Took a peek at this over the weekend, and was sufficiently intrigued by the trial to purchase the whole thing. What can I say except that it was a great game. I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend exploring this blasted out world; which I must say was very reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's The Road.
Gameplay consisted of some simple platform mechanics, and survival-like combat. I especially found the strategy involved in surviving combat particularly rewarding. Every bullet and arrow is a precious resource, and you are constantly trying to minimize their expenditure. Playing in survival mode, where "retries from checkpoints" are limited, you have the additional pressure of simply surviving when your strategy goes out the window. Having said that, if you scour every area as much as possible, you should never be short on health items.
Now, I had no idea about it's troubled history when I played through it, but by game's end I am hoping for a follow up, a chance to continue Adam's story.
2012-05-28
John Carter
John Carter was great. I had a lot of fun watching this film; you can see a lot of references to other movies and popular narratives here as well - reluctant hero, warrior princess, parental intrigue, lovable and goofy loyal pet. Suspending our belief over various scientific errors, the film is a genuine piece of science-fun.
Battleship
Arg, or Battleturd. Well, it was a floater - in that it was ... well, alright, though it shames me to admit it. Considering Wrath of the Titans lowers the bar for "bad films", Battleship was surprisingly entertaining. For a film that promised a lot of action, it was rather slow to start - although the whole chicken-burrito thing was pretty funny, and you can't seem to go wrong with Taylor Kitsch ... wait, "kitsch"? Really?
That reminds me, need to write-up John Carter ...
That reminds me, need to write-up John Carter ...
Dragon's Dogma
In short, loving Dragon's Dogma. There are some things you have to get used to (like Capcom's typical "we'll let you save anywhere but you can't load"), but all in all a great game. There have been comparisons to Skyrim and Dark Souls; having only played the latter myself, they've certainly taken some cues.
In long then, the game boasts a lot of open world features, though it not quite so open as Skyrim. There are many canyons and lots of non-traversable terrain that separates distinct zones or areas, but each area itself is quite large and open. Which is great when you are set upon by a Cyclops or Chimera (or Griffon, if you have played the demo). Of course, if you think that only happens in open fields, be ready for something else, Ogres in subterranean caves.
The combat is fun, visceral, and very open. In this respect, it reminds me a lot of Guild Wars, as in you build a character, and purchase skills. These form a sort of base repetoire, and you are only ever able to take a subset of these with you into battle. The number of skills available varies by class, but it makes for interesting combat, and class customization when you change class and mix and match certain skills.
Its presentation is also top notch, from the cheesy J-rock intro, to other soundtrack elements like the harpy's song. Visually, the game possesses a very "grounded" look and feel. Everything falls, everything is muted, and everything is shadowed. You can feel the weight of the world and is very much like Dark Souls in this respect. Everything feels very real and very tangible, from your humble beginnings in a small fishing village, to the shrouded WitchWood, to the grand capital Gran Soren, to the wind swept fields of the north - and there is much and more to discover I am sure.
In terms of multiplayer, there is also a passing similarity to Dark Souls, in that there is a passive component. While one never interacts directly with other players, there is an asycnhronous opportunity to do so through their "Pawn" system. Basically, as a player, one creates a main character and one custom Pawn. The player's character or avatar is never seen or shared with other Dogma players, but the Pawn may be used by other players in their single-player party. So in your single game, you have your main, your Pawn, and up to 2 other Pawns, which may be randomly generated by the game or found online, created by other players. It is a very fun and interesting system to play with.
Definitely worth a try if you haven't already heard of this little gem!
In long then, the game boasts a lot of open world features, though it not quite so open as Skyrim. There are many canyons and lots of non-traversable terrain that separates distinct zones or areas, but each area itself is quite large and open. Which is great when you are set upon by a Cyclops or Chimera (or Griffon, if you have played the demo). Of course, if you think that only happens in open fields, be ready for something else, Ogres in subterranean caves.
The combat is fun, visceral, and very open. In this respect, it reminds me a lot of Guild Wars, as in you build a character, and purchase skills. These form a sort of base repetoire, and you are only ever able to take a subset of these with you into battle. The number of skills available varies by class, but it makes for interesting combat, and class customization when you change class and mix and match certain skills.
Its presentation is also top notch, from the cheesy J-rock intro, to other soundtrack elements like the harpy's song. Visually, the game possesses a very "grounded" look and feel. Everything falls, everything is muted, and everything is shadowed. You can feel the weight of the world and is very much like Dark Souls in this respect. Everything feels very real and very tangible, from your humble beginnings in a small fishing village, to the shrouded WitchWood, to the grand capital Gran Soren, to the wind swept fields of the north - and there is much and more to discover I am sure.
In terms of multiplayer, there is also a passing similarity to Dark Souls, in that there is a passive component. While one never interacts directly with other players, there is an asycnhronous opportunity to do so through their "Pawn" system. Basically, as a player, one creates a main character and one custom Pawn. The player's character or avatar is never seen or shared with other Dogma players, but the Pawn may be used by other players in their single-player party. So in your single game, you have your main, your Pawn, and up to 2 other Pawns, which may be randomly generated by the game or found online, created by other players. It is a very fun and interesting system to play with.
Definitely worth a try if you haven't already heard of this little gem!
2012-05-09
Mass Effect 3, ending
Well, really, everything that could be said, has been said. Gabe puts it well (about choose your own adventure type media)
I really enjoyed Mass Effect 3, ending and all. It hit all the right emotional notes and was well paced, though I am secretly hoping the extended ending is this.
The book has been written and you can change the way you read it but don’t pretend you’re the author
I really enjoyed Mass Effect 3, ending and all. It hit all the right emotional notes and was well paced, though I am secretly hoping the extended ending is this.
2012-05-08
Wrath of Titans
Horrible, terrible, ill-gotten film. Total piece of shit. Not even sure where to begin. It didn't even have the good sense to take itself humourously. When it wasn't blatantly ripping off other films (Star Wars, Blair Witch), it regurgitated gags from the first (mediocre) film (a la Bubo). I wasn't sure which was more incredulous, a stellar cast with two phenomenal actors (Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson) in such ridiculous roles, or Andromeda cheering at the end at Cronus' defeat as if to inspire us the audience into cheering, like some strange instantaneous group-think response.
Grendel, Timewave : Zero
Picked this up and turned it on. Pretty good follow up to Harsh Generation. Got the Limited Edition and the extra remixes are a nice addition for a nominal fee.
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