year I try to compile a list of games, books, and movies I experienced. Here we go.

I continue to read (listen, in fact) almost every day for the past few years. It’s in my daily routine when I walk the dogs. It’s a very different proposition from laying down and dedicating some time to read them. I have an urge for a secondary task when I am performing a no-brainier routine, just like.. walking the dogs. Otherwise, I feel wasting my time by just like walking and not thinking.

This is the list of this year’s books that I ingested. These lists are -definitively- not comprehensive ones. Since I’m not updating my GoodReads personal records nor writing about them in this blog, they are just the ones I remembered. I may edit this post if I remember other items.

1. Piranesi (Susanna Clarke) (9★★★★★★★★★): Piranesi lives in a fantastic place. He has a memory issue but keeps detailed notes. A great mystery.
2. The Well of AscensionThe Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) (Brandon Sanderson) (8★★★★★★★★): just after the events of the first book, the protagonists now have to maintain the power they acquired. Fascinating.
3. Steal Like an ArtistSteal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative (Austin Kleon) (8★★★★★★★★): great super-short book about the creative process. He incentives people to leap forward in creative work disregarding self-judgment. Get inspired and try to copy the work of others to practice and find one’s voice.
4. Keep GoingKeep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad (Austin Kleon) (8★★★★★★★★): another small but very motivational work from Austin Kleon. Do not stop creating. Do small iterative work until it’s done.
5. Show Your Work!Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered (Austin Kleon) (8★★★★★★★★): another small piece of Austin. Create a blog, Twitter, Instagram, or Tiktok account and show people what you are working on. Even hobbies stuff, like sketches. Eventually, it could become your masterpiece.
6. Parable of the Talents (Octavia E. Butler) (8★★★★★★★★): is the sequel of the excellent Parable of the Sower (Octavia E. Butler) (9★★★★★★★★★), telling about the protagonist is her daughter.
7. The President Is Missing (James Patterson, Bill Clinton) (7★★★★★★★): modern cyber terrorism thriller. Very believable. Tips and checks are done by no other than Bill Clinton!
8. The Power of HabitThe Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (Charles Duhigg) (7★★★★★★★): a modern classic self-helping book. It starts preaching the power of understanding and controlling habits. Then it exemplifies, chapter after chapter, the different facts of habits interfering in our decision-making. Very good.
9. DifferentDifferent: Escaping the Competitive Herd (Youngme Moon) (7★★★★★★★): essay about the competitive advantage of being different in the market. Curiously enough, in the second half of the book, she acknowledges that being different might not be important depending on the situation and market. Good book.
10. Communication Skills TrainingCommunication Skills Training: How to Talk to Anyone, Connect Effortlessly, Develop Charisma, and Become a People Person (James W. Williams) (7★★★★★★★): comprehensive discussion about communication skills. Nothing fantastic. But very good.
11. JusticeJustice: What's the Right Thing to Do? (Michael J. Sandel) (7★★★★★★★): several philosophical aspects, situations, and approaches of what is justice. It does not, however, present definitive answers about anything.
12. The 4-Hour BodyThe 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman (Timothy Ferriss) (5★★★★★): several tips about a proper workout, diet, and routines to get the body you want.
13. The 10x RuleThe 10x Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure (Grant Cardone) (4★★★★): salespeople kinda talk. Super aggressive, alpha behavior about using all your power and will to achieve goals and success. I tried to focus on the core messages and occasional motivation in his words, but it’s hard to not get pissed with the alpha male dominant attitude.
14. Think Sex and Grow RichThink Sex and Grow Rich: How to use the power of your sex drive to succeed in business (Marcus El) (4★★★★): it tries to sell the idea that we are driven by sex and we should channel this constant desire towards business goals. It starts fun, then became very tedious.

From the second part of 2021 that was not on the mid-2021 list

1. Dune (Frank Herbert) (8★★★★★★★★): read in 3 nights to watch the movie. Loved it.

For more books, you can check my online read list on GoodReads.

edited in 2022-07-14 because I forgot some books. Quite sure there are more.

Last year I published a post of my played games, but the title was mistakenly named Media List 2020. It was a games list so this year it was properly named. This year I wrote much less about each individual game, so I dedicated a small space to comment on each entry.

By far, the most important game I played was Cyberpunk 2077. At least, it was supposed to be the most loved and commented game. Whatever, here is a list of games of all games I played this year.

2021-01-13: Totally forgot to include both Battlefield 4 and Battlefield 1.

