Dark Souls - Part 3

Writing this on my iPad, so excuse any AutoCorrect-induced grammar

I got something I hadn't got in a while playing Dark Souls...an achievement (two achievements, to be honest). I'm not usually someone who cares about my GamerScore on Xbox Live, but it caused the biggest grin to appear on my face, simply because it reassured me that I was making significant progress. Something I hadn't done in a long time, due to constantly restarting the game.

An aspect I love about Dark Souls is the non-linear nature of the game. Past a certain point, you have a multitude of places you can travel to in the world and stand a chance of not getting destroyed by an enemy in two hits. So I did exactly that! Really, once you complete the first task you are given in the world, you would travel to the next objective through an area called The Depths (charming, I know). However, being the rogue-ish type I am, I took a shortcut. Granted this shortcut was littered with poisonous bastards, but it cut about three hours out of my journey.

Of course I taunted when I beat her

Quelaag was a bit of a pain in the ass to beat. She wasn't overly difficult in any sense, she just had a lot of health that took a while to whittle down. And I think it was smart design: the Taurus Demon and Capra Demon were both fairly quick fights, with both bosses having little health. Quelaag represents a change in pace for the game, with bosses suddenly require just as much patience as they require understanding.

Despite me taking a shortcut, I did decide to travel through the Depths and clear the boss there, just for the experience and Souls (currency in the game), and boy...it was disgusting. Giant rats, ooze monsters and a dragon that can only be described to people who have seen the movie 'Teeth'. It was horrifying!

I get creeped out by this picture

But again, the Gaping Dragon was similar to Quelaag, requiring patience and knowing when it was safe to attack, rather than the reckless abandon of early boss fights. It was a welcome change of pace, but I'm looking forward to seeing them vary it up, with more human-sized boss fights, rather than the monsters I am currently facing.

Overall, I'm so much more stoked about Dark Souls than I've ever been watching YouTube videos of these bosses being beaten. I'm not doing with the amount of skill some of them are doing it with, and there may be a lot of trial and error involved, but Dark Souls rewards you for wanting to get better, and it feels so good when you do.

Dark Souls - Part 2

Vereor Nox

I haven't made substantial progress since the last update, but I have killed the Capra Demon (fuck that guy!) and I remembered to take screenshots of some places by backtracking, so let's get to it!

Dark Souls is an oddly pretty game

So, I've finally killed the boss that has always had problems with, and now I feel so happy with myself, I'm tempted to just stop here! But I can't Lordran needs my help, because I'm apparently the only one who gives a shit about being Undead in this world, and wants to solve that problem, but I guess that's why the first NPC you meet is titled as "Crestfallen Soldier".

Although they are probably never going to be at the forefront of any conversation about Dark Souls, I absolutely love the narrative and characters in this game. The story is by no means deep, and the characters are fairly archetypical, they all fit together in this bleak and desolate world really well. And call me crazy, but I love narratives where the player can get as much information as they want, depending on how deep they delve into the fiction. 

Who the fuck is "Sir Onion"?

If the player wants, they can simply progress through the story, ring the two bells and continue doing what they are told, and see the story out. However, as YouTubers like EpicNameBro do, they can do the research into the items, their description, gathering lore information from the smallest details, like where a character is in the world. And I think that's insanely interesting, and it's always a nice touch there those whose make an effort get rewarded for their digging.

Yup, name makes perfect sense

So, now that I'm going into uncharted territory with Dark Souls, I'm super excited again! This should be fun, I'm pretty sure I'm going to a lava-based area now, so that'll be a pain in the ass, no doubt. But I'm pumped, and I'm going to fucking finish Dark Souls this time!

PS. Ok, so this may be considered cheating by some, but Dark Souls is a draining game, like...really draining. And updates may be slow when I become stuck in an area and can't make any forward progress, so in the coming days, I may be starting updates for another game , just so I can keep writing, and know I can take a break from Dark Souls as needed, so look forward to that!

Dark Souls - Part 1

I'm Simply...Crestfallen

Well, I knew this would happen eventually when I started this challenge, but I may have completely forgotten to actually take screeenshots for the blog...my bad! I play Dark Souls with the controller (because I'm not a maniac) and sit on my sofa, which means the 'Print Screen' button is forgotten about, so I'll skip having photos in this entry.

