Earlier this week, I got talked into having a shot at League of Legends.
This is not unfamiliar territory for me however: I have played the original Defense of the Ancients mod for Warcraft 3, thus giving me a fair idea what to expect and how the game works. I was also aware of the extreme popularity of the game but it didn't bother me too much.
And as it turns out, I had some fun with this game. Sure there were some frustrating moments with both my inability to take out enemy heroes and me constantly getting curb-stomped by said heroes, but once I got the hang of the game there were some moments of gold. I felt the satisfaction of every progressive step towards the enemy base. I relished each moment when everything went in my team's direction. And I felt the satisfaction of a hard-fought victory.
And suddenly the wide popularity of this game makes a whole lotta sense.
I don't see myself becoming regular player of this however: It all hinges on whether my compatriots can find the time to spare. But still, it's always there.....
Friday, September 29, 2017
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Can you hear the lambs Clarice?
Another game has been struck down from my Hall of Shame. Clean out your desk Nights Into Dreams - you're outta here!
And thus ends a journey that has been twenty-one years in the making. I still remember seeing the trailer for this game in a store and being really excited about it, what with me being a Segafanboy sympathizer. But it is only now, when Sega's heyday as a hardware manufacturer is long gone that I'm able to play Nights Into Dreams - on the XBLA. Irony eh?
Of course, I'm not playing the Saturn version: I'm playing the HD enhanced version. I could play the original version by why would I want to do that?
Okay, sarcasm aside, this game would still have to rank as one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. And the HD Enhancement does just that: Enhances the graphics into one of the most brightest and most colorful games around. Indeed it certainly shows up a lot of modern games - and this was a game released in a the middle of a decade people tend to look back on as being full of grittiness and edginess.
I remember one of the first reviews I saw of this game the reviewer noted that the game looked like it been made by a graphics department who'd had too much red cordial - can't say I disagree.
The music is also a treat too.
Now that we have the aesthetics out of the way, how does the gameplay come across?
I like what this game was trying to do, with it's flight mechanic but the prospect of flying is hindered by the knowledge that what the player is ultimately doing is flying along a fixed path. Sure there are alternate paths but they don't seem that different. And there's no denying that the game is short - but the difficulty makes up for it. For therein lies the challenge of reaching the 'A' rating - a challenge that, naturally, seems difficult in getting. And I will admit that i was putting a lot of hard effort in only to get anything but an 'A' - to a point where I was starting to take it personally.
One interesting observation is that, given how there is a loud call for more female representation in gaming, I actually found Claris' dream easier than Elliot's dream. True: I breezed through Clari's levels and got some high scores but Elliot's dreams were more tricky and more demanding to get higher scores - so much so, I was baffled that i did really well only to get hit with a lowly 'C' grade.
So what, playing the female character means an easier time? Clearly this game was thinking way ahead of it's time.
But at the end of the day, this game had a lot of charm and I liked it a lot. It has great ideas, great art direction and the HD enhancement really help the game. It may have been a diamond in the rough when it was first released but, when compared to a lot of it's Saturn stablemates, Nights Into Dreams is a game that truly comes across like it was made with heart and a passion to be the best game the makers could produce.
And HD enhancement gives Nights Into Dreams the greatness originally worthy of it.
Original image located here. Accessed 27th September 2017
And thus ends a journey that has been twenty-one years in the making. I still remember seeing the trailer for this game in a store and being really excited about it, what with me being a Sega
Of course, I'm not playing the Saturn version: I'm playing the HD enhanced version. I could play the original version by why would I want to do that?
Okay, sarcasm aside, this game would still have to rank as one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. And the HD Enhancement does just that: Enhances the graphics into one of the most brightest and most colorful games around. Indeed it certainly shows up a lot of modern games - and this was a game released in a the middle of a decade people tend to look back on as being full of grittiness and edginess.
I remember one of the first reviews I saw of this game the reviewer noted that the game looked like it been made by a graphics department who'd had too much red cordial - can't say I disagree.
