I suspect I've used that title before. Oh well.
I'm not dead. Just super busy at work and pretty exhausted afterwards. And there's this little monster at home that is against things like sleep or sanity (I knew we should have named her Cthulhu).
I want to write review on the most recent issue of Saga and how the Spiderverse event is going. So keep an eye out for that.
I picked up the new Call of Duty. It's enjoyable, but I find the novelty fades fairly quickly, and the weapons aren't balanced enough to promote switching things up.
Dragon Age: Inquisition comes out tonight. Assuming I don't fall sleep beforehand, I'm planning on picking it up at midnight and playing for a bit. I'll be surprised if I make it past the character creation...
This weekend I'll be attending a gathering of friends celebrating the release of the new Smash Bros... but playing the crap out of it all day. I might write a few thoughts afterwards.
TableTop Season 3 started. Check that out, the first episode is a solid one and they made me really want to get Tokaido :/
And I hate the announced title for the Star Wars film. But whatever, I'll avoid the rant on that one.e
Back to work. Or sleep. See which one wins...
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Showing posts with label Dragon Age. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dragon Age. Show all posts
Monday, November 17, 2014
Thursday, October 2, 2014
8 Elements of the Nerd's Perfect Video Game
In this post, I'm going to attempt to distill my favorite features of video games and break them down to components I would love to see make up a single game that would, for The Nerd, be the end all of video games.
Until the sequel comes out, with improved graphics and smell-o-vision.
Examples: X-COM: Enemy Unknown had a beautiful system with varied maps, and the fog of war was a nice touch. Banner Saga was another great looking example, which focused on each unit being different, while the maps were not so exciting. A classic example would be Final Fantasy Tactics, though that system is a bit dated and runs too slow compared to recent ventures.
Examples: The Suikoden series has a roster of 108 characters, which are different across all the games. I've only finished the 3rd game in the series, but it was awesome recruiting such a large cast of characters that had individual stories, unique appearances, and different ways to get them on your team. Pokemon is a better known series that features a collectible, team-building style, and it worked as well. Shin Megami Tensei games have one of the most interest versions of this, with large cast of recruitable monsters, many of which can only be acquired through fusing others... Collectible card games are also appealing in this manner.
Examples: Suikoden, again, uses this pretty heavily, and it was my absolute favorite part of the third game. I cared less about the main story and more about gathering the "108 Stars of Destiny" in Thomas' castle... XCOM: Enemy Unknown also features a base-building aspect that, while a touch bland, did introduce a puzzle-like aspect and some additional strategy to the overall game. A classic example would be Dragon Quest/Warrior III, which had a town that grew as your progressed the story.
Examples: X-COM: Enemy Unknown had your soldiers gaining game-changing abilities as time went on, and their physical appearance changed drastically based on their equipment (and, after the expansion, certain abilities). Pokemon is an obvious choice here, with almost every monster being able to evolve. A less obvious example would be the main character of Knights of the Old Republic, who has a major revelation that is surprising and changes the way the player looks at the character. Similar again to the protagonist in the first Bioshock.
Examples: Chrono Trigger allows you to recruit on of the villains on your team. I'm fairly certain you could play as the antagonists in Suikoden 3, after finishing the main game, but I don't recall. Fallout: New Vegas allowed you to be a villain, and never required you to "save the world" or "fight the bigger evil." Golden Sun: The Lost Ages actually gives you control of some of the main antagonists from the first game, which was awesome. A classic example would be X-Men 2: Clone Wars, where Magneto became a powerful player character after you defeat him in a later level of the game.
Examples: Suikoden, again, featured this, in the form of large scale battles that gave you control of larger forces that followed different rules when being controlled. X-COM: Enemy Unknown's base building and global management definitely broke up the monotony of repeated turn-based battles. A classic example would be Ogre Battle 64, which had to methods of play - a map view, where you moved your forces around, and a combat mode that played like a typical RPG. The Devil Survivor series also mixed turn-based strategy with traditional RPG elements. Even Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 had a "campaign mode" that worked in a boardgame element. When pieces on the gameboard met, the combat would take place via traditional fighting game combat -- the losing player lost their piece.