Finished

• 3 out of 10 Season 1 (7★★★★★★★): the self-mocking humor is funny, but the gameplay is monotonous.
• Abzû (6★★★★★★): Underwater abstract exploration. Due to the short length, it was ok.
• Battlefield 1 (9★★★★★★★★★): the best in the series. The split stories, all good, allowed me to explore multiple gameplays.
• Battlefield 4 (6★★★★★★): awful. The invincible hero trope to the last moment. Cinematic after cinematic.
• Control (7★★★★★★★): it was on my wish list for quite some time, then Epic gave it for free. However, I must admit it was a bit off for me. The weird story never fulfilled me, and the levels and flow were a bit repetitive. My impression is that Jesse, the protagonist, was at the same time omniscient and suffering from amnesia. Dr. Casper Darling (played by Matthew Porretta) was a fun character though.
• Cyberpunk 2077 (7★★★★★★★) I enjoyed quite a lot. Finished every single quest. Still, expectations were higher.
• Gunpoint (8★★★★★★★★): quick, easy, and charming puzzle-platformer.
• Hyper Light Drifter (5★★★★★): loved by many. Not me. Hard and confusing, despite beautiful. I gave up.
• Imperialism 2 (8★★★★★★★★): finally played to the end the other day. The clunky old graphics and controls get a bit in the way.
• Little Nightmares (7★★★★★★★)Little Nightmares (8★★★★★★★★) (as watcher): I’ve made my wife play this, a bit every night. Despite the lack of gamer’s finger coordination, she did fine and loved it. We will definitively play the second installment eventually.
• Offworld Trading Company (7★★★★★★★)(campaign mode): the campaign mode lacks openness and does not add a great story to compensate.
• Quadrilateral Cowboy (7★★★★★★★): this very quirky game about hacking and programming. Very experimental, both for visual and gameplay.
• Tell Me Why (8★★★★★★★★): my wife played this game with me. She loved the theme, but she really sucks with the camera controls. We talked about the themes and storylines for weeks. I decided to be by her side to help her play the amazing Life is Strange because she was liking the game but associated it with mental gymnastics to just make the character walk.
• Tharsis (6★★★★★★): a survival digital board game. We have to manage action points, mitigate bad dice rolls and survive for about 5 turns. Short and agonizing.
• Watch Dogs 2 (8★★★★★★★★): after playing a couple of Ubisoft open-world games lately (1 FarCry, and 2 Assassin’s Creed in just the last 2 years), I was expecting the same generic main protagonist and blend story. But I genuinely liked this entry. Marcus is a likable dude and despite the exaggerated characterization of hackers, it had several storylines right.

Not finished yet (for one reason or another)

Most of them I barely started. Just to check the general flow or if it was working at all. Some It’s WIP. Few are collecting dust.

• 3 out of 10 Season 2 (7★★★★★★★): the same as the first season. Funny and awkward. About to finish.
• A Plague Tale Innocence (8★★★★★★★★): beautiful production. Played just the first couple of levels.
• Assassin’s Creed 3: It’s a big cut scene with some on-rails gameplay. Hated so far. :(
• Astrologaster (8★★★★★★★★): indie small game. Crazy humor. I liked it very much so far.
• Blair Witch (7★★★★★★★): did not care much about the lore, but it’s a nice horror game.
• Black Mesa (8★★★★★★★★): the official/non-official Half-Life 1 remake. The original one I did not play at the time. This remake is superb!
• Crying Suns (7★★★★★★★): very similar to FTL, with a delightful story and context. My current run is in Chapter 4 and about to finally finish.
• Doki Doki Literature Club: not my style, but I heard so many good things about it that I’m intrigued.
• Ghostrunner (7★★★★★★★): 3D puzzle game action game. Think about 3D Super Meat Boy.
• GRIS: beautiful first level.
• Heaven’s Vault (7★★★★★★★): highly anticipated game, played a bit and liked the story so far. As far I can tell, there is space for multiple run-throughs to explore all possible branches (not sure if I would do it).
• Just Cause 4: (7★★★★★★★): repetitive like its predecessor. But it was crashing too many times. Hardly coming back.
• Observation (7★★★★★★★): excellent storytelling, despite the clunky controls.
• Overcooked 2 (8★★★★★★★★): my family loved it, and I’m trying to play the campaign with my wife
• Snake Pass (5★★★★★): 3D puzzle game, installed to play with my nephews, but its controllers, and especially the camera, are too clunky and annoying.
• Supraland (8★★★★★★★★): from nowhere, this game is surprisingly hard and much longer than I anticipated. Still, I’m loving the sarcastic tone and the bucketload of jokes.
• Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (8★★★★★★★★): the best game in the series. 4 cases with somewhat similar mechanics and styles. Just one to go.
• The Stillness of the Wind: installed.
• Unravel Two (8★★★★★★★★): still to finish with my wife. She struggles to use the joystick, but this game is quite forgiving, due to the slow pace. The light story allows infrequent plays.
• Wilmot s Warehouse: it works. It’s all that I can tell so far.
• XII: installed, played 2 levels. Unique style but old controls.

