From ef8c2aaf32c055122d4fec9e0bf3cd3b8d3f3881 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: tsuereth Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:15:23 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] Hyperlink audit time! ... hooray. In a way, it's practically irrelevant, given modern browser behaviors and HSTS, but since I noticed: updating insecure http links to https instead. But in another, deeper-divier way, while verifying that older links are still working -- many, uh, didn't. So there were various exceptions to just sticking an 's' on it, including content migrations, *domain* migrations, and some things being taken offline entirely. A small handful weren't even available as snapshots on archive.org. :( --- content/post/2015/10/24_hugo.md | 2 +- content/post/2015/11/17_ssb_cloud.md | 2 +- content/post/2015/12/26_paintitback.md | 2 +- content/post/2015/12/29_wolfenstein_theneworder.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/01/03_herstory.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/01/26_lastword.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/02/09_murdered.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/03/10_bearsimulator.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/04/03_uncharted.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/04/24_jobsimulator.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/05/15_civilization6.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/06/19_zelda_breathofthewild.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/12/27_bioshock_remastered.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/12/27_phraseshift.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/12/27_untildawn.md | 2 +- content/post/2016/12/29_batman_telltale.md | 4 ++-- content/post/2017/02/04_skyrim_specialedition.md | 8 ++++---- content/post/2017/02/11_hackmud.md | 6 +++--- content/post/2017/02/18_rebelgalaxy.md | 2 +- content/post/2017/02/19_oxenfree.md | 4 ++-- content/post/2017/03/08_zelda_wild.md | 2 +- .../04/07_phoenix_wright_spirit_of_justice_pwaa.md | 2 +- content/post/2017/05/07_yookalaylee.md | 2 +- content/post/2017/06/19_bioshockinfinite.md | 2 +- content/post/2017/07/02_storiesuntold.md | 2 +- content/post/2017/07/05_linelight.md | 2 +- content/post/2017/07/24_shenzhenio.md | 2 +- content/post/2017/08/13_shiftlings.md | 4 ++-- content/post/2017/08/17_talesfromtheborderlands.md | 2 +- content/post/2017/12/02_supermarioodyssey.md | 2 +- content/post/2017/12/03_infinifactory.md | 2 +- .../post/2017/12/29_zelda_wild_championsballad.md | 2 +- content/post/2017/12/30_adventuretime_pirates.md | 2 +- content/post/2018/01/20_siliconzeroes.md | 2 +- content/post/2018/01/21_escapethegame.md | 2 +- content/post/2018/01/21_releasedates.md | 6 +++--- content/post/2018/01/27_glyphsapprentice.md | 2 +- content/post/2018/03/11_borderlandspresequel.md | 2 +- content/post/2018/03/21_afterparty.md | 2 +- .../04/29_borderlandspresequel_claptasticvoyage.md | 2 +- content/post/2018/06/03_witcher3.md | 4 ++-- content/post/2018/06/10_witcher3_bloodandwine.md | 2 +- .../2018/08/10_redfactionguerrilla_remarstered.md | 2 +- content/post/2018/11/22_timespinner.md | 2 +- .../12/31_deusex_mankinddivided_acriminalpast.md | 2 +- content/post/2019/01/04_bandersnatch.md | 2 +- content/post/2019/06/15_hacknet.md | 2 +- content/post/2019/11/16_exapunks.md | 2 +- content/post/2020/01/10_vvvvvv.md | 2 +- content/post/2020/06/02_uncharted2_mummy3.md | 2 +- content/post/2021/03/14_regexcrossword.md | 2 +- content/post/2021/05/16_thetalosprinciple.md | 2 +- content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2005/09/2607.md | 2 +- content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2006/08/2283.md | 2 +- content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2006/11/2589.md | 2 +- content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/01/2788.md | 2 +- content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/02/2162.md | 2 +- content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/02/2866.md | 2 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insertions(+), 616 deletions(-) diff --git a/content/post/2015/10/24_hugo.md b/content/post/2015/10/24_hugo.md index d86e6712..776a76cd 100755 --- a/content/post/2015/10/24_hugo.md +++ b/content/post/2015/10/24_hugo.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ draft = false This has been "in the works" (barely) for a while, but I've finally transitioned the Glog to a fully static site. I'm now using the Hugo site generator, with a personal modification of the Greyshade theme, to render and serve Glog pages completely statically. -Why the move away from [WordPress]($SiteBaseURL$2013/05/11/onward-and-upward/)? Well, aside from the ever-present risk of shitty PHP exploits, I just got sick of running software upgrades on the site, and its plugins, that required me to re-apply Glog customizations. Now I can write a post in my text editor, hit a button to publish it online, and never have to worry about the site again until I decide that I want to. +Why the move away from [WordPress]($SiteBaseURL$2013/05/11/onward-and-upward/)? Well, aside from the ever-present risk of shitty PHP exploits, I just got sick of running software upgrades on the site, and its plugins, that required me to re-apply Glog customizations. Now I can write a post in my text editor, hit a button to publish it online, and never have to worry about the site again until I decide that I want to. Editing my Hugo theme is a lot easier than screwing around with a PHP theme in WordPress, too, although it still has the same basic problem of not making it very clear what templates/functions live in the core framework vs. what lives in the theme customizations. diff --git a/content/post/2015/11/17_ssb_cloud.md b/content/post/2015/11/17_ssb_cloud.md index 9cdc3a61..86ee0330 100644 --- a/content/post/2015/11/17_ssb_cloud.md +++ b/content/post/2015/11/17_ssb_cloud.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ platform = [ "WiiU" ] title = "God damn you, Uematsu!" +++ -Even more so than playing [Super Smash Bros.](game:Super Smash Bros. for Wii U) again, this musically-splendid trailer really makes me want to revisit [FF7](game:Final Fantasy VII). Where that remake at, guys? +Even more so than playing [Super Smash Bros.](game:Super Smash Bros. for Wii U) again, this musically-splendid trailer really makes me want to revisit [FF7](game:Final Fantasy VII). Where that remake at, guys? diff --git a/content/post/2015/12/26_paintitback.md b/content/post/2015/12/26_paintitback.md index d9f9193a..af7ccb6e 100644 --- a/content/post/2015/12/26_paintitback.md +++ b/content/post/2015/12/26_paintitback.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] title = "Not to be confused with the similarly-named Rolling Stones song" +++ -I fucking love picross! Nonograms! Shit is tight. And apparently I'm not the only one -- yes, we are a cult in very high esteem/notoriety/infamy. +I fucking love picross! Nonograms! Shit is tight. And apparently I'm not the only one -- yes, we are a cult in very high esteem/notoriety/infamy. Anyway. 's simple aesthetic belies a stunningly rich amount of puzzle content. This ain't no bite-sized slapjob; there are, uh, 152 puzzles? That I know of? Plus a mode that throws out random puzzles, which, I don't know how many of those there are. Maybe an infinite amount? No, that's not mathematically possible. But probably a fucking lot. diff --git a/content/post/2015/12/29_wolfenstein_theneworder.md b/content/post/2015/12/29_wolfenstein_theneworder.md index 245bfa89..28eb5b2d 100755 --- a/content/post/2015/12/29_wolfenstein_theneworder.md +++ b/content/post/2015/12/29_wolfenstein_theneworder.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ title = "A New Wolf for a New Era" I never got into the "pure" FPS sub-genre -- your Dooms, your Serious Sams, what have you. So it's a good thing that actually has a lot more than mere "purism" going for it. Sure, yeah, it has assault rifles and linear levels and you fight a bunch of Nazis. And the gameplay extras don't really add up to much -- some health upgrades, some skippable weapon enhancements and perks. But to me, the real story in New Order is ... uh. The story. -Even in the game's introductory WWII sequence, its narrative feels like the star of the show. B.J. Blazkowicz has a burdensome past (...which I had to research) and his compatriots build up personalities of their own very quickly. The characters B.J. interacts with throughout story missions show real senses of humanity, and the events - in both historic backstory and real-time gameplay - are genuinely interesting and well-written. And the soundtrack is just phenomenal, a great combination of ominous ambience, thrilling action riffs, awe-inspiring environment cues, and chilling alternate-history Imperial Germany versions of 1960s pop music. +Even in the game's introductory WWII sequence, its narrative feels like the star of the show. B.J. Blazkowicz has a burdensome past (...which I had to research) and his compatriots build up personalities of their own very quickly. The characters B.J. interacts with throughout story missions show real senses of humanity, and the events - in both historic backstory and real-time gameplay - are genuinely interesting and well-written. And the soundtrack is just phenomenal, a great combination of ominous ambience, thrilling action riffs, awe-inspiring environment cues, and chilling alternate-history Imperial Germany versions of 1960s pop music. The fact that the gameplay sequences inbetween New Order's expertly-directed cutscenes are all about killin' Nazis is just icing on the cake. diff --git a/content/post/2016/01/03_herstory.md b/content/post/2016/01/03_herstory.md index 1b644bc9..bbcc7a20 100644 --- a/content/post/2016/01/03_herstory.md +++ b/content/post/2016/01/03_herstory.md @@ -18,4 +18,4 @@ Although the end is a bit of an immersion-breaking let-down, the (brief) ride th Better than: Not as good as: , I guess?, I don't fuckin' know what's comparable. -One specific complaint: The "Delete Session Data" function deletes more than just "session" data. That was annoying. +One specific complaint: The "Delete Session Data" function deletes more than just "session" data. That was annoying. diff --git a/content/post/2016/01/26_lastword.md b/content/post/2016/01/26_lastword.md index 3f15750c..287c6b7a 100755 --- a/content/post/2016/01/26_lastword.md +++ b/content/post/2016/01/26_lastword.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems with Last Word is that this combat is But it's an easy shortcoming to get over, because the word-battling is also very mechanically deep. There are two separate resources to manage, there is a buff/debuff point scale, there is a tug-of-war line to balance, there is a rock-paper-scissors cycle to move elements -- and this is all before special upgrade abilities come into play. It takes several fights to get the hang of all of Last Word's knobs and dials, but what's really remarkable is that even in the game's most difficult battles, every resource and every move can have an important purpose. -Outside of combat, the game is a well-written (and excellently-typed) story about aristocratic houses, a bottle episode mystery, and the fascinating foibles of a world where people fight each other with words. Although the critical path is rather short, there is a wealth of optional content to explore, that feels worthwhile just for the sake of filling in blanks in the game's backstory. +Outside of combat, the game is a well-written (and excellently-typed) story about aristocratic houses, a bottle episode mystery, and the fascinating foibles of a world where people fight each other with words. Although the critical path is rather short, there is a wealth of optional content to explore, that feels worthwhile just for the sake of filling in blanks in the game's backstory. It's a shame, then, that a non-trivial amount of that optional content requires experience-grinding or pixel-hunting to unlock. And there are a few extras that can be permanently missed as the game progresses; they're not relevant to the storytelling, so it's not a big deal, but still a slightly obnoxious design quirk. diff --git a/content/post/2016/02/09_murdered.md b/content/post/2016/02/09_murdered.md index ad185525..643ef234 100755 --- a/content/post/2016/02/09_murdered.md +++ b/content/post/2016/02/09_murdered.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ rating = [ "Meh" ] title = "One titular pun does not a murder-mystery make" +++ -For the first 20 minutes or so, all I wanted to do was ignore 's incredibly ham-fisted narration. But I couldn't! The game's introduction, at least, is painfully cutscene-heavy, and written with all the elegance and subtlety of an Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant. Yes, let's jump-cut between a bunch of three-second flashbacks in the protagonist's life that happen to directly establish his personality and his relevant relationships to other characters. And then add some more non-interactive bits that literally reiterate the game's plot, and mandatory dialog sessions that serve as nothing more than a dressed-up text tutorial. +For the first 20 minutes or so, all I wanted to do was ignore 's incredibly ham-fisted narration. But I couldn't! The game's introduction, at least, is painfully cutscene-heavy, and written with all the elegance and subtlety of an Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant. Yes, let's jump-cut between a bunch of three-second flashbacks in the protagonist's life that happen to directly establish his personality and his relevant relationships to other characters. And then add some more non-interactive bits that literally reiterate the game's plot, and mandatory dialog sessions that serve as nothing more than a dressed-up text tutorial. The game's sense of storytelling is an ironic interpretation of the "show, don't tell" principle. Just because the rigorously-methodical writing is "shown" in a cutscene doesn't ... ugh. It's not good. diff --git a/content/post/2016/03/10_bearsimulator.md b/content/post/2016/03/10_bearsimulator.md index 92565372..c70709cf 100755 --- a/content/post/2016/03/10_bearsimulator.md +++ b/content/post/2016/03/10_bearsimulator.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ rating = [ "Bad" ] title = "I don't know what I expected" +++ -Well-- actually, what I expected based on the campaign was a little joke game with some satirical nods to sandboxes like [Skyrim](game:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) and [GTA 5](game:Grand Theft Auto V). But that expectation faded once 's campaign updates indicated that the developer was trying to ... make a real game, I guess. +Well-- actually, what I expected based on the campaign was a little joke game with some satirical nods to sandboxes like [Skyrim](game:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) and [GTA 5](game:Grand Theft Auto V). But that expectation faded once 's campaign updates indicated that the developer was trying to ... make a real game, I guess. And the result is, aside from being fairly un-funny, just a poor game in general. Even disregarding its graphical infidelities (distracting pop-in and jagged terrain, for example), the game's mechanics and stats are poorly explained, and trying to do something as simple as bear-swipe a duck is bafflingly frustrating. diff --git a/content/post/2016/04/03_uncharted.md b/content/post/2016/04/03_uncharted.md index 4b398ed7..5440e0b9 100755 --- a/content/post/2016/04/03_uncharted.md +++ b/content/post/2016/04/03_uncharted.md @@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ Playing [the first Uncharted](game:Uncharted: Drake's Fortune) again on bad. (Here's hoping for that film adaptation.) +Yeah, it's still just bad. (Here's hoping for that film adaptation.) Progress: Somewhere in the stupid jungle. Who can tell. diff --git a/content/post/2016/04/24_jobsimulator.md b/content/post/2016/04/24_jobsimulator.md index 2f9f35f9..a7e29bae 100755 --- a/content/post/2016/04/24_jobsimulator.md +++ b/content/post/2016/04/24_jobsimulator.md @@ -12,4 +12,4 @@ Sure, [Job Simulator](game:Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives) fits firmly in the But the genius of Job Simulator is that it's hit upon the most entertaining part of current VR technology, which is simulated throwing. Although it's dressed up in a variety of ways, and the sense of humor helps to sell it, all of the most fun parts of Job Simulator are when you're using the Vive controllers to pick up an object and then toss it -- into a trash can, at a non-player character, or just anywhere in the virtual room. -It's a highly enjoyable application of VR, and has me seriously considering the purchase of hundreds of dollars of equipment just to play it whenever I want. +It's a highly enjoyable application of VR, and has me seriously considering the purchase of hundreds of dollars of equipment just to play it whenever I want. diff --git a/content/post/2016/05/15_civilization6.md b/content/post/2016/05/15_civilization6.md index 1ddacfd0..c364a256 100755 --- a/content/post/2016/05/15_civilization6.md +++ b/content/post/2016/05/15_civilization6.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] title = "Back to Earth" +++ -Reading the feature promises for [Civ 6](game:Sid Meier's Civilization VI), it's pretty clear that this - and not [Beyond Earth](game:Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth) - was always meant to be the next step in the franchise after [Civ 5: Brave New World](game:Sid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New World). So, it's good to see that progress is being made on truly enhancing and tuning the core Civilization game. +Reading the feature promises for [Civ 6](game:Sid Meier's Civilization VI), it's pretty clear that this - and not [Beyond Earth](game:Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth) - was always meant to be the next step in the franchise after [Civ 5: Brave New World](game:Sid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New World). So, it's good to see that progress is being made on truly enhancing and tuning the core Civilization game. And I guess I'm glad that I never sprung for Beyond Earth, now. diff --git a/content/post/2016/06/19_zelda_breathofthewild.md b/content/post/2016/06/19_zelda_breathofthewild.md index ab95866c..f47db4d8 100755 --- a/content/post/2016/06/19_zelda_breathofthewild.md +++ b/content/post/2016/06/19_zelda_breathofthewild.md @@ -10,4 +10,4 @@ title = "A Breath of Fresh Wild" I remarked to multiple other E3-observers that I literally did not believe that Nintendo was capable of making a game like the one they just showed. I would be more inclined to believe that it was a bullshot fabrication than a real product of Nintendo EAD's traditional, tightly-scripted assembly lines. -So hearing that an open-world RPG developer is actually doing it makes a lot, lot more sense. Which is good, because now I can actually believe that this refreshingly-free-spirited adventure might really exist. +So hearing that an open-world RPG developer is actually doing it makes a lot, lot more sense. Which is good, because now I can actually believe that this refreshingly-free-spirited adventure might really exist. diff --git a/content/post/2016/12/27_bioshock_remastered.md b/content/post/2016/12/27_bioshock_remastered.md index c4bd63d6..0ae03ff4 100755 --- a/content/post/2016/12/27_bioshock_remastered.md +++ b/content/post/2016/12/27_bioshock_remastered.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ title = "Re-loaded, Re-spliced, and Re-harvested" Technologically, holds up pretty good -- the textures are a little fuzzy, and the geometry is a little sharp, but it's a solid update to a ... yikes, really? nine year old game. (Setting aside the depressing return of the game's original launch bugs, like crazy FOV and mouse acceleration, and random crashes in the middle of Hephaestus.) -In terms of design, though, it shows that [the original BioShock](game:BioShock) hasn't aged all that well. The water-pipe hacking puzzles I remember so fondly from 2008 seemed like more of a chore, this time -- granted, one that I still took up at every opportunity. The plasmid powers, once awe-inspiring and shocking (rimshot), felt more familiar and rote. The narrative's full-bodied characters and compelling twists were lackluster, not so much because I saw them coming, but because, well... +In terms of design, though, it shows that [the original BioShock](game:BioShock) hasn't aged all that well. The water-pipe hacking puzzles I remember so fondly from 2008 seemed like more of a chore, this time -- granted, one that I still took up at every opportunity. The plasmid powers, once awe-inspiring and shocking (rimshot), felt more familiar and rote. The narrative's full-bodied characters and compelling twists were lackluster, not so much because I saw them coming, but because, well... The industry has learned from BioShock, now. and [Mankind Divided](game:Deus Ex: Mankind Divided) are great examples: Combinations of interesting characters, engrossing action, and diverse mechanics are not all that rare, and they've continued to evolve in the near-decade since Andrew Ryan invited us to Rapture. diff --git a/content/post/2016/12/27_phraseshift.md b/content/post/2016/12/27_phraseshift.md index 3efc7392..19a492b4 100755 --- a/content/post/2016/12/27_phraseshift.md +++ b/content/post/2016/12/27_phraseshift.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ rating = [ "Meh" ] title = "A Shift of Phrase" +++ -I first saw pop up on the Steam store, and I thought -- you know, this looks like it would work better as a mobile game. Lo and behold, it had already been out on Google Play for some time; and yeah, it did work really well with a touchscreen. +I first saw pop up on the Steam store, and I thought -- you know, this looks like it would work better as a mobile game. Lo and behold, it had already been out on Google Play for some time; and yeah, it did work really well with a touchscreen. And I did have fun with it for a while, because hey, word games are cool. But it's hard for this game to stand in the shadow of when it has so much less content, and also feels like it is growing that content more slowly. (Phrase Shift has daily puzzles, but each puzzle is significantly smaller than one of Monkey Wrench's.) diff --git a/content/post/2016/12/27_untildawn.md b/content/post/2016/12/27_untildawn.md index 3c8b8408..3835e425 100755 --- a/content/post/2016/12/27_untildawn.md +++ b/content/post/2016/12/27_untildawn.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ title = "From Dusk till I Got Bored" It is at times a master class in tension building -- when a lighthearted snowball fight is bookended by carefully exploring dark passages or running from a wild animal, Until Dawn does a fantastic job of raising your heart rate, cooling it back down, and jacking it up again. -And then there are the psychoanalysis scenes. Inbetween game chapters, Peter Stormare asks you to look at ink blots and tries to very obviously manipulate you into feeling uneasy. From reading ahead about the game, I know that his character makes more sense later on, but it still feels like an unnecessary interruption to the story. +And then there are the psychoanalysis scenes. Inbetween game chapters, Peter Stormare asks you to look at ink blots and tries to very obviously manipulate you into feeling uneasy. From reading ahead about the game, I know that his character makes more sense later on, but it still feels like an unnecessary interruption to the story. What brings Until Dawn down the most, though, is the realization that, while it does a great job of emulating a teen thriller movie -- there isn't much more to it. The characters, the setting, and story beats all draw from well-established stereotypes of slasher films. It's predictable. diff --git a/content/post/2016/12/29_batman_telltale.md b/content/post/2016/12/29_batman_telltale.md index 30330595..16a58430 100755 --- a/content/post/2016/12/29_batman_telltale.md +++ b/content/post/2016/12/29_batman_telltale.md @@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ By the end of the episode it really felt like there were "right" and "wrong" ans This game also suffers heavily from a classic dialog-choice problem: Frequently, the option I saw and chose did not match up with what the character said as a result. (See also: , .) It's a real immersion-killer. -The story itself was minimally engaging, up until an end-of-episode twist that I don't have enough interest to pursue. Nevermind that Batman just doesn't sound quite right from anyone other than Kevin Conroy, or that mafioso Carmine Falcone sounds an awful lot like [Sully](game:Uncharted 4: A Thief's End); despite Telltale's apparent desire to forge their own Batman, a lot of his story is either excessively familiar (as in the conflict between Mayor Hill and D.A. Harvey Dent), or overtly underdelivered (as in the overlong foreshadowing from Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot). +The story itself was minimally engaging, up until an end-of-episode twist that I don't have enough interest to pursue. Nevermind that Batman just doesn't sound quite right from anyone other than Kevin Conroy, or that mafioso Carmine Falcone sounds an awful lot like [Sully](game:Uncharted 4: A Thief's End); despite Telltale's apparent desire to forge their own Batman, a lot of his story is either excessively familiar (as in the conflict between Mayor Hill and D.A. Harvey Dent), or overtly underdelivered (as in the overlong foreshadowing from Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot). -In retrospect, it was probably unfair of me to turn my appreciation of The Wolf Among Us into anticipation for Telltale's take on Batman. While they've shown me that they can do dark, adult stories in an interesting way, Batman comes with too much baggage to really be made their own. Hell, they might have been better off re-skinning the character as something original, like "The Flying Horror" or "Nightman." +In retrospect, it was probably unfair of me to turn my appreciation of The Wolf Among Us into anticipation for Telltale's take on Batman. While they've shown me that they can do dark, adult stories in an interesting way, Batman comes with too much baggage to really be made their own. Hell, they might have been better off re-skinning the character as something original, like "The Flying Horror" or "Nightman." Progress: Played the first episode. diff --git a/content/post/2017/02/04_skyrim_specialedition.md b/content/post/2017/02/04_skyrim_specialedition.md index d162b536..9505b777 100644 --- a/content/post/2017/02/04_skyrim_specialedition.md +++ b/content/post/2017/02/04_skyrim_specialedition.md @@ -10,12 +10,12 @@ title = "I used to be an adventurer, like you..." I got 100% of the Steam achievements for [Skyrim](game:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition), and I barely cheated at all! -* For Oblivion Walker, I tried to re-do the "Waking Nightmare" quest (because I had picked the "wrong" outcome last time), but nothing I was doing would reset the quest NPC correctly. So instead I gave myself a second copy of the Savior's Hide item, and that triggered the achievement. -* And for Legend, after finally reaching level 50, I saw that this kind of dragon doesn't show up until level 78 -- so I just said "Fuck it" while cheating my level up 28 times. (I still fought and killed the dragon!) +* For Oblivion Walker, I tried to re-do the "Waking Nightmare" quest (because I had picked the "wrong" outcome last time), but nothing I was doing would reset the quest NPC correctly. So instead I gave myself a second copy of the Savior's Hide item, and that triggered the achievement. +* And for Legend, after finally reaching level 50, I saw that this kind of dragon doesn't show up until level 78 -- so I just said "Fuck it" while cheating my level up 28 times. (I still fought and killed the dragon!) -Of course, I also had to use console cheats in some non-achievement scenarios, just to play the game. One incident I remember particularly well was in the quest Lost to the Ages, where the quest NPC (Katria) got stuck, and I needed to manually tinker with the quest status in order to un-stuck her. +Of course, I also had to use console cheats in some non-achievement scenarios, just to play the game. One incident I remember particularly well was in the quest Lost to the Ages, where the quest NPC (Katria) got stuck, and I needed to manually tinker with the quest status in order to un-stuck her. -And there was one quest bug so heinous that I never was able to fix it, even with all the console cheats I could muster. I am still a werewolf because the Purity quest just doesn't fucking work for me. Farkas says he'll meet me at the dungeon and then never shows up. +And there was one quest bug so heinous that I never was able to fix it, even with all the console cheats I could muster. I am still a werewolf because the Purity quest just doesn't fucking work for me. Farkas says he'll meet me at the dungeon and then never shows up. (In one attempt at cheating my way through, I got him to go to the dungeon and we killed the necessary monster, but then he became stuck as a follower who was unable to stop following me.) diff --git a/content/post/2017/02/11_hackmud.md b/content/post/2017/02/11_hackmud.md index 8fe893a3..dc082b03 100755 --- a/content/post/2017/02/11_hackmud.md +++ b/content/post/2017/02/11_hackmud.md @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ title = "Multi-User Doldrums" Slight disclaimer: I went to college with the guy who made this game. - caught my eye for the "hack" part much more than for the "mud" part. I'm not really interested in playing with people online, but terminal emulators and hacking stories are very much within my interests. Unfortunately, Hackmud has its own oil-and-water relationship with hacking and mudding. + caught my eye for the "hack" part much more than for the "mud" part. I'm not really interested in playing with people online, but terminal emulators and hacking stories are very much within my interests. Unfortunately, Hackmud has its own oil-and-water relationship with hacking and mudding. The first two hours or so of the game are a tutorial mode - in a (pretend) isolated VLAN, as opposed to the wider internet - made up of scripted missions given by NPCs, with their own brief, AI-based backstories. You'll follow their directions and use some critical thinking (and probably some Google thinking) to solve password riddles, read log files, uncover secret keys, transfer virtual credits, et cetera. @@ -17,9 +17,9 @@ At the tutorial's completion, you're opened up into the multi-user aspect of the What I realized, after reading more about it in Hackmud's Steam forum and subreddit, is that this - the "real" game - is, unsurprisingly, a MUD. The tutorial's goal was not to acclimate me to its overall gameplay loop, but to show me the raw mechanics involved in its multiplayer, largely community-driven world. There are still some NPC interactions here, in the form of AI bots with crypto locks and virtual bank accounts, but the process of discovering goals and decoding riddles is more oriented around collaboration with other live players. -It seems like there is a small, but devoted playerbase that's still committed to this world. As well as, unfortunately, barriers to entry that put new players at a disadvantage. But it would hardly matter to me either way; I was only in it for the NPC interactions. And so while I enjoyed the tutorial, short as it was, I have no meaningful opinion on the multiplayer game that Hackmud truly intended me to play. +It seems like there is a small, but devoted playerbase that's still committed to this world. As well as, unfortunately, barriers to entry that put new players at a disadvantage. But it would hardly matter to me either way; I was only in it for the NPC interactions. And so while I enjoyed the tutorial, short as it was, I have no meaningful opinion on the multiplayer game that Hackmud truly intended me to play. -I do, though, have a fine-pointed complaint about Hackmud's implementation. As a game that revolves around reliable, correct interactions with other players' scripts and saved information, it is naturally server-authoritative. And while you might think that the server load for a text-based game would be pretty light, server responsiveness in Hackmud is actually quite terrible. Waiting five seconds or longer for the output of my command is really ... suboptimal. (At least I haven't encountered the "service unavailable" errors that early players seem to have had.) +I do, though, have a fine-pointed complaint about Hackmud's implementation. As a game that revolves around reliable, correct interactions with other players' scripts and saved information, it is naturally server-authoritative. And while you might think that the server load for a text-based game would be pretty light, server responsiveness in Hackmud is actually quite terrible. Waiting five seconds or longer for the output of my command is really ... suboptimal. (At least I haven't encountered the "service unavailable" errors that early players seem to have had.) Hackmud is, at its core, not for me. And I can't and won't fault my former classmate for that. I do, though, hope that he works on those server performance issues. diff --git a/content/post/2017/02/18_rebelgalaxy.md b/content/post/2017/02/18_rebelgalaxy.md index 13bbcd04..6e534c39 100755 --- a/content/post/2017/02/18_rebelgalaxy.md +++ b/content/post/2017/02/18_rebelgalaxy.md @@ -33,4 +33,4 @@ But nevertheless, the upgrade chase and the space-truckin' soundtrack worked wel Not as good as: Maybe better, maybe worse than: , but hard to compare them a decade apart -Progress: Finished the main story, bought a Blackgate +Progress: Finished the main story, bought a Blackgate diff --git a/content/post/2017/02/19_oxenfree.md b/content/post/2017/02/19_oxenfree.md index 22474c25..01be4267 100644 --- a/content/post/2017/02/19_oxenfree.md +++ b/content/post/2017/02/19_oxenfree.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ The clever part is that dialog choices take place in real time, as other charact However, it isn't all that long before the real star of Oxenfree shows up: its supernatural, radio-signals, creepy-shit plot. Dialog choices are still crucial, but they - and the excellent writing and voice acting - support the telling of a chilling, fascinating, and scary story. -It's not a horror game in the Resident Evil sense, at all. There aren't any moments that I would call "jump-scares." But there are events, and spooky noises, and it's all very curious and foreboding and tense. It's like the first half of Stranger Things. Yeah, the good shit. +It's not a horror game in the Resident Evil sense, at all. There aren't any moments that I would call "jump-scares." But there are events, and spooky noises, and it's all very curious and foreboding and tense. It's like the first half of Stranger Things. Yeah, the good shit. I would complain that Oxenfree has an occasional problem with backtracking; the map can be a little confusing, and the path you walk re-treads a fair amount of ground. I was really hoping for the game to end just a bit faster than it did. @@ -22,4 +22,4 @@ Consequently, I don't have any interest in playing through it a second time to e Better than: , Not as good as: well, it's a rough comparison, but Oxenfree's story falls just short of 's -Also better than: Donnie Darko, and if you liked that, you'll absolutely love this. +Also better than: Donnie Darko, and if you liked that, you'll absolutely love this. diff --git a/content/post/2017/03/08_zelda_wild.md b/content/post/2017/03/08_zelda_wild.md index 5eeea2dd..e9f0eca9 100644 --- a/content/post/2017/03/08_zelda_wild.md +++ b/content/post/2017/03/08_zelda_wild.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ That the game's overall design has been heavily inspired by [Skyrim](game:The El For example, while Skyrim trains you to mash the quick-save key because of how infrequently it autosaves, Breath of the Wild smartly autosaves at every landmark, every time you approach an enemy camp, and every time you unlock a chest or uncover a secret. While the crafting systems in an Elder Scrolls game (and many other RPGs) can often feel like meaningless distractions, in Breath of the Wild they're necessary tools for surviving dangerous environments and difficult encounters. -Where Assassin's Creed uses climbing as a vertical version of walking, Zelda's implementation requires you to examine a cliff face beforehand, find resting points, and maybe even prepare some stamina-restoring items. And although Breath of the Wild has towers that you climb in order to unlock the map, similar to Ubisoft Game, they don't magically trivialize exploration; hidden secrets are still hidden. Rather, the benefits of climbing a tower are more literal -- a high vantage point for surveying the landscape, and a convenient jumping-off point for your paraglider. +Where Assassin's Creed uses climbing as a vertical version of walking, Zelda's implementation requires you to examine a cliff face beforehand, find resting points, and maybe even prepare some stamina-restoring items. And although Breath of the Wild has towers that you climb in order to unlock the map, similar to Ubisoft Game, they don't magically trivialize exploration; hidden secrets are still hidden. Rather, the benefits of climbing a tower are more literal -- a high vantage point for surveying the landscape, and a convenient jumping-off point for your paraglider. Breath of the Wild, as a comprehensive package of gameplay mechanics and a huge world of content, produces a highly compelling gameplay loop: fighting enemies and collecting items, buying and crafting better equipment, exploring tougher areas, and finding new enemies and new items. Specifically, having to cope with boiling-hot and freezing-cold areas is a surprisingly effective motivator -- I'm always thinking about my stockpile of food that affects temperature resistance, and about the materials I still need for more permanent heat- and cold-resistant equipment. diff --git a/content/post/2017/04/07_phoenix_wright_spirit_of_justice_pwaa.md b/content/post/2017/04/07_phoenix_wright_spirit_of_justice_pwaa.md index 0559cdcf..179df854 100755 --- a/content/post/2017/04/07_phoenix_wright_spirit_of_justice_pwaa.md +++ b/content/post/2017/04/07_phoenix_wright_spirit_of_justice_pwaa.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ It's terribly stupid. It's of a subpar quality even by fan-fiction standards. ![]($SiteBaseURL$phoenix_wright_spirit_of_justice_pwaa.jpg){width=400 height=300} -You can find much better, and more substantive!, additional cases for free, online. +You can find much better, and more substantive!, additional cases for free, online. If this episode had been included with the game, I would at least be able to write it off as a gimmicky extra. But as paid DLC, I expect something way, way better than this garbage. As it is, I feel like I was tricked into buying the 3DS theme, and this episode just came along for the ride. diff --git a/content/post/2017/05/07_yookalaylee.md b/content/post/2017/05/07_yookalaylee.md index acc240e2..0633ae66 100644 --- a/content/post/2017/05/07_yookalaylee.md +++ b/content/post/2017/05/07_yookalaylee.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Games could get away with this in bygone eras, because there weren't many oth Yooka-Laylee isn't all bad. But even at its best, exploring its worlds and solving its puzzles just feels ... stale. If you've played 3D character platformers before, Yooka-Laylee doesn't really offer anything new or interesting. -I think it's pretty telling that Playtonic didn't notice its own game's glaring, archaic issues until three weeks after release (April 11 -> May 2). As much as I would like to believe in [time travel]($SiteBaseURL$2017/04/13/banjo-timewarpey/) -- I've come to the simpler and sadder conclusion that Playtonic's designers played and replayed the old Banjo games so thoroughly, that they merely lost perspective of the industry's last fifteen years. +I think it's pretty telling that Playtonic didn't notice its own game's glaring, archaic issues until three weeks after release (April 11 -> May 2). As much as I would like to believe in [time travel]($SiteBaseURL$2017/04/13/banjo-timewarpey/) -- I've come to the simpler and sadder conclusion that Playtonic's designers played and replayed the old Banjo games so thoroughly, that they merely lost perspective of the industry's last fifteen years. Anyway, having visited all five book-worlds and attained all of Yooka and Laylee's abilities (including the gameplay-trivializing ability to fly) - and still being under halfway to unlocking the final boss area (100 pagies!) - I've got no reservations against calling it quits. diff --git a/content/post/2017/06/19_bioshockinfinite.md b/content/post/2017/06/19_bioshockinfinite.md index f73576e8..170148aa 100755 --- a/content/post/2017/06/19_bioshockinfinite.md +++ b/content/post/2017/06/19_bioshockinfinite.md @@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ Infinite's gameplay mechanics hardly need to be called out, but I'll call them o * Randomized equipment upgrades are almost never useful; * All of the vigors are criminally useless; * Paying to upgrade vigors is futile, since you'll need to spend money on weapon upgrades if you actually want to kill anything; -* Redundant weapons, like the Machine Gun versus the Repeater, feel like a cruel joke; +* Redundant weapons, like the Machine Gun versus the Repeater, feel like a cruel joke; * Replacing the hacking minigames with a lockpick item is borderline insulting; * You can only carry two weapons!?; * You can't save manually!; diff --git a/content/post/2017/07/02_storiesuntold.md b/content/post/2017/07/02_storiesuntold.md index 01f94ef5..ceae93ff 100755 --- a/content/post/2017/07/02_storiesuntold.md +++ b/content/post/2017/07/02_storiesuntold.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] title = "...shall remain untold." +++ -The free demo for conveys a few messages very powerfully: +The free demo for conveys a few messages very powerfully: 1. These guys know how to write a creepy fucking story. (I would say, moreso than 's admirable creep-factor.) The combination of evocative text and well-directed graphical effects makes for a very powerfully-ominous presentation. diff --git a/content/post/2017/07/05_linelight.md b/content/post/2017/07/05_linelight.md index 349ba352..6fcb5271 100755 --- a/content/post/2017/07/05_linelight.md +++ b/content/post/2017/07/05_linelight.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] title = "Blinded by the Linelight" +++ -" is a refreshingly inventive, minimalist puzzle-adventure game." ... it's not as pretentious as it sounds, I promise. +" is a refreshingly inventive, minimalist puzzle-adventure game." ... it's not as pretentious as it sounds, I promise. Linelight is a puzzle-platformer, although it doesn't immediately identify itself as such. Imagine if a game like or replaced the ground with a line, and your character with a line segment, and you'll basically have it. It's abstract; like , but without a narrator. Just ... shapes. diff --git a/content/post/2017/07/24_shenzhenio.md b/content/post/2017/07/24_shenzhenio.md index e910fec9..624747c4 100644 --- a/content/post/2017/07/24_shenzhenio.md +++ b/content/post/2017/07/24_shenzhenio.md @@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ At least so far, feels a lot like a direct sequel to the solitaire minigame is total bullshit. The unstackable "dragon" cards really ruin it. I guess I'm supposed to fully analyze the card layout before making a hasty play; but ugh. +Minor digression, but the solitaire minigame is total bullshit. The unstackable "dragon" cards really ruin it. I guess I'm supposed to fully analyze the card layout before making a hasty play; but ugh. Progress: "Prototyping new ideas" diff --git a/content/post/2017/08/13_shiftlings.md b/content/post/2017/08/13_shiftlings.md index ec8722b8..25a8506d 100644 --- a/content/post/2017/08/13_shiftlings.md +++ b/content/post/2017/08/13_shiftlings.md @@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ title = "Has issues playing with others" The minutes-long, excruciatingly-boring intro movie is not my biggest concern about so far. That honor goes to the fact that my second player and I completely failed to get local co-op to work. -Our experience was just as this poster describes, where the game's functions seemed to become split between two controllers. (It reminded me of my controller issues with , which is not good company to be in.) +Our experience was just as this poster describes, where the game's functions seemed to become split between two controllers. (It reminded me of my controller issues with , which is not good company to be in.) -Local co-op was the whole reason I bought Shiftlings, so I was prepared to write it off completely until I found this post claiming that it "works," but is terribly messaged by the UI. +Local co-op was the whole reason I bought Shiftlings, so I was prepared to write it off completely until I found this post claiming that it "works," but is terribly messaged by the UI.
After calibrating once, both controllers work in-game. Note that only the first controller works in the main menu, though, which arguably can be confusing.
diff --git a/content/post/2017/08/17_talesfromtheborderlands.md b/content/post/2017/08/17_talesfromtheborderlands.md index 4c5cb11d..a9670bdc 100644 --- a/content/post/2017/08/17_talesfromtheborderlands.md +++ b/content/post/2017/08/17_talesfromtheborderlands.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Mechanically, nothing's really changed since ; there are Instead, Tales from the Borderlands focuses on the same madcap irreverence that made the Borderlands games so charmingly entertaining. (And it does so without requiring a good memory of what happened in /[2](game:Borderlands 2).) The dramatic story that it's telling almost seems snuck in, craftily attached to a humorous thrill-ride. -The voice acting is great, for the most part. In this first episode, I was able to pick out a few familiar voice actors, and they do a commendable job of delivering well-written, silly lines about Pandora's crazy garbage people. But the comedic timing does suffer from time to time, from what must be either poor voice direction or just issues in Telltale's notoriously shitty tech. +The voice acting is great, for the most part. In this first episode, I was able to pick out a few familiar voice actors, and they do a commendable job of delivering well-written, silly lines about Pandora's crazy garbage people. But the comedic timing does suffer from time to time, from what must be either poor voice direction or just issues in Telltale's notoriously shitty tech. And the quality of animations is a little disappointing. diff --git a/content/post/2017/12/02_supermarioodyssey.md b/content/post/2017/12/02_supermarioodyssey.md index 022b98f4..ab00e178 100644 --- a/content/post/2017/12/02_supermarioodyssey.md +++ b/content/post/2017/12/02_supermarioodyssey.md @@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ For another thing, you can use gold coins to buy an infinite amount of mo At any rate, there are 836 collectible moons - not counting triples! - and I got 816 of them. The majority of those, I even got without help from the interweb! And the game was really most fun when I was just wandering around a kingdom, looking for things I'd missed. -The 20 moons I've got left are from challenges that I'm deeming too fucking hard, like footraces that require mastery of difficult shortcut-enabling jumps, or the final level that doesn't have any checkpoints. +The 20 moons I've got left are from challenges that I'm deeming too fucking hard, like footraces that require mastery of difficult shortcut-enabling jumps, or the final level that doesn't have any checkpoints. And I collected all the purple coins for special outfits, which really seems like the most important in-game accomplishment. diff --git a/content/post/2017/12/03_infinifactory.md b/content/post/2017/12/03_infinifactory.md index 5d54bf79..bad8dc8c 100644 --- a/content/post/2017/12/03_infinifactory.md +++ b/content/post/2017/12/03_infinifactory.md @@ -17,6 +17,6 @@ But despite that, I have to commend Infinifactory on the whole, for delivering a Better than: and for sure; and probably , in general. Not as good as: had a better difficulty curve (although its final boss was kind of terrible bullshit, too). -Just in time: for ! (hopefully coming out of Early Access soon?) +Just in time: for ! (hopefully coming out of Early Access soon?) Progress: stopped at The Homeward Fleet - Fusion Reactor diff --git a/content/post/2017/12/29_zelda_wild_championsballad.md b/content/post/2017/12/29_zelda_wild_championsballad.md index 2276e49c..e7b1c2c8 100644 --- a/content/post/2017/12/29_zelda_wild_championsballad.md +++ b/content/post/2017/12/29_zelda_wild_championsballad.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Champions' Ballad starts with a series of challenges using a new weapon, There's just no fucking way that I can pull this off. -I'd need to sink significant time back into rebuilding my atrophied Zelda muscles, before I'd be comfortable tackling the challenges in this DLC. And there seems to be some critical consensus that the rewards here, on their own, wouldn't really be worth that much effort. +I'd need to sink significant time back into rebuilding my atrophied Zelda muscles, before I'd be comfortable tackling the challenges in this DLC. And there seems to be some critical consensus that the rewards here, on their own, wouldn't really be worth that much effort. I'm actually more inclined to start over from scratch, and attempt the Champions' Ballad challenges more organically as part of Breath of the Wild's vast world of content. I'd been planning on - eventually - doing a fresh playthrough on , anyway. diff --git a/content/post/2017/12/30_adventuretime_pirates.md b/content/post/2017/12/30_adventuretime_pirates.md index 9184d903..034f20be 100644 --- a/content/post/2017/12/30_adventuretime_pirates.md +++ b/content/post/2017/12/30_adventuretime_pirates.md @@ -9,4 +9,4 @@ In 2014, when I pirates. BMO is playable? -Dare I get my hopes up? ... especially considering the publisher's less-than-stellar record? +Dare I get my hopes up? ... especially considering the publisher's less-than-stellar record? diff --git a/content/post/2018/01/20_siliconzeroes.md b/content/post/2018/01/20_siliconzeroes.md index 562939a8..19c1d657 100644 --- a/content/post/2018/01/20_siliconzeroes.md +++ b/content/post/2018/01/20_siliconzeroes.md @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ It feels janky. And weird. I don't want to overplay my frustrations with the game, because I did have some fun with it, especially in the early and simple puzzles. It just felt like, as the puzzles became more complicated, their ambitions outstripped the game's mechanical capabilities. -The dull story didn't help, either. (I'd recommend the first season of Halt and Catch Fire, instead.) +The dull story didn't help, either. (I'd recommend the first season of Halt and Catch Fire, instead.) Silicon Zeroes is somewhat short, unless you want to do the extra post-campaign puzzles -- which I didn't. Longer than , if not by much. By the time I saw the "ending" cinematic, I was very ready to stop playing, despite how many more puzzles I have left. diff --git a/content/post/2018/01/21_escapethegame.md b/content/post/2018/01/21_escapethegame.md index 560ee82e..411912a4 100644 --- a/content/post/2018/01/21_escapethegame.md +++ b/content/post/2018/01/21_escapethegame.md @@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ rating = [ "Meh" ] And then it's over. In ten minutes. -This free game is over two years old, and I guess it was supposed to serve as a demo for a fuller release? But the "Episode 1" DLC still has a [release date]($SiteBaseURL$2018/01/21/early-access-late-release/) of "2017 Q1" -- and the creator seems to have abandoned this idea in favor of an ARG that will lead up to a sequel... maybe. +This free game is over two years old, and I guess it was supposed to serve as a demo for a fuller release? But the "Episode 1" DLC still has a [release date]($SiteBaseURL$2018/01/21/early-access-late-release/) of "2017 Q1" -- and the creator seems to have abandoned this idea in favor of an ARG that will lead up to a sequel... maybe. Well, good luck with all that! diff --git a/content/post/2018/01/21_releasedates.md b/content/post/2018/01/21_releasedates.md index 06ed67cf..15c19a7e 100644 --- a/content/post/2018/01/21_releasedates.md +++ b/content/post/2018/01/21_releasedates.md @@ -14,15 +14,15 @@ It feels like most of my list has been shifting from "releasing this year" to "r * , like A.N.N.E., looked like a fun little Kickstarter in May of 2013. Campaign page says estimated delivery in May of 2014. Their current estimate is "TBD." -* I rarely spend time on Early Access games, but had a good demo and hooked me ... in November of 2015. Their last release-date estimate, from May of last year, targeted Early 2018. +* I rarely spend time on Early Access games, but had a good demo and hooked me ... in November of 2015. Their last release-date estimate, from May of last year, targeted Early 2018. * similarly wowed me with its pre-release demo. That was in November of 2014. Their roadmap looks like it's close to completion, but there doesn't seem to be a formal release date estimate. -* had a pretty cool demo while it was up on Indiegogo, in December of 2016. "Indivisible will be released in 2018." +* had a pretty cool demo while it was up on Indiegogo, in December of 2016. "Indivisible will be released in 2018." * Even in the initial May, 2014 Indiegogo campaign, seemed like a bit of a joke. The campaign's last update, in December of 2016, said "we're 99% there." -* I liked the look and description of in their Kickstarter campaign. That was in August of 2014. As of September: "For awhile now I've said that I hope to release in 2017 and it's looking like that's less likely to happen." +* I liked the look and description of in their Kickstarter campaign. That was in August of 2014. As of September: "For awhile now I've said that I hope to release in 2017 and it's looking like that's less likely to happen." Game development is hard; it is known. And scheduling things is also pretty hard. Even the industry's heavy-hitters screw this pooch with some frequency. But ... come on, really guys? diff --git a/content/post/2018/01/27_glyphsapprentice.md b/content/post/2018/01/27_glyphsapprentice.md index 2d9ca6ba..c8792190 100755 --- a/content/post/2018/01/27_glyphsapprentice.md +++ b/content/post/2018/01/27_glyphsapprentice.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ While the most striking thing about is how terrible its ![]($SiteBaseURL$glyphsapprentice_transmuter.jpg){width=400 height=225} -Today I learned: both games are based closely on some of ' pre-Steam work. Huh. +Today I learned: both games are based closely on some of ' pre-Steam work. Huh. From my limited time with it, Glyphs looks like it has a couple of advantages over Opus Magnum -- more puzzles, and more complexity in its later puzzles. And while my biggest gripe with Opus Magnum was how "simple" it felt... this feels like the wrong kind of complexity. diff --git a/content/post/2018/03/11_borderlandspresequel.md b/content/post/2018/03/11_borderlandspresequel.md index f1bad46a..52f6e086 100644 --- a/content/post/2018/03/11_borderlandspresequel.md +++ b/content/post/2018/03/11_borderlandspresequel.md @@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ But it's disappointing how easily TPS is eclipsed by [its predecessor](ga Its additions to the franchise don't feel that worthwhile. The limited-oxygen mechanic isn't meaningful. The butt-stomp attack isn't fun to use. Low-gravity levels are occasionally cool, but feel under-served by the game's level design. (Works best with boost pads!) The laser guns -- okay, the laser guns are pretty radical. I hope those stick around for Borderlands 3. -And as for the narrative, it varies between lazy and uninspired (returning characters like Wilhelm and Nisha get roughly 30 seconds of new backstory), and trying too hard (Handsome Jack's character arc is about as graceful as Anakin's distaste for sand). +And as for the narrative, it varies between lazy and uninspired (returning characters like Wilhelm and Nisha get roughly 30 seconds of new backstory), and trying too hard (Handsome Jack's character arc is about as graceful as Anakin's distaste for sand). Again, TPS isn't a "bad" game; headshotting fools and scrounging for upgrades is as fun as ever. And the lasers are sweet. diff --git a/content/post/2018/03/21_afterparty.md b/content/post/2018/03/21_afterparty.md index ba67f25b..527c0ff4 100644 --- a/content/post/2018/03/21_afterparty.md +++ b/content/post/2018/03/21_afterparty.md @@ -8,4 +8,4 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] wasn't perfect, but it was thrilling and exceptionally memorable. More than a year later, I still fondly recall its endearingly-anxious characters and "creepy-shit" (my words) storytelling. -Add a dash of neon-backlit hell, and -- yeah, looks like something I want to play. +Add a dash of neon-backlit hell, and -- yeah, looks like something I want to play. diff --git a/content/post/2018/04/29_borderlandspresequel_claptasticvoyage.md b/content/post/2018/04/29_borderlandspresequel_claptasticvoyage.md index 838c1dff..2e596945 100644 --- a/content/post/2018/04/29_borderlandspresequel_claptasticvoyage.md +++ b/content/post/2018/04/29_borderlandspresequel_claptasticvoyage.md @@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ And while these elements may have been meant to punctuate the flow of the An unfortunate consequence of this uninteresting game world is that my partner and I were utterly uncompelled to do its side-quests. And this, in turn, meant that we were underleveled as the campaign moved on. For the most part, this wasn't a problem; enemies with flashing red skulls were still no match for us. -The final boss, though, was a tiring chore with an unreasonable health bar. ... and then it turned out, that wasn't the final boss. The "real" final boss was an even bigger bullet-sponge, and its attacks destroyed us almost instantaneously. (Fun anecdote: as Wilhelm, my partner used the Termination Protocols skill to die, revive, and immediately die again back-to-back for about a full minute.) +The final boss, though, was a tiring chore with an unreasonable health bar. ... and then it turned out, that wasn't the final boss. The "real" final boss was an even bigger bullet-sponge, and its attacks destroyed us almost instantaneously. (Fun anecdote: as Wilhelm, my partner used the Termination Protocols skill to die, revive, and immediately die again back-to-back for about a full minute.) We could have gone back to do an hour or two of sidequests, and probably stand a much better chance in that fight. But neither of us cared enough to keep playing. diff --git a/content/post/2018/06/03_witcher3.md b/content/post/2018/06/03_witcher3.md index 67f1fa1d..04ac4cc4 100644 --- a/content/post/2018/06/03_witcher3.md +++ b/content/post/2018/06/03_witcher3.md @@ -11,9 +11,9 @@ Back in White Orchard, I had no interest whatsoever in Gwent. I don't really li Thus began several hours of Gwenting: learning how to build a good deck, discovering surprising and disruptive mechanics, following quests for competitive play, and eventually, hunting down every last Gwent-able NPC. -At first, getting into Gwent was a little frustrating: losing because my cards were bad, and being unable to get better cards ... because I was losing. Buying cards from vendors is expensive, in the early-game economy, and there just aren't that many opponents that the starter deck can compete with. I watched innkeepers and merchants place 10-strength cards and hero cards, use a Commander's Horn to double their strength, use cards with the Muster ability to collect their brethren; the numbers were just impossible for me to match. +At first, getting into Gwent was a little frustrating: losing because my cards were bad, and being unable to get better cards ... because I was losing. Buying cards from vendors is expensive, in the early-game economy, and there just aren't that many opponents that the starter deck can compete with. I watched innkeepers and merchants place 10-strength cards and hero cards, use a Commander's Horn to double their strength, use cards with the Muster ability to collect their brethren; the numbers were just impossible for me to match. -But through quests and determination (and selling some monster organs to afford more cards), I scraped my way up the Gwent ladder. And what started as a way of earning experience points became a surprisingly deep minigame all its own. I still remember the first time I saw the Scorch card, and learned that placing strong cards early could make them vulnerable. +But through quests and determination (and selling some monster organs to afford more cards), I scraped my way up the Gwent ladder. And what started as a way of earning experience points became a surprisingly deep minigame all its own. I still remember the first time I saw the Scorch card, and learned that placing strong cards early could make them vulnerable. Personally, I'm still very fond of my Northern Realms deck. (I really like Foltest's ability to clear weather, and using the spy cards to build up a huge hand.) But all of my decks are powerhouses now. My only regret is that I've won at Gwent so much, that I can no longer win random cards; I already have all of them. diff --git a/content/post/2018/06/10_witcher3_bloodandwine.md b/content/post/2018/06/10_witcher3_bloodandwine.md index 0f5640fc..59f4b78f 100755 --- a/content/post/2018/06/10_witcher3_bloodandwine.md +++ b/content/post/2018/06/10_witcher3_bloodandwine.md @@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ Most of [Witcher 3](game:The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)'s environmental influences ha Toussaint, the setting of [Blood and Wine](game:The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine), is France. -This association is made loud and clear from the outset of the expansion: in how Toussaint's knights speak and act, in the layout of the beautiful, vineyard-dotted landscape, in how the people of Beauclair are always talking about wines and cheeses, and happily, in French puns like the Mere-Lachaiselongue Cemetery. +This association is made loud and clear from the outset of the expansion: in how Toussaint's knights speak and act, in the layout of the beautiful, vineyard-dotted landscape, in how the people of Beauclair are always talking about wines and cheeses, and happily, in French puns like the Mere-Lachaiselongue Cemetery. Wild Hunt and [Hearts of Stone](game:The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone) had their fair shares of humor, but it really feels like CD Projekt let loose and enjoyed themselves this time. diff --git a/content/post/2018/08/10_redfactionguerrilla_remarstered.md b/content/post/2018/08/10_redfactionguerrilla_remarstered.md index 078cfe76..5f969164 100644 --- a/content/post/2018/08/10_redfactionguerrilla_remarstered.md +++ b/content/post/2018/08/10_redfactionguerrilla_remarstered.md @@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ Guerrilla is getting on in years, though, and it shows. This Re-Mars-tering hel Then again, I haven't even gotten the Rocket Launcher yet. That should distract me from the red-brown desert. -Nine years later, it's funny to me that some of RFG's most distinctive features still haven't been copied into more games. Not just Geo-Mod destructibility -- but its discoverable, dynamic-feeling "Guerrilla Missions," and how civilians react to high morale by joining your fight. These are things that would feel right at home in Ubisoft Game. +Nine years later, it's funny to me that some of RFG's most distinctive features still haven't been copied into more games. Not just Geo-Mod destructibility -- but its discoverable, dynamic-feeling "Guerrilla Missions," and how civilians react to high morale by joining your fight. These are things that would feel right at home in Ubisoft Game. Between "[Deathinitive](game:Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition)," "[Warmastered](game:Darksiders: Warmastered Edition)," and now "Re-Mars-tered" editions of THQ's old games, THQ Nordic has established a clear pattern. I really hope it leads to a "Resanctified" version of or maybe a "Waterfront Genkification" edition of [The Third](game:Saints Row: The Third). (And I hope Volition comes up with better puns than mine.) diff --git a/content/post/2018/11/22_timespinner.md b/content/post/2018/11/22_timespinner.md index 5fba3b1f..664fbd65 100644 --- a/content/post/2018/11/22_timespinner.md +++ b/content/post/2018/11/22_timespinner.md @@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ That aside, the plot is adequately engaging -- and does a good job of supporting Timespinner's dialog tries to make its characters feel real and relatable, with mixed results. The protagonist Lunais is a sassy broad, and the game lets her play into this role fairly well. A few of the NPCs have strong personalities too, notably the duty-bound Haristel, who even goes through a character arc (if you do the side-quests for it). -But for several NPCs, the game's only attempt at characterization is by talking about their sex lives. A ton of the cast is gay or bisexual. There's nothing wrong with that!, but "is gay" isn't a defining character trait. And, the fact that everyone talks so freely about who they've banged - regardless of affiliation - can feel kinda awkward. +But for several NPCs, the game's only attempt at characterization is by talking about their sex lives. A ton of the cast is gay or bisexual. There's nothing wrong with that!, but "is gay" isn't a defining character trait. And, the fact that everyone talks so freely about who they've banged - regardless of affiliation - can feel kinda awkward. Thankfully, that awkward dialog isn't an important-enough part of the game to drag it down. I wasn't as concerned about that as I was about the slightly-broken weapon upgrading system. (I never even tried half the weapons, because the one I was using had gained so much experience already!) diff --git a/content/post/2018/12/31_deusex_mankinddivided_acriminalpast.md b/content/post/2018/12/31_deusex_mankinddivided_acriminalpast.md index 89657790..7c1ef2bd 100644 --- a/content/post/2018/12/31_deusex_mankinddivided_acriminalpast.md +++ b/content/post/2018/12/31_deusex_mankinddivided_acriminalpast.md @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] [A Criminal Past](game:Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - A Criminal Past) is both longer and more story-driven than [System Rift](game:Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - System Rift) was. But the execution of this DLC turns those could-be-positives into some slightly-negatives. -A Criminal Past is narratively framed as a story that Adam Jensen is telling to an Interpol psychologist, who is definitely a character from [Mankind Divided](game:Deus Ex: Mankind Divided) that I've totally forgotten about. (A mark against the main game, for how un-memorable she was.) A "present-day" conversation between her and Adam introduces the mission as a flashback; and at some plot moments during this mission, the two will provide narrative voiceovers to recap the story so far. +A Criminal Past is narratively framed as a story that Adam Jensen is telling to an Interpol psychologist, who is definitely a character from [Mankind Divided](game:Deus Ex: Mankind Divided) that I've totally forgotten about. (A mark against the main game, for how un-memorable she was.) A "present-day" conversation between her and Adam introduces the mission as a flashback; and at some plot moments during this mission, the two will provide narrative voiceovers to recap the story so far. While I admire the ambition of this storytelling technique, its implementation just isn't that good. The dialog between Delara and Jensen is generally dry and un-engaging. And, if Adam dies during the mission, Delara will cut in with a "That's not what happened, try to remember" line -- much like [Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time](game:Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (NGC, PC, PS2, PS3, XBOX)) did, but in the serious and professional context of A Criminal Past's story, it sounds very out of place. diff --git a/content/post/2019/01/04_bandersnatch.md b/content/post/2019/01/04_bandersnatch.md index bb2da207..cff9f1e1 100644 --- a/content/post/2019/01/04_bandersnatch.md +++ b/content/post/2019/01/04_bandersnatch.md @@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Pro: In many cases, before the credits, Bandersnatch does give you the op It ain't perfect, but Bandersnatch is wonderfully entertaining; it has real, meaningful interactive qualities; and it treats its [Adventure game](tag:Adventure) heritage with respect and awe. This is an all-around treat for the game aficionado. -Also, Jeff Minter is in it. (I did a double-take when I saw his name in the credits.) +Also, Jeff Minter is in it. (I did a double-take when I saw his name in the credits.) Better than: Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/2019/06/15_hacknet.md b/content/post/2019/06/15_hacknet.md index 313eed4d..1972a6d3 100755 --- a/content/post/2019/06/15_hacknet.md +++ b/content/post/2019/06/15_hacknet.md @@ -25,4 +25,4 @@ Overall, Hacknet is good enough. The immersiveness is imperfect, the UI Better than: , , (the demo at least), Not as good as: my perfect hacking game. ... maybe someday. -The internet-culture humor was amusing: but surely there are more sources than just bash.org? There have to be, right? (Maybe not.) +The internet-culture humor was amusing: but surely there are more sources than just bash.org? There have to be, right? (Maybe not.) diff --git a/content/post/2019/11/16_exapunks.md b/content/post/2019/11/16_exapunks.md index 836e51fb..313027f9 100755 --- a/content/post/2019/11/16_exapunks.md +++ b/content/post/2019/11/16_exapunks.md @@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] This resulted in me taking entirely too long to start Exapunks, which might now be my new favorite programming game. -Exapunks takes the best features of TIS-100 (like a simple but versatile instruction set) and SHENZEN I/O (varied and "cool" devices/contexts) while discarding their biggest annoyances (respectively, limited instruction space and too-simple puzzles). Then it adds some radical new features of its own, chief among them the REPL instruction, which is just enough like fork() that I could fill an entire post geeking out about it. I won't, but I could. +Exapunks takes the best features of TIS-100 (like a simple but versatile instruction set) and SHENZEN I/O (varied and "cool" devices/contexts) while discarding their biggest annoyances (respectively, limited instruction space and too-simple puzzles). Then it adds some radical new features of its own, chief among them the REPL instruction, which is just enough like fork() that I could fill an entire post geeking out about it. I won't, but I could. Narratively, it learns from Opus Magnum's underwhelming storytelling, using a healthy variety of mechanics - ambient text, voice-overed cutscenes, and scene-setting background in the PDF manual - to weave its tale. Its characters actually have a little mystery to them, a little intrigue, which makes me curious to discover more about them. And the dulled-neon cyberpunk dystopia theme is definitely a winner. diff --git a/content/post/2020/01/10_vvvvvv.md b/content/post/2020/01/10_vvvvvv.md index 607357d0..4e97ab06 100755 --- a/content/post/2020/01/10_vvvvvv.md +++ b/content/post/2020/01/10_vvvvvv.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -There is a certain amount of... I guess, existential angst which comes from knowing that an excellent game like is powered by a switch statement with case 4099. +There is a certain amount of... I guess, existential angst which comes from knowing that an excellent game like is powered by a switch statement with case 4099. In his decennial musings on VVVVVV, Terry Cavanagh observes: diff --git a/content/post/2020/06/02_uncharted2_mummy3.md b/content/post/2020/06/02_uncharted2_mummy3.md index 02c635c4..45b9399a 100644 --- a/content/post/2020/06/02_uncharted2_mummy3.md +++ b/content/post/2020/06/02_uncharted2_mummy3.md @@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ For the record, Mummy: Jet Li was ilovetheyeti.blogspot.com) +Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (image credit: ilovetheyeti.blogspot.com) Exhibit C: Both the Dragon Emperor and Lazarevic seek eternal life in Shangri-La (which Nathan Drake calls "Shambhala"). diff --git a/content/post/2021/03/14_regexcrossword.md b/content/post/2021/03/14_regexcrossword.md index 930ecf4d..0815221f 100755 --- a/content/post/2021/03/14_regexcrossword.md +++ b/content/post/2021/03/14_regexcrossword.md @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Sure, a website with some form fields is a bit of a loose fit for this video game blog. But is an interactive experience that entertained me for most of the weekend ... and it compares favorably to . -Following a co-worker tip to this harrowing puzzle, I saw the same link posted to /r/programming and followed that trail to the Regex Crossword site. Of course I did that standalone puzzle, too; but the Regex Crossword site is much more noteworthy. +Following a co-worker tip to this harrowing puzzle, I saw the same link posted to /r/programming and followed that trail to the Regex Crossword site. Of course I did that standalone puzzle, too; but the Regex Crossword site is much more noteworthy. The puzzles with bi-directional hints could get pretty annoying, and I swear that some puzzles could have had multiple solutions (more than one character fitting the row and column hints). Especially in the Hamlet section, I got the feeling that quotation-based solutions weren't deterministically verified quite as thoroughly. diff --git a/content/post/2021/05/16_thetalosprinciple.md b/content/post/2021/05/16_thetalosprinciple.md index 3ad213eb..3b838c88 100755 --- a/content/post/2021/05/16_thetalosprinciple.md +++ b/content/post/2021/05/16_thetalosprinciple.md @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ There is a beautiful sense of cohesion, or even harmony, to how The Talos >!While ultimately it would be easy to summarize the story as "humans build AI to replace themselves post-extinction," it is awe-inspiring how thoroughly detailed that story gets. The early game piques interest with analyses of ancient civilizations and philosophy; and as those develop into thought experiments about the meaning of "life" as a society or as a species, other bits of info start to clarify the fate of the humans, and the reason for this virtual world's existence. It's an enthralling tale from top to bottom, despite being made up by only a few dozen text documents and audio diaries.!< ->!And I love that the in-game narrative makes a point of mentioning that their AI training world was built in ... the Serious Engine. Now that is some commitment to veritas.!< +>!And I love that the in-game narrative makes a point of mentioning that their AI training world was built in ... the Serious Engine. Now that is some commitment to veritas.!< Sadly, I wouldn't have made it all the way through that plot if not for some internet guidance. And here's where I complain about the "walls" I hit in The Talos Principle's puzzles. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2005/09/2607.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2005/09/2607.md index 422c143b..6f38a585 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2005/09/2607.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2005/09/2607.md @@ -22,6 +22,6 @@ Sands of Time had some glitches signifying that the release was slightly rushed, Summarily, Warrior Within has some good components, but is not a great experience. It's certainly playable, but there are some mistakes that perhaps unduly impact the experience of enjoying the game. I really hope that PoP3 swings back toward SoT, but they say they're going to work even more on a combat focus, so, I don't know. -And if you want to learn what happens in Warrior Within without having to endure playing through it, you can go ahead and watch the cutscenes. +And if you want to learn what happens in Warrior Within without having to endure playing through it, you can go ahead and watch the cutscenes. Progress: Complete \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2006/08/2283.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2006/08/2283.md index f9f0dd1d..49158117 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2006/08/2283.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2006/08/2283.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "SNES" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -Namco's Tales series, even today, is known to stand out among other RPG franchises for its unique battle system and story element trademarks. Remarkably, not much has changed since the series' first inception: Tales of Phantasia, for the Super Famicom. Though later remade for the Playstation, it wasn't until a third rendition on the GBA that an official American release would be made (although the SFC version was popularly fan-translated by DeJap). +Namco's Tales series, even today, is known to stand out among other RPG franchises for its unique battle system and story element trademarks. Remarkably, not much has changed since the series' first inception: Tales of Phantasia, for the Super Famicom. Though later remade for the Playstation, it wasn't until a third rendition on the GBA that an official American release would be made (although the SFC version was popularly fan-translated by DeJap). The introduction to Phantasia shows a group of four adventurers battling an evil king, Dhaos. Dhaos is critically wounded, and escapes at the last moment, through magic; but when he arrives at his destination, the adventurers are waiting for him, and seal Dhaos within a tomb protected by the power of two magical amulets. Here, it is hoped, he will rest for all eternity. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2006/11/2589.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2006/11/2589.md index f4d61c01..cd06818a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2006/11/2589.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2006/11/2589.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "NDS" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -The ending? Pretty bizarre. But that falls perfectly into line with the rest of the story. It also leaves a ton of doors open for the sequel. +The ending? Pretty bizarre. But that falls perfectly into line with the rest of the story. It also leaves a ton of doors open for the sequel. Nothing about my previous complaint (far-off level-up abilities) has changed, except my opinion about it. Finishing the game without them is perfectly feasible and fun, and having ultra-lofty goals for character advancement is a great replay mechanic. Leveling up your bevy of cool abilities is a fantastic way to breathe life into the game well after the ending (not to mention all the sidequests). I don't have the space in my schedule for it now, but I definitely plan on coming back to do more in the post-game when I get the chance. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/01/2788.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/01/2788.md index a97e5ed1..0de59eae 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/01/2788.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/01/2788.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Radiance's ending is pretty horrible. The promisingly deep plot is never given But despite the sour taste the ending leaves in my mouth, I can still recall enjoying the rest of the game. There are some aspects that are mechanically frustrating - specifically, some events relying on randomness (e.g. the stat points you get when leveling up; sometimes, a unit will roll +0 on everything), and the permanent repercussions (dead characters) of mistakes. But nevertheless moving my units and murdering the enemy army was a real blast. -One of my favorite things about Path of Radiance, and this is why I'm not too motivated to look into the GBA titles, is the stellar presentation. The graphical style and detail of the battlefields and combat scenes are great, and the music, albeit repeated frequently, never seemed to get old. Plus! there were six extremely well-animated and -voiced cutscenes, which while infrequent, were very impressively done. I don't usually get hung up on aesthetics but I really have to tip my hat to Intelligent Systems on this one. +One of my favorite things about Path of Radiance, and this is why I'm not too motivated to look into the GBA titles, is the stellar presentation. The graphical style and detail of the battlefields and combat scenes are great, and the music, albeit repeated frequently, never seemed to get old. Plus! there were six extremely well-animated and -voiced cutscenes, which while infrequent, were very impressively done. I don't usually get hung up on aesthetics but I really have to tip my hat to Intelligent Systems on this one. I would really like to replay this game at some point, and see the things I missed; it's just a matter of having the time for it. (Plus, I'm still not very good at it.) diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/02/2162.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/02/2162.md index 65a5b78c..a41d25b9 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/02/2162.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/02/2162.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "NGC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -One of the best parts of SA/DX is how fast it can go. With some exceptions (the excruciating casino stage, getting lost treasure hunting as Knuckles, and ... Big the Cat), it is possible to blow through Sonic Adventure in short order without too much trouble. I'm far from the best at it but I do enjoy occasionally winding down a quiet weekend with an afternoon of Sonic Adventuring start to finish. +One of the best parts of SA/DX is how fast it can go. With some exceptions (the excruciating casino stage, getting lost treasure hunting as Knuckles, and ... Big the Cat), it is possible to blow through Sonic Adventure in short order without too much trouble. I'm far from the best at it but I do enjoy occasionally winding down a quiet weekend with an afternoon of Sonic Adventuring start to finish. Something this game did that its followups failed to follow up on was streamlining. The scenery is just as pretty, but there is no obligation, and even little motivation, to stop and drink it in. Despite glitches and one of the most awkward cameras in the universe, finishing a stage in two minutes and only glimpsing its surroundings captures a great deal of the essence of Sonic the Hedgehog. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/02/2866.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/02/2866.md index ab8c588b..b747914f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/02/2866.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/02/2866.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "Wii" ] rating = [ "Bad" ] +++ -Rise from your graves! +Rise from your graves! I bought this little guy for Virtual Console with Xmas Wii points. Playing it at first was hilarious, but the novelty wore off pretty quick, what with the grating sound and the klonky (that's not a word... yet) controls. But, you could do [worse](game:Vexx). diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/03/2834.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/03/2834.md index 2bfbbea6..90b22915 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/03/2834.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/03/2834.md @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Though I am wont to forget many games I have played, WoW's geography is permanen Don't mistake my obsession with the world as an indication that WoW is some sandbox crap. There is always something to do, thanks to the genius implementation of quests. Where other games may require a player to grind on sewer rats and birds of prey to gain levels, World of Warcraft has thousands of quests that NPCs will task you with. These quests will frequently involve slaughtering animals and other forms of evil, but many are in fact quite different, entailing a treasure hunt, or a reconnaissance mission, or a foot race. And all of these quests take you to new places, show you new things, and give you a little insight into the rich backstory of WoW, which is quite laborious. -The problem I ended up having with WoW was in the endgame, and is the same thing I hold against most MMOs, namely that the content runs out. Of course it is difficult to help this, and in fact the endgame is something that is almost constantly being worked on in monthly content updates; I have heard that it is no longer as contentious as it once was. But nevertheless, the magic simply could not last forever. When you've reached the maximum level, the game really starts pushing the Law of Diminishing Returns, and for me the fun factor just couldn't keep up with the required time investment. Some people enjoy this kind of thing but I'm not one of them. +The problem I ended up having with WoW was in the endgame, and is the same thing I hold against most MMOs, namely that the content runs out. Of course it is difficult to help this, and in fact the endgame is something that is almost constantly being worked on in monthly content updates; I have heard that it is no longer as contentious as it once was. But nevertheless, the magic simply could not last forever. When you've reached the maximum level, the game really starts pushing the Law of Diminishing Returns, and for me the fun factor just couldn't keep up with the required time investment. Some people enjoy this kind of thing but I'm not one of them. By normal standards World of Warcraft is nothing short of amazing. Even at a retail price of $50 and an additional $15/month, the return I got on that investment in terms of number of gameplay hours easily outdoes any other game I have ever played. And I don't even tend to like multiplayer games very much. If I had to sum up WoW's flaws, I can only conclude that the game is too good: enough so to create unrealistic expectations for the game to continue, and to significantly disrupt my very lifestyle. One of these days, I intend to see what's new in the expansion. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/03/2924.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/03/2924.md index c433349e..9c601281 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/03/2924.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/03/2924.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Super Paper Mario" ] platform = [ "Wii" ] +++ -Aside from being the only upcoming Wii game to speak of for the next several months, Super Paper Mario is shaping up to be nothing short of an awesome game. Whereas previous Paper Marios were turn-based affairs, segueing to a battle screen on encountering an enemy, SPM is a real time, action RPG where your hit points and jumps will become more powerful as you trounce foes. There are a bevy of other features in here to be excited about, too, like more controllable characters, bizarre sidekicks, the dimension-change dynamic, and of course the wickedly humorous writing. I can't wait. \ No newline at end of file +Aside from being the only upcoming Wii game to speak of for the next several months, Super Paper Mario is shaping up to be nothing short of an awesome game. Whereas previous Paper Marios were turn-based affairs, segueing to a battle screen on encountering an enemy, SPM is a real time, action RPG where your hit points and jumps will become more powerful as you trounce foes. There are a bevy of other features in here to be excited about, too, like more controllable characters, bizarre sidekicks, the dimension-change dynamic, and of course the wickedly humorous writing. I can't wait. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/05/2454.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/05/2454.md index 0d1d68e8..7199af7b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/05/2454.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/05/2454.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade" ] platform = [ "Mac" ] +++ -I finally bit the bullet and clicked on the large Confirm button to begin my 10 day free trial of Burning Crusade. Then the page tells me I need to download a client updater. This updater, through the satanic, dark magicks of the Blizzard Downloader, will have taken in the neighborhood of ten hours before it is ready to even begin installation. This really only serves to remind of WoW's, and every MMO's, major failing in the subscription model: rather than paying for a product, one effectively pays for time, time which is already a volatile and precious enough resource. The fact that I'm not actually paying is only a minor technicality. +I finally bit the bullet and clicked on the large Confirm button to begin my 10 day free trial of Burning Crusade. Then the page tells me I need to download a client updater. This updater, through the satanic, dark magicks of the Blizzard Downloader, will have taken in the neighborhood of ten hours before it is ready to even begin installation. This really only serves to remind of WoW's, and every MMO's, major failing in the subscription model: rather than paying for a product, one effectively pays for time, time which is already a volatile and precious enough resource. The fact that I'm not actually paying is only a minor technicality. Progress: 20% \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2251.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2251.md index 1a4714c7..ebefc097 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2251.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2251.md @@ -10,11 +10,11 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] [WoW](game:World of Warcraft)'s only shortcoming in my opinion was the lack of endgame material, a goal they worked on throughout the game's release but were always a little behind on. Burning Crusade fixes that problem - with wide, sprawling geography for level 70 players to roam around in (flying mounts are way fun), no shortage of quests, and a wealth of small-group dungeons that any fool can find a team for. -After Nagrand, I made a small pit stop in Gnomish outpost Toshley's Station (BC also has an admirable supply of Star Wars references), then moved on to the Netherstorm zone. Netherstorm has a Goblin town working on a space rocket, called Area 52; the Outland capitol of the Ethereal race, Stormspire; the ruins of Kirin'Var Village, where the ghosts of the first Azerothian mages to come to Outland still linger; and is in general just super cool. I got a new helmet from the Goblins that is a rocket, and reached level 70 on Sunday morning. +After Nagrand, I made a small pit stop in Gnomish outpost Toshley's Station (BC also has an admirable supply of Star Wars references), then moved on to the Netherstorm zone. Netherstorm has a Goblin town working on a space rocket, called Area 52; the Outland capitol of the Ethereal race, Stormspire; the ruins of Kirin'Var Village, where the ghosts of the first Azerothian mages to come to Outland still linger; and is in general just super cool. I got a new helmet from the Goblins that is a rocket, and reached level 70 on Sunday morning. -Now, my plate of tasks is fuller than before, if anything. I've got to work on a chain of quests to get my key to Karazhan, could use some more cash money for a faster flying mount, and really doing quests is still a load of fun. +Now, my plate of tasks is fuller than before, if anything. I've got to work on a chain of quests to get my key to Karazhan, could use some more cash money for a faster flying mount, and really doing quests is still a load of fun. -One of my favorite quest lines from the original game was the Razelikh chain. It begins by talking to the ghost of a fallen champion, and then takes the player (and his groupmates) to several different zones, gathering materials and making preparations for slaying the demon lord. There are other quests that send you to location X to pick up object Y - this was different: upon arriving at Azshara, you need to find a demon hunter, and borrow some tools from him to help you find enchanted crystals and such for your demon-slaying weapons. Then back in the Blasted Lands, you have to use the weapons to remove the demon lord's lieutenants' protective barriers, and take them out to unlock the way to his throne. It's very long, and feels very epic. +One of my favorite quest lines from the original game was the Razelikh chain. It begins by talking to the ghost of a fallen champion, and then takes the player (and his groupmates) to several different zones, gathering materials and making preparations for slaying the demon lord. There are other quests that send you to location X to pick up object Y - this was different: upon arriving at Azshara, you need to find a demon hunter, and borrow some tools from him to help you find enchanted crystals and such for your demon-slaying weapons. Then back in the Blasted Lands, you have to use the weapons to remove the demon lord's lieutenants' protective barriers, and take them out to unlock the way to his throne. It's very long, and feels very epic. I bring this up because there are a lot of quest lines in Burning Crusade that resemble this. There is an ultimate goal (usually, yes, killing a demon lord), and you must help in planning the attack or collecting the proper components, ala your favorite fantasy story. Each of these quest lines could stand alone as a solid plotline, and there are several (dozens?) of them now. I was helping a guildmate level yesterday, and a mask dropped off some warlock enemies; it began a quest line that had us infiltrating and then destroying a demon staging camp, performing some reconaissance by a portal through which a demon was summoning other, lesser demons, perform sabotage on the portal's equipment, and then fight the demon himself with the help of some gigantic tree guardians. The coolest part is that, even though we did it together, most of it could have been done by a solo player. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2313.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2313.md index 6ebda146..c9b155ab 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2313.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2313.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "NDS" ] rating = [ "Bad" ] +++ -Of course, I should have expected that, like the Wii browser, external media (MP3s, MOVs, etc.) won't play. The you tubes also don't work because of Flash version issues. Couple these problems with a slew of layout and Javascript rendering errors and you've got one of the poorest browsers out there. Don't even start with me about the handwriting "recognition" interface. +Of course, I should have expected that, like the Wii browser, external media (MP3s, MOVs, etc.) won't play. The you tubes also don't work because of Flash version issues. Couple these problems with a slew of layout and Javascript rendering errors and you've got one of the poorest browsers out there. Don't even start with me about the handwriting "recognition" interface. There is a limited utility simply for having a portable browser, but for casual browsing this is no good. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2517.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2517.md index de468b71..51dce874 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2517.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/06/2517.md @@ -10,11 +10,11 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] I promised myself I wouldn't become slavishly devoted to the game like I once was, and I may already be losing this battle. Now I am in a race - against no one, except perhaps time itself - to reach level 70 within this coming weekend. Previously I have upheld a rate of a level per day, but I do not know that I can keep it up. -The first zone in Outland is Hellfire Peninsula, and is perfect for leveling from 60, or even the late 50s. I decided I was too cool for this zone and utterly skipped it. I started in Zangarmarsh, a slightly higher-up zone that has the trappings of the Swamp of Sorrows but the charm of Stranglethorn Vale. After sucking all the sweet experience nectar out of this zone I moved on to Terokkar Forest, which has a bunch of stupid bird monsters running around and some dumb blood elves building a magic bomb, but the main feature of which is a giant, dead crater produced by the explosion of, I'm not sure, but I think "evil." This started out alright, but what with an infinite supply of ghosts and unfriendly vultures, the Bone Wastes wore on me by the end. +The first zone in Outland is Hellfire Peninsula, and is perfect for leveling from 60, or even the late 50s. I decided I was too cool for this zone and utterly skipped it. I started in Zangarmarsh, a slightly higher-up zone that has the trappings of the Swamp of Sorrows but the charm of Stranglethorn Vale. After sucking all the sweet experience nectar out of this zone I moved on to Terokkar Forest, which has a bunch of stupid bird monsters running around and some dumb blood elves building a magic bomb, but the main feature of which is a giant, dead crater produced by the explosion of, I'm not sure, but I think "evil." This started out alright, but what with an infinite supply of ghosts and unfriendly vultures, the Bone Wastes wore on me by the end. -Now I'm questing around in Nagrand, which is very reminiscent of the Tauren home zone of Mulgore, but much huger and much more interesting. There are some elemental dudes for whom I'm fighting the good fight, most notably a giant earth fury who requests that violent justice be dispensed upon invading rock monsters. Also in this zone is Hemet Nesingwary, the hunter chief from Stranglethorn, who is now interested in the bigger game in Nagrand. +Now I'm questing around in Nagrand, which is very reminiscent of the Tauren home zone of Mulgore, but much huger and much more interesting. There are some elemental dudes for whom I'm fighting the good fight, most notably a giant earth fury who requests that violent justice be dispensed upon invading rock monsters. Also in this zone is Hemet Nesingwary, the hunter chief from Stranglethorn, who is now interested in the bigger game in Nagrand. -One of the other cool quest hubs in Nagrand is populated by Ethereals, which are probably the coolest things to happen to WoW since conjured sliced bread. Here is a short list of characteristics of your average Ethereal: +One of the other cool quest hubs in Nagrand is populated by Ethereals, which are probably the coolest things to happen to WoW since conjured sliced bread. Here is a short list of characteristics of your average Ethereal: * Lives in another dimension * Is made of magic lightning @@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ One of the other cool quest hubs in Nagrand is populated by Destruction Holo-Gogs the other day - only to, 150 gold later, abruptly discover that one of the reagents (a Primal Nether) is only acquirable by being in a level 70ish dungeon run. Blast! +In the Engineering arena, I started arranging materials for some Destruction Holo-Gogs the other day - only to, 150 gold later, abruptly discover that one of the reagents (a Primal Nether) is only acquirable by being in a level 70ish dungeon run. Blast! One thing that bothers me about my new engineering possibilities are that they require absurd amounts of metal. Whereas most pre-expansion ore could be smelted into a bar at a 1:1 ratio, and most parts required maybe 3-6 smelted bars, now all smeltings require two ores per bar. Then there's Felsteel, which requires several bars of both Fel Iron and Eternium (a rare ore), and Hardened Adamantite, each bar of which costs 10 regular Adamantite bars (yes, 20 ore for one bar), and each pound of which weighs over [ten thousand pounds]($SiteBaseURL$wp-content/uploads/2007/06/darkmatter.mp3). diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2353.