Examples: On the negative side, neither Pokemon Conquest nor X-COM: Enemy Unknown have in-depth, persistent stories. They focus on generic or minor stories, with a focus on replayability. This works for them, but I'd prefer something continuous, and with a variety of meaningful choices. The Fallout games have always featured this. Something like the Mass Effect or Dragon Age series, however, where the choices made persist through multiple games, would be even better. Though Mass Effect specifically missed many good opportunities...
Examples: The Front Mission series features giant mechs, which I love. Fallout has the post-apocalyptic angle covered, and Knights of the Old Republic was awesome for its innovative storytelling AND the fact that it was set in the Star Wars universe.
Pokemon Conquest - Combines Team Building, Variety of Game Modes, Character Growth, Variety of Game Modes, Appealing Setting/Theme. Technically it also hits The Antagonist's Story, though that's because there isn't a true antagonist. I love how it mixes Pokemon with Nobunaga's Ambition for the setting/theme. The strategy aspect is a bit too basic and easy, and there is no 'true' consecutive story, but this game comes pretty damn close.
Suikoden Series - Team Building, Town Building, The Antagonist's Story, Variety of Game Modes. And there are two titles in the series that feature Turn-Based Strategy. These games are pretty awesome, though each suffers from a variety of issues. I would love to see a new, next-gen entry into the series.
Fallout Series - Turn-Based Strategy (in 1, 2, and Tactics), Team Building, Town Building, Character Evolution, An In-Depth, Variable Story, Appealing Setting/Theme. The post-apocalyptic setting gets me every time...
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (Conquest Mode) - Turn-Based Strategy (via galactic map), Team Building (you had to unlock different units as time progressed), Town Building (you collected planets as you won battles), The Antagonists Story (you could be the Empire!), Multiple Game Modes (board game-like galactic map and then combat as a 3rd Person Shooter), Appealing Setting/Theme (Star Wars!). This game had a lot to love. With some polished combat and maybe a story-driven conquest mode, it could have been damn near perfect for me!
If you have any games that hit multiple points here, let me know in the comments! Also, if there are different elements you'd need for your perfect game, I'd love to read about them! Right now I'm playing MS Saga: A New Dawn and... Well, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, which doesn't mix any of my favorite elements, really, but is still pretty damn awesome!
Until the sequel comes out, with improved graphics and smell-o-vision.
1. Turn-Based Strategy
This is a must for me. Real-Time Strategy games require too much in regards to practice and memorization. I don't argue that they are fun, but my method of thinking is more analytically, given to examining a situation to make the best decision, without feeling rushed. The strategy aspect highlights this as well -- sure, a turn-based RPG is acceptable, but adding unit location and map variation to conflict scenarios really draws out the strategy-enthusiest in me. And it also highlights the ability to solve a scenario via multiple methods (direct approach, bait and switch, opposed strength/weakness, etc...). I have seen games that use turn-based strategy for an overworld and then something more action-oriented to resolve conflicts... I'd be ok with that as well. |
| X-COM: Enemy Unknown's Turn-Based, Strategic Combat. |
Examples: X-COM: Enemy Unknown had a beautiful system with varied maps, and the fog of war was a nice touch. Banner Saga was another great looking example, which focused on each unit being different, while the maps were not so exciting. A classic example would be Final Fantasy Tactics, though that system is a bit dated and runs too slow compared to recent ventures.
2. Team Building
Being able to grow your team by collecting and grooming new units adds another reason to play the game, aside from the story and combat/conflict. However, these units should be unique or extremely varied, should have different strengths and weakness, and must have different recruitment methods and rarity. |
| Yeah, 108 characters will work, Suikoden 3. |
Examples: The Suikoden series has a roster of 108 characters, which are different across all the games. I've only finished the 3rd game in the series, but it was awesome recruiting such a large cast of characters that had individual stories, unique appearances, and different ways to get them on your team. Pokemon is a better known series that features a collectible, team-building style, and it worked as well. Shin Megami Tensei games have one of the most interest versions of this, with large cast of recruitable monsters, many of which can only be acquired through fusing others... Collectible card games are also appealing in this manner.
