Path of Exile looks cool! It goes on the list. Thanks!
Impressions on Tombraider,POE,and FF Duodecim!
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 On 12/04/2013 at 04:14 PM by BrokenH See More From This User » |
Tombraider
Tombraider is probably my favorite AAA game this year. I know certain people took issue with the way “new Lara” was handled (Her voice actress Camille even got death threats.) but I absolutely love her! Put simply,Lara’s a believable person now. Er, more believable. I mean she’s still pretty friggin amazing! While Lara can’t do back flips on a whim and duel wield pistols she’s still plenty agile, dexterous, and light on her feet. Personally I prefer her bow over the twin pistols anyway. It just seems to fit more in line with Lara’s personality and it’s a great weapon for stealth killing, hunting, and miscellaneous other purposes.
I was actually surprised there was in fact so much plat forming and exploration. I read this Tombraider got knocked for not having enough of those things yet most of the areas are in fact rather expansive and come with their own plethora of secrets.
Puzzles are present but they are easier. On the other hand, they make sense within their environments which to me adds to the immersion factor. If you prefer Rube Goldberg hijinks I can see how you’d be disappointed but for me personally, that kind of puzzle design always seemed silly and awkward in the older Tombraider and Resident Evil games. When you have to turn two statues to face each other and put gems in their mouths just to open the door to the bathroom it bluntly reminds you “Hey Bub, this isn’t real! You’re still playing a videogame!” By contrast, none of the puzzles in this game seem surreal or out of place.
So, is there anything I dislike about this beautiful beast? Unfortunately yes and it has to do with a discussion Casey, Blake, and I had not too long ago. Tombraider has way too many goon fights. You’d think Mathias and his sun goddess cult would only have 150-200 people tops but I swear this guy has reserves that would rival America’s and Britain’s armies combined! After you kill your 300th person it gets rather excessive. Sure, a big boat or downed plane can have quite a few survivors. But the thing is Mathias also puts these folks through brutal conditioning before they earn their membership into his cult. As such he shouldn’t have thousands of henchmen, especially not on a small hidden secluded island. Worst still, the firefight physics are shit. Seriously, I had one guy survive getting hit by three grenades. There are also times a headshot with the pistol will not even have the desired result. It’s odd on account if Lara is in stealth mode and puts an arrow through someone’s head he dies instantly yet if you hit the same mark during a larger scale skirmish these same guys can soak bullets and arrows as if they’re being pelted by marshmallows. If you or I get shot point blank with a shotgun at close range we’re going down. These assholes? Nope! A certain perpetrator in particular lived through 3 consecutive shotgun blasts to his body. (Of course the above issues become less problematic as you upgrade your guns and your skills.)
One of Lara’s most satisfying finishers in when she picks up a rock and smashes it upside an attacker’s skull. She can also use her bow to choke blokes from behind. Taking on 4 or 5 guys can be very fun but when you have to fight through consecutive waves and all your opponents are packing automatic rifles, fire bombs, and shot guns it suddenly feels as if you win fights more because of stupid luck than well planned strategy.
The story is okay. Personally I didn’t get annoyed when Lara winced and expressed she was in pain. I thought her realistic reactions and the grungy grime collecting on her body added a sense of “true danger” the earlier games lacked. The weakest part of the plot are the predictable tropes. Personally I got to genuinely care for most of the side characters but it’s easy to guess who’s going to get kidnapped, who’s going to die, who’s going to be a slimy double crosser, and who’s going to live. If you are still steeped in your “Star Wars lore” you already know the fate of most “wizened male mentor types”. Don’t get me wrong. Rihanna Pratchett did a wonderful job handling Lara! I simply wish she had been a bit more “unpredictable” writing the rest of the cast.
As critical as I am of Tombraider’s flaws, I probably haven’t enjoyed an action game this much since Resident Evil 4! This is a game that would have been worth the full retail price and considering you can get it for around $10.00 or $14.00 now, it’s a total steal!