The music is also a treat too.
Now that we have the aesthetics out of the way, how does the gameplay come across?
I like what this game was trying to do, with it's flight mechanic but the prospect of flying is hindered by the knowledge that what the player is ultimately doing is flying along a fixed path. Sure there are alternate paths but they don't seem that different. And there's no denying that the game is short - but the difficulty makes up for it. For therein lies the challenge of reaching the 'A' rating - a challenge that, naturally, seems difficult in getting. And I will admit that i was putting a lot of hard effort in only to get anything but an 'A' - to a point where I was starting to take it personally.
One interesting observation is that, given how there is a loud call for more female representation in gaming, I actually found Claris' dream easier than Elliot's dream. True: I breezed through Clari's levels and got some high scores but Elliot's dreams were more tricky and more demanding to get higher scores - so much so, I was baffled that i did really well only to get hit with a lowly 'C' grade.
So what, playing the female character means an easier time? Clearly this game was thinking way ahead of it's time.
But at the end of the day, this game had a lot of charm and I liked it a lot. It has great ideas, great art direction and the HD enhancement really help the game. It may have been a diamond in the rough when it was first released but, when compared to a lot of it's Saturn stablemates, Nights Into Dreams is a game that truly comes across like it was made with heart and a passion to be the best game the makers could produce.
And HD enhancement gives Nights Into Dreams the greatness originally worthy of it.
Friday, September 22, 2017
Red Dead Redemption
And another game has been cast down from my Hall of Shame. Goodbye Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: the Sith Lords!
This is a difficult game to assess: largely because so much has already been said about it: The dramas this game had during development, the cut content that were eventually restored via the Steam release, the gamers who have given this game a frosty reputation gamers and have since warmed up to, the challenges this game has put to the Star Wars universe, the philosophizing present within a series not known for its subtlety.
I however played this game off of Steam and it’s through the lens of seeing a broken game restored that I have viewed this game.
And I saw a complete game. Okay, sure the ending may have been a bit abrupt but seeing how much effort has gone into restoring the lost content and how it has been applied into the original game, it is difficult to imagine how the originally released game went without it.
The game I played certainly looked complete. It had a clear beginning, middle and end. There were interesting characters, solid writing and depth that was unusual for Star Wars. It may seem like a re-tread of the first game in some ways but there was enough new content and the provision of a much different perspective that this game succeeds as a sequel.
Other than that, there isn’t a lot else I can say about this game: The characters are all well-written and memorable (favourites being Visas and HK-47), the writing is top-notch, and it’s a lot fun to play. Funny how games can be seen in a much different light given the passage of time and the meddling of modders. A fresh perspective on Star Wars that is lost following Disney’s ditching of the Expanded Universe? Sadly yes. Better than the sequel? You know I think it may well be.
It’s just a shame that the series ended here and sequel hasn’t been seen beyond the MMORPG.
One question though: Considering that I completed the game on the Light Side path, does that mean that The Exile can now be Force buddies with Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Anakin Skywalker? (sure they will all come much later but still….)
Original image located here. Accessed 22nd September 2017
This is a difficult game to assess: largely because so much has already been said about it: The dramas this game had during development, the cut content that were eventually restored via the Steam release, the gamers who have given this game a frosty reputation gamers and have since warmed up to, the challenges this game has put to the Star Wars universe, the philosophizing present within a series not known for its subtlety.
I however played this game off of Steam and it’s through the lens of seeing a broken game restored that I have viewed this game.
And I saw a complete game. Okay, sure the ending may have been a bit abrupt but seeing how much effort has gone into restoring the lost content and how it has been applied into the original game, it is difficult to imagine how the originally released game went without it.
The game I played certainly looked complete. It had a clear beginning, middle and end. There were interesting characters, solid writing and depth that was unusual for Star Wars. It may seem like a re-tread of the first game in some ways but there was enough new content and the provision of a much different perspective that this game succeeds as a sequel.
