As a prospective indie developer myself, I have learned to appreciate the time and effort that goes into indie games. Super Meat Boy I raved about several months ago as being a golden egg in the gaming world, despite its simplicity. The Indie scene has become much more open and recognized as of late. With some reviewers saying that the Indie scene will be what drives games forward in the not too distant future. With the expected games from the big developers such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, Diablo, Starcraft, just to name a few, all taking a huge chunk of the gaming world, as they always have, it is refreshing to see a new take on games and a fresh feel on gaming in general.
The good thing about indie is that, for the most part, they don't have a problem delving into unique atmospheres and ideas. World of Goo was a game that at first makes you go.....wtf. but after playing and realizing the greatness of it, it turns out to be a very unique and enjoyable puzzle game. These games don't always make it through the big publishers because they are hard pressed to find what the gaming community wants, not necessarily what is unique or cool.
Angry Birds reigns as arguably the most easily recognized of these games, there have been some recent releases that deserve recognition just for the fact they were so good and need to be played.
Botanicula is a unique game that got attention right away for how different it was, even from other indie games.
Limbo received acclaim as well for the black and white shadowy feel that was so simplistic yet satisfying. The dark atmosphere allowed for the story to be told without the use of over the top graphics or long winded dialogues.
Cave Story returned to the roots of side scrolling fun and was recognized by many for the nostalgic return as well as the unique twists it brought with it's experience.
Torchlight is the game I have been playing for the past week or so, and I must say, I love the experience. It has kept with the good things that made Diablo and the clones good, and has added a few extra details. The addition of the pet was brilliant. Especially with the ability to send it back to town to sell items. Very helpful in my opinion. The graphics look great. Not top of the line, blow your mind, great but the art style is unique and it makes the game nice to watch as you are exploring.
The side quests in town are plentiful enough, at least as far as I have traveled, to keep you occupied, but not too much to overwhelm you as you are exploring. The socket system for items is used, but the gems seem to be relatively rare in some areas, as well as finding socketed items. This is not a terrible thing, as the balance between non-enchanted, enchanted and socketed items seems to be balanced well enough. The ability to add a random enchantment to an unenchanted weapon for a fee is nice for weapons that have been picked up. Almost always worth more enchanted than not.
So far, it is an extremely enjoyable experience and I plan on continuing on and sharing with you along the way!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Skyrim, GOW, Diablo and Prototype update.
It has been a while since my last update, but since my new change in focus and employment, I should have more time to dedicate to the things I find important.
After spending 105 hours in Skyrim (not much by some standards I realize) I have decided to move on to other games and enjoy the expansive worlds elsewhere. At the moment, I am also moving forward with a few of my friends working in indie game development that we are hoping will be released within the next few months. I will keep updates going on here.
After spending a lot of time with Skyrim, I have noticed that the game becomes somewhat of an addiction, and that being said, is an amazing fantasy world that lives up to the hype and expectation that goes along with Bethesda's reputation as a high quality gaming studio. With the option to move in whatever path you would like, whether you decide to be a scavenger of goods and constantly sell them in Solitude for a profit, or walk around destroying towns just because you can (Rorikstead is my favorite playground) the game offers such a variety you can't help but pick something and be caught up in it for hours. The Dark Brotherhood assassination missions after a while start to repeat (I have killed the same woman around 4 times) it is fresh after returning to it after a few raids on the random strongholds, or a bout with a Dragon Priest. Overall, Skyrim is one of my all-time favorite games, along with the elite of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and StarCraft 2.
For the time being, I saw the postings and videos going along with God of War: Ascension and have been looking forward to an update on the GOW series, which in my opinion is one of the best of this and the past generation. I went back and started a new game on GOW 3 and have to say that going back now, I am still impressed by the tight controls, the nonstop action and, with the increased difficulty, the challenge this game presents. The legend of Kratos has been pushed forward by a compelling storyline throughout the 3 games, and the 2 on PSP, but it keeps me wanting to come back. I left the games feeling like my gaming experiences were enriched by my time spent with the games.
I have recently purchased a gaming laptop and will be delving into the world of PC gaming as well. although I have always enjoyed PC gaming, I have been restricted to mainly console because of my lack of graphics power in my computers. This is the case no longer. I have spent a couple of hours in the Diablo 3 Beta and plan on spending many more starting May 15th. This coming week brings Prototype 2 to the table as well and I will be starting that when I pick up my preorder on Tuesday.
Keep on Gaming!
After spending 105 hours in Skyrim (not much by some standards I realize) I have decided to move on to other games and enjoy the expansive worlds elsewhere. At the moment, I am also moving forward with a few of my friends working in indie game development that we are hoping will be released within the next few months. I will keep updates going on here.
