So let’s talk about Bravely Default, aka Final Fantasy But Without The Name For Some Reason. I haven’t seen any chocobos yet either, come to think of it.
Now this is a bit of a backwards case where the rest of the known universe managed to get this game before us Yanks did, much to our chagrin and to the rest of the world’s amusement. There is a free demo on the Nintendo eShop, however, and I recently downloaded it and then proceeded to spend the next four hours playing it nonstop.
As I said at the beginning of the post, it’s basically Final Fantasy, right down to most of the jobs and their roles as well as item names. If you’ve played any old-school Final Fantasy game before, you will jump right into Bravely Default with zero issues. Specifically, Bravely Default is a lot like Final Fantasies III, V, or in a way Tactics, because the focus is on jobs and doing fun things with job combinations. Then you go around and beat on things with a dragoon (“valkyrie”, but it’s the same thing) dual-wielding lances just because you can.
Cooler than you. And everyone else, for that matter.
There are a couple of new twists thrown in that are rather unlike previous Final Fantasy games. For starters, the first random battle I encountered included a cat in a wizard hat who promptly one-shotted one of my guys. (This resulted in me immediately exclaiming to Mister Adequate that “You need this game because it is the Dark Souls of JRPGs.”) Secondly you have a nifty little mechanic where you can either “Default” – hunker down, defend, and earn a sort of combo point – or “Brave”, where you spend those combo points to attack/cast something/heal/whatever multiple times. Timing these right can be part of your battle tactics, or alternatively you can just have your dragoon use up all his Braves and then destroy everything at the start of the fight. You know, it’s up to you.
It all sounds so simple, and yet it’s somehow very addictive, and anytime I’ve picked it up recently I’ve wound up playing for a lot longer than I expected I would. In short, if you like grindy JRPGs and giving your nondescript Heroes of Light all sorts of fun class combinations then this might be the game for you. Give the demo a try and see what you think. As for me, I think I’m picking this up when it comes out next month.
So somewhere between the super catchy Mexican-flavored soundtrack, the gorgeous visuals and animation, the simple fun of beating up skeletons and a super clever mechanic which involves switching between the worlds of the living and the dead in order to get around obstacles (or ruse your opponents), I’ve decided that everyone needs to play Guacamelee.
By the way, two-player co-op seems to be a thing. I think it’s only local, though, but I can only imagine how fun this must be with some couch co-op. SteamBox here I come!
Because Mister Adequate is busy being sick, and Pike is busy working on a writing project, we are proud to present you with a guest post from one of our very good friends. Enjoy!
I met Mister Adequate last year, and one of the first conversations we had was about the true definitions of the terms “strategy” and “tactical.” These were both terms he was intimately familiar with, and terms which I have no doubt I will use incorrectly throughout the rest of this article.
Valkyria Chronicles is the first installment in the series of the same name. Categorising this game is a challenge, as it seems to blend elements from JRPG, turn-based strategy and third-person shooter. The resulting mix is an enjoyable, anime-styled tale of a misfit group of soldiers who turn the tide in a war. For a game that is almost 5-years-old, Valkyria Chronicles has not only aged gracefully, but is also an example of how to innovate in an industry that, at times, feels very “samey.”
Plot-wise, Valkyria Chronicles is just a colourful reimagining of World War II. Set in the supposedly-fictional-but-way-too-obviously-inspired Europa, the game concerns a massive conflict (the Second Great War, would you believe?) between the East Europan Imperial Alliance and the Atlantic Federation, a coalition of allied democracies.
The similarities are painfully obvious, but Valkyira Chronicles makes up for it in other areas. Our heroes are from peaceful and independent Gallia, a little nation rich in “Ragnite,” a material highly prized for its uses in medicine, technology and armaments. The Empire invades and Gallia struggles against them – I’m sure most people can figure the plot based on tropes. It’s presented through a history book, a concept I enjoy quite strongly.
Battles and cutscenes are all played out from this menu. It would be perfect if it didn’t ask you to reconfirm your action every freaking time you try to start a scene or battle.
