It’s early afternoon here in North Carolina. LW called here around 8, so 6 his time. He said some of the estate money had trickled in. He told me he wanted to make a land purchase and get contractors in to build a chicken coop, a couple pigsties, and a cow pasture. I told him to go ahead with the purchases, and I would see him in a week.
He sounded shocked at that. When I asked him why, he said he didn’t expect me to return so soon. But the way he said it burned my ear a bit, and for a few moments I didn’t see him in my minds eye. I saw a greenish, drooling troll running across a bridge with an army bag stuffed with cash. And for the first time since I met LW, I wondered if he was on the level. Or was he taking me for a ride?
Then he asked me if I would be willing to sell calves. The price wouldn’t be better than adults, but if we managed to get 40 top quality heifers, and if they bred well, we would end up with 40 great cows. Quality breeders were more valuable in the long run. Maybe 8-10 years.
He warned me that the livestock would likely need to be fed by purchase. But next fall we would have grown all the crops needed to produce our own feed.
And finally he put a bug in my ear about cotton. It wouldn’t be of any benefit to the animals, but the current market was good, and we could use it as a cash crop. Maybe even ship some off by train for a premium price. The initial investment would be high, but he thought it would be a boon in the long game.
Then he signed off. He said a long day was just beginning.
Just now heard from LW. He said a local farmer just sold off his entire spread. Something about a grisly divorce. He would be willing to sell all his slurry to us on the cheap. Since I wanted to go as organic as possible to told LW to get it all.
The following is an excerpt from The Saga of Regine (Biography of a Vampire) as told by Brunhilde the Bard.
ONE
Regine approached Treva’s Watch from the shoreline of the Treva River. The fort sat large on the northern shore of the river. The southern wall faced the river, and a single gate secured the entrance. Several timber ramparts protected most of the wall sections, providing cover for archers or mages. The fort’s tower occupied the northwest corner, providing an elevation advantage agains any assaults from the north where enemies could attack along a hillside. A campfire provided some orientation on the northeast wall where bandits could rest and eat when not on patrol.
East of the fort another campfire offered some illumination against the growing darkness of night. As Regine approached she notice three Nords sitting in a half-circle around the fire. They were engaging in conversation she couldn’t quite make out.
A man named Stalleo sat on a wood stump. He had gray hair cut in a thick stripe and the sides of his head were shaved to the scalp. A large beard extended well beyond his chin, almost to the chest, and matched his hair in color. His eyes were deep set and blacked with war paint. Across from Stalleo a female donned in heavy steel armor sat, her features muddled by the firelight and steel helmet. A male in fur armor and a hunting bow sat to Stalleo’s left. He turned toward Regine, and asked if she was there to help, mistaking her for a mercenary.
She told him he was and she would be better than anyone else he could find. Her fee was high though. Stalleo agreed, and told her a story.
It was about three or four months ago when everything started going bad. My friends here, and my family, we’re doing work to the exterior of the fort when a Stormcloack courier arrived. He walked to the gate and asked if he could come inside to discuss the militia that was forming. As a good son of Skyrim, I agreed to hear him out. I opened the gate and let him in the courtyard.
It turned out he was visiting every village and city in Skyrim. He didn’t have a horse, or carriage ride to hold capitals. Only his own two feet as mode of transportation. He looked exhausted and weary. He limped profoundly. His eyes were sunken and dark, the whites more red than not, and his cheekbones looked like they would burst free at any moment. “Come on in and have some meade,” I said. He started to refuse but I cut him of with a hard glance. “You’re coming in for some meade and a meal. You look like you’re an hour away from being a draugr that escaped the Ansilvund crypt.” He mulled it over for a moment then nodded his head slightly as if too much movement would cause it to tumble off his neck and roll into the Treva River. I slapped him on the shoulder and guided him toward the door where my wife stood ready to ring the dinner bell.
I led him into the dinning room and offered him a seat. “What’s your name, soldier?”
He sat down, slowly, and with a grimace splitting his face into one part pain and one part exhaustion. He sat for a moment before speaking, and when he did the words seemed just as pained as his face, “We aren’t supposed to give anyone our names, sir.” He shrunk farther into the chair, head bowed, arms limp to his sides.