Other than that, there isn’t a lot else I can say about this game: The characters are all well-written and memorable (favourites being Visas and HK-47), the writing is top-notch, and it’s a lot fun to play. Funny how games can be seen in a much different light given the passage of time and the meddling of modders. A fresh perspective on Star Wars that is lost following Disney’s ditching of the Expanded Universe? Sadly yes. Better than the sequel? You know I think it may well be.
It’s just a shame that the series ended here and sequel hasn’t been seen beyond the MMORPG.
One question though: Considering that I completed the game on the Light Side path, does that mean that The Exile can now be Force buddies with Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Anakin Skywalker? (sure they will all come much later but still….)
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Last Exile
Lately I've been playing a lot of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: the Sith Lords.
And this is who I have for the Exile:
Granted this game may be a product of it's time but I find it odd that the players has to choose their player from a selection of pre-made faces. Taking into account the extraordinary range of customization options that proliferate in gaming today, it thus becomes hard for the player to come up with something unique - and not something that many other people would've done already.
Okay sure, Jade Empire did the same thing with pre-made characters but considering the setting of that game, you'd want a character that fits right in - something that will, naturally, go against the nature of customization - not to mention the tendency to challenge the rules that gamers tend to do.
That being said, this may not be the first Exile of colour in the history of the Sith lords but it;s one I've chosen. Why? I felt it was something different. Yes this may all seem contradictory so let me explain: One common complaint I've heard about Star Wars, or at least the original trilogy, is it's short on female characters and black characters - indeed, one gets the feeling that Rey and Finn in the Force Awakens was an attempt to address this.
So why not have a black Jedi? Why not have a person of color heading a group of misfits and cruise around in the Ebon Hawk, having adventures in the galaxy? Why not have a Jedi of colour who has significance that it makes the Jedi Council worried?
Why not have a person of color being the one in charge?
I mean, Star Trek (DS9) did it....
And this is who I have for the Exile:
Granted this game may be a product of it's time but I find it odd that the players has to choose their player from a selection of pre-made faces. Taking into account the extraordinary range of customization options that proliferate in gaming today, it thus becomes hard for the player to come up with something unique - and not something that many other people would've done already.
Okay sure, Jade Empire did the same thing with pre-made characters but considering the setting of that game, you'd want a character that fits right in - something that will, naturally, go against the nature of customization - not to mention the tendency to challenge the rules that gamers tend to do.
That being said, this may not be the first Exile of colour in the history of the Sith lords but it;s one I've chosen. Why? I felt it was something different. Yes this may all seem contradictory so let me explain: One common complaint I've heard about Star Wars, or at least the original trilogy, is it's short on female characters and black characters - indeed, one gets the feeling that Rey and Finn in the Force Awakens was an attempt to address this.
So why not have a black Jedi? Why not have a person of color heading a group of misfits and cruise around in the Ebon Hawk, having adventures in the galaxy? Why not have a Jedi of colour who has significance that it makes the Jedi Council worried?
Why not have a person of color being the one in charge?
I mean, Star Trek (DS9) did it....
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Wolf pack
Recently it was announced that Okami will be getting a HD remake on the PS4 and the Xbone.
And this certainly raised an eyebrow on my end: i enjoyed Okami a lot when i played it and the prospect of a HD remake is certainly appealing. So could this be the one? The moment where I will be swayed back to the console race? The game that is enough to convince me to give consoles another go and splurge out on an eighth generation console?
Oh wait, Okami HD is also coming to the PC
Oh well, never mind then
And this certainly raised an eyebrow on my end: i enjoyed Okami a lot when i played it and the prospect of a HD remake is certainly appealing. So could this be the one? The moment where I will be swayed back to the console race? The game that is enough to convince me to give consoles another go and splurge out on an eighth generation console?
Oh wait, Okami HD is also coming to the PC
Oh well, never mind then
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Wrapping up
Recently I was informed that Raptr will be closing up at the end of this month.