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2353.md index fbca91a0..6d049ae8 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2353.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2353.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ I finished the game at just under 35 gameplay hours, and though I've done all I' The ability system is really cool as it evolves throughout the game. To begin with you'll have only a couple abilities - like a combat roll, or 'item magnet' which pulls nearby dropped items toward you. Eventually you'll learn ever-valuable MP regeneration abilities, combat moves, and other miscellany that really kick the combat system up a notch. Abilities require Ability Points to equip, so managing the right set of abilities within your AP limits is, while not necessarily difficult, an added step of setup strategy. -I should also mention that the music, specifically the original music, is superb. I didn't find out about the game's composer, Yoko Shimomura, until recently with her spectacular work in this franchise and in the upcoming soundtrack. But apparently she also did the Mario and Luigi series, as well as [Super Mario RPG](game:Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars) (alongside Kondo and Uematsu), and is now working on [SSB Brawl](game:Super Smash Bros. Brawl). Awesome! And I would be remiss not to bring up the voice acting - some of it is shabby, but for the most part it is very well done. Haley Joel Osment makes a good main character; James Woods as Hades is fantastic; and they even got Gilbert Gottfried to do the parrot from Aladdin! Even some of the impersonators were pretty good, I really thought that Genie was Robin Williams until I looked it up. +I should also mention that the music, specifically the original music, is superb. I didn't find out about the game's composer, Yoko Shimomura, until recently with her spectacular work in this franchise and in the upcoming soundtrack. But apparently she also did the Mario and Luigi series, as well as [Super Mario RPG](game:Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars) (alongside Kondo and Uematsu), and is now working on [SSB Brawl](game:Super Smash Bros. Brawl). Awesome! And I would be remiss not to bring up the voice acting - some of it is shabby, but for the most part it is very well done. Haley Joel Osment makes a good main character; James Woods as Hades is fantastic; and they even got Gilbert Gottfried to do the parrot from Aladdin! Even some of the impersonators were pretty good, I really thought that Genie was Robin Williams until I looked it up. KH has a couple rough spots, but is ultimately an extremely fun and satisfying game. Albeit a bit muddled by the Disney presence, I could even go so far as to call it a modern classic. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2707.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2707.md index 48c915cc..2afb962e 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2707.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2707.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Legend tells of a hidden land at the ends of the earth, where forbidden magic ca Here's how it works. First you whip out your semi-magical sword, hold it up to the sun, and move it around until the reflected light points in a single direction. This is the direction to the next colossus (they are done sequentially). Then you get on your horse and ride that way, navigating open fields and narrow passes, checking a rough map to examine the surroundings, and continuing to use your sword every now and again to correct your bearings. Sometimes you'll have to use your own two feet to hoof it through un-horse-able terrain, e.g. cliffs, or water. -Eventually, you will come across the colossus, who lives up to its name by being somewhere from Really Big to Holy Shit That's Goddamn Big. Now your task is to defeat it. The means of achieving this differ per colossus, but ultimately you will have to locate its weak spots, again with the light-reflecting sword, and then shove the sword into said weak spots a few times. Once the colossus is downed, you will mystically return to the shrine, not congratulated in any way, and instantly told to find the next colossus. +Eventually, you will come across the colossus, who lives up to its name by being somewhere from Really Big to Holy Shit That's Goddamn Big. Now your task is to defeat it. The means of achieving this differ per colossus, but ultimately you will have to locate its weak spots, again with the light-reflecting sword, and then shove the sword into said weak spots a few times. Once the colossus is downed, you will mystically return to the shrine, not congratulated in any way, and instantly told to find the next colossus. It is a simple system, and it works fairly well. Navigation is a bit dull but goes quickly enough that it isn't terribly boring. The controls are a little weird, but the first colossus is enough of a pushover to get you accustomed to everything pretty easily. Sometimes the camera can be irritating - especially when trying to move around a colossus, which, as one might expect, happens somewhat frequently. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2851.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2851.md index 07b3fb34..39c8e603 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2851.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2851.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "Mac" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -It's a real shame that massively multiplayer games have to have other people in them. No matter how good Burning Crusade is - and it is good - it cannot overcome John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory. Even discounting players who are total asshats, there is no shortage of bad players, healers who can't keep anyone alive, tanks who can't keep a monster away from the party, damage classes who seem to have misplaced their damage abilities. I know I'm far from the best Mage in the world, but some people I've grouped with for should-have-been-easy dungeon runs make me look like the goddamn king of Sparta. +It's a real shame that massively multiplayer games have to have other people in them. No matter how good Burning Crusade is - and it is good - it cannot overcome John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory. Even discounting players who are total asshats, there is no shortage of bad players, healers who can't keep anyone alive, tanks who can't keep a monster away from the party, damage classes who seem to have misplaced their damage abilities. I know I'm far from the best Mage in the world, but some people I've grouped with for should-have-been-easy dungeon runs make me look like the goddamn king of Sparta. Nevertheless I still enjoy galavanting around Outland, burning ogres and earning dough. An aspect of BC that the designers clearly worked very hard to improve upon is endgame solo and small-group play. As I have hit upon previously, there is a ton of stuff to do at level 70, and unlike the level 60 content in the original game, much of it seems attainable. Whereas before I was a little bitter about bleeding money every month for little gain, I feel better about recurring payment this time (though I am still in my first month). diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2914.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2914.md index dc2b4fd4..ba9d91be 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2914.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/07/2914.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Plane rides? Great for Pokémon. Got my second badge, and a kickass bike. -From the get-go it has not been my intent to "catch them all," or to become unendingly immersed in hidden game mechanics, and thus far it is working out great. The simplicity of the core game is great fun. +From the get-go it has not been my intent to "catch them all," or to become unendingly immersed in hidden game mechanics, and thus far it is working out great. The simplicity of the core game is great fun. I named my Psyduck Qork, and my Ponyta Princess. They are awesome. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2578.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2578.md index acb3ca62..9713f93e 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2578.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2578.md @@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] When I started into MP3 again this evening, planning out this glog entry in my head, I thought about comparing it to the buildup of the previous games - where the introductory phase is slow, but necessary for driving the ramping excitement as the game continues. Then I engaged a boss in epic battle, saved a planet, and was knocked unconscious. "One month later," the screen says, and Samus wakes up in an infirmary, completely changed. Now, I can use the power of Phazon for good, instead of evil (also some evil). Following are some spoilers if you haven't followed previews of MP3 in the media already: ->!The mission upon landing on Norion is to reactivate the energy reactors that were, until the pirate attack, powering the planet's primary defenses. Halfway through this exercise, comm chatter from the fleet above reveals that a massive meteor (evident to the viewer as comprised largely of Phazon) is headed straight for the defense control tower. A friendly hunter, Rundas, who has abilities similar to Iceman, even helps you on your mission - maybe I wasn't doing good enough? - by going off on his own to activate the second of three generators.!< +>!The mission upon landing on Norion is to reactivate the energy reactors that were, until the pirate attack, powering the planet's primary defenses. Halfway through this exercise, comm chatter from the fleet above reveals that a massive meteor (evident to the viewer as comprised largely of Phazon) is headed straight for the defense control tower. A friendly hunter, Rundas, who has abilities similar to Iceman, even helps you on your mission - maybe I wasn't doing good enough? - by going off on his own to activate the second of three generators.!< >!At the third generator, after another friendly hunter (Gandrayda the shapeshifter) takes out some hostiles, a morph ball puzzle is of course required to fix some broken machinery. Then the generator falls back into place - oh hi Meta Ridley! The mechanically enhanced space dragon pounces on Samus, shattering the floor beneath them and initiating a boss fight while falling, with your rapidly decreasing height displayed as a time limit for the encounter.!< @@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ Following are some spoilers if you haven't followed previews of MP3 in the media >!In the infirmary, a nurse (...technician?) informs the just-awakened Samus that after the blast, she and the other hunters now have some mysterious bodily mechanic that produces Phazon. Siezing the opportunity to create a powerful weapon of war, the Galactic Federation took the liberty of equipping Samus with a Phazon Enhancement Device in her power suit.!< -The PED is activated by holding the + button for about half a second, and turns Samus into a mad killing machine, firing blasts of superpowered Phazon to and fro. But 'Hypermode' consumes life energy, and according to the multilingual instruction manual ("HYPERMODO"), has other, more dire risks as well. +The PED is activated by holding the + button for about half a second, and turns Samus into a mad killing machine, firing blasts of superpowered Phazon to and fro. But 'Hypermode' consumes life energy, and according to the multilingual instruction manual ("HYPERMODO"), has other, more dire risks as well. -I've been playing it slow, getting all the scans that I can (see below), but I'm already stoked to progress farther in what promises to be a grand space opera. +I've been playing it slow, getting all the scans that I can (see below), but I'm already stoked to progress farther in what promises to be a grand space opera. So, last time I promised to elaborate more on MP3's achievement-like system. There are four kinds (colors) of tokens: red, blue, yellow, and green. Red tokens are earned from scanning Creatures, and Blue from scanning Lore; these are the same kinds of logbook entries that appeared in Samus's previous outings. Yellow tokens are earned by defeating bosses. Green tokens are where it gets interesting, as you get these when your friends (from your Wii's friend list) send them to you - at least I think this is how it works, since I really have no one to test this with at the moment. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2590.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2590.md index d65e5d7d..ee4ea679 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2590.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2590.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ The next planet - quite literally infested with Space Pirates - shows exactly th >!Lore on the Pirate Homeworld tells a different side of the ongoing story, as well as some parts that were previously untold. It begins with their operation on Aether and frustration at the Galactic Federation for harvesting their precious phazon there. As if that wasn't bad enough, they soon discover that the stores of phazon they are shipping home in their flagship Colossus hide Dark Samus herself, who brainwashes some of the crew and destroys the rest.!< ->!The 'Disciples' as they call themselves have converted to complete zealotry in serving Dark Samus. She reveals to them her home planet, deep in the blackness of distant space: Phaaze, the living planet, the origin of all phazon. She displays her ships, the Leviathans. And the Disciples see an opportunity to assist her, by augmenting the wormhole-hopping phazon ships with pirate armor and weapons. They now have common goals: the pirates wish to annihilate their enemies, the Federation, and Dark Samus seeks nothing less than total galactic conquest.!< +>!The 'Disciples' as they call themselves have converted to complete zealotry in serving Dark Samus. She reveals to them her home planet, deep in the blackness of distant space: Phaaze, the living planet, the origin of all phazon. She displays her ships, the Leviathans. And the Disciples see an opportunity to assist her, by augmenting the wormhole-hopping phazon ships with pirate armor and weapons. They now have common goals: the pirates wish to annihilate their enemies, the Federation, and Dark Samus seeks nothing less than total galactic conquest.!< >!Dark Samus bequeaths upon the pirates a seed, to turn their planet into phazon, just as Phaaze is. Pirates who would not cooperate were shot. Pirates who displayed anything less than unwavering loyalty to Dark Samus were shot. Some of them were shot, just because. They crafted their plan, to drop seeds onto planets in the heart of the Federation: Norion, their main naval platform; Bryya, their source of fuel gel; and Elysia, the listening post that spied on the stars and endangered the pirates' location. Of course, you know the rest of the story up to now.!< diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2789.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2789.md index 0c37cc38..be3bb8a5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2789.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2789.md @@ -16,15 +16,15 @@ There is just so much cool in this game, it is oozing from every possible >!It's worth mentioning at this point that the visor reflection is more evident in Prime 3 than it was in the other two, such that her eyes and the bridge of her nose are fairly apparent just by bringing up the scan visor. After this event, the reflection also began to include what looks like a slight bleed from her forehead, but the blood is a distinct phazon-blue.!< -The next planet, Elysia, isn't quite a gas giant but is coated in eternal stormclouds; it is basically uninhabitable. Enter the Chozo, who in millenia past, constructed a floating city out of jet-suspended platforms: Skytown. The whole place is Steampunk-inspired, with holograms and jet propulsion intermingled with big brass gears and morph ball cannons and grapple-beam ziplines. It's a very cool city. +The next planet, Elysia, isn't quite a gas giant but is coated in eternal stormclouds; it is basically uninhabitable. Enter the Chozo, who in millenia past, constructed a floating city out of jet-suspended platforms: Skytown. The whole place is Steampunk-inspired, with holograms and jet propulsion intermingled with big brass gears and morph ball cannons and grapple-beam ziplines. It's a very cool city. -According to lore, the Chozo built this city to act as a staging point for probing the farthest reaches of space in their ongoing quest for knowledge. But since the Chozo are like the rich white folks of the galaxy, they got lazy and built a sentient robotic race to run and maintain the city for them. Throughout the city are little rolling and flying robots just welding things together and generally keeping things tidy. There are also a few guard-type robots that are really fun to fight, including some that I got a Friend Voucher for when I bowled into them with my new boost ball upgrade. +According to lore, the Chozo built this city to act as a staging point for probing the farthest reaches of space in their ongoing quest for knowledge. But since the Chozo are like the rich white folks of the galaxy, they got lazy and built a sentient robotic race to run and maintain the city for them. Throughout the city are little rolling and flying robots just welding things together and generally keeping things tidy. There are also a few guard-type robots that are really fun to fight, including some that I got a Friend Voucher for when I bowled into them with my new boost ball upgrade. >!Lore reveals that the Chozo were able to learn of the existence of a living planet, but thus far had been unable to locate it, and though their helper robots continued the search after the Chozo moved on from Skytown, they, too were unsuccessful. However, once they learned of the tragedy that befell Tallon IV (the first phazon meteor impact), it was clear to them that the Leviathans were part of this living planet - and that the planet is hostile by its very nature, attempting to overtake the entire galaxy with its phazon plague.!< >!Ghor, the cyborg, was of course the hunter sent to Elysia to try and take out the seed. So he went nuts and screwed up the local Aurora Unit's network connections when I tried to inoculate it against the corruption virus. Then he went and started beating up on my ship! So I kicked his ass, and the Dark Samus avatar appeared again to do its menacing thing. I stole his plasma beam, and went on to, under the guidance of the Skytown AU, construct a thermonuclear explosive to drop on the shield of the Leviathan.!< ->!Inside, I beat up a corrupted flying robot sentry, and its powers corrupted Samus (now at 50% phazon corruption, and with more phazon visible in the visor reflection). But this time, she didn't really falter at all. In fact her body language even seemed a big smug as she defeated the seed core and marched off. I think she may be starting to like it.!< +>!Inside, I beat up a corrupted flying robot sentry, and its powers corrupted Samus (now at 50% phazon corruption, and with more phazon visible in the visor reflection). But this time, she didn't really falter at all. In fact her body language even seemed a big smug as she defeated the seed core and marched off. I think she may be starting to like it.!< The plasma beam, in addition to being the already-awesome plasma beam, is used in MP3 for welding puzzles. Sometimes you'll come across an external circuit panel that's been wrecked up by some weaponry or another, and you can use the plasma beam to weld it back together, by pointing the Wii remote at the breaks. There's really no difficulty here at all, but it is pretty cool. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2949.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2949.md index 26a63d2b..101ae3e8 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2949.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/08/2949.md @@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ platform = [ "Mac" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -I've done dozens of group quests. I've been to Heroic dungeons, and Karazhan. I've gathered the money to buy the ultimate riding skill, allowing me to fly the fastest flying mounts around. But despite having completed so much - and in spite of the misgivings of any online game - I still really enjoy playing. This is nothing like level 60, where I felt like I was forcing myself to keep going. +I've done dozens of group quests. I've been to Heroic dungeons, and Karazhan. I've gathered the money to buy the ultimate riding skill, allowing me to fly the fastest flying mounts around. But despite having completed so much - and in spite of the misgivings of any online game - I still really enjoy playing. This is nothing like level 60, where I felt like I was forcing myself to keep going. -There is so much to do, and the design is really quite brilliant. Old dungeons are reused as "heroic" versions, with difficulty and rewards ramped up to keep things fresh. Intricate chains of quests lace Outland and all its locales - every time I think I've finished them all, I find that they're still going. There are two endless sources of quests: one that requires maximum riding skill, and has you disguised as a fel orc, winning the favor of the nether drakes (which you can eventually ride); the other brings a caste of superintelligent ogres to your doorstep, and has you bombing demon camps and completing Simon-esque trials. And there is so much more that I haven't even touched, in the raiding game beyond Karazhan - The Eye of Tempest Keep, Mt. Hyjal, the Black Temple and others. +There is so much to do, and the design is really quite brilliant. Old dungeons are reused as "heroic" versions, with difficulty and rewards ramped up to keep things fresh. Intricate chains of quests lace Outland and all its locales - every time I think I've finished them all, I find that they're still going. There are two endless sources of quests: one that requires maximum riding skill, and has you disguised as a fel orc, winning the favor of the nether drakes (which you can eventually ride); the other brings a caste of superintelligent ogres to your doorstep, and has you bombing demon camps and completing Simon-esque trials. And there is so much more that I haven't even touched, in the raiding game beyond Karazhan - The Eye of Tempest Keep, Mt. Hyjal, the Black Temple and others. -It is boggling how much there is to do in Burning Crusade, for players of all tastes and preferences. And all of it is designed having learned the lessons of [the original](game:World of Warcraft). All of it is more fun. Level 80? I can't wait. +It is boggling how much there is to do in Burning Crusade, for players of all tastes and preferences. And all of it is designed having learned the lessons of [the original](game:World of Warcraft). All of it is more fun. Level 80? I can't wait. Progress: Level 70, 390 Engineering, 300 Riding diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/10/2107.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/10/2107.md index 07da39f5..fecfcc65 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/10/2107.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/10/2107.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ The final two missions were actually pretty easy once I had the right game plan. In the original , earning high grades on missions unlocked bonus missions. In BWii, getting all 'A' grades in a campaign unlocks background info on units, and getting all 'S' grades unlocks concept art galleries; but there are no bonus missions in the campaign. There are bonus missions in each of the online modes, unlocked just by playing a number of matches of the corresponding type. -Visually BWii is really impressive, with the same sort of rounded, cartoonish graphical style as the first, but with more 2007-style detail and glow effects. The sound effects are really good, and it even makes gratuitous use of the remote's built-in speaker, with controller tones indicating reload times and command feedback. The story is pretty lame, but has some cool pre-rendered cutscenes. +Visually BWii is really impressive, with the same sort of rounded, cartoonish graphical style as the first, but with more 2007-style detail and glow effects. The sound effects are really good, and it even makes gratuitous use of the remote's built-in speaker, with controller tones indicating reload times and command feedback. The story is pretty lame, but has some cool pre-rendered cutscenes. All told, with the new units, rebalanced game mechanics (friendly fire no longer harms your own troops - a factor that resulted in my defeat many times in the original), Wii controls, and online multiplayer (which I'll glog more about when I can actually play it), BWii represents exactly what the sequel to Battalion Wars was supposed to be. It doesn't break the mold of its predecessor, but it does fulfill the incremental upgrade requirements very well. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/10/2752.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/10/2752.md index 57633053..0a55d094 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/10/2752.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/10/2752.md @@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ game = [ "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" ] platform = [ "Wii" ] +++ -Using the Wii Remote kind of sucks. It's nice that the option is there, I guess, but it has all the problems you would expect - doing a Smash attack is inconvenient, not having a Jump button is irritating, and Dashing is a pain. That said, it will probably work out as a good option for the family of four who has never heard of Smash Bros before, and has somehow fallen upon a copy of the game. +Using the Wii Remote kind of sucks. It's nice that the option is there, I guess, but it has all the problems you would expect - doing a Smash attack is inconvenient, not having a Jump button is irritating, and Dashing is a pain. That said, it will probably work out as a good option for the family of four who has never heard of Smash Bros before, and has somehow fallen upon a copy of the game. So I wish I had had a real controller, and I wish there was less control latency (this can probably be attributed to the early game build, or might also have something to do with there being a dozen other Wiimotes within 15 feet, causing an assload of Bluetooth collisions). Another thing I wish is that I wasn't so damn excited for this game; the website's daily updates form an unstoppable hype train, but really, underneath the extra characters and new modes, it's still the same Smash that you've [already](game:Super Smash Bros.) [played](game:Super Smash Bros. Melee). That's a good thing, though. -P.S. Ike is a tank. \ No newline at end of file +P.S. Ike is a tank. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/11/2177.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/11/2177.md index 05604f6b..cf766a93 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/11/2177.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/11/2177.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "NDS" ] rating = [ "Bad" ] +++ -Gunpei Yokoi - creator of the Game Boy and Metroid, among many others - is my hero. He was one of the original game engineers, responsible for bridging the gap between our video game fantasies and electrical reality. Before he died, he conceived a puzzle mechanic that would help debut his brainchild, the Wonderswan, and which now lives on in a PSP and DS reiteration. It's really, really too bad. +Gunpei Yokoi - creator of the Game Boy and Metroid, among many others - is my hero. He was one of the original game engineers, responsible for bridging the gap between our video game fantasies and electrical reality. Before he died, he conceived a puzzle mechanic that would help debut his brainchild, the Wonderswan, and which now lives on in a PSP and DS reiteration. It's really, really too bad. The game is, in a word, boring. The basic mechanism is fine enough: connect a line from the left side of the playfield to the right, using differently shaped joint panels. More panels are better, e.g. forks connecting to and/or diverging from the line. It's an interesting concept. Unfortunately there's little else to the game at all; playing "against" someone is a minutes-long affair of waiting for the playing speed to ramp up enough for the other player to lose. Survival is easy, and launching "attacks" is pointless, as most of them don't even do anything. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/12/2787.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/12/2787.md index 8f2c95be..2542d27c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/12/2787.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2007/12/2787.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "No More Heroes" ] platform = [ "Wii" ] +++ -This may be the coolest game preview video I've seen in a long time. +This may be the coolest game preview video I've seen in a long time. Recent previews have showed me two things about No More Heroes- diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/01/2868.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/01/2868.md index bb6e1f34..1218cf8b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/01/2868.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/01/2868.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Kabu Trader Shun" ] platform = [ "NDS" ] +++ -I really, really want to play this, because as much as I love pretending to be a [lawyer](game:Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (NDS)), I think I would like pretending to be a stock broker even more. Unfortunately, I may have to learn Japanese first. +I really, really want to play this, because as much as I love pretending to be a [lawyer](game:Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (NDS)), I think I would like pretending to be a stock broker even more. Unfortunately, I may have to learn Japanese first. Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2419.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2419.md index dfd8e08c..246fd1b4 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2419.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2419.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "Wii" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -I should clarify that when I said "exactly as fun," I meant to redact that for The Subspace Emissary. If you've been looking forward to Brawl's adventure mode as something epic enough to stand on its own, you're going to be disappointed (at least, I was). +I should clarify that when I said "exactly as fun," I meant to redact that for The Subspace Emissary. If you've been looking forward to Brawl's adventure mode as something epic enough to stand on its own, you're going to be disappointed (at least, I was). The latter part of it is actually pretty cool, but the majority of the mode - spent tooling around the map and "meeting" the retardedly large cast of characters - is fairly boring, and way too long. It's extremely similar to the Adventure mode from [Melee](game:Super Smash Bros. Melee), which was novel then, but is pretty dull by real game standards. But after you gather everyone, there's a huge final "stage" with a Metroid-style room map that is surprisingly fun. It reminded me a lot of a Kirby game (like [Amazing Mirror](game:Kirby & the Amazing Mirror)). diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2472.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2472.md index c23019b0..189097b0 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2472.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2472.md @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ Solo players can play Classic, the several-fights-in-a-row mode from both Online, not only can you download new custom stages and replays from NWFC automatically, but you can also play with your friends in Brawl, Multi-Man, and Home-Run Contest; or do a Brawl with anyone (automatic matchmaking based on rule selection), or just Spectate an online match, and bet coins on who you think will take home the gold. -The game's Vault doesn't just store up your collection of trophies and stickers (and snapshots and replays), but is also how you access the Stage Builder, a simple-but-competent custom stage editor; play Masterpieces, time-limited demo games from Virtual Console; and play the Coin Launcher game, where you shoot your coins at invading alien trophies and stickers to collect even more of them. You can also see what Challenges you have left, and view a Chronicle of Nintendo history, if you're into that sort of thing. +The game's Vault doesn't just store up your collection of trophies and stickers (and snapshots and replays), but is also how you access the Stage Builder, a simple-but-competent custom stage editor; play Masterpieces, time-limited demo games from Virtual Console; and play the Coin Launcher game, where you shoot your coins at invading alien trophies and stickers to collect even more of them. You can also see what Challenges you have left, and view a Chronicle of Nintendo history, if you're into that sort of thing. A game's Options screen may ordinarily be pretty bland, but this time around you can, among other things, set custom Control schemes for each of the game's four supported controllers. I've actually gotten pretty used to the 'mote and 'chuk configuration by now. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2883.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2883.md index cf2c8439..c9fed500 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2883.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/03/2883.md @@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ In a word: fun. In a few more: exactly as fun as you expect it to be. I've already said this - but Brawl is, more or less, the same game you already know as [SSB Melee](game:Super Smash Bros. Melee). The depth of the game, mechanically, hasn't changed. What Brawl brings to the table is breadth. And, it could be said that it does so in an amount that makes it comparable to depth; the wealth of new items and stage gimmicks, and new characters with unique movesets, makes the game slightly more complicated than before. (It seems more fast-paced, anyway.) -But, by and large, you're already familiar with what Brawl has to offer; not because you've been reading about the game on the Dojo, but because you've already played it. In fact, having tried three of the four possible controller options somewhat extensively (I don't have a Classic on-hand), an old Wavebird still seems like the best choice. The fact that the Wii remote's IR pointer just plain doesn't work on the in-game menus are the clearest indication of this. They didn't want to make a new game. They made an old game, better. Given the solidarity of their existing formula, I wouldn't call this a bad thing. +But, by and large, you're already familiar with what Brawl has to offer; not because you've been reading about the game on the Dojo, but because you've already played it. In fact, having tried three of the four possible controller options somewhat extensively (I don't have a Classic on-hand), an old Wavebird still seems like the best choice. The fact that the Wii remote's IR pointer just plain doesn't work on the in-game menus are the clearest indication of this. They didn't want to make a new game. They made an old game, better. Given the solidarity of their existing formula, I wouldn't call this a bad thing. It's certainly not going to revolutionize anything in terms of gameplay. It might revolutionize what we, as game consumers, expect from big-ticket productions. The number of modes and unlockables in this game is beyond the scope of 'monumental.' It is outright, downright, stupidly massive. I really don't know if I can get all the trophies this time. I might die trying. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/05/2218.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/05/2218.md index bf3922a5..898e2585 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/05/2218.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/05/2218.md @@ -10,11 +10,11 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Two and a half hours in, it's over. Of course I expected it to be short, and I can count the number of memorable puzzles/in-game events on one hand; but LostWinds felt a lot more fulfilling than I expected a downloadable adventure game to be. -You can read the game's prologue on Frontier's website. Here's the rest of the story: +You can read the game's prologue on Frontier's website. Here's the rest of the story: >!Early on, Toku and Enril meet Deo, an elder in Toku's village who's taking care of the brat while his mother's away. Enril immediately recognizes Deo as one of her kindred ancient spirits. But it seems that he has spirit-amnesia, and he doesn't remember his own identity - until Toku and Enril find a Memory Chest, which unlocks part of Deo's power. Deo recalls that he sealed his own memories away in order to protect the stone prison. So Toku and Enril have to go on a quest to find the other three Memory Chests. Great!!< ->!After unlocking the fourth chest, Deo recalls that he entrusted his spirit power to a guardian of the earth, Magmok. So he goes to call upon Magmok for his power. But, whoops, Magmok's been possessed by Balasar's evil little black-goo minions. A boss fight later, Magmok recovers, restores Deo's powers, and - To Be Continued!!< +>!After unlocking the fourth chest, Deo recalls that he entrusted his spirit power to a guardian of the earth, Magmok. So he goes to call upon Magmok for his power. But, whoops, Magmok's been possessed by Balasar's evil little black-goo minions. A boss fight later, Magmok recovers, restores Deo's powers, and - To Be Continued!!< LostWinds looks to have a really respectable engine going, that could definitely generate a great sequel with the right polish and more attention to content. There is a surprising amount of action possible in the game that isn't directly documented or necessary. But stuff like the plot, and dialog, could use work. And I could really use a map and/or in-game signs with place names. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/05/2441.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/05/2441.md index 5a1fb3b2..650cc6e1 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/05/2441.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/05/2441.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ The Nintendo Channel exists to get you to buy games. Hell, you can even help ot The first is videos. The channel is primarily a list of streamable flash videos, which includes game trailers, game footage, game interviews, game explanations, et cetera. It's only a little more fleshed out (in terms of Nintendo products) than what you might find on an online game video website, but the channel doesn't bog you down with additional ads, prologue commercials, or any of that other crap. Simply put, this is the best source for Wii and DS game videos. -Another way the channel facilitates you buying more games is through lists of games, categorized by title, platform, genre, release date, and so on. You can see what's coming out soon, recently released games, or back catalogues in a genre you like, for instance. And since it appears to just be using the same database as the Nintendo website's game list (since the Nintendo Channel itself is on it), a lot of games have even more videos that you can watch here for an idea of what the title has in store. And every game page has a link to take you to an page where you can buy the game online. Now not only do you never have to leave your house, you never have to leave your Wii! +Another way the channel facilitates you buying more games is through lists of games, categorized by title, platform, genre, release date, and so on. You can see what's coming out soon, recently released games, or back catalogues in a genre you like, for instance. And since it appears to just be using the same database as the Nintendo website's game list (since the Nintendo Channel itself is on it), a lot of games have even more videos that you can watch here for an idea of what the title has in store. And every game page has a link to take you to an page where you can buy the game online. Now not only do you never have to leave your house, you never have to leave your Wii! An extension of this is the channel's recommendation system. I haven't delved too deeply into it yet, but based on some survey-style questions, you can use the Nintendo Channel to recommend for or against games you've played, based on demographic and interest categories. The clever part of this feature - that is, what makes it better than the Glog - is that it checks your Wii play history, so you can only recommend games you've played for at least an hour (thus keeping out almost all user-input garbage). diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2243.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2243.md index ca0d9943..a5b398d6 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2243.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2243.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Tales of Hearts" ] platform = [ "NDS" ] +++ -Check it out. This one's got a weird style to it - a 3D overworld (with sprites), and a return to the 2D LMBS from earlier Tales games. Very awesome. \ No newline at end of file +Check it out. This one's got a weird style to it - a 3D overworld (with sprites), and a return to the 2D LMBS from earlier Tales games. Very awesome. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2342.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2342.md index cf980d7c..e46f12b2 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2342.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2342.md @@ -7,12 +7,12 @@ game = [ "Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Epi platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Playing RSPD is a little like reading archived Penny Arcade comics in a row for a few hours. The writing and artistic style are the same, and it's damn funny. Some parts, e.g. the mysterious narrator, may seem a little over-the-top sometimes, but in general it's still high quality humor. +Playing RSPD is a little like reading archived Penny Arcade comics in a row for a few hours. The writing and artistic style are the same, and it's damn funny. Some parts, e.g. the mysterious narrator, may seem a little over-the-top sometimes, but in general it's still high quality humor. Some outlets have given the game flak for the actual gameplay being not-so-good, and what you should know is that it's not bad. Sure, you may be able to buy a game with more refined and intriguing RPG elements in a box on a store shelf, but considering it's not even the primary bullet point of RSPD, the real-time menu-based combat (think Final Fantasy 4-9) is actually fun. I've only played the demo so far - need to clear out some time in my schedule before I can justify buying the whole game - but it's a definite sell for me, and at this point I'm pretty much sold on the rest of the series' episodes, too. -EDIT: it was on sale this weekend on Steam, so, I leapt. I haven't started playing yet, but this bumps it up in the queue... +EDIT: it was on sale this weekend on Steam, so, I leapt. I haven't started playing yet, but this bumps it up in the queue... Progress: Finished demo \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2465.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2465.md index 4205811f..ea96f767 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2465.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2465.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Halo 2" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Based on my surprisingly good experience with the original [Halo](game:Halo: Combat Evolved), giving the sequel a whirl seemed obvious enough. Of course I had my doubts even before I started - Wikipedia told me that Halo 2 rides its progenitor's coattails in a big way. So I wasn't really expecting much in the way of pleasant surprises this time around. +Based on my surprisingly good experience with the original [Halo](game:Halo: Combat Evolved), giving the sequel a whirl seemed obvious enough. Of course I had my doubts even before I started - Wikipedia told me that Halo 2 rides its progenitor's coattails in a big way. So I wasn't really expecting much in the way of pleasant surprises this time around. Something else I didn't expect was just how upsetting the humanisation of the Covenant would be. Watching the opening cinematic unfold, I felt not unlike when I first sat down to watch The Matrix Reloaded. Suddenly all the mystery of this class of people was gone; replaced by hackneyed pseudo-intellectual science fiction. I was happy enough killing mindless aliens. Giving them evidence of reasonable intelligence? What the hell. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2493.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2493.md index 965fa86e..5c2f30f3 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2493.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2493.md @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] It came free with my new graphics card, so that was the first sign that something would probably go horribly wrong. -Actually, I guess the first sign was three years ago, when Uwe Boll got involved. And the second sign was when the game came out, and Atari was being a dick about nobody liking it. So the third was the game being free, and the fourth was when it failed to start up, moments after installation, because of a bullshit SecuROM error. +Actually, I guess the first sign was three years ago, when Uwe Boll got involved. And the second sign was when the game came out, and Atari was being a dick about nobody liking it. So the third was the game being free, and the fourth was when it failed to start up, moments after installation, because of a bullshit SecuROM error. The fifth sign was when the game told me to press X to blink. Yeah, as you might expect of any good cliched adventure game, the story begins with you waking up after being knocked unconscious, and since your vision is all blurry, you need to blink to clear it up. Not just once. Continually. This eventually goes away, minutes later, but I'm pretty sure a "blink" button is something that would never get past any halfway-decent QA department. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2657.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2657.md index 8756e15d..11f618f2 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2657.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2657.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "BioShock" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I was planning on waiting to buy BioShock until I got a better graphics card - my current one runs the demo like shit. But Steam had to go and have another sale. For $15, I can't say no. +I was planning on waiting to buy BioShock until I got a better graphics card - my current one runs the demo like shit. But Steam had to go and have another sale. For $15, I can't say no. Now I'll just be sitting on it until I can actually play it decently. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2888.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2888.md index cda2c9fb..067c605f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2888.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2888.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Meh" ] At its best, Sly Cooper is a formulaic, moderately entertaining action/platform game with some light stealth elements. As far as mechanics, it's nothing you haven't seen before in a [previous](game:Super Mario 64 DS) [console](game:Banjo-Kazooie) [generation](game:Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes), and frankly falls short of its predecessors' expert implementation. At its worst, Sly is frustrating to play, with out-of-left-field one-hit kills, annoying checkpoint placement, and ridiculously difficult minigames (that you have to play to proceed in the game's story). -Playing Sly Cooper, it's clear that Sucker Punch had some good ideas. That's why I read up on the game's sequels to see where they went with it. When I saw that my precise complaints about the game were addressed, I up and bought [Sly 2](game:Sly 2: Band of Thieves) and [3](game:Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves) - this was weeks ago, back when I was still at 35%. Aside from being dirt cheap, I have confidence in their ability to run with the foundation laid by this game. +Playing Sly Cooper, it's clear that Sucker Punch had some good ideas. That's why I read up on the game's sequels to see where they went with it. When I saw that my precise complaints about the game were addressed, I up and bought [Sly 2](game:Sly 2: Band of Thieves) and [3](game:Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves) - this was weeks ago, back when I was still at 35%. Aside from being dirt cheap, I have confidence in their ability to run with the foundation laid by this game. At the same time, with a completion time of just under 6 hours (and leaving me fairly unmotivated to collect the extra stuff I'd need for 100%), Thievius Raccoonus feels like one you can skip. If not for the minigames, I'd rank it as a solid, middle-of-the-road 5/10, but they are just too goddamn frustrating to forget. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2974.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2974.md index 52293ce0..08043a1a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2974.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/07/2974.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -Part of [Sam & Max Season One](game:Sam & Max: Save the World), Abe Lincoln Must Die! is an episode available for free as a teaser of sorts for the series. So, being a fan of free things, I was obliged to give it a playthrough. It's been quite a while since I've played a point-and-click adventure game, and so the most immediate frustration I had with Sam & Max was its actual challenge, in that it required me to think. More than once, I put the game down for a significant period in order to recollect my thoughts. But as it functions like a puzzle, I was quite self-motivated to piece it together. +Part of [Sam & Max Season One](game:Sam & Max: Save the World), Abe Lincoln Must Die! is an episode available for free as a teaser of sorts for the series. So, being a fan of free things, I was obliged to give it a playthrough. It's been quite a while since I've played a point-and-click adventure game, and so the most immediate frustration I had with Sam & Max was its actual challenge, in that it required me to think. More than once, I put the game down for a significant period in order to recollect my thoughts. But as it functions like a puzzle, I was quite self-motivated to piece it together. In that regard, it plays out remarkably similarly to [Hit the Road](game:Sam & Max Hit the Road). At once, this may strike you as anti-progressive - sans the 3D graphics, this is pretty much a game from 1993. But the other side of this coin is the nostalgia inherent in such a game, and its venerated, tried-and-true gameplay mechanics. It may not be as exhilirating as modern games, but it is a brain-tickler, and the writing is damn good; honestly, the best comedy I have seen in any game. And there's something to be said for the slow-paced relaxation factor of it, too. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2094.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2094.md index 37ee20a5..034f5c32 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2094.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2094.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Grand Theft Auto IV" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -We all knew it was going to happen, but this is a bit sooner than I expected! \ No newline at end of file +We all knew it was going to happen, but this is a bit sooner than I expected! \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2168.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2168.md index 6fdac5c9..1439bf54 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2168.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2168.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ The game does succeed in at least two ways: technologically, because the game po While parts of the implementation are pretty impressive, Jak fails to present anything gameplay-wise that it can really call its own. There are occasional vehicle segments, and infrequent instances of different-colored Eco powers to perform special tasks, but neither of these stand out as exceptionally fun or unique. -Like [Sly Cooper](game:Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus), I don't really hesitate to say that Jak is comparable to platformers that came a whole generation before it. In fairness, Jak is put together better than Sly (though it certainly isn't without its fair share of hair-pulling frustration moments, either); but Sly also shows its unique mettle in the stealth tactics and level diversity, where Jak is a clone first and its own game second. Judging by what I've read about the sequels, this doesn't really change. Jak may be a fun platformer... but so are dozens of other games. +Like [Sly Cooper](game:Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus), I don't really hesitate to say that Jak is comparable to platformers that came a whole generation before it. In fairness, Jak is put together better than Sly (though it certainly isn't without its fair share of hair-pulling frustration moments, either); but Sly also shows its unique mettle in the stealth tactics and level diversity, where Jak is a clone first and its own game second. Judging by what I've read about the sequels, this doesn't really change. Jak may be a fun platformer... but so are dozens of other games. Progress: 100% \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2286.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2286.md index 41b6f385..ec75d77e 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2286.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/08/2286.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Command & Conquer: Red Alert" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -There isn't much I like more than tanks with nuclear bombs and Tesla coils, but free things are up there. +There isn't much I like more than tanks with nuclear bombs and Tesla coils, but free things are up there. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2077.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2077.md index f61418e2..753ee3ac 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2077.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2077.md @@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] My, how time flies. Back in ... middle? school I would frequently visit my friend who had and played this game, and be amazed by Tesla coils, and nuke tanks, and time machines and so forth. Time was, Red Alert kicked shit. ... in retrospect, strategy games have come a long way since 1996. -The installer barely worked, a testament to Windows XP's ability to work just like Windows 95. The cinematics were, well, not quite as impressive as Red Alert 3's. In the first campaign mission I barely knew what was going in, though it was all over in three minutes, and in the second mission I wandered around for nearly half an hour until all the Reds on the map were dead. Then I tried a skirmish, which was uneventful for quite a while, and just as I was nearing the apex of my tech tree the game crashed. The automated un-installer was of course a joke, not even giving me an error message. +The installer barely worked, a testament to Windows XP's ability to work just like Windows 95. The cinematics were, well, not quite as impressive as Red Alert 3's. In the first campaign mission I barely knew what was going in, though it was all over in three minutes, and in the second mission I wandered around for nearly half an hour until all the Reds on the map were dead. Then I tried a skirmish, which was uneventful for quite a while, and just as I was nearing the apex of my tech tree the game crashed. The automated un-installer was of course a joke, not even giving me an error message. -Red Alert did succeed in reminding me how boring the original was. For all the nifty units, it didn't really change the core mechanics of the game much; and I'm thinking Red Alert 3, though tempting me with amphibious warships, giant Japanese robots and fucking bears, will similarly leave me unexcited in the warm tepidness of battle. +Red Alert did succeed in reminding me how boring the original was. For all the nifty units, it didn't really change the core mechanics of the game much; and I'm thinking Red Alert 3, though tempting me with amphibious warships, giant Japanese robots and fucking bears, will similarly leave me unexcited in the warm tepidness of battle. Progress: Gave Up diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2122.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2122.md index 58734396..c0343e1e 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2122.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2122.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -Though atomically a simple game, across the entire experience Spore is dreadfully complicated. It succeeds in making some higher gaming functions accessible to non-gamers, just as did before it. And it succeeds in demonstrating some absolutely awesome technology that shows real promise for the future of the entire industry. But it is also held together by a hodgepodge of poor game design and implementation. Though the reviewing masses don't hesitate to point out particular points of interest and praise, it's hard to deny that, in general, Spore is unimpressive on the "fun" scale. +Though atomically a simple game, across the entire experience Spore is dreadfully complicated. It succeeds in making some higher gaming functions accessible to non-gamers, just as did before it. And it succeeds in demonstrating some absolutely awesome technology that shows real promise for the future of the entire industry. But it is also held together by a hodgepodge of poor game design and implementation. Though the reviewing masses don't hesitate to point out particular points of interest and praise, it's hard to deny that, in general, Spore is unimpressive on the "fun" scale. As a human who can both read and use the Internet, by now you know that Spore has five stages. Throughout the course of the game, a species you create and cultivate grows from paramecium to galactic conqueror, with you the player as the Intelligent Designer. This may make you think that each of the five stages is intimately tied to the others; but, in truth, the relationship is vague, and each stage is extremely unique (though the third and fourth are conceptually similar, and the fifth includes part of the fourth as a sort of side-feature). Let me break it down. @@ -44,12 +44,12 @@ The intended "link" between each of the five stages is carrying over assets from As you may know, Spore has an interesting feature in its not-really-online component. Other players can contribute their designed creatures, buildings and units to the Sporepedia, which may find their way into your own game. It is an interesting idea, although the diverse set of creations shipped with the game from Maxis is more than enough to ensure you won't see the same thing in two places except by statistical aberration (or unless you put it there). It also begs the question - what if you could play with other people? The first four stages of the game would probably be more frustrating with real competition, but in the Space phase, already full of hundreds of thousands of don't-care star systems, adding real people into the mix could only make the galaxy more interesting. Yes, it would present some new design challenges, but the game is already full of those. -The game as a whole looks very pretty; there's no shortage of graphical polish all throughout. It sounds great, too. I was actually super-impressed with the game's audio, as the music is mood-fitting and excellently procedurally composed, and the sound effects, though sometimes irritating, are more often amusing. +The game as a whole looks very pretty; there's no shortage of graphical polish all throughout. It sounds great, too. I was actually super-impressed with the game's audio, as the music is mood-fitting and excellently procedurally composed, and the sound effects, though sometimes irritating, are more often amusing. The real reason Spore is important is not because of the gameplay - if you could skip the first four stages altogether, you absolutely should. No, what I'm most impressed with, and what makes it really significant, is what drives the game behind the scenes. The creation tool, though often frustratingly pointless, has the capacity to be engrossing in the right circumstances. The content engine that creates and handles the creatures around you, and the worlds around you, is of a scope never before seen in any kind of entertainment. The intelligence of artificial players is not clever or crafty, but startlingly accomodating, as friends and rivals react in ways that can occasionally make you forget they're not real. And the coolest thing, if you ask me, is how the creature/unit engine figures out the points of movement and articulation in your designs. When you shape your cell-stage blob into an upright humanoid, you really see the magic of a bipedal species coming to life. Totally fucking badass. Obligatory length comment - the first three stages took me a brief evening, and the fourth another one, but the Space stage lasted several days afterward. Though, I had become fed up with it a good day or two before I actually finished to satisfaction. -Is it worth $50 and your computer's soul? Maybe not - even the fairly-fun Space stage could have been done better. But despite the lack of depth in almost all of its gameplay, Spore can't help but set the world on fire. And though it may not deserve the sales, it does deserve the attention. Will Wright would be a war criminal if he didn't see to it that the tech behind Spore make it into a more sophisticated, cohesive product. +Is it worth $50 and your computer's soul? Maybe not - even the fairly-fun Space stage could have been done better. But despite the lack of depth in almost all of its gameplay, Spore can't help but set the world on fire. And though it may not deserve the sales, it does deserve the attention. Will Wright would be a war criminal if he didn't see to it that the tech behind Spore make it into a more sophisticated, cohesive product. Progress: Omnipotent, found Galactic Core, blew up Earth diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2190.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2190.md index c434a766..ec15b4aa 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2190.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2190.md @@ -8,9 +8,9 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -Back in April, one Sandra Erb of Lobstersoft contacted me, having through some strange twist in the universe found this website. Seeing my praise for , she requested that I try her company's Gemsweeper game; and not being one to refuse free things, I said I would, when I got a Windows PC to play it on. Now, having had my quad-booting rig for a couple months, I've finally remembered my free game. +Back in April, one Sandra Erb of Lobstersoft contacted me, having through some strange twist in the universe found this website. Seeing my praise for , she requested that I try her company's Gemsweeper game; and not being one to refuse free things, I said I would, when I got a Windows PC to play it on. Now, having had my quad-booting rig for a couple months, I've finally remembered my free game. -I quickly saw why Sandra (who is apparently not just a publicist, but also the game's producer and a primary designer) recommended Gemsweeper to me on the heels of Picross. It uses the same puzzle concept - a "nonogram" as WikiPedia has informed me - and, despite the ancient Mayan ruin trappings, plays very similarly. Affirmative blocks in the puzzle are "hidden gems" and must be overturned to retrieve them; negative blocks are "cursed" and must be chiseled away. The primary difference between Picross and Gemsweeper is that the latter tasks you not only with finding the picture, but finding the negative, which is to say, putting an X in the wrong place brings a penalty as well. +I quickly saw why Sandra (who is apparently not just a publicist, but also the game's producer and a primary designer) recommended Gemsweeper to me on the heels of Picross. It uses the same puzzle concept - a "nonogram" as WikiPedia has informed me - and, despite the ancient Mayan ruin trappings, plays very similarly. Affirmative blocks in the puzzle are "hidden gems" and must be overturned to retrieve them; negative blocks are "cursed" and must be chiseled away. The primary difference between Picross and Gemsweeper is that the latter tasks you not only with finding the picture, but finding the negative, which is to say, putting an X in the wrong place brings a penalty as well. Being a shareware title, Gemsweeper is chock-full of bright colors, an active HUD, not-that-funny one-liner dialog, and a single, uninspiring background song on an endless loop. So yeah, it's kind of a casual-esque game, especially considering the difficulty (so far I haven't spent more than two minutes on a stage). But it's also got 210 puzzles. The official figure is 225, but that includes weird bonus stages that play like a different game - and aren't terribly interesting - but anyway, while not quite up to Picross's number, it's still a thoroughly impressive figure. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2479.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2479.md index 7c106857..be0ec484 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2479.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2479.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Tales of Hearts" ] platform = [ "NDS" ] +++ -Ultra-weird - Namco's putting out two versions of Tales of Hearts, with identical gameplay and everything, just that one has cutscenes in 3D-rendered CGI and the other in a Production IG-drawn anime style. I'm not really sure which one looks better, but it's strange at any rate. \ No newline at end of file +Ultra-weird - Namco's putting out two versions of Tales of Hearts, with identical gameplay and everything, just that one has cutscenes in 3D-rendered CGI and the other in a Production IG-drawn anime style. I'm not really sure which one looks better, but it's strange at any rate. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2880.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2880.md index 4b436264..f6e1f971 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2880.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2880.md @@ -9,6 +9,6 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] It's pretty much the same game as [before](game:Rock Band). There are still four instruments, there is still a world tour, there is still a character customization closet. The instrument hardware is better (which was a long time coming), and certain annoyances with the game, like characters being locked to gamer profiles (which should have just been patched in the first game), have been attended to. There are some new features, but I barely know what they are - an online battle of the bands mode? More competitive play options maybe? Something like that. -What really makes Rock Band 2 worth it is the new song catalog. Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC, Presidents of the United States of America, even Beck and Modest Mouse - this is really cool stuff to play. To be sure, there are some stinkers (who let Linkin Park in here?), but the game's music collection is still a bargain for the price of the disc. If you didn't like Rock Band this probably won't change your mind, but if you did, this one - really more of an expansion pack - is a no-brainer. +What really makes Rock Band 2 worth it is the new song catalog. Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC, Presidents of the United States of America, even Beck and Modest Mouse - this is really cool stuff to play. To be sure, there are some stinkers (who let Linkin Park in here?), but the game's music collection is still a bargain for the price of the disc. If you didn't like Rock Band this probably won't change your mind, but if you did, this one - really more of an expansion pack - is a no-brainer. Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2989.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2989.md index a0c5f8e1..b074cca5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2989.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/2989.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Tunnel Rats" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Uwe Boll's first video game! Check this shit out. I. Can't. WAIT. \ No newline at end of file +Uwe Boll's first video game! Check this shit out. I. Can't. WAIT. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/3045.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/3045.md index 850d4898..a550aaed 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/3045.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/09/3045.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Wii)" ] platform = [ "Wii" ] +++ -My anticipation for Force Unleashed still simmers, although now some condensation of doubt is beginning to trickle down my over-extended metaphor. Recent videos have shown quite a bit of the game's combat, and though there are definitely some very cool parts of it, I am struck by two distinct negatives as well - namely, the hordes of brainless enemies, and the lack of gore or dismemberment. +My anticipation for Force Unleashed still simmers, although now some condensation of doubt is beginning to trickle down my over-extended metaphor. Recent videos have shown quite a bit of the game's combat, and though there are definitely some very cool parts of it, I am struck by two distinct negatives as well - namely, the hordes of brainless enemies, and the lack of gore or dismemberment. I, along with I'm sure countless other nerds who grew up with Star Wars, have always wanted a Star Wars game that both pushed traditional gameplay formulas (rather than rehashing an existing template "in space") and allowed me to be a total badass with a lightsaber. With its heavy promotion and dark motif, I was kind of hoping Force Unleashed would be that game; but now I'm not so sure. Of course this doesn't mean it won't be fun. Really I just want to lop off Stormtroopers' arms. Is that such a bad thing? \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2456.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2456.md index 63439573..6da9de3f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2456.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2456.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Chrono Trigger" ] platform = [ "NDS" ] +++ -As much as I love Chrono Trigger, I am personally against buying things I already have. So I'm glad my new Nintendo Power gave a quick run-down of the DS remake's new features. Touch controls - sure, cool idea. Animated scenes from the Playstation remake? Meh. A "modified" translation, and a monster recruitment/battle feature? Blech. +As much as I love Chrono Trigger, I am personally against buying things I already have. So I'm glad my new Nintendo Power gave a quick run-down of the DS remake's new features. Touch controls - sure, cool idea. Animated scenes from the Playstation remake? Meh. A "modified" translation, and a monster recruitment/battle feature? Blech. But then they had to go and mention the new dungeons, and a new town. So much for my $[Chrono Trigger DS MSRP]. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2678.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2678.md index 2d683652..18fd3822 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2678.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2678.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "World of Goo" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I'm super-glad that Steam posted a free demo of World of Goo, because the past several days of rave reviews were quickly driving me toward a purchase which, in retrospect, I probably would have regretted. +I'm super-glad that Steam posted a free demo of World of Goo, because the past several days of rave reviews were quickly driving me toward a purchase which, in retrospect, I probably would have regretted. Honestly, I feel bad for not liking World of Goo more than I do. The presentation is more impressive than an independent game has a right to be, and the gameplay concept is very cool. But in practice, I didn't have much fun with it at all - more often than not, it just frustrated the hell out of me. The basic idea of the game is to build structures with your goo by dragging balls of it next to each other, but since the physics is super-elastic, already-constructed goo is constantly swaying around, and trying to get a sensible structure going is like- well, it's like trying to build a house that's alive and has Parkinson's. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2939.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2939.md index 8d2b11d0..f6223b8a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2939.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2939.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Spectraball" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -That was easy. After playing through what may be the shortest playable demo ever (four tutorial levels and two actual game levels), I'm now reconsidering dropping a measly $10 on Spectraball. The game mechanics are just as I'd hoped they would be, but Flashcube took the gameplay in a direction I really don't like: rather than go the route and use the ball mode to find items and solve puzzles - emphasizing paced exploration - Spectraball's goal is to finish a stage as quickly as possible - emphasizing falling off the map. +That was easy. After playing through what may be the shortest playable demo ever (four tutorial levels and two actual game levels), I'm now reconsidering dropping a measly $10 on Spectraball. The game mechanics are just as I'd hoped they would be, but Flashcube took the gameplay in a direction I really don't like: rather than go the route and use the ball mode to find items and solve puzzles - emphasizing paced exploration - Spectraball's goal is to finish a stage as quickly as possible - emphasizing falling off the map. Though there are glowing orbs (literally, "glorbs") to collect, and there's a remote chance that later stages incorporate some sort of puzzle dynamic, the game is, very clearly, primarily about going as fast as possible. There are even leaderboards for level completion speed; which, when the top times for the two demo stages are each under four seconds, seems pretty pointless. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2981.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2981.md index e785b65b..11c37ee4 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2981.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2981.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ By this point enemies have also become difficult enough, and ammo pickups plenti But please allow me to clarify: the last parts of the game are not bad. For any other game, they would be good, possibly even great. And there are some surprises yet to be had in the architecture and scattered diary recordings of these final levels. But, they are not quite up to the standard set by BioShock's earlier content. -So, the endgame is a bit underwhelming compared to what preceded it, which is kind of a shame. On the other hand, the game that preceded it was incredible, ground-breaking, and fantastically fun. It's also not what I would call a short game. Notwithstanding the vaguely unsatisfying ending, BioShock is a marvel of a game, an inspiring experience, destined to become a classic - and since it now retails/downloads for $20 you would be a fool not to play it. +So, the endgame is a bit underwhelming compared to what preceded it, which is kind of a shame. On the other hand, the game that preceded it was incredible, ground-breaking, and fantastically fun. It's also not what I would call a short game. Notwithstanding the vaguely unsatisfying ending, BioShock is a marvel of a game, an inspiring experience, destined to become a classic - and since it now retails/downloads for $20 you would be a fool not to play it. Progress: Finished on Medium/Hard \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2985.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2985.md index 4e0cd5b2..78689343 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2985.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/2985.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Spectraball" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Look familiar? +Look familiar? The fact that this game looks identical to 's morph ball mode may not be a good thing for the developers, if Retro Studios is keen on pursuing their pseudo-IP - but it does seem like a good thing for me, because I thought the morph ball mode segments were awesome, and this is basically an entire game made out of it. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/3023.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/3023.md index a7945fe9..64cb57b7 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/3023.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/10/3023.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle" ] platform = [ "Wii" ] +++ -Yes! \ No newline at end of file +Yes! \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/11/2408.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/11/2408.md index bd2f61c2..00810195 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/11/2408.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/11/2408.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King" ] platform = [ "Mac" ] +++ -Forgive me, Gunpei, for I have renewed. +Forgive me, Gunpei, for I have renewed. Last weekend I caved in to peer pressure, and found myself flung back into Azeroth. In the interest of playing with people I actually know, I've started a new character, and since I'm on a PvP server this time - and with the Horde - I'm seeing a lot of the old game I've never seen before. Which isn't to say it's terribly new and exciting; though the quests are different, now that I'm past the starting zones, the geography is becoming pretty familiar. The good great news is that the old-world levels have become all but trivial, with reduced leveling requirements, increased quest/kill rewards, and more content that has so far made the early levels a total cakewalk. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/12/2667.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/12/2667.md index 7e3f84a7..92af6960 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/12/2667.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2008/12/2667.md @@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ A few things: - Leveling as Horde makes me realize certain conveniences I had previously taken for granted as Alliance. Mainly, town access: though there is only one zone in Azeroth whose Horde presence makes life difficult for Alliance, there are several examples of the inverse. It's not a huge issue gameplay-wise, and it doesn't crop up again in Outland or Northrend, but it does give a Horde player the feeling of being a second-class citizen. -- PvP servers are bullshit. Since all servers have battlegrounds and arenas (and the new Wintergrasp PvP zone), being on a PvP server isn't so much about wanting to fight as it is about picking fights. And no one ever picks a fight unless they know they can win. As a Mage, I am basically finished if the other person strikes first, and so this is how my PvP life goes: every solo quest is tempered with the anxiety of being stricken down by an Alliance interloper at a crucial moment. It's the Un'Goro Crater Devilsaur all over again. +- PvP servers are bullshit. Since all servers have battlegrounds and arenas (and the new Wintergrasp PvP zone), being on a PvP server isn't so much about wanting to fight as it is about picking fights. And no one ever picks a fight unless they know they can win. As a Mage, I am basically finished if the other person strikes first, and so this is how my PvP life goes: every solo quest is tempered with the anxiety of being stricken down by an Alliance interloper at a crucial moment. It's the Un'Goro Crater Devilsaur all over again. -Despite all this, I am rediscovering my hopeless addiction to WoW. The sampling of new abilities I've encountered so far (Living Bomb!) are a treat, and the new areas in Northrend are a real blast. Following on the design successes of Outland, in making less numerous, but more populous and distinct zones, the zones in Northrend all have very unique feels. The starting zones of Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord have you largely saving wildlife and fighting crazy viking monsters, respectively, where the intermediate area of Dragonblight puts you next to serious magical forces (e.g. dragons) as well as immersing you in a snowy wasteland that characterizes Northrend as a whole. (I skipped Grizzly Hills, so, who cares.) I've only briefly ventured into the further zones, but I'm hoping to have more to say on them soon. +Despite all this, I am rediscovering my hopeless addiction to WoW. The sampling of new abilities I've encountered so far (Living Bomb!) are a treat, and the new areas in Northrend are a real blast. Following on the design successes of Outland, in making less numerous, but more populous and distinct zones, the zones in Northrend all have very unique feels. The starting zones of Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord have you largely saving wildlife and fighting crazy viking monsters, respectively, where the intermediate area of Dragonblight puts you next to serious magical forces (e.g. dragons) as well as immersing you in a snowy wasteland that characterizes Northrend as a whole. (I skipped Grizzly Hills, so, who cares.) I've only briefly ventured into the further zones, but I'm hoping to have more to say on them soon. Progress: Level 73 \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/01/2211.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/01/2211.md index 5e5c2283..a48db1d1 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/01/2211.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/01/2211.md @@ -28,6 +28,6 @@ The plate abilities aren't quite as thrilling as, say, wall-running through a ca At 10 healed fertile grounds and one boss down, I'm somewhere less than halfway through the game, and I feel like it's going to work out to a meaty length of time in the end (I haven't been keeping track, but an estimate on the order of 20 hours sounds right). I'm really, really happy about this. Usually when I anticipate a game as much as I have this one, by the time I've put a few hours in I've become used to it (or horribly disappointed). But with this Prince, I'm still satisfied, and surprised, every time I sit down with it. I'm looking forward to the next time I play, and the time after that, all the way until the final moment. -One more thing: some people have complained about the Prince not being Persian enough. In the sense that he isn't Persian, they're 100% right. This Prince is a cocksure upstart full of Americanized slang - he's like a gymnastic Han Solo. But, so what? In the earlier trilogy, the Prince had a pseudo-European accent, and that along with his style of narration helped mold his personality as a curious traveler in a foreign and mystical land. In this game, the Prince's persona as a pragmatic adventurer who lives in the moment is reinforced by his speech and mannerisms. I guess, if anything is an issue here, it's that the title of the game is more a result of the series it stems from, than of its setting. Who cares. I really think this is just another case of people bitching on the Internet because they have nothing better to do all day. +One more thing: some people have complained about the Prince not being Persian enough. In the sense that he isn't Persian, they're 100% right. This Prince is a cocksure upstart full of Americanized slang - he's like a gymnastic Han Solo. But, so what? In the earlier trilogy, the Prince had a pseudo-European accent, and that along with his style of narration helped mold his personality as a curious traveler in a foreign and mystical land. In this game, the Prince's persona as a pragmatic adventurer who lives in the moment is reinforced by his speech and mannerisms. I guess, if anything is an issue here, it's that the title of the game is more a result of the series it stems from, than of its setting. Who cares. I really think this is just another case of people bitching on the Internet because they have nothing better to do all day. Progress: 10 grounds healed, 1 boss killed \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/03/2938.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/03/2938.md index a59524e0..5c2d3d16 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/03/2938.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/03/2938.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "Mac" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -I reached level 80, got my Explorer achievement, and have been defeating Naxxramas on a regular basis. As for the rest of Northrend: +I reached level 80, got my Explorer achievement, and have been defeating Naxxramas on a regular basis. As for the rest of Northrend: -Zul'Drak is a shitty troll zone full of shitty trolls. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2242.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2242.md index 4af1ce0f..ccb09471 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2242.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2242.md @@ -15,6 +15,6 @@ The game itself is, of course, an action RPG. Except, it controls like a two-ax Despite the potential depth of such a varied system, it is optimized for speed: you can play without having the slightest clue of what's going on. Which is good, because if I really had to worry about all this shit, I wouldn't even have finished the demo. -Too Human is the Spruce Goose of modern video games. It tries too much, and in so doing, fails at its ultimate goal. There's nothing here to enjoy, short of a few cheap thrills - if you haven't played a better dungeon-crawling Action RPG already. At the same time, I am quite glad it exists, because it is a textbook (if there were such textbooks) case of what to avoid in the course of producing a game. +Too Human is the Spruce Goose of modern video games. It tries too much, and in so doing, fails at its ultimate goal. There's nothing here to enjoy, short of a few cheap thrills - if you haven't played a better dungeon-crawling Action RPG already. At the same time, I am quite glad it exists, because it is a textbook (if there were such textbooks) case of what to avoid in the course of producing a game. Progress: Gave Up -- Finished the demo \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2275.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2275.md index 7c33e277..70c74e9f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2275.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2275.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Bionic Commando (2009)" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -Controls are the popular concern about the upcoming Bionic Commando reboot, and frankly, they are valid. A few minutes with the multiplayer demo on Xbox Live has left me anxious - but also wary - toward how they will work out in the final game. By my second match, I had started to get the hang of the arm's zip-line feature; but being able to use it effectively to scale sheer structures etc. still eluded me. +Controls are the popular concern about the upcoming Bionic Commando reboot, and frankly, they are valid. A few minutes with the multiplayer demo on Xbox Live has left me anxious - but also wary - toward how they will work out in the final game. By my second match, I had started to get the hang of the arm's zip-line feature; but being able to use it effectively to scale sheer structures etc. still eluded me. Here's hoping that the single player game has a good tutorial, or a proper beginning sequence that eases into the control system's finer points. I admire GRIN's goal of enabling complex player behavior with a complex control set, but it doesn't mean anything if I can't play it. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2361.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2361.md index aca87332..0a8ea6cc 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2361.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2361.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Legendary" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Legendary did not fare well in reviewing circles, and it's not hard to see why. The weapons are depressingly common; the conspiracy-theory plot is really no different from most first-person shooters out today; and the game's "legendary" monsters are, effectively, beefed-up enemy NPCs that don't actually change up the FPS formula. In other words, it does virtually nothing to distinguish itself. +Legendary did not fare well in reviewing circles, and it's not hard to see why. The weapons are depressingly common; the conspiracy-theory plot is really no different from most first-person shooters out today; and the game's "legendary" monsters are, effectively, beefed-up enemy NPCs that don't actually change up the FPS formula. In other words, it does virtually nothing to distinguish itself. At the same time though - at least as far as I saw in the demo - the core FPS elements that it therefore relies on, are actually implemented fairly well. You expect shooters to get a little awkward when you're fighting, say, a minotaur that takes several dozen shotgun shells to down, but a combination of (somewhat) effective environmental cover and an easy healing system make it feel like it should feel: a difficult boss encounter. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2929.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2929.md index 38644a97..27b2ff6c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2929.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2929.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Conan (2007)" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -Yes, it is a competent action game set in the Conan universe. No, it is not as good as . Yes, it also has tits. No, I probably would not care about it, if there were no tits. But since there are, this is a perfect candidate for inexpensive, cheap-thrill video gaming. +Yes, it is a competent action game set in the Conan universe. No, it is not as good as . Yes, it also has tits. No, I probably would not care about it, if there were no tits. But since there are, this is a perfect candidate for inexpensive, cheap-thrill video gaming. Progress: Finished the demo \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2933.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2933.md index dc26cb25..acca0217 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2933.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/04/2933.md @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ And just like that, I've cleaned up the city. Yes, Crackdown is on the short si To be fair though, Crackdown is the kind of game that Achievements were made for: marking your accomplishments not just for killing crime bosses, but for blowing up hundreds of cars, or climbing to the top of the city's tallest building. -I should note that, although I beat the game in three or four sittings, Crackdown isn't that short; probably south of 10 hours, but not by much. Every time I sat down to play, I found it extremely difficult to put the controller down. The compartmentalized nature of the gang boss encounters, combined with the fun of exploring the city, and the essentially-nil penalty for death (you go back to a respawn point), made the addiction unbearable. If Realtime Worlds can replicate this kind of gameplay in an online multiplayer form, all hope for humanity may be lost. +I should note that, although I beat the game in three or four sittings, Crackdown isn't that short; probably south of 10 hours, but not by much. Every time I sat down to play, I found it extremely difficult to put the controller down. The compartmentalized nature of the gang boss encounters, combined with the fun of exploring the city, and the essentially-nil penalty for death (you go back to a respawn point), made the addiction unbearable. If Realtime Worlds can replicate this kind of gameplay in an online multiplayer form, all hope for humanity may be lost. Anyway, I might work on my Driving stat - I've maxed out the other four already - but other than that, I think I'm pretty much done with this. Then again, it is the perfect kind of pick-up-and-explode game that I could find myself playing again on a boring weekend. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2167.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2167.md index 2b21dde4..ba368a73 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2167.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2167.md @@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ game = [ "Plants vs. Zombies" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -There's a demo on Steam which allows you to play the game free for 60 minutes. It's one of the better things you can do with 60 minutes of your life. +There's a demo on Steam which allows you to play the game free for 60 minutes. It's one of the better things you can do with 60 minutes of your life. Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defense game from PopCap. Yes, this rang alarm bells for me, too. Low-budget? Undoubtedly. Simple? Sort of. -It starts out slow; the first several levels really ease you into the gameplay. Ten minutes in, I felt a little bored, and started wondering what all the fuss was about. But in these first few stages, the game is disarmingly easy, and inoffensive enough that I simply preferred to keep playing over stopping. +It starts out slow; the first several levels really ease you into the gameplay. Ten minutes in, I felt a little bored, and started wondering what all the fuss was about. But in these first few stages, the game is disarmingly easy, and inoffensive enough that I simply preferred to keep playing over stopping. Then the challenge kicked in. Ideal plant placement is initially not difficult to figure out, but it gets more complicated when you gain more plants, and have to choose which ones to bring into a level with you. New enemy types force you to rethink your strategy. And then it gets dark, and the sun-powered resource system is appended with magic mushrooms and shit. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2197.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2197.md index 82b7e331..ce249f52 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2197.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2197.md @@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ platform = [ "Mac" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -I made a motorcycle. And it only cost like 15,000 gold! Man, I am getting tired of this game again. +I made a motorcycle. And it only cost like 15,000 gold! Man, I am getting tired of this game again. -The new patch introduced another high-end raid, Ulduar, which has robots (!!) so I hope to visit it at some point. Other than that, the well has definitely run dry. Another new addition is an Argent arena where you can earn items and shit based on tokens, that you get from daily quests, so it literally will take X days to get Y reward. This is clearly Lich King's ultimate timesink, like the Nether drakes in [Burning Crusade](game:World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade), and I really don't want anything to do with it. +The new patch introduced another high-end raid, Ulduar, which has robots (!!) so I hope to visit it at some point. Other than that, the well has definitely run dry. Another new addition is an Argent arena where you can earn items and shit based on tokens, that you get from daily quests, so it literally will take X days to get Y reward. This is clearly Lich King's ultimate timesink, like the Nether drakes in [Burning Crusade](game:World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade), and I really don't want anything to do with it. Progress: Level 80 \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2314.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2314.md index 03e27f2f..e5ca2e1d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2314.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2314.md @@ -8,6 +8,6 @@ platform = [ "Wii" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -Overkill has more than a bit of charm in its grindhouse aesthetic and notorious profanity. Where other light-gun shooters are simply too stupid to take seriously, this one actually makes its ludicrous premise fun and entertaining. On the other hand, it is still just a light-gun shooter; don't let the home console setting fool you: it's just as long (which is to say, short) as an arcade House of the Dead. Other than the - fairly limited - weapon upgrading options, there really isn't much here at all. Fun in a party setting, but still doesn't seem worth the investment. +Overkill has more than a bit of charm in its grindhouse aesthetic and notorious profanity. Where other light-gun shooters are simply too stupid to take seriously, this one actually makes its ludicrous premise fun and entertaining. On the other hand, it is still just a light-gun shooter; don't let the home console setting fool you: it's just as long (which is to say, short) as an arcade House of the Dead. Other than the - fairly limited - weapon upgrading options, there really isn't much here at all. Fun in a party setting, but still doesn't seem worth the investment. Progress: Finished normal in co-op \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2733.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2733.md index 5f0de505..19fc32e9 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2733.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2733.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Tunnel Rats" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Holy fuck! They actually did it! \ No newline at end of file +Holy fuck! They actually did it! \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2800.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2800.md index fbc7cf7d..343932d5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2800.