Initial Impressions: BioWare’s Dragon Age: Inquisition

First off, please note this is only an initial impressions post – expect a full review of the game to come. I’ve already logged about 12 hours into this game and I think I’ve only done about 7% of the story and I’ve barely touched the collectables/side quests options. This game is freaking MASSIVE, especially when compared to the incredibly linear nature of Dragon Age 2.

This game is a wonderful blend between the free roaming nature of Skryim and BioWare’s vision for story. Now, many have been critiquing the overall plot of the game (I am waiting to judge until I finish) but I do think the dialogue/character writing is fabulous. The characters I have met thus far are delightful and I’ve enjoyed crafting my own hero’s persona throughout the time I’ve been playing. Thankfully, BioWare has moved away from the Mass Effect/DA2 dialogue wheels that clearly delineated the “good” and “bad” choices. This “moral-less” compass lets you craft a more complex player character and you feel less confined story-wise.

The combat mechanics have returned to a strategic format, similar to that of Dragon Age: Origins. I think BioWare has found a good balance between allowing players to totally micro-manage combat and facilitating a more streamlined “button mashing” option for gamers who might not be as inclined to plot out every action. The ability to turn the tactics mode on/off with just a button push is great – for more complex fights I can plan each character’s movement but for little skirmishes I can just lay waste by mindlessly spamming awesome magic powers. I call that a win.

Graphics wise, I am also incredibly pleased. The game looks good on my PS4, with crisp colors and diverse area designs. This is not the brown, muddy and flat design of Kirkwall from DA2. It certainly holds it’s own to the other next-gen titles that have released in the last year. This game looks better than Destiny, in my opinion (at least there’s more creativity in the design) and so far, the engine has been running smoothly for me.

As I said, this is merely the tip of the iceberg. The game is huge, so expect a full, detailed review in a few weeks!

– E.B.

T-Shirt Tuesday – Piece O’ Cake

The Shirt: The cake might be a lie, but this shirt is not.

Payment: Sold via Snorgtees, who accepts Paypal and all major credit cards.

Styles: Available in adult sizes S-XL.

– E.B.

Notch Leaves Mojang after Microsoft Deal

Markus Alexej “Notch” Persson, the man behind Minecraft, has officially stepped down from his role at game studio Mojang. This decision comes at the heels of the announcement that Microsoft spent $2.5 billion dollars to acquire the game company.

When talk of this potential deal first came to light, members of the fan community were surprised, incensed even, over the news. Notch has long been considered a “voice” of the gaming community. With his anti-establishment mentality and pithy Twitter, he was a counter to the mainstream rhetoric of game giants like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. With Mojang “selling out” to Microsoft, it was natural that some gamers felt betrayed.

Notch has announced that he will be officially leaving his role at Mojang as soon as the now-confirmed deal is complete. In a very frank and personal open letter, he addresses his reluctant role in the gamer community and what’s next on his agenda. I think it’s a worthwhile read (source):

“I’m leaving Mojang

 

I don’t see myself as a real game developer. I make games because it’s fun, and because I love games and I love to program, but I don’t make games with the intention of them becoming huge hits, and I don’t try to change the world. Minecraft certainly became a huge hit, and people are telling me it’s changed games. I never meant for it to do either. It’s certainly flattering, and to gradually get thrust into some kind of public spotlight is interesting.

 

A relatively long time ago, I decided to step down from Minecraft development. Jens was the perfect person to take over leading it, and I wanted to try to do new things. At first, I failed by trying to make something big again, but since I decided to just stick to small prototypes and interesting challenges, I’ve had so much fun with work. I wasn’t exactly sure how I fit into Mojang where people did actual work, but since people said I was important for the culture, I stayed.

 

I was at home with a bad cold a couple of weeks ago when the internet exploded with hate against me over some kind of EULA situation that I had nothing to do with. I was confused. I didn’t understand. I tweeted this in frustration. Later on, I watched the This is Phil Fish video on YouTube and started to realize I didn’t have the connection to my fans I thought I had. I’ve become a symbol. I don’t want to be a symbol, responsible for something huge that I don’t understand, that I don’t want to work on, that keeps coming back to me. I’m not an entrepreneur. I’m not a CEO. I’m a nerdy computer programmer who likes to have opinions on Twitter.

 

As soon as this deal is finalized, I will leave Mojang and go back to doing Ludum Dares and small web experiments. If I ever accidentally make something that seems to gain traction, I’ll probably abandon it immediately.

 

Considering the public image of me already is a bit skewed, I don’t expect to get away from negative comments by doing this, but at least now I won’t feel a responsibility to read them.

 

I’m aware this goes against a lot of what I’ve said in public. I have no good response to that. I’m also aware a lot of you were using me as a symbol of some perceived struggle. I’m not. I’m a person, and I’m right there struggling with you.

