Just beat BioShock, still processing it all

I’m happy to report that I just beat BioShock, a pristine example of gaming and genre mixing done excruciatingly well. One-word summary: wow. Three-word summary: kinda crazy game. More words summary? Well, that’ll come later because there’s a lot to talk about, both good and meh. And trust me, I understand how late I am to the party, but I’ve brought everyone their very own ADAM-flavored cupcake…so don’t bite my head off.

I unlocked 42 out of 51 Achievements during my playthrough. I did not actively use a guide, but I did skim a list of things to keep in mind as I explored Rapture to potentially unlock all I could. Going in, I immediately knew that I wouldn’t harvest any Little Sisters, supposedly making Jack’s trek that much harder. I guess it was? I did miss some Achievements though, as shown below:

• Weapon Specialist (20G, Acquire all upgrades for all weapons.) — In order to get this, you must upgrade all your weapons, but I did not find all the Power to the People stations to do. Only was able to upgrade three in the end, namely the pistol, the machine gun, and the crossbow. Mmm…love that crossbow and its trap bolts.
• Research PhD (20G, Max out all possible research.) — I missed fully researching the Nitro Splicer to get this. Any time those dudes would show up, my main concern was to shoot first, snap pictures second. Guess that didn’t work out too well.
• Historian (50G, Find every audio diary.) — Hahaha no.
• And two secret Achievements — One I won’t spoil here, but it was my fault because I axed a certain someone prematurely, and the other requires beating the game without using a single Vita-Chamber. Not to repeat myself, but hahaha no.

BioShock is definitely a game I’ll remember, but don’t suspect I’ll replay. The only moral decisions are harvesting or rescuing Little Sisters, which ultimately determine how much ADAM you get and whether a certain character is nice towards you or not. Otherwise, it’s the same beautifully detailed Rapture swarming with splicers, gun turrets, and Big Daddies, which is not a bad thing, just not a different thing.

Full review forthcoming. Would you kindly wait for it?

Happy 10th birthday, Playstation 2!

Sony released the Playstation 2 on March 4, 2000, in Japan. Thank the mighty stars they did. If they hadn’t, the North American release of the Playstation 2 on October 26, 2000, might never have happened. And then my life would be completely different.

See, I’m a part of the NES generation, but the first gaming system I ever sought out and bought on my own was the Playstation 2. I’d gotten its predecessor for Christmas some years back, and the fact that the latest system worked also as a DVD player and still ran PS1 games fine was all I needed to hear to have me shell out some hard-earned buckos. So I did, some time vaguely in 2002 or early 2003, and I picked up two games to keep me busy: Dark Cloud and Red Faction.

Both blew me away. I remember being extremely impressed building the town and dungeon crawling in Dark Cloud, as well as destroying entire walls in Red Faction. The system showed great promise early on, and my subscription to PSM only reminded me more of all the great games soon to come out.

The Playstation 2 was my college (and post-college) console. I supplied the videogaming fun for all my roommates, and too many fond memories strike me now: FIFA tournaments, learning together how to roll then jump in Jak and Daxter, borrowing Final Fantasy X from an upstairs neighbor and declaring it as “meh!” after 15 minutes, Grand Theft Auto III drinking games, and using the console as a comfort buddy during a relationship breakup (many collect-a-thons were completed during this era).

I only jumped into the latest generation of systems last April or so with an Xbox 360. That’s right. I’ve been playing my Playstation 2 (the same one, actually ::knocks on wood::) since I got it. About eight years. Same single memory card, too. There’s no reason not to play it. It’s a haven system, especially for RPG fans like myself, bloated with JRPGs and big-name ones like Final Fantasy XII and Dragon Quest VIII.

With a humongous library, there are still games out for the Playstation 2 I’ve yet to experience. The latest Jak/Ratchet games, God of War II, Ico, and many more. Games are still being released for the system ten years later, which I think says a lot.

It’s a great console all-in-all. Always is, always will be.

