Publisher: Bioware/EA
Genre: RPG
Summary: A thief joins Shepherd's crew and requests help in a heist.
Gameplay: As a party member, Kasumi isn't a heavy hitter, but Overload is always useful. Her sneak attack ability seems like it would be more useful when under main character control. She also comments on game events and locations as much as other party characters.
Kasumi's loyalty mission involves exploring a fancy party while trying to hack into a secure vault, and there are several paths to do so. It's a nice combination of dialogue, hacking, combat, and (new to the series) following power lines.
There's also plenty of combat, including another gunship battle. Depending on Sheperd's build and the mission timing, the combat during the loyalty mission can be difficult. The reward is an excellent new submachine gun and a new fancy outfit for Shepherd.
Style: The fancy mansion of the loyalty mission is a nice change of pace.
Story: The heist is a lot of fun. Shepherd gets to infiltrate a fancy party, then fight their way out through a weapons factory. There are moments of humor throughout, and the titular "stolen memory" you recover (and choice regarding it) is actually very poignant.
Conclusion: Kasumi is fun character. Although not necessary for the plot of Mass Effect 2, her mission is enjoyable in its own right.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Friday, June 16, 2017
"The Lady's Choice" Review
Publisher: Seriphinite Games
Website: https://seraphinite.itch.io/the-ladys-choice
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: You must navigate polite society and possible suitors in Regency Bath.
Gameplay: There are several main romantic options, with several possible endings with your chosen romance depending upon your decisions.
Style: The backgrounds and costumes portray Regency Bath well, and the characters are memorably designed. The lighting is notable and there are several well-used cut-away scenes. I appreciate the shirtless men.
Story: Typical tropes of Regency romance abound, so if you enjoy the setting and typical plots, you'll probably enjoy this.
Conclusion: "The Lady's Choice" is a fun game of a good length offering several nice romances in a distinct setting.
Website: https://seraphinite.itch.io/the-ladys-choice
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: You must navigate polite society and possible suitors in Regency Bath.
Gameplay: There are several main romantic options, with several possible endings with your chosen romance depending upon your decisions.
Style: The backgrounds and costumes portray Regency Bath well, and the characters are memorably designed. The lighting is notable and there are several well-used cut-away scenes. I appreciate the shirtless men.
Story: Typical tropes of Regency romance abound, so if you enjoy the setting and typical plots, you'll probably enjoy this.
Conclusion: "The Lady's Choice" is a fun game of a good length offering several nice romances in a distinct setting.
Friday, June 9, 2017
"Mass Effect Bring Down the Sky" DLC Review
Publisher: Bioware
Genre: RPG
Summary: Commander Shepherd must stop alien terrorists from crashing an asteroid into a human colony.
Gameplay: Combat is like the rest of the game, with lots of turrets to take out and combat in bunkers. There is one dissimilar section involving avoiding land mines.
Style: The bunkers are pretty much the same as every other bunker in the game, with only the final base being different. The landscape of an asteroid heading towards a planet is beautiful, although not more so than some of other gorgeous planets in the game.
Story: The plot is pretty straightforward, but there is a nice choice at the end (which does get some excellent follow-up in Mass Effect 3.)
Conclusion: Although not outstanding, this is a fun adventure for Shepherd that adds to the Mass Effect galaxy.
Genre: RPG
Summary: Commander Shepherd must stop alien terrorists from crashing an asteroid into a human colony.
Gameplay: Combat is like the rest of the game, with lots of turrets to take out and combat in bunkers. There is one dissimilar section involving avoiding land mines.
Style: The bunkers are pretty much the same as every other bunker in the game, with only the final base being different. The landscape of an asteroid heading towards a planet is beautiful, although not more so than some of other gorgeous planets in the game.
Story: The plot is pretty straightforward, but there is a nice choice at the end (which does get some excellent follow-up in Mass Effect 3.)
Conclusion: Although not outstanding, this is a fun adventure for Shepherd that adds to the Mass Effect galaxy.
Saturday, May 27, 2017
"Mass Effect 2 Zaeed: The Price of Revenge" DLC Review
Publisher: Bioware/EA
Genre: RPG
Summary: A veteran mercenary joins Shepherd's crew.
Gameplay: Zaeed proves a useful squad member, using assault rifles, sniper rifles, disruptor ammo, and, after his mission, the extremely useful inferno grenade. His mission also yields a new heavy weapon, a flamethrower. It's not spectacular, but not the worst of the heavy weapons, either.
Style: The graphics don't differ from the rest of Mass Effect 2. Zaeed's loyalty mission, on a jungle planet in a flaming factory, oozes humidity and heat.