After spending a lot of time with Skyrim, I have noticed that the game becomes somewhat of an addiction, and that being said, is an amazing fantasy world that lives up to the hype and expectation that goes along with Bethesda's reputation as a high quality gaming studio. With the option to move in whatever path you would like, whether you decide to be a scavenger of goods and constantly sell them in Solitude for a profit, or walk around destroying towns just because you can (Rorikstead is my favorite playground) the game offers such a variety you can't help but pick something and be caught up in it for hours. The Dark Brotherhood assassination missions after a while start to repeat (I have killed the same woman around 4 times) it is fresh after returning to it after a few raids on the random strongholds, or a bout with a Dragon Priest. Overall, Skyrim is one of my all-time favorite games, along with the elite of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and StarCraft 2.
For the time being, I saw the postings and videos going along with God of War: Ascension and have been looking forward to an update on the GOW series, which in my opinion is one of the best of this and the past generation. I went back and started a new game on GOW 3 and have to say that going back now, I am still impressed by the tight controls, the nonstop action and, with the increased difficulty, the challenge this game presents. The legend of Kratos has been pushed forward by a compelling storyline throughout the 3 games, and the 2 on PSP, but it keeps me wanting to come back. I left the games feeling like my gaming experiences were enriched by my time spent with the games.
I have recently purchased a gaming laptop and will be delving into the world of PC gaming as well. although I have always enjoyed PC gaming, I have been restricted to mainly console because of my lack of graphics power in my computers. This is the case no longer. I have spent a couple of hours in the Diablo 3 Beta and plan on spending many more starting May 15th. This coming week brings Prototype 2 to the table as well and I will be starting that when I pick up my preorder on Tuesday.
Keep on Gaming!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Gaming news of late. New releases and Dragons
Over the last few weeks, I haven't had the time to dedicate to gaming as much as I would hope, but, like many of you, I was sucked into Bethesda's amazing 5th installment of The Elder Scrolls Saga. I had the game for a while, but had returned to Borderlands before moving on to Skyrim, and I feel like I made a mistake in waiting so long.
The game's atmosphere and scope are phenomenal. The amount of activities that you can involve yourself in is astounding. The political atmosphere in the game is present no matter where you go, however, can be ignored for the most part if you are not interested in pursuing it.
The control scheme has been perfected from the former Elder Scrolls and is not easy to use with favorites allowing for the quick switch to any wanted weapon or magical ability. As per my usual strategy with these types of games, I had resorted to the mage and magical qualities as my default when first playing this, and slowly moved onto the weaponized combat.
Every path you can take can potentially be on the same journey, but with so much to do in the world, you will find yourself absorbed into the game for much longer than you ever thought possible.
More to come later.
The game's atmosphere and scope are phenomenal. The amount of activities that you can involve yourself in is astounding. The political atmosphere in the game is present no matter where you go, however, can be ignored for the most part if you are not interested in pursuing it.
The control scheme has been perfected from the former Elder Scrolls and is not easy to use with favorites allowing for the quick switch to any wanted weapon or magical ability. As per my usual strategy with these types of games, I had resorted to the mage and magical qualities as my default when first playing this, and slowly moved onto the weaponized combat.
Every path you can take can potentially be on the same journey, but with so much to do in the world, you will find yourself absorbed into the game for much longer than you ever thought possible.
More to come later.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Last month in games: Borderlands.
It has been a while since I have been able to post. way too little time to game.
But I have had a little time to play and I have had some good experiences along the way.
First off, I have rekindled my love of Borderlands for PS3. I had completed 3 of the 4 DLC before moving on from the game about a year ago. Decided to play Co-op with on of my friends the other day and have realized how good the game is.
It is not without its flaws, but the experience is so different from the norms in the market, it is a welcome change of pace. Initially it seems like an action shooter. The main premise entails being a treasure hunter on Pandora, a seemingly post-apocalyptic world with much more to offer than a single linear storyline.
The story towards the end is relatively anti-climactic (sadly) but the side missions keep the game fresh for much much longer than it would take for a straight run through the basic missions. The DLC adds more of a sense of atmosphere to Pandora, as well as some amazing additions. Secret Armory of General Knoxx is one of the best DLC offerings in recent history.
But as anyone who has heard anything about Borderlands, the main feature of the game is the seemingly endless supply of guns it offers. Playing into the RPG element of the game, the gunplay is upgraded as you go along by how you push forward your character with upgrade points. The guns in the game range from the over-the-top rocket launchers to the run and gun SMG. Each allows you to play differently with each type of gun and the more you use the guns, the better you become at each type, increasing things such as accuracy, reload speed and sometimes capacity sizes. Of course this just scratches the surface of the game, but there is much more where that came from.