March 2010’s interesting game releases

Well, not surprisingly, February 2010 flew by, and here we are in good ol’ March. The snow is melting, it’s raining a lot more in New Jersey, and warmer weather is just around the corner. As are some big, big videogame releases. Here’s the ones that interest me the most this month…

Sonic Classic Collection – March 2 (Nintendo DS)

The recent announcement about Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has caused a rift between fans. Or maybe that should be “fans.” I don’t know. These people really hate the project, despite knowing very little of it, and want to boycott the game the moment it comes out. Umm. To me, it looks like classic Sonic with shinier skin for current gen consoles. Not the worst thing in the world. But enough about that. I’m more curious to see how the original Sonic games in Sonic Classic Collection play on a Nintendo DS. Can the framerate keep up? And one would hope there isn’t too much touchscreen integration.

Final Fantasy XIII – March 9 (360, PS3)

I have some love/hate issues with many Final Fantasy games, and the ones I really enjoy are generally not the ones others felt were the best in the series. I’m talking about Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy XII. One was a throwback to olden days with mages and castles, and the other a mix of MMORPG aesthetics and unburdened freedom. This one, however, looks pretty, but is being touted as extremely linear. ActionButton totally ripped it a new one. Still, my curiousity has been itched, and I’m definitely pleased to see it as a multiplatform release.

Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening – March 16 (PC, PS3, 360)

Having only logged about 12 hours in Dragon Age: Origins at the moment, I’m both happy and nervous about more game content. I mean, the original is huge as is, and it’ll be a long time before I see all there is to see. I guess though, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not the worst thing in the world, going back to Ferelden for more slaughtering, more persuading, more sexy times. I just won’t be rushing out to pick this up until I’ve exhausted what I’ve got now.

God of War III – March 16 (PS3)

I don’t own a Playstation 3, but that can’t keep me away. If anything, God of War III‘s imminent release has only opened Pandora’s Box and reminded me that I’ve still not beaten God of War, stuck on that final battle against Ares. Sigh. He’s a tough god, I’ll give him that. But a bit cheap. I can only side-roll so many times before he takes me down.

…

Not sure if I’ll ultimately make a purchase this month though as I’ve still got a ton of other games to play, many that I only just started. Ahem, Dragon Age: Origins, ahem ahem, Grand Theft Auto IV ahem. We’ll see…

I finally understand the whole “Would you kindly?” thing

I’m making excellent progress in BioShock. In fact, just last night, I played a golfing minigame with Andrew Ryan. Or rather…I watched Jack go over par.

But yeah, “Would you kindly?”

This is a phrase I’ve seen tossed around on forums and Interwebz postings all the time, and thankfully, I never investigated further. I mean, I knew from what little I previously played of BioShock that Atlas said it a few times, and I chalked it up to be a stylistic quirk of his. Little did I know, little did I know. It’s pretty neat that this, these three wee words, is actually pivotal to the plot, to Rapture.

We’re always being told what to do in videogames: collect seven stars, defeat the evil wizard, find a way out, drive Mumbo Jumbo to his apartment, bring someone the head of the youngest cabana boy, and so on. It’s refreshing to finally have a game reference this; not only reference this, but bend it, break it, make it their own twisted weapon to justify the means. Ultimately, we’re going to keep playing BioShock regardless of what Atlas wants, which is exactly what the developers are banking on, us hamming it up in the palms of their hands, completing the circle.

I mean, it’s like Andrew Ryan sorta said, “A man chooses, a gamer obeys.”

Nintendo DS and car rides DO NOT MIX

I helped carry stuff in for a baby shower this weekend, and then the plan was to whisk the guys (husbands, fiances, boyfriends, any homeless that wandered in) away from all things baby for pizza and beer until we were allowed to return. To get to where we were going though would take some driving, so I came prepared with my Nintendo DS in my pocket and Spirit Tracks ready to go. It’s not like I was going to talk to anyone.

However, I quickly found that car rides and a touchscreen-only game do not mix. They are not peanut butter and chocolate; they are peanut butter and Crisco shortening. For one, when riding the train around the world map, hearing the music is vital to staying alive. It lets you know when enemies show up, especially the head-tossing snowmen that sometimes materialize behind your train. As the car bounces around, trying to tap the screen with accuracy for firing your cannon is nigh impossible. You will miss. You will lose trainy hearts. And lastly, I looked out the window for a second, got distracted by the fact that it was snowing again in New Jersey, and crashed headfirst into another train.