I finally noticed this man wasn’t in his late twenties or early thirties but not even out of his teens. He likely took the courier job to show his loyalty and patriotism, but didn’t account for the severe impact such a job would take on his health and body. Walking long distances for hours and hours, avoiding wolves, frostbite spiders, trolls, and Imperial patrols could age a man years within weeks. And here he sat so worn down from trying to prove himself to the Stormcloak cause he appeared to be decades older than his years actually accounted for.
I felt a knot of sorrow and sympathy far deep inside tying up my guts and heart. This is the toll that war takes on not only those on the frontline but by everyone. When this conflict with the Imperials finally ended the whole of Skyrim and her people will bear the burden for generations. Friends and family will be dead from enemy attacks, others will die of starvation, and more still will succumb to disease and illness. Proof sat at the table, broken and scarred physically and emotionally.
“Here you are,” my wife said, placing a bowl of tomato soup, a plate of carrots with apples and cabbage, and a platter with beef steak and crab cakes in front of our guest. “Ale or meade?” She waited for a moment, but he didn’t answer. She placed a flagon of ale on the table. My wife handed the rest of us a bowl of tomato soup and ale. Then she sat down and gave me a slight glance, I nodded in reply.
The message bearer sat for a time, staring at the food and drink before him. I didn’t think he would eat on his own. “Go ahead. Dig in.” He grabbed a fork with a shaky hand and took a mouthful of crab cakes. It must’ve been tasty as he ate without so much as a look up. Every morsel of food was consumed in less than five minutes. None of the rest of us had done anything but watch him eat.
On my trip to Iverstead, I walked up a winding path. I rounded a corner and a thief stopped me. He wore a hood and clothes, likely something he stole from someone else he tried to (or succeeded) shakedown for money. But his blood spoke to me, and I felt his confidence was shaky at best. He approached with a threat and asked me for all my money. I wondered if I could kill him. But I didn’t try. Instead I narrowed my eyes at him, fixed my jaw, and told him I didn’t have any money and it would be in his best interest to walk away.
He astonished me when he stammered and then agreed to just walk away. When he was out of sight, I smiled. It felt strange to smile. Then a question formed in my mind: was my powers of persuasion and seduction becoming stronger and more convincing? Would I soon be able to just talk my way into the homes and lives of others? Did I not have the appearance of a vampire? Aside from my pale skin, I didn’t know the answer to this curiosity.
Further along the path and uneasiness crashed over me like a way from an icy sea. I sensed a presence, something terribly dangerous. I advanced cautiously, hoping my more comprehensive powers would alert me before I stumbled into something (or someone) ferocious.
A guttural sound formed off in the distance. I saw the cave before I noticed the troll! Brown, aggressive, and extremely dangerous. I had heard stories about these creatures attacking wanderers. Feasting upon them and anything else that trespassed. I understood from tales they could regenerate their health, making them more formidable than other creatures in the wilds of Skyrim.
I idled for a moment and watched. It patrolled near the entrance of the cave. It often growled and hoped up and down with a flailing of the arms. Then in would skulk to the opposite end of the cave and repeat the display. I watched as a rabbit skittered too close and enraged the troll. It shuffled after the intruder. I took my cue and made a break for the river in the opposite direction. I scrambled into the water and stumbled over moss-slicked rocks and stones, falling face-first into the cold water.
I arrived in Iverstead to find a bear had invaded the village and most of the townsfolk were attacking it relentlessly, protecting their homes. I joined in and helped them dispatch the bear before heading for the inn for some rest. When I awoke I heard some conversation about a place called Treva’s Watch. A group of bandits had confiscated the outpost from a local. A man named Stalleo. He was seeking help to overthrow the thugs and would be willing to pay for any assistance. I wondered if he would be willing to pay with his life. I could tear his throat out and—
I shoved the thought away. But decided I would seek out this man and offer some help. If nothing else I would be able to sink my teeth into some bandits. They are, after all, relatively easy to manage as I learned in the Embershard Mine.
The mine is well-lit with torches. I take them down as I creep along. They will definitely expose me and make the prey more difficult to subdue and feast upon. A tripwire stretches across the ground, it will trigger a rock trap if I’m not careful. I skirt around it carefully.
The air is thick and cool. Damp and musty. Dust hangs in the air, sparkling from the flickering light of the torches. When I snuff out the torches, the dust recedes into the darkness of the cave as though it isn’t safe to be unexposed.
