"Dragon Age Inquisition Trespasser" DLC Review

Publsher:  Bioware

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  As the Exalted Council meets to determine the future of the Inquisition, a fully-armored Qunari warrior is found dead on the grounds.  Investigate secret plots and conclude the Inquisition's story.

Gameplay:  As in the other "Dragon Age:  Inquisition" DLCs, enemies scale with your character.  Trespasser also adds new abilities for your Inquisitor's Mark gradually throughout that are both helpful and interesting from a story perspective.

Fortunately the combat, while challenging, is combined with plenty of exploration of mysterious ruins and tantalizing knowledge learned.  The pacing is nicely set with regular returns to the Winter Palace and therefore a chance to stock up and chat with your friends in between combat, if you so choose.

There are also numerous little opportunities to earn attribute bonuses via searches and other acts so minor I hesitate to call them minigames (microgames, perhaps?)  These are a nice, if minor, touch (I don't think I even discovered the fireworks-creation one until my third or fourth playthrough.)

Style:  The misty landscapes are beautiful, as usual.  There are some clipping bugs, but the major issue I've had is serious lag (and usually several crashes) during the underground portion of the DLC.  Fortunately, it only seems to be a problem for that location.

Story:  Trespasser (not the best name, something that seems to plague Bioware's best DLCs recently) is a success on several levels.  On a basic level, it offers a bit of fun combat and exploration.  It's also a chance to interact with Inquisition's characters again, with plenty of memorable moments and conversations.

Moreover, Trespasser fixes a weakness in the original game by offering a satisfying conclusion to Inquisition's story.  In this fitting epilogue, much is determined by decisions made in the previous game, for better or for worse (or just who the Inquisitor is kissing.)  And there are a few more choices to be made within the DLC that feel momentous (who knows if they might be, but it's nice that they feel that way.)

And all the while providing an ending, Trespasser deepens characterization and lore for the gameworld and suggests exciting possibilities for the future of Dragon Age.  All in all, not much more can be asked of an epilogue.

"Dragon Age: Inquisition The Descent" DLC Review

Publisher:  Bioware

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  Earthquakes are disrupting the dwarven lyrium mines and leaving them open to attack by the fearsome darkspawn.  You must delve into the depths and discover the true source of these tremors.

Gameplay:  The only major change from the regular game is that enemies level with you, and boy does it make a difference in difficulty.  The exact amount will depend upon when you attempt to to play the DLC and how characters have been built (and skill of the player), but no matter what, a bunch of equally-leveled characters seems to be more of a slog.  Perhaps it's just that enemies are more closely clustered here than in the open environments of the main game.

There are also a few puzzles to get and find extra loot (including a Towers of Hanoi puzzle, for old times' sake), but nothing that is vital.

Style:  This is the most beautiful the Deep Roads have ever looked.  The cutscenes, too, are the best in the game in terms of sharp, smooth animation.

Story:  The two dwarven companions are interesting and quickly well-characterized, but there's sadly little dialogue from your usual party.  There is fascinating new lore learned, but only after several hours slaughtering things.  Overall, the combat outweighs the story.  I wish there was a more even balance between the exploring and fighting.  I can't focus on exploration while fighting an army of darkspawn, and the new areas the can be opened up afterwards are small.

There also aren't any choices in the story.  I'm sure Bioware is getting tired of having to account for every new possibility, but having some sort of options within the story would have been nice (maybe some paths with less combat?  Or even just alternate routes?)  As is, I find little reason to replay.

"Dragon Age: Inquisition" Review

Publisher:  Bioware/EA

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  When talks between the warring mages and templars are shattered by a mysterious explosion, not only does all hope for peace appear lost, but a Breach into the world of demons appears, and more rifts are forming.  You, the only survivor, can close these rifts.  Is it a sign of holiness?  Can you help the new Inquisition restore order?  And who caused the Breach, and why?

Gameplay:  Although still somewhat clunky in spots, Inquisition's combat system is definitely my favorite of the Dragon Age games.  Class abilities resembles Dragon Age II to a degree, with the greatest change being a lack of healing powers.  Instead there are a variety of buffers that essentially add another layer of health.

However, combat usually lacks the "wave of endless mooks" feel that often plagued Dragon Age II, making combat quicker and more dynamic.  While every Dragon Age game has tried to have positioning matter, I feel they succeeded best here.  It greatly helps that the terrain of fights varies.  Thanks to the large, explorable landscapes, no more does a fight take place the same location each game, and you can avoid some battles if you choose.

