"The Forgotten City" Review

Publisher:  Modern Storyteller

Genre:  Adventure

Summary:  You are sent to a hidden ancient Roman city where if anyone sins, everyone is punished with a fate worse than death.

Gameplay:  The gameplay mostly consists of exploring the city, talking to the people, and figuring out how to solve quests and eventually escape the city.  The setting is just big enough to provide interesting exploration but not so large as to become exhausting or to cause you to get lost.  There are just enough people to provide interesting characters without being confusingly many, too.

The unique element is the availability of a time loop, so if the Golden Rule is broken (or you choose to break it), you can restart the day.  Despite this, the game is good about not making you repeat quests you've already done.

There is eventually a bow available that offers some (optional) action elements and ways to solve puzzles.  The game almost always multiple solutions to puzzles, multiple choices in how to respond to people, and varying order for competing quests, as well as several endings, though one is preferable.

Style:  "The Forgotten City" is lovely, with beautiful mosaics, rushing water, and variable lighting.  The music was great.  Sometimes I wished I wasn't entirely locked into third-person perspective, and the game's not a graphical wonder.  Despite this, sometimes it had to stop and load the new area, which seemed odd even on my older machine.  Overall these were minor complaints, however.

Story:  This story of a doomed Roman city has some great twists and turns and memorable characters.  The time loop element offers some unique gameplay options and is integrated into the story well.  "The Forgotten City" offers insight on philosophy, mythology, and Roman history all while providing great puzzles and exploration.

Random Thoughts Upon Finishing "Dragon Age: Veilguard"

 I finished my first (but probably not last) playthrough of "Dragon Age:  Veilguard", and I have lots of thoughts I wanted to share.

"Vampire: the Masquerade--Coteries of New York" Review

Publisher:   Draw Distance

Genre:  Visual Novel

Summary:  A new vampire tries to learn to survive and find allies amid the politics of the vampires of New York City.

Gameplay:  You have options in what quests to pursue when, what actions to take, and in dialogue choices.  There are three characters for the player to choose from, which influences a few story options and some of the vampire power use opportunities.

Style:  The art has a nice painterly look, with occasional movements in the backgrounds and characters to add interest.  The sound and music are good.

Story:  The characters and the various quests are interesting, with being able to choose your pace and mix it up for different games adding some nice variation, since you can't do all the quests in one game.

However, it is ruined by one of the more spectacularly horrible endings I've seen.  It might even make the list.  (Skip the next paragraph if you wish to avoid any chance of spoilers.)

A minor character with whom you may have had little interaction rambles incoherently (but is treated as amazing by the game) and takes over.  Your character is offered no closure against any of the enemies they have made.  I don't expect a glorious triumph in the World of Darkness, mind, but I do expect a more satisfying conclusion than a forced ending that's the same every game after having so many options in the game itself.

Summary:  Coteries of New York is an enjoyable, varied exploration of the vampires of New York, and a good introduction to the World of Darkness if needed.  That is, until the horrible ending rather sours the experience.

"Mass Effect 3: Omega" DLC Review

Publisher:  Bioware/EA

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  Aid Aria in retaking control of Omega from Cerberus.

Gameplay:  There are several new types of enemy to fight.  The companions, Aria and Nyreen, have some unique new abilities.

Style:  The excellently atmospheric locations of the asteroid space station of Omega, with neon catwalks, cramped service tunnels, dark power facilities, and vast mines, give a cyberpunk flair to the proceedings.  The music and sound design are good.  The cinematics are good as well, though some lasted a bit long and I wanted to get back to my own action.

Story:  The story is linear, a few hours of fighting, but in fun environments, as noted above.  The DLC feels like it peaks slightly before the actual climax, so the pacing feels a bit off.  More disappointing is the lack of choice and therefore replayability, especially when there seems to be several potential places for choices within the story.  The dialogue varies a bit because of Paragon and Renegade responses, but that's it.

Conclusion:  Aria and Nyreen are both interesting characters, and Omega is an interesting location.  Omega is not that great (mass?) effect to the overall game story, a small slice of the greater war of Mass Effect 3, but it's a fun few hours.  I just wish it had more variation and interaction with the rest of Mass Effect 3.

"Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station" DLC Review

Publisher:  Bioware

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  Commander Shepherd visits a station with combat training scenarios.

Gameplay:  There are four different mission types at Pinnacle Station:  Kill (kill as many enemies as possible in the allotted time), Capture (hold designated positions as fast as possible), Survive (stay alive as long as possible), and Hunt (kill enemies as quickly as possible) in several different environments.

Style:  The simulated environments are nice, though it is easy to see they are grabbed from parts of the game.  The edges revealing the holographic nature of the environment are a nice touch, as is the fading away of the holographic enemies.  The overseeing admiral's comments are at first amusing, but get repetitive quickly.

Story:  There is a bit of a story about Shepherd beating the scores of a posturing turian, but that's about it.

Conclusion:  It's odd coming to this DLC after years of playing Mass Effect games, as I can see here the genesis of the more elaborate combat simulator in Mass Effect 3:  Citadel.  Mass Effect itself offers more interesting combat with more interesting stories out in the galaxy, but Pinnacle Station isn't bad for what it is.

"Monster Loves You!" Review

Publisher:  Radial Games/Dejobaan Games

Genre:  Visual Novel

Summary:  Live the life of a monster.

Gameplay:  During the segments of monster life, there are icons to select for events which involve decisions.  These influence your monsterly virtues (ferocity, bravery, cleverness, and kindness) and reputation and eventually the relationship between monsters and humans, leading to a variety of possible endings.

Style:  The graphics have a cute cartoon look and the music is cheerful, matching the game's humor.

Story:  "Monster Loves You!" tells a quick story but it has enough variety for a couple playthroughs of amusement.

"Dragon Age: Inquisition The Jaws of Hakkon" DLC Review

Publisher:  Bioware

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  A hostile tribe makes the investigation into the last Inquisitor's death and resting place more difficult.

Gameplay:  Gameplay is the same as the rest of the game, but restricted to higher levels (somewhat to my annoyance, as there is no in-story reason), and there is a new ability available for the main character after a certain quest.  Unlike the rest of the game (but like other DLC), enemies level with you.

Style:  The Frostback Basin area is gorgeous, with an interesting variety of locations ranging from vibrant multicolored swamps to cliff-side Viking-like villages to frozen ancient ruins.

Story:  The Jaws of Hakkon tells a great story that enriches Thedas' past and lore, expanding on a culture and area of history not touched on much previously and adding interesting characters in past and present.  There is plenty to explore in the Frostback Basin, but smaller side quests and stories easily can be ignored if that is your preference.