With Father’s Day around the corner (and E3 wrapping up too) it’s a good time to get a little gaming out of the way. Maybe be ready to do some fishing with your old man, or video game fishing if I can manage to get away with that. Actually fishing is better really, but I’m sort of encouraged to say that. Don’t get me started about good ol Sega Bass Fishing.
Sean Willis – Lego Worlds (PC), New Doom (PC, Demo), Strider (PC 2014)
I’ve been digging up some Strider clone games like the original creator’s spiritual successor Osman which was a bit weird but pretty good really. This lead me to the newer metroidvania Strider game released in 2014 that I had sitting in my Steam library for awhile. Though it didn’t quite give me the classic run and slash vibe of the originals or even the Playstation sequel which I need to find again, it was pretty good. I don’t think Strider 2014’s metroidvania approach works quite well though I think I was mostly bothered by the large enemy health bars and the slow bosses that make you sit and wait before you can attack. In a game series where you could slash everything into bits in a matter of seconds if you were good, so this felt like a bit of a break in pacing that took some fun away from me. Oh well, I might still finish it just to see where the story goes.
With E3 came a few things, one namely was the announcement of a demo for the New Doom. Sure I could borrow a friend’s copy but I wanted to see if my current budget rig could handle the game at all. Long story short, barely, just barely. Pretty playable too with all the graphics turned off but that kind of ruins the fun of things. Always Brutal Doom (Doom2 mod) and Doom 3 (with mods) I guess. Time to save up for those PC upgrades it seems. (and a VR mask derp)
Another E3 debut was an update to Lego Worlds this week. The only Travellers Tales Lego game where everything is made of Legos instead of say 3D model terrain and buildings in most of those movie tie in games. The game is fun to just jump in, explore about and build things even if it’s mostly unfinished and a bit aimless so far. The recent update gave us a quick first person view for exploring tight spaces, vehicles that turn the way you’d expect instead of auto move to the direction you push and some other little bits and pieces, I think there’s a grappling hook in there now. It’s still a work in progress and the community might be a tad restless but I think the game has some serious potential. For now I think I might try building a race track until vehicle building finally becomes a thing, if it does. Anyone miss Lego Studio back in the day?
Terry Randolph – Overwatch (PS4), Just Cause 3 (Xbox One)
Starting next week, I know my gaming life is going to go down the toilet thanks to landing a starring role in a Sacramento Playwright’s production! I’m going to be so focused on that…I definitely want to find a game that allows me to not have to focus as much without looking for the Official Overwatch coaching website or anything like that. That said, I think Overwatch and Just Cause 3 are going to be a good blend for me to do so after having finished two very strong, story-driven games by Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Life is Strange.
Otherwise, it’s going to be very little from here on out. Once I get my computer back to fully functioning, I’m hoping next week I can start picking up Undertale again to finish it off!
Jake Rushing – Street Fighter X Mega Man (PC), Phoenix Wright Trilogy: Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney (3DS), Tiny Bang Story (PC), Fist of Awesome (PC), Whispering Willows (PC) –
Ok, this week for sure that I’ll wrap up Street Fighter X Mega Man and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney off Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trilogy. Last week has been slow due to some commitments that I’ve made last week.
After I’m done with the last two games, I’m going to try out Tiny Bang Story. It looks like an interesting game, which is why I wanted to try it out. It also looks like it would be an interesting narrative to unfold for myself.
Afterwards, I’ll be playing a very short game called Fist of Awesome. Fighting bears? Sign me up!! It’ll be a fun change of pace!
Finally, I’ll start on Whispering Willows, a game that I have meant to pick up for a long time, but never got around to it. I have been following the game for a long while. It’s interesting with the blend of mechanics of projecting your spirit to help solve puzzles is an interesting concept.
Benjamin Fitzgerald – Mass Effect (XBOX 360)
This isn’t the first time (or even the second time) I’ve entrenched myself with the original Mass Effect. I have played through every game, often multiple times. What I’ve never been able to do, however, is play through the trilogy from start to finish to see how the characters, both principle and secondary, respond and evolve through my actions.
That said, what I really miss in this game that was done in the second two in the series were the quick-time Paragon and Renegade actions. I also appreciated the more cinegraphic sequences in the latter games. On the other hand, the first Mass Effect feels like it did a better job of capturing the feeling of exploring worlds.
Either way, I’ve slammed over 32 hours into Mass Effect in the last week. Good grief, I need a break!