My history with Dark Souls is...troubled. I adore the game, I would probably say it's one of the best games of this generation. However, I've never played past one of the first bosses because he kept kicking my ass. Instead, I got my kicks by watching playthroughs, listening to discussions, and losing my shit over people speedrunning the game in less than an hour.

This time feels different though. For once, I feel like I could walk into the boss that keeps killing me and murder his demon ass fairly easily. And it's made me sit down and wonder why I feel differently this time and I could only give one answer: I'm not relying on skill anymore.

As I mentioned before, people make Dark Souls artificially hard for themselves by trying to dodge every attack and make it through on the bare minimum, stats and equipment-wise. I was the same, but some simple research made me realise that there is little advantage to doing that. So I tried this new tactic and found myself breezing through the game as far, even killing a boss I had never encountered before by taking a route I stumbled upon to find it. Enemies that were one-shoting me in previous playthroughs weren't even breaking my guard on this new, tank-focused, character. 

I'll go into detail about why I feel Dark Souls is one of the best games of the generation in a future update, but for now, I'm ready to fight this bloody goat demon and finally kill the bastard!

Dark Souls - Introduction

Foreword,

Well, it's been a while. University has put the challenge as it once was on hold, but now that I've got no idea what to play after finishing games like Arkham Origins, Gone Home, Stanley Parable and Gunpoint, so I will go down from A-Z, playing the games I want to play, not all the games. Too much uni work has made it impossible for me to sit down and play and a terrible game and have fun laughing at how bad it is, so instead I'll play all the good games I own!

Also, I did finish The Bureau, but it was too long ago to remember how I felt about it apart from the ending was a clusterfuck and made little sense. So onwards!

I've spent a lot of time in Dark Souls...like, way too much. I began on the 360, before transitioning to the PC when it was cheaper to get the full game with DLC on Steam, than just the DLC on 360. However, making progress is hard in Dark Souls...

And to be honest, I've never felt like Dark Souls is artificially hard, like the hard mode in most games. A vast majority of player deaths are down to the player's fault, the game is never cheating the player. Each problem can be approached in a methodical way and can be solved without too much difficulty. People who say Dark Souls is a 'high skill' game are playing it wrong. You don't need to have split-second reaction times, they are choosing to make it that difficult by wanting to play an evasion character.

I tried that, and it's always failed. Now it's time for a different approach...I'm gonna tank every single hit that a motherfucker throws at me!

I've learnt a lot about Dark Souls by watching an awesome YouTuber called EpicNameBro, who I would recommend anyone interested in the game check out.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified - Part 1

Welcome To XCOM

So, about 8 hours into The Bureau, and I've come to a conclusion about myself: I should never be allowed to lead a group of soldiers in any situation. The very first combat scenario where you can actually lose a guy, I did. We hadn't even left the base, and he was shot dead! Under my command...

Poor bastard never even got to kill anyone

But anyway, on to more positive notes! The Bureau is actually pretty awesome so far! The shooting is solid, the combat can actually be tactically challenging and Carter is a drunken badass. Like seriously, you can straight up get him wasted in the middle of the base at one point and no one bats an eye. Granted, the game isn't without flaws, like the story being a bit haphazard, but generally good voice acting makes it a decent trip anyway.

The 60s aesthetic is pretty awesome too. It's pretty neat walking around the base and just see everyone is waistcoats, smoking like there's no tomorrow. The game even has a thin layer of smoke in some rooms that add to the effect and it's goes a long way to add to the atmosphere in really nice way.

Alien invasion? Nothing a little whiskey won't solve!

For a game with such a troubled development, The Bureau has been pretty good so far, solid in most aspects, but not groundbreaking in any way. I guess we have to see how the second half of the game holds up to get a full opinion.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified - Introduction

If you had told me that XCOM, a classic turn-based strategy game, would be mixed with Mad Men-like aesthetics, wrapped up in a Mass Effect-style third person shooter, I'd laugh it off as a publishers wanting to boil everything down to the lowest common denominator to sell more copies. And to be fair, gamers did whenever this game was first announced. We asked why an XCOM game in the style of the original couldn't exist in the 21st century, and we got what we wanted in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and it was awesome!

It's time to slap some asses and kill some aliens

But what happened to the game that was announced? Well, it went dark for a year or two before being repackaged as The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, set in Cold War-era America when aliens makes first contact and start a planet-wide war. And it plays exactly like they promised: Mass Effect, right down to the squad combat and the strangely similar powers you can unlock for William Carter and his soldiers, and even having a hub area to return to and talk to your colleagues.