Game over, maaaaan. Game over.

It was worth a shot though.

And I didn’t even attempt to play the Spirit Flute this time…

Ka-ching, ka-ching in BioShock

At the urging of Greg Noe, I popped BioShock back into the disc tray. It’s definitely a game that I’ve only ever been able to play in small chunks. Anyways, after dealing with the forests of Arcadia, I made my way to Fort Frollic thanks to Sander Cohen’s teasing and noticed some slot machines off to the side. Vaguely, I remembered there was an Achievement tied to them. Win a certain amount? Hit the jackpot three times? Not bothering to look it up, I gambled away $10 and on the very first pull, I kid thee not, I hit those magical 7s and unlocked the following:

Lucky Winner (10G): The player has hit the jackpot at a slot machine

If only it was that easy to get rich in real life, right?

Top 10 Worst Silent Lead Characters

Silent protagonists, from a design perspective, are a device used to get the player to empathize more with other characters. Draw them in, make them feel like they’re right there with everyone, making decisions and demands. It’s also a rather tiring aspect of many RPGs, especially JRPGs, but they do occasionally pop up in other genres. They can mostly be broken down into the following:

Mutes: They are characters that do no speak at all. No text, no voice acting…nothing. They are mimes in a dark, dark room. They are empty husks you move with the directional pad and never grow to care for.

Reactive: These are characters that often don’t get speaking roles, but exist for other NPCs to bounce ideas off of and/or look to for assurance/disapproval. Sometimes get involved non-verbally.

The Roleplayer: Silent only in voice, this leading character is one that the player builds through dialogue options, morale choices, clothing and weapons, stats, and so on. They “speak” pre-determined lines, but only if you choose so.

Some silent protagonists are better than others. Click the “keep reading” link below to see my take on the Top 10 Worst Silent Lead Characters.

Comparing Dragon Age: Origins with Summoner, Not Completely Crazy

I’m going to do something here that might have folks scratching at their heads, but it has to be done: Dragon Age: Origins and Summoner are pretty similar games. Yes, they’re both third-person RPGs set in traditional epic fantasy worlds, focusing on party-based battles, twisting plotlines, and a constant sense of so much to do. But they also both eerily pace themselves in the same manner.

In 2000’s Summoner, after the introductory prologue to get things started, main character Joseph ends up in Lenele, the City of the Gods. It’s a huge city made up of at least ten areas, and Joseph will spend a good hour or so wandering around, speaking to locals, and picking up a ton of miscellaneous side quests before you can even begin the main one.

In 2009’s Dragon Age: Origins, after the introductory origins story and battle at Ostagar, main character Grey Warden ends up in Lothering, a small village that, while not made up of at least ten areas, offers just as many (or more) side quests before starting the real deal.

At both of these points, I began to feel overwhelmed. The main quest has barely begun, and already I have a honeydew list as long as a broadsword. Suffering from gamer OCD, this is problematic. Anyways, let’s also take a look at plot synopses…

Summoner: Joseph’s goal, achieved through his newly regained powers of summoning, is to defend Medeva from the Orenian invasion and to defeat the evil emperor, Murod, by using rings to summon the ultimate creature.

Dragon Age: Origins: After completing their character’s respective origin story, the player encounters Duncan, leader of an elite group known as the Grey Wardens. Duncan guides the player to their destiny of becoming a Grey Warden, a group who dedicate their lives to the destruction of the Darkspawn, a force of demonic creatures that live underground and have at various points in history swarmed the surface of Thedas in movements known as Blights.

So, one game is about stopping an invasion of evil creatures, and the other game is about…stopping an invasion of evil creatures.

And look, Morrigan’s in both games:

I’m really not trying to harp too much on Dragon Age: Origins. I do like it so far, and it’s definitely going to keep me busy for awhile. Just feels like I’ve played it before, recurring pitfalls and all.