So I thought I might take the time to reflect on this app as a regular user.
I first encountered Raptr in 2012 when a friend told me about it. And I took to it readily, delighted that there was this app that allowed me, a gamer, to record all my gaming times. It allowed me to add all my games in my collection and to enter the hours spent on them, regardless of system or era.
Indeed, it was important for me that this was something that provided a record. I had so many games that was important to see how much time I had spent on them, in relation to each other, and also call attention to other games that may have slipped my notice - indeed, there's something to be said to see a game that had been neglected for so long, race up the ranks.
Most importantly for me was, again, the record. I can't stress this enough: As the passage of time renders obsolete media, like optical discs and console memory cards, completely unusable, it was refreshing to know that I had such historical information preserved.
Granted this may not be what the makers of Raptr wanted (I cringe at the thought of them making the first rank of pre-2000 games at twenty hours) but for me it filled a vital need.
Later on, Raptr moved away from the console field., This was a disappointment on my end as I enjoyed having so many platforms under the one umbrella. Granted the consoles of now may have their own game/achievement tracking device but it is disappointing they can't...well...mix. One can't underestimate the importance of having everything within easy reach and easily comparable (after all isn't that the main driving force of the technological advanced times we live in?).
Losing the consoles to me, however, was the turning point with Raptor and myself: Sure it was nice to record everything I played on Steam and GoG Galaxy but without console input, it was never the same.
And now Raptr is pulling up stumps and calling quits. It is disappointing that my record is now obsolete. Sure I have Steam keeping track of my game time but over a decade's worth of gaming has been effectively erased. Sure it exists as a file on my computer's hard drive, but somehow it doesn't seem the same.
Raptr may have failed to keep up with the times but for me it represented something that is not often thought of in the gaming community: An archive. The original idea may have been strong enough for the major companies to take notice but without an app representing, well, everything it doesn't seem the same.
So here's to you Raptr you magnificent archive you.
Hopefully something comes along that fulfills the niche you pioneered.
So I thought I might take the time to reflect on this app as a regular user.
I first encountered Raptr in 2012 when a friend told me about it. And I took to it readily, delighted that there was this app that allowed me, a gamer, to record all my gaming times. It allowed me to add all my games in my collection and to enter the hours spent on them, regardless of system or era.
Indeed, it was important for me that this was something that provided a record. I had so many games that was important to see how much time I had spent on them, in relation to each other, and also call attention to other games that may have slipped my notice - indeed, there's something to be said to see a game that had been neglected for so long, race up the ranks.
Most importantly for me was, again, the record. I can't stress this enough: As the passage of time renders obsolete media, like optical discs and console memory cards, completely unusable, it was refreshing to know that I had such historical information preserved.
Granted this may not be what the makers of Raptr wanted (I cringe at the thought of them making the first rank of pre-2000 games at twenty hours) but for me it filled a vital need.
Later on, Raptr moved away from the console field., This was a disappointment on my end as I enjoyed having so many platforms under the one umbrella. Granted the consoles of now may have their own game/achievement tracking device but it is disappointing they can't...well...mix. One can't underestimate the importance of having everything within easy reach and easily comparable (after all isn't that the main driving force of the technological advanced times we live in?).
Losing the consoles to me, however, was the turning point with Raptor and myself: Sure it was nice to record everything I played on Steam and GoG Galaxy but without console input, it was never the same.
And now Raptr is pulling up stumps and calling quits. It is disappointing that my record is now obsolete. Sure I have Steam keeping track of my game time but over a decade's worth of gaming has been effectively erased. Sure it exists as a file on my computer's hard drive, but somehow it doesn't seem the same.
Raptr may have failed to keep up with the times but for me it represented something that is not often thought of in the gaming community: An archive. The original idea may have been strong enough for the major companies to take notice but without an app representing, well, everything it doesn't seem the same.
So here's to you Raptr you magnificent archive you.
Hopefully something comes along that fulfills the niche you pioneered.
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