However, it still manages to capture some aspects of XCOM, namely, the permanent death of your squad members, the customisation and even the enemies you face are all enemies that are in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

So I go into The Bureau cautiously optimistic, Yes, this is a game with a troubled development cycle, but it's also set in a fantastic universe, and is taking aspects from the original series, and from one of the most critically acclaimed third person shooters in recent memory. And it looks like Mad Men, which is just the icing on the cake, to be honest.

Borderlands 2 - Completion

Danger! Excitement! Mustaches!

There have been some pretty massive swings in my mood while playing these last two add-ons, and it makes writing up my feelings of Borderlands 2 overall much more difficult. On one hand, the game is brilliant in what it sets out to achieve and be: an FPS-action RPG. On the other hand, there are some glaring flaws that are made much more apparent while playing through the DLC. But let's talk about the final two add-ons first!

All style, no substance

Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt brought to the forefront a problem that is hard to notice in the main game: when there are no good characters driving the narrative, Borderlands becomes a very bog-standard shooter that can border on kind of terrible. The reason this became so apparent was because, other than Hammerlock, a feeble excuse for a villain  and a small cameo from Claptrap, there are no other characters relative to the story. Hammerlock isn't bad, but not well written enough to be the core focus of a plot.

It became so bad that after the first set of side missions, I just tore through the main plot line and let the rest of the content alone. The only one positive I can draw the experience is the location is really nice, and looks really refreshing compared to the rest of the main game. Other than that, there is no reason to play Big Game Hunt, unless you hate yourself.

Now we're talking!

Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon Keep is one of the most imaginative pieces of DLC I've seen for any game. In an era where DLC is usually just a bunch of reused assets from the main game, it's nice to see a developer basically design an entirely new style of game and give it out as DLC. It's been done before with Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, and I hope it's a trend that continues in the future. Placing the Borderlands character's in a Dungeons & Dragons setting works surprisingly well and breaths new life into the game.

The humour hits, the new enemies are genuinely unique, and the area is nice and suits the setting. Making the entire game take place in Tiny Tina's head is pretty smart as well, as it allows the game to change on a whim, such as the first first encounter changing when Lilith complains about the difficulty. However, it all kind of falls apart...

Best gatekeeper ever!!

It becomes really clear in most of the boss fights are balanced with co-op play in mind, and I don't blame because that's what makes Borderlands much more fun and enjoyable, but it ruins it for people like me who are playing by themselves. Bosses that have a near-one hit kills, leaving the player with nothing to kill in order to revive themselves are a recurring problem and makes the game much more frustrating.

If I had to rank them, I'd say that Mr.Torgue's Campaign Of Carnage is easily the best DLC if you just want pure, unadulterated mayhem and fun, with Assault On Dragon Keep coming second. Pirate Booty and Big Game Hunt aren't worth looking at unless you really enjoy the combat, or are playing it with a group of friends.

A diamond pony...as a queen

All in all, I still liked Borderlands 2 after playing 65 hours of it, but not as much as the first one. It has it's flaws, there is no doubt about that, but it still manages to have a lot of charm and laughs along that way that make it easier to look past the flaws and just enjoy yourself. A lot of my problems probably could have been lessened if I had a group to play with, but then that raises the bigger question of why should a game be unbalanced for solo play. The characters are still great, the gunplay is still fun and the stories told can be nonsensical in their own, awesome way. It's just such a shame that so many flaws stop this from being a much better game than the original, but I look forward to seeing what comes out next, especially if they finally take the MMO-route with the franchise.

To the future...

Next up...The Bureau: XCOM Declassified! 

Borderlands 2 - Part 3

I'm Here To Ask You One Question, And One Question Only: EXPLOSIONS?!

After the poor showing of the main story, I gotta say that these two pieces of DLC have been fucking incredible. My frustrations are gone, I'm enjoying the game again and they are just downright hilarious at times. Not without their flaws, but definitely a step up from the end of the main game.

A mighty fine booty, as well

I don't know where to start with this story, but I'll just flat out say that I went in with zero expectations considering my feelings at the end of the main game. I was expecting to slog through this, do the bare minimum and be done with it. But that all changed as soon as I started playing it. The new characters were refreshing, the new guns addressed one of my main issues with the quests towards the end of game not giving you better weapons and the enemies were actually a decent level and not overpowered. In short: it made the game fun again.