Story: Zaeed is a gruff old merc, and will have comments about places and missions about as often as the rest of the squad. You can't talk to him on the ship, although he does have some comments about various things in his cabin. His mission is nothing special, but it does have a strong choice to be made. I wish there was more follow-up on it later.
Conclusion: While not standout, Zaeed's story of revenge isn't bad, either. And gameplay-wise I've found him a very useful member of Shepherd's crew.
Genre: RPG
Summary: A veteran mercenary joins Shepherd's crew.
Gameplay: Zaeed proves a useful squad member, using assault rifles, sniper rifles, disruptor ammo, and, after his mission, the extremely useful inferno grenade. His mission also yields a new heavy weapon, a flamethrower. It's not spectacular, but not the worst of the heavy weapons, either.
Style: The graphics don't differ from the rest of Mass Effect 2. Zaeed's loyalty mission, on a jungle planet in a flaming factory, oozes humidity and heat.
Story: Zaeed is a gruff old merc, and will have comments about places and missions about as often as the rest of the squad. You can't talk to him on the ship, although he does have some comments about various things in his cabin. His mission is nothing special, but it does have a strong choice to be made. I wish there was more follow-up on it later.
Conclusion: While not standout, Zaeed's story of revenge isn't bad, either. And gameplay-wise I've found him a very useful member of Shepherd's crew.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
"Mass Effect 2" Review
Genre: RPG
Publisher: EA/Bioware
Summary: Commander Shepherd must build a team capable of taking on the mysterious Collectors and stopping them from abducting human colonists.
Gameplay: Abilities and classes have been streamlined, making each class more unique. Each party member now only has a few abilities, making choosing the proper team for the proper mission more important.
Also vastly streamlined are weapons and armor. Different types of ammo are now abilities instead of mods. There are only a few different types of weapons, and mostly Shepherd simply finds more powerful versions as the game goes on. There are a few instances you might prefer a previous model if it carries more shots or shoots faster.
And that matters now, as guns actually run out of ammo instead of just overheating (the actual in-game description notwithstanding.) I rather liked shooting freely in the first game, but occasionally having to switch weapons when you're out of ammo for one does add an interesting element sometimes.
There are also unique heavy weapons that do a lot of damage but require special ammo. There are a nice variety of these to try out (and decide on an inevitable favorite.)
As for armor, party members have their own outfits. You can switch their colors after completing their loyalty missions, but I miss the variety of armors from the first game. For Shepherd, you can buy piecemeal different parts that add various bonuses, as well as color and tint the armor as desired.
There are also several bonus armors with further stats, but these are all annoying in that you can't see Shepherd's face through their helmet. Given Shepherd spends a great deal of time in the armor, it's really annoying that the game doesn't have a view helmet optional button, especially as the first game did.
Combat is still a lot of fun. The battlefield locations include a lot of long corridors to move through that make for enjoyable environments. The enemies vary between mercenary groups, combat mechs, geth, and various aliens, plus some tougher opponents like a gunship or two.
Starship travel now actually requires fuel. Planets can be scanned for minerals from orbit, which can then be used for equipment or ship upgrades. I don't mind planet scanning, but I find myself getting more obsessive about it than necessary (I suppose that's not the game's fault.)
There are two hacking minigames: one requires you to find several colored bits of code as they scroll by, and the other to connect a series of matching symbols in a sort of memory game. I don't mind the first, but I passionately hate the latter. In it the mouse becomes less responsive. There's no fun in my hand cramping as I try to connect what I know are the two correct signals, but then time runs out because my mouse can't navigate smoothly.
The Paragon and Renegade system works a bit differently in this game as well. There are Renegade and Paragon interrupts, where the player must quickly hit a button to take a special action. While interesting, it feels a bit awkward in that no matter whether Paragon or Renegade, everyone wants to do something when there's a flashing button. Being strongly Paragon or Renegade and using that to convince others is also more difficult this game.
Style: The overall look of the Mass Effect 2 characters and environments is way too plastic-y for me. There is also just way too much orange in general. Still, there are some lovely background vistas. Also, the music is excellent.
Story: I'm not one of those who has a problem with Shepherd working for Cerberus this game, but I do think Shepherd's responses could sometimes be sharper or stronger. The main plot of the missing colonies could use more focus--with only a few missions focusing on it, it's hard to keep their tragic disappearance in mind.
The game's strength is the various recruitment and loyalty missions for the crew. Many of the latter are especially excellent, featuring memorable stories and incidents. There are old and new characters to interact with, and many shine. I do wish characters had a bit more to do and say on each other's missions, but I guess that's the price you pay for so many party members. I also wish you could click on the characters, not on a possibly-missed section of the environment, to hear their thoughts.