Of course, there's a lot to be said about the joy of exploration itself, for discovering new locations and lore.  I love having vast areas to investigate, especially with colorful settings ranging from sun-scorched desert, snowy mountains, mysterious jungles, misty marshes, stormy seasides, and ancient forests (all with accompanying ruins, of course.)  Completionists may find them exhausting, however. (I'm fine with ignoring large portions or even entire regions on a playthrough, given I do multiple ones.)

Overall, I also enjoy the crafting, although it's a bit annoying to have to get everyone's equipment in your inventory to work on it, to say nothing of all the upgrades.  But crafting your own armor and weapons (and naming them!) is fun.  I even get a kick out of harvesting random metals and plants while exploring, although I can understand others finding that annoying

Style:  As I mentioned before, the landscapes are beautiful and vivid (which, on my computer, at least, makes them take forever to load.)  The music is excellent.  The menus and screens work well together, but I wish they were brighter, and I really wish there was a drop-down menu option for your party characters instead of having to scroll through all of them.

Story:  Dragon Age:  Inquisition is a story of fear and faith.  Most major plots (and minor ones, for that matter) tie into one or both of these themes in some way.  As usual for Bioware, the player can usually decide for themselves what moral to draw from many matters, even when not making firm decisions in game, but in any case I found rich matters to ponder.

The actual tentpole events of the plot are exciting, although in retrospect I can nitpick how a few might be better executed.  Depending upon how much exploring you're doing, the pacing can feel strange.  And since the villain remains in the shadows for much of the game, it can be difficult to get a good grasp of his character.  Beefing up some quests to learn more about him might have enriched the game a bit.

And because of the issues above, the end feels a bit underwhelming.  The main character goes from strength to strength as the villain ever weakens, until in the end he is perfunctorily defeated.  Still, it serves well enough (and I have certainly seen worse!)

But, all that said, getting there is much fun.  Thedas is a rich setting, and Dragon Age:  Inquisition really delves into the world and its history.  The characters are wonderful, as usual.  There are also plenty of major and minor decisions that await as you create your own character.

Conclusion:  In the end, I must admit it's difficult to discuss Dragon Age:  Inquisition objectively because it's clear now after several years of playing it that it's one of my favorite games.  I see certain elements others might dislike, but some of these (such as giant environments to explore) are exactly what I love.  And there are so many things I love, like Cassandra, or Redcliffe, or the Sing-quisition.  Yes, there's plenty that doesn't quite work (all those mounts, and no real reason to use them) but it's minor compared to the massive amount that does work to make this such a wonderful game for me.

What Is A Game?

What exactly is a game?  At first the answer seems obvious, but looking over the variety of digital entertainments available today, with their vast graphical ranges and mixed responsiveness and occasional need for some level of dexterity, the question quickly becomes more muddled.  As I've explored and played a lot more interactive fiction and visual novels this year, I've come to ponder this question.  What is a game?  What is just a story?  My response is my answer alone; others may well draw their defining lines differently.

So, for me a game is that in which the player has influence to create different end states.  These influences might be based on player skill or just player choices.  I say "influences" because a player doesn't have to control every aspect of the game, and there can even be randomness that changes each time.  But the player has to have some power over what is happening in the game.  Something that randomly changes every time with no relation to what the player is doing might well be interesting, but it's not a game.  And something that's the same every time, like a kinetic novel, is a story, but not a game.

In many games, of course, player skill influences at the game.  Plenty of arcade or action games need precise timing for jumping or combat, and death is a bad end state.  But player choices, like which city to save, or even purely character things like dialogue or romances, can also offer alternate end states.  And even the exact same ending might be rendered different if the story paths there are divergent and compelling enough to give it a distinct feel.

"Gemini Rue" Review

Publisher:  Wadjet Eye Games

Genre:  Adventure

Summary:  On a gang-run planet, a weary assassin-turned-cop searches for information.  Elsewhere, an amnesiac prisoner tries to escape a mysterious facility where graduation means a new personality.

Gameplay:  Pretty much all interaction uses right-clicking, which lets you look or touch or kick and also opens the inventory.  I wish that had been split up a bit, maybe by setting looking aside as its own action or offering a separate way to open the inventory.  Unless I missed something, there wasn't any way to look at an inventory item without interacting with something else, which was a little irritating.

The puzzles generally don't stand out as bad or good, although I did get a bit tired of combination puzzles.  There were also several times in the game when it wasn't that obvious what to do next.  The game also features actual action-sequence gunplay, which felt well-integrated and varied but not too complex.  I liked it and felt like there was just enough of it.

Style:  Graphically, the game looks fairly rough, which must be a stylistic choice, since it came out in 2011.  I suppose it works to give the setting a run-down and serious air, but it can be jarring when coming from an adventure game with brighter and clearer graphics.  It also makes some of the puzzle elements harder to spot.