Yeah, she totally does

The new characters also made things a lot better. Scarlett fits right into the universe and is actually an interesting character, with her constant ditzy ramblings, and constantly reminding you that she isn't going to betray you...yet. C3n50r807 is pretty funny too, in his one-robot crusade against all things inappropriate. The characters fit into the story well too, but that leads me to my major criticism about Pirate's Booty, which is a complaint I had about the main game: the story just ends with little-to-no conclusion.

You kill the last boss (not even Scarlett, it's some random giant monster), find the treasure, and then the credits roll. That's it, no conclusion with Scarlett, she just fucks off somewhere between her betraying you and making it to the final area. There's no conclusion at all really, but it leaves room for Scarlett to return in a sequel, which is a good thing. Overall, DLC number one was pretty good, but, and I'm gonna be blunt, DLC two is where is fun is...

TESTOSTERONE! 

I don't typically laugh out loud during games, it's more a under my breath chuckle. However, that all changed during Mister Torgue's Campaign Of Carnage...everything in here is fucking hilarious! Between Torgue's constant yelling and steroid-fueled insanity, he easily ranks up there as the best character is Borderlands ever. He's basically Hulk Hogan, but if Hulk Hogan was snorting mountains of cocaine, in addition to taking steroids. I didn't think I'd ever hear a character yell "BLOWJOBS!" in a video game, but it happened.

This totally isn't my desktop wallpaper...

The story is basically a parody of old action films and the troupes you would typically see in them, and blowing them completely out of proportion. And the best part is, it works. The humour, the characters, the plot, it all comes together to create a pretty damn hilarious, and enjoyable couple of hours. And the story wraps up nicely for once!

Overall, if the rest of the DLC even comes close to the heights of Campaign Of Carnage, I'll call Borderlands 2 a success. If it doesn't, then I'll probably still be happy with my time with Borderlands 2, but more so because of what it could've been and the ideas of what the franchise could become, not what it was.

Yup, that's totally the name of the main area

I'll leave the opening of Campaign Of Carnage here as well, just to give an example of the humour and how insane it becomes.

Borderlands 2 - Part 2

Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

The fact that that line was spoken by a character is a brilliant throwback to, quite possibly, the best opening cinematic to any video games ever. I loved Borderlands' intro, and setting it to the Cage The Elephant song set the tone perfectly. Anyway, that was a side note, onward to criticism!

All downhill from here

I always loved how the guns felt in Borderlands. It's probably the only FPS that I feel I could say I'm pretty damn good at. Games like Call of Duty or Halo never seemed to click with me on any substantial level, but Borderlands always seemed to be perfect for me. It was 'arcade' enough for it to remain fast-paced and chaotic, but the bullets had weight and travel to them which made it still a thinking process of how to go about each encounter.

Which leads me to my biggest criticism of the game: it's balanced incredibly poorly. Once I decided to stop doing some of the side-quests in order to speed up my playthrough, I immediately began noticing that enemies were constantly a higher level than me, to an unfair point when it came to the last area. It seems very counter-intuitive for a game (that, for the most part, will slightly adjust an area's enemies to match your own character's level) to have enemies that are four to five levels higher than myself, leading to a frustrating experience and the entire game leaving a sour taste in my mouth.

So she isn't a real person...disappointing!

Another bum note is the story. I'm not exactly coming to Borderlands 2 for a thought-provoking and engaging plot, but the game just kinda ends, with no meaningful ending or conclusion apart from "Hey, you murdered Jack, good job!" That's it, killed him, some very slight set-up for another game and credits. The first game had a similar problem, but set-up a sequel so much better, with the mystery of who, or what, Angel was. The side stories encountered in the side quests were more engaging and more rewarding than anything the main story offered, and that's just down to poor writing.

I'll leave a full break-down of my feelings until after I finish the DLC, since the add-ons for the first game were pretty amazing, so my feelings may change. But at the end of the main game, Borderlands 2 has really let me down in those final five-ten hours, and it's a damn shame that it does so. I leave you with one last thought...

Fuck you, Jack

Borderlands 2 - Part 1

The Man Who Would Be Jack

Alright, things are looking up for Borderlands 2. Questing is actually interesting again and the enemies are starting to become a lot more varied in areas, rather than being restricted to facing on type of enemy at a time. And I encountered the best quest ever.

