This game holds a major place in my heart, and I look back very fondly on the HOURS I put into this game in the past. It’s been a very long time since I played it, however, so this will truly be a trip down memory lane. In fact, initially, I wasn’t even sure I could include it in the Game Awards, because I had no idea whether I could find a copy that I could make work on modern machines – especially since there was, ultimately, a sequel to overshadow the genius of the first one (the second one wasn’t as fun, in my opinion). Luckily, I discovered that GOG has a version that does just that… which was quite a shock to me. I doubt most of you have even heard of this game, it’s that obscure. The game is set in a fictional Chicago during Prohibition, and really does a great job of making you feel like most of your gang activities must be carefully hidden by having an elaborate system of “front” businesses for each of your venues. In fact, one of my memories of this game is literally printing off page after page of the game manual and carefully cutting and gluing it together to make a real manual so I could have a better reference to figure out what can go where. (In fact, I think I still have that little booklet somewhere in one of my storage boxes… LOL..)

I’m sure quite a few of you played this one in one of it’s iterations. I found this game when it was still Caesar II – and loved it. I played the game’s sequels, too. The third in the series is widely recognized as being better than the fourth, but the fourth was easier to capture, so I took the easy way out.

Caesar was one of four games in the Sierra city-building series, which has been a staple of my gaming history. (Spoiler: the others – Zeus, Emperor, and Pharaoh, are included in my list elsewhere…) Caesar holds the distinction of being the first game that came out in the series, and also of being my least favorite. Again, if you’re going to play it, I suggest playing either Caesar 3 or going way back to Caesar 2. Caesar 4 really isn’t all that good.

… And now for something completely different. At first glance, this looks like just another mini game you might find on your phone. Let me tell you, if that’s what it is, it definitely got an upgrade. When I first found this game, I over-looked it. Then one of my favorite Twitch streamers played it, and I had to take notice, because it really looked like a lot of fun. So, I bought the game. And almost instantly it joined the ranks of my favorite games. Despite the fact that I’ve played this game less than any of the other current favorites, I know a good one when I see it. I decided early on that maybe I should save this game until I get to play it on stream for everyone to enjoy… and I still think that was the right choice. Really looking forward to jumping into this one tomorrow!

I have many vivid memories of this game. Most of which involved being frustrated at bugs… so I hope this dip into Morrowind won’t devolve into frustration over the same thing. This was the first time I was ever introduced to the Elder Scrolls Series, which is a series that has affected my gaming career deeply. I feel that ALL roleplaying games should have the quests crafted as lovingly as the Elder Scrolls does it. The unfortunate truth is, however, that most aren’t. Beyond that, the beautiful environments and world crafted by the Elder Scrolls teams have been amazing. You honestly feel transported to somewhere else, and are immediately immersed into this world that just.. feels REAL. One day, I sincerely hope to actually finish the game. And the next one… and the one after that. Maybe that can be next year’s project.

After-thoughts:

I didn’t remember how many and how long the cut scenes were in this game. While it’s not bad while you’re playing, watching it makes it really quite boring. Add to it that the second day I tried to stream it, we kept getting crashes… and this did not live up to my memory of the game, unfortunately. Would I still recommend this game? Sure, if you’re not streaming it! (LOL) Just be prepared to sit through a lot of long cut scenes… and play through individual boss fights a few times until you get it just right.

We’ve already visited with SimTower, and I would be remiss if I didn’t include this game, which is considered by many to be it’s spiritual successor. There have been other tower games, but none have captured the spirit and addictiveness of the original as closely as this one did. I’ve put nearly 100 hours into this game, and I can honestly say I really enjoy it. It’s not the same game as the first by any means – it can’t be left overnight to run to get you cash for building – but it certainly has the same spirit. The expansions for the game have added some really fun features that the original game never thought of, and increased the challenge of keeping a successful tower going. On top of that, this game has scenarios that can challenge and engage you as the player in a number of different ways.

This is a game I got into just for the music, but I never regretted it. It’s based on the life and work of Polish pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin. The story is fictional and fantastical, but uses his music beautifully. I have put many hours into this game over the years, and it’s one that I regret never actually finishing the game.

This game was an addition to the list when I found out I could stream from an Xbox… only to find out that this is one of the games that is NOT backwards compatible in the final week before this game was on the schedule. Which is what started a very hectic week of struggling to find some way, any way.. to actually play this game and get it captured so I wouldn’t have to find a game to substitute in for it. Eventually, we did find a way – but it was truly only luck that found it, because it wasn’t something we’d even thought of. I can’t even tell you the relief I felt when we finally got it working and capturable.

Afterthoughts:

I had SOOO much fun with this. And, apparently, so did my viewers, because when given the opportunity to choose between sims and a third day of Megaquarium, they chose this game. (See below for links to all three VODs if you missed it!) Overall, this was a really fun time, and provided me with hours of off-stream play this week, too (because I just couldn’t stop playing the game!!) – which meant I got very little else done this week. LOL. Which probably wasn’t a bad thing, it just means I needed a break. I adore this little game, and if you’re into management games, this is one you most definitely should pick up. You won’t regret it!!

Let’s just say I don’t know how many months of my life have been lost in this game. I literally cannot even fathom it. This was the game that pulled me out of my obsession with Asheron’s Call. It’s also the game that allowed me to meet my hubby. So, there’s definitely a lot of history for me with this game. I’ve played on and off for the large part of 15 years, and only really decided to fully quit the game in the last 2-3 years. (My Blizzard boycott was after the fact on the decision, but definitely added some nails into that coffin.) I have spent hundreds on my obsession with pet collecting in this game, and when I realized that the pets were literally the only thing really holding me to the game.. I decided then and there that I was done. My son still plays, and I miss spending time with him in the game, but it’s just not worth paying for a game just for playing once or twice a month when my son actually has time for a play session. So, there will be no more “Rakkii” in World of Warcraft (my usual name in the game), and I will definitely not being going back to this game in the future, even if my boycott does get lifted.

As we move up the ranking list, I fully expect to have games pull me in so “badly” that I will end up wanting to play them more than the two days scheduled, and this is one game I fear will be that way. Currently, the plan is to work on the main story campaign (starting from the beginning) on Monday, and then on Tuesday check out the Freshwater DLC campaign (which I’ve never played)… however, I do not know if I’ll be ready to stop playing after that. So Thursday/Friday this week will serve as “swing” days that I could continue playing if I want to. With that being said, let’s get into learning about this super-addictive little gem of a game.