The Last of Us
November 24, 2013 at 8:54 pm | Posted in Gaming | 1 CommentTags: brief, catch up, The Last of Us, video game
The Last of Us was another stellar game. Testing the limits of friendship, trust and what it means to survive.
While the ending was as dramatic as it was confusing the journey to get there was emotionally tense and engaging. Our protagonists had character and believable story arcs.
Gameplay wise as in any limited supply game I held off using my full arsenal in case more (or stronger) enemies were around the next corner which I think hampered full enjoyment.
It also took a while to realise that the developers kept the attacks to a minimum, presumably to improve the sense of anxiety over when the next assault would come and to heighten the sense of solitude that the characters faced.
Overall another game to play!
Catching up, catching up…
Uncharted
November 24, 2013 at 8:30 pm | Posted in Gaming | 1 CommentTags: brief, catch up, Uncharted, video game
Played all of the Uncharted PS games. People had recommended starting at #2 but I opted to go through them chronologically. Yes the first is the weakest and two probably was the strongest and three is also very enjoyable.
The seamless transitions between chapters means limited breaks in the action (so putting the controller down and going off to have a life is a challenge) mean that things continue apace.
Having said that, it does mean that the action is limited in scope. So how big is the island you’re walking around? By the third game they did manage a few more environments which helped quite a bit.
I also appreciate that Nathan and Elena have a relationship and it’s not just a different girl for every game. A refreshing change.
Overall very fun game! Looking forward to #4.
Catching up continues…
Tomb Raider
November 24, 2013 at 8:19 pm | Posted in Gaming | 1 CommentTags: brief, catch up, Tomb Raider, video game
Finished playing Tomb Raider recently. I enjoyed it! Nothing like jumping around and fending off the bad guys. Yes some of the puzzles and quick time events were frustrating but that didn’t detract from the overall performance. I’ve never played any of the other games in the series so I can’t compare to that experience but this was definitely a fun action puzzler.
There were probably other gripes but in a short and dirty comment like this they don’t spring to mind so are likely not that detrimental.
Catching up continues apace.
Final Fantasy 8
November 24, 2013 at 8:07 pm | Posted in Gaming | 1 CommentTags: brief, catch up, FFVIII, Final Fantasy VIII, video game
Years after its release and when I gave up on Final Fantasy VIII I finally finished it (after buying it on the PS Store).
Was it worth the wait?
Well if I hadn’t played it previously the blocky animation style (on a large modern TV) would have made it a tough sell. Although the full motion videos still look quite good.
The resolution of the story was good. I’m glad I played through. If you’re a fan of time intensive RPGs then you’ll like it (though you’ve probably played it already!).
Catching up continues….
Bioshock Infinite
November 24, 2013 at 8:02 pm | Posted in Gaming | 1 CommentTags: Bioshock Infinite, brief, catch up, video game
Bioshock Infinite is in the same continuum of the other Bioshock games but was lacking something. Think one of those was user based and the other was due to the initial story. The main plot was fine if a little telegraphed but not reaching the heights of the first (I probably was keeping an eye out for those sorts of things since the original game).
So user error first. In earlier games when changing powers you had to access set points to do so, in Infinite you could do this any time via a menu. I’m sure this must have been explained I just missed it so spent most of the game only using the most recently acquired powers. Once I finally realised I powered through the levels much easier (too easily?).
Gameplay/story wise in the earlier games you start the action pretty quickly having been thrown into the worlds. In Infinite you spend a substantial amount of time immersing yourself in the world. I understand that it’s to show you the utopia before it collapses and that this gives the story weight. I just wasn’t expecting it.
Overall I didn’t mind it. Not rushing back though (although never played any of the games twice).
Catching up continues!
Far Cry 3 and Blood Dragon
November 24, 2013 at 7:46 pm | Posted in Gaming | 1 CommentTags: blood dragon, brief, catch up, far cry 3, video game
Far Cry 3 is a fun open world adventure. There are weaknesses particularly in the narrative but not enough to significantly detract. Gameplay wise it’s enjoyable tooling around in vehicles, completing missions and dodging tigers. If that sounds engaging then give it a go.
Blood Dragon is a DLC but it’s also stand alone content (ie you don’t need the original game). It’s a beautiful throw back to over the top 80s action movies. It’s completely ridiculous but it’s done very well.
Catch up posts continue!
Assassins Creed
November 24, 2013 at 7:31 pm | Posted in Gaming | 1 CommentTags: Assassins Creed, brief, catch up, video game
Played the first three plus the incidental games of Assassins Creed in fairly short order, well as quickly as you can when you get OCD about being completionist.
By the final games though I was much more interested in the “real world” plot than the historical story. Although jumping around and the missions could be quite fun and I didn’t mind Connor and building up my homestead.
I’m undecided if I’ll play Black Flag. If I do I’d have to restrict myself to only doing the minimum.
Yep that’s the comment/review. It’s short to help clear the backlog!
Mass Effect
November 24, 2013 at 7:14 pm | Posted in Gaming | 1 CommentTags: brief, catch up, mass effect, video game
What more could be said about Mass Effect that hasn’t already been discussed? Especially now that the trilogy has been out for over a year now.
In short it’s ace!
Even Paragon Lost the anime movie, which had several inconsistencies that are better to not think about help add to the universe.
The finale Citadel DLC is an essential purchase for anyone who’s a fan of the series.
Multiplayer, which I presume is ongoing, is very fun although the randomness of the drops was highly irritating.
* Apologies for briefness – catch up post #53111 of 99999
Flickr Photos
Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.
Active Procrastination 