 

I love you. All of you. Thank you for turning Minecraft into what it has become, but there are too many of you, and I can’t be responsible for something this big. In one sense, it belongs to Microsoft now. In a much bigger sense, it’s belonged to all of you for a long time, and that will never change.

 

It’s not about the money. It’s about my sanity.”

I doubt will have heard or seen the last of Notch but I hope the guy finds happiness with whatever he does next.

– E.B.

Review – Velocity 2X

This week’s featured review is Futurlab‘s Velocity 2x for PlayStation systems.

As a member of the PlayStation Plus Network, I receive two free downloadable PS4 titles every month. This month, I downloaded Velocity 2X on a whim and was totally blown away. Since I had heard nothing about the game previously and it was a free download, I assumed it was a sub-par indie title. Boy was I wrong!

Basic Plot Synopsis: The sequel to Velocity Ultra (which I have not played) this game is a shoot ’em up extravaganza. While most games in this genre lack substantial plot, FuturLab clearly tried to craft a worthwhile narrative around their slick mechanics. Players assume the role of Lt. Kai Tana, who wakes up after a horrific accident to discover her body is now cybernetically enhanced. Tana is desperate to return to her ship, so she teams up with fellow prisoner, alien Hjun Ralan III. Together, the two work to defeat the murderous Vokh species so Kai Tana can return home.

My Thoughts: Velocity 2X seamlessly integrates vertical scrolling and side-scrolling action. Whether you are piloting a spaceship or running around as Tana herself, your main objective is to blow up everything you possibly can. Speed is integral to winning and the game play lends itself to a fast, smooth, controlled yet chaotic style. Thanks to teleport abilities, even the vertical scrolling sections require a dynamic horizontal and tactic movement. This variety keeps Velocity 2X feeling fresh and distinguishes it from other titles in the genre.

When you play a level, there is a strong sense of rhythm. The more you play, the more you feel the pulse of the game, allowing you to more gracefully navigate the levels. There are a few puzzle-based objectives in every section, adding variance to the cadence of a play session and preventing the player from just “going on automatic.”

The transition from spaceship to on-foot action is fluid and natural. The game slowly adjusts the players to the switch throughout the first few levels. After ten minutes, the on-foot sections feel like natural extensions of the game, and offer a greater sense of atmosphere. The visual design of the game is modern and aesthetically appealing. The bright lights against the crisp graphics and sharp illustrated 2D cut scenes give the game a sense of refined visual polish.

It wouldn’t be a shoot ’em up without boss battles and Velocity 2X delivers. Forcing players to utilize all of their various mechanics, the bosses pose threatening tactical problems instead of just being gigantic damage sponges. It is much more enjoyable to fear for you life in completely totality for a few brief minutes than slog through a half an hour of punch-and-hide game play seen in most genre boss fights. I am a big fan of how Futurlab address this hallmark of the genre.

With 50 stages, the game goes by surprisingly fast. However, with so many components to achieving a perfect score there’s a lot of replay value. If you have PlayStation Plus, you MUST download this title. If you aren’t a Plus member, still consider giving it a purchase, even if shoot ’em ups are not your thing. They’re not mine, but I am definitely a fan of Velocity 2X.

– E.B.

What’s More Important? Destiny or the iPhone 6?

So, if you haven’t been on the internet for the last 72 hours, you might have missed that Bungie Studio’s new game, Destiny, releases tomorrow. The studio responsible for the famous Halo franchise has a new massive, online role playing extravaganza lined up for the gamerverse. If my Facebook feed means anything, people are psyched.

People have been talking about this game all summer, thanks to a very successful Beta launch in July. This is the such a hot game title it might overshadow the annual installment of the Madden NFL franchise (which is kind of a big deal).

If you’re not plugged into the gamer/nerd world, then tomorrow might bring a different type of excitement for you. Apple’s long awaited iPhone 6 is officially announced tomorrow, much to the joy of devoted Apple fans. With competitors poking fun at the anticipation of the “phablet” version of the iPhone, tech geeks everywhere are speculating if this risk for Apple is really worth it. Below is Samsung’s brilliant and pointed ad poking fun at Apple:

So the question becomes, what’s going to matter more to the tech universe tomorrow? Destiny or iPhone 6? The short answer is that the world of business will care about the new iPhone more than Destiny, given Apple’s role in the market. However, in the mind share of the general public? That’s harder to determine.

“Latest iPhone” is trending on Forbes’ website, but #Destiny is all over Twitter and Facebook. Both are hot topics according to Google analytics and headlines with media outlets like Gamespot, TechCrunch, etc. Destiny is also officially confirmed to be the most pre-ordered new IP video game in history as of this morning. As a geek who loves both games and Apple products, tomorrow is like a very special pre-Christmas!

-E.B.

Review Thursday: Transistor’s Amazing Soundtrack

In May, Supergiant Games of Bastion fame released their new title, Transistor. The game featured a nuanced combat system, distinct art design and compelling narrative. However, I believe the best part of the game is the soundtrack.

