New Home, New Jobs, Death of Dark Link

Recently, some friends have mine have asked why my blog lies dead in the sand. The answer is the usual: I haven't had time! The last few months have seen the start of not one but two new paying writing jobs, a huge move from Missouri to Colorado, and of course access to the best internet I've ever had. The latter item of that list means that I've been playing a lot of Halo and Destiny in my free time instead of typing my madness here.

But I should keep this thing going, shouldn't I? I still get daily hits on the content I've already posted. So, my break is officially over.

To answer some more questions that I've been asked recently:

• Yes, I will do more Captain America Spotlight posts. 
• Yes, I can record some Destiny videos to put on here. But I don't have any fancy recording software, just the Xbox One's Upload feature. Still, I'll be posting stuff with my Warlock here and on my Youtube channel. 
• No, I probably won't be posting any snippets of any prose any time soon. 
• Yes! The move to Denver has been awesome so far! My family is doing great!

More News!

Okay, so one of those new jobs I mentioned above is - and get ready for this - as the new writer of the Blade Bunny web comic!

Okay, so it doesn't pay as awesome as my current position as a contracted story writer for 3D Brothers but Blade Bunny is a fun, exciting, and amazing opportunity to work with comedy and a strong female lead character. As a huge Joss Whedon fan, this is something I simply couldn't pass up.

Speaking of that 3D Brothers gig, I obviously can't reveal a whole hell of a lot considering how creative work is necessarily in the dark at the onset, but when I can you should expect to see links-a-plenty here and on my twitter and facebook accounts. The game we are making is a survival/horror that you aren't going to want to miss. I promise.

Death of Dark Link; Anime game is a-Go-Go

Work also continues with Bio's Remnant Gaming. Though, sadly, not with Dark Link. A partner of mine seemed to have lost faith in the project or perhaps even in me and was unable to continue working on the project. We had an investor with money on the table waiting for a demo, but that is the catch 22 of this business isn't it? We needed money to pay our artist for that demo but our investor needed to see the demo before he'd drop the cash.

Without the original artist, Dark Link can't be done the same way. I'm still sorting out how to proceed with the project, but there are details about this recent let down that make it hard for me to return to the same situation as before. Likely, if this project were to respawn from its untimely demise, it would be under a new moniker and a new artist.

Now, the Anime Game - which shall still remain nameless - is fully underway as I finally have my team put together and working toward a demo. We have an artist, a sound guy, a programmer/writer, the license, and an awesome premise. This is also more of a comedy than anything else which is always fun! I'll let you know when there is any new information or a website available!

Gaming! MCC Woes, Destiny Rocks, Halo 4 Clan

Right, so if you are my friend on Xbox Live, you've seen me doing just about nothing except for Netflix, Destiny, and Halo 4.

I have played some Halo: Master Chief Colllection, but suffice it to say, all the people blogging about the mess that is Halo: MCC's matchmaking are completely correct. I won't do an entire post on it, but here is an example of an hour of playing time:

I'd played before some with my brother but the experience wasn't awesome. But hey, that is all matchmaking games sometimes. So I booted up the MCC again and went straight for the Halo 2 Anniversary ranked playlist. This time, I clocked the matchmaking process to see how long it took me to get into a match. Unsurprisingly (but still frustrating) is that it took six minutes from the time I entered the playlist to the time the map finally loaded and it was kill time.

A few minutes later, the brief match of Legendary Slayer BR on Lockout (5:05) was done and I was sent back to the multiplayer playlist selection menu. That's right, the playlist selection menu. Instead of taking you and some of the players you've been matchmade with into the next game in the playlist, you go back to the menu. I may be stupid, but how is that a "playlist"?

Anyway, it took just over 4 minutes to get into another match but this one was almost over. I was in that game for just over a minute. For the mathematician's out there, of my first 16 minutes or so of time, 10 were spent waiting. That is a 5/3 ratio that never felt like it improved for the rest of the hour. Actually, it was probably worse because TWICE the game crashed after matchmaking was done but before the map was loaded. GAH

Morale of this already too lengthy tale is to avoid the MCC unless all you want to do is have a blast playing the awesome Halo campaigns. Halo 2 has always been my favorite of the Halo campaigns and seeing it remastered made me as giddy as I was when I first played the game so many years ago. The campaigns all play extremely well after the sizable patches I've downloaded and I had a ton of fun revisiting Chief's story.