3. 'Town' Building
Building a town or location up as you advance in the game is an easy way to make a player invested. It can be a negligible aspect of the game that provides non-mandatory benefits for those who like the simulation-like aspect. Visiting a location you've help 'build' from the ground up is refreshing. Even better if you have to defend it or interact with it during missions. It can also offer an avenue of interacting with the large cast you've recruited above, if they end up relocating to this new location. |
| One method of "town" building, with X-COM's base screen. |
Examples: Suikoden, again, uses this pretty heavily, and it was my absolute favorite part of the third game. I cared less about the main story and more about gathering the "108 Stars of Destiny" in Thomas' castle... XCOM: Enemy Unknown also features a base-building aspect that, while a touch bland, did introduce a puzzle-like aspect and some additional strategy to the overall game. A classic example would be Dragon Quest/Warrior III, which had a town that grew as your progressed the story.
4. Character Evolution
Characters should change throughout the game. Most commonly, this will occur via the story, but that's not the only way to do it. Characters that can unlock abilities that alter the game to a decent degree would work, or characters that undergo a physical change after a certain threshold is met allow the player to set goals based on their characters. Stagnant characters can kill a game fairly easily. |
| Pokemon Conquest's monsters and 'trainers' could evolve. |
Examples: X-COM: Enemy Unknown had your soldiers gaining game-changing abilities as time went on, and their physical appearance changed drastically based on their equipment (and, after the expansion, certain abilities). Pokemon is an obvious choice here, with almost every monster being able to evolve. A less obvious example would be the main character of Knights of the Old Republic, who has a major revelation that is surprising and changes the way the player looks at the character. Similar again to the protagonist in the first Bioshock.
5. The Antagonist's Story
This one is probably the easiest to dispute from this list, but it is absolutely a requirement to be the perfect game for me. Having an opportunity to see the antagonist's story is a minimum. Even better if you can, in some fashion, play through their story. Either as post-game content, or recruiting them to your team, or maybe just given control of them for a couple of sequences. |
| Magneto was clutch in the final battle of X-Men 2: Clone Wars. |
Examples: Chrono Trigger allows you to recruit on of the villains on your team. I'm fairly certain you could play as the antagonists in Suikoden 3, after finishing the main game, but I don't recall. Fallout: New Vegas allowed you to be a villain, and never required you to "save the world" or "fight the bigger evil." Golden Sun: The Lost Ages actually gives you control of some of the main antagonists from the first game, which was awesome. A classic example would be X-Men 2: Clone Wars, where Magneto became a powerful player character after you defeat him in a later level of the game.
6. Variety of Game 'Modes'
Cutscenes separating similar combat scenarios/styles gets boring, eventually. Sure, some games can come to a close before this happens, but I personally love longer titles. My favorite way to break this up is to work in an 'large battle' system or an 'territory conquest view.' These would have different gameplay elements that still required strategy. |
| Budokai 2 had a board game campaign within a fighting game! |
Examples: Suikoden, again, featured this, in the form of large scale battles that gave you control of larger forces that followed different rules when being controlled. X-COM: Enemy Unknown's base building and global management definitely broke up the monotony of repeated turn-based battles. A classic example would be Ogre Battle 64, which had to methods of play - a map view, where you moved your forces around, and a combat mode that played like a typical RPG. The Devil Survivor series also mixed turn-based strategy with traditional RPG elements. Even Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 had a "campaign mode" that worked in a boardgame element. When pieces on the gameboard met, the combat would take place via traditional fighting game combat -- the losing player lost their piece.
