Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout 3 had eluded me when it was first released, but now that I was on the fanboy wagon, I sure as hell wasn't getting off.  So when I heard about the next episode in the Fallout universe, I was eager to sink my teeth into its nummy, possibly irradiated flesh.  Not only would it be borrowing stealing completely reusing the engine of Fallout 3 (Fallout fans weren't really big on this, but I liked Fallout 3, and I was more than happy to be getting what some called a really big expansion pack), but it was set in Las Vegas.

Vegas and video games have a nice history about them.  Vegas Stakes, a Super Nintendo game, was my first introduction into gambling.  The game was nearly purposeless (goal: make money), but I still sank a great deal of my childhood into it.

Now I would be able to experience Vegas, set in a post-apocalyptic world!  And as the main character, I'd surely have a goal of some significance to the region (if not the world), so there would be plenty of story to accompany this game's foray into Sin City, even if my inaugural game was somewhat lacking.

The gameplay in Fallout: New Vegas was a big Ctrl-V from Fallout 3 (similar weapons, V.A.T.S., menu screens, etc.), but it did implement a few substantial changes: speech challenges increased in complexity, the small guns and big guns skills that were delineated before were merged into "Guns," and a "Survival" skill was added.  The ssurvival skill was particularly important for those playing the game on "Hardcore Mode," which would require the player to eat, drink, sleep, and recover from injuries in a more realistic way. 

During my first playthrough, I was incredibly nervous.  I still considered myself lucky to point my guns in the correct direction, and decided to play without "Hardcore Mode" engaged.  On the second (and subsequent) playthrough(s), I decided a spice of adventure was just what the game called for. 

I have had trips to the mailbox which I would classify as more hardcore than F:NV's "Hardcore Mode."

Don't get me wrong, the mode created some new complexity to the game, which may or may not have been challenging, but food, water, and places to nap are relatively frequent in the Mojave Wasteland.  But hardcore it was not.  The only substantially upsetting difference was that recruited characters could actually die when you had "Hardcore Mode" engaged, which was somewhat sad, but also somewhat of a relief as they were responsible for violating my stealth protocols to summon Cazadors to come and disembowel me.

The game gets a huge nod from me for being very, very, gay friendly - and not just in a shallow way!  A perk you can take early on, Confirmed Bachelor, gives you unique dialogue options with the same sex.  And while this could have been a token nod to LGBT fans of the series, there is actually some discourse on how gay and lesbian relationships are perceived, which heartily deepens the story.  I initially was predisposed to help the New California Republic (or NCR), which were who I perceived as the "good guys," but when I discovered that they frown on same-sex relationships, which are openly embraced by the slavers of Cesar's Legion, I thought maybe that was the way to go (the Legion transpired to be awfully patriarchal, so I went with the killing everyone strategy; let god sort 'em out).

The game also gets further nodding for its depth of story.  Fallout 3 featured a broad world, but what Fallout: New Vegas lacks in explorable square footage, it more than makes up in depth of its characters, story, and side quests.  There are four ways to beat the game, depending on to whom to pledge your allegiance, and gameplay is unique enough for each playthrough to keep me coming back.  Each faction in the Mojave has their own story to tell (or learn about from picking through the belongings on their bullet-ridden corpses).

The voice acting is pretty excellent, too.  Felicia Day voices a companion with whom I loved having close to me, mostly because it was like the real Felicia Day was sitting next to me, assuring me that everything was going to be okay, before punching the crap out of a Wasteland Raider.

The big problem with this game was glitches.  If I moved while reloading a weapon, or talked to an ally while enemies were approaching us in preparation to hack us to pieces, or I looked at my controller the wrong way, the game would freeze.  A freeze every blue moon is one thing, but it happened all the time.  And for an immersive game like Fallout: New Vegas, a sudden reminder that you are - in fact - alone on the couch and not heading towards the glitzy remnants of Las Vegas, is even more crushing.

All in all, I'd say Fallout: New Vegas is one of my favorite games, in spite of its glaringly frustrating freezes.  If you haven't picked it up and you like this sort of thing, I'd really recommend you do so.

Dollhouse

I've recently been obsessed with Dollhouse, Joss Whedon's most recently canceled television series.  In time, I'm sure I would want to be playing video games right now, but I can't stop obsessing over watching this Netflixable gem.

Listen, if you pigged out on Firefly, or are an otherwise Whedonite, you owe it to yourself to give Dollhouse a chance.  It's more than just a sexy Eliza Dushku (but really, if that was all it was, wouldn't that be enough?).