Okay, Destiny! I am looking for people to play with so add Lord Hexias to your Xbox Live friends list and let's do some strikes! I play Destiny on the Xbox One.

Halo 4 I am also looking for friends! Same name will do. I play this on the 360! I am part of a clan now called SKG or Sleeping Knights Gaming. We are chill but we are also pretty good at Halo as a squad. Send me a message and I'll see about adding you to the team. We play for a little most days but tend to overdo a little on the weekends. Haha.

Well, that is it for now! I'll post more soon!

Drop a comment and let's start a conversation! I love meeting new people so don't worry if I've never met you. See ya'll!

Links!

https://www.patreon.com/drowemos

Go to the above link to become a Patron of the Blade Bunny pages I'll be doing! Just message Drowemos/Eric Kimball (the owner of the Patreon) and tell him that you would like to support my specific pages(Matt)!

To get caught up in Blade Bunny, start here:

http://www.bladebunny.com/comic/bunny-blade-cover-final/

And follow me on Twitter!

@MAWeeden

Alien: Isolation...Keep Your Head (MILD SPOILERS)

Tough Vulnerability

Alien: Isolation. Judging by the conversations I've been having with many of you out there in the Gamersphere, this title is either must-have or an easy-to-forget. Now that I've had plenty of hands of time with it myself, I can tell you that the polarization of opinions regarding this game will never change.

At its core, Alien is a horror game. That said, I don't think hardcore fans of horror games are going to find a lot to love here. Even on the hardest difficulty, avoiding certain death at the claws (or vicious teeth) of the Xenomorph and other myriad enemies (other survivors, androids) isn't all that challenging. I did fail a fair amount initially but after changing how I approached the game and playing with a decent amount of patience, it did become easier. Essentially, all you have to do is think on your feet, hide long enough, or use your little crafted contraptions (Amanda might even be more resourceful than her Mom) in clever enough fashion and you'll be cruising through Sevastopol station.

So, like I said, not really something a super fan of the horror genre is going to find fulfilling. But if you are a fan of Alien and good science fiction, there is a lot here to enjoy. For me, this was a pleasant trip into a fictional world I've only ever been able to enjoy from a distance via my television. This game stuck me into that universe in a remarkably satisfying way. This IS Ridley Scott's Alien, down to the slippers by the cryo beds, highly textured surfaces, and the slime dripping from the villain's fangs.

The story is worth tracking and the gameplay keeps you on your toes. You'll find your own pace and rhythm (especially when the motion tracker finds it way to your hands) as you go but keep in mind that if you simply react to what is happening rather than attempt to "figure out" everything before it happens you'll save yourself a lot of frustration. This game is meant to surprise you and it certainly can. But once you find yourself memorizing the locations of closets and dark, chair-less desks then you'll basically be ready to survive most encounters.

That think-on-your-feet gameplay is fun but the real draw for the fans of the source material is that will remember the characters, story, and events of this game long after they've forgotten where the save points are. Amanda Ripley is acted well and reminded me a great deal of Crystal Dynamics' turn with Tomb Raider. In that game, just like this one, the playable character is strong but inherently human and vulnerable. I am enjoying this trend in games and hope it continues long into the future. Being Master Chief or Duke Nukem is fun for a spell, but being human is far more interesting.

As is Alien: Isolation.

Best game ever? No. But it is worth a play-through even if you aren't a fan of the films. If you are however, just TRY and trade this one back in. Playing as THE Ripley herself on the Nostromo in the Crew Expendable mission is more than enough reason to add this to your Permanent Collection of All Things Ridley. Or to place at the base of his statue in your closet, whichever applies.

~Matt

Shadow of Mordor: Not You Again!

Scratch one game off of this list of games I want to play. I picked up my copy of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor yesterday for my Xbox One, and after spending about six and a half hours on it last night, I have a first impression for you!

