Publisher: Bioware
Genre: RPG
Summary: The Warden finds a golem to join their group.
Gameplay: Shale, the golem, does not equip weapons or armor, but uses special elemental crystals for those purposes. The golem has its own special ability trees that are different modes geared towards offense or aiding the other characters. This makes the character different but rather finicky to use in combat (not that it much matters on easy mode.)
Style: The new areas added to the game are nice. The Deep Roads section in particular is pretty, given the lackluster presentation of the area previously in the game.
Story: Shale is a good character who talks with the other party members and comments on events and locations as much as any of the others. The quest to get the golem is interesting and having the character adds more emotion to the game's golem elements.
Conclusion: Shale doesn't add a lot to the party mechanically, but is a fun party member providing some neat extra missions and lore.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
"Vampire: The Masquerade--Bloodlines" Review
Publisher: Troika Games
Genre: RPG
Summary: After being turned into a vampire, you must navigate the bloody politics of the Los Angeles World of Darkness.
Gameplay: Vampire: the Masquerade was the first tabletop roleplaying game I ever played, and this game brought back lots of fond memories. Character creation is similar enough that I was (again) able to dig up old character sheets and adapt them to create game characters.
Abilities are split between traits (innate abilities like strength or intelligence), feats (learned skills like firearms or sneaking), and disciplines (magical vampire powers, which vary depending upon which type of vampire you choose to be.) Experience can go towards increasing anything, but costs vary depending upon the ability and how much it's increasing.
The game often does a good job at offering various paths to complete a quest, but there's usually combat involved somewhere. Combat itself is somewhat awkward, as it's difficult to switch quickly between all the melee, ranged, and magical abilities. There are only ten hotkeys, and those have to accommodate healing items as well.
Sometimes combat can be avoided via sneaking (and you can instakill when unnoticed behind someone, something I wish I'd learned before nearly the end of my first playthrough.) Hacking and lockpicking may be needed too. There are also sometimes persuasion options.
As a vampire, you of course will occasionally need to drink blood. It's another bar like health and is especially used up by disciplines. There are a variety of ways to get blood, again adding options.
Style: This game is atmospheric as all get out. Through excellent music and design, the settings can ooze creepiness or despair. The late night streets of L.A. are sleazy and depressing, while skyscrapers loom above in gothic splendor. People dance in clubs while mysterious whispers murmur through the sewers.
Story: The story suffers somewhat from the false urgency of the main quest distracting from the sidequests. At one point, the chain of favors for the main quest was so long I lost track of who I was supposed to be finding to help who do what. And one particular quest--the sewers--was spectacularly long and underwhelming. Then the end is a lot of dungeons and lots of things to kill.
Still, the game does excel at offering options and adventures in a dark and interesting world. You can be a heroic vampire rescuing strangers and only killing when attacked, or an evil seducer who drains without a care. You can wander off to discover all sorts of supernatural hijinks. You can solve quests subtly or just murder everybody.
Truly, choices abound, unless you'd like to romance a guy. I can think of exactly one opportunity to sleep with a guy, and it wasn't exactly a flirting situation. And it's not like there weren't possibilities! Why does every other woman hit on my character, but I can't hit on LaCroix or Nines or Reyes?
For that matter, why can I pick up girls in bars but not guys? There are literally guys there, and I can't talk to them! It really speaks to a spectacular failure of imagination on somebody's part. It's pretty clear it never occurred to the developers that someone interested in romancing men would ever play the game.
Conclusion: It wasn't intentional at first, but when I realized I was only playing the game at night, I continued to do so, it was so fitting. Despite over-reliance on combat (especially towards the end) and its failure to account for male romance, Vampire the Masquerade--Bloodlines offers an impressive amount of roleplaying options in both gameplay and characterization and takes place in an interesting and different setting.
Genre: RPG
Summary: After being turned into a vampire, you must navigate the bloody politics of the Los Angeles World of Darkness.
Gameplay: Vampire: the Masquerade was the first tabletop roleplaying game I ever played, and this game brought back lots of fond memories. Character creation is similar enough that I was (again) able to dig up old character sheets and adapt them to create game characters.
Abilities are split between traits (innate abilities like strength or intelligence), feats (learned skills like firearms or sneaking), and disciplines (magical vampire powers, which vary depending upon which type of vampire you choose to be.) Experience can go towards increasing anything, but costs vary depending upon the ability and how much it's increasing.