7. An In-Depth, Variable Story
Several of the strategy games I play don't bother with a continuous, in-depth story. And the story should present you with options or opportunities that change the way the game plays, so that there is still a motivation to replay the game. |
| Mass Effect's Decision Tree. Notice how 3 goes off on its own... |
Examples: On the negative side, neither Pokemon Conquest nor X-COM: Enemy Unknown have in-depth, persistent stories. They focus on generic or minor stories, with a focus on replayability. This works for them, but I'd prefer something continuous, and with a variety of meaningful choices. The Fallout games have always featured this. Something like the Mass Effect or Dragon Age series, however, where the choices made persist through multiple games, would be even better. Though Mass Effect specifically missed many good opportunities...
8. Appealing Setting/Theme
For me, an appealing setting or theme could pull from an existing universe (Marvel, Star Wars, etc...) or feature elements I enjoy (post-apocalypse, space travel, etc...). Generic fantasy would be hard to feel original, though it could be done. I'd love to see something in this format that includes giant mechs... |
| A turn-based RPG that uses Gundams? Oh, yes please, MS Saga: A New Dawn |
Examples: The Front Mission series features giant mechs, which I love. Fallout has the post-apocalyptic angle covered, and Knights of the Old Republic was awesome for its innovative storytelling AND the fact that it was set in the Star Wars universe.
Games that blur the lines.
There have been some titles that have blurred the lines and mixed some of my favorite elements, though I know of none to get them all:Pokemon Conquest - Combines Team Building, Variety of Game Modes, Character Growth, Variety of Game Modes, Appealing Setting/Theme. Technically it also hits The Antagonist's Story, though that's because there isn't a true antagonist. I love how it mixes Pokemon with Nobunaga's Ambition for the setting/theme. The strategy aspect is a bit too basic and easy, and there is no 'true' consecutive story, but this game comes pretty damn close.
Suikoden Series - Team Building, Town Building, The Antagonist's Story, Variety of Game Modes. And there are two titles in the series that feature Turn-Based Strategy. These games are pretty awesome, though each suffers from a variety of issues. I would love to see a new, next-gen entry into the series.
Fallout Series - Turn-Based Strategy (in 1, 2, and Tactics), Team Building, Town Building, Character Evolution, An In-Depth, Variable Story, Appealing Setting/Theme. The post-apocalyptic setting gets me every time...
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (Conquest Mode) - Turn-Based Strategy (via galactic map), Team Building (you had to unlock different units as time progressed), Town Building (you collected planets as you won battles), The Antagonists Story (you could be the Empire!), Multiple Game Modes (board game-like galactic map and then combat as a 3rd Person Shooter), Appealing Setting/Theme (Star Wars!). This game had a lot to love. With some polished combat and maybe a story-driven conquest mode, it could have been damn near perfect for me!
If you have any games that hit multiple points here, let me know in the comments! Also, if there are different elements you'd need for your perfect game, I'd love to read about them! Right now I'm playing MS Saga: A New Dawn and... Well, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, which doesn't mix any of my favorite elements, really, but is still pretty damn awesome!
Sunday, July 27, 2014
New Chapter in The Nerd's Life
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| Turning a new page! |
Instagraming my Comic Sets
I've been motivated lately to pull out my favorite comic sets and post them on Instagram. I don't use it that much, but I DO love going through my collection again. I'm "arbitrarynerd," and have posted some. But more coming soon (the boxes are damn heavy to get at from their current location.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Hey! This is coming out in October! By then, I might actually have time and/or money to play it! For now, playing through Origins again, and I can't wait -- it looks phenomenal.... I think there's more I wanted to write, but I'm having a hard time remembering. I AM almost done with the second draft of my book... But I was pretty close the last time I mentioned, and am just going really slow.
Well, more soon. I'm trying to sneak out to Guardians of the Galaxy on Thursday, so I'll gave a review of that up soon -- I've got high expectations, which is bit concerning, but screw it; the movie looks awesome.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Never Split the Party!