As I creep forward, i can hear voices. A discussion about the guard securing the door; the guard i already dispatched. They are bandits and their blood won’t be the most flavorful, but being cautious is more important right now. I don’t need to be exposed. Vampires aren’t the most welcome of creatures, even by the lowlife of Skyrim. I image fear is why vampires are so loathed.
I wait patiently, hungrily. The two men separate. This is beneficial as I can attack them individually. Although, I feel more and more powerful with every feeding, I am not confident I can take on more than one of the living. One of them walks down a lit corridor (I haven’t been able to remove all the torches), and the other lies on a bedroll. I advance on him.
Back outside in the daytime, I cringe against the sunlight. The heat and brightness saps my strength and energy. But it doesn’t feel as powerful a drain as before. The eight bandits inside the mine fully satisfied me, and one in particular (the archer) tasted sweet. There was something in her blood that seemed to speak to me. A few words floated along her blood, within her veins. Riften. The Thieves Guild.
I think I should attempt to join The Thieves Guild. If it actually exists. Ready access to homes, to people, to blood. They will know where people live. Yes, that would prove quite advantageous.
I’m on my way to Riverwood, a small village south of Whiterun. I understand there are no guards protecting the small hamlet. A thought blazes through my mind. no guards, no protection. but from what? From me? Is it possible that i am now considering slaughter of everyone living. I shake the thought away, focusing instead on the trip.
Wolves attack me shortly after I pass an Imperial patrol with what I assume is a Stormcloak rebel. I consider for a moment to decimate the entire contingent. But I don’t. Perhaps there is some humanity still left in this undead heart. This thought leads to another question: do I still have a soul? Moreover, does it matter if I do?
Riverwood is close, I smell the residents. I enter the east side of town and find the local drunk hovering around the inn. I approach him and stop. Something is wrong with him, within him. Inside his blood. I offer him a drink. He takes it without hesitation.
I am weary from the trip and the excess sunlight. The sun seems to wear on me now. I believe I will miss it’s welcoming and rejuvenating rays. Now only blood reinvigorates me.
Inside the inn I sense a human with unique blood. It calls to me, but she is awake and wandering the inn, engaging in an argument with the man behind the counter. He has something in his blood, too. But it isn’t alluring or enticing.
My sleep is restless, devoid of dreams and wants and desires. I arise and leave the inn. Outside the sun stings my eyes, and I instinctively search for shade.
The blacksmith is an intriguing person. He's passionate about his daughter and often bickers with his wife. He doesn’t tell me this but I know anyway.
I leave town, and head west. Not far, I notice a mine. Bandits inhabit this mine. And I am hungry.
The bandits at Silent Moons Camp are no match for my growing power. I dispatch them rather easily. New forms of magic arise within me and I use it to take them down. I’m sneaky, quiet, and bloodthirsty. Somehow I can even will myself to be unseen. My mother used to say powerful mages could bend light and become invisible. Somehow I can do this. It is intoxicating. Enrapturing!
I leave the broken and battered and drained bodies behind and head for a walled city. I believe the community is Whiterun, the most well-known location in all of Skyrim. This is most likely because of it’s central location within the province. The mild weather and wide-open landscape is also a deciding factor.
Whiterun reminds me of home. I grew up in Northpoint. My father fished the Etheric Ocean and my mother was a trader (selling my father’s catch most of the time). Seven years ago they died at the hands of some thugs from Evermore. The bandits were hired by a rival fisherman. They stole everything not fastened down and torched the rest, including my parents. Only their teeth remained after the fire finally snuffed out. After that, I left. Not knowing where I was going, but wherever it was would be okay as long as it was a long way away.
Two guards stand on either side of the large doors. Their blood calls to me but I resist. I wonder if my control is accidental from recent feedings or if I can manage my thirst more now? They do not speak or stop me, and I’m allowed to enter unmolested.
Inside, a man and woman are having a heated discussion, and although I’m not close to them, I can hear each word. I approach just as the conversation ends. The man in Imperial armor asks me something random. His heartbeat is all I can clearly make out. It’s powerful and steady. He is a strong human. I answer his question without ever hearing it. My reply pleases him. I wonder if he can feel that I now have control. I watch as he walks away.
