So... I did a thing.

Yeah, ok, my Photoshop skills are a little rusty.

Super hyped for video games in November. Never going to have time to play them, but Fallout 4, Star Wars: Battlefront, and XCOM 2 are three of my favorite franchises gut punching my wallet in another five or so months. And a possible Persona 5 drop somewhere there too...

I'd like to do a nerd-gush on Fallout 4 and all the news that has dropped soon... And I'd also like to commence re-skinning the blog, though now I'm torn between Star Wars or Fallout...

These are good problems to have.

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.

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!

Game Time: Bravely Default, Mount and Blade: Warband, and more...

Howdy folks! It's your favorite sleepless nerd!

Unless your fans of Wil Wheaton, I hear he doesn't sleep much. And he's much better at the whole nerd thing.

But anyways! In between raising a baby, I've managed to sneak in a little bit of time playing some titles that are either new-ish or new to me, and I wanted to give a quick report. Later on I might try for a longer piece on Guardians of the Galaxy (or maybe not, that's kind of old news now), and I've also been reading a slew of comics that I haven't posted about yet.

Bravely Default

The Party

I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a huge fan of RPGs. I especially love turn-based ones, possibly because I like to take my time doing just about anything. Bravely Default's titular feature is the Brave/Default system, which is a relatively interesting twist on the turn based mechanic. Every action costs a certain amount of Brave Points. By using "Default," characters defend on their turn and earn an extra BP, which can be done up to three times (I'm uncertain if this ever changes, I'm not super far). Using the "Brave" option, you can spend extra BP on a single turn to take more or bigger actions. The interesting component here is that you can spend BP you don't have, allowing your character to go to -4 BP. The trick is that you only regenerate 1 BP per turn, and that character is useless until their back to 0. Enemies are also able to use the same system.

This makes random encounters generally pretty easy -- spam Brave on every character, they get four attacks in a row and can generally wipe anything out in one turn. For bosses, however, it becomes a gambit -- when you're low on health and not sure if you should try an all out attack and hopefully kill the big bad, or play it safe so you can defend and heal and keep whittling away... I believe there are more combos as you get later in the game, but up to chapter three, it has stayed fairly mundane.

Character classes are run on a job system, similar to a Final Fantasy Tactics -- any of your four characters can learn a different class on a whim, as long as you've unlocked it. There seems to be a decent amount of jobs, which is good. There are a couple of points where Bravely Default has twisted this system as well. Each character can use skills from their current job and the skills from one other job they've learned. And they can use support abilities from any jobs that they've learned them in. This helps to create diverse characters and promotes switching jobs often. There is a feature, called "Abilink," that allows you to pair up your character with one of your 3DS friends accounts, which gives them access to any skills that player has learned in the chosen job. At first I thought this was pretty interesting, but it almost makes developing classes pointless if you've got friends (as I do) that have all abilities unlocked for all jobs...

Speaking of friends helping you in game, you're also able to "summon" them if they've uploaded an attack to the internet. To upload an attack, you choose the "Send" option and then make an attack -- it's stored on your profile until you record another one, and players can use it as a one-off until they record another (and you download it again). This is another thing that can trivialize the game -- I tested it on an early boss and defeated them in the single attack...

Orcs must die, amirite?

The game has gone a long way to be more accessible to new players and to promote connecting to others. And these features are completely optional. So I don't have any reason to complain, but I do wish there was a different method of player interaction that didn't feel game-breaking. But I appreciate what they've done with it.

As far as I am, the story has been typical JRPG fare, with four magical crystals you must save/restore and everything. The player cast, which you meet all four very early, are actually pretty interesting. And cutscenes are voiced... though I can't stand several of the characters' voices. I believe the story changes things up midway through the game, but I can't speak to that just yet. The art style is basic and a bit spartan in places (character models and faces, there are no anime-quality scenes, and you don't actually enter shops, just open the front door...), but it works and doesn't detract in any way from the overall game.

I'm definitely enjoying the game and very happy to see someone attempting to revitalize turn-based combat, instead of settling for the same old story. If I'm blown away by the story, I'll come back and post an update, but for now I'm confidant in giving this an 8/10 as is.



Well... That went on longer than I thought! I'll only just mention my other games, because I honestly haven't been playing them as much.

Mount and Blade: Warband

I've never played an M&B title, but I'm glad I picked this up during the Steam Summer Sale. You control a character in a medieval-style world. There's no plot, there's no real story, you're just in this world to do what you will. Generally, the idea is to recruit soldiers to help you fight battles. You can fight for yourself, you can hire yourself out to one of the several warring kingdoms, you can become a vassal to one of these Kings, or you can try and take over a piece of the world for yourself. You could also go for a low-combat route and become a merchant, taking supplies from one side of the continent to the other. But that's not why I play medieval style games...

Travel is done on a top-down world map, where you can travel from towns to villages to castles, passing other armies, groups, or even bandits. You can be a bandit yourself and attack villages, you can be the hero and crush bandits and uncover their secret bases, or you can be a soldier and fight in the many wars that will start up over time. Your character levels up and you can choose how to grow your stats and abilities. There are hero companions that do the same, and there are basic soldiers that "evolve" as they gain more experience, going from peasant to mounted knight (or other, there are many diverse units).

It's about to get real...