So fucking dumb

I played the first Borderlands as Mordecai, and he certainly has the best arc of all the original Vault Hunters in this one. Roland and Lilith are pretty well portrayed, but lack any character arc, while Brick is kinda shitty. Mordecai, on the otherhand, has an arc that actually had me emotional involved; something I never thought I'd say about a Borderlands character. Obviously the emotional attachment was probably amplified because I played a whole game as the guy, but it's still the best of any of the characters so far.

Love ya buddy!

I've decided to focus less on side-missions going forward, since I'm pretty close to the end of the main story and have four DLC add-ons to play after that. I'll still do some of them, but they will be less of an objective, more of a "Oh, I'm nearby, let's do it". That doesn't mean the questing is bad in Borderlands 2, it's just feels less varied overall compared to the first one. There are a few standout ones, like McShooty up there, or having to solve a murder mystery in the dumbest way, but most just involved clearing an area or finding a recording, which is kinda boring after doing it fifty times.

Finding sexy pictures of Moxxi was an obvious drag

Thinking ahead, I'm planning one more main story update, and then one for each DLC, so it should be good fun. Back to Pandora!

Borderlands 2 - Introduction

First off, the plan was to do co-op with my brother, but schedules didn't line up enough times for playing video games and I want to get this game finished as quickly as I can. Secondly, I had started playing Borderlands 2 before this challenge, but decided to begin from the start again, but I didn't wanna document any of it, because, to be honest, it's mostly set up and nothing too interesting happens.

One of my favourite cover arts in recent memory

I loved the first Borderlands, it was basically Diablo blended with a first-person shooter with MMO style progression. And the humour, while pretty referential to pop-culture, was pretty well written and played most of the time. But above all, Borderlands just played well, the shooting was spot-on and it never seemed boring to me, especially when playing it with a group.

Which is why Borderlands 2 is sorta disappointing in the first couple of hours. It doesn't ramp up fast enough and makes it a slog. However, that could possibly just be a side-effect of playing it for a second time, and, as any ex-World of Warcraft player will you, leveling up by doing the same quests in an MMO is dull as shit. But now I've caught up to where I was and I'm ready to murder some fucking midgets!

Vault hunting!

Blocks That Matter - One Shot

The Game Is Okee-Dokee!

Am I a racist for all the written dialogue in this game being rendered in my head as the Swedish Chef from The Muppets? Eh, whatever, bork bork bork!

I always imagine walruses and meatballs, not indie games

Now, racism aside, Blocks That Matter is a neat game. Combining aspects of Tetris and Minecraft into a puzzle platformer is clever, but the game isn't without it's frustrations. I have no real problem with the key mechanics of the game, quite the opposite, I love them. Finding materials around the level to build Tetris-shaped platforms is fun, and often pretty challenging, but my problems come down to a puzzle-genre fundamentals one.

Similar to Aquaria, Blocks That Matter seems to disregard the additions to puzzle games over the years that have seen them becoming more prevalent, especially in the indie space. One could consider Portal the start of the puzzle-craze, and while many cite the humour and environment as the highlights of Portal, the core puzzles in it are still challenging and engaging, but the reason it was so open and reached such a wide appeal was because implemented the idea that there wasn't really a way to 'fail' a level, no matter what you did, you could still finish the level with what you had available.

Fuck yeah Rayman!

Blocks That Matter doesn't do this. It is entirely possible to screw yourself at the very start of a puzzle, but you are only able to realise it at the end of the level, when you are one block away from the finish. This becomes even more infuriating towards the end of the game, when the platforming is also a challenge, so having to replay a level from the start isn't so much a challenge as it is a drag. And it really dampens the experience as a whole, which is a huge shame.

While I may come across as entitled or whining, the reason I rag on games like Blocks That Matter and Aquaria for not having features that are a standard of that genre is because it's exactly that: a standard. The reason they caught on is because they made life easier, while not cheapening the experience. And it's a shame that Blocks That Matter didn't adapt some of these, because it would've been a good game with them. Instead it becomes a middling, frustrating experience without them.

Stockholm is calling! Bork bork!

Next up...Borderlands 2! (And I'm bringing a friend!)

Bioshock Infinite (1999 Mode) - Completion

Is A Better Home Awaiting In The Sky?

Just a warning, there gonna be some pretty heavy spoilers here! If you haven't played Bioshock Infinite yet, 1] what the hell is wrong with you? And 2] only read on if you don't care about playing the game.