Story:  When it comes to "Blade Runner"-esque adventure games with action shooter elements, it's hard to top the amazing actual "Blade Runner" game by Westwood Studios.  And this doesn't!  But it does have an excellent story of its own with some good twists (as you might imagine with mindwiping in play as a plot element.)

I'm usually pretty good about picking up background understanding about a setting, but this was one of the few games where I wanted more establishing information.  I still got the general gist of things, and that's all that's needed, but I would have liked a way to read up and clarify more.

Also, and I know this is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, but a solar system is not a galaxy!  It's just that the mistake is consistent throughout the game, so by the fourth or fifth mention I got twitchy about it.

There are several instances where the dialogue gets overly philosophical and tells what's already been more subtly shown, especially near the end.  And while I was impressed in the beginning at having such a large area of city available to explore, at the end my suspension of disbelief was shattered as everybody on the planet possibly needing contact lived within a two-block radius.

Of the two plot threads, I preferred exploring the rainy streets of a downtrodden city to navigating the sterile facility, but I appreciate the ability to switch between the two (and they converge nicely in the end.)  I do wish there were more options, though that's a purely personal preference.  It just seemed like there were several moments in the game where a player choice could have been integrated.

Conclusion:  Although it has its quirks and weaknesses, "Gemini Rue" is overall a good adventure game with an interesting story.  I had fun!

"Dreamfall: Chapters" Review

Publisher:  Red Thread Games

Genre:  Adventure

Summary:  In the cyberpunk future, Zoe Castillo awakens from a coma, but has no memory of the traumatic events that caused it.  As she tries to make a life for herself, she is haunted by this.  Does she really want to remember?  And how does all of this tie into the popular Dreammachines?

Meanwhile, in another world, Kian Alvane finds himself considered a traitor to his people.  He is enlisted in aiding the rebels against them and in helping the oppressed magical peoples of Marcuria.  Will this be his redemption?

Gameplay:  The puzzles are fairly simple and involve finding things and occasionally combining them.  Sometimes there are timed events.  I enjoyed them, overall.  More enjoyable were the numerous choices in the game, several of which influence later story elements, although the general story does not change drastically.  Still, there is enough difference to make another playthrough a distinct experience, and that is appreciated.

Movement sometimes seems sluggish, especially without a run/walk toggle.  I really, really miss the ability to save on command, although the game does autosave frequently.

Style:  The graphics are pleasing.  I really love being able to explore the the cyberpunk and magical cityscapes, especially when I can compare locations that appeared in previous games.  I also love how the title screen changes for each chapter.  Overall, however, the interface doesn't stand out.

Story:  My summary looks complicated as it is, and I'm not sure it even starts to cover this game.  I can't imagine how "Dreamfall:  Chapters" plays to somehow whose first experience with this universe starts with this game.  It's very much a continuation of "Dreamfall" (so much so I could argue they are two halves of one long game) and that game is very much a sequel to "The Longest Journey."  Although there are some unanswered questions and some plot threads that I felt could have used more or less time, overall I feel this game ably wraps up this saga.

Personally, I found Zoe's tale more interesting than Kian's, but there's probably a bit more of his here (which is only fair, I suppose, given he had a lot less to do in "Dreamfall.")  But more interesting than either of those was the tale of Saga, told in interludes between the chapters.  But in everything there are memorable moments and characters and sorrow and laughter.  It's a worthy journey and I'm glad to have had it.

Five Worst Game Endings

Endings are hard.  To wrap up all the plot threads neatly so stories end satisfactorily, or to leave a few hanging just so for future possibilities, and to do it all conveying whatever sense of accomplishment or poignancy needed is a difficult task.  Some games have done it excellently.  But today I'm going to talk about the games that really, really blew the landing.

These are the worst endings I could think of from games I have personally finished.  I am judging based upon the endings themselves, the final scenes.  The endgames, the player's final actions leading up to the ending, are a different matter (and perhaps a list for another day.)  Although obviously the endgame and ending influence each other, it is possible to have a great endgame and horrible ending and vice versa.

Many of these endings are somewhat ameliorated by sequels that provide the answers or hope that the previous games' endings lacked.  And while I'm thankful for that, that shouldn't be an excuse for a poor ending (especially when it can be unknown years until a sequel appears.)

Another commonality is depressing endings.  While I generally prefer happy endings, I'm not opposed to a sad or melancholy ending in principle.  But in these endings, the sadness is unexpected, unlike what has come before, and a poor match for the game.  The end of the game is not the time for a sudden twist in tone.