Combat can be first or third person, where your army meets another's on the battlefield. This portion of the game kind of reminds me of Chivalry, while the rest of the game is a bit more like a Crusader Kings or Total War title. It's fairly visceral, though standard gameplay definitely benefits from mods that allow for more strategic formations. You can also enter tournaments and the like for some different styled combat, which is a good way to earn money... Of which you'll need a lot.

I'm not super far in the game, but if any of the above in a truly open world setting appeal to you, I strongly suggest this game. Also, it has many wonderful mods (I myself am playing the Floris mod, which is a compilation of other, smaller mods), including one that turns it into a Game of Thrones setting...

Coop Deckbuilding!

My other gaming news brings me to the land of Legendary, Marvel's deckbuilding game. It just came in yesterday, so I haven't played with it too much, but the mechanics are fairly basic and the setting seems a bit more fleshed out than the DC version (that I've only played once). I'll have more on this when I actually get a group together to test it out.

Alright, that's all folks. Go away. Oh, and keep it nerdy.

Titanfall: Revisted

So, I hadn't played Titanfall since inFamous: Second Son came out. I haven't played inFamous since I beat it. I've had a very limited about of time to focus on games, and I've also lacked the motivation.

Hearing mention of the pending June update to Titanfall, which will add a "Marked for Death" mode that sounds interesting to me, I decided to load it up again.

I'm still displeased with the lack of options and unlocks, and didn't bother with the underwhelming DLC, but I did want to say that I have never played a smoother shooter. In comparison, I tried Call of Duty: Ghosts again and was immediately displeased with the actual gameplay. You're slower, your mobility is less, etc... Of course it is, Titanfall is future/sci-fi. But CoD also has poor hit detection, flimsy health (no chance to react), latency (knifing, anyone?), and annoying maps/players who abuse them.

Freedom of movement you take for granted after awhile.

Titanfall really did manage to pull away from all of those issues. Your mobility is tied to how smooth the game runs. Even other games that have tried more open mobility (Brink) felt a clunky in comparison. And I may not like the general lack of weapons, but at least I know how they all work. Having 13 SMGs in a CoD title is great, but I'm only going to use two anyway...

To compare to Battlefield 4, I appreciate that everyone is more-or-less able to play the game. Using all the features in Battlefield requires experience and skill when it comes to, say, flying a jet or helicopter. I still can't make jets useful. I'd love to see Titanfall work in their ships/shuttles into battle in the future.

I guess I was (and still am) left wanting more because what's there is very well done. And seeing some of the minor concessions coming in the update (Titan decals, new burn cards), shows that they are at least willing to acknowledge that the game is missing some obvious content. There's no much I imagine they can do to improve that now, but maybe Titanfall 2 will completely blow me out of the water. For now, I'll just look forward to the new game modes...

Titanfall Drops at Midnight

If I haven't been writing much or seem distracted, it's because I've been waiting for Titanfall.

If I fall asleep at work tomorrow, it's because I decided playing at launch was more important than sleep.

I've pre-ordered and pre-loaded and will be playing on PC (Origin ID is Silt44, add me!).

There are a lot of components of this game that interest me, including giant mechs, insane maneuverability, an interesting array of pilot abilities, and hopefully more I'm completely unaware of.

One component that I initially thought I wouldn't like was the inclusion of Burn Cards, one-off ability modifiers that you use before re-spawning and last for the rest of that life. Initially, I imagined they'd be like special pokeballs in Pokemon; I'd horde but not use them for fear of wasting them. Fortunately, I watched some gameplay highlighting amped weapon cards AND the Titanfall website just posted an explanation of Burn Cards that has me feeling more excited for the addition. I'm sure I'll complain by being crushed by overpowered weapons, but the other, ability-based cards seem like they'll be a lot of fun and add a decent amount of strategy to a fast-paced title.

Can't wait to see what else they've got up their sleeves.

I'll be posting a first impression tomorrow morning (assuming I've made it to work and not fallen asleep on the train, destined to ride forever. I almost wish I had a way of recording videos, I'm feeling pretty confidant about my chances in this game.

I'll also be using a PS4 controller initially, only because I've never played a PC FPS at launch... We'll see how long that lasts.

Lyco's Back

You can’t keep a good bastich down for long. Here to  rant, rave, and foam at the mouth with outdated updates for your Pop Culture fix. Here to spike your veins for comics, TV, food (WTF), and games along with me is Special Guest Star, the ever lovable Lobo! As sassy Peter Parker's Aunt May would proclaim, he's a real pussy willow! Stan Lee's favorite DC character... Alzheimer's is a serious issue facing our world. For more information please the Main Man at your own peril after the jump.

The Wolf Among Us

Some time ago, I mentioned reading a bit into the Fables comic book series. I have been very impressed and, while I've only finished the first three trades, I am certain this is a series that will remain in my favorite-series-ever list that I am very happy to announce that I've recently just finished the first chapter of the video game prequel, The Wolf Among Us.

Remember those guys who brought you the very interesting The Walking Dead point-and-click game that was a refreshing take on interactive storytelling? Well, they've done it again with the Fables series. This time, the medium is even more effective because the source material is normally found in a image/literature hybrid as comic books. Adding some really incredible animation and player interaction, and you've got an amazing comic book experience.

Being a prequel, you do NOT need to know anything about the Fables universe to enjoy this game. It gives you what you need to get by pretty darn well. I'm definitely enjoying it more because I've read about these characters already, but I'm sure someone who has read the entire series is probably getting different levels of enjoyment as well. This doesn't stop a newcomer from appreciating the game, it just means that there are, potentially, many ways of interpreting the characters your meeting. I can't wait to play through the whole game again (once all of the five chapters are release, of course) AFTER I've finally caught up with the comic series.