Not finished yet (still from previous years)

Yet, there are some games that I did not quit definitively, but they are still to be played (therefore, not yet rated). A few are installed even still.

• Baba Is You (7★★★★★★★): played some levels. To the second or third “world”, if I remember. SUPER clever.
• Bad North (7★★★★★★★): nice but I still have to give it more time to shine.
• Detention (7★★★★★★★): I was far in this indie horror game. I think I formatted the HD and lost the saved game.
• Else Heart Break: it’s working. It’s all that I know
• Everspace (6★★★★★★): FTL in 3D. You command a ship that has to fight, explore and trade point to point, in a similar fashion to the famous indie game. I liked it but did not love it. Probably I am not continuing to play.
• FAR: Lone Sails (5★★★★★): I liked the concept, but I felt lacking.
• GRID 2 (7★★★★★★★): played A LOT. Top-tier racing games. Beautiful, despite the age.
• Hand of Fate 2: I liked the first game, despite the flaws. This second installment is more complete at every level. I shall play it. I’ve read the developer closed doors.
• Kentucky Route Zero: this acclaimed game I was super excited to try.
• Shadow Tactics (8★★★★★★★★): I really liked the thinking of this game. It’s definitively one that I will try to complete sooner than later.
• SOMA (6★★★★★★): I haven’t given it time to blossom, but I was not utterly involved either.
• Subnautica (7★★★★★★★): it took me time to understand the whole open concept. But a saved save was lost, and I’m not in the mood to retry it.
• Sunless Sea (6★★★★★★). The procedurally generated world is amazing, but this was not my cup of tea. Probably I am not continuing to play.
• Superhot Mind Control Delete (7★★★★★★★): played several levels already, yet to finish.
• The Pillars of the Earth: loved the book. I barely started the game, so maybe it should not be here.
• The Quiet Sleep (8★★★★★★★★): in this weird indie game, you play the internal mind of a troubled guy during 3 scenarios.
• War of Mine (8★★★★★★★★): I’m far in my third play-through, but I’m still to see the game credits.
• Witness (7★★★★★★★): quite adorable. Some puzzles are difficult and make you feel smart. Yet, the lack of pressure makes it an eternal secondary game. It’s also difficult to put it in a “continuous play” category because you need to know at what point are you.

Continuous playing

I play them eventually. Most of them are strategy games.

• A Total War Saga: TROY (8★★★★★★★★): One of the Epic Store exclusives (for a time), it impressed me. I’m about to finish my first campaign, playing the Amazons.
• Cities Skylines (8★★★★★★★★): After my friend mentioned that he was lost hours and hours designing his hometown, I reinstalled it and started to lose hours and hours too.
• Democracy 3 (8★★★★★★★★): always in Vogue.
• Hidden Folks (7★★★★★★★): success with small kids and non-gamers alike
• RimWorld (8★★★★★★★★): MUCH more complex than Prison Architect, offered a great variety of procedural content. I did not finish a single play-through, but it’s really special.
• Rome Total War (8★★★★★★★★): I played a lot last year. But it’s quite a long game. Once I finish it once, I might close it once and for all. The Troy is heavier but ultimately better in every aspect.
• Scythe (9★★★★★★★★★): the award-winning board game that I still have to give a beginning-to-end match.
• Stelaris (7★★★★★★★): slow-paced super broad space strategy. The sense of exploration is still amazing
• Surviving Mars (7★★★★★★★): a loved board game that I played a couple of matches solo. I was not hooked, but I may still give it another try.
• Ticket to Ride (9★★★★★★★★★): played online with family and friends. Always a success.
• Wingspan (9★★★★★★★★★): immediate success with my family and friends. Special mention to my 6-year-old nephew’s comment: “It’s the best game I ever played”. He was assisted and played quite well.

Next games on my radar

Finally, here is a list of games that I already have in my collection that I plan to play in the next months.

• Hitman: I’ve never finished Contracts, but just because I was obsessed with being perfect. I hope to play more relaxed this one.
• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate: hope to be better than the 3.
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (7★★★★★★★): liked the first title, Deus Ex: Human Revolution (8★★★★★★★★). I hope to like this one too.
• We Are There Together: I bought to play with my wife using the family feature on Steam (she shares all my games). However, it is not included in the Play Together, so I am required to buy it twice. 😐 Trying to convince another soul to play with me.
• Heavy Rain: I will play this critically acclaimed story-driven game from Quantic Dream with my wife.
• Beyond: Two Souls (8★★★★★★★★): another story to play accompanied.

Just a list of movies that I’ve seen this pandemic year.