The game often does a good job at offering various paths to complete a quest, but there's usually combat involved somewhere. Combat itself is somewhat awkward, as it's difficult to switch quickly between all the melee, ranged, and magical abilities. There are only ten hotkeys, and those have to accommodate healing items as well.
Sometimes combat can be avoided via sneaking (and you can instakill when unnoticed behind someone, something I wish I'd learned before nearly the end of my first playthrough.) Hacking and lockpicking may be needed too. There are also sometimes persuasion options.
As a vampire, you of course will occasionally need to drink blood. It's another bar like health and is especially used up by disciplines. There are a variety of ways to get blood, again adding options.
Style: This game is atmospheric as all get out. Through excellent music and design, the settings can ooze creepiness or despair. The late night streets of L.A. are sleazy and depressing, while skyscrapers loom above in gothic splendor. People dance in clubs while mysterious whispers murmur through the sewers.
Story: The story suffers somewhat from the false urgency of the main quest distracting from the sidequests. At one point, the chain of favors for the main quest was so long I lost track of who I was supposed to be finding to help who do what. And one particular quest--the sewers--was spectacularly long and underwhelming. Then the end is a lot of dungeons and lots of things to kill.
Still, the game does excel at offering options and adventures in a dark and interesting world. You can be a heroic vampire rescuing strangers and only killing when attacked, or an evil seducer who drains without a care. You can wander off to discover all sorts of supernatural hijinks. You can solve quests subtly or just murder everybody.
Truly, choices abound, unless you'd like to romance a guy. I can think of exactly one opportunity to sleep with a guy, and it wasn't exactly a flirting situation. And it's not like there weren't possibilities! Why does every other woman hit on my character, but I can't hit on LaCroix or Nines or Reyes?
For that matter, why can I pick up girls in bars but not guys? There are literally guys there, and I can't talk to them! It really speaks to a spectacular failure of imagination on somebody's part. It's pretty clear it never occurred to the developers that someone interested in romancing men would ever play the game.
Conclusion: It wasn't intentional at first, but when I realized I was only playing the game at night, I continued to do so, it was so fitting. Despite over-reliance on combat (especially towards the end) and its failure to account for male romance, Vampire the Masquerade--Bloodlines offers an impressive amount of roleplaying options in both gameplay and characterization and takes place in an interesting and different setting.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
"Blade Runner" Review
Publisher: Westwood Studios
Genre: Adventure
Summary: A new Blade Runner investigates a dangerous group of Nexus 6 replicants.
Gameplay: McCoy can use his skycar to travel between locations to question people (you can select a mood for the responses or just choose from a list) and pick up clues. As more locations are revealed, sometimes foot travel becomes possible.
McCoy's computer helpfully lists the clues, cases, and suspects, and can subdivide by type. Photographs can be analyzed for further clues, ala the film. And of course at times McCoy will have to determine if someone is a replicant, and then be quick to chase them down and shoot them--if he's sure!
Style: As might be expected from a Blade Runner game, the landscapes are spectacular, even rendered in the older game's somewhat grainier style. There are screens a-plenty just to wander through to look at (fortunately, McCoy can run if you don't care.)
People and objects, however, are sadly extremely grainy and clash with the better backgrounds. Cutscenes are better, but not impressive today. The music is good.
Story: Blade Runner is impressive for how it manages to emulate the movie without exactly repeating it (just look at the summary!) It takes place at the same time (that is...now), and McCoy may run into many of the movie's characters (and it's impressive how many of the same voice actors are involved.)
I say "may" because the game is impressively varied and replayable. McCoy can choose where to go, who to shoot or set free, and which faction to side with. Even ignoring that, different people are replicants every game, so each playthrough is always different.
Still, the themes of identity, humanity, and freedom can come through strongly, depending on the playthrough. Additionally, it's fun to explore in more detail the Blade Runner universe.
Conclusion: Although awkward in spots due to its age, Blade Runner still offers a fine story with great variety in a vibrant science fiction landscape.
Genre: Adventure
Summary: A new Blade Runner investigates a dangerous group of Nexus 6 replicants.
Gameplay: McCoy can use his skycar to travel between locations to question people (you can select a mood for the responses or just choose from a list) and pick up clues. As more locations are revealed, sometimes foot travel becomes possible.
McCoy's computer helpfully lists the clues, cases, and suspects, and can subdivide by type. Photographs can be analyzed for further clues, ala the film. And of course at times McCoy will have to determine if someone is a replicant, and then be quick to chase them down and shoot them--if he's sure!