The game does a good job of introducing you to important members early.

There's a point there I've glossed over a bit -- the game releases in chunks, broken up by chapters. Similar to waiting for issues to release, we can only play the parts of the game that are released -- at this time, only one chapter (Faith) is out. However, you can already see many possible branches where the choices you make will dramatically change how the story unfolds for you. The good news is, you can have multiple saves, so there's no need to worry about messing up your "good run" to see how other choices would have changed things.

The story itself is a murder mystery and you're playing Detective Bigby, who was the Big Bad Wolf before the Fables came to New York, as he tries to uncover who is killing off other Fables (the name of the magical folk), all the while trying to redeem himself in the eyes of the others or dealing with the bad history he has with some of them.

Bigsby and the Woodsman (from Little Red Riding Hood). Not the best of friends...

Gameplay is point-and-click, mostly selecting from a series of choices, though there are crime scene investigations a la LA Noire, and there are quick-time action sequences that actually get pretty damn intense. I'm playing on PC, but the game is also out on 360, PS3, and (I just found out and wish I had got it for) PS Vita. Unfortunately, no PS4 action, which would have been my preference (maybe I'll do my views on the new console, but I'm sure it's mostly been said by now).

I don't normally mention sound in games because... Well, I just don't care. But the menu music, effects, and voice acting is all spot on. I was a touch worried at the prospect of having voiced characters conflict with how I imagined the comic book characters, but so far I've loved each and every cast member (which is rare -- kind of like the Harry Potter movies stomping all over the books for me).

If you like the comic series, GET THIS GAME. If you are interested in the comic series, GET THIS GAME. If you liked the Walking Dead game, GET THIS GAME. If you enjoy taking candy from children but hate the taste of strawberries, GET THIS GAME.

Seriously, get the game already. It's awesome, cheap enough for a season pass ($20, I think), and has a lot of room for replay-ability (imagine if the Mass Effect series had been done right!).

Pokemon XY and Call of Duty: Ghosts... Because that totally goes together.

To catch up on what I've been playing recently, I'm going to do mini-reviews of Pokemon X(Y) and Call of Duty: Ghosts, both of which I was able to pick up on their launch days.

POKEMON Y

I liked the bird better so got Y...

Pokemon XY is the best Pokemon game I've played since the originals. The pacing is similar, the new amount of Pokemon is limited and actually feels interesting to find them (only a touch over 60 added, as opposed to hundreds), and the game has added a few things since the last gen.

Kirlia vs newcomer Fennekin

The new graphics are solid. I'm happy getting away from the 8-bit feel and adding some 3D. Every Pokemon and every move have personal animations, which I think is something we've been missing for ages and it is a HUGE addition for me, even if the overall battle system remains the same. I'd love for some other new RPGs using old school battle formats to follow suit (I'm looking at you, Shin Megami Tensei!).

The one change they did include for battling is Mega Evolutions. Instead of a permanent change, these are boosts you can use in battle that evolve your monster temporarily. As of now, it's a bit of a shallow system, but there is a lot of potential here. Charizard and Mewtwo in particular got two different options with the Mega Evolutions based on which version you got. The Y stones act mostly as stat increases, while the X stones actually add new types to the Pokemon (Charizard gains Dragon and Mewtwo gains Figthing). The more stones for a given 'mon, the more options. Instead of everyone rocking the final evolutions in battle, we could potentially see the same Pokemon with a VERY different setup. I'm not sure if that's how far they'll go, but for now I'm just happy to see some of my favorite Pokemon getting some new (mostly awesome) looks.

Mega Charizard Y and X.

Mega Mewtwo Y. X looks... stupid.

I honestly felt like I was playing Red again with the pacing of the game and the light touches of an antagonist group (even lighter than the originals, to be honest). There are enough minor changes (Friend Safari, continuous fishing, etc...) to make even the most veteran players happy, especially since the core game doesn't change at all (critics can be hit or miss on this one, I suppose).

The ONE area the game falls short is the post game. It has one series of side missions, access to two more legendary pokemon, and then... well... that's it. Other games allowed you to visit other continents and challenge more gyms. XY just kind of ends. I'm not really one for competitive multiplayer, so my game is kind of languishing. I have several friends who picked up the game, so I'll still get some mileage, but I'm really hoping they change their minds and throw some DLC our way...

Either way, fantastic game. 9/10.

---

CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS (Multiplayer)

Similar to Pokemon, CoD is known for using slight tweaks to their games to push a new edition regularly. While I'm enjoying Ghosts enough, this is the first time it feels especially forced. There are new maps, weapons, and kill streaks, but none of them FEEL new. I don't normally play campaigns for these games, so I can't say if they knocked it out of the park there, but the multiplayer is already beginning to feel stale.

I've read plenty of complaints about quicker deaths and disguised lag, but none of that has been a particular issue for me. The game is fun enough, better when playing with friends, but the game's aesthetic doesn't feel new (they went with a half-assed post-apocalyptic-ish thing that... well, doesn't seem different at all) and there is not a single reason I would suggest someone pick up Ghosts vs the last CoD (which at least had futuristic elements added -- there are none in Ghosts).

They DID add a partner-dog, I guess.