The seed of the prophet shall sit the throne...

First thing, 1999 Mode takes some hard swings at times. Was kind of strolling through with little to no problems until the last couple of battles then I was dying left, right and centre. However, I persevered through anger and stress to complete the game, in about 15 hours, if Steam is to be believed. Shockingly, not actually that far off my playthrough on Normal difficulty, so maybe I've gotten better at video games recently. Or muscle memory kicked in through some fights and helped a lot.

Unlike a lot of people, I loved the gunplay in Infinite. While, it's nothing groundbreaking, the game does a good job of slowly dishing out new weapons and vigors a pace that allows to experiment with the new things you acquire, before making you choice to keep it or get something new. Finding the right combination your playstyle isn't hard, but greatly increases the enjoyment of them. It was really satisfying popping someone in the air with a vigor and watching them drop like a sack of potatoes when I put a bullet in them...that sounds a tad sadistic.

...and drown, in flames, the mountains of man

So, let's talk about the elephant in the room: the plot. I've avoided the main plot points in previous updates because spoilers are a touchy subject, but I'm gonna blow the doors off here, so be prepared. Ignoring my problems with Fitzroy (not really relevant to the main story), I only have one gripe with the main story, and that's why does drowning Booker stop every single Booker in the alternate dimensions becoming Comstock. Unless I missed a fairly substantial plot point, this makes no sense. If there really are infinite possibilities, why is this one Booker Dewitt different to any of the other?

I know people lament the whole Booker is Comstock plot point, but it makes sense. The whole mixed identities narrative was in the original Bioshock too, so it makes sense for it to be here too. I don't think the "But they look nothing alike!" argument has any ground because, well...it's a fucking video game! It's called suspension of disbelief. Seriously, the people who nitpicked about this mustn't enjoy any form of fiction.

The names may be different, but the story is the same

While the last half an hour of Infinite is just one piece of exposition after another, it makes sense. Elizabeth can take Booker to any point in history, where anything could've happened. Hell, they go to Rapture, and it's awesome! It links the stories in a way that was missing from Bioshock 2, probably because it wasn't written by Ken Levine, and it finally gives reason to the 'Bioshock' name. And, in my eyes, it links up perfectly. I think the story works, reasons are given for all the major aspects, barring the one plot hole I pointed out earlier.

Overall, Bioshock Infinite is a generation defining game, even more so than the original. Irrational Games have crafted a perfect world, perfect characters, and, near enough, a perfect game. I'll always look back on my time in Columbia with fond joy, because, while there's a problem with the ending, it's not about that; it's about the journey. And it's a damn incredible journey.

Will the circle be unbroken?

Next up...Blocks That Matter!

Bioshock Infinite (1999 Mode) - Part 2

We Are The Real Soldiers...The History That Doesn't Fit In Their Books

Ok, maybe I lied...1999 Mode isn't actually that hard. Once I managed to find the vigors and weapons I loved in my past playthroughs, I've managed to consistently not die in fights and built up a nice bank of money. I'm still being careful with it, like I'm only upgrading the weapons and vigors I'm using constantly (carbine, hand cannon, Buckin' Bronco and Shock Jockey), and only if the upgrade doesn't take me below $1000. Playing safe, but not as safe anymore.

Unlikely partners

Elizabeth is probably one of my favourite characters in a video game this generation. Her character arc is pretty believable and she has a legitimate reason behind everything she does. The game also does a great job of creating the emotional bond between the player and Elizabeth and, while she doesn't need the protection in combat, the constant aid and her struggles to find a place in a world she has been locked away from make her an amazing companion and one who the player wants to protect from the evils of Comstock and the Vox Populi. 

The voice of the people

As in my previous playthroughs, one area of slight disappointment is the woman above: Daisy Fitzroy, the leader of the Vox Populi, revolutionists in Columbia. It's kind of the cliche of any Utopian narrative, that there will inevitable anarchy, but there is no believable reason for Fitzroy to be the leader of the revolution. She was framed for the murder of Lady Comstock, so she becomes a symbol of freedom? Something there doesn't add up in my mind, and it bugs me a little. 

I'm fairly close to the end of the game, so this will be the last update until I finish the game. Shouldn't take more than a day or two, but I can't wait. The last couple of hours of Infinite are fairly mindblowing, and I'm sure I'll still find new things to be amazing by.

