Category: Games

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My First Impressions Of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt!

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There must be something about the third game in an RPG series.  With the Elder Scrolls there was Morrowind, and with Dragon Age there was Inquisition, but it seems like it takes that third game to get the mix right.  The same seems to be true for The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.  Sure The Witcher had great storytelling and a sprawling environment, and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings had great action and good graphics, but the third one blended everything together amazingly well.  So far anyway.

This is a game that is going to take me a long time to finish, so like Dragon Age: Inquisition I am going to give you my impressions, and my impressions are that you should play this game.  I was intrigued by this game when I saw Geralt of Rivia on his trusty steed in a wide open plain, and then he got off his horse and decapitated some monsters.  Great stuff, but I was sold on it when I read a review that said it was the fantasy version of Rockstar’s classic western game Red Dead Redemption.  I hit the buy button faster than my mind could process that statement.

That review was right.  You ride from town to town solving problems, killing monsters, kissing maidens, and then when you are done you ride off in to the sunset.  It is great.  I love getting lost in this game.  I also like that they took a page out of Dragon Age’s book and have more than one environment.  There are a few giant maps to explore, and new wonders around every bend in the trail.  I love it.  This is the game I always wanted The Witcher to be.

There are some problems.  I am playing on the Xbox One, so the frame rate dips from time to time, and there is so much to do it can be overwhelming.  Not to mention the difficulty spikes at times, so you are left wondering how the quest that was three levels higher than you was a piece of cake while the quest a level lower than you kicked your butt, and the story is so complex I am not going to bother telling you about it, but those are minor compared to all the positives.  Just make sure you have lots of liquor to replace all your potions and you will be fine.  Seriously buy all the booze, you will need it.

I think this is one of the best games of all time.  It is not the personal hero building of most modern Western RPGs, but it has a great story with good action, and some of the best exploration ever.  If those things sound at all good to you should give this game a shot.  Provided that you are over eighteen that is.  It is a mature experience all around, but one that shouldn’t be missed.

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Exploring The Broken Age! (Part 2 Update)

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I am not going to go over the first part of the Broken Age, but you can read my thoughts here.

I loved Broken Age part one by Tim Schafer and Double Fine games, and for the most part I love part 2, but it lacks a little something from the first half.  That little something is discovery.  There are only a couple of new areas in the second half of Broken Age, and they come towards the end of the game.  Discovering the beautiful areas Tim and his team thought up were a lot of what I enjoyed in the first part, so going back over the same areas wasn’t exciting.  This may have been less disappointing had I waited to play the whole game once it was finished instead of playing the first half so long ago.

That doesn’t mean I think the game is a bad.  Far from it.  People wanting challenging puzzles should be happy, they upped the puzzle count a lot, and none of them are as obvious as the puzzles in the first half, so you really have to think things through and go back over all the areas to find what you missed.  I know this made a lot of people angry, but it is an adventure game so what were they expecting?

Also the wonderful characters are still here, and it is great to see Vela and Shay try and save the people they love while continuing their coming of age tale.  Story telling really is the strength of adventure games, and Tim Schafer doesn’t waste this opportunity.  The story feels a little rushed at the end, but everything leading up to the conclusion is wonderful.

Games like Broken Age are why I love Double Fine studios so much.  They create games from the heart that tell great stories that charm and delight.  You may never get your action game fix from them, but you will get something unique and thought provoking, so I think you should give Broken Age a shot.  It is going to be out on pretty much every major platform (except Xbox), so there is no reason not to give it a try.  Well unless you hate adventure games.

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Well The Most Nervous Time Of Year Is Over!!

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There is one time of year I am always running on high alert.  I have my phone strapped to me at all times, and that time of year is PAX Prime ticket season.  Oh man.  The tickets sell out so fast, and it is a tradition that I go.  Even in the down years it is something to see.  Well yesterday the notification came out, and my friends and I where on the ball, so sometime in September look for our hands-on wrap up PAX Prime 2015.  They say they are making several changes this year.  We will see if they are for the better or not.  If you were able to get your tickets in the fiftyish minutes they were available maybe I will see you there!  If not, watch this trailer for Netflix’s new show made by the Wachowskis.  It might make you feel better.

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The Last Batman: Arkham Knight Trailer Proves June Is Too Far Away!

I know this is my second video game trailer this week, but Batman: Arkham Knight looks amazing, and it is only a couple of short months away!  Plus it is National Superhero Day, so why not!

The ability to use Batman’s sidekicks with him in combat looks like a new fun twist on the combat, and with the Batmobile, I am wondering how much bigger the city is going to be.  I am just glad they are releasing this during the summer.  If it is successful maybe more games will launch outside the “Christmas” window.

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Total War: Warhammer??? Oh Heck Yeah!

Creative Assembly and Sega are finally making the Total War game I can’t wait to play (tenth time is the charm I guess)!  Warhammer and Warhammer 40K made by Games Workshop have had tons of video games based off of them.  Heck there wouldn’t be a Warcraft without Games Workshop’s influential miniatures games, but Total War is going to bring the massive battles that we have always wanted to see from the digital version of this franchise.  If they make a Total War: Warhammer 40,000 they can have all of my money!  It is a shame this is a cinematic trailer, I can’t wait to see all those odd fantasy armies face off!

My biggest wish for this game is that they let you customize your armies.  If I can’t have pink orcs with bright orange armor I am not going to be happy.  The Paladin would like it if the rules for the game changed every 6-12 months, and that it would be impossible to beat unless you bought the DLC.  That would be the truest version of the game.