Beyond those missions, there are many fun and atmospheric little adventures to be had when exploring other corners of the galaxy. Unfortunately, the game doesn't really give you a good reason to find any of them. Still, just in the bits you do see, the game really expands this universe.
Conclusion: Although in many ways different than its predecessor, and containing its own faults, Mass Effect 2 nevertheless continues the tradition of fun combat and excellent storytelling in an exciting science fiction universe.
Publisher: EA/Bioware
Summary: Commander Shepherd must build a team capable of taking on the mysterious Collectors and stopping them from abducting human colonists.
Gameplay: Abilities and classes have been streamlined, making each class more unique. Each party member now only has a few abilities, making choosing the proper team for the proper mission more important.
Also vastly streamlined are weapons and armor. Different types of ammo are now abilities instead of mods. There are only a few different types of weapons, and mostly Shepherd simply finds more powerful versions as the game goes on. There are a few instances you might prefer a previous model if it carries more shots or shoots faster.
And that matters now, as guns actually run out of ammo instead of just overheating (the actual in-game description notwithstanding.) I rather liked shooting freely in the first game, but occasionally having to switch weapons when you're out of ammo for one does add an interesting element sometimes.
There are also unique heavy weapons that do a lot of damage but require special ammo. There are a nice variety of these to try out (and decide on an inevitable favorite.)
As for armor, party members have their own outfits. You can switch their colors after completing their loyalty missions, but I miss the variety of armors from the first game. For Shepherd, you can buy piecemeal different parts that add various bonuses, as well as color and tint the armor as desired.
There are also several bonus armors with further stats, but these are all annoying in that you can't see Shepherd's face through their helmet. Given Shepherd spends a great deal of time in the armor, it's really annoying that the game doesn't have a view helmet optional button, especially as the first game did.
Combat is still a lot of fun. The battlefield locations include a lot of long corridors to move through that make for enjoyable environments. The enemies vary between mercenary groups, combat mechs, geth, and various aliens, plus some tougher opponents like a gunship or two.
Starship travel now actually requires fuel. Planets can be scanned for minerals from orbit, which can then be used for equipment or ship upgrades. I don't mind planet scanning, but I find myself getting more obsessive about it than necessary (I suppose that's not the game's fault.)
There are two hacking minigames: one requires you to find several colored bits of code as they scroll by, and the other to connect a series of matching symbols in a sort of memory game. I don't mind the first, but I passionately hate the latter. In it the mouse becomes less responsive. There's no fun in my hand cramping as I try to connect what I know are the two correct signals, but then time runs out because my mouse can't navigate smoothly.
The Paragon and Renegade system works a bit differently in this game as well. There are Renegade and Paragon interrupts, where the player must quickly hit a button to take a special action. While interesting, it feels a bit awkward in that no matter whether Paragon or Renegade, everyone wants to do something when there's a flashing button. Being strongly Paragon or Renegade and using that to convince others is also more difficult this game.
Style: The overall look of the Mass Effect 2 characters and environments is way too plastic-y for me. There is also just way too much orange in general. Still, there are some lovely background vistas. Also, the music is excellent.
Story: I'm not one of those who has a problem with Shepherd working for Cerberus this game, but I do think Shepherd's responses could sometimes be sharper or stronger. The main plot of the missing colonies could use more focus--with only a few missions focusing on it, it's hard to keep their tragic disappearance in mind.
The game's strength is the various recruitment and loyalty missions for the crew. Many of the latter are especially excellent, featuring memorable stories and incidents. There are old and new characters to interact with, and many shine. I do wish characters had a bit more to do and say on each other's missions, but I guess that's the price you pay for so many party members. I also wish you could click on the characters, not on a possibly-missed section of the environment, to hear their thoughts.
Beyond those missions, there are many fun and atmospheric little adventures to be had when exploring other corners of the galaxy. Unfortunately, the game doesn't really give you a good reason to find any of them. Still, just in the bits you do see, the game really expands this universe.
Conclusion: Although in many ways different than its predecessor, and containing its own faults, Mass Effect 2 nevertheless continues the tradition of fun combat and excellent storytelling in an exciting science fiction universe.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
"Mass Effect" Review
Genre: RPG
Publisher: Bioware
Summary: As the first human Spectre, the elite agents of the galactic council, Commander Shepherd must hunt down rogue Spectre Saren and his mechanical geth and foil his plans to summon an ancient threat.
