Category: Computer

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Batman Works On His Relationships In Enemy Within Episode 3!

While what happens in Batman: The Enemy Within, Episode Three, The Fractured Mask, depends on what you did in the previous episodes, and in this episode’s case the last game, no matter what, Bruce Wayne will be dealing with his relationships.  Which is something new for Bat-fans.  Especially in the dynamic that Telltale has setup for us.

Bruce will somehow have to try and keep Batman’s friendship with Jim Gordon on the up while being forced (maybe not) to work for Amada Waller’s Agency.  All while his favorite thief Catwoman arrives back on the scene, and trying to help (or not) John Doe (Proto-Joker) with his relationship with Harley.  In other words it is an almost impossible task, and how all those relationships fit together depends on how you have been playing the game.

This is the first episode where my failures as Bruce/Batman have really come back to bite me, and it was fantastic.  Doing everything I can to keep everything working to the good, and watching myself fail to do so.  Things just keep crumbling around me.  Not to mention with all my previous knowledge about Batman, wondering if I can save poor John Doe from his fate.  I am guessing not, and I hope Harley’s fate has nothing to do with his pre-destined fall.  Because I love her as an independent, and quite scary, criminal mastermind.

While I will say I do miss the old style adventure games of the past, Telltale really knows how to weave a good story together, and this Batman tale has been one of their finest.  If you haven’t played either of their Batman games yet, you really need to because Batman: The Enemy Within has been fascinating.  I keep looking at my Steam queue hoping to see Batman update, and then I play it right away when it does, and so should you!

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What’s Up With Loot Crates?

By now I am sure you have heard Star Wars Battlefront II had to remove the ability to buy in game currency with real money because that was how you bought Loot Crates, and in Battlefront II Loot Crates are how you make your characters better.  In other words it may not have been pay to win, but it was definitely pay to get better, and worse it was pay to get randomly better.

In every other game so far Loot Crates have been random rewards, like new character and weapon skins, or in Forza 7’s case random cars, but never the way to progress in a game, and I personally always liked them.  I like opening them up to see what I can see, and for the most part I was always fine unlocking them through my in game play.  It didn’t bother me that other people were buying them with real money because it mostly just meant that they had cooler looking stuff, but we were still on a level playing field.  Battlefront II changed all that, and fans rightfully came down on that game.

Like I said I am all for Loot Crates.  I can’t wait to see what I get once I earn one, but game makers just need to make sure they are not taking things too far, and Star Wars Battlefront II definitely went too far.  I hope other developers learn from their mistake.

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Shmee Takes The Turing Test!

Apparently I went broke buying my Xbox One X because all I have been playing lately are indie Games with Gold games.  Thankfully they have all been pretty good so far.  Including the game I am reviewing today, The Turing Test.  It is a first person puzzle game by Bulkhead Interactive which is made up of the studios behind the first person puzzle game Pneuma: Breath of Life.  I am sensing a pattern with their work.  Though their next game is a WWII multiplayer shooter called Battalion 1944, so I guess they are trying to branch out.

In The Turing Test you play as Ava Turing who has been woken up out of cryosleep to help the ground team on Jupiter’s moon Europa.  They apparently have gotten in to trouble, and they have locked the mission’s AI, TOM, out of the base, so to get in you have to solve a bunch of puzzles to prove that you are a human, AKA a Turing Test.

The puzzles start out pretty easy, but as they add more gameplay mechanics, the puzzles get more complicated and challenging, though never overly hard.  The ending puzzles seem to strike the right balance of making your brain work, but never making you so frustrated that you throw your controller at your TV.  At least for me, but I am definitely not a Mensa member, so your puzzling abilities may vary.

The Turing Test is much better than Pneuma: Breath of Life, so the folks at Bulkhead have been working hard to hone their craft, and I am interested to see if their games continue this upward trend.  I hope so because if they are releasing a WWII shooter in to a market that just got a new WWII Call of Duty game it had better be really good.  Anyway, The Turing Test is still free on Games with Gold, and it is well worth picking up.  Even if you miss out on getting it for free, it is a challenge worth paying for.

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Shmee Has Gone Home!

Much like Oxenfree, I had heard that Gone Home was a good game, but I guess I was just waiting for Microsoft to give me a copy as part of the Games with Gold program.  It turns out that I probably shouldn’t have waited so long.  It is a fantastic tale, and it only takes a couple of hours to play.

In Gone Home you play as Katie who has just come home to Portland from a European tour.  You would expect your parents and sister to be home to welcome you, but they are nowhere to be found, so you have to rummage through the creepy house they moved in to while you were away trying to find clues as to their whereabouts.

When Gone Home came out on PC four years ago it was one of the premiere ‘Walking Simulators’.  In fact it was Polygon’s game of the year.  It only came out on console last year after an engine upgrade so that it would play better with controllers, and it holds up very well.  The game is super atmospheric, and early part of the game is very creepy.  It will have you digging through every drawer and hidey-hole trying to find out what happened.  As with all Walking Sims they live and die by their story, and the story in Game Home is fantastic.  I obviously will not spoil it, but trust me it is worth experiencing.

I shouldn’t have waited four years to play this game, but I did, and it is still worth playing.  It should be pretty cheap at this point, so there should be no financial reason not play it, so do yourself a favor and crank the volume or put on some headphones and play Gone Home.  You will be glad you did.  I know I was.

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Conan Feels The Same Way About Assassin’s Creed We All Do At This Point!

While Assassin’s Creed did take a year off to find itself, it is still hard to get excited about yet another entry in to the series.  Origins is the 10th game in the main series.  That is right 10th, and the first one came out only 10 years ago.  Its mythology is so convoluted that no one can or should try to follow it.  Which is why it makes sense for Conan to spend much more time focusing on Aaron Rodgers’ injury than playing this game.  I bet he and everyone else wished they were playing Wolfenstein 2 instead!