[blog] churros are fried until they become crunchy, and may be sprinkled with sugar

Season 1 - churros and the games that nobody plays

Imagine a kid that it's addicted to buying loot boxes on those not-so-great online games. Now replace that kid for an adult, and replace those loot boxes for cheap games on Steam. Yeah, that's me.

I can't resist trying to find a cheap hidden gem. I'm logging here my adventure of traversing into all the crap that is my backlog, hoping that I eventually stumble in a diamond.

1. Anime Standing
2. Gynophobia
4. Helltaker
5. Raging Justice
6. iaidoka_interlude
7. Raindancer
8. Super Dungeon Boy
9. Devolverland Expo
10. Kind Words
11. Road Redemption
12. Ravenfield
13. Bighead Runner
14. Hellpoint: The Thespian Feast
15. DEMON'S TILT
16. Find this!
17. Polygoneer
18. Hoo-Boy
19. Pumpkin Jack
20. Lonely Mountains: Downhill
21. art of rally
22. The Touryst
23. Indivisible
24. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
25. Cyber Shadow
26. Speed Limit
27. Snowball!
28. Box Factory
29. TEXT
30. Barro Racing
31. Barro
32. Undermine
33. The Medium
34. Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae
35. 3dSen
36. Whipseey and the Lost Atlas
37. Star Wars Episode I: Racer
38. 30XX Early Access
39. Steam Next Fest Demos 1
40. GRIME Demo
41. Sable Demo
42. Biomutant
43. Mortal Shell
44. Recompile
45. Gamescom's Indie Booth Arena Online Demos
46. Arboria
46. Devil Daggers
47. SkateBIRD
48. Severed Steel
49. Melbourne International Games Week Demos
50. A bunch of Metroids
51. Steam Next Fest Demos 2
52. Metal Unit
53. Steel Assault
54. Hot Wheels Unleashed
55. Super Mombo Quest
56. A bunch of Ninja Gaidens
57. A bunch of Halos
58. A Firm Handshake
59. Escaped Chasm
60. KID A MNESIA
61. The Artful Escape
62. Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story
63. Tunche
64. Twelve Minutes
65. The Gunk
66. Top 10 objectively best games of the year by churros 2021 edition
67. COGEN: Sword of Rewind
68. Medal of Honor
69. Sifu
70. Steam Next Fest Demos 3
71. OlliOlli
72. OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood
73. Vampire Survivors
74. Firelight Fantasy: Force Energy
75. Infernax
76. Aztech Forgotten Gods
77. TUNIC
78. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
79. Marsupilami: Hoobadventure
80. Rift Racoon
81. Pinkman+
82. The House of the Dead: Remake
83. Samurai Bringer
84. Haiku, the Robot
85. The Rusty Sword: Vanguard Island
86. Ganryu 2: Hakuma Kojiro
87. Temp Zero
88. Trek to Yomi
89. Soda Crisis
90. Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
91. OlliOlli World
92. Steam Next Fest Demos 4
93. Terminator: Resistance
94. Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
95. Stray
96. Babylon's Fall
97. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
98. My retro gaming room
99. Grapple Dog
100. HunterX
101. Death's Door
102. Thymesia
103. Steelrising
104. Rollerdrome
105. Frogun
106. Final Vendetta
107. Beholgar
108. Midnight Fight Express
109. Valkyrie Elysium
110. Trombone Champ
111. Ex-Zodiac
112. Ultra Age
113. PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC
114. Evil West
115. Neon White
116. Top 10 objectively best games of the year by churros 2022 edition

Season 2 - churros is stuck in 2023

Life happened and I (sad, sad, sadly) do not have the time to play all the one dollar garbage from Steam AND play all AAA games that catches my eye AND buy all games at release price. I'll miss those days.

Before moving on to playing old nostalgic games and games on my backlog that I'm ashamed I didn't play it yet (like Nier Automata), I want to play everything from 2023! Yeah, 2023 was one of the best years ever in gaming and I just can't let it go. Sit tight for my top 2023 games, coming up in 2025!

