Month: March 2019

RE: Looter Shooters

Izlain

So a few days ago I ran a poll to see what game in the so-called “Looter Shooter” genre people might think I’d enjoy. It turns out that following my logic, some people recommended Warframe even, a game I’ve already spent some time in but still look at all of the content available as a little daunting. I was surprised to see more people vote for Anthem than anything else, but we are talking about a very small sample size. In the end, my decision was made with my wallet’s welfare in mind: I picked up Forsaken for $20. I should be able to blow through what’s between where I am and the new content fairly quick.

I appreciate the feedback though. Haven’t seen that many comments on a post in a long time!

Ironically enough, we were treated to the announcement of Borderlands 3, a game that I had included in the poll (only got a single vote though) as more of a joke than anything. It does look pretty good though… here’s the trailer in case you missed it:

In a way it does look like more of the same, but it did look it had some pretty slick stuff going on at the same time. I hope there is enough variance to the world, classes/mechanics and storyline that it feels like a proper sequel and not just another pre-sequel. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one for sure, and make a decision about its purchase depending on the details. In the meantime, I’m in for more Destiny 2.

The Walking Dead: The Final Season Episode 4

Izlain

Skybound Games has finally released the very last episode of Clementine’s saga. An epilogue of sorts, it picks up right in the thick of things, as the last episode culminated in the exploding ship and uncertainty about everyone’s well being. Well except for James. He was definitely dead. I felt that this episode was the most rushed or perhaps the least well thought out. It felt shorter than other episodes, and felt like whoever wrote it wasn’t as invested in the game or the property. There was a clear end, and a nice twist that I didn’t see coming, but it felt a little hollow. I wasn’t left feeling like it was a clear end for the series… but I suppose I’ve felt that way when good TV shows end as well.

It appears that my choices were in line with most other players. All four of the major choices in the episode weren’t the most difficult decisions to make (nothing gut wrenching here), but it appears that more than half of players agreed with my choices. Since the finale was only released a couple of days ago, those results could be spoilers, but I won’t go into specifics. Let’s just say I didn’t feel like the choices had much weight to them, and the way things ended I just felt sort of blah about. I really wanted to like it, but I suppose it’s okay to only be disappointed with one episode of a four season game series. Clementine’s story has come to a close, and I’m satisfied to have completed this years-long journey.

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There were more screenshots I could have shared, but they were very much spoilers, showing who died and how relationships between Clementine and other characters have changed. I did however include the above two shots that showed what my Clementine taught AJ throughout the season. Some of it is pretty inside, so you’d probably have to play the game yourself to understand them, but many are basic enough. I think my AJ will grow to be a decent human being, and that means I’ve done my job. I could easily see another season being doable, especially being able to perhaps kill off Clementine and then pick up playing as an older AJ. I don’t see why they don’t go down this route, but perhaps they have other Walking Dead stories to tell, or maybe another decent IP could be done in this style. I suppose time will tell what Skybound decides to do next.

The War Report: Mail Day!

Izlain

In the past couple of months I’ve mostly spent my M:TG budget on packs and the guild kits from the most recent set. This month I knew I didn’t want to buy more of the same set, instead I decided to pick up some cards for existing decks along with a couple of commanders that I’ve been wanting to build. I think in coming months I’ll get at least a couple of these finished off. “Mail Day!” is a common phrase used in M:TG circles — it’s usually accompanied by a picture of cards that were just delivered via mail. Sometimes people add to it by asking others to guess the commander or other things along those lines. So today, I’m sharing my most recent mail day with you.

My Zur deck is my pride and joy. I love having a deck that is so powerful and full of great (expensive) cards. I’ve seen the judge promo foil before, and I can’t get over how much better this version looks as opposed to the original. I decided I wanted to have a copy of my own to further “pimp out” my deck. I was also technically missing one card: the most expensive fetch land in his colors.  So the new version of Zur and Marsh Flats made it into my tier 1 deck, and I’m happy to say it’s complete. About the only other thing I want to do is get all of his basic lands changed into full art lands (I think I’m missing one or two) and I’d also like to add in a Mana Crypt, but those are fucking expensive so I’m waiting on a reprint. You can see my current list here.