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| This is what happens when a non-artist attempts a logo. |
For now, you can find us streaming our games live every Monday night from 8:00pm (ish) to 10:00pm (ish) over at Twitch or see our previously recorded session on our YouTube channel! I'm planning on ripping the audio and converting them to audio-only podcasts eventually, but that's time consuming and I'm lazy.
We're also going to be posting out-of-session RP moments via the Never Split the Party! Podcast blog (say that ten times fast. Or even twice, kind of slowly). It's a vacant lot at the moment, but I'll have more going later this week.
Check us out, offer comments, suggestions, or insults, or just laugh at the stupid faces I make when I talk.
Seriously. It's just a big stupid head with stupid faces all over it.
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| ^Made the parchment-looking area all by myself! |
Other projects include finishing Dragon Age: Origins and all of its DLC on PC (seriously going to happen this time) and eventually getting back into finishing the second draft of my book (which has decreased dramatically).
Oh, and if any artists out there want to throw a dog a bone and mock up a better banner for us, I'd be grateful! And maybe use less cliches. You never know, it could happen.
Hah.
Monday, June 30, 2014
The Nerd's Agenda
Howdy folks. Haven't had too much to write about, so haven't written!My comic book backlog is fairly long right now. I've only bothered to keep current with Saga and Hawkeye, everything else is in a "to read" pile. I've been focusing more on my gaming than comics, however.
I have been reading The Erevis Cale Trilogy, which is a very decent Forgotten Realms set of novels about an interesting group of characters (the title character is interesting for the number of changes he goes through, which is reflective of how often players change their characters over the course of a campaign, by either adding templates or changing classes, etc..). I also picked up Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett, and a collection of short stories known as Wild Cards, edited by George R. R. Martin. I'm pretty excited to start reading those, especially the Pratchett novel -- my experience with Discworld has been focused on Going Postal and Making Money, the former being on of my all-time favorite novels.
On the gaming front, I've still been trying to beat Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, but have gotten side tracked with Dragon Age: Origins, which I've played before but never on PC and never with all the DLC. I picked it up during the Steam Summer Sale, along with Mount and Blade: Warband (never played but am very excited to), Endless Space (a decent 4x, but I've not played enough to know how I'd rate it), and Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition (because I'm almost done with the first).
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| Just taking over the universe, don't mind me... |
Beyond that, I've been working on a new project that will hopefully be unveiled soon. You can actually watch us streaming it Mondays at 8:00pm here, but I'm hoping to also eventually turn it into an edited podcast... More on that soon.
For movies and TV, I've been watching Bones with the wife and really enjoying it, and I'm rewatching Season 1 of Arrow, hoping season 2 will magically be on there when I'm done (it won't be, I've only got two episodes left). I'm eagerly anticipating Guardians of the Galaxy, but may have to put that on hold because I'm expected a daughter two days before it comes out! Gah!
Keep busy without getting much done, that's my motto!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Hunting Game(s): The Best Stories
Hi All! First, two quick pieces of video game news:
First, Borderlands 2 released yesterday! I probably pick it up during the holiday season, I'm on a budget and putting all my resources towards XCOM: Enemy Unknown, but so far I've only heard good things about Borderlands 2. If it improves in any way on the original, it must be amazing. Maybe I'll do a reflection piece next week and talk a bit about Borderlands 1. We'll see.
Second, this article over at Game Informer talks about a new Ninja Gaiden game that looks pretty interesting. I've never played ANY of the others (they're somewhere on my to play list -- hey, that'd be a decent post too...), but this one pits a Ninja against hordes of zombies, what can go wrong?
Alright, on to this week's hunt! I'll be doing a top 5 post featuring video games with the best stories. It WAS going to be games based off of novels, but I decided that might be a bit TOO difficult to find...
You may notice that there are no PC titles up here. Being that I am only a recent PC gamer, I did not have much material to put here. I honestly thing Star Wars: The Old Republic would be better on here than DA 2, and I'm sure there are plenty of PC only titles that could make up this list. I may take a look at that in the future, when I have more under my belt.