Also, I've included a segment that details the death of Muzglob the Painted as a way of demonstrating how the lauded Nemesis system works with the rest of the game.

The First Few Minutes

I won't spoil the story of the beginning too much here in my blog, but I did enjoy how they worked the movement and combat tutorials into that story. By the time the cut scenes finished rolling and the music reached a crescendo I felt confident I would be able to handle the controls well enough. Though, to be honest, that confidence likely came from my extensive experience with the Arkham and Assassin's Creed games, respectively. If you have played both of these titles before then the controls will feel right at home.

The open-world portion of the game begins on a giant tower that isn't actually there (you'll see). You have a mission to assassinate someone as well as about a dozen or so icons scattered throughout the map around you. I got the sense from these first moments that there was a LOT to do here. Some open-world titles don't necessarily give you a lot to do between one point and another but that is definitely not the case here. I found myself distracted by a number of things as I made my way through the layered and texture rich environment.

One of those things was the beauty of the game. It is every bit as gorgeous as a new-gen title should be, particularly at night in the rain. I finally feel like a game of mine is getting the most out my new console visually.

Anyway, as I was saying, before reaching that first assassination target, I found myself distracted by opportunities to free slaves, a few collectibles, and of course the chance to fight dozens of enemies clad in various types of armor and wielding a variety of weapons. My skill with rhythm-based combat is such that I was able to survive these initial encounters, especially since I'd stealth kill a few before the real fighting began.

 The Combat & Movement

The fast-paced rhythm based combat is similar to what was done in the Arkham games but has notable differences thanks to the swordplay, wraith abilities, and ranged combat effectiveness of Talion, the protagonist of Shadow of Morder. Experienced players will enjoy being able to set how helpful the combat prompts are if wanting more of a challenge. I can say though, do not let the ease of the early fights dissuade you. As you fight your way up the Orc and Uruk ranks, you'll find yourself dying more than you might have thought based on this early encounters.

The movement is close to Assassin's Creed but the world itself is very different from anything seen in those varied titles. You might be pushing similar buttons as you would for AC: III or IV, but the logic is a bit different. Especially after a couple of hours when you begin to receive movement bonuses thanks to new abilities you've unlocked for your wraith.  

If you haven't played either of those games, then note that the combat in this one will transition seamlessly from stealth to combat based on how you choose to engage your targets. Taking the time to meticulously sneak your way through a stronghold assassinating the Uruks one at a time until they are gone is a good way to build up XP for upgrades but takes a while. Charging in sword drawn is possible if you have nimble fingers but can be ridiculously difficult if enough shielded and berserker enemies join the fray.

Killing Muzglob the Painted

Some hours into the game, I decided it was time to kill this Warchief by the name of Muzglob the Painted. After interrogating a lowly Captain of the first tier, I learned that he had a couple of weaknesses and who his bodyguard was. This was, to my dismay, Tumug the Bloody. You see, Tumug and I have a history going back about four hours (and several deaths) ago.

Tumug Must Die

I had been chasing after some minor captain by the name of Skurg or something like that early in the game when Tumug (just a random, nameless enemy at first) shows up with a shield and spear. The captain I was attempting to interrogate for information on his Warchief was an archer and was pelting me with arrows as I tried to kill the shielded uruk. Eventually, the pair got the best of me and Tumug finished me with a vicious spear thrust. He insulted me as any good Uruk might and I respawned.

Almost immediately after jumping down from one of the towers Talion re-spawns at, Tumug was there with a posse and was eager to do me in again. He succeeded much faster than I would like to admit and I could do nothing but watch as he gained power and dueled another Uruk in the Sauron's Army 'mini-game' or whatever it is. He beat that Uruk and climbed the ranks.

Over the next couple of hours, Tumug dueled, recruited, and challenged his way up the ranks until he was a high level captain of about 13 or 14.  I would kill a captain or stop a duel only to see Tumug gaining power and respect amongst his peers. I definitely wanted to kill this ugly, spear-wielding jerk but was also mildly concerned that at this point, he was beyond my capabilities.