1. Be Kind Rewind
2. Best in Show
3. Borat
4. Borat Subsequent Movie
5. Bridesmaids
6. Coming 2 America
7. Cruela
8. Don’t Look Up
9. Enola Holmes
10. I Care a Log
11. I’m Thinking of Ending Things
12. Incendies
13. Judas and the Black Messiah
14. Lady and the Tramp
15. Last Knights
16. Live Twice, Love Once
17. Mank
18. Minari
19. News of the World
20. Okja
21. Radioactive
22. Roma
23. Shadow
24. Sound of Metal
25. Sound of Silence
26. The Chamber
27. The Dig
28. The Father
29. The Informer
30. The King
31. The Midnight Sky
32. The Trial of the Chicago 7
33. Us
34. Wasp Network
35. White Tiger

Documentary

1. American Factory
2. Honeyland

Animations

1. A Cat in Paris
2. Luca
3. Soul
4. Your name

Shows

1. Loki (S1)
2. Mandalorian (S1, S2)
3. Morning Show (S1)
4. Queen’s Gambit (S1)
5. Ted Lasso (S1 S2)
6. The Spy (S1)
7. This is Us (S1)
8. Tiger King (S1)

As a programmer and businessman, I try to organize the world. So, I created a unified Rating page consolidating all reviews that I did. Games, board games, books, movies, and TV shows.

For a few of them, I wrote a full blog post. But most of I did not. That was driving me crazy. I often mention the same games/movies on multiple posts. When it happens to a piece of art that I did not previously review, I felt pressure to do so. I even might do so, but now it’s not required anymore. Now the non-reviewed-but-rated are properly acknowledged. And I shall have consistency.

I’m going to scan, in the next few days, all previous blog posts to cross reference, but the main step was done.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Also, in a similar vein to the previous post, Rating Art, I decided to give my ratings a more visual appeal. For now, besides the numeric 0-10 rating, it will show the according to the number of stars.

Rating things is a real art. Especially if we are rating art. Not much thought is put on it; eventually things start to get complicated and ambiguous.

Time

Also cultural references also change. What was good 100 years ago might simply be unacceptable nowadays. There are plenty of movies, sculptures, paintings and songs that portrait racism, misogyny or prejudice that were normal at the time. It’s complicate to reevaluate them using our modern mental framework.

Also, our own taste changing with time. Things that were cool when we were young might embarrassing years later. #cringe

Technology

Some technological improvements make it change our quality perspective. A silent or black-and-white movie, a radio quality song recording, an Atari Pong. But today, it’s hard sell to have such limitation in a modern piece of art.

Sometimes, these technological changes make plainly impossible to appreciate the art later on. For video games it’s particularly affected, since the medium in which it is consumed is part of the experience. Virtual Boy headaches during hours and hours of playtime were part of the nostalgia, but how to compare with a modern XR game if the hardware itself is hard to find and make it work?

Single Fixed Scale

Finally, we have to reduce all the rich details into a numeric scale.

I prefer an infinite positive scale, that always grows with new titles, would be better. So Pong would never be in the same league as a modern AAA 3D adventure story-driven game. But at the same time, one could honestly appreciate an old movie almost the same as flashy new one.

So having a single fixed scale, from 1-5, 0-10, percentage, or even the super weird American F-A concept, is an easier way to deal things. Almost everyone uses this in some shape or form.

My take

There are much to discuss.

At least for now, I’m going to simplify a bit my ratings. I use a 0-10 scale, with .5 decimals. There is no need for these decimal point. An 0-10 scale is enough to separate good from bad. Numerically, 9.4 is better than 9.3. But in practice, it most convey the information that is an amazing game/movie/book, not that one is better than the other. The details I expect to point are a qualitative analysis in each review.

Also, using half-points in practice doubles the range. It’s, in fact, a 20 point scale. No need for such granularity.

Updating all these past ratings with decimal points, rounding them up or down, depending each case.

• Bastion: from 8.5 to 9
• Batman: Arkham Knight: from 4.5 to 4
• Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons: from 7.5 to 8
• Final Station: from 7.5 to 7
• Her Story: from 7.5 to 7
• Mad Max: Fury Road: from 9.5 to 9
• Old Man’s War: from 7.5 to 8
• Orwell: from 7.5 to 7
• Queen of Katwe: from 7.5 to 7
• Skyrim: from 8.5 to 9
• Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens: from 8.5 to 8
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F\*ck: from 7.5 to 7
• The Swapper: from 8.5 to 8
• The Talos Principle: from 8.5 to 8
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine: from 9.5 to 10
• Zeno Clash: from 7.5 to 8

One might notice that I’ve never used the 1-3 ratings and barely used bellow 6. It’s not a problem with the scale per se. It’s more about the selection process that occur before consuming a game or movie. I try to focus on award winning, previously mentioned and commented by someone else before. I might eventually rethink this scale to englobe all bellow threshold in a single category and focus on the above threshold scale.

This way I tend to consume only reasonably good products and, therefore, only set reasonably good ratings! Good for me, if you ask.