Publisher: Bioware
Genre: RPG
Summary: As the new Warden Commander, recruit new Grey Wardens, rule Amaranthine, and investigate the strange actions of new talking darkspawn.
Gameplay: The gameplay is similar to Dragon Age: Origins, with the main addition being runes for armor (something I wish had been added to the main game.) Although a welcome idea, the application can be annoying, as high-level runes are hard to find outside of crafting millions of smaller ones (which is especially difficult if it's one of your companions that has the ability to do so, since you don't have access to them in the keep where the main rune supplier is.)
Style: Amaranthine doesn't have much more color than the rest of Fereldan, but there are some nice uses of rain effects.
Story: "Awakening" is an expansion, meaning it's longer than a DLC but shorter than a full game. It's a nice size (and something that seems rare nowadays, so I kind of miss it) for a complete, interesting story with plenty of choices without taking so long as an epic game like "Origins."
There are new areas to explore, minor quests to do or ignore, and a fascinating and lore-rich story underpinning it all. The new characters are intriguing enough I wish we had more time with them. It's also fun to manage Amaranthine, dealing with fort upkeep, complaining nobles, judgments, and consequences thereof.
Conclusion: "Awakening" offers a satisfying answer to what happens after the conclusion of 'Dragon Age: Origins" while setting up a few important things to come (and possibly more.) More importantly, it's another fun adventure in the Dragon Age setting.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Thursday, October 20, 2016
"King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown" Review
Publisher: Sierra
Genre: Adventure
Summary: Sir Graham is tasked by the King of Daventry with finding its lost three treasures.
Notes: Given the various versions and remakes this game has had over its long history (originally released in 1983, it's older than me), I wanted to clarify which game I'm talking about. I have played the original version, but not in some time. I am most familiar with the 1990 SCI remake, and that is the game I mostly reference here.
Gameplay: Daventry isn't huge, but it's just about the right size that it's pleasant to explore but quick enough to get where you need to go without much trouble. The quests themselves are mostly straightforward, with some exceptions (and the legendarily ridiculous gnome name riddle, which is at least slightly less horrendous in the remake.)
Best of all, however, are the options. There are random treasures to discover and several optional quests. The main quests all have at least two if not more ways to solve them. Such variability is always appreciated and is especially impressive in such an early game.
I don't mind the typing interface in the remake, mostly because the game pauses when you type. Previously, your ability to survive might be dependent upon how fast you could type "duck."
Style: The graphics in the original are obviously rough, but given it is literally the first game with interactive graphics, it's hard to fault it. I find the remake's graphics charming and colorful.
Story: While the quest for the treasures is simple enough, there isn't much underpinning the rest of the story besides random bits stolen from fairy tales. It's fun, mind you, but part of me wishes for a more logical structure than just a random witch here and a leprechaun there.
Genre: Adventure
Summary: Sir Graham is tasked by the King of Daventry with finding its lost three treasures.
Notes: Given the various versions and remakes this game has had over its long history (originally released in 1983, it's older than me), I wanted to clarify which game I'm talking about. I have played the original version, but not in some time. I am most familiar with the 1990 SCI remake, and that is the game I mostly reference here.
Gameplay: Daventry isn't huge, but it's just about the right size that it's pleasant to explore but quick enough to get where you need to go without much trouble. The quests themselves are mostly straightforward, with some exceptions (and the legendarily ridiculous gnome name riddle, which is at least slightly less horrendous in the remake.)
Best of all, however, are the options. There are random treasures to discover and several optional quests. The main quests all have at least two if not more ways to solve them. Such variability is always appreciated and is especially impressive in such an early game.
I don't mind the typing interface in the remake, mostly because the game pauses when you type. Previously, your ability to survive might be dependent upon how fast you could type "duck."
Style: The graphics in the original are obviously rough, but given it is literally the first game with interactive graphics, it's hard to fault it. I find the remake's graphics charming and colorful.
Story: While the quest for the treasures is simple enough, there isn't much underpinning the rest of the story besides random bits stolen from fairy tales. It's fun, mind you, but part of me wishes for a more logical structure than just a random witch here and a leprechaun there.
Saturday, October 8, 2016
"Dragon Age: Origins" Review
Publisher: Bioware
Genre: RPG
Summary: As a Grey Warden, it is your duty to stand against the fearsome darkspawn. Can you gather forces against them in a land torn by conflict and defeat the Blight?
Gameplay: Within the warrior, mage, and rogue classes there are plenty of opportunities for sub-specializations, with occasional traps and easy cheats. Various tactics can be assigned to each individual party member, depending on particular you'd like to be (and what level of difficulty you're playing at and which of those easy cheats you're using, most likely.) Overall, combat is interesting, but there's just a bit too much of it in the game.
Crafting consists solely of getting runes on weapons (although you don't have to literally be holding the weapons to do so, something I wish Inquisition had remembered) and the occasional armor made of dragon bits.
There are occasional puzzles of logic. Sometimes there are extra dialogue options because of character abilities, which is always nice. Also nice is with either of these offers a different path to achieve a quest.