Gameplay: Combat is great fun and quick-moving. I'm a bit miffed I have to hold down the pause button, and waiting for weapon and ability cooldowns can be annoying, but the mix of technical, biotic, and combat abilities makes for fun and interesting battles.
There are a wide variety of guns, armor, grenades, and ammo as well. The inventory management is somewhat frustrating, especially considering you can only access other party members' inventory from your ship, and you can only level them up when they're with you. I enjoy seeing everyone in different armors, and to some extent even switching out various ammo and mods, but having multiple levels of different weapons, ammo, armor, grenades, omnitools, biotic amps, armor mods, and weapon mods is a bit much.
Extra equipment can be sold or made into omnigel for healing or lockpicking in lieu of a simple Frogger-esque game I don't mind. I don't always succeed at higher levels, but it's never crucial to do so, thanks to the omnigel option.
There are driving sections of the game in your tank, the Mako. I prefer the free-range planet sections over the track sections that make up the main missions. It's more interesting to try to get the Mako up a mountainside to mark a metal deposit than to shoot the same turret in the same location the ten millionth time.
Style: Although somewhat stiff now, Mass Effect's graphics are colorful and detailed enough for me, despite an issue that causes textures to sometimes take a second to pop into place. Cutscenes are dramatic, with spaceship scenes in particular being stand-out.
I love seeing the alien skies of the worlds I explore, despite finding the exact same structures on those worlds (which at least has a good justification in that everyone is using pre-fab buildings.) Rain doesn't get depicted well, but there is blowing snow and dust.
I do wish some of the alien ruins visited looked more alien. For the most they look far too much like your usual post-apocalyptic depiction of Earth thirty years after the bomb.
Story: Mass Effect has an entire setting to introduce, and it does a pretty good job of it. The usual space opera tropes are present (plus general favorites like zombies), but with enough of a twist to seem like its own thing.
The overall plot organization is, as not unusual for Bioware, several main plot hubs that can be visited in any order, with sidequests scattered about elsewhere. The game does a good job making it so you can truly visit them in any order.
The characters are good, although some have more awkward dialogue than others, and some will be developed more in later games. And certain sequences are always epic no matter how many times I play them, such as a heart-wrenching decision, or the endgame, which is the best I've yet seen.
Conclusion: I feel Mass Effect has somewhat been forgotten in all the discussion of the later games, but it's still a good game with some true strengths. Despite the irritations of the inventory and other minor awkwardness, its overall interesting exploration, fun combat, and strong story make it a great game.
Publisher: Bioware
Summary: As the first human Spectre, the elite agents of the galactic council, Commander Shepherd must hunt down rogue Spectre Saren and his mechanical geth and foil his plans to summon an ancient threat.
Gameplay: Combat is great fun and quick-moving. I'm a bit miffed I have to hold down the pause button, and waiting for weapon and ability cooldowns can be annoying, but the mix of technical, biotic, and combat abilities makes for fun and interesting battles.
There are a wide variety of guns, armor, grenades, and ammo as well. The inventory management is somewhat frustrating, especially considering you can only access other party members' inventory from your ship, and you can only level them up when they're with you. I enjoy seeing everyone in different armors, and to some extent even switching out various ammo and mods, but having multiple levels of different weapons, ammo, armor, grenades, omnitools, biotic amps, armor mods, and weapon mods is a bit much.
Extra equipment can be sold or made into omnigel for healing or lockpicking in lieu of a simple Frogger-esque game I don't mind. I don't always succeed at higher levels, but it's never crucial to do so, thanks to the omnigel option.
There are driving sections of the game in your tank, the Mako. I prefer the free-range planet sections over the track sections that make up the main missions. It's more interesting to try to get the Mako up a mountainside to mark a metal deposit than to shoot the same turret in the same location the ten millionth time.
Style: Although somewhat stiff now, Mass Effect's graphics are colorful and detailed enough for me, despite an issue that causes textures to sometimes take a second to pop into place. Cutscenes are dramatic, with spaceship scenes in particular being stand-out.
I love seeing the alien skies of the worlds I explore, despite finding the exact same structures on those worlds (which at least has a good justification in that everyone is using pre-fab buildings.) Rain doesn't get depicted well, but there is blowing snow and dust.
I do wish some of the alien ruins visited looked more alien. For the most they look far too much like your usual post-apocalyptic depiction of Earth thirty years after the bomb.
Story: Mass Effect has an entire setting to introduce, and it does a pretty good job of it. The usual space opera tropes are present (plus general favorites like zombies), but with enough of a twist to seem like its own thing.
The overall plot organization is, as not unusual for Bioware, several main plot hubs that can be visited in any order, with sidequests scattered about elsewhere. The game does a good job making it so you can truly visit them in any order.
