Natural Selection 2 Review

The first Natural Selection was a mod for Half-Life.  I never played it, so nothing more to say there.

Natural Selection 2 is available on Steam, and looked like an interesting game for multiplayer because it combines real time strategy and team-oriented shooters.  There are two sides, marines and aliens.  Most members of a team are grunts, and they move around the map killing enemies, destroying objectives, and building stuff.  Their activity generates resources for the individual and for the team.

One member of each team is the commander.  They view the map from above, and can use team resources to place buildings, research upgrades, drop health/ammo, et cetera.

Marines are regular shooters.  Aliens have a few different forms, with more emphasis on speed, stealth, and maneuverability.  

A short tutorial teaches the player how to be a grunt, which isn't too hard to do.  Do what the commander says, and otherwise carry on as in any other shooter.

There is no tutorial for being a commander, and that's the downfall of the game.  I tried playing with bots, and was forced to be the commander.  I had no idea what I should build, or where, nor did I have any idea on how to respond to grunts asking for health and assistance.  After five minutes of clicking on a bunch of stuff and being informed I didn't have the resources to do that, I gave up.  

Maybe this game was meant for people that played the first and knew what they were doing.  I didn't, and the lack of instruction on how to be a commander was asinine.  As another downside to this one, loading a level (either the tutorial or my off-line, bots-only map) took at least two minutes.  

This game looked like a great idea, and I'm annoyed that I can't play it.  It would just take some more tutorials, or a short campaign, to fix this fundamental flaw.  Not recommended as it is currently.  

Red Faction: Guerrilla Review

At some point a few years back, there were only three Red Faction games (currently there are four).  They all had average metacritic scores, and I picked up the bundle for about ten bucks.  The first game was definitely dated, buggy, and I had to cheat to beat the last level.  It was also pretty short, so overall I wasn't impressed.  The second Red Faction game I plodded through was an easy blah game that was also very short.  I had no hurry to play this game, two and a half years after writing a review for the first.  This will be brief.

Red Faction was set on Mars, where miners were being worked to death and ultimately rebelled.  In Guerrilla, it's the same thing, again, years after the liberation, and also on Mars.  That's a lazy start.  Graphically, the game looks better than its predecessors, but that's not saying much.  The ability to destroy the environment is once again stressed, with many missions involving demotion by any means.  Destruction give you scrap, with is used as money.  It's satisfying to destroy things, and that's the mindless high point of gameplay.

I didn't play this game very long, because it wasn't compelling.  I had missions to kill people, blow up stuff, and drive around, but I hadn't connected with the copy-and-paste characters enough to care.  Overall this is an average game, and I won't fault others if they like it.  I've played a lot of games, good and bad, and don't want to waste my time with this.  I have better games and better things to do.

I have not played the most recent Red Faction game (Red Faction: Armageddon), and I do not intend to.  I have heard good things about Saints Row IV, also by Volition.  I have not played any Saints Row games.  I would not recommend Guerrilla.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Review

Game: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Year (s): 2013
Company: dev. Ubisoft
pub. Ubisoft
Engine: Dunia Engine 2
Type: Shooter
Viewpoint: First-Person
Metacritic Score: 81
My Score: Not Great, But Good


Price (as of November 2, 2013)


Regular list price on Steam: $14.99
Lowest Buy-It-Now on eBay (digital download): $4.99


My Game Time: 15 hours, completionist


Obligatory Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av5pqJaIeCk




Plot and Franchise


The plot isn't apparent, or relevant, but goes something like this: After Vietnam War 2's nuclear fallout, you, Rex Power Colt, were brought back to life as a Mark 4 Cyber Commando. You're fighting the ruthless cybernetic Omega Force, as well as prehistoric dragons that shoot lasers.


A parody of 80's action movies, Blood Dragon takes place in the near future of 2007. Music fits the era, Michael Biehn is a main voice actor (Terminator, Aliens), and instead of a loading bar there is a VHS tracking bar.


Ubisoft did a good job being over-the-top, and nailed the 80's action movie feel.


This uses the same engine as Far Cry 3 while completely being a stand-alone product. This has nothing to with with any of the other Far Cry games.




Engine


Physics, water effects, nothing new to say here. It didn't crash on me at all. Something to note, you'll have to download Uplay. It's like Steam but for Ubisoft. Redundant with Steam, but necessary and free.


