December 2009
1 post
3 tags
Review: Shadow Complex
I had played a demo for this game some time ago, and enjoyed the short-lived glimpse into the world of Shadow Complex well enough, that I was quite pleased to discover it as XBLA’s Deal of the Week.
Even though I finished the main campaign at a bit over 8 hours - and that is getting 100% item collection and map completion - which I would call short, I have to commend the game on a lot of...
November 2009
7 posts
4 tags
In Progress: Dragon Age: Origins
Holy cow.
Holy cow.
No, wait. I can get this.
Holy cow!
I have never been a huge fan of the pause-and-command games of the tactical, top-down, RPG variety: Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, etc. I know this seems strange, since I absolutely adore a well-made turn-based, top-down strategy RPG (Final Fantasy Tactics being my gold standard), and I do love games that let me pause to issue menu...
3 tags
Review: Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark...
This review will be quite easy, as there isn’t too much I am ambivalent about regarding this installment of the Chronicles of Riddick series of games. I have never watched Pitch Black, nor have I played the previous games. The remake of Escape from Butcher Bay (on the same disk) is actually quite tempting, if only to see how the flaws in the third game compare, but I will likely abstain.
...
3 tags
3 tags
Index: Free-to-Play
For Indexes, I will use them to catalog the various games of a kind that I play, or have played in the past, to give people an idea of what my experiences are. If I remember, or have a current account, I will try to include my character(s) name(s) as appropriate.
This index is for the various free-to-play (F2P) games I have tried. Some lasted, while others did not, and I will eventually get...
4 tags
Rant: Mobility
Something that bugs me often about various games is how my character or party moves around. This isn’t, strictly speaking, about travel over long distances - though I will get to that - but more about navigating towns and dungeons.
When games entered the third dimension, I admit I expected a lot more of the so-called “freedom” that this provided for exploration. Being limited...
4 tags
In Progress: The Last Remnant
This is the name I will use when I want to get down to brass tacks regarding a game that I plan on finishing, but am not far enough in to warrant a full review. For this example, I have chosen The Last Remnant, which is something a little difficult to be critical about because I am presently not very far in, though I have put in over a dozen hours already.
I should say that, for the record, I...
4 tags
Rant: Silent Protagonists
Breath of Fire is a bit of a cult hit RPG series in the US, as far as the extent that I know. Some may not know it, but if they do, they usually appreciate one of the games from the series in some form or another.
One complaint I hear from my friends is that the protagonist, Ryu, in III and IV does not actually speak at any point. This, in itself, may not be that odd because there are quite a few...
4 tags
Review: Rogue Galaxy
One of the last few Playstation 2 games I have played in recent years, I was actually very excited to get it via Gamefly. The trailer and previews looked interesting, the combat system seemed like it was fun and it had decent voice acting (from what I saw).
Then I received it, and I want at least 10 hours of my life back. Here is why:
Major Flaw: Mio. Do I really need to say more? I think they...
October 2009
6 posts
1 tag
How do you review?
A lot of websites have their own mechanics for reviewing products. One common scheme is rating a game either on a numeric scale (1 to 5, or 1 to 10) with the higher score being better, and other may employ the classic “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” approach.
Me? I like to make my reviews a little more practical. I will sometimes use hyperbole to indicate that something was...
Origins (Part 1)
I was reading an article today about conducting roleplaying games over Google’s Wave service, and it got me thinking a little bit about my own habits when it comes to gaming and RPing. This inevitably always brings me back to thinking about how I got started with online gaming - nay - the internet itself, so you get to read about it here.
A brief history of me, is that I am not actually...
2 tags
Champions Online: Random Build Challenge
Ever hear of challenges for single-player games? These are unique ways that players try and think of ways in which they can spice up boring replays of their favorites, or just plain up the difficulty. Some are simple (no items, or no magic), some are deep and truly masochistic (no special characters, and no bought items, and no cards, and no boosts, and no deaths, etc.).
I have noticed that not...
2 tags
Roll Call
I thought I’d start off by listing some of the games I’m currently playing (actively), as well as the characters in those games. I may update these as I go along, or I may just make new posts to cover new games and avatars.
Here is the current lineup for Champions Online, with some brief summaries:
THE VERDICT
The Verdict is in, and it is: TALL.
I am finding that being a...
1 tag
Introduction
Greetings, Internet!
My name is Dots. I have several different internet monikers and aliases, but this will work for this blog.
I play a lot of video games. Perhaps not quite as much as those who do it professionally, or as a very well-paying hobby, or your average geeky high-school student who doesn’t have a job to worry about, or… well, you get the picture.
At any rate, I play a...