Some Favorite Games
Game recommendations. See also:
Hanabi#
Hanabi is a cooperative logic-based deduction game. I play Hanabi with the H-group, under the username vEnhance. I played in some tournaments from 2020-2022 and later in the Hanabi Pro Hunting League.
I wrote a short introduction to the rules and H-group conventions if you’d like to get into the game and the strategies my group uses. I also wrote a blog post about why I like the game.
Card games (with standard 52-card deck)#
If you have a 52-card deck…
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Beleaguered Castle (solitaire)
Sort of like FreeCell, except without open cells, so much harder (and many deals are not winnable). One often has to plan several steps ahead. -
Canadian Fish (6 players in teams of two)
Players take turns asking opponents for cards and declaring once they have identified the locations of groups of six cards called half-suits. -
Diplomat (3-5 players)
Also with a standard 52-card deck, and harder than Fish! Players take turns asking each other arbitrary yes-no questions in attempts to claim the thirteen ranks. -
Ninety-nine (trick-taking) (ideally 3 players)
Played with French-suited cards (6 through ace), for 36 cards. The suits are assigned integers as follows: 0 for diamonds, 1 for spades, 2 for hearts, 3 for clubs.
Each player makes a bid by discarding three cards of their initial twelve; your bid is the sum of the suits (with the smallest bid being 0+0+0=0 for three diamonds, the largest being 3+3+3=9 for three spades). The remaining nine cards from your hand for the game proper, and your goal is to get the number of tricks you win exactly equal to your bid.
Other strategy and puzzle games#
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Baba is You (logic/puzzle)
Cute but mind-blowing puzzle game involving pushing blocks and manipulating rules. Can be absurdly hard at times so best played with friends. -
The Battle for Wesnoth (solo campaign and multiplayer)
Turn-based strategy game played on a hexagonal grid, with extensive single-player campaigns but also allows multiplayer. Has a high-fantasy theme: elves, mages, orcs, undead, and so on, with units aligned as lawful/chaotic and which can level up.
Free and open-source, for PC/Mac/Linux. -
StarCraft II (solo campaign and multiplayer)
Real-time strategy military science-fiction. My battle tag is vEnhance#1429; you can also see my replays. I am a Platinum Protoss.
Rhythm games#
- StepMania
My sole form of exercise. Free to download and play for PC/Mac/Linux, but you’ll need to buy a dance mat, unless you want to be lame and use the arrow keys on the keyboard.
Story games#
These games are much more plot-heavy (rather than skill-based like the preceding ones). For these games, I suggest playing without looking much up beforehand (to avoid spoilers).
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
It’s such a charming RPG. It’s so good. Trust me. (I think I play through the entire game again every five years or so.) -
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Now on Steam! Involves solving puzzles, and enjoying the really well-done plot. The story follows a recently deceased Sissel, a ghost who tries to recover his memories and identity, and discover why he died. Sissel progresses through the game by manipulating the environment (hence the name “ghost trick”). -
Ace Attorney series
Courtroom drama visual novel. Find contradictions in witness testimonies to defend your client. The six main games from this series have been ported to Steam, the first three as the Phoenix Wright trilogy and the latter three as the Apollo Justice trilogy. -
Undertale and Deltarune
Role-playing video game. Amazing music and characters. Also quite famous, so I won’t say too much here.