1. En Garde!
2. SPRAWL
3. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider
4. BIT.TRIP RERUNNER
5. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
6. Wild Dogs
7. 9 Years of Shadows
8. South Park: Snow Day!
9. Resident Evil 4 Remake & Separate Ways DLC
10. Diablo IV
11. Black Myth: Wukong
12. Caesar's Revenge
13. Red Faction: Guerrilla
14. Red Faction: Armageddon
15. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
16 .Dragon's Dogma II
17. No Rest for the Wicked
18. Minishoot' Adventures
19. Mouthwashing
20. Scars Above
21. Path of Exile 2
22. A bunch of Warhammer Space Marines

I love Death Stranding. I know the game is polarizing, but it hit the right note with me. After over a hundred hours, I still crave for more. Sure, "Anime Standing" it's just mock/meme of it. But maybe, just maybe, there's a little bit of gameplay there to fulfill my post-apocalyptic baby carrying delivery simulator needs.

Oh, I was wrong. It's just half an hour of walking around without any mechanic to engage you at all.

Result: completed (1h)

Rating: 1/10

Pros:
+ rolling the barrel uphill is almost fun

Cons:
- the right analog stick didn't work
- the resolution cut the HUD and you can't change it
- it's barely a game

Screenshots:


I can almost hear "welcome sam porter bridges".


A glimpse of originality. Pushing the barrel up the hill is awkward yet satisfying after getting it to the top (remind this a bit).


You can drive Tesla's cybertruck.


The game flirts with nudity, but that requires a DLC.

"Gynophobia is a horror themed shooter about abnormal fear of women". Sounds like a bad idea just as The Last of Us original pitch.

A very bad mix of FPS and hidden object game. Couldn't even finish.

Result: retired

Rating: 1/10

Pros:
+ it controls well, I guess

Cons:
- it's a bad hidden object game
- no instructions

Screenshots:


No story at all.


The dated graphics, the weak pistol sound and its lack of recoil reminded me of the original Half-Life. How one of the worst games ever made can remind me of one of the very best?


The greatest menace.

Free (no catch), and short sokoban game with a last boss surprise. Better than I expected.

Result: completed (1h)

Rating: 8/10

Pros:
+ amazing last boss fight
+ charming presentation
+ free

Cons:
(none)

Screenshots:


The plot.


It's sokoban.


Cute demonic girls.

Not too polished but fun to play beat em up. Cops fighting punks, pretty typical of the genre.

Result: completed (1h 10m)

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ responsive controls
+ the arresting mechanic is fun
+ multiple difficulty levels and optional challenges

Cons:
- ugly presentation
- few animation frames
- bad music
- recycled bosses

Screenshots:


The protagonists.


Coolest cop in town.


That's what I call reusing enemies.

I don't know why I gave this game a shot, but I sure know why I love it. The platforming timing feels like a NES game (like Star Tropics), which you can feel a very precise delay in your actions.

A lot of the steam reviews are negative due to "imprecise controls", but the game shines for the exact opposite reason. Such a hidden gem.

Result: completed (1h 10m)

Rating: 8/10

Pros:
+ emulates the best of nes games
+ precise controls
+ good level design
+ pleasant music despite repetitive

Cons:
- some enemies spawns out of nowhere
- weird color pallete change on backgrounds in the same stage

Screenshots:


I love the platforming in this game.


Combat is forgettable, but it does its job of breaking up the pace.


Some donkey kong inspiration.

I'm logging here my adventure of traversing into all the crap that is my backlog, hoping that I eventually stumble in a diamond.

I had missed this before, this sounds like it's going to be an interesting adventure. 😄

"Gynophobia is a horror themed shooter about abnormal fear of women". Sounds like a bad idea just as The Last of Us original pitch.

A very bad mix of FPS and hidden object game. Couldn't even finish.

Result: retired

Rating: 1/10

Pros:
+ it controls well, I guess

Cons:
- it's a bad hidden object game
- no instructions

Screenshots:


No story at all.