There are more heartbeats. All around me. Within me. The hunger begins to grow. A small bunkhouse to my left has three guards within. I don’t know how I feel this. I enter and feed on the two sleeping men. A third man sits, he’s the watchman. I need him. Want him. Want, want, want!
He suddenly stands, dazed, entranced. I take the risk and feed while he is unaware. Then, as starkly as he stood and offered himself to me, he sits back in his chair—none the wiser.
I leave and head directly to the guardhouse. I seem to know exactly where I’m headed. An unseen power guiding me along the cobblestone to where more guards slumber. I’m getting bolder.
I exit the cave. Outside the darkness seems to warm me. The rain lit upon my skin, but it isn’t cold as most rain within Skyrim. I only feel the wetness.
And there is also moisture around my mouth, drying on my chin. The hunger had taken control of me, and the dead bandit was just there…
I shake away the memory, partially from fear and repulsion. Fear of the enjoyment and warmth of the blood. Repulsed by the act itself. Am I now a vampire? A vampire!
I break out in a run. Somewhere. Anywhere. As far from the cave as quickly as possible. I am disoriented. Just go. Run!
Someone in the distance. A guard. Another cave. Fear engulfs me. But so does something else. Hunger.
After I killed the bandit, I feed. It’s an instinct now. I am a vampire. A VAMPIRE!
Revulsion overwhelms me again and I run. I need distance. But from what and to where? The more I leave my old life behind, the more my new life (as a vampire) begins. Still, I cannot help myself. My legs power themselves as though they are controlled of a different mind, body, or…force?
I see something in the distance. A tomb maybe? Draugr inhabit tombs. But there aren’t any draugr in this tomb. This one has living blood. And lots of it, beaconing me as I get closer. A need wells up deep within. I must feed again…
I regained consciousness slowly as if swimming up from a depth in dark, murky water. I’m confused, my memories no longer cohesive but a scattering of visions. I saw a man. Attractive and alluring. His eyes (a strange reddish hue?) seemed to have gripped me so powerfully and debilitatingly I couldn’t move nor resist. But did I want to? I felt no fear. Rather…curiosity? Was that it? Was I curios? And if so, why?
The cavern? cave? dungeon? was dark. A woman mumbled something I didn’t or couldn’t fully comprehend. I heard a sound behind me. A creaky, racketing sound. Fear had gripped me then.
I looked down and saw I was in new clothing. Gloves with sharp, pointed tips, a red gown, low cut, barely covered breasts, and dark boots.
Pain rippled through me and I felt a hunger unlike anything I had before. I smelled something I would place within death, maybe the stench of…draugrs? I’d heard stories of the bone-walkers as a child, but waved away the stories of them as tales to keep children away from the tombs and crypts.
The stone corridor was narrow with only one torch hung on the wall for light. I rounded the corner and saw a man. His skin was pale. He paced. A cage (torture chamber?) nestled against the opposite wall. Next to it appeared to be a dead female bandit. But why wasn’t she in the cage? Moreover, why was she here at all? Did she sneak in to steal? And if so, how did she get by the woman who was mumbling?
I approached the man. He said something that chilled me. I needed to get out. To escape! I took whatever I could and made a break for it.
Back into the cavern, I saw what appeared to be living skeletons. Not draugr, but actual skeletons standing and wandering around, making a creaking noise. Then woman saw me but didn’t accost me or attempt to keep me from leaving as I approached the exit to the cave. I”m felt certain it was a cave now.
I wondered if leaving would make me free. Or would I become a slave to something else? And if so, what?
This is the question I was asked some time back. And my response probably appeared rather weak to the person who asked me. I think I replied with something along the lines of it's an open-world game and I'm not sure that's for me. Boy was I wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. I wasn't wrong about it being open-world, though. But I was wrong about it not being a game for me.
At the time I began considering Fallout 4 as an option, I had been enjoying more and more games with deep, well articulated stories. And a couple of those games were stories without words, without dialog, and without NPCs. Games like Journey and ABZÛ and Neverending Nightmares. Still others were full of dialog and NPCs and conversations. Dying Light, The Last of Us, and Life is Strange for example. And although Dying Light was open-world it had a narrow, and linear, focus. Not that those things took anything away from the game; it was a fantastic game. The Last of Us and Life is Strange are both great stories with excellent dialog, but they are quite focused in their purpose, providing limited interaction with the environments. Sure there were many opportunities to explore but in a tertiary role.