Style: The graphics and environments of Origins are occasionally grand, but I also sometimes get tired of seeing elements reused. Especially similar are the armor and clothes. It's hard to get excited about a new, special suit of armor, no matter how powerful, if it looks exactly like the last two.
Rich colors are generally in short supply. This is sometimes explained by the lighting, as it is often sunset or underground. This gives a nice atmosphere of doom to the game (I might fanwank the whole thing as a side-effect of the Warden's taint, actually), but it does made things a little more brown and a little less vivid.
I really like the menus, sensibly organized into subsystems. I especially like how when shopping you can use a drop-down menu to check an item against whatever any party member is currently holding or wearing. Helmets and other ridiculous hats are unfortunately always seen except in cutscenes, but at least you can turn them off there (how often I wished for that option in Mass Effect 2!)
Story: While the overall story of defeating an army of evil monsters is nothing special, Dragon Age Origins really shines in the details. Well-named, it offers an introduction to a rich world full of fascinating characters. With six options for character origins, all with different possibilities for relating to the story to come, Origin excellently sets the stage for the following emotional choices and sometimes-tough decisions easily based in character.
Origins is a tale of duty, but how your character chooses to react and deal with their duty to defeat the darkspawn is up to you. Many choices are up to you, but with the fallout of others' poor decisions all around you, making them may not be easy.
Conclusion: Dragon Age: Origins is still one of my favorite games. While I could wish it was a bit brighter visually or the combat a bit shorter or more exciting, it succeeds in the areas I care about most. It offers a rich story with many opportunities for character choices in a fascinating setting.
Genre: RPG
Summary: As a Grey Warden, it is your duty to stand against the fearsome darkspawn. Can you gather forces against them in a land torn by conflict and defeat the Blight?
Gameplay: Within the warrior, mage, and rogue classes there are plenty of opportunities for sub-specializations, with occasional traps and easy cheats. Various tactics can be assigned to each individual party member, depending on particular you'd like to be (and what level of difficulty you're playing at and which of those easy cheats you're using, most likely.) Overall, combat is interesting, but there's just a bit too much of it in the game.
Crafting consists solely of getting runes on weapons (although you don't have to literally be holding the weapons to do so, something I wish Inquisition had remembered) and the occasional armor made of dragon bits.
There are occasional puzzles of logic. Sometimes there are extra dialogue options because of character abilities, which is always nice. Also nice is with either of these offers a different path to achieve a quest.
Style: The graphics and environments of Origins are occasionally grand, but I also sometimes get tired of seeing elements reused. Especially similar are the armor and clothes. It's hard to get excited about a new, special suit of armor, no matter how powerful, if it looks exactly like the last two.
Rich colors are generally in short supply. This is sometimes explained by the lighting, as it is often sunset or underground. This gives a nice atmosphere of doom to the game (I might fanwank the whole thing as a side-effect of the Warden's taint, actually), but it does made things a little more brown and a little less vivid.
I really like the menus, sensibly organized into subsystems. I especially like how when shopping you can use a drop-down menu to check an item against whatever any party member is currently holding or wearing. Helmets and other ridiculous hats are unfortunately always seen except in cutscenes, but at least you can turn them off there (how often I wished for that option in Mass Effect 2!)
Story: While the overall story of defeating an army of evil monsters is nothing special, Dragon Age Origins really shines in the details. Well-named, it offers an introduction to a rich world full of fascinating characters. With six options for character origins, all with different possibilities for relating to the story to come, Origin excellently sets the stage for the following emotional choices and sometimes-tough decisions easily based in character.
Origins is a tale of duty, but how your character chooses to react and deal with their duty to defeat the darkspawn is up to you. Many choices are up to you, but with the fallout of others' poor decisions all around you, making them may not be easy.
Conclusion: Dragon Age: Origins is still one of my favorite games. While I could wish it was a bit brighter visually or the combat a bit shorter or more exciting, it succeeds in the areas I care about most. It offers a rich story with many opportunities for character choices in a fascinating setting.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Five Best Endgames
A good game ending may be hard to find--but equally hard to find is a good endgame. The preceding sentence to an ending's punctuation, too often an endgame is a joyless slog of mindless, difficult combat, or simply deficient in wrapping the game up for the coming finish.
But this post is for the good ones. These endgames are fun, exciting, and, one way or another, draw everything to a perfect close.
But this post is for the good ones. These endgames are fun, exciting, and, one way or another, draw everything to a perfect close.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Five Best Game Endings
Well, I've discussed worst endings. Far more difficult, of course, are good endings. What makes a good ending? Well, the game's plot must be concluded satisfactorily--no cliffhangers that leave half of the game unexplained, no abrupt twists of tone, no petering out of the story. Often, the chance to see how I affected the game world for better or worse with various actions throughout the game is a plus.
As before, this is a list of the best endings of games I have personally finished, and it is the endings themselves I am rating, not the endgames (that will be another list. Someday.)
As before, this is a list of the best endings of games I have personally finished, and it is the endings themselves I am rating, not the endgames (that will be another list. Someday.)
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
"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.
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.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
"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.
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.
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