Best of the Best: Stellaris

 Another one of my most favourite gaming time sinks is Stellaris, by Paradox Interactive. Released in 2016 and expanded/iterated upon since 9 years, it is THE space 4X game and the first one I liked better than Master of Orion 2 (released 1996).

Explore the galaxy, meet new species and hug and/or kill them, build an empire.

It is a complex game and not without long term issues centered about performance and AI (both issues being genre staples as well). Yet it shines as the ultimate sandbox for emergent SciFi strategy, having slowly incorporated most tropes of the field. Emulate the Galactic Empire from Star Wars, the Federation from Star Trek, or the Tyranids from Warhammer 40K? Sure, why not multiplayer all of them in the same game? How about a ring world to go with that? No matter if you want to turn the galaxy in a garden of wonders or utterly wreck it, there are dozens of playstyles available. With galactic archeology, anomalies, and space fauna, the void is everything but empty.

Release your inner empire if you dare.

Best of the Best: Vampire Survivors

 Vampire Survivors is another case of "well, of course it is good, look at all the hype around it". Sure, it is not unknown, but I am writing about my personal GOATs here.

In short, Vampire Survivors has you move around a character besieged by waves of enemies. The character automatically attacks with the weapons they have equipped. Player agency is about picking weapons and where to go, trying to survive till the stage's timer end. This is framed in a Castlevania-ish style and story rudiment. Collected gold allows general upgrades and character unlocks.

But the "true" game starts when you stop surviving and start hunting. As soon as you have figured out how to beat the enemy growth curve, it turns into a game of unlocking content and exploring secrets.

As a big bonus, the game completed the circle and features an official and ginormous Castlevania DLC, allowing us to scratch this itch once again.

Who doesn't enjoy fragging 100k opponents as Alucard?

In its totality, Vampire Survivors is completionist dopamine-farming done perfectly, sold cheaply and without microtransactions. I have put more hours into it than in most AAA games I played, as it is perfect to let the brain cool off after a long day of sciencing.

Stay epic!