However, I did discover before doing in that lowly first tier captain (as I stated in the first paragraph) that Tumug was Muzglob's bodyguard. Getting rid of him would make my life easier during my assassination attempt of Muzglob so I made the call and selected Tumug as my target. He was holed up in a crumbling stone structure with a group of about twelve shielded uruks and several more warriors and archers. I did the archers on the raised platforms in with stealth kills and my bow (which is fired much like the bow in the Tomb Raider remake) before doing my best to polish off as many of the shielded guys as possible before the real fighting began.

When it finally did, it was not simple. In order to get past an uruk defender's shield, you have to "vault" over him as part of your continuing "streak" and slash or pound at his back. This can take several tries per Uruk and when there is a pack of them things can get pretty desperate. I knew that Tumug had a weakness to monsters however so I started looking for a caged carragor (think Warg). I found one on my mini-map and bolted from the battle. I found a nice perch on a stone wall that gave me a good vantage point to fire at the lock from and released the beast.   

He tore through the ranks pretty effectively and it ended up being just Tumug and a couple of his guys trying to stay alive against the creature. I hopped down and brutally finished off one of Tumug's buddies. I actually helped Tumug dispatch the carragor before turning my attention on the now weakened and army-less captain. I managed to stun him with my wraith fist ability and managed to kill him after a series of flurry strikes. Or so I thought.

You Again!?  

I went after the supposed bodyguard-less Muzglob at that point in his stone stronghold. Again, I used stealth to climb and infiltrate the compound, killing everything I could find as I went. My information told me that ol' Muzglob only had two weaknesses and one of those was ranged attacks. So I settled in by a nice little stash of Elven arrows and proceeded to attack him once he made it out onto this stone span between two of the structures.

Lo and behold, Tumug pops out of hiding and gets between me and his master, blathering on about the scar I left him with. What worse, he's invulnerable to ranged so now my plan is ineffective. Still, I am hoping that I can use a stealth finisher on Muzglob (his other weakness) if I can cause some distractions and move around behind him. I end up failing to accomplish this task and get overwhelmed trying to escape the structure. The lucky Uruk who got this kill is called Kaka and he now becomes a Captain. 

To keep a long story from getting any longer, it would be several more tries before I could even get Tumug killed off again (he ends up being level 19...and another one Korosh who I thought was dead is now level 20 and nigh invincible) let alone make another attempt at killing Muzglob.

NEMESIS

Because of this system, I found myself relishing in the death of Tumug, even though it wasn't technically as important as Muzglob's demise. Tumug had insulted me, killed me, and escaped death too many times for me to let him live. It was a genuinely rewarding experience to do him in. I just hope he stays dead this time.

The other factor in all of this are the runes that you get from killing off captains. The one I received from offing Tumug this last time was quite good thanks to his now super-high power level. I got a level 21 Sword Rune that grants me 21% defense versus ranged attacks. Not too shabby. And every time I look at the rune I'm treated to the image of Tumug's ugly face contorted in pain as he leis dead on the ground.

Now, I have seen other gamers and reviewers commenting on how this system has no context. That killing someone as Tumug doesn't really change anything physical in the game. From where I am sitting, I don't know what they are talking about. Mordor is a sea of orcs and uruks so the death of one or a handful shouldn't upset the balance of Sauron's plans. Not in the slightest. The context for these deaths came solely from my own mind as I desired to end the lives of these villains. Not because the game told me to or the story dictated it, but because he was a bastard and I wanted him dead.

That is the first time I've ever had that particular type of motivation in a game. This story of Tumug is MINE and belongs to no one else. Go out and find your own stories in this game, that is the point!

~Penfighter

Platformer fun! (Dust: an Elysian Tail & Deadlight)

During my little hiatus from my blog here, I downloaded two free games on my Xbox 360. Before I get into them, however, let me point out how awesome that is. Steam and Sony have been doing it for a while but I am more pleased to see Microsoft on that bandwagon considering I own a 360 and an Xbox One. This means that I could potentially have four free games every month!

Excited doesn't quite cover it.