The cast is mostly comprised of stereotypes, all the way from protagonist Welkin Gunther (idyllic country boy rises to the challenge) to the minor squadmate Marina Wulfstan, whose lone-wolf sniper personality is textbook – and the allusion in her name doesn’t go amiss either. The characters are fun and light-hearted, and Valkyria Chronicles goes out of its way to develop the backstories of the squadmates you can recruit in an attempt to get you to care whether they live or die. Some of the racism-related discourse is actually decent quality too, but it tends on the didactic side and it’s almost too in-your-face at times.
The true value in Valkyria Chronicles, the thing that really sets it apart from its rivals, is in the battle-system. Blending turn-based strategy and real-time shooting sounds confusing (explaining it is going to be an absolute bitch), and while it is hardly perfect, it works.
This is the command map. Pick your unit and send them alone into the firing line, you monsters.
You’re given a set number of units (of varying skills and abilities) as well as a set number of moves. Moving units involves a transition into third-person and real-time, where enemy units will open fire, you can move (up to the extent of your movement points), take fire and attack. Multiple units can be moved on your turn, or you can move the same one multiple times.
After your turn, the enemy follows the same process, giving your units the chance to automatically return fire as the enemy approaches. Battles are simple “capture the flag” type affairs for the most part. It invokes feelings of Fire Emblem and Advance Wars, if Fire Emblem had guns and heavy-handed allusions to World War II and Advance Wars had units you were meant to give a shit about. It really is one of those things you have to see to understand.
Conveniently, I have a link. And yes, it takes 2 minutes for the battle to begin; Valkyria Chronicles isn’t for those who love fast-paced action.
It is far from perfect, however. Of the five classes, you only really need one – the Scout – with occasional assistance from the anti-tank Lancer units. After each battle you’re given a ranking. The only way to achieve a decent rating is to throw strategy to the wind and simply rush the objective, hardly an exercise in effective tactical warfare and one that punishes the careful commander.
At the end of the day, Valkyria Chronicles tries something new and half-succeeds. Even though it was far from a commercial hit, it isn’t a surprise two sequels have been made – though Sega really dropped the ball by releasing both on PSP and only one outside of Japan. Valkyria Chronicles is not only decent, it is a shining example of an attempt at something creative. While most innovation in the current day centres around narrative (as if injecting narrative into any game automatically improves it), it’s nice to see that some people are trying to do interesting things with gameplay too.
Today’s post was brought to you by the immensely talented and lovely Dakota “Jiro” Barker, who can also be seen at his own gaming news blog. Don’t forget to imagine everything in an Aussie accent when you read!
Lovely readers, if you have a moment I invite you to click here and spend 10 or 15 minutes playing this gem of a game. It’s first-person Pac-Man. This sounds straightforward at first, but augmented with eerie music and ghosts that materialize out of the darkness or pop around corners when you least expect it, it quickly becomes an experience you probably weren’t expecting when you read the word “Pac-Man”.
Mister Adequate and myself couldn’t help but somewhat whimsically wonder what the gaming landscape would have been like if the first Pac-Man had been less cute and more spooky. Survival horror: survival horror everywhere!
Recently, a game called Waking Mars went on Steam sale for a steal (and it still is on sale, by the way!) Because it had “Mars” in the title, I decided to snap it up. This, my friends, was a very wise decision. This game is more than worth the $2.50 I forked over for it. Basically, this is how you make a casual game.
It’s sort of a platformer, except you have a jetpack. And it’s sort of puzzle game, but none of the “puzzles” ever leave you frustrated. Basically the game is about exploring underground Martian caves, learning about (and growing and breeding) bizarre alien species, talking to your AI bro, and in general being comfy. Yes, this is a comfy game.
We are gonna get comfy.
This isn’t a triple-A title by any means and the game is easy to pick up and learn but this by no means makes it shallow. You actually have an neat little story going on that keeps you interested throughout, and between this and the research you can do on various lifeforms (and the subsequent notes you can read), the game has a surprising amount of depth for what it is. Humor is here too, thanks to your AI companion, and so is a certain amount of thoughtfulness thanks to the main character. Speaking of the main character, he’s Chinese, and the only other human character in the game is a black woman. This isn’t made a big deal, it just… is, like any other normal thing, and I like how it’s done like that. It reminds me of Star Trek and it’s nice to see some variety in games.