I don't know if next Gen holds any surprises for the title... I doubt it. I kind of wish the Battlefield 4 Beta hadn't turned me off so much from that game, I feel as if I'd have gotten more enjoyment out of it than I have with Ghosts.

If I'm able to get a PS4 around launch (unlikely), I'll update this mini-review. Until then, this gets a 6/10.

---

NEXT GEN

On a minor side not, my local GameStop had a PS4 set up. The console looks nice enough, but I was mostly worried about the controller -- I'm NOT a fan of the Playstation family controllers and honestly feel like the 360 is probably the most ergonomic design we've seen (argue with me if you must). That being said, I REALLY enjoyed the feel of the PS4 controller. The touch pad... well, it's in a bit of an awkward spot due to the fact that I'd have to remove one of my hands from their primary positions to get any use of it, so I'm hoping it's not a big game changer. The share and options buttons were also placed in a spot I didn't enjoy, but the primary play buttons worked well enough. I went through some of the demo for Knack -- not my style of game, but I got comfortable with the controller very quickly. I didn't feel Knack looked any different from a current Gen game, but maybe that's just me.

I'm talking to my local GameStop about letting an extra PS4 fall off the truck, but I don't think they're going to support my poor planning. Also, I kind of need to find a way to PAY for it...

More on that and Thor: The Dark World as we get through the week.

3rd Podcast Episode!

Intro
Dylan's Announcement (and drinking problem) - 3:04

Gaming - 4:51
360 and Time Warner - 4:53
MLG/CEO Tournament - 6:52
Wii U Fails the Internet - 8:52
Matt Fails the Internet - 9:18
Indiana Jones with Dick and Fart Jokes - 10:43
Worst. Impression. Ever. (Sorry James Franco). - 13:47
X-box President to Zynga CEO - 14:36

Now Playing - 15:42
Dustin: The Last of Us, FTL, FF7
Matt: Borderlands 2, Minecraft (PC), Farcy 3: Blood Dragon, Guild Wars 2
Steve: UFC Undisputed 2, Madden 2006, NBA 2k5, Dungeons and Dragons (Pen and Paper)
Dylan: Gears of War 2

Entertainment News - 28:02
Captain Planet - 28:30
Good Omens about Good Omens - 29:50

Comic Books - 36:15
Frank Cho vs Facebook - 39:45
(Spoilers!) Superior Spider-Man - 43:00

Suggested Reading
Novels with Steve - 47:25
Ishmael, Gods Behaving Badly, The Blinding Knife, A Dance with Dragons, Julian Comstock: A story of 22nd-century America
Comics with Dustin and Dylan - 52:55
Star Wars: Legacy, Kick Ass (w/ Spoilers!)/ Daredevil: Born Again
Outro - 1:00:00

A Marvel Fan's Review of Injustice: Gods Among Us

If you haven't notice or I haven't mentioned, I'm a Marvel fan. If you've seen my Pull List Reviews, you can see that I dabble in some DC, but it is limited. Some DC classic stories stand out (The Dark Knight Returns, Red Son, Kingdom Come), but, as a rule, I don't much enjoy DC characters.

I could explain further, but I think I'll save it for a Marvel vs DC post... or series of posts, really.

For now, all you need to know is that I'm on team Marvel, and am reviewing the DC fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Oh, I also suck at fighters.

Roster

The first thing every fan will be looking at is the roster. Almost all the characters in this game should be recognizable to dedicated fans and not-particularly-interested-fans alike, and for that it suffers.

Check the image for the full roster. Some good choices, some obvious staples, and then some characters that should have been removed:

Solomon Grundy: I know they needed big, slow moving heavy hitters, but why Grundy? Why not take the plunge and put some Darkseid in there? They've got more than enough Batman characters, another Superman would villain would have been kosher. Instead the big guy makes a cameo during a level transition.

Ares: I guess Wonder Woman needs a villain... Oh, wait. The Flash doesn't have a villain represented. Ares could have been COMPLETELY removed for just about anyone else. I dislike generic gods in my comic books and their related video games.

Killer Frost: Who the hell is this? We really needed a Sub Zero knockoff, who even has the annoying slide move? There are plenty of other female choices if that was a deciding factor. Starfire or a Supergirl would have been a MUCH better choice.

All the other characters I can see a decent argument for, but there was also a glaring under-use of alternate skins/costumes. Nightwing could have had a Robin, Flash to Reverse Flash, Superman to Bizarro, etc... Maybe some new voices would need to be done, but they did it with the special Arrow skin.

Oh, yeah. It's impossible to get all the skins in the game. Actually, unless you pre-ordered at several places, it's impossible to get a whole bunch of skins, which is pretty depressing.

Roster has holes that may be addressed with DLC, but I'm pretty tired of DLC being shallow money grabs, and that's all they tend to be for fighting games.

There is a prequel comic series, if you're interested

Story

For me, I enjoy playing through the story of fighting games the most. This game has a pretty standard "Superman gone dictator" story, but it works well with the characters and the fights (though characters like Killer Frost and Grundy really show themselves as foolish additions when they pop up).

There is even an OH SH** moment, which is nice. Story is at least worth it.

The ARCADE mode, called "Battles" does allow you to unlock endings tailored to specific characters, but they are inconsistent. Doomsday becomes basically a god and is shown going off to hunt down a strong opponent (Lobo). Superman... decides to have a bomb placed in him so he never goes rogue. The endings are all over the place, and are actually worse for some characters.