Bioshock Infinite (1999 Mode) - Part 1

Bring Us The Girl, And Wipe Away The Debt

I fixed it! Ah, the age old method of uninstalling it and reinstalling it, gotta love it.

There's always a lighthouse

1999 Mode is no joke. The game becomes seriously difficult when you have to balance managing your money (which you lose $100 of if you die) and making every last bullet count in a gunfight. Granted, I haven't seen any of the "this or that, not both" choices that were promised, but I'm still early in the game. I haven't even met Elizabeth yet, which is where the game starts to pick up.

There's always a man

Playing Infinite again has made all the feelings rush back, and it's pretty incredible. I could play through that opening multiple times in succession and be blown away every time  It sets the scene so perfectly for Booker's time in Columbia, from the casual elitist remarks you hear walking down the street, to being egged on to pelt an interracial couple with a baseball for winning a raffle. It brings the idea that you are in 1912 to the forefront and makes it so much more believable.

There's always a city

Despite the frustrations of 1999 Mode, I can see my third trip through the floating city being my favourite.

Bit.Trip Runner - One Shot

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Broadcast...

"Wait...Bioshock Infinite looks different!" Yeah...technical issues have put Bioshock on hold while I install it again. The game was running like garbage, no matter what graphical settings I had it on, so I wiped it from my computer and now have to download all 17GB again. So, in the meantime, I played Bit.Trip Runner!

Commander Video, you're an asshole

I had played through half of Runner before this, and God damn, if I thought the earlier levels were hard, then those last couple of levels would've killed me. But I think that's what makes Runner an enjoyable challenge, rather than pure frustration: knowing where you went wrong. The game never gives you an impossible challenge, and the course never changes, so it possible to memorise your way through the harder levels.

I would never go as far to say that the game ever becomes easy, no matter how many times you do a level. Precise timing and pretty solid concentration is required at all times. I slipped up many times on the simplest obstacles by losing concentration...or my eyes glazing over from looking at the television for too long.

This is coma-inducng at times

The Bit.Trip games have always had an exceptional sense of style, and Runner is no different. The voxel graphics and chiptune music go hand-in-hand incredibly and the way the music ramps up throughout a level is pretty amazing with how spot-on it is, and how the smallest beat plays in time with the Commander Video's jumping or kicking makes a subtle, yet very significant difference to how you play the game, and once that clicks, it makes the game much more enjoyable.

I'll probably never feel the need to go back to Bit.Trip Runner again. I have no desire to try and collect every single piece of gold or complete all the Atari 2600-style levels, but the time I did have with it was well-worth the price of admission and an enjoyable experience, despite my constant swearing during some of the levels.

Commander Video getting his bit!

Next up...Bioshock Infinite! (Possibly...if not, it'll be Blocks That Matter!)

Bioshock Infinite (1999 Mode) - Introduction

I know we're only in August and the next generation still has to start, but Bioshock Infinite is easily my game of the year, and looks doubtful to be beaten for that title (though Watch_Dogs looks pretty incredible too). I mean, I've completed the game twice already, and was blown away twice by experience. So I decided to mix it up for my third playthrough: 1999 Mode!

Not the official cover, but it's so much better

Ken Levine (lead designer) claimed "average gamers" will be turned off my 1999 Mode, with it being a throwback to old games like Deus Ex and System Shock in terms of difficulty and character progression. I have tried it before, and did fairly well. I didn't give up, I simply moved on and forgot about Infinite for a while. I loved Infinite for the story, but I returned for a second time straight away for the atmosphere. 

Infinite perfectly captures what that period of time was all about and reinforces them with what seems like throwaway dialogue from random NPCs on the streets. Booker Dewitt may seem like an "everyman", but he eventually becomes so much more, not only for the story, but for the player as their avatar in this world, as you both experience it for the first time.

God, I love this game

I haven't played Bioshock Infinite since April, but today I return. I return to rampant racism and American elitism. I go back to the city in the sky...I return to Columbia, and I can't fucking wait.

The Binding Of Isaac - One Shot

You're Not My Real Mom!

After bashing my head against The Binding Of Isaac for a couple of days, I can confidently say that I'm a sucker for roguelike video games. As much stress and annoyance they cause me, I really love the idea and the quick gameplay fixes they can give me. Isaac, FTL and Dark Souls (to a lesser extent) are all in my Steam library and I'm really looking forward to playing them, despite their insane difficulty and risk/reward nature. 

