Fact’Or 2024 – CBL – Steam Deck, Fact’Or 2024 – Article

Despite a busy job, two kids and a lot of travel, I finished a good bunch of games this year. So how, you ask me? It’s simple: an understanding wife (because she’s also a player), probably a few (tens? hundreds?) of late hours of sleep and a Steam Deck.

Fact’Or of the game you don’t play alone

Helldivers 2

I don’t have many memories of the first Helldivers but I still laugh thinking about certain parts of Helldivers 2. It’s the perfect co-op game for forties, because the games are short (a mission is completed in less than 20 minutes), there is no downtime and it doesn’t take itself seriously. The Starship Troopers / Terminator mix is ​​absolutely delicious and the furious madness that reigns on screen has rarely been seen. There are times when it shoots and explodes in all directions. The moments of ultimate enjoyment when the airstrike falls right on the big insect we are targeting are alternated with others of giggles when the airstrike in question falls “by accident” on his teammate. The game goes in circles quickly, but we come back to it from time to time after a crappy day at work.

Silver medal: SUPER CRAZY RHYTHM CASTLE. Obtained for free on the EGS and launched somewhat by chance, it is one of those little-known gems. It’s an improbable mix between Overcooked, a musical game and a escape game. The design is a bit crap and the dialogues are unbearable, but it’s super original.

Fact’Or for the best portable console

Steam Deck

This year again, I was a volunteer sales representative for the Valve bike which toured the world (Los Angeles – Berlin – Tokyo – Paris – Cherbourg) and which I showed to all the people interested (or not) by selling the abilities of the beast. Casually, in 2024, I finished on it:

• Afterparty – philosophy and alcohol, a bit like The Red Strings Club, but much worse
• Braid Remastered – I admit that on Deck, I didn’t see much of a difference with the original
• Firewatch – a lovely narrative walk that ends in blood sausage
• Gray – poetry in pixels, ointment for damaged hearts
• Minami Lane – super minimalist and super zen management
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (see below)
• Ruin – KILL KILL KILL, one shoot super strong seen from above
• Sayonara Wild Hearts – Rez en version pop
• Shakedown: Miami – GTA 16 bits, la pseudo-suite de Retro City Rampage
• Thirsty Suitors – a little bit of Tony Hawk, a little bit of dating sima little JRPG, a lot of diversity
• Unpacking – how to tell a beautiful story with simple objects (second time I finished it)
• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – KILL KILL KILL, Doom with Ultramarines sauce

I even take it out when friends come over: I plug it into the big TV to let loose on Heave Ho, TowerFall, Stick Fight, Move or Die and Jackbox.

Fact’Or for the best Japanese

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

I’ve spent over 50 hours on Like a Dragon: Yakuza and honestly, I didn’t think I’d touch another Yakuza for a while. But Kasuga in Hawaii cannot be refused. Especially since he is not alone. He is quickly joined by Kiryu as a playable character. Like the Snake from MGS 4, Kiryu is old and sick, but it’s not a small cancer that’s going to stop him from setting foot where he wants and it’s often in the mouth. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth remains a very basic RPG, without choices and where everything leads to fights, but the writing more than compensates by offering a gallery of very endearing characters and a fairly unique mix of seriousness and fun. And that’s without counting the ancillary activities. Pokémon and Animal Crossing clones are almost games in their own right in which you can sink dozens of hours. Finally, choosing “Hawaiian Dancer” as a character class for Chitose Fujinomiya was probably my best decision of 2024.

Silver medal: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Frostis may be the Nintendork of Factornews, but I’m the biggest Zelda fan on the team. I didn’t expect much from this new opus and I finished it in one go. It’s cute, it’s fresh and it’s colorful. Yes, puzzles don’t break three legs of a duck, especially when we understand that we can abuse the beds in a way that’s not allowed, but I love the possibility of summoning armies of pigs and octopuses to fight each other. in our place. It’s designed for a younger audience than BOTW/TOTK but it’s good from time to time.

Fact’Or of the game where the heart beats very quickly

Selaco

When Selaco ends, we learn that we have only finished the first chapter and we remember that we are playing an early evaluation game. It was far from obvious because what has already been released is well finished, complete and ultra-fun to play. Don’t be fooled by the “FPS for quadra” appearance of the game. Selaco is a very modern FPS with everything we like: nervous movements based on sliding, upgradeable and varied weapons, semi-open levels and semi-linear progression which allows you to go back at any time to nab a forgotten bonus. The fights are particularly brutal and bloody, all reinforced by often destructible scenery. The AI ​​seems to come straight out of FEAR and rushing into the crowd is a guarantee of certain death. And Doom’s engine obliges, everything runs on a very small config. The soundscape is insane and the soundtrack is excellent. I can’t wait to dive back into it when the second chapter comes out!

Silver medal: Anger Foot. It’s Hotline Miami in 3D with techno hardcore instead of synth wave and anthropomorphic animals instead of mafiosi. We go through short levels, hitting everything that moves with great kicks and using the different weapons that we pick up, from the simple pistol to the minigun, including the crossbow and the flamethrower. Tatane shots are also used to open doors and throw grenades back. It’s stupid, it’s greasy, it’s violent and it’s going at 100 miles an hour.