The dated graphics, the weak pistol sound and its lack of recoil reminded me of the original Half-Life. How one of the worst games ever made can remind me of one of the very best?


The greatest menace.

I really love the idea of a hidden-gem type blog! Also, I had no idea about that original pitch for The Last of Us... it was an really interesting video

Thank you guys, it's been really fun so far.

This was a gift from a friend of mine after we saw that I had 899 games on steam.

Boss rush game, really difficult (you die with one hit) even on story mode. Game controls like a twin stick shooter even though you bash enemies with a sword. Fighting feels like dancing.

Result: completed (1h 30m)

Rating: 7/10

Pros:
+ unique gameplay
+ simple to understand mechanics
+ creative enemy design

Cons:
- music can get repetitive
- ugly protagonist

Screenshots:


Twin stick slasher with a pinch Gears of War reload bar.


One of the bosses.


The last one.

Nice!

Nice!

Hey, I'm surprised to see you here.

Thanks again for the game!

Helltaker is a pretty good game tho, but also too short. FInished it with the secret ending and totally worth it!

Little platformer with nothing special about it. Not fun enough to beat it.

Result: retired (1h 30m)

Rating: 3/10

Pros:
+ you can roll out from attacks
+ coins are useful
+ ok achievements

Cons:
- some pretty bad enemy placement
- firing arrows while jumping is broken
- repetitive enemies, music, and scenario

Screenshots:


Caves. That's all you're going to see.


Oh, ice caves also. Now that's variety.


I like how collecting coins is useful.

Devolver Digital released an interactive "E3 booth" along with their video presentation this year. I love Devolver presentations.

Result: completed (50m)

Rating: 4/10

Pros:
+ it's pretty
+ some of the trailers are actually interesting
+ straightforward to the end

Cons:
- could include at least some minigames
- boring boss fight at the end

Screnshots:


Carrion.


Weird West. I guess the marketing campaign worked, didn't know about this game and it seems pretty good, might end up getting it.


Blightbound.


Olija.


Serious Sam 4.


Fall Guys. I'm already excited for this one, looks super fun.


Shadow Warrior 3. Pretty cool enemy designs on the trailer.

Send and receive anonymous letters to strangers, while listening to lo-fi music in a very relaxing bedroom. On paper this would never work, but in reality, it works quite well. I read some genuine kind words while "playing" it.

Result: 1h (retired)

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ relaxing mood
+ genuine kind words

Cons:
- could use some more music tracks
- people send some annoying chain letters sometimes


Real people with real problems.


You can find some funny letters once in a while.


You can send and receive stickers with your letters. Getting all the stickers it's what barely resembles a game.

Road rash, as fun and repetitive as I remember. Took longer to beat than I expected.

Result: completed (7h 30m)

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ addictive gameplay
+ great controller layout
+ good objective diversity

Cons:
- some bland music
- too long to unlock more characters and bikes
- could use a campaign mode that is not roguelike
- getting stuck on the scenario is extremely frustrating


Racing on rooftops.


Bonus track.

Road rash, as fun and repetitive as I remember. Took longer to beat than I expected.

Result: completed (7h 30m)

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ addictive gameplay
+ great controller layout
+ good objective diversity

Cons:
- some bland music
- too long to unlock more characters and bikes
- could use a campaign mode that is not roguelike
- getting stuck on the scenario is extremely frustrating


Racing on rooftops.


Bonus track.

Wait is that rainbow road?

Wait is that rainbow road?

Yep, it's a bonus stage after you beat the campaign.

Yep, it's a bonus stage after you beat the campaign.

Huh. Neat

Send and receive anonymous letters to strangers, while listening to lo-fi music in a very relaxing bedroom. On paper this would never work, but in reality, it works quite well. I read some genuine kind words while "playing" it.

Result: 1h (retired)

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ relaxing mood
+ genuine kind words

Cons:
- could use some more music tracks
- people send some annoying chain letters sometimes


Real people with real problems.