The other two cards that I slotted into a deck right away was Kozilek and Ulamog. They were recently reprinted with Ultimate Masters, and the prices have leveled off lower than they were prior to that printing so I figured now was the time to grab them. I have the newer versions of them both, along with the newer (not banned) Emrakul already in the deck. Jodah now has all of the best Eldrazi in the deck. I also slotted in Captive Audience and Smothering Tithe from the new set, as they just felt appropriate for the deck. You can see the updated list here.

The last three cards I picked up were three new commanders that I want to build. Karador is another competitive build that I shared a while back. I don’t really have many cards for it though, so it will probably be a buy-it-in-pieces kind of deck. The other two however are a bit more budget friendly and since I no longer have a Dimir deck and have never completed a Gruul one, I’d like to get them done sooner than later. Nikya looks to be a fun way to smash face and not really worry about spells (check out my write up here), while Lazav is probably a lower tier deck but still looks like fun (write up).

Another couple of projects I want to work on are Judith and Estrid. I’ll have some more new builds soon enough, because I haven’t brewed anything in a while and another new set is right around the corner.

RE2: Claire Campaign Complete

Izlain

I’ve finally completed Claire’s Campaign in the Resident Evil 2 Remake. It took me just over a month to complete both campaigns, and there is still plenty to do in the game, but for now I’m calling it done. I could start up the 2nd Run Campaigns, or run the other smaller scenarios that were part of a free DLC. However, I’ve had my fill of this game for now, but I know I’ll come back around to it eventually. In total, it took me about 12 hours to finish of these campaigns, with Claire’s feeling a touch easier to complete.

The Police Station and other areas of the game remained the same, though there were different paths used and some areas that were inaccessible completely to the individual characters. One major difference was that there wasn’t the Tyrant following you around all game, but it felt like you ran into “G” (pictured above) more often.

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Another big difference between the two campaigns, is that instead of interacting with Ada, this time you run into Sherry after a fight with G. Turns out that she came here looking for mommy, who is another character you should remember from Leon’s campaign, though you do talk to her more as Claire. Also, this means that instead of being able to play as Ada for a short time, instead you’ll play as Sherry, who is taken by the Police Chief to an abandoned orphanage. Later, Sherry will become infected and it’s up to you to save her, though her mother dies in the process. Good times.

I found the third fight with G to be the most difficult. It stumped me on two different (short) play sessions, but I eventually bested the Dragon and moved on with the story. Instead of fighting the Tyrant when trying to escape the self-destructing facility, we instead end up fighting G for a fourth time. It was laughably easy though, as you’re given a mini gun just before the fight and his attacks were dodged without much effort.

Overall I got a better record. I saved about three less times, but finished the run in under five hours. There are trophies and bragging rights for people who can run through some of the harder modes in an even shorter amount of time. I don’t think it’s something I would try for, but the achievements are there for those that want them. I loved the game. This is how a remake needs to be done, and I can only hope that more classics get the updated treatment.

Sales should be coming for this title soon enough (probably by the Summer) so if you can get even a small discount I’d jump on it.

What Looter Shooter Would You Play?

Izlain9 Comments

It’s payday. I’m just about done with Resident Evil 2, and that means I’m itching to get into something new.

I considered jumping into something in the backlog, but nothing is jumping out at me. So, for your consideration, a poll:

I already have Destiny 2 along with the first two DLC packs, but I haven’t picked up Forsaken yet. I could grab that and blow through everything.

Or there’s Anthem. I still think it looks great but all of the reviews tell me I should wait for a while and see how it is down the road.

On the flip side, there’s The Division 2. I only played the first briefly, but this one is getting stellar reviews. I think I might enjoy it.

The last pick is Borderlands 3, only because there’s supposed to be information coming out on it this year. However, it’s not out so it was kind of a sarcastic option.

I guess I could have thrown Devil May Cry 5 in there as well, but I was sticking to a theme. I just thought I’d see where people were at and what they’d recommend.

Thanks for the help.