But Fallout 4 isn't like that. Fallout 4 is all about exploring. Truth be told, exploration is of utmost importance. But it's not just about finding new locations to scavenge or participate in battle or scrounge for ammunition, health items, and bottlecaps (the currency of the Wasteland). Oh no, the exploration is vital to the most important aspect of Fallout 4: the stories.
When I mention the stories, I'm not referring to the main story. It's rather predictable and not overly interesting. And I feel like this flaw in the game gives it a black eye. But thankfully the secondary and tertiary stories make up for the re-washed main story. These sad, gripping, and often gut-wrenching stories are what makes me ask the question, "Why aren't you playing Fallout 4?"
More than just the scripted encounters are the random encounters. And true enough many of these random encounters are battle focused or essential equipment such as ammo or health, but there will also be random opportunities to engage in a story. You may come across a settler in dire need of medications. Or you may find a funeral that you can only be a witness to as there isn't an option to engage with the mourners. Or you may find a man circling a refrigerator and thinking aloud on how to open it.
Even some of your available companions have deeply painful stories to tell such as MacCready or Old Longfellow. Maybe you've decided to solve the Eddie Winter quest with Nick Valentine, which you must to reach max affinity, and you learn about who Valentine used to be and why solving the Winter case is so important.
More importantly though—if you take the time that is—you'll complete the saddest, most heart breaking story in the quest of Arlen Glass, a man who cared so much about making children happy he forgot to take time for his own daughter. When I finished Arlen's quest I had to take a minute away from the game to clear my throat. Or, perhaps, you'll come across Phyllis Daily, and if you have high charisma, she'll tell you about her grandson. Or maybe the Suttons and the terrible fate of a mother and two children thanks to an abusive, lazy father.
Fallout 4 is filled with tough battles, complex battles, and fun, environmentally rich battles. But the greatest aspect of the game are the battles of the Commonwealth people. The war against total atomic annihilation, and the steps taken to keep families safe from a world no longer safe. What about the efforts of the Tournquist family to reunite, and of Jim to save his family within the confines of Big Jim's Salvage. And when you find Jim and his family take a moment to review what your eyes see, and then ask yourself: would you do the same?
When I first began playing Firewatch I wasn't sure it was going to keep my attention. The opening was filled with onscreen dialog similar to that of old soundless movies. And I nearly put the game away for a later date. And had it not been for its setting in the Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming I think I would've put it away. Boy am I glad I didn't. In fact the setting of a fictional area within Shoshone NF was what drew my interest to the game. Kinda like rooting for the home team even if you don't like the home team.
Firewatch is a first-person, story-driven mystery. It was developed by Campo Santo and published by Campo Santo and Panic. On February 9, 2016 is became available for Linux, Windows, OS X, and PS4. Later, in September 2016 Xbox One players were able to play.
You play as Henry, a man who is trying to avoid a difficult past relationship and start anew. Henry is a new fire lookout in a fictional setting in Wyoming. You engage in dialog with Delilah via radio. And it's in the dialog that the game shines. At times serious, mysterious, and sarcastic. But it is always engaging and easily holds the attention of the player. It's almost like a good mystery book in its depth of character and twists.
Fun Factor: Firewatch is certainly engaging enough as a story-driven game to keep the fun going. Even with limited gameplay the game is a wonderful getaway for several hours. FF is 8 of 10.
Replay Factor: Firewatch has plenty of dialog options to warrant a second or even third pass through. And a few secrets are hidden that I easily missed. The adoption of a turtle for example. Firewatch is almost completely devoid of wildlife, which is strange given its setting. RF is 7 of 10.
Story Factor: the story in Firewatch is wonderful, although a bit slow at the beginning. But this is attributed to the fashion of gameplay in the first ten minutes. Once beyond the long beginning reading the player must do the story is fascinating and enjoyable with fully relatable and well rounded characters. And the mystery itself has plenty of possibilities for gamer engagement. SF is 8 of 10.
Imagery Factor: now again I don't separate out the quality or even design of the imagery, rather I use the fully imagery immersion to make the determination in the score. Firewatch possess wonderful imagery, from the forest to shadows to darkness. IF is a 6 of 10.