Style: As might be expected from a Blade Runner game, the landscapes are spectacular, even rendered in the older game's somewhat grainier style. There are screens a-plenty just to wander through to look at (fortunately, McCoy can run if you don't care.)
People and objects, however, are sadly extremely grainy and clash with the better backgrounds. Cutscenes are better, but not impressive today. The music is good.
Story: Blade Runner is impressive for how it manages to emulate the movie without exactly repeating it (just look at the summary!) It takes place at the same time (that is...now), and McCoy may run into many of the movie's characters (and it's impressive how many of the same voice actors are involved.)
I say "may" because the game is impressively varied and replayable. McCoy can choose where to go, who to shoot or set free, and which faction to side with. Even ignoring that, different people are replicants every game, so each playthrough is always different.
Still, the themes of identity, humanity, and freedom can come through strongly, depending on the playthrough. Additionally, it's fun to explore in more detail the Blade Runner universe.
Conclusion: Although awkward in spots due to its age, Blade Runner still offers a fine story with great variety in a vibrant science fiction landscape.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
"Serafina's Saga" Review
Publisher: Woodsy Studios
Website: http://woodsy-studio.com/vn/serafinas-saga-visual-novel/
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: After her father is captured, Serafina ventures forth from the jungle for the first time in her life and must navigate a castle full of secrets and politics.
Gameplay: Gameplay consists of decisions.
Style: The art is not great, but it gets across the characters and locations. The music is nice.
Story: The land of Darnia is an interesting setting of nobles descended from gods. Trying to navigate a newcomer like Serafina through these choppy political waters is an intriguing task. Romance, on the other hand, is a bit more frustrating, given the inherent mistrust of the situation and a lack of interaction opportunities with some of the possibilities. Still, there's a nice variety of romantic options.
Conclusion: Serafina feels a bit rough around the edges in its art and its pacing, but it offers plenty of choices and a good story.
Website: http://woodsy-studio.com/vn/serafinas-saga-visual-novel/
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: After her father is captured, Serafina ventures forth from the jungle for the first time in her life and must navigate a castle full of secrets and politics.
Gameplay: Gameplay consists of decisions.
Style: The art is not great, but it gets across the characters and locations. The music is nice.
Story: The land of Darnia is an interesting setting of nobles descended from gods. Trying to navigate a newcomer like Serafina through these choppy political waters is an intriguing task. Romance, on the other hand, is a bit more frustrating, given the inherent mistrust of the situation and a lack of interaction opportunities with some of the possibilities. Still, there's a nice variety of romantic options.
Conclusion: Serafina feels a bit rough around the edges in its art and its pacing, but it offers plenty of choices and a good story.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
"Ninja Pizza Girl" Review
Publisher: Disparity Games
Genre: Platformer
Summary: Gemma delivers pizza for her father by parkouring across the cyberpunk cityscape and facing down corporate ninja pizza delivery rivals.
Gameplay: Each delivery is timed. Gemma can jump or crouch and must use those abilities to interact with the environment to break through walls, foil enemy ninjas, and generally make her way through an impressive breadth of cityscapes. New gameplay elements are gradually introduced.
Falls or hits lower Gemma's mood, but impressive moves improve it. Recyclables picked up in runs can be used to essentially "heal" her mood in-between by buying items or creating alternate outfits. Additional pick-ups reveal bonus game development or unlock alternate modes. Each run is scored at the end, and difficulty can be modified to suit tastes.
Style: The scenery is impressive and the music goes well with the tense action. The close-up graphics are a bit more awkward, but adequately convey the story, as do the comic inserts.
Story: I love a good futuristic city setting. And despite the inherent silliness of ninja pizza delivery, Ninja Pizza Girl offers a surprisingly good cyberpunk story as well. Much of the game's focus is blatantly on bullying, but in the end (perhaps inadvertently) I think it offers an even stronger story about the ability of regular people to stand up to powerful corporations (not that there's not crossover between the two concepts, given the bullying capability of corporations.) That's very cyberpunk, and quite appropriate for a small, family-made Kickstarted game.
Conclusion: Ninja Pizza Girl is a lot of fun. It is not a long game, but it is well made. It has fun gameplay with many options, a great setting, and a good story.
Genre: Platformer
Summary: Gemma delivers pizza for her father by parkouring across the cyberpunk cityscape and facing down corporate ninja pizza delivery rivals.
Gameplay: Each delivery is timed. Gemma can jump or crouch and must use those abilities to interact with the environment to break through walls, foil enemy ninjas, and generally make her way through an impressive breadth of cityscapes. New gameplay elements are gradually introduced.
