Driver: San Francisco

This game features various missions with points and timed races. Sometimes you had to accumulate points, sometimes you had to hold out as long as possible, sometimes you had to be as quick as possible.

Across various challenges, I once held six world records in this game. A few users would battle me after Ubisoft shared my screenshots on Twitter but they didn't last. It was a very exciting time. Apparently, the game sold a lot better than expected, so I wasn't just battling a small number of users either.

Sadly, the franchise seems dead at the moment, which is a real shame. I'll always have these memories though! 💪

Angelina Jolie

in Hackers (1995)

This movie is still special to me and Angelina Jolie is probably 80% of the reason. When this movie came out, the combination of tech and a fantastic looking Jolie had my full attention from beginning to end. I rewatch this movie almost every year. 💙

With The Grand Tour now being official over, I've started re-watching the old TopGear specials again. I've seen them all a million times and I'll watch them a million times more.

Some are better than others. Back in the day, the scripted moments were sometimes a bit cringy, but I still love the show.

When they were in India and tried to revolutionize Dabbawala'ing, there was a moment where causing an accident was just way too obvious. Thankfully, those moments became a lot rarer.

Welp, guess I know what I'm gonna be doing tonight! 🍿

SIFU has been out for a while but it's still the hardest game in my recent memory. It's stylish as hell, especially if you love kung-fu movies, but you can't really button-mash your way through this game.

Well, you can, until you get to Sean. He's the second boss in the game and unless you know how to dodge, you'll have a hard time getting past him. It took me several sessions across several days to beat him - and I still felt like I got lucky.

And it's not like exploring will provide you with any advantages over Sean and you cannot power level to become stronger either. Not the first time anyway IIRC.

I'm not a person to throw a controller at the wall, but I got close to it with this game. 🥲

I've recently been trying to finish the Cyberpunk DLC and this band has been pumping out metal videos full of cyberpunk vibes. It just gels with me, though I have been a fan for a long time. Celldweller's FiXT music label is just full of talented folks!

I used to use rechargeable battery packs for my gaming controllers but after a few years, they just didn't hold their charges as well as they used to.

I've since upgraded to the best solution for wireless gaming with a controller ever. A friend suggested I get these Panasonic Eneloop Pros. These are magic. They last forever, I was literally stunned. If you're using wireless controllers, like the Xbox ones, for gaming, I highly suggest you give these a try.

As a PC gamer, there are currently only a handful of games I look forward to. It doesn't look super bright, honestly. Many other games are only planned for consoles.

GTA VI isn't going to come out this year, I assume. I've been playing these games ever since the the developer was still called DMA Design. Rockstar is still treating the franchise as if modding on PC hadn't been the one thing to keep GTA alive and relevant all through the years before GTA Online came around, so I don't plan on supporting this game even if it does release for PC in 2027. One less purchase won't matter to them but I'll be at peace.

DOOM The Dark Ages is going to be big but I will wait until reviews come out. Compared to 2016 DOOM, DOOM Eternal felt so bloated that I still haven't completed it to this day. Unless they tone things down a bit, I'll probably skip it.

So this only leaves two games for me, at the moment: Atomfall and...

Assassin's Creed Shadows

Image source: Xbox

We, the AC fans, have been dreaming of an Assassin's Creed game set in feudal Japan for so many years. I was super excited when they announced that it was finally in the works. Unfortunately, it's going to release during a very difficult time for Ubisoft.

The company is struggling, some will say rightly so. Some questionable game releases, NFT stuff, legal troubles with shutdowns of live-service games and people leaving the company have all impacted Ubisoft.

Assassin's Creed Shadows was delayed last year and I, personally, am glad it didn't release in November '24. The changes they've made and shown us so far have definitely made me more excited about the game. It looks like it won't necessarily play like other third person action games where you can choose between stealth and brute force. I've loved stealth games ever since I was a kid playing early Splinter Cell games. I'm hoping this will be similar to the current-gen Tenchu game we never got. (Curse you, Sekiro!)

For work (and hobbies), I am involved with Japanese culture every day anyway, so I'm very happy that after finishing Ghost of Tsushima on PC last year, I can keep my streak of exploring Japan in open-world games going!

I wasn't able to catch the event live, but most people I follow online thought it probably was the best one yet - even though there are still areas where they could change some small things to keep improving the whole thing.

I think the argument about DLC could be fixed fairly easily: make a DLC category. It's so obvious. That way, they could highlight more than just the biggest DLC package of the year, which was the case with Elden Ring.

Seeing Sports and Racing in the same category is also something I'd like to see changed. These two gaming categories are inherently very different, so just split them up into 2 categories and be done with it. The sports category should always have some nominees, because a lot of the franchises feature new releases every year. For racing, I could see how some years will feature more racing games and some will feature fewer games. Regardless, I think it's unfair to lump them all together.

I'm fairly satisfied with the winners. I'm actually extemely happy that Hellblade II managed to bag 2 awards. I can't wait for Hellblade III, even if we have to wait a long time.

#1 // Linkin Park - From Zero

To be honest, I wasn't sure if they could do it. Reinventing one of the most popular rock bands in the world is no small feat - but they've done it and the music is amazing. From Zero turned out to be a beautiful, varied album I can listen to from beginning to end without skipping a song. I will be a lifelong fan. I'm so happy the name Linkin Park lives on. I honestly can't wait for what's next after they're done touring and had some time to recharge.

#2 // Solar Fake - Don't Push This Button!

I discovered this band at a low point in my life, shortly after the release of their previous album, Enjoy Dystopia. While Don't Push This Button! doesn't quite reach the same heights, it's still a beautiful dark synth-pop album. I've got the physical release of the special edition right behind me. Definitely a highlight of my year.

#3 // Eminem - The Death of Slim Shady

There is no way I'm skipping an album release of one of my top 3 hip-hop lyricists. Despite the fact that this is a concept album, Eminem's wordplay still shines as bright as ever on this album.

#4 // Tech N9ne Collabos - COSM (Class of Strange Music)

The Collabos albums have always brought together the best of what Strange Music has to offer. But the industry is shifting again, a lot of artists went out on their own. That didn't stop Tech's efforts of bringing current and former artists back for another collaboration project. I'm not sure if there will ever be another one, so this one's special to me.

#5 // Static-X - Project Regeneration Volume 2

The current members of Static-X have made sure the legacy of Wayne Static lives on, by turning demos and otherwise unreleased material as well as the last studio recordings of Wayne into two album releases, Volume 1 and 2. While I missed out on getting an autograph from Wayne when he was still alive, I've now got an autographed version of Volume 2 on my music shelf. Evil Disco forever!