You can find some funny letters once in a while.


You can send and receive stickers with your letters. Getting all the stickers it's what barely resembles a game.

Happy to see you gave it a try.

- Matt

This is an awesome idea looking forward to seeing what you play next

Thanks!

I have a history with a game called Counter-Strike, Counter-Strike: Source more specifically (but 1.6 and early Go are part of my life too). I’ve used to live and breathe that game. Overclocking my USB ports, reading about exotic gaming mice on GotFrag, buying ridiculously big mouse pads, you name it.

That was over 10 years ago. I’m cured.

However, once in a while, I have a bit of a withdrawal. Thankfully I've been holding up strong over the years, never installed the game again. I thought quick Quake Live matches would ease my pain, but there’s no server with a decent ping for someone in Brazil.

Enter Ravenfield, a low-budget bot-only battlefield rip-off. It’s no Counter-Strike, but with some CQC community maps + some skins, eh, it’s good enough. Gets boring after half an hour but, for a recovered addict like me, that’s not a bug it’s a feature.

I usually only blog about either “completed” or “retired” games but, just like Animal Crossing, this one will have the “playing” status for some good months (maybe even years).

Result: completed?

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ good customization options
+ steam workshop
+ runs well even on older PCs
+ uses Steam friends names as bot names
+ option for randomly generating bot chat

Cons:
- no last weapon key
- no deathmatch/free for all option
- no gun game option
- only vast maps
- glitched on linux

Screenshots:


Charming loading screen.


Good old dust2.


Alright, let’s move out.


Enemy spotted.

I have a history with a game called Counter-Strike, Counter-Strike: Source more specifically (but 1.6 and early Go are part of my life too). I’ve used to live and breathe that game. Overclocking my USB ports, reading about exotic gaming mice on GotFrag, buying ridiculously big mouse pads, you name it.

That was over 10 years ago. I’m cured.

However, once in a while, I have a bit of a withdrawal. Thankfully I've been holding up strong over the years, never installed the game again. I thought quick Quake Live matches would ease my pain, but there’s no server with a decent ping for someone in Brazil.

Enter Ravenfield, a low-budget bot-only battlefield rip-off. It’s no Counter-Strike, but with some CQC community maps + some skins, eh, it’s good enough. Gets boring after half an hour but, for a recovered addict like me, that’s not a bug it’s a feature.

I usually only blog about either “completed” or “retired” games but, just like Animal Crossing, this one will have the “playing” status for some good months (maybe even years).

Result: completed?

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ good customization options
+ steam workshop
+ runs well even on older PCs
+ uses Steam friends names as bot names
+ option for randomly generating bot chat

Cons:
- no last weapon key
- no deathmatch/free for all option
- no gun game option
- only vast maps
- glitched on linux

Screenshots:


Charming loading screen.


Good old dust2.


Alright, let’s move out.


Enemy spotted.

I actually have played a ton of hours of Ravenfield just messing around with the different weapons and maps the community have created for this game. It's actually cool to see this on your blog as it's a game that I sometimes play just to zone out to while listening to an album. I haven't touched it in a while so I don't know if it's still in Early Access or if it got released properly, but I will have to check out the new weapons and maps the community has made in the workshop.

I think the game with the normal skins is incredibly charming. The fact that they are simple Red vs Blue type enemies you would see in Halo: Combat Evolved's mutliplayer brings a lot of nostalgia to me especially those first few season of Red Vs Blue the Machinima (You know, when it was supposed to be a comedy and not some crazy drama?) Also, I like that all the characters have a smile on their face. It's kind of like they know they're AI in a game they think "Yeah, lets have fun. I'm gonna respawn anyways."

I agree that there definitely should be more game modes in the future like you see in a COD or Battlefield game, but I've been super happy about the Control Points mode they added to the game and have kept playing it for ages.

At the time of writing I have 78 hours on Ravenfield just messing around in it. Glad to see someone other than me is playing this game.