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/05/2800.md @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ platform = [ "Wii" ] I tried the Xbox 360 demo of Force Unleashed not long ago, and while it looked like Star Wars, and sounded like Star Wars, it didn't really feel like Star Wars. It felt like a generic beat-em-up, plus telekinesis. So now that I've started playing the Wii version of the game, I'm grateful that it feels ... well, more like Star Wars. It's a shame that the game looks terrible, but, what can you do. -Confession: I actually bought this game months ago, off Amazon for a song (still lower than the current MSRP). But I didn't even boot up the disc until tonight. The first thing I did was go through all the built-in tutorial sessions, and it's a good thing I did, because some of the gesture-based controls definitely need to be tried rather than explained. And some of them just don't work well at all (luckily the particular motion of lightsaber swinging isn't terribly important). This was really the first moment I've started to appreciate the idea of Wii MotionPlus. +Confession: I actually bought this game months ago, off Amazon for a song (still lower than the current MSRP). But I didn't even boot up the disc until tonight. The first thing I did was go through all the built-in tutorial sessions, and it's a good thing I did, because some of the gesture-based controls definitely need to be tried rather than explained. And some of them just don't work well at all (luckily the particular motion of lightsaber swinging isn't terribly important). This was really the first moment I've started to appreciate the idea of Wii MotionPlus. As I said, the game looks atrocious. I might be a bit biased because most of the recent games I've played were on the 360 - but I'm pretty sure even Wii games can look better than this. Nevertheless, I have to give my hats off to Krome for getting the important stuff right: within the limitations of the Wii's accelerometer setup, the controls don't just work, they're also fun. Hold the triggers and lunge both controllers down to send out a force shockwave. Thrust the Nunchuk to do a forward Force push. Or flick it; the nice thing about most of the motion controls is how forgiving they are. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2350.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2350.md index 6cadbe01..d644610f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2350.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2350.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] Final boss battle: awesome. -By the credits-slash-hilarious-music-video, I had been challenged, but not put out. Even in the later levels, I was usually able to win on my first attempt, though sometimes by the skin of my teeth. But after beating the final level, a slew of new stuff unlocks to push you even further. +By the credits-slash-hilarious-music-video, I had been challenged, but not put out. Even in the later levels, I was usually able to win on my first attempt, though sometimes by the skin of my teeth. But after beating the final level, a slew of new stuff unlocks to push you even further. This stuff includes replaying the full "adventure" mode with some handicaps; survival challenges from each of the game's settings; and more puzzles and mini-games, most of which I tried and some of which are really hard. Some of the final puzzles actually do become puzzle-like, in requiring you to figure out an exact sequence of actions to complete the stage. And the mini-games are always a riot, many of them parodying PopCap titles (like "Beghouled" and "Zombiquarium") or other games ("Portal Combat"). It's really impressive how the game manages to wrap itself around so many disparate gameplay concepts, and trying a new one is always a blast. Except "Beghouled Twist" - that sucked. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2696.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2696.md index 37e1bb62..9c1d503b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2696.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2696.md @@ -7,10 +7,10 @@ game = [ "Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled" ] platform = [ "NDS" ] +++ -I hadn't even heard of this thing until I saw a mini-review of it nestled in the back of a month-old Nintendo Power I was catching up on. The review indicated that the makers of Black Sigil had perhaps been inspired by . The 5.0/10 review wasn't exactly favorable, but uttering the words 'Chrono' and 'Trigger' in the same sentence isn't something I take lightly. Go on, take a look. +I hadn't even heard of this thing until I saw a mini-review of it nestled in the back of a month-old Nintendo Power I was catching up on. The review indicated that the makers of Black Sigil had perhaps been inspired by . The 5.0/10 review wasn't exactly favorable, but uttering the words 'Chrono' and 'Trigger' in the same sentence isn't something I take lightly. Go on, take a look. Is there a word between "uncanny" and "stolen?" I've been trying to think of one, but haven't so far. I seriously suspect that this game began life as a ROM hack for Chrono Trigger, and that the final product may or may not use a Super NES emulator as part of its "engine." Really, this is hilarious. I mean even the level/terrain designs look like they've been lifted directly from CT and/or other 16-bit Square RPGs. -That said, if you're going to carbon-copy a game, Chrono Trigger is an ideal candidate. And coming out of the gate dirt cheap doesn't hurt, either. Apparently this just came out like yesterday, so I'll hold off for a bit just to confirm that the game is actually playable. Hopefully they aren't cease-and-desisted first! Bahahahaha. \ No newline at end of file +That said, if you're going to carbon-copy a game, Chrono Trigger is an ideal candidate. And coming out of the gate dirt cheap doesn't hurt, either. Apparently this just came out like yesterday, so I'll hold off for a bit just to confirm that the game is actually playable. Hopefully they aren't cease-and-desisted first! Bahahahaha. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2808.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2808.md index 185930ab..b728361d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2808.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/06/2808.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" ] platform = [ "Wii" ] +++ -I didn't get as much face-time with New SMB Wii as I wanted - because it was pretty much the star of the show, even at NOA's mini-E3 employee event. Comparisons are being drawn to [Four Swords Adventures](game:The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures), and those are pretty apt, but there are two big differences. +I didn't get as much face-time with New SMB Wii as I wanted - because it was pretty much the star of the show, even at NOA's mini-E3 employee event. Comparisons are being drawn to [Four Swords Adventures](game:The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures), and those are pretty apt, but there are two big differences. The first one is obvious: this is a platform game. Where an adventure like Zelda can get by with new dungeon puzzles and enemy encounters that get mixed up by having more heroes, a Mario game lives or dies purely by its level design. (Although now that I think about it, multiplayer boss battles sound like a blast.) The good news is that based on the stage select screen in the demo, you can expect a ton of level variety from this game, from fields and deserts to haunted mansions and oversized clock interiors. @@ -15,4 +15,4 @@ The second difference, and I could be off about this, is that while FSA filled i This is an important point because it means the single-player game will be fundamentally different than the multiplayer one in how it plays; and possibly in how challenging the game can be made. The people I watched playing New SMB Wii weren't exactly great at it, but it still looked to lean toward the tough side, as if it was assuming that not everyone would make it to the end of the level. -So will the game be no fun in single-player? Will the level of challenge be capped, making certain levels trivial with four people? Or maybe - and this is almost purely speculation - there could be some sort of auto-tuning difficulty...? \ No newline at end of file +So will the game be no fun in single-player? Will the level of challenge be capped, making certain levels trivial with four people? Or maybe - and this is almost purely speculation - there could be some sort of auto-tuning difficulty...? \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/2306.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/2306.md index 40cf6b41..eb293020 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/2306.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/2306.md @@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ One of the most surprising things about the Ghostbusters campaign is its length. The gameplay gets a little murkier. Gestural ghost-wrangling can be fun, but can also be frustrating, e.g. when a directional slam the game prompts you for takes a ghost out of your line of sight, or behind you, completely screwing up the camera angle. There are a few glaring bugs as well: a "Catch up to your team-mate!" mechanic would semi-frequently teleport my co-op partner or myself to completely the wrong place, and in one level in particular, one or the other of us would invariably spawn outside of the level, falling through the map forever while the other had to finish the level solo. One gets the impression that, if it hadn't been pushed to release alongside its hi-def cousin, this version of the game could have used another couple months of development polish. -It has its problems, and the mildly inventive gameplay dulls as the game marches on. Yet there is a simple joy in the mostly-destructible environments, the boss fights are atypically creative, and Aykroyd's and Ramis's story carries the whole production fairly well. If you like good comedy, you owe it to yourself to try this game out on one of its many platforms. Although I've heard that the DS one is awful. +It has its problems, and the mildly inventive gameplay dulls as the game marches on. Yet there is a simple joy in the mostly-destructible environments, the boss fights are atypically creative, and Aykroyd's and Ramis's story carries the whole production fairly well. If you like good comedy, you owe it to yourself to try this game out on one of its many platforms. Although I've heard that the DS one is awful. Progress: Finished on co-op in "Gozer" difficulty \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/2315.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/2315.md index f94ecd6e..cdd432d7 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/2315.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/2315.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ In my second attempt at level 4, I discovered not one, but two areas whic The characters and settings are still a riot, and luckily the story - which appears to be slowly ramping its mysteries up into some sort of grand revelation - knows better than to get in the way. The tale of an abandoned city's cruel fate is visibly and neatly separated from scenes of a pimp explaining, in rhyming ebonics, how to stuff ninjas into firework launchers. -Also, while the music offended my ears at first, once I started to listen to what it was saying - it's actually pretty funny. Many of the songs' lyrics literally describe the game's graphic violence, which just sounds hilarious. Check out the lyrics, and imagine they're being sung to modern rap-styled tunes. +Also, while the music offended my ears at first, once I started to listen to what it was saying - it's actually pretty funny. Many of the songs' lyrics literally describe the game's graphic violence, which just sounds hilarious. Check out the lyrics, and imagine they're being sung to modern rap-styled tunes. Progress: Level 7: Courtyard \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/3004.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/3004.md index 56bff37f..a10a4540 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/3004.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/07/3004.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ I tried this out with some buddies last night, and I came away impressed. Not i Boxing has been supplanted by Swordplay, which is actually fun, even if you don't get to really slice anyone up. Tennis is replaced with its army cousin Table Tennis, and though the scale is smaller - it's strictly a two-player affair - Wii MotionPlus's addition of spin control makes it feel better regardless. Bowling and Golf are straight-up ported to Resort, and each one benefits from the gyro sensor, and has a slew of new modes that fans of the original will enjoy. (I might actually argue that the new Golf is less fun because it's more accurate, and apparently I have a wicked slice.) -The new games are then Archery, which is cool almost entirely because of the motions you do to shoot; Basketball, which is a little awkward but still pretty fun; Canoeing, which I didn't really care for but one of my friends is in love with; Cycling, which is like the one from but worse; Frisbee, including frolf; "Power Cruising," which is a sort-of lame jet-ski slalom; and Wakeboarding, which is like the stunts part of [Wave Race](game:Wave Race 64) without the racing bullshit. There's also an "Air Sports" category which includes stuff like dogfighting (dumbed down but fun), skydiving (??), and a mode where you fly around the island for five minutes (...). Each sport category has different modes like this, although they usually aren't quite that different. +The new games are then Archery, which is cool almost entirely because of the motions you do to shoot; Basketball, which is a little awkward but still pretty fun; Canoeing, which I didn't really care for but one of my friends is in love with; Cycling, which is like the one from but worse; Frisbee, including frolf; "Power Cruising," which is a sort-of lame jet-ski slalom; and Wakeboarding, which is like the stunts part of [Wave Race](game:Wave Race 64) without the racing bullshit. There's also an "Air Sports" category which includes stuff like dogfighting (dumbed down but fun), skydiving (??), and a mode where you fly around the island for five minutes (...). Each sport category has different modes like this, although they usually aren't quite that different. Wii Sports Resort is Wii Sports, bigger and better. And even if I don't plan on owning a copy of my own, this game is still great for me - because when Nintendo sells a gajillion Wii MotionPlus attachments with it, someone will finally make a good lightsaber game. It'll happen. It's got to. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2400.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2400.md index 2efa9f27..c3d9a31e 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2400.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2400.md @@ -11,6 +11,6 @@ Darkest of Days is a great concept with a middling execution. You're a soldier That said, mowing down the confederate army with an automatic machine gun wasn't really as satisfying as I thought it would be. The shooting is competent, at least - but, as with , that just doesn't seem like enough. -Darkest of Days does have one of the coolest characters I've seen in a shooter, your Texan handler who curses like a... well, like a Texan. (His video description of the game's weaponry is probably more fun than the game itself.) So if you're okay with it being Yet Another Shooter, it does at least have a flavor of its own. And maybe a plot? Who knows. I'll just keep watching that video, instead. +Darkest of Days does have one of the coolest characters I've seen in a shooter, your Texan handler who curses like a... well, like a Texan. (His video description of the game's weaponry is probably more fun than the game itself.) So if you're okay with it being Yet Another Shooter, it does at least have a flavor of its own. And maybe a plot? Who knows. I'll just keep watching that video, instead. Progress: Gave Up -- Finished the demo \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2655.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2655.md index 0391d10a..670828f3 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2655.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2655.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -A charming afternoon diversion. Ben There, Dan That! is more than just a quaint little adventure game in the vein of old Lucasarts point-and-clicks, it's also custom tailored to please and amuse anyone who's played them. An item in the shape of [Max](game:Sam & Max: Save the World)'s head, constant references to [Monkey Island](game:The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition), even the graphical style seems to emulate the classics. But rather than seeming a rip-off, BTDT is brimming with clever (yet accessible) puzzling and humorous dialog of its own. +A charming afternoon diversion. Ben There, Dan That! is more than just a quaint little adventure game in the vein of old Lucasarts point-and-clicks, it's also custom tailored to please and amuse anyone who's played them. An item in the shape of [Max](game:Sam & Max: Save the World)'s head, constant references to [Monkey Island](game:The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition), even the graphical style seems to emulate the classics. But rather than seeming a rip-off, BTDT is brimming with clever (yet accessible) puzzling and humorous dialog of its own. A fun way to kill a few hours, and a real treat for any fan of the old Lucasarts stuff. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2859.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2859.md index f155b67a..25bc371d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2859.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/2859.md @@ -14,6 +14,6 @@ I finished the main missions and did a little tooling around on the side (drug d Naturally, there are a ton of extras in Chinatown Wars beyond the main storyline, like taking out security cameras, acquiring property, and rampages and so on. I'm not planning on going for 100% completion, but these extras are way more attainable and immediately gratifying than some of the more obtuse collectibles in other GTAs. -Metacritic currently says Chinatown Wars is the highest rated DS game, even boasting no marks below 80/100, and I think that's entirely justified. Unfortunately the game may not get the recognition it deserves until the PSP port - which is really too bad, because the touch-screen stuff in this one puts even [some Nintendo implementations](game:The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass) to shame. +Metacritic currently says Chinatown Wars is the highest rated DS game, even boasting no marks below 80/100, and I think that's entirely justified. Unfortunately the game may not get the recognition it deserves until the PSP port - which is really too bad, because the touch-screen stuff in this one puts even [some Nintendo implementations](game:The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass) to shame. Progress: 63.52%, finished main story \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/3040.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/3040.md index 3425477c..499de483 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/3040.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/08/3040.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -Trine recently went on sale, fulfilling my requirements for a purchase. Doing the whole co-op setup is kind of a pain - three Xbox 360 controllers and a Windows adapter for them, plus finding out that the Windows 7 RC doesn't support multiple monitors! Also there were some issues with Steam Cloud game saves yesterday, so we accidentally erased a few levels of progress figuring that one out. +Trine recently went on sale, fulfilling my requirements for a purchase. Doing the whole co-op setup is kind of a pain - three Xbox 360 controllers and a Windows adapter for them, plus finding out that the Windows 7 RC doesn't support multiple monitors! Also there were some issues with Steam Cloud game saves yesterday, so we accidentally erased a few levels of progress figuring that one out. It's way fun, though. Although the means are somewhat different, Trine encourages the same kind of co-competitiveness that [Four Swords Adventures](game:The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures) thrived on; death is a fairly trivial thing in co-op Trine (everyone resurrects at a checkpoint), so I have no reservations about throwing my teammates into fatal danger. As the Wizard, moving blocks around and dropping them on people is fucking awesome. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2076.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2076.md index 73ed71b2..fa741d36 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2076.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2076.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -Last time I neglected to mention my only significant complaint about the game, which was the second-string voice acting. Despite Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, and the other main characters delivering absolutely stunning performances, the asylum guards' lines really failed to move me. The writing was mostly trite, and the fact that only three actors voiced all the guards (one of whom is that guy who's in everything) was pretty distracting. +Last time I neglected to mention my only significant complaint about the game, which was the second-string voice acting. Despite Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, and the other main characters delivering absolutely stunning performances, the asylum guards' lines really failed to move me. The writing was mostly trite, and the fact that only three actors voiced all the guards (one of whom is that guy who's in everything) was pretty distracting. Now, though, the guards don't really come up very often, so the point is effectively moot. Instead, I get to creep up on the Joker's goons and, rather than instantly knock them all on their asses, listen to them tell crazy misanthropic stories. The last one I heard was about a guy who killed his sister because the Joker told him to - but he "didn't really like her anyway." Another thug said the Joker ordered him to kill his sister, too, but he didn't have a sister, so he just killed "the first bitch he saw." diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2260.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2260.md index f15881c4..03cf99eb 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2260.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2260.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Tales of Hearts" ] platform = [ "NDS" ] +++ -Tales of Hearts came out in Japan almost a year ago, and the most recent hint of a North American release is from months before that. There's been word zero about this since last year, which is kind of a bad sign. Shame, since I definitely liked how the game system set-up looks. +Tales of Hearts came out in Japan almost a year ago, and the most recent hint of a North American release is from months before that. There's been word zero about this since last year, which is kind of a bad sign. Shame, since I definitely liked how the game system set-up looks. Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2772.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2772.md index 98e57b69..e7abc4ec 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2772.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2772.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Tunnel Rats" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -My interest in Tunnel Rats was seeing how terrible it would inevitably be, not necessarily experiencing it for myself. Luckily GameSpot and IGN describe the horrors of Tunnel Rats in sufficiently excruciating detail. +My interest in Tunnel Rats was seeing how terrible it would inevitably be, not necessarily experiencing it for myself. Luckily GameSpot and IGN describe the horrors of Tunnel Rats in sufficiently excruciating detail. Reading about tunnel snakes "...who have, for all practical purposes, forged an unholy alliance with the Viet Cong" really made my day. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2902.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2902.md index 23e3d82e..63b97cd6 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2902.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2902.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Knights in the Nightmare" ] platform = [ "NDS" ] +++ -Speaking of finding out more about Knights in the Nightmare - this gameplay video shows perhaps too much of the game, or more precisely, how utterly terrifying it apparently becomes. Look at all the dodging, item collecting, attack making, timing, numbers, explosions, what the fuck? +Speaking of finding out more about Knights in the Nightmare - this gameplay video shows perhaps too much of the game, or more precisely, how utterly terrifying it apparently becomes. Look at all the dodging, item collecting, attack making, timing, numbers, explosions, what the fuck? It appears to demand more expertise in schmup-style reactivity than in RPG number-crunching, which is definitely not how I'd prefer it to lean. Ehhhhh I've lost interest. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2954.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2954.md index 958f868a..a0837440 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2954.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/09/2954.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled" ] platform = [ "NDS" ] +++ -Black Sigil's reviews have been, in a word, bad. To the point where it sounds like traipsing through the game, even with no expectation of fun - just to witness the sheer rip-off-itude at work - sounds like it could be painful. Consider that Metacritic's sole user review includes the compliment "Mine havent froze yet and im up 6-7 hours of gameplay." (emphasis mine) +Black Sigil's reviews have been, in a word, bad. To the point where it sounds like traipsing through the game, even with no expectation of fun - just to witness the sheer rip-off-itude at work - sounds like it could be painful. Consider that Metacritic's sole user review includes the compliment "Mine havent froze yet and im up 6-7 hours of gameplay." (emphasis mine) Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2239.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2239.md index f5f2fd5a..4fbbf5f7 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2239.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2239.md @@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Being a prequel, the ending of Extraction pretty much ruined itself. And the way it answers each question about the Dead Space story with two more questions is a bit perturbing. Outside of that, I'm really impressed with this package. It's got a compelling and exciting campaign (at least, it was compelling with two players), as well as a story-less Challenge Mode where you can just blow necromorphs to bits for fun. -It also has, in the form of bonus features, a "moving comics" presentation of the Dead Space comic books. Me and my comrade-in-space-arms watched these after the campaign expecting some trite fanservice shit, but they're actually quite good, largely due to some excellent voice acting and thrill-a-minute pacing. Apparently you can also watch them on GameTrailers if you're so inclined. There are a lot of worse ways to spend an hour or so. +It also has, in the form of bonus features, a "moving comics" presentation of the Dead Space comic books. Me and my comrade-in-space-arms watched these after the campaign expecting some trite fanservice shit, but they're actually quite good, largely due to some excellent voice acting and thrill-a-minute pacing. Apparently you can also watch them on GameTrailers if you're so inclined. There are a lot of worse ways to spend an hour or so. Progress: Finished on Hard \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2385.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2385.md index d0fd0f60..59b6b327 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2385.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2385.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Four hours later, the credits roll. So I'd estimate about 6-10 depending on how fast you swing, and how much you care about the hidden collectibles (hint: you don't, unless you are desperate for gamerscore). Not bad, for what is now a budget game - but the pacing is, unsurprisingly, all wrong. The game's story goes from zero to 60 in the last hour, and you'll swear it's about to end twice (and be wrong both times) before it actually does. -Also, the ending shows a hidden message in morse code. What the fuck? Translated, per the Interweb, it not-so-subtly implies that Grin was planning on a sequel before they went under. +Also, the ending shows a hidden message in morse code. What the fuck? Translated, per the Interweb, it not-so-subtly implies that Grin was planning on a sequel before they went under. Notwithstanding the shoddy story, and some of the worst dialog this side of an Uwe Boll movie, the gameplay can also be somewhat uneven. I've mentioned the deadly water and magic radiation clouds already, which become less common as the game proceeds, but still pop up every now and then. Similarly, I didn't have a problem with the game's checkpoints most of the time, but I did encounter a couple more instances in which I was forced to repeat myself, due to them being way too far apart. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2412.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2412.md index ba102675..996a9250 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2412.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2412.md @@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ I really liked , and [VI](game:Final Fantasy III (1994)) I still remember the previews from before FFXII came out, and it painted a pretty bleak picture for me: basically, an MMORPG without the online component. Combat looked and sounded incredibly dull. The environments didn't appear very compelling. And the setting, well, standard RPG shit. -But I had a college roommate who was all about Final Fantasy, and when I watched him play FF12, I actually started to get interested in it. Visually imaginative, bizarre moves? Check. Action-rich pacing with little downtime bullshit? Check. A thorough eviction of the random encounter? Check. Straightforward but deep character configuration? Check. So when the game hit $20, I stored it away in my backlog, and waited until I'd have the free time to set up gambits of my own. +But I had a college roommate who was all about Final Fantasy, and when I watched him play FF12, I actually started to get interested in it. Visually imaginative, bizarre moves? Check. Action-rich pacing with little downtime bullshit? Check. A thorough eviction of the random encounter? Check. Straightforward but deep character configuration? Check. So when the game hit $20, I stored it away in my backlog, and waited until I'd have the free time to set up gambits of my own. -The other weekend I finally decided to jump in. And, well, I haven't played it again since. For all the sophistication of the game, and the thought put into the combat system, actually playing it hasn't lit my fire yet. It may look like there's a lot going on on-screen, but actually controlling a battle feels very Ron Popeil. I pick an enemy to attack, and wait for it to die. I almost fell asleep - not even kidding - on my way to a mission objective. +The other weekend I finally decided to jump in. And, well, I haven't played it again since. For all the sophistication of the game, and the thought put into the combat system, actually playing it hasn't lit my fire yet. It may look like there's a lot going on on-screen, but actually controlling a battle feels very Ron Popeil. I pick an enemy to attack, and wait for it to die. I almost fell asleep - not even kidding - on my way to a mission objective. I'm only about two hours into the game, so there's plenty of time for it to warm up on me. So far, though, it's really failing to draw me in. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2561.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2561.md index 610982e1..e6ca5b12 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2561.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2561.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -I played some of Braid when it came out on XBLA, on a friend's Xbox, up through the third world. Months later, when the PC version came out, I played the first world again in the Steam demo - then once more when the Mac demo was released. I still loved the game's crazy blend of platforming, puzzles, and twisted metaphysics; but having become so well acquainted with it, by the time I actually sat down to play the game in earnest, the last thing I expected Braid to do was blow my mind. +I played some of Braid when it came out on XBLA, on a friend's Xbox, up through the third world. Months later, when the PC version came out, I played the first world again in the Steam demo - then once more when the Mac demo was released. I still loved the game's crazy blend of platforming, puzzles, and twisted metaphysics; but having become so well acquainted with it, by the time I actually sat down to play the game in earnest, the last thing I expected Braid to do was blow my mind. Then I got to the fourth and fifth worlds. Holy fuck! diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2743.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2743.md index 475b0782..1889dc49 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2743.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/10/2743.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] When I woke up this morning, my first thought was shit, I've overslept. Second was I want to finish Braid. So I did. Worth it. -The story threw me for a loop at the end, until I checked the interweb for some instant gratification. Very interesting stuff, but it's not really why I like the game. The gameplay is just so mind-bendingly awesome. +The story threw me for a loop at the end, until I checked the interweb for some instant gratification. Very interesting stuff, but it's not really why I like the game. The gameplay is just so mind-bendingly awesome. Really, the only complaint I can lodge against it is that there are so few enemy types. One or two more, I think, would have been cool. But it's inconsequential to the jumping, time-fucking crux of the game. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/11/2091.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/11/2091.md index 2f98c2d5..97eb712c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/11/2091.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/11/2091.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Jurassic: The Hunted" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -This game looks fucking hilarious. So I was immensely pleased to see a demo on Xbox Live! But immensely disappointed when I found that the demo's only playable component is a 'survival' challenge, where you have to shoot dinosaurs to protect a fort. No retarded story or hackneyed dialog or anything. +This game looks fucking hilarious. So I was immensely pleased to see a demo on Xbox Live! But immensely disappointed when I found that the demo's only playable component is a 'survival' challenge, where you have to shoot dinosaurs to protect a fort. No retarded story or hackneyed dialog or anything. Shame, I guess. I'd love to drink my way through the campaign once this gets cheap. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/11/2952.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/11/2952.md index a1a6af4e..b2e9de32 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/11/2952.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/11/2952.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Bad" ] I was just starting to have fun with FF12, and then that giant fucking bird had to show up. -This boss (the aforementioned fucking bird) was tearing each of my party members a new asshole; there was simply no way I could keep anyone alive long enough to kill it. I checked the interweb to see if there was some sort of trick, and sure enough, I was supposed to have collected some item from an NPC - in the middle of this endless goddamn desert - to deal super damage to the bird. Grievance: Final Fantasy 12 mystifyingly resurrects the old RPG trope of being completely helpless against a boss, unless you know exactly how to exploit his obscure weakness, or have spent half a dozen hours just wandering around the entire map. +This boss (the aforementioned fucking bird) was tearing each of my party members a new asshole; there was simply no way I could keep anyone alive long enough to kill it. I checked the interweb to see if there was some sort of trick, and sure enough, I was supposed to have collected some item from an NPC - in the middle of this endless goddamn desert - to deal super damage to the bird. Grievance: Final Fantasy 12 mystifyingly resurrects the old RPG trope of being completely helpless against a boss, unless you know exactly how to exploit his obscure weakness, or have spent half a dozen hours just wandering around the entire map. Also, the bird could only be targeted by magic or ranged weapons, which makes sense; but I only had two characters who know how to use ranged weapons because up to this point they've been pretty useless. Grievance: there are way too many different options in the License Points system - part of the game I was actually having fun with - for there to be a "right" way to configure your party. (Also, you have six party members, but an active party of three, and only your active members earn experience - so if you need to swap in a character who's been left behind the level curve, good luck!) diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/12/2215.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/12/2215.md index 04c04abd..2a872371 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/12/2215.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/12/2215.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Thank goodness. My completion estimate from yesterday was on the high side; and like magic, the remaining half-or-so of Spirit Tracks (including an additional dungeon after the Fire Temple, plus some absurdly difficult final floors in the Tower of Spirits) was everything I could hope for from a great Zelda game. Thrilling boss fights; devilish dungeons; even the story picked up quite a bit. I'm still hesitant to chugga-chugga-chug along for the game's sidequests, but who knows, maybe I'll come back later. -It's pretty clear to me what made the difference in ST's latter half: more dungeon, less train. I could go on; but it would only belabor my point from yesterday. Not to rain on Aonuma's parade, but trains pretty much stopped being the coolest thing ever when I was ten. Although I won't deny there is a certain fun factor to pulling the whistle. +It's pretty clear to me what made the difference in ST's latter half: more dungeon, less train. I could go on; but it would only belabor my point from yesterday. Not to rain on Aonuma's parade, but trains pretty much stopped being the coolest thing ever when I was ten. Although I won't deny there is a certain fun factor to pulling the whistle. Anyway! The last several dungeons and other gameplay sequences more-or-less redeem the menial parts of the game's first half. So while it doesn't end up being one of my favorite Zeldas, I'm glad I stuck it through. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/12/2830.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/12/2830.md index 64392762..6191bbcd 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/12/2830.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2009/12/2830.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ My first pass at Mass Effect, some time back, left me wanting - I expected a sci I'm both practically and philosophically bothered by Mass Effect's tantalizing, yet limited freedom of expression. A ridiculous amount of customization options and in-game decisions should enable me to live the dream: pretend I am a spacefaring war hero, shooting stupid aliens, spitting on politicians' shoes, nailing hot intergalactic tail. But when a councilman asks me what I think, there's no Tell Him How To Do His Job option in the dialog wheel. And I can't press a significant NPC if he doesn't want to talk. Mass Effect doesn't let me do what I want: it lets me lean the way I want, within its narrow parameters. Why tease me by pretending I have a real choice? -It's somewhat ironic for BioWare, Lords of the Modern RPG, to damn the sins of JRPG tropes and extol the virtues of "real storytelling." Shepard has equipment and an item pack. Shepard has party members and menu commands. Shepard talks to vapid NPCs and examines treasure chests. Shepard levels up and allocates talent points. Shepard follows linear paths and corridors, with occasional breaks for dialog and sidequests. +It's somewhat ironic for BioWare, Lords of the Modern RPG, to damn the sins of JRPG tropes and extol the virtues of "real storytelling." Shepard has equipment and an item pack. Shepard has party members and menu commands. Shepard talks to vapid NPCs and examines treasure chests. Shepard levels up and allocates talent points. Shepard follows linear paths and corridors, with occasional breaks for dialog and sidequests. Don't get me wrong: I like the game, to an extent. Mass Effect's stat-based gunplay isn't as engaging as the ', but it's grown on me. And far be it from me to turn down fuckin' spaceships. It just disappoints me that, when I'm chatting with aliens instead of shooting them, Mass Effect feels like Final Fantasy in space. Which is to say, it feels like Star Ocean. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2247.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2247.md index 3b782004..fa666a00 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2247.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2247.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] rating = [ "Awful" ] +++ -This is the funniest part of the game. And a joke about 's loading elevators. It doesn't get any better than those! Unfortunately. +This is the funniest part of the game. And a joke about 's loading elevators. It doesn't get any better than those! Unfortunately. The last level did have a few humorous touches - jabs at game studio employees - but it in no way made the rest of the game, or even just that level, worth it. Eat Lead may be a short game, at around 6 hours from start to finish, but is still too long for what it is. The lame jokes and tiresome gameplay wear out their welcome within the first two levels. @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ Really. Don't bother. Better than: Not as good as: -Instead of playing this: just watch Arrested Development +Instead of playing this: just watch Arrested Development Progress: Finished on easy diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2249.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2249.md index a6f68477..f077a501 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2249.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2249.md @@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ My grievances so far: - There is a level where you can jump, and it shows how terrible the camera can be during rapid movement. -- I miss Holly Summers. +- I miss Holly Summers. But these are all minor nitpicks, relative to the good in Desperate Struggle. In so many words, it takes what was good about , removes most of what was not-so-good, and adds even more good. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2633.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2633.md index 53b5d59f..440aa317 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2633.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2633.md @@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Demons of the Badlands is simple, destructive fun; but it lacks the variety, the I'm glad it came free with the PC version, because if I paid for this, I might be harsher on it. -Better than: horse armor +Better than: horse armor Not as good as: Red Faction's story sucks: so a prequel is kind of stupid diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2656.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2656.md index bca4ea90..51a03e53 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2656.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2656.md @@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ During my previously-glogged playthrough of Red Faction: Guerrilla, I had my gra The Internet suggested that I turn off Ambient Occlusion, so I did that, and now it runs too fast. Not just fast enough to make me think it was slow, before; fast enough to be unreasonably fast. In fact, this'll happen if I lower any graphics settings at all. It seems like the game just isn't designed to throttle itself correctly. -This is apparently a known issue running RF:G (and ?) in Win7, and Volition has no intention of fixing it. Thanks, assholes. +This is apparently a known issue running RF:G (and ?) in Win7, and Volition has no intention of fixing it. Thanks, assholes. -I also had a ton of difficulty getting the game to run in the first place - there is a whole rigamarole to go through in applying a patch, thanks to Games for Windows LIVE - but I was willing to write that off as a fluke. I guess the [free DLC](game:Red Faction: Guerrilla - Demons of the Badlands) was to make up for not doing due diligence in debugging the PC version. +I also had a ton of difficulty getting the game to run in the first place - there is a whole rigamarole to go through in applying a patch, thanks to Games for Windows LIVE - but I was willing to write that off as a fluke. I guess the [free DLC](game:Red Faction: Guerrilla - Demons of the Badlands) was to make up for not doing due diligence in debugging the PC version. It's a shame to say, because the game is stupid fun and plays great with a mouse, but maybe you are better off with a console version. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2659.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2659.md index 68067ba5..8a4c6a6a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2659.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2659.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "NDS" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I concluded the game's story, unraveling its final mysteries (well, except a few I had to check the interweb for) - and I did it all without being terribly frustrated. Granted, I did have to do several boss fights on Easy to get by; but TWEWY never outright stopped me from going on, just because I wasn't good enough, and I really admire the game's design for that. +I concluded the game's story, unraveling its final mysteries (well, except a few I had to check the interweb for) - and I did it all without being terribly frustrated. Granted, I did have to do several boss fights on Easy to get by; but TWEWY never outright stopped me from going on, just because I wasn't good enough, and I really admire the game's design for that. My own shortcomings aside, there are things about the battle system that could be improved. When enemies can shoot me from off-screen, but I can neither see them, nor hurt them with full-screen attacks, I feel slightly cheated. Touch-screen maneuvering (moving and dodging) can be sketchy, as the game struggles to properly recognize gesture input. Not to mention several pins activated by gestures, which, naturally, fail to register at the worst possible moments. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2753.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2753.md index ce07401e..f59af94b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2753.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2753.md @@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -There are some features of Red Faction: Guerrilla that make for easy comparison with other recent games. Guerrilla missions, for instance, are functionally similar to recon missions in - the difference being that Red Faction has a lot of mission types, almost all of which are fun. And the free-roaming nature of collecting salvage to upgrade is not unlike 's power-up orbs, although Alec Mason is upgraded more through his weapons than through his personal attributes. (Also, Michael McConnohie is the voice of your commander in both Crackdown and RF:G. Interesting!) +There are some features of Red Faction: Guerrilla that make for easy comparison with other recent games. Guerrilla missions, for instance, are functionally similar to recon missions in - the difference being that Red Faction has a lot of mission types, almost all of which are fun. And the free-roaming nature of collecting salvage to upgrade is not unlike 's power-up orbs, although Alec Mason is upgraded more through his weapons than through his personal attributes. (Also, Michael McConnohie is the voice of your commander in both Crackdown and RF:G. Interesting!) Red Faction may share ideas with some other sandbox titles, but the amount of fun I'm having is difficult to compare to. It's rare to find a game where failure is enjoyable, but when I fail a mission in Red Faction, I am almost invariably looking forward to trying it again. It really nails the simple pleasures of destroying things. -Back when RF:G was new, there was a popular critical opinion that the default game difficulty was too high, and that optimal fun could be found in Easy. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm having no qualms about Normal. Recently I had been feeling pretty fragile in the game's tougher firefights; and then, a new armor upgrade opened up. Of course, death is expected, and in certain missions, frequent - but like I said, I still have fun doing these missions the umpteenth time. I'm not opposed to the idea of [switching to Easy](game:The World Ends with You) to find fun in a difficult game. I'm just saying, for Red Faction, I don't see this as significant. +Back when RF:G was new, there was a popular critical opinion that the default game difficulty was too high, and that optimal fun could be found in Easy. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm having no qualms about Normal. Recently I had been feeling pretty fragile in the game's tougher firefights; and then, a new armor upgrade opened up. Of course, death is expected, and in certain missions, frequent - but like I said, I still have fun doing these missions the umpteenth time. I'm not opposed to the idea of [switching to Easy](game:The World Ends with You) to find fun in a difficult game. I'm just saying, for Red Faction, I don't see this as significant. As for the narrative, it's showing some signs of, uh, trying to do something; I'm still not impressed. There are these Marauders, basically Mad Max rejects wandering out in the Martian desert, who appear to just be hyperviolent savages but may hint at a deeper secret. All I know is, beating them to death with my sledgehammer is great fun. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2813.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2813.md index 1e2a5420..393135d0 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2813.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2813.md @@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ Then adds: * Two missions where you play as Shinobu * A fight where you play as Henry * Hilarious breast physics -* Tiger mode +* Tiger mode * An astronaut A cosmonaut NMH2 does not have the shock value that NMH did, because it mostly treads the same ground (mechanically, anyway; the first game did not have any astronauts cosmonauts). But while it may not be a wholly new experience, it is much more refined; especially as regards the side jobs, which have become fun enough to rival the fighting part of the game. The sequel's highs are not much higher than the original's, but the lows have been addressed with a vengeance. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2853.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2853.md index 455214ac..a476ef91 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2853.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2853.md @@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] rating = [ "Awful" ] +++ -It stinks! +It stinks! -On paper, Eat Lead is a great idea. A comedic send-up of established video game tropes, tied together by a parodic fourth-wall-breaking story, should be good even if the gameplay sucks. And it does suck! As with [Kane & Lynch](game:Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PC, PS3, X360)), I knew going in that the game was, metrically, bad. The shooting mechanics are not as offensively awful as in K&L - Eat Lead actually has a halfway-respectable cover system, somewhat marred by glitchy controls. It also has ridiculous difficulty settings (impossibly easy or impossibly impossible), retarded level design, wave after wave of mindless enemies, and disappointingly uninspired weapons. +On paper, Eat Lead is a great idea. A comedic send-up of established video game tropes, tied together by a parodic fourth-wall-breaking story, should be good even if the gameplay sucks. And it does suck! As with [Kane & Lynch](game:Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PC, PS3, X360)), I knew going in that the game was, metrically, bad. The shooting mechanics are not as offensively awful as in K&L - Eat Lead actually has a halfway-respectable cover system, somewhat marred by glitchy controls. It also has ridiculous difficulty settings (impossibly easy or impossibly impossible), retarded level design, wave after wave of mindless enemies, and disappointingly uninspired weapons. -Anyway! Like I was saying, this would be fine if the game was as funny as something starring (the voice of) Will Arnett should be. But the writing is terrible. One or two genuinely funny moments aside, the majority of the game's scenarios, dialog, and pratfalls are just lame. Not even lowbrow, just, not funny. "Master Chef?" Really? Come on. +Anyway! Like I was saying, this would be fine if the game was as funny as something starring (the voice of) Will Arnett should be. But the writing is terrible. One or two genuinely funny moments aside, the majority of the game's scenarios, dialog, and pratfalls are just lame. Not even lowbrow, just, not funny. "Master Chef?" Really? Come on. The tragic flaw of Eat Lead is that it "makes fun of" stupid game design decisions by doing them. The design doc for this was probably a riot. But in actually executing it, the game misses the point! Running around in circles because you can't find the exit; waiting for a pointless loading screen; lazily headshotting zombies for minutes at a time - these are funny when they happen to someone else. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2983.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2983.md index 89a9699e..a47a5b53 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2983.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/01/2983.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ There are three aspects of Desperate Struggle to consider. 1\) Fighting! It's, uh, like - same ideas, but more refined. I just got a beam sword that can stretch across the room. Sweet. -2\) Not fighting! The somewhat-tiring overworld from the first game is just a map screen, now. And you probably know that the minigames have become retro-themed throwbacks. Also, you can play with a cat. +2\) Not fighting! The somewhat-tiring overworld from the first game is just a map screen, now. And you probably know that the minigames have become retro-themed throwbacks. Also, you can play with a cat. 3\) Writing! The first game was over the top, and this one is over that. Half the lines sound straight from a Tarantino movie. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2154.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2154.md index 30adabe9..f229e48b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2154.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2154.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Despite its brevity - I finished in about two hours of gameplay - there is even VVVVVV doesn't reach the divine heights of or show you as diverse environs as a Super Mario. But it's a unique and impressive platform game that'll get your mind going, and is relatively easy to digest. Also, the music is awesome. -If you're at all frugal - and don't get me started about being frugal - $15 for a two-hour game will strike you a little roughly. In a marketplace where hours-long games tend under $10, VVVVVV really isn't priced competitively. But try looking at it another way: that's just more than a good lunch, or a movie ticket. This is fun, for $15. Who cares! Do it. +If you're at all frugal - and don't get me started about being frugal - $15 for a two-hour game will strike you a little roughly. In a marketplace where hours-long games tend under $10, VVVVVV really isn't priced competitively. But try looking at it another way: that's just more than a good lunch, or a movie ticket. This is fun, for $15. Who cares! Do it. Better than: most Flash games Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2322.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2322.md index 7a93a872..69217231 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2322.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2322.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "VVVVVV" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -This has some pretty strong buzz surrounding it, so I had to give the demo a whirl. After all, dumb gimmicky Flash games can be a fun afternoon-waster. +This has some pretty strong buzz surrounding it, so I had to give the demo a whirl. After all, dumb gimmicky Flash games can be a fun afternoon-waster. A few minutes later, I'd decided: VVVVVV is brilliant. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2364.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2364.md index b30ca644..1c9f668c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2364.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2364.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] There are three notable differences between this game and the rest of the franchise: -1) It stars Miles Edgeworth. No kidding. Since Miles already became a likable hardass in earlier Ace Attorney games, he doesn't possess the development arc that made Phoenix Wright an interesting character. But, he does have his own charms, e.g. his inner-voice's superiority complex. +1) It stars Miles Edgeworth. No kidding. Since Miles already became a likable hardass in earlier Ace Attorney games, he doesn't possess the development arc that made Phoenix Wright an interesting character. But, he does have his own charms, e.g. his inner-voice's superiority complex. 2) It's about investigating (whoa!). In two chapters, I haven't set foot in a courtroom once. AAI instead places a heavy emphasis on crime scene action: the Logic system (comparable to the [psyche-lock](game:Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All) system) allows Miles to connect observations and thoughts, forming leads to follow-up on. You'll still interview people and scrutinize in-the-field testimony, pointing out contradictions and presenting evidence, but - at least so far - there are no gavels. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2499.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2499.md index 61d31fe5..36308a1c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2499.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/02/2499.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I seem to recall saying that I wouldn't play Mass Effect again. Well, [the sequel](game:Mass Effect 2) has been getting ridiculously good reviews, and I am aching to play it. But! I know that the moment I buy it, it'll get a crazy Steam sale, because that's just how things work. So I decided to try a fresh start in the first game. And I'm glad I did - but a few hours into it, I think I've had enough. +I seem to recall saying that I wouldn't play Mass Effect again. Well, [the sequel](game:Mass Effect 2) has been getting ridiculously good reviews, and I am aching to play it. But! I know that the moment I buy it, it'll get a crazy Steam sale, because that's just how things work. So I decided to try a fresh start in the first game. And I'm glad I did - but a few hours into it, I think I've had enough. Last time, I played as an Infiltrator class: a tech/weapons hybrid, which I really just chose for the sniper rifle specialization. This time I tried the Vanguard, a biotic/weapons hybrid, and really the biggest difference is that I miss my sniper rifle. Biotic skills are neat, but I'd much rather order my party members to use them, and stick to shooting for myself. I'm pretty sure my ideal ME1 class would have been the Soldier. I've read that the classes in ME2 are much more diverse and interesting, and frankly, that doesn't sound like a very tall order. @@ -18,6 +18,6 @@ There were a few other things I did differently by accident. For instance, >!I That last part - knowing that there's so much of the game lore that I happened to miss (not to mention all the side-quests I never did) - is the reason I'd really consider playing the game again. But, most of the game is still no different, and I'm not very excited by the prospect of trudging through all of it again. I'd like to just load up my old save and go do some side-quests, but of course, I can't do that because I'm saved way past a point of no return. Nuts. -Anyway, I learned a lot about the depth and breadth of the Mass Effect mythos, and I'm more excited than ever to play Mass Effect 2. And as for the sequel's consequences to decisions I made in the first game? Well, thank Gunpei for downloadable save files. +Anyway, I learned a lot about the depth and breadth of the Mass Effect mythos, and I'm more excited than ever to play Mass Effect 2. And as for the sequel's consequences to decisions I made in the first game? Well, thank Gunpei for downloadable save files. Progress: "Space Bitch" didn't make it off the Citadel \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2178.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2178.md index 9d152186..4fb99016 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2178.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2178.md @@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ rating = [ "Meh" ] Yeah, I'm done with this. It didn't take long for the game to start to challenge me, and frankly, I'm not motivated enough to see it through. The story just isn't interesting enough. Parts of it seemed goofy, which I guess is the writing's fault, but there were also moments where I'm almost positive that the English localization wasn't giving me the correct impression. -Not for me. +Not for me. Progress: Gave Up -- Chapter 1-5 \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2266.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2266.md index 685f67ee..f3ac07ec 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2266.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2266.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Darksiders" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -Back when it was known as Darksiders: Wrath of War, and appeared to be a badass with a chaingun, I was really looking forward to it. Fast forward a few years, the thing actually comes out, and apparently it's a Diablo-inspired Zelda. Which sounds less exciting, since Zelda clones tend to be pretty shitty; but actually, as far as I saw in the demo, Darksiders is quite good. +Back when it was known as Darksiders: Wrath of War, and appeared to be a badass with a chaingun, I was really looking forward to it. Fast forward a few years, the thing actually comes out, and apparently it's a Diablo-inspired Zelda. Which sounds less exciting, since Zelda clones tend to be pretty shitty; but actually, as far as I saw in the demo, Darksiders is quite good. It does a lot of things - button-mashy combat, dungeon puzzles, Zelda items - but it does all of them well. And it looks consistently gorgeous, too. I was a little worried that the game would be too "edgy" for me, but the theme and story (again, as far as I saw in the demo) take a back-seat to the compelling gameplay. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2378.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2378.md index ec1dcaec..be4ca5a5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2378.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2378.md @@ -14,10 +14,10 @@ Calling Torchlight "derivative" would be an understatement. There is a dungeon That it so intimately imitates Diablo isn't really a bad thing; the formula is good, and Torchlight tunes the experience (e.g. through item drop rates) such that the stick holding the carrot is just in front of your face. But the game's scant additional features really don't make it feel different enough. I played this game ten years ago. -Which is startlingly like another game I recently bought - but while the 2010 version of added online multiplayer, this 2010 2009 version of Diablo removed it. Huh? As what is apparently an engine proof for a real multiplayer game, Torchlight is pretty good - and you can do worse with $5 - but as an actual game I find it hard to recommend. Even if [WoW](game:World of Warcraft) is the closest you've ever come to , you're really better off getting Blizzard's version, so that you can play it with friends. +Which is startlingly like another game I recently bought - but while the 2010 version of added online multiplayer, this 2010 2009 version of Diablo removed it. Huh? As what is apparently an engine proof for a real multiplayer game, Torchlight is pretty good - and you can do worse with $5 - but as an actual game I find it hard to recommend. Even if [WoW](game:World of Warcraft) is the closest you've ever come to , you're really better off getting Blizzard's version, so that you can play it with friends. Better than: Not as good as: -Not worth $20: good thing it's almost always on sale +Not worth $20: good thing it's almost always on sale Progress: Gave Up -- Level 10-ish \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2679.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2679.md index 8722c641..7f7a4edf 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2679.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/2679.md @@ -14,12 +14,12 @@ I landed in Hove Beach last weekend, and have been playing it at every op So far my three biggest complaints are: -* Cell phone conversations are easily interrupted, and they usually don't call back (thank you, game script!) +* Cell phone conversations are easily interrupted, and they usually don't call back (thank you, game script!) * No trip skip (mission retries are easy, but some trips are still really long) * I cannot understand what the fuck Little Jacob is talking about Which are not super-huge complaints, really. I'd complain about the targeting system being a little wonky, but for once, it's actually good enough to convince me that dying is my own damn fault. And a lot of the little extras, like in-game TV and bowling, are a total waste of time and/or pain in the ass - but they're always fully skippable. -This engine and storytelling, in Vice City? Yeah, I could dig that. +This engine and storytelling, in Vice City? Yeah, I could dig that. Progress: Robbed a bank! Yes! \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/3048.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/3048.md index 720ffd26..046b83c0 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/3048.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/03/3048.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Maelstrom" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -When I ordered on sale (more to come on this one!), GoGamer threw in a copy of Maelstrom for free. I only got a few minutes into it before I realized that the unintentional hilarity wasn't worth the effort. +When I ordered on sale (more to come on this one!), GoGamer threw in a copy of Maelstrom for free. I only got a few minutes into it before I realized that the unintentional hilarity wasn't worth the effort. The writing, the voice acting, the animation, the graphics, the sound quality - this game's presentation is abysmal. Come on, 2007, you can do better than this! As for the game itself, all I saw was a mediocre squad-based RTS with useless AI and baffling controls. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2066.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2066.md index c521adc2..52ae20fd 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2066.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2066.md @@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ The blatant lack of care in the PC version is another surprise. For a genre-com A more pleasant surprise is the removal of the nonsensical Omni-Gel. Now Shepard collects four different kinds of raw material, by searching treasure chests ambient debris in missions, as well as by scanning planets for resources. These materials are used variously in upgrading the Normandy, improving squad weapons, enhancing armor, and for other miscellany. So far I've only really used the Iridium resource, though, leaving me with ass-loads of Platinum and Palladium, which just sit around on my ship I guess. -Another surprise? How awesome it feels to take orders from Martin Sheen. +Another surprise? How awesome it feels to take orders from Martin Sheen. One thing that isn't surprising is the story and writing: it's the same stuff, although with less of a boring introduction (unless you're new to the franchise, and decide to laboriously read through everything in the Codex). The plot is enough to pique my interest, but not terribly compelling. Lead characters are well-written and intriguing, while bit parts are low-budget and expendable. The Paragon/Renegade system is a little more user-friendly this time around, but sometimes just seems goofy - how is sucking up to Cerberus a renegade act? -I'm not quite as awe-inspired by ME2 as I thought I'd be, but it's still fun, and unquestionably more polished than its predecessor. In fairness, too, I've still got plenty of hours left for the game to heat up. +I'm not quite as awe-inspired by ME2 as I thought I'd be, but it's still fun, and unquestionably more polished than its predecessor. In fairness, too, I've still got plenty of hours left for the game to heat up. One more surprise: Miranda's teeth. Promotional materials do a good job of not focusing on her face, but when the game zooms in... eesh. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2098.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2098.md index df956e23..ca971d64 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2098.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2098.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I was a bit unsure about Winterbottom, in spite of its great reviews, because it looked like it might be a -like: more fidgety than strategy. But with a simple control set and some very imaginative level design, it's actually a lot more like , which is an extremely good thing. +I was a bit unsure about Winterbottom, in spite of its great reviews, because it looked like it might be a -like: more fidgety than strategy. But with a simple control set and some very imaginative level design, it's actually a lot more like , which is an extremely good thing. Winterbottom's core gameplay mechanic is being able to record clones of the main character (that is, Winterbottom). The clone will play back its recording on an infinite loop, so you can do two - or N+1, where N is the level's maximum number of clones - things at once. You also have an umbrella attack, which launches a clone in an arc before your [time paradox](game:Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater) leads to its destruction. These concepts combine with a variety of environmental mechanisms, like springs and levers, to create timing- and thought-intensive puzzles. @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ In the first (of five) worlds, several stages were revisited in various ways - o The game's aesthetic is particularly remarkable, with film-grain effects, ominous olde-tymey music, and humorous rhymes to kick off each stage. Winterbottom revels in its presentation, and it really feels one-of-a-kind. -Also, it's $5. Amazing! +Also, it's $5. Amazing! Progress: Level 2-3 \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2261.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2261.md index c1d4ea95..2df9efb9 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2261.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2261.md @@ -12,10 +12,10 @@ Remember two hours ago, when I was halfway through the game? Since then, I got So yeah, my total completion time was somewhere south of 4 hours, even with numerous dies-and-retries in retarded chokepoints full of dead-eye Russians. I won't even bother mentioning the countless minor issues with Rogue Warrior - except that it is stupefying how often reloads get cancelled - since, at their worst, they will only last a few hours. -If you're like me, and have an unhealthy obsession with bad games, this is a great one because of how short and vulgar it is. Otherwise, just watch the credits and forget that there's a video game preceding them. +If you're like me, and have an unhealthy obsession with bad games, this is a great one because of how short and vulgar it is. Otherwise, just watch the credits and forget that there's a video game preceding them. Better than: (Rogue Warrior is funny!) Not as good as: real video games -Seriously: watch those credits +Seriously: watch those credits Progress: Finished on Regulars (normal) diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2562.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2562.md index d8bf62e5..b0888e81 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2562.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2562.md @@ -16,11 +16,11 @@ Which is great, because the campaign is not nearly as impressive. The pacing is Although the plot in general isn't too special, and most of the characters are disposable, Sean Devlin is a great protagonist. He's a rough-and-tumble anti-hero who you'll be rooting for all the way. Plus, he swears like a, well, like an Irishman, which gives all the game's tense moments a necessary shot of "Fuckin' Hell!" commentary. -The Saboteur isn't perfect, not even mentioning relatively infrequent but sometimes rather bad bugs. What it is, though, is incredibly fun. Provided you enjoy killin' a lot of Nazis. +The Saboteur isn't perfect, not even mentioning relatively infrequent but sometimes rather bad bugs. What it is, though, is incredibly fun. Provided you enjoy killin' a lot of Nazis. Better than: (without driving a truck through a building, even!) Not as good as: (in GTA, at least, non-Nazis -mobsters are still fun to interact with) -I'd buy a sequel: so, come on, guys +I'd buy a sequel: so, come on, guys I may have seen the ending, but I'm not done yet! I've still got almost half of the game's Freeplay Targets left. There are plenty more Nazis to kill. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2585.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2585.md index 69f3a990..4b3e52c7 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2585.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2585.md @@ -8,16 +8,16 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -Most GTA clones stick to imitating the gritty modern-crime formula, with some floaty aiming and driving controls tacked on; "not as good," in so many words. But, as they showed in [Mercenaries](game:Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction), Pandemic has had a knack for making an open-world havoc game thematically different enough that it feels unique - special, even. The Saboteur does this in two ways. +Most GTA clones stick to imitating the gritty modern-crime formula, with some floaty aiming and driving controls tacked on; "not as good," in so many words. But, as they showed in [Mercenaries](game:Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction), Pandemic has had a knack for making an open-world havoc game thematically different enough that it feels unique - special, even. The Saboteur does this in two ways. -The first is killin' Nazis. It may sound hackneyed, but through the city's oppressed color palette, asshole Nazi NPC behavior, and (somewhat spotty) story scenes, The Saboteur does a great job of vilifying its villains. More so than receiving upgrade points or advancing the plot, killing those fuckers feels like a genuine reward in and of itself. +The first is killin' Nazis. It may sound hackneyed, but through the city's oppressed color palette, asshole Nazi NPC behavior, and (somewhat spotty) story scenes, The Saboteur does a great job of vilifying its villains. More so than receiving upgrade points or advancing the plot, killing those fuckers feels like a genuine reward in and of itself. -The second is tits. +The second is tits. The Saboteur is a rare case where, in spite of some jarring voice-over accents and jerky character animations, the game world feels highly immersive - because I want to play in it. It preys on my knowledge of historical events, my desire to see the Nazis defeated, and my desire to help Sean Devlin get his revenge. It's a compelling package. As for the gameplay, it's very workable, although I don't know that I've been blown away (no pun intended) by anything so far. Naturally, the driving controls are a little floaty; aiming is okay, though. There's some in here, too, as Sean can climb to the rooftops - but once he's up there, rather than parkour around the city, he tends to just blow shit up. -There are a jillion non-linear objectives scattered around Paris, from destructible Nazi structures, to observation points, to car collecting, not to mention unlockable "perks" from completing particular challenges. For instance, killing a bunch of Nazis with grenades got me a bigger bomb bag. Though I have yet to dive in too deeply, all those little objective blips on my map are very enticing. +There are a jillion non-linear objectives scattered around Paris, from destructible Nazi structures, to observation points, to car collecting, not to mention unlockable "perks" from completing particular challenges. For instance, killing a bunch of Nazis with grenades got me a bigger bomb bag. Though I have yet to dive in too deeply, all those little objective blips on my map are very enticing. Progress: Act 1 \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2636.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2636.md index 37dce3b8..973d9faa 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2636.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2636.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -When COD4 came out back in twenty-aught-seven, I had no feelings for it one way or the other, aside from some mild satisfaction that someone had finally made a shooter not about World War II. Fast forward to more recently, when its [follow-up](game:Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) was about to become bigger than Jesus, and suddenly I hear that people are excited about the single-player. Really? Allegedly, the first Modern Warfare had a thrilling campaign, and I had gone two years without hearing a word about it. +When COD4 came out back in twenty-aught-seven, I had no feelings for it one way or the other, aside from some mild satisfaction that someone had finally made a shooter not about World War II. Fast forward to more recently, when its [follow-up](game:Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) was about to become bigger than Jesus, and suddenly I hear that people are excited about the single-player. Really? Allegedly, the first Modern Warfare had a thrilling campaign, and I had gone two years without hearing a word about it. So far, though, I'm unimpressed. The tutorial mission was pretty neat, but the narrative is completely disjointed - missions alternate between a British SAS soldier and a US marine, with less cohesion than a typical episode of '24'. Cutscenes seem more about Michael Bay-style CGI flash than actual content. And although there are characters, with names, none of them have any personality. Christ, even managed to have personality. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2708.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2708.md index 34ca884a..c1ed49ca 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2708.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2708.md @@ -14,6 +14,6 @@ Mechanically, Modern Warfare hits most of the right notes, but still has a few i I'm halfway through the game, on Regular difficulty, and it just isn't fun anymore. I die instantly, and repeatedly, with little warning. I'd love to dial down the difficulty just to see the other half through, but, naturally, there's no way for me to change mid-campaign. Yeah, the intro mission suggested that I play on easy mode - but now that I believe it, I'm supposed to start the whole game over again? No way. -Clearly Modern Warfare has been extremely successful, and as far as I know, the multiplayer is some of the best in its class. But there's nothing to the single-player experience. In so many words, it's bullshit. +Clearly Modern Warfare has been extremely successful, and as far as I know, the multiplayer is some of the best in its class. But there's nothing to the single-player experience. In so many words, it's bullshit. Progress: Gave Up -- Got to "Safehouse" \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2822.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2822.md index a29bfcbf..7caecf04 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2822.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2822.md @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ platform = [ "Wii" ] True story: before the new [Punch-Out!!](game:Punch-Out!! (2009)) for Wii came out, I thought the franchise was actually about boxing. I guess that's like thinking that Mario games are actually about plumbing. Sounds pretty retarded when I put it that way. -Anyway! Nintendo offered this downloadable mini-game as a gift to people who've bought too many Nintendo games, so I decided to (finally) give it a whirl. I have a new appreciation for the Punch-Out gameplay formula, but don't really care much for it - as a test of memory and reflexes, it utterly flummoxes me. +Anyway! Nintendo offered this downloadable mini-game as a gift to people who've bought too many Nintendo games, so I decided to (finally) give it a whirl. I have a new appreciation for the Punch-Out gameplay formula, but don't really care much for it - as a test of memory and reflexes, it utterly flummoxes me. If you're a person who's good at video games, though, it seems like this (meaning, the [full game](game:Punch-Out!! (2009)), not this borderline racist preview) would be right up your alley. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2921.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2921.md index 95409821..5f7df7ae 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2921.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2921.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] It is really hard for me to stop playing this game. Earlier today I described it to someone as " with real Nazis" (as opposed to Martian Nazis), and I'm having a hard time coming up with a better comparison. The biggest difference between the two is, where in RF:G you felt like the leader of a rebellion, in Saboteur you are pretty much a rebellion all by yourself. This game also has friendly AI, but it doesn't come up very often; almost invariably, you rely solely on your own personal ability to infiltrate and demolish. -This being said, it's occurred to me that your enjoyment of The Saboteur is entirely dependent upon how much you like killin' Nazis. The game's prologue leads you to believe that it's a mission-driven game, but that's really not true; looking back at some less-than-positive reviews from the game's release, I can now immediately understand that these people did not "play the game right." Not that it's their fault, but - if, rather than taking your time to surgically extricate the Nazi presence from France, you instead try to charge through the game's story missions, you will find that these missions are made difficult by Nazis being fucking everywhere. Also, the game world will be predominantly in black-and-white. So, frustrating and depressing, all at once. +This being said, it's occurred to me that your enjoyment of The Saboteur is entirely dependent upon how much you like killin' Nazis. The game's prologue leads you to believe that it's a mission-driven game, but that's really not true; looking back at some less-than-positive reviews from the game's release, I can now immediately understand that these people did not "play the game right." Not that it's their fault, but - if, rather than taking your time to surgically extricate the Nazi presence from France, you instead try to charge through the game's story missions, you will find that these missions are made difficult by Nazis being fucking everywhere. Also, the game world will be predominantly in black-and-white. So, frustrating and depressing, all at once. I will readily admit that this aforementioned Nazi presence is staggering - I've spent most of the past several days blowing up tanks and lookout towers, and the game's stats screen informs me that I've only done around 20% of its "freeplay" targets. That's a lot of Nazis! Fortunately for me, and my opinion of the game, I love killin' Nazis. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2963.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2963.md index 8acac866..e19f849c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2963.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/04/2963.md @@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ And the New Game + option is welcome - but restricted to the same class I alread My complaints are numerous, but what ME2 does right is more than a match for them. The shooting is fun, the characters are interesting, and the game world is, in general, a pleasure to take part in. The sequel is superior to the original, and a significant step forward. But there's still a long way between it and perfection. Here's hoping doesn't rest on this game's laurels. Better than: -Not as good as: I had been led to believe +Not as good as: I had been led to believe My Shepard banged: No one. I respected them too much. Can you believe it? Progress: Finished on Veteran \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/05/2512.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/05/2512.md index ba0f69da..2a160ca6 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/05/2512.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/05/2512.md @@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ So here's the story, so far. * ** Once you collect all 120 stars, you'll be told to fight Bowser again - after which, 120*** more stars appear. "Green prankster comets" show up, and put green stars in each galaxy; some are hidden just out of sight, while others are right in front of your nose, and require Super Mario precision to get. * *** Once you collect all 240 stars, a new galaxy, Grandmaster Galaxy, appears at the end of the Special World. This galaxy is a straightforward but challenging gauntlet, with six phases of obstacles and enemies between you and the final**** star. * **** Once you collect the 241st star, and stuff the banktoad full of star bits, a prankster comet appears on Grandmaster Galaxy and challenges you to doing the whole level over again - with one hit point and no checkpoints. -* Finally, after 242 stars, Rosalina appears and says thanks. Great. +* Finally, after 242 stars, Rosalina appears and says thanks. Great. I never did much in Super Luigi Galaxy, because replaying the whole game over as Luigi just sounded silly and unpleasant. But finding SMG2's hidden green stars, while not as exciting as the first 120, is at least enough of a mystery to keep me interested. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/05/2957.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/05/2957.md index 6398ceb2..c3f3440c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/05/2957.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/05/2957.md @@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ platform = [ "Wii" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -Is Mario Galaxy 2 the best Mario game ever? Probably! In terms of "pure" video gaming, without stories or dialog or character development, this is absolutely as good as it gets. +Is Mario Galaxy 2 the best Mario game ever? Probably! In terms of "pure" video gaming, without stories or dialog or character development, this is absolutely as good as it gets. It's difficult to nail down particulars - SMG2 is just great. The gameplay mechanics are solid. The world designs are delightful. The variety and pacing are perfect. Looks awesome, sounds awesome. It's more challenging than the first game, but can also offer more built-in help if you need it. -Also, Throwback Galaxy. Yes! +Also, Throwback Galaxy. Yes! Better than: Not as good as: ??? diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2289.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2289.md index 6e3e5d18..48ecac36 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2289.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2289.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "Wii" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -Pre-Ridley, I was able to defeat most of Super Metroid's challenges by relying on how overpowered Super Missiles are (or, in Draygon's case, by reading the interweb and discovering his actual weakness). But Ridley isn't as much of a sucker - he requires you to be very good, which I'm not, or to be very powered-up. So I took a lap around the map, collected all the energy tanks (again, with the interweb's help), and was then able to tolerate Ridley long enough to actually kill him. +Pre-Ridley, I was able to defeat most of Super Metroid's challenges by relying on how overpowered Super Missiles are (or, in Draygon's case, by reading the interweb and discovering his actual weakness). But Ridley isn't as much of a sucker - he requires you to be very good, which I'm not, or to be very powered-up. So I took a lap around the map, collected all the energy tanks (again, with the interweb's help), and was then able to tolerate Ridley long enough to actually kill him. The extra HP also made Mother Brain kind of a pushover. Ending was cool. Could have done a better job of tying into the introduction, though. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2301.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2301.md index 582058cc..55007008 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2301.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2301.md @@ -8,13 +8,13 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -Once I'd picked up the hookshot, it was clear to me that Vigil's wholesale copying of the Zelda formula was 100% intentional. Which is why I was so thrown off when my next item turned out to be the gun from Portal. +Once I'd picked up the hookshot, it was clear to me that Vigil's wholesale copying of the Zelda formula was 100% intentional. Which is why I was so thrown off when my next item turned out to be the gun from Portal. Darksiders does a lot, but none of it could really be called its own. For the most part - excepting a general lack of sidequests, the sometimes-repetitive combat, an underimplemented world map, and the way-too-fucking-long Black Throne dungeon - it's fairly well-executed, if extremely familiar. The one thing that Darksiders can really lay claim to is its story and mythos, although it could have been done much better -- past the intro cinematics, and getting to know the NPCs, it pretty much puts storytelling on hold until the last hour or so, where the whole plot comes out in a confusing whirlwind. -Through the versatility of its engine, and the obvious thought put into its backstory, the Darksiders concept has a lot of potential. I hope the inevitable sequel(s) mix things up a bit more, though. +Through the versatility of its engine, and the obvious thought put into its backstory, the Darksiders concept has a lot of potential. I hope the inevitable sequel(s) mix things up a bit more, though. Better than: your average Zelda clone Not as good as: a real Zelda diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2449.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2449.md index a5252ba5..5c3b8db0 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2449.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2449.md @@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ The beginning of the game is absurdly boring and uninteresting, up until the poi The new part of the game that I actually enjoyed was the collection aspect. Collecting Assassin Seals and Codex Pages was pretty fun, although it would have been better if it wasn't, apparently, required for finishing the game. Collecting the hidden symbols actually resulted in a pretty neat reward, but the in-game map was utterly unhelpful for finding them, and the puzzle-solving associated with them was stupid, and on occasion, unnecessarily obtuse. Collecting other stuff to invest in the Villa Auditore was fun at first, until I realized that even if I hadn't done any of it, I would never've been in any danger of ever running out of money. -AC2 is fun at parts, but ultimately disappointing. Instead of working on issues from the first game, Ubisoft added more half-baked features for its sequel. (So the news of an imminent spinoff has me suspecting more of the same.) In a way, it reminds me of the Grand Theft Auto series for PS2 -- but Rockstar, as they cut their teeth on features, and developed their own engine for next-generation hardware, had the luxury of inventing a new premise for [GTA4](game:Grand Theft Auto IV). Even if Ubisoft ends up reinventing the Assassin's Creed franchise later on, they can't work around the fucking terrible story. +AC2 is fun at parts, but ultimately disappointing. Instead of working on issues from the first game, Ubisoft added more half-baked features for its sequel. (So the news of an imminent spinoff has me suspecting more of the same.) In a way, it reminds me of the Grand Theft Auto series for PS2 -- but Rockstar, as they cut their teeth on features, and developed their own engine for next-generation hardware, had the luxury of inventing a new premise for [GTA4](game:Grand Theft Auto IV). Even if Ubisoft ends up reinventing the Assassin's Creed franchise later on, they can't work around the fucking terrible story. I also can't help but compare AC2 to , which is basically better in every way. Sean Devlin could see his enemies' line of sight; Sean Devlin could shoot guns; Sean Devlin could drive a car; Sean Devlin killed Nazis. Ezio Auditore can do none of these things. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2583.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2583.md index 1c2c1683..ca4e2c1d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2583.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2583.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -Throughout the first three "memory sequences" - and the present-day introduction that preceded them - I was, in so many words, upset by Assassin's Creed II. Not with the game itself, really, but with the Internet, which claimed that this game was one of the best of 2009. Frankly, unless the ending includes a giant novelty check being delivered to me by lingerie models, that's false. I can name [at](game:Batman: Arkham Asylum) [least](game:Borderlands) [half](game:No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle) [a](game:Red Faction: Guerrilla) [dozen](game:The Saboteur) [titles](game:Shadow Complex) from last year that are better (unless, you know, lingerie models). +Throughout the first three "memory sequences" - and the present-day introduction that preceded them - I was, in so many words, upset by Assassin's Creed II. Not with the game itself, really, but with the Internet, which claimed that this game was one of the best of 2009. Frankly, unless the ending includes a giant novelty check being delivered to me by lingerie models, that's false. I can name [at](game:Batman: Arkham Asylum) [least](game:Borderlands) [half](game:No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle) [a](game:Red Faction: Guerrilla) [dozen](game:The Saboteur) [titles](game:Shadow Complex) from last year that are better (unless, you know, lingerie models). I described the [first game](game:Assassin's Creed)'s finale as fucking awful, and the beginning of AC2 picks up right where that left off: with an absolutely unbelievable, bullshit story, and vapid characters with dialog ripped right out of an insipid Hollywood summer blockbuster. Then the game plunges you into the Italian Renaissance, and attempts to make you care about even more poorly-written characters who never quite make it all the way to a convincing Italian accent. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2653.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2653.md index 14dcb729..518b6538 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2653.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2653.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "Wii" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I got lost in Maridia for, like, a week and a half because of this fuckin' thing. I swear to god, when I Power Bombed it, it didn't break. I had to use a less-powerful Super Missile instead? And then there's the Maridia boss, Draygon. Don't get me started on Draygon. Jesus. +I got lost in Maridia for, like, a week and a half because of this fuckin' thing. I swear to god, when I Power Bombed it, it didn't break. I had to use a less-powerful Super Missile instead? And then there's the Maridia boss, Draygon. Don't get me started on Draygon. Jesus. I can see how Super Metroid was one of the greatest things ever back in 1994, but 16 years on, its age definitely shows. There're no two ways about the controls -- they suck. (Space Jump? Impossible!) And the game has more than its share of hidden things, from boss techniques to knowing where to go, that are in dire need of a hint system. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2964.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2964.md index b31d329c..b589c017 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2964.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/2964.md @@ -10,12 +10,12 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] After getting to know the map and mechanics a little better, Brütal Legend has grown on me. The RTS parts of the game are pretty silly to start out, but once you apply some basic strategic technique - namely, stealing the enemy's resource nodes, and maintaining a front line - they aren't too bad. The controls are pretty weird, but I think I'm finally getting used to them. -Brütal Legend tries to do a lot -- an ambition [prone to failure](game:Assassin's Creed II). Luckily, Tim Schafer has ensured that the characters and dialog are witty and charming enough to hold everything up. But the core design decision to generally remove a visual UI has me frustrated; the overworld needs heads-up display elements to more usefully indicate where I can go and what I can do. Mini-maps aren't a new thing, guys. As it is, I really doubt I'll bother with the majority of Brütal Legend's assload of unlockables. +Brütal Legend tries to do a lot -- an ambition [prone to failure](game:Assassin's Creed II). Luckily, Tim Schafer has ensured that the characters and dialog are witty and charming enough to hold everything up. But the core design decision to generally remove a visual UI has me frustrated; the overworld needs heads-up display elements to more usefully indicate where I can go and what I can do. Mini-maps aren't a new thing, guys. As it is, I really doubt I'll bother with the majority of Brütal Legend's assload of unlockables. Those aside, the game is pretty short, which is a bit distressing. After four-and-a-half hours of playtime - which includes some amount of sidequesting and tooling around - I'm about three-quarters of the way through the campaign. Actually, given the size of the game world, I get the impression that a much longer story was planned, but largely scrapped. -You've got to cut the cord eventually; but I think Brütal Legend could really have benefited from one more year of development, and some intensive QA feedback, to polish up its many diverse elements. +You've got to cut the cord eventually; but I think Brütal Legend could really have benefited from one more year of development, and some intensive QA feedback, to polish up its many diverse elements. -As a side note, once I found out where to buy upgrades (which took entirely too long), I discovered the most important upgrade in the game: the radio. Brütal Legend has a stupid huge soundtrack, and banging around the surrealistic countryside with some rocking tunes is pretty awesome. +As a side note, once I found out where to buy upgrades (which took entirely too long), I discovered the most important upgrade in the game: the radio. Brütal Legend has a stupid huge soundtrack, and banging around the surrealistic countryside with some rocking tunes is pretty awesome. Progress: Re-rebuilt the bridge with a cubic buttload of scaffolding diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/3032.