The characters are good, although some have more awkward dialogue than others, and some will be developed more in later games. And certain sequences are always epic no matter how many times I play them, such as a heart-wrenching decision, or the endgame, which is the best I've yet seen.
Conclusion: I feel Mass Effect has somewhat been forgotten in all the discussion of the later games, but it's still a good game with some true strengths. Despite the irritations of the inventory and other minor awkwardness, its overall interesting exploration, fun combat, and strong story make it a great game.
Saturday, April 29, 2017
"Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast" Review
Genre: RPG
Publisher: Black Isle/Bioware
Summary: You have been raised amidst the bookish halls of Candlekeep by your foster father Gorion, but upon leaving he is murdered by a mysterious figure in armor. Can the current iron crisis somehow be connected?
Gameplay: As a Dungeons and Dragons game, gameplay is naturally based on that system (3rd edition.) You start at level one, and there is a real danger that a diseased gibberling might kill you with a sneeze. With experience and knowledge, on the other hand, you can solo the game on the hardest difficulty. Thanks to multiple difficulty levels and character classes, there is enough variety to satisfy many different play styles.
Style: The isometric graphics are nothing spectacular, although some backgrounds are pretty. The portraits for your party members are a nice way of showing character tiny sprites can't. I also quite like the stone bars off bordering the sides and base of the screen which contain the buttons and icons. I've seen lots of games that just have those floating in front of the action (or wherever you'd like to drag them) but there's a neatness to having them all off in their place with the main action in the middle I really appreciate. And the overall style of written scrolls and stonework nicely matches the medieval feel of the Sword Coast.
Story: The story for Baldur's Gate is actually somewhat complex, although easy enough to follow (too easy, in some places. The game throws you multiple signposts when you first get to the city of Baldur's gate. It's okay to just let us explore the new region for a bit!)
There are distinct chapters, each beginning with a dream. These are surprisingly effective and eerie considering they're just narration and a still image. They also change a bit depending on alignment and how some main quests were completed.
The Sword Coast is nicely spacious, with plenty of sidequests and other random encounters to stumble upon and explore. I'm pretty sure, in over a decade of playing this game, that there are still probably a few quests I haven't done (to say nothing of the multitude of mods available that add more.)
Then there are the characters. Bioware's famous quirky party began here, although this early on characterization is somewhat thin. The villains also have some interesting shades.
Conclusion: Despite its age, this is still an excellent roleplaying game, offering many opportunities for adventure and characterization, as well as a rich story. And there are plenty of mods that add to the experience, as well.
Publisher: Black Isle/Bioware
Summary: You have been raised amidst the bookish halls of Candlekeep by your foster father Gorion, but upon leaving he is murdered by a mysterious figure in armor. Can the current iron crisis somehow be connected?
Gameplay: As a Dungeons and Dragons game, gameplay is naturally based on that system (3rd edition.) You start at level one, and there is a real danger that a diseased gibberling might kill you with a sneeze. With experience and knowledge, on the other hand, you can solo the game on the hardest difficulty. Thanks to multiple difficulty levels and character classes, there is enough variety to satisfy many different play styles.
Style: The isometric graphics are nothing spectacular, although some backgrounds are pretty. The portraits for your party members are a nice way of showing character tiny sprites can't. I also quite like the stone bars off bordering the sides and base of the screen which contain the buttons and icons. I've seen lots of games that just have those floating in front of the action (or wherever you'd like to drag them) but there's a neatness to having them all off in their place with the main action in the middle I really appreciate. And the overall style of written scrolls and stonework nicely matches the medieval feel of the Sword Coast.
Story: The story for Baldur's Gate is actually somewhat complex, although easy enough to follow (too easy, in some places. The game throws you multiple signposts when you first get to the city of Baldur's gate. It's okay to just let us explore the new region for a bit!)
There are distinct chapters, each beginning with a dream. These are surprisingly effective and eerie considering they're just narration and a still image. They also change a bit depending on alignment and how some main quests were completed.
The Sword Coast is nicely spacious, with plenty of sidequests and other random encounters to stumble upon and explore. I'm pretty sure, in over a decade of playing this game, that there are still probably a few quests I haven't done (to say nothing of the multitude of mods available that add more.)
Then there are the characters. Bioware's famous quirky party began here, although this early on characterization is somewhat thin. The villains also have some interesting shades.
Conclusion: Despite its age, this is still an excellent roleplaying game, offering many opportunities for adventure and characterization, as well as a rich story. And there are plenty of mods that add to the experience, as well.
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