Borderlands has the perfect mix of RPG elements and gunplay to put it at the top of my list for a long time. To add to the replay value, after beating the first playthrough, there is the option to go back and start round 2! With all the upgrades and guns you tried so hard to get during the first time. And sometimes it is a lot more fun the second time around!
But I have had a little time to play and I have had some good experiences along the way.
First off, I have rekindled my love of Borderlands for PS3. I had completed 3 of the 4 DLC before moving on from the game about a year ago. Decided to play Co-op with on of my friends the other day and have realized how good the game is.
It is not without its flaws, but the experience is so different from the norms in the market, it is a welcome change of pace. Initially it seems like an action shooter. The main premise entails being a treasure hunter on Pandora, a seemingly post-apocalyptic world with much more to offer than a single linear storyline.
The story towards the end is relatively anti-climactic (sadly) but the side missions keep the game fresh for much much longer than it would take for a straight run through the basic missions. The DLC adds more of a sense of atmosphere to Pandora, as well as some amazing additions. Secret Armory of General Knoxx is one of the best DLC offerings in recent history.
But as anyone who has heard anything about Borderlands, the main feature of the game is the seemingly endless supply of guns it offers. Playing into the RPG element of the game, the gunplay is upgraded as you go along by how you push forward your character with upgrade points. The guns in the game range from the over-the-top rocket launchers to the run and gun SMG. Each allows you to play differently with each type of gun and the more you use the guns, the better you become at each type, increasing things such as accuracy, reload speed and sometimes capacity sizes. Of course this just scratches the surface of the game, but there is much more where that came from.
Borderlands has the perfect mix of RPG elements and gunplay to put it at the top of my list for a long time. To add to the replay value, after beating the first playthrough, there is the option to go back and start round 2! With all the upgrades and guns you tried so hard to get during the first time. And sometimes it is a lot more fun the second time around!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Now Playing: Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Binding of Isaac
For the time being, the games on the table are The Binding of Isaac for PC and Assassin's Creed: Revelations for PS3.
Binding, for those who don't keep up with the Indie gaming or PC scene, is a game released from the same people who made Super Meat Boy. The game is essentially randomly generated NES-Zelda style dungeons with strange and unique bosses and enemies. The mechanics of the game are relatively simple and it seems to base a few of it's ideas off of biblical stories or lessons, such as the 7 deadly sins and the story of Isaac and Abraham.
Overall the game is very good. There are 7 depths to the basement, each getting increasingly hard. The same principle applies to this game as it did to Super Meat Boy, this game is not meant to be easy. If you die, you start over at the beginning. Frustrating at times but overall rewarding if you overcome the challenge.
Revelations I have yet to dive into far enough into to have a huge opinion of, but it follows the same storyline of the 2 ancestors, Ezio and Altair, of the former game. I can say that this is NOT a good starting place for those jumping into the series however. The game bases itself off of many events that have transpired in the previous games, while adding a few new weapons and tricks to spice things up. This may have been a mistake, as I have been playing for about 2 hours, with full knowledge of this specific addition, but have yet to be able to utilize it. Hopefully it becomes more clear as the game wears on about how this will affect the gameplay.
The change of scenery is nice. The change from Rome of the previous game to the split faction Constantinople is definitely starting to add to the enjoyment of this game.
Will be more as I delve deeper.
Game well.
Binding, for those who don't keep up with the Indie gaming or PC scene, is a game released from the same people who made Super Meat Boy. The game is essentially randomly generated NES-Zelda style dungeons with strange and unique bosses and enemies. The mechanics of the game are relatively simple and it seems to base a few of it's ideas off of biblical stories or lessons, such as the 7 deadly sins and the story of Isaac and Abraham.
Overall the game is very good. There are 7 depths to the basement, each getting increasingly hard. The same principle applies to this game as it did to Super Meat Boy, this game is not meant to be easy. If you die, you start over at the beginning. Frustrating at times but overall rewarding if you overcome the challenge.
Revelations I have yet to dive into far enough into to have a huge opinion of, but it follows the same storyline of the 2 ancestors, Ezio and Altair, of the former game. I can say that this is NOT a good starting place for those jumping into the series however. The game bases itself off of many events that have transpired in the previous games, while adding a few new weapons and tricks to spice things up. This may have been a mistake, as I have been playing for about 2 hours, with full knowledge of this specific addition, but have yet to be able to utilize it. Hopefully it becomes more clear as the game wears on about how this will affect the gameplay.
The change of scenery is nice. The change from Rome of the previous game to the split faction Constantinople is definitely starting to add to the enjoyment of this game.
Will be more as I delve deeper.
Game well.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Arkham City
So gaming the past week has been interesting and quite varied.