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/3032.md index 78ff2e00..822e6af0 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/3032.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/3032.md @@ -8,9 +8,9 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awful" ] +++ -Moonbase Alpha is part of a NASA effort to make people (notably, young people) more excited about space exploration and development. If you ask me, it's an utter failure. You've never seen the moon as boring as it is here. +Moonbase Alpha is part of a NASA effort to make people (notably, young people) more excited about space exploration and development. If you ask me, it's an utter failure. You've never seen the moon as boring as it is here. -Being Unreal-based, it looks and controls a little better than you might expect from a game developed under government contract; still not as good as a real video game, but, hey, better than . The gameplay, though, is about as uninteresting as you can get. Per Wikipedia: +Being Unreal-based, it looks and controls a little better than you might expect from a game developed under government contract; still not as good as a real video game, but, hey, better than . The gameplay, though, is about as uninteresting as you can get. Per Wikipedia: As a meteor strike damages an outpost near the moon's South Pole, the player must take control of a member of the outpost's research team and repair the outpost in order to save the 12 years of research accomplished there. @@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ So the entire game consists of moon-jogging very slowly to different part I have to give Moonbase Alpha a little respect for its awkward movement and tedious mechanics -- being an astronaut isn't all ice cream and blowjobs, and much of what the game simulates is probably well-researched and realistic (with the exception of some solder-bypass puzzles ala ). But this is exactly why it doesn't work as a NASA recruitment tool. Who would want to do this in real life? -If NASA wants to get kids excited about space travel, they should focus on the awesome results - like exploring distant worlds, and incredible photographs - instead of on the hard, boring work it takes getting there. +If NASA wants to get kids excited about space travel, they should focus on the awesome results - like exploring distant worlds, and incredible photographs - instead of on the hard, boring work it takes getting there. -Better than: losing a $300-million probe -Not as good as: making real progress -Instead, watch: Moon, When We Left Earth, Apollo 13, Planetes +Better than: losing a $300-million probe +Not as good as: making real progress +Instead, watch: Moon, When We Left Earth, Apollo 13, Planetes Progress: Gave Up -- Accidentally despawned my equipment after ~10 minutes \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/3041.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/3041.md index 23740cec..be85f16c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/3041.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/07/3041.md @@ -10,12 +10,12 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] The back half of Winter of the Melodias sees a return of fresh, inventive mechanics, and the kind of simple yet clever puzzles that made the first game fun. I got a vortex power that created a bunch of new scenarios, and at the end I got to escort a singing robot-king (?) to fight the boss. -Melodias ended up taking me about three and a half hours, but I feel like the first one or two were uninteresting and unnecessary. The sequel may have been designed to address length complaints in the [first game](game:LostWinds), but it really just feels like a boring introduction followed by the real adventure. I would rather have just played the good two hours. +Melodias ended up taking me about three and a half hours, but I feel like the first one or two were uninteresting and unnecessary. The sequel may have been designed to address length complaints in the [first game](game:LostWinds), but it really just feels like a boring introduction followed by the real adventure. I would rather have just played the good two hours. Which are quite good, by the way. Lots of fun stuff in those two hours. Better than: (past the halfway point) Not as good as: -What is Frontier doing now?: Kinectimals? The fuck? +What is Frontier doing now?: Kinectimals? The fuck? Progress: Beat final boss, 41/48 totems \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2470.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2470.md index 9717a9c2..a27f4ccc 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2470.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2470.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "BioShock Infinite" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Last week, when I was harping on about how should have freshened up its setting, this is exactly what I meant. It's pretty rare that a game will sell itself to me on announcement day -- kudos, Irrational. \ No newline at end of file +Last week, when I was harping on about how should have freshened up its setting, this is exactly what I meant. It's pretty rare that a game will sell itself to me on announcement day -- kudos, Irrational. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2547.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2547.md index 98a0e935..31f2c2dd 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2547.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2547.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -It's true -- StarCraft 2 is great. It's just about everything you could hope for in a sequel. That being said, if you disliked , this one isn't going to change your mind. Also, you're going to hell. But that's your business. +It's true -- StarCraft 2 is great. It's just about everything you could hope for in a sequel. That being said, if you disliked , this one isn't going to change your mind. Also, you're going to hell. But that's your business. If there's one thing that Blizzard hasn't over-delivered on, it's the story. The single-player campaign is architected in a non-linear fashion, and has a pretty impressive cast of characters; but none of them are interesting for more than a few minutes. All the male characters are real men's men, making decisions and taking action without a second thought -- they show strong personalities, but no dynamism or conflict. And the one (human) female character is just another damsel in distress. Wings of Liberty has an intriguing plot - which promises to become more intriguing in the Zerg- and Protoss-oriented sequels - but the people involved in it are largely inconsequential. @@ -24,6 +24,6 @@ In conclusion: this is a sequel to StarCraft, and it's great. Better than: Not as good as: if the whole StarCraft II "trilogy" was already available -The Lost Viking mini-game: is, yeah, pretty awesome +The Lost Viking mini-game: is, yeah, pretty awesome Progress: Finished the campaign on Normal \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2593.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2593.md index 435a7ac7..e72a01ea 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2593.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2593.md @@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ rating = [ "Meh" ] Ubisoft has done a [tremendous](game:Assassin's Creed II) [job](game:Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (PC, PS3, X360)) of disappointing me lately. Splinter Cell: Conviction makes it a trifecta. -The game starts out promising enough, building on the fun I had in the demo: while previous Splinter Cells left me bored and frustrated in a matter of minutes, Conviction offered an easily accessible sneaking system, a pleasant amount of freedom in killing thugs (and in completing other objectives, I guess), and an exciting edge that the Bourne game could only wish to achieve. The first few levels are actually pretty fun, and I would generously describe the experience as "[Arkham Asylum](game:Batman: Arkham Asylum) with a gun." +The game starts out promising enough, building on the fun I had in the demo: while previous Splinter Cells left me bored and frustrated in a matter of minutes, Conviction offered an easily accessible sneaking system, a pleasant amount of freedom in killing thugs (and in completing other objectives, I guess), and an exciting edge that the Bourne game could only wish to achieve. The first few levels are actually pretty fun, and I would generously describe the experience as "[Arkham Asylum](game:Batman: Arkham Asylum) with a gun." -But then things start to go awry. The game's narrator, for some reason, suddenly decides to flash-back to Desert Storm -- and now, instead of sneaking around with a silenced pistol, you're charging down sandswept streets with an assault rifle. Putting aside the curious narrative gaffe - the game proceeds to turn into a bad episode of 24 - it raises the question, what game did the design team want to make? (Given the four years Conviction spent in development, it seems like they weren't sure, either.) +But then things start to go awry. The game's narrator, for some reason, suddenly decides to flash-back to Desert Storm -- and now, instead of sneaking around with a silenced pistol, you're charging down sandswept streets with an assault rifle. Putting aside the curious narrative gaffe - the game proceeds to turn into a bad episode of 24 - it raises the question, what game did the design team want to make? (Given the four years Conviction spent in development, it seems like they weren't sure, either.) Returning from the flashback, levels become overburdened with enemies - who, as I discovered at this point, don't indicate their line-of-sight very well - and understaffed by effective hiding spots. As the challenge escalates, options dwindle. Well, more weapons become available, but these are basically meaningless; you have a few silenced pistols which are barely different from one another, and using any of the rest of the weapons is just asking to be killed (Sam Fisher is much worse at soaking up bullets than Batman is). diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2630.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2630.md index 747d15f5..8de8a1c5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2630.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2630.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "Wii" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -It's plainly evident from spending even a few minutes with Other M that this isn't a full-blooded Nintendo game. Nintendo first-parties absolutely can't release a game until it's polished to a blinding sheen, even if it means a [shallow general experience](game:Wii Play). Other M, on the other hand, is a risky proposition: the ambitious storytelling, voice acting, and franchise-changing action gameplay make it unlike any game Nintendo would ever make on its own. The result is, well, imperfect, and could very well be underwhelming depending on your expectations. +It's plainly evident from spending even a few minutes with Other M that this isn't a full-blooded Nintendo game. Nintendo first-parties absolutely can't release a game until it's polished to a blinding sheen, even if it means a [shallow general experience](game:Wii Play). Other M, on the other hand, is a risky proposition: the ambitious storytelling, voice acting, and franchise-changing action gameplay make it unlike any game Nintendo would ever make on its own. The result is, well, imperfect, and could very well be underwhelming depending on your expectations. In its first hour, Other M suffers from overlong cutscenes, filled with hit-or-miss writing and acting (literally, while some lines work great, others are shamefully bad). It aims to make Samus more believable as a character, and while it succeeds in making her impossible life story more relatable, the cutscenes are simply too lengthy and uneven to be consistently satisfying. Fortunately, they dissolve as the game moves on, and it becomes more about some fast-paced action that... well, takes some getting used to. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2812.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2812.md index 86761970..8ebe7a56 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2812.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/08/2812.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] rating = [ "Awful" ] +++ -What's funny about Vampire Rain - well, aside from this - is how obviously it cribs from Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, copying wholesale sound effects and UI elements. Making a bad stealth game look like better stealth games, and hoping no one notices, is pretty ironic in its own way. +What's funny about Vampire Rain - well, aside from this - is how obviously it cribs from Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, copying wholesale sound effects and UI elements. Making a bad stealth game look like better stealth games, and hoping no one notices, is pretty ironic in its own way. Even from a $10 7-11 used game bin, this is a ripoff. It's too long and slow to be [comedic](game:Rogue Warrior). And it's too terrible to be anything else. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2358.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2358.md index acded891..41f58696 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2358.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2358.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ I really hope Square-Eidos puts more muscle behind this "Lara Croft" spinoff fra Better than: Not as good as: -There are annoying skeleton warriors: you have to kill them and then blow up their corpses +There are annoying skeleton warriors: you have to kill them and then blow up their corpses Progress: Finished co-op on normal \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2444.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2444.md index 22c78383..efac19fc 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2444.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2444.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Dead Rising 2: Case Zero" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -The reviews have made it clear that Dead Rising 2 is more of the same: a pleasant reward for fans of the [original](game:Dead Rising), but not doing much at all to fix its many issues. I may not be as downright mad at this as I was at , but it's an easy pass for me. +The reviews have made it clear that Dead Rising 2 is more of the same: a pleasant reward for fans of the [original](game:Dead Rising), but not doing much at all to fix its many issues. I may not be as downright mad at this as I was at , but it's an easy pass for me. Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2825.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2825.md index 92da9b3c..541438f6 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2825.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/2825.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] rating = [ "Awful" ] +++ -Hahahahahaha!! +Hahahahahaha!! Better than: (what the foxtrot!) Not as good as: (needs more cursing) diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/3001.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/3001.md index fc1c51f8..fae95c8f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/3001.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/3001.md @@ -8,6 +8,6 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -If you weren't sure about spending $15 on this little guy, how about $5 from a reputable game distributor? Now it just needs Steam Cloud support. +If you weren't sure about spending $15 on this little guy, how about $5 from a reputable game distributor? Now it just needs Steam Cloud support. Progress: 12 trinkets, 865 deaths \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/3017.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/3017.md index 34933250..2d022b88 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/3017.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/09/3017.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] rating = [ "Awful" ] +++ -What you might not gather from comedic gameplay videos is that Jurassic: The Hunted plays really badly. The controls feel clunky and unresponsive, the framerate takes a dive at the slightest hint of foliage (which is almost all of the time, given it takes place in a jungle), and the combat is just silly: since you have a gun, the only way for the dinosaurs to present any sort of challenge is for them to leap all the way across the goddamn screen at you. +What you might not gather from comedic gameplay videos is that Jurassic: The Hunted plays really badly. The controls feel clunky and unresponsive, the framerate takes a dive at the slightest hint of foliage (which is almost all of the time, given it takes place in a jungle), and the combat is just silly: since you have a gun, the only way for the dinosaurs to present any sort of challenge is for them to leap all the way across the goddamn screen at you. While it does have its moments, Jurassic simply can't measure up to the terrible hilarity of . At least, so far. I've still got plenty of dino-killin' ahead of me! diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2074.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2074.md index d22da7f2..1cd6ebae 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2074.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2074.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -Lords of Shadow looks and sounds great -- the environments are gorgeous, the voice acting is fantastic, the soundtrack is epic, and the story seems genuinely intriguing. It's too bad, then, that the gameplay is so rote and uninteresting. Granted, Metroidvania was getting a little familiar, but you don't freshen up a franchise by turning it into yet another God of War ripoff. +Lords of Shadow looks and sounds great -- the environments are gorgeous, the voice acting is fantastic, the soundtrack is epic, and the story seems genuinely intriguing. It's too bad, then, that the gameplay is so rote and uninteresting. Granted, Metroidvania was getting a little familiar, but you don't freshen up a franchise by turning it into yet another God of War ripoff. If this becomes a movie or an anime or something, I'd love to watch it. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2114.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2114.md index ed17b09f..513e8dc4 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2114.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2114.md @@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -The Minerva's Den DLC was sounding like one I'd actually strongly consider buying. But then, nope! No PC version. +The Minerva's Den DLC was sounding like one I'd actually strongly consider buying. But then, nope! No PC version. -I expect this kind of bullshit from Ubisoft, but come on, really 2K? Not supporting a multiplatform first-person shooter's PC version is kind of inexcusable. +I expect this kind of bullshit from Ubisoft, but come on, really 2K? Not supporting a multiplatform first-person shooter's PC version is kind of inexcusable. -Good news everyone! Crisis averted. Now, don't screw it up! +Good news everyone! Crisis averted. Now, don't screw it up! Progress: Finished on Normal \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2886.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2886.md index 5cc1ec4c..70092e8b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2886.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2886.md @@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] rating = [ "Awful" ] +++ -Clunky aiming controls, a throwaway plot with gaping holes in it, impossible physics, laughable running length, incompetent AI, indecipherable design decisions (the health bar doesn't make any sense!), poor checkpoint placement, astonishing loading times, lack of gameplay variety, idiotic dialog, drab environments, last-gen graphics, stupefyingly repetitive soundtrack, helped bankrupt a company -- as far as really bad games go, Terminator Salvation is everything you'd expect. +Clunky aiming controls, a throwaway plot with gaping holes in it, impossible physics, laughable running length, incompetent AI, indecipherable design decisions (the health bar doesn't make any sense!), poor checkpoint placement, astonishing loading times, lack of gameplay variety, idiotic dialog, drab environments, last-gen graphics, stupefyingly repetitive soundtrack, helped bankrupt a company -- as far as really bad games go, Terminator Salvation is everything you'd expect. If there's one surprising thing about Salvation, it's that there are so many parties involved. There are like half a dozen development and publishing houses on this thing. What the hell were they all doing? Shouldn't at least one of them have said, hey, guys, this game stinks? -Better than: the movie, I guess? maybe not +Better than: the movie, I guess? maybe not Not as good as: , real video games Not as funny as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2972.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2972.md index f5d952d8..e3d02259 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2972.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2972.md @@ -8,13 +8,13 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -If there is a single redeeming thing about Java, it's Minecraft. +If there is a single redeeming thing about Java, it's Minecraft. There are a lot of things that Minecraft tries to do, and it doesn't succeed at a lot of them. Of course it's in "alpha" right now so that's hardly surprising. What is surprising is how awesome it can be when it's at its best. Specifically, in the "mine" part, and in the "craft" part. Mining isn't like in where you wander around looking for mineral deposits: in Minecraft, the world is your mineral deposit. Make some torches and picks and shovels, dig a staircase down, and see how many gems and ores you can find before reaching the bottom of the game. The randomly generated map is full of surprises, and they're always fun to explore (except the ones that fall out of the map). -As for crafting, there is an item-crafting system (which is how you get the aforementioned torches, picks, and shovels) but that's not what I mean -- that system could use some work, I think, since the crafting materials are impossible to know unless you just google it. No, the crafting I like is more like LEGO. Whatever you dig up, you can use as a building material. Hence, castle. The more advanced stuff is pretty well beyond what I want to put into a game, but, come on. Castle! Awesome. +As for crafting, there is an item-crafting system (which is how you get the aforementioned torches, picks, and shovels) but that's not what I mean -- that system could use some work, I think, since the crafting materials are impossible to know unless you just google it. No, the crafting I like is more like LEGO. Whatever you dig up, you can use as a building material. Hence, castle. The more advanced stuff is pretty well beyond what I want to put into a game, but, come on. Castle! Awesome. There are a lot of rough spots around the mining and crafting, like navigating the huge map, which I'm sure will be addressed as the game's development continues. What worries me most is the combat, which is kind of shitty right now, since to make a bow (the only projectile weapon) you need to get string, from killing giant spiders. But you have to kill them without a bow. Meanwhile, skeletons are firing their bows at you. Dicks. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2978.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2978.md index 7bd077a8..b298ffb5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2978.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2978.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Awful" ] Now, [I'm](game:Vexx) [no](game:Shadow of Destiny) [stranger](game:Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PC, PS3, X360)) [to](game:Red Steel) [bad](game:Rogue Warrior) [games](game:Jurassic: The Hunted). And I try my best to see them through, because hey, they're usually only a couple hours long anyway. But Jumper? Man. No way. -I know I just said that had last-gen graphics, but this is way worse. If I assume that the Wii version looks identical to the Xbox 360 one - and really, there's no reason it couldn't - it still looks fuckin' terrible. The models and textures are downright N64-esque. So is the audio quality, for that matter. And the narrative direction. If I didn't know that the (stupid) movie was released in 2008, I'd be convinced that this license was from the '90s. +I know I just said that had last-gen graphics, but this is way worse. If I assume that the Wii version looks identical to the Xbox 360 one - and really, there's no reason it couldn't - it still looks fuckin' terrible. The models and textures are downright N64-esque. So is the audio quality, for that matter. And the narrative direction. If I didn't know that the (stupid) movie was released in 2008, I'd be convinced that this license was from the '90s. As for the gameplay, there's actually an interesting idea here: based on the premise that the main character can just up and teleport wherever he wants (except away from the battle, I guess), each of the four face buttons will put Griffin on one side of the targeted enemy: Y goes behind, A in front, X to the left, and B to the right. Then he whacks the guy with a stick. As you're fighting a dude, a green indicator will appear on one side, which you'll get "power" for when you hit it; and another side may show a red indicator, meaning you'll be counterattacked if you try it. Of course there are combos and special moves too, but they're largely irrelevant -- conceptually, the combat system is half-Quick-Time-Event, half rhythm game, and in theory could be pretty fun. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2997.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2997.md index 276fb2e9..5a041990 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2997.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/10/2997.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ That being said, I think I would have preferred that the game was shorter There's a healthy variety of enemies, and a nice arrangement of weapons (even if the disk launcher is a disappointment, and the upgrade system doesn't work as well as it should). But Vanquish is stretched just a little too thin over the full campaign's length. Good thing the excellent audio/visual presentation keeps things interesting, because the dumb-as-doornails story sure doesn't. -Vanquish presents some exciting new ideas for a third-person shooter, but doesn't take them far enough. It sets the stage for a sequel, but given the IP ownership situation between Sega and Platinum, it's hard to say if a Vanquish 2 will push the formula far enough either. +Vanquish presents some exciting new ideas for a third-person shooter, but doesn't take them far enough. It sets the stage for a sequel, but given the IP ownership situation between Sega and Platinum, it's hard to say if a Vanquish 2 will push the formula far enough either. Better than: [Bionic Commando](game:Bionic Commando (2009)) Not as good as: [Resident Evil 4](game:Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition) diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2541.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2541.md index 03475804..9f696014 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2541.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2541.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] It's easy for me to compare Epic Yarn to [Muramasa](game:Muramasa: The Demon Blade): both games have a beautiful artistic style, supported by simple gameplay mechanics, with a throwaway story tacked on for good measure. There are two big differences, though: Kirby has co-op multiplayer, and, in Epic Yarn you can transform into a string tank. -While you might think that Kirby's basic gameplay would be completely vacant without the ability to eat and emulate your enemies, in practice Epic Yarn's context-sensitive powers end up feeling a lot like any other Kirby game (despite the fact that it wasn't originally about Kirby). Granted, Epic Yarn might be at risk of feeling incredibly shallow, were it not for the amazing transformations that happen at the end of most stages - such as tanks, UFOs, race buggies, and line-riding trains - but the game doesn't have any delusions of grandeur about its complexity. It works, and it's fun! +While you might think that Kirby's basic gameplay would be completely vacant without the ability to eat and emulate your enemies, in practice Epic Yarn's context-sensitive powers end up feeling a lot like any other Kirby game (despite the fact that it wasn't originally about Kirby). Granted, Epic Yarn might be at risk of feeling incredibly shallow, were it not for the amazing transformations that happen at the end of most stages - such as tanks, UFOs, race buggies, and line-riding trains - but the game doesn't have any delusions of grandeur about its complexity. It works, and it's fun! It's hard not to be impressed by how highly polished Epic Yarn is. The core gameplay may not be the most exciting, but the controls are tight, the levels are well-designed, and the overally execution on the yarn-world premise is just stunning. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2595.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2595.md index 9a898bdf..591997ba 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2595.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2595.md @@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ A Boy and His Blob is a fun puzzle-y platform game, but also interesting because Though it can at times feel archaic, there is a real sense of nostalgia here, more so than in many other games that try to tug on our "retro" heart-strings. Aside from the charming art style and soothing sound design, A Boy and His Blob is just what games used to be like -- simple, relying solely on a core mechanic and introducing twists at a constant pace. -Also, you can press 'Up' on the remote to hug the blob. +Also, you can press 'Up' on the remote to hug the blob. Progress: Level 8 \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2845.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2845.md index 0181e5bd..92376d3a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2845.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/11/2845.md @@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ It didn't seem like Enslaved was completely finished -- the story's conclusion s Better than: Not as good as: -Would love to see: this as a movie/miniseries, instead (yeah yeah I know there are already a million of them) +Would love to see: this as a movie/miniseries, instead (yeah yeah I know there are already a million of them) Progress: Finished on Normal diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2075.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2075.md index 2b604acb..6d0cad67 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2075.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2075.md @@ -22,6 +22,6 @@ It's for that reason - not just that the game can seem unfairly difficult (on No Better than: , [Eat Lead](game:Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard) Not as good as: [Prince of Persia](game:Prince of Persia (2008)), -The sequel had better fix all these mechanical problems: or else I'll be pretty upset at The Internet again +The sequel had better fix all these mechanical problems: or else I'll be pretty upset at The Internet again Progress: Finished on Normal diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2962.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2962.md index d1f5d251..e4a60f75 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2962.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2962.md @@ -9,6 +9,6 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] Ilomilo isn't just a Lost Vikings-style platform/puzzle game with a sickeningly charming aesthetic and clever puzzle concepts -- it also has collectibles! Well, not that many collectibles, but enough to unlock special stages and other bonus content. -It's pretty neat. You should try it! +It's pretty neat. You should try it! Progress: Played the trial \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2976.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2976.md index 5df228af..a415a11f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2976.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2010/12/2976.md @@ -22,6 +22,6 @@ If you're in love with the Transformers franchise, you'll love this game; and if Better than: Not as good as: -Oh, yeah: if you care about online multiplayer, I've read that this one is pretty good +Oh, yeah: if you care about online multiplayer, I've read that this one is pretty good Progress: Finished the Decepticon and Autobot campaigns on Normal \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2078.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2078.md index 56f8ca32..eb3e9967 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2078.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2078.md @@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I was pretty disappointed at how poorly Super Meat Boy ran on my netbook (in the default settings -- launching the game with -lowdetail runs great). But I can forgive the two-person team for having some polish issues. When the game is playable, it's very playable, and presents not just an intense challenge but also an interesting assortment of puzzling platform levels. +I was pretty disappointed at how poorly Super Meat Boy ran on my netbook (in the default settings -- launching the game with -lowdetail runs great). But I can forgive the two-person team for having some polish issues. When the game is playable, it's very playable, and presents not just an intense challenge but also an interesting assortment of puzzling platform levels. -While many of Super Meat Boy's unlockables and special levels may remain impossible to me, it's comforting to know that I can, in theory, "beat" the game much more feasibly. But the special characters, especially Mr. Minecraft, taunt me endlessly. +While many of Super Meat Boy's unlockables and special levels may remain impossible to me, it's comforting to know that I can, in theory, "beat" the game much more feasibly. But the special characters, especially Mr. Minecraft, taunt me endlessly. Progress: Hell! diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2175.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2175.md index 66d6b415..80609c0f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2175.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2175.md @@ -18,6 +18,6 @@ So while RDR's first third had me daring to dream that its improvements on GTA4' Better than: , Not as good as: -Now I'm looking forward to: the [Undead Nightmare](game:Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare) expansion, which has a horse that's on fire +Now I'm looking forward to: the [Undead Nightmare](game:Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare) expansion, which has a horse that's on fire Progress: Remembered My Family \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2579.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2579.md index 632062fd..d19f1ea7 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2579.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2579.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ Even if you don't give half a shit about going for high scores and collecting Ki Better than: Not as good as: -Meta-Knight made of string: is kind of incredible +Meta-Knight made of string: is kind of incredible Progress: Beat in co-op diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2626.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2626.md index 4db9e42a..4d70bec1 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2626.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2626.md @@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -From the free demo, it was relatively easy to tell that Magicka is a delightful little co-op magic action game, not unlike [Crystal Chronicles](game:Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles) or . The magic blending system is straight-up awesome: eight principle elements, with several further elements from particular combinations (such as Fire + Water = Steam), and innumerable magic spells that can result from different amounts and combinations of these elements. I'm incredibly impressed with the depth of the magic system, not to mention its potential for hilarious accidents. +From the free demo, it was relatively easy to tell that Magicka is a delightful little co-op magic action game, not unlike [Crystal Chronicles](game:Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles) or . The magic blending system is straight-up awesome: eight principle elements, with several further elements from particular combinations (such as Fire + Water = Steam), and innumerable magic spells that can result from different amounts and combinations of these elements. I'm incredibly impressed with the depth of the magic system, not to mention its potential for hilarious accidents. -That said, I haven't actually tried the game with multiple players, as no one I know has the game yet. But since it's only $10 - cmon! - I took the plunge and decided to toy around with the Adventure mode a little. And something that the demo really doesn't show, due to its brevity, is the fantastic humorous writing. Magicka's world isn't just a parody of RPGs and Lord of the Rings, but is also chock full of pop culture references, especially in its amazing list of achievements. Magicka goes to great lengths to make sure you aren't taking it too seriously. +That said, I haven't actually tried the game with multiple players, as no one I know has the game yet. But since it's only $10 - cmon! - I took the plunge and decided to toy around with the Adventure mode a little. And something that the demo really doesn't show, due to its brevity, is the fantastic humorous writing. Magicka's world isn't just a parody of RPGs and Lord of the Rings, but is also chock full of pop culture references, especially in its amazing list of achievements. Magicka goes to great lengths to make sure you aren't taking it too seriously. -Unfortunately, this otherwise fantastic game is slightly diminished by its general performance issues, bugginess, and some gameplay quirks that may or may not be bugs (like enemies that attack too quickly to defend against). But even unfinished, Magicka is worth well more than its paltry $10 asking price. +Unfortunately, this otherwise fantastic game is slightly diminished by its general performance issues, bugginess, and some gameplay quirks that may or may not be bugs (like enemies that attack too quickly to defend against). But even unfinished, Magicka is worth well more than its paltry $10 asking price. Progress: Chapter 4: A New Hope \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2885.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2885.md index df4bd6f2..e414ab80 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2885.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/01/2885.md @@ -12,12 +12,12 @@ It starts with a melodramatic interruption to 's main There are only about a dozen missions in Undead Nightmare (including optional side-missions), and since it's lacking most of Redemption's other extras, the content offering might seem a little thin. But the real star of the show is the town defense/rescue system, which has Marston saving several towns and settlements from onslaughts of the undead. It's somewhat reminiscent of Gang Warfare from [GTA San Andreas](game:Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas), except that your only rival gang is zombies. While it does get a bit tedious in some exceptionally long invasions, the utter and outlandish brutality of slaughtering the undead hordes is pretty great. (By the end of my game, I'd killed over a thousand zombies -- that's 2.5 zombie kills per minute!) -Not to mention, the Four Horses of the Apocalypse. That pretty much speaks for itself. +Not to mention, the Four Horses of the Apocalypse. That pretty much speaks for itself. So while the content on offer isn't very extensive, and pretty much relies on the sheer joy of headshotting brainless monsters, there's something to be said for the straightforwardness of Undead Nightmare. And for horses on fire. All for $10! Better than: Not as good as: [The Ballad of Gay Tony](game:Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony) -I may have forgotten to mention: War, the horse that's on fire +I may have forgotten to mention: War, the horse that's on fire Progress: Tamed the Four Horses \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2137.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2137.md index 4d8b413d..c7d1f407 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2137.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2137.md @@ -8,6 +8,6 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I'll be formulating a much more detailed critique later. One thing I want to be sure to emphasize is that, occasional dialog anachronisms aside, the story's reactions to choices I made in the campaign really made me question whether it was equipped to handle such significantly different paths -- or whether it was simply an elaborate ruse to let me believe that my choices had any consequence. (Further investigation suggests the former.) In either event - again, discounting some writing wrinkles - I would consider Alpha Protocol to be the first game that made me think my choices re: character relationships were meaningful, e.g. meaning something other than a different dialog response. +I'll be formulating a much more detailed critique later. One thing I want to be sure to emphasize is that, occasional dialog anachronisms aside, the story's reactions to choices I made in the campaign really made me question whether it was equipped to handle such significantly different paths -- or whether it was simply an elaborate ruse to let me believe that my choices had any consequence. (Further investigation suggests the former.) In either event - again, discounting some writing wrinkles - I would consider Alpha Protocol to be the first game that made me think my choices re: character relationships were meaningful, e.g. meaning something other than a different dialog response. Progress: Complete \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2152.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2152.md index dd57a47a..5adb202b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2152.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2152.md @@ -16,13 +16,13 @@ The plot is well-written, and fairly intricate. Actually, what makes it spec This approach would of course be completely untenable without some special concessions for replaying the story, and there are some, but I would argue that there aren't enough. Since the game is mostly text, being able to fast-forward through it is helpful; and knowing the solution to a puzzle when re-doing it cuts out a lot of the work. But you still have to start from the beginning each time, you still have to hold the fast-forward button for minutes at a time, and you still have to go through the motions of each room you've already solved. -Replaying the story does highlight choices you haven't made - or, rather, dims choices you have made - making it easier to try things you haven't tried before. It's a workable system, although I still felt compelled to consult das Internetz to get to the endings I hadn't seen yet, since some of them required making combinations of choices that are prohibitively time-consuming to get through trial and error. +Replaying the story does highlight choices you haven't made - or, rather, dims choices you have made - making it easier to try things you haven't tried before. It's a workable system, although I still felt compelled to consult das Internetz to get to the endings I hadn't seen yet, since some of them required making combinations of choices that are prohibitively time-consuming to get through trial and error. And, yes, the endings are dictated by trial, and by error. The hidden facts, including the real, ultimate, final hidden fact, of 999's story are obscured by choices that are... unintuitive, at best. At the same time, I was able to (easily) see some story details in my first playthrough that became vital plot points ... in other endings. I wasn't able to act on them, and not for any reason I felt was anything other than bullshit. The narrative is intriguing, and compelling, in the same way that a good book or a surprisingly good movie is. But as in [Professor Layton](game:Professor Layton and the Curious Village), it's striking how entirely divorced the storytelling is from a real sense of interaction. Just as it's remarkable how the room-solving occupies such a miniscule part of the game's running time. And while the puzzles are inoffensive - not bad, in so many words - they also have little to offer that makes them feel unique, or special. -Summarily, the story is well-written (although imperfect -- even, spoilers, the writer's answers fall back on several deus ex machinas) and takes impressive advantage of the multiple playthrough mechanic, while everything else about the game is somewhere between insubstantial and nonexistent. +Summarily, the story is well-written (although imperfect -- even, spoilers, the writer's answers fall back on several deus ex machinas) and takes impressive advantage of the multiple playthrough mechanic, while everything else about the game is somewhere between insubstantial and nonexistent. It's impossible to say that 999 pushes the medium forward, just as it's unfair to say that it pushes the medium backward; because it really isn't a video game. It's a picture book that's very slightly non-linear. If you like good stories, that's worth something. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2271.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2271.md index 41813fa2..bcd4345e 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2271.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2271.md @@ -8,9 +8,9 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -My opinions so far of Alpha Protocol are: 1) it's a lot like - almost like it was intentional - and 2) somewhat to my surprise, it's not terrible. +My opinions so far of Alpha Protocol are: 1) it's a lot like - almost like it was intentional - and 2) somewhat to my surprise, it's not terrible. -First off, let me throw in my two cents about the game's alleged bugginess -- yeah. It is buggy. The enemy AI is a little baffling, the mouse is beyond the comprehension of most of the game's menus, and I've already had to reload a save file because I got stuck in a wall. But you know? I can't really say that it's worse than any Bethesda or BioWare game. It's not an excuse for Obsidian, but I hate that the internet gives some developers a pass for these same technical shortcomings. +First off, let me throw in my two cents about the game's alleged bugginess -- yeah. It is buggy. The enemy AI is a little baffling, the mouse is beyond the comprehension of most of the game's menus, and I've already had to reload a save file because I got stuck in a wall. But you know? I can't really say that it's worse than any Bethesda or BioWare game. It's not an excuse for Obsidian, but I hate that the internet gives some developers a pass for these same technical shortcomings. ANYWAY! Clearly, Alpha Protocol isn't a great game. Its brazen imitation of many Mass Effect elements - the hacking minigames, the dialog wheel, the character progression system, even the level design - is a bit disappointing, and the narrative, with all its player-choice twists and foibles, is interesting but comes across as incomplete. Nevertheless, it is pretty cool how open-ended the mission structure is -- how each part of a level is open to gung-ho gunmanship, or stealth, or sabotage, or any combination thereof. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2393.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2393.md index fa028f94..bbd16cbc 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2393.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2393.md @@ -10,10 +10,10 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] In its second iteration, the Penny Arcade Adventures formula still feels fresh and inviting. The writing and pacing seem more polished, as does the technological package in general, although there are still some mechanical eccentricities -- like the insufficient item system, and some enemy attacks, especially bosses, which inadequately telegraph their block timing. At its core though, the game hasn't changed much, and its amusing world is still a delight. -That's why I'll continue to hold out hope for Episode 3, though it may be utterly futile. +That's why I'll continue to hold out hope for Episode 3, though it may be utterly futile. Better than: [Episode One](game:Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode One) Not as good as: [Phoenix Wright](game:Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (NDS)) -Now I guess: I'll have to do some reading. Great. +Now I guess: I'll have to do some reading. Great. Progress: 78% Completion \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2395.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2395.md index 3057069c..eda906af 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2395.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2395.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Despite its flaws, Alpha Protocol left me with a generally good feeling. Well, maybe I should say, neglecting its flaws. As I'll go on to describe, some of the game's issues border on criminal. But it's a broad and ambitious production, and a good deal of that ambition manages to shine through its many imperfections. -What should a sequel address, if such a thing were possible? Well: +What should a sequel address, if such a thing were possible? Well: * Bugs. Yeah. One of the early Moscow missions, I repeated twice, because it looked like the mission had forced me to pass an objective. It turned out that the objective's placement on the map was just wrong. Still, not a great bug. * More freedom! If not a full-blown GTA-style sandbox, then at least allow me to fully explore a mission - checkpoints invariably block off the previous part of the level - and give me more opportunities to approach and converse with NPCs inbetween missions. @@ -26,9 +26,9 @@ Alpha Protocol's most significant shortcomings aren't related to traditional bug What really sets Alpha Protocol's choice system apart from others is that it doesn't follow the stereotype of good-and-bad: being friendly doesn't put a halo over your head, and being an asshole doesn't disfigure your face. The various options available - professionalism, prying, bluffing, goading, douchebaggery - can lead to different results, but they're just that: different. The game never tries to make you believe that there's a "wrong" way to handle a conversation, nor a "right" way. -It helps that part of Thorton's modus operandi is supposed to be manipulation; but by preventing dialog choices from being a liability in your game's progress (and by making the results of your dialog wheel choices mostly intuitive), the choices become a real game mechanic, rather than a silly minigame or a frivolous scoring method. +It helps that part of Thorton's modus operandi is supposed to be manipulation; but by preventing dialog choices from being a liability in your game's progress (and by making the results of your dialog wheel choices mostly intuitive), the choices become a real game mechanic, rather than a silly minigame or a frivolous scoring method. -It's impossible to deny that the game could have used some additional work. If you (for whatever reason) have high expectations going into Alpha Protocol, you're going to be disappointed. But once you get past that - as with any other [overhyped](game:Assassin's Creed) [new IP](game:Mass Effect) - you just might find that it's actually fun to play -- potentially, depending on your play style. +It's impossible to deny that the game could have used some additional work. If you (for whatever reason) have high expectations going into Alpha Protocol, you're going to be disappointed. But once you get past that - as with any other [overhyped](game:Assassin's Creed) [new IP](game:Mass Effect) - you just might find that it's actually fun to play -- potentially, depending on your play style. As I've mentioned, my gameplay experience relied on a stealth and pistol-sniping approach; basically, Splinter Cell, plus terminal hacking and lock-picking. (The hacking minigames in Alpha Protocol are pretty neat.) Due to the aforementioned shortfalls in gun accuracy and melee, I'm not so confident that other strategies would be as effective. But I couldn't say for sure. Who knows? Maybe I'll pick a new character sheet, and try it again sometime. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2510.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2510.md index 69314573..68fee29a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2510.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2510.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Bulletstorm" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -Based on the demo, I described Bulletstorm to a co-worker as " with guns." (It doesn't hurt that their protagonists have the same voice.) At any rate, it's hard to describe the feeling you get when you kick an enemy into the air, then shoot him in the junk, with a trajectory that finally lands him on a bed of spikes. +Based on the demo, I described Bulletstorm to a co-worker as " with guns." (It doesn't hurt that their protagonists have the same voice.) At any rate, it's hard to describe the feeling you get when you kick an enemy into the air, then shoot him in the junk, with a trajectory that finally lands him on a bed of spikes. If there's a substantial campaign to go along with the kill-scoring system, this could be a real winner. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2646.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2646.md index 118d61da..b850534d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2646.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2646.md @@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] It starts out super-easy, but the levels - or at least, the optional collectibles - quickly ramp up the challenge. A few of the later levels in chapter 1 had me scratching my head for 10+ minutes trying to figure out a path. -There's a surprising amount of content, too, with four chapters of 12 levels each. And, minigames, apparently. +There's a surprising amount of content, too, with four chapters of 12 levels each. And, minigames, apparently. Progress: Chapter 2 \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2681.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2681.md index 0f216842..77802a22 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2681.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2681.md @@ -8,9 +8,9 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Bad" ] +++ -Monkey Island 2 SE looks and sounds great, and fixes almost all of the mechanical problems I took issue with from the first Monkey Island SE. But I couldn't help but come away from it unsatisfied -- not just because of the weird, nonsensical ending, but because of its overabundance of Adventure Game Annoyances. There are way too many inventory items; too many environmental objects with completely unintuitive uses; too many puzzles that use cartoon logic (a monkey wrench? really?); and in general, too much of the game seems to assume that you'll keep clicking on things until it works. Even with the item-highlight feature and the in-game hints, I still had to consult the interweb quite a few times. +Monkey Island 2 SE looks and sounds great, and fixes almost all of the mechanical problems I took issue with from the first Monkey Island SE. But I couldn't help but come away from it unsatisfied -- not just because of the weird, nonsensical ending, but because of its overabundance of Adventure Game Annoyances. There are way too many inventory items; too many environmental objects with completely unintuitive uses; too many puzzles that use cartoon logic (a monkey wrench? really?); and in general, too much of the game seems to assume that you'll keep clicking on things until it works. Even with the item-highlight feature and the in-game hints, I still had to consult the interweb quite a few times. -So just as with the more modern examples of and , I can't help but feel that the simple joys of the initial game have been diluted by arbitrary and tiresome overcomplication. If this is "one of the greatest" classic adventure games, then I think I can consider myself done with the genre. +So just as with the more modern examples of and , I can't help but feel that the simple joys of the initial game have been diluted by arbitrary and tiresome overcomplication. If this is "one of the greatest" classic adventure games, then I think I can consider myself done with the genre. Better than: technologically, Not as good as: fun-ologically, diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2869.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2869.md index 4ee87b85..759369c4 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2869.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/02/2869.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ These hours of tedious cutscenes can all be skipped, but even without them, i The other buttons have some uses too, and there is still a menu for combat options like items and magic, but there is so much X and Triangle mashing by comparison that everything else seems trivial. While the transformation system is an interesting new addition, everything else about combat has been mindlessly simplified -- I didn't even have to heal myself until after the ten-hour mark, when I was fighting partially-invincible pirates. With guns. -Rather than get into an extended discussion on whether KH2's lack of progress from the first game is a bad thing, it's easier to compare my experience so far to , or at least to what the interweb has told me about it: even if I assume that the later game is more interesting, more engaging, and more fun, getting there has so far been boring and dull. I feel like I'm just going through the motions, and not getting any joy out of it. +Rather than get into an extended discussion on whether KH2's lack of progress from the first game is a bad thing, it's easier to compare my experience so far to , or at least to what the interweb has told me about it: even if I assume that the later game is more interesting, more engaging, and more fun, getting there has so far been boring and dull. I feel like I'm just going through the motions, and not getting any joy out of it. Progress: Gave Up -- Level 22, passed through Port Royal \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2086.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2086.md index 5bc1b23d..f402afae 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2086.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2086.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Batman: Arkham City" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I want this. \ No newline at end of file +I want this. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2670.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2670.md index 50647ee6..fd2c7313 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2670.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2670.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ The world is going to end, and someone needs to record its contents to prepare f Avalon Code has a really neat premise, and is astonishingly complex: not only can you level-up and effectively craft items with your magic book, but the book can also level-up, based on how much information you stuff into it. Whack a monster or an NPC with the book, it gets an entry. Inspect random pieces of minutiae in the area around you, it enhances the area's entry. Explore the landscape to find key elements, use element swapping to fix some NPC's problems, enhance the NPC's entry. Plus there's a whole combat system where you can beat shit up. -Unfortunately - especially given the intricacy of its game world - Avalon Code fails to adequately polish its selling points. Element swapping is crippled by a small swap space, so you'll have to store most elements within the pages for monsters, NPCs, and items; and then you'll have to flip through those pages to find them again later. Most of the pieces of hidden information in an area have no visual cues, ranking the fun-factor of this mechanic slightly below pixel hunting. The combat system in general is weak and uninteresting, with infinitely-respawning enemies and a very low HP count for your player character. The game too-frequently puts you in a "dungeon" that's just a corridor of sequential rooms with monsters and switches. And, bafflingly, although the game has built-in tutorial tips, many crucial controls simply aren't mentioned (although you can look them up in the magic book's Help section). +Unfortunately - especially given the intricacy of its game world - Avalon Code fails to adequately polish its selling points. Element swapping is crippled by a small swap space, so you'll have to store most elements within the pages for monsters, NPCs, and items; and then you'll have to flip through those pages to find them again later. Most of the pieces of hidden information in an area have no visual cues, ranking the fun-factor of this mechanic slightly below pixel hunting. The combat system in general is weak and uninteresting, with infinitely-respawning enemies and a very low HP count for your player character. The game too-frequently puts you in a "dungeon" that's just a corridor of sequential rooms with monsters and switches. And, bafflingly, although the game has built-in tutorial tips, many crucial controls simply aren't mentioned (although you can look them up in the magic book's Help section). Having only put a couple of hours into this, it's already clear that Avalon Code isn't living up to its lofty ambitions. Although I really like many of its ideas, I dread the thought of slogging through hours of inconvenience to get close to them. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2824.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2824.md index e523f4b2..4218a202 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2824.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2824.md @@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ The point at which I stopped caring: when I went up against groups of three supe Aside from my difficulty-related quibbles, there's disappointingly little to say about SD3. Mostly, it just feels very reminiscent of [its predecessor](game:Secret of Mana). In theory the party-selection and character class aspects make it a deeper and more interesting game -- but after six and a half hours of not seeing anything in terms of character class, my enthusiasm for the system has been thoroughly dashed. -At any rate, special thanks to the fan translation, which is pretty fantastic. +At any rate, special thanks to the fan translation, which is pretty fantastic. Progress: Gave Up -- Got Shade, on some stupid volcano island \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2852.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2852.md index 93851a3b..6780a4bf 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2852.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2852.md @@ -8,14 +8,14 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I've been, shall we say, reluctant to return to Super Meat Boy for one reason, and it's a disappointing reason. While reviews of SMB have emphasized that it is legitimately challenging, and that overcoming its challenges is an accomplishment unto itself, I must contend that this is not always the case -- while the majority of the game's levels are rewarding (even educational) in their attempts to murdelate Meat Boy, there is a non-trivial remainder of levels which are purely and simply sadistic. For instance, the boss level that I haven't bothered to finish, because it relies on me dying a lot and memorizing which parts of the stage to avoid when the boss destroys them. +I've been, shall we say, reluctant to return to Super Meat Boy for one reason, and it's a disappointing reason. While reviews of SMB have emphasized that it is legitimately challenging, and that overcoming its challenges is an accomplishment unto itself, I must contend that this is not always the case -- while the majority of the game's levels are rewarding (even educational) in their attempts to murdelate Meat Boy, there is a non-trivial remainder of levels which are purely and simply sadistic. For instance, the boss level that I haven't bothered to finish, because it relies on me dying a lot and memorizing which parts of the stage to avoid when the boss destroys them. -Sure, I could look it up on l'internet and simply recite the required moves, but this level is symptomatic of others in the game that, well, do that Mega Man thing -- you need to die a bunch before you can determine how not to die a bunch. Super Meat Boy's die-and-retry delay isn't quite as forgiving as 's, and the parts of the game that aren't "stupidly" difficult, are "actually" difficult; so finally overcoming a difficult jump challenge after ten tries, only to explode spontaneously, is especially discouraging. +Sure, I could look it up on l'internet and simply recite the required moves, but this level is symptomatic of others in the game that, well, do that Mega Man thing -- you need to die a bunch before you can determine how not to die a bunch. Super Meat Boy's die-and-retry delay isn't quite as forgiving as 's, and the parts of the game that aren't "stupidly" difficult, are "actually" difficult; so finally overcoming a difficult jump challenge after ten tries, only to explode spontaneously, is especially discouraging. Super Meat Boy is pretty good, but I don't think it quite lives up to its ambitions. Better than: Not as good as: -It's fairly cheap: so you might as well buy it just to see how far you get. The levels that aren't annoying are pretty goddamn fun! +It's fairly cheap: so you might as well buy it just to see how far you get. The levels that aren't annoying are pretty goddamn fun! Progress: Gave Up -- Hell world boss \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2911.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2911.md index 30964e74..ccea9e84 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2911.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/03/2911.md @@ -20,6 +20,6 @@ So Ilomilo is a fun game with plenty of collectibles. But it's also pretty shor Better than: Not as good as: [Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2](game:Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis) -There's a DLC package with more levels: but it costs $3, which doesn't make any numeric sense +There's a DLC package with more levels: but it costs $3, which doesn't make any numeric sense Progress: Collected everything! \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2143.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2143.md index a61f836f..6a2c0496 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2143.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2143.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] In evaluating Portal 2, it's easy to separate the game into its two modes - single-player and co-op - and, simply enough, both are great. Just in distinct ways. - was a grand experiment, short and sweet, expertly exploring its sole puzzle gimmick in clever ways, while garnishing the narrative with Strangelove-ian black comedy. Portal 2's co-op mode inherits all of that, but feels similarly experimental and wild. The two-player campaign is brief, and, as with Portal, uses GLaDOS to enhance its strange, unique flavor; but with its impeccable puzzle/level design, and some ingenious innovations (I'd primarily cite holding Tab to see your teammate's perspective in real-time), is fantastically entertaining, while showing amazing potential for even more. It's a fair bet that Portal 3 will push the multiplayer envelope even further, using the groundwork that's been set here. + was a grand experiment, short and sweet, expertly exploring its sole puzzle gimmick in clever ways, while garnishing the narrative with Strangelove-ian black comedy. Portal 2's co-op mode inherits all of that, but feels similarly experimental and wild. The two-player campaign is brief, and, as with Portal, uses GLaDOS to enhance its strange, unique flavor; but with its impeccable puzzle/level design, and some ingenious innovations (I'd primarily cite holding Tab to see your teammate's perspective in real-time), is fantastically entertaining, while showing amazing potential for even more. It's a fair bet that Portal 3 will push the multiplayer envelope even further, using the groundwork that's been set here. While Portal 2's co-op is evocative of its predecessor's spunk and spirit, the single-player campaign is an overall evolution of the first game's promise. I'll be honest -- in my short visits with [Half Life](game:Half-Life) and [HL2](game:Half-Life 2), I was unimpressed by Valve's infamous in-game storytelling. Frankly, the story wasn't interesting enough, and the telling didn't feel like it was driving my experience. But Portal 2 takes Portal's antagonistic narration and expository ambience, and runs with it -- runs with it hard. I'm not completely on-board with the pacing so far - Stephen Merchant's delightful sidekickery is depressingly absent in the first few chapters, and I haven't even met JK Simmons yet - but the pre-existing rapport between GLaDOS and Chell really expands the story's potential, and GLaDOS exploits it, hilariously, at every turn. The witty voice-overs, the detailed setting, and the jarring in-game events conspire beautifully to really sell the story. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2292.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2292.md index f86ecd8a..30f84a0a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2292.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2292.md @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ In rare cases, this could be a single facet of the gameplay that actually works By those standards, Tron: Evolution lives up to its expectations. -Evolution is written as a prequel to Legacy, despite a completely nonsensical timeline between the films and the game. In theory, this gave Evolution some liberty to explore new plot points, foreign to the films; but in practice, it makes the same mistakes as the Star Wars prequel trilogy, where all it tries to do is explain the events leading up to Legacy. The game's protagonist is a program named Anon, and true to his namesake, he has no voice or personality -- all he does is follow Olivia Wilde around. Evolution's plot covers the same backstory that, in Legacy, The Dude explains in about three minutes. +Evolution is written as a prequel to Legacy, despite a completely nonsensical timeline between the films and the game. In theory, this gave Evolution some liberty to explore new plot points, foreign to the films; but in practice, it makes the same mistakes as the Star Wars prequel trilogy, where all it tries to do is explain the events leading up to Legacy. The game's protagonist is a program named Anon, and true to his namesake, he has no voice or personality -- all he does is follow Olivia Wilde around. Evolution's plot covers the same backstory that, in Legacy, The Dude explains in about three minutes. The front-heavy cutscenes, while intensely uninteresting from a narrative perspective, could at least have afforded to be flashy and vivid. But the lavish production values of the film simply weren't applied to the game. Cutscene events are flat and dull, and the character models of Quorra, Flynn, et al appear barely reminiscent of their actors. This is the first game in a long time where I ended up skipping many of the cutscenes outright. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2432.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2432.md index d2356506..0b66da5c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2432.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/04/2432.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "DeathSpank" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -It did, but I've absolutely lost interest in the game by now. +It did, but I've absolutely lost interest in the game by now. Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2097.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2097.md index 7980bb0d..74774369 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2097.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2097.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Red Faction: Armageddon" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -So there's no PC demo. Doesn't build confidence in the readiness of the PC version -- whatever. Not a huge surprise, and not my biggest worry about how [GTA on Mars](game:Red Faction: Guerrilla) is being sequelized. +So there's no PC demo. Doesn't build confidence in the readiness of the PC version -- whatever. Not a huge surprise, and not my biggest worry about how [GTA on Mars](game:Red Faction: Guerrilla) is being sequelized. Actually, the demo was somewhat reassuring about the general quality of gameplay: Armageddon controls well, has some cool weapons, neat new gimmicks (the Repair ability is far from a one-off, even within the brief demo level), and is sufficiently destructive to differentiate it from other third-person shooters. I even climbed into a powered armor suit and punched the shit out of some alien monsters. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2115.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2115.md index f25d4c42..ddbf360f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2115.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2115.md @@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Speaking of Mass Effect, the dialog options in LA Noire are also frustratingly v Investigation, the part in which you find clues, is basically a non-thing. More often than not, interactive objects are visually indistinct from the environment, and most of those objects aren't relevant to the investigation. So you're just walking around the crime scene, waiting for the controller to rumble, and pressing A to see if it's worthwhile. I'd hesitate to call it an annoyance, since it's such a simple system, but it's definitely not a meaningful feature. -So those things - the investigation and interrogation - are what I expected LA Noire to really "wow" me with, and they absolutely haven't. The mechanics are still very playable, and not particularly subpar. But not what they should be, when they're the main selling points of a triple-A game that's seven years in development. Not even close. +So those things - the investigation and interrogation - are what I expected LA Noire to really "wow" me with, and they absolutely haven't. The mechanics are still very playable, and not particularly subpar. But not what they should be, when they're the main selling points of a triple-A game that's seven years in development. Not even close. As for the facial expressions: eh. In the right light, with the right expression, they can look very convincing. In other circumstances, they can look very awkward. Lips, in particular, tend to be jarring in motion, and body movement is no better than it was in [GTA 4](game:Grand Theft Auto IV). Bondi's facial capture system is technologically impressive, and it does a good job of showing the characters' facial cues, but it's definitely several generations away from something that will really convince you the characters are real people. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2387.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2387.md index db822909..f62e8a23 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2387.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2387.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Tried it again, got to the evac point, tried walling myself inbetween the rocks I digress, though. Magicka: Vietnam is worth buying only if you feel like you owe Arrowhead and Paradox more money for Magicka. By itself, it simply isn't worth it. -Better than: that other DLC pack that just came out +Better than: that other DLC pack that just came out Not as good as: a real expansion, or real improvements to the game But: it's still Magicka, so there's that, at least diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2487.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2487.md index f19920c4..22f55356 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2487.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2487.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ There's a question that's been plaguing me since Homocide desk: who was this gam For the GTA fanatic, who likes the freedom of playing around in a large city -- certainly not; there's nothing to do in the city, aside from follow the story, scrounge up a handful of side-cases, and scavenger hunt for some incredibly minor collectibles (city landmarks, hidden vehicles, hidden film reels). The "Streets of LA" mode gives you the chance to drive through the city without major cases dogging your heels, and I can't imagine a more boring use of the stupidly expansive game map. -For the fan of clever writing and intrigue -- I hesitate to say so, since while the basic plot is pretty alright (especially in the last desk, as the bigger story come into the fore), the fractured storytelling you get from partially-flubbed interviews leaves much to be desired; with missing information mysteriously re-appearing, and witnesses, suspects, and even yourself completely overreacting in dialog. If you deviate at all from what Bondi wants you to do (which is easy, since it's frequently not intuitive or logical which choice is the "correct" one), the result is broken storytelling, which destroys the illusion. +For the fan of clever writing and intrigue -- I hesitate to say so, since while the basic plot is pretty alright (especially in the last desk, as the bigger story come into the fore), the fractured storytelling you get from partially-flubbed interviews leaves much to be desired; with missing information mysteriously re-appearing, and witnesses, suspects, and even yourself completely overreacting in dialog. If you deviate at all from what Bondi wants you to do (which is easy, since it's frequently not intuitive or logical which choice is the "correct" one), the result is broken storytelling, which destroys the illusion. For the old-school adventure game player -- maybe, as LA Noire is in many respects a three-dimensional take on the point-and-click adventure, with a thoroughly researched setting and some throwaway action sequences. But finding the right clues can require as much trial-and-error as the most irritating adventure games, with the modern equivalent of "pixel hunting" in clues that are visually indistinguishable from the environment, which you'd have no chance of finding if not for the controller rumbling as you get close. @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ For the movie- and book-buff who likes a detective story but doesn't play vid That's my cynical opinion: that LA Noire was made by rookies for an audience that doesn't know any better. My more generous offering is that, maybe I'm mostly frustrated with it for the same reason I was frustrated with the first : although I was given a strong yoke on the main character, I wasn't able to direct him (specifically, in conversations) quite as I wanted, and often found myself yelling at the TV for being an idiot. And because I like GTA, and LA Noire is like GTA with all the criminal hijinks flavor sucked out of it. -So, in the best case, this game wasn't for me. I really feel like it shouldn't be for anyone with discerning tastes, but the internet vehemently disagrees. Anyway, now I can put another piece of [criminally](game:Final Fantasy XII) [overrated](game:Uncharted: Drake's Fortune) [garbage](game:Assassin's Creed II) behind me. +So, in the best case, this game wasn't for me. I really feel like it shouldn't be for anyone with discerning tastes, but the internet vehemently disagrees. Anyway, now I can put another piece of [criminally](game:Final Fantasy XII) [overrated](game:Uncharted: Drake's Fortune) [garbage](game:Assassin's Creed II) behind me. Better than: [Monkey Island 2](game:Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge) Not as good as: , no joke guys diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2688.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2688.md index 36e26e94..06f87d29 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2688.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2688.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ Crash head-first into a civilian vehicle, and you might do enough damage that bo If you hold (rather than press) the 'Y' button by a vehicle, your partner will get in the driver seat and take you to whatever destination is marked on your map. This is a nice solution to the boredom of excessively long trips across the city. But when your partner starts driving, you go straight to a loading screen -- you don't observe the drive, you don't talk with him; it just skips straight ahead. And the conversations that you and your partner normally engage with in the car can be pretty important, often relating directly to tough questions about the case, and giving your partner the only characterization he's ever going to get. Recently I've found myself driving until my partner is done talking, then getting out and having him drive, which just seems silly. -I'm at the last crime desk of the game now, and the larger scheme behind some of the individual cases I've played is coming into the spotlight. Unfortunately, this is sometimes done with dramatically ironic cutscenes, which can be a problem in a mystery game. Now I know things about the case and the parties involved, that can't be used in interviews simply because my character doesn't know them. Even though they should be pretty easy to figure out. +I'm at the last crime desk of the game now, and the larger scheme behind some of the individual cases I've played is coming into the spotlight. Unfortunately, this is sometimes done with dramatically ironic cutscenes, which can be a problem in a mystery game. Now I know things about the case and the parties involved, that can't be used in interviews simply because my character doesn't know them. Even though they should be pretty easy to figure out. Progress: Closed The Gas Man \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2986.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2986.md index a1a3035e..14a8cc6a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2986.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/05/2986.md @@ -7,10 +7,10 @@ game = [ "Dwarfs!?" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Dwarfs!? isn't the first game to try to make into something playable, and it certainly won't be the last. For its part, Dwarfs does a fair job of it -- the production values are obviously low, and its mechanics are relatively simple, but the package is basically fun. At least, it can be fun, in the right circumstances. +Dwarfs!? isn't the first game to try to make into something playable, and it certainly won't be the last. For its part, Dwarfs does a fair job of it -- the production values are obviously low, and its mechanics are relatively simple, but the package is basically fun. At least, it can be fun, in the right circumstances. Unfortunately, Dwarfs is (deliberately) designed not to emphasize planning and construction, but instead to challenge your reactivity to dangers like water, lava, and enemies. It is possible to micro-manage your dwarves in such a way that they judiciously go after valuable minerals, and to tackle potential threats in an organized manner, but ordering dwarves to move in a particular way (and avoid particular things) costs money; way more money that you earn in the normal course of play. The in-game guide somewhat correctly compares it to Lemmings, in the sense that you mostly leave the dwarves to their own devices, intervening when and as necessary. This whac-a-mole approach to tunnel digging just isn't what I wanted out of it. -If Dwarfs is updated in the future to lean more toward my tastes (which it might be?), then I'll definitely take another look, because the game is otherwise well put-together and very approachable. +If Dwarfs is updated in the future to lean more toward my tastes (which it might be?), then I'll definitely take another look, because the game is otherwise well put-together and very approachable. Progress: Gave Up -- Played the tutorial and a few demo rounds \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2202.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2202.md index cb9856ce..102cb92b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2202.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2202.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ What makes Valkyrie Profile interesting is -- well, let's start over. OneThe Internet helping me to understand it, because when I started the game, on my own, it was all terribly confusing. Likewise, I'm also glad for The Internet's guidance in what areas to approach in which chapter, because each chapter has a limit on how many things you can try to do in it, and left to my own devices I would likely end up accomplishing nothing. (Actually, I guess the Start button is supposed to help me with this. I'm still learning.) +I really like this approach, which lets me make the tough decisions at my own pace, while keeping the combat itself timing-sensitive and fast-paced. And I'm glad that I have The Internet helping me to understand it, because when I started the game, on my own, it was all terribly confusing. Likewise, I'm also glad for The Internet's guidance in what areas to approach in which chapter, because each chapter has a limit on how many things you can try to do in it, and left to my own devices I would likely end up accomplishing nothing. (Actually, I guess the Start button is supposed to help me with this. I'm still learning.) So, I am somewhat dependent on external guidance, but not really any more than I would expect from an RPG made in this time. Oh, and the story sequences, while well-executed, are a little slow and over-long. But otherwise I'm really impressed with Valkyrie Profile in general. Hopefully it doesn't turn into a grind-fest. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2287.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2287.md index 0e366c41..3cee43f2 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2287.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2287.md @@ -8,6 +8,6 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -Rant time - I was more than a little depressed at news of Magicka's new PvP patch and spate of DLC packs. The original game was full of directed, but chaotic gameplay, in imaginative and well-paced environments, framed by some fantastic writing. Instead of adding more of any of that, or even ironing out some of the crippling bugs that remain in the game, Arrowhead/Paradox have added features I absolutely don't care about, and released extra content that does nothing for me. I suppose it's possible that someone, somewhere, is really interested in incredibly unbalanced PvP, new arena levels, and paid costumes for their little wizards. But it amazes me how much this is the precise opposite of what I want. +Rant time - I was more than a little depressed at news of Magicka's new PvP patch and spate of DLC packs. The original game was full of directed, but chaotic gameplay, in imaginative and well-paced environments, framed by some fantastic writing. Instead of adding more of any of that, or even ironing out some of the crippling bugs that remain in the game, Arrowhead/Paradox have added features I absolutely don't care about, and released extra content that does nothing for me. I suppose it's possible that someone, somewhere, is really interested in incredibly unbalanced PvP, new arena levels, and paid costumes for their little wizards. But it amazes me how much this is the precise opposite of what I want. Progress: Finished Adventure with 2 players, found all the secrets \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2299.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2299.md index 02ba1e04..9bf9d1ba 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2299.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2299.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Shadows of the Damned" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -My [last pre-order](game:L.A. Noire) disappointed me pretty hard. This time, I'm hoping the video evidence is more indicative of the real game experience. As another Goichi Suda and Shinji Mikami joint, I'm hoping for something with the bizarre entertainment and gameplay factors of , but with the sophistication of the more modern and ; and judging by the presence of a gun upgrade called the "Big Boner" I'm pretty excited. \ No newline at end of file +My [last pre-order](game:L.A. Noire) disappointed me pretty hard. This time, I'm hoping the video evidence is more indicative of the real game experience. As another Goichi Suda and Shinji Mikami joint, I'm hoping for something with the bizarre entertainment and gameplay factors of , but with the sophistication of the more modern and ; and judging by the presence of a gun upgrade called the "Big Boner" I'm pretty excited. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2359.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2359.md index 7d883f89..ff27a13b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2359.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2359.md @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] What's interesting about DNF is that it came out -- not that it came out bad. "Stupid" is the best way I can describe it. And after 14 (!) years in development, it only makes sense that this game is the relic of a bygone era, that at its core it remains loyal to hamstrung control schemes and threadbare mechanics. -I shouldn't be disappointed or surprised; but I am, because of this 2009 Wired article which explained in detail the fall of 3D Realms. The general spirit of Duke Nukem Forever's astonishingly appropriate name was, supposedly, that they became slavishly devoted to keeping the game's technology up-to-date, to refining its gameplay, and to keeping it fresh and current. Frankly, aside from its maybe-2006?-ish graphics, none of that bears out in the game itself. +I shouldn't be disappointed or surprised; but I am, because of this 2009 Wired article which explained in detail the fall of 3D Realms. The general spirit of Duke Nukem Forever's astonishingly appropriate name was, supposedly, that they became slavishly devoted to keeping the game's technology up-to-date, to refining its gameplay, and to keeping it fresh and current. Frankly, aside from its maybe-2006?-ish graphics, none of that bears out in the game itself. This is, for all intents and purposes, a high-resolution texture pack for a turn-of-the-millenium shooter. And it's proof that 3D Realms really was full of shit the whole time. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2603.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2603.md index 7286ac61..b63beb84 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2603.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2603.md @@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Darkness is a central mechanic: if Garcia stays in darkness for more than a few The light/dark mechanic is a neat gimmick, but it's also an extremely effective graphical mechanic. Not all of SotD's visuals are of the highest caliber, but the glowing and darkness effects are really quite impressive. Similar to [Zelda: Wind Waker](game:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)'s cel-shaded style, the light and dark in this game really help sell the atmosphere. -Damned's voice work is fantastic, and I would easily classify it as among the best in the industry, despite its fairly small cast. Secondary roles - Fleming, and the half-demon Christopher who acts as an item shop - have great actors who really bring out their eccentric personalities. And the performances for Garcia and his gun/partner Johnson really outdo themselves. You won't be able to ignore the fact that Garcia is voiced by that guy who does all the voices everywhere, but his not-entirely-convincing hispanic accent is pretty funny, and a scene where he struggles to read some English text is easily one of the best-acted scenes in any game. +Damned's voice work is fantastic, and I would easily classify it as among the best in the industry, despite its fairly small cast. Secondary roles - Fleming, and the half-demon Christopher who acts as an item shop - have great actors who really bring out their eccentric personalities. And the performances for Garcia and his gun/partner Johnson really outdo themselves. You won't be able to ignore the fact that Garcia is voiced by that guy who does all the voices everywhere, but his not-entirely-convincing hispanic accent is pretty funny, and a scene where he struggles to read some English text is easily one of the best-acted scenes in any game. The music, too, is very well done -- the downloadable soundtrack that came with my pre-order didn't impress me very much, but when it's in the context of a corpse- and darkness-filled demon underworld, and when it's emphasized by creaks, groans, and screams, the eerie, unsettling background music completely engrosses me. Even when the slightly repetitive scenery doesn't. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2958.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2958.md index 62beff3f..a13e1ae7 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2958.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/06/2958.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Saints Row: The Third" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I haven't played the Saints Row games before, having been given the general impression that they were a poor man's Grand Theft Auto. But this video, in which - among other things - the narrator enters a sci-fi spacecraft and microwaves cars on the ground, makes me feel like this game might be the sequel to that I really wanted, instead of [Armageddon](game:Red Faction: Armageddon). I'll be keeping an eye on it. +I haven't played the Saints Row games before, having been given the general impression that they were a poor man's Grand Theft Auto. But this video, in which - among other things - the narrator enters a sci-fi spacecraft and microwaves cars on the ground, makes me feel like this game might be the sequel to that I really wanted, instead of [Armageddon](game:Red Faction: Armageddon). I'll be keeping an eye on it. Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2172.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2172.md index 45e6808c..2509f448 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2172.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2172.md @@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ And then there's also ResearchNet, which is regularly updated with new de This is a greatly entertaining and challenging puzzle game, and the content-to-dollars ratio is simply amazing. Get it! Better than: -Not as good as: , if only because of JK Simmons +Not as good as: , if only because of JK Simmons Optimizing solutions is also pretty satisfying: especially when I can make my friends' scores look bad. Progress: Finished all the campaign levels \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2294.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2294.md index b008bbc7..2974485c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2294.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2294.md @@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ While I'm aware that there are many programming-themed puzzle games, the few I'v From the perspective of real programming, I do get slightly frustrated when the game's puzzles impose what I would consider unreasonable limits on my tools: like the physical space in which to move elements, and (so far) only having access to one detector node at a time. But it's from limits like these that the game gets its immense challenge. It's simple to think of how I would make the puzzles' algorithms work in a perfect world, but getting them working within the game's confines is a fun trick. -Most of SpaceChem's non-game components (specifically, the art and the story writing) speak to the one man show that is Zachtronics Industries -- adequate, though very unpolished. But the surprise is the soundtrack, which is really well-composed and sounds great. +Most of SpaceChem's non-game components (specifically, the art and the story writing) speak to the one man show that is Zachtronics Industries -- adequate, though very unpolished. But the surprise is the soundtrack, which is really well-composed and sounds great. Progress: World 4, level 5 \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2409.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2409.md index 80b845a4..33212feb 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2409.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2409.md @@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ And yet, as with the game's mechanics, this fact is almost completely irrelevant Finally, I've got to mention bugs. Although I was generally able to ignore, or at least quickly forget about, bugs during my Saints Row 2 experience, they cannot be discounted entirely -- especially those unique to the PC port, which are not great. -In particular, after some friends watched me play and observed that the game seemed pretty fast, I bothered clocking it and discovered that my game was running at 118% because the game speed isn't locked, and assumes that your PC has the same clock rate as the Xbox 360 (there is a simple fan-made fix for this). Granted it seems to use some legacy faculty in Windows XP to overcome this, it's still a dumbfounding issue to have in a released software product. Not to mention the many progress-blocking bugs that a PC player is likely, or even guaranteed, to encounter in normal play. +In particular, after some friends watched me play and observed that the game seemed pretty fast, I bothered clocking it and discovered that my game was running at 118% because the game speed isn't locked, and assumes that your PC has the same clock rate as the Xbox 360 (there is a simple fan-made fix for this). Granted it seems to use some legacy faculty in Windows XP to overcome this, it's still a dumbfounding issue to have in a released software product. Not to mention the many progress-blocking bugs that a PC player is likely, or even guaranteed, to encounter in normal play. Even beside the issues of the shoddy PC port, though, the core game itself is more technically flawed than the already-unsteady RenderWare-powered GTAs that inspired it. AI and pathfinding are easy targets, as the GPS routing is very occasionally unhelpful, your teammates frequently get stuck in the environment, and if you're standing between a friend and an enemy, it can go pretty poorly. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2474.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2474.md index 3b6234c3..2c79881b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2474.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2474.md @@ -15,6 +15,6 @@ What makes the antiquated controls more frustrating is that, unlike the story-dr Finally, while I was wrapping up a side-mission earlier - driving a drug dealer back to his home after a deal - the game crashed my Xbox. Now, as shameful as this is, it isn't all that rare or difficult, especially in a sandbox game. But what makes it a hard pill to swallow here, is that Saints Row predates the kind of auto-saving checkpoints that I've become intimately dependent on. Unless I'm as careful as possible and frequently run back to home base to save, a crash means a considerable amount of lost progress. -So when I turned my Xbox off after the crash, I had two options: either go back into Saints Row, load my last save, and tolerate more tedious side missions to get back to the point where I could slog through the sloppy controls to progress the story; or, I could go to the game's Wikipedia page and just read what happens. If this was 2006, I might be more inclined to go with the first choice, but, time makes fools of us all. +So when I turned my Xbox off after the crash, I had two options: either go back into Saints Row, load my last save, and tolerate more tedious side missions to get back to the point where I could slog through the sloppy controls to progress the story; or, I could go to the game's Wikipedia page and just read what happens. If this was 2006, I might be more inclined to go with the first choice, but, time makes fools of us all. Progress: Gave Up -- 3% \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2732.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2732.md index 718265a0..c92630ae 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2732.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/2732.md @@ -10,10 +10,10 @@ rating = [ "Meh" ] Hamilton's Great Adventure is definitely aesthetically interesting -- the art style is pretty cool, and the audio visual polish is well above the norm for a smaller/independent project. But beyond that I can't really find anything good here. -The gameplay is mechanically promising - solving the puzzle of getting to the level's exit - but in the levels I played, it was just absurdly easy. Even the bonus level I did (for the summer sale ticket) was only challenging because the level scenery and camera perspective were always in my way. There are also some real-time action elements, but their rarity and insignificance make their inclusion more baffling than enticing. +The gameplay is mechanically promising - solving the puzzle of getting to the level's exit - but in the levels I played, it was just absurdly easy. Even the bonus level I did (for the summer sale ticket) was only challenging because the level scenery and camera perspective were always in my way. There are also some real-time action elements, but their rarity and insignificance make their inclusion more baffling than enticing. The narrative trappings are throw-away, with a plot that's already strikingly stupid (some kind of Crystal Skull bullshit), and lazy storytelling which really doesn't help the situation at all. -Eurogamer implies that the game's difficulty could get more satisfying later on, but the early levels set the bar so low that I simply can't get excited about making progress. +Eurogamer implies that the game's difficulty could get more satisfying later on, but the early levels set the bar so low that I simply can't get excited about making progress. Progress: Gave Up -- Finished a few levels in the Amazon Jungle \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/3009.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/3009.md index 25ded6f2..28fe1948 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/3009.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/3009.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ I'd be really upset if the control issues ruined an otherwise fun-to-play game, There are no cheats, and even the extra DLC I bought is locked by story progress, or is prohibitively expensive in in-game money. So I'd have to grind through tedious intro missions, tolerating awful shooting controls and continually roll-diving out of enemy fire, just to get to the parts that might be fun. And I won't. -I absolutely don't understand this. +I absolutely don't understand this. Progress: Gave Up -- Broke some dude out of a tower casino \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/3024.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/3024.md index 30a60944..5270b45c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/3024.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/07/3024.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ The boss battles are actually pretty exceptional, although the final boss is a b And that's symbolic of the game's biggest flaw, moreso than the loose controls and the uneven graphical polish: the first half just doesn't have enough stuff in it. There are so few abilities, so few enemies to fight, so few puzzle types to solve, and so few interesting story facets; everything comes together as the game marches on, but the first six hours are comparatively vacant. And the whole game is only about 12 hours in total (maybe as much as 15 if you go back for all the hidden collectibles), so even by the end it's hard to forget about its early moments. -I sincerely hope that Game Republic would consider a sequel, because I think having a second chance at this formula, and the opportunity to pack more stuff into it, could come up with something seriously rivalling the genre heavyweights like Zelda. But the fact that you can buy Majin new for $13 makes me think that there might not be a whole lot of confidence left in this idea. +I sincerely hope that Game Republic would consider a sequel, because I think having a second chance at this formula, and the opportunity to pack more stuff into it, could come up with something seriously rivalling the genre heavyweights like Zelda. But the fact that you can buy Majin new for $13 makes me think that there might not be a whole lot of confidence left in this idea. Better than: Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2542.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2542.md index c2887760..55bdad15 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2542.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2542.md @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] Dear Goichi Suda, -Please take my money. +Please take my money. Yours forever, Mirkon \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2675.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2675.md index f6c98b23..743990b4 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2675.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2675.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Diablo III" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -No talent trees? Interesting. A fucking zombie meteor falling on Tristram? Awesome. A real-money player economy-- what? Just... what? I get the "players are doing this on eBay anyway" argument, but clearly it existing, and it being endorsed by and fully integrated into the game, are two very different things. +No talent trees? Interesting. A fucking zombie meteor falling on Tristram? Awesome. A real-money player economy-- what? Just... what? I get the "players are doing this on eBay anyway" argument, but clearly it existing, and it being endorsed by and fully integrated into the game, are two very different things. On the one hand, I could never imagine myself buying an item with real money. In a game like Diablo, using a new item is fun for maybe two seconds, tops. The fun of the game is in finding or earning the item. If you buy a Diablo item, what are you going to do with it? Bring your shiny new purchased item on a group run to one-up your friends? Go out and PvP chumps with it? Watch your character portrait hold it? Doing any of these things makes you a douchebag. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2725.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2725.md index d4ab9282..853a5fda 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2725.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2725.md @@ -8,9 +8,9 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I've been putting about as much time as I can into Human Revolution since Monday night, and there are a bunch of things I want to talk about. Most of my thoughts regarding the game are still pretty unorganized. In a nutshell, though, I would say that I'm having fun, but there are a million little imperfections that keep it from being really great. And while I'm not all that disappointed in the game, I am (yet again) pretty disappointed in the publishing-critical complex. +I've been putting about as much time as I can into Human Revolution since Monday night, and there are a bunch of things I want to talk about. Most of my thoughts regarding the game are still pretty unorganized. In a nutshell, though, I would say that I'm having fun, but there are a million little imperfections that keep it from being really great. And while I'm not all that disappointed in the game, I am (yet again) pretty disappointed in the publishing-critical complex. -Particularly, there have been several reviews for the PC version which state, quite assuringly, things like "the PC version does nearly everything right." Well, that's a lie -- I would say it's a stretch to call this PC version anything more than adequate, and even that's only in the context of today's AAA PC games being ported from console versions. Loading times are always unreasonably long -- even on my 6-core 3.7 GHz machine, where the game is installed to a SATA-3 SSD. Both myself and a buddy who have ATI graphics cards have had a huge issue trying to change video settings: once we changed the antialiasing or texture sampling at all, the game refused to run until they were turned down to the lowest possible values -- the game complains that our video hardware can't handle it, even when the settings are returned to their defaults, which were running just fine. +Particularly, there have been several reviews for the PC version which state, quite assuringly, things like "the PC version does nearly everything right." Well, that's a lie -- I would say it's a stretch to call this PC version anything more than adequate, and even that's only in the context of today's AAA PC games being ported from console versions. Loading times are always unreasonably long -- even on my 6-core 3.7 GHz machine, where the game is installed to a SATA-3 SSD. Both myself and a buddy who have ATI graphics cards have had a huge issue trying to change video settings: once we changed the antialiasing or texture sampling at all, the game refused to run until they were turned down to the lowest possible values -- the game complains that our video hardware can't handle it, even when the settings are returned to their defaults, which were running just fine. And perhaps most fundamentally, mouse controls in menus and other point-and-click situations (like the hacking minigame) are undeniably broken. Hovering over a button is rarely enough to put it in focus; I usually need to hover out and back on again, or click on it a first time - like a pre-click - to make the button selectable. And as a result of this focus problem, clicking on a button doesn't always click that button, which can be especially frustrating when I'm trying to hack a node, but the game ends up using one of my special items on it instead. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2893.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2893.md index ca093fdf..e2e085b8 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2893.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/2893.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -I feel for the Humble Indie Bundle guys. It's a good thing they're humble, because most of the bundled games aren't very good -- of course I enjoyed , and which was in the last bundle, so I already own those. And most of the others - , [Crayon Physics](game:Crayon Physics Deluxe), , , - are games I've demo'd before, and just didn't find very interesting or good. But I threw some money in for the charity angle, and Steel Storm was a pleasant surprise. +I feel for the Humble Indie Bundle guys. It's a good thing they're humble, because most of the bundled games aren't very good -- of course I enjoyed , and which was in the last bundle, so I already own those. And most of the others - , [Crayon Physics](game:Crayon Physics Deluxe), , , - are games I've demo'd before, and just didn't find very interesting or good. But I threw some money in for the charity angle, and Steel Storm was a pleasant surprise. Not that's it's great: the gameplay is simple, the campaign difficulty spikes unexpectedly, and the level design is intensely repetitive. But the bullet- and laser- and explosion-filled chaos makes for a pretty fun time, even when I'm dying as a result of it. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/3007.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/3007.md index 619a3165..5448ee88 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/3007.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/08/3007.md @@ -14,6 +14,6 @@ The drug war missions were neat at first, but become intensely repetitive, since I can't complain about the game's overall quality, given that the core campaign experience, and basic dicking around, is still so fun. Nevertheless, it's hard not to hope that [GTA5](game:Grand Theft Auto V) will have more meaningful and entertaining extras. -And it's a particularly interesting situation in light of [Saints Row 3](game:Saints Row: The Third), given that Volition's franchise is built around those extra activities, and their third iteration looks to have a more engaging (if not serious) narrative than its predecessors. +And it's a particularly interesting situation in light of [Saints Row 3](game:Saints Row: The Third), given that Volition's franchise is built around those extra activities, and their third iteration looks to have a more engaging (if not serious) narrative than its predecessors. Progress: 100% \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2140.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2140.md index 0c3d6e84..c962271c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2140.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2140.md @@ -9,4 +9,4 @@ platform = [ "NDS" ] I played the E3 demo of this very briefly, and I wasn't too impressed, because I only got up to two Kirbys at once -- while you're building up your Kirby army, it's really just a platformer with no particularly unique features. But it looks like once you're running full-tilt, it could be a real blast. -Also, some of the minigames look really awesome. \ No newline at end of file +Also, some of the minigames look really awesome. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2281.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2281.md index fd0b208a..90321c71 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2281.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2281.md @@ -24,6 +24,6 @@ For a studio that's only known for its real-time strategy games, this is a fairl Better than: , Not as good as: , -Launching without co-op: is kind of stupid, right? Who's going to care about this game anymore in October? +Launching without co-op: is kind of stupid, right? Who's going to care about this game anymore in October? Progress: Finished on Normal (except the final boss, on Easy) \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2414.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2414.md index f0cab33c..76e0d047 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2414.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/09/2414.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Final Fantasy XIII-2" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -If there were three words Square Enix could say to get me interested in Final Fantasy again, it would be "like ." Which isn't, word for word, what they are saying, but it's close enough to catch my eye. +If there were three words Square Enix could say to get me interested in Final Fantasy again, it would be "like ." Which isn't, word for word, what they are saying, but it's close enough to catch my eye. Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2252.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2252.md index 43c1bee5..a7cc1c73 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2252.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2252.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Grand Theft Auto V" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Yes, yes, yes. Come on guys. Give me the trailer. And then the game. And then DLC, and, and, oh man now I just want to [drive cars into things](game:Saints Row: The Third). \ No newline at end of file +Yes, yes, yes. Come on guys. Give me the trailer. And then the game. And then DLC, and, and, oh man now I just want to [drive cars into things](game:Saints Row: The Third). \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2587.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2587.md index dc0b0288..9a439fcb 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2587.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2587.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I picked this up the other week on super Steam sale, although I haven't had many chances to play it recently. Now that the dust around its release has settled, I've gotten over the fact that it isn't a [Guerrilla](game:Red Faction: Guerrilla)-style open-world -- although the story isn't very remarkable, it's solid enough, and the campaign pacing is sophisticated enough, that the moment-to-moment gameplay is actually pretty compelling. (Being able to blow everything up helps, too.) +I picked this up the other week on super Steam sale, although I haven't had many chances to play it recently. Now that the dust around its release has settled, I've gotten over the fact that it isn't a [Guerrilla](game:Red Faction: Guerrilla)-style open-world -- although the story isn't very remarkable, it's solid enough, and the campaign pacing is sophisticated enough, that the moment-to-moment gameplay is actually pretty compelling. (Being able to blow everything up helps, too.) While Guerrilla included an extra mode for just blowing up buildings with a time limit, Armageddon has the brilliance to include a "Free Play" version of this as well: so you can pick a loadout, with infinite ammo, and just blow the hell out of bridges, cooling towers, and multistory complexes. It's a small touch, but despite the absence of a proper open world, this Ruin Mode is a great way to jump in for a few minutes at a time and disintegrate some load-bearing walls. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2896.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2896.md index d0d8e8b8..e96226d8 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2896.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/10/2896.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Syndicate (2012)" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I don't care that it's nothing like the original Syndicate (not that I'd played it, anyway). This looks pretty awesome. \ No newline at end of file +I don't care that it's nothing like the original Syndicate (not that I'd played it, anyway). This looks pretty awesome. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/11/2457.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/11/2457.md index 848211b4..56f569d3 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/11/2457.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/11/2457.md @@ -14,6 +14,6 @@ Armageddon has plenty of toys, but not much of a toybox to play with them in. I Better than: Not as good as: -Come fucking on, THQ: canceling this franchise is a retard move. Just put explosives in an open world again. Obvious! +Come fucking on, THQ: canceling this franchise is a retard move. Just put explosives in an open world again. Obvious! Progress: Finished on Normal \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/11/2973.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/11/2973.md index 48f5981d..3457a157 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/11/2973.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/11/2973.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ I would've felt pretty cheated if I'd bought this at full price. The Path to Wa Each of the missions is presented as a preface to Armageddon's terraformer prologue, so the narrative holds no surprises whatsoever, and they're not bound together in any meaningful way. It comes across as more tech demo than game content. But its "demo" is overshadowed by what was already in the main game. What's the point? - taught me that Volition can make a good PC game, and can make it well -- which made me a lot less worried about . But Path to War has taught me that they still don't understand how to make substantial DLC, which has me a little worried again. + taught me that Volition can make a good PC game, and can make it well -- which made me a lot less worried about . But Path to War has taught me that they still don't understand how to make substantial DLC, which has me a little worried again. Better than: [Demons of the Badlands](game:Red Faction: Guerrilla - Demons of the Badlands) Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2508.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2508.md index 14e3f58a..55227631 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2508.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2508.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "3DS" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -Confession time: I only just got my own 3DS the other week. Of course, waiting to get one not only netted me a nice price break, but an awesome-looking unit as well. Plus, I can exploit this timing in order to directly compare [Skyward Sword](game:The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword) with its most ancient-yet-relevant predecessor (more on this later). +Confession time: I only just got my own 3DS the other week. Of course, waiting to get one not only netted me a nice price break, but an awesome-looking unit as well. Plus, I can exploit this timing in order to directly compare [Skyward Sword](game:The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword) with its most ancient-yet-relevant predecessor (more on this later). If this was a pure port of the N64 game, it would probably not hold up great; in the 13 (!) years since Ocarina of Time's release, not only has it aged in the somewhat obvious audiovisual senses, but its mechanics, plotting, and level design became the bar which all 3D adventures aspired to reach -- and eventually did. The dungeons and the overall adventure's pace are still pretty great, although it has its share of Perfect Dark HD moments where an ambiguous goal and a light explanation can lead to a lot of wasted time. (Fortunately, if you've previously played the game to death, like I have, you'll be able to recall most of these solutions from memory.) diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2639.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2639.md index 06edf8fe..f7960f54 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2639.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2639.md @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] Like everyone else, I've been looking forward to Fez since its first showing, however many centuries ago that was. And although the independent game scene has grown quite a bit around it in the intervening time, it still looks pretty interesting. But, as it currently stands, I won't plan to buy Fez when it comes out -- because I can no longer trust Xbox Live Arcade. Permit me to editorialize. -A few months ago reports started to come out about a rash of Xbox Live account thefts, strangely linked by the accounts being used to buy FIFA and its DLC. A buddy of mine actually got caught by this; fortunately his credit card company noticed something was amiss, and he didn't lose any money from the ordeal, but he did lose access to his Xbox Live (Gold) account for about a month while Microsoft "investigated" the theft. Since he actually played multiplayer games quite frequently, this was no trivial thing for him. +A few months ago reports started to come out about a rash of Xbox Live account thefts, strangely linked by the accounts being used to buy FIFA and its DLC. A buddy of mine actually got caught by this; fortunately his credit card company noticed something was amiss, and he didn't lose any money from the ordeal, but he did lose access to his Xbox Live (Gold) account for about a month while Microsoft "investigated" the theft. Since he actually played multiplayer games quite frequently, this was no trivial thing for him. What was most unusual about his experience is that, after the account theft occurred, he had to recover his gamertag to sign in again. And when he did this, the gamertag he recovered was someone else's. There was no information in this new account, that is, it looked like it may have been set-up explicitly as a dummy account. But his own gamertag - which still existed, as we could check its current activity online - had effectively been swapped out with this one. @@ -29,6 +29,6 @@ As for their treatment of specific cases, taking my buddy's account offline for I'm pretty sure this is a whole bunch of bullshit, and Microsoft is just writing off the losses so far as less costly than doing a real investigation. But I digress. Ultimately I just decided to accept the Points loss, rather than go through a bunch of a rigmarole on the phone and lose access to my account for a month. And I certainly don't feel like trusting Xbox Live with any more money. -Hopefully this will come out on Steam, sooner or later. (Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't get me started.) +Hopefully this will come out on Steam, sooner or later. (Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't get me started.) Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2701.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2701.md index 0b01fe49..bcc20e20 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2701.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2701.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] When the game told me I could re-do the final mission and take the "other" choice (in an obvious binary decision) for an alternate ending, I didn't anticipate how different it would actually be. Rather than saving my friends and going on to do a parody mission on a TV-set Mars, I snapped a gang leader's neck, and proceeded to fight back against a citywide invasion of sci-fi SWAT. While the Mars ending was more in line with SR3's outlandish zaniness, the Daedalus ending is a more natural conclusion to the "story," and still manages to be awesomely over the top. Plus, I unlocked some cool new equipment out of it (black VTOL!). -I've spent more than a few hours recently filling in the rest of my progress in Steelport -- finding hidden items, doing assassination missions, stealing wanted vehicles. The latter still posed some challenge despite the fact that I've upgraded myself into invincibility, since I had to actually get the vehicles to buyers without them blowing up. At this point I've done everything the game has to offer aside from some of the achievement-like "Challenges" (such as accumulated wheelie distance, or taking N hostages), and while I'm pretty satisfied with what Saints Row has given me, I thirst for more. +I've spent more than a few hours recently filling in the rest of my progress in Steelport -- finding hidden items, doing assassination missions, stealing wanted vehicles. The latter still posed some challenge despite the fact that I've upgraded myself into invincibility, since I had to actually get the vehicles to buyers without them blowing up. At this point I've done everything the game has to offer aside from some of the achievement-like "Challenges" (such as accumulated wheelie distance, or taking N hostages), and while I'm pretty satisfied with what Saints Row has given me, I thirst for more. I really hope that this time, Volition delivers some worthwhile DLC, although based on [past](game:Red Faction: Guerrilla - Demons of the Badlands) [experience](game:Red Faction: Armageddon - Path to War) I don't have a whole lot of confidence. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2793.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2793.md index 52163409..cb26db0b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2793.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2793.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -I'm lukewarm on Metal Gear, and the reveal of Platinum Games being behind this is slightly intriguing, but what's really got me interested is how much the VGA reveal trailer reminds me of No More Heroes. At least, the villain is channeling Travis Touchdown in his hardass nihilistic attitude, and the trailer is cut in the same way Goichi Suda emulates Quentin Tarantino. +I'm lukewarm on Metal Gear, and the reveal of Platinum Games being behind this is slightly intriguing, but what's really got me interested is how much the VGA reveal trailer reminds me of No More Heroes. At least, the villain is channeling Travis Touchdown in his hardass nihilistic attitude, and the trailer is cut in the same way Goichi Suda emulates Quentin Tarantino. If the rest of the game is like this, I might be able to put up with some overlong cutscenes of it; and hopefully, the slice-and-dice gameplay is at least as well-implemented as . \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2913.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2913.md index 50dc65ec..53904387 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2913.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2011/12/2913.md @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Ghirahim is a very interesting villain, but he barely appears until the f With little in the way of narrative motivation to keep Link plodding along his quest, you're left to rely on the strength of the level design and individual encounters to stay engaged with the game world; but by and large, these are fairly mediocre. The forest area is navigable but not much else; the volcano area is consistently a big pain in the ass to visit; and the desert area, while very cool, is the last area. The sky never really "opened up" like I expected, and instead, most of the game tasks you with returning to the three regions you've already visited -- either to open up a little new terrain and go to a new dungeon, or in some cases, just to re-tread the same ground in a different way. -The effect is only frustrating in a few particular instances, but the heavy-handed asset reuse smacks of lazy design. It's also excruciatingly linear, not only because you must do the dungeons in a specific order, but also because you must do the bullshit around them in a specific order. There's only one point in the game - collecting the Song of the Hero - where more than one objective is available to you at a time (and of course, this is the point where, if you choose the wrong order, your game save is worthless). +The effect is only frustrating in a few particular instances, but the heavy-handed asset reuse smacks of lazy design. It's also excruciatingly linear, not only because you must do the dungeons in a specific order, but also because you must do the bullshit around them in a specific order. There's only one point in the game - collecting the Song of the Hero - where more than one objective is available to you at a time (and of course, this is the point where, if you choose the wrong order, your game save is worthless). Aside from those three regions, you've got the Skyloft town Link starts in, and, that's about it. There is one other island vital to the plot, and there are three more involved in some sidequests (two of which only have one NPC on them apiece); the rest of the rocks floating in the air are just homes to locked treasure chests, unlocked by finding Goddess Blocks on the surface. It's a lot like the treasure maps from [Wind Waker](game:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker) and [Phantom Hourglass](game:The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass), but less interesting because the chests mark themselves on your map as soon as you unlock them. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2090.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2090.md index 35b88c07..58194943 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2090.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2090.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Mass Effect 3" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Requires Origin? That's unfortunate. Admittedly, I haven't had any personal experience with EA's new-ish game marketplace/platform -- because of all the people I know who have dealt with it, none of them have had anything nice, or even tolerable to say about it. 's PC version UI is a well-documented clusterfuck. And , apparently, requires registration and authentication on Origin even though the game itself has no presence on or functional link with it. +Requires Origin? That's unfortunate. Admittedly, I haven't had any personal experience with EA's new-ish game marketplace/platform -- because of all the people I know who have dealt with it, none of them have had anything nice, or even tolerable to say about it. 's PC version UI is a well-documented clusterfuck. And , apparently, requires registration and authentication on Origin even though the game itself has no presence on or functional link with it. It sounds trite to say that Steam availability is a deal-maker or -breaker; they have their own DRM, and Gunpei knows that the Steam client software isn't perfect (take its download manager -- please!). But if I'm paying anything close to full-price for a PC game, I want to know that the DRM won't infect the rest of my system, and that I can re-download said game, as I please, in effective perpituity. Valve is a stable entity, and has earned my trust: I have no reason not to believe that they will allow me to continue playing Steam-purchased software, even if Steam ceases to exist. EA, on the other hand, has never faltered at an opportunity to screw its customers, and so I have little confidence in the return on any money I might give to their download service. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2145.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2145.md index a97a21ad..35d7962e 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2145.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2145.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ Solar 2 offers a surprising amount of gameplay for its dead-simple control schem Better than: Not as good as: -I guess Solar 1 was on XBLIG?: looks like it might be worth a buck, if you care. +I guess Solar 1 was on XBLIG?: looks like it might be worth a buck, if you care. Progress: 100% story mission completion \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2273.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2273.md index 3f1a432c..f1e79285 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2273.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2273.md @@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ Granted, slowly and methodically weaving through a crowd in the first game wasn' But I digress. Back to the game -- while the map is chock-full of activities to do, almost none of them feel fun or worthwhile. Between the Borgia towers, the property purchases, Lairs of Romulus, Templars, side-missions with Courtesans, Mercenaries, and Thieves, Leonardo's war machines, Subject 16 glyphs, hidden treasures, recruit missions, shop quests; there is absolutely no risk of running out of things to do in Rome. But the majority just boil down to poorly-written side missions that exercise the same few mission types, like avoiding detection, or chasing a dude, or killing a bunch of dudes. -Hell, the recruit missions don't even involve any gameplay; you just open a menu, send them on their way, and then wait 6-20 minutes until they come back. And this is where Ubisoft's mechanical direction for the series shows most clearly, with recruit missions, shop management, and the sheer amount of navigation that must be done from the map: a lot of "gameplay" is happening from a Flash menu. It's certainly a lot easier to design and implement than real gameplay, I'll give them that. But it does little to allay concerns that this is just turning more and more into a Facebook game. +Hell, the recruit missions don't even involve any gameplay; you just open a menu, send them on their way, and then wait 6-20 minutes until they come back. And this is where Ubisoft's mechanical direction for the series shows most clearly, with recruit missions, shop management, and the sheer amount of navigation that must be done from the map: a lot of "gameplay" is happening from a Flash menu. It's certainly a lot easier to design and implement than real gameplay, I'll give them that. But it does little to allay concerns that this is just turning more and more into a Facebook game. Narratively, the Rome campaign is nothing if not formulaic: Ezio is ousted from the Villa, rejoins the same three factions (Courtesans/Mercenaries/Thieves) who helped him last time, does recon with each faction on a particular target, finds the Piece of Eden and tackles the Pope. It's decidedly flat for the duration, particularly in the last two chapters, when the production team realized how close their deadline was and completely cut out sections of exposition and stage-setting. At this point the game abruptly and repeatedly jumps ahead months at a time, I guess in an effort to re-associate itself with documented history. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2984.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2984.md index 6566a1fe..8a377f7f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2984.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/01/2984.md @@ -17,6 +17,6 @@ Pleasantly, there does seem to be a lot of content. The starting area wa But another surprise was how unpolished some of the story content seemed. A primary NPC I spoke to early in the game, had recorded lines which sounded like they were directed contrary to how they were written -- awkward emphasis and word substitution, which didn't really make sense in context. And even in my relatively brief time with the game, I encountered a number of times where an NPC or quest marker didn't react as it was supposed to. While it's certainly playable, it's striking to me how unfinished it seems, and unless this is a pre-release build (the game comes out in a few weeks!), that doesn't really bode well. -Kingdoms of Amalur invites comparison to World of Warcraft and to [Skyrim](game:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim), and while it may be more personalized than the former and more technologically stable than the latter, it remains to be seen if it can match the long-term intrigue of either. I had fun with this demo, but I'll need to hear some more in-depth critiques before making a purchasing decision. +Kingdoms of Amalur invites comparison to World of Warcraft and to [Skyrim](game:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim), and while it may be more personalized than the former and more technologically stable than the latter, it remains to be seen if it can match the long-term intrigue of either. I had fun with this demo, but I'll need to hear some more in-depth critiques before making a purchasing decision. Progress: Played through the demo \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/02/2884.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/02/2884.md index b38b0e95..358b288b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/02/2884.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/02/2884.md @@ -10,15 +10,15 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] I've slaughtered bears, necromancers, vampires, and dragons. I've learned to hurl blazing fire from a distance, and to sneak silently close before slitting my enemy's throat. I've toppled governments -- both local, and regional. I've forged armor, mixed potions, and enchanted weapons with the souls of my enemies. I've sprinted over grasslands, across frozen waters, up snowy peaks; I've delved deep into the ruins of ancient civilization. I've filled my home with books, gemstones, rare artifacts, and dragon bones. I've entered into pacts with demon lords from another plane of existence. I've logged over 110 hours in the world of Skyrim; and I still have more to do. -The amount of content in this game is simply staggering. And what it does best is continually surprising the player with new quests and points of interest, seemingly out of nowhere. This is how I took over a hundred hours doing what "can" be done in about two: getting requests from NPCs, happening upon suspicious notes, stumbling into some ancient ruins, and always spiraling out into more and more quests. So I ended up running countless errands and championing dozens of other causes, instead of doing that whole save-the-world thing. +The amount of content in this game is simply staggering. And what it does best is continually surprising the player with new quests and points of interest, seemingly out of nowhere. This is how I took over a hundred hours doing what "can" be done in about two: getting requests from NPCs, happening upon suspicious notes, stumbling into some ancient ruins, and always spiraling out into more and more quests. So I ended up running countless errands and championing dozens of other causes, instead of doing that whole save-the-world thing. Around the 70-hour mark, I decided to stop intentionally taking new quests, and took another 20 or 30 working through most of the remainders, before finally getting back on track with the main questline. But even after spending more time with Skyrim than I have with ([almost](game:World of Warcraft)) any other game, I still have more work to do with the Thieves' Guild, an unfulfilled date with the Dark Brotherhood, and entire cities I've barely visited (actually, I never visited Falkreath at all!) -- which is all not to mention the seven more experience levels I need to get to 50, the handful of Daedra lords I have yet to meet, and the level-100 Destruction spells, which I've learned but don't have enough Magicka to cast yet! -And I dare not dream of all the content that's popping up on Steam Workshop. +And I dare not dream of all the content that's popping up on Steam Workshop. I never used to understand how people got hooked on Bethesda games before, but I think I finally get it, now. They can appear boring to watch because the immense reach and density of content seamlessly integrates you into the game world, such that even tedious and commonplace activities are all part of the adventure. And by being immersed in this world, continually distracted by quests and events, it becomes surprisingly easy to overlook, and even forgive, their games' technical issues. -It should be a foregone conclusion that basically everyone already knows this by now, but: you should play Skyrim. If you want melee combat in your RPG, you should probably look into [Kingdoms of Amalur](game:Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning) instead -- otherwise, pick up your bow or your spell tome, clear out your calendar for the next few months, and fall head-first into what may be the most engrossing virtual world ever created. +It should be a foregone conclusion that basically everyone already knows this by now, but: you should play Skyrim. If you want melee combat in your RPG, you should probably look into [Kingdoms of Amalur](game:Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning) instead -- otherwise, pick up your bow or your spell tome, clear out your calendar for the next few months, and fall head-first into what may be the most engrossing virtual world ever created. Oh, and always keep a finger over the quicksave button (F5). When a boss unexpectedly kills you and the last automatic save was an hour ago, you'll be glad you did. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/03/2109.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/03/2109.md index 27a53329..69225266 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/03/2109.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/03/2109.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -The demo - back when Shank first came out - completely failed to impress me. But I came into digital-possession of a copy from a Humble Indie Bundle some time ago, and this evening I was in a unique position of having a short amount of time to kill, while paying half-attention to something else (watching a series of hilarious attempts on 's Special World levels). Shank fit the bill perfectly, and I may have underestimated it a little. +The demo - back when Shank first came out - completely failed to impress me. But I came into digital-possession of a copy from a Humble Indie Bundle some time ago, and this evening I was in a unique position of having a short amount of time to kill, while paying half-attention to something else (watching a series of hilarious attempts on 's Special World levels). Shank fit the bill perfectly, and I may have underestimated it a little. The gameplay is absolutely shallow, the story is absolutely stupid, and the cutscene presentation is absolutely unpolished. But there is one thing that Shank does mostly-great, and that's the sense of focus and flow when you're speeding through levels, and through enemies. It definitely feels button-mashy, but being obligated to vary between quick attacks, power attacks, and ranged attacks instills just enough attention-keeping into the experience to make it feel somewhat meaningful. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/03/2736.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/03/2736.md index d56e7dcf..82cb74d2 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/03/2736.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/03/2736.md @@ -20,6 +20,6 @@ Bastion isn't a terrible game, but it's extremely unremarkable. And if you play Better than: Not as good as: -Once again, I must say: fuck you, Internet! +Once again, I must say: fuck you, Internet! Progress: Finished on Normal \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2222.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2222.md index 36fc978f..ff28d23b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2222.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2222.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Diablo III" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Open beta! Yeahhhh! +Open beta! Yeahhhh! I'd long ago come to accept that I would buy, and play the hell out of, Diablo III regardless of what crazy mechanical or business concerns Activision-Blizzard threw at me. Fortunately, having now actually played it, I'm really pleased with what I'll be inevitably wasting my weekends on. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2360.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2360.md index 47572b0e..837b126d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2360.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2360.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Killer Is Dead" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -Of course I'll buy it. \ No newline at end of file +Of course I'll buy it. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2870.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2870.md index 0f0156c4..b8160ac1 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2870.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/04/2870.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "Android" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I picked this up from the latest Humble Bundle, and while I can't speak for its console and PC versions - which frankly, I'm concerned might be a bit too simple - the Android iteration feels like a pretty good fit. Not unlike [Majesty](game:Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim), Swords & Soldiers succeeds on an input-challenged platform by automating much of the micromanagement traditionally associated with RTS: units move by themselves, and in fact even more simplistically than in Majesty, since S&S is played on a side-scrolling battlefield. +I picked this up from the latest Humble Bundle, and while I can't speak for its console and PC versions - which frankly, I'm concerned might be a bit too simple - the Android iteration feels like a pretty good fit. Not unlike [Majesty](game:Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim), Swords & Soldiers succeeds on an input-challenged platform by automating much of the micromanagement traditionally associated with RTS: units move by themselves, and in fact even more simplistically than in Majesty, since S&S is played on a side-scrolling battlefield. Pleasantly, Swords & Soldiers' idea of real-time interactivity is more sophisticated than Majesty's. Part of the game's tech tree development includes magic spells, which are actually necessary to level the playing field, as AI opponents have their own magic as well. Managing your mana level and using the right spells on the right targets, all while keeping an eye on your forces and infrastructure, makes Swords & Soldiers feel less, well, diluted than most mobile games. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2475.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2475.md index 0f7871d2..6d85fe1e 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2475.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2475.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I still have something of a love-hate relationship with Diablo III. When I'm in the groove of playing it, the slick skill system and super-cool abilities allow me to handily ignore the utter lack of creativity in monster and level design. But then I go back to town to empty my pack, and find items like Barbarian weapons with intelligence bonuses, or bows with strength bonuses -- in other words, items that are useful only to classes that don't exist. I want to upgrade my blacksmith's crafting level, but to do that I need some items from the Auction House, items which haven't been searchable for days. I enter an event portal, and a network hiccup causes the fight to freeze-frame at precisely the worst possible time. +I still have something of a love-hate relationship with Diablo III. When I'm in the groove of playing it, the slick skill system and super-cool abilities allow me to handily ignore the utter lack of creativity in monster and level design. But then I go back to town to empty my pack, and find items like Barbarian weapons with intelligence bonuses, or bows with strength bonuses -- in other words, items that are useful only to classes that don't exist. I want to upgrade my blacksmith's crafting level, but to do that I need some items from the Auction House, items which haven't been searchable for days. I enter an event portal, and a network hiccup causes the fight to freeze-frame at precisely the worst possible time. Again: this is a great game when you're playing it. But it's distressing how much of the game surrounding that core feels lazy, or broken, or exploitative. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2766.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2766.md index 7b7ec617..fc7d5e68 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2766.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2766.md @@ -8,19 +8,19 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -Five bucks, thirty bucks, whatever. I had a hankering for some sci-fi and, to put it simply, Mass Effect 3 delivered. As in the franchise's [last installment](game:Mass Effect 2), it's not without its flaws - you may have heard of a bit of a dust-up over the ending - but personally I came away from it very satisfied. +Five bucks, thirty bucks, whatever. I had a hankering for some sci-fi and, to put it simply, Mass Effect 3 delivered. As in the franchise's [last installment](game:Mass Effect 2), it's not without its flaws - you may have heard of a bit of a dust-up over the ending - but personally I came away from it very satisfied. I was worried at first, though. Mass Effect 3 does not put its best foot forward; when the story begins, as the Reapers come to Earth, what should be a both emotional and bombastic scene is instead a hand-holding tutorial. And the next several sequences continue to hold your hand through heavily linear plot points, none of which are particularly interesting or relevant. But in time, ME3 does develop a much more open-ended structure, similar to ME2, where enough optional (yet still meaningful and engaging) side-quests are sprinkled between plot events to keep the galaxy from feeling too claustrophobic. Gameplay-wise, if there are differences between the ME2 and ME3 experiences, I wasn't able to pick up on them. (So if you hated ME2's departure from the classic-RPG complexities of the first game, you'll find no solace here.) There are new enemies, some of which are really fun to fight, and some of which are the most annoying things in the history of forever; but by and large, it's the same deal as last time, which is pretty good. Personally I've never wanted to play as anything other than the sniper (Infiltrator) class, and headshotting alien dudes from across the map is as awesome now as it's ever been. -And then there's the, uh, Multiplayer. What's surprising about this isn't how it feels relevant to the campaign (it doesn't), or how it respects the player's time and money (it doesn't), but how it isn't terrible. There is actually some fun to be had here, in the same way that any other recent game's Horde Mode can be entertaining for a few minutes at a time. I can't see how anyone would care enough about it to put real money into randomized character bonuses, or even to play it long enough to get the full Galactic Readiness bonus out of it (which deteriorates over time!?). But I played enough matches to get tired of it, and still got a pretty good Readiness boost out of it, so I won't harbor any particularly ill will toward the feature. +And then there's the, uh, Multiplayer. What's surprising about this isn't how it feels relevant to the campaign (it doesn't), or how it respects the player's time and money (it doesn't), but how it isn't terrible. There is actually some fun to be had here, in the same way that any other recent game's Horde Mode can be entertaining for a few minutes at a time. I can't see how anyone would care enough about it to put real money into randomized character bonuses, or even to play it long enough to get the full Galactic Readiness bonus out of it (which deteriorates over time!?). But I played enough matches to get tired of it, and still got a pretty good Readiness boost out of it, so I won't harbor any particularly ill will toward the feature. One aspect in which ME3 definitely falls short of ME2 is its cast. Given that the second game was all about assembling a rag-tag team of ass-kickers, the third game's crew has relatively few shining stars. There's really only one new crew member I would call "awesome," and it's a bit disappointing that, at least for my tastes, none of my favorite fighters from the last game are even able to join the crew. It's not a bad assembly, especially with classic standbys like Garrus and Tali, but it's just not as good as last time. -I've always criticized Mass Effect for its half-assed choices: dialog options don't sync up with what actually happens (let alone what you wanted to happen), and often the consequences make it feel like you really didn't have much of a choice to begin with. Well, ME3 still isn't perfect in this regard - not to mention the ending (which I'll get to in a bit) - but I felt like this time, my choices had more meaningful consequences than ever before. Choosing between crewmates, and between civilizations, for the ultimate goal of liberating the galaxy; the premises of most of the game's big decision points really built up my sense of the game's stakes, and made me feel like I had a real, significant impact in them. Granted, I looked up the plot points later and found that the potential outcomes were not actually that different, but at the time it really felt like my Commander Shepard was orchestrating the salvation of the galaxy. +I've always criticized Mass Effect for its half-assed choices: dialog options don't sync up with what actually happens (let alone what you wanted to happen), and often the consequences make it feel like you really didn't have much of a choice to begin with. Well, ME3 still isn't perfect in this regard - not to mention the ending (which I'll get to in a bit) - but I felt like this time, my choices had more meaningful consequences than ever before. Choosing between crewmates, and between civilizations, for the ultimate goal of liberating the galaxy; the premises of most of the game's big decision points really built up my sense of the game's stakes, and made me feel like I had a real, significant impact in them. Granted, I looked up the plot points later and found that the potential outcomes were not actually that different, but at the time it really felt like my Commander Shepard was orchestrating the salvation of the galaxy. -Now, about that ending -- there are some really legitimate complaints to lodge against it. In many ways, with its random-ass contrivances and the multiple endings' utter lack of variety, it does feel like something that someone whipped up in ten minutes. Analytically: it's pretty stupid. But holistically, as I felt my dozens of hours of preparation leading up to this one conclusion, it did feel very powerful to me. Hell, maybe it was just the music (which does reach an emotional swell in the game's finale). And, yeah, it's pretty arbitrary and dumb. But I didn't feel as upset about its shortcomings, as I felt happy to see Shepard's three-game story come to a end. I'm pretty curious what that Extended Cut DLC will attempt to do from here. +Now, about that ending -- there are some really legitimate complaints to lodge against it. In many ways, with its random-ass contrivances and the multiple endings' utter lack of variety, it does feel like something that someone whipped up in ten minutes. Analytically: it's pretty stupid. But holistically, as I felt my dozens of hours of preparation leading up to this one conclusion, it did feel very powerful to me. Hell, maybe it was just the music (which does reach an emotional swell in the game's finale). And, yeah, it's pretty arbitrary and dumb. But I didn't feel as upset about its shortcomings, as I felt happy to see Shepard's three-game story come to a end. I'm pretty curious what that Extended Cut DLC will attempt to do from here. Fun, engaging, but imperfect. Mass Effect 3 is definitely worth playing, as long as you didn't hate the second game. And for what it's worth, my Origin experience was actually very pleasant. Kudos to BioWare for wrapping up this trilogy on what I would call a good note. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2854.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2854.md index 3d56711e..5a12968c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2854.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2854.md @@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] I stand by my assertion that is basically pointless, with more polish but less function than its [Blizzard forebear](game:Diablo II). And that's why I had always figured, if Torchlight II wasn't going to come out before , it would be pointless as well. But now that I've been somewhat underwhelmed by Blizzard's follow-up, I've become genuinely interested in Torchlight II. -Actually, when I saw that a four-pack of Torchlight II is the same price as one copy of Diablo III, I went ahead and pre-ordered it. +Actually, when I saw that a four-pack of Torchlight II is the same price as one copy of Diablo III, I went ahead and pre-ordered it. -Obviously I'm interested in the offline and LAN play, if for no other reason than to not feel tethered to Battle.net. I did verify that TL2 has unique drops for each player, easily the most important mechanical innovation from Diablo III. And while I don't know if I should expect creative and original content, I know that it can't possibly be less original than D3. +Obviously I'm interested in the offline and LAN play, if for no other reason than to not feel tethered to Battle.net. I did verify that TL2 has unique drops for each player, easily the most important mechanical innovation from Diablo III. And while I don't know if I should expect creative and original content, I know that it can't possibly be less original than D3. Anyway, at these prices, the discussion is moot -- whenever Torchlight II ends up coming out, we'll find out how good it really is. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2916.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2916.md index b2ee282f..485164f8 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2916.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/05/2916.md @@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I'm not going to harp on about the always-online requirement, because there's no way that any sane or rational person could see it as anything other than complete bullshit. If you want to see a game that had both online-authenticated player and item data, and offline and LAN play (not to mention the freedom to cheat by yourself if you really wanted to), you can look at [Diablo fucking Two](game:Diablo II). That's all I have to say on that. +I'm not going to harp on about the always-online requirement, because there's no way that any sane or rational person could see it as anything other than complete bullshit. If you want to see a game that had both online-authenticated player and item data, and offline and LAN play (not to mention the freedom to cheat by yourself if you really wanted to), you can look at [Diablo fucking Two](game:Diablo II). That's all I have to say on that. At any rate. As I've mentioned, by liberally up-ending the character-growth foundations of its forebears, Diablo III is surprisingly accessible (and re-roll friendly) without really sacrificing significant depth in the process. Practically speaking, losing the ability to arbitrarily invest stat points from leveling up just means that you can no longer create broken character builds; and translating dozens of different talents per class into just a handful with different rune options, means that - since most of those dozens of talents weren't very useful anyway - players will really enjoy more gameplay variety than they did before. It's still a little hard to get over the appearance of being shallower than Diablo II's character builds, but in execution, the Diablo III system really is an all-around improvement. -Like I suspected from the beta, the cinematic cutscenes Blizzard's delivered in the final game are suitably gorgeous and epic, setting the bar for visual fidelity in the same way they did back in 2000. But they haven't made the cinematics any more important than they were 12 years ago -- they still only occur between Acts, and they still exist in a sort of symbiotic dysfunction with the in-game dialog and events, neither of which fully agree on what's important in the game's developing story. This guy complains about the missed emotional significance of a brief scene in the game's first 20 minutes, but I shudder to think of how he'll feel about Act I's generally ambiguous objective and slapdash pacing. +Like I suspected from the beta, the cinematic cutscenes Blizzard's delivered in the final game are suitably gorgeous and epic, setting the bar for visual fidelity in the same way they did back in 2000. But they haven't made the cinematics any more important than they were 12 years ago -- they still only occur between Acts, and they still exist in a sort of symbiotic dysfunction with the in-game dialog and events, neither of which fully agree on what's important in the game's developing story. This guy complains about the missed emotional significance of a brief scene in the game's first 20 minutes, but I shudder to think of how he'll feel about Act I's generally ambiguous objective and slapdash pacing. It's a shame, because the plot abstract for Diablo III is actually quite interesting, and satisfyingly ties up the loose ends left from Diablo II (at least until Blizzard decides to make a D3 expansion pack). But in-game, the story is always in un-subtle service of the level design. Go through the uniquely beautiful grassy plains area and find your way through the spider-cave passage, because you have to find, uh, X. Seek out the portal to Hell and go kill a thing that represents, uh, a bad something. There's nothing wrong with this pragmatic game design, per se, except that it's exactly what I was playing 12 years ago. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2069.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2069.md index 179ec555..14fa4ca3 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2069.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2069.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Tomb Raider (2013)" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Tomb Raider is one of the last franchises I expected to be giving half a shit about (the surprisingly pleasant [Guardian of Light](game:Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light) spinoff notwithstanding). Naughty Dog made it clear that they had no problem carrying that torch for themselves. But the most recent media for Lara's new adventure shows plainly that her keepers have been watching Drake closely, and taking notes. Deep characterization, an immediately intriguing plot, and high-octane set pieces are all accounted for here. Hey, if this Tomb Raider can be as good as an Uncharted, that's plenty good enough. \ No newline at end of file +Tomb Raider is one of the last franchises I expected to be giving half a shit about (the surprisingly pleasant [Guardian of Light](game:Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light) spinoff notwithstanding). Naughty Dog made it clear that they had no problem carrying that torch for themselves. But the most recent media for Lara's new adventure shows plainly that her keepers have been watching Drake closely, and taking notes. Deep characterization, an immediately intriguing plot, and high-octane set pieces are all accounted for here. Hey, if this Tomb Raider can be as good as an Uncharted, that's plenty good enough. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2183.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2183.md index 95728deb..042870f3 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2183.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2183.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Pikmin 3" ] platform = [ "WiiU" ] +++ -Rock Pikmin? Cool, I guess. Ant-style bridge building? Neat effect-- whoa, where did all these other captains come from? Yeah, now I'm curious. \ No newline at end of file +Rock Pikmin? Cool, I guess. Ant-style bridge building? Neat effect-- whoa, where did all these other captains come from? Yeah, now I'm curious. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2188.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2188.md index 45b1ddc4..2eab3db5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2188.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2188.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -In , the Nightmare and Hell difficulty levels were completely fucking retarded, with reduced (as in negative) magic resistance and sweeping enemy immunities -- designed explicitly to make you weak and totally helpless. Comparatively, Diablo III has much more approachable difficulties, especially since - at least in Nightmare - level-ups continue to scale fairly well. But it's still just unfair enough to feel frustrating. +In , the Nightmare and Hell difficulty levels were completely fucking retarded, with reduced (as in negative) magic resistance and sweeping enemy immunities -- designed explicitly to make you weak and totally helpless. Comparatively, Diablo III has much more approachable difficulties, especially since - at least in Nightmare - level-ups continue to scale fairly well. But it's still just unfair enough to feel frustrating. New elite-monster modifications start to appear - like Arcane Enchanted, which turns a battle into a deadly Pink Floyd show, and Fire Chains, which seemed silly until two fast-moving imps ran jumpropes of fiery death around me - and certain combinations, like Jailer (rooting me in one place) and Plagued or Defiler (placing devastating but usually-avoidable damage sources in one place) just feel game-breaking. Meanwhile, while the equipment drops are generally better, they're not better enough to scale with the game difficulty, and there is an increasingly depressing sense of Blizzard driving me to the Auction House just to keep pace. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2230.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2230.md index eec269b1..f5638de5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2230.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2230.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Assassin's Creed III" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Whatever my misgivings about the franchise -- this one's for 'Murika. \ No newline at end of file +Whatever my misgivings about the franchise -- this one's for 'Murika. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2241.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2241.md index 50ae091e..1da9bba0 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2241.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2241.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Vampires, werewolves, whatever -- they had me at "Skyrim DLC." \ No newline at end of file +Vampires, werewolves, whatever -- they had me at "Skyrim DLC." \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2288.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2288.md index 4e75514a..dc5cc359 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2288.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2288.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Of the main DLC trilogy - [Genkibowl VII](game:Sain Parts of the DLC's mini-campaign feel a bit overlong -- even though the whole package is still quite short. You do have the opportunity of replaying the series of missions once you're done, although why you would want to is anyone's guess. And the spaceship? Not as fun to fly as the VTOL aircraft from the main game. -Not really worth $7, but as part of its three-pack - itself at a substantial discount - not a bad deal. +Not really worth $7, but as part of its three-pack - itself at a substantial discount - not a bad deal. Better than: Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2297.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2297.md index f2d9704d..074bd467 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2297.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2297.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Sleeping Dogs" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -My interest in this was pretty lukewarm, on the assumption that shoehorning the "True Crime" (whatever that means) out of the existing production would only exacerbate what Activision saw as quality issues. But as the hype train starts to roll up, it's becoming evident that this game is packed to the gills with the kinds of things I love from, maybe not Grand Theft Auto, but possibly Saints Row. Also, apparently the "True Crime" thing wasn't even, which is even more comforting, somehow. \ No newline at end of file +My interest in this was pretty lukewarm, on the assumption that shoehorning the "True Crime" (whatever that means) out of the existing production would only exacerbate what Activision saw as quality issues. But as the hype train starts to roll up, it's becoming evident that this game is packed to the gills with the kinds of things I love from, maybe not Grand Theft Auto, but possibly Saints Row. Also, apparently the "True Crime" thing wasn't even, which is even more comforting, somehow. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2464.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2464.md index e92f641c..d1c34244 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2464.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2464.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -My first thoughts were, is this really just some additional dialog and cutscenes? These were my second thoughts, also. My third thoughts were, do I really need to play through the whole ending sequence again to see this new stuff, hidden in the old stuff? And then my fourth thoughts were a lot like the first two. +My first thoughts were, is this really just some additional dialog and cutscenes? These were my second thoughts, also. My third thoughts were, do I really need to play through the whole ending sequence again to see this new stuff, hidden in the old stuff? And then my fourth thoughts were a lot like the first two. Eventually, I reached the part where the Catalyst explains stuff, and I do appreciate that it actually explained something this time around. The new ending? Nice to have a choice, but the content is pretty meh. And I honestly didn't care enough to even watch the rest of the new stuff. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2468.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2468.md index 2fd08c7d..d3237d6f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2468.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2468.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -Do I want to hop between airborne missiles and slice up a combat helicopter? Yes, I absolutely do. \ No newline at end of file +Do I want to hop between airborne missiles and slice up a combat helicopter? Yes, I absolutely do. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2501.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2501.md index 3f7be014..cbae5936 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2501.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2501.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Dishonored" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Arkane Studios doesn't really have much of a track record, which makes the ambition and sheer cool-factor of Dishonored that much more amazing. If the game can really deliver on the kind of open-endedness that it intends, and if its world can maintain the visual richness and nuance of the trailers so far, these guys could really give [Irrational](game:BioShock Infinite) a run for their money. \ No newline at end of file +Arkane Studios doesn't really have much of a track record, which makes the ambition and sheer cool-factor of Dishonored that much more amazing. If the game can really deliver on the kind of open-endedness that it intends, and if its world can maintain the visual richness and nuance of the trailers so far, these guys could really give [Irrational](game:BioShock Infinite) a run for their money. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2581.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2581.md index 70e9ef8e..051a322e 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2581.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2581.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -While I had (and still have) an endless admiration for [Lords of Shadow](game:Castlevania: Lords of Shadow)'s production values, the game itself never really gripped me. Now I find myself questioning that -- because this sequel, in which you are apparently Vlad himself, looks way too fucking cool. Granted, the cinematic doesn't prove that playing as Dracula will actually be any fun, but how couldn't it be? \ No newline at end of file +While I had (and still have) an endless admiration for [Lords of Shadow](game:Castlevania: Lords of Shadow)'s production values, the game itself never really gripped me. Now I find myself questioning that -- because this sequel, in which you are apparently Vlad himself, looks way too fucking cool. Granted, the cinematic doesn't prove that playing as Dracula will actually be any fun, but how couldn't it be? \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2654.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2654.md index fbfdcaf4..be3dda96 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2654.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2654.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Batman: Arkham City - Harley Quinn's Revenge" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Well, I've heard that this DLC isn't all that, but I want to find out for myself and I've got $10 to waste. Unfortunately, the already-convoluted purchase process - in which I bought it on Steam, but apparently must redeem my code in Games for Windows Live? - has failed me, because my code doesn't work. +Well, I've heard that this DLC isn't all that, but I want to find out for myself and I've got $10 to waste. Unfortunately, the already-convoluted purchase process - in which I bought it on Steam, but apparently must redeem my code in Games for Windows Live? - has failed me, because my code doesn't work. Not off to a great start here, guys. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2680.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2680.md index a43b14cd..3cc725a3 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2680.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2680.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "The Last of Us" ] platform = [ "PS3" ] +++ -Honestly? I dunno about this one yet. Uncharted is an easy sell for its Indiana Jones adventuring and its Hollywood flair -- this beast is darker and more tortured, and at the same time presents the kind of resource-limited gameplay scenarios that I just find frustrating. +Honestly? I dunno about this one yet. Uncharted is an easy sell for its Indiana Jones adventuring and its Hollywood flair -- this beast is darker and more tortured, and at the same time presents the kind of resource-limited gameplay scenarios that I just find frustrating. I'll be keeping my eyes open, though. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2697.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2697.md index a2200466..509c45ac 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2697.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2697.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ At first blush, Genkibowl VII appears to be the least interesting of three-pack - itself at a substantial discount - not a bad deal. +Not really worth $7, but as part of its three-pack - itself at a substantial discount - not a bad deal. Better than: Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2706.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2706.md index d00d0acc..46696323 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2706.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2706.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ So [Genkibowl VII](game:Saints Row: The Third - Genkibowl VII) was fun, if shall When you can run at the speed of traffic, punch enemies so hard they explode (complete with "BIFF" and "ZAM" starburst effects), and launch fireballs at freakin' helicopters, the second half of this DLC's mini-campaign feels like a hilarious and well-realized addition to Saints Row's established irreverence. But it's still disappointingly brief and throw-away, especially in that the resurrected, monstrous Johnny Gat doesn't have a bigger role. -Not really worth $7, but as part of its three-pack - itself at a substantial discount - not a bad deal. +Not really worth $7, but as part of its three-pack - itself at a substantial discount - not a bad deal. Better than: Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2729.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2729.md index 404ba786..a46ba9a4 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2729.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2729.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "The Wonderful 101" ] platform = [ "WiiU" ] +++ -I might be in love with this game, if I could understand it at all. +I might be in love with this game, if I could understand it at all. Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2774.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2774.md index 6e424ae5..413c0751 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2774.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2774.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I'd be lying if I said the run-and-gun mark-and-execute action didn't excite me -- if it all actually works, this fluid shooting dynamic could be pretty excellent. But given my experience with [Conviction](game:Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction), I'll want some more assurances about the "actually works" part. +I'd be lying if I said the run-and-gun mark-and-execute action didn't excite me -- if it all actually works, this fluid shooting dynamic could be pretty excellent. But given my experience with [Conviction](game:Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction), I'll want some more assurances about the "actually works" part. Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2782.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2782.md index e6127645..6afedb4f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2782.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2782.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Star Wars: 1313" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Everybody's thinking it, so I'll say it -- this is Uncharted: Star Wars. And I'm perfectly happy with that. \ No newline at end of file +Everybody's thinking it, so I'll say it -- this is Uncharted: Star Wars. And I'm perfectly happy with that. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2890.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2890.md index 82434ad7..7bec70f3 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2890.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2890.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Resident Evil 6" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -Zombies on a plane! Hahahaha! +Zombies on a plane! Hahahaha! Seriously though, this looks like a big dumb action thrill-ride and I'll almost certainly end up playing it. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2998.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2998.md index bff0cf62..097b6a71 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2998.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/2998.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Watch Dogs" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Why yes, I think I might like this very much. \ No newline at end of file +Why yes, I think I might like this very much. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/3013.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/3013.md index 1dc3ea56..47679a74 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/3013.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/06/3013.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate" ] platform = [ "3DS" ] +++ -If you look real closely you can see some classic side-scrolling gameplay in-- what's that? Oh, hello Alucard. It's been a while. \ No newline at end of file +If you look real closely you can see some classic side-scrolling gameplay in-- what's that? Oh, hello Alucard. It's been a while. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2080.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2080.md index 544b6c09..73662a16 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2080.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2080.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] More gripes: I really, really wish that enemy cities could be razed by damaging them, rather than having to attack with ground units capable of invasion. It's immensely disappointing that, after investing technology and military funding into naval and air units, I can bombard a city with artillery and battleships and bombers and nuclear missiles until the heat death of the universe, but the city will still be able to bounce right back in a few turns. (At least nuke radiation cripples the city's nearby economy.) -Edit: apparently it is possible to nuke (most) cities into oblivion, given that it requires more than one nuke. +Edit: apparently it is possible to nuke (most) cities into oblivion, given that it requires more than one nuke. I'm also a little upset with the "Quick" game pace, which allegedly just compresses the game's turns, allowing the same amount of activity in less time -- but having won a science victory in Standard pace, and then being unable to finish the necessary research for it in Quick - despite more than adequate science investment - I'm pretty sure that's a lie. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2258.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2258.md index a4852438..884c3e08 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2258.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2258.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Assassin's Creed III" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -To me, this preview is pretty much an apology for the mechanical stagnance and misfires of the past three years of Assassin's Creed. Expectations: raised. \ No newline at end of file +To me, this preview is pretty much an apology for the mechanical stagnance and misfires of the past three years of Assassin's Creed. Expectations: raised. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2424.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2424.md index ea6731a6..5776d8ab 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2424.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2424.md @@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ Here's the thing about DKC Returns -- it's too hard. To be clear, it's a I've played co-op on a few occasions, and it's a genuinely fun game, the baffling remote-shaking control notwithstanding. There's just no way I have the patience to try and retry and re-re-re-re-retry a difficult level because there are a dozen instant-death moments between the start and the halfway point, and then another dozen from there to the end. -The Super Guide isn't a solution either, at least, it doesn't feel like one; as a mostly timing- and reflex-driven game, being "shown" what to do is rarely helpful, and skipping levels removes all sense of accomplishment, which is really the whole point of this kind of game. +The Super Guide isn't a solution either, at least, it doesn't feel like one; as a mostly timing- and reflex-driven game, being "shown" what to do is rarely helpful, and skipping levels removes all sense of accomplishment, which is really the whole point of this kind of game. DKC Returns isn't bad, and in fact should be a real delight to a dedicated-enough player. Maybe I'm just gettin' too old for this shit. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2529.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2529.md index 1a92890c..2c03aee6 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2529.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2529.md @@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ game = [ "Binary Domain" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I've been maintaining a tepid interest in this uniquely fascinating game even through its thoroughly underwhelming reception. And I was about to jump onto its current Flash Deal on Steam, but thought it prudent to sample the demo first. Now I'm glad I tried it. +I've been maintaining a tepid interest in this uniquely fascinating game even through its thoroughly underwhelming reception. And I was about to jump onto its current Flash Deal on Steam, but thought it prudent to sample the demo first. Now I'm glad I tried it. It didn't help that Binary Domain's demo doesn't explain vital controls at all. A party member asks for my advice, and I'm supposed to answer with voice controls? No, let me use buttons or keys ... but which key shows me what to respond with? (Hint: it's Tab.) Of course, if I take too long to respond, the conversation ends with everyone disappointed and upset. Then I get into a firefight, but I ran out of ammo, I need to switch weapons ... how the hell do I do that!? (Hint: number keys 1-4.) Meanwhile my teammates are yelling at me for support, but I don't know how. -I also couldn't find any option to invert the look/aim control stick, which is -- I mean, come on, really? This has been a requisite standard since 1997. Fortunately the mouse and keyboard controls work well enough (although this apparently was not always the case), but if you still want to invert your mouse look, good luck with that. +I also couldn't find any option to invert the look/aim control stick, which is -- I mean, come on, really? This has been a requisite standard since 1997. Fortunately the mouse and keyboard controls work well enough (although this apparently was not always the case), but if you still want to invert your mouse look, good luck with that. Aside from the shoddy demo work, the gameplay in general also didn't feel quite right. There's a whole robust system of team interaction and trust, but your teammates are far too likely to run into your line of fire like an idiot, making them trust you less. And they bark questions at you way too much during combat, such that responding to them is more of an irritating chore than meaningful interaction. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2574.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2574.md index b6df0ebc..9da31907 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2574.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2574.md @@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] I'd always intended to come back to this game by myself, to collect bonus medals and unlock new stuff. But the not-so-silver lining of New SMB Wii is that, although it's constructed on the same foundation that's historically made Mario a single-player joyride - complete with warp shortcuts and a special world - its levels are simply too loose and spread-out to enjoy solo. Without other players getting in your way, it's actually a pretty light experience. -So, yeah, lost interest. May we meet again in another game, World 9. +So, yeah, lost interest. May we meet again in another game, World 9. Progress: Beat Bowser (Co-op) \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2665.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2665.md index 532edf7b..e5c68eae 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2665.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2665.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Ico" ] platform = [ "PS2" ] +++ -Of course I wanted to play Ico, especially after being mostly-impressed by . But my game disc wouldn't work in my PS2 (which I later found out was because the PS2 CD reader is a real piece of shit), and my experience trying to emulate the game was pretty uneven, so I basically gave up. Fast forward to present day, and the PS3 HD remake has given me another chance! So I let my buddy take a stab at it first, since he hasn't played Ico yet either, and ... now I'm pretty lukewarm on it. +Of course I wanted to play Ico, especially after being mostly-impressed by . But my game disc wouldn't work in my PS2 (which I later found out was because the PS2 CD reader is a real piece of shit), and my experience trying to emulate the game was pretty uneven, so I basically gave up. Fast forward to present day, and the PS3 HD remake has given me another chance! So I let my buddy take a stab at it first, since he hasn't played Ico yet either, and ... now I'm pretty lukewarm on it. To be frank, Ico's basic dungeon-roaming and puzzle-solving gameplay has become rote and routine, today. Which would be fine, if not for its unique and/or antiquated annoyances of escorting the dumbass Yorda around (yeah yeah, I know it's the whole point, but that doesn't make it any less irritating) and poorly-placed checkpoints that end up forcing a lot of depressing repetition. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2900.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2900.md index cc73a059..3e415267 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2900.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/07/2900.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Like Skyrim, Civ 5 is a great game for stories. One campaign, my neighbor Napoleon made nice, asked for open borders, then declared war; I defended against him, we made up, and then he did it again (and a third time). Another campaign, I allowed Polynesia to wipe out Japan; then as I marched along on my war path, I liberated Kyoto, and Oda Nobunaga responded to his salvation by publicly denouncing me. My last campaign, I built up an impeccable seaport-based economy and raced along the tech tree toward a science victory, only to notice too late that General Washington was about to grab a surprise victory by winning every available United Nations vote. -I've also started experimenting with mods - specifically, the "Vanilla Enhanced" mod/patch - and it's fascinating that the game can be changed so broadly and dramatically, but I think I'll be sticking with the main game for the most part. Learning such a meticulous game is daunting enough, without having a mod completely shift the learning curve again. +I've also started experimenting with mods - specifically, the "Vanilla Enhanced" mod/patch - and it's fascinating that the game can be changed so broadly and dramatically, but I think I'll be sticking with the main game for the most part. Learning such a meticulous game is daunting enough, without having a mod completely shift the learning curve again. There are some things I wish Civ 5 was better at, like starting faster and having AIs that aren't selfish assholes, but it's still a ton of fun just to tool around with. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/08/2331.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/08/2331.md index d9e7e714..88437fcb 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/08/2331.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/08/2331.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ For as much time as I've put into Civ 5 - coming up on my hour count with [Skyri There are also some balance problems I take serious issue with. The combat outcome estimate can be distressingly wrong; I've even lost sometimes when it definitively said I would win. The AI players always behave irrationally unfairly, as they'll never accept any trade that benefits you more than themselves, but will turn right around and request free shit, then get pissy if you don't acquiesce. The "automatic" AI on units can be pretty retarded, leaving workers unused when they could be useful, or sending them off in random directions when they feel threatened (often directly into another unseen threat). And I really, really wish it was possible to destroy a city without sending a (usually weak) land unit in, or resorting to nuclear missiles. -Mods can address many of those foibles, but as I determined previously, Civ 5's mechanics are nuanced and elaborate enough that re-setting the balance on everything can be more trouble than it's worth. What would be perfect would be if the bevy of options in a mod like Vanilla Enhanced could be configured individually, or split into different mods, so I could "fix" the things that annoy me about Civ 5 without adding a whole bunch of other stuff. But, alas. +Mods can address many of those foibles, but as I determined previously, Civ 5's mechanics are nuanced and elaborate enough that re-setting the balance on everything can be more trouble than it's worth. What would be perfect would be if the bevy of options in a mod like Vanilla Enhanced could be configured individually, or split into different mods, so I could "fix" the things that annoy me about Civ 5 without adding a whole bunch of other stuff. But, alas. This isn't to discount how incredibly fun the game can be, despite the overwhelming time investment it requires. I've had a blast playing co-op games with a buddy (although multiplayer has some alarming performance issues), and playing a week-long game which I won on the first day (just to see how long it would take to colonize the entire map). At its core, Civ 5 is an approachable yet deep game about establishing a global empire, and who can't love that? diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2329.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2329.md index c2060790..f999f758 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2329.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2329.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I've heard that the [Gods and Kings](game:Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings) expansion fixes Civ 5's so-called "diplomacy" mechanics, but I'm not sure how much I should really expect. I wish the diplomatic AI was sophisticated enough that I could really try to play people against each other, or at least maintain healthy alliances; but all the AI players ever want is everything. They covet any land that isn't theirs, and they never forgive (or listen to) a warning against settling near your territory. If you're winning - that is, if your score is high, not if you're actually close to finishing the game - the AI will declare war on you even if you've never slighted them at all. +I've heard that the [Gods and Kings](game:Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings) expansion fixes Civ 5's so-called "diplomacy" mechanics, but I'm not sure how much I should really expect. I wish the diplomatic AI was sophisticated enough that I could really try to play people against each other, or at least maintain healthy alliances; but all the AI players ever want is everything. They covet any land that isn't theirs, and they never forgive (or listen to) a warning against settling near your territory. If you're winning - that is, if your score is high, not if you're actually close to finishing the game - the AI will declare war on you even if you've never slighted them at all. A game I played the other day, I was allied with both Kamehameha of Polynesia, and Catherine of Russia; then Catherine turned on Kamehameha, and asked me to go to war against Kamehamema alongside her. I accepted, and because I betrayed a player I was friends with, Catherine denounced me. I reloaded a slightly stale save and then refused Catherine's offer of war, which of course caused her to still get pissed at me. Whatever Cathy. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2352.