P.S. Woah, I even managed to last this entire post without making the joke that both game’s graphics are interchangeable. Er, whoops. Zing!

DSi XL releasing for $190 on March 28

Nintendo announced today at its Media Summit that the North American release date for its newest (and largest) iteration of the DS, the DSi XL, will be released on March 28 for $189.99. That’s about twenty bucks more than the current DSi. I’m still rocking the DS Lite and feel no immediate tug on my heartstrings to need this version. To me, the point of the DS is that it is small, extremely portable (like front pocket portable).

But don’t worry about what I think. The system will sell fine, it always has. This one is especially locked in for pure gold with the older generation that just can’t squint hard enough at their grandchild’s tiny DS screen. Here, Pop-pop, have a super-sized game system! And don’t forget your meds!

I’m just really scared that developers are eventually going to stop making DS games and only sell DSi XL games, cutting off an entire slice of the market. I wouldn’t think they’d do that, but who knows these days. With portable gaming systems bigger than your head, anything is possible.

Some early impressions for Dragon Age: Origins

Just crossed the ten-hour mark for Dragon Age: Origins. In ten hours, as an elf mage, I’ve done very little. Conversely, I’ve experienced a lot. I’m currently mucking about in Redcliffe, on a quest to storm the town’s castle and find out what is happening with Arl Eamon. It’s definitely turning into a great game, and I know in my heart of hearts that I will love it immensely, but I can’t help and nitpick because some of the issues I’ve noticed should most definitely not be there in a game of this caliber.

Right. Onwards to lists of things…

THINGS I LOVE

• The world. Amazingly detailed even if it is more or less a mesh of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth and George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. And I’ve only unlocked…14%. Love the treatment of elves, as well as the Circle of Magi and their emotionless servants. The Codex can be a bit overwhelming at first, but it’s worth scouring for sure.
• The writing. It’s sort of BioWare’s thing.
• So much to do, so many options. And most of the time you don’t get to pick them all or go back and try another, which makes perfect sense. Some games are just more forgiving than others; not this one; your actions are yours. And even if it didn’t have the different origin stories, Dragon Age: Origins has plenty of replay value. The dialogue options are great and varied, the structure of quests have multiple outcomes, and once you get to Lothering it becomes a sort of choose-your-own adventure; I most likely won’t go straight to Redcliffe with my next character.

THINGS I’M UNSURE OF

• The inventory menus. They are deep and fairly organized, but still a bit of work to get through. Especially when assigning spells to the controller’s face buttons. It can be clunky, but it might just take me some more time to get used to.
• Combat tactics. Have not set any of these up, but I want to. The problem? The interface is not very clear.
• Why can’t a mage unlock treasure chests? I should at least be able to cast a magic missile on it.

THINGS I HATE

• At least three times during a cutscene, a character has completely walked through another character. Not even in a fantasy world like Ferelden should that be possible.
• Also a cutscene complaint: with friendly fire, I accidentally set Alistair on fire with a flame spell, and then we hopped into a cutscene where, limbs ablaze, Alistair stood calmly and spoke without any realization that that horrible burning smell was actually him.
• My character, Carys, likes to wear an enchanter’s cowl. It helps with his magic and/or willpower (I can’t actually remember at this point). Anyways, he’s definitely wearing it when running around town or doing battle, but the moment we hop into a cutscene…he is not. Yet if I changed his staff or robes, that’s been updated. I don’t understand this.
• Nineteen things happening all at once, all of them going by in a blur of swooshes. So, say you just talked to a dude. When the cutscene ends, you get a bunch of pop-up messages that say “New codex entry!” “New quest!” “Quest updated!” “Items received!” “Alistair approves (+3)!” “Morrigan disapproves (-7)!” And then it’s all gone before you even realized what happened.
• And the graphics. Sometimes they are pretty, most of the time they are not. Thankfully, gameplay makes up for them each and every time. I’m just surprised it’s not as polished-looking as, say, Mass Effect 2, made by the very same company.

Either way, I’m itchin’ to play more.