Composed by Darren Korb, the soundtrack aptly encapsulates the melancholy, mysterious yet energized world of Cloudbank. The game relies on the brilliant compositions to develop atmospheric tension, to great effect. Emotionally charged scenes hold extra resonance due to the power of the music. Ashley Barrett, the solitary vocalist throughout the soundtrack (and the voice of protagonist Red) delivers a potent and stirring performance.

I’m not kidding when I say that the soundtrack gives me chills, whether or not I’m playing the game. Bastion had a great soundtrack, but frankly I think Transistor‘s soundtrack is better. It’s a natural progression of Korb and Barrett’s work from their Bastion experience.

If you want to buy the soundtrack, you can either go to Supergiant Games’ Bandcamp store page or purchase the album off of Steam.

The below video is the a sequence towards the beginning in the game, so you can watch it without major (still a few) spoilers. If you haven’t played the game yet, DO SO.

– E.B.

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Goes to Space

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know about the ALS ice bucket challenge. While I was personally skeptical at first, the fact the the ALS Association has 1.1 million new donors, and raised $53 million since the campaign started shows this is actually working.

Leave it to the video game industry to raise the “ice bucket” challenge to a whole new level though. Bungie, the company responsible for the ever-popular Halo franchise, and creators of the hotly anticipated Destiny, have issued their own challenge:

Now comes the really cool part, not only did the team donate to alsa.org, but they announced that 20% of all sales made at the Bungie store between now and Destiny’s launch day (Sept. 9th) will go directly to ALS research. So click HERE to go to the store and pick up some cool swag for a good cause.

– E.B.

The Game Over Greggy Show

Greg Miller, Glen Ellyn native and Portillo’s hot dogs fan boy, is a known voice in the online gaming community.

Greg used to work on IGN’s Playstation review team, where he founded the incredibly popular podcast Podcast Beyond covering the latest happenings in the Sony universe. Since then, he’s gone on to work for IGN’s video team as the host for the online web show, Up at Noon. As a personal side project, Greg has also started his own private YouTube channel, GameOverGreggy.

Greg’s loud and opinionated, but also extremely funny. And he’s got some very cool friends. Together, with these aforementioned cool friends, Miller has launched a new show called the Game Over Greggy show. He and three or four others get together and each brings a topic to discuss. These things range from the decriminalization of drugs to the latest news on Star Wars VII. The breadth of subject matter is wide and the opinions are definitely diverse. Typically it features regulars Nick Scarpino, Tim Gettys, and Colin Moriarty but there have been special guests like comedian Aisha Tyler.

While I’m not much of a Up at Noon viewer, I have really enjoyed the Game Over Greggy show. It’s a great place to hear some VERY smart nerds talk about all sorts of societal and cultural issues and questions. The podcast flows very naturally as Miller goes a good job facilitating a conversational podcast. If you want the full MP3 the day it’s released, go over to Bandcamp and pay a dollar. If you don’t mind waiting, the previous week’s episodes are released in sections throughout the week for free on YouTube.

The Game Over Greggy show is getting decent viewership, but I’m trying to give it a signal boost. It’s a cool show and I’ve been a longtime fan of Miller’s, so check it out!

-E.B.

T-Shirt Tuesday – Minecraft’s Journey

The Shirt: This is one of my favorite Minecraft tees ever. I love how the simple art so accurately parodies the “journey” the typical player experiences in-game while looking stylish!

Payment: Sold via Threadless, who accepts Paypal and all major credit cards.

Styles: Available in adult sizes S-XL.

Wednesday Cosplay – Favorite Blazblue Fighters

This week’s cosplay feature is a collection of amazing Blazblue: Calamity Trigger cosplays. These are a bit bias, since I’m featuring my favorite characters… but it’s my blog, so deal 😉

The above cosplay is of the cat fighter, Taokaka, legendary fighter of the Kaka clan… and cat person. First off, this is definitely one of the weirdest characters of the game. Second, the claw/paw weapons are no small undertaking, and I am very impressed with their execution. Costume designer AngelCostumes did a great job with this ensemble.

My favorite character, Jin Kisaragi, is a military leader gone rogue. Cosplayer Die-Chan did a fantastic job with the construction of this outfit. The cut and tailoring work on the cloak is spot on to the game design, with the other clothing elements showing similar signs of eye for detail.

Noel Vermillion, another fan favorite of the franchise, is the next featured cosplay. Rosabella, pulled together a spot-on Noel. Like the Jin cosplay, this outfit features some excellent craftsmanship and tailoring. Also, special shout out to Benny Lee for his killer photography. The last feature is this Ragna the Bloodedge set, constructed by Sarah aka Selenity.  Her wig is one of my favorites, given the complexity of depicting the spiky, gravity defying hair known as the Japanese character design norm. The straps and pulls for the jacket look great too.

– E.B.