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2352.md index 861213b5..8ad2df51 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2352.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2352.md @@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] Wrapping up left me wanting more open-world mayhem (I even tried again, before becoming frustrated for all the same reasons as before), and damned if The Saboteur isn't still fun. The game just plays beautifully, and Sean Devlin's suite of abilities holds up quite well, even three years later. -But, there is the ever-present threat of bugs in the PC version -- I've done pretty well so far, but there is apparently a nasty issue with the in-game map when using a resolution above 720p. Which is a shame, because the game actually looks quite beautiful at 1080p. I might just keep my resolution and try to avoid the map screen. +But, there is the ever-present threat of bugs in the PC version -- I've done pretty well so far, but there is apparently a nasty issue with the in-game map when using a resolution above 720p. Which is a shame, because the game actually looks quite beautiful at 1080p. I might just keep my resolution and try to avoid the map screen. Progress: Recovered Santos's Champagne \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2702.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2702.md index 4207a156..d133de28 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2702.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/09/2702.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Remember Me" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Initial media for Remember Me had me pretty nonplussed (and in at least one case, distinctly anti-plussed). But this look at the combat system is actually pretty impressive -- not only in its heavy customization, but in how that customization allows you to manage things like ability cooldowns and health regen through beating dudes up. I'll be keeping my eyes open for this one. +Initial media for Remember Me had me pretty nonplussed (and in at least one case, distinctly anti-plussed). But this look at the combat system is actually pretty impressive -- not only in its heavy customization, but in how that customization allows you to manage things like ability cooldowns and health regen through beating dudes up. I'll be keeping my eyes open for this one. Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2070.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2070.md index 4f810f44..8d3d2365 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2070.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2070.md @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ It's not a flawless experience: as is depressingly typical in third-person shoot While it's a little disappointing that the campaign is over in six hours, it does feel tight and satisfying. There's also a little replay value in collecting intel (think 's audio logs, but less plentiful), and in trying some decision points the other way around. -Given that, I can completely understand the lead designer's comments about how utterly unnecessary the outsourced multiplayer mode was. Rather than hopelessly trying to compete with best-in-class multiplayer shooters, Spec Ops: The Line would have been much better served just delivering its excellent story, and accepting that it doesn't have that much longevity. Maybe with a lower launch price? +Given that, I can completely understand the lead designer's comments about how utterly unnecessary the outsourced multiplayer mode was. Rather than hopelessly trying to compete with best-in-class multiplayer shooters, Spec Ops: The Line would have been much better served just delivering its excellent story, and accepting that it doesn't have that much longevity. Maybe with a lower launch price? Better than: Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2203.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2203.md index 513d7d9a..fbbfd9ae 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2203.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2203.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ With well-paced enemy variety and your own favorite music, Beat Hazard (Ultra) c Better than: Not as good as: well... a real video game. -Also relevant: it's, what, $6.50? +Also relevant: it's, what, $6.50? Progress: Sub-Commander rank \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2535.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2535.md index 8f3e741e..14cab3eb 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2535.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2535.md @@ -20,6 +20,6 @@ Like I said, Gods and Kings has some great improvements to [Civ V](game:Sid Meie Better than: Not as good as: a $30 game should be. -The recent patch is also a general improvement: although there are still some inexcusable performance issues in multiplayer. +The recent patch is also a general improvement: although there are still some inexcusable performance issues in multiplayer. Progress: Finished a couple of campaigns diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2705.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2705.md index dd8e802c..8e05b19b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2705.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2705.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ By all appearances, Home is like an old choose-your-own-adventure book -- an ope It's a shame, because for the majority of the game, Home really pulls off an air of mystery. It thrives on an excellent atmospheric presentation, with enough ambient sounds and visual effects to keep you wondering when something will jump out at you. There are early signs of betraying narrative realism for the sake of game-ification - hidden switches and simple puzzles - but these are fairly uncommon. Every inspectable object, every item you can choose to pick up or leave alone, every door you can enter or pass by, feels like a meaningful choice whether to investigate or to press on toward your titular home. You have plenty of opportunities to choose between going on with your current knowledge and assumption of the story, or taking pause to uncover more information. -But as Home nears its conclusion, this mystery doesn't come together at all. Instead, the game asks you directly what you think is happening, and then that becomes what happened. The real questions of the game's story are replaced with abstract twists, and any potential resolution is wiped out by total ambiguity. This doesn't seem to be an accident, according to the game's creator. +But as Home nears its conclusion, this mystery doesn't come together at all. Instead, the game asks you directly what you think is happening, and then that becomes what happened. The real questions of the game's story are replaced with abstract twists, and any potential resolution is wiped out by total ambiguity. This doesn't seem to be an accident, according to the game's creator. By all appearances - further supported by the game's closing screen, which points you to a story-sharing page on its website - the real "purpose" of Home is to forge your own unique story and share it with others. But what's the point of this when the unique aspects of your story are so arbitrary, and also so brief when compared to the rich mystery backdrop? To write all the components of a compelling plot, and muddle it with what just feels like a last-minute gimmicky twist, seems so wasteful. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2831.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2831.md index 7ccb1ee9..19cb92a7 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2831.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/2831.md @@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awful" ] +++ -What the hell is this simple-looking amateur game? Is it a Quake mod? Is it a lo-fi, -meets-, hidden masterpiece? Is it a misplaced tech demo? Well, maybe the last one. +What the hell is this simple-looking amateur game? Is it a Quake mod? Is it a lo-fi, -meets-, hidden masterpiece? Is it a misplaced tech demo? Well, maybe the last one. Look, guy who made Caster, this is an impressive solo dev project -- but that's it. Low production value is one thing, but there's absolutely nothing of interest here. Upgrading your physical abilities to become overpowered is pointless, when there's no compelling content to overpower. Caster's blandness extends beyond its world, enemies, and art. It's just a whole pile of bland. Even calling it a pile seems like an overstatement. -Asking people to pay for this ... engine proof is dishonest and shameful. Unless this is a -type deal where the whole game will be pieced together over the next few years, but, no that doesn't look like it. +Asking people to pay for this ... engine proof is dishonest and shameful. Unless this is a -type deal where the whole game will be pieced together over the next few years, but, no that doesn't look like it. Better than: actually, it might be better than Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/3003.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/3003.md index e27364af..4a74f22a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/3003.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/11/3003.md @@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ There are plenty of other cool features in Warlock too, like alternate planes (s But there are big problems with the game, which mostly come down to a lack of polish. Some aspects seem pretty unbalanced, like the amount of gold and mana you can earn with some basic min-maxing on your empire structure. As aforementioned, the AI is basically incompetent, to the point where they're more likely to harm you by accident than on purpose. And the game is buggy -- button clicks will not-uncommonly get lost in some nether-world UI layer, and a clear resource leak leads to deteriorating performance as turns proceed, ultimately resulting in frequent crashes (I crashed five times in the course of my nine-hour campaign). This seems to be somewhat expected, as the game auto-saves every turn, and the startup screen features a Continue button, so you can swiftly recover from a crash with minimal losses. -Summarily: Warlock is pretty damn cool. But, even more so than Civ V, technological infidelity holds it back. The game is already pretty cheap, though (and there's a Steam demo), so if the idea of a fantasy-Civ appeals to you, definitely check it out. +Summarily: Warlock is pretty damn cool. But, even more so than Civ V, technological infidelity holds it back. The game is already pretty cheap, though (and there's a Steam demo), so if the idea of a fantasy-Civ appeals to you, definitely check it out. Better than: well, about as good as , though lacking in terms of real AI competition Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/12/3044.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/12/3044.md index 9241bda2..0138e74c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/12/3044.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2012/12/3044.md @@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] On the heels of an initial shot at - expect glogging on this game later - I became anxious to discover more about the studio behind it, Retro Affect (or in this case, just designer Kyle Pulver). Depict1 may not last very long, but it's a clever and engaging jaunt, not to mention an audiovisual treat. It's one of those rare games that ties its core conceit into not only the narrative, but the gameplay itself. -You should try it! (Flash version) +You should try it! (Flash version) Progress: Complete \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2244.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2244.md index c393c235..f0baee97 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2244.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2244.md @@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] Unlike , Borderlands 2 is something that I can - and will - be revisiting on my own. That, to me, is the greatest victory in this sequel: that it's even fun to play solo. Maybe it's the robots. -That said, I've already conquered almost all of the main game's content, with the exception of the level-holy-fuck raid-boss. So it's a good thing that Gearbox is still pushing new DLC out. +That said, I've already conquered almost all of the main game's content, with the exception of the level-holy-fuck raid-boss. So it's a good thing that Gearbox is still pushing new DLC out. Progress: Level 39, finished almost all quests (in Normal) \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2417.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2417.md index 7bc94c00..2e14f8de 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2417.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2417.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] Don't be fooled by the name or the premise -- this isn't some simple arena event. Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage is, in fact, a campaign, with a story and characters and turning points and everything. That being said, it isn't a very nuanced campaign; it does revolve closely around climbing a (brief) ladder to the top of the Badass charts. But it's sufficient, and more importantly, a proper vehicle for Mr. Torgue to drive into a F\*CKING EXPLOSION! -Yeah, there's a campaign and a solid collection of side-quests, but the real star of this DLC pack is Mr. Torgue himself. He really steals the show, despite it belonging to him in the first place. Mr. Torgue's writing is impeccable - including (and especially) his expletive-filled explanation of why his expletives are bleeped - and the voice actor's delivery is pitch perfect. At no point during the campaign does Mr. Torgue stop talking to you about badassitude or explosions, and that is AWESOME! +Yeah, there's a campaign and a solid collection of side-quests, but the real star of this DLC pack is Mr. Torgue himself. He really steals the show, despite it belonging to him in the first place. Mr. Torgue's writing is impeccable - including (and especially) his expletive-filled explanation of why his expletives are bleeped - and the voice actor's delivery is pitch perfect. At no point during the campaign does Mr. Torgue stop talking to you about badassitude or explosions, and that is AWESOME! The Campaign of Carnage's level design isn't quite up to the standard set by [Captain Scarlett](game:Borderlands 2: Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty), though fortunately some new enemy designs (can you say TORGUE ROBOTS!?) start to make up for that. But as nice and good as pretty much everything in this DLC pack is, the highlight is - again, easily - Mr. Torgue. He could make a much worse campaign worth playing. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2754.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2754.md index afaddbbd..e2fcfc0b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2754.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/2754.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] The Assassin's Creed franchise has wandered an uneven path over the past few years: first hewing painfully close to its real-world technobabble, later becoming a pseudo-religious fairy tale; developing a mystery-steeped story around modern-day protagonist Desmond, but largely discarding it as the series proceeded; premising itself on single-minded assassination and stealth, then trading these concepts for visceral melee combat and a bevy of integrated mini-games. AC3, for the most part, continues these traditions -- but rather than coming across as a Frankenstein's monster like its predecessors, this iteration feels somehow right. -One of the biggest changes from previous Creeds to AC3 is, this time, the high-level story structure is actually pretty good. While Desmond's 2012 story is still rooted in absurd conspiratard bullshit, most of the story-telling here avoids the trap of descending into poorly-justified exposition, instead focusing on smaller-scale events and inter-character drama. Some of those characters are criminally underdeveloped (who the fuck is Cross?), and the ending is, of course, a poorly-written and idiotic cliffhanger. But still -- progress. +One of the biggest changes from previous Creeds to AC3 is, this time, the high-level story structure is actually pretty good. While Desmond's 2012 story is still rooted in absurd conspiratard bullshit, most of the story-telling here avoids the trap of descending into poorly-justified exposition, instead focusing on smaller-scale events and inter-character drama. Some of those characters are criminally underdeveloped (who the fuck is Cross?), and the ending is, of course, a poorly-written and idiotic cliffhanger. But still -- progress. The 18th century story is a lot better-told than Altair's and Ezio's were, too. It actually doesn't start with Connor (the central Native American protagonist), but with Haytham Kenway, a British assassin on a mission to the colonies. There are some well-plotted twists, and some real, meaningful character interactions throughout his and Connor's campaign; and at times when those feel stale, there is also the exceptionally fascinating - although I may be biased - backdrop of the American revolution. This, too, is paced masterfully, stepping from milestone event to milestone event without ever feeling conveniently contrived (unlike, say, Brotherhood's treatment of the Italian Renaissance). @@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ With fast weapons and flowing counters, cutting down hordes of redcoats is a tru In fact, between the compelling plot and the fast-paced gameplay, I found it hard to put AC3's campaign down, even for optional, non-campaign content. This is a first in the series for me (with the exception of the original , which didn't have enough optional content to even consider). As you might expect based on Ezio's open-world adventures, there's a ton of extra stuff, from letter-carrying and hunting to assassin recruitment and colonial resistance. With the exception of two or three forced naval battle sequences, these extras are never forced upon the player during the campaign, which is nice ... if a bit inconvenient, since some optional content covers really cool stuff, like the Rope Dart weapon and Assassin Recruit powers. -This, at least in my estimation, is less of a design mistake and more of a production misstep. Like Philadelphia, and like some skip-ahead dialog hinting at missing content, there are various indicators throughout the campaign's story of content that was cut, or rearranged for time. And that these seams are still visible, shows that (in accordance with tradition) this game wasn't quite finished. On the one hand, the 2012 plot demands that the game be released before December 21st; but then again, this pattern - changing the game's design and rushing it to release - really seems to be the AC franchise's most persistent flaw. As fun and as enriched as Assassin's Creed 3 is, it still feels, like every other Creed, unfinished. +This, at least in my estimation, is less of a design mistake and more of a production misstep. Like Philadelphia, and like some skip-ahead dialog hinting at missing content, there are various indicators throughout the campaign's story of content that was cut, or rearranged for time. And that these seams are still visible, shows that (in accordance with tradition) this game wasn't quite finished. On the one hand, the 2012 plot demands that the game be released before December 21st; but then again, this pattern - changing the game's design and rushing it to release - really seems to be the AC franchise's most persistent flaw. As fun and as enriched as Assassin's Creed 3 is, it still feels, like every other Creed, unfinished. But in the face of these continuing production issues, AC3 shows -- well, progress. Even in its technical sophistication, which takes some meaningful steps forward from Ezio's stagnating engine: facial expressions look great, crowded city scenes hold up reasonably well, and water and snow look and act excellently. Yeah, there is still the occasional low-resolution texture and low-polygon model mixed in here, but ... progress. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/3031.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/3031.md index 0a142b7c..0cc7940b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/3031.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/01/3031.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ With that said, the gunplay is pretty good, ... sort of. Max picks up a reasona There's a neat recovery mechanic where, if you take a fatal shot, you can recover by killing the guy who shot you; but it uses one of your painkillers (healing items) in the process, so once you expend those, the mechanic simply disappears. -I also have to mention a cool bug where Max can get stuck in cover -- unable to move, unable to shoot, waiting for death. This happened to me four times in the first level, and once more before I finally gave up. It's been a known issue for ... almost three months? Really? +I also have to mention a cool bug where Max can get stuck in cover -- unable to move, unable to shoot, waiting for death. This happened to me four times in the first level, and once more before I finally gave up. It's been a known issue for ... almost three months? Really? Max Payne 3 feels like a big waste of 30 GB of my disk space (I can only guess most of this is from the game's Kojima-sized cutscenes). Although I only got an hour or so in, I have no interest in pushing farther. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/02/2761.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/02/2761.md index ab9dfd71..5b053d28 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/02/2761.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/02/2761.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -The brilliance of the trailer for Thomas Was Alone is that, in addition to showing off the game's stylish graphics and smooth narration, it establishes that there's a real game in here: a competent platformer, with falling floors, spikes, water hazards, switches, and so on. But the brilliance of the game itself, is that it goes much, much deeper than this. +The brilliance of the trailer for Thomas Was Alone is that, in addition to showing off the game's stylish graphics and smooth narration, it establishes that there's a real game in here: a competent platformer, with falling floors, spikes, water hazards, switches, and so on. But the brilliance of the game itself, is that it goes much, much deeper than this. Thomas Was Alone can be best compared, mechanically, to games like the Lost Vikings -- generally, you'll be in control of a team of block-shaped characters, each with unique traits. Some may jump higher or farther, some may be able to fit in narrow spaces, and some may have altogether unique abilities like floating or bouncing. You'll need to switch between these characters and make them cooperate with one another to get them all to the level exit. Although the introductory stages are a bit slow, new mechanics and challenges continue to be introduced right up to the very end, and most levels show a sparkly polish that's right up there with triple-A productions. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/02/3025.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/02/3025.md index 3ee8eade..49935635 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/02/3025.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/02/3025.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ New SMB U is a lot like [the Wii version](game:New Super Mario Bros. Wii). It l It's more of the same, but that same is still pretty good. And while the game's earlier levels are rife with the kinds of casual, family-friendly obstacles that Mario stalwarts groan at, later levels offer genuine, hardcore challenge. The same goes for the boss fights: while they start out as rote jump-on-head, dodge-spinning-shell routines, later encounters become exceptionally tricky with volatile platforms and roaming projectiles. -Unfortunately, I can't comment on the special world, because - as before - unlocking those stages requires collecting all the goddamn star coins, and I ...don't feel like doing that. +Unfortunately, I can't comment on the special world, because - as before - unlocking those stages requires collecting all the goddamn star coins, and I ...don't feel like doing that. Better than: Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2231.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2231.md index a1fe41a9..b2fb01d5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2231.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2231.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -My last Visual Novel experience was [mixed](game:Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors), to say the least. But Analogue's sci-fi hook - investigating a derelict colony ship - and free demo (plus a recent sale), got me interested. And I'm glad they did. +My last Visual Novel experience was [mixed](game:Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors), to say the least. But Analogue's sci-fi hook - investigating a derelict colony ship - and free demo (plus a recent sale), got me interested. And I'm glad they did. Analogue is even less interactive than [999](game:Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors), as it doesn't have any puzzles -- well maybe one, in the form of a simple hacking minigame midway through. But the game is mostly about reading: discovering the story through log entries, and limited conversation with a pair of AI personalities. The central plot thread is steeped in intrigue, and the AI characters' convincing presentations of emotion really hit home. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2285.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2285.md index b84ba5e8..8eda0c17 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2285.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2285.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Saints Row IV" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Don't screw this up, Deep Silver. You know what I'm talking about. (In fairness, THQ, but that's hardly comforting.) \ No newline at end of file +Don't screw this up, Deep Silver. You know what I'm talking about. (In fairness, THQ, but that's hardly comforting.) \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2341.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2341.md index fba9b7c0..62eed1dc 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2341.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2341.md @@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ The eShop demo didn't waste any time showing me some things I definitely dislike The demo also shows off quite a few irritating QTEs, the failure of which will of course result in a baddie devouring a chunk of your health. It's 2013, guys. I thought we were over this? (Actually, between the whip attacks and the QTEs, Mirror of Fate bears a disappointing resemblance to God of War. And oddly enough, this isn't the first time I've had to compare Castlevania to Kratos.) -The action and platforming seem competent enough in general, but the demo doesn't show anything in the way of story development or character advancement. Oh, scratch that -- "no statistics to delve into, no equipment or items to find and switch up ..." - so this stuff doesn't exist in the full game, either. That's a real bummer. +The action and platforming seem competent enough in general, but the demo doesn't show anything in the way of story development or character advancement. Oh, scratch that -- "no statistics to delve into, no equipment or items to find and switch up ..." - so this stuff doesn't exist in the full game, either. That's a real bummer. Based on the demo, Mirror of Fate feels pretty lacking in depth, and the reviews online aren't exactly convincing me otherwise. This seems like it's just an action game with a map on the bottom screen. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2615.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2615.md index 9386a985..cf1364c9 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2615.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2615.md @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ BioShock Infinite tackles both of those cheats head-on, and I'm not convinced th In the first case, Infinite begins by showing you Columbia at its finest: gorgeous vistas coated in liquid sunlight, lush gardens and well-dressed citizens, children playing in the streets and at sidewalk carnival games. Naturally, this peace doesn't last long, and you have to start shooting up dudes before too much time passes. But past this, other ne'er-do-wells rapidly appear, and not just out of the underground -- in firefights, and in common public areas. If an area isn't already in conflict by the time I get there, I can count on it to erupt soon. I think the message that the game is trying to convey, is that the city leadership is lying to its elite citizenry about public order. But the message I keep getting instead, is that the game is lying to me about the feasibility of this city, and that level design isn't any fun unless the architecture is already ravaged by conflict. -Infinite also goes to an intense amount of effort building a relationship between you and the captive girl Elizabeth. Which is all well and good in theory, but in execution, this dynamic just hasn't been given enough care and polish. I'm not that far into the game, and there have already been two instances where spontaneous dialog spoiled a scripted reveal (that is, a character ends up explaining something twice, and gets a reaction the second time). Also, for having such a weighty script, Elizabeth sure says "Oh." a lot. Maybe once a minute when I'm not in a firefight. In any other game, these would be non-problems, but I expect a better attention to detail from something that is so deliberately story-focused. +Infinite also goes to an intense amount of effort building a relationship between you and the captive girl Elizabeth. Which is all well and good in theory, but in execution, this dynamic just hasn't been given enough care and polish. I'm not that far into the game, and there have already been two instances where spontaneous dialog spoiled a scripted reveal (that is, a character ends up explaining something twice, and gets a reaction the second time). Also, for having such a weighty script, Elizabeth sure says "Oh." a lot. Maybe once a minute when I'm not in a firefight. In any other game, these would be non-problems, but I expect a better attention to detail from something that is so deliberately story-focused. I have some other misgivings about the story's believability, but I'm willing to give those the benefit of the doubt for now. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2692.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2692.md index d2f029d8..2c8c071c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2692.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2692.md @@ -10,14 +10,14 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] I've still barely scratched the surface of the new [Tomb Raider](game:Tomb Raider (2013)); I installed my copy of [Heart of the Swarm](game:StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm) yesterday; my Club Nintendo post-play surveys for and expire in two days; not to mention the rest of my ridiculous backlog (why did I buy so many games in December!?). So of course, instead of playing any of those, I've been playing a 20 year-old elevator simulation game. -The recent brouhaha over [SimCity 5](game:SimCity (2013)) - which, is hilarious, by the way - reminded me of the joys of property construction, and specifically of childhood hours wasted in front of SimTower. If you're not in the know, SimTower is in many ways a vertical iteration of the classic formula: your job is to build a tower that's attractive to little sim-people, be it with offices, condos, hotel rooms, fast food joints, swanky restaurants, movie theaters, et al. Unlike a traditional SimCity (and oddly like the new one), you don't necessarily have to provide for all the needs of any individual sim-person; it's totally fine, and expected, for sims to e.g. live elsewhere and only come to your tower for work, or live in your tower and then go work somewhere else. But unlike SimCity 5, you don't have to give a flying fuck about that "somewhere else." You just have to sustain your internal economy and try to push up your population to gain ratings: 2 stars, then 3, then 4, and 5, and ultimately a "TOWER" rating for being the most awesome tower ever. +The recent brouhaha over [SimCity 5](game:SimCity (2013)) - which, is hilarious, by the way - reminded me of the joys of property construction, and specifically of childhood hours wasted in front of SimTower. If you're not in the know, SimTower is in many ways a vertical iteration of the classic formula: your job is to build a tower that's attractive to little sim-people, be it with offices, condos, hotel rooms, fast food joints, swanky restaurants, movie theaters, et al. Unlike a traditional SimCity (and oddly like the new one), you don't necessarily have to provide for all the needs of any individual sim-person; it's totally fine, and expected, for sims to e.g. live elsewhere and only come to your tower for work, or live in your tower and then go work somewhere else. But unlike SimCity 5, you don't have to give a flying fuck about that "somewhere else." You just have to sustain your internal economy and try to push up your population to gain ratings: 2 stars, then 3, then 4, and 5, and ultimately a "TOWER" rating for being the most awesome tower ever. It's a shame that the game's remakes and sequels haven't really modernized the game much - though to be fair, I know little of the Japan-only released in 2008 - because the freedom and simplicity of SimTower makes it very accessible, and consistently engaging for the duration of your tower. But there are aspects of the game that have been left in the 20th century, like the inability to batch-process property modifications (you'll instead have to inspect every single property one by one), certain properties which mystifyingly can't be demolished (so make sure you place them correctly the first time), hard limits on the numbers of certain properties (and elevators, which is crippling to large towers), and vague in-game indicators of why a property has a bad evaluation (e.g. "Conditions are terrible" without any elaboration as to why). -Nevertheless, 20 years later, SimTower is a fun and charmingly-polished diversion. It's aged surprisingly well, aside from the technical puzzle of running it in the first place. (It's possible to get going in a copy of Windows 3.1 running in DOSBox, but ultimately the best solution I found was in Wine on Linux, in Windows 3.1 version-mode and with virtual desktop emulation.) +Nevertheless, 20 years later, SimTower is a fun and charmingly-polished diversion. It's aged surprisingly well, aside from the technical puzzle of running it in the first place. (It's possible to get going in a copy of Windows 3.1 running in DOSBox, but ultimately the best solution I found was in Wine on Linux, in Windows 3.1 version-mode and with virtual desktop emulation.) Better than: [SimCity SNES](game:SimCity) Not as good as: I dunno, a better city simulator, I guess? -There are some fan-made attempts to remake this: but they're either abandoned, still in slow development, or just not very good. +There are some fan-made attempts to remake this: but they're either abandoned, still in slow development, or just not very good. Progress: 5-Star Rating \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2699.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2699.md index b2521d8c..1d74e576 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2699.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/03/2699.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -What's most immediately arresting about Tomb Raider is that the sinking-ship scene - you know, the one from the reveal trailer way back in 2011 - isn't just early in the game, it's the beginning. In a blunt retort to 30 years of adventure-story tradition, Lara's journey doesn't begin with an innocent introductory chapter and later descend into darkness -- she is in dire straits from the very first moment. It's only through carefully-crafted narrative devices (like scattered journals, a camcorder video from the ship, and her demeanor when re-uniting with her shipmates) that we learn more about Lara's youthful innocence, even as, stranded in unfriendly wilderness, the game's high-tension action sequences test her physical and emotional limits. +What's most immediately arresting about Tomb Raider is that the sinking-ship scene - you know, the one from the reveal trailer way back in 2011 - isn't just early in the game, it's the beginning. In a blunt retort to 30 years of adventure-story tradition, Lara's journey doesn't begin with an innocent introductory chapter and later descend into darkness -- she is in dire straits from the very first moment. It's only through carefully-crafted narrative devices (like scattered journals, a camcorder video from the ship, and her demeanor when re-uniting with her shipmates) that we learn more about Lara's youthful innocence, even as, stranded in unfriendly wilderness, the game's high-tension action sequences test her physical and emotional limits. Which isn't to say that this is a down-to-earth tale of human adversity. It is, at the end of the day, still a video game; Lara rapidly becomes a master killer, mowing through waves of hostiles with bow and gun. But, at least so far as I've played, her bloodthirst is less pronounced than Nathan Drake's. This game feels like an iterative step in the industry's ongoing process of humanizing these unstoppable killing machines we call heroes. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/04/2227.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/04/2227.md index 925f540d..1883eefc 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/04/2227.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/04/2227.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Everyone else, take note: this is how you promote a video game. \ No newline at end of file +Everyone else, take note: this is how you promote a video game. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/04/2685.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/04/2685.md index 09f8db4d..4e5e4acf 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/04/2685.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/04/2685.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Star Wars: 1313" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -NOOOOOO!!! LucasArts is gone, and though there's the hopeful rumor that it could be resurrected by a licensor, I'm less than confident. +NOOOOOO!!! LucasArts is gone, and though there's the hopeful rumor that it could be resurrected by a licensor, I'm less than confident. Progress: Gave Up \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/1070.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/1070.md index 7509a0fb..60b2e021 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/1070.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/1070.md @@ -9,4 +9,4 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] Back in 2001, a [particular promo video]($SiteBaseURL$2011/06/25/saints-row-the-third-8/) for - involving VTOL jets and microwave laser guns - really got me interested. Of course, I was already very "interested" in SR4 -- but concerned of the potential for Deep Silver, a known purveyor of garbage, to piss in Volition's corn flakes. -That's where this video comes in. Concerns assuaged. I don't care if this is really just SR3 with new features and content; I am awesome with that. +That's where this video comes in. Concerns assuaged. I don't care if this is really just SR3 with new features and content; I am awesome with that. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/2295.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/2295.md index 7a9ffbe4..af03b305 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/2295.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/2295.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -Steam to the rescue, as usual. And having burned through to the game's ending in one sitting, I couldn't be happier. +Steam to the rescue, as usual. And having burned through to the game's ending in one sitting, I couldn't be happier. I expected a highly-polished indie platformer along the lines of , but Fez is so much more than that. It's got a mysterious backstory told through an intricately detailed environment; it's got delightful charm oozing out of every level and character animation; and it's got a world-spanning puzzle mechanic that continually dares you to understand it. Although all of the game's levels exist on a single, Metroid-style interconnected map, they're thematically separated into a handful of "world" types, each with a distinct style and set of interactive elements -- not quite to the extent of , but every world type makes you rethink the lessons you've learned from the game so far. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3052.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3052.md index 55bb34ca..478db504 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3052.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3052.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "The Bureau: XCOM Declassified" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I've been looking forward to 2K's XCOM reboot/spinoff (bootoff?) since before was even a thing, and I still am -- as a -y take on a Cold War-era alien invasion, I feel like there's a lot of potential. And as far as I can tell, this idea is still intact in the game's rebranding as "The Bureau." But what strikes me as - not necessarily worrying, but odd - about the recent trailers is the overwhelming focus on government secrets and classified information. If this is a hint at a deep and convoluted story, great! But it's a totally unexpected angle, given that the game was previously "about" going all-out on aliens and their weird technology. +I've been looking forward to 2K's XCOM reboot/spinoff (bootoff?) since before was even a thing, and I still am -- as a -y take on a Cold War-era alien invasion, I feel like there's a lot of potential. And as far as I can tell, this idea is still intact in the game's rebranding as "The Bureau." But what strikes me as - not necessarily worrying, but odd - about the recent trailers is the overwhelming focus on government secrets and classified information. If this is a hint at a deep and convoluted story, great! But it's a totally unexpected angle, given that the game was previously "about" going all-out on aliens and their weird technology. I guess, the concern in the back of my head is that this is an empty marketing gesture, like the dramatic slow-mo trailers that led up to . If the classified-info angle isn't, in fact, reflected in the game - that is, if 2K has decided to market The Bureau based on the hypothetical allure of its setting, rather than on the game's actual content - then that means they can't have much confidence in the game itself. Which wouldn't be a huge surprise for a project in development over seven years and three studios. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3127.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3127.md index 3e30eed4..79db934c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3127.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3127.md @@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ I'll cut right to the chase: for a game driven by its narrative, and about a This may as well be the end of my post, because the rest of the production isn't nearly as significant. Aim a flashlight at a goon, then shoot him. Dodge to avoid death. Explore dark environs to find the way forward. All of these mechanics are mediocre at best, serving only to support the storytelling. So, yeah. ->!When I watched the "Night Springs" in-game episode about Quantum Suicide, and made the mental connection to Alan's disparate realities, I got really excited about the plot! So I was more than a little disappointed when the Wikipedia synopsis failed to reveal any science fiction slant. So much for finding Ken Levine's hidden inspiration for .!< +>!When I watched the "Night Springs" in-game episode about Quantum Suicide, and made the mental connection to Alan's disparate realities, I got really excited about the plot! So I was more than a little disappointed when the Wikipedia synopsis failed to reveal any science fiction slant. So much for finding Ken Levine's hidden inspiration for .!< -Sorry guys. I might otherwise consider soldiering on - like I said, the visual storytelling is actually very good - but with the size of my remaining backlog (and since I've found critical confirmation of my early impressions), I'm just going to let this one go. +Sorry guys. I might otherwise consider soldiering on - like I said, the visual storytelling is actually very good - but with the size of my remaining backlog (and since I've found critical confirmation of my early impressions), I'm just going to let this one go. Progress: Gave up -- finished Chapter 1 \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3143.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3143.md index f70a2296..a9164ef5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3143.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3143.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -After escaping Raynor's facility - and failing to reunite with him - Kerrigan's new-old mission is collecting strength for a revenge run against Arcturus Mengsk (yes, the same target she had back in [1998](game:StarCraft: Brood War)). The campaign narrative has offered a little more insight into the internal organization of the Zerg hive, which, wow, is incredibly dull. The Xel'Naga artifact from [Wings of Liberty](game:StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty) has barely been mentioned so far -- I'm hoping Heart of the Swarm doesn't push this plot point off for [another three years](game:StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void). Kerrigan's personal journey is of more interest, but the dialog and scene scripting is still very underwhelming. Some of these lines are so terrible, it should be a crime to give them to as good an actress as Tricia. +After escaping Raynor's facility - and failing to reunite with him - Kerrigan's new-old mission is collecting strength for a revenge run against Arcturus Mengsk (yes, the same target she had back in [1998](game:StarCraft: Brood War)). The campaign narrative has offered a little more insight into the internal organization of the Zerg hive, which, wow, is incredibly dull. The Xel'Naga artifact from [Wings of Liberty](game:StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty) has barely been mentioned so far -- I'm hoping Heart of the Swarm doesn't push this plot point off for [another three years](game:StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void). Kerrigan's personal journey is of more interest, but the dialog and scene scripting is still very underwhelming. Some of these lines are so terrible, it should be a crime to give them to as good an actress as Tricia. The campaign's gameplay is, ... better, with a caveat. As per StarCraft standard, there's a great variety of mission objectives and mechanical twists, including the quirky, micro-sized unit-upgrade missions -- which are themselves part of Heart of the Swarm's collection of new virtual-dashboard content (along with Kerrigan upgrades and some story bits). The problem with this variety is that, so far, none of the missions have been even remotely challenging. Granted, I'm "only" on Normal difficulty, and I'm still in the campaign's early days, but so far the theme of the Zerg missions seems to be centered around the game's new "Select your entire fucking army at once" button. I really wish the story would unlock more units from the beginning, because right now I can't even force mechanical complexity into the missions. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3163.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3163.md index 371d5f1a..3c8c6b50 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3163.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3163.md @@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] Scouring the map for all its collectibles brought some more technical annoyances to the fore, specifically some wonky platforming segments (poor camera angles and/or misleading jump directions) and occasionally iffy character-swap logic. To put a point on it, yeah, feels like it controls better. But these deficiencies are massively outweighed by LEGO LotR's delightful use of the license, and its incredible heft of content. -Plus, it's impossible to stay mad at the game when there's an item that makes characters dance to a movie-dialog remix. +Plus, it's impossible to stay mad at the game when there's an item that makes characters dance to a movie-dialog remix. Progress: 100% \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3170.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3170.md index 89f61843..f14c7302 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3170.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/05/3170.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Borderlands 2" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I haven't played Borderlands 2's psycho, Krieg, just yet; and I likely won't dust off the game again until the next DLC, [Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep](game:Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep). But this powerful, beautiful vignette is a fine example of how to promote a game. Well done, Gearbox. \ No newline at end of file +I haven't played Borderlands 2's psycho, Krieg, just yet; and I likely won't dust off the game again until the next DLC, [Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep](game:Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep). But this powerful, beautiful vignette is a fine example of how to promote a game. Well done, Gearbox. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3182.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3182.md index c4344099..80860e77 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3182.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3182.md @@ -6,16 +6,16 @@ category = [ "Industry Lamentations" ] platform = [ "Ouya" ] +++ -Ouya, if you'll remember (or just look it up), was successfully Kickstarted last August. I myself decided to put in for a console and four controllers; certainly this little box was never going to overthrow everyone's favorite multinational console manufacturers and publishers, but it - conceptually - proved the point that a small-ish organization could use commodity hardware to craft an affordable, easy-to-target platform. +Ouya, if you'll remember (or just look it up), was successfully Kickstarted last August. I myself decided to put in for a console and four controllers; certainly this little box was never going to overthrow everyone's favorite multinational console manufacturers and publishers, but it - conceptually - proved the point that a small-ish organization could use commodity hardware to craft an affordable, easy-to-target platform. -And I still think that's true! But Ouya, through the somewhat common faults of overpromising results and underestimating unknowns, has made a somewhat messy bed for itself to lie in. The system software is still very immature. The early-dev games available are somewhat less than whelming. The controllers are poorly designed -- yeah, I sure am glad I pledged for four of them, now. (There'd better be a free or cheap replacement program, and they'd better continue to be compatible with "every year"'s refreshed hardware.) +And I still think that's true! But Ouya, through the somewhat common faults of overpromising results and underestimating unknowns, has made a somewhat messy bed for itself to lie in. The system software is still very immature. The early-dev games available are somewhat less than whelming. The controllers are poorly designed -- yeah, I sure am glad I pledged for four of them, now. (There'd better be a free or cheap replacement program, and they'd better continue to be compatible with "every year"'s refreshed hardware.) -And all this before the Ouya is even officially released. Which is, allegedly, in about three weeks (after a delay). +And all this before the Ouya is even officially released. Which is, allegedly, in about three weeks (after a delay). Under different circumstances, I wouldn't be at all disappointed in just getting my shipment of a product that was still under basic hardware design only ten months ago. But, having only today received my distribution notification (as in, a notification that I will receive a shipping notification later), over a week after being told that the last order had left their warehouse - which was, itself, months after being drip-fed updates about everyone else's orders shipping, including the surprising news that the special Limited Edition versions hadn't even started manufacturing until well after the ordinary retail boxes - I'm, yeah, a little sore about it. -So, at least in this way, Ouya's bungle is less about execution and more about PR. If they had simply said that backers would get their shipments before and up to the retail release, I wouldn't be nearly as distressed. Instead of putting out the same shipping graph every week, Ouya PR should have been filling their Kickstarter updates with software news, playing up in-development games and new dev partners. The fact that they haven't only makes me more apprehensive about the future of software support for Ouya. +So, at least in this way, Ouya's bungle is less about execution and more about PR. If they had simply said that backers would get their shipments before and up to the retail release, I wouldn't be nearly as distressed. Instead of putting out the same shipping graph every week, Ouya PR should have been filling their Kickstarter updates with software news, playing up in-development games and new dev partners. The fact that they haven't only makes me more apprehensive about the future of software support for Ouya. -The one flaw that Ouya was always going to have - and will never be able to escape, even with yearly iterations - is less-than-cutting-edge hardware specs. So it doesn't make sense for them to neglect the only strategy for overcoming this, which is to encourage rapid, and prompt, software development -- before in-production projects get too attached to newer, more powerful competitors. +The one flaw that Ouya was always going to have - and will never be able to escape, even with yearly iterations - is less-than-cutting-edge hardware specs. So it doesn't make sense for them to neglect the only strategy for overcoming this, which is to encourage rapid, and prompt, software development -- before in-production projects get too attached to newer, more powerful competitors. Ouya still has an opportunity to undo its bad pre-release image, with a rich system update and multiple attractive games at launch. But until and unless that happens, they've only themselves to blame for the poison in the well. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3192.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3192.md index 1d3a28bf..4c7b5b84 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3192.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3192.md @@ -8,6 +8,6 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -StarCraft 2's "spawning" system forms a convenient analogy to Heart of the Swarm's zerg theme: a single player with the expansion can infect his party members with it, spreading the new units and unit modifictions to them (at least, for the duration of the party). Of course, this infection is highly beneficial to players who haven't purchased HotS, so, maybe the analogy isn't perfect. +StarCraft 2's "spawning" system forms a convenient analogy to Heart of the Swarm's zerg theme: a single player with the expansion can infect his party members with it, spreading the new units and unit modifictions to them (at least, for the duration of the party). Of course, this infection is highly beneficial to players who haven't purchased HotS, so, maybe the analogy isn't perfect. It's a classy move, although it's hard for me to see it as generosity -- surely this is a sign that the expansion's uptake hasn't met Blizzard's expectations. But in that regard, it definitely is an effective form of in-game marketing, showing [Wings of Liberty](game:StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty) players what they're missing first-hand. And it's definitely better than the previous system, which forced players down to the lowest-common-denominator expansion level of their group (meaning HotS owners wouldn't actually get to play with the expansion content). \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3195.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3195.md index 524018a7..95873bce 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3195.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3195.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ Blood Dragon isn't a perfect video game, nor is a perfect satire of video games; Better than: Not as good as: -And congratulations, Power Glove: for selling me on (parts of) this totally badical soundtrack. +And congratulations, Power Glove: for selling me on (parts of) this totally badical soundtrack. Progress: Finished campaign, all Adventures, level 30. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3207.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3207.md index cea46666..43071120 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3207.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3207.md @@ -22,6 +22,6 @@ The Walking Dead does some things right: there's a good amount of content, more Better than: Not as good as: -I mean, really: I don't understand this at all. I can name AAA action games with better storytelling than this guy (and not just , either). +I mean, really: I don't understand this at all. I can name AAA action games with better storytelling than this guy (and not just , either). Progress: Gave up -- Finished Episode 1. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3210.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3210.md index 82862d9c..a158ff96 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3210.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3210.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Remember Me" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -The reviews are in, and the news is ... not great. Despite the game's lofty ambitions, there's a consensus that Remember Me's most interesting parts - the memory remixing sequences, which look unique, if a bit undercooked - can't distract from the bland combat that makes up the majority of its playtime; that the customization element doesn't really matter, since the moves you can "customize" are themselves so rote. And that the Neo Paris backdrop is somewhere between silly and crazy. Which isn't a huge surprise. Still, a shame -- if the memory remixing was the core feature of a smaller, independently produced game, it probably could have gotten away without having a big dumb combat system chained to it. \ No newline at end of file +The reviews are in, and the news is ... not great. Despite the game's lofty ambitions, there's a consensus that Remember Me's most interesting parts - the memory remixing sequences, which look unique, if a bit undercooked - can't distract from the bland combat that makes up the majority of its playtime; that the customization element doesn't really matter, since the moves you can "customize" are themselves so rote. And that the Neo Paris backdrop is somewhere between silly and crazy. Which isn't a huge surprise. Still, a shame -- if the memory remixing was the core feature of a smaller, independently produced game, it probably could have gotten away without having a big dumb combat system chained to it. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3213.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3213.md index dc713f12..ce1e2f41 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3213.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3213.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Gunpoint" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I didn't know that Gunpoint even had a story until I saw this. Maybe it can scratch the itch [Monaco](game:Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine) left me with. \ No newline at end of file +I didn't know that Gunpoint even had a story until I saw this. Maybe it can scratch the itch [Monaco](game:Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine) left me with. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3215.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3215.md index cf571b3b..22ab12e3 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3215.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3215.md @@ -6,4 +6,4 @@ category = [ "Looking Forward To It" ] game = [ "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2" ] +++ -This is... I just -- what? I mean ... what? I'm wary of getting too excited; after all, MercurySteam's [previous](game:Castlevania: Lords of Shadow) [outings](game:Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate) let me down with mediocre gameplay mechanics. But I'll be damned if they can't make an impressive trailer. \ No newline at end of file +This is... I just -- what? I mean ... what? I'm wary of getting too excited; after all, MercurySteam's [previous](game:Castlevania: Lords of Shadow) [outings](game:Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate) let me down with mediocre gameplay mechanics. But I'll be damned if they can't make an impressive trailer. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3218.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3218.md index 3ad3d38b..413e8f8d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3218.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3218.md @@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] Mafia II came in my bundle of freebies from 2K, and I was feeling a bit of a hankering for open-world mayhem, so, sure. But after about an hour, I've yet to find anything I could respectfully call "mayhem," nor for that matter much openness in the world. Granted, I still seem to be in the game's introductory phase, but I'm having trouble imagining myself having fun tooling around town when the police will chase you for speeding. -True to the game's period, the cars feel like boats and the guns are a pain to aim and reload. Melee combat is less polished than [GTA4](game:Grand Theft Auto IV), and lockpicking is -- actually, it doesn't even feel like it's working right at all. Basically, Mafia II's mechanics aren't that fun - sometimes intentionally - so it makes sense that the game would try to emphasize its story and setting. To its credit, the voice acting is quite good, especially supporting character Joe, voiced by a prolific Italian/Brooklyn stereotype. But the character animations aren't convincing enough to support this talent, and even the first hour of the game has plenty of contrived and absurd story events. The story missions just aren't good enough to keep me interested. +True to the game's period, the cars feel like boats and the guns are a pain to aim and reload. Melee combat is less polished than [GTA4](game:Grand Theft Auto IV), and lockpicking is -- actually, it doesn't even feel like it's working right at all. Basically, Mafia II's mechanics aren't that fun - sometimes intentionally - so it makes sense that the game would try to emphasize its story and setting. To its credit, the voice acting is quite good, especially supporting character Joe, voiced by a prolific Italian/Brooklyn stereotype. But the character animations aren't convincing enough to support this talent, and even the first hour of the game has plenty of contrived and absurd story events. The story missions just aren't good enough to keep me interested. And, protip, when your game has a prologue chapter, it's pretty stupid to have a minutes-long cutscene prologuing the prologue. And to have additional controls tutorials later in the game that are just redundant with the prologue's. Seriously, did the game's first chapter just make it in at the last minute? diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3224.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3224.md index aed0a238..91441ba8 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3224.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3224.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Watch Dogs" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -As if I wasn't already sold on it, the Watch Dogs footage from Sony's E3 presentation definitely has me interested. Although I must admit some apprehensive curiosity regarding - what appears to be - an online gameplay link to a phone/tablet companion app. Fingers crossed that I won't have to rely on some random mobile player to get me out of a jam. \ No newline at end of file +As if I wasn't already sold on it, the Watch Dogs footage from Sony's E3 presentation definitely has me interested. Although I must admit some apprehensive curiosity regarding - what appears to be - an online gameplay link to a phone/tablet companion app. Fingers crossed that I won't have to rely on some random mobile player to get me out of a jam. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3233.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3233.md index 5d8998f1..92bd0678 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3233.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3233.md @@ -6,4 +6,4 @@ category = [ "Looking Forward To It" ] game = [ "The Last Guardian" ] +++ -The Last Guardian was already on the edge of the knife when Ueda went rogue, but whatever hope it had left is sure gone now, with Sony using the magic words that mean we'll probably never see it again. If I was a betting man, I'd put money on Team Ico falling back to a pocket-sized Vita project, before fading into legend forever. \ No newline at end of file +The Last Guardian was already on the edge of the knife when Ueda went rogue, but whatever hope it had left is sure gone now, with Sony using the magic words that mean we'll probably never see it again. If I was a betting man, I'd put money on Team Ico falling back to a pocket-sized Vita project, before fading into legend forever. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3247.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3247.md index 80a466b9..ebe290c4 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3247.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3247.md @@ -9,6 +9,6 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] Sure, strategy games get a lot of their flavor from complexity -- especially turn-based games, which tend toward throwing huge piles of mechanics at the player. This is exactly what I find appealing about [Civilization V](game:Sid Meier's Civilization V): the balance between technological progress, army strength, ally diplomacy, trade agreements, and everything else the game has going on. But everyone has their limit, and Crusader Kings II is way, way beyond mine. The in-game tutorial is really more of a PowerPoint presentation, clicking through pop-up information windows and tooltips, describing the seemingly endless amount of information that makes up - what appears to be - the game's "gameplay." I know I frequently claim that I don't have the patience to wait for a game to get good, but this time, I don't have the patience to learn what the hell the game is. -When a PC Gamer editor says, "I was still finding out about core mechanics I had completely overlooked at 200, 210, 220 hours in ..." -- yeah. No thanks. +When a PC Gamer editor says, "I was still finding out about core mechanics I had completely overlooked at 200, 210, 220 hours in ..." -- yeah. No thanks. Progress: Didn't even make it through the tutorial. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3251.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3251.md index 4c30fcb3..045b9d50 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3251.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3251.md @@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] This wasn't the first time The Internet tricked me into trying to make Just Cause 2 fun, but hopefully it'll be the last. I need to remember this time. I need to remember... -I know that people love this game, and I've come to accept that. I know that the game is capable of some really, actually awesome shit, and I'm OK with that. And I know that the story is supposed to be completely stupid, or, it isn't supposed to but it doesn't matter, and I think I understand that. But Just Cause 2 just isn't good enough! Its controls are a mess. Its world map is borderline unnavigable. Just the simplest acts, of shooting, of driving, of walking, all feel wrong. +I know that people love this game, and I've come to accept that. I know that the game is capable of some really, actually awesome shit, and I'm OK with that. And I know that the story is supposed to be completely stupid, or, it isn't supposed to but it doesn't matter, and I think I understand that. But Just Cause 2 just isn't good enough! Its controls are a mess. Its world map is borderline unnavigable. Just the simplest acts, of shooting, of driving, of walking, all feel wrong. -Really, I'm jealous of the extreme physics stunts that JC2 is capable of; I wish that Grand Theft Auto had fuller and more-modern aerobatics (which [GTA5](game:Grand Theft Auto V) should), or that Saints Row had a more terrestrially-interesting landscape (which [SR4](game:Saints Row IV) ... probably won't). Maybe [Mad Max](game:Mad Max (2015))'s themes will play better to Avalanche's style, but I'm not getting my hopes up yet. +Really, I'm jealous of the extreme physics stunts that JC2 is capable of; I wish that Grand Theft Auto had fuller and more-modern aerobatics (which [GTA5](game:Grand Theft Auto V) should), or that Saints Row had a more terrestrially-interesting landscape (which [SR4](game:Saints Row IV) ... probably won't). Maybe [Mad Max](game:Mad Max (2015))'s themes will play better to Avalanche's style, but I'm not getting my hopes up yet. Progress: Did a rebel mission. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3280.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3280.md index 1f031330..1466e108 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3280.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3280.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -The Assassin's Creed series has spent years now trading in its stealth for high-action, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise that Black Flag is so Bruckheimer-esque. The preview, at least, is highly characterized by rapid gunplay, hectic naval warfare, and a general proliferation of EXPLOSIONS. So, no, I have no complaints about this -- looks pretty fuckin' rad. \ No newline at end of file +The Assassin's Creed series has spent years now trading in its stealth for high-action, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise that Black Flag is so Bruckheimer-esque. The preview, at least, is highly characterized by rapid gunplay, hectic naval warfare, and a general proliferation of EXPLOSIONS. So, no, I have no complaints about this -- looks pretty fuckin' rad. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3292.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3292.md index 9fd610bd..cbfe6388 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3292.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3292.md @@ -7,13 +7,13 @@ platform = [ "Ouya" ] rating = [ "Bad" ] +++ -Alright, so: last year, I pledged for a Kickstarter Limited Edition Ouya, with four controllers, each etched with my Ouya username. On Friday - four days before the retail release date - I received a non-limited edition Ouya with only one, un-etched, controller; essentially equivalent to the product that will be on retail shelves come Tuesday. Actually, since the controller I received still has the latency and button-stick issues that were fixed for retail units, retail buyers will get an all-around better deal than this. +Alright, so: last year, I pledged for a Kickstarter Limited Edition Ouya, with four controllers, each etched with my Ouya username. On Friday - four days before the retail release date - I received a non-limited edition Ouya with only one, un-etched, controller; essentially equivalent to the product that will be on retail shelves come Tuesday. Actually, since the controller I received still has the latency and button-stick issues that were fixed for retail units, retail buyers will get an all-around better deal than this. I've submitted a support ticket regarding my obviously-wrong shipment, but there hasn't been any response yet. So my opinion of Ouya's distribution and fulfillment is about as low as possible. With that bar set, let's take a look at the system itself. -First off, I have to give props for the mini-console's design and construction. The form factor is tiny, with just enough space to plug in power, HDMI, Ethernet, a USB device, and a micro-USB cable (more on these inputs in a bit). It's dead silent, and the power light isn't so bright that it'll keep anyone awake at night. The numeric specs are excellent, at least in theory, with current-enough video hardware and a hefty - for the price - amount of onboard storage for downloaded games and software. The little box is impressively solid, yet surprisingly user-serviceable. So, great job on that front. +First off, I have to give props for the mini-console's design and construction. The form factor is tiny, with just enough space to plug in power, HDMI, Ethernet, a USB device, and a micro-USB cable (more on these inputs in a bit). It's dead silent, and the power light isn't so bright that it'll keep anyone awake at night. The numeric specs are excellent, at least in theory, with current-enough video hardware and a hefty - for the price - amount of onboard storage for downloaded games and software. The little box is impressively solid, yet surprisingly user-serviceable. So, great job on that front. That said: the controller is bad. Not the worst game controller in history, but certainly worse than current-gen console controllers, and definitely not worth the $50 that they'll be going for at retail. What do I mean by "bad?" Well, aside from the early-production flaws I've already mentioned: @@ -46,15 +46,15 @@ I've tried eight free/demo games, based on the recommendations of the Discover p Polarity: Although styled after and its ilk, Polarity totally misses the point, which is to be fun, at all. You'll pick up blocks to activate widgets, and switch colors (red/blue) to either pass through or interact with similarly-colored environmental objects. But those mechanics are the only things happening here: there's no narrative, and there isn't any art. If I had cared enough to get past the first few rooms, I might have found that - according to web reviews - it's also extremely short. So, cool tech demo. -Saturday Morning RPG: This is the most fleshed-out game I tried, but still of a pretty low quality overall. The game's visual style, where characters are 2D sprites in a 3D polygon world, doesn't really work; the sprites aren't billboarded, they're just flat objects, and when the camera pans around them, characters will disappear into line segments. The combat gameplay is a mish-mash of simple, touchscreen-appropriate gimmicks, but other than a power-charge move, there's no depth in any of it. (There are also some real-time combat features, ala [Mario & Luigi](game:Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga), but the Ouya controller's latency ruins them.) And while the writing has its moments - like a wizard who wears a Power Glove and uses the 1980's form of the word "bad" - most of it is workaday exposition to fill in an uninspired story. +Saturday Morning RPG: This is the most fleshed-out game I tried, but still of a pretty low quality overall. The game's visual style, where characters are 2D sprites in a 3D polygon world, doesn't really work; the sprites aren't billboarded, they're just flat objects, and when the camera pans around them, characters will disappear into line segments. The combat gameplay is a mish-mash of simple, touchscreen-appropriate gimmicks, but other than a power-charge move, there's no depth in any of it. (There are also some real-time combat features, ala [Mario & Luigi](game:Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga), but the Ouya controller's latency ruins them.) And while the writing has its moments - like a wizard who wears a Power Glove and uses the 1980's form of the word "bad" - most of it is workaday exposition to fill in an uninspired story. -The Ball: Yeah, the first-person puzzler that served as one of the earliest UDK releases. The PC release was pretty "Meh" on its own, but the Ouya version has ... dramatically down-rezzed textures! I know the Ouya is based on a mobile chipset, but that doesn't mean you have to use mobile-quailty art assets. Seriously -- on a TV screen, this just looks horrendous. And yet somehow, it's still a 725 MB download (compared to 10-100 MB for the other games I tried). Oh, also, The Ball doesn't take advantage of analog control stick input, so nudging the stick even a little bit makes you beeline in a cardinal direction. +The Ball: Yeah, the first-person puzzler that served as one of the earliest UDK releases. The PC release was pretty "Meh" on its own, but the Ouya version has ... dramatically down-rezzed textures! I know the Ouya is based on a mobile chipset, but that doesn't mean you have to use mobile-quailty art assets. Seriously -- on a TV screen, this just looks horrendous. And yet somehow, it's still a 725 MB download (compared to 10-100 MB for the other games I tried). Oh, also, The Ball doesn't take advantage of analog control stick input, so nudging the stick even a little bit makes you beeline in a cardinal direction. As an additional note, all of these games had unexpectedly long load times, leading me to believe that the system's flash memory is cheap and slow. Last year, I praised the Ouya model of requiring a demo or free version of uploaded games, as a great means of enticing people into the online store. Now, it seems like an absolute necessity for the console to get any use at all, because I can't imagine spending any amount of money on any of the games currently available. Will the store's offerings suddenly explode for the Tuesday retail launch, with new and exciting games, or at least something beyond "cheap port" or "tech demo?" I guess it's possible. But I'm not betting on it. -But my game experience isn't the end of my story, because even if I never use my Ouya for gaming, it's still got one trick left up its sleeve: a media center client. So I plugged the Ouya into my PC using the USB micro port, used the Android SDK tools to install the Android version of XBMC, eventually found the app under the Ouya's "Make" menu (since the Ouya UI was designed under the assumption that side-loaded software is a game you're developing), and ran it like any normal Android app. And XBMC works pretty well on the Ouya, so, that's cool. The current Android version of Netflix apparently doesn't work so great here, but an Ouya version is supposed to be coming eventually. +But my game experience isn't the end of my story, because even if I never use my Ouya for gaming, it's still got one trick left up its sleeve: a media center client. So I plugged the Ouya into my PC using the USB micro port, used the Android SDK tools to install the Android version of XBMC, eventually found the app under the Ouya's "Make" menu (since the Ouya UI was designed under the assumption that side-loaded software is a game you're developing), and ran it like any normal Android app. And XBMC works pretty well on the Ouya, so, that's cool. The current Android version of Netflix apparently doesn't work so great here, but an Ouya version is supposed to be coming eventually. I still believe in the Ouya idea, and the product has in fact delivered on a few of its promises: specifically, a user-centric software experience, and a developer-friendly ecosystem with no exorbitant devkit costs. But it falls too short on too many others: certain key hardware specs (wi-fi and flash storage) are insufficient, the controller is terrible, the system UI isn't polished enough, the storefront doesn't solve the iTunes Store problem of software discovery, and the early-availability games - at least, the "best" ones I could find - are of a universally low quality. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3329.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3329.md index 6634275f..af3dd8c8 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3329.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3329.md @@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ rating = [ "Awful" ] McPixel is completely, utterly, and irredeemably stupid. It's just dumb. McPixel is the worst parts of old-school point-and-click adventure games - pixel hunting, and backwards-ass illogical puzzles - peppered with Looney Tunes-caliber slapstick humor, and wrapped in a 20-second time limit. Theoretically the game's lack of sensible structure might be justified by its comedic value, but it isn't creative enough for this crutch, either: once you've seen one dynamite-pratfall or crotch-kick, you've seen them all. -That it was the first game greenlit by the Steam community, should be a source of shame to us all. +That it was the first game greenlit by the Steam community, should be a source of shame to us all. Progress: Finished Chapter 1. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3353.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3353.md index 5ae247d4..52976a66 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3353.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3353.md @@ -8,13 +8,13 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -No Time to Explain perfectly sums itself up in its introduction: time travel, sci-fi weapons, egregious crab-violence, and OH CHRIST MY RIBS ARE IN MY EYES!! +No Time to Explain perfectly sums itself up in its introduction: time travel, sci-fi weapons, egregious crab-violence, and OH CHRIST MY RIBS ARE IN MY EYES!! The game's strong suit is its flippant approach to storytelling, be it in the opening levels' screaming guy, or the zany, cartoonish cinematics that follow. It also has some pretty damn cool play mechanics, largely revolving around unique means of locomotion -- starting with a beam gun that propels you into the air. Its slightly-masochistic levels will give you a workout as you learn to master those mechanics, while being friendly enough to provide convenient checkpointing, so you rarely have to hurdle the same obstacle twice. -Unfortunately, the hilarious story and clever mechanics are let down by some shoddy technology and a general lack of polish. Misshapen hitboxes, getting stuck in the terrain, and weapon misfires are all present in fair quantities. Even once you get the hang of beam-gun jumping, controlling it effectively can be immensely difficult, due to the way the viewport and targeting reticle move (or don't) together. If you go backwards from a level checkpoint, you can actually lose progress. And while the game is usually generous with retries, there are some exceptions in a couple of boss fights - forcing you to start over if you die - that really break the game's flow. +Unfortunately, the hilarious story and clever mechanics are let down by some shoddy technology and a general lack of polish. Misshapen hitboxes, getting stuck in the terrain, and weapon misfires are all present in fair quantities. Even once you get the hang of beam-gun jumping, controlling it effectively can be immensely difficult, due to the way the viewport and targeting reticle move (or don't) together. If you go backwards from a level checkpoint, you can actually lose progress. And while the game is usually generous with retries, there are some exceptions in a couple of boss fights - forcing you to start over if you die - that really break the game's flow. -As far as death-happy platformers go, No Time to Explain is the funniest, and one of the most creative I've seen, with a great visual style and soundtrack to boot. But it's also one of the least polished, outside of Flash prototypes. Luckily, if you're like me and gave up at the flammable stomach acid - or if you're just balking at the $10 price tag (which does seem a little steep) - you can watch the whole thing online, and still enjoy the game's incredible, epic conclusion. +As far as death-happy platformers go, No Time to Explain is the funniest, and one of the most creative I've seen, with a great visual style and soundtrack to boot. But it's also one of the least polished, outside of Flash prototypes. Luckily, if you're like me and gave up at the flammable stomach acid - or if you're just balking at the $10 price tag (which does seem a little steep) - you can watch the whole thing online, and still enjoy the game's incredible, epic conclusion. Better than: , at least where it matters to me Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3363.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3363.md index 9ff3400b..73b268cd 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3363.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3363.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I tried the demo back when it came out, and Unmechanical seemed like a nice little bit of sidescroller puzzling. The full game turns out to be a nice, little more of it. About one to two hours more. What I'm saying is, the game's short; but it's still nice. +I tried the demo back when it came out, and Unmechanical seemed like a nice little bit of sidescroller puzzling. The full game turns out to be a nice, little more of it. About one to two hours more. What I'm saying is, the game's short; but it's still nice. If there's something in Unmechanical to complain about (well, other than its brevity) it's the game's pacing, which falters a few times. The first two-thirds or so, your goal is finding keys to unlock a central, quasi-hub chamber, which you'll backtrack to (well, be guided back to) after collecting each key. So it feels a bit awkward when there's a considerable amount of puzzle content after this chamber. And there are a couple of times where, to solve a puzzle, you'll have to go back to the previous room - or skip ahead to the next room - to pick something up. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3365.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3365.md index a03beda0..d8fa3b09 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3365.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/06/3365.md @@ -14,6 +14,6 @@ But as it turns out, Oil Rush also neglects any kind of micro-management, I'm not going to even bother getting into the game's god-awful writing or lackluster art style, because they don't matter. The game isn't - what I would consider - playable. -Much as I'll disparage Oil Rush, though, I have to give credit to its developers -- for making a cross-platform engine with some relatively impressive capabilities. Nice work on the tech, guys. Shame about the game design. +Much as I'll disparage Oil Rush, though, I have to give credit to its developers -- for making a cross-platform engine with some relatively impressive capabilities. Nice work on the tech, guys. Shame about the game design. Progress: Finished "Wild West" (mission 3). \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3375.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3375.md index 6b014582..804ab299 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3375.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3375.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Grand Theft Auto V" ] platform = [ "X360" ] +++ -My anticipation for all of this is palpable, while also burning, and frothing. +My anticipation for all of this is palpable, while also burning, and frothing. The only thing I want more than GTAV, is a PC version of GTAV. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3396.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3396.md index 0b78980f..e45f55f5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3396.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3396.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies" ] platform = [ "3DS" ] +++ -Giant bird monsters? A criminal prosecutor who's actually a criminal? Yeah! I am into this! \ No newline at end of file +Giant bird monsters? A criminal prosecutor who's actually a criminal? Yeah! I am into this! \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3401.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3401.md index a4a4453c..d1c82157 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3401.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3401.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -So a buddy of mine, who backed their Kickstarter, got me into a two-player co-op of the Mercenary Kings beta. And, wow -- for a game that's still in development, I'm pretty damn impressed. There were two crashes during our lengthy session (which is better than many released, AAA games I've played), and some playability features like item-trading are missing; but the core gameplay, and depth of content, is commendable. +So a buddy of mine, who backed their Kickstarter, got me into a two-player co-op of the Mercenary Kings beta. And, wow -- for a game that's still in development, I'm pretty damn impressed. There were two crashes during our lengthy session (which is better than many released, AAA games I've played), and some playability features like item-trading are missing; but the core gameplay, and depth of content, is commendable. Imagine if had a home-base hub, from which you could craft weapons and accessories, using materials and cash you've picked up in missions. You rank-up as you complete missions and progress the story, which unlocks more craftable equipment. There's also a limited inventory, so you can pack healing items, and explosives, to take with you into a mission. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3416.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3416.md index a31cb0d2..394fb163 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3416.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3416.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -On the one hand, Luminesca is explicitly early in development. Only two of a planned five chapters are currently available, and if you look at some early videos, you can see how dramatically the game design has changed already. On the other hand, even for having a presumed 40% of its content, there's very little here: each current chapter lasts only a few minutes, and there's barely a hint of challenge, or even intrigue, in either of them. The gameplay mechanics are extremely shallow -- you can move in two dimensions, and you can shine a light in an arbitrary direction, which occasionally activates an item. Sometimes you have to lead a glowing "planktid" toward a switch, guiding it through parts of the level. It's all remedial stuff. +On the one hand, Luminesca is explicitly early in development. Only two of a planned five chapters are currently available, and if you look at some early videos, you can see how dramatically the game design has changed already. On the other hand, even for having a presumed 40% of its content, there's very little here: each current chapter lasts only a few minutes, and there's barely a hint of challenge, or even intrigue, in either of them. The gameplay mechanics are extremely shallow -- you can move in two dimensions, and you can shine a light in an arbitrary direction, which occasionally activates an item. Sometimes you have to lead a glowing "planktid" toward a switch, guiding it through parts of the level. It's all remedial stuff. What Luminesca has going for it, though, is its beautiful style - think a more pleasant, but still dark, version of - and how generally relaxing it is. More so than or even , Luminesca's soothing underwater atmosphere has no real trace of stress or strife. Again, this is arguably a bad thing in terms of the game's interactivity, but it makes for an agreeable lazy afternoon activity. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3422.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3422.md index ff30b07c..c559562b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3422.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3422.md @@ -9,6 +9,6 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] Oh, I like creative games alright. But I just don't ... get Starseed Pilgrim. I mean, I pretty much understand how the game is played (thanks to about fifteen minutes of flailing around, and some internet research). But other than that mystery - that is, once you've figured out Starseed Pilgrim's mechanics - I don't get why I should keep playing it. The game itself, with all its unguided randomness and repetition, doesn't give me any sense of fulfillment. -This is definitely one of those games that isn't "for" me. +This is definitely one of those games that isn't "for" me. Progress: Failed, don't care, gave up. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3429.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3429.md index 5c688176..17096cd1 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3429.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/07/3429.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode 1" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Clash in the Clouds? Whatever, man. I could continue not-caring about that with both hands tied behind my back. The real DLC, though; this is very much in line with my particular interests. The Season Pass feels like a much less idiotic purchase, now. \ No newline at end of file +Clash in the Clouds? Whatever, man. I could continue not-caring about that with both hands tied behind my back. The real DLC, though; this is very much in line with my particular interests. The Season Pass feels like a much less idiotic purchase, now. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3432.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3432.md index f8c0b2fd..a53f0eee 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3432.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3432.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ I was astonished - in a good way! - to discover that Jupiter was still churning More Picross! That's cool. Unfortunately I've just run into what may be the achilles heel of this version: I'm up to 15x15 puzzle grids, and there's still no 'zoom' feature. The grid squares are getting pretty damn small, and it's genuinely tough to hit them without accidentally hitting something else. -According to the Nintendo description, 15x15 is as big as the puzzles get, which at least means that this problem won't worsen. But it also suggests a fairly low difficult ceiling. got up to 25x20. Come on guys -- just because it's a small game, doesn't mean it needs small puzzles. +According to the Nintendo description, 15x15 is as big as the puzzles get, which at least means that this problem won't worsen. But it also suggests a fairly low difficult ceiling. got up to 25x20. Come on guys -- just because it's a small game, doesn't mean it needs small puzzles. The puzzles I've done so far are barely scratching the surface of difficulty; I think the longest one I've done so far was about three minutes. I can only assume that the remaining ... 100 or so puzzles will ramp the challenge considerably upward. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3443.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3443.md index 717c38ba..1d46403b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3443.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3443.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Civilization Online" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -It took me a little while to reason out what was so disappointing about the Civilization Online reveal. Clearly it's a very different beast from an actual Civ game, but that's fine; spinoffs happen all the time. And the grand, ambitious concepts they discuss - shepherding an entire civilization from its ancient roots to the modern era, while personally playing a part in its exploration, settlement, technological development, and warfare - are pretty impressive, albeit suspiciously vague and possibly unfeasible. +It took me a little while to reason out what was so disappointing about the Civilization Online reveal. Clearly it's a very different beast from an actual Civ game, but that's fine; spinoffs happen all the time. And the grand, ambitious concepts they discuss - shepherding an entire civilization from its ancient roots to the modern era, while personally playing a part in its exploration, settlement, technological development, and warfare - are pretty impressive, albeit suspiciously vague and possibly unfeasible. But what makes Civilization Online seem altogether less appealing than a full-fledged Civilization, is that I'm not in charge. When I lead a civ to technological or cultural revolution, or to diplomatic or bloody victory, none of it happens by virtue of other players, or intelligent agents within my civilization. It's all on me! The leader. The idea of becoming a leader in Civ Online is appealing, but by its nature as an MMO, most players won't be able to accomplish this. The role they'll be filling instead - being a grunt in another leader's army - doesn't sound very fun. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3452.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3452.md index 9783d5cc..a42e268d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3452.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3452.md @@ -8,9 +8,9 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -I've got a gun that's a cat holding another gun. Two cat-guns, in fact. Miniguns, SWAT shotguns, sniper and assault rifles, a magnum bigger than my character's torso -- just, a completely silly arsenal in my stores. Mercenary Kings has applied the Skinner box concept to guns, and I don't think it could possibly have gone better. +I've got a gun that's a cat holding another gun. Two cat-guns, in fact. Miniguns, SWAT shotguns, sniper and assault rifles, a magnum bigger than my character's torso -- just, a completely silly arsenal in my stores. Mercenary Kings has applied the Skinner box concept to guns, and I don't think it could possibly have gone better. -I have to stop. I'm addicted to collecting crafting materials, to build more guns (and more bionic mods, and more knives). Which sucks because, in its Early Access state - with only 60 of its 100 planned missions - Mercenary Kings doesn't have all the materials to build these things. +I have to stop. I'm addicted to collecting crafting materials, to build more guns (and more bionic mods, and more knives). Which sucks because, in its Early Access state - with only 60 of its 100 planned missions - Mercenary Kings doesn't have all the materials to build these things. When it does, I'll definitely be back in it. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3455.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3455.md index af811cf5..a431426b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3455.