This list is missing a TON of great titles with amazing stories. I know this. For my PS2 alone, I could make a phenomenal list. I don't want to repeat titles, so these are the ones I value most for their stories.
Next week's post is up in the air, there are several things I'd be interested in writing. If you have a preference out of the list below, leave me a comment and I'll make it happen:
Review of Borderlands 1
My "To Play" List
Best Post Apocalyptic Games (this one will be especially difficult since I avoid re-using titles...)
Other: Your choice!
First, Borderlands 2 released yesterday! I probably pick it up during the holiday season, I'm on a budget and putting all my resources towards XCOM: Enemy Unknown, but so far I've only heard good things about Borderlands 2. If it improves in any way on the original, it must be amazing. Maybe I'll do a reflection piece next week and talk a bit about Borderlands 1. We'll see.
Second, this article over at Game Informer talks about a new Ninja Gaiden game that looks pretty interesting. I've never played ANY of the others (they're somewhere on my to play list -- hey, that'd be a decent post too...), but this one pits a Ninja against hordes of zombies, what can go wrong?
Alright, on to this week's hunt! I'll be doing a top 5 post featuring video games with the best stories. It WAS going to be games based off of novels, but I decided that might be a bit TOO difficult to find...
| Fallout: New Vegas In my favorite games post, I mentioned the Fallout series (specifically the newer ones, though I own the originals and will finish them eventually). I could have put either 3 or NV here, but I honestly prefer the underlying story threads in New Vegas a touch more, especially with the conclusion of the DLC, all of which related in some way to your unknown past. The main game's story is also interesting; you have three factions you can join and help take over the Majave, or you can take it over "yourself." It's not exactly as much freedom as I'd like (the factions aren't as diverse as I'd prefer and most of this missions you do are the same or similar between the groups), but there are plenty of ways to see the stories play out. Even more interesting are the random stories you'll come across as you roam the desert, some told by survivors of horrible events, others by the remains of those who didn't. It's a story about how war never changes, even after the apocalypse has come and gone -- this is easily one of my favorite games and stories featured in a game. I'd rate this a 10/10, it really does hit everything I love in a game and a story. |  |
Dragon Age 2 I think most fans of the Dragon Age series would be surprised to see this title instead of Dragon Age: Origins. Origins does have a great story and great gameplay with many varied choices you can make, but the game itself is MUCH more tedious than the second: I loved it the first time, but going back to it, I HATE having to go through Orzammar and the Fade, they're both overly tedious and make replays a chore. That's the same reason why Mass Effect didn't make it to this list -- I picked my preference for story and playability out of the Bioware titles. They're all good, but DA 2 has, in my opinion, much more focus on story. You follow Hawke and his/her family through their exodus out of Ferelden and into Kirkwall. From their, you choose what impact Hawke has on the city over the course of three different chapters. There aren't as many choices as in the first, but they are much more focused and the characters you recruit seem to be better focused and much more interesting. Gameplay was streamlined, much to fans' disgust, but the story telling was made better by its focus on the city of Kirkwall instead of all of Ferelden. My rating is 7/10. |  |
Chrono Trigger I still have yet to finish this game. That being said, I can already say this game has an amazing story that goes from a fantasy stone age era to the sci-fi future on the brink of destruction. You travel through time in an attempt to stop the end of the world you've already witnessed, recruiting a cast comprised of some of the most interesting characters I have ever seen in an RPG title. The gameplay, for me, takes a little getting used to; this is why I have yet to finish it. Even so, the game is nothing short of amazing and really deserve to be played by anyone who has the chance. I don't like rating things I haven't finished, but I'd say this hits a 9/10 for me so far. The gameplay holds it back a touch, though when I finish it might not be enough to stop this being another 10/10. |  |
