Video Game Comments
I've not delved too deeply into any game since finishing Dust. In fact, I've started up a round of Minecraft as "background game" recently. I'd sort of like something new to sink my teeth into, but such seems not to be for the moment. My Skyrim play has again tapered off after completing the Dawnguard plot, but before really finishing anything else.
I actually got in a heroic scenario in WoW over the weekend, and that was not bad. Reasonably challenging without being overwhelming (for 2 DPS and 1 tank), it wasn't a bad way to spent about half an hour. And I got a ring upgrade out of it, which I take to be luck. It does still require the coordination of a 3-man group, and I worry a little about longevity, but it feels like a decent addition at this point. Unfortunately, my previous assessment still pretty much stands - any major goals I might have (like, say, the legendary quest line) are still gated behind things I don't have the time/patience for (ie. LFR raiding).
In GW2, I reversed course when I saw a guide to the Southsun achievements and spent a couple hours finishing out the meta achievement for that little chapter upon realizing having to complete 25 sub achievements could be done without getting into the more painful ones. The flower and tentacle-shell back pieces don't quite suit my character style (and the healing stats aren't that appealing), but it is sort of nice to have them.
I also did the solo version of the new instance, which is really just a one-boss, mechanic-heavy instance. There's not much room for error there, which makes for a lot of frustration and half a dozen wipes. Aiee.
The Last of Us is getting a lot of attention lately. It looks like the "blockbuster" of the near future, I suppose, but even if it's well-executed, I'm not that interested in a heavy post-apocalyptic tale.
On the other hand, Remember Me is getting seriously mixed reviews. When I saw previews, I was interested, thinking "okay, it looks like an action-adventure game with thematic shades of Ghost in the Shell and similar cyberpunk stuff." When even the negative reviews talk about lengthy exposition that makes ideas sound more deep and meaningful than they really are... well, I'm inclined to believe my assessment was spot-on. It appeals to me as "hard" scifi, in that it takes a technological development and runs with it to consider implications on humanity.
But... just about all the reviews I've seen are critical of the gameplay. That's a bit rough in a game. Also, there are complaints about the world looking so lush, but actually being very non-interactive, while the progression path is very linear. I find myself wondering if it's actually worse in that regard than other adventure games like the Uncharted series - which was pretty linear (and cinematic) when you get down to it. So maybe it's not that bad. Or maybe it is. Hard to say, but I'm inclined to wait until the game is on sale at this point. If I don't play it at all, I'll have to watch a video play-through, at least, but I hope that it's worth actually playing at least.
Otherwise, I'm not sure what to look forward to at this point. Shadowrun Returns perhaps?
I actually got in a heroic scenario in WoW over the weekend, and that was not bad. Reasonably challenging without being overwhelming (for 2 DPS and 1 tank), it wasn't a bad way to spent about half an hour. And I got a ring upgrade out of it, which I take to be luck. It does still require the coordination of a 3-man group, and I worry a little about longevity, but it feels like a decent addition at this point. Unfortunately, my previous assessment still pretty much stands - any major goals I might have (like, say, the legendary quest line) are still gated behind things I don't have the time/patience for (ie. LFR raiding).
In GW2, I reversed course when I saw a guide to the Southsun achievements and spent a couple hours finishing out the meta achievement for that little chapter upon realizing having to complete 25 sub achievements could be done without getting into the more painful ones. The flower and tentacle-shell back pieces don't quite suit my character style (and the healing stats aren't that appealing), but it is sort of nice to have them.
I also did the solo version of the new instance, which is really just a one-boss, mechanic-heavy instance. There's not much room for error there, which makes for a lot of frustration and half a dozen wipes. Aiee.
The Last of Us is getting a lot of attention lately. It looks like the "blockbuster" of the near future, I suppose, but even if it's well-executed, I'm not that interested in a heavy post-apocalyptic tale.
On the other hand, Remember Me is getting seriously mixed reviews. When I saw previews, I was interested, thinking "okay, it looks like an action-adventure game with thematic shades of Ghost in the Shell and similar cyberpunk stuff." When even the negative reviews talk about lengthy exposition that makes ideas sound more deep and meaningful than they really are... well, I'm inclined to believe my assessment was spot-on. It appeals to me as "hard" scifi, in that it takes a technological development and runs with it to consider implications on humanity.
But... just about all the reviews I've seen are critical of the gameplay. That's a bit rough in a game. Also, there are complaints about the world looking so lush, but actually being very non-interactive, while the progression path is very linear. I find myself wondering if it's actually worse in that regard than other adventure games like the Uncharted series - which was pretty linear (and cinematic) when you get down to it. So maybe it's not that bad. Or maybe it is. Hard to say, but I'm inclined to wait until the game is on sale at this point. If I don't play it at all, I'll have to watch a video play-through, at least, but I hope that it's worth actually playing at least.
Otherwise, I'm not sure what to look forward to at this point. Shadowrun Returns perhaps?
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