Overall this is a fun and extremely relaxing romp through a mysterious and alien world and I really cannot stress how much of a steal the current sale price is. The game is also available for Mac, Linux, iPhone/iPad, Android, and probably an old toaster too, so you really don’t have an excuse not to snag this game. I mean, really, look at this and tell me this doesn’t make you want to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before:
“You’re late to the party, Pike!” Yes, I am, and I’ve no real excuse. But if you’re like me and slow when it comes to playing new games and haven’t hit this one yet, then read on.
Very recently I played through the original Deus Ex in its entirety. I went even further than that, though: I played it in full pacifist/stealth mode, avoiding encounters when I could and using darts or my prod when I couldn’t. I’m relatively certain I managed to get through the entire game without killing a soul aside from maybe a couple of bosses. It was fun. And challenging. And long. If you have never played the original Deus Ex, rest assured that it’s an incredibly long game. Worth it, though.
From there the plan was to move on to Invisible War but it decided that it wasn’t going to work on my computer. Undeterred, I decided to jump ahead to Human Revolution.
And damn, I had a blast with it. As soon as I got into it I hardly stopped playing, often going on for six or eight hour stretches. It really did hit a lot of things right on the head correctly. The atmosphere, the story, the questions it raises– oh, and of course all the little love letters to fans of the first game. Seriously, every time a radio started playing the UNATCO theme I’d stop and listen.
I was also fond of the character development of Adam Jensen and how you, as the player, get to influence this. Like Adam, you as the player are learning about using your augmentations as you go along, and like Adam, you get to see both the positive and negative effects that these can have.
Mostly positive, of course.
The game also came with some neat mini-games in the way of the hacking mechanic and being able to influence people with your pheromone aug (which isn’t really a mini-game but it reminded me of Oblivion’s speech minigame, so.)
Anyways, this was a highly enjoyable game all around and I think it’s easily one of the best AAA titles to hit gaming anytime in the last handful of years. I highly recommend it for anyone who hasn’t played it yet, regardless of whether or not you’ve played the original Deus Ex– although if you haven’t played that yet, well, get to it!
Hey everyone, Pike here! Yes, yes, I know. I’m scared too. Anyways, let’s get down to business, shall we? By which I mean VIDEO GAMES! Always video games.
I’ve played quite a few games over the past couple of months and at the moment I’m trying to get into Dark Souls. Trying, but I don’t know if I’ll succeed. See, I’ve put a few hours into it and after spending the bulk of those hours trying to figure out the controls (which seem rather unintuitive to me), I have come to the conclusion that this is, in fact, not an action game. Rather, it is a puzzle game that happens to be dressed as an action game. It’s a puzzle game that requires an intense amount of trial and error and repetition to learn patterns and muscle memory and that sort of thing.
It’s a neat idea and I wholeheartedly support anyone who’s into it! But I’m not sure if I am. There’s only so much trial and error that I can take before I get bored. This is the reason why I’ve yet to beat some really neat (and mostly indie, oddly enough) games like Super Meat Boy and Braid which I think are brilliant but which bore me when I get stuck at a certain level. I can only do repetition in small doses.
Average day in Dark Souls right when you think you’ve got a section figured out
Does this make me a “casual” or too willing to give up? Maybe. That’s cool, though. My backlog is getting bigger by the day so rather than banging my head against a game that I can’t get into, I think it’s better to move along. I might continue to pick at it every now and again and see what happens.
Still, I can see the appeal if you really like testing yourself like that, so if it sounds like your sort of game and you like dying, then go check it out. Mister Adequate has a lovely and optimistic post about it so go check that out too!
I hear you groaning, dear reader. “Another Morrowind post? Pike, you need to start playing something else!”