PS3 Demo: Dragon Age II

The original Dragon Age: Origins, was a great game that a sunk a lot of time into.  But, like many things, I hadn't gotten a bite of excitement from hearing about the coming of its sequel.  That is probably because I hadn't had my hands on the demo, which now I have.

And let me tell you: I. Want. This. 

The combat system always felt sluggish and became somewhat disinteresting in DA:O.  Bioware must have read my mind, because there is much more hack-and-slash active combat in Dragon Age II.  There's plenty to be strategic about as well, but sometimes you want to relentlessly mash the X button to swing a greatsword into your foul enemies.

The demo also made me care about the story, which is no small feat.  This was exceptionally aided by a returning character voiced by the divine Kate Mulgrew.  The graphics also enthralled me, making a really engrossing experience.  

Of all the demos I played, Dragon Age II was the best, and also least available: not coming out until March 8 and boasting a hefty $59.99 pricetag.  Post-spring-break, though: my eye is on this one, no questions asked...

PS3 Demo: Stacking

This is game in which you are a small Russian nesting doll (or matryoshka doll, thanks Wikipedia), trying to save your family.  Story be damned, you are playing one of those cute little dolls!  And you get powers by stacking into dolls larger than you!  The idea is so cute, I could practically die!

The execution, however, was a little busy.  I found myself hopping around into others, but had some trouble in understanding how powers worked, or what my objectives were.  This is a game to play to just have fun, and that's okay, but I was hoping for a little bit more. The humor is spot on with the game's motif, which is not to take itself too seriously (can you take yourself seriously when you are a game involving nesting dolls?).

I'm stuck between a want tag and not wanting the game.  The deciding point was going to be the price.  If it was cheap, it'd be a no-brainer.  The cost to unlocking the whole game is $14.99, or free, if you have a PlayStation Plus account.

While I had certainly seen the PlayStation Plus account advertised, I didn't know the details.  Access to some downloadable games (like Stacking) for free, and others for a discount; also some custom avatars and backgrounds, and a few 60-minute full-game demos.  Sounds interesting, except...

...$50 for a year's subscription!?

Don't get me wrong, it sounds like it would be a good deal, except the perks (I looked through them all) kind of suck.  If things got better, I'd seriously consider it, but for now, I'd much rather shovel over $15 for a fun game about nesting dolls than invest in a subscription that offers me very little.  In fact, even the $15 seems a bit too much now... sorry Stacking, but your demo was adorable and fun.

PS3 Demo: LittleBigPlanet 2

Did you like LittleBigPlanet?  Then you're going to enjoy LittleBigPlanet 2, which is the original, plus a bunch of new stuff.

The demo gives you three pre-built levels to play around in, which excellently showcase new items, like the grappling hook, and being able to "ride" on built creations.  It's a platform game, but now it's more.  With the new additions, games are being showcased online that are incredibly diverse, including a nice remake of Plants vs. Zombies.  Again, the joy of creation looms, though the demo doesn't give you the chance to interact with any level building tools.

The demo includes a couple of videos which are sure to get you excited, and the levels are a decent play.  If you are looking for a platformer, then LBP2 was probably already on your radar.  You could wait for the price to drop from $60 to something more reasonable, but by then, most of user-created levels will feature large amounts of phallic worship.

PS3 Demo: Mass Effect 2

I've heard a lot about Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2.  There's a lot to these games which I enjoy, just based on the premise: Sci-Fi, Space-Based FPSRPG.  Sci-Fi?  Love it.  Space-based?  Love it!  FPSRPG?  Well, Bioshock and Fallout hadn't steered me wrong... so why hadn't I played this game?

It wasn't available for the PS3, only the Xbox360 and PC.  Forget that noise!  Listen, I'm not trying to egg on console wars.  I did own an Xbox360, but it sat there gathering dust.  The controller was designed for men with gigantic hands.  I just couldn't handle it.

Eventually, my Xbox360 made its way to GameStop, becoming a source for other delicious gems of gameplay, and I wrote off the Mass Effect series.

And then, news came that Mass Effect 2 was being released for the PS3, and look!  A demo was available.  I decided to give it a shot.

First off, my big complaint: it's not a First-Person-Shooter, because you do not maintain a first-person perspective.  Rather, it's an over-the-shoulder shooter.  This means worrying about taking cover, which apparently someone must find fun, because they keep putting it into games.  Those of you who know me, know that I'm more of a "go ahead, shoot me!" player than a stand-behind-cover kind of guy.  In real life, this would result in my instant death, but these are video games.

Aside from that one distraction, I otherwise enjoyed the game.  I had to be a little less reckless, but I had fun exploring the beautiful environment, and the game was mostly intuitive.  The demo featured some audio logs to be found, which I'm a big fan of, even if the technique is becoming a bit overused.