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic This game made it to the honorable mentions list of my favorite games, and that is because of its strong, strong story, which just happens to be set in the Star Wars universe. It is the predecessor to both Dragon Age and Mass Effect (the first one, anyway) in terms of gameplay and deep story telling. The action starts immediately from the start, where you wake up to the sound of alarms and your ship being attacked. Unfortunately, you don't remember who you are or how you got there (ok, yes, it starts with an amnesia story, but it gets better!). This is another game that introduces you to interesting characters and, in the realm of video games, has one of my favorite plot twists of all times. I had managed to not spoil this one for myself and it made it that much better, so I won't spoil anything here. The story starts of interesting, flags a bit on Taris, the most tedious part of the game, but picks up as soon as you get you first lightsaber. And you will be very glad when you do. I rate this game a 9/10 and its sequel an 8/10 (it has better focus on the cast, but a less interesting main character/overall story). It would be in the honored 5th slot if not for the next title. |  |
Bioshock I do not normally enjoy First Person Shooters. I gave Bioshock a shot because I heard it had an interesting story and some decent mechanics. The gameplay still wouldn't qualify as my favorite, but the "interesting" story was absolutely amazing as far as I'm concerned. There are no traditional cutscenes, not hand holding moments that take you through the story and explain what's going on. You're another amnesiac (sometimes it works, I swear!) who ends up in Rapture and has to find out what's going on and how to get the hell out of the crazy, underwater city. The story comes across via characters speaking to you over the radio and different audio diaries left around Rapture. Rapture itself tells a story as well; it was a paradise gone wrong that is now run by crazy splicers and watched over by terrifyingly strong Big Daddies. The game is dark and tense in theme, gameplay, and how the story elements are unveiled. Towards the end of the game, everything gets flipped on its head and things become MUCH more intense. The plot twist in this game was something I simply didn't see coming and it floored me with how long it had been building up without me ever noticing. Again, I'm not an FPS fan, but the story in this game dragged me along despite that, and for that alone it deserves the 5th slot. Add in my favorite plot twist in a game to date, and it'll stay here for awhile. Game gets a 9/10 for me overall. |  |
You may notice that there are no PC titles up here. Being that I am only a recent PC gamer, I did not have much material to put here. I honestly thing Star Wars: The Old Republic would be better on here than DA 2, and I'm sure there are plenty of PC only titles that could make up this list. I may take a look at that in the future, when I have more under my belt.
This list is missing a TON of great titles with amazing stories. I know this. For my PS2 alone, I could make a phenomenal list. I don't want to repeat titles, so these are the ones I value most for their stories.
Next week's post is up in the air, there are several things I'd be interested in writing. If you have a preference out of the list below, leave me a comment and I'll make it happen:
Review of Borderlands 1
My "To Play" List
Best Post Apocalyptic Games (this one will be especially difficult since I avoid re-using titles...)
Other: Your choice!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Extra! Extra! Video Game Edition
No, it's not Wednesday; this week we are taking a look at some books that are based off of video games. Wednesdays post will be about video games that feature great stories. Friday... Well, who knows! It's just that kind of week!
Normally, I do these lists haphazardly and without much order. That all changes today! I'm unveiling the new, coveted number 5 slot! Whatever fills the fifth slot will be my favorite out of the entire list! This will continue from this post forward, and I'll do a seasonal (or annual, or whatever) best of the best post, because everything should have flashbacks!
Here goes!
I struggled a bit coming up with stories I genuinely liked. Most video game novels, in my experience, are absolute crap. There are a few I'd still like to read (Bioshock: Rapture and the Elder Scroll novels, maybe a few more), but I'm content with this list and highly doubt anything would dethrone Shadows of the Empire anyway.
Come back Wednesday to see which games have the best stories!
Normally, I do these lists haphazardly and without much order. That all changes today! I'm unveiling the new, coveted number 5 slot! Whatever fills the fifth slot will be my favorite out of the entire list! This will continue from this post forward, and I'll do a seasonal (or annual, or whatever) best of the best post, because everything should have flashbacks!