Overall Factor: a summation of all the scores given against all the scores available. Firewatch scores a 29 of 40. Firewatch losses ground due to lack of forest sounds and minimal gameplay. With the addition of sounds and more complex puzzles, Firewatch could easily score a 35 of 40.
Firewatch is definitely a game to play. Even if you prefer high octane games like DOOM or Uncharted, the story in Firewatch is more than enough to keep you entertained for several hours on a rainy afternoon. It easily makes it into my top 5 games played this year.
(Firewatch gets 5 bonus points for mentioning actual towns and cities in Wyoming.)
Welcome to LittleWatt Gameplay, a blog dedicated to gaming. Ranging from first impressions to game reviews and a bunch of stuff in between. I’ll be sharing my first impressions of Life is Strange for the Xbox One.
I was browsing in Best Buy when I first came across this game. It might have even been mentioned by a friend but I can't recall for sure. Anyway, I grabbed the box and read the little blurb on the back. A young girl with the ability to rewind time. She saves someone and then must face the consequences of her actions. And this is throughout the game as each decision can affect the way things play out.
After an hour or so of play, I find myself more and more drawn into the game. There's a girl missing and a bunch of people connected to the girl, which leads to a huge suspect list. The more I play the more clues come to the surface. And, as one might expect, some of the potential perpetrators are simply too obvious for me to take as a serious suspect in the disappearance of a young art student. And there's an equal amount of suspects who are not obvious choices as kidnappers (and potentially murderers, although I don't know if the missing girl is dead yet) who I must take a closer look at.
The story is full of typical teenage drama surrounded by a mysterious disappearance and the introduction of an FNG (fucking new girl) not unlike many stories available we’ve all read about or watched in movies or television or even been an active participant.
Keep an eye out for my gameplay videos on YouTube as I unravel the mystery.
Welcome to LittleWatt Gameplay. Quite possibly the biggest game for PlayStation 4 for 2016 has been released and I'll share my initial thoughts about No Man’s Sky.
No Man’s Sky is a space exploration and discovery game developed by Hello Games. It's a procedurally generated game, which means something that I'm not sure I fully understand. Here's a link to help explain it.
I'm not going to get into graphics and gameplay and all that jazz with this initial thoughts post. But I can say the game runs smooth and the images can be fascinating.
I open the game as a crash-landed space explorer to my best guess. There isn't any story so far so I'm only able to piece together what I've experienced. My first job is to repair my busted ship—which for me is a similar looking machine to the X-wing fighter. I have to search the area to find repair items. The items aren't hard to find (once I got the handle on it) but they're vast distances away from the crash site. I'm armed with a multi-tool, which looks a lot like a toy blaster I had as a kid. The kind you pulled the trigger on and sparks shot out the top or sides. And I'm inside a protective suit that needs various repairs during my sojourn for organic materials and various items from the periodic table.
My character is all alone aside from the plants and various creatures on the planet. (There is an element of creepiness during the exploration because anything can appear at any time). And these drones that are sometimes friendly and sometimes not, which may have to do with me destroying a couple.
The game is open world to the extreme, which for all intents and purposes, is all new for me. I'm not convinced I'll enjoy the game yet. Perhaps when I finally get off my initial planet and into space it'll improve. And there will certainly be more aspects to No Man’s Sky once I get further into the game, but my big concern will be my attention span for the game as it unfolds rather slowly for me.
And although this game may eventually be one I could easily place on a shelf and forget about, I do believe it'll be a big success for Hello Games, PlayStation, and gamers all over the world. And perhaps beyond.
Welcome to LittleWatt Gameplay. I've now completed my first game since I began this blog. So that means it's time to write my first review. The review will be scaled from zero to ten in several categories. Here's some history of DOOM.
I line up the shot!
DOOM, a first-person shooter, was first released on December 10, 1993 by id Software. Although it wasn't the first, first-person shooter it did remake the genre with heavy violence and gore and 3D graphics to IBM-compatible computers. Do you all remember IBM-compatible computers? DOOM II: Hell on Earth was released in 1994, which was followed by addition releases from that same engine, and Final DOOM released in 1996. In 1997 DOOM 64 would be released followed by a several year hiatus. In 2004 a prequel of the first DOOM as released but with all new technology. All of the previous versions of DOOM would have secondary releases except Final DOOM. There are books, comics books, and a movie based on DOOM. All in all, a successful institution.