Gameplay

It's a fairly simple fighter. There are definite room for skilled players, but nothing breaks the mold here. Level transitions are fun, the interactive environments add a some dramatic changes to fights, and overall it is easy enough to get into.

Being a superhero game, though, I wanted more or better ultimate attacks, though.

Online

The online mode is a weak point. Matches can take forever to find and rage quitters absolutely make the it a mess. You can tell how many times someone disconnected in their career, but that's the only negative to doing so. When an opponent quits mid-match, it means that you get no credit for any of the challenges, no victory, and no experience points.

... What the hell were they thinking? Disconnects shouldn't ruin MY game too -- it might not be the most fun, but let me beat on an unmoving character so I can still get credit! And rage quitters need some kind of punishment -- possibly a delay in being able to play online again.

Verdict

If you like DC (and specifically the presented roster) and don't mind fighting games, I'd say go for it. If you can find a group of appropriately skilled friends, it could be a lot of fun. If you don't have a lot of patience/aren't willing to practice enough to become skilled, the general online population may not be for you (I can spend entire matches getting pummled into a corner with no way out :/).

Rating: 6/10

So many missing characters...

Review: Bioshock Infinite

So I picked up Bioshock Infinite on release day (well, the midnight release, actually), and beat it within a couple days. I've waited for a bit because my review below is going to contain spoilers for Bioshock Infinite. If you have not played either game, stick to my initial impression, which you can find here.

Now that that's out of the way, I'm going to do my best to make this review concise because I recognize that I'm a wordy bastard. You know, like going on about how I'm going to keep things concise.

---------------------HEY, LISTEN! DID YOU READ THAT THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW?---------------------

Gameplay

Infinite is much more of an action game than the original. Large scale battles occur often. You can usually tell when they are coming when you enter a large, open space. The enemies you fight are fairly generic, with the difference being certain weapons, amount of hits they can take, or the few special enemies such as Crows, Firemen, and Handymen.

Handymen are the strongest enemies in the game.

There are no puzzles in the game, and no mini-games present. There is some exploration, hidden items, and a bit of backtracking, but overall the game focuses on the combat. Skylines, which are rails suspended in the air, are the biggest change to combat -- they allow a whole new, fast paced dimension to combat, though they are underutilized -- there is no point where they are mandatory in combat, and I think the game could have really used a skyline-only fight.

Powers in the game are fairly standard fare and, usually, you can find one or two you like early on and never use another. I won't describe them all, but I will say that several do change up the flow of combat if you choose to use them -- there are ranged attacks, a physical lunge, and an interesting shield for example. You can focus on certain abilities buy buying upgrades, which can reduce the energy cost for each ability or add effects.

Weapons are reasonably varied, though it was pretty standard fair. You can also upgrade weapons, but these upgrades are VERY mundane, leading to increased damage or clip size or something similar.

An interesting addition to Infinite would be that you have four slots for clothing (hat, shirt, pants, shoes) and these clothing, which are found around the world, can have some significant changes and allow you to specialize in a certain kind of combat or try something completely new.

Score: There's nothing amazing about the gameplay, though it is put together very well. I give it an 8/10, though that's mostly because I found it actively fun, not original.

Setting

Columbia is awesome. In true Bioshock fashion, there are interesting characters, interesting locales, and a wealth of history for you to uncover if you're interested.

Love this place.

Time travel/dimension hopping eventually becomes an important facet to the setting, though the rules are a bit hazily defined. Even so, it gives us a few different outlooks on Columbia/the world, which is a nice touch.

One of my favorite parts of the game is when we get to revisit Rapture. It's a nice homage and a powerful part of the game.

Score: One of my favorite things about the series is the awesome settings, and Infinite doesn't disappoint. I give it a 9/10, and it only loses a point for not addressing some issues with dimensional travel.

Story

I could go on about the story. I really enjoyed playing through it, I think the mystery of Booker and Elizabeth was handled well to a point, and I felt compelled to get to the next section of the game.

I personally loved Booker's character. He's not your usual hero and I'm VERY glad they went away from the silent protagonist. Elizabeth is a simply amazing creation as well, and the game does a great job of showing her personality changing over the course of the game. Most of the enemies are interesting, though they don't really compare to Andrew Ryan for me.

A truly awesome character. Best in a long time.

There were a few issues for me, however. At one point, Elizabeth quickly forgives Booker after he attempts to take her to New York instead of Paris. We needed to see a bit more of what Elizabeth was thinking, and what her concerns were with New York (true, Booker told her Paris, but NY was still better than Columbia).

My issue with the dimensional travel is that the cause and effect relationship is mentioned but not shown very well. Booker has to help the rebels, the Vox Populi, so they'll give him his airship back. In dimension 1, he makes a deal to have a man agree to make weapons for them, and then he's good. Turns out the man is dead, and then we take a quick hop to a new dimension, with no hope of going back. The man is no longer dead, but his equipment is gone, so we go back, only to realize that we can't move the equipment... So we jump to dimension 3, where it's back at the shop -- but the guy is dead when we get there. Obviously the Booker of this dimension convinced the man to make weapons for the Vox, but how? Did HE have to move the equipment too, or was the second dimension a complete waste of time? The dimensional travel was used almost as a Deus Ex Machina for something far too small, making it look like a lazy plot decision.