I'm a bit bummed that it's just Mass Effect 2 coming out, since I feel like I'm missing out on the initial entry.  Since the game is a direct sequel, that's a bit of a bummer, and maybe it will even con me into playing it on the PC, which was made for Excel documents, not FPSRPGs.

The full game is $45 used, and $60 new, which is a bit more than I'm willing to part with right now, but I give a want tag, because I honestly think the thing would be worth it ... eventually.

PS3 Demo: Back to the Future, The Game - Episode 1: It's About Time

...or, when blog titles are way too long.

I was deeply disappointed by this first entry in my demo weekend.  The graphic style of this Back to the Future setting adventure game is fun and comic booky, but I was instantly turned off by the childish goals, and inept camera controls (or lack thereof).  It's possible a hardcore Back to the Future fan would be interested to follow Marty's adventure in 1986 (and who knows when else), but this demo didn't sell it to me whatsoever.

The demo features the first challenge of the full episode, which only takes about 15 minutes to fully explore, plus some narrative (a dream sequence, how original).  The gameplay is what you'd expect from an adventure game: look around at stuff, collect items to solve puzzles.  I used to love this kind of thing!

The game earns itself a nostalgia tag for being able to reign in Christopher Lloyd to voice Doc Brown, but besides that, I was mostly unimpressed.  The five episodic adventures will set you back a mere $19.99 on the PSN, but it hardly seems worth it, right now.  The whole thing will go on sale on Steam sooner or later.

Demo Madness!

I went a little crazy this weekend downloading demo games for the PS3, and I'm looking forward to reviewing my experience with them.  Stay tuned!

Flash Game Friday (Bonus Sick Edition): Clarence's Big Chance

My head is full of uck, but that doesn't mean that I can't play and review another flash game.  So, if GemCraft tower defense didn't float your boat: you might enjoy this 16-bit platfromer, Clarence's Big Chance.

You play the hopeless Clarence, who is trying desperately to not be Forever Alone.  You've got a date with a hottie from online, but you need desperately to bathe, dress, and better yourself before you are ready.  It's silly and fun.  Give it a shot!

Flash Game Friday: GemCraft

Have you ever been at work and suddenly realized, "Hey, it's Friday!  I don't want to work, I want to play Flash-based browser games!"  Well, I've got you covered.  Every Friday, I'll review an old favorite, or something new I've stumbled upon; with any luck, you'll be able to enjoy a couple hours of divine pleasure which would ordinarily be wasted on unprofitable boredom.

GemCraft (Chapter 1, Chapter 0, Lost Chapter/Labyrinth)
I don't know who at GenieInABottle.com learned how to number things, but the GemCraft series hasn't been following traditional numbering conventions.  That's okay, because this tower defense game is plenty of fun, no matter which iteration you are enjoying.  Even my husband ended up getting engrossed in the original GemCraft (Chapter 1) back when it first came out.

Like most tower defense games, the objective of these flash-based distractions is defend your home base from ongoing waves of monsters by setting up attacking towers on the path that they travel.  In GemCraft, you give towers functionality by placing gems into them.  Lower leveled gems cost less, but provide less damage.  As you progress with the game, you can make higher level gems, and combine gems (or craft them, shall we say) to form even more powerful attacks.

Gems also have a variety of secondary functions, aside from damage.  Slowing, stunning, or weakening monsters in exchange for high damage rate.  The real fun comes from combining the powers of gems to set up effective strategies. 

As you beat levels, you will gain experience, which allows you to buy upgrades to your crafting skillz, such as they are.  Towers cost less to build, you get more "mana" (the currency of the game) each time you kill a monster, etc.  This introduces more strategies as you continue to play.

Many levels limit you in the types of gems available for you, so you get to work your noggin a fair bit.  Extremely fast monsters might show up on a level in which you don't have access to a slowing gem, or heavily armored targets in an area where you don't have access to armor penetration.  This is a great take on forcing a player to revise his paradigm.  On very few levels will you be able to spam the same uber strategy.  It's fun for a brain tickle, and unique for a flash game!

There's decent replay value as well, as you can try to best previous levels for better scores and more experience.  Some levels only appear if you've completed a level with a high enough score.

The game does plenty of hand-holding, but it's not invasive and easy to skip if you're a grizzled veteran of tower defense games.  If you're completely new, start with Chapter 1, and relax - it's just a game.

The later versions introduce traps and amplifiers, and all sorts of madness.  Chapter 0 is its predecessor, and The Lost Chapter/Labyrinth is the latest released (only recently, at that).  All the games are free to play, though there is additional content for the wealthy among you (okay, not really the wealthy, as it's only a few bucks).