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3455.md @@ -6,4 +6,4 @@ category = [ "Looking Forward To It" ] game = [ "Diablo III: Reaper of Souls" ] +++ -A few years ago, I wouldn't really have considered such a situation possible -- that I would be disinterested in a Blizzard game. Yet here we are, announcing an expansion to , with the Angel of Death kicking some shit; and all I can say is "meh." The core game's abject laziness in content design and storytelling just doesn't leave me with any excitement for more. \ No newline at end of file +A few years ago, I wouldn't really have considered such a situation possible -- that I would be disinterested in a Blizzard game. Yet here we are, announcing an expansion to , with the Angel of Death kicking some shit; and all I can say is "meh." The core game's abject laziness in content design and storytelling just doesn't leave me with any excitement for more. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3458.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3458.md index f5f28c02..0235f45a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3458.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/08/3458.md @@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ category = [ "Looking Forward To It" ] game = [ "The Bureau: XCOM Declassified" ] +++ -To be fair, by all accounts the game actually turned out to be pretty playable for someone who's into XCOM. I'm not one of those people, though; I was more interested in a -style adventure than in something that required real team-positioning tactics. (I got a free copy of with my pre-order, and frankly I don't know what I'm going to do with it.) +To be fair, by all accounts the game actually turned out to be pretty playable for someone who's into XCOM. I'm not one of those people, though; I was more interested in a -style adventure than in something that required real team-positioning tactics. (I got a free copy of with my pre-order, and frankly I don't know what I'm going to do with it.) What is terribly surprising - or at least, disappointing - given the promotional campaign's heavy narrative focus, is that reviews seem to agree on how poorly-written and lackluster the story is. I've seen some footage. This is bush-league stuff. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3463.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3463.md index 6bdd1602..2e2f068d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3463.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3463.md @@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -Paradoxically, Saints Row IV is both the same as, and more than, [its predecessor](game:Saints Row: The Third). If The Third's brand of rampant silliness wasn't your cup of tea, this romp through the White House, outer space, and The Matrix won't change your mind. If you weren't a fan of the last game's overpowering sense of empowerment, this iteration's literal superpower abilities are unlikely to ease your mood. And if you didn't appreciate The Penetrator last time, well, you should probably avoid the "Romance" button when you interact with your crew. +Paradoxically, Saints Row IV is both the same as, and more than, [its predecessor](game:Saints Row: The Third). If The Third's brand of rampant silliness wasn't your cup of tea, this romp through the White House, outer space, and The Matrix won't change your mind. If you weren't a fan of the last game's overpowering sense of empowerment, this iteration's literal superpower abilities are unlikely to ease your mood. And if you didn't appreciate The Penetrator last time, well, you should probably avoid the "Romance" button when you interact with your crew. -But while Saints Row IV doesn't exactly venture out of its comfort zone, it takes the boundaries pushed by The Third and pushes them even farther. Think the Airstrike and Apoca-Fist were cool? Wait until you get a load of the Disintegrator, the Abduction Gun, and of course the dance-party-inducing Dubstep Gun. Have fun flying a laser-spewing VTOL jet around Steelport? Try running up the side of a building, then plummeting to the ground in a massive shockwave. Where there were once flamboyant gang members and suicidal cops, now there are hordes of aliens and their robot warriors. The Insurance Fraud activity goes up to 11 when you can run into cars at super-speed, and there are three different variants of the Mayhem activity, including one where you drive a weaponized mech suit. Campaign missions include a tongue-barely-in-cheek parody of [contemporary military shooters](game:Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Mac, PC, PS3, X360)), an outright send-up of [Metal Gear Solid](game:Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes), and a technologically-inspiring custom rendition of -- not to mention plenty of choice musical interludes from the likes of Aerosmith and Thin Lizzy. +But while Saints Row IV doesn't exactly venture out of its comfort zone, it takes the boundaries pushed by The Third and pushes them even farther. Think the Airstrike and Apoca-Fist were cool? Wait until you get a load of the Disintegrator, the Abduction Gun, and of course the dance-party-inducing Dubstep Gun. Have fun flying a laser-spewing VTOL jet around Steelport? Try running up the side of a building, then plummeting to the ground in a massive shockwave. Where there were once flamboyant gang members and suicidal cops, now there are hordes of aliens and their robot warriors. The Insurance Fraud activity goes up to 11 when you can run into cars at super-speed, and there are three different variants of the Mayhem activity, including one where you drive a weaponized mech suit. Campaign missions include a tongue-barely-in-cheek parody of [contemporary military shooters](game:Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Mac, PC, PS3, X360)), an outright send-up of [Metal Gear Solid](game:Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes), and a technologically-inspiring custom rendition of -- not to mention plenty of choice musical interludes from the likes of Aerosmith and Thin Lizzy. -Of course, if you're hoping for a dramatic, epic narrative, you're barking up the wrong tree. But Saints Row IV's story does manage to string the game's mechanics along, while providing ample entertainment all the while. Whether you're punching a senator or brawling with a giant can of Saints Flow, campaign missions never slack on their sense of humor, and are just genius in their irreverence. Every time you might think, wait, why doesn't the villain just stop me?- sidekicks immediately dismiss the idea as stupid. Keith David (played by Keith David) gets called out for sounding remarkably like Julius Little. Speaking of which -- although you don't need to have played the [older](game:Saints Row (X360)) [games](game:Saints Row 2) to get the gist of IV's story, you'll get even more out of it by knowing the contexts for throwback characters like "Fun" Shaundi and Benjamin "Motherfucking" King. +Of course, if you're hoping for a dramatic, epic narrative, you're barking up the wrong tree. But Saints Row IV's story does manage to string the game's mechanics along, while providing ample entertainment all the while. Whether you're punching a senator or brawling with a giant can of Saints Flow, campaign missions never slack on their sense of humor, and are just genius in their irreverence. Every time you might think, wait, why doesn't the villain just stop me?- sidekicks immediately dismiss the idea as stupid. Keith David (played by Keith David) gets called out for sounding remarkably like Julius Little. Speaking of which -- although you don't need to have played the [older](game:Saints Row (X360)) [games](game:Saints Row 2) to get the gist of IV's story, you'll get even more out of it by knowing the contexts for throwback characters like "Fun" Shaundi and Benjamin "Motherfucking" King. But the real lynchpin of the game is its world, which, while architecturally familiar, is more dense with activity than ever. While you traipse around town doing missions and activities, you'll run into a bevy of collectibles -- including style "data cluster" power-ups that go toward superpower upgrades. New in-game challenges include a ton of fun meta-achievements, from destroying statues of the evil alien overlord, to punting his goons with super-kicks. The real surprise, to me, about this version of Steelport was how awesome it felt to navigate the city with super-powered sprints and jumps. Other than missions that required it, I probably only drove a car two or three times; and considering how much I love [vehicular manslaughter](game:Grand Theft Auto IV), that counts for a lot. (It helps that you no longer need to be in a car to listen to the radio, so I could blare the game's electro-house station while I cavorted around.) @@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ If there's one thing about Saints Row IV I'm disappointed in, it's the co-op gam My usual glogging pattern would have had me making a post about SR4 sometime around its release the other week. But every time - literally, each individual time - I considered writing about the game, I ended up playing it instead. Even after I'd finished it! (I played through the full story twice.) Saints Row IV may not break much new ground, but it takes everything I loved about The Third and makes it outlandishly, unbelievably better. Better than: , and - hell - -Not as good as: if I could also [ram through buildings]($SiteBaseURL$2010/01/03/red-faction-guerrilla-7/)! Come on, guys! +Not as good as: if I could also [ram through buildings]($SiteBaseURL$2010/01/03/red-faction-guerrilla-7/)! Come on, guys! Grand Theft Auto may not have to move over: but it'd better get comfortable with the idea of Saints Row out-over-the-topping it, for the foreseeable future. Progress: Finished all missions (twice), 100% completion. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3476.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3476.md index 52fd0bdc..405f7bab 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3476.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3476.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD" ] platform = [ "WiiU" ] +++ -Guys, look -- just. Come on. Guys. When people were talking about bloom effects and washed-out colors being "what makes a game next-gen," they were joking. That was a joke, guys. You weren't supposed to take it seriously. \ No newline at end of file +Guys, look -- just. Come on. Guys. When people were talking about bloom effects and washed-out colors being "what makes a game next-gen," they were joking. That was a joke, guys. You weren't supposed to take it seriously. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3478.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3478.md index 7f432e25..595e17b8 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3478.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3478.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -As stoked as I am for the return of 's polished mechanics, and what amounts to a realistic, Caribbean spin on [Wind Waker](game:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker), this new technology trailer has me even more pumped for Black Flag -- and for games beyond it. Between the real-time lighting techniques and the engine's capabiilty to assemble moving parts into a navigable, AI-traversable level, AnvilNext is setting some very exciting stages for Ubisoft games in the coming hardware generation. \ No newline at end of file +As stoked as I am for the return of 's polished mechanics, and what amounts to a realistic, Caribbean spin on [Wind Waker](game:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker), this new technology trailer has me even more pumped for Black Flag -- and for games beyond it. Between the real-time lighting techniques and the engine's capabiilty to assemble moving parts into a navigable, AI-traversable level, AnvilNext is setting some very exciting stages for Ubisoft games in the coming hardware generation. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3482.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3482.md index 862f1257..4c329c32 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3482.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3482.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Awesome" ] Trevor might be my new favorite video game character. -Chris Kohler's GTA V article makes an interesting point -- each of the game's three protagonists fits a different niche in the Grand Theft Auto mythos. Franklin, the small-time crook and part-time gang-banger, fits the mold set by CJ in [San Andreas](game:Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas): capable, and ambitious, but dragged down by his reckless and idiotic friends. Michael, the middle-aged ex-burglar with a Rockford Hills mansion, is a fascinating glimpse into the future of a GTA character: though he earned his way out of a life of crime, he's deeply unsatisfied with the boredom of retirement, and the trivialities of his family. +Chris Kohler's GTA V article makes an interesting point -- each of the game's three protagonists fits a different niche in the Grand Theft Auto mythos. Franklin, the small-time crook and part-time gang-banger, fits the mold set by CJ in [San Andreas](game:Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas): capable, and ambitious, but dragged down by his reckless and idiotic friends. Michael, the middle-aged ex-burglar with a Rockford Hills mansion, is a fascinating glimpse into the future of a GTA character: though he earned his way out of a life of crime, he's deeply unsatisfied with the boredom of retirement, and the trivialities of his family. But it's Trevor, the psychopath kingpin, who really takes the characterization cake. Perhaps it's because he flips the spotlight back at the player: Trevor revels in crazy violence and wanton destruction, but he's also goal-oriented and highly intelligent. He runs a successful criminal enterprise, with employees, clients, and competitors; it just so happens that his employees are meth-heads, and his competitors have a habit of exploding. And as much as he enjoys stealing and killing, he still believes in friendship, family, and loyalty. To Trevor, life is one big game of Grand Theft Auto, and he's playing it like an RPG. @@ -22,6 +22,6 @@ If there's anything really disappointing about GTA V as a game, it's that I don' Well... I should say that my other, real disappointment, is technological. Not to diminish the accomplishment of this massive, stunning game world, but the mandatory 8GB install, the intense character-switch load times, and the significant pop-in, just make me yearn for a PC version all the more. Even the pause/map screen has a brief loading time. Blech. -At any rate, organizing heists, exploring the backstories of the game's protagonists, and causing general mayhem throughout Los Santos, are just as much of a blast as one could hope for. And if vehicular manslaughter isn't really your thing, there's always the stock market. +At any rate, organizing heists, exploring the backstories of the game's protagonists, and causing general mayhem throughout Los Santos, are just as much of a blast as one could hope for. And if vehicular manslaughter isn't really your thing, there's always the stock market. Progress: lifted some jewels, blew up a meth lab, stole a submarine, broke into a government agency building. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3487.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3487.md index b2276b66..e6440d0a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3487.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3487.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ Really, I'm only comfortable putting the game down now - with missions complete, Better than: (the previous-best GTA iteration) Not as good as: (in terms of pure crazy-pants fun) -Oh yeah, and: I may also have to come back once someone figures out the crazy end-game easter eggs. +Oh yeah, and: I may also have to come back once someone figures out the crazy end-game easter eggs. Progress: Finished the story, 76.8% complete. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3490.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3490.md index 9ae41539..80f81de1 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3490.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/09/3490.md @@ -8,4 +8,4 @@ game = [ "Sonic Lost World (PC, WiiU)" ] The best parts of [Sonic Adventure](game:Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut) were the parts that weren't like other Sonic games -- well, not that the treasure hunting was any good, but: the open-world exploration, and mixed-up mechanics like E-102 Gamma's shooting galleries, gave Sonic all new flavors that really enhanced the experience. -Which is why it's such a tragic comedy that only now, 15 years later, Sonic Lost World is finally lessening the focus on Sonic's speediness, in favor of thoughtful level design. Whether they can do it well is yet to be determined, but the attempt, at least, is encouraging. \ No newline at end of file +Which is why it's such a tragic comedy that only now, 15 years later, Sonic Lost World is finally lessening the focus on Sonic's speediness, in favor of thoughtful level design. Whether they can do it well is yet to be determined, but the attempt, at least, is encouraging. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3496.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3496.md index 425f54dc..99f2380f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3496.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3496.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I would absolutely love for Black Flag to be a game about pirates, and throw all that Assassin/Templar crap away. So I hope Ubisoft isn't just teasing me with this promo attitude. Will this finally be it? The Assassin's Creed game that finally cuts out the modern-day story completely? Here's hoping. \ No newline at end of file +I would absolutely love for Black Flag to be a game about pirates, and throw all that Assassin/Templar crap away. So I hope Ubisoft isn't just teasing me with this promo attitude. Will this finally be it? The Assassin's Creed game that finally cuts out the modern-day story completely? Here's hoping. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3498.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3498.md index 9a4be81d..5b7fd6cb 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3498.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3498.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Warlock II: The Exiled" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -[Warlock](game:Warlock: Master of the Arcane) was a fun trip, but my interest in it waned in the face of balance issues and technical stumbles. If the upcoming sequel is going to hold my attention for more than a few days, it'll need some polish; but in the meantime, Paradox's great sense of trailer-humor at least has me curious. \ No newline at end of file +[Warlock](game:Warlock: Master of the Arcane) was a fun trip, but my interest in it waned in the face of balance issues and technical stumbles. If the upcoming sequel is going to hold my attention for more than a few days, it'll need some polish; but in the meantime, Paradox's great sense of trailer-humor at least has me curious. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3500.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3500.md index 6bbd0537..ff8e9112 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3500.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3500.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Aw, man. This is [so close]($SiteBaseURL$2013/10/02/now-with-fully-articulated-blackbeard-action/). +Aw, man. This is [so close]($SiteBaseURL$2013/10/02/now-with-fully-articulated-blackbeard-action/). diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3503.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3503.md index 5e4f3574..38cec639 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3503.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3503.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "X360" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -So, you've got Grand Theft Auto, a franchise explicitly about crime (and implicitly about anti-social behavior in general); and you've got the online video game community, possibly the most wretched hive of scum and villainy there is. What do you get when you shove these two forces together? A surprising amount of entertainment, although not without frustrations. +So, you've got Grand Theft Auto, a franchise explicitly about crime (and implicitly about anti-social behavior in general); and you've got the online video game community, possibly the most wretched hive of scum and villainy there is. What do you get when you shove these two forces together? A surprising amount of entertainment, although not without frustrations. Technical quibbles aside - and, at least in its first few days, there were plenty to set aside - Grand Theft Auto Online works about as well as the GTAV single-player does. Driving and shooting are great fun, particularly in the service of a particular mission, despite (or sometimes because of) the elite special forces of the San Andreas Police Department. There's of course a wide array of sandbox activity to engage in, and playing with friends dramatically amplifies the enjoyment of any of these hijinks. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3505.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3505.md index a08beb5d..ea40c39c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3505.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/10/3505.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "WiiU" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -Well, the good news is that the bloom lighting isn't as pervasive and offensive as it previously appeared. The bad news is that, instead, soft lighting gets in the way of Wind Waker's signature look; when flickering torches cast realistically-graded shadows on Link's cap, it just doesn't look like a cartoon anymore. It's a shame that this otherwise-admirable technology detracts from the game's aesthetic. +Well, the good news is that the bloom lighting isn't as pervasive and offensive as it previously appeared. The bad news is that, instead, soft lighting gets in the way of Wind Waker's signature look; when flickering torches cast realistically-graded shadows on Link's cap, it just doesn't look like a cartoon anymore. It's a shame that this otherwise-admirable technology detracts from the game's aesthetic. But the better news is that this game is still, very much, [The Wind Waker](game:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker). The intuitive mechanics, the expressive characters, and the childlike sense of wonder are all still here. There are so many moments in this game that have been strongly etched into my memory; I can't wait to visit the rest of them. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3510.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3510.md index 2da7dc3b..3826c528 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3510.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3510.md @@ -8,9 +8,9 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -Right off the bat, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is a little disappointing for its vocal presentation. Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, even Jeremy Renner -- all absent. The only voices you're going to recognize from recent Marvel media outings are Agent Coulson, and (of course) Stan Lee. In light of the incredible attachment [LEGO The Lord of the Rings](game:LEGO The Lord of the Rings (Android, iOS, Mac, PC, PS3, Wii, X360)) made with its source material - granted, using direct recordings from the movies - LEGO Marvel's comparatively-dim personalities are a bit of a letdown. +Right off the bat, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is a little disappointing for its vocal presentation. Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, even Jeremy Renner -- all absent. The only voices you're going to recognize from recent Marvel media outings are Agent Coulson, and (of course) Stan Lee. In light of the incredible attachment [LEGO The Lord of the Rings](game:LEGO The Lord of the Rings (Android, iOS, Mac, PC, PS3, Wii, X360)) made with its source material - granted, using direct recordings from the movies - LEGO Marvel's comparatively-dim personalities are a bit of a letdown. -But it's pretty easy to get over, because -- look, the recent LEGO games have established a pretty solid open-world formula, with vehicles, character-specific puzzles, and a fuckton of collectibles. And LEGO Marvel cranks all of that way up. How way up? There are 150 fucking characters in this game. Jesus! Each one represents a combination of abilities, like, Wolverine can regenerate health and has claws, Beast has claws and can use computers, Jean Gray can use computers and has telekinesis, Sue Storm has telekinesis and can turn invisible, Black Widow can turn invisible and does acrobatics ... it's just outlandish. And a bunch of the characters can fly, like, fly around Manhattan. Yes! It's incredible. +But it's pretty easy to get over, because -- look, the recent LEGO games have established a pretty solid open-world formula, with vehicles, character-specific puzzles, and a fuckton of collectibles. And LEGO Marvel cranks all of that way up. How way up? There are 150 fucking characters in this game. Jesus! Each one represents a combination of abilities, like, Wolverine can regenerate health and has claws, Beast has claws and can use computers, Jean Gray can use computers and has telekinesis, Sue Storm has telekinesis and can turn invisible, Black Widow can turn invisible and does acrobatics ... it's just outlandish. And a bunch of the characters can fly, like, fly around Manhattan. Yes! It's incredible. The game's technical infidelity does put a slight damper on the experience, with crashes and hangs, loading lag, worse-than-expected performance, and tons of cutscene scripting errors. And, as ever, the bulk of the game's collectibles are effectively locked until the campaign is complete, and I can select arbitrary characters at will. But I can see them; I can see the collectibles. Taunting me. Waiting for me. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3512.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3512.md index 59750c13..6ae75697 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3512.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3512.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ From the outset, the episode is heavily evocative of Chinatown, as if to A significant portion of the episode, the first 45 minutes or so, is spent in the thick of Rapture's thriving high-society; ladies and gents sip martinis and puff cigarettes as they wax philosophical on Randian ideals. But this setting really isn't executed with the will it deserves. Hardly any characters or events are interactive, or active at all -- only a small fraction of the NPCs even bother to have lines. This is especially disappointing when compared to Infinite's opening in Columbia, which had similar ideas, but was much fuller with theme-appropriate banter and events. -After this initial distraction, it's back to business as usual, shooting and unleashing plasmids vigors plasmids on wacked-out splicers. I lamented Infinite's descent into more rote, simple gunplay when compared to its predecessors, and this DLC episode is no different (well, one weapon is different, but I wouldn't even consider it worthwhile). To its credit, the episode fosters a much more diligent play style by being more stingy with ammo than any previous BioShock. At the same time, though, there are more monster closets here than in any other game I can recall. Between these insufferable encounters, and some incredibly uninspired mission objectives, the gameplay experience on the whole is pretty dull. +After this initial distraction, it's back to business as usual, shooting and unleashing plasmids vigors plasmids on wacked-out splicers. I lamented Infinite's descent into more rote, simple gunplay when compared to its predecessors, and this DLC episode is no different (well, one weapon is different, but I wouldn't even consider it worthwhile). To its credit, the episode fosters a much more diligent play style by being more stingy with ammo than any previous BioShock. At the same time, though, there are more monster closets here than in any other game I can recall. Between these insufferable encounters, and some incredibly uninspired mission objectives, the gameplay experience on the whole is pretty dull. To top it off, the ending is ... well, it's a few things, but none so much as baffling. There is a bit of resolution for the episode's story, but the bigger point is a cliffhanger for the next one. In its last moments, this dog of a DLC stands up on its hind legs, and barks out, "Stay tuned for more BioShock!" Of course, I will. But it's not leaving a great taste in my mouth. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3519.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3519.md index d681acf0..dd20022f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3519.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/11/3519.md @@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] There is a ton of content in LEGO Marvel: more unlockable characters than ever before, bonus stages beyond the scope of the story, and a city dense with collectibles. But, the downside of this breadth of content is a relative lack of depth -- rote missions, a repetitive world map, and mechanics that get reused across much of the game's cast (Wolverine and Beast, for instance, are effectively identical). -The game does more right than it does wrong; it's certainly enjoyable to ride the story and bonus missions through to completion, and even to uncover the rest of the game's poorly-hidden secrets (if you're into it, which I definitely am). On its own, LEGO Marvel is pretty great. But in the shadows of , which had more interesting writing and a wonderfully varied landscape, and [LEGO The Lord of the Rings](game:LEGO The Lord of the Rings (Android, iOS, Mac, PC, PS3, Wii, X360)), which paid impeccable (if sometimes parodic) respect to its source material, this installment simply can't measure up. Everything just feels more samey than those previous LEGO adventures. (It doesn't help that almost all of the male NPCs are played by the same three dudes.) +The game does more right than it does wrong; it's certainly enjoyable to ride the story and bonus missions through to completion, and even to uncover the rest of the game's poorly-hidden secrets (if you're into it, which I definitely am). On its own, LEGO Marvel is pretty great. But in the shadows of , which had more interesting writing and a wonderfully varied landscape, and [LEGO The Lord of the Rings](game:LEGO The Lord of the Rings (Android, iOS, Mac, PC, PS3, Wii, X360)), which paid impeccable (if sometimes parodic) respect to its source material, this installment simply can't measure up. Everything just feels more samey than those previous LEGO adventures. (It doesn't help that almost all of the male NPCs are played by the same three dudes.) -Of course, it might just be because I'm not a Marvel superfan. If you've been waiting for a game that let you play as Iron Man, the Silver Surfer, Wolverine, Dr. Doom, and Mysterio - et al - this one's clearly for you. +Of course, it might just be because I'm not a Marvel superfan. If you've been waiting for a game that let you play as Iron Man, the Silver Surfer, Wolverine, Dr. Doom, and Mysterio - et al - this one's clearly for you. Better than: Not as good as: , diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/12/3543.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/12/3543.md index 6381ef8a..441857c7 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/12/3543.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/12/3543.md @@ -32,6 +32,6 @@ The slightly insidious motive behind this game, then, is that WB can lazily iter Better than: Not as good as: or -At least we'll know what to expect: if WB maintains a trend of alternating Rocksteady and B-team installments. +At least we'll know what to expect: if WB maintains a trend of alternating Rocksteady and B-team installments. Progress: Finished the story, going back in for sidequests.. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/12/3560.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/12/3560.md index d048b411..dd5af363 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/12/3560.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2013/12/3560.md @@ -24,4 +24,4 @@ Pen Ward's brilliant writing and the mostly-pleasant art only barely managed to Better than: Not as good as: -Even if you love Adventure Time: do yourself a favor and watch the game, instead of playing it yourself. +Even if you love Adventure Time: do yourself a favor and watch the game, instead of playing it yourself. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3575.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3575.md index c764ee90..dd569f6a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3575.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3575.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -How the Saints Save Christmas is, really, a perfectly descriptive title. In a dystopian future, the terrible Claws has wreaked havoc upon the universe, and a cyborg Shaundi is sent back in time - T-800 style - to save the present. To save Christmas, and the future, you'll need to spread holiday cheer; be it by fixing a movie theater to play a holiday cartoon, shooting gingerbread men with an air rifle, or nuking the absolute shit out of some "giant elves" (making them roughly human-sized). +How the Saints Save Christmas is, really, a perfectly descriptive title. In a dystopian future, the terrible Claws has wreaked havoc upon the universe, and a cyborg Shaundi is sent back in time - T-800 style - to save the present. To save Christmas, and the future, you'll need to spread holiday cheer; be it by fixing a movie theater to play a holiday cartoon, shooting gingerbread men with an air rifle, or nuking the absolute shit out of some "giant elves" (making them roughly human-sized). How the Saints Save Christmas visits a fair variety of environs throughout its three story missions, and does a pretty good job of stringing you along from plot point to plot point. It doesn't bring a lot of change to Saints Row IV's gameplay - new enemies are really reskins of existing ones, and the closest thing it has to a new weapon is a holiday-themed Dubstep Gun - but it has a convincingly cohesive aesthetic of wintry snow, cheer, and mayhem. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3580.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3580.md index ae713d91..f2e8cb2b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3580.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3580.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ This is an interesting one. At first, the gameplay is pretty straightforward. Ninja run to vault obstacles; slap enemies around with fast, light attacks and slow, heavy attacks; go into slow-motion to finish someone off with an absurd slice-storm. Maybe a little simplistic, but, a fun slash-em-up with bombastic set pieces. -Then comes the boss battle that changes everything -- the " helicopter" moment. Now you have to learn how the parry really works. Now you have to take inventory of the game's controls, to lock-on and use healing items. (Reading this is what helped me.) You don't have to be an expert to finish the battle, but you do have to appreciate and respect the game in a way that wasn't previously evident. +Then comes the boss battle that changes everything -- the " helicopter" moment. Now you have to learn how the parry really works. Now you have to take inventory of the game's controls, to lock-on and use healing items. (Reading this is what helped me.) You don't have to be an expert to finish the battle, but you do have to appreciate and respect the game in a way that wasn't previously evident. From here, Revengeance can appear to back off at times, but the lesson is clear: don't turn your back on it. You never know when you'll be ambushed by a robot made out of guns that shoot knives that explode on your face. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3584.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3584.md index 5162a491..a38cde8a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3584.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3584.md @@ -18,6 +18,6 @@ I can only hope that the and "Stealth Inc." incar Better than: Not as good as: -Surprising proof: that GameMaker can produce something really solid. +Surprising proof: that GameMaker can produce something really solid. Progress: Finish Sector 8. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3586.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3586.md index 48eb0315..0c184019 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3586.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3586.md @@ -24,6 +24,6 @@ Although there are a few other modes to unlock (I'll get to this in a bit), the So, overall, my opinion of the game is no better than it was before. -Add to these grievances a general lack of technical care and support, like no resolution options and lingering bugs, and I'm hard-pressed to find kind words for this game. +Add to these grievances a general lack of technical care and support, like no resolution options and lingering bugs, and I'm hard-pressed to find kind words for this game. Progress: Puzzle Stage 21, IQ puzzle Easy-16. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3590.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3590.md index f92617ba..175440e3 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3590.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3590.md @@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ rating = [ "Meh" ] was one of my favorites. And in the sense that it preserves the genius gameplay formula and design talent of the core game, the Special Edition's bonus level is a fun little diversion. But as a value proposition, the Special Edition DLC is a hard sell. -The new mission is good, but not the best, and it's the only new one. The other additional content, items and a costume, aren't meaningful at all when weighed against what's already in the game. And the developer commentary, while cool, is no better - actually, less informative - than what you could get by reading a Gamasutra article or any given post-mortem. +The new mission is good, but not the best, and it's the only new one. The other additional content, items and a costume, aren't meaningful at all when weighed against what's already in the game. And the developer commentary, while cool, is no better - actually, less informative - than what you could get by reading a Gamasutra article or any given post-mortem. There's a fun hour or two of bonus-level in here, but otherwise the Special Edition DLC is utterly lacking in substance. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3602.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3602.md index e716760e..51ce4f88 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3602.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/01/3602.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Previous information about Shadow of Mordor (open world, Ranger, unrelated to the Fellowship) didn't really register for me. But this new trailer has my interest piqued. Sure, between the climbing, stealth, takedowns, and counters, this tends to look like a Tolkienized Assassin's Creed, but hey -- that sounds pretty awesome to me. The "wraith powers" thing sounds pretty awesome too, but narratively weird. I'm definitely curious about that. +Previous information about Shadow of Mordor (open world, Ranger, unrelated to the Fellowship) didn't really register for me. But this new trailer has my interest piqued. Sure, between the climbing, stealth, takedowns, and counters, this tends to look like a Tolkienized Assassin's Creed, but hey -- that sounds pretty awesome to me. The "wraith powers" thing sounds pretty awesome too, but narratively weird. I'm definitely curious about that. What has me a little concerned, though, is the buildup around the "nemesis" system of unique enemies who remember previous encounters. Frankly, I expect this to be more than true open-endedness, e.g. there are a few variables that can change based on random chance or player decisions. So ... we'll see how that plays out, I guess. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/02/3611.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/02/3611.md index cc277f77..93fd02f5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/02/3611.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/02/3611.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "Android" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -When a character's name is something like "Aldous Orwell," you pretty much know where to set your expectations. +When a character's name is something like "Aldous Orwell," you pretty much know where to set your expectations. Epoch doesn't have much of a hook -- its dystopian-future setting is stale from the outset, and the story (at least as of the halfway point) utterly fails to develop. And for as much visual fidelity it gets from the Unreal engine - which, to be fair, is a good amount - the art style is similarly dishwater-dull. There are robots, there are scrap-heaps, there are guns and lasers. Nothing radical here. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/02/3619.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/02/3619.md index a738835d..1c5fea6d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/02/3619.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/02/3619.md @@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ category = [ "Looking Forward To It" ] game = [ "Thief" ] +++ -Every time some new promotional news comes out for Thief, I keep waffling on my opinion of it. This 17 minutes of gameplay footage, which seems to thoroughly illustrate the moment-to-moment experience of playing the game, ... is no different. +Every time some new promotional news comes out for Thief, I keep waffling on my opinion of it. This 17 minutes of gameplay footage, which seems to thoroughly illustrate the moment-to-moment experience of playing the game, ... is no different. On the one hand, the meticulous, even tedious stealth exploration and collection shown here strongly resembles the way I tended to play , and [Skyrim](game:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim), and . Although it looks dull as dirt, I can see myself becoming really engrossed in sneaking around and pilfering the hell out of everyone's vaults and bedrooms. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3623.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3623.md index 4597df90..7f672906 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3623.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3623.md @@ -8,6 +8,6 @@ game = [ "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2" ] c. [June 6, 2012]($SiteBaseURL$2012/06/06/castlevania-lords-of-shadow-2-2/) -Apparently, it could be made not fun by introducing hilariously stupid stealth sequences. I mean... really? +Apparently, it could be made not fun by introducing hilariously stupid stealth sequences. I mean... really? The lynchpin of the [original](game:Castlevania: Lords of Shadow) was its -styled combat, which some people apparently loved, even though I could never get into it. MercurySteam almost certainly would have been better-served by iterating on that, with legitimately new enemies and techniques etc., than by introducing half-baked mechanics like sneaking or [Uncharted](game:Uncharted: Drake's Fortune)-ing. By all appearances, this sequel reeks of the same kind of harebrained scope-creep that made the middle [Assassin's](game:Assassin's Creed Brotherhood) [Creed](game:Assassin's Creed Revelations) installments so disorienting and awkward. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3626.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3626.md index ba20f325..ae68229a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3626.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3626.md @@ -6,6 +6,6 @@ category = [ "Looking Forward To It" ] game = [ "Batman: Arkham Knight" ] +++ -Rocksteady's back at the helm, so that's definitely good. Playable Batmobile ... could go either way. Otherwise, there's sadly little in the Arkham Knight reveal to go on -- other than the obvious, like that it'll be packed in with Nvidia's newest GTX line, and that there'll be retailer-specific costume packs, and that I'll pretty much buy it no matter what. +Rocksteady's back at the helm, so that's definitely good. Playable Batmobile ... could go either way. Otherwise, there's sadly little in the Arkham Knight reveal to go on -- other than the obvious, like that it'll be packed in with Nvidia's newest GTX line, and that there'll be retailer-specific costume packs, and that I'll pretty much buy it no matter what. -Honestly, though, I'm a little disappointed that we won't be seeing a retro-stylized Silver Age game from Rocksteady instead. (Whatever happened to that? Was that what turned into [Arkham Origins](game:Batman: Arkham Origins (PC, PS3, WiiU, X360)) after all? Man, that would be a shame.) \ No newline at end of file +Honestly, though, I'm a little disappointed that we won't be seeing a retro-stylized Silver Age game from Rocksteady instead. (Whatever happened to that? Was that what turned into [Arkham Origins](game:Batman: Arkham Origins (PC, PS3, WiiU, X360)) after all? Man, that would be a shame.) \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3630.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3630.md index 7e6ee98f..c2b0cbc4 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3630.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3630.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] LEGO Video Game The Movie The Game The LEGO Movie Videogame is a fascinating production. As the LEGO games are wont to do, this installment takes the franchise's well-worn rules and mixes them up just enough to keep things interesting. But as a licensed movie tie-in, it has some additional unexpected benefits, and pitfalls. -First off, the game's theme - not the overused, eventually-grating "Everything Is Awesome!" song, but the overall milieu - is a real treat. Like the movie itself, the game is not only kid-friendly, but adults-who-grew-up-with-LEGO friendly, and the diverse environs based on LEGO sets (construction, cowboys, et cetera) complement characters who are intimately relatable despite being computer-generated avatars for plastic toys. It helps immensely that, in addition to containing lines and video directly from the movie, a substantial cut of the movie's voice cast - Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, et al - even recorded original lines for the game itself. (Although Liam Neeson is auspiciously absent.) The look and feel of the game, overall, is really impressive. +First off, the game's theme - not the overused, eventually-grating "Everything Is Awesome!" song, but the overall milieu - is a real treat. Like the movie itself, the game is not only kid-friendly, but adults-who-grew-up-with-LEGO friendly, and the diverse environs based on LEGO sets (construction, cowboys, et cetera) complement characters who are intimately relatable despite being computer-generated avatars for plastic toys. It helps immensely that, in addition to containing lines and video directly from the movie, a substantial cut of the movie's voice cast - Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, et al - even recorded original lines for the game itself. (Although Liam Neeson is auspiciously absent.) The look and feel of the game, overall, is really impressive. As an aside: I completed the game before seeing the movie, and despite following the same plot and using the same cutscenes, the game actually manages to not spoil the film's ending. So that was a fun surprise. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3635.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3635.md index 099b349b..e827e285 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3635.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3635.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -I've become sour on point-and-click adventure games. What was once, in the early- and mid-90s, a favorite genre of mine; has, in more recent years, become a target for my disdain. I'm cool toward the genre's celebrated resurgence under Telltale Games, in particular, as there's no love lost between me and [The Walking Dead](game:The Walking Dead) or . So, having only received it as part of a Humble Bundle, it was with no small amount of surprise that I found myself actively and thoroughly enjoying Broken Age. +I've become sour on point-and-click adventure games. What was once, in the early- and mid-90s, a favorite genre of mine; has, in more recent years, become a target for my disdain. I'm cool toward the genre's celebrated resurgence under Telltale Games, in particular, as there's no love lost between me and [The Walking Dead](game:The Walking Dead) or . So, having only received it as part of a Humble Bundle, it was with no small amount of surprise that I found myself actively and thoroughly enjoying Broken Age. In trying to understand this phenomenon, I certainly can't rule out the production values. The game has a very pleasant, slightly eclectic art style; somewhat cartoonish, somewhat cloth-like, somewhat painterly. And the stellar voice cast brings an impressive amount of talent to bear on the game's script. But these values don't exist in a vacuum -- they bolster the impeccable craftsmanship on display throughout the game. The art style underscores the adventure's two protagonists: young, and full of hope, but also full of uncertainty. The voice acting drives home that all of the game's characters, even the least significant of minor NPCs, has a story and personality. The character writing, the visual design, and the plotting all come together to form a world that isn't just fun and bewildering, but also sympathetic and relatable. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3638.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3638.md index e20bbf58..1367c289 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3638.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3638.md @@ -9,4 +9,4 @@ platform = [ "WiiU" ] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a gorgeously-rendered, finely-tuned platform game with fun mechanics and challenging designs. But I have the same problem with it that I had with its predecessor, . It is too hard for me. It wracks my brain to consider that, nearly 20 years ago, a smaller, dumber version of me had practiced and mastered the living hell out of this game's equally-intricate forebears on the Super NES. -If I were to have the same liberties today that I had back then - literally nothing to do all day except retry minecart stages over and over again - then, maybe, I could make meaningful progress in Tropical Freeze. But I ain't got the time for all that, anymore. \ No newline at end of file +If I were to have the same liberties today that I had back then - literally nothing to do all day except retry minecart stages over and over again - then, maybe, I could make meaningful progress in Tropical Freeze. But I ain't got the time for all that, anymore. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3644.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3644.md index c8127fb4..984125f6 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3644.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/03/3644.md @@ -6,6 +6,6 @@ category = [ "Looking Forward To It" ] game = [ "Watch Dogs" ] +++ -With its newest trailer, and its narrative ... familiarity, Ubisoft's real intent for Watch Dogs suddenly becomes obvious. This isn't an attempt to bring Assassin's Creed into the modern day; this is an attempt to unseat Rockstar. Their proposal is to make a modern day, activity-dense open world with constant interactivity -- by way of a pervasive in-game communication network, such that even virtually-distant things are always at the ready. The fact that this smartphone-infested techscape mirrors real life is almost a coincidence. +With its newest trailer, and its narrative ... familiarity, Ubisoft's real intent for Watch Dogs suddenly becomes obvious. This isn't an attempt to bring Assassin's Creed into the modern day; this is an attempt to unseat Rockstar. Their proposal is to make a modern day, activity-dense open world with constant interactivity -- by way of a pervasive in-game communication network, such that even virtually-distant things are always at the ready. The fact that this smartphone-infested techscape mirrors real life is almost a coincidence. Really, given the publisher's glut of open-world experience, it seems attainable. All they have to do (and here "all" is a somewhat facetious understatement) is nail some fun driving physics, and write real, believable and entertaining characters. Those two bits, along with a varied and engaging sandbox, are the keys to the GTA kingdom. And Ubisoft already has that last one down. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3649.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3649.md index 1bc2b69b..2187281a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3649.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3649.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures" ] platform = [ "3DS" ] +++ -Like, I think, most Ace Attorney aficionados, I am deeply concerned about Capcom's announcement of The Great Ace Attorney. Not because I dislike the prospective setting (which is full of new and interesting opportunities), or the presumed connections to franchise lore (which tantalizes the mind re: the previous games' Fey family) -- but because, due to it being thoroughly Japanese, there's a near-zero chance of Capcom taking this installment outside Japan. +Like, I think, most Ace Attorney aficionados, I am deeply concerned about Capcom's announcement of The Great Ace Attorney. Not because I dislike the prospective setting (which is full of new and interesting opportunities), or the presumed connections to franchise lore (which tantalizes the mind re: the previous games' Fey family) -- but because, due to it being thoroughly Japanese, there's a near-zero chance of Capcom taking this installment outside Japan. For now, I'm holding out hope that Capcom USA will show some interest, maybe try a fan-petition campaign or something. But realistically I think this is just as likely to come to America as is, anymore. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3655.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3655.md index 982c0bd4..61f405bd 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3655.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3655.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Like all good franchises, Civilization has finally (well, [again](game:Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri)) realized that [space](game:Super Mario Galaxy 2) is [awesome](game:Saints Row IV). The announcement buzz around Beyond Earth makes it clear that, while it won't necessarily change the basic gameplay mechanics of [Civilization V](game:Sid Meier's Civilization V), it will introduce some very interesting wrinkles regarding AI interaction and game goals. +Like all good franchises, Civilization has finally (well, [again](game:Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri)) realized that [space](game:Super Mario Galaxy 2) is [awesome](game:Saints Row IV). The announcement buzz around Beyond Earth makes it clear that, while it won't necessarily change the basic gameplay mechanics of [Civilization V](game:Sid Meier's Civilization V), it will introduce some very interesting wrinkles regarding AI interaction and game goals. For me, the best parts of Civ 5 were the most sci-fi parts -- stealth bombers, nuclear subs, death robots, and of course launching into space. Pretty much everything about Beyond Earth sounds like the best part to me. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3659.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3659.md index 87a3f16f..d09a6c2d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3659.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3659.md @@ -21,6 +21,6 @@ The game is clearly able to recognize my controllers, but recognition and compat It's worth mentioning that controllers are configured in a separate application, an amateurish, crash-happy pile of garbage that makes 's similar "Configuration" application look excellent in comparison. -The game has been on Steam for over a year, and it doesn't look like I'm the only one having this problem. So the only conclusion I can draw is that no one at Sega or Sumo gives a shit about this game. And if they don't, then I guess I shouldn't either. +The game has been on Steam for over a year, and it doesn't look like I'm the only one having this problem. So the only conclusion I can draw is that no one at Sega or Sumo gives a shit about this game. And if they don't, then I guess I shouldn't either. Fortunately I got this on a super-sale, so I at least didn't waste much money on this mess -- which, again, might be a really fun game, for all I know. Well, whatever. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3661.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3661.md index f2f42039..eadee78a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3661.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3661.md @@ -9,6 +9,6 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] Beyond the historic relevance of the original id Software productions, I have never held any significant interest in a Wolfenstein game. (The closest I've come was playing a demo of the [2009 iteration](game:Wolfenstein), which seemed a little silly and a little bombastic but not really enough of either.) So it's with some surprise that I find myself genuinely intrigued by what I'm seeing and hearing about Wolfenstein: The New Order. -What I'm seeing and hearing, specifically, is that the game is focusing on a compelling campaign mode; that it isn't wasting design or development effort on yet another multiplayer mode; and that it is pretty damned stylish, even compared to games that don't include experimental Nazi superweapons. +What I'm seeing and hearing, specifically, is that the game is focusing on a compelling campaign mode; that it isn't wasting design or development effort on yet another multiplayer mode; and that it is pretty damned stylish, even compared to games that don't include experimental Nazi superweapons. Not that I'm ready to put down pre-order money on this thing just yet, but I never expected to have this level of interest in Wolfenstein before. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3664.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3664.md index f51c7e25..77e37148 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3664.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3664.md @@ -13,6 +13,6 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] > > "We really wanted it to be a real life reason that you might choose not to do it, rather than a game-play reason. We wanted to let people make their own story." -- VG247 Article (page 2) +- VG247 Article (page 2) I am really, really, really pleased that Ubisoft is taking this laissez-faire approach to character morality in Watch Dogs. I'm pretty sick of games telling me when I'm being "good" or "evil," and giving me "good guy" or "bad guy" rewards as a result. It's refreshing to hear a developer acknowledge that choices are most meaningful when you let the player build their own meaning out of them. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3707.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3707.md index f1583199..414b0cb6 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3707.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3707.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Almost two years after its release, Diablo III finally became the game it really should have been. But it still hasn't become the game that "'s sequel" should have been -- and it probably never will. -The Loot 2.0 update addresses pretty much every itemization complaint that could have been lodged against the game: where previously, Diablo III's off-class and trashy drops felt designed to push you to the auction house, now the game rewards you for playing it. Fancy that, right? Diablo III now goes to great lengths to give you items you want, not just stuff that boosts the stats you need, but really good stuff, and even more Legendary-tier drops than before. It's the rolling gameplay incentive that Diablo III always needed, keeping you interested even when customizing your skill loadout is no longer fresh and new. +The Loot 2.0 update addresses pretty much every itemization complaint that could have been lodged against the game: where previously, Diablo III's off-class and trashy drops felt designed to push you to the auction house, now the game rewards you for playing it. Fancy that, right? Diablo III now goes to great lengths to give you items you want, not just stuff that boosts the stats you need, but really good stuff, and even more Legendary-tier drops than before. It's the rolling gameplay incentive that Diablo III always needed, keeping you interested even when customizing your skill loadout is no longer fresh and new. The itemization refresh breathes new life into the game, and I was astonished at how much fun I had coming back to it; especially when I compared my new drops to the "good" items I'd previously stashed, and saw just how much better items have become. But for all that this has done to enhance the moment-to-moment gameplay, there is still something wrong. Not that I expected this to change, but, the narrative - the storyline, the dialog and cutscenes, the scenarios and worlds - is still lacking. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3711.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3711.md index 184fa4cc..30bec14c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3711.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/04/3711.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -It's fitting, if a little tragic, that Burial at Sea - Episode 2 brings both the BioShock property and Irrational Games altogether to a close. +It's fitting, if a little tragic, that Burial at Sea - Episode 2 brings both the BioShock property and Irrational Games altogether to a close. From the start, this DLC episode shows more outright moxie than [its lackadaisical predecessor](game:BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode 1). Where Episode 1 made some effort to show off a new way of playing BioShock, with more ammunition discipline and more deliberate encounter tactics, Episode 2 gives you no choice but to learn to be much, much more careful. Elizabeth can't take much punishment, nor can she wreak havoc with heavy armaments; instead she's reliant on stealth takedowns, silent knock-out bolts, or even more ideally, sneaking around to avoid combat entirely. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3715.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3715.md index e0b17b9f..689e843e 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3715.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3715.md @@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ category = [ "Video Game Theory" ] game = [ "Red Dead Redemption" ] +++ -I recently took a sightseeing trip to Colorado, and - because I am an irredeemable video game nerd - the utterly beautiful landscapes persistently reminded me of . (Actually, the state's radically diverse environs also reminded me of video game world design in general -- with lakes, deserts, flatlands, mountains, clear skies, and snowdrifts all packed closely together.) I seriously considered taking this nostalgic energy back to the game and playing through it again; but it wasn't long before I remembered how much I hated herding cattle and lassoing wild horses, which I would need to sink some hours into before the game actually got going, and again once I got toward the end. +I recently took a sightseeing trip to Colorado, and - because I am an irredeemable video game nerd - the utterly beautiful landscapes persistently reminded me of . (Actually, the state's radically diverse environs also reminded me of video game world design in general -- with lakes, deserts, flatlands, mountains, clear skies, and snowdrifts all packed closely together.) I seriously considered taking this nostalgic energy back to the game and playing through it again; but it wasn't long before I remembered how much I hated herding cattle and lassoing wild horses, which I would need to sink some hours into before the game actually got going, and again once I got toward the end. Like [Uncharted 2](game:Uncharted 2: Among Thieves) and [3](game:Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception), and as in the few occasions I tried to replay , I think that Red Dead Redemption is better remembered than played. The game has high highs, at its best when thrilling chases and gunplay totally engross you in its absolutely gorgeous game world. But its tedious, unskippable side-activities, and frequent spells of dry and boring wasteland, balance the gameplay experience back downward. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3723.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3723.md index 7e1bf674..e92fa8b6 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3723.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3723.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "20,000 Leagues Above the Clouds" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -This. I am very interested in this. Airship navigation, port trading, floating island exploration -- this game concept is practically ripped out of my dreams. Yes, I think that I want this very much. \ No newline at end of file +This. I am very interested in this. Airship navigation, port trading, floating island exploration -- this game concept is practically ripped out of my dreams. Yes, I think that I want this very much. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3725.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3725.md index 0a142002..ce87eb66 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3725.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3725.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "WildStar" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -So, almost three years later, here is the game that promised to turn the troped-out MMORPG genre on its head. But that isn't really what I'm seeing, here. +So, almost three years later, here is the game that promised to turn the troped-out MMORPG genre on its head. But that isn't really what I'm seeing, here. I have to admit to being highly intrigued from the character-select screen. The factions hint at a strong premise; the class descriptions are highly differentiated and flavorful; and the paths, which seem to largely revolve around investigative gameplay, are right up my alley. The sci-fi universe, as introduced in this text and in cinematics, feels richly imaginative and engrossing. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3728.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3728.md index 5fc29d8d..5502d20d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3728.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/05/3728.md @@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ category = [ "Looking Forward To It" ] game = [ "Transistor" ] +++ -I was not a fan of . To me it was a classic case of overbearing style and underdeveloped substance. Given the tremendous amount of visual polish being applied to Transistor, I had no expectation for it to be any different. +I was not a fan of . To me it was a classic case of overbearing style and underdeveloped substance. Given the tremendous amount of visual polish being applied to Transistor, I had no expectation for it to be any different. -But with the game's release now imminent, Supergiant is starting to actually talk about what it is -- and some bits are catching my attention. Being hunted by "The Process." Ability names ending with a "()" symbolic flourish. And the game world is called Cloudbank, which leads me to believe that the setting isn't just inspired by TRON, but actually goes beyond it, into the modern-day interconnected network landscape. +But with the game's release now imminent, Supergiant is starting to actually talk about what it is -- and some bits are catching my attention. Being hunted by "The Process." Ability names ending with a "()" symbolic flourish. And the game world is called Cloudbank, which leads me to believe that the setting isn't just inspired by TRON, but actually goes beyond it, into the modern-day interconnected network landscape. Of course it could all be for naught. Maybe I'm reading too much into this stuff. Or maybe the computing metaphor will end up completely missing the mark (as certainly seems possible, given it mashes together "transistor" and high-level programming paradigms). But I'm paying a hell of a lot more attention to it now than I was. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3737.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3737.md index 4139804c..3f07e1a9 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3737.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3737.md @@ -18,9 +18,9 @@ Of course, being a modern video game, everything is necessarily stitched togethe There are also pistols, which are awkward to whip out in a melee, but are great in a pinch for taking down enemy riflemen. And if the need strikes you, you can pick up a downed enemy's weapon and have-at with it. (Actually, hey, that's a borrowed mechanic from , another sailing-centric nautical adventure. Interesting coincidence.) -This sailin' and fightin' drives, and/or is driven by, a narrative that is generally of the quality you'd expect from Ubisoft. Edward is frequently surrounded by high-profile pirates ripped from history, but the game throws and twists these characters around so much that they never really define a coherent personality. The story overall suffers from sudden, dramatic changes in how sympathetic or deplorable its players are. With the exception of Edward himself. +This sailin' and fightin' drives, and/or is driven by, a narrative that is generally of the quality you'd expect from Ubisoft. Edward is frequently surrounded by high-profile pirates ripped from history, but the game throws and twists these characters around so much that they never really define a coherent personality. The story overall suffers from sudden, dramatic changes in how sympathetic or deplorable its players are. With the exception of Edward himself. -Edward's ambition and roguishness are immediately charming, but his flashbacks to trouble at home - and his selfish interactions - quickly paint a flawed picture. His tireless quest for fortune comes not only at the expense of other sailors, but of his closest allies, and of himself. While his friends in Nassau discuss plans of freedom from European empires, Edward is stupefyingly focused on increasing his riches, as if this will solve the problem of his estranged wife. Other characters even point this out to him, explicitly, on a few occasions. But nevertheless, until nearly the end, Edward continues to muddle his incredible, breathtaking freedom with this narrow-minded goal. +Edward's ambition and roguishness are immediately charming, but his flashbacks to trouble at home - and his selfish interactions - quickly paint a flawed picture. His tireless quest for fortune comes not only at the expense of other sailors, but of his closest allies, and of himself. While his friends in Nassau discuss plans of freedom from European empires, Edward is stupefyingly focused on increasing his riches, as if this will solve the problem of his estranged wife. Other characters even point this out to him, explicitly, on a few occasions. But nevertheless, until nearly the end, Edward continues to muddle his incredible, breathtaking freedom with this narrow-minded goal. On a smaller scale this might be an interesting arc, but it simply isn't enough to sustain Black Flag's running length. For all the adventures he finds himself in, Edward's character is disappointingly shallow. @@ -38,6 +38,6 @@ This isn't just a good iteration of the Assassin's Creed franchise -- it feels l Better than: Not as good as: -Now that there's sailing: how is a sequel set in the French revolution going to match or top that? +Now that there's sailing: how is a sequel set in the French revolution going to match or top that? Progress: 95% completion diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3742.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3742.md index b596f088..c2464d83 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3742.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3742.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "WiiU" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -To start with, I hadn't really had much interest in playing Mario Kart again. I played the hell out of earlier entries, and well, the series hasn't exactly reinvented itself in the last decade or so. But everyone seems to agree that Mario Kart 8 is fantastically fun, and they're ... mostly right! +To start with, I hadn't really had much interest in playing Mario Kart again. I played the hell out of earlier entries, and well, the series hasn't exactly reinvented itself in the last decade or so. But everyone seems to agree that Mario Kart 8 is fantastically fun, and they're ... mostly right! I don't know how it compares to (which I never tried), but by now, 8 has become fully optimized as a party game. You no longer have to unlock engine classes or features; unlockable characters and items mostly share statistics with the defaults; and even the unlocks are trivially easy, a simple matter of winning cups (it doesn't matter which) and collecting coins. Tracks don't really have shortcuts or other secrets to learn; after the first lap, you're basically an expert. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3746.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3746.md index 59114c52..1f2535c4 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3746.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3746.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Watch Dogs has dozens of story missions, hundreds of extra activities, online play, collectibles, dense city blocks, quiet suburbs, guns, cars, motorcycles, parkour -- almost everything. It's an ambitious game, even for a heavyweight like Ubisoft, even for a network of studios with years of experience delivering vast, intricate open worlds. And the finished product shows that it was really too ambitious. -I want to be clear: Watch Dogs isn't a bad game, and in fact is quite fun for much of the campaign's length. Yet despite Ubisoft's wealth of experience in open-world, it's lacking the quality of execution one would expect from an urban sandbox. It highlights the difference between Ubisoft's methods and [Rockstar](game:Grand Theft Auto IV)'s; while Rockstar is no stranger to meaningless extras, they always make sure to polish a game's central features to a blinding sheen. But like so many of Ubisoft's modern games, Watch Dogs is full of features that seem half-plotted and half-finished. +I want to be clear: Watch Dogs isn't a bad game, and in fact is quite fun for much of the campaign's length. Yet despite Ubisoft's wealth of experience in open-world, it's lacking the quality of execution one would expect from an urban sandbox. It highlights the difference between Ubisoft's methods and [Rockstar](game:Grand Theft Auto IV)'s; while Rockstar is no stranger to meaningless extras, they always make sure to polish a game's central features to a blinding sheen. But like so many of Ubisoft's modern games, Watch Dogs is full of features that seem half-plotted and half-finished. From the start, Aiden Pearce is a terrible protagonist. You might think that he's a dark, gruff anti-hero, based on his situation and his general demeanor -- and he's certainly got the "anti" part down. Aiden destroys whatever property's in his way, steals for fun, and kills without remorse. But the "hero" part is an accident, at best; with the exception of a few (optional) crime-stopping side-missions, everything Aiden does is either as a hired gun, or in the service of his self-centered mission. The game world brands him as a vigilante, a hero for the networked era, as he kills countless thugs and endangers innocent civilians in his misguided quest for vengance. @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ The Watch Dogs story as a whole is pretty silly, with convoluted character motiv That having been said, more often than not, the gameplay on these missions is actually very engaging and entertaining. There are a handful of irritating exceptions, like Splinter Cell-esque missions that fail immediately when you're spotted, or absolutely outlandish firefights. But these are massively overshadowed by some really great set-pieces, and even more often, by some really fun camera-hopping and device-hacking tricks. -These mechanics aren't wholly unique - they're basically the same as the possession and telekinesis powers in and , respectively - but they're rare enough for Watch Dogs to feel pleasantly refreshing. Aiden can use line-of-sight "hacking" to hop from one camera to another, which gets especially interesting when hacking a camera attached to a mobile foot-soldier; and each camera's perspective shows more of the environment, reveals soldiers' paths, and allows Aiden to hack previously-unseen gadgets and traps. Using these traps - like explosive transformers, precariously-suspended shipping containers, or just mysteriously-exploitable grenades - to clear a room without ever setting foot in it, is fun and incredibly satisfying. +These mechanics aren't wholly unique - they're basically the same as the possession and telekinesis powers in and , respectively - but they're rare enough for Watch Dogs to feel pleasantly refreshing. Aiden can use line-of-sight "hacking" to hop from one camera to another, which gets especially interesting when hacking a camera attached to a mobile foot-soldier; and each camera's perspective shows more of the environment, reveals soldiers' paths, and allows Aiden to hack previously-unseen gadgets and traps. Using these traps - like explosive transformers, precariously-suspended shipping containers, or just mysteriously-exploitable grenades - to clear a room without ever setting foot in it, is fun and incredibly satisfying. Aiden's hacking prowess also makes for some pretty fantastic car chases and getaways. After some savvy skill-point investment, you'll be able to activate all sorts of roadway hazards to slow down pursuers or stop fleeing targets in their tracks. The game even does you the favor of zooming the camera around for a cinematic view of cars getting totally ruined by these traps. When all the pieces line up, it is, again, incredibly satisfying. @@ -32,12 +32,12 @@ Even - or really, especially - if you opt to ignore much of Watch Dogs's optiona Oh, that reminds me -- the online features. I don't care about them. I understand that some people are all about online deathmatches, or -style game invasions, and that's great, but I am really not interested. So when the game continues to blast me with reminders that I can participate in online missions, and when I have to repeatedly disable online invaders, it's just ... bafflingly irritating. I guess it is a bit of meta-criticism for me to dislike the online features of a game premised on the dangers of persistent interconnectivity. -And that part, the premise, is a surprising victory for Watch Dogs. Using your cellphone Profiler to see random NPCs' secrets; engaging with hacktivists to exploit the smart city; uncovering the corruption behind the pervasive surveillance -- none of these themes are direct focuses of the campaign, but the game is thoroughly saturated in them. No doubt Ubisoft saw fit to embellish these themes, post-Snowden, and the result is a strong and chilling commentary about both NSA-style domestic spying and the dangers of relying on so-called "smart" networks. +And that part, the premise, is a surprising victory for Watch Dogs. Using your cellphone Profiler to see random NPCs' secrets; engaging with hacktivists to exploit the smart city; uncovering the corruption behind the pervasive surveillance -- none of these themes are direct focuses of the campaign, but the game is thoroughly saturated in them. No doubt Ubisoft saw fit to embellish these themes, post-Snowden, and the result is a strong and chilling commentary about both NSA-style domestic spying and the dangers of relying on so-called "smart" networks. -Watch Dogs, like pretty much every Ubisoft Game anymore, is difficult to praise without exceptions. The missions are fun, but the story is nonsense. Hacking mechanics are well-implemented, while most other aspects of the game feel anachronistically incomplete. Some extra content is worth doing, but a lot of it isn't. When the fat is all trimmed away, Watch Dogs is an entertaining playthrough, that nonetheless fails to live up to many modern genre expectations. +Watch Dogs, like pretty much every Ubisoft Game anymore, is difficult to praise without exceptions. The missions are fun, but the story is nonsense. Hacking mechanics are well-implemented, while most other aspects of the game feel anachronistically incomplete. Some extra content is worth doing, but a lot of it isn't. When the fat is all trimmed away, Watch Dogs is an entertaining playthrough, that nonetheless fails to live up to many modern genre expectations. Better than: Not as good as: , , -I forgot to talk about the PC performance: it works, but, uh, could be a lot better. Come on Ubisoft -- get your shit together. +I forgot to talk about the PC performance: it works, but, uh, could be a lot better. Come on Ubisoft -- get your shit together. Progress: 57.7%, finished the story, completed all Investigations. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3749.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3749.md index 485a184d..528bcc16 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3749.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3749.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Grand Theft Auto V" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Finally! It seems like the last-gen version of GTA V came out forever ago. Can't wait to see it run at full-tilt ... and mod down the LSPD's omniscience, just a bit. \ No newline at end of file +Finally! It seems like the last-gen version of GTA V came out forever ago. Can't wait to see it run at full-tilt ... and mod down the LSPD's omniscience, just a bit. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3754.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3754.md index 80565317..32447697 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3754.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3754.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker" ] platform = [ "WiiU" ] +++ -One of the coolest surprises in was Captain Toad, short puzzle-platform sequences that used clever 3D design and thoughtful GamePad controls to implement a fresh mini-game experience. You had better believe that I will be all over this spinoff game. \ No newline at end of file +One of the coolest surprises in was Captain Toad, short puzzle-platform sequences that used clever 3D design and thoughtful GamePad controls to implement a fresh mini-game experience. You had better believe that I will be all over this spinoff game. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3756.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3756.md index b243238c..d28b1095 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3756.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3756.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ At its best, FC3 revels in some of the same mechanical strengths as its standalo Some of the controls are terrible, particularly driving, which is borderline unplayable. The menus were clearly an afterthought on PC, with a number of functions being unintuitively bound to double-clicking (a clear holdover from a highlight-then-select controller-oriented interface). And there are some distressing graphical problems, especially considering my rig's relative horsepower -- significant slowdown due to excessive foliage, and noticeable pop-in on the horizon. In short, it's a PC treatment that makes [AC4](game:Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag) and Watch Dogs look well-done in comparison. -But for me, the nail in Far Cry 3's coffin is that the story isn't interesting at all. Not just dumb - the plot's Poe-ish attempt at satire is fairly well documented - but I have no sense of curiosity about it. What I've done so far isn't memorable, and I have no interest in seeing what happens next. Blood Dragon's over-the-top narrative was hilarious enough to drive the game along; here, that motivation is completely lacking. +But for me, the nail in Far Cry 3's coffin is that the story isn't interesting at all. Not just dumb - the plot's Poe-ish attempt at satire is fairly well documented - but I have no sense of curiosity about it. What I've done so far isn't memorable, and I have no interest in seeing what happens next. Blood Dragon's over-the-top narrative was hilarious enough to drive the game along; here, that motivation is completely lacking. I've got way too many games in my backlog to be spending my time giving Far Cry more chances to impress me. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3763.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3763.md index 3f0f6ddd..7d285416 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3763.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/06/3763.md @@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ game = [ "Watch Dogs" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -> I'm sorry, it fucking runs better than before? Are you shitting me? +> I'm sorry, it fucking runs better than before? Are you shitting me? -- Reddit user Asmius +- Reddit user Asmius -For my part, I didn't notice a dramatic improvement in visual fidelity or performance; but the visible results, and the interweb's consensus, are undeniable: Watch Dogs on PC actually shipped with its early-tease graphical capabilities, requiring only a humble patch to enable them. (This makes the 14 GB digital download quite a bit easier to believe.) +For my part, I didn't notice a dramatic improvement in visual fidelity or performance; but the visible results, and the interweb's consensus, are undeniable: Watch Dogs on PC actually shipped with its early-tease graphical capabilities, requiring only a humble patch to enable them. (This makes the 14 GB digital download quite a bit easier to believe.) As for why these effects ended up disabled, there are a number of fan theories, all boiling down to standard managerial bullshit -- the performance gain over stock settings makes it pretty clear, that dialing down the visuals was a near-last-minute decision. The sad part is that we'll never know the truth; any official response to the debacle will be from Ubisoft PR, any technical explanation will be pointlessly uninformed, and any policy explanation will be totally untrustworthy. But there are two ancillary aspects of this fiasco that I find interesting. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3805.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3805.md index 5948c36a..07a7c2b8 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3805.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3805.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten is a humble game: it has a simple audiovisual presentation, it's technologically unambitious (based in Flash, or, Air, or whatever), and it has a no-bullshit mission statement. But atop these humble foundations lies a finely-crafted experience, carefully polished and brimming with personality. The game's lack of bombast and ego allows the developer's passion to shine through, and, well, it's really hard not to get caught up in it. +Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten is a humble game: it has a simple audiovisual presentation, it's technologically unambitious (based in Flash, or, Air, or whatever), and it has a no-bullshit mission statement. But atop these humble foundations lies a finely-crafted experience, carefully polished and brimming with personality. The game's lack of bombast and ego allows the developer's passion to shine through, and, well, it's really hard not to get caught up in it. Defender's Quest bills itself as a tower defense/RPG hybrid, and while that's literally true, it doesn't really do justice to the gameplay formula. Within a combat encounter, the game resembles tower defense more than anything else, as you place different unit types - melee attackers, ranged attackers, healers, magic support, et al - in strategic positions to prevent waves of enemies from passing through lanes to the end of the map. You can also use some magic abilities in real-time, and fiddle with individual unit AI, but none of these facets are even remotely as important as unit placement and in-combat upgrades ("boosts" in the game's parlance). @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ What I also found appealing was the campaign's writing, which is where the game' There is a lot going for Defender's Quest, but I can't simply forget its flaws, either. Most of the game's mechanics are very well explained by introductory tutorials, but some important and non-obvious aspects of the game (like re-doing earlier encounters on higher difficulties to earn new rewards) are left to discover by accident. Controlling the overworld map can be a bit painful, due to an odd decision to path through partially-hidden caves. And the campaign's difficulty ramps up sharply toward the end, requiring quite a bit of stat-grinding to get through the final levels. Ultimately it was this grind that most significantly lowered my opinion of the game. -But it succeeds on its basic promises, despite its overall humility -- in fact, some of its shortcomings, like the flat animation style, add to its charm. Defender's Quest is a fun, fairly-unique game, with refreshing writing and minimal time-wasting garbage. I'm not quite sure if I'm ready for a sequel yet, but I'm at least happy to have experienced this one. +But it succeeds on its basic promises, despite its overall humility -- in fact, some of its shortcomings, like the flat animation style, add to its charm. Defender's Quest is a fun, fairly-unique game, with refreshing writing and minimal time-wasting garbage. I'm not quite sure if I'm ready for a sequel yet, but I'm at least happy to have experienced this one. Better than: Not as good as: in theory, a full-fledged strategy/tactical RPG, but I haven't played a good one of those in recent memory. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3817.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3817.md index 27c15082..60d3a2f7 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3817.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3817.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Bad" ] Papers, Please isn't fun. I know that's the point. But that doesn't make it fun. It's a slow, gruelling, depressing, irritatingly inconvenient exercise in simulated bureaucracy. Each progressive day at the border checkpoint adds more paperwork bullshit to deal with -- reading data, verifying it against the rulebook, clicking this, dragging that, clicking another thing... ugh. I don't want to do any of these things. -Wait, what? People actually like this? +Wait, what? People actually like this? I just don't understand the appeal, at all. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3819.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3819.md index 48fbe464..96d237af 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3819.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3819.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -Savant: Ascent is an arcade-style game for fans of the artist's (Savant's) music. In that respect, it's a clear victory, with action and aesthetics that seem very well-suited to its high-energy soundtrack. Aside from its musical association, though, there isn't really much here of value. To put it another way -- the game is currently going for $2, and that seems like a pretty appropriate price. +Savant: Ascent is an arcade-style game for fans of the artist's (Savant's) music. In that respect, it's a clear victory, with action and aesthetics that seem very well-suited to its high-energy soundtrack. Aside from its musical association, though, there isn't really much here of value. To put it another way -- the game is currently going for $2, and that seems like a pretty appropriate price. The gameplay itself is similar to a twin-stick shooter, but with restricted player movement: you can only move between two spots on the screen, to dodge enemies when they lunge towards you. (This is also used to fair effect in a boss battle at the end.) Otherwise, you'll just hold the mouse button to shoot at enemies that swarm around you, and occasionally use a special powered-up shot to deal more significant damage. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3822.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3822.md index e93f8b90..80b86313 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3822.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3822.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Awful" ] Evoland is a love letter to older adventure games and RPGs -- but this letter isn't thoughtful, or emotive, or even enticing. Evoland's metaphorical letter is cloying and shallow. It smacks of desperation, of a naive desire to be best friends with those older games; of a deep-seated infatuation with their outward appearances, while completely misunderstanding their deeper significance. It's a few steps away from an "I WANT TO WEAR YOUR SKIN, HA HA HA," kind of letter. -It starts innocently enough, with a -style demake approach that incrementally introduces key game mechanics. This, at least, is interesting insomuch as it demonstrates abstract game concepts in the absence of fundamentals like music and health points. +It starts innocently enough, with a -style demake approach that incrementally introduces key game mechanics. This, at least, is interesting insomuch as it demonstrates abstract game concepts in the absence of fundamentals like music and health points. But, it isn't long until Evoland "evolves" into what will become its two primary game modes: top-down Zelda-inspired wilderness and dungeon navigation, and Final Fantasy-inspired overworld traversal with random turn-based battles. "But wait," your inner voice might be wondering, "aren't those radically different approaches to statistics, inventory, combat, and pretty much everything else?" They sure are. And there are a smattering of other such "inspirations" in here as well, including a Diablo level and a 3D action-based fight. As much as Evoland may have wanted to frame these game modes as different perspectives on the same core game, the inconsistencies are just too wild to see them as even remotely related to one another. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3830.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3830.md index 7258bd87..0c6372d3 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3830.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3830.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Meh" ] I've had Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition sitting on my Wii U for ... I guess, almost as long as I've had my Wii U. So after being [thoroughly](game:Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!) [underwhelmed](game:Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don't Know!) by WayForward's attempts on Adventure Time, I figured, let's see what they can do with an original IP of their own. As it turns out, not much. -This isn't to say that Mighty Switch Force is a bad game, exactly. The core gameplay is competent enough, and there seems to be a respectable amount of content in here, based on the visible level count. The graphics are fine - if a little obsessed with cute, busty cartoon girls - and the soundtrack is stellar, as per Jake "virt" Kaufman's usual. But it's impossible not to notice the gaping absence of story, or any narrative explanation to the game's premise or world design. +This isn't to say that Mighty Switch Force is a bad game, exactly. The core gameplay is competent enough, and there seems to be a respectable amount of content in here, based on the visible level count. The graphics are fine - if a little obsessed with cute, busty cartoon girls - and the soundtrack is stellar, as per Jake "virt" Kaufman's usual. But it's impossible not to notice the gaping absence of story, or any narrative explanation to the game's premise or world design. Some games can get away with this lack of storytelling, but here it's conspicuous to the point of bothersome. With how strongly the game's characters are visually detailed, it just doesn't make sense that there isn't any amount of expository text, or any spoken narration -- especially in the midst of voice samples for random game actions, like checkpoints and health pick-ups. It's baffling that the graphics and sound are as polished as they are, but there is no attention whatsoever paid to the game's premise. @@ -18,6 +18,6 @@ And without that, all that Mighty Switch Force really offers is a competent, but Better than: Not as good as: -But you really should: give the soundtrack a listen (and the sequel's, while you're at it). +But you really should: give the soundtrack a listen (and the sequel's, while you're at it). Progress: Finished the first four levels. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3840.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3840.md index 0ac9e2c7..3920752d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3840.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3840.md @@ -18,6 +18,6 @@ These irritations are really only remarkable because the rest of the game is jus Better than: Not as good as: -It does help: that the game is full of classic references, like tesla-tower dwarves yelling "Toasty!" when you upgrade them. +It does help: that the game is full of classic references, like tesla-tower dwarves yelling "Toasty!" when you upgrade them. Progress: Finished the main campaign on Normal. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3848.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3848.md index b3585aa7..c66b35ab 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3848.