The newest version of the game, titled DOOM, was released on May 13, 2016. And that is what this review will be covering. I haven't played many first-person shooters so I won't have much history to compare DOOM and other games in the genre. This review is based on the PlayStation 4 version.
I'll be rating the game in different categories with a scale from 1 to 10.
Fun Factor: wow this game was a hoot. It moved quickly and the interest stayed up. And I stayed up late many nights playing the game. That being said, I'm scoring DOOM an 8 of 10.
Replay Factor: I often returned to previous missions to complete missed challenges, work on weapon mastery, or discover missed secrets. I found myself enjoying the game as much when I repeated a level as I did when I first played the level. I mean pulling a demon’s arms off under the influence of the Berserk power up or hacking a demon in half with a chainsaw never gets old. Again an 8 of 10.
Story Factor: I found rating this a bit more difficult. The story in DOOM is there and it's a good story. But the story isn't easy to follow with the multiple ways it unfolds. At times there was the magnificent demon voice narrating a story during the trips to hell. Other times Samuel Hayden told a story. But most of the story was developed with the Data Logs, which could easily be glossed over or ignored altogether. Understandably, DOOM is designed for high RPM fun and too much story would lug the engine, but at the same time I felt like the story needed to be more forced. Certainly the artifacts picked up in hell don't take away from the energy of the game. A similar design needed to be employed for the rest of the story. Say, for instance, Olivia tells the story of the demons and Hayden discusses Mars and the work done on Mars. For story factor DOOM receives a 6 of 10.
Imagery Factor: I considered breaking this category into several but chose against it since this category is rather subjective. Sure there are obvious differences in last generation console and current generation, and even current generation compared to PC games. So I felt it best to keep concepts like graphics and images and real life modeling and soundtrack in one category. For DOOM, the imagery factor is high—8 of 10. The soundtrack was perfect, high octane and aggressive, which fit exactly with DOOM. There are several sections in the game where the imagery was so life-like it can easily be passed off as real. The smoke and fire and explosive barrels are all images that appear real not game. And I could easily peruse my gameplay videos and literally take hundreds of incredible stills. Other things like Samuel Hayden's size was subtle imagery. And Olivia’s degradation in the game as she slowly fails to accomplish her promises. And several of the gruesome images in the game tell a subtle story. One of which we would expect when dealing with demons and hell.
Overall Factor: This is an accumulation of all the category ratings added together with category totals and averaged out. DOOM gets an above average score with a 7.5 of 10.
Last Minute Gripes: I didn't include this in the main review because it didn't play a significant enough part to be included. Although the game never locked up on me, it did have a glitch or bug or something in one level where the mission challenges weren't being recorded. This forced me to complete the mission and restart. Ultimately this didn't have a detrimental impact on my game goals and was only a minimal annoyance.
Welcome to LittleWatt Gameplay. I hope you're enjoying the blog and the videos of my gameplay on YouTube.
For August I'm focusing on Dying Light and will be finishing up DOOM. Also of note No Man’s Sky will be out on August 9. I haven't decided if I'll do videos for that yet. But enough of all that business, let's get to the challenge.
In Dying Light there's a focus on parkour. And for those who don't know what parkour is I hope I'll help you understand what it is. Perhaps some history first.
Here's a little information on parkour. And if you go by the simple textbook definition you'll be able to find suitable obstacles to use. http://www.wfpf.com/parkour/
No I don't expect people to launch themselves off rooftops or do flying somersaults over vehicles traveling at 40 miles per hour. I mean that shit is just nuts. There's a fine line between brave and idiotic. I wouldn't expect people to climb a fence like Jackie Chan, either. But I do think there are some simple parkour things people can do safely and get in a great workout. Find a balance beam at a local park or walk the curbing along the sidewalk. Climb a jungle gym. Do pull-ups on the monkey bars. Vault a park bench. I have a skateboard park where I live and it gets no use whatsoever so I'll be doing some parkour something or other there.
Now I'm definitely not a parkour-er and won't claim to be. I won't be doing any cat grabs and muscle-ups any time soon. My strength to weight ratio leans way too much on the weight side. Still that doesn't mean I can't try. And who knows maybe by September 1 I'll be able to do cat grabs and muscle ups.