PS: Be warned, there are quick time events! However, I was able to master them pretty quickly. They neither added much to the overall experience or detracted from it. The hardest section for me was navigating Lara through the trees after she deployed her parachute!
Final Fantasy Dissidia Duodecim
Dissidia is one of those games that defies having a solid classification. While many gamers may call it a “fighting game” it’s like no other fighting game I’ve ever played before. Environments are huge and often have obstacles, breakable sections, pitfalls, and on-rails tracks that help you zip around quicker. Additionally you have to steal your opponents bravery points even before you can begin to do true physical damage to them. Each character has a diversified EX special that is pulled off in a completely unique way from the others. These epic super techniques pay homage to the varied FF games of yore.
So, is the game engaging? Honestly, I was a tad frustrated with it until I switched things over to rpg mode. This option makes the game more streamlined and you get to select your commands from a menu just like FF‘s ATB system. The action on the screen remains fast and frantic so proper timing of your input commands is still a necessity. Rpg mode makes the game “easier” but it doesn’t make it a total push over either.
When not battling with manikins or their powerful “true versions”, you can explore a vast map. “White gates” can be accessed at anytime but “red gates” disappear after you clear them. Within each gate is a mini labyrinth where you find treasure and more foes to fight. If an ally is also within the gate-world he or she can be used as an assist character. (Assist characters can be called into the fray for a few brief seconds.)
Needless to say, there are moogles too and eventually they open up a shop where you can buy equipment from. (Changing around your weapons and armor does in fact effect your defense and attacks when you’re brawling away!) You also unearth the “summon stones” of certain Aeons/Esper/Materia. Can you guess what those do? C’mon, this is FF! No deep contemplation is required!
The biggest draw for me is the characters. Even “olden greats” like Cecil, Terra Bradford, Golbez, Kefka, and Dragoon Kain are present and they’ve never looked better! Have no idea who I’m talking about? Fret not. Squall, Cloud, Sephiroth, Lightning, Yuna, Tifa and a slew of other more mainstream well-known faces round out the roster nicely.
If you love FF’s compositions you can sigh in relief. The music is wonderful as always! Don’t worry graphics gurus, I haven’t forgotten you. The game “looks” wonderful as well. The visuals really push what the psp is capable of!
For me personally, Dissidia Duodecim is one big fangasm. However, if you have NEVER gotten into Final Fantasy a lot of these characters and their interactions will fly over your head. It’s still an enjoyable game in its’ own right but “appreciating the franchise” to some degree does make the cake that much richer and sweeter!
Path Of Exile
Path of exile was born out of discontent. I think certain Diablo fans were tired of waiting for Diablo III and once Diablo III came along they still thought there was something missing. Thus “Path Of Exile” came into existence and steadily grew from there!
For the record, Path of exile is a dark place. You wash up on a shore only to watch another shipwrecked survivor get eaten by a zombie. Right away you’re forced to fight for your measly life. You finally arrive in a village in dire need of protection and medical supplies. From there on out you fight more zombies, slay a slew of cannibals, and try to prevent an epidemic from spreading amongst the local animals as well.
That’s all I know so far, really. I did have a blast whacking rude undead and man-eating savages with my rusty rapier. I also chugged plenty of nostalgically red health potions along the way! I chose to be a simple duelist because I was afraid the arcane path of the witch would be too complex for my primitive pea brain to handle. There are other classes as well but I’ll have to become better acquainted with them on another day.
If you “are” a fan of Diablo, POE seems rather perfect. It likewise looks and runs great yet isn’t too haughty when it comes to pc specs. Additionally the superb voice acting, desolate atmosphere, and befittingly dour soundtrack all create a world that harkens back to the demonic depravity and terrible secrets of the first two Diablo games. Assuming you’ve beat DIII and you want to invest more time into another superbly done hack n slash dungeon crawler, POE is a great place to visit! (Just ask Blake, our resident cross dressing witch!)
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