My only complaint was that I couldn't adjust the brightness. They mentioned that you had cyber eyes, so this might have been intentional. Nonetheless, it was hard for me to see at times.




Save System


Manual Save? Yes. Sometimes.
Quick Save? No
Area Load Save? Yes
Checkpoint Save? Yes




Combat/Gameplay


Blood Dragon has two approaches to combat. The first is to sneak around, and they included silent weapons, distraction, numerous takedowns, and other mechanics to utilize this. I wasn't very good at using their sneak system.


Fortunately, you can always just shoot everything. There are a variety of guns, with most having multiple upgrades (upgrades can be bought after you unlock them through collection quests and side quests). Ammo is pretty cheap, and the leveling system makes the game progressively easier.


Vehicles were present, but I rarely used them because you cannot shoot from the driver's seat. Looting corpses is useful, but very violent (cyber hearts are ripped out because they can be used as grenades).




Final Thoughts


I like ninja turtels references, cheesy lines, and cyber commandos. It's fun and fresh. The game topped out at 15 hours, but it was cheap. I can't think of anything they did wrong, and I liked the game, but I'm left with the feeling that it was good but could have been great. I'm hoping other developers follow suit here.

Spreading Plague Deck

The other other Ben was looking up some cards and Mentioned Tainted Aether.  This reminded me of a crappy deck I once built with Tainted Aether, Spreading Plauge, and Blinking Spirit (it was a beginner's deck, and it didn't work).  I hadn't thought of Spreading Plauge in years, but clearly saw the use of it, and had the cards to build a mean muiltiplayer deck built around it.  Note: this is intended for 3-4 player type 1.5 free for all, and has not been tested yet.

Spreading Plague

Black

60-Card Format

4 Spreading plague

4 tutors

2 sway of illusion

2 Distorting Lens

4 scuttlemutt

4 transguild courier

4 bone hoard

2 Lashwrithe

2 Cranial Plating

2 Darksteel Juggernaut

4 Silver Myr

2 Dimir Cluestone

2 Solemn Simulacrum

2 Crystal Chimes

2 Sarpadian Empires, Vol. VII

LANDS

2 Springjack Pasture

2 Seat of the Synod

2 Vault of Whispers

3 Watery Grave

12 Swamps

Quantum Conundrum Review

Game: Quantum Conundrum
Year (s): 2012
Company: dev. Airtight Games
pub. Square Enix
Engine: Unreal Engine 3
Type: Puzzle Platformer
Viewpoint: First-Person
Metacritic Score: 77
My Score: 77


Price (as of October 12, 2013)


Regular list price on Steam: $8.99
Lowest Buy-It-Now on eBay (new, with shipping): $9.99 download only


My Game Time: 10 hours first time (without DLC)


Obligatory Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg97ZEkqhzE




Plot


As a child nephew of a mad scientist, you often spend lengths of time (summers?) at the Quadrangle Mansion. On the most recent visit, Uncle Desmond has been trapped in a pocket dimension, and you have to make your way through the puzzle-room mansion to rescue him.






Kim Swift


Kim Swift and a few others worked on a project called Narbacular Drop. This was presented to Valve and became the inspiration for Portal, which Kim worked on. Kim later worked on Left 4 Dead 2 before joining up with Airtight Games, where she led development of Quantum Conundrum. She wanted to make another puzzle game, but wanted it to look distinctly different from Portal to avoid direct comparisons.


Kim Swift left Valve before development began on Portal 2.




Gameplay


Quantum Conundrum gradually introduces the player to four dimensions, only one of which can be activated at one time. Make things lighter, make things heavier/denser, slow time, and reverse gravity. These effects ONLY alter reality for objects; never for the player's body.


Most puzzle are easy to figure out what to do (hints are offered quickly and plentifully), but not always easy to perform. Jumping and timing are, generally, what makes the game tricky. Death isn't too big a deal, as checkpoint saving will respawn you before you fell in a pit or got burned by lasers.






Expansions / DLC / Sequels


2 DLCs were released. Both feature additional puzzle rooms without a story or dialogue that was featured in the main game.




Final Thoughts


If you like puzzle games, this is better than most of the ones out there. It's perfect for children, teens, parents, and players that don't mind some difficult jumping.