Zachary Hale Comstock

The ending, in which an alternate reality version of Booker is shown to be Comstock (the main villain), is really, really interesting... But WAY too short! You spend more time walking among infinite lighthouses, learning about an infinite multi-verse theory than you do with any reaction of the revelation that Booker = Comstock. Even being a horrible time-travel story cliche where the hero is the villain, so much more could have been done. Even a bit of exposition at the ending would have worked, which we know Bioshock has done at least in the first game.

Also, they laid it on pretty thick that Comstock=Booker throughout the game. This just enhances the short amount of time we deal with the revelation.

Score: I loved the story and it engaged me, but it certainly had some weak points. I'm scoring it an 8/10, but feel that will get lower if I think about it too much...


Overall, the game scores an arbitrary score of 8/10. I'd love to hear some other thoughts/reactions to the game -- leave a comment!

Next up, I've finished another round of my pull list, so expect a Pull List Review soon(ish)!

First Impressions: Sleeping Dogs and Baldur's Gate

Welcome to this Wednesday's Hunting Game(s) post! I'm going to create banners for my weeklies soon so I can stop including them in the title (which I'm trying to do now...), so look forward to that!

Obviously I still have power and wasn't swept to Oz by Sandy, so that's a plus. And that means I get to right my double feature of first impressions!

First: Sleeping Dogs! I had wanted to pick this game up at release but chose to save my money. Fortunately, GreenManGaming.com had a sale and I had credit (due to buying XCOM from them), meaning I got Sleeping Dogs for $5.00 (I think. If not, it was close!).

I honestly expected it to be a Grand Theft Auto knockoff set in Hong Kong. While I got the setting correct, I was otherwise wrong. This IS a free roam game, but it is set up much differently than GTA. First, I've been playing for a couple of hours and have YET to see/use a gun. Instead, the fights I'm being thrown into are Batman: Arkham Asylum style fights where I have one attack button, one block/counter button, and a ton of enemies that glow when they're about to attack.

Seeing as how I loved combat in Batman, I'm loving it here. It helps that the fighting feels more fluid than any combat I've ever seen, moving seamlessly from a roundhouse kick to catching the attacker behind me's foot and dropping him to the ground, hard. It's not particularly difficult, but it is enjoyable. And, so far, I've met three kinds of enemies - basic thugs, brawlers that can't have their attacks interrupted, and grapplers whom you want to avoid... well, grappling.

Grappling is a key element in the fighting, as it allows you to get through blocking opponents and use the environment against them (my favorite so far has been throwing people into phone booths and then kicking them in the chest, hard.

Combat looks and feels awesome.

There are weapons here and there, but your character is more lethal without them, at least in the beginning.

The story is decent -- under cover cop having to balance personal issues while gaining the trust of the gangs and remaining on the good side of the police. This is visually represented by two experience bars, one for the triads and one for the police -- the more missions/actions you take that reflect each side nets you experience for one or the other (and sometimes both). This isn't a good OR evil setup, you can level both at the same time -- triad exp allows you to unlock more combat effectiveness, while the police exp gives you extra tools/abilities for the job.

That's just a quick rundown, because there is more I could talk about. Maybe I'll do a full review once I complete the game. For now, know that I'm really enjoying the game, even the driving aspects (which I normally hate). I'm really looking forward to see what else can come from these developers.

Pros: story, driving, combat, city feels alive, collectibles, mission variety, movement fluidity
Cons: I've got nothing at the moment...

I've also finally started Baldur's Gate. I'm using the Trilogy mod, which combines both the games and expansions as a seamless game (all done in BG2's interface). It is awesome, but I do have a warning for new players -- DON'T use a mega-mod/mod-pack! I used BiG World, which made the setup easier, but it also installed a ton of things that I just don't know about and it's hard to tell what's been included. I ran into an issue where a high level encounter was added in the middle of an important town, preventing me from accessing the area that I should have been able to use from the get go.

That being said, I'm really enjoying the game. I love the D&D aspects and I think the difficulty is just about right (I'm playing it on Core and it's hard. I MIGHT drop the difficulty down in the future, but for now it works). Anyone who's started a D&D character at level 1 knows it's difficult, more so when there isn't a DM (Dungeon Master) to spoon feed you the first few levels.

I made my main a Beserker (fighter specialization), and I'm really wishing I went mage. You find plently of NPCs to join your group throughout the game, but so far I have found any good-aligned or decent mages (that fit with the story -- currently I'm using a mage from a mod, and she's pretty terrible). My next character will definitely be an evil sorcerer.

The Sword Coast

I'll do a full review once I finish the game (the first time), AND I'll do an updated guide to modding it appropriately -- after this, I better damn well be an expert.

Alright, that's all for now. Just some first impressions as I promised, and both good so far. I also picked up Pokemon Black 2, but I don't intend to play it much until this weekend.

Friday's post will be featured around the big news we got yesterday in regards to Disney buying LucasArts (you know, in case you didn't hear). I'm going to do a write up on the Star Wars story/stories  I'd like to see make it into the next trilogy (looks like Monday's post was just in time).




See you then!

Hunting Game(s): Dishonored Review

First, stop by my post last week which, among other things, contains my initial reaction to Dishonored. Read on if you want to see a slightly more in detail review!

I say slightly because I have yet to finish the game. This is due to being busy and the setup of the levels -- each mission can be quite lengthy (especially if you're trying to be at all stealthy), so I do either a mission or half a mission in one sitting.