Here goes!
| Magic the Gathering: The Purifying Fire Wait, wait, wait, Magic is a card game! I must be losing it, everything is upside down today! Not quite! Well, not in any way that's an issue here. This book follows Chandra Nalaar, one of the many new Planeswalkers made popular in the video game, "Duels of the Planeswalkers." This book is probably one of the better recent MTG books I've read. Normally, they suffer in quality, but this one is fairly consistent and follows up with Chandra directly after her antics in the Graphic Novel named after the game. There are better MTG novels out there, but they deal with characters before the video game cast began to revolutionize the series. As a book, I give it a 6/10, but I still cite it as one of the better video game novels. |  |
| Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne While I haven't read the other novels in the Dragon Age universe, I did enjoy the Stolen Throne enough. I enjoyed it more because it added additional lore and flavor to a video game series I love. The story itself follows King Maric and Loghain before and during their freeing Ferelden from from the Orlesian Empire. Maric is a character we never meet in the games -- instead, we see Loghain's traitorous acts towards his son, Cailan. If I had read this before playing, the beginning of the game would have left me in a lot of turmoil and I would have vowed an even more dire end of Loghain. As it was, he got off lucky in my first playthrough. Not so much in the second. The book itself features pretty solid writing, even if some of the locations of scenes are hazy or uninteresting. I give it a solid 7. |  |
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy The Resident Evil series of games was one of my favorite when they were released. I especially loved Resident Evil 2 and the Remake of Resident Evil 1 on the GameCube. This novel, which is the first in a series of seven (including a prequel, numbered 0). It is the novelization of events that happened in Resident Evil 1 and it is able to go into even more detail than the game did, which is saying something. You learned more about the characters, the mansion, and the overall world through the novels, and it was a perfect follow up to actually finishing the game. The series itself wasn't so strong. Every other novel (1, 3, 5 and 6, to be exact) was based on one of the games. The novels in-between (2 and 4) were used to bridge gaps with characters that didn't appear in consecutive games, and, without any source material to be based off of, were absolutely terrible. The Umbrella Conspiracy itself, however, gets an 8 (which ties it with the third novel in the series, City of the Dead) |  |
Warcraft: Lord of the Clans Important note! I have never been a fan of World of Warcraft. I am STILL bitter that they changed the Real Time Strategy games I loved as a child into the apparently soul sucking MMO. And, somehere after that, they added anthropomorphic pandas... what the hell? That being said, the earlier Warcraft novels were based on Warcraft 1-3 (well, mostly 3, but that's ok) and had their ups and downs. Lord of the Clans, however, shined above all the others. I absolutely loved the story of Thrall, an Orc born into slavery as a gladiator worked his way out of slavery and into becoming the leader of the Horde. It might not have been a terribly original plot, but the storytelling itself made up for it, as did the supporting cast. I still pull this off the shelf from time to time and read it to this day. It was THIS close to getting the number five slot. Even so, I'm giving it a 9 rating. This may be tinged with nostalgia, but I accept that. |  |
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire If you don't remember this game, you missed out. Sure, it was a buggy mess, difficult to control, and overall one of the more difficult games I've ever played (probably due to the first two points), but it was a really interesting jump in the gaming industry. As far as I know, Shadows of the Empire was the first multi-media story of its kind. It released with a novel, a junior novelization, a video game, a series of comic books, and more. They all told more or less the same story, but sometimes from different points of view. While the game follows Dash Rendar, the novel itself acted as a gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, following Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, Boba Fett, and Darth Vader, as well as introducing the wonderfully interesting characters, Prince Xisor and (one of my favorites) Dash Rendar. The writing is a touch dated, but it is an excellent bridge between the two movies and one of my favorite Star Wars novels of all time (and I've read far too many of them). It gets a 9 from me, and this is definitely due to some nostalgia, but that's ok. |  |
I struggled a bit coming up with stories I genuinely liked. Most video game novels, in my experience, are absolute crap. There are a few I'd still like to read (Bioshock: Rapture and the Elder Scroll novels, maybe a few more), but I'm content with this list and highly doubt anything would dethrone Shadows of the Empire anyway.
Come back Wednesday to see which games have the best stories!
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