(Note: screenshots look a little wonky because the game doesn't support the Steam overlay, meaning I used another piece of software to do it)

This cute little game is actually straight from hell!

In The Binding Of Isaac, you play Isaac (shocking!) who is being hunted by his mother who believes she has heard the voice of God, telling her that Isaac has become corrupt and must be sacrificed. Isaac escapes into the basement of their house and proceeds to cry (literally) his way though evil monsters and other spawns of Satan, all in the name of God! The story is satirical in nature, but it worries me that you can easily see similarities to some real world event.

The art style should be instantly recognisable to anyone who's seen Super Meat Boy, and with good reason! Half of Team Meat worked on this game, which also probably contributes to the insane difficulty, and the dark humour. However, the gameplay takes a wild swerve away from the Super Meat Boy style and becomes almost a bullet-hell shooter, with Isaac firing in four directions while avoiding an onslaught of incoming projectiles.

There's some weird stuff under Isaac's house

Now, I'm not gonna sit here and say that me finishing Binding Of Isaac was all down to hard work, determination and skill...not in the slightest. I got damn lucky with item drops, what enemies spawned and the bosses I had to face, but that's kinda part of what makes roguelikes what they are. Sometimes it'll be damn hard and you'll be ready to give up after one attempt that goes south right away, but sometimes it'll click and you'll have a brilliant run. However, that didn't stop me reaching the final floor multiple times and dying.

But no amount of luck could've prepared me for managing to beat Mom on my first attempt, so that was a huge plus, because I thought that that specific run had been going terrible. But again, that's roguelikes, a terrible run can easily turn in a great one with one lucky item drop. For me, I managed to pick up an item that allowed me to cheese my way to max health, but it couldn't be replenished. As I said before: risk/reward. 

My Isaac has seen some shit

So, being a glutton for punishment, I imagine I'll go back to The Binding of Isaac in the future and try to complete it nine more times, as there is achievements for beating Mom ten times. But it's not just because I hate myself that I'll play it, the gameplay is tight, the animation and art style is amazing and humour hits in the right places. In the end, Isaac is a great game, and for £2, it's a damn shame if anyone doesn't own it.

Mommy issues

Next up...Bioshock Infinite! (With a twist!)

Bastion - One Shot

Setting Sail, Coming Home

Bastion was easily one of my favourite games of 2011, and going back to play it for this challenge, all the amazing memories came flooding back. It will always hold a special place in my heart, because it remains to this day the only game I got all the Xbox achievements on, and got them all within like three days of the game's release. And ya know what...Bastion is still fucking amazing.

A proper story starts the beginning...

The game starts with a simple premise: guide the Kid to the Bastion and survive the Calamity. However, the story quickly shows it's true tones, with no one making it to the Bastion and trying to solve the mystery of what caused the Calamity. Rucks, the ever-present narrator voiced by the amazing Logan Cunningham, guides the Kid on his quest, but even he holds some of his own secrets, as do Zulf and Zia, two people you rescue and guide back to the Bastion.

The actual gameplay of Bastion is nothing new, and can kinda be compared to the likes of Diablo or Torchlight, just without the loot grind. The combat is simple, but it can be difficult to master. However, once you find the perfect combination of weapons (hammer and rifle, personally), the combat just seems to click and the game becomes a decent challenge of trying to just not get hit, rather than not dying.

...ain't so simple with this one

Bastion does a perfect job of never taking you out of the action: there's a linear path, but actually makes sense in the world, as the pathway appears as you walk and crumbles again as you get further away, meaning the critical path is always apparent. And the story never stops the action, because Rucks is constantly narrating, which is easy to pay attention to, but doesn't halt the action at any point. Rucks will even narrate the silliest things, such as if you spend a while just destroying scenery, he will say something along the lines of "Kid just rages for a while", in that honey-soaked voice of his.

What do you say to a Kid who's seen too much?

I'll be the first to say that Bastion is by no means a ground-breaking game, it simply manages to be the perfect sum of it's parts. The stunning art style, the amazing music (which is probably my favourite soundtrack in any video game) and the simple, but still satisfying gameplay create an experience that completely blew me away, not once, but twice. People often claim that the older games are the best, but there's still a case to be made for games like Bastion to stake their claim in history.

The last stop on this little journey

Next up...The Binding Of Issac!