WARNING! For you achievement hunters, I STRONGLY suggest you check out the achievement list and plan how you want to play from the get go! It will take at least two complete play-throughs to 100% the game, and it uses a strange system for keeping track of your stats. If you plan on going through the game without killing anyone  or alerting anyone, you MUST do so from the get go -- if fail to do one of them on level 2 and figure you'll just do it after you finish the game, it doesn't work like that, you'd have to play level 2 over AND the rest of the game in the same manner to unlock the achievements.

Sometimes it's just more fun to use the pistol...

I'm personally playing stealthily with a goal to keep a "low chaos" ending, which is the "less dark" for the endings provided. This means that I try to kill as few people as possible, though I'm not afraid to cut folks who stumble upon me. Also, I'm killing all the assassination targets by indirect means. Also, I'm getting all the collectibles referenced in achievements, though they are honestly easy to come by just by being thorough.

It makes for a fun play-through, but I think I'd almost rather blast through the game and just deal with the "high chaos" difficulty spikes.

The story... is nothing special, and I say this because it lacks a coherent logic:

You (Corvo) are framed for killing the Empress and kidnapping her daughter. Then you are imprisoned. A group of "loyalists" free you so you can save the daughter and kill off the usurpers. On a completely unrelated note, a mystical being of some sort, known as The Outsider, gives you magical powers. Basically, he wants to see what you'll do with them on your missions. Back to the Loyalists, they send you on a bunch of missions to kill or capture VERY high profile enemies. But don't worry, they give you a mask and a cool sword with which to do it.

My problem is that, without the Outsider (and, unless there's an upcoming plot twist, the Loyalists know nothing about him), there is no reason Corvo should be able to complete ANY of these missions or, at the very least, not any better than the next guy. And the next guy wouldn't require an elaborate prison rescue, either.

I'm assuming there will be a plot twist where the Loyalists stab you in the back, it tends to go with this kind of thing, but there really is no reason to choose Corvo for the job -- we don't see ANY of his past actions that might qualify him, and, to be honest, most of these missions would be especially difficult without powers -- conceptually impossible, I'd argue, though maybe I'm wrong.

Ignoring that (not that I personally can), the characters are interesting enough. And you have an item (a heart...) that you can use to learn secrets about them. The story is well crafted around all of them, though the art style does sometimes make it difficult to remember who is who...

What did I tell you? Creepy.

Note: about the art style -- it's bleak. There are bleak images, locales, and the overall design is dingy and dark. I enjoy it, actually, but can see people not enjoying the almost lifeless design of some of the areas and the lack of any real bright spots (there is a party, but it's more creepy than anything).

On to the good stuff, however: the powers!

The main powers are:
Dark Vision - allows you to see through walls and see where characters' line of sight is. This ability is needed, in my opinion, and should be on pretty much all the time... Except it makes everything an annoying shade of yellow.

Blink - a short range teleport. Another one to get an upgrade ASAP, though it can make the game FAR too easy. I kind of wish it was more limited (my high chaos play-through will skip it altogether)

Possession - first you can possess larger animals (dogs), then you can possess humans for a short time. Seems awesome and useful, but I've yet to upgrade it.

Bend Time - useless until the upgrade, which is VERY expensive. I did upgrade it and it is another over-powered ability. I can literally stop time (for a short span of time). No one can see me when I do this, so it allows me to run through heavily populated areas. My favorite use for it, however, is to line up shots with my sleep darts on multiple guards that refuse to split up and be taken down with a choke hold.

Yeah, I'm NOT doing that...

Devouring Swarm - I really don't get this one. You can summon rats to kill people. Which I could do with a gun, a crossbow, grenades, a sword, etc... without costing me precious runes. I assume that enemies devoured by rats can't be discovered, but there's a passive skill that automatically makes this happen, without costing mana... Needless to say, I haven't taken it -- it would be especially useless for my stealthier character.

Windblast - this is Dishonored's version of Force Push. I don't have it on this character (not really stealthy if I'm blasting everyone away), but I REALLY look forward to this ability next time.

There are an equal amount of passive abilities you can spend runes on... But I have found no reason to do so.

The powers make the game that much more fun, but they are more tools than weapons (for the most part), which is where comparisons to Bioshock fall through. I'd still suggest this game is closer to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, though I'm enjoying Dishonored more. I'd give the game an 8/10, though I must repeat I have yet to beat the game. I'll edit this post when I do with a revised rating (and any addendum that seems pertinent . For now, even with my lack of completion, I'd say the game is worth picking up. If that's rental vs buying, that's up to you, but I honestly think this could be finished successfully with a rent.

Finally!

For next week, I will be writing about... wait for it... Baldur's Gate! I've dusted off the old discs in an attempt to FINALLY install and play the damn game. As soon as I pick up the expansion "Throne of Bhaal," I'll be able to play all the way from the beginning of the first to the end of the second (and expansions) in one game, which I'm really looking forward to. I'll post some thoughts on the game, the mods I'm using, and if I think it actually scratches the itch I'm having for some tabletop gaming...

Hunting Game(s): XCOM: Enemy Unknown Review

Hi all!

So, it finally came! The game I've been eagerly anticipating since I heard about it is on my computer and I've had a good chance to play the crap out of it.

My initial though? Well, if I had to say, I'd probably go with...

IT'S AWESOME!!!!