And perhaps I do, but not before I write up a little treatise on it and what makes it so special. I mean, it’s far from a perfect game. The actual gameplay itself, in fact, is somewhat flawed. It’s certainly not bad, but it’s not astounding, either, and the combat system is almost universally criticized. Just what is it about Morrowind, then, that draws you in?
For me, it’s the in-game culture. You see, while other people bandy around the idea of less-generic fantasy, Morrowind pulled this off with aplomb ten years ago.
It’s really an anomaly not just among the general fantasy genre but within the Elder Scrolls series itself. The first two games in the TES main series were called Arena and Daggerfall, and although they both achieved cult classic status there’s also a reason why most people today haven’t heard of them, so don’t feel too bad if you haven’t, either. Anyways, these two games set the general tone for the series as a very Dungeons and Dragons inspired medieval fantasy. Arena took you across the entire continent of Tamriel and every province could have been lifted directly from Lord of the Rings, if Lord of the Rings had been built in Minecraft. Daggerfall limited you to a smaller area (in theory, anyway– its random map generation was nearly limitless), but the overall style was still the same.
Then Morrowind came along. Morrowind is populated by Dark Elves, or Dunmer in their native tongue. And that is where all similarities to traditional western fantasy end.
Morrowind is not medieval Europe. Morrowind was actually inspired by Egyptian, early Japanese, and Middle Eastern cultures. And the keyword “inspired” is very important, here, because the developers and artists didn’t just take those cultures and transplant them, wholesale, into Tamriel. Instead, they used these cultures as inspirations to create their own very vibrant land and people.
Let’s start out by talking about the world. There are no horses in Morrowind. There are, however, giant dinosaur things which are used as pack animals.
Say hello to a Guar.
There are also flying reptile things
Lots of them.
And gigantic fleas the size of elephants (or larger) which are used to travel from town to town.
Insects are actually a major part of society here on Vvardenfell, where various giant bugs are farmed and ranched. The are no sheep or cows here, only giant floating jellyfish.
Now let’s talk about the inhabitants of this strange land. Traditionally the Dunmer are nomads who live in yurts. Yurts. There are major characters of this game who spend the entire game quite happily living in a yurt. When was the last time you saw that in a fantasy game? They dress like nomads do, too, wearing different types of clothing depending on where their tribe is currently located, based on what resources are available to them. There has been a shift from this traditional style of living toward living in buildings in cities like the Empire does, and the traditional nomadic Dunmer– called Ashlanders– are not particularly happy about this development. Still, these city-dwelling elves don’t live in anything that we would remotely identify as a traditional house. They live in these:
Or these:
Or these:
So we’ve got a bunch of elves who ranch bugs and wear clothes made out of insect shells and giant jellyfish leather wandering around and living in houses that may be inspired by Middle Eastern or Asian architecture or may also be a giant mushroom. This just gets better and better, doesn’t it?
Let’s keep going. Traditionally the Dunmer worship the Daedra, powerful demonlike gods whom most of civilized Tamriel won’t touch with a ten-foot-pole. But for the past several generations the citygoing Dunmer have been worshipping three “mortal” gods who make up what is called the Tribunal. The Tribunal consists of a powermad and ruthlessly intelligent woman named Almalexia, a reclusive wizard building himself a literal clockwork universe named Sotha Sil, and finally Vivec, a bi-colored warrior-poet who may or may not be both male and female at the same time.
Needless to say, they’re a pretty fantastic trio.
They’re watching you, scum.
Much like the Dunmer themselves, the gods are neither good nor bad. They exist in a constant state of gray between the two extremes and they are capable of much good and also much evil. The Morrowind universe is not black and white. The Dunmer are intensely xenophobic. Slavery is legal. So is assassination. And yet, as you play the game, you come to care for this place and its people anyway. And that, readers, is the true triumph of Morrowind and how its very non-standard and non-Western culture is used as a fantastic narrative device. Your character isn’t the only one to come into this world as an outlander– you do, too. Then as you come to know and love the land and its inhabitants, you can decide whether or not to save it. You learn about this strange new world as you go along and then travel through an arc much as your character does. Would this have worked out as well in a more traditional fantasy setting? Maybe, or maybe not. I’m leaning toward the “maybe not”.