Anyway, this post concerns the two games I've recently been playing thanks to this "More with Gold" offer that Microsoft has going. They are Deadlight by Tequila Works and Dust: an Elysian Tail created almost solely by Dean Dodrill. Both are 2D platformers but otherwise couldn't be more different. Aside from the fact that they are both fun and both several years old. (These reviews of mine are out of date, but I get the feeling that like me, many of you might have missed these gems as well)

Let's begin with Deadlight. This 2D survival platformer is set in a post-apocalyptic Seattle. Shadows (read: zombies) run amok in this grizzly setting and constantly chase after you as you jump, leap, grab, and puzzle your way from one dazzling level to the next.  Tequila Works definitely went the realistic route with their artwork which makes clambering over damaged vehicles, through eerily empty houses, or crumbling buildings all the more exciting.

The story suits the setting and is not one for the kiddos. Art stills with limited animation serve as the primary method of filling in the gaps between levels and they range from the brutal to the downright depressing. If you are a fan of The Walking Dead or post-apocalyptic zombie tales in general then you will not be disappointed. This game tends to focus not just on telling a gruesome story but in detailing how someone might survive under these conditions. I found the level of detail to be slightly wanting overall but far more than I would have expected from a 2D platformer.

But is it fun? A capital YES is there. Admittedly, it did take me a little time to become accustomed to the controls but once I did, I was jumping across rooftops, shooting the heads off of Shadows, and smashing through doors like a pro. I did find myself occasionally frustrated when trying to stand underneath a ledge or object and jumping up to grab it. It seems you have to be standing in the exact right spot or you might end up leaping from your position of safety or even further out of position. Those moments were scarce however and I found the entire experience to be enjoyable on the 360's controller.

Do not expect the puzzles themselves to be all that difficult. That said, there are definitely some moments that take quite a bit of trial an error. I died quite a few times in areas where you have to execute a string of maneuvers in order to effectively dodge the shadows, escape an environmental condition, and move on to the next area all at once. Thankfully this game comes with an excellent auto-save system that seems to know where the difficult moments will be. I rarely lost any significant gameplay due to a poorly timed jump or getting overwhelmed by Shadows.

Overall, this is a solid game. Its shooter elements are fun once you become accustomed to the control scheme but its strength is in the sometimes frantic platforming elements that can be tricky but rewarding to complete. If you missed this game, the time to rectify that mistake is now. You won't be disappointed.

Dust: an Elysian Tail is an entirely different can of beans.

The biggest similarity between these two games is that there is more to them than meets the eye. You would expect either to be a fun but relatively straightforward experience. This is not the case. Particularly with Dust. This game has RPG elements including a leveling system, extensive (for the genre, anyway) conversation options with certain NPC's, and long, full levels that require multiple trips to experience everything they have to offer. Couple that depth with an easy to pickup and incredibly fun and remarkably responsive combat system and you can be certain that you'll have plenty of hours of fun with this title. Also, it is beautiful.

The story is solid and definitely more than I expected. A lot more. There are moments of levity between Dust and his little flying companion but they are smothered by the deep story concepts of the central lot that deal with identity, death, war, and societal concerns. It is difficult for me to believe that aside from the music and a trace element here or there, this game was designed and created by one man. There is just so much to it and the combat really is as fun as I'm trying to explain.

You build up combos by hitting enemies - which happens incredibly fast if you use the whirling special attacks in unison with your companion's magic - and lose the combo bonus if you get hit by enemies. It sounds simple and plays simple but that in no way takes away from the fun. In fact, even as a gamer who plays more the story than the gameplay usually, I found the high-flying combat to be a welcome contrast to the at times pensive dialog and deep plot elements.

As a platformer, it is pretty straightforward. You have to jump just right from one spot to the next or hop down from one ledge to another but there is nothing special here. Really, the environment is best served as a tool to use in combat to help you gather up your foes and achieve higher combos to increase your XP and gold rewards.

Again, if you missed this one like you might have missed Dead Light then stop reading my blog and go play it. By no means will it be the best game you've ever played but you should find it a satisfying and even rewarding experience.

With that, I have more games to play and I'm sure you do as well. Still, if you find the time, please subscribe to my blog here for industry updates, game reviews, and posts about Bio's Remnant Gaming as we finally start to get our games out there. You can also find me at twitter @MAWeeden and can drop me a line at the_last_penfighter@hotmail.com

~Matt