If you're expecting a game as universally loved as Portal/Portal 2, you're not going to find it. Quantum Conundrum is light on plot/purpose, and Uncle Desmond's chuckle-worthy puns aren't as memorable the insanity of GlaDOS.

Dino D0Day Review

Game: Dino D-Day
Year (s): 2011
Company: dev. 800 North and Digital Ranch
pub. 800 North and Digital Ranch
Engine: Source
Type: Shooter, Multiplayer
Viewpoint: First-Person
Metacritic Score: 53


Price (as of September 29, 2013)


Regular list price on Steam: $9.99
Not available anywhere else.


Obligatory Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdmCNfPMr1I




The Concept


The Nazis have dinosaurs! Rigged up with guns and explosives, Dino D-Day introduced a ridiculous, fun idea for team-based deathmatch and control point combat.




The Execution


The dinosaurs are fun, but the human characters are nothing exciting. The Allies only have one dinosaur character. Bot support was added, but the AI was not very good and this negatively affected the game. Bots do not go after objectives, and are much more difficult to sneak up on (two of the dinos are all about sneaking).


For a couple of years, there were a dozen or so dedicated servers. In the heyday, one server would be populated, and the rest empty or only with one or two players. There are no longer ANY dedicated servers.


A single-player campaign was promised to come, and would help players learn how to use some of the characters. Now that the servers are gone, I doubt this will happen.


As far a mods go, Dino D-Day is up there. It does something new, and has some humor. As far as games go, Dino D-Day is pretty lacking. The novelty of dinosaurs can't make up for lack of servers and crappy bots.

BioShock Infinite Review

Game: BioShock Infinite
Year (s): 2013
Company: dev. Irrational Games
pub. 2K
Engine: Unreal Engine 3
Type: Shooter with some RPG elements
Viewpoint: First
Metacritic Score: 94
My Score: 7 out of 10


Price (as of September 23, 2013)


Regular list price on Steam: $40
Lowest Buy-It-Now on eBay (new, with shipping): $20


My Game Time: 22 hours first time on normal (may be inflated due to being paused for long periods)


Obligatory Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjer5bs8WLc


See Also


BioShock Review: http://fpsandmtg.blogspot.com/2010/11/bioshock-review.html
BioShock 2 Review:
http://fpsandmtg.blogspot.com/2012/07/bioshock-2-review.html




The Good


BioShock Infinite starts out with the player traveling to the city of Columbia. In the early 1900's, Columbia is a marvel that floats on balloons and has great steampunk technologies. The player explores this fantastic setting for a bit, then the authorities start attacking him for reasons unknown (for almost the entire game). The first taste of the game reminded me of City 17, and the graphics are solid. Very Compelling Setting.
Combat controls are steamlined, and hitting a button tells you where to go if you get lost.




The Bad


I got bored with combat. Initially, you're murdering the police, and that's unsettling. Eventually, you're killing every faction of the city. If you run low on ammo, The Girl gives you more, so combat is pretty easy. If you die, you respawn, further simplfying things. The sniper rifle is best, as most areas are wide open. I found the Sky Line (sort of like a personal roller coaster) to be an interesting idea, but poorly integrated in regards to combat.


On a major note, Infinite is terribly written. Initially, there is no explanation of things. After about five hours, the players says he was sent to smuggle The Girl out to pay off a debt. Shortly thereafter, the player hops to alternate dimensions (with no way to get back) in lieu of solving problems in the current one. Being in an alternate dimension should bring into question what you're trying to accomplish exactly, but strangely, this is not mentioned. The ending pissed me off, and ultimately gives us a mess of plot holes, when we'd been expecting plot twists.


The Verdict


I really liked BioShock. BioShock 2 had a different developer; they made some poor choices for us color blind folk, but I didn't hold it against the franchise. BioSchock Infinite is the only game for PC I have ever payed full price for, and I was severely disappointed with the 10-year-old-boy writing quality. It's critcally accliamed, but that doesn't matter. The great setting is wrecked by abominable writing. The streamlined combat is too easy, offers nothing new, and so we're left with a highly acclaimed, annoyingly mediocre game.
I suppose it might be worth it if you get it on the cheap, but don't expect to be impressed.