Unfortunately, although the series continues, The Elder Scrolls has yet to achieve another setting as intensely unique as Morrowind’s. Although originally established as a rainforest, Talos conveniently showed up and turned Cyrodiil into an idealized medieval England just in time for Oblivion. (This is what that guy in Whiterun is always yelling about, by the way.) While this is a neat piece of lore, it does mean that Oblivion was largely set in a very traditional fantasy setting. The next game, Skyrim, went for something slightly more exotic by making everything Nordic-themed, but that is still an overall very “safe” Western setting. The upcoming TES Online has the potential to do some interesting things with provinces like Elsweyr and Hammerfell, but seeing as they’ve already retconned out the aforementioned Talos story and cemented Cyrodiil as an Idealized Medieval England simulator regardless of time period, my hopes for anything beyond fleeting oddities aren’t very high.
So here I am, waiting. Waiting for more elves that live in yurts and adorn themselves with tribal tattoos and crazy piercings. Waiting for more games that take their fantasy out of Western Europe, and not just for one throwaway setting or expansion pack.
So at some point over the last few days we’ve surpassed 100,000 views on this blog. A big thank you to anyone who has ever visited, read, and/or commented! Mister Adequate and myself really just started this as a little side project and knowing that sometimes people like to read our vidya rambles makes us both feel all tingly inside.
Now then, let’s get down to business. Mister Adequate and I are recently doing nothing but playing an old game. This should surprise nobody since playing old games is what we do 95% of the time. The game we are playing this time, however, is one Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and the problem with this game is that once you start playing it you will never stop for like the next month.
This is all a part of the Tribunal’s plan.
Anyways you can all blame this game for the reason that these two bloggers have disappeared off the face of the Earth and are currently ranting and raving about journeying far ‘neath moon-and-star.
I’ll tell you what, though. Talking about Morrowind has a tendency to cause most people to suddenly itch to reinstall it, which is why the number of my Steam friends who own this game has jumped from five to eleven in the past week or so. Because I won’t shut up about it. Anyways, if you, too, are now feeling this same itch, I have a present for you! It’s called Morrowind Overhaul and it’s an absolutely delicious mod pack that installs everything great for Morrowind and makes it look even more beautiful than it already is. Best of all, it pretty much does everything for you, so you just have to click the “Next” button a million times and do little else. Easy mode. Highly recommended for both longtime Morrowind players and also new players who perhaps are wary about the graphics, which, I won’t lie, haven’t aged particularly well.
The Khajiit walk animations are akin to this.
What are you currently playing as you enter the new year?
Hey friends, Pike here. Long time, no post… from me, anyway. I do apologize, but writing… and of course lots of gaming… have been keeping me quite busy.
Anyhow! Today I come bearing news that you may have already heard. Basically, there’s a new Humble Bundle in town, and it’s a little different. It breaks away from Humble Bundle tradition in more than one way: The games are certainly not “indie” ones, for starters, oh, and Steam and Windows are both required.
A few people are questioning the wisdom of this move. People don’t like taking the focus away from indie games, and Mac and Linux users are certainly not impressed, either, since Humble Bundle has traditionally prided itself on offering games to users of all “major” operating systems.
As for myself, well, I see little to complain about. It’s still cheap games, money is still going to charity (heck, you can give it all to charity if you want), and honestly with THQ in the financial trouble it is currently in, they may as well be their own charity case.
As a self-professed Linux fan the lack of Linux support does bother me a little, but ultimately if you are a Linux gamer you should probably have accepted a while ago that there are a good many games you’re going to be missing out on. I’m not saying that this is right, necessarily, but I am saying that this is reality. We’re getting a big ol’ bone tossed to us in the name of impending Steam support, and honestly that’s got me happy enough. In the meantime I’m willing to dual boot in the name of vidya gaems.
So anyway, do give it a look if you haven’t already. It’s a solid lineup and worth getting for Company of Heroes alone, not to mention the other games.