Falls or hits lower Gemma's mood, but impressive moves improve it. Recyclables picked up in runs can be used to essentially "heal" her mood in-between by buying items or creating alternate outfits. Additional pick-ups reveal bonus game development or unlock alternate modes. Each run is scored at the end, and difficulty can be modified to suit tastes.
Style: The scenery is impressive and the music goes well with the tense action. The close-up graphics are a bit more awkward, but adequately convey the story, as do the comic inserts.
Story: I love a good futuristic city setting. And despite the inherent silliness of ninja pizza delivery, Ninja Pizza Girl offers a surprisingly good cyberpunk story as well. Much of the game's focus is blatantly on bullying, but in the end (perhaps inadvertently) I think it offers an even stronger story about the ability of regular people to stand up to powerful corporations (not that there's not crossover between the two concepts, given the bullying capability of corporations.) That's very cyberpunk, and quite appropriate for a small, family-made Kickstarted game.
Conclusion: Ninja Pizza Girl is a lot of fun. It is not a long game, but it is well made. It has fun gameplay with many options, a great setting, and a good story.
Friday, August 30, 2019
"The Pretenders Guild" Review
Publisher: Minyan Studios
Website: https://harlevin.itch.io/thepretendersguild
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: Former cooks Ash and Paris pretend to be adventurers to make money by escorting a rich noble.
Gameplay: Gameplay consists of tonally-noted decisions (there is option for an after-decision sparkle reveal of whether it was an optimal decision for the chosen romance path.)
Style: The art is very colorful with a somewhat anime style. The characters have a nice variety of expressions and cutaways ably help set scenes and actions. The main character's race, sex, gender, hair, skin, and eyes are customizable.
Backgrounds are a bit repetitive, but do the job of establishing place. This is helped by cutaways of a map that shows the group's movement as they journey and by nice moody transitions using evening and night sky. The music is good. There are occasional typos.
Story: The Pretenders' Guild has a fun sense of humor and an interesting setting with three distinct races. Being able to customize the main character so adds variety to the already great story, as of course do the three different romances.
Conclusion: The Pretenders' Guild has lots of options, romance, fun humor, and a neat setting. It's great.
Website: https://harlevin.itch.io/thepretendersguild
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: Former cooks Ash and Paris pretend to be adventurers to make money by escorting a rich noble.
Gameplay: Gameplay consists of tonally-noted decisions (there is option for an after-decision sparkle reveal of whether it was an optimal decision for the chosen romance path.)
Style: The art is very colorful with a somewhat anime style. The characters have a nice variety of expressions and cutaways ably help set scenes and actions. The main character's race, sex, gender, hair, skin, and eyes are customizable.
Backgrounds are a bit repetitive, but do the job of establishing place. This is helped by cutaways of a map that shows the group's movement as they journey and by nice moody transitions using evening and night sky. The music is good. There are occasional typos.
Story: The Pretenders' Guild has a fun sense of humor and an interesting setting with three distinct races. Being able to customize the main character so adds variety to the already great story, as of course do the three different romances.
Conclusion: The Pretenders' Guild has lots of options, romance, fun humor, and a neat setting. It's great.
Friday, August 23, 2019
"Jones on Fire" Review
Publisher: Glass Bottom Games
Genre: Scroller
Summary: Jones rescues kittens from a great fire.
Gameplay: Through increasingly hazardous runs, Jones can jump or slide under to avoid fires or burning logs and save kittens. Completing certain goals and rescuing special golden kittens creates currency to purchase consumable power-ups or permanent ability increases.
Style: The game uses a simple, super-blocky style that conveys just enough detail with nary a curve to be found. The music is catchy, and the game's instructions and descriptions have a cheery humor.
Story: ...Jones rescues kittens from a great fire. There's not more here than said in the summary.
Conclusion: Jones on Fire offers a straightforward game that's fun and engaging in its own style.
Genre: Scroller
Summary: Jones rescues kittens from a great fire.
Gameplay: Through increasingly hazardous runs, Jones can jump or slide under to avoid fires or burning logs and save kittens. Completing certain goals and rescuing special golden kittens creates currency to purchase consumable power-ups or permanent ability increases.
Style: The game uses a simple, super-blocky style that conveys just enough detail with nary a curve to be found. The music is catchy, and the game's instructions and descriptions have a cheery humor.
Story: ...Jones rescues kittens from a great fire. There's not more here than said in the summary.
Conclusion: Jones on Fire offers a straightforward game that's fun and engaging in its own style.
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