First off: Beat Arkham City for PS3. Took me a few days to complete, and I must say I am quite impressed. The open world aspect of the game was a draw for me. The huge expectation that was put on this game for being the sequel to Arkham Asylum was a daunting mission, but they did an amazing job with it. I completed most of the side missions as well and, for those playing the game now, definitely try to do some exploring. A lot of the best villains from the series, and certainly some of the most unique, don't show up in the main story. A huge reason to explore farther than just what is at your fingertips.
The combat is as intense as ever, and gets more varied as the game goes along. What is initially a button masher to begin with evolves into an extremely complex fighting system with supplemental weapons opening up the possibilities.
The basic enemies are no the most varied, but keep enough of a variation to keep the game interesting.
The main complaint I would have with this game (and really isn't a complaint against the game at all) would be the quirky way the main story ends. For those who have beaten and reflected on the game's ending, it doesn't make the most sense.
The constant Riddler side trophies are there for the taking as well, and for those ambition enough, release unlockables and challenge maps as you collect more trophies. The idea of the trophies resemble Assassin's Creed with the Borgia Flags, but usually take some kind of problem solving. The Riddler himself, however, has his own mini-story and challenge rooms within the City.
All in all, a great game with good potential for continued play past the initial storyline.
9.5/10
First off: Beat Arkham City for PS3. Took me a few days to complete, and I must say I am quite impressed. The open world aspect of the game was a draw for me. The huge expectation that was put on this game for being the sequel to Arkham Asylum was a daunting mission, but they did an amazing job with it. I completed most of the side missions as well and, for those playing the game now, definitely try to do some exploring. A lot of the best villains from the series, and certainly some of the most unique, don't show up in the main story. A huge reason to explore farther than just what is at your fingertips.
The combat is as intense as ever, and gets more varied as the game goes along. What is initially a button masher to begin with evolves into an extremely complex fighting system with supplemental weapons opening up the possibilities.
The basic enemies are no the most varied, but keep enough of a variation to keep the game interesting.
The main complaint I would have with this game (and really isn't a complaint against the game at all) would be the quirky way the main story ends. For those who have beaten and reflected on the game's ending, it doesn't make the most sense.
The constant Riddler side trophies are there for the taking as well, and for those ambition enough, release unlockables and challenge maps as you collect more trophies. The idea of the trophies resemble Assassin's Creed with the Borgia Flags, but usually take some kind of problem solving. The Riddler himself, however, has his own mini-story and challenge rooms within the City.
All in all, a great game with good potential for continued play past the initial storyline.
9.5/10
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Welcome to my gaming blog!
Hello,
Welcome to the blog. To tell you a little about myself, I am a gamer/collector/entrepreneur/repair man. I have a had a passion for games all of my life, and have been buying/selling/fixing/gaming for a long time.
I wanted to start this post for multiple reasons. I have a very large collection and tend to like a lot of games, but never find good review from the gamers. There are many people who comment on games, but few who take the time to talk about how the game was, if it was a memorable experience, will they pick it up again. The age-old question: Rental or Purchase? Well I am a gamer of all colors and want to share that with the gaming community.
I am in the process of building a Video Gamers' website as well. The Gamer Underground will be a social networking/youtube/trading post of sorts. I am wanting to get a few people interested for when it hits the Internet, hopefully, later this year.
As a side job, I also buy and sell classic games. I fix the current generation of consoles as well. Some updates may be about my ventures in that area, although they may be less intriguing to some.
The last thing I want to say about myself is I am not a fan-boy of any certain media. I play PC, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 as well as a few handheld systems as well.
Well I hope that you enjoy what I have to share and feel free to comment on whatever you would like!
The Gamers Doctor
Welcome to the blog. To tell you a little about myself, I am a gamer/collector/entrepreneur/repair man. I have a had a passion for games all of my life, and have been buying/selling/fixing/gaming for a long time.
I wanted to start this post for multiple reasons. I have a very large collection and tend to like a lot of games, but never find good review from the gamers. There are many people who comment on games, but few who take the time to talk about how the game was, if it was a memorable experience, will they pick it up again. The age-old question: Rental or Purchase? Well I am a gamer of all colors and want to share that with the gaming community.
I am in the process of building a Video Gamers' website as well. The Gamer Underground will be a social networking/youtube/trading post of sorts. I am wanting to get a few people interested for when it hits the Internet, hopefully, later this year.
As a side job, I also buy and sell classic games. I fix the current generation of consoles as well. Some updates may be about my ventures in that area, although they may be less intriguing to some.
The last thing I want to say about myself is I am not a fan-boy of any certain media. I play PC, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 as well as a few handheld systems as well.
Well I hope that you enjoy what I have to share and feel free to comment on whatever you would like!
The Gamers Doctor
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