So here's the challenge. Three days a week do twenty-five minutes of parkour outside. Being outside is important. Or check a local gym for parkour classes. Now I understand it's August so be sure you exercise safely. Drink plenty of water and take it slow. Going balls to the wall is a good way to get injured. At least until you get better. Then you can speed it up and drink more water. I expect everyone will be sore after the first time since it isn't something most people do. But go and have fun. And get healthier to boot.
Now go out and have fun. Most importantly be safe!
Welcome back to LittleWatt Gameplay. I hope you're enjoying my content. And as always leave a comment and subscribe. Now to get to the meat of this post.
I've thought for a bit about doing a giveaway and decided I would do a game giveaway—via gift card—and equal to a new game release for the month of August. Now before you think this is a total freebie there are rules you must follow to be entered.
During the month of August I'll be focusing my gameplay videos on Dying Light on PS4. I may release other videos but for this giveaway you must follow the rules I've written below for Dying Light.
Rule number one: You must be a subscriber to my YouTube channel—I will confirm you're a subscriber. Sorry guys and gals but that's part of why I'm doing a giveaway. Growing my channel is important to me.
Rule number two: You must leave a comment on every Dying Light video in August in the YouTube comment section about the video you just watched, comments not in YouTube will NOT be counted. And...I will be leaving a question within each video itself that you will need to answer as well. I may ask a follow-up question to assure you've watched the video and not just copied previous commenters’ remarks. Liking the video isn't required but it may add to your chances.
Yes, the rules are difficult and are designed that way on purpose. I want people who subscribe to be a part of my channel and not there just to add numbers.
The results will be tallied in September. For those who follow the rules your names will be written down on paper and drawn from a container by a different individual. And the winner will be announced by 14 September 2016.
Welcome back to LittleWatt Gameplay. This blog is dedicated to gaming topics I'm interested in as well as game reviews and Let's Play video content.
I'm going to start a series of blogs about upcoming games that I'm interested in and will likely be playing in the future. And for the first post I'm going to tackle No Man’s Sky.
The most interesting part about my curiosity for No Man's Sky is I'm not the kind of person who would ever consider space travel. I mean it's great and fascinating to learn and to see. But as for actual space travel...That's for someone else. You won't be finding me on Mars planting potatoes or on the Moon doing whatever they might do there. So the question becomes why, Glen, are you intrigued by this game?
I'm not sure I can even answer that coherently but I'll share a few thoughts anyway. But first a bit about No Man’s Sky.
No Man’s Sky is developed and produced by a small indie studio in the UK—Hello Games. Now they've developed and produced other games but I've not played any of them. The game is an exploration, survival, first-person game with 18 quintillion, ten to the eighteenth power, or 18 with with 18 zeros, planets. A staggering number. So basically you could play the game your entire life and never run into another player even though other players are there and may only be in the next star system. And in each one of these planets there is an ecosystem—if you don't know what an ecosystem is, well I can't help you—specific to that planet. Or the shorter version is infinite possibilities.
The scope of this game is staggering. Consider all the information people know about our own real life universe, which is around 4%, and now think about a completely unknown universe created in No Man’s Sky.
You can close your mouth now.
So yeah I'm ready to explore.
There's another facet to this game that will be relatively new to me as well. The open-world aspect. Nearly all of my gaming has been a linear style. Get your objective and accomplish said objective. Move onto another objective and finish that one. You get the picture.
So going from mostly structured objectives to you pick your path sorta thing will be quite different. And this is one reason I recently acquired Fallout 4, another open world game. But that's for another post.
Now on to the nerdy, real-life science part of why the game is so profoundly intriguing.
Space travel and humans in space. Space to humans is exceedingly dangerous. This is a major reason humans aren't on Mars currently. There's no guarantee they would survive the trip if it went perfectly. Solar radiation and cosmic radiation would surely kill them during the five month trip. And that doesn't take into account the trip back.
For life, Earth is a safe place, but Earth will apparently not appear in the game. But with 18,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets available an earth-like or nearly exact replica of earth is entirely possible. And let's face it, the game is based off earth-related physics and chemistry and knowledge, although the developers have added other elements, which could throw a monkey in the wrench.
But in No Man’s Sky we get to explore space safely from our homes. And that is the essence of video games. Although games aren't on the level of books, we do get to be someone else in another place or time or universe.