Ok, a little dramatic, but I'm really enjoying the game. In general, I'd have to say that my favorite genre is Turn Based Strategy (TBS), followed by Role Playing Games (RPGs). XCOM is the former, and one of the only recent TBS titles to come out (especially on console!).

I can't say exactly why I like them so much, though there are some basic reasons:

• Being turn based gives you time to think.
• You plan a strategy and then have to react to the opponent.
• There are (usually) a diverse group of units that you have to know when to use.

But, really, I don't know what exactly what draws me to them. 

Hint: the enemy are aliens

XCOM not only has the turn based battles I love, but it also has an additional strategic layer, where you have to plan your base layout and how your resources are spent/used. Do you upgrade your armor, weapons, or ships? Or do you buy more satellites? Or focus on upgrading your soldiers/other items? Those are just a few of the questions you have to deal with.

The base, where you navigate through the strategic layer of the game. 

The biggest choices you are faced with, however, are usually about which missions to take, and which to skip. Abduction missions come three at a time: each option gives a different reward, but the two you don't choose will have their panic increased. If they panic too much, they might back out of XCOM and pull their funding. When that happens eight times, you lose the game.

Beyond Abduction missions, though, you have to choose if you're going to engage UFOs (some might be too big for you to take down initially) or if you should attack a landed UFO (this could be a problem if all your good soldiers are in sick bay), or if you should embark on a bigger mission, such as assaulting an alien base (if you're troops are strong enough, they won't be making it home).

Unlike the original X-COM: UFO Defense, this game has a more dedicated soldier development aspect. Your soldiers start out as rookies, ranking up to squaddie only after they gain enough experience. At squaddie, they are assigned one of four ranks: Assault/Support/Heavy/Sniper. From there, each level up nets choice of a new perk, each of which can dramatically change how you play. Eventually, you also gain access to psionic abilities, which can enhance some of your soldiers even further (provided they test positive in the Psionic Lab, first).

There are four different difficulties: 

Easy - for newcomers to TBS games

Normal - for standard TBS players, offers a mediocre challenge

Classic - for XCOM veterans and people who want a challenge

Impossible - as far as I'm concerned, aptly named.

Your basic Sectoid group

Each level of difficulty adds additional enemies and increases their statistics. This can go from normal, where one soldier can take down a Sectoid (basic enemy), to classic, where it will take at least two of your soldiers (or a critical hit) to take the little alien out.

There is also an additional mode you can toggle on, called Iron Man. This makes it so the game saves after every action you take. There are no take backs. If your favorite soldier dies, you can't reload an earlier save and try again. 

I personally suggest NOT using Iron Man until some of the game's bugs are ironed out. I've personally noticed that some explosive attacks don't always do the damage they're supposed to, and sometimes the game can get line of sight wrong -- I moved a soldier right next to an enemy and, for some reason, he couldn't "see" him. 

Beyond a few bugs, I've really enjoyed the game and have no issue with the changes they've made from the original. Most people complain that the max amount of soldiers being six instead of the mass of soldiers you could have before; I think it provides more strategic gameplay (and is also easier to manage).

Your friendly neighborhood Muton

Your mission is to protect the Earth from alien invaders, and that's about it. How you do it, however, is completely up to you. The aliens are reasonably diverse, and it can be really heart pounding when you end up surrounded by a group of nine Mutons before you've taken your second turn...

One other boon in this game: you can name your soldiers anything you want. You could name them after your friends, family, coworkers, etc... In that way, you might even become emotionally invested in them enough that it hurts even more to lose them than it would normally.

Personally, I've named all mine after Marvel characters. Cletus "Carnage" Kasady just became my first ever psionic soldier, and he's already a max level assault. Yikes!

On my lovely arbitrary rating scale, I give XCOM a 9/10. If they ironed out the bugs a bit more and patch in a couple fixes to some of the overly punishing mechanics, I'd give it a 10/10. It might not have the deepest story that I usually require, but the story elements they added to carry you from plot point to plot point are beyond welcome. I played yesterday for HOURS, and did not remotely get bored. I'm easily hooked and thinking about how to handle my next campaign on Classic difficulty...

My favorite moment so far was getting the psionic soldier. It actually felt like something really impressive just happened, and this was just the beginning. I've had some fun matches, but the little cinematic from the Pisonic Lab takes the cake (for now).

I suggest this game to anyone who enjoys TBS games. Specifically, I suggest Normal mode at first -- Classic will burn folks out pretty quick. If you are NOT a TBS fan, I really can't suggest XCOM. It's a touch on the difficult side and doesn't hold your hand as much as some other titles do (Final Fantasy Tactics Advance would be my entry level suggestion) and it doesn't have a deep story to carry it.

I do say that XCOM: EU has far exceeded any of its predecessors  and I am VERY happy to see a TBS game become a major release.

Note: there IS a head to head multiplayer mode, though I haven't tried it yet. You create a squad out of humans or aliens and then fight it out as you would on any mission. There are no additional objectives and only five maps at the moment, so it doesn't interest me especially. I look forward to see what modders can do with it (which is why I picked this up on PC).

To help you get a taste of the multiplayer (and basic format for regular battles, sans time limit), here's a match between Greg Laabs of 2K and Pete Murray from Firaxis:

I may have included this because they reference something I said during the livestream at 1:08:53 (Silt44 is my screen name for everything)...

If you end up playing XCOM, let me know what you think! I'd love to see a non-TBS fan's perspective (among with everyone else, of course!).

Otherwise, I'll see you here on Friday!