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3848.md @@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ At first, Magrunner appears like nothing more than yet another -ali (Important science note: Magrunner's implementation of magnetism is wrong. In Magrunner, similar polarities attract one another, and dissimilar polarities repel. Ultimately this makes more sense for the game's puzzles, since you sometimes have to attract a collection of more than two objects. But the fundamental disagreement with reality is still bothersome.) -Anyway. The Portal comparisons are all well and good for several levels, and then shit gets really fucking real. I don't think it's a spoiler that, within the game's first act, it rips off its sci-fi mask to reveal some dark and spooky Lovecraft business. I've still got plenty of game left to go, but so far it's using some great environment design and ambient sound to nail a creepy atmosphere. +Anyway. The Portal comparisons are all well and good for several levels, and then shit gets really fucking real. I don't think it's a spoiler that, within the game's first act, it rips off its sci-fi mask to reveal some dark and spooky Lovecraft business. I've still got plenty of game left to go, but so far it's using some great environment design and ambient sound to nail a creepy atmosphere. -Which is especially good since the dialog writing and voice acting isn't really keeping up. With the exception of one supporting character in particular, pretty much everyone in this story has really dumb lines and a really hammy actor spouting them out. Parts of the plot are also a little weird, and not, like, R'lyeh weird -- just. Well, for example, one of the supporting characters is a clear satire of Mark Zuckerberg (his name is even an anagram of Zuckerberg's). It's a bit ... out of place. +Which is especially good since the dialog writing and voice acting isn't really keeping up. With the exception of one supporting character in particular, pretty much everyone in this story has really dumb lines and a really hammy actor spouting them out. Parts of the plot are also a little weird, and not, like, R'lyeh weird -- just. Well, for example, one of the supporting characters is a clear satire of Mark Zuckerberg (his name is even an anagram of Zuckerberg's). It's a bit ... out of place. But the atmosphere, and the rapidly-increasing puzzle complexity, are keeping Magrunner interesting regardless. I'm suitably anxious to delve deeper into this hard sci-fi nightmare. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3852.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3852.md index 3c2caccf..184db67b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3852.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3852.md @@ -18,6 +18,6 @@ Despite those shortcomings though, Magrunner is definitely worth its running len Better than: , Not as good as: , -Story not as good as: Event Horizon +Story not as good as: Event Horizon Progress: Finished on Normal diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3863.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3863.md index 6ed3fe7a..1b87ee39 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3863.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3863.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ I\. Hate. Rogue-likes. Losing progress - due to poor checkpoint placement, fo Rogue Legacy violates the death-resets-everything rule with purchasable upgrades. After you die, the money you've collected can be used to buy "manor" upgrades (which unlock new classes, or increase base stats); or, after finding blueprints or runes, to buy equippable items and skills. This sounds totally sensible in theory. But in practice, two of Rogue Legacy's core mechanics completely ruin it: 1. The "manor" upgrades become more expensive as you buy more of them (in other words, after investing in upgrade B, upgrade A will be more expensive than before). -2. After the upgrade-purchase process, but before re-entering the dungeon, Charon takes all of your money. (Yeah, exactly like ). +2. After the upgrade-purchase process, but before re-entering the dungeon, Charon takes all of your money. (Yeah, exactly like ). So, after grinding my way to (fairly quick) death a few dozen times, new upgrades are actually more difficult to get than they were before, because the costs have risen so prohibitively. And it's impossible to gradually accumulate wealth, because, you can't. The more I play, the harder it gets. Bullshit. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3869.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3869.md index a6407466..60d04e1f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3869.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3869.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -A passing observation might leave you concerned that Dust: An Elysian Tail is steeped in "furry" subculture fandom. This really isn't true at all; at most, Dust is in the same vein as Disney's Robin Hood, a mostly-human story and setting that's told using anthropomorphs. It's quaint, maybe, but not excessively weird or esoteric -- especially because there's so much more going on in this game. +A passing observation might leave you concerned that Dust: An Elysian Tail is steeped in "furry" subculture fandom. This really isn't true at all; at most, Dust is in the same vein as Disney's Robin Hood, a mostly-human story and setting that's told using anthropomorphs. It's quaint, maybe, but not excessively weird or esoteric -- especially because there's so much more going on in this game. At its core, Dust is both a character-action game and a Metroidvania-styled platformer. The game world is split into multiple regions, each with a grid-based map that shows rough treasure locations, quest objectives, et cetera; and progress is frequently gated by Metroid-style ability upgrades, like a slide and a double-jump. (Significant backtracking is never explicitly required to progress in the game, although it is highly recommended for collecting extra treasure.) Within each map area, hordes of enemies stand in the way of the exit -- fortunately, titular protagonist Dust is equipped with a magic sword that makes total mincemeat out of them. There are a handful of combos and special attacks, but the combat system is mercifully simple, allowing even hopelessly mediocre players like myself to feel completely badass. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3872.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3872.md index a364164a..f7ebf8df 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3872.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3872.md @@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ PixelJunk Shooter's obvious highlight is its fluid physics. In its first (of th It's a neat trick, and there are a few interesting twists in the form of items and enemies that can spout additional fluids. But the novelty wears off before long, and what's left underneath is essentially a twin-stick maze navigator, with missiles and an "overheat" dynamic in place of health. The real fundamentals of the game are a bit on the dull side. -I also got a little annoyed with the level design's reliance on the game's own interpretation of a monster closet, with enemies spontaneously appearing upon returning to an earlier and/or central part of the level. I get that there needs to be some kind of scripted event to push the level along, but the suddenness of the enemy spawns smacks of laziness, where a more sophisticated design would include hints at the upcoming event and allow the player to think ahead. +I also got a little annoyed with the level design's reliance on the game's own interpretation of a monster closet, with enemies spontaneously appearing upon returning to an earlier and/or central part of the level. I get that there needs to be some kind of scripted event to push the level along, but the suddenness of the enemy spawns smacks of laziness, where a more sophisticated design would include hints at the upcoming event and allow the player to think ahead. Anyway. I enjoyed PixelJunk Shooter for a short while, but got too bored of the mechanics to see it through. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3876.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3876.md index afd3dd53..a775813b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3876.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3876.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Good" ] +++ -I'd read once - somewhere, on the interweb - Gone Home being called an "Oscar bait" video game -- and while it did win no shortage of awards last year, I don't think that evaluation of it is completely fair. While it's true that it tackles a story one could accuse of award-baiting, and its "gameplay" resembles that of an annoying post-modern [walking simulator](game:Dear Esther), this isn't just pretentious arthouse fluff; there is some real narrative substance to it. +I'd read once - somewhere, on the interweb - Gone Home being called an "Oscar bait" video game -- and while it did win no shortage of awards last year, I don't think that evaluation of it is completely fair. While it's true that it tackles a story one could accuse of award-baiting, and its "gameplay" resembles that of an annoying post-modern [walking simulator](game:Dear Esther), this isn't just pretentious arthouse fluff; there is some real narrative substance to it. Gone Home is a first-person, exploration-based, pure-story game. There's no action, and there are no visible characters; the story is told [forensically](game:Metroid Prime), by examining notes and other objects found throughout the game's titular home. While there is an amount of reading to do, Gone Home also uses a bit of narrative liberty to provide voice-overs relevant to its main plot thread. This particular liberty is the only aspect of Gone Home I would really call unrealistic, but it's done so well that I didn't even think about it until after finishing the game. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3885.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3885.md index 32d80e23..0075c5f8 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3885.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3885.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ Knife of Dunwall fails to distinguish itself from the original game's story, but Better than: Not as good as: -And though he starts to phone in his performance near the end: Michael Madsen plays a convincingly gruff mercenary kingpin while he's at it. +And though he starts to phone in his performance near the end: Michael Madsen plays a convincingly gruff mercenary kingpin while he's at it. Progress: Finished with high chaos. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3902.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3902.md index 6a23457d..a681b93c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3902.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/07/3902.md @@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ Qbeh isn't a bad game, but perhaps overestimates its ability to entice and excit Better than: Not as good as: -Also: the name, I mean, really? I guess it's a prequel to a game called just Qbeh. Why is this installment numbered '1' and with a subtitle? It just sounds ridiculous. +Also: the name, I mean, really? I guess it's a prequel to a game called just Qbeh. Why is this installment numbered '1' and with a subtitle? It just sounds ridiculous. Progress: Gave up in World 2, Level 6. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3917.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3917.md index 046ab33e..0379a9da 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3917.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3917.md @@ -24,6 +24,6 @@ SSZ is a triumph of an indie production, and - while not perfect - a standout ge Better than: any other similar title I'm able to remember Not as good as: it would be with a more serious campaign storyline (but it's pretty damn close) -And the soundtrack: is basically perfect. Oh, this guy composed the soundtrack, too? Badass. +And the soundtrack: is basically perfect. Oh, this guy composed the soundtrack, too? Badass. Progress: Finished the original campaign and the Heroes of the Fleet missions on Normal. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3932.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3932.md index b8ec01bc..20432f0f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3932.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3932.md @@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ game = [ "League of Legends" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Other than the [Blizzard](game:StarCraft: Brood War) [RTS](game:Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos) custom maps that inspired the genre, I hadn't actually played a "MOBA" until just recently. So what surprised me about League of Legends is how much it still feels like those strategy games -- with a focus on hero units, coins instead of raw resources, and character upgrades instead of base-building. +Other than the [Blizzard](game:StarCraft: Brood War) [RTS](game:Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos) custom maps that inspired the genre, I hadn't actually played a "MOBA" until just recently. So what surprised me about League of Legends is how much it still feels like those strategy games -- with a focus on hero units, coins instead of raw resources, and character upgrades instead of base-building. -It's not necessarily a bad thing, since the gameplay is utterly familiar and easily accessible as a result; one of the more advanced tutorial topics is "fog of war." It seems like the steepest part of the learning curve will just be accumulating an internal encyclopedia (brainpedia?) of the game's many heroes' talents and abilities. At the same time, I can't help but feel a little bit disappointed. If this is all I've been missing - which is really indistinguishable from what you could make in, for instance, a [StarCraft II](game:StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty) map - then the current MOBA craze just seems dumb. +It's not necessarily a bad thing, since the gameplay is utterly familiar and easily accessible as a result; one of the more advanced tutorial topics is "fog of war." It seems like the steepest part of the learning curve will just be accumulating an internal encyclopedia (brainpedia?) of the game's many heroes' talents and abilities. At the same time, I can't help but feel a little bit disappointed. If this is all I've been missing - which is really indistinguishable from what you could make in, for instance, a [StarCraft II](game:StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty) map - then the current MOBA craze just seems dumb. But, the game is pretty fun just the same, just as the original DOTA/etc maps were. And I do admire the League of Legends business model, which charges for access to most characters, but is still perfectly playable without spending anything. It's not all that different from having a free demo, then inviting enthusiastic players to purchase more content if they're into it. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3935.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3935.md index 7dae2c08..7295d420 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3935.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3935.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -All the recent news about Assassin's Creed installments got me a bit antsy for some open-world throat-slitting, and the Freedom Cry expansion/vignette for [Black Flag](game:Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag) happened to be on sale for a few bucks. Unfortunately, a few hours later, I'm still left wanting and unsatisfied. +All the recent news about Assassin's Creed installments got me a bit antsy for some open-world throat-slitting, and the Freedom Cry expansion/vignette for [Black Flag](game:Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag) happened to be on sale for a few bucks. Unfortunately, a few hours later, I'm still left wanting and unsatisfied. Freedom Cry is a precise subset of Black Flag: less missions, less weapons, less ship upgrades, less sailing destinations, less keynote features. Almost everything is unlocked using the "freed slaves" count, obviating other features like harpooning and hunting/skinning. There are no scattered bits of lore to collect, only some treasure chests filled with money (which is all but meaningless). There are no naval forts to fight. There's only one "town" island, Port-au-Prince, and it's tiny compared to even the smallest town from AC4; other islands are either one-off plantations, or empty destinations with a single treasure chest. Black Flag's optional extras like Assassin missions, rune puzzles, legendary ship battles -- all of those are missing. There are no sea shanties! diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3938.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3938.md index ca0da949..b487e925 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3938.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3938.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Judged by its gameplay alone, Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death is a middle-of-the-road character-action game. It has light and heavy attacks, combo moves based on attack sequences, magic spells, unlockable weapons that fit all the traditional archetypes (even chain-whips), and colored orbs that fill health, magic, and experience points. It's mechanically unremarkable, and the level and encounter design is just good enough to string the hackneyed story along. But the unique selling point of Marlow Briggs - what makes it worthy of remark - is its attitude. -The game makes it obvious that, at some point during development, its creators decided to let loose and not take the game scenario too seriously. That's why Spike Spiegel plays the spirit of an ancient evil god in a floating, talking mask (see: "death mask"). That's why Uncle Po/Covetous Shen/et al is an over-the-top pillaging industrialist who taunts the player over an intercom for no good reason. And that's why Pierce Washington talks irreverent smack to both of them as he slices and dices his way through ruins, jungle, and industrial complex. It's not quite as ... blaxploitative as the launch trailer might lead you to believe, but between the impromptu schmup sections and the death mask making disparaging remarks about the health bar, Marlow Briggs makes no bones about being a video game. (I would even argue that the game could lean further into this genre-mockery; but it does at least stop short of the cringey line that some other parody games ignore.) +The game makes it obvious that, at some point during development, its creators decided to let loose and not take the game scenario too seriously. That's why Spike Spiegel plays the spirit of an ancient evil god in a floating, talking mask (see: "death mask"). That's why Uncle Po/Covetous Shen/et al is an over-the-top pillaging industrialist who taunts the player over an intercom for no good reason. And that's why Pierce Washington talks irreverent smack to both of them as he slices and dices his way through ruins, jungle, and industrial complex. It's not quite as ... blaxploitative as the launch trailer might lead you to believe, but between the impromptu schmup sections and the death mask making disparaging remarks about the health bar, Marlow Briggs makes no bones about being a video game. (I would even argue that the game could lean further into this genre-mockery; but it does at least stop short of the cringey line that some other parody games ignore.) As I said though, when this personality is taken away, Marlow Briggs is little more than a mediocre character-action title. Graphical effects can look surprisingly strong, but character animations (especially facial animations) are weak. Most of the voice actors are good, but the writing tends to be rather dumb. The combat controls are passable, but don't do anything unique or exceptional -- meanwhile the platforming controls are just as bad as one would expect for the genre. The checkpoints, actually, are very good and forgiving in general -- except for non-sequitor "challenge" sequences, which can kill in an instant and restart an entire high-tension scene. And the game has a fascinating freeze-frame cutscene style that's neat at first, but wears out its welcome pretty quickly. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3942.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3942.md index 50a71bc7..f74a5a64 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3942.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3942.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Awful" ] I'm no stranger to abandoning games after only a few minutes -- but this might be the first time I'm prepared to pass full judgment on one so soon. Allow me to tell my own "legend" of Legends of Persia. -* The name of the game is "Legends of Persia," plural. This is what it says on the Steam store page. This is what it says on the out-of-game settings window. And yet the title cinematic says "Legend of Persia." Singular. The title is, like, the one thing you can't get wrong about your own game. +* The name of the game is "Legends of Persia," plural. This is what it says on the Steam store page. This is what it says on the out-of-game settings window. And yet the title cinematic says "Legend of Persia." Singular. The title is, like, the one thing you can't get wrong about your own game. * The title screen music is SNES-quality. MIDI. Huh. * The settings screen has a "Defualt" (sic) button. * The first several minutes of the game are hand-drawn, monochrome cutscene. The art style actually isn't bad! But the narration doesn't match up with the subtitles. That is, the subtitles move faster than the narration does. Significantly faster. @@ -25,6 +25,6 @@ I'm no stranger to abandoning games after only a few minutes -- but this might b My glimpse of the actual gameplay was unflattering anyway, but that's hardly the point. This is technological garbage. It shouldn't be acceptable to release something in this state. -I'm just glad I didn't pay for this explicitly (it was on the same Humble Bundle tier as something I actually wanted). +I'm just glad I didn't pay for this explicitly (it was on the same Humble Bundle tier as something I actually wanted). Progress: None. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3950.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3950.md index 0f42bb94..a6677fe3 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3950.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3950.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] Transcripted is a creative, fun, flawed, fascinating game. -At its core, Transcripted is a hybrid match-three puzzler and twin-stick shooter. Imagine if a game like Luxor was played by flying a spaceship around and shooting floating enemies to collect game pieces. That, plus a generous helping of more minor game concepts, is the abstract of Transcripted. It's fairly original, as far as I know, and some excellently-implemented controls and mechanics (like upgrades and secondary weapons!) make it an immediately fun experience. There are even varying level objectives, including some where the goal is effectively to prevent the AI from winning the puzzle. Yeah -- creative. +At its core, Transcripted is a hybrid match-three puzzler and twin-stick shooter. Imagine if a game like Luxor was played by flying a spaceship around and shooting floating enemies to collect game pieces. That, plus a generous helping of more minor game concepts, is the abstract of Transcripted. It's fairly original, as far as I know, and some excellently-implemented controls and mechanics (like upgrades and secondary weapons!) make it an immediately fun experience. There are even varying level objectives, including some where the goal is effectively to prevent the AI from winning the puzzle. Yeah -- creative. The game's production values are pretty impressive on the whole, with slick visuals and a pleasant soundtrack. It even has a sizable game script and substantial voice acting, although the initially-interesting sci-fi plot veers into awkward implausibility pretty early on. (And the ending is distinctly of the "hey look we ran out of time" variety.) But those gripes aside, it's obvious that a lot of care and effort went into this release. @@ -20,6 +20,6 @@ Transcripted looks, sounds, and plays great. Its narrative framing is a bit lac Better than: Not as good as: -Oh, uh, also: apparently it is no longer available. That sucks. Pretty hard. +Oh, uh, also: apparently it is no longer available. That sucks. Pretty hard. Progress: Beat on Normal shooter difficulty + Normal puzzle difficulty. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3953.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3953.md index 2425f0c2..f8d9617d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3953.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3953.md @@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ game = [ "Rise of the Tomb Raider" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -From the moment the "exclusivity" announcement was made, it was obvious (if not direct) that Rise of the Tomb Raider would be coming to other platforms after the holiday. And from the way that Microsoft, Square Enix, and Crystal Dynamics refused to explicitly state this, it became clear that the deal has a gag order on it. Silly, and disappointing, but at least comprehensible. +From the moment the "exclusivity" announcement was made, it was obvious (if not direct) that Rise of the Tomb Raider would be coming to other platforms after the holiday. And from the way that Microsoft, Square Enix, and Crystal Dynamics refused to explicitly state this, it became clear that the deal has a gag order on it. Silly, and disappointing, but at least comprehensible. -And now the story is taking a turn into the hilariously stupid, with phrases like "My job is not to talk about games I don't own," and "I can talk about the deal I have" (then proceeding to not talk about that deal). I mean, wow. Yesterday it would have been impossible to believe that this announcement could be made any more awkward. But here we are. +And now the story is taking a turn into the hilariously stupid, with phrases like "My job is not to talk about games I don't own," and "I can talk about the deal I have" (then proceeding to not talk about that deal). I mean, wow. Yesterday it would have been impossible to believe that this announcement could be made any more awkward. But here we are. I was looking forward to playing this game on a tricked-out PC, and I still am. All this "exclusivity" means for me is that when I get the game, it'll probably be a few months later, and either a few dollars less, or bundled with some post-launch DLC. At this point, the story of the story is infinitely more interesting than the story itself. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3956.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3956.md index 819276dd..cfdeddb8 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3956.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3956.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "The Last Guardian" ] platform = [ "PS3" ] +++ -Hah! +Hah! As funny as Microsoft's non-comments on have been, I think this one really takes the Gamescom cake. Although I must give credit to Yoshida-san for admitting - re: the game being "totally re-engineered" - that if and when The Last Guardian is seen again, it may not bear any resemblance to the teaser from 2009. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3969.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3969.md index 3207167f..5dd585bb 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3969.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3969.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Hard Truck Apocalypse" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -The Steam promotional content had me optimistically expecting Hard Truck Apocalypse to be some kind of middle ground between Mad Max and , driving around a nuked-up open world with way too many machine guns. And, well, that's sort of accurate -- but what most strongly characterized my time in Hard Truck Apocalypse was the lack of things to do. Driving across mostly-empty expanses of barren world. Holding down a trigger to burn down an incompetent enemy, who barely fights back or poses any risk. Clicking through conversations where most of the dialog choices only had one option. And it's not like there's an epic story to suffer through this tedium for. What is the point? +The Steam promotional content had me optimistically expecting Hard Truck Apocalypse to be some kind of middle ground between Mad Max and , driving around a nuked-up open world with way too many machine guns. And, well, that's sort of accurate -- but what most strongly characterized my time in Hard Truck Apocalypse was the lack of things to do. Driving across mostly-empty expanses of barren world. Holding down a trigger to burn down an incompetent enemy, who barely fights back or poses any risk. Clicking through conversations where most of the dialog choices only had one option. And it's not like there's an epic story to suffer through this tedium for. What is the point? It hardly matters that the production values are so poor, including baffling voice acting that sounds like it went through a few rounds of Google Translate. The gameplay itself just isn't interesting. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3985.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3985.md index a535936b..977828e9 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3985.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3985.md @@ -14,6 +14,6 @@ It's inventive, for sure. Saira boasts an in-game photography mechanic that all But these cool high-concepts are let down by some very unpolished execution. The controls are outright awful by default, and even when re-bound, the contextual actions hardly make sense. Navigating in-game menus, and sometimes navigating complex puzzle screens, is consistently awkward and troublesome. Vital information about how the game works is relegated to tiny text at the edge of the screen, and not highlighted at all. That photography element? While neat in theory -- since there's no "gallery" viewer, scrolling through photos quickly becomes an exercise in frustration. And the game's design sense is, frankly, dull. I get that the game is going for a "tranquil" feel, but the absence of detail and interesting art just makes the experience boring. -Saira's ideas show promise, but it seems more like a prototype for a game than like a finished product on its own. On the other hand, it's free, so it's hard to complain too much. ... Even though I just did. +Saira's ideas show promise, but it seems more like a prototype for a game than like a finished product on its own. On the other hand, it's free, so it's hard to complain too much. ... Even though I just did. Progress: Slightly into the ice world. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3989.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3989.md index bba4639f..e425cf73 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3989.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3989.md @@ -16,12 +16,12 @@ It really isn't bad in this role: in addition to mainstays like an automatic rif This effect is especially, and unfortunately, magnified in the game's opening hour or so, which is really slow to spin up. Introductory sequences focus on a hard-edged space-mercenary story, in a surprisingly strong narrative start ... which slows to a trickle shortly afterward. And the first several playable sequences don't even get into the environmental-hazard angle. New weapons are unlocked as the campaign proceeds, and it takes a long while before anything really interesting becomes available. -Once Bulletstorm gets into its groove, it really feels like a good train-ride shooter campaign ala and [its](game:Gears of War 2) [sequels](game:Gears of War 3). (Not least because some of its weapon and enemy designs are clearly inspired by Gears. The Peacemaker rifle seems to even have the same firing spread and sound effects as the Lancer.) And again, it does pretty well here, with plenty of narrative- and explosion-based motivation to push the levels ahead. But the things that were "supposed" to define Bulletstorm are content to just lie back in the shadow of an otherwise-unremarkable game design. Even its cursing-based personality, while providing one of Commander Shepard's more entertaining roles, is not as silly and over-the-top as marketed. +Once Bulletstorm gets into its groove, it really feels like a good train-ride shooter campaign ala and [its](game:Gears of War 2) [sequels](game:Gears of War 3). (Not least because some of its weapon and enemy designs are clearly inspired by Gears. The Peacemaker rifle seems to even have the same firing spread and sound effects as the Lancer.) And again, it does pretty well here, with plenty of narrative- and explosion-based motivation to push the levels ahead. But the things that were "supposed" to define Bulletstorm are content to just lie back in the shadow of an otherwise-unremarkable game design. Even its cursing-based personality, while providing one of Commander Shepard's more entertaining roles, is not as silly and over-the-top as marketed. Ultimately, Bulletstorm's failure to capitalize on its unique selling points reminds me of -- despite the unexpected flatness and under-implementation of what sets the game apart from its peers, it is well-made, and it is pretty fun. Years from now, I probably won't be struck by any longing memories of Bulletstorm. But I certainly don't regret the time I spent with it. Better than: Not as good as: -And as for Games for Windows Live: "Shut it, retard! I didn't come down here for more excuses from your cockhole." +And as for Games for Windows Live: "Shut it, retard! I didn't come down here for more excuses from your cockhole." Progress: Finished on Normal. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3993.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3993.md index 7252803e..e4a20596 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3993.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3993.md @@ -9,4 +9,4 @@ platform = [ "3DS" ] I remember, back during its Japanese debut - wow, in 2012 - that Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright didn't go over so well. I saw some blurbs about it failing to live up to the legacies of both [Layton](game:Professor Layton and the Curious Village) (whatever) and [Wright](game:Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (NDS)) (well, shit) -- pretty much as expected. -Fast forward to this week, with the game's North American release somehow imminent, and the game is rolling in positive reviews. This number of "greens" is nothing to sneeze at. Not that, necessarily, I had been planning to sneeze at it. But this reception has affected my curiosity about the game, sneezing or otherwise. \ No newline at end of file +Fast forward to this week, with the game's North American release somehow imminent, and the game is rolling in positive reviews. This number of "greens" is nothing to sneeze at. Not that, necessarily, I had been planning to sneeze at it. But this reception has affected my curiosity about the game, sneezing or otherwise. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3996.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3996.md index 8f92af01..3f347bb1 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3996.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/3996.md @@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ Yeah, I enjoyed the historical storytelling of Hate Plus more than that of Analo Another Analogue mechanic that's lost in this sequel is, well, the semblance of gameplay. Analogue barely had any, but there was some strategic and time-intensive thinking involved in selecting an AI to speak with, and in solving the meltdown "puzzle." In Hate Plus, the AI choice doesn't change at all from beginning to end, and there are no real-time events. With two unfortunate exceptions. -If not for these, I would happily have remembered Hate Plus as a pretty-good visual novel with great writing and some boob-fondling. But one of the game's scant attempts to implement gameplay is a rest/recharge timer, which, twice through the game's duration, counts down from twelve hours before unlocking more content. Twelve actual hours. Such that the player is expected to quit and come back the next day. Considering that the game has about three hours of story to read through, and that the game is essentially a book, this is sort of pants-on-head ridiculous. Of course, searching for it will reveal an easy workaround to skip this countdown, but the game then disparages you for doing so, which is a bit off-putting. +If not for these, I would happily have remembered Hate Plus as a pretty-good visual novel with great writing and some boob-fondling. But one of the game's scant attempts to implement gameplay is a rest/recharge timer, which, twice through the game's duration, counts down from twelve hours before unlocking more content. Twelve actual hours. Such that the player is expected to quit and come back the next day. Considering that the game has about three hours of story to read through, and that the game is essentially a book, this is sort of pants-on-head ridiculous. Of course, searching for it will reveal an easy workaround to skip this countdown, but the game then disparages you for doing so, which is a bit off-putting. -And then there's the cake. The game asked me to bake a cake. It gave me a recipe! If one were to search this video-game-centric blog for any indication of my cake-baking interest, one would not find any. (Though on searching myself, I do apparently have a predilection towards the phrase "icing on the cake.") Unfortunately for me, Hate Plus gave me a -like non-choice between playing along with the cake routine, or bluntly and profusely disappointing the game's only interactive character. And extra-unfortunately for me, "playing along" with the cake routine wasn't really even an option, as the game implemented some hidden timers to "wait" for me to collect ingredients and implement a recipe. I got caught in a maze of dialog options here, repeatedly being sent back to cake-baking, until I gave up, reloaded a save file, and said -- no. Fuck the cake. Fuck it! +And then there's the cake. The game asked me to bake a cake. It gave me a recipe! If one were to search this video-game-centric blog for any indication of my cake-baking interest, one would not find any. (Though on searching myself, I do apparently have a predilection towards the phrase "icing on the cake.") Unfortunately for me, Hate Plus gave me a -like non-choice between playing along with the cake routine, or bluntly and profusely disappointing the game's only interactive character. And extra-unfortunately for me, "playing along" with the cake routine wasn't really even an option, as the game implemented some hidden timers to "wait" for me to collect ingredients and implement a recipe. I got caught in a maze of dialog options here, repeatedly being sent back to cake-baking, until I gave up, reloaded a save file, and said -- no. Fuck the cake. Fuck it! Dear Christine Love: if you want me to bake you a cake, you're going to have to ask me to bake you a cake. I will not bake a cake for a video game. It's not happening. @@ -28,6 +28,6 @@ The author can clearly do better than this, because Analogue: A Hate Story wa Better than: Not as good as: -Steam Achievements' troll level: over 9000 +Steam Achievements' troll level: over 9000 Progress: Finished with *Hyun-ae. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4001.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4001.md index 0123c25d..c85910db 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4001.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4001.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Of course I will buy, play, and almost certainly enjoy this Satan-hunting, armchair-gunning power-trip. But I still can't help but be disappointed in Volition's continuing lack of creativity with the setting. Steelport was a milquetoast city [to begin with](game:Saints Row: The Third), and [re-treading it](game:Saints Row IV) was only fun because I could fly around like a superhero. Given that Gat Out of Hell's world seems to bear so much architectural resemblance to SR4's simulated Steelport again ... I really, really hope that something bigger is in the works for Saints Row Cinco. \ No newline at end of file +Of course I will buy, play, and almost certainly enjoy this Satan-hunting, armchair-gunning power-trip. But I still can't help but be disappointed in Volition's continuing lack of creativity with the setting. Steelport was a milquetoast city [to begin with](game:Saints Row: The Third), and [re-treading it](game:Saints Row IV) was only fun because I could fly around like a superhero. Given that Gat Out of Hell's world seems to bear so much architectural resemblance to SR4's simulated Steelport again ... I really, really hope that something bigger is in the works for Saints Row Cinco. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4005.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4005.md index c5878549..8b27760f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4005.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4005.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] The Swapper combines a number of different design approaches into one game, although the count of those different things is ... actually a little hard to nail down. -The first, for sure, is a platform-puzzle game. Using the eponymous swapper device, the player can create clones, and switch consciousness (control) into them at will. But there are obstacles that block certain swapping functions, either clone-creation, or brain-swapping, or both; and there are more tangible, physical obstacles as well, such as large drops which will kill a clone (or the player). These clone-and-swap-and-move puzzles started out easy enough, but became fiendishly difficult at times, really testing my lateral thinking ability. Much to my shame, I even had to research a few solutions, after staring at some puzzles for minutes at a time. Nevertheless, The Swapper's puzzles feel very satisfying, and never unfair. +The first, for sure, is a platform-puzzle game. Using the eponymous swapper device, the player can create clones, and switch consciousness (control) into them at will. But there are obstacles that block certain swapping functions, either clone-creation, or brain-swapping, or both; and there are more tangible, physical obstacles as well, such as large drops which will kill a clone (or the player). These clone-and-swap-and-move puzzles started out easy enough, but became fiendishly difficult at times, really testing my lateral thinking ability. Much to my shame, I even had to research a few solutions, after staring at some puzzles for minutes at a time. Nevertheless, The Swapper's puzzles feel very satisfying, and never unfair. As for other design archetypes implemented by The Swapper? They might include the "-[vania](game:Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)," as it involves a large, contiguous map of interconnected rooms; but The Swapper lacks meaningful upgrades to wall sections off (progress is gated by generic orbs earned from completing puzzles), and there's no reason to backtrack except when intentionally skipping a puzzle. There are also shades of an atmosphere-driven adventure, like or [Brothers](game:Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons), as there are characters and plot threads which develop meaning as the game proceeds; but The Swapper's story doesn't really crystallize until its final moments, and at that point, makes everything before it look like confusing background noise. (There is a fascinating Alien-style plot, here, but it isn't told well at all.) And The Swapper also grabs some aesthetic attention early on, with its unique look and chilling menu theme music; but as it goes on, most of the game is relatively dark, and all but silent. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4008.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4008.md index d0384d88..e40ce153 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4008.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/08/4008.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -Recettear has a pretty catchy premise: running an item shop, supporting adventurers, and pursuing the almighty quest for dollars. Unfortunately, the various mechanics and game systems it applies in this pursuit have fairly mixed results. +Recettear has a pretty catchy premise: running an item shop, supporting adventurers, and pursuing the almighty quest for dollars. Unfortunately, the various mechanics and game systems it applies in this pursuit have fairly mixed results. The fundamental game loop works well enough. Protagonist Recette has to go out and get items, then sell them to people, to make [Tom Nook](game:Animal Crossing)-style loan payments. "Getting" items typically involves shopping at the Merchants' Guild (which supplies adventurer items like weapons and armor at wholesale), or at the town Market (for food, clothes, and other commodities). The Adventurers' Guild also provides an option for getting items by dungeon-crawling (more on this later), and sometimes shop-goers will want to sell an item to the shop ... for some reason. Then Recette has to place these items on the shelves and serve interested customers, using a basic haggling system. Buy low, sell high -- pretty simple. @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ As Recette serves customers and gains shopkeeper experience, she "levels up" and The dungeon-crawling mode should be a good way to break the monotony of customer service, but it is a comprehensive disappointment. The controls are terrible, the content isn't interesting, and the rules by which items can be transported back out of a dungeon are pretty wacky. It plays like 's dungeons, which is not a good thing. -The technology and presentation of Recettear, which is otherwise unremarkable for a doujin game, gets a pretty serious boost from its clever localization. The game's clever and imaginative translation lends it a cheery personality, and an offbeat sense of humor that helps it stand out among other Japanese amateur games. +The technology and presentation of Recettear, which is otherwise unremarkable for a doujin game, gets a pretty serious boost from its clever localization. The game's clever and imaginative translation lends it a cheery personality, and an offbeat sense of humor that helps it stand out among other Japanese amateur games. As neat as Recettear's basic merchant mechanics are, and as entertaining as its localization is, these shallow pleasures are ill-served by the game's disorienting complications and lackluster adventuring mode. I admire the game's design, and I had some fun for the first couple hours, but I'm not really jazzed about soldiering on with it. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4076.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4076.md index 42cfd423..3b3b7970 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4076.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4076.md @@ -18,6 +18,6 @@ There are some slightly-redeeming qualities here, such as the occasionally immer The plot seems like it might be interesting on its own, but not worth slogging through this slow, uninspired presentation for. -(* I did end up reading the Wikipedia summary, although it unfortunately isn't very well-written.) +(* I did end up reading the Wikipedia summary, although it unfortunately isn't very well-written.) Progress: Finished the first four "events" (chapters). \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4084.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4084.md index 793191ee..61adad5f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4084.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4084.md @@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ The Smash Bros. 3DS demo has impressed me with its playability, and its in-game As smooth and basically fun as fighting on this small screen is, it's still small. I miss the big-screen spectacle and bombast. I miss room-filling arenas, and bodies being hurled out of the TV. I'm missing a console version, pure and simple. -I'm also a little bit worried about my circle pad. It doesn't take many smash attacks to realize that this hardware was clearly not designed to be jerked around. A real joystick should feel considerably less worrisome. +I'm also a little bit worried about my circle pad. It doesn't take many smash attacks to realize that this hardware was clearly not designed to be jerked around. A real joystick should feel considerably less worrisome. ... one last thing. The title. Really? We're just, gonna, glom the platform name onto the series label now? At least it distinguishes the "for [Nintendo 3DS](platform:3DS)" version from the "for [Wii U](platform:WiiU)" version, I guess -- at the cost of making any future Virtual Console releases of [legacy](game:Super Smash Bros.) [Smash](game:Super Smash Bros. Melee) [versions](game:Super Smash Bros. Brawl) even more awkward. (Not like anyone's still paying attention to Virtual Console anyway, right?) diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4087.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4087.md index 712a5e66..99756ad5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4087.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/09/4087.md @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ Guacamelee also has the dodging and attacking mechanics of a 2D action/fighting Guacamelee offers a few other mechanics of interest, like an upgrade system that rarely feels helpful, sidequests that can't be tracked (which sidequests am I still on? no idea!), and some dimension-shifting platforming challenges that are actually super-fun. Aesthetically, too, Guacamelee is conflicted: its avant-garde art style looks great in characters and some landscapes, but often makes it too difficult to distinguish foreground and background elements. The soundtrack is pretty good, but most of its tracks have very short patterns, and end up sounding extremely repetitive. Even the game's story suffers from inconsistent quality, with a few clever moments surrounded by an otherwise unremarkable and totally unengaging narrative (and an introductory area steeped in an uncomfortable amount of pop-videogame references). -What's most disappointing about Guacamelee isn't, really, any of these issues in particular. It's that this version I played, the "Super Turbo Championship Edition," is the third release of the game. There has been so much time for Drinkbox to revisit and hone this game; and this is what's come of it? The problems that remain in Guacamelee STCE are too obvious to really excuse after this much iteration. +What's most disappointing about Guacamelee isn't, really, any of these issues in particular. It's that this version I played, the "Super Turbo Championship Edition," is the third release of the game. There has been so much time for Drinkbox to revisit and hone this game; and this is what's come of it? The problems that remain in Guacamelee STCE are too obvious to really excuse after this much iteration. There is enough good in Guacamelee to enjoy, just as there's enough bad to deride. While I'm glad to have "finished" it, I have no interest in re-scouring the map for its remaining collectibles. Guacamelee is fun, but could be even more so, if more critical attention was paid to its varied and disparate shortcomings. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4097.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4097.md index b02b84bd..c341e3c5 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4097.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4097.md @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ Maybe the only thing more satisfying than finally taking revenge on an orc capta Well, to be a bit more critical, I do have to call out the campaign, which is well-acted and -written in moments but overall screams "cut content" (especially in the ending, which is a super-rushed sequence of [anticlimactic quick-time events](game:Wet)). And the lack of meaningful payoff for most of the game's collectible extras - like unlocking the "true power" of Talion's weapons, which uh, doesn't seem to make any difference at all - is a letdown as well. But these are par for the course, and, again, are effectively and completely overshadowed by how goddamned awesome it is to tear apart and take over Sauron's army. -And in a way, that's what makes Shadow of Mordor so awe-inspiring. Despite its flaws, and despite some lingering mediocrity, and even despite some weapons-grade bullshit regarding the game's promotion, I am still excited every time I find a new orc captain to dominate or slaughter. +And in a way, that's what makes Shadow of Mordor so awe-inspiring. Despite its flaws, and despite some lingering mediocrity, and even despite some weapons-grade bullshit regarding the game's promotion, I am still excited every time I find a new orc captain to dominate or slaughter. I can only imagine how stupefyingly cool the next Nemesis-system game will be. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4112.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4112.md index 52f8643b..0dc54f4e 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4112.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4112.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -Battle Group 2 has a good trailer. Not just because it's full of explosions and dramatic music, but because it focuses on in-game content, and shows the gameplay off directly. It even teases a thrilling 24-style counter-terror story. Unfortunately, despite being rooted in the game itself, this trailer is a little misleading. +Battle Group 2 has a good trailer. Not just because it's full of explosions and dramatic music, but because it focuses on in-game content, and shows the gameplay off directly. It even teases a thrilling 24-style counter-terror story. Unfortunately, despite being rooted in the game itself, this trailer is a little misleading. The story, for one thing, is a throwaway. There's hardly any more to it than a few seconds of caption text, never developing any characters or setting. The variety of gameplay, too, is somewhat overblown; for example, the super-cool time-slow power it shows is an expensive powerup that can only be used very sparingly through the course of the 31-level campaign. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4118.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4118.md index f3aee407..487396d7 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4118.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4118.md @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ The shortcoming that finally got me to throw down my controller was the way that (This is what happened both of the aforementioned times I was sent back to the beginning of the level after dying. And sure, there is an item that I could have used to revive immediately, but that just would have been a band-aid on a single encounter -- and a horseshit excuse for the game's obnoxious behavior.) -I went ahead and spoiled the plot for myself, because ... well, even if I had continued the game, I doubt I would have understood it. And, yeah: it's garbage. Like some amateur arthouse dreck, it gradually reveals a nonsensical backstory, while totally failing to develop its characters in any meaningful way. The only parts of the narrative that are actually worth paying attention to, are the standalone, monster-of-the-week episodes that don't link up with the main story at all. +I went ahead and spoiled the plot for myself, because ... well, even if I had continued the game, I doubt I would have understood it. And, yeah: it's garbage. Like some amateur arthouse dreck, it gradually reveals a nonsensical backstory, while totally failing to develop its characters in any meaningful way. The only parts of the narrative that are actually worth paying attention to, are the standalone, monster-of-the-week episodes that don't link up with the main story at all. At its best, during moments where the sword combat is working correctly, Killer Is Dead stands proudly next to /[2](game:No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle). And occasionally, irrevently-humorous dialog will deliver some of that good old Suda feeling. But these experiences aren't typical. For the most part, Killer Is Dead is just badly made. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4124.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4124.md index 6986aa6e..0397e01c 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4124.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/10/4124.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ game = [ "Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -The Civilization: Beyond Earth demo is both good and bad. Bad, because a game of Civilization really can't be adequately explored in the 100(?)-turn limit the demo imposes. Good, because those turns do reinforce the point that, yes, this is [Civilization V](game:Sid Meier's Civilization V) in space. +The Civilization: Beyond Earth demo is both good and bad. Bad, because a game of Civilization really can't be adequately explored in the 100(?)-turn limit the demo imposes. Good, because those turns do reinforce the point that, yes, this is [Civilization V](game:Sid Meier's Civilization V) in space. Which is also a little bad, in the sense that many of Beyond Earth's "new" features are really just Civ 5 features in a thin disguise. Resource management seems to be largely identical. Culture rewards are slightly enhanced but basically the same. Combat, exploration, espionage, and trade routes all seem the same too. The biggest differences between Beyond Earth and the [Civilization V: Brave New World](game:Sid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New World) feature set are that there are no religions in space (wasn't one of my favorite features anyway), and that the barbarian-like aliens are super fucking tough. Honestly, I am a little worried about early-game viability, given that hostile alien lifeforms are so threatening to exploration and expansion. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4131.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4131.md index be0da651..a0b57efe 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4131.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4131.md @@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ game = [ "The Talos Principle" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Croteam isn't a name I tend to associate with fascinating gameplay (sorry, Serious Sam). And the Sigils of Elohim teaser wasn't enough to convince me of ... much of anything, really. Why should I care about The Talos Principle? +Croteam isn't a name I tend to associate with fascinating gameplay (sorry, Serious Sam). And the Sigils of Elohim teaser wasn't enough to convince me of ... much of anything, really. Why should I care about The Talos Principle? -Well, the "Public Test" - that is to say, the demo - is about as good as demos get. And now I'm interested. +Well, the "Public Test" - that is to say, the demo - is about as good as demos get. And now I'm interested. For one thing, the first-person puzzle gameplay presented here is genuinely compelling. Its puzzle mechanics, and the way in which it implements its game world (at least in the demo), are different enough from the likes of and [Qbeh](game:Qbeh-1: The Atlas Cube) to really justify the game's existence. And the demo's Easy/Medium/Hard difficulty levels are convincingly well-designed. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4134.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4134.md index 9c259408..b8f96aad 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4134.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4134.md @@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ game = [ "Factorio" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Yes. This is what I want. +Yes. This is what I want. - pulled me in with its "craft" component, of which the "mine" component was a formulaic pre-requisite. To me, wasn't just a super-challenging, science-based puzzle game, but a method of implementing parallel, programmatic logic in the form of a virtual assembly line. And many years ago - in the vaguest of my gaming memories - I recall a shareware game, whose title I can't remember, about managing assembly lines on a factory floor, for similar purposes of correctly and efficiently forming inputs into outputs. + pulled me in with its "craft" component, of which the "mine" component was a formulaic pre-requisite. To me, wasn't just a super-challenging, science-based puzzle game, but a method of implementing parallel, programmatic logic in the form of a virtual assembly line. And many years ago - in the vaguest of my gaming memories - I recall a shareware game, whose title I can't remember, about managing assembly lines on a factory floor, for similar purposes of correctly and efficiently forming inputs into outputs. If I were to navel-gaze on this, I'm pretty sure it would reduce to the same thing that drives my interest in computer programming, ... which is probably related to a God-complex or some other ego thing. But my point is -- creation is fascinating to me, and so creating things which create other things just makes my entire brain light up. Not in a seizure way, but, you know, in a fun way. And Factorio is exactly that: not just gathering materials, but building machinery with those materials, and using that machinery to gather even more materials, and build more machinery, et cetera ad infinitum? diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4143.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4143.md index a52fdf67..99d8c360 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4143.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4143.md @@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ But the remarkable thing about Layton v. Wright's storytelling is that, in spite As for the gameplay? Well, I've made no bones about my issue with [Curious Village](game:Professor Layton and the Curious Village)'s story being totally disconnected from its gameplay -- while Ace Attorney games have a solid history of intertwining their narratives with investigations and courtroom interaction. And as one might mathematically expect, this crossover game's execution lies roughly in the middle of those two models. -On the one hand, the game is full of Layton's dumb little placemat puzzles. Aside from clicking through conversations, and battling in the courtroom, much of the game is spent solving irrelevant riddles and brainteasers in order to proceed. To its credit, some of the puzzles in Layton v. Wright are actually synchronized with the storytelling, e.g. decoding a lock combination for a door, or rearranging pieces of a key. And a few of these puzzles are even legitimately challenging. +On the one hand, the game is full of Layton's dumb little placemat puzzles. Aside from clicking through conversations, and battling in the courtroom, much of the game is spent solving irrelevant riddles and brainteasers in order to proceed. To its credit, some of the puzzles in Layton v. Wright are actually synchronized with the storytelling, e.g. decoding a lock combination for a door, or rearranging pieces of a key. And a few of these puzzles are even legitimately challenging. For the most part though, puzzles are either non-sequitur, insultingly simple, or both. That these puzzles' optimal solutions tend toward "guess and check" is clearly no accident, as the game frequently encourages the player - either implicitly in a puzzle's design, or literally, with words - to blindly fidget around until an answer reveals itself. That is to say, the game doesn't care that these puzzles are irrelevent, and just wants them to be toyed with and tossed away. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4147.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4147.md index 36ae5db4..773dad0d 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4147.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/11/4147.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Tales from the Borderlands" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Humor. That's ... pretty much how adventure games are "supposed" to work, for me. (Chalk that bias up to .) I'm still wary of Telltale's fare, but this combination of themes, excellent voice acting, and irreverence just might be enough to change my mind. Maybe. +Humor. That's ... pretty much how adventure games are "supposed" to work, for me. (Chalk that bias up to .) I'm still wary of Telltale's fare, but this combination of themes, excellent voice acting, and irreverence just might be enough to change my mind. Maybe. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4151.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4151.md index 3d655678..5da77a65 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4151.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4151.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Meh" ] I lost a month of my life to World of Warcraft. ... It went okay. -It's been years since I was [really into](game:World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King) WoW, despite Blizzard's ["best"](game:World of Warcraft: Cataclysm) efforts to get me back. And I would have gone on ignoring Warlords of Draenor if not for the incessant harping of some of my addict friends. Hey -- no judgments. But they are hapless dregs. No biggie. +It's been years since I was [really into](game:World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King) WoW, despite Blizzard's ["best"](game:World of Warcraft: Cataclysm) efforts to get me back. And I would have gone on ignoring Warlords of Draenor if not for the incessant harping of some of my addict friends. Hey -- no judgments. But they are hapless dregs. No biggie. I started by making a goblin, hoping to rediscover the joys of "[early game](game:World of Warcraft)" while also seeing some of Blizzard's more-recent narrative chops. That didn't go so hot. Goblin-town is the absurd endgame of the Theme Park design concept, such that not only is everything oriented around shiny baubles and guided-tour attractions, but that there is nothing else besides. There's no room for exploration or curiousity here, just following directions and clicking buttons. And the quality of those attractions isn't remarkable enough to make up for it. It's dull and unengaging. @@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ Meanwhile, I started to get acclimated to features and mechanical changes that I And I was effectively stuck on that punchline for the rest of the month. Once I reached max level, and once I finished Draenor's "story" quests, I wasn't that interested in anything else the game had to offer. I might have gotten more enthused about my engineering profession, but there isn't much new about it -- on top of which, Draenor-level professions are frustratingly time-gated by a whole bunch of one-per-day recipes. -That didn't stop me from playing, though: what kept me engaged was the garrison. It's an utterly transparent feature; this is a Facebook game, in World of Warcraft. I could practically taste the Canadian Devil's presence in it. (Which is why it's so baffling that there isn't a WoW Garrison mobile app!) But somehow this formula really worked for me. Sending my recruits out on missions, leveling them up and getting meaningless rewards, watching them grow in strength and ambition; all weirdly satisfying. And while I slept my way through old dungeons, or button-mashed my way through new ones, the completely-passive garrison was the thing that kept me coming back. +That didn't stop me from playing, though: what kept me engaged was the garrison. It's an utterly transparent feature; this is a Facebook game, in World of Warcraft. I could practically taste the Canadian Devil's presence in it. (Which is why it's so baffling that there isn't a WoW Garrison mobile app!) But somehow this formula really worked for me. Sending my recruits out on missions, leveling them up and getting meaningless rewards, watching them grow in strength and ambition; all weirdly satisfying. And while I slept my way through old dungeons, or button-mashed my way through new ones, the completely-passive garrison was the thing that kept me coming back. Like an addict, I had to work against myself to really bring a stop to it. If I didn't explicitly cancel my subscription, I'd still be making regular logins today, checking in on my followers and gathering up their garbage quest rewards. ... And if Blizzard does deign to make a garrison companion app, I'll probably fall right back off the wagon for it. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4161.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4161.md index 49a6a440..b9ece303 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4161.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4161.md @@ -10,13 +10,13 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] I'm disappointed in Smash for Wii U, but not for good reasons. It isn't my kind of game -- but I don't think it was ever supposed to be. -While the Smash Bros. franchise [started](game:Super Smash Bros.) as a "fighting" game, at some point ([the Melee point](game:Super Smash Bros. Melee)), someone decided to take it seriously. And I thought that was weird, but, whatever. What I wanted out of Smash Bros. was some multiplayer hijinks, and solo activities. +While the Smash Bros. franchise [started](game:Super Smash Bros.) as a "fighting" game, at some point ([the Melee point](game:Super Smash Bros. Melee)), someone decided to take it seriously. And I thought that was weird, but, whatever. What I wanted out of Smash Bros. was some multiplayer hijinks, and solo activities. The core experience of fighting other folks is better than it's ever been, and the insane number of characters to choose from means that multiplayer will never, ever get stale. That's definitely the good news. Melee delivered a challenging and replayable story-adventure mode, and [Brawl](game:Super Smash Bros. Brawl) upped that ante with its wild and irreverent Subspace Emissary mode. This installment's equivalent is ... conspicuously absent. The closest it really has is the return of All-Star Mode, a brief series of limited-stock fights against progressively-harder teams. -Remember the target-smashing minigame from the past three games? It's replaced here with some Angry Birds knock-off. That's weird, right? Luckily, the home run contest is still here, although that can only hold up for so long. The creatively-fun "Events" scenarios are definitely my favorite offering, but unlocking new events can be a real chore. +Remember the target-smashing minigame from the past three games? It's replaced here with some Angry Birds knock-off. That's weird, right? Luckily, the home run contest is still here, although that can only hold up for so long. The creatively-fun "Events" scenarios are definitely my favorite offering, but unlocking new events can be a real chore. Then there's the bizarre boardgame-like Smash Tour, which is like the worst version of ever; and even this game's "classic" mode revolves around a weird metagame of moving statues around with other randomly-arranged statues. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4172.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4172.md index 9c198288..6b4a1e61 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4172.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2014/12/4172.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ I was naively hopeful that Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae would be like still in an arena. Enemies come in waves -- not in, like, a subtle way. "Wave 1." "Wave 2." The game doesn't dress this up at all; just sends out an escalating series of enemies in the same vaguely-circular level. And while there are ability upgrades, they don't flow with the game at all; there's just an upgrade menu, and skill points to spend on said upgrades. -Aesthetically, it's pretty good for a home-made title. The character models are really well done (regardless of one's feelings regarding panty-shots), and the visual effects are great. On the other hand, the soundtrack is barely an afterthought, and the overall level design - aforementioned vaguely-circular arenas - is uninspired. +Aesthetically, it's pretty good for a home-made title. The character models are really well done (regardless of one's feelings regarding panty-shots), and the visual effects are great. On the other hand, the soundtrack is barely an afterthought, and the overall level design - aforementioned vaguely-circular arenas - is uninspired. At least I didn't get hours into Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae before discovering that I disliked it. So it has that on Killer Is Dead, I suppose. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/01/4186.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/01/4186.md index e2afcc49..380aa6e6 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/01/4186.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/01/4186.md @@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ slug = "looking-back-on-2014-promises-unfulfilled-schromises-schmunschmulschmill category = [ "Site News" ] +++ -A running theme for games in 2014 was that of disappointment, from "mild" all the way to "crushing." was formulaic (and literally lackluster), released as hot garbage, [Civilization: Beyond Earth](game:Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth)'s "beyond" was questionable, the mobile remake of [Final Fantasy VI](game:Final Fantasy III (1994)) looked godawful -- and outside my own sphere of interest, there's word on the street about 's lacking content, 's unexpected grind, 's broken internets, and 's fucked-upedness. got delayed, [The Witness](game:The Witness (2016)) got silently delayed, on PC still isn't out, the follow-up to seems totally stupid, and appears to induce executive mouth-diarrhea. Double Fine just stopped trying. Sonic Boom ([Wii U](game:Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric)/[3DS](game:Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal)) was way worse than anyone could have expected, some-crazy-how. And then there's , which just ... come on, guys. +A running theme for games in 2014 was that of disappointment, from "mild" all the way to "crushing." was formulaic (and literally lackluster), released as hot garbage, [Civilization: Beyond Earth](game:Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth)'s "beyond" was questionable, the mobile remake of [Final Fantasy VI](game:Final Fantasy III (1994)) looked godawful -- and outside my own sphere of interest, there's word on the street about 's lacking content, 's unexpected grind, 's broken internets, and 's fucked-upedness. got delayed, [The Witness](game:The Witness (2016)) got silently delayed, on PC still isn't out, the follow-up to seems totally stupid, and appears to induce executive mouth-diarrhea. Double Fine just stopped trying. Sonic Boom ([Wii U](game:Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric)/[3DS](game:Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal)) was way worse than anyone could have expected, some-crazy-how. And then there's , which just ... come on, guys. -But I would recommend forgetting all that. Neglecting those shortfalls and faceplants, 2014 had a lot of good in it. launched with only a minor hitch. became legitimately fun. The saga came [satisfyingly full-circle](game:BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode 2). wasn't a disaster. The [Wii U](platform:WiiU) finally has a library worth crowing about, with 2013's complemented by , , , and of course . And is coming, I mean, it was always coming, but it's imminent now. That moon could crash down at any moment. +But I would recommend forgetting all that. Neglecting those shortfalls and faceplants, 2014 had a lot of good in it. launched with only a minor hitch. became legitimately fun. The saga came [satisfyingly full-circle](game:BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode 2). wasn't a disaster. The [Wii U](platform:WiiU) finally has a library worth crowing about, with 2013's complemented by , , , and of course . And is coming, I mean, it was always coming, but it's imminent now. That moon could crash down at any moment. Being a gamer is as good as it's ever been. Even if I'm still waiting on practically all of my Kickstarter games. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/01/4207.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/01/4207.md index 3f21bcc3..882a21c1 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/01/4207.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/01/4207.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ rating = [ "Good" ] For being a self-admitted standalone expansion, Gat Out of Hell does a surprising amount of experimentation with the formulae set up by the Saints Row franchise. Not all of it works, but - contrary to my initial fears about the series being put on autopilot - Volition's willingness to mix things up here is encouraging for the future of Saints Row. -Gat Out of Hell starts with some cutscene-driven storytelling, which feels alternately over-ambitious and under-developed. The story is pretty simple: the leader of the Saints gets kidnapped by The Devil, and Gat and Kinzie go after him, teaming up with a few big names in Hell along the way. But the introductory setup is overwrought and dull, with way, way too much spoken narration; and, due to what I can only assume was a mismanaged content budget, the aforementioned "big names in Hell" are hardly more than footnotes. Optional collectibles reveal some compelling backstory for these characters, almost all of which is absent from the core story sequences. Whatever the cause, the end result is that Gat Out of Hell assembles a fine cast of characters, then ignores them in a distressingly large amount of its exposition. +Gat Out of Hell starts with some cutscene-driven storytelling, which feels alternately over-ambitious and under-developed. The story is pretty simple: the leader of the Saints gets kidnapped by The Devil, and Gat and Kinzie go after him, teaming up with a few big names in Hell along the way. But the introductory setup is overwrought and dull, with way, way too much spoken narration; and, due to what I can only assume was a mismanaged content budget, the aforementioned "big names in Hell" are hardly more than footnotes. Optional collectibles reveal some compelling backstory for these characters, almost all of which is absent from the core story sequences. Whatever the cause, the end result is that Gat Out of Hell assembles a fine cast of characters, then ignores them in a distressingly large amount of its exposition. Relatedly, one of the game's grand experiments is tossing the customizable protagonist and replacing it with the pre-designed Gat and Kinzie characters. Previous Saints Row games built some charming personalities for Gat and Kinzie (along with the rest of the Saints), and when cutscenes allow them to, these two lovable sociopaths shine just as well here as they ever have. But during normal gameplay, there aren't enough opportunities - whether narrative or mechanical - for them to differentiate themselves from a customized avatar, or even from each other. What is the point of "playing as" these characters, when it's not meaningfully different from a player-customized character that could just as easily look or act like them? It's not as if The Boss is lacking in personality, since that character, too, was very well-scripted in [SR3](game:Saints Row: The Third) and [SR4](game:Saints Row IV). Discarding body- and voice- and clothing- and etc-customization options just feels like a loss, with no real gain for subbing in these other characters instead. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/04/4210.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/04/4210.md index 7af94576..a727b282 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/04/4210.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/04/4210.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Mad Max (2015)" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -Holy dammit Christmas, I hope that Avalanche has resolved the control issues that kept driving me away from , because this Mad Max feature reel looks like exactly the video game I need in my life. \ No newline at end of file +Holy dammit Christmas, I hope that Avalanche has resolved the control issues that kept driving me away from , because this Mad Max feature reel looks like exactly the video game I need in my life. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4219.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4219.md index 121113da..9e787e0b 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4219.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4219.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Fallout 4" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ - and [New Vegas](game:Fallout: New Vegas) failed to tickle my fancy -- maybe because I'd played [Skyrim](game:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) first, and was spoiled by character animations that didn't look completely fucking retarded. But this world-building, personal-customization, electrical-wiring stuff? Now they've got me interested. \ No newline at end of file + and [New Vegas](game:Fallout: New Vegas) failed to tickle my fancy -- maybe because I'd played [Skyrim](game:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) first, and was spoiled by character animations that didn't look completely fucking retarded. But this world-building, personal-customization, electrical-wiring stuff? Now they've got me interested. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4221.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4221.md index 4ea88253..367ba73a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4221.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4221.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "The Last Guardian" ] platform = [ "PS4" ] +++ -As surprising as it was to see anything about The Last Guardian, let alone that it still resembles what was shown six years ago, let further alone that there's a formal release date (which, you know, I'll still reserve some doubt for); what astonishes me the most about this trailer is that, between the weird visual effects and visibly-awkward controls, it legitimately looks like the same kind of game that Ueda-san was making in [2001](game:Ico). \ No newline at end of file +As surprising as it was to see anything about The Last Guardian, let alone that it still resembles what was shown six years ago, let further alone that there's a formal release date (which, you know, I'll still reserve some doubt for); what astonishes me the most about this trailer is that, between the weird visual effects and visibly-awkward controls, it legitimately looks like the same kind of game that Ueda-san was making in [2001](game:Ico). \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4224.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4224.md index f964ffcd..14cae9d6 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4224.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4224.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" ] platform = [ "PS4" ] +++ -During the first couple minutes of this crazy footage, all I could think about was how frustrating playing as Nathan Drake usually is, i.e., that the guy playing the shootout couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Of course, when your core gameplay is suboptimal to control and poorly balanced, the natural thing to do is add whole-new mechanics like driving a truck through a hilly village. I shudder to think of the probable instantaneous mission-failures when hitting a pedestrian, or when not presciently making the correct turn down a blind dirt alley. +During the first couple minutes of this crazy footage, all I could think about was how frustrating playing as Nathan Drake usually is, i.e., that the guy playing the shootout couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Of course, when your core gameplay is suboptimal to control and poorly balanced, the natural thing to do is add whole-new mechanics like driving a truck through a hilly village. I shudder to think of the probable instantaneous mission-failures when hitting a pedestrian, or when not presciently making the correct turn down a blind dirt alley. But it's all moot anyway. I'm buying and playing this for the Sully-Drake banter. Naughty Dog could replace the gameplay sequences with a bunch of quick-time events and I'd still suffer through it. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4227.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4227.md index 0febbd1b..fc20db89 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4227.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4227.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Halo 5: Guardians" ] platform = [ "XONE" ] +++ -And when did Halo start having [Republic Commando](game:Star Wars: Republic Commando)-style team-coordination tactics? Maybe I've missed more of this series than I thought. \ No newline at end of file +And when did Halo start having [Republic Commando](game:Star Wars: Republic Commando)-style team-coordination tactics? Maybe I've missed more of this series than I thought. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4229.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4229.md index 891e33f8..5ae4402a 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4229.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4229.md @@ -9,4 +9,4 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] The last [Transformers game](game:Transformers: War for Cybertron) I played failed to impress me. It was okay, I guess. Actually, now that I'm looking back, I very specifically said that I preferred 's brand of high-octane robotic action. -So if the guys who made Vanquish want to make a crazy fighting transforming robot game of their own, then, yeah. I could get pretty interested in that. \ No newline at end of file +So if the guys who made Vanquish want to make a crazy fighting transforming robot game of their own, then, yeah. I could get pretty interested in that. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4231.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4231.md index 3f738ae5..32ff0cde 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4231.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4231.md @@ -9,4 +9,4 @@ platform = [ "3DS" ] I'd given up all hope of another [Four Swords](game:The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures). Really. I didn't believe it would happen again. -As for three swords, hey -- I'll settle for it. \ No newline at end of file +As for three swords, hey -- I'll settle for it. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4233.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4233.md index 1d4d73b6..2f446086 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4233.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4233.md @@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ game = [ "Star Fox Zero" ] platform = [ "WiiU" ] +++ -This preview really threatens to bring back the incredible feeling of using 's awesome vehicles and upgrades for the first time. \ No newline at end of file +This preview really threatens to bring back the incredible feeling of using 's awesome vehicles and upgrades for the first time. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4235.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4235.md index 2937c956..cd6ee0be 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4235.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4235.md @@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ game = [ "No Man's Sky" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -I've been watching No Man's Sky's red-tinted spacefaring trailers for a year and a half, and this one is the first that actually tantalizes me with substantive content. +I've been watching No Man's Sky's red-tinted spacefaring trailers for a year and a half, and this one is the first that actually tantalizes me with substantive content. Exploration is cool and all, but flying around and looking at stuff is an incomplete design. Show me more tense action, and more in the way of goals and objectives, and I might be able to think of No Man's Sky as more than just a pretty, infinitely-generated boredomscape. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4249.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4249.md index b36cb3b8..2deb0324 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4249.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4249.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ As modern Mario games are wont to do, Captain Toad does a beautiful job of rampi (And I can't help but admire the troll move of making the third book 28 levels, over the previous books' 18, for no other reason than to screw with the player's expectations.) -Overall, Treasure Tracker is a fun, mildly exciting, but not revelatory game. What's most fascinating about it is not necessarily mechanical or technical, but the fact that it was made at all - given its small scope compared to typical Nintendo fare - and with, considering its "budget" release, such a high quality bar of level design and presentation. More than anything else, Captain Toad is a promising sign of what Nintendo can do when it scales its ideas down. +Overall, Treasure Tracker is a fun, mildly exciting, but not revelatory game. What's most fascinating about it is not necessarily mechanical or technical, but the fact that it was made at all - given its small scope compared to typical Nintendo fare - and with, considering its "budget" release, such a high quality bar of level design and presentation. More than anything else, Captain Toad is a promising sign of what Nintendo can do when it scales its ideas down. Better than: Not as good as: diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4253.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4253.md index 0fec990c..40b4aaaf 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4253.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/06/4253.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ I am 26 hours into Arkham Knight. It says I'm 93% done -- which is probably a b Let's step back a bit. The Batmobile was a big gamble, and a big win: Not to spoil too much, but Arkham Knight takes [Black Flag](game:Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag)'s "stealth boating" idea and makes it legitimately good. Batmobile-specific mechanics, and puzzles, and boss fights, are consistently exhilirating. Knight doesn't sacrifice the best parts of classic Arkham, either, with plenty of high-tension beat-em-up and sneak-em-up sequences. And while the Bat's gadgets all appear familiar, they've found some surprising and awesome new uses this time around. There's a great amount of content in Gotham City; traversing and discovering objectives is a pleasure; and the story is paced remarkably well, in a marked improvement from [Arkham City](game:Batman: Arkham City). -And yet! And yet. I will never be able to extoll this game's virtues to anyone else without prefacing those virtues with its technical infidelity on PC. Not today; not in the distant future, when it finally runs like a dream; certainly not last week, when I relayed this sentiment to whomever might have been in earshot. In its default state, the PC version of Arkham City looks unfinished. It has the visual quality and runtime performance of a beta-quality product -- which, let's be clear, means feature-complete but not fit for sale. Some of its problems are fixable, but at least in my observation, increase the risk of total system failure. Honestly, it feels like a catch-22: the game is either distractingly ugly, or distractingly crashy. And maybe both, depending upon the available hardware. +And yet! And yet. I will never be able to extoll this game's virtues to anyone else without prefacing those virtues with its technical infidelity on PC. Not today; not in the distant future, when it finally runs like a dream; certainly not last week, when I relayed this sentiment to whomever might have been in earshot. In its default state, the PC version of Arkham City looks unfinished. It has the visual quality and runtime performance of a beta-quality product -- which, let's be clear, means feature-complete but not fit for sale. Some of its problems are fixable, but at least in my observation, increase the risk of total system failure. Honestly, it feels like a catch-22: the game is either distractingly ugly, or distractingly crashy. And maybe both, depending upon the available hardware. There is a lengthy and profound discussion to be had about the state of "AAA" multiplatform games on PC. And there is a whole spiderweb of tangential conversation around that, regarding the shared-memory architectures of game consoles, availability of development talent for proprietary APIs, and the demographics and royalty rates of platform-specific distribution sources. But for my purposes, the easily cherry-picked talking points are that: @@ -24,6 +24,6 @@ Someone - no, a committee of production personnel - had a clear choice be The frustratingly sobering truth about Arkham Knight's technical quality is that, most of the time, it's par for the course. Although I've encountered a handful of crash-happy level sequences, they appear to be linked to specific arrangements of lighting, or physics objects; the majority of the game is runtime-stable. The framerate is regularly abominable, though not in a way that's uniquely terrible for PC versions of today's multiplats. If not for the fact that I've been encountering stability issues during a dramatic, poignant part of the game's story? I wouldn't have glogged about it at all. How's that for an indictment of modern PC games. -Arkham Knight is an incredible game, and I look forward to finishing it, whenever I'm drunk enough to suffer through the accompanying BSODs. (Really? I'm not drunk enough right now? I'm fairly drunk right now.) If Rocksteady never makes another game, I will forever remember it as a triumph of open-world, action, puzzle, and story-driven game design. And whatever happens in the coming weeks and months of patches, I will also forever remember it as the game that justified Steam refunds. +Arkham Knight is an incredible game, and I look forward to finishing it, whenever I'm drunk enough to suffer through the accompanying BSODs. (Really? I'm not drunk enough right now? I'm fairly drunk right now.) If Rocksteady never makes another game, I will forever remember it as a triumph of open-world, action, puzzle, and story-driven game design. And whatever happens in the coming weeks and months of patches, I will also forever remember it as the game that justified Steam refunds. Progress: 93% \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4266.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4266.md index a9c2edc8..b5d829ef 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4266.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4266.md @@ -15,4 +15,4 @@ It's yet another example of a game that's essentially a dressed-up visual novel D4 isn't quite a parody of over-shallow action games, but it's getting pretty close. -Progress: played the demo. \ No newline at end of file +Progress: played the demo. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4271.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4271.md index ccf9dde1..e504fe85 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4271.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4271.md @@ -7,12 +7,12 @@ game = [ "The Magic Circle" ] platform = [ "PC" ] +++ -As much as I enjoy getting yelled at by Dr. Venture - and, honestly, it's way more than I expected to - The Magic Circle really failed to bring me around. It feels more than a little too "meta" when a game lampooning incomplete game design has, itself, highly linearized and stilted storytelling content. The fiction behind TMC's fictional production process has some cool mystery to it at first, but once some of its beans start to get spilled, the mystique really wears off. +As much as I enjoy getting yelled at by Dr. Venture - and, honestly, it's way more than I expected to - The Magic Circle really failed to bring me around. It feels more than a little too "meta" when a game lampooning incomplete game design has, itself, highly linearized and stilted storytelling content. The fiction behind TMC's fictional production process has some cool mystery to it at first, but once some of its beans start to get spilled, the mystique really wears off. The Magic Circle's gameplay mechanics are not nuanced enough to make a game out of; really, this feels like a humorous story told semi-interactively. And within the bounds of the burgeoning "walking simulator" genre, what makes or breaks this kind of storytelling is how interesting the world is. , from its opening moment, used ambient drama and detailed world design to make you want to know what it was about. What I played of The Magic Circle reminded me more of , where the environment you walk around in exists purely for its own sake; to fill time inbetween scripted story beats. That this story is a well-written satire of an absurd creative process is ... ironic? I think? But as in [Matt Hazard](game:Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard), there's an important lesson here about how easy it is to make fun of poor development practices, versus how hard it is to execute good development practices. -Maybe I'm missing some critical information; but Steam reviews suggest that the full game is about four hours long, so if the first 10-15% of that isn't demonstrative then I would be somewhat less than impressed anyway. +Maybe I'm missing some critical information; but Steam reviews suggest that the full game is about four hours long, so if the first 10-15% of that isn't demonstrative then I would be somewhat less than impressed anyway. Progress: About 30 minutes into the demo. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4278.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4278.md index 99953740..2512140f 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4278.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/07/4278.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Awesome" ] +++ -Arkham Knight looks gorgeous running at 60 frames per second. It's a shame that the game doesn't work at that speed. +Arkham Knight looks gorgeous running at 60 frames per second. It's a shame that the game doesn't work at that speed. But aside from the easy target of Arkham Knight's technical infidelity - which, by the way: I had to restart the Riddler boss fight because he got stuck in an AI loop - it's just as disappointing that the game's most lackluster sidequest is also its largest and most time-consuming. The Riddler's collectible bullshit accounts for almost half of my total playing time. diff --git a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/09/4288.md b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/09/4288.md index c9124111..424780a4 100644 --- a/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/09/4288.md +++ b/content/post/migrated-from-wordpress/2015/09/4288.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ platform = [ "PC" ] rating = [ "Meh" ] +++ -With how hard and fast the hype train for [Phantom Pain](game:Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain) has been running, I'm glad I finally tried out the Ground Zeroes "demo," first; saves me some consternation about whether an open-world Metal Gear Solid would finally do it for me. (It doesn't.) +With how hard and fast the hype train for [Phantom Pain](game:Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain) has been running, I'm glad I finally tried out the Ground Zeroes "demo," first; saves me some consternation about whether an open-world Metal Gear Solid would finally do it for me. (It doesn't.) Contiguous open-endedness is a big plus for me, and unlike - say - [Hitman](game:Hitman 2: Silent Assassin), Ground Zeroes does a lot to avoid strict and obtuse punishment for being detected; if I fuck up and get spotted, running to cover is almost always an option. But the gunplay is unsatisfying enough to make it clear that this is not the way Kojima wants you to play. And unfortunately, when you're focused on sneaking around, large open maps become easy to get completely lost in; I spent most of my playing time slowly covering the same ground, over and over, unable to find the next mission objective.